Monday, February 23, 2009

Linux for Casual Computer Users

Folks have told me that I should start making money fixing computers. I have done such things for years, but am unwilling to do such a thing under normal circumstances. These folks I mention don't understand my caveats, but I'm unwilling to waver from them. Am I being totally unreasonable to want to convert casual computer users to Linux?

Frustrated casual computer users often upgrade their hardware, and in the process, their version of Windows, in an attempt to ease their frustration. After the initial joy and credit card bill, they find the same frustrations, or gain new ones (ala Vista). I would be willing to help users save their otherwise usable hardware from ending up in the landfill and ease some of the stress of viruses, malware, and such that cause frustration. Would a dual-core machine enable users to watch youtube videos that much faster than a P3 or P4 with a reasonable amount of RAM? I'm thinking that in most cases, a customer's internet connection is more of a bottleneck than their hardware.

Such a conversion would not be for those that need to use commercial Windows software. Those that just need to use the internet and play card games would be the targeted audience. Yes, WINE is robust enough for those that use certain commercial apps, and I would consider helping them, too. My goal would be to make the price attractive enough to make people think twice before they said "No thanks".

I'd make it really cheap to hose off their machines and install Ubuntu or the like, restore their internet connectivity, figure out the hardware drivers, and include an hour or so showing them the features, since it is similar enough to what they are used to. For twice the basic fee, I'd move their music and pictures over. I'd add an extra tier for users that needed apps setup on WINE, or for figuring out linux alternatives.

I'd do the basic service for $40, and $20 for additional service calls or training. I'm in a rural location, so I wouldn't need to worry about too many customers, and I wouldn't be doing this to get rich. Helping users asking "How do I use my computer to do 'this'?" would be more fulfilling than them asking "Can you remove this virus?" Letting customers use a demo machine prior to "the act" would probably be a good idea, and depending on the customer's hardware, could be a turnkey solution.

I'm to the point where I want to make a flyer/poster to hang up in a few local shops. If I get a few bites, great. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I'm just not much of a graphic artist ;) Time to hit the royalty-free clipart collections, I guess.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Second Life Market Index

I'm not a big SL user, my capped satellite broadband just won't allow for more than a few hours a week. With that said, one thought that crossed my mind is the possibility of a market index for SL's economy.

Chatting with Olasofia last night about the subject brought out some initial thoughts regarding such a market index of goods and services. Since there is already an economy in SL, an index may have some economic and trust effects. There is already an index of Linden $ exchange rates, mapping $/L$/goods/services may be interesting.

The mention of L$6000 stiletto boots vs. L$1 for a complete outfit came up, getting the later to "fit" to one's avatar vs. possible custom fitting for the former. Automating the process of finding the price for every thing/service on SL may be the show-stopper for this whole idea.

Adding a vote component for each and every content creator and service provider would add a measurement of "trust" to the SL economy, although separating content creators and resellers would probably be another sticking point. Advertising and word-of-mouth currently builds legitimacy within SL, an index of trust or value could add extra value. I have seen voting mechanisms at various venues in SL, but I'm not sure what they are about. It would seem necessary to track visitors vs actual customers, but recording a vote for the satisfaction of the product/service purchased vs. the shopping experience could be another show-stopping difficulty.

In summary, the index I have in mind would contain all products and services on SL, who creates/provides each, their retail price, and a vote of satisfaction with each product/service. Unsure of many things, I wonder if Linden Labs provides facilities for obtaining such data. Mono may be able to deal with the data, if it is, but I'm fairly certain that this whole chain of thought will need to be reconciled by someone who is more clueful than I.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Bark Eater Studios

My big project for this year is to bootstrap a facility for hosting seminars for a dozen or so people and perhaps a couple of small rental units for artists, writers, solitude seekers, and the like. I've written up the bulk of the concept at my BarkEaterStudios wiki. Trying to concentrate the bootstrap process into weeks as opposed to years is my greatest planning challenge at the moment.

As the bulk of the construction materials are on-site, the overhead for construction is minimal. Freecycle could be the source for such things as nails, screws, roofing, windows and doors, so the actual construction costs would be quite minimal. Structures will be solar and snow friendly, be of frame construction, and could incorporate stone; all local, sustainable materials. The non-technical aspects of the project weigh greater on my mind.

Left to my own devices, the project would take years to bootstrap. I am not a carpenter, although I have helped with numerous carpentry projects, so I'm not totally clueless, but having extra hands, backs, and brains would turn a long-term task into something that could take a matter of a couple weeks.

Finding a few extra folks to help, while the snow is still on the ground and there is time to plan, is my current task. Finding volunteers and potential partners seems daunting to me, but I realize it could be a most rewarding aspect. I'm not quite sure if such organizations as idealist.org, wwoofusa.org, and organicvolunteers.org are suited toward this currently non-organization, tho I could be wrong. As described in the wiki, the facility would provide conference or seminar space for about a dozen participants and would focus on such fields as art, fitness, music, nature, spirituality, sustainability, and technology, as well as others of a compatible, symbiotic nature. The construction crew should have similar interests and vision.

Trading a couple weeks of labor for food and shelter may or may not be equitable, nor would long-term partnership in the finished project. Usage of the completed facilities and future camping access would be available to the bootstrap team, and arrangements could probably be made for each to attend seminars at a free or reduced rate.

The facility would create the potential for a small, seasonal, paid support staff, but such positions would require extra research and planning. Since the facility will be on my family's property, partners will be preferred over employees. The bootstrap facility would be quite small, but there is a potential for extra facilities and opportunities. Once the base facility is able to financially support itself, a duplicate facility could be built, as well as a few rental cabins. Ideas for additional facilities are plenty, more ideas are welcome.

The legal aspects of the project are still up in the air. Organizing an NPO to use the facility would probably a good idea. The greater art/craft studio facility concept has commercial aspects that may require a different/separate approach, unless the NPO is structured creatively enough. Brainstorming and legal advice will need to come into play before anything is set in stone.

Finding a romantic interest and life partner during the whole process would be a wonderful bonus! :)