War is Peace.
Freedom is Slavery.
Ignorance is Strength.
-from 1984 by George Orwell

While browsing reddit.com this morning, I came across a link to an op-ed piece in the Washington Times by none other than internet expert John McCain. In the article, John makes a legitimate argument that the internet must remain free and open, that internet service providers must not be allowed to shape access to content and restrict bandwidth based on the destination of that bandwidth.

In other words, John McCain supports Net Neutrality. John goes on to state that he does not support Net Neutrality.

Confused?

While it seams confusing, as McCain is in essence contradicting himself, if you apply the concept of doublespeak, it all makes a lot more sense.

What is Doublespeak?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines doublespeak as:

language that appears to be earnest and meaningful but in fact is a mixture of sense and nonsense

So if it seams like McCain’s article is illogical gibberish, well it is and was intended to be so.

Still confused?

Yeah, well that’s what happens when a politician speaks in doublespeak instead of speaking in plain language. McCain is utilizing the argument of Net Neutrality supporters to rail against Net Neutrality.

Let’s use an analogy.

You are a supporter of the New York Yankees baseball team. You believe they are the best baseball team of all time and to support that argument state:

The New York Yankees are the best baseball team of all time because they’ve won twenty-six World Series.

I am not a supporter of the New York Yankees. While I realize your argument is completely valid, accurate, and truthful, I will state the following as evidence that the New York Yankees are not the best baseball team of all-time:

The New York Yankees are the worst baseball team of all time because they’ve won twenty-six World Series.

Friends, this type of illogical statement is exactly what John McCain is using to scare the American public into killing the internet.

Did you know John McCain does not use a computer?

While, I don’t care that he does not use a computer, I find it absurd that he has the gall to speak about the internet, as he literally has no clue.

Another analogy.

I have never used a motorcycle.

John McCain practices Pinocchio Politics

Does that make any sense? Of course not. Does John McCain make any sense in promoting a free and open internet by railing against a rule that would force a free and open internet?

No.

Why does John McCain say these things?

• Because he’s the number one politician when ranked by amount of contributions from telecommunications companies.
• Because he has nothing to lose.
• Because he very well may have crossed that threshold of mental competence that old human beings tend to cross.
• Because he wants big business, big corporations to succeed and does not care what happens to individuals and small businesses.
• Because John McCain is corrupt.

In summary:

1. John McCain claims to support a free and open internet.
2. Net Neutrality requires Internet Service Providers maintain a free and open internet.
3. John McCain does not support Net Neutrality.

Still confused? That’s OK. The intent of John McCain is to confuse you. Basically, John McCain is lying and you should never trust anything he says involving technology because plainly put, he has no knowledge of it.

Here’s what you need to know, if you want the internet to remain free and open, and require that Internet Service Providers be unable to discriminate based on content, support Net Neutrality. Otherwise, if you want the internet to look this way, log off and don’t come back.

John McCain Photo credit: Dan “Soggydan” Bennett | CC 2.0
Pinocchio Politics Photo credit: Rachel Kramer Bussel | CC 2.0

Productivity

1. Check off

Very simple to-do checklist that sits in your menu bar.

2. OpenOffice.org

In addition to telling everyone about the awesomeness of Apple computers and the Mac OS X Leopard operating system I also evangelize the heck out of OpenOffice.org. In my eight years of using OpenOffice.org on Windows, Ubuntu, and Mac OS X I’ve found it to be super stable and packed with nearly all the functionality of the much more expensive (e.g. not free) Microsoft Office. So far I’ve had no need to use MS Office as OpenOffice.org provides enough applications to get the job done.

3. TextWrangler

When I got my Macbook Pro three years ago I installed and used Aquamacs Emacs but after installing a fresh Leopard system I took another look at my applications and fell in love with TextWrangler. I especially love that it integrates with my SFTP browser, CyberDuck, for easy editing right on my server.

4. Quicksilver

The new spotlight in Leopard is awesome but still lacks the extensive features of Quicksilver. Launching a terminal window with my first command line already inputted in just two or three key taps is a beautiful thing. You can also control iTunes directly from Quicksilver and a whole host of other sweet commands.

5. The Unarchiver

For the few compressed file formats Leopard doesn’t recognize out of the box, The Unarchiver will uncompress them and even has options to automatically delete the zipped file after its opened up.

6. EventSync

Sync your facebook events with iCal.

7. Anxiety

Another to do check list application. Anxiety is more versatile than Check-Off but for me Check-Off does the job fine but if you need something more robust check out Anxiety.

8. Aquamacs Emacs

I used Aquamacs Emacs for the longest time when I first got my Mac but am now loving TextWrangler. Both are solid text editing programs with their own pros and cons.

9. Tiny Alarm

I prefer using my iPhone as my alarm, but for those who are inclined to use their laptop, Tiny Alarm is a great little app that sites in your menu bar.

10. Cashbox

A great personal finance manager. A while back I picked up Cha-Ching via a Macheist giveaway, but if I didn’t I’d be using Cashbox. Both are great personal finance applications, one is free the other isn’t but both should treat you right.

Communication

11. Adium

iChat is cool but Adium is much, much better. This open source application allows to connect to nearly every messaging system on the planet. The list includes AIM, MSN, Google Talk, ICQ, Facebook Chat, Myspace IM, Bonjour, LiveJournal Chat, Gadu Gadu and more!

12. TweetDeck

The best way to interact with Twitter. Runs off Adobe Air and is fast and easy to use. I didn’t really get Twitter until I downloaded and installed TweetDeck and now I’m tweeting all the time!

13. Skype

Great for making cheap international calls. I also use Skype to set up a business line so my cell phone doesn’t get jammed with calls. You can also instant message, call and video chat with others over the internet for free.

14. Growl

Unobtrusive application/system notification. A great way to explain Growl is to provide an example. It integrates with Adium and will show a small temporary popup window whenever a contact signs on/off or sends you a message.

Audio

15. iPodDisk

Allows you to move music off your iPod without dealing with iTunes. In other words, it turns your iPod into a regular disk drive.

16. Audacity

Great alternative to Garageband for recording audio.

17. GimmeSomeTune

GimmeSomeTune is an iTunes extension that adds a lot of functionality to iTunes, but chief among them is the ability to import missing artwork and fetch song lyrics. It also integrates with Last.fm thus allowing you to have one less application running on your Mac.

Video

18. Burn

Expands on Mac OS X’s built in disc recording and adds a ton more file formats and options while still keeping the interface simple and speedy.

19. Handbrake

This open-source, multi-threaded video converter accepts DVD, DVD-esque (images and some .VOB files), and multimedia files and converts them to MP4, MKV, AVI or OGM / MPEG-4, H.264, or Theora formats quickly and easily.

20. iSquint

    A video converter to make your videos suitable for viewing on an iPod/iPhone.

21. VLC

The best media player on the planet. VLC will play nearly every video and audio format out there.

22. Miro

Another media player but it’s hook is that Miro allows you to setup RSS feeds for torrents and other media files for automated downloading of videos. The list of legally free videos out there is extensive and will keep you entertained for a long, long time.

23. Caffeine

Caffeine is a light weight application that sits in your menu bar. A simple click turns off the screen saver or delays it for a set amount of time. A great time saver for when you want to watch a video without getting interrupted by your screen saver. I reviewed Caffeine at Only The Internet’s Best Reviews in September ’08 and it still remains one of the highest rated items on OTIBR (scored it a 38/42).

24. Flip4Mac WMV

Plugin for Quicktime letting you play Windows Media Video files on your Mac. The best of both worlds!

Images

25. GIMP

Not as good as Adobe Photoshop CS4 but it’s free (while Photoshop is $600). The GIMP should be just good enough for the majority of users out there and will at least tide you over until you save up for a copy of Photoshop.

26. PhotoBook

A photo browser for facebook. Quick and very easy to use, PhotoBook will display all your friend’s facebook photos in a convenient album format for quick browsing.

27. Inkscape

A sweet vector graphics application.

28. Flickr Uploadr

Drag and drop interface for quickly and easily uploading your pics to Flickr.

29. DeskLickr

DeskLickr will go out to Flickr and import photos and automatically change your desktop background every so often. Nice for those of us who get bored of our backgrounds quite easily.

Mac Maintenance

30. Disk Inventory X

A graphical outline of your hard drive showing what’s using up space and how much of it. Handy for when you’re running low and need to find files to delete.

31. SuperDuper

Sure the new Leopard operating system comes with Time Machine, but Super Duper is great for making bootable clones of your drive. It’s super handy for when you need to bring your Mac in for repairs as it lets you keep working with your files and setup. I’ve used Super Duper extensively over the past two weeks while bringing my Macbook Pro in for repairs and had almost no loss in productivity thanks to Super Duper and a generous friend who loaned me his brand new Macbook!

32. smcFanControl

Control your Mac’s fans from a simple graphical interface. Very handy for diagnosing if your Mac’s fans are busted, as one of mine recently was. Also useful for cranking up the RPMs when you think your Mac is getting a tad too hot for comfort.

33. Clix

A Command Line Interface for OS X/Terminal! Clix stores literally hundreds and hundreds of commands, allowing you to click through and run them through Terminal. It’s handy even for command line experts who can’t remember all the commands or syntax.

34. iStat Pro

Perhaps the most useful Dashboard widget out there. iStat Pro will display your CPU temperatures, hard drive space, network stats, fan speed, running processes (and how much CPU power they take up). All in real time from the convenience of your dashboard.

35. AppFresh

Mac OS X’s built in Software Update is great but only works for Mac OS X and other Apple applications. AppFresh will notify you when all your other applications have updates available by periodically checking osx.iusethis.com.

36. OnyX

A Graphical User Interface for all your Mac’s maintenance needs. You can perform most of these processes from the command line, but if you just got a Mac you’re probably terrified of Terminal right now.

37. AppCleaner

Dragging your applications to the trash can is a very simple way to delete old or unwanted applications but usually leaves files scattered about your hard drive. Using AppCleaner will ensure all those pesky files are gone, freeing up hard drive space and lowering the chance for any conflicts.

Web

38. Cyberduck

The best FTP/SFTP/Amazon S3 browser/uploader/downloader on the planet. Drag n drop interface that is integrated with your Mac’s keychain for a no hassle upload/download experience.

39. MAMP

Easy to setup and use local server for developing and testing your web-sites before they go live. Needless to say this gets a lot of use on my Macbook Pro.

40. NetNewsWire

The best RSS reader on the planet. With a free account at NewsGator.com you can sync your feeds between different locations. I love this app as it allows me to read my feeds on my iPhone knowing that whatever I read or clip (bookmark) will sync back to my Macbook Pro at home.

41. Firefox

I love the speedy Safari, and in fact spend most of my day within its friendly confines, but Firefox has an immense library of extensions and plugins that Safari has yet to match. Besides, it’s free, what’ve you got to lose? Besides a little bit of hard drive space of course.

42. DeepVacuum

DeepVacuum is a graphical interface for the unix command wget, which allows you to download entire web-sites. Useful for developers who want to take a peak at a site’s code or people who wish to browse a site offline.

43. Transmission

Simple but powerful bittorrent client.

44. Dropbox

A great way to store files in a cloud for easy access from any internet connection.

45. Vidalia

A graphical interface for TOR, the safest and easiest way to browse the web anonymously. Very useful for users who live in a country with a strict firewall or for accessing sites you don’t want associated with you. Though, I must state that if a government agency wants to find you they will, so don’t go doing something stupid or dangerous just because you’re behind a TOR connection.

There you have it, 45 free applications I recommend every new Mac user try it. Did I miss a great application? Let me know in the comments below!

Though a little bit of money flowed in here and there via various freelance writing gigs and advertisements, it was by no means equivalent to a full-time salary. Over the past two months my incoming cash flow has increased more and more each day, but there’s still a story to tell from the previous ten months.

Resigning in a Recession

One year ago I resigned from my full-time job as a Senior Tax Administrator at State Street Bank. While my time at State Street was beneficial and lucrative, it simply wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Armed with that knowledge and a hefty savings account I turned in my resignation letter and looked to the future.

A lot has already been written on why starting a company during a recession might be a wise choice, but let me go over a few points briefly [also check out Paul Graham's "Why to Start a Startup in a Bad Economy" post and this article from the UK Times Business section by Rachel Bridge).

Five reasons to start a business in a poor economy:

1. You might lose your job; a side business provides a safety net.
2. You likely won't earn a big raise, so you'll lose less by quitting in a recession.
3. Prices and thus costs will drop during a recession.
4. If you can succeed in a recession, you'll thrive when we recover.
5. Value will be a priority for everyone, new companies can gain business by pricing low.

Successful Savings

At the time, I had no real plan about how I'd make money but honestly, it did not concern me. Nearly all my friends and family members were shocked by my resignation. After all, every economic indicator was pointing to a long term recession in the United States and global economies. A lot of people thought it was foolish to leave a well paying job to pursue my passions, especially when I did not know exactly what those passions were!

Readers of My Last Name Means Money know my opinion that storing as much money as you can in online savings accounts is vitally important to your success and tolerance for risk. It's an obvious tip, but one I implemented very well. Once my savings account reached a level where it could fund my lifestyle for at least six months, the risk became bearable.

Wise Investments

A big reason my savings account is still supporting me is that I aimed to withdraw money only when necessary. There were many times I failed and made foolish expenditures, but for the most part I stuck with the plan and still have enough cash to ride me through the next six months. Overestimating how much money was needed to survive for six months also gave me plenty of leeway to afford those not so wise spending decisions.

A big use of my savings account went towards investments that led to a simpler lifestyle that was easier to afford. My used bicycle easily paid for itself countless times now through improved health, lowered transportation costs and free entertainment. It also gave me plenty of time to think while pedaling about the city of Boston. Time to think is a very valuable asset.

Another investment was continuing to be a Boston Celtics season ticket holder. Though it was a huge use of my money, most of the tickets ended up getting sold to friends at face value. Sure, that cash didn't earn any interest but I was able to hook up my friends with Celtics tickets and hold a great contest at The 42nd Estate to win a pair of Celtics playoff tickets. It's a product that has maintained it's value and allowed me to get back money throughout the year that otherwise might have been spent on a trip or other use that I could not re-sell.

I also continued to pay down my student loans and am now less than $3,000 away from being completely debt-free! The wisest investment I made by far, however, is the one I did not make. When I resigned from State Street I also elected to not re-invest my 401k into an IRA. Instead, the money has sat in a Citibank account as liquid cash. I would take a hit on cashing out my retirement account early so for now it sits there earning a little interest, which is immensely better than losing half its value in the stock market. Sometimes doing nothing is the best action.

Dow Jones Index for the past year, down 5,000+ points, -41%

A few not so wise expenditures:

• Xbox 360 Console – great release for frustration but no time to play with it.
• Second bike and bike frame – planned to fix up the first one and build a bike from scratch but again, no time.
• Countless domain variations of the42ndesate.com – a few were OK but I went way overboard with this one.

Pinpointing my Passions

Along the way many, many mistakes were made, but these mistakes enabled me to learn about myself and my true passions. Sometime in November/December I realized my passion was right in front of my face the entire time. I love blogging and social media and spent a lot of time learning and growing my knowledge in those fields. It was then that we began an overhaul of The 42nd Estate. We recently pushed out a new design and began publicizing our service offerings:

• Freelance writing
• Blog & social media consulting
• Web hosting

Over the past few years, I picked up a lot of knowledge about blogging, writing and maintaining WordPress installations. I also spent a lot of time researching how to tweak our servers and picking the brains of my buddies who are experts in the field, which has enabled us to begin offering hosting to clients who need it. I am by no means the world’s most authoritative source in any of these fields, but I also realized I don’t need to be. My goal was never to strike it rich, but merely to afford a simple lifestyle while using my knowledge to help other people and organizations become successful.

Over the past few months The 42nd Estate has begun acquiring more and more clients each month and genuinely helping people become successful. It’s a great feeling to finally discover your passion and realize it can be your job too. And that, my friends, is why the word “nearly” is in the title, cash-flow free for nearly a year!

Photo of all that cash is by Tracy O. Thanks Tracy!

As you’ve surely surmised from the tantalizing title, this time around the web we’ll focus on The 42nd Estate and its vast repertoire of web-sites. The last time we spoke about my company we announced a few sites that we’re working on, one of which is a reviews magazine. Well, over on The 42nd Estate’s blog we’re taking a sneak preview look at OTIBR.com, Only the Internet’s Best Reviews. If you’re curious how the site will look make sure to check out the latest post there for two screen captures of OTIBR. We’ve also chosen a launch date, September 29th 2008, so keep your calendars free that day!

In other news around The 42nd Estate network, yesterday was wicked productive as we took a site from idea to purchase to setup to launch over the course of one day! The site is called We Demand Videos!

As you might’ve guessed, it revolves around videos of all kinds, from comedy to action to politics and beyond. We do not focus on any one niche of videos, but rather comb through youtube for videos we enjoy and nearly guarantee you will too. For anyone wondering what the deal is with the #42 and The 42nd Estate’s obsession with it, check out this video clip from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy movie, which should better explain it.

To anyone whose checked out my about page here and found it, ahem, lacking, well now is your chance to find out more about yours truly in a much more informative post where I introduced myself to The 42nd Estate’s fans. Check out that super awesome t-shirt I’m sporting!

Oh, and speaking of those wonderful fans of The 42nd Estate, we’ve setup a facebook page so you can show your support, get updates and be our facebook fans. While you’re there RSVP for the otibr.com launch too! Note the wall post announcing the DVD giveaway (more details to come).

Well, that’s quite the whirlwind of activity for this edition. Let me wrap it up by letting everyone know that I’m truly excited for the OTIBR.com launch, the recent addition of We Demand Videos! to our network and the other exciting events on the horizon. Thanks to all the hard working members of The 42nd Estate and our great fans all across the world.

That does it for this edition of Web Quotes and Counterpoints.

We are you are us.

Their site streams all these episodes and the streaming happens quite quickly. The quality of the video is also very good. I did happen upon a glitch where one episode (Mystery of the Urinal Deuce –hadn’t seen it before and the title reminded me of an incident on my dorm room floor in my freshman year at USC, but that story is for another post, another day) skipped forward six seconds at the start but otherwise the site runs flawlessly.

So the site is cool and the idea works very well. I’m a big advocate of media such as South Park and other TV shows and movies being free and ad-supported. Another very sweet feature of the South Park site is the ability to create your own South Park avatars. The selection is a bit limited right now but you can still come up with some cool and unique characters.

Here’s me in the 4th grade:

Look how happy I am in my grunge gear, towering over all the other kids at the playground.

Let’s fast forward thirty-five years and check out future me:

My, how times have changed. Happy grunge me has turned into a balding vigilante with a gun living in exile in Mexico. Well, at least I’ve got a mohawk mullet thing going on. Chicks are sure to dig that look in the future for its maximized business in the front, party in the back, rebellion down the middle efficiency.

So, all in all, South Park Studios, even though it is still in beta, is already a sweet success.

Score 4/5