It's amazing the things that have changed in just the last 48 hours when it comes to computing. Apple has finally done what pundits and users have begged for for years and years. They're dumping IBM and embracing Intel. What does that mean? Maybe not much, when it comes to the average user. Since they've licensed a technology they are calling Rosetta which will allow Intel based Mac's to run PowerPC based code seamlessly the change will be as painless (or even more painless) than the transition from OS 9 to OS X. For developers it means more work, but from the buzz I've seen from developers at the Apple WWDC who have had the opportunity to play with an Intel based Mac it won't be nearly as bad as they feared. Many things will just recompile, but even those that will require non-trivial conversions will be much, much easier than first expected.
So should I scrap my plans to buy a new Mac in the next few months? Nah. The PowerPC's will be supported through at least one more iteration of the OS, and developers will probably be developing for them at least that long. But I can't wait to get my hands on an Intel Mac Powerbook running at 4.7GHz - with a dual core processor. :)
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Friday, June 03, 2005
Human rights
It's been a busy time for me, but not as busy as it has been for Amnesty International and others looking to further damage the US military's credibility. As if they needed help. Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay are dark spots on the US image, both at home and abroad. I'm enough of a patriot to question the conclusions of AI - not that agreeing with them makes you less a patriot than I - but I have to admit that there are some good points being made against the treatment of the "detainees" at Guantanamo Bay.
Are they military prisoners? No? Then they must be afforded the same legal rights as any other non-US citizen suspected of committing a crime in or against the US. Of course, if they are military prisoners, they must be accorded all the rights given to them by the Geneva Convention. There is no middle-ground. This isn't multiple choice. Either they are, or they aren't, prisoners of war.
Even in the current Limbo they are being kept in, there are basic elements of decency that must be adhered to if we want anyone to believe we are the "guardians of democracy." Respect, both for the person and their beliefs, is paramount. Without it we can claim no superiority, no greater righteousness, than the cowards who flew planes into the World Trade Center. Nor can we claim to anywhere near equal the courage and righteousness of the passengers who fought the terrorists, causing them to crash the plane, or the Iraqi citizens facing assassination by suicide bomber to vote, or to become a part of the Iraqi police force or military. Every day these people risk their lives to help us bring them to autonomy, and we repay them by doing stupid things that add fuel to the fire of the religious zealots seeking to kill them and drive us out of the country.
It's time to take whatever action you are able. If you've never written your senator or representative, now is a good time to start. We can make a difference by letting our elected officials know how we feel. Write them, tell them what you think of our treatment of "detainees" Write the president. Don't let the politicians lay blame at the feet of the military, pretending to have no say in what the military does. The military is under the government, and the government must control the military. Don't let either of them forget it. Human lives are hanging in the balance, on both sides of this war on terror.
Are they military prisoners? No? Then they must be afforded the same legal rights as any other non-US citizen suspected of committing a crime in or against the US. Of course, if they are military prisoners, they must be accorded all the rights given to them by the Geneva Convention. There is no middle-ground. This isn't multiple choice. Either they are, or they aren't, prisoners of war.
Even in the current Limbo they are being kept in, there are basic elements of decency that must be adhered to if we want anyone to believe we are the "guardians of democracy." Respect, both for the person and their beliefs, is paramount. Without it we can claim no superiority, no greater righteousness, than the cowards who flew planes into the World Trade Center. Nor can we claim to anywhere near equal the courage and righteousness of the passengers who fought the terrorists, causing them to crash the plane, or the Iraqi citizens facing assassination by suicide bomber to vote, or to become a part of the Iraqi police force or military. Every day these people risk their lives to help us bring them to autonomy, and we repay them by doing stupid things that add fuel to the fire of the religious zealots seeking to kill them and drive us out of the country.
It's time to take whatever action you are able. If you've never written your senator or representative, now is a good time to start. We can make a difference by letting our elected officials know how we feel. Write them, tell them what you think of our treatment of "detainees" Write the president. Don't let the politicians lay blame at the feet of the military, pretending to have no say in what the military does. The military is under the government, and the government must control the military. Don't let either of them forget it. Human lives are hanging in the balance, on both sides of this war on terror.
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