Andy McDandy Vent Page

Since B.C. times, there has been some form of money being used and although the use of money is that old, do we really need it for our world to survive?  I personally do not think so.

Now those who have money would try and tell you that the world would come to an end if we had no money, but then rich only care about themselves and no one else.  Their whole life is based around greed, how much money and items can that acquire rather than giving back to those who helped them achieve such status.

Pretty much anywhere in the world you will probably find the saying “The root of all evil is money and religion” and I for one agree although I would give money a higher ranking than religion.

Look at some of the bad things which are happening in the world all because of money.

• Homelessness
• War
• Arguments between couples
• Divorce
• Crime

Those are just a sample of what negatives money has caused.  Now some of you may say that I must be a Star Trek nut case but I’m not.  I do enjoy watching the Deep Space 9 series but a Star Trek nut case I am not besides think about Earth in the Star Trek series of shows.  Earth is referenced and shown as a place where there is no more money, everyone helps each other out, everyone has a roof over their head, no more homeless, no more underfed children, or wars, Earth is just a more relaxed and pleasant place than it is today.

Yes Star Trek is a made-up story but many things pertaining to Earth doesn’t have to be make believe.  Look at what technologies we now have because of the Star Trek series.

• Cell Phones
• iPad type devices
• Flat Screen Monitors/TV’s
• Personal Computer
• Portable Memory (USB Memory Sticks)
• Biometrics
• Wireless Earpiece
• GPS
• Automatic Sliding Doors
• PDA’s

If all those items can come from a fictional television show and succeed then why not something more massive like getting rid of money?  Now granted there would be some things that would need to be thought out first to prevent people from hoarding more items than they need.  Going back to ST: DS9, there is a reference of monthly allotted credits relating to transporting.  We could have something similar in place of money with the only difference being, everyone get the same amount of credits to use each month.

Not only would not having money solve the things mention earlier but the world as a whole would be happier because now people could do the jobs they love rather than jobs they do just because they need the money.  If we remove the worries of needing money to pay this bill or that bill, everyone will be much happier which will in turn make the world a happier place to live.

To those who want to laugh at this idea, pick up a major newspaper today and count how many articles are about something where money did not play a role.  Why I am asking you to count those articles, because you will probably lose count if you had to count the articles where money did play a role in whatever tragedy is being reported.

Well going by the fact that I have just received my income tax forms in the mail, it is apparently that time again where Linux users have to hunt down trying to find a Income Tax software that will run natively in Linux.

I have done some research earlier and to my dismay I found none.  It appears that the lips of the Income Tax software developers are strongly glued to Microsoft ass.  Sure one can use the online income tax filing method that some of the big income tax software developers have but I would feel much more safe keeping my personal income tax information on my computer rather than take a chance of it being intercepted by some skilled hacker.

So I hereby challenge all income tax software developers who want to claim that their lips are not glued to Microsoft ass to prove it.  Release a native Linux version of your income tax software so the millions of Linux users no longer have to suffer with emulators and virtual machines.  Start supporting the best and most secured operating system in the world today.

So I received a reply back from Cineplex concerning my complaint I sent in and this is what the person had to say:

“Cineplex Entertainment is a movie exhibitor and, as such, we do not have any control over which films are available overall or shown in 3D or 2D; this decision is made by a film’s distributor.  Please also note that the decision as to where a film is played is based on various factors including the number of films being released at the time, their local market appeal, the number of screens available at a particular theatre, and the number of film prints which a film’s distributor provides to us.

Despite this, you will still be able to enjoy a movie in 2D (even if it is a 3D presentation) by using the 3D glasses which we provide to our guests.  The 3D glasses allow individuals who cannot see 3D to see the movie clearly in 2D (no double image which is what you would see without the glasses).”

So now lets pick through this shall we.

1. It says Cineplex has no control and the decision is made by the film’s distributor but then goes to say that it can also be decided by number of screens available at a particular theatre so which is it?
2. The next question is of course why isn’t Cineplex standing up for ALL it’s customers and demanding BOTH 3D and non-3D?
3. It is also suggested that even if you can not see 3D effects, you can still go and watch the 3D movie with the glasses.  So basically pay more money for a movie with 3D effects even though you can’t see the extra effects you were charged for.  Does that actually make sense to anyone else?  I guess it’s proof that Cineplex doesn’t care about it’s customers experience at all, only their money.

I have not yet replied to that person for I need to calm down first otherwise my reply will be riddled with a lot of foul language.

Anyone who has looked at using Linux for their business knows that there are no big name accounting packages like Quickbooks or AccPac.  Since switching to Linux full time back in March 2010, I have been searching for a Quickbooks alternative and although I have found two business accounting packages, both of these appear to be targeted towards a certain business type.

The first package is probably the most well known, it’s GNUCash.  This accounting package is very basic when it comes to the graphical interface.  There is no nice coloured buttons, no invoice template tool for customising the invoice exactly the way you want it like you can with Quickbooks.  The invoicing appears to be meant for a lawyer type business because if you are running a company in computer repairs like a friend of mine, he will have one line for the cost of the repair then on each line under is a step by step list of everything that was done.  With GNUCash, it would take every single item in the step by step list and make it it’s own cost row with date, price and tax.  As one can imagine, this looks very unprofessional not too mention a waste of ink/printer ribbon.  Another problem with this program is the lack of tracking inventory or if there is one, I couldn’t find it.  So unless you are a service company that only puts on the invoice an item/service that requires it’s own date and price, then GNUCash is not for you.

The second business account package is xTuple PostBooks.  This program has a lot of colourful buttons in it, maybe too many buttons.  I installed and tried out this program just yesterday using the included demo database.  The program tries to have a similar look and feel as Quickbooks and blows GNUCash out of the water when it comes to features but like GNUCash, this accounting package appears to be geared towards a manufacturing or warehouse type business.  In xTuple, you can’t just go to “Create Invoice” and start typing away, instead you have to go through several steps first starting with creating a sales order then tell the program that stock has been packaged then shipped and then you can take that sales order to create your invoice.  If you are a business who only does the selling of merchandise and now service then this program is for you.  There is even a drop ship version for those who have multiple warehouses.

For those of use who just need a simple program with features like in Quickbooks Pro, it looks like we still have to wait.  Who knows, maybe Intuit will start believing in their “We care about your security” and start supporting a secured operating system like Linux.

Last night was my first visit to an AMC theatre to watch TRON Legacy.  I normally prefer Cineplex but as stated in a previous post, not one Cineplex had TRON Legacy in non-3D.

AMC in my opinion only has two positives compared to Cineplex:

• Concession Counter Open Past 9:30pm
• Steep Angle of the Seating.

The negatives of AMC compared to Cineplex:

• Ticket Pricing
• No Discount Day
• Sound Volume to Loud
• Large Popcorn/Pop Deal Doesn’t Include Bag of Candy
• Front of Concession Stand Not That Clean
• No Popcorn Seasoning Packets – instead they have some stupid dispenser machine that barely dispenses anything and only in three un-popular flavours.
• The Topping Tasted Like Butter, Not Becel

Maybe I am being to harsh on the whole pricing issue, after all Cineplex does have Scotiabank backing them where AMC has no one but then if the AMC execs had any brains they would try and get some backing from one of the big competitors to Scotia like RBC or TD Canada Trust.  I know AMC has been in Canada for some time now, but how long can they last if they don’t try to take viewers away from their competitor Cineplex?

You know, I have been using Ubuntu Linux since March 2010 and been it using it pretty much full time for about 3 months now, maybe a little longer and so I like to think I know the good and bad with both.  Since I started using Linux there has been one thing that keeps frustrating the hell out of me and that is reading posts from people who make comments about Linux based on their experience x# of years ago rather than how Linux is today.

One myth that really irritates me is that Windows is easier than Linux.  This is 100% false unless you are talking about getting the system infected then yes, Windows is easier but we are not, instead we are talking about ease of use.  When it comes to ease of use, both Windows and Linux are equal.  Take anyone who has never used a computer before, whether they are 4 or 94, that person will find both to be just as easy to use as the other.  The main reason why people are reluctant to use something else is not because they think Windows is easier but because they are cowards.  The average human is intimidated by new things.  I myself was a bit intimidated by Linux but after using it for a few days I started to like it.  I’ll admit that I did try Linux in the past but never worked right with my system so when Ubuntu 10.04 was released, I was somewhat reluctant to try it but eventually I did and haven’t looked back.

As someone who does computer repaires for the average home user, I can honestly say that the use of Windows should NOT be allowed for home use because the home user just doesn’t have enough common sense to properly use an easily infectable operating system like Windows.  If you are a home user who is not that knowledgeable with computers then I strongly suggest going with Linux rather than a Windows machine.  You will lots of money in the end because you will no longer be lugging your PC to your nearest repair shop every few months to clean out infections.

Back on September 22, 2010 Netflix finally opened it’s doors to Canadians, something that I had been waiting a long time for.  Since then I have tried to follow the blogs posted by Netflix and the comments fellow Canadians are posting.  Most responses to the Canada launch blog were negative and even to this day you will see posts from Canadians to other blog postings by Netflix that Netflix sucks.  Those people who keep saying Netflix sucks are, in my opinion, idiots.

Since Netflix came to Canada I have been a subscriber and although it may not have the latest and greatest movies and television shows, there are still plenty of other titles to choose from.  Anyone who only wants the latest blockbuster movies should stick with Blockbuster or Rogers Video.  Canadians must also remember that the CRTC dictates what we can and can not have in the way of media content.

With Netflix, I have been able to watch both movies and television shows I never knew existed.  A lot of the movies available might be low budget but I have found them to still be really good movies to watch.  So they don’t have the $10mil special effects, who cares because a movie can have all the special effects it wants but if there is no good story line then no one will watch it.

If you are not yet a Netflix Canada subscriber and are undecided on becoming one, give it a try and expand your viewing comfort zone to include movies and shows you may normally not watch, trust me, you will be surprised.  I know I was.

This weekend showing at Cineplex is a long awaited sequel to a movie that at the time pushed special effects beyond what other movies had done, I’m talking about TRON Legacy.  Myself along with a group of friends have plans to go see it this coming Tuesday at one of the three local Cineplex theatres but when I was about to go pre-order the tickets on-line, I found that ALL theatres including two others further away only have the movie in 3D.

To the average person who have two good working eyes there is no problem but to those who have some kind of visual impairment that prevents them from seeing 3D, they are left out, discriminated if you will.  Now maybe the law has changed but I’m pretty sure the law still prohibits discrimination.  The thus becomes, who is behind this discrimination, Cineplex the organisation or the managers in charge of each Cineplex theatre.

Some may say, “wait a few weeks, eventually the non-3D will be shown” to which I must ask, “why can’t everyone have the same opportunity to watch a movie during it’s release?”.  Those who do not have any kind of visual impairment will never understand what it is like to have kids or grand kids who you would like to take to see a movie they want only to find out you can’t because it’s only playing in 3D.  It’s heart breaking to that individual and can make that person feel bad about themselves for having their particular eye condition.

Anyone who agrees that Cineplex should show both 3D and non-3D versions of the same movie, please goto cinepex.com and fill in their contact form and any lawyers who knows for sure that this is discrimination, it would be great if you could send them a nice legal notice of this wrong doing.