Chez David is back online.

My solution was to ‘uncheck’ the option for ‘Friends can post on my Wall’ under Privacy –> Customize settings –> Things others share.  The end result is that no outside site/app can post to my wall through my friends.

Oh yeah, make sure you do give permission to your friends to comment on your posts otherwise they won’t be able to leave any kind of message on your wall.  Apps & outside sites aren’t able to comment on your posts (yet).  Maybe I’ll uncheck the box for special days so people can write stuff on my wall, but I don’t know about that yet.

The ball is in your court fb: do I get to pre-approve posts to my wall?

1. Install Mozilla’s Firefox (any version).
2. Install the Adblock Plus plugin/add-on.
3. Install the following 4 filters verbatim including the pipes ‘|’ and any other non-standard characters by adding them under Adblock Plus’ Preferences –> Filters –> Add Filters

||fbcdn.net^$domain=~facebook.com|~facebook.net|~fbcdn.com|~fbcdn.net
||fbcdn.com^$domain=~facebook.com|~facebook.net|~fbcdn.com|~fbcdn.net
||facebook.net^$domain=~facebook.com|~facebook.net|~fbcdn.com|~fbcdn.net
||facebook.com^$domain=~facebook.com|~facebook.net|~fbcdn.com|~fbcdn.net

Lifehacker’s website and many other websites have these custom filter lines.  I can’t remember where I got the lines from, but I know I didn’t originate them.

Also, unless you really don’t want to see all the ads on facebook (and risk ticking off the great Zuck), you may want to disable Adblock Plus on facebook.

You bought a software package a few years back.  You came home & installed it on your computer.  Now you want to buy a different software package because it is more up to date.  You decided to go with a completely different software package simply because it has more bells & whistles than your original software package or maybe it’s just easier to use.  Chances are, you will be able to uninstall the original software package and remove it from your computer system completely.  BIG HOWEVER: you are not going to be able to re-sell it to someone else because when it was installed, it was registered in your name and in your name only.  Read the fine print, it probably says something about not being able to transfer it to someone else.

You bought a music cd at the local superstore a couple of years ago.  You listened to it till your eyeballs rolled inward and your ears went numb.  Your cousin loves that cd and offers you a couple of bucks for it.  Sold!  Happy cousin, and you have money to help with your next purchase.

You bought a few music tracks at the online store last year and put them on your portable mp3 player.  You listened to it and now you are bored with it.  Because of the digital rights management (DRM) system on the digital music, you can’t transfer it to another.  You cannot resell it because you are done listening to it.  Your cousin cannot buy it from you because the publisher won’t let you transfer the DRM-protected music.

Something to think about:  in a time not too long ago, a person went into a store, bought something with a physical presence, used it as long as they wanted to and if they could find someone who would buy it from them after they were done with it, they sold it (or maybe gave it away).  Today and in the foreseeable future, when you buy something in digital form, in most cases, you no longer have the right to do with your purchase as you see fit.  Take a close look at the fine print: you are buying a lease that gives you the right to use that product for your own personal use until you no longer (or the company no longer wants you to) use that product.  No refund, not even a partial refund.  You cannot even give it to a family member to own.

Now, why am I ranting and raving about this?  The world is moving towards everything that used to be written, to being digital.  It’s a shame that if I buy a digital item that I automatically lose the rights to do with it as I please when I’m done using it.  If I buy an e-book, when I’m done reading it I cannot donate it to the local library like I can with a printed book.  Interestingly, an online book seller has a hardcover paper edition of a title for sale starting at under 8 dollars new, while the e-book edition is $8.99.  The publisher has less money invested in the production of the e-book, yet the hardcover edition is cheaper.  What’s sad is that as the holder of the more expensive edition (e-book), you have less control over the use of that e-book than if you owned the printed copy.  With the printed copy, you can lend it to your friends, trade with your friends, sell it, or even donate it to your local library.  With a electronic version, you can’t.  Or at least it looks like you can lend it (with restrictions) to your friends assuming you both have the same kind of e-reader.  The problem with the digital age, is that once you buy it, you truly become the end user.  Or should I say the end and only user of it.  There is no passing it on to your kids, there is no resell value like that old pristine AC/DC vinyl album with the fancy artwork on it.  And you’re going to pay more for it.

We’re the consumers.  We have the right to refuse these draconian rules that are being imposed on us.  Let the software and e-book publishers know what you want.  It’s your money, make them work for it.

And while I’m at it, I really don’t want to get started about the use of acidic paper in books when the industry could easily switch to acid-free paper.  There’s a reason old books last forever and new books don’t.  It’s the paper.  So I guess the industry has found a way to limit our use of paper-based books too: acidic paper that literally burns itself up with time.  Have you noticed that slow tan color of the paper in your favorite bestseller?  Have you noticed how that book that you used to read in the 80′s is full of brittle paper?  That rant is for another day.

More than ever, libraries are under financial attack.  Interestingly, when the people need them the most is when their budgets are placed on the cutting blocks and chopped down.  When people are out of work or face financial hardships, that is when they turn to their libraries.  Libraries supply everyone with a way to search for work through the internet.  Libraries give internet access to  those who can’t afford it.  When you can’t afford to fix your car, libraries will have the books needed that will give you the knowledge to do so yourself.  When you want to watch a movie, libraries will have collections of DVD or VHS tapes that you will be able to check out and watch for free.  When your inner child or your actual child want to play a new game on their video game console, again libraries will pull through for you.

Please do not think that public libraries have unlimited funds.  They are funded through donations, grants, tax levies, bake sales, and other sources.  Many of the people who work there are people who are determined to help you in the best ways they can with limited resources.  Many of the good people working there are volunteers.  Many work for minimum wage.  Some are professional staff who work for a pay scale that most would never consider.  But all of these people work there because they have a sense of duty to their community.  They’re not working there to get rich, they’re working there so that you will enjoy the library as much as they enjoy working there.

Please remember these words: when you need your library the most, chances are it needs you the most at the same time.  When state budgets are being cut due to low tax revenues, that means library funding suffers also.  Low tax revenues usually mean greater unemployment, which means people with less income.  Less income means less spending on travel, research, and entertainment, which means greater use of the libraries’ free resources.  To most people, libraries are there through good and bad.  We simply can’t afford to lose libraries in good or bad times.

Please support your local library when they need you.  They support you when you need them.

Let me explain: I have three monitors dedicated to one computer on my desk.  It may seem excessive, but for me it has become so normal, that it drives me nuts when I don’t have a minimum of two screens anywhere.  I spend so much time doing school work on my computer that having the extra screens makes it useful.  I usually keep my email program on my left screen.  My main screen will be what I’m currently working on, and the right screen will have my IM client on it.  Granted it’s docked to the right edge, which leaves me room for whatever else I may need to have running to support what I’m doing on the center (main) screen.

Using 3 monitors late at night.

If I’m writing a paper and I need to look something up, I suppose I could open up another window or tab (if I’m already using the browser).  But it’s so much nicer to be able to see the information on 2 screens.  It makes it so much easier to cut and paste stuff when I can see where it’s coming from and where it’s going all at the same time.  By having my email program up and running on its own screen, I’m able to know when important mail comes in and be able to quickly glance at it to see if it’s from school or someone else.  The same goes for the IM client.  I use Trillian Astra and it has all my IMs on it: MSN, AIM, Yahoo, GTalk, ICQ, MySpaceIM, & Skype.  This allows me to see the online status of my friends at all times without giving up real estate on the center screen.  Even the chat windows pop up on the right monitor keeping them from interrupting my work on the center screen.

I believe I’m more efficient by using more than 1 monitor.  It’s not for everybody, but being able to spread out my workspace over 3 monitors keep me from having to using keystrokes to switch from tab to tab or window to window on one screen.  It’s so much easier to give each application its own screen and have that application maximized on that screen.  I have gamer friends that use multi-monitor setups for their online game-playing, so they understand my need for information, but on a different level.

On a side note, one of the great annoyances is trying to use a mouse over a multi-monitor workspace.  There is just not enough mousepad to be effective and when use speed the mouse travel up to compensate, accuracy is lost.  My solution has been one that I have been using ever since my Apple ||gs days: a trackball.  I’ve been using a Microsoft Trackball Explorer.  It’s a shame that Microsoft discontinued this trackball several years ago.  I have two.  One new in the box just in case the current one dies.  I bought them years ago when they were still reasonably priced.  Kensington makes the Orbit Trackball which is pretty nice.  I have one, but it lacks the extra buttons the the MS trackball has.

Now, if they’ll just come up with a monitor with a webcam built into the center of the screen that takes up not more than 3 or 4 pixels, I’ll be able to look directly at the webcam and the person I’m talking to at the same time.  It has to be possible with the advances in fiber optics nowadays.

Here’s a few links to some other threads about using multiple monitors:

• Improve.dk
• Kevin’s Notes
• 3 Efficiency Tips for Using Dual Monitors
• Danny Sullivan’s Blog

Enjoy.

But now to explain what makes Open Source Software (OSS) so attractive to me (and to so many others): it cost me absolutely nothing.  Nada.  Zip.  Completely Free.  How so?  OSS is based on the concept that someone or a group of someones decided one day that the software that was available at the time either (1) didn’t suit their needs, (2) cost too much, and/or (3) they thought they could do better.  Most OSS projects end up being a collaboration of many people (sometimes numbering in the thousands) who put together a package and release it and its source code to the world.  Sometimes they request that a donation be made, but it is not required.  But supporting the core set of individuals who have developed the software becomes something that is done out of generosity and thankfulness for the use of the software.  Every user of the software become part of the testers of it.  One is expected to report bugs and to make reasonable requests for future versions.  The software truly becomes a product of the users.  Unlike commercial products that seem to say: ‘This is what we are, deal with it’, OSS packages tend to say: ‘This is what you asked for, can we do better for you?’.

The second part of OSS that is unique is that OSS has those 2 words that give you so much power of its design. Open Source means that not only you get the software package and can use it, but you also get the original files that were created to make it.  You have the ability to program in parts that will customize it to your very own needs.  Maybe you might want to strip out a bunch of the stuff in it and make it faster or more compact of a program.  You can do that with OSS.  Of course, this is assuming that you know or are able to get someone to do it for you.  However, this is the revolving door of OSS: you are expected to share whatever you do to the program code with the community at no cost.

What can I say?  I love the stuff!

For the last 3 years, I’ve been using Mozilla’s Firefox & Thunderbird.  After being a strong proponent of Netscape’s Communicator suite, I finally switched over in December of 2007 to Firefox & Thunderbird.  Netscape had become obsolete and was no longer being worked on by AOL (Netscape’s owner) and finding something better and more suitable to my needs was in order.  Took minutes to install both packages, and I quickly noticed that Mozilla’s software had a stark resemblance to my old companion of almost a decade.  Firefox has evolved quite a bit from it’s early versions and so has Thunderbird.

Just over 2 years ago when I first started my graduate studies, I used the Microsoft Office package that was pre-installed on my laptop.  After 30 or 90 days (can’t remember which), I suddenly ran into a wall with it.  It needed to be purchased, and even with the academic version, it was not cheap.  As a grad student, my funds are limited.  After looking around online for a couple of days, I settled into trying out OpenOffice.org (OOo).  At first I was cautious and doubtful, but once installed, it seemed to work quite well.  It has a look & feel very similar to older versions of Microsoft Office and even WordPerfect Office.  It’s been quite robust for the last 2 years, and I don’t see myself leaving it anytime soon.

Soon I will be playing with another OSS package that has caught my eye.  GIMP is a program that is said to rival some of the more powerful commercial picture editing software packages.  I can barely wait to try it out.

Almost forgot to mention something.  This post you’re reading and the website it’s on is all built on an OSS package called WordPress.  Neat, isn’t it?

My goal is still to get to 200 pounds before graduation.

You would think that Ohio University located in Ohio, would possibly work with a student (me) from Kent State (also located in Ohio) in purchasing academic-license software. Did I mention I’m an alumni of Ohio University? Oh well, it cost me $30 more at the local student bookstore that was more than willing to accept my KSU id.

Maybe OU has a special deal with Microsoft that says they can’t sell it to anyone that is off-campus. Maybe OU just plain doesn’t like to play well with other Ohio-based universities (i.e. Rufus tackling Brutus). That’s cool, I can almost understand that.  But it still cost me $30 more.

It still irks me.