Organic::Farming:Linux::Microsoft

Today I went to see the The Real Dirt On Farmer John. This random thought occured to me as they were discussing the fact that all these people from Chicago were willing to pay to get back in touch with the origins of their food, the illusion that being closer to your food was something innate to the human experience and ultimate made you not feel better but actually be better. Or maybe they thought it made you feel better and that is better because everything is really just feelings anyway. I couldn't help but wonder that it might be something similar with Linux, and other open source projects. It's this physchological need to understand how things work, or the security to be able to figure it out 'just in case'.

Most of us have become completely detached to the origins of our food, and most people seem fine with that, but some people just aren't. Some people will always try to build their own cars or food or flying machines or operating systems from scratch. Its just how it is. In my own work, even if I rely in the end on another solution, I always must be satisfactorily convinced I can build it myself before I will accept the work of others. I wonder if this is a limitation, like those who are more quickly able to accept the output of others without question can go farther because ultimately they are more efficient. Fred Brooks, when faced with trying to understand the reason of others always said to assume reasonable competency.

Linux is like organic farming. It keeps us in touch with the landscape of transistors while layers of complexity are compiled on top of it in order to increase productivity, reliability, quality of life, etc. etc.


Back to my threaded memory manager...

Mac Attack

So, I'm at one my favorite local coffee shops, stumptown, getting caught up on a few work things I'm writing up, and I look down the row of tables...there are 7 tables including mine, 7 Mac laptops, and one aged IBM T40 Thinkpad. The Thinkpad is mine.

Back in Portland...bought a condo, selling mine

Spent the past few days getting back in the swing of things in Portland. Got a few evenings with friends and caught up on mail, etc. So many things so many things.....biggest news is that I decided to sell my condo and buy a slightly bigger one in the same neighborhood. Now I'll have a real office area and will stop putting burn marks on the kitchen table from laptop batteries. There is more light, and more space. The kitchen is remodeled and bigger, the bathroom is bigger. More details later, we still have to close and such. I really didn't want to leave my building, a great location and some good people, but just needed the space.

Re-entry at work was a real challenge. It felt like the first day of high school walking in again. I started back on a Thursday so the first week was a 2 day week, but I worked a full week last week. I'd be lying if I said it was good to be back at work. It is nice to have a routine and at least know what town I'll be sleeping in for awhile.

Now to get ready for China and the move.