Writeside First Draft

Well, it’s been quite a while since my last entry. Ironic, in a way, since Writeside.com dates to 1996 and was one of the first blog precursors.

Life has a way with you, though, and I have simply been too busy to attend to this First Draft blog, let alone the original site.

I’ve therefore decided to redesign/streamline this creaking site for the present age. Everything currently here will go into Archives; the new site will be a blog, but it will have the virtue of being current.

Why yet another blog? Good question. The first answer is, because it’s easy and convenient. The second answer is (actually, this is the real first answer), because I believe I have something to say. And as someone who has straddled the media and technology worlds for quite some time now, I think what I have to say will be worth reading. Most of the time, at least.

Stay tuned.

I recently attended a “Developer Track” version of the Microsoft Across America Launch Event promotional tour, a road show extending over a number of weeks that was designed to promote a range of new Microsoft products, primarily Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007. Depending on where you live, you could still register for and attend one of these presentations; the final developer events in this series take place Thursday, March 1.

The major inducement to attend? A free copy of Microsoft Office 2007 (the Professional edition).

My event was held on a Thursday afternoon, the day after a major snowstorm hit the Northeast. Despite the icy streets, hundreds of people turned out.

The presentation itself was something of a disappointment. This was not a reflection on the presenter (one Susan Wisowaty, a “Developer Community Champion”), who was engaging and personable, but rather on Vista and Visual Studio—it seemed that half of the intended demos either hung mid-stream, or wouldn’t even run. (On second thought, and as she acknowledged, perhaps Susan should have re-booted during the break.)

These problems aside, there is much that is impressive here. Vista itself has had somewhat mixed reviews, but I’m looking forward to further exploration. I’m actually using Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) on Windows XP to run the new Times Reader application, and it is quite nice. Office 2007 has had terrific reviews, and includes a major user interface overhaul (the “Ribbon”). I’ve really only played with Outlook so far, but it looks very solid and finally includes an effective junk email filter.

All in all, an event worth attending, not least for the opportunity to interact with Microsoft in a public venue. Apart from the presentation glitches noted above, this was very professionally done, yet friendly in tone. Perhaps I’m getting soft, but Microsoft seems less of an ogre these days. Case in point: a guy next to me was working on his MacBook Pro throughout the entire session, and no one even raised an eyebrow. It’s nice when we all seem to get along.

God knows, I have plenty of personal resolutions, including the usual resolves to exercise regularly, be more efficient, practice greater tolerance, and so on. But here’s a resolution I was able to achieve just by plunking down my credit card: 1680 x 1050 pixels, or WSXGA+ (Widescreen Super eXtended Graphics Array). That’s the native resolution of my new MacBook Pro, and it is a literal bright spot heading into this new year. Beautiful screen, and a beautiful machine overall.

This 17″ MBP is fast (Core 2 Duo/2.33 GHz), sleek and versatile. It runs Mac OS X “Tiger” like a champ, and thanks to Apple’s innovative new Boot Camp software, it also does an excellent job with Windows XP. In fact, running Windows on this machine is indistinguishable from running Windows on any other PC laptop, except that the experience is somehow more pleasing and satisfying on Apple hardware. Everything "just works," and this will likely be true for the forthcoming Mac OS X “Leopard” and Windows Vista as well. Outstanding. The MBP is a bit pricey, but then you are, in effect, getting two computers (a Mac and a PC) for the price of one—plus the cost of a copy of Windows, of course. If you’re in need of a new computer to start the new year, note that you can get much of this same functionality for far less in the consumer-oriented MacBook.

It looks as though the end—death by hanging—is very near for Saddam Hussein.

An execution at the close of the year seems particularly poignant, and disturbing.

While no one disputes Hussein’s brutality during his years in power, many do dispute the circumstances of his trial and sentencing, both of which took place under the auspices and protection of an occupying force. A more neutral setting would have been far preferable, and so would a more considered and nuanced judicial process. According to an article in today’s Times, there has been "heated debate" over this process, with some officials of the opinion that justice will be "compromised in the final hours by politically driven haste".

Then there is the issue of capital punishment itself, which seems particularly vivid while the whole world watches. Can you imagine being in this man’s place, even for a moment? Regardless of his crimes, this is a human being faced with a crushing awareness of his impending death, but lacking the precise details. Do I have an hour? How high is the scaffold? How thick is the rope? The imagination, under such circumstances, must strain under a very high order of suffering indeed. Is this adequate compensation for Hussein’s crimes against humanity, or simply one more crime, done up in legal trappings? (And only quasi-legal trappings at that, given the circumstances.)

I don’t know. But I do know that I believe this execution will not bestow peace on Saddam’s victims, who suffered and died earlier. If it provides some sort of balm for the victims’ families, then many will argue the execution was justified. The likelier result, though, will be to tear the country further apart.

The loyal and patriotic opposition (read: the Democratic Party) has taken full control of Congress. For the first time in 12 years! And what is most encouraging about these very important results, is that the anti-Bush, anti-war vote was not only from the blue states. Places like Montana and Virginia put the Democrats over the top.

There is a very long list of wrongs to be righted and problems to be solved. But for the moment, let’s just feel happy that reason has finally prevailed—America is on the right track again.

President Bush signed legislation today authorizing “tough interrogation” of terror suspects and enabling trials before military commissions.

‘’The bill I sign today helps secure this country and it sends a clear message: This nation is patient and decent and fair and we will never back down from threats to our freedom,'’ Bush said.

The American Civil Liberties Union had a different take, however, calling the new law ‘’one of the worst civil liberties measures ever enacted in American history.'’

‘’The president can now, with the approval of Congress, indefinitely hold people without charge, take away protections against horrific abuse, put people on trial based on hearsay evidence, authorize trials that can sentence people to death based on testimony literally beaten out of witnesses, and slam shut the courthouse door for habeas petitions,'’ said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero.

‘’Nothing could be further from the American values we all hold in our hearts than the Military Commissions Act,'’ he said.

Well, not a break exactly, but a torn tendon: The Mets’ Pedro Martínez is going to miss the entire postseason. Considering how the Mets have stumbled through the last games of the regular season, this does not bode well. But Mets fans are used to adversity, and the loss of their ace pitcher during the playoffs will create plenty of that. Still, this is a gritty team that has dominated the National League all year (until the last week or so, that is). A Subway Series may still be within the realm of possibility.

The detainee bill passed by the Senate today, and soon to be signed into law by President Bush, is wrong on many counts. It vests entirely too much power in a man who has repeatedly misused it. It strips the accused (and many of the accused have been innocent, let us remember) of their right to habeas corpus. It leaves the definition of enemy combatants to Bush and his staff, and leaves that definition almost entirely open-ended. It skirts the Geneva Conventions while paying lip service, and it will leave our service personnel who are captured in the future open to the same treatment we have been illegally meting out.

The worst thing about this legislation, though, and the most shameful, is that it is driven by politics, rather than any genuine desire to improve the way we protect our nation. The Republicans rammed this deeply flawed bill through because they could—they knew many Democrats wouldn’t have the backbone to stand up and challenge them, lest they be branded “soft on terrorism". Both parties deserve our contempt for this; there is plenty of blame, and shame, to go around.

Apple Computer Inc., an organization which has much to recommend it, seems to desire an open source caché. Hence, the laughable “Mac OS Forge” site.

Mac OS Forge is laughable because there’s nothing there. (Except Apple’s desire to be associated with the feel-good open source movement.)

If you want free and open source, you want Linux. End of discussion.

Something that has long bothered and puzzled me can be summed up in this simple question: how can a country whose main population is defined by war crimes survivors, consistently commit war crimes? I am of course referring to Israel, and specifically to its recent, criminal bombardment of Lebanon.

Today, Amnesty International officially accused Israel of committing war crimes in its month-long battle with Hezbollah, noting that its bombing campaign amounted to indiscriminate attacks on Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure and population.

The Amnesty International report said the widespread destruction of apartments, houses, electricity and water services, roads, bridges, factories and ports, in addition to several statements by Israeli officials, suggested a policy of punishing the Lebanese government and the civilian population in an effort to get them to turn against Hezbollah.

“The evidence strongly suggests that the extensive destruction of public works, power systems, civilian homes and industry was a deliberate and integral part of the military strategy rather than collateral damage,” the report said.

It also noted a statement from the Israeli military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, calling Hezbollah a “cancer” that Lebanon must get rid of “because if they don’t, their country will pay a very high price.”

As indeed the country did. But to what purpose? What has really changed?

Israel committed atrocities as deliberate policy in targeting Hezbollah, and yet failed utterly in achieving its aims. Israel’s wanton destruction of Lebanon’s infrastructure will yet come home to roost.