Sunday, September 19, 2021
I completely switched to Linux
Thursday, June 24, 2021
Shifts away from Microsoft
I once looked to Microsoft first for apps and computer services. But various changes pushed me to alternatives. Their abandonment of software forced use of alternatives. Their Office subscription motivated me to fully switch to LibreOffice. The removal of MovieMaker forced me to find an ultimately better video editor, which I stayed with because their new video editor is inferior even to MovieMaker. Inconsistencies with OneDrive motivated me to switch to Google Drive. Internet Explorer issues motivated a browser switch. I never bothered with Edge until it switched to Chromium. Even then, I stayed with Google Chrome and Firefox until it got to where it had enough unique features to bring me back. I almost left Windows for Linux during both the Windows Vista and 8 stages. But I used too many Windows specific devices and apps. So I stayed with Windows through the trying times. I got to like Windows 10 a lot. Now, Windows 11 looks to bring back start menu issues similar to Windows 8. The start menu functionality is quite important to me. I use a wide range of apps. Being able to group those apps like all Windows versions except 8 supported is important to me. If Windows 11 menu functionality is oversimplified as it appears in the screenshot below and no third party or other option for changing the menu isn't available, I may very well switch to a Windows style Linux distro. Hardware is now less of an issue. If all my apps are compatible with or replaceable in Linux, I may finally abandon Windows. I am tired of Windows flopping between good and bad and not adequately accounting for the needs of heavy users. And the menu functionality is very important to heavy users.
Thursday, June 3, 2021
A factor which has helped define my perspective on abortion
I am glad to be alive. That being said, I had some quite rough periods in my life. A large factor was being raised in a household which was ill equipped to deal with raising children. If I were honest, I feel that my mother would have been justified if she decided to have an abortion. But that was not an option due to legality and religion. She was barely even involved with the details of my rearing. So a lot went wrong. I do not advocate my own death or for others born under bad circumstances. But my own upbringing has helped define my perspective on abortion.
Another factor is my brother. He has a mental condition which had made his life difficult. I love him and try to make him as comfortable as possible. He is now just capable of living on his own but is not able to support himself. He had spent years in "homes for the mentally handicapped" after my mother abandoned him. As described to me, his cognitive and emotional issues were evident even as a toddler. But nobody endeavored to figure out what was wrong. It was simpler to pass him on and pay him off. As a living being, he has a right to life, kindness, respect and so on. But this has also helped define my perspective on abortion. It has also clued me in that there is insufficient assistance for people who might live more fulfilled lives with a bit more guidance than is given. My brother even admits during his more lucid moments that he wished that people would have guided him in a different direction.
Monday, March 1, 2021
Some things which I consider part of progressivism
The question came up regarding what I consider as part of progressivism. Like most names for philosophical and social views, "progressivism" has referred to different things at different times. One of the problems in using a single word to describe a group of views is that some people counter the current views with antiquated views which used the word in the past. An example is how a presenter in a YouTube video was falsely portraying the current Democratic party by talking about how they were generations ago. Another problem is how opponents misrepresent the current use of the word. Still another problem is the use of the word by groups in an attempt to make themselves look different from what they are. I have even seen some social conservatives referring to themselves as the true progressives. Multiple definitions which are currently in use are also problematic. Some of these factors are why I do not refer to myself as liberal. When it seems necessary to use a single word to represent my views, "progressive" in its current and broader use seems to fit. In general, I believe that we need to continue to change socially, educationally and environmentally. Change is necessary as new information becomes available. So I use "progressive" in the sense of the necessary positive changes which I see as needed on both a personal and societal level.
Here were my responses to the question with a few added. These are not in any sort of priority and only a partial list. Some are general since this is simply a list.
- Bettering humanity. We had some very bad ideas, some of which became institutionalized and affected how we treated each other. In addition to some people still holding onto those bad ideas, systemic factors continue to maintain both the ideas and the effects.
- Bettering the understanding of the human condition. Things are very complex. Part of what I consider progressive is acknowledging the complexities and acting accordingly.
- Be honest and factual about history. Doing otherwise prevents us from understanding current conditions and may also lead to repeating past mistakes. A troubling phenomenon which I see is the de-factualization of history. Historical revision is good and important if it relates to a truer understanding. But some people are creating false histories to shore up fallacies in current events
- Continually endeavor to distinguish between facts and beliefs or exaggeration. Words such as "fact" and "truth" are all too often used to refer to beliefs and ideas. I think that this is a serious detriment to progress.
- Details are also a part of being progressive. This includes existing information and consequences of policies and actions. Too many times, simplistic approaches to complex issues have created stagnation. As a simple example, things are often more complex than "us" and "them". Conditions such as racism or homelessness are all too often oversimplified by multiple sides.
- Understand the long term consequences of both current and past conditions. Racism and homophobia are examples of issues which have been affected by conditions across generations.
- Changing those things which have negatively impacted people
- Don't condemn others for their activities or relations if there's no harm being done. This also relates to understanding. If someone wants to have a perspective on something, take the time to understand it. Otherwise, be neutral. It's OK to say that I do not have a perspective on that because I do not know enough about it. Too many people have negative perspectives about "others" with no actual knowledge about them.
- Be willing to evolve one's viewpoint based on new factual information. I was given a lot of bad information when I was a kid. Once I realized that, I changed my views on a lot of things. Sometimes, those views changed simply because I realized that I had bad or incomplete information. Admitting that I did not know something was a form of information.
- Be willing to admit when "I don't know".
- Admit the wrongs of the past so that we can correct the current conditions impacted by the past, avoid those wrongs in the future and evolve our ethics. Generations of things like homophobia and forced segregation have impact long after those things end. Even on an individual level, things in the past affect current conditions.
- Do not get locked into ideals of the past. Dictates and rules made decades, centuries or millennia ago may be based on incorrect or incomplete information at the time. Plus conditions change and rules need to change accordingly. Humanity is not static. We continue to evolve, especially socially.
- Don't judge people simply because they are or act differently. Criteria for judging others should be more harm based according to real, tangible factors. At a minimum, be neutral regarding things which do not harm. Homophobia is a prime example of fearing "others" with no factual information for the fear.
- Become more cognitively capable
- Being more factual
- Not conflating facts simply with what feels correct.
- Acknowledge when feelings impact views or actions. It's not always a bad thing but feelings can also lead to generalizations and stagnation, especially on the negative side. A lot of racism and homophobia still exists because of feelings associated with them. But progress can also be positively impacted by feeling. This is one of the complexities of human existence.
- Admitting when I do not know something or was given false information and endeavor to find out what is actually true if I intend on taking a stance.
- It is necessary for human health and life for humanity to clean up the environment. Consequently, it is necessary to evolve our technology to be cleaner even when there is initial financial impact. Long term, cleaner and healthier environments are more financially positive.
- Be open to expanding personal views on things even when it is uncomfortable but be aware of potentially misleading information.
Saturday, January 30, 2021
A little sexual orientation history
A young man's video about his sexual orientation got me thinking about my first same sex attraction and subsequent repression due to religion. I was 11 years old and I spent most of my time in the neighborhood with 1 particular guy. After a while, we began to play doctor. He and his family had to leave the small town due to a bankruptcy.
As I entered 6th grade, I became more involved in religion. I had read the whole bible and reread many sections. This included the sections where gay activity was condemned or interpreted as such. I became so devoted to religion that I entered the understudy for the ministry by 14 years old. I was even doing sermons. In addition to suppressing same sex attractions, I did so with all relational attractions.
Family troubles motivated me to enter the Navy at 17 years old. Something happened which opened the way to a lot of behaviors which I previously considered sinful. Sexual experiences became common albeit only with women. Although I became aware again of the same sex attraction, it seemed too dangerous to act on it while in the military. At the time, the military not only had extreme reactions to homosexuality but also actively looked for suspicious behaviors.
I was sexually involved with several women over my 4 years in the Navy. Near the end of the enlistment, I realized that I was attracted to a couple of guys in my division. Although there were some flirtations, nothing sexual happened. The results of getting caught were too great. That was one of the reasons for leaving the military.
There is an effect of sexual suppression. Suppression for too long can result in excessive and chaotic behaviors once the suppression ends. I made a lot of relationship mistakes after the military. I believe that many of those mistakes were due to not even acknowledging my sexual orientation let alone experiencing them.
So I admire people in later generations who are able to acknowledge and be honest about their sexual orientations. I think that it makes for much healthier and saner lives.
Monday, November 2, 2020
Thursday, October 29, 2020
Anti-Republican
Saturday, October 24, 2020
Scared and hopeful at the same time
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Software as a Service (SaaS) Gone Too Far
I see that SaaS can be useful for some software in some companies. But I am frustrated that it has become the only option for some applications. Here are some cases.
Microsoft Office
At work, it makes sense for MS Office to be SaaS because it simplifies management across hundreds of computers. Office 365 also have online features which are useful in a large company environment. But my personal use does not warrant payment of Office as a service. So I use LibreOffice instead. I use it a fair amount but I do not see any of my use justifying a monthly or annual fee. I do donate to LibreOffice and occasionally upgrade. I would be OK even if payment was required for upgrades. I would at least have control over when I upgrade and the cost of upgrades.
Adobe
I work for an international print company. As a print company, the branches do need to maintain the latest of most of the Adobe applications. But the company has recently decided to discontinue some of the licenses. It was decided that many shops only need 1 full Adobe subscription. So this is one company which is beginning to spend less on Adobe because of the forced subscriptions. If Adobe had both the SaaS and non-SaaS options, the company would allow more use of Adobe. Have the subscription services for where they are most important but some uses would do fine with just a desktop version. For instance, most of my use of Adobe at work is fine with the old desktop version which I use. In my home use, I use several Adobe products but the pre-SaaS version 6 works fine for my uses.
Some people argue that having both SaaS and non-SaaS versions would be difficult for software companies. I believe this to be false. This is because the primary parts of most of the SaaS software are still desktop based. The add-ons are what would fit as a separate SaaS package which could be activated if the user has a subscription. It does not need to be an all or none scenario. Even upgrades can be both as a service or separately purchased based on user needs. But the SaaS companies want to force everyone into the same payment model when that is not necessary from either a development or user standpoint. And more software companies are jumping on the SaaS bandwagon as so many people feel like they have to accept the model.
I think that more people should look for alternatives. There are very good alternatives to Microsoft Office. Honestly, I think that most home users would do fine with LibreOffice instead of paying an ongoing fee for Microsoft Office. Even if I did not already have Adobe CS 6, there are alternatives to most Adobe software. Most which I have seen are admittedly not as good but are functional for many people. In the case of the development application which I originally noted in this article, there are also alternatives. I think that it is time for more people to look more closely at non-SaaS versions.
Saturday, May 18, 2019
Pro-abortion is Pro-life
I am pro-choice. For a large chunk of a pregnancy, it is more of a medical condition than a separate life. So it should be fully up to the woman to decide. But I go as far as to say that I am pro-abortion. There are a number of reasons for this. I am very much aware of how the quality of one's childhood seriously impacts the quality of adulthood. In addition to being old enough to see bad lives come out of bad childhood influences and experiences, I also had difficulties with having had parents. They were not bad people but they were not good parenting candidates.
Another reason for being pro-abortion is an understanding of the medical side. Most abortions are done when there is no child. So early stage abortions are completely ethical. Later stage abortions do move into a grayer area. But laws about late stage abortion should be based on medical and scientific understandings rather that beliefs. That segways into another reason for being for abortions. I have no supernatural believes. I do not believe that souls exist. So no souls are harmed with abortions.
Quality over quantity is a big reason for my pro-abortion stance. Too many people are born into bad circumstances, many of which are actually due to overpopulated areas. Once people are born, I believe they should have as many options for a good life as possible. Unfortunately, too many people have no such options.
I believe that widely available birth control and abortion options raise the quality of life. This leads me to think about an hypocrisy among the anti-abortionists. Many of them speak of the sanctity of life yet are not into devoting enough resources to the quality of life. Then they believe in ending lives when the quality of life affects bad enough behaviors.
In my opinion ...
Pro-abortion is pro-life.