This whole “Other OS” thing has really hit me hard.  The Other OS feature is why I bought the PS3 in the first place, rather than the Xbox360.   I dragged it out every time I argued a friend should buy a PS3, too.  Now, Sony has removed it from my console.  I’ve seriously considered selling my PS3 and getting an Xbox instead.  The only problem with that is the money I have invested in games, which would all be wasted.  I certainly haven’t used my PS3 since the update was announced;  I just don’t feel compelled anymore.  Maybe this will change (I hope it does, as there’s lots of games I want to play right now), but for the moment, Sony has completely turned me off the PS3.

There’s a much bigger side effect, though.  Now, for every device I buy, I have to ask myself: “Will this killer feature that I’m buying this for still be there in a year?  If it’s gone, will the device still be compelling to me?  Can I do anything (such as rooting my phone; Google++) to ensure the company can’t change my device without my consent?  No longer can I assume that my devices will still be useful down the line for the purposes I want to put them to.  This is not new, but it’s never hit home to me before.

One thing’s for sure: I’m not likely to buy any more Sony products.

Yay.

So, I get to try to replace it.  Temporarily, I’m going to try to put the drives in my desktop (thanatos), and re-purpose it.  But that’s not a long term solution, since I need thanatos to be my desktop.

One possibility is to buy a new desktop.  I’m planning on getting a new gaming machine when Diablo 3 comes out anyway, so maybe I should buy it early.  However, with no ETA for Diablo 3, I can get much more machine by waiting.  Then, too, I’m not done with Fallout 3, and the DLC isn’t even out yet for the PS3, and I have to go back and finish InFamous at some point, so I probably won’t have time for Diablo 3 any time soon anyway.  So buying a new desktop is probably out.

Another possibility is to just replace nemesis with the cheapest setup I can find.   That’s certainly quick, and easy.  Another possibility, which I’ve been considering for a while, is to get a NAS.  Some of them are quite nice, and I’m too old to enjoy administering a box anymore.  I’ve also read some good things about some of them.  I guess some serious pricing of options is in order…

Of course, my decision may be made for me if something happened to the drives in the crash of nemesis.  There may be no point in trying to build a quick-and-easy replacement.  Time to find out I guess.

 http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html

Nice app. I wonder if it will make me post more?

I’m in Santa Barbara for business this week, and yesterday, someone looked out the window at the office and said “Hey! Smoke!”  We got to watch the fire move all afternoon, and yesterday evening the entire city was covered in smoke and even some drifting ash.  Quite the odd experience.

Fortunately, no significant damage seems to have occured.   My boss’s house is close to the fire area, and he had to evacuate, but if the paper is right, it’s fine.  I guess I’ll find out soon.

Sorry, Ruth.  No boys.