Stephen Pastis’ strip, Pearls Before Swine, is almost always excellent and evokes a smile (if not outright laughter).

The adventures of Ego-Man, shown at right, are a bit older but still among the goodies. (Click the comic to enlarge.) Fun characters, interesting adventures, exciting wordplay.

Read the current Pearls Before Swine here.

It’s back… From Beyond the Crypt!

A good friend and colleague, who shall rename nameless (you know who you are!), had an unfortunate incident involving a 24-ounce cup of iced coffee, a two-year-old Apple 15″ MacBook Pro, and a canvas tote bag. The end result was a soggy tote bag and a thoroughly dead MBP.

The bad news is that the MBP is toast. As it was out of warranty, we decided not to bring it to Apple to repair, but instead attempt a salvage operation. (Even if it had still been in warranty, there’s a good chance that the soaking would have voided it: Apple’s One-Year Limited Warranty for MacBook Pro excludes coverage for damage resulting from a number of events, including accident, liquid spill or submersion, unauthorized service and unauthorized modifications.)

Suspecting that the hard drive itself would be undamaged, here’s what we did:

1. Sent my anonymous friend and colleague to the Apple store to purchase a new MacBook Pro. In this case, it was a nice new 13″ model. Very snazzy.

2. Simultaneously, I ordered an external 2.5-inch SATA drive case from Amazon.com, with overnight delivery. It was an Acomdata Tango USB 2.0 portable enclosure, $19.99.

3. When the Acomdata enclosure arrived, I dismantled the MBP (gosh, there are a lot of screws!) and removed the hard drive. Note: You will need a size 0 Philips screwdriver and a T-7 Torx screwdriver to disassemble a MacBook Pro.

4. Cleaned up the outside of the hard drive (which was slightly sticky), and put it into the Acomdata enclosure.

5. Attached the external hard drive to my own computer. The drive spun up and mounted. Yay! Immediately made a disk-image backup of the external drive onto my own machine using Disk Utility.

6. Fired up the new MBP. Created an administrative account with a name that didn’t exist on the old MBP. Attached the external drive. It mounted, yay!

7. Used Migration Assistant to move over the accounts, applications, settings and data from the “old” account on the external drive. This took about 90 minutes, after which the external drive was dismounted and unplugged.

8. Rebooted the new MBP. My friend was able to log into his “old” account. Everything was there, including unsent messages in his outbox. The operation was a success!

9. The drowned MacBook Pro has been stripped for parts. My friend kept the AC adapter, which works with his new MBP.

We were lucky, because the MBP’s hard drive was not damaged. Hard drives are study little guys. It usually takes a very hard shock or a serious long-term soaking to kill one.

Should you find yourself in this situation, with a lot of liquid dumped into a notebook that is not covered by a warranty, here are my suggestions:

1. Immediately unplug the computer and remove the battery. Resist the temptation to “test” the notebook to see if it works. Putting power across a wet circuit board can destroy it instantly.

2. Flip open the lid and turn the notebook, face down, on top of a towel, so that moisture can drain out. If you can, let a fan play gently across the computer. Do not use heat.

3. If you can easily remove the hard drive to dry it off and back it up using another machine, do so. MacBook Pro hard drives are difficult to extract, but some other brands or models are easier.

4. Let the computer sit for at least two days. After that, it will be safe to test.

5. Put the battery back in, see if the machine starts up. If so, immediately do a backup. The machine’s lifespan may only be minutes or hours.

6. Budget to buy a new laptop soon, even if your old one seems to work fine once it has dried out. Its days are probably numbered.

Look out, Microsoft: The Free Software Foundation is on a crusade to cast out sin, and they’ve done everything but name Windows 7, “Beelzebub.”

Once upon a time, the FSF’s mission was to promote and support “free” software. The company emphasize the goodness of free software, including its own GNU tools and operating systems. It also helped developers of free software with its GNU General Public License.

In that far-away era, the FSF message was positive, focusing on why everyone should use and support free software.

That changed, beginning with the company’s lawsuits (in conjunction with the Software Freedom Law Center) against businesses that violated the terms of the GNU GPL.

And now the FSF has gone onto the offensive, as you can see with its latest campaign specifically targeting Windows 7 with a new website. The “Windows 7 Sins” site contains some pretty heavy stuff. There’s a graphic of a person throwing away the Windows logo, accompanied by the words, “Microsoft is trashing your freedom.”

Microsoft’s sins, as described by the FSF are enumerated: Education, DRM, security, standards, monopoly, lock-in, privacy.

Is there anything new about Windows 7 that has raised the FSF’s ire? As the organization says on the page,

The new version of Microsoft’s Windows operating system, Windows 7, has the same problem that Vista, XP, and all previous versions have had — it’s proprietary software. Users are not permitted to share or modify the Windows software, or examine how it works inside.

The fact that Windows 7 is proprietary means that Microsoft asserts legal control over its users through a combination of copyrights, contracts, and patents. Microsoft uses this power to abuse computer users.

The FSF adds that it doesn’t like how Microsoft is positioning Windows 7 for the fast-growing netbook market, compared to the heavyweight Windows Vista:

Windows 7, like Windows XP in 2001, has a more modest requirement footprint, making it ideal for low-powered netbook computers. However, unlike Windows XP, Microsoft have deliberately crippled Windows 7, leaving netbook users at the mercy of Microsoft to control which applications they can use, as well as the number of applications that can be run simultaneously.

But don’t think that this is purely a public service message from your friends at FSF. The real message is that you should – surprise – use Linux! As the site continues,

Free software operating systems like GNU/Linux can do the same jobs as Windows, but they encourage users to share, modify, and study the software as much as they want. This makes using a free software operating system the best way for users to escape Microsoft and avoid becoming victims of these seven sins.

Once upon a time, the FSF innovated. Then it litigated. Now it’s attacking Microsoft directly. Is that the best way to support the development of free software? I don’t think so. The way to promote Linux is to talk about its compelling features and benefits – in a positive way, and not merely as a righteous alternative to a “sinner.”

Please don’t link your Twitter account to automatically update your Facebook status, but if you do, remember it when you tweet. (This was a separate item in my “Facebook tips” blog post, but I’ve pulled it out.)

Facebook and Twitter are different social media, with different communication styles and conventions. If you do link your accounts (I’ll confess: mine are linked), try to be courteous toward your Facebook friends while tweeting.

Below are some of the issues that I see. If you’re a Facebook friend, and you do these things often, I’m probably going to stop following your friend feed.

• Please don’t “live tweet” events. A constant flood of messages like “John Smith is walking up to the podium” followed 30 seconds later by “John Smith is showing his first slide” is not what Facebook status updates are for.

• Please don’t retweet. RTs and @names make for lousy Facebook status updates.

• Please don’t tweet messages stuffed with hashtags. They don’t make sense in a Facebook context.

• Please don’t write in choppy fragments. Facebook readers don’t want to “unpack” your messages. Twitter-speak doesn’t make sense in a Facebook context.

Hello, Oscar the Grouch here. Here are some suggestions that I have for my friends and colleagues who use social media — Facebook, particularly.

These are based on my observations; while they probably overlap other lists, that’s coincidental. (This posting was prompted by a story, “The 12 most annoying types of Facebookers, on CNN.)

1. Please use a real profile photo of yourself.

Don’t use a funny glyph. Don’t use a picture of your kids, your pet, a celebrity, or yourself as a small child. It’s nice to see what you look like. We’re your friends, after all.

2. Please don’t give away too much personal info.

Don’t share what year you were born, your mother’s maiden name, or stuff like that. Think “identity theft.” Review your privacy options often to restrict information to just your own friends (not friends-of-friends and so-on). In any case, don’t reveal too much.

3. Please don’t talk about your travel until you get home.

Never reveal travel dates on Facebook or any social network, or disclose that you’re currently out of town (“Must go to bed early, we’re leaving on our cruise tomorrow morning” or “Wow, we just saw an iceberg off the port bow”).

If your friends post something onto your wall about your current or future travel (“Have fun in Alaska next week!” or “Did you see any glaciers today?”), delete the post as soon as you can. When you get home, tell everyone that you’re back and you had a great time.

4. If you have changed your name, please tell Facebook about your other name(s).

Sometimes I get friend requests from people whose name is not familiar because they have married (or divorced) and changed their name. (Go to Settings -> Name -> Change to fill in an alternate name.)

5. Please don’t post a link to a story, video or other website without offering a little context or commentary as to why you’re sharing it.

I don’t need a clipping service, and I can find my own funny Web pages, thank you! Go ahead, share an interesting or relevant link — but add some value of your own. Just please avoid just a bare URL.

6. Please don’t over-post.

A half-dozen posts a day is more than enough!

7. Please don’t link your Twitter account to automatically update your Facebook status, but if you do, remember it when you tweet.

(See separate post.)

8. Please don’t let your Facebook apps and games bombard your friends with their own status updates.

Nobody cares that you got a score of 16/20 in in Advanced Star Trek Trivia or befriended a lonely sheep in FarmVille.

9. Please don’t invite all your Facebook friends to sign up for fan pages that you’ve just discovered.

Or join your favorite groups, play your favorite games, take your favorite quiz or attend your favorite events. Facebook likes to send such invites to everyone in your friend list. That’s great for the application developer, but bad for your friends. Don’t let Facebook do that. If you want to send out such invitations, pick specific people to send them to — people that you’re confident will appreciate them.

10. When you post photos, please share only the good ones.

Filter, filter, filter! Don’t post blurry or dark photos. Don’t post your entire “camera roll” — you don’t need to share pictures of everything you saw or did. Instead, post only the photos that you’re proud of, because they’re beautiful or meaningful. I’d rather enjoy ten lovely photos of your trip to Alaska instead of wading through 300 mostly lousy ones.

Do you have other Facebook best practices to share?

This is unbelievable.

My profile on United Airlines’ website is configured to send me three copies of every flight notification, like if my flight is going to be changed or delayed. One of the notifications goes to my wife’s email, one goes to my regular email, and the other goes to my iPhone’s email. That way, all the bases are covered.

All those cc’s or bcc’s are causing a serious problem for United Airlines. Here’s the message they sent me last week.

Action required by August 17, 2009! This is an important message from United Airlines regarding your EasyUpdate flight notification contact information and settings.

On August 17th, we are making a change to the Easyupdate Flight Notification section of our website. When this change takes place, a maximum of 2 contact points will be permitted for each type of message – your account currently exceeds this maximum. By limiting the number of contact points, we streamline the volume of messages sent out each day, which will increase performance through faster response times. This will be especially beneficial on days where there may be larger numbers of messages we need to send to our customers.

To avoid any interruptions and to ensure that you continue receiving your Easyupdate flight notifications, please log into www.united.com/easyupdate and follow the instructions to update your contact points so that no more than two contact points are selected for each message type.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sheesh. United’s EasyUpdate system is lame anyway. For example, let’s say I get to the airport early, and get onto an earlier flight. United’s ticket system knows all about that. Do you think it tells United’s EasyUpdate system? No way. EasyUpdate still thinks that I’m on the original flight, and cheerfully sends out notifications of that flight’s takeoff, arrival and delay status. Helpful? Not.

(What about that intercap? The “editor” in me wishes they’d make up their mind: EasyUpdate or Easyupdate? United is inconsistent.)

Sometimes I get off-beat press releases, and highlight them on my “Stop-the-PResses” blog. This extremely off-topic release, though, was so appropriate (given the perennially messy state of my office) that it seemed worth sharing. While there’s no dirty laundry in here, I do have plenty of old coffee cups.

DORM ROOM SURVIVAL GUIDE 101

CONQUER FRESHMAN FEARS OF CLEANING WITH HELPFUL HINTS FROM “THE ACCIDENTAL HOUSEWIFE” – JULIE EDELMAN

(New York, NY) If you thought sending your child off to kindergarten was hard, wait until they leave for college! With summer coming to an all too quick end, it’s time to pack up, stock up and prepare your high school graduate for their freshman year of college and life without their favorite maid-MOM!!! And when it comes to cleaning, cooking and laundry your kiddies probably won’t think much about it but when laundry takes over their room, dust bunnies rule their roost, they can’t get to the bathroom because their stuff is everywhere and they’ve got odors that just won’t quit . . . well that’s where some good enough survival tips are a required course. Luckily, TV Personality, New York Times best-selling author and Home & Lifestyle Expert – JULIE EDELMAN, aka “THE ACCIDENTAL HOUSEWIFE,” is always here to help!

Below she shares some bi-weekly quick, cheap and easy hints & tips that will keep health inspectors away without calling in your mom; your undies ‘n tees clean enough; and your favorite electronics in gear!

IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE: Toxic Zones: Throne Room and Chow Space

A lot of the new college dorm rooms come in suites, so not only are you responsible for cleaning your bedroom, you have a bathroom, kitchen and common area to worry about. Don’t fret – break up the cleaning into two zones so you can better judge if it should be cleaned pronto or you can leave it for when the mood hits and head to the quad with friends.

Toxic Zones: Bathroom and kitchen, since these areas have the most chance of nasty smells, bacteria and build up from old cafeteria food or your roommates toe clippings
– Clean weekly
– Organize monthly

Not So Toxic Zones: Bedroom and common areas, that attract less things that multiply and usually don’t start smelling unless your roommate leaves a week old pizza under the couch!
– Clean every one to two weeks
– Organize monthly

IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE: Non Toxic Zones: The Sleep and Study Sanctuary

If they never cleaned their room after 18 years at home, they probably won’t start now. Here are some ways to prevent mess, so the busy student can avoid cleaning:

1. Use mats and go shoeless to limit the amount of dirt and dust your friends track in from their messy room down the hall
2. Close windows – to keep outside dirt and dust from entering
3. Purchase lots of bins and organizers – so you can throw you books, school supplies, etc. that way not to be left aimlessly on the floor or your desk

Don’t let those bed bug bite – remember to wash and change your sheets and pillow cases every two weeks!

The Microwave: A Dormer’s Best Friend

And pop goes the microwave – popcorn explodes, reheated sauces bubble over and your ramen noodle dinner spills. Avoid these messes by:

1. Layer it – put ten to twenty sheets of paper towels on the bottom, so if anything spills all you have to do is remove a sheet or two.
2. Cover it – unless otherwise directed, cover all foods with microwave-safe tops

If you happened to pull an all nighter and forget to cover or layer, grab a lemon from the cafeteria, cut it in half and squeeze the lemon into a bowl of water. Zap the bowl of lemon water for five minutes. Once cooled remove the bowl and wipe down any remaining yuck with paper towel.

Laundry 101

Heading to the laundry room in the basement of the dorms can be a scary thing but these basic tips will have you doing laundry like the fluff and fold down the street…

1. Sorting
– Divide and conquer – separate your whites, darks, lights and towels
– Empty all pockets – make sure to take out loose change, student I.D., gum and iPod

*** If you accidently wash your cell phone or iPod take out the battery, blow dry and then place both in a bowl of uncooked rice for 3 days—no problemo if you leave it longer unless you’re hungry and want to nuke it to go with some Chinese Take Out!!!

2. Washing
– Never mix – wash sorted loads separately
– Green Enough: Make sure to set dials to the appropriate water temperatures
o Whites: hot or warm
o Lights and darks: warm or cool
o Delicates: cold

3. Drying
– Don’t Overload – though it may be tempting to stuff the dryer to the rim to save money, if you exceed the limit clothes won’t dry

“Developers,” said my friend Mac, “are really bad at guessing how long it takes to write software.”

Michael “Mac” McCarthy and I go back to the mid-1980s. What Mac likes to do most, beyond enjoying a fine Chardonnay and talking politics, is making observations about the world of technology. While he’s not a programmer himself, he has worked closely with them for years, and has managed many software projects at media companies and startups.

Over the course of a delicious lunch today at Harry’s Hofbrau in Foster City, Calif., Mac shared some good stories about his experiences with corporate development teams. As part of that, he stated some principles that, with his permission, I’ve repackaged and labeled as “McCarthy’s Four Laws of Software Estimation.”

The First Law: If you ask a developer for a project estimate, and if he thinks the project is a good idea or would pose an interesting challenge, then he’ll say, “three weeks.”

The developer has no idea how long it will take, but “three weeks” sounds encouraging enough that you’ll probably go ahead with the project.

The Second Law: If you ask a developer for a project estimate, and if he thinks the project is a bad idea or wouldn’t be fun to work on, then he’ll say “six months.”

The developer still has no idea how long it will take, but “six months” sounds negative enough that you’ll probably say “in that case, never mind.”

The Third Law: Whether the developer estimated “three weeks” or “six months,” if the project proceeds it actually will take a minimum of nine months.

That’s because, Mac says, developers are bad at software estimation.

The Fourth Law: When asked why the project is behind schedule, the developer will blame inadequate or incomplete specifications.

What’s your experience — are developers good or bad at project estimation? Do their estimates vary depending on whether they like the idea or not?

My every need fulfilled — that’s what Network Solutions is promising!

I’ve heard it said that “friends don’t let friends use Network Solutions,” but I’ve persisted in using them for most of my domain-registry needs. The main reason is inertia. While NetSol’s registry services are more expensive than some of their competitors, and they drive me crazy with their non-stop attempts to up-sell me services I don’t need, technologically they’ve been stable and reliable.

Imagine my delight when I received an email from them claiming “every need addressed.” Do you find this as funny as I do? I love that this message, which arrived on July 30, is talking about things happening “on or around August 1.” What, they don’t know their own release schedule two days in advance?

The subject line is “We’re Changing: Check Out the New Network Solutions,” and it leads with a big headline saying “You Spoke. We Listened.” Ooh, there’s a new logo! Here’s what they say:

In recent months, we’ve asked you to tell us how we can better serve your needs and improve the products and services that we provide. We‘ve received an overwhelming amount of valuable feedback which is driving a reinvention of our company.

On or around August 1, 2009, much of the hard work we’ve been doing to improve your overall Network Solutions® experience will be on full display. Here is a sneak peek of what to expect:

• Every need addressed. We’ve re-engineered and simplified our products and services to better meet your specific needs.

• Find what’s right for you. The new networksolutions.com has been restructured to give you control over how you browse—whether you’re an individual, business owner, designer or developer.

• Get the guidance you need, when you need it. We’ve developed more robust support and educational tools to help you start and grow your business online. Plus, we’ve enhanced our community websites so that you can freely interact and learn from others just like you.

These changes are just the start of a number of improvements designed to better serve you which you’ll be hearing more about in the coming weeks and months.

Do these changes include lower prices? That’s what I really need.

Here’s a good part. There’s a shaded box that says:

Not only are we sporting a new look, enhancing our products, and offering even more services to help you succeed online – we will continue to offer 24/7 Support, from a real person, online or over the phone!*

And then the small print.

* 24/7 support is not available for our Ecommerce products and Online Marketing services. The hours of customer support for our Ecommerce products and Online Marketing services are 8am – 8pm CST, Monday through Friday.

Whee.

Someone keeps calling my mobile phone number. Their phone number is blocked from showing up on Caller ID. They hang up if I answer, and don’t leave a message if I don’t answer. It’s happened six times so far today.

Amazingly, neither the mobile device (an iPhone 3GS) nor the carrier (AT&T Wireless) will let me filter out such anonymous calls.

Anonymous Call Rejection is a feature available on most landlines and VoIP systems. If you call my landline office number, and your phone has Caller ID blocking, you’ll hear a message from AT&T telling you that my phone won’t accept your call.

However, at least in the U.S., no wireless service offers ACR at the carrier level. I don’t know of any mobile phones that implement it at the device level.

This is a software limitation, not a telephony problem, since the iPhone displays “unknown” when someone without Caller ID phones me. Thus:

• AT&T Wireless knows there is no Caller ID — so why can’t it filter the call at the carrier level?

• The iPhone 3GS knows that there is no Caller ID — so why can’t it block the call at the device level?

There are plenty of settings on the iPhone that affect the AT&T Wireless service. For example, I have a setting, right there on the iPhone’s control panel, to choose to block or transmit my own Caller ID information when placing a call.

But ACR? No. Sorry, said the representative at AT&T Wireless, we don’t offer that.

(There are hacks that enable Anonymous Call Rejection on an iPhone that has been jailbroken, but that’s not something that I wish to do. I don’t want to hack my phone. I want a fully supported ACR feature offered by the carrier or by the device itself.)

Yesterday, Western Digital announced a one-terabyte hard drive for notebook computers.

The WD Scorpio Blue SATA 2.5-inch hard drive — 12.5 mm, 5200 RPM, 1TB, $249 — blows my mind. It was only in April 2007 that the industry first saw a one-terabyte desktop drive in the 3.5-inch format. (Andrew Binstock and I had a wager whether we’d see one by the end of 2006. He lost.)

Only one week ago, I put a 1.5TB Seagate 3.5-inch drive into an old iMac. And now you can put a 1TB drive into a standard notebook or a server blade.

Western Digital also offers a USB-connected external version you can put into a briefcase, pocketbook or pocket for $299. And I thought my 500GB external drive (also from Western Digital) was impressive.

Once upon a time, a terabyte was a lot of storage. I remember how excited I was after adding up all the drives in all the servers in my test lab, and realizing that there was more than a terabyte there. And now you can put that much into your notebook, or your pocket. Wow.

How often do you buy a car? Some drivers turn in their cars every couple of years and get a new model. Others drive them until the wheels come off. Others split the difference, trading in every five or six years.

Generally speaking, people change cars because something wrong with the car that they have, or because their requirements have changed, or because they just want a different one.

Something’s wrong with your car: You have an accident, so you’re in the market. Or your car needs major repairs that seem too expensive, given the value of the car. Perhaps you have reasons to stop trusting its reliability, and don’t want to be stranded.

Your requirements have changed: You have a new baby, and so a two-seater won’t work. A new hobby means getting a sports-utility vehicle. A new job’s commute calls out for something with better fuel efficiency. A teen driver means adding a vehicle.

You just want one: A bonus lets you buy the sports car you’ve always wanted. You want to make a statement by driving a hybrid, or by getting a Lexus or BMW. Your brother-in-law got a new truck, and so you want one too.

What about computers? People used to replace their computers because the new computer had essential features that the older computer’s didn’t have. It was enough faster to let you do more tasks. It had better connectivity. It supported more storage options.

The problem is that today’s computer hardware and software is so darned good that the regular upgrade cycle has collapsed.

Look at Microsoft’s terrible financial results, reported on July 30. The company announced that its revenue declined 17% from the same quarter of the previous year. You might say that’s because Microsoft is having its butt kicked by companies like Google and Microsoft. That’s part of the situations, sure. But that’s not why Microsoft, and other computer companies, are in such a funk.

Consumers and businesses used to buy lots of new “stuff” every year or two or three. New computers, going from a 286 to a 386 to a Pentium. New modems, from 1200 bps to 9600 bps to 19,200 bps. New printers. New flat-screen monitors. New scanners. New operating systems. New productivity suites. The changes in hardware, in operating systems and in major applications was so significant that the upgrade was perceived to be a good value.

Today, consumers buy computers because something wrong with the computer that they have, or because their requirements have changed, or because they just want a different one. Businesses only buy new desktops and notebooks if they absolutely must do so.

Apple and Hewlett-Packard have done a great job of tapping into the “just want one” segment of the computer market. Apple has positioned its iMacs and MacBooks as cool and sexy. HP has brought out compelling innovation with its TouchSmart desktop and cutting-edge design. That’s why they’re succeeding.

Other companies, from Microsoft to Intel, from Dell to Lenovo, aren’t succeeded in convincing consumers that they need new hardware or software. Got a 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo processor in your computer? That’s fast enough. Got Windows XP? That’s good enough. Got Office 2003? It has every feature you need. A quad-core chip, Windows Vista, Office 2007, aren’t going to move you… or move your credit card.

We’ll have to see if Windows 7, Office 2010 and eight-core chips can jolt consumers into wanting to upgrade. If not, be prepared for more sad earnings from the PC companies.

Congratulations to the publishing team at 1105 Media. That company is taking over the production of Microsoft’s MSDN Magazine and TechNet Magazine.

Those two magazines are owned by Microsoft’s Magazine Group. For many years, they have been produced, under contract, by United Business Media. (The UBM division that produced the magazines used to be called Miller Freeman, and then CMP Media. It’s now called TechWeb.)

Microsoft is shifting its contract for those two magazines to 1105 Media. After the November 2009 issues close, 1105 will take over.

According to a letter from UBM,

Microsoft’s Magazine Group remains a premium content provider committed to the value of MSDN and TechNet content for readers and advertisers. As a part of the Magazine Group’s increased focus on web content, they have made a shift in their magazine strategy. After much consideration, TechWeb decided that these changes diverge from its core business strategy moving forward. As a result, Microsoft has now selected a new media vendor for MSDN Magazine and TechNet Magazine.

Losing the Microsoft contract will leave UBM with an even smaller piece of the software-development publishing market. UBM had been the publisher of Dr. Dobb’s Journal, and producer of the “SD West” and “SD Best Practices” Software Development Conferences. Those, of course, are no more.

We wish 1105 Media good luck and a lot of success with MSDN Magazine and TechNet Magazine.

Remember 3.5-inch floppy disks?

While poking around the basement this morning, I found an old USB-attachable 3.5-inch drive. It came with a server— I forget which one — right around the time when servers stopped including floppy drives. This particular server manufacturer included a USB floppy drive to assist in loading up device drivers or booting up an operating system.

Looking at the drive, I thought to myself, “Hmm, I wonder if this will help me clear out that ancient box of floppy disks.”

For about 15 years, I’ve had a big box of DOS floppy disks, containing old articles, financial data, and so-on. It would be nice to bring those files onto my computer, and toss out the floppies.

To make a long story short: It worked. Even though those disks are ancient (dating from 1989 to 1996, according to my neatly written labels), my MacBook Pro and the TEAC FD-05PUB “External Floppy Disk Drive Unit” were able to read nearly all of them. It took under an hour to copy everything over.

The only disks that were not readable were three single-sided floppies. Oh, well!

More interesting was that it was easy to read the data. Nearly all were archives, created either by ARC or PKZIP. Many were not readable by the Mac’s built-in zip-file reader, but were rapidly processed by Stuff-It Expander. Some of the files were plain text or Word for DOS documents, and others were Excel spreadsheets — and there were even Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets. The most intriguing is a big text file containing CompuServe mail archives from 1990. Can’t wait to browse through those memories.

After I was done, I mangled the floppies using tin snips, and then tossed them into the trash. If I could read the data, so could anyone else.

The only challenge is that my floppy disk box still contains media. There are still 15 5.25-inch floppies, containing even older data from the mid-1980s, as well as six Iomega Zip-100 disks with data from the late 1990s. What am I going to do with those?