A long time ago I mentioned the UK rich list, which actually got this site many visits I do not really deserve. For what it’s worth, here are some more shocking figures.

Richest 2% own ‘half the wealth’

The richest 2% of adults in the world own more than half of all household wealth, according to a new study by a United Nations research institute.

I find this highly disturbing and this requires immediate change, or else society will collapse. Environmental issues aside (they are partly a result of greed), the gap between the rich and the poor seems to be widening. I am not entirely sure about it, but it seems as though the middle class gradually vanishes, which is something that projects such as the one-laptop-per-child (OLPC) concept try to address and resolve. Here’s another BBC article. It was published earlier today and it elaborates on this very humane initiative.

$100 laptop project eyes launch

Ultimately the project’s backers hope the machines could sell for as little as $100 (£55).

The first countries to sign up to buying the machine include Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Nigeria, Libya, Pakistan and Thailand.

Photo from around 1984

EREK tagged me almost a fortnight ago, but I didn’t realise this until Technorati (also known as Egorati) flagged a related ping from Dave. Initailly, I was not going to tag anyone because my response is so overly belated, but in order to carry on this chain and off the top of my head (and feed reader) I’d choose Homer, Computer Guru, Michele, Chetan and last but not least—Harvey.

So, five embarrassing (by choice) things you did not know about me:

1. I never tie my shoes these days. Whether it’s sneakers or something more formal, I tie the laces just once and then use the shoes as though they were flip-flops.
2. As s child, I wanted to play the trombone
3. I worked at Burger King for a year
4. I have had imposters in the past. Misrepresentation and social engineering then became more of a threat.
5. I always use the computer while I eat

The path of this chain so far: me » Derek van Vilet » Chris Finke » C.K. Sample » Jason Calacanis » Amanda Congdon » Michael Ambs » Rick Rey » Steve Woolf » Steve Garfield » Jeff Pulver.

S another year opens, I would like to wish all the readers a happy and joyous new year. I am wishing and hoping to see a continued trend where not only is Open Source being promoted (2006 was the year of desktop Linux in my eyes), but also Freedom gets properly understood, appreciated, and embraced.

I could probably count on hand the number of times I used Windows and other proprietary software this year. I never use Windows, yet I am fairly familiar and even proficient with it, owing to memory. Yes, it is not because it’s intuitive. It’s because it has neither changed much nor evolved for a decade. It remained widespread for the same reason Britney Spears and Macdonald’s are popular (or just “successful”).

I’ll close with an odd and sarcastic statement.

“Windows is used by the most people, so it must be the best“, says Hugh-Gotta B. Kiddin Mae.

Make prevalence no indication of quality. Same with cost. If needed, make it your new year’s resolution. Again I say:

HAPPY NEW YEAR

You can obtain many long fragments of the full film from video sites such as YouTube.

EREMY Allison of Samba Fame has recently left Novell in protest over the company’s deal with Microsoft. BoycottNovell has had an interview with Jeremy—one that covers the events which preceded the deal, as well as ways forward. From the interview: ‘My guess is that the negotiations for the useful parts of the agreement (the virtualization part and the federated directory interoperability part) had, as Ron (Hovsepian) says, been going on for months and just before Novell wanted to seal the deal Microsoft turned up with “there’s just this one more thing we want you to sign…” and in desperation to get the other parts of the deal done they rushed it through.’

I enjoyed my E-mail exchange with Jeremy, who I must add has a wonderful personality. Like many of us, he appears to be a freedom enthusiast/fanatic facing a scientific chasm and a world where nothing at all is free.

This interview got Slashdotted and, although it was not my first time being Slashdotted, this was my first time a submission of mine was accepted. I only tired a handful of time in the past (first attempt almost 2 years ago). I guess I’m not longer confined by the cushy space of Digg and Netscape after all…

The environment, and global warming in particular, is becoming a hot topic (pun) these days.

Some of the report was quoted in the Fourth Assessment Report “Climate Change 2007″ by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, established by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme, said Qin.

Meanwhile we hear about a glacier the size of 11,000 football fields breaking and drifting, possibly about to thaw. A new initiative speaks about labelling of energy-efficient servers, but it won’t be enough. We’re running out of time while islands are sinking under the rising sea level. We need a more radical approach. We need a solution now.

Season of the playful penguins from Oyonale

have used Ubuntu for about a year, at work. Even though I don’t use it anymore, I’d certainly recommend it. I am saddened to see that many people resent Ubuntu. Even some avid Linux users seem to raise a brow and associate Ubuntu with newbies and moochers. Perhaps its because of its popularity, which sometimes helps obscure the role of GNU and the Linux kernel, especially with people who are informed w.r.t. key background yet happily hop on the Linux bandwagon. That snobbery and resentment could also be attributed to the flocking of some long-time Linux users, who are dazzled by this exciting branch of Debian.

It’s amazing how many hungry hounds are barking are out there, either complaining about the ‘Ubuntification’ of Linux or about Linux, as a disruptive technology, in general, having never used even it. But not to worry, GNU/Linux is most definitely taking over, albeit gradually. No disruptive technology could be accepted without resistance, not even cars.

As for ‘Ubuntification’, who cares? People can use any distro once they hop aboard the Linux bandwagon. It’s open. It’s interoperable. The customer, not the vendor is in charge, so one can dance between products at will, or even fork.

If Ubuntu users don’t associate Linux with Ubuntu, that’s fine too. It shows that Ubuntu is not chosen for ideological reasons. In fact, I am rather surprised that many Linux users (especially newcomers) think that Linux is just about freedom (cost), not Freedom (as in control independence, involvement, et cetera). We’ll see more of the latter as ‘Trusted’ Computing, DRM and spying begin their rise, much to humanity’s misfortune. You can either escape to Linux before you get shackled, or struggle later on to break the shackles (it’s possible, but it’s harder). It’s no coincidence either. Products such as Vista and Office 2007 are carefully architectured to master and implement the art of lockins and vendor control over the customer, which essentially raises exit barriers/cost.

Can Microsoft do anything to reverse this trend and further delay the inevitable? Can it stop a community rather than defeat or buy a company (e.g. Novell)? It’s highly improbable. Google is where the talent and passion resides. Microsoft (marketers and lawyers) is the past, not the future (innovation). Same with OpenXML and ODF.