So with the loss of my laptop I'd like to get a handle on the current state of affairs for laptops. Since 'jboat' was my primary work platform I'd need to replace it with something that could cut the mustard.
Read on for specs. I'd love to hear recommendations, what do you think would fit the bill? Otherbloggers, feel free to trackback to this, I'd like to hear from other folks as well.
Bright. Glowing thing. In the sky. AIEEEE!
Not enough sleep, but moving along. There were actually people waiting to register when Ben and I got downstairs, though the sun was barely up. Boy, these people need to get lives! Owait...
More post-coffee.
Holy shit there's a lot of people here. Current reg counts are something like 950 registrations, about 780 attendees (which is about right :) . The LAN room is stuffed, their setting up tables in the halls to take up the overflow.
Ubercon III is under way! Ben and I got here on Thursday afternoon, and spent most of the day setting up the equipment, meeting hte rest of the crew, and generally testing stuff out. A good first day... however...
On the evenings when we have company over, Zach's room becomes the guest room, which of course means Zach has to sleep somewhere else. That means either Cat's bed or mine. Last night it was mine. One problem. Zach turns into Claude Van Damme in the middle of the night, and likes using my back for target practice.
But this time....
There's sort of a creed in the technoid world that folks have a tendency to just want faster and faster machinery, even when that is not really warranted. Many people spend zillions of dollars on machines that spend most of their time running screensavers or playing Solitaire.
I'm always keeping an eye on 'am i just wanting new equipment just because it's sexy? or do I really need it'? Well, I think I hit my limit on this laptop.
Thanks to more help from Jasra, we dug up a Moveable Type template and installed it into Planet Geek's configuration. I just updated to the new template after testing it out a little using Bloglines,and it appears to be presenting stuff correctly - there should be Comments links and the 'Read more..." function should be working. I'll throw a cut here to make sure.
This weekend I'll be doing registration services for Ubercon down in the Meadowlands in NJ. Ben Cordes will be my second for this stint. If you're in the area, or want to get into some seriously groovy gaming, stop by! The last 2 events have been a blast, and judging by registration numbers, this event should be the best yet.
BTW, just to be clear... Ubercon is a customer of mine, I've been working with them from the beginning. They're great people, and I've met some wonderful folks through their events.
Last night I really came down with just the blahs. About 4pm I hit the "I'm -really- beat" wall, after a pretty intense day of coding, and I just couldn't get motivated to get going again.
So in playing around with RSS aggregators, I came across a tool that presents RSS feed information in the form of an NNTP connection. The package is called, unimaginatively NNTP//RSS.
Okay, this is pretty cool. If you're into the old Scott Adams adventures, and know your Shakespeare, check this out. It takes a few moments to load...
Wow, what an interesting evening.
Tonight Catya, (and I don't know everyone elses LJ link, ya'll can deal) Ted, Zach, Sarah and I all went into Cambridge for dinner, in prep for going drumming later on.
Ah, the joys of being your own sysadmin. I guess.
For the last 2 years, I've been doing probably 90% of my desktop work on Windows based systems. Unfortunately Intuit, my former employer, is a very strong Windows shop, and even though they were mostly okay with me running Linux on my desktop machine, the added time / effort necessary to make it all work together just wasn't there.
Now that I'm on my own, I can switch back to my natural environment, a Linux desktop.
A Livejournal Client that plugs right into your Mozilla installation via the Tools menu.
Briefly - This sucker's neat. It works, it's small, it's always there, and Just Plain Works.
So special thanks to Jasra for helping out with the syndicated feed, folks at Livejournal can now see my postings coming from Planet Geek!.
For LJ folks, just add the user 'shayde_weblog' to your friends list, and voila!
Slashdot, truly the geek mecca-point, has been down for the last 15 minutes or so. This is an UNHEARD of occasion. Truly epic.
Mr. Praline: 'Ello, I wish to register a complaint.
Owner: We're closin' for lunch.
Mr. Praline: Never mind that, my lad. I wish to complain about this candidate what I supported not half an hour ago from this very website!
Owner: Oh yes, the, uh, Howard Dean...What's,uh...What's wrong with em?
Mr. Praline: I'll tell you what's wrong with it, my lad. 'E's dead, that's what's wrong with it!
Owner: No, no, 'e's uh,...he's resting.
Mr. Praline: Look, matey, I know a dead candiate when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now.
Owner: No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'! Remarkable candidate, the Vermont Governor, idn'it, ay? Beautiful issues!
Mr. Praline: The issues don't enter into it. E's stone dead.
Owner: Nononono, no, no! 'E's resting!
Mr. Praline: All right then, if he's restin', I'll wake him up! (shouting at the cage) 'Ello, Howie! I've got a lovely televised debate for ye!
Owner: There, he moved!
Mr. Praline: No, he didn't, that was you re-running an old tape!
Owner: I never!!
Mr. Praline: (yelling and hitting the cage repeatedly) 'ELLO HOWIE!!!!! Testing! Testing! Testing! Testing! This is your nine o'clock alarm call!
(Takes Howard out and shows him Bush's latest budget proposals. Howard just sits there)
Mr. Praline: Now that's what I call a dead candiate.
Owner: No, no.....No, 'e's stunned!
Mr. Praline: STUNNED?!?
Owner: Yeah! You stunned him, just as he was wakin' up! Liberal Democrats stun easily, major.
Mr. Praline: Um...now look...now look, mate, I've definitely 'ad enough of this. That candidate is definitely deceased, and when I donated to him not 'alf an hour ago, you assured me that his total lack of movement was due to him bein' tired and shagged out following a prolonged squawk in Iowa.
Owner: Well, he's...he's, ah...probably pining for the fjords.
Mr. Praline: PININ' for the FJORDS?!?!?!? What kind of talk is that?, look, why did he fall flat on his back the moment I got 'im home?
Owner: The Liberal Democrat prefers keepin' on it's back! Remarkable bird, id'nit, squire? Lovely issues!
Mr. Praline: Look, I took the liberty of examining that candidate when I got it home, and I discovered the only reason that it had been sitting on its stump in the first place was that he had been NAILED there.
Owner: Well, o'course he was nailed there! If I hadn't nailed that fellow down, it would have nuzzled up to those constituents, bent 'em with 'is bare hands, and VOOM! Off to join the independents!
Mr. Praline: "VOOM"?!? Mate, this candidate wouldn't "voom" if you put four million grass roots dollars through it! 'E's bleedin' demised!
Owner: No no! 'E's pining!
Mr. Praline: 'E's not pinin'! 'E's passed on! This candidate is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed 'im to 'is stump 'e'd be home by the fire by now! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-CANDIDATE!!!
(pause)
Owner: Well, I'd better replace it, then. (he takes a quick peek behind the counter) Sorry squire, I've had a look 'round the back of the shop, and uh, we're right out of liberal democrats.
Mr. Praline: I see. I see, I get the picture.
Owner: I got John Kerry.
Mr. Praline: Pray, does it appeal to the young grass roots constituency?
Owner: Nnnnot really.
Mr. Praline: WELL IT'S HARDLY A BLOODY REPLACEMENT, IS IT?!!???!!?
Owner: N-no, I guess not. (gets ashamed, looks at his feet)
Apologies to John Cleese and the rest of the Python team. :)
I've been invited to give a nice talk on LTSP at the Boston Linux Users group in April. Pretty spiffin. Folks should try and come to it, I love seeding an audience with friends and supporters :)
Here's the actual entry for the talk.
Yoinkin yimminies. This week (Thu and Fri) I was not at Intuit, working on my own things at home. A lot of setup and prep work, but I've gotten things done that have really been just -hanging- around for ages.
