So there are some podcasts that deal specifically in technology, and let's face it, linux, the computer geek's favorite topic. And well, they aren't very good. I'm not claiming I've listened to each and every one, but there is a common pattern to them. It's enthusiasts sounding very hyper about what they're talking about, but not in an especially cool or interesting way. It's more the kind of thing you would tune out after a while.

The reason is probably that they're trying to be something they're not. At the start of the show you're likely to have some ill conceived "cool" rock music that isn't very well chosen. Then you have the host, usually two of them, ranting about whatever is the latest fad. So they bring up a few topics and then immediately launch into the kind of monologue that you would have with your friend when talking about some cool new thing. And that doesn't make very interesting "radio". Because that's what it aims to be - radio. Only there isn't anyone responsible for the quality, and so whatever the host decides is done.

Now I may say that radio isn't really that interesting to begin with. Sure enough, these shows have more interesting content. But radio (and I mean the kind of nationwide radio that holds some standard, not random local radio) has a certain quality of form, you don't rant for 10 minutes non-stop on radio, you keep a certain pace, you pause etc. It's also about the host. A radio host is usually a person people like to listen to. A podcaster can be just anyone. Let's face it, not everyone is interesting to listen to, people are different after all.

These are shows I've listened to and they all fit the above description.

• The Linux Action Show! Podcast
• Novell Open Audio
• Ubuntu Podcast

I was dragged into one of those home improvement stores a couple of weeks ago. Those places that sell literally anything for the house, from plumbing apparel to furniture. I never have any business there, so I was just walking around listening to music. I assume I was looking rather disinterested, with my eyes closed some of the time, merely keeping track of where my party was going. This woman comes up to me and starts talking, of which I'm not hearing a word. I put the iriver on pause and ask her to repeat.

- Sir, would you be interested in getting a Valued Customer card? You would be gettting all kinds of discounts on our goods..
- Uhm no, I'm here once a year at most.
- Still, you can get discounts at all our partnering chains *points to a cluster of small company logos in the brochure*
- Even so, I'm not interested, thank you.

I didn't actually tell her the truth. That I've never ever bought anything at this store in my life and don't expect to.

I've killed my share of plants in life. Not intentionally, poor things never hurt nobody. But it's hard to work up an artificial habit of watering plants just like that. I never had any plants in my care, so I would just be asked to water them when the family wasn't home, and... that wouldn't always work out so well.

Once I was supposed to leave them in the bathroom, in a bucket with some water at the bottom. It was risky, but it was the only hope of keeping them alive while we were gone for five weeks. I did put them in there, but... forgot to fill up the water just before I left. Over a month later... almost all were dead. Survival of the fittest, eh. :/

Another time we were gone over Christmas and as the last one to leave I was supposed to turn off all the heating, except one heater in the center of the house. In my zeal to unplug the tv, vcr etc (in case of the proverbial lightning that will strangle all electronics, but which never actually comes), I accidentally unplugged said heater as well. It just so turned out that that was the coldest winter in about 5 years, apparently the temperature had stabilized around -20C for a full week or so. Not only was that not ideal for the plants, when we walked into the house, well... the hallway floor was covered in 3cm of ice. Turns out there was a leak from the toilet water basin, something must have cracked in the cold, and water started leaking through the floor, down to the floor below, and the floor below that one. There was some speculation as to whether that one heater, had it been left on, could have fought off the crazy cold. In any event, as I walked into the house, instead of warming myself up from the cold outside, I grabbed a shovel and started cracking up the ice on the floor, real nice way to start the new year. Fortunately the damage wasn't that great, and insurance covered some as well. But the plants took a beating. Once again most of them had to kick the bucket.

Man learns from his mistakes, eh? One can only hope. I haven't had any mishaps on that scale for many years now. :mute:

Hm, long intro. The real point I was going to make here is how well I've cared for the one plant I actually have now. I bought it at IKEA last year and since then the cactus has not only survived almost a year, it's blossomed! :eek: Under my care, can you believe it? I managed to kill off some cacti when I was a kid, and since then I've never had a plant of my own.

Hm just now I can hear a bunch of cooks playing guitar and singing Beatles songs somewhere in the building (or across the yard possibly). That's odd, this is an apartment building, didn't know boy scouts came to camp here.

"Alright, how about we meet again here, tomorrow at 10am?"

"How about 10:30?"

"10:30 it is." *hammer falls*

These meetings just make you feel good. There's no pressure, no stress, it's just chatting. Not a lot gets done, it's mostly discussing the workload, dividing it up, making decisions that have to be made in the group. Then you mix it in with cracks about the teacher, about the assignment, it's fun.

Once you get home that's when the real work starts. Research, writing, designing.. But it's project work, there's freedom, room for improv. You get feedback, but no one is bsing you about not following some arbitrary rule that makes no sense. Not until the teacher is assessing the work.

I just thought of a fandamntastic idea for a company name. It actually came from reading a paper and misreading a name, which surprised me, as it would be an odd name if my misreading were correct.

Ready for it? Abysmal. How awesome would it be to run a company called Abysmal? :cool: Abysmal Technologies. Abysmal Investment. Abysmal Insurance. And just Abysmal for short, in conversation, stock listings and so on.

It's a total winner. Names like Microsoft, Sun, Oracle, Google would never stack up against Abysmal. There have been suggestive company names in the form of adjectives in the past, like Smart, Rational and Ahead, but Abysmal totally blows that away.

Contrast Abysmal with product names like Oracle's upcoming Unbreakable Linux. Geez, how idiotic is that name? Not only is it going to set off a stream of bad puns, it also directly undermines the perceived quality of the product. You wouldn't buy a car from Honest Pete just because he calls himself Honest, in fact that would make you suspicious and make you steer clear of Pete. In contrast, Abysmal Linux would set off that "hey, wait a minute" reaction.

It would also open up a whole new platform for silly ads and slogans, like "The worst thing you can say about us is the name" and "Are your profits abysmal? We understand like no other".

There is actually a strong precedent for self deprecating names in internet culture. Lots of sites have enjoyed great success with names like Deviantart.

Man, that's the best idea I've had all year, by far! (That is, in 2006, although publication was deferred to let the new year embrace the ingenious idea.)