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Tuesday, March 4,
2000
This should come as no surprise. Microsoft
issued a software upgrade to fix hundreds of bugs in its recently
released and much touted Windows 2000. The only thing was the
bug fix had bugs of its own.
Several people have asked me today what I thought
of the judge's ruling yesterday in the the Justice Department's
case against Microsoft. I thought the year long trial pretty
much turned out to be a non-event. I don't think the DOJ has
shown where consumers were hurt in this case. The whole case
appears to be a case about web browsers vs. anti-trust. The message
board at the Motley Fool has had plenty to say on this subject
as well.
Of course the courts could really screw things up
by some weird breakup of Microsoft and in the end I will bet you
that we all will be paying more for computer software, etc.
I see there
are others who agree with this perspective, as well.
The touted Sony Playstation 2 may be having
some problems, even before it's released for sale in the
United States. Seems like the Japan version, which was the
first to hit the market will play more than games. The Sony
Playstation2 can be tricked to also play video DVDs and while Sony
is not saying so, you might see a recall on these machines in the
near future...even before they hit the shores if the USA.
[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday]
[Friday] [Saturday]
Saturday, April
8, 2000
My mother turns 79 today. Happy birthday
Eloise.
One man's junk really is another's treasure.
This has been proven more times than we can count, hence
the proliferation of yard and garage sales throughout the spring.
I added to this on Friday.
The Junior League of Winston-Salem has, as their major fund raiser each year, a rummage sale. And this rummage sale is not like the ones I remember my mother and her
cronies having forty-some years ago. This appears to be one of Winston-Salem's
social events of the year. The Junior Leaguers collect other's junk
throughout the year and then occupy the Benton Convention Center for one mega sale. Word is this two-day event brings in over $100,000 to their coffers, which in turn benefits their "reading to kids" program.
I had always been out of town for this event and therefore had never attended. Our Neighbors go each year and so some of the chatter at the bus stop on Friday centered around the
rummage sale. Suzy was elected to keep the kids and was saddled with five urchins while
the neighbors and I went shopping for bargains. I was surprised when David said his wife
(Teresa) was going down to the convention center to get a place in line at 3:30 PM, a full two hours before the doors opened. I
went with David about an hour later and we found Teresa and her friend Laurie, who were in line about a block from the front of the line.
By the time we entered the doors at 5:30, the line for entry had
completely circled the block.
The instructions were simple and explained to you many times while standing in line. The admission is $3 and have
your money ready as you go in the door. We all scrambled to make sure we had three singles and
if not, it was off to a concession stand to buy something, just to get change. When we got to the door we could see why having the correct change was so important. People were literally throwing their three bucks at the gate attendant and running inside the convention center. I have never been to an Amway convention, but from what I have heard this must have been just like the big Amway meetings. I soon found out about the change deal. One poor sole
in front of us handed the ticket seller a $20, had to wait for change and was heckled by those behind him. I guess he'll know better next time.
After all, he probably held those up behind him for a full 20 seconds.
Once inside, people were running, I mean running to their favorite areas. The were racks and racks of hanging clothes including anything from jogging suits to ladies designer dresses to men's suits and sport coats and even tuxedos. There were sections for kids clothes, naturally
segregated by boys and girls, sporting goods, baby goods, big appliances, new items (all donated by local merchants), well you get the picture.
As a rookie I tooled around and happened upon the outdoor and garden section where I grabbed a mountain bike for $10. I am in hopes that Suzy might ride it, thus giving every member of the family as set of peddling wheels. I showed it to her last night when we arrived back home, hoping she wouldn't noticed the puke
day-glo color too much. It might be another story in the daylight.
Naturally, I strolled by the computer area and was somewhat
interested in a HP 4L (or was it 4p) personal laser printer with a $50 price tag, but another computer printer was the last thing I needed.
A friend of Suzy's, who is not computer savvy, has been talking about needed a word processor just to type letters and I saw a Brother word
processor, complete with an extra ribbon and instructions for $20. At first I couldn't believe I was
purchasing something that was not actually a computer, but then compromised by telling myself that she is not going to be using a computer anywhere in the near future. And if it didn't work, I've thrown away more than $20 on less foolish things in the past. Remember, I was
rationalizing.
I spent the remainder of my time walking around and watching in amazement. The place was packed and you had to be
aggressive. In fact I overheard one lady explaining the way of the rummage
sale to her husband, "that's the way the rummage sale works. You put it down and she grabbed it. If you think you want it, hold on to it." I assume her husband had looked at something, was going to think about it and out it back on the table. When he decided he wanted to make the purchase, well it was gone, snatched up by the lady standing next to him.
When I got home and showed off my purchases, I allowed to Suzy, "I don't think you would have done well in this
environment."
Probably the most fun I had at the sale was chatting it up with the people
around me in line and then some people watching. I had plenty of time for both. Both waiting in line for entry and then heading back to our pre-arranged meeting place. I headed back to the meeting
place early than the designated time, took me a seat on the floor and watched as other bragged about their purchases as if they had just bought the Hope diamond on a deal.
It was an entertaining way to spend a Friday afternoon evening.
I appreciate those of you who keep coming back here day after day to see if I have posted
anything new. I have been extremely busy this spring and have taken on the added responsibility of trying to keep my walking regimen in place. I try to spend at least an hour walking each
day (or at least every other day), and believe it or not, have actually shed a few pounds. It will interesting to see what happens when the heat arrives and the
perspiration begins to pour off. I'll probably need some encouragement at that point.
The motorsports world lost a pioneer this week with the death of Lee Petty.
I have some very fond memories of Lee from the days when I worked for NASCAR and later STP Corporation. I was fortunate to spend quite a bit of time around the Petty family in those days and learned lessons from them that helped Suzy and I when we began to raise our own family.
By the time I arrived on the scene, Lee was out of the racing business, had decided to take up golf, but he still cruised through the racing shop almost every day barking orders, just as if he were going to. be getting in the car driving himself on Sunday.
I, like so many others, send my condolences to the Petty family.
If you would like to send a condolence to the family, click
here . Lee Petty's obituary can be found on the Petty Racing website . The Charlotte Observer has posted the following on their
That's Racin' site,
including:
If you're buying into the Justice Department's theory and think Microsoft is the Big, Bad Wolf and want to trash your Internet Explorer, then you'll be heading to Netscape land.
Here is a review of Netscape 6 from PC Magazine , which is still in beta and even a chance to
download the
preview beta edition.
And Microsoft is moving forward. First, they are confidant they will overturn the anti-trust ruling on appeal. In addition, plan to
demonstrate the next consumer version of Windows over the weekend.
Microsoft's brass, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, are
sharing their views on the anti-trust on the web.
And here are some links with more
trail-related spin.
The U S Postal Service, usually mired in big government red tape, is trying to shed its skin and
move fast in this digital age.
It appears they are realizing that folks like myself, who take advantage of electronic bill payment services and drafts, are costing them a tidy sum each year in stamp revenue. They're trying to wake up.
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