Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Turning 50

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Post number 50...HUZZA. You don't know or care but I am letting it ride high! Thanks everyone for being a part of technology in education on the bleeding ear...duh, edge.

Monday, October 29, 2007

November Writing Month

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http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/whatisnano

Well, getting excited these days is a rarity....but the above link points to the Writing Month of November.  Apparently there is a contest that starts on the 1st of the month and runs to the end where you are expected to create a novel which entails 175 pages.  This is an all out kamikaze brawl to produce anything and everything coherent.  The verdict:  Bring it on, I can't wait!.

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Saturday, October 27, 2007

Ubuntu On The Fly

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Being in the educational technology field you rarely get time off to enjoy yourself in the most simplistic ways. Today I decided to take my laptop and head over to a coffee place simply to surf the web and squawk to you all. Since Gutsy Gibbon is on my laptop I decided to boot into and simply play with it like any "non power" user would. I find it harder and harder these days to get into the Linux distros simply because I need a windows "professional" environment to get by in a day to day Novell life. so getting into something different has been really refreshing. Moreover, for the first time Ubuntu might have hit a nail right on the head. It seems like, with a little exploring, someone could sit down and finally have a functioning, free OS. This is absolutely fantastic because it puts Vista and Leopard in mind when it comes to the teachers laptops every year. Can we go free software finally, can we relieve ourselves from the overhead costs, and can we break free from the ms tyranny? The answer is probably not but with every distro release we are come closer and closer.

BTW, this was written by someone who can use computers but works with people who really can not so do not give me flak about how I refuse to see it from the home user's perspective.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon Review

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Alrighty all, looks like I have had plenty of time with the new release from Canonical systems. Ubuntu has always been a favorite flavor of the Linux desktop OS and continues to peg the leader boards at Distro Watch. In many cases the community sees many steps forward when it comes to the Ubuntu 6 month release schedule. I am glad to anounce that it is mostly all there with the new release of Gutsy Gibbon or Ubuntu 7.10.
Everything is normal when it comes to downloading, burning, and installing the Ubuntu ISO. A nice welcome screen appears during the live cd install and you would seriously have to have done NOTHING with a computer to mess up the relatively brainless install. When you pull the cd out and reboot for the first time you get a clean and even fast (which is different from most Ubuntu installs) load and login screen.
The desktop has always been Ubuntu's hard point. In the past it has been very sterile, clean and brown. I am glad to say that not much has changed in this realm. They have spiced up the desktop with snazzy windows (depending if you have the hardware to run the acceleration), a different default background (which really ties the desktop together), and the same application bar on top / windows bar on bottom. One of the largest changes comes in the "work spaces" function of Linux.
Not many people actually use this feature because it was awkward to change from one to another. This issue was solved with the "cube" that beryl uses but has cleaned up a bit with a simple set of keys that allows the user to jump from one to another. This allows multiple applications running in different spaces and ultimately keep your desktop clean from the clutter of daily computing. Beyond this and the renaming of certain folders under your "home" not much has changed in the distro. However, there are a few problems that exist which may assist the simple user but distract the power user.
The new User switching feature which is pasted to the left side of the top bar does not make sense to have on the desktop after the install. If you have multiple users then there is going to be a lot of logging in and out not really "switching" users. This is really the only beef I see with this new release. Now I am a bit biased because Ubuntu was the first distro that I played with so when it comes to my comfort zone Ubuntu fits right in it. The simplistic desktop style, ease of installing software, and almost all system information at the very fingertips of the user blends itself into a user friendly, OS experience.
From the blue outline showing how big to the resized windows are to the amazing sudoku app, this and Mint OS will be the height of anyones Linux distribution experience. Thank you for the freeness.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Oink

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Lets take some time to remorse a good...no a great friend who has passed into the place that is the death of all great sites. Oink, we loved you, you had some of the best tunes for the person who just was not able to go clear across a sea to purchase. You will be remembered, ciao bella!


Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Lack of Control

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Who hear can actually say they red Out of Control by Kelly? It basically outlines how we are on a spiraling pattern of decay where the items that we command to control our lives go crazy and leave us in the wake. We all have this feeling in IT but it usually is controlled by a couple clicks here and there. What this is getting at is never, ever decide that a wireless bridge might work even if you know for a FACT that it clearly won't. In the end you are the only one who knows that they are right and you do not need to give in to someone who has a better title then you. Granted you might be younger, with less experience and more pimples but you know what? You live it and you know how back woods you are. Learn from your mistakes and deal with the stuff that comes your way in a manner that kicks the ever living ass of the people who have done this kind of stuff in a "perfect" setting. Because you know what? Screw em, they have no clue how to invoke results.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

The Sales Pitch

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Alright this is an entitled response to people selling IT related junk.

When and if you ever get on the phone with someone who knows what they are doing, you best be overtly prepared.  You need your sales pitch written on your palm pilot or if you can not afford one atleast your hand.  You need to express yourself lightly, nicely, and clearly in order to make it perfectly crystal that I am in absolute need of what you are selling.  If your product is clearly stumped by well....being complete rubbish then you need to turn my mood around and make me feel like I will win 1 million bucks if I drop a couple hundred on your product during this call.  Listen, what you need to do is pull your head which is ever so carefully placed up your ass out, and tell me what, why and when.  If I then sound apprehensive about the whole deal refrain from telling me your product works better then the one I have which is free.  Oh yeah, free is good by the way, so if you want to get a good sale make your crap free.  Capisce?

Thought so....oh yeah because if you get it wrong you will be digging my crotch out of your teeth for days (pelvic thrusts hurt fyi).

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Thursday, October 4, 2007

Broken - Buntu

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Well...downloaded the the Gutsy-Gibbon beta and it officially took me 15 minutes to break it.  Now X just chills and hangs doing nothing....oh yeah I am that good.  Anyway I will definitely download the release and a full (semi) review will follow.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Flock

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Oh,

As a result, the last two blog posts...counting this one were done with a spiffy browser named Flock.  Not quite in it's 1.o phase flock seems to offer some rich items for the like minded, web 2.0 human being.  It plays beautifully with blogger, flicker, and has a great plugin for twitter.  In addition, it will do rss, youtube, and me.dium all within the browser.  The only big gripe I have is it does nothing to integrate into Facebook which is not a full time hobby like it is with most people, but we all can have our hopes and dreams.  Respect, the elephant-eas and have a good night.

Death to the Word SUB-Net

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Ok, as you don't all know subnets in themselves are a royal pain in the ass. I usually take my time and avoid them, staying close to the class A version of the world. However, a whole new beast has reared it's head and wants to be my friend in the same way I don't need to just take some relax"able" time with someone or something cool.

Class C and Class A, we can call them simply A and C want to mate in one spot together however, that spot is located in a library which is frequented by a shitload of people on a daily basis. So A decides that perhaps C could hide out on the balcony and perhaps cuddle for a while but C does not like the idea of being outside in the cold with nothing to think about besides sweet, sweet A. So what happens? How do A and C come together and mate into F? Well they don't. I know this is it for everyone but maybe, someday....maybe A and C will be able to be together in pure harmony; coexisting and reproducing like the nasty, freaks they are. Peace!

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