| Subcribe via RSS
We headed north to the in-law's place who reside just north of Duluth, MN on Lake Superior. It was eventful to say the least. Anyhow, Brenda and Tara made a spectacular meal. Toby and I threw down some "Gears of War," which is a pretty impressive game. Tara is now feeling under the weather, which is going to make her time difficult alone with Ashby while I’m in Boston for the next couple days at the Gilbane Content Management Conference. Enjoy the pics.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
I've been reading (listening) to Bill Bryson's "Made in America." This is the second Bryson book I've read (listened to). Previously I read Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything," which I thoroughly enjoyed even though I have read some claims his accuracy borders on dubious on some of the topics he covers. I think it's more likely that many experts in the fields of science he covers likely find his catechumen understanding and summary of their fields a tad caustic. I can understand where they're coming from. Take this screen shot Steve sent me the other day.
I guess this is from some television show titled "Jericho."(?) That’s a fancy IP. Anyway, I thought it was lots of fun and informative, at least with respect to the personalities that have shaped science. Also, it was amazing to me to learn how little we really know and how short a time it's been that we've known it. I guess I never thought about why the salt levels in the ocean are not rising to the point that they cannot sustain life.
"Made in America" is a cursory look at the etymology of American English and U.S. history. I'm about 80% of the way through the book. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in etymology, I am very much so, or is into history (ditto). Keep in mind this is not an in-depth look at the etymology of America's English, but provides more of a sprinkling throughout. Bryson is informative, jocular (a word he uses frequently), and clever in relating this (brief and mostly culturally focused) history of the United States. As usual with Bryson, it's a really fun read. I do, however, think "A Short History of Nearly Everything" was a better book; so, if you’re going to pick up a Bryson book for the first time, start there..
Tags: America, Bill BrysonDavid Berlind posted an article titled: "Are SugarCRM, Socialtext, Zimbra, Scalix and others abusing the term 'open source?'" in which he opines on the prevalence of non-OSI approved licenses among Web 2.0 companies that are alleged to be open source. Actually, strike that, Berlind doesn't actually seem to say anything beyond: Gee-wiz everyone seems to have a point. In my opinion he almost seems too scared to state an opinion for fear that he may anger dozens of alleged open source Web 2.0 execs or OSI. If anything he speaks snidely of OSI with statements of "'allegedly' keepers..", etc. I suppose this makes it all too clear who has the power here.
If you're reading this you almost certainly understand that OSI (Open Source Initiative) maintains the official definition of open source and is a standards body that all open source license authors turn to have their licenses ratified as meeting the requirements of the open source definition. This is a very important organization that has done a lot to maintain innovation in software. Also, it is hugely significant because it helps to prevent confusion about licensing.
When we were selecting licenses for DekiWiki and Dream we considered many licenses. The one thing we knew for certain was that we would select a license that was OSI approved. We did this for the same reason that we launched OpenGarden, released our source, and made our bugs database public all before we began selling a product. Because open source is a process. It's not an event. It's not a tick in a feature matrix to get funding. And it's certainly not about getting free labor. For us it has always been about Free Knowledge and rapidly evolving the best damn software application possible. I’m making this point because some of these same companies that Berlind is talking about have actually spent years selling a product while not making their source code publicly available and then when they did release their source for the time they did so under a non-OSI approved license. This makes them decisively not open source.
Allow me to share my opinions on this topic further. As I state on our licenses page: every time a new "open source" company comes along and creates their own open source license it muddies the landscape of open source licensing. As we all know there is a significant amount of FUD in this space. By creating new licenses it only creates more confusion, which by definition breeds fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Moreover, I personally find it offensive when companies slap open source contributors and companies in the face by claiming the title of open source while, in some cases, selling for years while not releasing their source code or providing any transparency and then when they finally do release their source they create a non-OSI approved license. It's asinine and inexcusable. In short, that's fine if you want to use these licenses, but do not claim to be open source unless OSI has approved your license. Nor should you claim to be open source when you’ve not even released your source code.
Companies that claim to be open source without OSI approval weakens OSI. I now hear that OSI is actually considering these 'attribution' licenses for approval. Going back now and approving them would greatly diminish OSI's legitimacy. As mentioned, take a look at how many of these companies have developed their software. Open source is clearly an event for them and not a process. For them it's about free labor, press, and a tick in a feature matrix. If OSI approves these licenses retroactively or doesn't, at some point, do something to discredit these claims that these companies are open source I, for one, will lose a great deal of respect in the organization.
Tags: alleged open source Web, David Berlind, software application47,500 Miles, excellent shape. Fully loaded–Every feature offered by Honda, including:
The car is in great shape. Has 2 new tires (all four great) and new brakes.
It's excellent in the snow because it's front wheel drive and has traction
control.
NADA: $16,875
Asking Price: $15,000 / obo
If you’re reading this blog, you likely know Tara, Ashby and I are moving. We don’t need two vehicles being that we’ll be living in downtown San Diego, which is why we’re selling the Accord.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
I went with Tara to the pediatrician on Friday for Ashby's appointment. Ashby is suffering from iron-deficit anemia, which means her low level of iron in her blood is causing her to have a low hemoglobin count. Tara and her mother also have low hemoglobin count, but this is caused by them both having Thalassemia Beta and has nothing to do with low iron. Ashby tested negative for Thalassemia when she was born. Ashby's low hemoglobin and iron is perplexing because we've been supplementing her diet with iron for a month now and we have seen no improvement. The doctor says iron-deficit anemia is not uncommon for babies, which is why they test at 9 months (Ashby is now 10 months, 2 weeks). Also, she said that she has seen cases where the children 
don't show an improvement in the first month. I can say based on research Tara has done we just discovered you shouldn't eat eggs or cheese within a 1-2 hours of consuming iron supplements because both can prevent your body from absorbing iron. Of course, this is what Ashby has for breakfast almost every day when we dose her with iron. We've been giving her juice cut with water for Vitamin C to assist her body in absorbing the iron too, but now we're going to straight juice, which I wanted to avoid. Giving babies juice seems…unnatural. Here is Ashby getting her blood drawn in sequential order, she's such a trooper!
 |
 |
 |
 |
Tara took Ashby to Maplewood Mall's play area earlier this week along with the other participants of her ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education) classes. By the way, ECFE is awesome. I recommend it to any parent. This is Ashby's second class, it's called: "Movers." The classes consist mostly of singing songs and the adults have time to chat while the kids play. It's great for providing Ashby some additional socialization with other kids her age. Although, Ashby does have Alla, who I believe is also in ECFE classes, but is in an older age bracket.
I managed to make it to at least a few of Ashby's first ECFE's classes last Spring, but this current one I've only been able to attend once. Somehow I managed to attend the class in which all the mothers (I was the only dude) decided to discuss their birth experiences. Needless to say, I didn't have a 
whole lot to contribute to that conversation. My only contribution was sharing my perspective on Ashby looking like a piece of canned fruit when she popped out.
Anyhow, Ashby had such a great time at the play area earlier this week that Tara and I decided to take Ashby again today. Tara was stunned I was actually willing to go to a mall, but I wanted to see Ashby crawling through the tunnel Tara had told me about. It was a bit too crowded for our comfort, but Ashby had a great time. When we got home there was a deer in our backyard. We get lots of deer, turkey, pheasants, raptors, and other wildlife in our backyard because our property ends at Rice Creek Nature Preserve, which is a large wildlife corridor. Speaking of our house, now that it's almost certain Tara and I are moving to San Diego we're actively planning for the move. We need to sell a car because we won't need it. And we need to rent our house. I may as well take advantage of the little traffic I get here by posting ads here too (coming up).
 MindTouch's Youngest Employee |
 |
 |
 |
I was giving Tara a hard time because she has posted comments on JJ’s blog, but not mine. Also, I’ve noticed that none of my family have posted comments
