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Yet another Sony memory format
It seems that Sony is up to their own tricks again and have come up with Memory Stick Micro, another proprietary flash storage format. There was the Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Duo Pro, and now this. While it is great that Sony thinks that people will only products that Sony makes. This is completely ridiculous. I had thought that Sony had abandoned shoving their flash formats in our face (the Sony Reader takes other cards in addition to Memory Sticks). Personally I'm quite happy with SD cards as they're used in most of the handhelds I have, my digital camera and my desktop card reader reads them. Come on Sony!
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Excess packaging
It seems like many things I buy come in boxes that have bags and bags in them along with manuals, CDs, etc. I usually keep boxes and packaging for stuff I buy for 6 months to a year depending on what it is in case I have to return it or have it repaired under warranty. Yesterday, as I periodically do, I tossed a bunch of packaging that I no longer needed. As I was going through it, I realized that there is a lot that isn't needed. First off, blister packs are just awful to recycle as you really can't; cardboard boxes are much easier to recycle. However, marketers like people being able to see the contents. Second, I find the documentation in plastic bags. Is it really needed when there is scant documentation anyway? Then there is the CD. Is it really needed? Most times I download newer versions anyway. For those that can't download, how about a number they call to request the CD; these days there can't be that many people with that problem. In my process of tossing stuff, I separate out the paper/cardboard and plastic stuff. I recycle the paper/cardboard. How many people really do that? If the packaging were reduced and people were as conscientious as I, we could have a huge reduction in the amount of waste we send to the landfill.
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Reliable Internet Access
It seems that people I work with have Internet problems a whole lot more often than I. I feel quite lucky that my cable modem provider, Time Warner Cable, has been pretty rock solid for the last 6+ years that I've had them. There have been a few issues in that time, but nothing that I can really remember. I did have a problem with their DNS servers that drove me crazy, so I started running my own. I handle my own email, so I don't have to worry about that either. The "pipe" that Time Warner provides is fast and reliable. What more can I ask for in a provider?
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Does money grow on trees?
The news reports today say that the Bush administration is asking for more money to fund the war in Iraq bringing the total to over $400 billion. Where does this money come from? Our tax dollars surely can't pay for all this. Then to top it off, officials are asking for more money to rebuild from Hurricane Katrina bringing the total for that over $100 billion. This is an excellent way to increase the national debt and make sure that many generations to come are saddled with this burden. Cutting a few billion here and there on programs is nothing compared to this whopper. I'm sure Bush will ask Congress for more money for the war that will never end.