Microsoft owns the ideas around word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software. “I want it in a .doc” “Put it Excel” “Look, another PowerPoint!” But it need not and should not be that way. I’ll cut to the chase: if you create content in proprietary format, you will always depend upon the company that supplies the… Continue reading Liberate your documents by choosing a better format
Category: Freedom
How to make a radical Christian
A fair point, with the fearmongering about radical Muslims in full tilt. You could start by reading Leo Tolstoy’s The Kingdom of God Is Within You. (text, Project Gutenberg) It stands in a thread of radical Christian discipleship that reaches before Tolstoy to Universalist minister Adin Ballou — a point of pride — and afterwards… Continue reading How to make a radical Christian
Your rights as an e-book reader
I’m interested in the back and forth between the Boston Unitarian and Southern “Universalist Church” History blogs about what Universalist works are available for the former’s Nook, the book reader released by Barnes and Noble. I confess, that if pressed to own a book reader, I’d probably get the Nook: it’s a better value than… Continue reading Your rights as an e-book reader
Standing for GLBT people living under dire oppression
The Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office claims to be the only religious voice at the United Nations advocating for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, or in their lingo, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) work. I believe them and wish there were more sharing in their labor. (Anyone? Please. Or correct me if I’m… Continue reading Standing for GLBT people living under dire oppression
World’s Fair Use Day
The concept of fair use of copyrighted intellectual property is probably under more strain now than ever before. The long term effects on a free, creative people are not known, but I can’t think it’ll be anything good. Public Knowledge is producing World’s Fair Use Day tomorrow, January 12, to draw attention to this issue.… Continue reading World’s Fair Use Day
Stonewall forty years on
On this day, in 1969, the public phase of the gay liberation movement began with a much-storied Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Viilage. Tons and tons has been written about it. And that’s why most annual gay and lesbian events are usually in stifling hot weather. It was also the day I due to be born… Continue reading Stonewall forty years on
Download Firefox 3, break record
The Mozilla Foundation is try to break a 24-hour software download world record — or rather, establish a mark — with its release of the newest version of its browser: Firefox 3. Having used it a while, I really like it. Ubuntu Linux users have been getting updates of the preliminary versions (release candidates) and… Continue reading Download Firefox 3, break record
The Republic of Nepal: what other change?
There’s been a bit of news about how Nepalese parliament disestablished the monarchy and erected a federal, democratic republic in its place. I expect the new republic will have birthing pains and I wish them well, but I don’t want the day to pass without noting that there was one other change. In its path… Continue reading The Republic of Nepal: what other change?
Boston NPR station streams in free format
Good news from the Free Software Foundation: Boston National Public Radio broadcaster WBUR has begin streaming its content in the free Ogg format. The importance? Unlike MP3, Windows Media, Real Audio or Quicktime, Ogg Vorbis is not restricted by software patents. The threat of these patent lawsuits chills independent development of multimedia software tools. The… Continue reading Boston NPR station streams in free format