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Welcome to Orb Graffiti, a place for me to write daily about life and computers. Contrary to popular belief, the two are not interchangeable. EMAIL - I publish email sometimes. If you send me an email and you want privacy or anonymity, please say so clearly at the beginning of your message.. |
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March 25, 2001 - Updates at 0645
Good morning... Here's a couple of snaps from Friday night, with Sally in her usual monopolizing position on the couch. She'll happily spend a couple of hours kipped over on her back, if we're amenable to hanging out with her and giving the occasional belly scratch. Sitting next to her, when I take my hand away, she reaches up and back with her paws, gets hold of my arm, and pulls it back down to her. Mostly that's very endearing. It only annoys when I have coffee in my hand or some such.
Sally didn't do this for the Oscars though, since I pretty much stayed out of the room. Marcia does like them, and Sally watched her watching them. I wandered in and out, catching a couple of the LOTR awards, and Ron Howard taking home the gold for A Beautiful Mind. Too bad I won't see it, as long as the CBDTPA and it's ilk are in play. Please, please, please - go to this EFF page, and other places to learn what Congress and Hollywood are getting ready to do to our technology, to our rights of fair use, then go here, post your reasoned comments on why CBDTPA is a bad thing. Also tell your Senators and Congresscritter how you feel. Do it by phone and fax - I don't think they're opening much mail these days, and email is subject to spamming, and so suspect. I've got some extra strong words brewing for Feinstein - she's stepped across a line, and garners my anti-support. Of course she could reverse herself, but then she wouldn't get any money to fight her next losing election. I'm embarrassed to have her representing me. Oh, right, she isn't representing me, she's demonstrated that, hasn't she?
All weekend, I pretty much spent my time delving deeper into Gentoo Linux. I am impressed with their setup, their filesystem layout, how packages and installation dependencies are handled, and with the system init scripts, which are unlike any other LInux I've seen. I'm going to look hard at that, toot-sweet. We also went to the OSH DIY Fair this weekend up in San Mateo, and picked up some neat solar powered walkway lamps at a significant discount as well. Fun stuff, and lots of ideas for if (or when) we ever get to own our own house. I dispair of that ever happening in this market, however.
Yesterday I did the yardwork, as it was mostly a bright sunny beautiful spring day. The only things dying are the Basil. It's too cold and too early I guess. I'll try them again in another spot, with more sun for them. The plant I got for Marcia's birthday back in February continues to thrive, throwing up these gorgeous fire red blossoms (as you can see to the left). The lawn is doing well, and the tomato plants are also coming up nicely - they've about doubled in size over the last two weeks. The peppers are holding their own, which is OK given the early spring chills. They really need more heat and less water.
Meantime, the squash are coming up strong in their pots. I probably ought to thin that down a bit, but we'll see which plants start flowering first. I also went about weeding the whole joint, collected presents that Sally left around, mowed the lawn and did a variety of other chores yesterday. In response to all my hard work, Sally celebrated by taking a nap, or by doing her best Columbo imitation (or both, it's hard to be sure). That little tip of the tongue hanging out thing is inutterably cute, isn't it?
Now I need to prepare for the day ahead. This is my last week at $FIRM, excepting the occasional consult, and there's lots yet left to wrap up. I've got to take myself off the alarm company call list, transfer responsibility for the telco services, etc. I've been doing this sort of thing for the last three weeks, but there's still five or twenty items still on the punch list. Four days and counting. See my resume here, and give it around, if you please. I'll see you later. Have a great day.
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March 26, 2002 - Updates at 0640
Howdy. My name is Brian and I'm a short-timer. I've taken my Linux workstation down, at work, and I'm building it back into a WIndows machine for someone else. Even though there aren't too many people left, a couple are still using P1-133 boxen from 1997. So a 600 megawiggle PIII should sit nicely. Did you know that so far it's taken about 10 or 12 boots just to bring Windows up? There's a few during install, then configuring networking, reconfiguring TCP/IP because I got a digit wrong, each and every driver, one at a time and finally O2K. That blows my mind. An application requiring a reboot. I am so glad I live in Linuxland most of the time. I also cleaned out about half of my desk from 5 years of accumulated garbage. I'll do the other half today. I've got a board to do a quicky re-design on, and who knows what else...
In other news, Greg and I have a new project we're brewing up. No, I can't tell you yet, because we're not ready to pull back the curtain. We think you're gonna like it, just as soon as we figure out what it is going to be when it grows up. No, it's not a two-wheeled personal transporter. But it is going to be fun, or it wouldn't be worth doing, you can bet on that.
From: ben hughes Subject: linux - to install or not to install? Date: 25 Mar 2002 09:16:29 +1200 hi, i have read a few of your posts and i have found them really interesting although i run win xp rather than linux. i have one basic question - if i install linux will i be able to run windows aps. i need to be able to use dreamweaver, photoshop etc. thanks - ben
From: ben hughes Subject: Re: linux - to install or not to install? Date: 26 Mar 2002 11:28:03 +1200 hi, thanks very much for your reply. i will do as you suggest and dual boot for a time until i decide whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. i really want to get in to linux because i so admire the develppement before profit philosophy behind it, unlike microsoft. anyhow thanks for your help... ben hughes
I think it's important to remember that these things that I get so worked up about are just tools. Admittedly they're getting to be like oxygen, which is why it doesn't make sense to let Hollywood dictate how we can use them. Microsoft makes some fine products. They do so in such a manner as to suppress competition and reduce choice. (Note to self - check out Hancom Office soon.) ... Aaahhhhhh. Sorry. I don't have time for this rant today. Please accept the intention for the deed.
Now to get ready for work. Take it easy, see you later... What? Yes, I really do write these in the morning, before or with my morning coffee, 99% of the time. The occasional long screed does come from the night before, but that's no more than once every two or three months, really. Thanks for asking, Bud!
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March 27, 2002 - Updates at 0640
G'morning. Mmmm. As if this this CBDTPA stuff wasn't bad enough, the Copyright Office has gone and effectively killed Internet radio when we weren't looking, and:
There is no provision in the rules for the Copyright Office or Librarian of Congress to receive or consider comments from the general public. The rules governing CARP proceedings permit the Copyright Office and the Librarian to consider only the arguments made by parties to the proceeding.
Oh. The public isn't a party to broadcasting/webcasting! Well, the Clear Channel-sized junkcasters have behaved that way. This is why webcasting was such a joy, it brought individual tastes and tunes and choice back to my ears. I've been tracking Doc Searls on this issue, watching for the pointer that tells me where to put my shoulder to the wheel. Now we find that there's no wheel. Another rogue government beaurocracy, disconnected from the populace (but directly connected to the corporate money fountain, IMNSHO), takes away some more of the magic of the Internet. If you want an educated take on what it's going to require to webcast legally, check out this post by Jamie Zawinski.
Heh. You want a bit of a laugh? I search on Clear Channel at Google (gratuitous plug: Google ROCKS!), and in the "Category" listing at the top of the results, I find this line of links: Society > Issues > ... > Allegedly Unethical Firms > Clear Channel Communications. HA HAHAHAHAHA !!!
What frustrates me is that either I can spend my time doing cool and interesting thing right up to the moment when some asshole decides to take away my "right" to do cool and interesting things, or I can spend my time ferreting out how to best fight for these "rights". Now I know 'right" isn't the right word, but darn it, darn it, darn it. I don't want to have to buy a buggy whip with my next car. I don't want to have to require a webcaster pay money that ends up in the pockets of the recording company that handles Britany Spears, when what that webcaster plays is Adult Alternative. I don't want to have the government tell me that without a closed-source binary SECURITY module, I can't run Linux. I'm pissed.
I'm also a bit down. I've got today and tomorrow left at $FIRM, then I'm pretty much outta there. It was a good run, but it's winding down, and I need to get on with whatever's next. But I don't have be jumping-up-and-down happy about it. I'll be OK, just dumping on you, thanks for paying heed. I suppose I'd best slog through my email, hop in the shower, and get ready for the day. See you around, later or tomorrow.
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March 28, 2002 - Updates at 06:45
Good morning. Last day. I'll probably do the odd consult here and there for them, mostly remote, using VNC tunneled over SSH to show someone how to do this or that. But today is it. Had I waited until tomorrow to leave, it would have been 4.5 years dead even, since I started on September 29, 1997. However, the joint is closed tomorrow, since they went to 4 day weeks to "save costs" a few weeks ago.
I've held a couple of odd jobs here and there, but over 18 of the last 20 years have been spent working in 3 places. I don't hop firms, I find a good place and stick with them though thick and thin. However, it's now too thin, has been for a long time. I'm sad, and I'm ready to move on. Read my resume, pass it along. Yes, we'll consider relocating for the right opportunities...
And why not? Have you heard about housing prices here? A cardboard box underneath the 880/101 overpass runs about $220K Heh. But seriously, $400K might buy a crap house in a neighborhood I wouldn't even want Hillary Rosen, Jack Valenti or Ernest Hollings to live in. Yes, we'd relocate. Probably not to a cold climate, though.
Picture time. At left is the latest quilt that my lovely Marcia has got in production. They're getting more complex and lovely, neh? Then, last night when I got home and wandered out back, all of the beans were sprouting, all at once. At right is one just starting to break through. I've got some gardening work to do, right quick. Mmmmm. Maybe I'll just put up a 6" wire grid against the fence, offset by a couple inches, so that I can use garden string to tie up and support the plants as they grow. Send a message with any ideas for me, please.
A couple of notices of interest from the SVLUG mailing list this morning. First, a reminder of the bleak day when Steve Forbes called it Lunix. Heh. Then a pointer to this article in Forbes about Linux at Merrill Lynch. Not too shabby. Then we got the official announcement from our Speaker Coordinator, Steve Traugott. Next week's SVLUG meeting is going to be graced with the presence of Larry Wall... Woo Hoo. I know, he said so (and I told you) before, but now it's announced, it's on the website, and it's close enough that Larry's re-confirmed and not likely to be over-booked. This ought to be fun.
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March 29, 2002 - Updates at 0630 and 1840
Lessee... It's Good Friday, God's Friday, a bad day overall, when you consider crucifixion, although it set the stage for the resurrection legend that is the foundation of Christianity. So in celebration, Israel and the Palestinians teeter on the brink of all-out war. Israel continues to hold Arafat responsible for the individual actions of members of a society which has determined solely and collectively that killing Israelies is their only ticket out, and the salvation of their people. Look, people. Someone has to blink. If it can't be the Palestinians, then Israel needs to back off. Get out of the occupied territories. Leave them their land, and don't let them into yours. Or you'll stay and die. It seems that both sides of this conflict are overly fond of Pyrric victories.
Good morning, anyway! Man, what a bummer of a week: the Middle East, Uncle Miltie, Dudley Moore, Billy Wilder, my job. Ah, well. Life goes on for the living. I ... I'm at a loss for words. How weird! Maybe I just need some coffee, as it is early yet. Marcia's working today, and I don't want our schedules to get too out of whack. Let me get some coffee, do the email and surfing tango, and I'll get back here later this morning. Hopefully I'll be in a cheerier mood. Thanks for bearing with me.
18:40 - Well, I did some shopping, some yardwork, some computer work. Stayed busy. I suppose that's enough for today. I know what I need. I need a new distro. Stay tuned. <grin>
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March 30, 2002 - Updates at 0940
Good morning. I owe you a post, but I'm very busy with Greg, transitioning my webs and such over to the box that he and I will share over at rackshack. It'll make things MUCH nicer for y'all, as this is on a FAT pipe. So that's story one. Story two is... first impression: Mandrake 8.2 sucks. SUCKS. Details later, if I feel like it. But don't waste your bandwidth or your money - I used to say that Mandrake was the best for newbies because it set everything up right the first time, and it just worked, even if it was a bit bloated. Well. Now it sucks. The install went fine, but a number of things just don't work in the KDE desktop. If it doesn't work, it ain't for Aunt Minnie. Heck, I couldn't even logout, the first time. I had to restart X to get a fresh KDM login dialog.
OK, back to work with me. See you later.
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March 31, 2002 - Updates at
Good morning, and happy Easter to those that celebrate it for any reason. Instead of writing this, I've been talking with Tom, drinking coffee, reading my email, and generally relaxing. The sun is starting to break through the morning fog, bringing the glare level in this room WAY up.
And good news. Most of the transition ot the new server at RackShack is complete. Greg picked up this box a week ago, after frustration with lots of lag and latency problems forced his hand. We've got all the webs moved over, the assorted email bits in place, took care of arranging our primary and secondary DNS properly, and rolled the data at our registrars. What's left is ... mailing lists. I'll be setting up Marcia's and mine later today, probably. Notice to dmasten and swallbridge - your former @Home addresses are broken, and I don't have new data for you - please drop me an email.
Now, we're off to Brunch with my folks shortly, so I'd best start getting organized. See you later.
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Visit the rest of the DAYNOTES GANG, a collection of bright minds and sharp wits. Really, I don't know why they tolerate me <grin>. My personal inspiration for these pages is Dr. Jerry Pournelle. I am also indebted to Bob Thompson and Tom Syroid for their patience, guidance and feedback. Of course, I am sustained by and beholden to my lovely wife, Marcia. You can find her online too, at http://www.dutchgirl.net/. Thanks for dropping by.
All Content Copyright © 1999-2002 Brian P. Bilbrey.
