A Whole New Netbook Market May Rain On Microsoft’s Parade

Microsoft, the bloated multi-billion dollar software company, has ultimately controlled the personal computer market in one way or another for years. Now it is grudgingly losing its grip a bit, but not by much . . . yet.

Most recently, it was Microsoft that was mostly responsible for limiting the growth and development of the netbook computer market. They did that through threats to computer manufactures and sellers and by providing Windows XP very cheap for the netbooks so better Linux operating systems would not be developed and used.

After all, when the first netbook, the little Eee PC, came to market it used a very efficient and easy to use form of Linux and that obviously frightened the hell out of the management at Microsoft. The Eee PC was fast and “easy” to learn to use, unlike Windows. So, Microsoft soon went into protection mode by telling manufactures and sellers that they would sell them a subset of Windows XP Home Basic dirt cheap if they would keep their netbooks’ functions to a strict minimum.

That mostly worked, to the detriment of development on netbooks. Manufactures used Linux less and all but a very few Chinese netbook computers were offered with “lower” processing speeds and somewhat diminished graphics than today’s technology could provide for about the same price.

But, that was then and this is now. Things have been changing considerably these past few weeks.

For instance, Microsoft is ready to release the new Windows 7, which they say is much faster and more efficient than Vista or XP. It can also come with touch-screen availability. And . . . Microsoft will allow any version of Windows 7 to be run on netbook computers. Of course, Microsoft will also sell Windows 7 at full price (to most of us). That’s why they will allow it to be used on netbooks, after all.

This week, Intel announced what may very well be a very efficient quad-core processor for laptops (core i7) and a slightly lower power version for netbooks. Intel also has a new chipset for graphics that sounds great and we’ll assume that it is intended to work with the new quad-processor. Of course, these new Intel processors will be rather expensive for a while. But other chip manufactures are gearing up to offer lower priced multi-core processors and good graphics systems for netbook computers, too, so the consumer will win because of that competition.

There have also been a few reports that netbook manufactures have been ordering a lot of the newer style touch screens that are between 10 and 12 inches. That’s also very good news for consumers! Quantity orders, after all, also work to keep prices down.

This means, now that Microsoft again seems to feel it can make its bucks from almost every computer sold, they will “allow” the manufactures to develop netbooks to their fullest potential. And so it is happening -- quickly, too.

So, let’s put this all together for the netbook product that interests most of us:

By this time next year we should see the real netbook computer that I want on the market for well under $500 each, and there will be many brands (competition driving down price!) from which to choose.

The one I will buy will have an 11.6 to 12 inch touch-screen and a great keyboard. It will have a relatively fast duel or quad processor and at lest 2 GB of RAM, with a somewhat large hard drive. Of course, there will also be a few USB ports and a good memory card-reader. It will also sport a large, multi-touch mouse-pad and have very good Wi-Fi. Truthfully, I do not care what operating system it runs, as long as it quickly performs the dozen or so functions for which I normally use a computer.

Those who will have such a netbook computer ported to one of the cell-phone networks so they can connect anywhere might also run an iteration of Android on the side with a fancy GPS system and all the Google “street” and “earth” goodies. I sure would!

Sure, early on the new Microsoft operating system will certainly reign king on these new netbooks, keeping the prices too high for many buyers. But, sitting in the background, quietly waiting, are a few hundred developers for operating systems like Android, Moblin, Chrome, and various distributions of Linux, who also have a great deal to offer for the new netbooks. Unlike the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system, these operating systems will mostly be free, which will cut the end-user price of the more powerful netbooks considerably.

As I wrote above: As long as it’s easy to use and does everything I want, why should I care what operating system my new netbook runs? The fact is, I don’t! And, many of the these other operating systems will be designed to be much easier to use than any version of Windows. Besides, the price is right. . . .

Hence, I see a very well appointed netbook – a fast and efficient netbook – in my future within the next few months. The cost will be less than almost any laptop available. The only downside is that it probably will not have a CD/DVD drive included, so I may have to purchase an inexpensive outboard at some point. And, chances are great that it will not be running Windows, which doesn’t break my heart at all. Because, I should mention here, like the Linux based Eee PC netbooks, the “free” open source operating systems also have lots of “free” software available for those who wish to download some. And that is over and above all the great stuff that already comes with the initial package when you buy the computer running one of these alternative operating systems

Will Microsoft lower prices to stay in competition? They will probably have to. But, don’t look for that to happen anytime soon. Meanwhile, watch how an open and competitive netbook market provides quality computers at reasonable prices. Then, a little later, notice how that exerts pressure on the laptop market. Those positive pricing and quality changes may only take a few months. Actually, it’s starting now; but few have noticed yet.

Rent-a-Mob Socialists Activated Yet Again

Heck, I can remember when Town Hall meetings with the Congresscritter used to be interesting. Lately, though, some are becoming dangerous places to be. 

In the mostly blue collar town of Romulus, Michigan, Rep,. John Dingle (D-MI) was greeted by jeers (from Democrats, no less!) at an over-packed town hall meeting when he stated support for socialized government medicine.  Dingle actually had police remove some of the folks speaking against the scheme.

It’s disheartening to see that the Socialist-Democrats are back to hiring the “rent-a-mob” thugs from the unions and ACORN again. Yup, just like the Nazi Brown Shirts, these jerks are sent in to do whatever they can to disrupt the gatherings so nothing of substance can be discussed.

Think about the dichotomy here: 90% of the union workers around the country already have great health insurance provided by their employer. So, why the hell would they disrupt town hall meetings and say they support a government medical plan operated by federal regulators? Fact is, they do not really support the government operated health insurance scheme; the thugs are paid to be there and disrupt those who are against the government socialized medical insurance plan.

In every election cycle, those far left leaders of the unions, and other socialist-leaning groups, pony up hundreds of millions of dollars in what is called “walking around money” for far left activists. Much of that money is used for paraphernalia, food and booze, as well as busses and phone banks -- and to pay disrupting thugs. In other words, it is used to pay those leftist-liberal activists we see out there and bus then around to wherever they are most needed. You didn’t think they were doing that gratis, did you?

Worse, many of the leftovers from the Clinton cabal formed “non-profit” political activist groups that have collected hundreds of millions of dollars in donations. Not only do they support socialist candidates for office, they also pay rent-a-mobs and activist groups to do whatever possible to support socialist programs.

Most of that flow of cash is actually illegal as hell, but prosecutors fear doing anything about it because that system is well entrenched within the leftist factions and the Democrat Party. So, illegal, in this case, is conveniently overlooked. The Democrats in Congress even fixed it so ACORN receives a lot of taxpayer funding to support unconstitutional and socialist programs.

Someday, conservative folks might catch on and fight back with like action. But, currently, there are no conservative groups doing anything like that.

Every person seen at any meeting speaking against government regulated socialized medicine is there on their own time and speaking their own mind. The interesting point is that conservatives are smartening up and that is why they greatly outnumber the rent-a-mob thugs at all meetings. The problem is that they still allow the thugs to make more noise and disrupt things.

However, conservatives are slowly catching on. So, some of this may start changing soon. I just hope things don’t get too rough.

More Waste of Funds in our High-Living Congress

The “Elected Ones” are at it again.  By that, I mean that they are spending hundreds of million of taxpayer dollars just to make life more comfortable for themselves.

There are commercial airlines flying all over the globe and all of these commercial airlines have cushy first-class accommodations for the wealthy.  However, apparently these cushy first-class accommodations are not good enough for the elected ones in Congress.  They want better.

Today, Rollcall (a D.C. newspaper that watches Congress) published an article indicating that the “House Orders Up Three Elite Jets”:

At the end of July, the House approved nearly $200 million for the Air Force to buy three elite Gulfstream jets for ferrying top government officials and Members of Congress.

…

The Gulfstream G550 is a luxury business jet, which the company advertises as featuring long-range flight capacity that “easily links Washington, D.C., with Dubai, London with Singapore and Tokyo with Paris.”  The company’s promotional materials say, “The cabin aboard the G550 combines productivity with exceptional comfort.  It features up to four distinct living areas, three temperature zones, a choice of 12 floor plan configurations with seating for up to 18 passengers.”

This is the very same Congress that chastised the captains of the auto industry for flying private jets.  Yet, the Congresscritters want to be able to fly themselves -- along with their staff and families -- around the world on those dubious “fact finding” trips (read golf, dinners and beach) in the ultimate of luxury.

Yup, they spout that the nation (and government) has fell on hard times, and then they spend $200-million on even more luxury jets for their own use.  Worse, this is just one instance of many. . . .

Isn’t it time we hired some adults to take their places?  Think about it, because this is the time we voters should start looking for good candidates for next year’s primary election -- and start whipping up support for our chosen candidates.

About that Socialist Proposal for Federal Health Care

Apparently Hillary Care lives, and has grown even more onerous this time around. One bright light in the newly proposed Marxist/socialist mess that would be government controlled health care is that many of the really bright lights in the medical community are again coming out in opposition.

Here’s a question that must be answered: Anyone see any authority in the Constitution authorizing the federal government to regulate health care in any way whatsoever? Nope. Of course not, because there is none! Therefore, they should keep their nose out of it completely. Nonetheless, Obama has a plan to do away with the insurance companies and make all health care government owned and operated. And, we can believe that to be true because he said so specifically.

Toker-about-town, Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), isn’t known for being too bright but had the correct approach to federal government controlled health care. Conyers proposed a Constitutional amendment making health care a “right”. That will never pass, of course, but at least it’s the proper way for the federal government to get the authority to do such things.

Anyway, Congress has two legal laboratories with which to try such a scheme legally and should show us how good it is by making the plan work there for a few years first:

There are millions of federal employees (including everyone in Congress -- but not the military) who should try their proposed health care system first. Also, the Constitution gives Congress all plenary authority over the District of Columbia, which would also be a great test for the proposed system. This would give federal regulators a few years to get the kinks out (or scrap it completely) before it is imposed on everyone in the nation.

After all, the federal government has a strong history of messing up nearly everything it touches and we cannot expect it to do any better with health care. So, they’ll need some practice before instituting a nation-wide program. Let’s repeatedly suggest that to any available official and see how they like it.

Meanwhile, the White House is officially asking for snitches:

"There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we are asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov."

Ahem . . . Okay then, perhaps we should send them mail, both pro and con. But, to be sure, we should send them mail anytime we hear a politician spouting off untruths about the proposed socialist health care plan -- along with an actual quote from the bill showing how said politician was wrong. And yes, we should also publish it on the net for all to see.

Sure, this is a serious matter. But, that’s not to say that we can’t also use it to have a little fun messing with the socialist heads of the political types along the way by forcing them to participate in the scheme first. Because, if it’s not good enough for them now, it’s most certainly not good enough for the rest of us later.

Tell them so.  Repeatedly.

Rep. Conyers admits to negligence in Congress

Yet again, the Congressman from Detroit shows his utter disrespect for his position in government and his complete disregard for the wellbeing of his constituents back home.  Worse, this jerk is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, too.

Yesterday, CNSNews.com and others reported:

During his speech at a National Press Club luncheon, House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.), questioned the point of lawmakers reading the health care bill.

“I love these members, they get up and say, ‘Read the bill,’” said Conyers.

“What good is reading the bill if it’s a thousand pages and you don’t have two days and two lawyers to find out what it means after you read the bill?”

Remember, now, Conyers has been in Congress for a couple decades and currently chairs the House Judiciary Committee.  So, one would think, he is probably trained well enough to know his job description.

It is both the duty and responsibility of each member of congress to read and understand every aspect of every bill long before voting on it.  If they do not, then simply put, they are negligent and should be charged as such.

What Should Happen When a Judge Lies under Oath?

We all could guess, easily, that any judge knows damn well that it is against the law to lie while testifying when under oath. Most judges will get you for that and cause unpleasant circumstances for your person and/or your bank account.

So . . . what do we do with a judge who blatantly lies while they are under oath? Should they be promoted to a higher position? Should they be charged with the felony and taken off of the bench completely? What?

The instant topic, of course, is Judge Sonia Sotomayor and her Senate hearing for the Supreme Court. According to Fox News yesterday:

She said her work as a judge for 17 years does not show any "liberal instincts" in the cases she officiated over. "If he was talking about the fact that I served on a particular board that promoted equal opportunity for people, the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, then you could talk about that being a liberal instinct in the sense that I promote equal opportunity in America and the attempts to assure that," Sotomayor said.

Sigh . . . I guess she thinks that her opposition to Constitutional rights, like our Second Amendment rights, our right to freely contract, and her propensity for supporting special rights for special groups, doesn’t count as liberal positions for the purpose of the Supreme Court hearings.

Senate Republican turncoat Arlen Specter was quoted saying that his fear is that Sonia Sotomayor may say one thing at her confirmation hearing and do another as the next Supreme Court justice. Really? Wow, such insight from a Democrat, eh?

"Is there anything the Senate or Congress can do if a nominee says one thing seated at that table and does something exactly the opposite once they walk across the street?" he asked Sotomayor Wednesday during Day 3 of her confirmation hearings as she seeks to become the first Hispanic to sit on the high court.

Yes, Senator, there is something that should be done: Charge her with perjury for all the lies she has already told while under oath and kick her butt out of the judiciary forevermore. After all, she has an extensive written record to fall back on.

Have you no ethics whatsoever in the Senate? Don’t you even care when judges tell obvious lies while under oath?

Oh wait . . . I guess y’all answered my ethics question during the Clinton impeachment trial, huh.

Why All Those Socialist-leaning Bills in Congress This Year?

In January of 2007 the House of Representatives for the 110^th Congress voted 233-202 to elect Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as Speaker of the House.  She was elected on a strictly party-line (unanimous) roll call vote.  This action by the Democrats was, of course, an outward sign that the Democrat Party was finally acting under their true political colors.  The problem was that, because of our very liberal mainstream media, the underline reason was hushed up and few American voters noticed.

Nancy Pelosi, of course, has been a long term member, and served on the executive committee, of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which is actually an arm of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

So, let’s take a moment to see what type of mischief these card-carrying socialist in Congress have the ability to get into.  According to the Progressive Caucus web site:

The Co-Chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, U.S. Representatives Raúl M. Grijalva and Lynn Woolsey, welcome your interest in the growing Progressive Caucus.  Our Caucus Members want to do more than speak out against extremism from the Right.  We want to take on the Bush Administration's agenda by providing a comprehensive, thoughtful, progressive alternative -- what we call The Progressive Promise -- Fairness for All (PDF).

So, let’s look at the Progressive Caucus leadership.  The Co-Chairs are:

Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) – a member of the Committee on Education and Labor and the Committee on Natural Resources.  He pushes socialized medicine.

Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) – sits on the Committee on Education and Labor and chairs the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.  She is also on the Committee on Science and Technology.

There are seven Progressive Caucus Vice-Chairs:

Diane Watson (D-CA) -- sits on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and chairs the Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement.  She also sits on the on the Subcommittee for Domestic Policy and the Subcommittee for  Information Policy, Census, and National Archives, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.  She chairs the Congressional Entertainment Industries Caucus and is a Co-Chair of the Korean Caucus

Keith Ellison (D-MN) -- serves on the Financial Services and Foreign Affairs Committees.

Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) -- sits on The Committee on the Judiciary, The Committee on Homeland Security and The Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Mazie Hirono (D-HI) – sits on Education and Labor Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) -- Chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.  He is also a member of the Education and Labor Committee.

Donna F. Edwards (D-MD) -- serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee where she sits on the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit,  Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, and the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.

Alan Grayson (D-FL) -- sits on the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittees of both the House Financial Services Committee and the House Science and Technology Committee.

There are also seventy-some other House members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, as well as two senators.  Many of these members, such as John Conyers (D-MI), chair important committees and sub-committees.   More on that later, as time allows.