Save Your iPod from Windows Vista

Do you have an iPod that is connected to a PC running Windows Vista? If so, you should ensure that you download the following patch to prevent your iPod from being corrupted.

I still think that it is quite ironic that the iPod can be corrupted after the "Safely Remove Hardware" message was displayed.

It's also somewhat ironic that Microsoft and Apple partnered to develop the fix, especially since the iPod is a direct competitor with the Zune.

Times sure are changing.

Bill Gates, Be A Hero

In a case that smacks of McCarthyism, Russian headmaster Alexander Ponosov has been found guilty of using 12 illegal copies of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office on his school’s computers.

Have the Russian authorities lost their mind?

In a world where gangs of hackers steal millions of dollars of software each year, this teacher is being prosecuted for allegedly stealing software worth approximately 5,000 rubles, or $194 American dollars.

What a joke.

In a previous Tech Free Press posting, I urged Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates to be a hero and intercede on Ponosov’s behalf. Instead, Microsoft issued the following statement:

"Our interest is not in prosecuting schools or teachers, it is in helping students develop the technology skills they need in the 21st century. Mr. Ponosov's case was initiated by Russian authorities under Russian law. Microsoft neither initiated nor has any plans to bring any action against Mr. Ponosov," Microsoft said.

Surprisingly, Uncle Bill didn’t listen to my recommendation back in February. Maybe now that readership of this blog has increased to nearly 70 readers per day he’ll realize that my opinion matters more.

Then again, he does own the majority interest in the largest software company currently in existence and has more lawyers than I have readers.

I have to do something about that!

Perhaps an e-mail to Mark Cuban would help. He may not get as much credit for philanthropy as Bill Gates, but Cuban knows how to shake things up when it really matters.

To be fair to Bill Gates and Microsoft, Ponosov brought some of this trouble on himself. The case was thrown out of court in February, but it was reopened at Ponosov’s urging because he was not found completely innocent.

Doh!

Regardless, it’s time that this case was ended once and for all. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called this case “utter nonsense.”

At least he understands.

Hopefully someone will step in and help this poor, addled soul. Anyone who has charges against themselves reinstated needs some outside intervention.

Loyal readers, please help. Let’s e-mail Bill Gates and ask him to help Mr. Ponosov. According to several sources, Uncle Bill’s e-mail address is billg@microsoft.com.

Do I really think that this e-mail address will work? Probably not.

But hey, you’ll never know what the response will be unless you ask.

Is Yahoo Serious?

Is a two minute video of someone stacking 20 dice a major news story? Does anyone even care?

I think not.

While sort of interesting, I doubt that this video would hardly even be viewed on YouTube.

Maybe the folks at Yahoo are trying to drive down the price so that Microsoft can afford to buy the company.

Oh, wait. Microsoft has more money than most small countries. My bad.

I have just one big of advice for Microsoft: beware of Yahoo. It's nothing but trouble.

A Good Computer for Every Child

Imagine the joy of watching a young child eagerly tear open the box to their brand new laptop.

It’s a family picture to be treasured forever.

Now imagine that child living in, say, Libya.

As discussed previously here on The Tech Free Press, the American nonprofit organization One Laptop Per Child hopes to put an inexpensive laptop in the hands of every child in the world.

It’s an admirable, but somewhat impossible mission. However, I applaud the effort and truly hope that eventually every person in the world has access to their own computer.

Although originally slated to cost just $100 per device, One Laptop Per Child recently announced that each device will cost approximately $175.

Hopefully the price increase will not deter some third world countries from purchasing the devices for their school-age children. Their cost is justified and necessary.

In fact, I believe that certain technology companies in the U.S. should pony up some free hardware and software so that the price of these devices can return to $100.

Instead of squabbling over who makes the best “cheap” laptop, a consortium of PC manufacturers and software companies should make a concerted effort to develop a durable and technologically capable PC that will cost $100, or less.

It can be done!

Instead of spending millions of dollars on useless advertising campaigns, companies like Intel, Dell, Apple, Microsoft, and Adobe should spend some time improving the educational prospects of children throughout the world.

Doing so will improve the lives of these children and build an even bigger customer base for these companies.

It’s a win-win proposition for everyone.

Bill Gates, Be a Hero

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has funneled millions of dollars into education programs across the world through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. A noble gesture, indeed.

On Monday, however, Gates was challenged to do the unthinkable by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev who asked Gates to help a Russian teacher who has been accused of using pirated Microsoft software in his classroom.

This is truly a water shed moment in his remarkable life. Will Uncle Bill be the benevolent philanthropist or the greedy business man?

I certainly hope that Bill chooses the benevolent philanthropist role. His actions for improving education and helping the poor are well documented and are quite staggering when you consider how much money he has personally donated to improving the world.

According to the Fact Sheet on the foundation’s Web site, Gates has endowed $31 billion so far, with more than $11 billion already committed to use. Much of this money has been used to fund a wide variety of educational programs.

In this case, I believe that Bill should intercede on the teacher’s behalf. Yes, what he was doing wasn’t legal. But he was using the software to further the education of children, which is one of the primary philanthropic focuses of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and of Microsoft itself.

To pursue action against this teacher would contradict everything that these two organizations so highly promote.

Uncle Bill, this situation gives you the opportunity to improve the world for a large number of children. Make yourself the hero and save this teacher from prosecution. At the press conference, be sure to surround yourself with the smiling children when you announce that you are going to fill the school with brand new computer equipment and legally licensed software so that this doesn’t happen again.

A noble gesture, indeed.