Is It Safe to Say This Yet? Do I Care?
By shoe | August 27, 2008
I've decided I don't care. I'll say it. I did put the official word in to the appropriate places, and I meant every word -- the good stuff, and the criticism. But I am seriously, seriously too old for this stuff. And by too old I mean I've pretty much matured past the age of fourteen, and some days, that seems like an insult to many of the totally wonderful fourteen year olds I've met.
I've found from past experience that it is possible to love a lot about a job, but when certain things start happening, it's time to get out. 'Cause company/brand/job loyalty is a nice, noble idea, and the people around you and directly above you can be wonderful people, but it's a pretty sure thing there's someone above them... or above that person... who says, "Look, how cute! Here comes the bus... chuck 'em under it!" or... it comes down to "thanks for your help and service... no, don't take the candy from the dish on my desk... that's for people who still work here."
And this isn't quite the same situation, but there are similarities, and I'm at the point that when my gut says, "It's time to go," it might be worth trusting it.
I've let the appropriate party at Download Squad know that it's the end of the line there for me. There may be one more feature forthcoming, which I committed to a while back, and is just taking some time to coordinate the people I need to talk to to put it all together. I let the appropriate party (who is... seriously... one of the best, most genuine people out there, and I think the world of him and feel for the position he is often put in) know that I am willing to finish that piece and follow through if he wanted.
And I'm going to avoid all sorts of details and the speculating on my part about how things are going to play out. I am going to listen to my gut, and hope in some way my gut failed me this time.
So... No. I am not disappearing off the face of the earth. I hope. Okay, most of the time I hope that. Sometimes it doesn't seem like a bad thing. There is Sudo Wrestling, of course...and a few other possibilities opening that I owe my fellow cephalopod and squid loving friends greatly for.
Topics: It's All About Me, Linux | No Comments »
Chicks Dig Cuttlefish
By shoe | August 24, 2008
Today, I learned that Logitech's RightLight is really powerful and my skin sorta has this glow in the dark look to it. I also learned that an eight megapixel camera is not a good thing when you are having an acne issue. (Why am I having an acne issue? I don't know. It's freakish!)
But my mom wants a picture with a good enough resolution that she can blow it up really big and hang it on the hearth in the new addition they're building. This'll blow up really big. Somehow I don't think she'd be feeling that, though.
Yes, that's my computer behind me, with the wild see through window. I like to use the webcam on Mr. Shoe's computer, because when shooting video, the Windows software feature set does me more justice than the Linux drivers can do. I see, though, that is not the same with stills.
I reinstalled OpenSUSE 11.0 to the native KDE4 version yesterday. That should have gone a lot smoother, and would have been very easily fixed if I wasn't a horribly stubborn sort. I could have deleted (or renamed) a file or two, and it would have worked, and I could have updated easily with a GUI and then put those files back.
Nope, I took out the hammer of Zypper and YaST2 in text mode. It looks really schweet now though.
Tried to go shopping today with Mr. Shoe, as I felt pretty good yesterday. Heh. Crud. We were gone less than about forty minutes, when it became apparent that if I did not return to a reclining position... immediately... great woe and tragedy would be released upon the globe.
Made it, mostly. So that woe and tragedy you may be experiencing currently... someone else's fault.
Monster and Norman were also taken to the vet this week. Norman endured the horrors of a couple vaccinations, and Monster got a blood draw to make sure that his achy legs are really from the fact he's a thirteen year old dog. Turns out, Monster is in remarkably good shape for a dog his age (who has been taking epilepsy medications for many years). However, his thyroid is apparently an underachiever. It does explain the hair loss and the fact that he is the only creature on earth that can even sleep me under the table. It is weird, though, the vet said, because he "isn't a portly fellow" (said with amazingly cool South African accent). True. Monster is 11 lbs. Okay, he's up from his usual 10 lbs. What a pig.
Topics: Elusive Sleep, Excessive Sleep, It's All About Me, Linux | 2 Comments »
Amazing Timesink.
By shoe | August 23, 2008
For the record, new SudoWrestling cast up. This episode had some issues. We decided we'd give recording with my webcam mic a go, rather than my headset. But Skype was evil. No. Not true. My evil town decided that it was time to put new telephone poles all down the street. DSL was not happy. Phone didn't care much. So for two seconds I'd sound fine, and then Lisa would sound okay, and then we'd all sound like we were underwater eating crackers. So Lisa called me on my landline, via Skype, and we did it that way. But my landline phone is even crappier than my headset or webcam mic, and I sound like I'm in a big padded cigar box.
Wasting far too much time on Twitter. Now there's this Chumby Twitter widget that allows me to update Twitter from my Chumby. My Chumby is located on my nightstand. I can update Chumby lying in bed. This bad, I tell you. Bad. But oh so good.
Topics: Chumby, Hardware, It's All About Me, Linux | No Comments »
And the Crowd Goes Wild
By shoe | August 22, 2008
Why? Did I leave the house without pants again? Dammit!
Thanks to some serendipitous events I was honored to work a little Sourceforge/PotM/Linux.com magic. This was a pretty interesting process, really. First off, I got to work with Tomcat, which I had never worked with before. I also got to marvel again and again at how spotty and temperamental Java can be in Linux. Plus, I got to look at the actual software I was reviewing once that other stuff was out of the way. A nice, full featured piece of work.
Also really dug the process of getting there. I had an editor that was very good. His suggestions were great, and even though I knew kind of what he was going to suggest for changes and clarifications (because I knew in some cases they were necessary), he did it in a manner that I actually saw really clearly, "Yeah, that's it... That's exactly what I need to focus on and where it has to be said."
Damn good experience, anyway. Thanks to all involved. Now to reunite myself with my pantaloons.
Topics: It's All About Me, Linux | No Comments »
Home Again
By shoe | August 20, 2008
I thought the mosquitos were fun in New Hampshire... Mr. Shoe and I just went out to re-pot the lily from hell, and clean the filter. Mr. Shoe went off to grab top soil, and I remained cleaning the filter (and the impeller on the pump damn near burned itself out.) No kidding, I am now, between my foray to New Hampshire and the half hour in the yard, so bitten beyond belief it feels like every inch of exposed area is swelled. Calves, ankles, upper arms, and forehead (those suckers love my forehead, for whatever reason).
I was dumb and wore a tank top and shorts out there. Didn't wear bug repellent, as I didn't think the air would be thick with them. I don't think it's going to cause an issue (I don't get overly sensitive to bug bites of any variety), but I have never been swarmed like that ever. And I have had times I've combed my hair and had dead mosquitos fall out (yes, I bathe daily. Sheesh!) Sick!
Lily is re-potted. It didn't eat us. That thing is evil. And weighs a good three hundred pounds.
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
Fine, I Have Crappy Taste in Music
By shoe | August 20, 2008
But big friggin' wah. RIP, LeRoi Moore. I did not go to that last show. After seeing Dave and Tim at the TD Banknorth/FleetCenter/Garden/whatever the hell it is this week, and having to leave a half hour in because the crowd was so horribly obnoxious and the pot (and crack) fumes were interacting with medication onboard, I decided I was done.
Of course, I believe ComcastCenter is the former TweeterCenter (damn naming rights and bankruptcies. It's too confusing to keep venues straight). That means it is at least partially open air, which I do tend to do better with (Meadowlands in CT, nice... they stole our blanket, but at least the fumes were manageable and the beer the drunk idiotic college kids spilled all over us washed off).
Regardless, I will say this: Dave Matthews Band never was about Dave. Sure, he plays the guitar better than I do. He has a better vocal range, I guess, than I do (that ain't saying much). But Boyd (my personal favorite), LeRoi, Carter and Stefan were the show. Okay, fine. Boyd and LeRoi were the show. Carter was pretty impressive just cause he chewed gum the entire time he was drumming. Would that make it harder, or easier, and did it lose its flavor?
Delivery method aside, LeRoi was damn talented, and it's sad to see him go.
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
Shout Outs
By shoe | August 18, 2008
It occurred to me today I know a lot of people in Florida. And, believe it or not, I actually really love a lot of those people in Florida. Of course, Momshoe and Caroline, Beth, and Dadshoe and all the attached people they care about. And there's my twisted sister, Lisa and the esteemed Mr. Zonker and many other penguin people that I care about.
So I hope Filthy Fay misses you all entirely, which would seem to mean I have to wish it upon someone else, but I guess I can't, so it doesn't matter anyway. Because as Zonker said, the weather doesn't do what he wants it to. It doesn't do what I want it to either. Actually, most days I'm lucky if I can get my brain to do what I want it to in a relative way.
Removed Adobe Album Starter from mom's computer, and the ASUS crap I accidently installed (whoops) and, wonder of wonders, it all moves much faster and everything behaves as it should. She is really digging Picasa. I'm at the point, it makes it easier for her to use her camera, and it doesn't weigh the desktop down, it's all good.
Topics: Hardware, It's All About Me, Linux, Travel Near and Far | No Comments »
How Embarrassing
By shoe | August 17, 2008
So I've been running the default Xandros since I've had to restore my Eee. This is going to sound really weird, but it's not bothering me half as much this time around as it was last. Certainly there is some itchiness about it, but it does most of the stuff I actually find myself doing.
Still in NH, where I just heard yet another hummingbird clock itself against my parents' glass slider. They don't seem to knock themselves senseless like the hawk did, or explode on impact like I've seen a few chickadees do.
Walking the boys out in the yard the other day I came across about fifteen to twenty wild turkeys. I was ripped I didn't have my camera, because this was the first time I've been outside and they've been in really no hurry to get away. Monster and Norman didn't notice.
It hailed yesterday. This is the first time I've seen hail in years. It wasn't huge (like the size of the perlite stuff you see in potting soil), but it was enough that it made my dad seriously consider going out and throwing himself over his truck to avoid dents.
Mr. Shoe did a thirteen hour tournament at GenCon yesterday. Better him than me. Crap, I'd unpack all the army men and be ready for a nap.
I seriously do have to do some maintenance on my mom's computer. Number one, I think I managed to install something (that shouldn't have installed) on her computer when I was trying to make a recovery disk for the Eee. Number two, every time you stick in a drive, Adobe piece of crap album thing takes over and tries to have its way. It doesn't care that you've told Windows you want the file manager. It's slow, and system intensive, and worse yet, mom has no damn idea how to use it. Plus, most of the features you need are crippled until you pay Adobe.
I'd have less of a problem with paying Adobe if the program didn't get in the way of stuff I didn't need it for.
So I installed Picasa, because it is probably the quickest, easiest way of finding and working with photos I can think of, that's pretty full featured, free, and even if it doesn't stay entirely out of the way, it doesn't slow things down horribly, either.
Mom loves it. So far. She's really happy because I set it to recognize her Outlook account and resize images she wants to email automatically. She figured out how to fire up the email function and work it herself, and is very happy with the results. I am removing the Adobe POS and going to see if I can't make Picasa commandeer her photos instead.
Normally, I wouldn't do that. But my mom loves photos, and finds managing them on the computer tricky (it's so much easier in Linux, but she is hesitant to try a dual boot). Picasa is a pretty good interface in that it is easy, and consistent. So she may not know really where the photos are on her hard drive, she can at least easily see they're there with Picasa. Face it, no point in having a digital camera (or tons of software on your computer to manage it) if you can't actually get it to do the stuff you need, or if it hides your images. This works. We'll take it.
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
Bye, SDHC
By shoe | August 14, 2008
Today my Eee's SDHC card, which had my /home directory on it, seemed to develop a bad sector. I am not sure what or how the rest of it went down, but I lost the ability to get just about any application started that had required a .profile configuration.
Ended up whipping out the ASUS DVD and restoring from USB. Problem was, I didn't have a traditional USB drive. So it ended up I had a 1 gig SD card, and 2 gig one, and a Kingston USB card reader. The 1 gig didn't work (Transcend) but the 2 gig did (Kingston). The thing that sucked is that my camera really likes the 2 gig card, too, and I'm in NH right now. But I ended up formatting it, putting Xandros on, and reinstalling.
The ASUS manual isn't horrible at describing the installation from USB process. It does fail to mention that the way the BIOS is configured it will require the hard drive order and boot order changed back on reboot. I would imagine most people would figure it out. But it's probably not a bad thing to not take for granted, either.
Topics: Hardware, Linux | No Comments »
This Worked Out Pretty Well
By shoe | August 12, 2008
So I finally finished putting this piece together yesterday. Nice Victor at DLS sent me an email he got a few days ago that we both laughed over the relative cluelessness of it all.
Came from a fairly well known SEO type, and it linked to a hundred libraries online! Wow! A hundred? I imagine they stopped because they couldn't remember what came after the round number. I also don't get the reasoning of the number. Give a few good ones, or make a database listing them all... but what makes the cut on a list so large that no one could assimilate much of it, and why were some of them there when others weren't that so should have been?
So we laughed about that, and then decided it'd be cool to write about some free online sources of good information that are actually... much more useful than anything on the first list. Back to school and all.
Okay, fine, I could tool around the LoC's site all day.
Topics: It's All About Me, Libraries | No Comments »