Windows10 Broke My Computer

Did Windows10 take over your computer recently?  Are you one of the millions of victims?   Were you able to escape it successfully or did you end up paying hundreds of dollars to an IT specialist to solve whatever problems that software created?  It seems this affected everyone we know in some way.  And yet, there's been next to no media coverage about it outside the technical world.  Why?  This should be headline news.

Somewhere in the fine print of the user agreement there must be a paragraph that gives Microsoft the right to push unwanted and poorly constructed software on its customers. However, just because it has the right, doesn't mean it should.  Can't Microsoft see that people would be happy to upgrade if the software was worth upgrading to?  So much was written about poor performance and countless difficulties, it's no wonder folks kept saying "no" whenever the pop-up surfaced offering the free upgrade.  Gee Microsoft - didn't that tell you something.

One of the reasons Microsoft gives for forcing Win10 down our throats is privacy concerns. Bull-oney. It just invaded our privacy by downloading Win10 when we repeatedly said we didn’t want it.

We wouldn't bother getting our PC repaired except that the household network was resident on the PC and that is totally screwed up - thanks to Windows10. So we will spend a ton of money, which is not in our budget, getting our PC back to Win7 and then moving the network to the Mac.  We never want to go through this again because there was absolutely nothing "free" about the free upgrade to Win10.

I rarely feel the animosity toward a corporation that I currently feel toward Microsoft. If I had any choice, I would never use one of its products again. If anyone out there decides to file a class action lawsuit to recover the cost of repairs, count me in.

Our Parks are More than Just Green Space

"You are very lucky to live in this country."

We had a block party yesterday and welcomed a couple of new families to our street. I spent some time talking to a lovely woman who, with her family, immigrated here from Ukraine. What she said nearly brought tears to my eyes. It is worth sharing.

She spoke often of how we had taken special, natural places and preseved them. Ukraine has beautiful places but the people have done nothing to keep them open and available for the citizens to enjoy. My neighbor was amazed at all the state and national parks we have. She spoke specifically about Illinois Beach State Park, Devil's Lake in Wisconsin, and Niagara Falls.  The family is already planning trips for next summer.

What else do we have? Blue water. In Ukraine, the water is brown.  Here the water is fresh; there the large bodies of water are salty. We take it for granted; she thinks it is amazing.

We do not appreciate what we have until we see it through another person's eyes. As my new neighbor spoke, I silently thanked all the "tree huggers" who fight so hard to keep the Great Lakes blue and the trees in Devil's Lake State Park green. She admires Americans for taking care of the natural gifts we have. Little does she know how difficult that has been to accomplish. 

No News is Good News?

The holiday season is over and, as I went through our cards one last time, I was struck by how many friends no longer include a letter or even a brief note. Receiving a card indicates friends are still alive and photo cards show how the kids have grown but that's about it.  No news at all.  So I have a message for people who send photo cards or just imprint their names:

Guess what - I am interested in your kids because they are yours but I am friends with you!  What happened to you in 2014?  How's your job? Do you still have a job?  What did you do besides work? Did you take a vacation? Where did you go?  Did you get or lose a pet?  How are your folks?

Want to talk about the kids? OK - how are they really? Do they like school?  Do they still play football or tennis or have they moved on to new interests?  Are they dating?

Friends come and go and the holidays are a time when we realize that distance is not always measured in miles. So I will trust that 2014 was a good year for all those who didn't tell me otherwise and hope that 2015 is even better. 

As for 2015 holiday greeting cards, I will have to ponder whether or not to send them to those who didn't include a note in the 2014 card or otherwise communicate during the year.  Maybe I'll send just an e-card?  That seems fair. What do you think?