Ubuntu Tricks

After lazing away my Friday, I finally decided to do something constructive with my day. The Ubuntu help forums have a section on Tutorials....

Here's some really useful ones that also aren't too hard:

1) How to prevent a forkbomb: Those symbols I was talking about in yesterday's post? This is how to stop them. Simple & easy.
2) How clean up all those junk files: He covers multiple methods of getting rid of files you no longer need. Even though my install is less than 9 months old, I did a LOT of installing, trying out & removing so I actually had more orphaned files than I expected.
3) How to Download Videos Off YouTube: I didn't actually end up using the suggested way BUT the comments include multiple methods of accomplishing the same goal. I went with Unplug, a Firefox addon. But I may also give youtube-dl a try in order to improve my terminal skills.
4) This isn't strictly a "How-To"....Know Your Terminal Commands post contains links to several sources and tutorials on the command line. I'm definitely book-marking this sucker.

Link to full post.

Cowboy - Ninja - Pirate - Knight Quiz

I have today off. Am I doing anything constructive with my time? Do on-line quizzes count? Because this isn't telling me anything I don't already know.....

Your Score: a Pirate

You scored 4 Honor, 6 Justice, 3 Adventure, and 10 Individuality!

Arr matey. You may belive in honor, and justice, and you certainly have a sense of adventure. But mostly, you play by your own rules. Your code is your own and you are flexible in most situations.

Dress flamboyant and look into a parrot. I think you'll do fine.

Link: The Cowboy-Ninja-Pirate-Knight Test written by fluffy71 on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Link to full post.

*Is Impressed* Eon MC

Whoa. Via Smallest Minority, I was reading the commentary here. There's a lot of talk about blaming hip-hop music for the state of the black community. BUT there's also talk about blaming a lack of parenting. It's kinda a "Which came first?" argument to me. However, I'm a white woman from the Houston suburbs so what do I know, right? Anyway, someone linked this artist's MySpace.....

WOW. I've never been a huge fan of hip-hop or rap. I believe it can be a really interesting and exciting form of music because when certain artists have stopped singing about beating women and killing each other, their work can be really, really good. Unfortunately, those instances are few and far between. This artist, Eon MC, he is a revelation.

From "Chip on My Shoulder" to "Under Pressure", his lyrics are just wonderful. Please go and listen...

Link to full post.

Thursday Night Movie

Due to the lack of a new "Supernatural" episode, I decided to watch a movie last night. Good call.

Ratatouille: FANTASTIC! This was so enjoyable. Brad Bird makes just about the best movies all around. And one of the reasons they are so good is that he is unafraid to include moral stances. His characters have values (not "family" values but rather each has things they care about enough to risk for and those are presented in emotionally honest ways). When Remy makes the decision to leave his family, he explicitly states he doesn't want to live of the scraps of others' achievements but that he wants to make something himself. AND it's not sold as something he "has to do" but as a very difficult choice. This movie was just fantastic from start to finish. I especially loved Anton Ego's character who was played with great relish by the indispensable Peter O'Toole.

On a side note: The two short films that come with the DVD are also fantastic. "Your Friend the Rat" is a pro-rat film with Remy & his brother. It's a wonderful flash-back to the education Disney cartoons of the 1950's: A little bit of history, a few jokes, and wildly amusing. The second short "Lifted" was HILARIOUS!!! There is no speaking but who cares? From the premise, set-up and characters, I could not stop laughing.

Link to full post.

Talent vs. Effort in Education

Scientific American has an absolutely fascinating article up about the differences between kids who succeed at school versus kids who fail. Their reasoning is summarized in this quote:

Praising children’s innate abilities, as Jonathan’s parents did, reinforces this mind-set, which can also prevent young athletes or people in the workforce and even marriages from living up to their potential. On the other hand, our studies show that teaching people to have a “growth mind-set,” which encourages a focus on effort rather than on intelligence or talent, helps make them into high achievers in school and in life.

Over the years, I've seen many tech-bloggers state that upcoming developments in genetic engineering will make it easier for parent to design smarter, better behaved children. But, what if that isn't enough? If a parent specifically planned for a kid to be smart, which do you think they are more likely to say to their child? "You are very talented/special." or "You worked hard."?

Not to mention, these results sync quite well with my own experiences. My default mind-set is unfortunately in the “innate talent” category. At one point in high school, I actually tried to convince my parents to move me to a lower level “Algebra II” class. I was barely passing the honors level class and actually told them “only stupid people had to study”. Thankfully, my parents didn’t listen. They instead grounded me until my grades improved.

Even today, I’m not a self-starter in the traditional sense. I can make myself start but it requires very conscious effort. If I quit that effort, I quickly slide into a rut. That’s one of the reasons why I created my Personal Enrichment Goals at the beginning of 2007. I realized that I had created for myself a very narrowly-defined comfort zone. The PE goals were about challenging myself in ways that will help be able to accomplish my long-term goals.

Right now, I’m in the process of writing my Personal Enrichment Goals for 2008. These goals are much more demanding than the 2007 list. But this year was a trial run, proving to myself I could do more and enjoy it. My experiences with installing and learning Ubuntu are a prime example of that. Next year’s list is about really challenging myself. Hopefully, in time I can train myself to have more of a growth-mindset.

Link to full post.

Why People Don’t Care About Global Warming

That’s the title of a very intelligent op-ed discussing how the environmental movement’s apocalyptic outlook damages its credibility with the average consumer. They also mention new advocacy for a more optimistic and progressive mind-set.

I would be absolutely in favor of that. There’s something quite masochistic and self-hating about how certain environmentalists look at the world. Most especially repugnant to me is their refusal to acknowledge mankind’s capability to solve problems as well as cause them. Thankfully, it appears some environmentalists are embracing approaches which focus on innovation and technology development.

The op-ed author also gets points for mentioning an insightful monograph entitled "The Death of Environmentalism" by Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger. Their new book “Break Through” is at the top of my Christmas list.

Link to full post.

People Are BASTARDS – Ubuntu Edition

While perusing Digg, I come across this announcement in the Ubuntu Help Forums: Malicious Commands

Apparently, instead of helping new Ubuntu users solve problems, some people are posting false advice including commands which permanently damage or delete a person’s hard drive!

Once I looked at them a minute and read the explanation of their functions, most of the posted example commands were understandable. But there’s one that I think is worth mentioning because I had NO IDEA a command could even look like that! It’s just symbols and such but the damage it could do...(shudder)

Teaching myself the command line just became a lot higher priority. As for the bottom-feeders posting these commands, my opinion of you may be best expressed by the following:

Link to full post.

Unusual Approach to Take-Out

Today, my co-engineers informed me that there is a pizza take out restaurant called “Papa Murphy’s”. Instead of making & cooking the pizza, this place makes it and then sells you a raw pizza to cook yourself...WHAT?!

Isn’t the entire point of take out that you don’t have to cook anything?! They cook so I don’t have to. I pay them for this fantastic bit of modern civilization. How do these people make money?

*is baffled, shocked and planning to order dinner from Pizza Hut to re-establish a sense of normalcy*

Link to full post.

What I Got In the Mail Today

My Wee Ninja!


Already he stealthily guards my bookcase. Burglars BEWARE.

Thank you ShanaLogic!

Link to full post.

Thanksgiving Reading

While I fully intended to finish a rather hefty history tome, instead I read several fantasy novels and finished up lighter fare. In full post, my comments on:

1) Stardust by Neil Gaiman
2) The Novice & The High Lord by Trudi Canavan
3) The Lost Fleet: Fearless by Jack Campbell
4) Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe by Peter D. Ward & Donald Brownlee


1)Stardust by Neil Gaiman: I bought this because I'd enjoyed the movie so much (see here). The book is different on several key points. The final confrontation is very much different. But, both the tone & major characters were essentially the same people as in the movie (except Victoria Forrester who is a more rounded character in the book). The ending is also more sad & bittersweet. Generally a good read, but this is one case where I think I preferred the movie.

2)The Novice & The High Lord by Trudi Canavan: After being quite impressed with the first book in this trilogy (see here), I bought the other two. Man, this didn't turn out at all like I thought (and that's a very good thing). The second book did an excellent job of showing Sonea's trouble being accepted by the other Magicians AND did a wonderful job of both explaining the High Lord without giving away too much about his motivations. The third book finally gives the reader some insight into what and why the High Lord has been doing what he's doing and setting up the huge confrontation at the end of the series. This is not a series with unearned happy endings or even a happy ending exactly but for a world of magic and such, Trudi Canavan does a really good job of making the resolution make sense and feel earned given how over-powered the heroes were. Overall, I'd recommend this trilogy highly. A very good fantasy read.

3)The Lost Fleet: Fearless by Jack Campbell: This is the second in “The Lost Fleet” series (first book reviewed here). A good continuation of the story. The characters & action were good. But the plot was...unexpected. I guess I’m stuck in a more formulaic military sci-fi mode. I expected a bit more of a grand battle climax. It had battles but they were throughout the story. Also, there’s an interesting side development that hints at a possible non-human intelligence in this universe and some technical history that could totally change the on-going war that forms the backdrop of the series. The only complaint was the relationship between the main character and the female politician. I don’t get her motives here. But that’s largely a function of point-of-view (only the main character’s, since he doesn’t understand her motives neither do we). Overall, this is a solid addition to the series but one that arose some conflicting opinions for me.

4)Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe by Peter D. Ward & Donald Brownlee: An incredibly interesting book! It systematically outlines the current thinking on how life evolved on Earth and how much a easier microbial life was compared to multicellular animal life. Fascinating and I discovered several things I was unaware of (like the Earth was covered in glaciers at least twice in its history and the importance on continent-forming for higher life forms, even aquatic ones). I went into this book expecting to be unimpressed but it was informative, well-presented and well thought-out. It also has some interesting implications for programs like SETI and the search for terrestrial planets. The only thing that didn’t fly for me had nothing to do with the author’s ability to convince. It just so happens there’s been research since the books publication that I know affects the validity of one part of their argument. The authors present many points as evidence so their overall argument is not weakened by this. In all other respects, this was a wonderful and enjoyable read.

Link to full post.

Back in San Antonio

*whew* Thanksgiving DONE.

Not that my holiday was terrible. Far from it. My parents gave the dinner for the family this year so I had to help out with the preparation. My contribution...pies!


My parents aren't used to little kids anymore. While Mom & I were waiting on the oven, a basket of gourds caught my eye. She has all sorts of antiques and decorative stuff lying around. Unfortunately, these particular gourds were getting a bit moldy.

Not exactly something you want in reach of my precocious 6-yr old and 2-yr old cousins.

After the dinner, Mom & I did some shopping Friday. I got new jeans, 3 CDs and another #^@^*! cold. (sigh) I'm really ready to go back to work.

Link to full post.

Krav-Maga Yoga - Trial Class

I've missed going to the Krav Maga gym recently. Either I've been too sick or too tired from being sick. So I decided to go today before the holiday.

KM Core Mix: This is a fusion of yoga & pilates. I've never actually taken a yoga class before so I don't really have anything to compare it to. Still, it was a surprising work-out. The only part I have trouble with was when the instructor took us through several iterations of this Relaxed-Cat / Downward-Facing-Dog / Something-Else-I-Don't-Remember sequence. That was challenging. By the end I wasn't as sweaty but I definitely felt relaxed. I think I might try to get to this class again...I had planned to go only to the Saturday classes but I really enjoyed this one.

It was really amusing though. The instructor was being all "Ommmm.....Extend your heart out. Allow your energy to descend into the Earth." but in the class next door we could hear the instructors yelling "You're being ATTACKED! Hit HARDER! Really punch his lights out!". After class was over, even the instructor mentioned that she was suppressing giggles about it.

On an unrelated side-note, a homeless person approached me when I was pumping gas to ask for change. I didn't have a single penny to give him! (I rarely carry cash much less change - I empty it out of my purse the second I get home). I felt terrible!

Link to full post.

Amazon Music Downloads

I tried out Amazon's DRM-Free Music Download service this weekend. The whole experience was quite dangerous to my checkbook. Between how easy it was to download & search for songs, I spent a LOT more than I intended. In the future, I should only use this service when I have either a much smaller list of songs or the discipline to stick to my list of songs.

Songs I Didn't Mean to Download I Swear!
Thea Gilmore "Call Me Your Darling"
Transmutator "God Moving Over The Face of the Waters"
Louis Armstrong "Alexander's Ragtime Band"
Etta James "St. Louis Blues"
David Byrne "This Must Be The Place"
Neko Case "Alone & Forsaken"
Angelzoom (feat. Apocalyptica) "Turn The Sky"
Sukhwinder Singh & Sapana Awasthi "Chaiyya Chaiyya"
Widespread Panic "Down (Live in Austin, TX)"
Tomayasu Hotei "Katana Groove"

Link to full post.

Percussion Ensembles ROCK

This all started when a blogger at Reason linked this video of the Poteet High School Precussion Ensemble. Intrigued, I clicked the "Related Videos" tab.

HOLY MOLY! My high school only had lame-o Orchestra and the fruity jazz people. Nothing this cool. Check out full post for videos of precussion ensembles rocking out.

Teaser: SUPER MARIO!



The Exam


Ill Rosauro's Concerto


Portsmouth HS


The Shadow Precussion Project


Sinister Minister (WOW)


Ok, this isn't a Precussion Ensemble but it's AMAZING. There's trumpets & flag dancing!
DCI Blast's Malaguena

Link to full post.

Friday Miscellany

I missed this earlier in the week due to illness so here ya go...

1) Testing new rockets. It really seems like the next 5-10 years will see some wonderful experimentation in different types of rocket engines and spaceship configurations.

2) Why Congress Just Cannot Be Trusted! Apparently, they are more concerned with doing the entertainment industry’s dirty work than educating American students. PUNKS.

3) Go watch this...Kurt Loder participates in a conversation and Q&A on technology and freedom. Very interesting. He does appear to have his ear on the ground for rampant nanny-statism. Best line: “It’s ridiculous for a band to say 'We're going to change the world' or ‘Down with the MAN!” and they're working for Time-Warner.”

4) I do not often use this word on my blog but I feel the article warrants it. FUCKING SAUDIS.

Link to full post.

My Desktop - 11/14/07

I've been playing again. Seriously, I can't leave this alone for a full week!

Clean:

Busy:


Details
Wallpaper: Great Wave by captainslug
Emerald Theme: I heavily modified Blue Satin to be darker and have a lighter glow/shadow
Icon Theme: YattaBlues
Controls: Crux (colored blue-gray)
Firefox Theme: Phoenity Modern
Thunderbird Theme: Default (colored blue-gray)

Sorry for the lack of links.

Link to full post.

Small Adventures in Translation

Occasionally, I have to dig through documentation from my company’s Japan offices for information. Since I do not speak or read Japanese, I use an on-line translator (& some leaps of intuition) to read the material.

Sometimes, I get these weirdly anthropomorphic translations back.

For instance, today I was translating a bit of Japanese text which was followed by “(N/mm^2)”. So we would expect the text to be translated “Strength” or maybe “Young’s Modulus”, right?

Translator’s response: Tenacity.

Today, I've generated several possible heavy-metal band names:
Tenacious Powdered Metal
Stubborn Plastic
Anxious But Unbroken Steel (my favorite)

Link to full post.

Overheard At Word, pt 8

I have been sick this week. Today, I blow my nose & my co-worker asks “Are you still producing lung butter?” Ugh, boys.

Link to full post.

YouTube on The Writer's Strike

Now, there is of course the OFFICIAL WGA YouTube channel. While that's good, there's commentary from all corners being posted. In 1988 the best the average TV fan could hope for was being interviewed on local news. Nowadays, they have other options.

See full post for some truly amusing commentary on the Writer's Strike. (Lots of embedded videos)

First "Ask A Ninja" Speaks out:


The Very Official AMPTP Position


Evil Mickey Mouse Supports the AMPTP


The Guys from Zoomilk


Some good criticism of both sides

Link to full post.

Mutant Caterpillars Return!

My current emotional state:


Previous encounters have been limited to work. But this morning, I open the door to find mutants caterpillars at my very doorstep!

See full post for disturbing details (and photos)

So, it's Sunday morning, right? Perfect time for a post-breakfast stroll around the apartment complex. So I opened my door and casually glanced down. And I froze in abject terror. I quickly removed my sunglasses, certain I just needed to clean the lenses....But no, there it was:

My first attempt to get a close-up picture was slightly blurry (because I was freaking out):

Finally, I dug around in my entry desk for something to provide a sense of scale. I was hoping for a ruler but the best I could do is a sharpie pen:

What's even more disturbing: This sucker can MOVE. He was like the caterpillar version of the "Little Engine That Could". While taking the pictures, I had to constantly move to keep up with him.

Between the scorpions and spiders out here, you would think I'd become used to bugs (especially after the Apocalyptic Millipede Battle of 2003). But no, they still freak me the f*ck out.

I will be spending part of this afternoon treating my patio and door with bug spray.

Link to full post.

New CDs for Me

I just bought three new CD’s. I expect more to come. With my TV boycott, I know I’ll be transferring some of my enthusiasm to books and music.

Anyway, see full post for comments on:
1) Demon Days by Gorillaz
2) Wolfgang's Big Night Out by The Brian Setzer Orchestra
3) Long Road Out of Eden by The Eagles

1) Demon Days by Gorillaz : Fantastic. I bought it because several songs from this CD had been cropping up on my Last.Fm playlist. The title track of the CD is just excellent. I have liked & downloaded singles by the Gorillaz before but this is the first CD from them I’ve purchased. The songs are catchy, in a variety of styles and very well-arranged. This was definitely worth my money.

2) Wolfgang's Big Night Out by The Brian Setzer Orchestra: Unusually good. Basically, the BSO took several classical pieces and rearranged them in a big band style. The transition is for the most part seamless. For some of the songs, they added vocals but most are instrumentals. I’m a big fan of both classical and big band music so this fusion was very enjoyable for me. Brian Setzer has made a career out of reviving older song styles so it almost makes sense he uses classical pieces as the basis for this album. The best tracks in my opinion were “Honey Man" (originally "Flight of the Bumblebee") and “The 1812 Overdrive” (Based on "The 1812 Overture"). Again, this is a good buy.

3) Long Road Out of Eden by The Eagles : I’d been exicted about this for a while. The Eagles sold a crazy amount of CDs last week and were only denied #1 on the Billboard charts by a stupid technicality. Needless to say, I was ready to be impressed...I don’t know if I was. There’s definitely some catchy songs and every band member gets a chance to shine. There are several gems. “How Long”, their single, is just a wonderful rock-country song. And “Guilty of the Crime”, a surprisingly bluesy song on the first disc, is really good. But this is a more contemplative and mellow collection than I was expecting. It doesn't by any means suck but it takes a couple of listen-throughs to appreciate. Overall, this CD is a good buy I think. You’re getting 20 tracks in an age when most releases have 10-15. And honestly, the worst Eagles song is better than 85% of what plays on pop radio.

All in all, these CDs will definitely making appearances on my portable music player. And I’m preparing to give the Amazon MP3 service a try. I’ve got a list of songs from my Last.Fm listening that I’d like to have in a portable format.

Link to full post.

Overheard At Work, pt 7

Wow, I haven't done one of these in a month....

“Captain Half-ass, you may fire when ready.” – Spoken during an impersonation of Grand Moff Tarkin.

Link to full post.

WGA Strike

As you may guess from the icon in the right-hand column, I'm doing something wildly out-of-character for me: I'm supporting a union during a strike. Specifically, the Writer's Guild of America against the studios. The guys from "The Office" explain it way better than I ever could:


For more info:
United Hollywood
(For fan-side) WGA Supporters on LiveJournal

My contribution:
-No viewing of streaming videos on ANY network site or any download service
-Once the LiveJournal guys post a form letter, both studios & advertisers will be getting letters from me
-I will not be viewing ANY of the replacement shows. I will watch the remaining episodes of my shows that were made before the strike BUT not the ones made after the showrunners went on strike. All replacement shows are OFF. This will include "Project Runway: Season 4" (sigh).

Link to full post.

TED Talk by Larry Lessig

Once again, the TED talks provide an opportunity for a great thinker to spread their ideas. In addition, I want to know where he found his example videos....Larry Lessig on the Read-Write Culture (I tried to embed the videos but it gave me errors...sorry).


PS - This is what the third TED lecture I've linked? If you're not checking out these talks, I think you're missing out on the cutting edge of modern thought.

Link to full post.

"300" Funnies

GO HERE NOW. And enjoy some absolutely brilliant photoshops of "300" (ya know that totally awesome movie full of battles and half-naked men?).

GO!!!!

Link to full post.

Monday Smorgasbord

1) Someone overloading in nerd-awesomeness built a Steampunk-Style Laptop that is actually a functioning computer. Seriously this is no end of awesome.

2) Thank you Bono! For consistently proving not all celebrities have to be divorced from reality or stupid:

I'm arguing for a demonstration to the world of what we're capable of in the West, with our technology, our innovations, our agriculture, our pharmacology. We've developed this unimaginable prosperity. Let's show the world what we can do with it. America, as I always say, is not just a country, it's an idea. The world needs to see right now what that idea means. Because there's an oncoming train on our track, and it's going to be met one way or another. It isn't going away.

3) Magenta: Owned by T-Mobile? What a world..

4) Ok, this is kinda old but I think it's useful. A Lifehacker Article on How To Improve Your Public Speaking. The article itself is short but the comments have some interesting discussion of what people find annoying or impressive in their presenters.

5) Gizmodo Talks about the new Google Phone Initiative. They make a lot of good points about how Google's work here could free up the US cell phone services (which would be awesome). I'm not really big on cell-phone & only got a cell when I had to because I was out of work unexpectedly for jury duty. With all the drama my family & friends had gone through, I opted to get a pay-as-you-go phone. It's a crap phone; hardly any gadgetry to speak of. BUT I'm not in a contract of any kind. If Google can change the situation, good for them.

Link to full post.

*Is VERY Awake*

This is what I get for browsing BoingBoing before bed.....

I will be sleeping with a camp ax under my pillow tonight....Possibly the adze I bought in case I developed a sudden frenzy for woodworking.

How do you pray to Cthulhu for mercy?

Link to full post.

Delaware - Where the Obsessive Totalitarians Live

No really....This is from last week but it's so infuriating I had to post it anyway. Read this and weep for modern education.

This is absolutely disgusting to me. Check out this quote:

The university suggests that at one-on-one sessions with students, RAs should ask intrusive personal questions such as “When did you discover your sexual identity?” Students who express discomfort with this type of questioning often meet with disapproval from their RAs, who write reports on these one-on-one sessions and deliver these reports to their superiors.

Apparently, your constitutionally protected right to privacy ends in a college dormitory. So much for the free-wheeling campuses of yore. Now we have communist-style indoctrination and spying on your fellow students.

What's really sad is the fact, this program was only halted because of FIRE and several bloggers who (rightfully) called them to the carpet for this bullshit. From FIRE's letter to the school:

FIRE reminded Harker of the Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943), a case decided during World War II that remains the law of the land. Justice Robert H. Jackson, writing for the Court, declared, “If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.”

“The fact that the university views its students as patients in need of treatment for some sort of moral sickness betrays a total lack of respect not only for students’ basic rights, but for students themselves,” Lukianoff said.

Hallelujah!

Link to full post.

Krav Maga, 6th Class

6th Class: Well, this is the last class through the school district....It was a really hard one. We did a LONG warm-up period. Seriously, the warm-ups are worst than learning the moves. But then we got into something interesting: being choked while on the ground. I thought I wouldn't be very good at this but I picked it up quickly (for me). My only problem is that once I got on top, I kept forgetting to hit my attacker before I ran away :). I'm gonna have to work on that....

And I will have plenty of opportunity because I joined the Krav Maga gym. This is the first fitness thing I've actually kept up with (attended most of the classes & not totally sucked at). There's a monthly fee but it's not too bad and I get to go to any class at ANY time except 2-3 of the advanced classes.

Next week, I've decided it's "Krav Maga Strength / Cardio". An hour earlier but I do need to work on both so it's a good fit for me.

My new "member shirt":

Link to full post.