Mr. Millimeter
I dropped the seat on my Shogun touring bike about 2 mm. and tipped up the point of the seat just slightly. I was amazed at the difference! Just a slight adjustment of the seat and I went from struggling to floating through my pedal stroke. I knew my seat was a little too high because I was having trouble with my pedal stroke at higher pedal cadences. Plus, when I rode the bike for several days in a row, I felt tight in my sides and noticed my pelvis was rocking a bit.
I only had to drop the seat the smallest amount to slip into the zone. Right after a short ride with the new seat height, though, I felt like I was pushing down on the handlebars, and slipping off the front of the seat, although my leg extension was much more comfortable. So, I tipped the seat point up a millimeter or two, and that did the trick.
I rode another 10 miles or so, up some gnarly hills, and what an incredible difference! I could maintain a much higher cadence -- 90+ rpm compared to 75 or so at the higher seat height. Plus, I wasn't bearing down on the handlebars any more, a result of the new seat angle. Rotating the seat up slightly also made it easier for me to slip back behind the seat post on the saddle, which seems to make it easer to push hard, especially on the uphills.
Shanghaied - Reloaded
Now officially launched into the blogosphere: Shanghaied. Read it at
the perma-link.
Please forward the link along if you enjoy it: http://stratofax.blogspot.com/2006/10/shanghaied.html
Shanghaied
Towers fell and thousands died
We were scared, and many cried.
"Revenge!" said Bush, and we complied.
"It's Saddam," he said, or at least implied
"So let's git him! He can't hide!
He has weapons, somewhere inside
That big palace, and he's supplied
Bad guys with 'em, on the side."
Of course, now we know that Bush lied.
But we went in with plans untried
To remake Iraq into our desert bride.
And so began our horrible slide
Into the quagmire that was described
By those who saw, clear-eyed,
That war is no frat joyride.
Now, there are some who were once allied
With Bush, and Cheney, and oh-so-snide
Donny Rumsfeld, but now divide.
Bush squeals, "Don't backslide!
Or listen to the left's broadside.
We'll be booted out in a huge landslide!
Everyone's still scared, and, beside,
I got some tricks I haven't tried."
With cockeyed grin and imperial pride,
with sidekick Dick by his side
Bush says: "It's war! and I'll decide
Who's bad or good, and who'll be tried
Or just knocked about, poked and fried
By electrodes hooked up to his hide,
Or maybe hooded and hogtied.
It's not torture, just force -- applied."
"What about the law?" the people cried.
"Only I can say," King George replied,
"what's true, and what I get to hide.
No secrets for you, though, because we've spied
On every call you made, worldwide.
Or at least we tried --
I guess we also listened in stateside."
Will we try to stem the tide
Of freedoms lost where we reside,
Of laws broken and rights denied?
Or will we take it all in stride?
Will we sit by the ringside
While Bush and Cheney preside
Over a blood-soaked march astride
A hungry war machine untied?
Or will we finally take pride
In the land where our fathers died?
Our founding fathers, who defied
The first King George, and decried
Tyranny and its dark underside.
Who says that we must abide
Rule by those who would misguide,
Lie, cheat and deride
The very laws that provide
The freedoms we preach worldwide.
Clinton lied, and he was tried.
When Bush lied, thousands died.
But when Clinton lied, no one died.
So when exactly will Bush be tried?
-- Neil Johnson; Oct. 5, 2006
Part 2: Free Office Applications -- A Good Deal?
By Neil Johnson,
Cadent Technologies Corp.
A look at the free OpenOffice software suite, based on StarOffice by Sun Microsystems, which you can use instead of the Microsoft Office word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation software. OpenOffice even includes a drawing program similar to Visio - all for free.
Who Should Use OpenOffice?
Not everyone can select their word processor or spreadsheet. If you work for a company where you can choose the software that runs on your computer, OpenOffice might be a good option. OpenOffice is also a great choice for your home computer. OpenOffice opens and creates Microsoft-compatible files (.doc, .xls, .ppt) so you can exchange files with people who use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
One of the best times to switch your office software is when you buy a new computer. Whether you are upgrading your existing computer, or buying a new computer for a new employee, most new computers don’t come equipped with Microsoft Office - unless you pay extra. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars for another copy of Microsoft’s product, you can install OpenOffice for free.
If you use both Macs and Windows computers, OpenOffice is a great choice because you can run exactly the same software on both platforms - as well as Unix and Linux computers.
Why Should I Stick With Microsoft?
OpenOffice is not a good choice if you use Microsoft Access, the database program in the Professional version of their software suite, or make extensive use of any of the other data access features that Microsoft’s products support. For example, some companies open database queries in Excel. OpenOffice does support similar data access features, but they are not as easy to use or as well integrated as the corresponding Microsoft
data access tools.
If you use lots of macros in your Office documents, OpenOffice may have difficulty converting your macros correctly. OpenOffice includes its own macro language, which is similar to Microsoft’s, so if you want to create new macros you can use OpenOffice, and your existing macros (if any) may work just fine.
Also, some programs, such as Intuit’s QuickBooks, require you to have Microsoft Office installed to export data to Office-compatible file formats. QuickBooks’ “Export to Excel” feature, for example, only works if QuickBooks can launch Excel, which means Excel
needs to be installed correctly on the same computer as QuickBooks,
Perhaps the most common issue is document conversion. OpenOffice willread the Microsoft file formats, but you might see some slight differences in the document formatting. This is most common if you use advanced formatting features; for example, embedded graphics or complex table formats in Word, or internal hyperlinks in Excel. For most types of documents, however, the translation capabilities are quite good.
OpenOffice Features
The main compatibility differences between OpenOffice and the Microsoft suite are between each suite’s more esoteric and technical features. In most cases, except for the newest features in Microsoft Office 2003, OpenOffice can do exactly what Microsoft’s packages can do. If you are familiar with the older Microsoft Office 2000, you will find the current version of OpenOffice quite familiar as well.
OpenOffice includes one feature of note that Microsoft does not include with any of its software: OpenOffice lets you create a PDF (Adobe Acrobat) document by simply selecting File > Export as PDF... There’s no need to buy any additional software, or install anything else.
OpenOffice’s native (built-in) file formats are also about half the size of the same document in Microsoft’s file format.
Try, But No Need To Buy
One of the best features of any open source software package is that it is free, which means that you are free to download it, install it, and try it out to see if you like it. Since your office productivity software (word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation software) are probably
the most frequently used programs on your computer, besides your email
and Web browser, testing the software before you commit to a big switch
is a great way to see if it works for you.
Links
Neil Johnson is the president and alpha geek at Cadent Technologies Corp., a web development and hosting company. Contact Neil at his on-line email page
Part 1: Free Web Browsers and Email Programs Protect Your Computer
By Neil Johnson, Cadent Technologies Corp.
As Internet technologies like email and web browsing transform from amusing distractions to essential business tools, the dangers of using the Internet continue to grow at an alarming rate (“Soaring malware levels hint at criminal activity,” CNET.com 7.5.05). Spam email, once a minor irritant, now poses a serious threat to businesses, as unwanted emails have become the most common transmission vector for malware and viruses. (See sidebar below, Computer Biology 101, for definition of terms.) Many of these viruses are designed to steal valuable information, such as passwords and credit card information.
Windows computers are especially vulnerable to these types of attacks. Some people whose Windows computers have been attacked have decided it’s easier to buy a new computer instead of trying to fix the one they own. If you can’t afford to buy a new computer every time your check your email, I suggest you switch to the Free, Open Source Software from Mozilla — Firefox web browser and the Thunderbird email client — available here:
These programs are free, as in “no cost” and “no obligation.” Plus, you can use them without removing your Microsoft Internet programs — just remember to reset the default choices for your Windows web browser and email programs. Go to Start > Control Panels > Internet Options to set the default email program. In Firefox, select Tools > Options; then check the box under General, to set Firefox as the default browser.
Mac, Linux, and Unix computers are not vulnerable to the Windows security exploits, yet the versions of the Mozilla programs for these operating systems are excellent, as well. In addition to these programs from Mozilla, there are many other free or inexpensive programs that are not vulnerable to the IE and Outlook exploits, such as the Opera web browser, available at http://www.opera.com/.
If you can’t install these programs on your computer at work, you should, at the very least, update your home computer, if you are using Windows. Although switching your web browser and email program to a less vulnerable software package will not protect you from all the possible attacks that now threaten your computer, this simple step will protect you from the host of spyware and malware programs that target Microsoft’s myriad security weaknesses.
Also, remember to run Windows Update at least once a month to ensure your Windows computer has the latest fixes from Microsoft.
Resource Links
Microsoft’s Security page includes links to their software updates and security tools: http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.mspx
For more information about computer vulnerabilities, and ways you can protect yourself, start at CERT: http://www.cert.org/nav/index_red.html
For detailed technical information about current computer security issues, go to SecurityFocus: http://www.securityfocus.com/
Computer Biology 101
Terms and definitions - things that make your computer sick.
- Malware
- Malicious Software; a blanket term for viruses, spyware, Trojan horses, and other computing nightmares.
- Spyware
- A type of malware that secretly gathers information about you while you use your computer.
- Vector
- An agent of disease transmission. Originally used by biologists to describe organisms that transmitted diseases; now applies to your email and computer.
Content Management:
Bricolage, an open-source enterprise-class content management system,
greatly simplifies the complex tasks of creating, managing, and
publishing the vast libraries of content essential to any
organization.
Perl based, emphasis on workflow.
Business plan information, ideas, financing, running a businss, all at StartupJournal | The Wall Street
Journal Center for Entrepreneurs
Mail posting now working
Although I certainly could post to this blog using the Blogger.com
dashboard, I finally got email posting to work today. Is that because I
used a different outgoing server? I'm at the MIT conference right now,
so I had to use the Cadent.com mail server. But that doesn't make
sense. Maybe Blogger.com fixed the mail posting feature for this blog.
Organizers' Collaborative - Grassroots Tech 2005
http://oc-tech.org/
Technology tools & training to advance & sustain social change.
I'm attending the conference today at MIT:
http://organizenow.net/conference05.html
Thanks MIT for the excellent WiFi coverage!
A video game which aims to teach children about global hunger has been released by the United Nations ... Written for the PC and Mac, the free game is aimed at eight to 13-year-olds for download at
www.food-force.com.
