This has to be one of the coolest LEGO things I’ve seen since the LEGO photocopier. A knitting machine made from LEGO. How cool is that? I found it as a randm link on NextBrick
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living with Ubuntu…
a little over a year ago, I was investigating linux distributions that would be suitable for the missions field. The distro would need to be easy to use and maintain, while also providing a complete desktop environment. Another requirement was that the distro needed to be fairly standardized. Dealing with infinite configuration possibilities while supporting remote users was not something I wanted to bring upon myself. Also, the distro needed to have excellent support for languages other than english.
There were several options out there, including Knoppix. Knoppix runs off of a CD, a so-called “live distribution”, and no hard drive is required for basic operation. I wasn’t so worried about this aspect, so a traditional, disk-based distro would work just fine.
In my research, I had heard about a relatively new distro called Ubuntu Linux, “Linux for Human Beings”. “hmmm”, I thought. Sounds interesting. Upon further inspection, it offered all the items on my checklist.
So, I have been running Ubuntu linux for a few months now. I’ve installed several packages (pre-packaged software modules), removed some, configured basic things, even installed it as a server at work.
The only thing I can say is, “Wow”. The Ubuntu team has brought linux out of the dark ages, and truly lives up to its tagline, “Linux for human beings”.
Package management is a breeze. It’s lightyears ahead of the RedHat “dependency Hell”. I’d say it’s even slicker than the ports/packages collection for the BSDs. The Ubuntu system allows you to have fine grain control over your updates, or leave things alone with very reasonable defaults. I guess that’s kinda the theme with Ubuntu; reasonable defaults. A fresh install leaves you with a good selection of useful tools without overwhelming you with endless variations of the same software. There is also a focus on including default apps that seem to be very cohesive and have at least a modicum of UI consistency. Granted, much of this is due to the inclusion of Gnome as the desktop, but I feel like there’s more at work than just including Gnome. (For those KDE enthusiasts, there’s a separate distribution that uses KDE instead of Gnome, called, well, “Kubuntu”)
While I’m used to linux distros, and Open Source software in general, having good community support, I must say that the Ubuntu forums are a real treat. RTFMs and trolls are at a minimum, and people are genuinely helpful.
I’ve been using linux for quite some time now, and I’ve used several distros including Red Hat (and Fedora), Slackware (my first distro *eyes swelling*), and I’ve tried out several others. Debian (the distro Ubuntu is derived from) was one of the distros I’ve had the least interaction with. I installed it once on an old SparcStation 5, but didn’t really do much with it after the install. But, after my experience with Ubuntu, I’ve given Debian a closer look. There are a few things that I’ll have to get used to (philosophy-wise), but overall, things are pretty logical and clean for both Ubuntu and Debian. For instance, configuration files are divided quite logically by directory, and not just all lumped into “/etc”. Makes figuring things out on your own a little easier.
All this being said about Ubuntu, there are times when you want to have a bare-minumum install of your OS so that your specific application has the most resources available. Ubuntu does have a “server” install that forgoes the GUI and a lot of little utilities. However, being the OS control freak that I am, I wanted more, er, less. In this case, I’d use something like Debian which gives you a very bare-bones minimal install, or one of the BSDs (my first choice).
Another good aspect of Ubuntu is its release schedule. The Ubuntu team keep to a 6-month release cycle for major features. Of course bug fixes and point releases for packages are handled as needed. However, for the uninitiated, this scheme makes the versioning somewhat of an oddity. The versions use a YY.MM format. so, the October, 2005 release is 5.10. They also have clever (if not a bit silly) release names (“Breezy Badger”, “Hoary Hedgehog”, and the very endearing, “Warty Warthog”).
Overall, and after some good use, I’m happy to say that Ubuntu is a keeper. It’s ease of use, simplicity, support for poeple other than english-speaking Americans, release schedule, and the quality of the community make it the distro of choice for newbies and old-timers alike. Plus, for Linux neophytes, this distro will allow you to grow as you like. Most things you’d need to do can be done via the GUI, but if you prefer, you can do all your “real” work at the command line as well. So, if you’re either tired of your current distro, or thinking of giving “this linux thingy” a try, head over to the Ubuntu web site and download it (or you can order free CDs).
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Jed’s Other Poem
Found a most interesting piece of retro art/technology at Daring Fireball. The “artist” composed a poem on the computer, programmed in Apple BASIC. The code executes and the poem is displayed as though it were a time-driven Apollinaire poem. Very cool!
Oh, also, someone wrote a song to the poem and it plays while the program, er poem, executes.
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the last place you’d think to look…
Way back in tha halcyon days of the late 90’s when USB was young, and the women were glad of it, I decided to go all USB for my peripherals. At the time, it was hard to find a BIOS that would use a USB keyboard to boot from. Over the years, I’ve chewed through a few USB hubs, and several mice, keyboards, scanners and printers.
Recently, I decided I wanted a full-time Linux box around, and I wanted to share my monitor, keyboard and mouse between it and my Windows box. Now, you may be thinking, “why, oh why would you not just buy one of those cheap-as-dirt KVM switches that are on the market today, that even include cables?”.
Of course the answer to that is that I’m cheap. I already have the video switching capability in my monitor, so I just need a solution for the K and M portions. I hooked up the keyboard and mouse to the USB hub, and then have 2 wires that rest near the hub. One connects the hub to the Windows box, the other to the Linux box. This way, I need only reach a few inches, pull a plug, and push in another. Pretty decent solution, right? right?
Well, for some reason, having the mouse connected via the hub causes it to lose communication with the computer to which it is attached. This was not news to me, I had observed this behavior many times in the past. At the time, the solution was to connect the mouse directly to the PC. This is no good in this scenario for obvious reasons. The mouse is a basic Logitech First Mouse with a wheel. The keyboard is the Microsoft Natural Elite (though I have nothing nice to say about their software, their hardware is pretty decent. Not that they actually make the stuff.) Anyway, I noticed that after a few moments of inactivity, the mouse would no longer move. If I reinserted the mouse’s USB connector, all was good until another period of inactivity. This is absolutely unlivable. No way this is flying. What’s the deal? Maybe the hub sucks? It’s an unpowered hub, but it can be plugged in if the power requirements so dictate.
Of course, I googled the problem. I noticed a lot of posts regarding bad mouse drivers for various mice, and a lot of similar inquiries regarding the hub. Then it dawned on me. Could it be the mouse itself? To test the theory, I turned to my trusty Drawer of Many Things™ From its depths, I pulled a Microsoft USB mouse. I plugged it in, and there were no issues with loss of communication via the hub. Odd. All these years, I never knew, and just suffered with the crappy mouse. I don’t prefer the MS mouse, but in this case, I’ll just have to deal. I’d rather have a system that works reliably, than have a nice mouse that doesn’t work so well. *sigh*
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Timbuk2, the continuing saga…
so, I received my Detour last week. Yay!… well, almost Yay. I didn’t like it. 🙁 It was bigger than it seemed from the dimensions on the web site. I mean, this thing is huge.
The Detour is supposed to be a 3-in-one bag, a jack-of-all-trades. Indeed, it is the master of none. as a messenger bag, the thing is really long vertically, so it has to be strapped up pretty high, but then that isn’t exactly comfortable. The backpack straps, while well-concealed, don’t fit quite right. There are many good points, and I’m sure there are users who love it, but it doesn’t work for me.
Luckily, Timbuk2 have a great return policy, and I sent the bag back on an RMA, and I will hopefully get an online store credit. So far, no problems with their service. They’ve been prompt and helpful.
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timbuk2 Rocks!
Almost 2 years ago, I received a Timbuk2 Commute from A2C. It’s been one heck of a bag. Plenty of storage, decent padding for the 15″ PowerBook, and it’s well-constructed and nearly waterproof.
About a year ago, I noticed that the stitching was coming undone around the tote handle at the top of the bag. Also, the thermal molding on the back of the bag was coming apart. I emailed Timbuk2 customer service, and they said they’d be happy to replace the bag. Awesome. So, I waited until it was convenient to send the bag out.
A year goes by. I finally decide I can give up lugging my laptop around long enough to get the bag replaced. I fill out an online form and send in the bag via UPS. Timbuk2 still honors the warrnty claim, even though it’s been over a year since I made the claim. They really stand behind their products.
My new Detour (a backpack/messenger hybrid bag) is on its way. I’m psyched. I’ve managed to acquire a strap pad, an iPod case and a phone holster since I first got the Commute. Now they’ll just be transferred over to the Detour.
Anyway, I’d highly recommend their bags for anyone looking for a good general purpose laptop bag. I know I’ve certainly been pleased not only with the bag, but with the stellar customer service from Timbuk2. It’s companies like this that continue to renew my faith in small companies.
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viva la revolucion!
Nintendo has finally released details about their new controller (complete with pics). The feedback on the linked page seems mostly negative, but I for one am pretty excited about the possibility for innovative new game control paradigms.
The new controller is shaped like a remote, and the unit’s tilt and physical position in space are used as input. To me, this is incredibly natural in concept. I mean, if you can think back to the first time you used a game controller, can you remember what you looked like? If you’re like most people, you looked like a total dork, waving the controller about, as if moving the controller was going to help mario jump a little higher. It’s very intuitive and natural that we would think that the control interface would react to our movements in that way. Unfortunately, due to the very low-resolution capabilities of controllers designed at the time, technical and cost limitations, we were only able to interface via button presses. Of course there was the Nintendo PowerGlove, but that is best forgotten (anyone remember that horrible movie, where the “bad guy” kid was pimpin’ the PowerGlove?).
One of the things that the detractors state is that it looks like a remote control. Well, this makes sense. According to the article, Nintendo are targetting the non-traditional games market, i.e. older adults and females. Now, if you were to present one of these folks with a typical game controller, what’s the first reaction? “Wow, there are too many buttons!”. The new controller looks like something very familiar to anyone who has used consumer electronics in say, the last 20 years or so. It has a lot fewer buttons than the typical remote as well.
Personally, I think Nintendo have a winner here. Of course, I’m going to save final judgement for when I can actually play one in person.
ease of use
I really do like MacOS X. I do. Of course, nothing’s perfect, and here’s one of them. Why can’t I create a CD image that is readable on Windows (or Linux or NetBSD for that matter)? Is this some kind of joke? There’s no option to create an ISO9660 image that can then be burnt to a CD? Give me a break! I really don’t mind using hdiutil from the command line, or even using mkisofs from the fink archives, but if Apple went to the trouble to make a nice GUI, then why aren’t these options available there? In Mail.app, there’s a checkbox for “windows-friendly atachments”. Couldn’t there be a similar option for Disk Utility?
So, what’s a nerd to do? Roll your own, of course! I decided to learn something new and write a little Applescript droplet that turns the dropped folder into an ISO image. Here it is in all its glory. It detects if you’ve gone over the rough size limit of a CD, but doesn’t check for DVD size limits. However, it doesn’t stop you from making an image any size you want.
Try it out (if you have a Mac) and let me know how I can improve it.
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cable guy
So a few weeks or so after the wedding, I walk into the computer room at home, and notice that my Windows machine (which had been running for a few months with no issuues) is at the BIOS screen. “okay”, I think, “something small has happened and I’ll just reboot.” Uh-uh. The SCSI controller is complaining that it can’t make its wide negotiation with one of my drives (the 80GB 10,000RPM guy). Well, it says to check the cables, but I hope that’s really the problem. So, I never get around to fixing it because I’m so busy getting the rest of the house in order, living the married life, and working.
So finally, last night, I decide to take a look and see what the problem really is. I disconnect the cables from both hard drives and the adapter doesn’t complain. Good. At least that somewhat eliminates the adapter as the problem. Now, I hope it isn’t the drives. So, I reconnect the drive that wasn’t having issues, and the controller complains that there’s a termiation problem and that I should check the cable. Great, this is pointing more and more to actually being a cable issue. so, I replace the cable with another SCSI cable (happen to have 3-4 68-pin SCSI cables lying around) and voila! It works! no complaints from the controller, so I think that was the issue. A huge sigh of relief 🙂
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iPod mini annoyance: fixed
I love my iPod mini. The one annoyance I had with it was that when it wakes from a deep sleep (not used for 36 hrs), it loses some settings. Primarily, the one that annoyed me was the cliker settings. I generally set it to off, to save power, and so it doesn’t, well…, click. There were also issues about the main menu items and all that, but it didn’t bother me so much.
As of the newest firmware (1.4), they have fixed this issue. Thank goodness! Unfortunately, they broke the Smart Playlist feature. You see, the Smart Playlists on the iPod would update if you changed some attribute (typically the rating) of a song on the iPod. Now the feature only works while you’re in iTunes. This is supposed to be fixed.
John Gruber has some interesting views on the podcasting phenomenon, and why Apple had to release new firmware and iTunes.
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