I was amused to find that retailers are selling a “Bill Gates Signature” version of Microsoft Vista. For a premium of more than a hundred dollars, one can buy Microsoft’s DRM-crippled operating system with Bill Gates’s scribbling on the box.

So what’s wrong with this picture? For starters, who would want Bill Gates’s signature? Yeah, as a young 14 year old geek I admired the brash, young 30-something geek that Bill Gates once was. Somewhere along the line he turned evil and that was that. In the words of the great Chapel Hill philosopher Mojo Nixon, Bill Gates has no Elvis in him. I don’t think I’m alone in saying the Cult of Bill Gates was short-lived if not stillborn.

Now a copy of OS X autographed by Steve Jobs (or even better, the God of Geekdom Steve Wozniak), now you’re talking. I’d pony up a few extra bucks for that! It’s because Jobs and Woz have something all of Gates’s billions can’t buy him: Hipness. Legions of devoted, fanatical customers. Great products that Just Work. Ingenuity. These guys don’t just spout the word “innovate” like Bill does, they live it.

OS X has its own share of DRM crippleware, though for the most part Apple still provides what its customers want, not what Hollywood thinks its customers want. At any rate, OS X users seem to be smart enough to work around any roadblocks Apple may put in front of them.

If Microsoft Vista is where things are headed, I’ll make The Switch to OS X, or perhaps stick with my trusty Linux.

Linux may be free, but Linus Torvolds’s signature is still worth more than Bill Gates’s.

Number one on my list of 2006 highlights would have to be our new sailboat, Whimsy. This should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me.

We found Whimsy one day in August when Kelly and had a day off from parenting. We had just finished horseback riding at a nearby stables and were on our way to Lake Crabtree for some sailing. Parked on Leesville road was a fine looking sailboat. On a whim (heh) I stopped the car and we looked it over. A day or two later, and with the help of some sailboat-savvy friends, we bought it.

The practical side of me was in a royal battle with the fun side of me. I knew it wasn’t a big financial commitment, yet it was a big step to become a boatowner. I’m happy I decided to do it, though. It was an investment in happiness: one that is still paying off.

We took Whimsy out no less than six times in the first few months we owned it – an impressive count if you ask me. Our whole family loves to sail it, which is even better. It’s a great family activity since we’re all together and everyone can get involved if they choose to.

I was going through some videotapes a few weeks ago when I came upon footage of us out sailing. I watched transfixed as Kelly steered the boat through some impressive wind. It made me long for the warmer days ahead and a chance to get back on the water.

Once it does get warmer, we hope to do an overnight or two on the boat to get the feel for that. With that under our belts, we may consider doing a little weekender cruising, perhaps somewhere Down East. It would be fun to get the boat out around the coast, where the wind is stronger and more constant.

Its not an exaggeration to say the boat has changed my life. I’ve always loved to sail. Now that we’ve got a boat of our own I am happy to be out there whenever I can.

Sailing is artistry on water. I’m enjoying learning how to sail like the masters.

(Yes, this is the Mark-can’t-count entry. Somewhere I lost entries 2 and 8 from my list. Oh
well, better luck next year!)

Last year brought more travel than I’ve had in a while, Unlike my occasional trips to places like Portsmouth, VA or Lower Armpit, MS, I managed to get to a few more desirable destinations: Australia and Holland among them.

My trip to Australia began in late March and lasted for two weeks. I went there to jump-start my company’s product sales and conduct some training to get our reseller’s competent in their product knowledge. I also went there to represent my company at Linuxworld Australia during the second week. The training went well and sales began to take off, though I had very little to do with that thanks to our fantastic Aussie SE already in place. The trade show went well but not spectacularly well as attendance was quite small. I did however get to do my first keynote speech at a tradeshow, which was fun.

My Australian SE counterpart, Clinton, and the rest of the team made me feel welcome. Clinton invited me to his family’s beachhouse on Phillip Island, souuth of Melbourne for the weekend. It was great to be out in the bush as the Aussies say. It was also my first trip back to the Indian Ocean since my Navy days. I had much work in Australia but treasured the visiting and sightseeing when I could get it.

The first day in Sydney we went to Bondi Beach by ferry. The whole harbor was filled with sailboats racing on the waves, spinnakers flying. I vowed to come back and sail among them someday. It killed me not to be crewing a sailboat at that moment.

I said goodbye to Australia after too-short a visit and then got word that training was needed in Europe. A month later I was in Rotterdam, providing a weeklong session on the product (which went very well, by the way). For some stupid reason I had left my ATM card at home, which severely limited my spending abilties there. I had to be creative but I managed through the whole week. I even got to visit Amsterdam, though only for a few hours. It was enough of a taste of Holland to want more. I hope to return with Kelly and perhaps the kids too, some day.

Among many other trips in the US to places like Newark and Chicago, I got in a trip to Charlotte: my old hometown. While driving through my old neighborhood, I mustered up the courage to introduce myself to the current residents of my old home. They graciously gave me a tour of the house, sparking happy memories from 25 years ago. Man, that made my day! It made me glad to know how happy the current owners are.

There were many other trips to NYC; Boston, South Bend, IN; Chicago; Tampa; Buffalo; and Keene, NH (among others). The fridge is littered with magnets from these and other places. I did get plenty of opportunities to catch my breath, though, and the upcoming travel schedule isn’t nearly as busy.

I look forward to a few more trips this year, hopefully with the family along. Nothing broadens one’s horizons like a little travel. It’s a wonderful world we live in and everyone should see as much of it as they can.

I quietly took a step last year that I probably should have taken long ago: I closed my computer consulting side business, Siteseers. Siteseers stopped supporting my family long ago. My full-time job has kept me happy and employed. Thus, there was little use in keeping up with the side company.

I am not entirely through with side projects, mind you. I’m just going to pursue those that can offer me something that I don’t or can’t get with my day job. As for Siteseers, though, it was a good ten year run.