"In a democracy (‘rule by mob’), those who refuse to learn from history will be the majority and will dictate that everyone else suffer for their ignorance."
Absent WITH Leave today. Too much else on my plate. Play nicely while I’m out, ‘K?
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I’ve used various different Linux distros and even PC-BSD on secondary machines for several years now with almost universal success, but I always kept a machine with one or more Windows versions installed, since I regularly consulted with folks on their Windows woes, and that machine just kind of stayed my default. In attempting to make the switch completely to a Linux box as my “one-and-only” computer for daily use, I’ve found some joys and some woes to bless and plague my transition.
Some of the joys:
I’ve not been able so far to cause the equivalent of the (in)famous Windows BSOD. From my experiences with other ‘nix boxes, this is no surprise, but I have tried to “break” this thing by doing loads and loads of stupid things–often all at once *heh*–with no success so far in doing so.
All the web applications just work, and work well. I am particularly impressed with Evoluion email client. It has a few rough edges (archiving emails and exporting addressbooks not so slick, but do-able), but overall, it’s the equivalent of Outlook, complete with calendaring and Palm integration (using a helper app–JPilot and KPilot both work well).
Burning ISOs–two clicks. Easy-peasy.
Updates: simple as pie, and not one has failed yet (quite a contrast to Windows Updates).
Most (note: most) hardware has been recognized and set up right “out of the box” with little or no intervention from me. My venerable (8 years old) hp deskjet 5650 was simply installed in the background when I plugged it in, for example. Not even a CLICK from me. Do that in Vista.
Middle of the road:
Networking is no more transparent or easy than in Windows. A push.
Hardware management is all over the place. There’s no “Device Manager,” although there are several different applets that do allow one to achieve equivalent management functionality.
File system. Where is stuff installed? Just a re-learning curve-let.
Linux commands. It’s not DOS and it’s not Windows. Some things are still best done from the command line, and that requires re-learning what little I once knew and learning more about the ‘nix command line. Not a downer, just a learning curve-let. 😉
The woes:
Midi implementation is spotty and somewhat complex. The tutorials and howtos available are often contradictory or end up compounding the complexities rather than simplifying them. I suspect the spotty midi implementation (works sometimes in some programs and not others, etc.) is the reason for my midi issues in WINE/Encore. Reminds me a bit of early midi implementation in DOS, though I don’t recall that being quite so complex and obscurantist. Still working on making midi a consistent “Can do” in Ubuntu.
Video woes. I’ve mentioned this before, but when I installed Ubuntu Studio and went back to square one with a 640X480 screen and no way to change that (because installing Ubuntu Studio had scrambled the config files and UNinstalled my video chipset’s drivers). Reinstalling the drivers was only a partial fix, of course, since I then had to reinstall my monitor driver as well, find the lil applet that let me specify which monitor I am using, etc., etc. Not good.
While I can read and write data DVDs easy-peasy, playing a DVD is hit-and-miss, still. Working on that one, too. The problem seems to be region recognition on some DVDs, but only on some. Strange. Yep. Solved. Found some “strange brew” stuff that removed the region-specific barriers, so now any region DVD should play. So now all my DVDs (they’re all the same region anyway) seem to be problem-free, play just fine. Thanks, Google. Note: removed “strange brew” stuff as caused other problems and simply reset the CSS stuff on the drive’s firmware to Region 1. Works.
Two pieces of hardware–an IR receiver and an IR remote–need drivers that I cannot find. Learn to write drivers for ’em? It seems simpler and more cost-effective (considering my time) to simply purchase a new remote, preferably an RF version rather than IR. (Yep, available, anywhere from $25-$100. Have my eye on a Creative pair priced under $40)
Hmmm, for now that seems to be the story. I’m able to install various Windows versions in VirtualBox sessions and have everything work well, so Windows-only boxes can (for the most part) be decommissioned, now. I may, in the end, set up a headless Windows-only box to run Encore on, access it remotely and run things that way, perhaps. ll depends on if/how a midi keyboard can be configured on this box to control a remote box the same as one directly attached. Might work. May need to upgrade my nework, though (que triste! Buy more tech toys? *heh*) We’ll just have to see on that one.
On balance, it looks like this will work out well. Rock solid computer for daily grinding away; virtual computers to keep some Windows boxes virtually handy for references. Maybe one separate box just for Encore-related use… and maybe another inexpensive Ubuntu box (MythUbuntu?) for a frontend media pc, stuck by the main TV/stereo equipment. Heck, with a decent RF remote, might not even need that.
Sidebar: My dad seems to like his 85th birthday present. I get phone calls–usually via his MajocJack phone hooked to his new computer–that tell me he’s really getting the hang of transitioning from Windows Muppet Edition to XP pretty darned well. On balance, in his case, I’m really glad I made it an XP computer rather than a Linux box. Sure, all he really needs is is email and a word processor, but no… he’d bought that MagicJack that requires Windows XP or Vista, and getting it up and running so he has virtually free phone calls has been a Very Good Thing.
Back in the saddle again. I’ll pick up the dropped series “Issues and Answers” next week, but meanwhile, I thought it might be profitable to ask…
Is America Worth Saving?
Consider: what is “America”? These (Dys)United States? A federal constitutional republic in which the Constitution is largely ignored or deliberately “misread” to fit the whims of its political masters? A people of whiny, “Gimme-gimme-gimme, the world owes me a luxurious life” victim classes?
What has America become that is worth saving?
OTOH, from the record (Katrina, Tsunami, etc., on down the line), individual Americans seem to also be the most generous folks on the planet. The actual documents that are supposedly “the law of the land” do still make powerful sense (even though our political masters do everything in their power to deny the actual words). And sometimes an ocassional state does act like the States that formed the original union and actually assert itself as political body actually concerned with legitimate governance. Rarely, but sometimes.
But, is America salvageable? Have things deteriorated too far to be repaired? Has our federal government proceeded too far down the path King George chose, lo these many years ago, that resulted in The People declaring,
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
Thereafter, of course, followed the infamous “long train of abuses” which the government of Great Britain had thrust upn the colonies.
Is the “train of abuses” from our federal government any shorter or less odious today? By a smidgeon, perhaps.
But. Are the American people of today capable of demanding good government or are we so consumed by trivialities and self-serving conflicts as to be incapable of the fortitude that was demanded of the Founders?
A recent kerfuffle from the pages of contemporary “news” and blogospherical reactions suggests to me that although America may be worth saving and our political masters do need a swift (metaphorical) kick upside their collective heads, the attention of America cannot be brought to bear upon serious issues for as long as the attention span of a gnat. We just have too many other “important” issues to deal with, like,
The “Black National Anthem” pseudo-issue.
Y’all know the story by now, no doubt. A gal was asked to sing the National Anthem for a gathering in Denver. She chose to sing the so-called “Black National Anthem” instead of the supposed “white” National Anthem.
Twittering classes erupted in the kerffufle du jour.
*Yawn*
Folks, this is NOT something worth getting our panties in a knot over. The singer showed her own poor judgement and racial bigotry. Sad for her, and sad for anyone who either endorsed her racial bigotry or overreacted against it, giving her the attention she obviously craves. (You will notice that I do not name the singer, nor do I link to any article reporting her rude racial bigotry.)
I happen to very much like, appreciate and enjoy both singing and hearing sung,
“Lift every voice and sing
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us,
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun
Let us march on till victory is won”
I have often scheduled it for singing in patriotic or “God and Country” meetings, etc.
But. It is not a substitute for the National Anthem, which includes the verse so infrequently sung,
“Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”
Neither song need stand in conflict with the other. Each has its own proper place. I do regret that “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” is somehow known as an exclusively “black” song, when its lyrics should be singable by every true American, and I regret as well the idea that the Star Spangled Banner is somehow viewed by some racist bigots (on both sides of an arbitrary skin color divide) as the “white” National anthem. That such a view persists only serves the purpose of racial bigots of any and all skin tones.
What people, standing in sight of long-desired liberty (or in our case, fast fading liberties), could not embrace the song,
“God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, Our God, where we met Thee;
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand.
True to our GOD,
True to our native land”
The kerffufle over some tasteless racial bigot substituting what she sees as her “national anthem” for the National Anthem she had agreed to sing is simply evidence that far, far too many Americans are unable to concentrate on real issues and are ready, willing and far, far too able (EAGER!) to be distracted by triffles.
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Post title cryptic enough for ya? 😉 I’ll be out of town, out of state and mostly out of pocket for the next few days, so play nicely while I’m gone. (Yeh, I’ll have some sort of internet connection, but likely not the time to blog.)
Meanwhile, from Issue 1 of an abortive start at issues facing the U.S. (the series will continue–later), a tip from The Beagle Scout to add to Newt Gingrich’s Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less campaign at Americansolutions.com:
Those who haven’t yet done it and who care at all about US gas and energy prices may want to sign an electronic petition urging the US House of Representatives to pass H.R. 3089, the No More Excuses Energy Act of 2007. Here is the petition.
Read The Beagle Scout’s post and consider clicking on through the links he provides.
The unborn will bless you. And you might just help yourself out a bunch, too.
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It hurts so much ya just have to grin (painfully). Bill Gates touches briefly (in a looooong email) on a few of the reasons why I have mostly avoided using Windows XP much, myself. Heck, I went through things like he details when folks called me up confused, distressed or simply royally ticked off at XP.
And then came Vista, which has managed to make XP look really, really good.
*heh*
Go, read. Bill Gates on his XP experience.
It’d be hilarious if it weren’t so painful.
Come to think of it, since much of the pain was Bill’s, maybe that’s not such a detraction.
😉
Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, Allie is Wired, McCain Blogs, Adam’s Blog, The World According to Carl, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Democrat=Socialist, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
Well, the Supreme Court’s term this year ended with a bang, didn’t it? Some are unhappy that more well-armed criminals may face opposition from armed citizens as a result of the Supreme Court’s sudden turn toward sanity:
Washington’s mayor, Adrian Fenty, said he is disappointed. “More handguns in the District will mean more gun violence,” he said at a press conference.
Yep. More chance for goblins to meet their just reward at the hands of their erstwhile victims. Typical “keep the subjects defenseless” twaddle.
Have you seen Hulu? It’s not the only site out there doing this sort of thing, but its slick presentation of TV shows and movies it has available for streaming is pretty darned good. The pickings are moderately slim, so far, but I’ve watched a couple of episodes of TV shows I missed (for whatever reason–probably an “I don’t want to watch TV tonight” night–I have lotsa those) and found things to note for later viewing.
Speaking of TV, did the “So You Think You Can Dance” judges make the right decision on which “girl” dancer to kick off this week? My Wonder Woman and I think so. SYTYCD is one of the very, very few TV shows I have been willing to work my schedule around in many years. Discovered it about halfway through its run last year and have eagerly anticipated its return this year. It hasn’t disappointed. Good Stuff, Maynard.
Anyone want to get up in my attic for me today to run cable? It’s only going to be in the mid-80s outside (which means, perhaps, only about as hot as the suburbs of hell up in the attic) and about 2.000% humidity…
Woman gets 12-15 years for enslaving and torturing her maids. Her lawyer’s comment?
“I think it’s very harsh,” Hoffman said after the sentencing. “She has suffered dramatically.”
Yeh, well not as much as she will once she reaches her final reward in hell.
Oh, one more thing I miss in my now quotidian use of Ubuntu: the Windows “Toggle Keys” featurette. I loved having my computer *boop!* at me whenever I inadvertently hit the CAPS LOCK key. The spacings on this new keyboard (as well as the key travel, key height, etc.) have led me to hit the CAPS LOCK key more often in the last week than I have for years. Annoying. I may well resort to the old “pry off the capslock key, stuff high density foam into the cavity and replace the key” trick to make it exceedingly difficult to key in that DOS (OK, and other OS/language) abomination holdover. Yeh, later today after I put my dad’s computer back together (after a DeoxIT treatment and a “new” DVDROM drive installation–BTW, I get nothing for plugging it, but DeoxIT is Very Good Stuff. I probably need to try Stabilant 22 to make a comparison, but DeoxIT should avert some simple hardware errors for my dad for several years).
What to do with all the sandbags?
I’ll take some, thank you very much. Heck, even the “stinky” ones. I don’t care.
The underlying story here is “Dog Bites Man,” normal (government corruption) but where it takes a turn for the “man bites dog” weird is that… a government crook is actually being treated as a crook! Watch out for flying pig poop, folks, cos this is weirdness run amok. Think of it: instead of prosecuting government workers who are doing what they are supposed to for imaginary “crimes,” two government workers who accepted bribes from both legal and illegal immigrants to facilitate theri entry/habitation in the U.S. are actually facing charges!
Has Satan ordered an ice rink constructed in hell or what?
North Caroliona: WTF?!?
And from the “Driving TWC Central Crazy” department: What’s that funny clickin’ noise, anyway? *sigh* Three things have conspired to help me earn my Stupid sign, recently.
1. My turn signal doesn’t always turn off after a right-hand turn (to be fair, I sometimes manage turns–especially right hand turns–in such a way as to not engage the mechanical CLICK OFF , whatever it’s called).
2. Despite the fact that I can still hear the mosquito ringtone, between the tinitis, road noise (I often drive with a window open–just like “2-60 air conditioning”– and a strange “hole” or flat spot I’ve developed somewhere slightly north of 1Khz, I am often unable to hear the clicker.
3. Then, when the sun’s on my instrument cluster, I often cannot see the darned visual indicator, either
So, there I am, driving along with my “clicker” on. *sigh*
Somebody give me a sign, wouldya?
Well, that’s all from the voices in my head today. Why don’t y’all give me some more things to think about, eh?
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*heh*
I am not here; this is not me,
No matter what you think you see.
I am not here; this is not me.
Day with my Wonder Woman. Her cardio appointment, shopping, bumming around. Amuse yourselves. Pick up your own mess before you leave.
🙂
Reading a compilation of Howard L. Myers stories recently, I can across a comment that may explain part of the Obamamania that otherwise inexplicably dominates some portions of our society. It can’t be the whole reason, but it implies at least part of the cause(s). From “All Around the Universe” this lil gem:
I chuckled at the memory of old Uncle Buxton. When he talked, his tongue wagged his brain! By which I think I mean his brain was foolish enough to believe what his tongue said.
“…his brain was foolish enough to believe what his tongue said.” Hmmm, folks who believe three or four foolish things before their feet even hit the floor in the morning would have no problems with letting themselves believe the empty and often downright evil balderdash Obama spouts.
For that matter, perhaps Obama has sold himself his own bill of goods. Sincerity is hard to fake convincingly, but once you have that down, nearly anything is possible.
Then again, both Dhimmicrappic and Repugnican’t voters seen bent on embracing fantastic lies, idiocies and slanders of reality from their candidates, nowadays.
Is there no force willing to resist against the fall of night?
Guess not.
*sigh*
Yeh, and what does Wednesday have to do with anything, anyway? I dunno, but the voices in my head told me to say that. 😉
The other day, I read the most hilarious “guest editorial” in a paper from a couple of countues north of America’s Third World County. The author accused averyone in politics except himself of being biased in viewpoint and speech. Now, by “bias” one can safely infer from the tone of this guy’s article that he means something very much like, “a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment” or “an instance of… prejudice,” but the hilarious thing is that the guy never even sees the huge, honking beam in his own eye.
Silly puppy.
*Tearing hair out* OK, so strangely enough, one of this curmudgeon’s fav movies of all time is Matilda. If you’ve not seen it, just do. It’s one of the very, very few movies of the last 25 years or so I feel is worth watching more than once.
So why the *Tearing hair out*? New comp. Decided to watch a bit of Matilda. No joy. Errors reading the DVD. *sigh* Check on regular old everyday DVD player. S’all right. Is it the drive(s)? If so, another $60 (or less) should fix that, but then I’d be moving over my target “Mr. Tightwad” budget for this thing.
Oh. Well. Some tests today (OK, much later today) should tell the tale.
What’s with the Obamassiah? Why are so many “idjits” under this snake oil salesman’s spell? Oh. Answered my own question, didn’t I? What I simply cannot get, in any way, shape, fashion or form, is why this stublebum speaker has the reputation as a powerful public speaker. His delivery alone (let’s not even count his almost complete lack of content) would earn him low “C’s” in my high school speech classes lo these many years ago, and I’ve heard better public speaking from some of the worst preachers I’ve heard over more than half a century. So why do folks think Obamassiah’s public speaking is the bomb?
Again, idjits. Very nearly absolutely illiterate bums and oafs and dummies making the assessment of Obamassiah’s speaking ability.
What marrons.
Then again there are the maroons on the other side of the disappearing “aisle” who have given the Repugnican’t nomination to Juan Mexicain. Brush up on your Mexican Spanish, folks, cos Juan Mexicain wants to surrender the U.S. to Mexico. Oh, and isn’t it sweet that he wants to drill for oil offshore? Of course, readily accessible sites with loads of infrastructure available for moving oil pumped to the surface? No to ANWAR (among others). Go ahead and gimme my $0.18/gallon forgiveness of “feddle gummint” extortion, Juan, but don’t expect me to see you as serious about energy and the environment until you simply say, “Drill Here, Drill Now” and “build those 200 nuclear power plants” and STOP saying silly and stupid things about CO2 and Anthropogenic Global Warming.
What a maroon.
Gee, supposed to hot up today in America’s Third World County. Had to use a light blanket with the windows open last night, though. Sleeping with a blanket in UNair conditioned space oward the end of June. In America’s Third World County. Never thought I’d do that. Must be global warming.
Speaking of…
The Goracle needs to have someone read that to him… slowly.
The other day, in comments, Perri Nelson expressed a wee tad of surprise that I’m regularly getting better than 40mpg on my lil 11-year-old Saturn. Actually, he knows better. 🙂 Apart from simply not driving at all, the single greatest boost to fuelk economy one can make is to drive a stick. Manual transmission. No automatic tranny (unless one is talking about some of the new CVT trannies–they’re hard to beat) can approach offering the fuel economy of active intelligence applied to a manual transmission vehicle.
Note the qualifier: folks who are dumber than a bag of hammers (easily 80-90% of the drivers on the roads today) need not attempt this fuel saving measure. It does take an active, intelligent, constantly monitored approach to ALL driving conditions.
So if you are unable to chew gum and refute the dogma of the Church of Anthropogenic Global Warming at the same time, you should just pass this lil tip by…
OK, a couple more things I miss using Ubuntu/Linux (w/nice GUI) on a daily basis:
–middle mouse button/scroll wheel behavior in my browser of choice. In Windoze I can “CLICK” the thing and set a scroll speed and just let it scroll away. Nice for reading ebooks hands off.
–RIGHT-CLICK on desktop context menu is sorely lacking in options. Heck, RIGHT-CLICK context menu options in general are kinda thin
–I seriously need to find a better file browser than the built-in crippledware GUI file browser. Less than genuinely useful.
HAdn’t really missed those things in earlier uses of Ubuntu, cos my previous usage was more limited.
Apart from those things (and the probably hardware-related DVD issue mentioned above) and a couple of lil niggling things like HIBERNATION *heh*, Ubuntu is proving to be all I had come to expect of it: about halfway between Win98 and WINXP in ease-of-use. At least an order of magnitude more stable. Quicker than any Windows version (and yeh, I am discounting some for speed of newer hardware, since I’ve experienced the nimble footedness of Linux GUI distros for years on old, OLD hardware). As nice an experience, overall, as any Windows upgrade I’ve done in the past, save for perhaps Windows 2000 Pro (now there was a nice, stable Windows. Still a resopurce hog, but solid in my experience. When it did come apart, though… *sheesh!*).
Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Faultline USA, Allie is Wired, The World According to Carl, Shadowscope, The Pink Flamingo, Cao’s Blog, Democrat=Socialist, , Conservative Cat, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
The folks over at WINEHQ are proving themselves to be champs. Dan Kegel posted a couple of replies to my post mentioning WINE directing me to submit (and what to submit) bug reports on those issues that were putting me off using it for “critical” (to me) apps. Actually, it really just comes down to one uber-critical app for me.
And the contributors there have been patient with me as my sleep-deprived, under-caffeinated brain failed to check the docs more carefully for such things as classifications of bug severity and lil notices in emails that say, DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL *LOL*. (Of course, a “Normal” bug that chops out major portions of an app’s functionaity doesn’t seem “Normal” to me, but I’m just as WINE user with little no experience in how “Major” bugs affect things. I’m sure I’ll learn. Or not, epending on how many brain cells are left and how much time I have left to learn… But at least one of the developers was kind enough to send me a link to the bug classification list. *DUH* The link was right next to the dropdown list for bug severity classification. Major case of The Stupids here. :-))