2012 October 31 archive at Robert Pogson

Archive for October 31st, 2012

Michael Moore is a Twit!

Published by Robert Pogson October 31st, 2012 in Uncategorized. 3 Comments

I was just watching Michael Moore, who lives in New York City and who makes documentaries, interviewed on CNN by Piers. Moore criticized the reporters in the field for holding fixed positions while they missed some parts of stories like a neighbourhood burning on Manhatten.

He’s a twit, a silly twit. During the height of the storm it would have been almost impossible to move the CNN vans around the region. In a brilliant move, CNN dispatched the reporters and crews before the height of the storm so they could be mobile and locate where they had enough shelter to do the job while giving the folks back home a global picture of the storm. Talking heads usually seen in the studio were out in the boonies ducking flying debris and showing folks who might have had an impulse to go out some reality. Instead of them being the news, CNN covered the storm very well. The fact that CNN did not have an infinite number of reporters does not take away from the success of the strategy. CNN did get a reporter to the burning neighbourhood while the fire still raged…

So, Michael Moore, go back to making documentaries. You do that well. Let CNN report on current events. They do that well. Compliment each other on what you do well.

- Robert Pogson

Making Do in Disaster

Published by Robert Pogson October 31st, 2012 in technology. 12 Comments

“A quarter of cell towers, broadband Internet and television services in Superstorm Sandy’s path were still dark Wednesday.”

see Sandy knocks out 25% of cell towers in its path – Oct. 31, 2012.

One of the things I have noticed on the CNN coverage of the hurricane’s effects is that citizens are gathering around CNN’s vehicles, charging their smart phones and accessing free wifi. This is something citizens with a little technical know-how could do for themselves. Anyone with a south-facing window, roof or just the lawn can put up a solar panel to produce a few watts of power for charging batteries. The wholesale cost of one panel is ~$1/watt and a charger needs only a few watts. Walmart sells gadgets based on the same idea but at a much higher price per watt.

A small but rugged wind generator could supply power in the aftermath of the storm in a brisk wind day or night.

Combine wind and solar power with a batter and inverter for gadgets and almost any home could be self-sufficient in electrical power. Add gadgets to connect to the Internet by satellite and to open a wireless access point and every home within 100m could have free wifi and a bit of power during a prolonged outage. That does nothing about heat, food and shelter, but it’s a start. A stock of tarps, ropes, blankets, water and dehydrated food should keep folks alive indefinitely. The ability to communicate will facilitate recovery.

- Robert Pogson

My Mission

My observations and opinions about IT are based on 40 years of use in science and technology and lately, in education. I like IT that is fast, cost-effective and reliable. I do not care whether my solution is the same as yours. I like to think for myself.

My first use of GNU/Linux in 2001 was so remarkably better than what I had been using, I feel it is important work to share GNU/Linux with the world. I have been blessed by working in schools where students and school systems have benefited by good, modular software easily installed in most systems.

I have shown GNU/Linux to thousands of students and hundreds of teachers over the years and will continue in some way doing that until I die in spite of the opposition.