I made a huge mess in the bathroom. No, not that!!! I knocked down a flowerpot and the soil is all over the floor. I decided to take a photo. It’s not the best photo but I just wanted to share…
UNIX/Linux Choices for Straight-Up Newbies
I have been asked a couple of times what is a good Unix/Linux to start with. I will be the first to admit I am no Kung-Fu master when it comes to Unix, but I do know my way around. For people learning and really want to learn some ninja skills I recommend one of two system:
There are some nice Unix/Linux desktop systems (OS X and Ubuntu Desktop) but you might be to tempted to work things through the GUI. These are fine if you want a desktop with UNIX power under the hood, but maybe not the best if you want to hone those mad command line skills.
So why these two systems? Documentation! FreeBSD has some sweet documentation (see for your self) as does Ubuntu Linux (right here). What I love about the documentation for these systems is that they walk though through installing a system and installing various server software. By following the documentation you can have a fully functional server up and running.
I will say though, it is great to have someone show you how to get something up and running but I also feel it is important to understand how things work. Once you learn how something works it will be easier to move to a different Unix/Linux and know what you are doing. For anyone who really wants to learn UnixLinux I highly recommend you get your self a copy of UNIX System Administration Handbook (3rd Edition) or Linux Administration Handbook (2nd Edition)
Posted in Personal, Politics, Tech
Leave a comment
Update, 2/17/2010
It has been a while since I have written on here and I just wanted to give a quick update:
- I started a new job the first Monday of January 2010.
- I have a place closer to work (now that I can afford it).
- I will be going to SCaLE 8x this weekend. Maybe I will write on the experience.
- I have a lot more free time now but I can’t decide on what I want to learn first without getting distracted.
I have a lot of ideas for this blog (including a couple of tutorials) and I hope to get on it soon. So far 2010 has been good to me and I hope it stays like this.
Posted in Personal
Leave a comment
Nonlinear Years…
Ok, I know this sounds kind of crazy, but go with me for a minute. What if the year was nonlinear? A year still has 365 days (366 on leap years) so mixing the months around will not mess with the earths orbit around the sun. Well, how about if years ran like this:
Every year there is a conference held by work leaders, or a committee of some sort. At this conference it is decided the order of the months for the following year. Picture a spinning wheal or a bingo machine that selects random numbers between 1 and 12. The months of the year would be selected at random and placed into a calendar. Imagine, Christmas during the summer time, 4th of July in the winter, Valentines day in the fall. Maybe you would want to see what your birthday would be like during the summer, winter, fall, or spring. Of course there would be some technical things to worry about.
What about those things that could not be done at random, say a year long treatment? Well, with our new calendar we would also note what day of the year it is. A treatment starts in 156th day of 2018. If treatment calls for a year we will just followup on the 156th day of 2019.
I don’t know, this is just a thought. It would not be easy to implement. It would take a world super military power to implement. So, if you are ever the leader of some new superpower, you might want to consider this idea. It might have flaws but I will keep people entertained and throw something different into their lives every year. After all, remember, bread and circus will keep the masses from rioting.
I wonder if I am the first person to have this thought? Probably not. If there is already a movement let me know.
Posted in Other News, Personal, Politics
Leave a comment
Props to iFixit
I came home from work last week and discovered that my MacBook Pro did not recognize the built in Airport Extreme card. Tried doing all soft of troubleshooting before having to open up the computer. Opening up a laptop is not always the most pleasant experience. Thanks to iFixit’s repair guides, reseating the wireless card was a not so painful experience. I always refer to these guides and always refer people to them if they need to do any soft of upgrade. If your lucky someone has already recorded the process and posted a video on youtube.
Oh yeah, wireless worked again. Not sure how but the wireless card was a bit lose. Also, it is always a good idea to have a T6 Torx screwdriver of your own.