Juvenile Bald Eagle
This young bird has not got the white head-feathers—these won’t grow in for another couple of years.
Juvenile Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
© 2009 Russell G. Campbell
All rights reserved.
Archive for July, 2009
Baltimore Oriole
Too bad this beauty was out of range of my 300mm lens. I saw this bird at Mountsberg Conservation Area, at Milton, Ontario a few week ago, but couldn’t get any closer. I don’t see enough of this bird, and when I do see one it is usually out of range…pity because it’s a beautiful creature.
© 2009 Russell G. Campbell
All rights reserved.
When OS worlds collide, will Google fulfill Netscape’s dream?
There was a time several years ago when technologists foretold the day when the then dominant Web browser, Netscape Navigator, would become a full-fledged computer operating system (OS) going head to head with Microsoft’s ubiquitous Windows operating system.
That day never came, of course. In fact, Netscape Navigator has all but disappeared. Yet the idea that a Web browser could become the foundation of an OS is very much alive and is set to become a reality in about 12 months—assuming Web search giant and chief Microsoft rival, Google, has its way.
On July 7, the Silicon Valley-based Internet software giant, Google Inc., announced Google Chrome OS, an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks—small laptop-like computers retailing for less than $500. Google Chrome OS will eventually run on desktop computers, offering a realistic and low-cost alternative to Microsoft Windows.
The new OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. The Google Chrome OS project is separate from Google’s other operating system Android, which was designed to work across a variety of devices from phones to set-top boxes to netbooks.
Few technologies in history have had the impact on as broad a cross-section of populations around the world as has the Internet and its most ubiquitous feature, the World Wide Web (the Web), invented in the early 1990s by Sir Timothy Berners-Lee, an English computer scientist and MIT professor.
By the formative years of the Web, 1991 through 1995, Microsoft had emerged as the leader in computer software technology, having vanquished all serious competitors who challenged its supremacy. All competitors, that is, except Netscape which by 1994 dominated the Web with its Netscape Navigator Web browser. Microsoft had failed to recognize the significance of the Web and its emerging technologies and had largely neglected to participate in the rise of the Internet.
Scrambling to recover from its strategic blunder, in 1995 Microsoft used a licensed version of Mosaic Web browser as the basis of Internet Explorer 1.0, which Microsoft released as part of its Windows 95 Plus! Pack. In that move, Microsoft engaged Netscape in a battle for Internet supremacy—a battle to Netscape’s death as it turned out.
During its struggle with Netscape, Microsoft wielded an almost invincible weapon in that it gave away for free a product that competed with the products that made up the great bulk of Netscape’s income: Navigator and its derivatives.
Google Inc. may now be set to turn the tables on Microsoft with Google Chrome OS, which is an open source product and will be free, while Microsoft’s Windows is a proprietary (closed) technology costing hundreds of dollars for its most robust versions.
Some analysts point out that the Google Chrome OS is just another Linux distribution, and, in the past decade, Linux has failed to gain much traction in the consumer marketplace. Perhaps, but what seems to be different this time is that this Linux distribution has gained the backing of a big outfit, Google Inc., with deep pockets and office floors filled with brilliant computer scientists and engineers, not to mention a level of credibility with consumers that rivals Microsoft’s own.
With the release of Windows 7 set for October 22, Microsoft is sure to be scrambling to adjust its pricing strategies. Currently, a full version of Windows Vista Home Basic retails for US $199.95 and the Ultimate edition costs US $319.95. This profit-rich price structure will not prevail for long if the Google Chrome OS turns out to be a serious product—good news for consumers.
Microsoft already announced that, for a limited time, consumers in the United States, Canada and some other countries will be able to buy an “upgrade” copy of Windows 7 Home Premium for $49 or Windows 7 Professional for $99. The sale began on June 26, and will end on July 11 according to Microsoft. The Ultimate Edition is priced at $219 for the upgrade.
Already we are hearing about a multi-license “family pack” for Windows 7 at US $149.99. At $149.99, the Family Pack would save a buyer US $210 over three separate Home Premium upgrades. Such Windows pricing was unheard of in the pre-Google Chrome OS days when I purchased my retail copy of Windows Vista. Look for more consumer-friendly pricing offers from Microsoft in the next 24 months.
Is Microsoft destined to learn the old adage: live by the sword, die by the sort, i.e., live by the predatory pricing strategy, die by the predatory pricing strategy? I hope so.
© 2009 Russell G. Campbell
All rights reserved.
Centre Block & Library of Parliament
T
he Centre Block is a magnificent Gothic Revival building dominating Parliament Hill at Ottawa, Ontario and is quickly recognized by Canadians. The Centre Block is houses the Senate, the House of Commons and the Library of Parliament.
The current Centre Block was built between 1916 and 1927 to replace the original building destroyed in a spectacular fire in 1916.
The Library of Parliament, which sits at the rear of the Centre Block, is the only surviving part of that original building. The library has been renovated a number of times since its construction in 1876, fortunately however, its form and decor remain essentially authentic.
Château Laurier at Ottawa, Ontario
The Fairmont Château Laurier opened in 1912 as part of the Canadian National Railway’s hotel chain. Since that time the hotel has played host to royalty, heads of state, political figures, celebrities and members of Canada’s elite. R.B. Bennett lived in a suite in the hotel during his term as Canada’s prime minister, from 1930 to 1935.
From July 1924 to October 2004, the sixth floor of the hotel was home to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s local English and French language radio stations. And Yousuf Karsh, one of the world’s most renowned portrait photographers, maintained his studio and residence at the Château Laurier for many years.
The hotel is just metres away from some of our capital’s most important landmarks, including Parliament Hill, the Rideau Canal, the National Gallery of Canada, the Byward Market, the National War Memorial, the U.S. Embassy, and the Rideau Centre. Given its proximity to Parliament Hill and its history of serving for years as a home and meeting place for many political figures, Château Laurier has often been referred to as “the third chamber of Parliament.”
Parliament Hill
This photograph of Parliament Hill was taken from the Canadian Museum of Civilization (on the right). It was a dreary, overcast, rainy day but I like the photo nevertheless. Note that Parliament Hill is seen from the rear, and that is the Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel to the right of Parliament Hill.
The Canadian Museum of Civilization is actually in Gatineau, Quebec and houses the Canadian Postal Museum, Canadian Children’s Museum and an IMAX theatre. Other exhibition space is devoted to Canada’s First Peoples, Canada’s history and our history-makers.
Rose with bug at the Royal Botanical Gardens
This photograph of a “Wife of Bath” (Auswife) rose was taken while on a walk through the Rose Garden at the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) at Burlington, Ontario, Canada. Unfortunately, there was a slight breeze so my tripod was not as effective as it should have been. The “Wife of Bath” is a modern shrub rose bred by the famous Englishman, David C.H. Austin, OBE in 1969. It was among his first series of remontant varieties which also included “Canterbury.”
Wife of Bath produces myrrh-scented, medium-sized flowers that are deep rose pink on its upper sides and blush pink on the undersides of the petals. It blooms through summer and fall.
Nikon D300 DSLR, AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED
200mm, ISO 200, 1/200 sec. at f/7.1 – on a tripod
