Category - Linux

When you're going to college, you should really have a laptop. That's what I've been told, anyway. It would come in handy for writing, research, note-taking, and, of course, entertainment. You can't forget entertainment. To survive anywhere these days, you need a computer, and if you're on the go, you need a laptop. I've known this for a long time.

Until around six months ago, I didn't give much of a thought about the operating system that my future laptop would run. Without question, it would be Windows, and probably Windows Vista at that. Anyway, since I've switched to Linux, I had thought that finding a good laptop would be a challenge. Laptops themselves are a dime a dozen (not literally), but since I don't know that much about computer hardware (or Linux), installing Linux on a laptop might be difficult.

My dad took me to some stores to show me some laptops so I could get an idea of what I wanted, but I knew that installing Linux over Windows would not be the best way to go. Besides the fact that I don't want to give Microsoft my money at all (let alone for a product I'd get rid of immediately), I would need to have a laptop with Linux pre-installed and the guarantee that everything would Just Work. If my computer crashed because I needed such and such a driver or the ATI or the wireless thingy wouldn't start, I wouldn't know where to turn to. Generally, if a company sells a computer with software on it, that's sort of a guarantee that the software will be compatible with the hardware. Although in this case the playing field would be limited a great deal, I decided it was worth it.

Ubuntu is the Linux distribution I've been using, and I've decided to stick with it because there's little hassle involved and everything Just Works. Probably the foremost company that specializes in pre-installed Ubuntu systems is System76. Although I've heard lots of good things about their products and their service, I couldn't help but notice that their prices were quite a bit higher than the equivalent Windows systems I could find in stores. But because they offered full support for Ubuntu, I decided that System76 would be the way to go.

Then something happened: Dell decided to sell computers with Ubuntu pre-installed. Although they currently have only one laptop model with Ubuntu pre-installed, I found that I could get a better computer for less money than if I had bought from System76. Besides that, I could help show a major computer vendor that there really is a demand for Linux. On Tuesday night, my dad and I were going over the specs I wanted, and I found that the cost would come out to $1,083 before taxes and shipping. So my dad wanted to know if Dell offered student discounts. I looked around on the site but couldn't find anything easily. He decided to give them a call.

Before I knew it, my dad was buying the laptop I wanted over the phone. After going over the specs with the sales guy, I picked up another phone so I could hear too. The guy said it was his first Ubuntu sale and that he didn't know much about it, although he was interested in finding out. He warned us that the computer came with no anti-virus software, and that's when we explained how Linux isn't nearly as susceptible to viruses as Windows. He was impressed and asked us to keep in touch so he could learn more about running Linux.

I wasn't sure if I wanted 1 GB or 2 GB of RAM; 1 GB would be decent for now, but I want the computer to last at least four years, so I need to make sure it'll still be decent tomorrow. So the guy doubled the RAM from 1 GB to 2 GB for free. My dad asked if there were any discounts, so the guy gave a discount and made the shipping free. Throughout the whole process, the sales guy was very amiable and didn't try to push anything on us that would have cost more money. The final cost after tax came out to $1,088.63. He said it would ship no later than Tuesday, June 26. Contrary to my expectations, buying a computer from Dell over the phone was a pleasant experience.

After that, we bought my sister's computer. She wanted a Mac so it would match her new iPod. I don't have anything to say about that.

Now, one big question remains. What should I name my computer? Before switching to Linux, the concept of formally naming a computer was unknown to me, but it seems that there's even been an entire RFC written on the topic. Apparently it's common if you have a group of computers to follow a theme with their names. Even if you only have one, you're supposed to give your next one a name in the same vein, or something like that. That's what the cool people do. Anyway, it's got to be something clever and not dumb. Any ideas?

Here are one guy's memories of working at Microsoft in the early '90s.

When people switch from Windows to Linux, they're often concerned about things that they could do in Windows that they can't in Linux. However, it's a two-way street. Here are things you can do in Linux that you can't do on Windows.

Recently my dad got us a new TV for the living room. We'd had our old TV since before I was born (the '80s!), so it was about time to upgrade. I don't watch TV much, but I appreciate this new 50-inch widescreen HDTV quite a bit. The picture quality is pretty good, although when you're watching lo-def channels, the low quality becomes very apparent on the ginormous screen. The only other real gripe I have is how the TV stretches the picture if the signal isn't widescreen. The effect can range from hardly detectable to headache-inducing. I would prefer to watch TV with "barn doors" on either side (like the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen when you watch a widescreen movie on an older TV). Luckily, though, you can toggle between display modes with a button, so that takes care of that.

When my dad was taking the TV out of the box (which is even bigger than the TV itself, if you can believe it), he had lots of manuals and documentation to deal with -- it is a Sony product, after all. What he didn't expect to see was a software license agreement, which he pointed out to me with amusement. After all, it's a sorry state of affairs in the world today when your TV comes with a EULA, right? I took a look and saw some familiar words. It was the GPL, which is not an evil (cumbersome, restrictive) software license at all. A silly thought entered the back of my mind, and I tried to ignore it. Looking further through the documentation, though, I was right: our new TV runs Linux.

What that basically means is that the TV isn't actually a TV at all but actually a computer. Like any computer, it uses an operating system. Rather than Windows, Mac OS, or something that the Sony developers might make from scratch in-house, the TV runs a modified version of Linux, which is the same OS I use on my computer. Sony decided it would be better to use an existing operating system as a base for this model of TV, and, because the GPL allows it, Sony doesn't have to worry about the legal ramifications as long as they distribute their modified code to anyone who wants it. You could try running Windows on a TV, but if you could even figure out how (the Windows source code isn't visible to the public), you'd have to pay licensing fees to Microsoft. (Plus, your TV would probably crash a lot.) Since Linux is free for anyone to use, it tends to be free in price, which is something important for any computer user to consider. So whether I'm kicking back and watching TV or doing whatever it is I do on the computer, I can be assured that Linux and other free software are making it possible, and that's really awesome.

Graduation is only two weeks from today, so I've started to think about what I might say if I were valedictorian or salutatorian and had to give a speech. After all, I am ranked #2 in the class, a position that I'm hoping I can keep. As it turns out, TJ and I got called down to the office today and were told by Ms. Phillips, an assistant principal, that since we were in the top 5 in the class, we would have to prepare a speech in the event that we graduate as "val" or "sal." (They have to look it over and everything, you know, to make sure that you don't say anything dumb at graduation.) I was also told that I would have to meet with Ms. Petonick, the speech teacher, for input on the speech and pointers on public speaking. Fun fun? TJ (#4) didn't seem amused, but I think it would be cool to be salutatorian.

After school today, Amanda (#3) and I found Ms. Petonick to talk to her about the whole thing. She had been expecting us but was busy, so we decided to meet after school tomorrow. She said she'd give us real speeches given by real valedictorians in the past, which should be useful because I can't really think of anything good to say. I had been nervous about having this teacher I'd never met criticize my speaking, but I was relieved because she seemed really nice and she kind of talks funny herself. Ironic? Oh well. Tomorrow should be interesting.

Contronyms, or antagonyms, are words that are their own opposites. For example, a house might weather (withstand) many storms over the years, or storms might weather (wear down) it.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has a standard for everything. ISO 5218 sets standard numerical values to represent human sexes (for example, in national ID numbers). From the article: "The standard explicitly states that no significance is to be placed on the fact that male is encoded as 1 and female as 2."

On Saturday, I went to Grad Bash. If you don't know what Grad Bash is, think of it as Grad Nite, but at Universal Studios. If you don't know what Grad Nite is, it's a nite where they open Disney(land | World) to all the grads. It seems that most schools go to Grad Nite, but Universal has offered Grad Bash as an alternative. If you don't know what Universal Studios is, it's a theme park. Actually, Grad Nite occurs in both theme parks at the Universal Orlando Resort, of which one is Universal Studios. But it's common to refer to both of them as "Universal Studios," considering that Islands of Adventure, the other park, opened only recently, and so they didn't need to have a vague name that would encompass both parks and whatever else they have on site. I don't know about hotels. Disney World is like a sovereign nation, what with all its territory, but Universal is smack in the middle of Orlando, so it doesn't have that much land. Dueling Dragons is right next to a gas station and across the street from a school, for crying out loud. But anyway...

I woke up at 6:00 in the morning on Saturday, I guess in anticipation of going on the trip. Several of my friends were going to be there, so I knew I would have a pretty good time. The bus left from school a little after 1:00 in the afternoon. The ride was pretty long, but the conversation made it go by faster. We made a rest stop on one of the uniform rest stops they have on Florida's Turnpike, and for a moment, while everybody I was with had gone off in different directions, I walked about, looking for a familiar face in the crowd of weary travelers. And then I saw Gisela from the office, and she saw me. It was a very weird encounter, considering that we were hours away from South Florida and had been traveling in different directions. She said that she was getting back from a meeting that had kept her from being in the office the day before and that another familiar face from work was with her.

After what seemed like forever, we were finally at Universal. After what seemed like slightly less than forever but still a long time, we parked. It was very odd that they didn't follow Disney's lead by trying very hard to hide the inner workings of the park from us. We parked in a lot behind some of the main attractions at Universal Studios. I could see the New York facade from the side. We then were guided toward what seemed to be a warehouse and had to walk through metal detectors. It seemed a bit excessive, but since the recent shooting at Virginia Tech, everyone wants to kill everybody everywhere. Or, at least, that's what I've been led to believe.

We were greeted by a party. That's right: a Grad Bash pre-party. I had heard about this pre-party, and I wasn't sure what it was going to be like. They had closed off the entire park except for a small section, probably to create the illusion that the place was really crowded. There was a stage set up and some no-name nobody singing other people's hip-hop hits. There were people on stilts throwing out garish necklaces like it was Mardi Gras. (That was the theme, I think.) But the best good part was the free food. There were hamburgers, hot dogs, and macaroni and cheese free for the taking, not to mention chips and soda. I should add that the mac and cheese was actually good. As for the hamburgers, eh. But they had a fine selection of condiments.

By this time, I had formed a group that would remain unchanging. The people I hung out with were Justin, Megan, Michelle, Val, Baba, Kerliza, and Jennifer. It was fitting that we stuck together for Grad Bash because I had known all of them since, at the latest, the beginning of 10th grade... except for one person who I was never terribly familiar with. I'll let you guess who!

Anyway, when they let everyone loose throughout Universal Studios, we started to go on the rides. We hit upon most of the favorites while noting that many of the rides involve some perfectly ordinary excursion that goes terribly awry and eventually involves ferocious beasts, explosions, and/or a 100-foot drop. While it's fun to go on those rides, it gets kind of annoying when every ride follows this formula. One ride that I remember as being particularly awesome was the Back to the Future ride. Unfortunately, during my pre-trip Wikipedia researching, I found out that the ride, which had been open since 1991, closed a scant three weeks before our visit. The De Lorean, along with the train from the third movie, were on display, and the De Lorean looked pretty fake. It looked like the lettering on the tires was painted on. I'm glad I didn't realize that when I was younger, or it would have spoiled the magic. Justin and I, however, were terribly upset about seeing the ride closed.

The great thing about Grad Bash is that you get to wander freely between both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Normally, this isn't possible, but they opened up a passageway between the parks (and closed the regular entrances/exits) so that it would be. At first, the passageway consisted of a series of gates, which were opened in stages. At the first gate, a huge crowd of people had formed, waiting to get to Islands. After the gate opened, there was a stampede, during which my group struggled to stay together. The same thing happened with the other gates. But eventually, we were in, and we found that this hidden passageway opened right into Seuss Landing, the Dr. Seuss-themed section of Islands of Adventure. Everybody stampeded through there too. We went right to Dueling Dragons, the twin roller coasters that are so popular that there's room for a really, really long line. It's that popular.

I had noticed on the way in that Dueling Dragons is at the edge of the whole place, and is in fact bordering a gas station, as I mentioned. I was also the one to notice that there is a high school across the street from the roller coaster. It turns out that it has an extensive Wikipedia article, which mentions that "[s]tudents can actually hear screaming roller coaster riders through the windows of some of the classrooms on campus." I wondered how many students would play hooky to go across the street. Probably not many because tickets might be expensive, but it would be worth it. And that's what I thought as I was riding the roller coaster. It's really cool. I'm not sure which of the two tracks I prefer. I like them both. They are roller coasters, after all. You can't be too picky with them.

As for the other rides, I won't bore you much with the details because I'd already been on all of them except one. (The exception was One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. It's like the Dumbo ride at Disney. What? When everyone in the park is your age, and other people are riding that ride, it's okay.) Oh, and I could also mention in this short paragraph that My Chemical Romance was playing at Grad Bash. I don't listen to them, and I didn't decide to start right then.

After a while of going around on rides and taking some time out to eat (I had Dippin' Dots for the first time -- yeah, I know, I'm a big loser), it was getting to be around 1:00 in the morning, which was when, we believed, we would have to meet by the Hulk (the other roller coaster) and leave. So we waited, and we waited, and we waited. We could have gone on the Hulk at this point, but I didn't really feel like it because I was feeling both hungry and full at the same time. It's an odd feeling. Anyway, we soon (or, rather, not soon) found out that we would instead be meeting at 2:00, so we remained sitting on the bridge that the roller coaster goes under while people walked by.

Eventually, we saw a crowd gathering, and it was getting close to 2:00, so we went there to find some people from our class. As we left through yet another random gate, we saw that the various schools' buses were placed in impromptu sections: A, B, C, and D. My school's buses were in section D. We soon discovered that the progression from section to section was linear, so D was the last. I thought it would be funny if our bus was the very last one in the last section. It was, and it wasn't very funny. We were tired and had to walk a long way.

We got back on the bus. It took off, they turned off the lights, and we fell asleep. Actually, I just rested. Resting is where you close your eyes but don't fall unconscious, so it happens in real time and seems agonizingly slow. Meanwhile, you can hear everything that's going on, and you "wake up" feeling somewhat, but not completely, rested. I rested until we got to a rest stop, the irony of which I now realize. It was about 4:30, and I called home to let my parents know we would be getting back to school a little later than the planned time of 5:00. I was less able to rest during the second part of the trip home, and toward the very end, I just kept my eyes open to see what everything looked like at 5:30 in the morning. We got back to school at 6:00 -- 24 hours after I had last slept.

I got home, had a little bit to eat, and did something very unusual: I slept. I just can't sleep unless it's nighttime -- I can't even remember the last time I had a nap -- but I had to make an exception in this case. I slept for two hours and continued to have half-an-hour to two-hour naps till the early afternoon. I was really tired, but it was worth it.

Remember Mozilla's successful community-driven campaign to get a Firefox ad printed in the New York Times? A more ambitious project called Tux 500 is being mounted by a group of Linux users; their goal is to have a Linux-sponsored car at the Indianapolis 500. They say: "If less than 1% of the Linux community donates $1, this will happen... will you do your part?" I'm willing to do my part, and I figured that others would too if only they knew about it. With that in mind, I submitted the story to Slashdot, but apparently it's not going to get posted. It's a shame, though. I hope it gets heavily Dugg. They want to raise at least $350,000 by May 21.

So senior week is over. For "Opposite Day" on Wednesday, I actually dressed emo. For this once-in-a-lifetime stunt, I borrowed my sister's shirt, pins, and wristband. She's not emo, but she probably could be if she wanted I also wore eyeliner. Though this picture doesn't do it justice, the effect was priceless. (As you can see, we have to wear ID badges for security blah blah blah. If I were a real emo kid, I just wouldn't have worn it. Actually, I wouldn't have worn it if I were most anyone else. But I am me.)

I got some interesting reactions. Some people said that I had the look for being emo and should dress like that more often. Others said I never should look like that again. Personally, I don't think it was really comfortable. I'm not really one to conform to a particular style; I just wear whatever's comfortable, and I don't really see the point in wearing pins and black clothes all the time. But it was worth it to make my friend Gilbert's photoshopped emo Jordon picture a reality:

Other people did some crazy stuff that day. Ed (yes, that Ed) dressed as a farmer. Andrew, who's usually into metal and stuff, wore a suit and fedora. Tyler wore a red dress, and actually didn't get in trouble. It was definitely my favorite day of Senior Week, although the next day was interesting. You were supposed to dress up as a character from a cartoon, although some people dressed as non-cartoon characters. For example, Justin, Mark, and I dressed as our characters from Beowulf: The Movie and Beowulf 2: This Time It's Personal.

I've been eagerly anticipating the new version of Ubuntu, which came out yesterday. I started upgrading immediately, and it really was quite simple. The downloading of the files was estimated to take a few hours, which was fine by me, but what I hadn't counted on was that about a million people were going to be downloading those files at the same time. The downloading continued late into the night, and the process still wasn't done this morning because a dialog box had come up and paused the upgrade process. So I let it finish, but I had to leave for work before it could finish. When I got back home this afternoon, there was another dialog box waiting for me, so I clicked it, and the upgrade was soon finished -- all I had to do was reboot.

So, yeah, it took about 23 hours, but that's only because the server was hammered and because I couldn't supervise the computer during that whole time. If I could do it again, I would have started early on a weekend morning and monitored it periodically throughout the day. Then it would have gone faster. But I'm pleased to say that apparently nothing got borked up in the upgrade process, so things have been smooth. The new feature I'm enjoying the most are the desktop effects, where windows wobble when you move them, and your virtual desktops appear on a cube. I'm just testing it out, and if I don't like them, I'll turn them off. But it was very handy that Ubuntu automatically downloaded the necessary drivers to make the 3D acceleration stuff work. 15 cool points to Ubuntu. Here's a video (not by me) of these effects in action.

At this point I'd like to mention that my friend Luke can provide those of you in South Florida with CDs of many Linux distributions, including the new Ubuntu 7.04, for a small fee or a blank CD-R. Just leave a comment, and he'll probably read it and hook you up. Everybody say "Thanks, Luke!"

I'm really excited because tomorrow is Grad Bash, which is like Grad Nite but at Universal Studios. SOME of my friends didn't want to go, but I'm glad some of them did because I'm sure we'll have an awesome time. We leave tomorrow afternoon and come back early Sunday morning.

Corey Andrew of Jersey City, New Jersey, decided to write to Army recruiter Sgt. Marcia Ramode about joining the Army. She welcomed his application until she found out that he was gay. It turned out that he was just trying to see what kind of reaction he would get simply by revealing to a military recruiter that he was gay. Unfortunately, it wasn't a good one. Hey, come on, guys. This is, what, 2007, and we're still treating people like this?

That's right, it's senior week here at Pompano Beach High School. We've been here for four years, and this is what we've all been waiting for: to have a week named after us. This week, each day has a sort of theme, and the thing is that only the seniors participate. Well, yesterday was an exception to the rule because each class was supposed to wear its color for a "Spirit Day." The senior class's color is traditionally gold, which is pretty lame because nobody has gold (or yellow) clothes. Well, there's a senior class t-shirt that's gold, but I didn't buy one because when they listed the seniors' names on the back, they grossly misspelled my name. Seriously, it was ineffably and unforgivably misspelled. I'd like to have a word with the genius who was responsible for that one.

Today was College Day, where the seniors were supposed to "rep" their future colleges, as it were. I reluctantly wore the subtler of my two UF shirts. As I've said in the past, I don't like participating in any unnecessary us-and-them type activities that only create hostility between people. Specifically, I don't like being divisive by bragging about what college I'm going to give lots and lots of money to. (Note: this opinion will change, possibly soon. I just know it.)

What's in store for the rest of the week? Tomorrow is Opposite Day... NOT! Actually, it is. Tomorrow is Opposite Day, when you're encouraged to wear the opposite of the usual style. I think I'm actually going to do this one. I expect that a lot of people aren't, though, because why would you have clothes in a style opposite of what you always wear? Most people would have to borrow clothes, which is what I'm doing. Then there are a few people who frequently wear a number of different styles. Those are people for whom Opposite Day doesn't seem to apply.

Finally, on Thursday, you're supposed to dress up like a cartoon character. No thanks.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot what senior week is all about. It leads up to Grad Bash at Universal Studios. And guess who actually decided to go? That's right: me. It's the kind of thing that a lot of my friends don't care about, but fortunately, some of them do, or else I'd have no one to hang out with. It should be fun. We Floridians shouldn't take the proximity of world-class theme parks for granted. I can't imagine a school from, say, the Midwest, taking a bus ride to Universal. Well, I guess they have theme parks up there, so they probably go to those. Yeah.

If in doubt, Ask Jordon.

Peter: Can you tell me what my first comment was? And while you're at it, what is my first Ask Jordon question? I'm curious.

Your first comment was on July 30, 2005. Your first Ask Jordon question was answered on January 13, 2006: "How did you get the code for http://www.theworldofstuff.com/blah? Is it a PHP version of Wpoison?"

Kayley: why cant people get along, especially GIRLS???

I tend to get along with almost everybody, and I'd say it's because I'm pretty laid back and quiet, so I don't really have much of a chance to disagree fiercely with anyone on anything. If I think someone's annoying, I won't tell them so, but I'll just try to avoid them. I'd imagine that girls are more social than guys in general, so when something happens, they don't try to work around it or stay cool, but they get confrontational trying to defend themselves. This is all speculation, of course. I could be wrong.

Tux: What do you plan on doing on April 19th?

Oh, I'll tell you, anonymous 64-bit Linux user. Since I switched from Windows to Ubuntu Linux two months ago, I've been anticipating the upcoming release of Ubuntu 7.04, codenamed "Feisty Fawn," which is due out on Thursday, April 19.

Among the new features in Feisty are better support for wireless networking (which will undoubtedly make my future Ubuntu laptop experiences easier), easy installation of proprietary codecs like MP3 (which should be handy if I come across some of the lesser-used media formats), and a few advanced desktop effects. The effects are from a program called Compiz, which basically allows you use your graphics card to its fullest potential by introducing realistic 3D effects to your desktop. I understand it's not easy for n00bs like me to install, which is why I've shied away from it. (That, and this computer is kind of slow.) With Feisty, I'll be able to try out a few of the effects just by clicking a checkbox, and if I don't like them or they break my computer, I can turn them off easily too.

Upgrading to Feisty will be easy. It will appear as a software update, just like the other updates I get once in a while. I think all I'll have to do is click to install it. Try upgrading to Vista that simply.

A photo gallery from Wired: The Evolution of the Computer Mouse.

It's still spring break, believe it or not, and boy, do I need this break. I think everybody should get breaks like this; not just students. Well, actually, working people have things called "vacations," but they don't really get enough of those. And the result is that they hate their job and yet they have to keep doing it if they don't want to risk being unemployed for who knows how long and hoping that they can actually get a job that pays better.

A few months ago or whenever it was, the University of Florida beat Ohio State University in the football championship. Now they're at it again, but with basketball. So everybody (well, not everybody) is asking me if I'm going to be watching the big game. After all, UF is my future alma mater, so I have to support my future team, they say. So, am I going to watch? Hint: it's on right now, and I'm writing a blog post.

I don't care about sports. Depending on my mood, I might even say that I don't like sports. I really don't see any redeeming value in them other than giving people with muscles something to do. They're a big waste of money -- have you seen how much athletes get paid? -- and they just create more walls for us to put between ourselves. Fans heckle and boo each other; they hiss and spit and cuss and fight. And who knows which is which and who is who? If you like Ohio State, is there any reason I should boast about the Gators to you if they win? Is there any reason for you to do the same to me if your team wins? No. It doesn't mean anything. Allegiance to a particular sports team doesn't make anyone a better or worse person, so there's no sense in acting as if it does. I understand that not all sports fans are positively rabid, but if you plaster your car with your favorite team's paraphernalia, how are you not saying "Look at me, I'm better than you"?

Of course, you are free to debate this point, and you may do so if you like. That's the great thing about this World of Stuff of ours.

I've been using Ubuntu happily for about six weeks now, and I've been happy with the things I can do with it. The things I can't do are generally limited to my lack of expertise (my friend Luke had to explain to me how to get out of less) and by the physical limitations of this computer. Most notably, this computer doesn't have a printer hooked up. Luckily, I haven't really had to print anything for any of my classes this semester (programming, physics, and calculus), so it hasn't been much of an issue, but I'd like to know that I can print from Ubuntu if I need to.

That's where my other computer comes in. It runs Windows XP, and there's this network thingy between them so that they have the same DSL router or whatever. After searching the web quite a bit (and that's what you do if you want help with most Linux distributions without having to pay for anything), I found out how to print from Ubuntu to Windows XP on a local network. I followed the directions there, and everything worked. However, there were a few quirks in the process that I thought I should explain for those who will be using that guide in the future. Copied directly from my response to the post, here they are.

So now I can print from Ubuntu. It was actually very easy to do because it recognizes most printers. After setting up the printer, the only snag I hit was in the Gimp, where printing is configured separately. To set up an existing printer in the Gimp, all you really have to do is select the model of the printer, and you should be good to go. Actually, I think there was a little more to it than that, but it wasn't hard to figure out after going through the process of setting it up with the OS.

Apparently it's possible to get some Super-Close Google Maps Zooms. We're talking privacy-breachingly close here -- in some cases, at least. Have a look for yourself. (And just think: if private satellites can zoom in this close, imagine what secret government technology can do...)

It's dark out. I've been sitting here at the computer for a while -- in fact, pretty much all day. I'm on spring break right now, and I'm trying to enjoy it. Sure, I have lots of calculus homework to do, but I want to wait. I'm looking forward to staying up late over the following week to watch The Daily Show and Colbert, neither of which I've seen in months. What can I say? I go to bed early because I wake up early. I don't want to wake up early, but I do. I woke up exceptionally early this morning -- 6:30, to be in fact. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't. I must have thought it was a Friday (when I wake up at 6:30 to go to work), but more likely the dust in my room was irritating my nose.

I haven't really done much today at all, as I said. I did trick out Ubuntu quite a bit, though, by adding a new login window and splash screen. Some people may wonder why it matters, but I did it to go with the theme that I've made up, which is predominantly blue. I hope soon to get to the point that working at Ubuntu becomes transparent -- i.e., I don't use it, thinking, "Hey, this is Ubuntu instead of Windows, which is what I'm used to." That probably won't happen soon, though, because I read somewhere that it can take a year or more for someone to know the ins and outs of a particular operating system. Oh well. I'm enjoying the Linux experience.

And as my mind inevitably turns to the future, I'm thinking about what kind of laptop to get. Obviously, one that runs Linux, as the main reason (or one of the main reasons) I switched to Linux was for the cost (usually free). It's my understanding that laptops with Linux preinstalled (they do exist, keep reading) are cheaper than equivalent laptops with Windows. Actually, they may not be, but with Windows you have to pay for a lot of the software, but on Linux it's mostly free. Besides that, I really don't know how the cost figures into things -- or, rather, how things are figured into the cost. I need to do my homework when it comes to hardware and stuff. I just found out recently that this computer is, by the standards of March 31, 2007, slow and old.

Anyway, when researching laptops with Ubuntu pre-installed, System76 immediately emerged as the definitive leader. They apparently have great customer support and are determined to help you when you buy from them (or even when you don't). Plus, they have guaranteed hardware support, which is a must when Linux hardware support is kind of patchy and unpredictable. Supposedly, System76 laptops come with Wi-Fi working out of the box, which is pretty neat because I think there's a wireless Internet connection thingy in my house.

I want a laptop that won't get outdated quickly and that looks slick. Obviously, affordability is important too. My friend Brian says he just got a laptop from System76, so I have to check it out for myself to see what I could be getting. He said he got the cheapest one, which does look pretty cheap. I'd like something a little nicer and sturdier with plenty of room on the screen to see stuff (a big screen, I mean). And I don't want their expensive white one that looks like a Mac. I think a white laptop would just get dirty and ugly over time. Besides that, I don't want people to think of me as an artsy, turtleneck-wearing, cappuccino-drinking Mac user if they see me with such a laptop. I am incapable of being that smug, and I know more about computers than that. (But I still don't know a lot.)

Speaking of knowing or not knowing a lot about computers, my latest Greasemonkey user script is a masterpiece, and I anticipate it becoming a big hit. It's gotten about 75 installs in the past 24 hours. It's called Google Search Counter, and it is intended to satisfy an idle curiosity I've had for a long time. How many Google searches do I perform a day? In the 24 hours since I've been using the script, I've made 50 searches, and that's just the main web search (which is all it counts, for now at least). I plan to have it count how many searches I do throughout the whole of next month. It should be interesting to see.

For nerds only: HTML Tags Illustrated.

While I've been on vacation, it's an all-Ask Jordon post coming your way.

Person! ^.^: What is the air speed velocity of an un-laiden swallow?

What do you mean, an African or a European swallow?

billybob jo: what are some other names for tornados

Cyclones. Tornadoes (with an "e"). Whirlwinds. Waterspouts, if they're over water. And... gosh. Oh, twisters, like another movie that I never saw. That's all I can think of without having to cheat and look up answers somewhere else. (And if "cyclone" is debatable, blame it on my old school, whose sports teams were called the Cyclones and whose actual mascot resembled a tornado.)

Peter: Question 1/2: How do you track visitors/hits nowadays?

AWStats, a log file analyzer. My web host provides it readily, so there was no complicated setup. It has its advantages and disadvantages compared to eXTReMe Tracking, which I used to use. The main difference is that the former tracks statistics related to your whole site, while the latter keeps tabs on individual pages. In any case, it's nice to see your log files broken down and explained meaningfully.

Peter: Question 2/2: What do you think of lernu (en.lernu.net)

I never used lernu! much for learning Esperanto, but I still have it in the Esperanto folder of my bookmarks. I'm not really sure how good it is, although I believe it has a number of texts you can read, and you can get a definition of any word just by clicking on it. If I recall, it even breaks down words into their roots and affixes, which is quite awesome. I've heard some good things about the site in general, but I can't say much about it myself.

Peter: Question 3/2: What do you believe are the major benefits of Ubuntu over Mac OSX or Windows XP?

Now that I've been using Ubuntu for over a month, I've been able to see some advantages and disadvantages when comparing it to Windows XP. (I can't really compare OS X to anything because I have little experience with it.) Of course, it can be frustrating when you're getting to learn a new operating system that does things a bit differently from what you're used to.

But to answer your question, I'd say that the major benefit is the software updates that come frequently. Unlike some operating systems I could mention, you don't wait five years for the next version, which doesn't even turn out to be much better than the last. A new version comes every six months, and besides that, the various packages or components of the operating system and its programs are being updated all the time for stability, security, and of course, killer features. As long as you use the software that's in the repositories, you're pretty much guaranteed to have the latest, greatest versions available... as long as you install the updates, that is.

But with Ubuntu, you don't have to be afraid to install updates, like with a certain other OS I could mention. That's because Ubuntu is freely distributable and free of charge, so there is no licensing key to share illegally. As a result, Ubuntu doesn't use its update mechanism to hound you about using unauthorized (unpaid-for) copies of its software. And as far as I can tell, Ubuntu doesn't bludgeon you over the head by automatically installing the updates you're trying to put off because they serve only to rat you out for copying someone's licensing key.

In other words, I like Ubuntu because it is free (as in speech and also as in beer) and because it has an active developer base that's constantly coming out with better versions of software (usually free also) that are made easily available for you.

Have a look at the stories behind lots of famous logos.

This is a fascinating read: A Brief History of the Calendar.

A few months ago, my dog, who has never really been housebroken, started making a mess on the carpet in my dad's "office" -- where his computer and all his computer-related stuff are. (Now that he's gotten Linux on his computer, I've made it my main computer also.) We no longer trust the dog enough to let him roam free while no one's home, but we've had to put up with the unpleasant smell of the carpet. Since it was old anyway, my parents decided to get new carpet and repaint the room while they were at it. Over the course of a few days, we moved all the stuff to other parts of the house.

So, over the weekend, I was kind of disconnected from the world. I could have used the other computer, and that's what I did end up doing for some things, but I want to immerse myself in Linux as much as possible, and that means making a Linux desktop my main computer before I go off into the world and get a laptop of my own. It's good to be back, though, and I see that I haven't missed much.

Actually, I spent much of my weekend (and last week) toiling away at the Greasemonkey user script I'm most proud of. Before I go any further, I should mention to the uninitiated that Greasemonkey is an extension for Firefox (you know, the browser) that allows you to run bits of JavaScript called "user scripts" that change the look and/or behavior of web pages. Anyway, my favorite user script out of the ones I've written is Myspace Ignore Bulletins, which allows you to set specific friends whose bulletins you want to blacklist or whitelist. I've spent much of the past week improving it, and I'm satisfied with the results.

The script grew out of a need, as all of mine do, and it was simple enough at first. I wanted to be some people's friends on MySpace but didn't want to read the zillions of stupid bulletins they would post every day. Rather than ignoring bulletins altogether, I decided to write a quick and dirty little script to hide the bulletins from users that I would specify in the code. Figuring that others could also benefit from it, I uploaded it to userscripts.org, a repository of, well, user scripts. For such a not-very-popular script, I got a lot of comments on it, some of which clamored for the ability to see only bulletins from the users you'd blocked or the ability to see only bulletins from users you specify.

Realizing that these people were asking for the same thing, I figured out how to integrate that functionality into the existing script so that you could toggle between blacklisting and whitelisting with just a click. That was last week. I uploaded the new version of the script and got some more downloads. But I wasn't satisfied yet because you still had to tweak the code in order to add or remove friends from the list. So I came up with a visual interface for adding or removing friends right on the bulletin listing page. It's nothing fancy -- just a textbox with the user IDs in it -- but I think it will help for people who don't know enough JavaScript to alter a little bit of the code. As it happened, just before uploading the improved version, I got a comment from a user who liked the script but had to ask "the Unix nerd I married" for help with configuring it. This new version of MySpace Ignore Bulletins goes out to her and everyone else who wants to block MySpace bulletins from certain users or show bulletins only from certain users and doesn't want or know how to edit the actual code.

So yeah. If you like MySpace bulletins but don't like some of them (and you use Firefox), do check out the fruit of my labor, MySpace Ignore Bulletins.

Turns out that the annoying Nokia ringtone comes from an old Spanish guitar piece. Here's a page with some more info and an excerpt from the original work.

Are you not a big fan of facts? Do you see reality as having a liberal bias? Then Conservapedia is the web site for you. It's like Wikipedia, but instead of aiming for a neutral point of view, it aims to be biased! (See also: A (Conservative) People's History of New York City.)

Ah yes, Daylight Saving Time has kicked in, and earlier than usual to boot. I've said it once, and I'll say it again: I don't think it's worth all the inconvenience. If it was introduced to help farmers, why don't they just change the time they wake up? And does it really save energy? It doesn't seem like it, especially because we have all sorts of electronic devices that run twenty-four hours a day (like the TVs in many people's houses). All it really seems to do is take away an hour of sleep from millions of people (many of whom, I'm sure, are still feeling the effect) and then give it back to them in October. Why bother with all the hassle?

Speaking of clocks jumping around, there's apparently been a problem with my dad's computer ever since he installed Ubuntu Linux alongside Windows last month. It's a minor problem, but an annoying one: the system clock would be five hours ahead of the actual time (now four since we're on DST). Obviously, it's easy to change the time settings in Windows and declare "Mission Accomplished," but then if you log into Ubuntu, the time is then five (now four) hours behind what it should be. Obviously this has to do with one of the systems failing to take into account the difference between the CPU time (local time) and UTC (or taking it into account twice). However, I couldn't fix it until I asked for help on the Ubuntu Forums, where I got the answer. After setting Ubuntu's clock to display the right time, I entered the following command in the terminal:

and changed UTC=yes to UTC=no. Then Windows and Ubuntu both displayed the proper local time.

So, how is that Linux thingy going, anyway? Pretty well, I have to say. It's a good chance to have a desktop that's actually organized. My Windows desktop is cluttered with shortcuts that I can't bring myself to touch. Important folders are strewn about all over the place. It's a mess. By switching to an entirely different OS, I've given myself a chance to start anew and make things organized. My important folders are now in the /home folder, where they're easily accessed. My desktop has nothing on it; instead I've placed launchers (shortcuts) for frequently used programs onto the GNOME Panel (taskbar). (That said, does anyone know of a good desktop widget engine for GNOME that actually has a decent variety of widgets that are actively maintained and easy to install? Thought not.)

I've also started to delve into different themes to change the look of the OS. Ubuntu comes with quite a few themes, which, it turns out, consist of different parts that you can mix and match. Themes (or parts of themes) are easy to download and use. I use the controls from Clearlooks (a pleasant blue), the window border of Chiro (nice and shiny), and the icons from Human (Ubuntu's default theme). Configuring systemwide fonts is a separate affair, but it's not difficult to do at all. I decided to change the default font for applications to one that's narrower; the space wasted by Ubuntu's wide default font was getting to me, and I'm glad that I can change it easily.

Now available for download on microsoft.com: the Blue Screen of Death screen saver! Sorry, it's for Windows only.

From Wikipedia: British words not widely used in the US and vice versa.