Thursday, January 24, 2008
power to the people
Ever notice how much money is spent when those in power want something from us they cant buy anywhere else?
Recommended books on how power really works in our system:
Parliament of Whores by PJ O'Rourke
Boss: The Life and Times of Mayor Richard J Daley
by Mike Royko (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize)
As an aside, Mike Royko was Hillary Clinton's favorite columnist. I hope to be able to write like he did.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Linux rack
I used to own a bunch of Linux reference books. I probably still have one or two. Obviously, I never used 'em.
These are likely to largely suffer the same fate. Most of these books are bought in the hope it will help people to master the subject. Almost never happens.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Destined to be bought and rarely used
Most computer reference books are bought with the dream of gaining expertise in the subject. Most of them are opened once, then go into a pile or shelf and never get touched again.
These computer reference books are also some of the most expensive paperbacks on the market, making the profit margins lush.
It's a scam.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
It's a long shot
.. but Im swinging for the fences on this one.
It may just be a good year. We'll see.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Leaving the Dark Ages
Ten years ago, the last time I seriously tinkered with Unix - it was SO not ready for prime time, at least for general use. Apparently it is now.
A clip from the show Veronica Mars (subtitled for non-geeks):
This was so geek-hip, probably going over the heads of most people watching it. To translate, they were arguing about which Unix based operating system was better, Apple's OSX or the Linux Ubuntu. I love the line "Ok fine - live in the Dark Ages!". Really, thats what the argument is about.
To weigh in on that argument, they both both have their good points - but I will come down on the side of Ubuntu. Like they USED to say about Apple - "It just works." Ubuntu works so well on the desktop I have decided not to buy a Macbook Pro laptop. Even with Leopard, the growing feeling I've had for years is Apple have lost their way, and my short experience with the new Linux has me feeling it is finally time to consider OSX irrelevant.
And the feeling is growing. A serious, well-known Mac user named Mark Pilgrim, created a wave of geek-troversy in 2006 when he publicly announced he was stick-a-fork-in-me-I-am-done-with-Mac:
I had my own breaking point moment last year finishing up an OSX upgrade project. I was attempting to do something geek-simple, adding mac users and groups to a Windows network. A process that shouldve taken several hours instead took TWO WEEKS.
Why? Because things didnt just work. Although I eventually signed off on the completed project and it is still working, it bothered me on a professional level that a project that shouldve taken a month took 5 months to complete. I'd rather be known as efficient rather than heroic.
Soon after, my personal Mac died. I picked up a almost brand new HP computer for $100 (4 times cheaper than what I paid for the Mac), and my personal productivity became exponentially better.
Geez.
However, I didnt expect to totally put the Mac world out of my personal life. And only because I found a good alternative to switch to. I just didnt expect it to be Linux.
I feel like I am indeed leaving the Dark Ages.
A clip from the show Veronica Mars (subtitled for non-geeks):
This was so geek-hip, probably going over the heads of most people watching it. To translate, they were arguing about which Unix based operating system was better, Apple's OSX or the Linux Ubuntu. I love the line "Ok fine - live in the Dark Ages!". Really, thats what the argument is about.
To weigh in on that argument, they both both have their good points - but I will come down on the side of Ubuntu. Like they USED to say about Apple - "It just works." Ubuntu works so well on the desktop I have decided not to buy a Macbook Pro laptop. Even with Leopard, the growing feeling I've had for years is Apple have lost their way, and my short experience with the new Linux has me feeling it is finally time to consider OSX irrelevant.
And the feeling is growing. A serious, well-known Mac user named Mark Pilgrim, created a wave of geek-troversy in 2006 when he publicly announced he was stick-a-fork-in-me-I-am-done-with-Mac:
Mac OS X was “free enough” to keep me using something that was not in my long-term best interest. But as I stood in the Apple store last weekend and drooled over the beautiful, beautiful hardware, all I could think was how much work it would take to twiddle with the default settings, install third-party software, and hide all the commercial tie-ins so I could pretend I was in control of my own computer. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and to my eye Apple isn’t beautiful anymore. I’ve worked around it or ignored it for a long time, but eventually the bough breaks.
I had my own breaking point moment last year finishing up an OSX upgrade project. I was attempting to do something geek-simple, adding mac users and groups to a Windows network. A process that shouldve taken several hours instead took TWO WEEKS.
Why? Because things didnt just work. Although I eventually signed off on the completed project and it is still working, it bothered me on a professional level that a project that shouldve taken a month took 5 months to complete. I'd rather be known as efficient rather than heroic.
Soon after, my personal Mac died. I picked up a almost brand new HP computer for $100 (4 times cheaper than what I paid for the Mac), and my personal productivity became exponentially better.
Geez.
However, I didnt expect to totally put the Mac world out of my personal life. And only because I found a good alternative to switch to. I just didnt expect it to be Linux.
I feel like I am indeed leaving the Dark Ages.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Honey Dews
There are 5 fruit stands within a square block of my place.
I've only started eating more fruit recently.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Being a geek is for the young
Back in the day, an intellectual challenge would get me going, staying up for days at a time, obsessing over ways to make things work and finding sheer joy in the process.
Nowadays, thinking too hard makes my brain hurt.
It helped that back in the day, my caffeine intake bordered on the obscene - several liters of Co-Cola a day, large 20 oz cups of coffee, averaging 10 cups daily. But Im paying for that insane excess now. Decaf is all I can handle. And two cups per day is my limit.
I finally got around to installing Ubuntu Linux on a laptop today, and after a hiccup or two - it installed beautifully. But as Clint, who was doing a Unix install of his own, put it..
My brain may not be up to it. :)
Still, it is fun - cryptic command lines notwithstanding. Playing with this reminds me of how things USED to be, when mainstream operating systems werent so locked down for monopolistic and security reasons. Took me back to the old days.
But, in the old days, I was hepped up on caffeine. :)
Nowadays, thinking too hard makes my brain hurt.
It helped that back in the day, my caffeine intake bordered on the obscene - several liters of Co-Cola a day, large 20 oz cups of coffee, averaging 10 cups daily. But Im paying for that insane excess now. Decaf is all I can handle. And two cups per day is my limit.
I finally got around to installing Ubuntu Linux on a laptop today, and after a hiccup or two - it installed beautifully. But as Clint, who was doing a Unix install of his own, put it..
JPennant: how is it working?That's when the thinking started for me. It's not that I dont know Unix, but the best way to quickly learn anything is hands-on, and requires a fair amount of brain power.
mcclint: basically all i got was the equivalent to C : \ >
mcclint: I found myself saying "ok now what?"
My brain may not be up to it. :)
Still, it is fun - cryptic command lines notwithstanding. Playing with this reminds me of how things USED to be, when mainstream operating systems werent so locked down for monopolistic and security reasons. Took me back to the old days.
But, in the old days, I was hepped up on caffeine. :)
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
@ the Bookstore
Ive bought but one Brit photo magazine in the past 2 months, and only because it was relevant.
Lord, Ive spent a lot of money on these things.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Getting the power back on
Herculean efforts to get the power back on during and after the storm, when power to nearly 2 million people was knocked out.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Friday, January 04, 2008
Storm damage
A common sight around Northern California today, as hurricane force winds from a storm system spanning 3 countries toppled trees and trucks alike.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Not snow nor rain nor having to ride the cable car shall keep the mailman from his appointed rounds
Not snow nor rain nor having to ride the cable car shall keep the mailman from his appointed rounds, originally uploaded by Itinerant.
In SF, mail carriers often use public transportation...
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
It's 2008. No more pussyfooting.
New Year resolutions. Oh yeah...
Usually I make one major theme and go with it, but this time - Im impatient. I want things to GET GOING this year.
There are other things and details, but Im keeping those within me.
2008 is a gonna be a good year, I feel it in my bones. And if it isnt - Im gonna make it so. ;)
Usually I make one major theme and go with it, but this time - Im impatient. I want things to GET GOING this year.
- - Make (not merely earn) good money.
- - Work the way I want to.
- - Approach things with a combination of passion, discipline and high standards.
- - Travel more, go overseas for the first time since my teens.
There are other things and details, but Im keeping those within me.
2008 is a gonna be a good year, I feel it in my bones. And if it isnt - Im gonna make it so. ;)
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