I Hate the Word PROJ

Every so often a writer messes with you. Take William Gibson. One of my current favorite writers. I like the way he writes. Kinda like a cross between Faulkner and Hemingway. Not an easy thing to do by the way.
Well, in my latest READ of his Virtual Light, I come across the word : proj, and I don't have a clue about what it means. I know it's street slang for something, but that's it. Even Google couldn't help me, damn. I hate it.

That, by the way is the reason behind the Yahoo Answer button to the right there >--->. I posted my question to the "Group Mind". Good idea. Real people. Real answers. Still waiting for a reasonable answer....

Maybe I should write Mr. Gibson, but I'd hate interfering work on a new novel. I really like the guy, even if some of his words tick me off sometimes.

Okay. I'm stepping off my soapbox for a while.

Two steps.

First On the Block Syndrome

I recall reading an old Byte magazine article (yeah, I've been at this that long) maybe Chaos Manor, and Jerry (or whoever) got the first modem on the block and couldn't call anyone.

I've done that over the years, it is kinda fun to be the first at trying out new technology.

I got the first SuSE 9.1 because it came with 5 + 2 CD-Roms. The +2 CD's were the 64 bit version of the Linux OS. I didn't have a 64 bit machine at the time, and still don't. But I Was First with OS that supported it.

I mention this because today February 9, 2006 I did the same thing. I signed up for a free VOIP account. VOIP stands for Voice Over IP, or Web based telephone access. I don't know anyone who uses VOIP.

That's okay.

I'll be here waiting for them when they do.

Two Steps

Dos Possos can be translated many ways. In spanish, it means literally, two steps. But wait, there's more. In computing it can refer to DOS passing into oblivion (not that I believe that). And, of course, in literature there was John Dos Possos, a writer much forgotten today, but part of the era that produced Hemingway, Faulkner and even Vonnegut.

This blog is dedicated to the small steps needed to get from point A to point B in Language, Shell programming and Literatti (literature et al).

It's for writers and programmers and language, la lingua franca. The frank tongue.

Ciao.