I know that a lot of people have fun using their computers, playstations, gamepads, handhelds or mobile phones for playing games. That is ok for sure, a big business to make money … and at the end everyone should do at his or her pleasure anyway.

Personally I’m not much into this kind of amusement. I was never ever really good in driving a car on a TV screen and besides SimCity and a few early DOS based computer games I’ve never did spend much time with "games".

So when I speak about playing with my computers, I’m talking about spending time with them discovering something new. Learning or modify things and therefore making them able to do or serve things they couldn’t do before.

Last few days I did spend time playing with my new toys which I have mentioned earlier before. It was good time and I learned a lot about it and got a deeper idea about the concepts behind. Now it would not have been even necessary, as for I got an unlocked version I couldn’t prevent to read about the "breaking it" instructions and knowing about was the "point of no return" starting to "play" with it.

Today now feeling prepare enough, I finally did it … a full cycle through all … ending up in restoring initial and original state again. Somewhere in between I must have missed something as for not all features did work in "broken" mode as wished.

But this is nothing I do mind - it was no wated time at all - just the intro into another "playing session". And I’m sure it will not last long until I can’t resist anymore, starting again with it.

Sure it is not necessary …. but it is possible!

This evening I had a lovely catch up with Petra. She is a hairstylist running her own business and a friend of me since ages. Now given the fact that she seems to be anyway the only person in world being able to subdue my hair, I’m frequently enoying both … a friendly relaxed chat with a friend, as also getting a perfect haircut by someone knowing exactly how I like to wear my hair.

Talking about god and the world (means everything) I ended up in telling her about my "knights dinner" recently and was very surprised about her telling me that she has processed some new interest in medival markets.

You know such events? They are held here frequently with a lot of folks coming together playing knights, farmer or warrior … lol virgins or witches … in authentic dresses and wearing swords and stuff. Mostly it has some commercial background with handicraft men selling their stuff, but often it is also just for fun.

Now speaking about she told me that she feels really fascinated by that idea and really would like to do some "view" into this era …

Thinking about it, I’m sure I wouldn’t …. as long I can remember I was always interested in the opposite. The future with all it’s gimmicks, technical process, new techniques and science in general and first of all new cool inventions is what I would go for. Give me a working Stargate and I would use it - now, yet and immediately! 

But?! What time would you like to see my friend???

I guess it was about time fitting in something truly good topic like caring for our all environment also into marketing areas like the IT business. Forcing a closer look at things again and aiming the start of re-querying bad and old behavior from once.

Green IT is more than just another new marketing gag companies now use to sell there actual new and modern hardware!

Even it may appear that way at first …. Energy Awareness is an must requirement and need for me today.

Besides traditional MHz or Mips, now power consumption, issues free standby and sleep functionalities of the used  OS have to become a reasonable arguments to answer the question whether or not to buy a specific hardware model, brand or software.

Years ago I have read some article pointing out about worlds’ overall electrical energy consumption was raise by 10% since the invention of  the Personal Computer System - short PC.

Millions of PCs … and often never powered off for just and pure convenience issues!

Sure it is smart when for a quick email check I only have to power on the LCD. The system is already up and running and it needs me just a few seconds to stay in touch with the whole world …. confessed that at some stages permanent running systems offering infrastructure services is a must requirement ….

But does it need to be more than one system per household? Does it need all the periphery running as well all the time? Does it need to be the most energy hungry system of all … Dad’s Power PC with chrome stripes and stars?

Do you know that in big data center the cooling and environment conditioning does need up to 3 or 4 times the energy all systems do need for their operating?

What about that million old server system out there in central computing center just not powered off because they are ignored and no longer used since ages? Running on money of big companies just turned too ignorant for it, as for shareholder value is the only thing what counts?!

Green IT has to become a general concern of all of us. Starting with those private users, heading over to small businesses and finally addressing CEO’s of big companies …. all “deciders” …  users, system developer, manufacturer and finally the big industrial consumer have to be AWARE today.

Recently on monday Microsoft announced that they will make effort locking down noticeable software license keys.
Nothing to say about that. They write software and want to sell it ….

But tell me! What is a noticeable software license key? They on I bought with and found  on my old notebook?

Sure it is a nice and helpfully arrangement new systems today are bundled and offered with some valid OS license key keeping costs low and giving me the feeling I’m doing right. But what about the system gets old and I buy a new one and don’t like the new burning software on it and rather would prefer going on to use the older one I’m used to used from my prior hardware?

What about the old hardware is still functional and working and I’m going to sell it on eBay?

Sure the license keys will go with the hardware, but what about the changing owner? Will this new owner then have such a noticeable software license key?

I really do understand Microsoft and other companies. But isn’t the problem also forced by them and there more than archaic licencing modells?

Today in times of fast broadband internet connections you of don’t even get an installation medium. You download the software and request a valid serial key online easy paid by paypal or credit card.

Where the hell there is a problem to found something similar than the internet domain registration services to buy and administer your license keys online? Even perhaps on some time limited base?

Sometimes I don’t need the whole cake for ever. What about buying a Creative Studio or Office license for a quarter of a year with the option to get a cheap and easy renewing?

In my eyes it is about time for those big software companies to think about new and creative licencing modells.

Just my 5ct on that!

Sometimes I think it really doesn’t matter what news is written about a company.
Good or not … there was a news about and people get curious about … that is the aim and that is what we want!

Now knowing about the rumours about Apple has a build in backdoor within the new Apple iPhone 3G were recently confirmed by Steve Jobs …. indeed make me thinking about.

But not about the company or the product itself. Instead I’m more thinking about whether or not I do like that.

Do I really want a company being able to de-install  software fromsomething I have bought from them?

They got my money and I got the phone … now it is mine and it is up to me deciding about which software I run on it.
What ever they tell me it is good for they have such an option, I’m seriously and absolutely sure about I don’t NEED it!

Guess it needs some firewall software soon for this gadget.