Author: Dr. Bill

I got an email today. It had a subject line of: Computer Operator II Needed in Winston-Salem, NC. Okay. I read the message. The recruiter said that I might be interested in a computer operator position. There was a requirement of at least a Bachelors degree. I started laughing… best laugh of the day… then, I was perplexed. Should I let her know how far off the mark she was with her email? What if she offered it to other high end computer professionals… so, I responded as below:

“Your message gave me a good laugh! Have you even read my resume? I have over 30 years of system admin experience and I’m professionally certified in VMware, Citrix, and web server administration… and you send me a computer operator position? Maybe back in 1984, but I am a little further down the road by now. I also have two doctorates, a Ph.D and and ND; so the Bachelors degree preference should be no problem.

I mention it only because you might send a similar message to someone with a less developed sense of humor. BTW, I am NOT looking for work. Thanks for thinking of me, though! ”

So, obviously, I was jabbing a bit… but what do you think? Too much?

Gotta love this! Microsoft buying Linux support! How cool is that?!?!

Microsoft extends SUSE deal, agrees to buy another $100M in Linux support

“Linux vendor Novell Inc. is no longer a standalone company, but Microsoft today announced an agreement with its successor, Attachmate’s SUSE unit, to extend by four years the technology collaboration agreement and controversial patent protection deal that the companies announced nearly five years ago.

As part of the extended agreement, Microsoft agreed to spend an additional $100 million on support certificates for SUSE Linux Enterprise, as a way of helping customers run both Windows and Linux servers. Microsoft and SUSE say their collaboration has served more than 725 customers worldwide to date.

Under their pact, the companies agreed to not to sue each other’s customers for patent violations. That provision was criticized in the open-source community as an implicit concession by Novell that Linux violates Microsoft’s patents, although Novell executives said repeatedly that wasn’t the case.”

Are you “biting?” Google+ pulled in 20 million users in three weeks. There does seems to be “a buzz!” I have a Google+ account, but haven’t really played with it much yet. We’ll see. I was a reluctant Facebook user, and I still only check it occasionally, but it is a bit more “comfortable” at this point… but as with everything else, there is always a “learning curve.” So, we’ll see! Maybe I will drink the Google Kool-Aid yet!

IPTV as an industry is heating up! Now there is a rumor that Apple may be negotiating to buy Hulu!

Apple May Bid for Hulu Online Video Service

“Apple Inc. (AAPL), with $76.2 billion in cash and securities on its books, is considering making a bid for the Hulu online video service, two people with knowledge of the auction said.

Apple, the world’s second-most-valuable company, is in early talks that may lead to an offer for Hulu, said the people, who weren’t authorized to speak publicly.

Hulu would give Apple a new subscription service and represent a possible challenge to Netflix Inc. (NFLX) Hulu’s media- company owners, Walt Disney Co. (DIS), News Corp. (NWSA) and Comcast Corp. (CMCSA)’s NBC Universal, are offering suitors a five-year extension of program rights, including two years of exclusive access, people familiar with the matter said earlier this week.

‘Part of the ecosystem of Apple’s future is to include more video,’ said Scott Sutherland, Wedbush Securities Inc. analyst in San Francisco who recommends buying the stock. ‘It’s something they are focused on.’

Meredith Kendall, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles-based Hulu, declined to comment, as did Tom Neumayr, a spokesman for Cupertino, California-based Apple.

Hulu’s price tag could exceed $2 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and SNL Kagan.”

Although, Peter Kafka at “All Things D” seems to disagree with this rumor!

Don’t Hold Your Breath on That Apple Hulu Deal

He says that even though Apple is considering it, others are more likely buyers:

“And there are still some smart folks who think the pool of real bidders for the site may end up being very, very shallow. A quick guide to some of the usual suspects:

Apple could certainly afford to buy Hulu at any price, since its ever-growing cash pile is now at $76 billion. And the company has already shown an interest in the subscription TV business that Hulu Plus sells — recall its efforts to cobble together a $30-a-month video service. But the free ad-supported business that makes up Hulu’s core is pretty alien to Apple.

Industry folks I talk to think Google would love to get its hands on Hulu, and none of them think the company will make an offer. The search giant is already facing a wide-ranging antitrust probe, and adding an exclusive deal for three of the four broadcast TV guys to the mix seems like a nonstarter.

Amazon is a logical buyer: Adding Hulu would make a lot of sense for a company that’s trying to jump-start its online video business. The problem here is that content sellers say that Amazon seems wholly uninterested in paying anything close to a premium for online video.

Lots of people in and outside of Yahoo would like Carol Bartz to buy Hulu, so this one seems most logical. The question is whether Yahoo’s board will approve what would be a Hail Mary deal.

Other possible homes for the site include Verizon and AT&T, as well as Liberty Media/DirectTV. The last one has particular appeal to some folks I talk to, who see Hulu as a natural extension of the satellite TV company’s existing business plan.”

Yes, you read that right! You can register to WIN a new Roku 2 HD from Dr. Bill.TV! Just compose an email, with the subject line “Roku 2 Giveaway” and send it to: DrBill [AT] DrBill.TV. (Replace the [AT] with an “@” sign, of course!)

This is the BRAND NEW, just released Roku 2 HD, with:

300+ channels with movies, shows, music, and more!
FREE movie service from Crackle with hundreds of Hollywood movies!
Works with virtually any TV!
Built-in wireless (Wi-Fi b/g/n)!
Plays high-definition video (720p)*

* 720p and 1080p HD availability varies by content partner

Get in line now! On-line, anyway!

BioWare Puts Star Wars: The Old Republic Up for Pre-Order

“Everyone who doesn’t hate Star Wars, and I assume that’s still most of you, BioWare just snipped the inaugural tape off its pre-order page for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Get thee over there now, especially if you want to grab one of the special editions, or lock down a code that’ll give you ‘early game access’ and ‘exclusive in-game content.’

The $150 ‘collector’s edition’ looks pretty loaded: a statute, collectible metal cases for the game discs, an annotated journal, a map of The Old Republic’s galaxy, a ‘custom security authentication key,’ the game’s soundtrack, and all of that tucked inside a ‘high-quality collector’s edition’ box. Grab this and you’ll also get 30 days of game time, and these online goodies: a flare gun, training droid, holodancer, holocam, game vehicle, a mouse droid, and special in-game vendor with ‘unique’ items.

The $80 ‘digital deluxe edition’ strips the collector’s edition of its physical goodies but keeps the 30 days of game time and narrows the online items to these five: the flare gun, training droid, holodancer, holocam, and game vehicle.

And last but not least, the surprisingly high-priced $60 ‘standard edition’ is just what you’d expect it to be: the game discs stuffed inside your average game box.

All pre-orders are eligible for an ‘early game access’ code, but BioWare cautions that ‘Pre-order quantities are limited and will be processed in the order they are received.'”

Byte Magazine is back! I loved Byte back “in the day!” It has been revived as a web magazine and even has Jerry Pournelle back as a columnist! His “Computing at Caos Manor is awesome! Check out Byte below at byte.com

Byte.com

Jerry Pournelle: Computing at Chaos Manor

AWESOME! The new Roku 2 boxes rock!

Roku Launches New Media Streamers Complete With Motion Gaming Capabilities Perfect For Angry Birds

“Roku just announced its fourth generation of media streamers and they’re unsurprisingly the best yet. They sport more features, an even smaller physical footprint, and the same Apple TV-killing price points as before.

These new models, the Roku 2 HD, Roku 2 XD, and the Roku 2 XS, have even more media streaming capabilities as the previous models. All the major streaming sources are present: Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus. Plus, Roku has live sports from the NHL, NBA, and Major League soccer along with on-demand radio with rdio, Pandora and MOG. There simply isn’t a more complete streaming offering from any other device. But clearly Roku wanted to build a platform not limited to just streaming. The new models feature built-in motion gaming capabilities with 2011’s hottest game. Yep, Angry Birds.

In case, you know, already played Angry Birds, there are more games available after launch — like Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio along with other unannounced titles. With the new hardware comes new streaming stations, too. Roku is over 300 stations now and along with the Angry Bird channel comes Facebook, EPIX, Major League Soccer, AOL HD, and FoxNews.com.”