Spent another day installing Linux Mint and trying to configure it for my computer. The biggest problem was that Linux Mint was silent. Clicking on obvious things like "Sound," "Settings," or any of the many choices listed under "Hardware" offered no solution, only wasting time. Researching online, I couldn't find an easy way to enable sound on my motherboard. There are many sound-related add-ons available without any indication as to which one will install support for basic audio. A user could spend hours evaluating add-ons that are actually intended for other purposes. After browsing messages in one of many forums, I decided to install Alsamixer, but that didn't help. Alsamixer aborted without any message whenever I clicked on Preferences! It was recommended that users modify one of the config files for Alsa, and so I did, but that didn't help, either. Alsamixer was a no-go.
My sound hardware is not anything unusual, either. It's motherboard-embedded Realtek HD 5.1, which is cheap and pretty common among PC's. Realtek has been embedded in almost every motherboard I've bought since 1999. Clicking on the speaker icon on the taskbar revealed that sound was being routed to "Dummy Stereo," and yes, I know what that means. There was no option to reroute it to the real stereo.
A common problem mentioned by the Linux Mint web site is that one's installation DVD may be defective, due to the unreliability of lengthy downloads from their distribution sites. However, I verified the MD5 checksum using their recommended Windows checksum verification program. It seems to me that the installation process should verify its own integrity, prior to installing, and report an appropriate error message if anything is amiss.
Linux Mint couldn't print or access the scanner, either, and I was growing concerned about the amount of time it was taking to find the answers to my difficulties. Researching the silence problem alone took hours and resulted in no solution. Although I used a silent computer for a decade in the office, I can't imagine being without sound at home. The print issue I never got around to troubleshooting, because silence itself is a deal-breaker.
The chief problem with Linux, as I see it, is that hardware manufacturers, such as the one that made my motherboard, do not offer any drivers for Linux. The only drivers available are for versions of Windows. That's not fair to Linux users and complicates matters for Linux developers. My distro is maintained by just one guy. I imagine he works day and night already. Supporting all the millions of different hardware configurations is out of the question. Donations amount to less than $5000/month, which can only support one developer and no more. Contrast that with Microsoft, which has legions of developers, besides all the third-party developers that write drivers for Windows without Microsoft having to do anything other than grant or deny the official seal of approval. The game is rigged in favor of Microsoft due to market forces.
Other than the hardware issue, Linux Mint is great. It's well-designed and attractive. I was annoyed by a reviewer that griped about trivialities such as the desktop wallpaper or the splash screen. Those things can be changed, but they look fine to me. I thought the default look and feel of the desktop was superior to Windows. I liked the speed of the installation and the fact that the network configured itself. I was able to access the Internet from the get-go, which isn't true of Windows XP.
I noticed that Firefox was slow as molasses on chess cube, where chess play depends upon Flash. Something simple like dragging a piece is ten times slower in Linux Mint than in Windows. This sluggishness surprised me, because I was under the impression that Linux Mint 11 offered built-in support for Flash. Also, Firefox had a different look and feel in Linux Mint, and not a better one. I missed my navigation icons, such as Back, Forward, New Tab, and Home.
Linux Mint did not boot all the time, either, but only booted some of the time. That may have been due to a faulty hard drive for all I know. The boot time was no better than Windows XP SP3 and may have been slower even. I don't know why Linux users make the claim that Linux boots faster when it doesn't. During the boot, the screen stayed black and the hard drive light was off sometimes, which made me wonder whether it had crashed. It would be nice if Linux Mint gave some indication it was alive during the boot.
Clicking on "Help" in many windows resulted in an error message stating that help was not available. It is possible to research problems in the forums, but that is tedious because forums tend to be chatty and a bit random. Some people know what they are talking about, but some don't, and some of the information is outdated or applicable only to certain hardware configurations but not others. The tutorials and documentation tend to focus upon trivialities that would be significant to an experienced user. There are no tutorials and no documentation on the basics, such as setting up sound in Linux Mint. The new user is left on his own to fend for himself. Reading the manual didn't help either. Apparently the assumption is that the new user already knows what to do and that everything already works the first time.
If Linux offered an obvious path to configuring sound, printer, and scanner, then I'd be all for it, but it seems to offer me a crippled computer lacking much of the functionality I've taken for granted over the years with Windows XP. I don't think that situation is going to improve anytime soon. On Windows XP, I know what to do: visit the motherboard manufacturer's web site, download the drivers, and execute the installation packages. That is not an option with Linux and probably never will be.
I remember when New Egg used to offer a flavor of Linux called Xandros, but now only Windows 7 is available. After my experience spending hours trying to get any sound from my computer, I can understand why. Probably nine out of ten customers returned their Linux distro for a refund and asked for Windows in its place. Look and feel is important, of course, but the bottom line for an OS is hardware, hardware, hardware. If the hardware works, great. If not, then what good is the operating system? It's crippleware at best. Users want their stuff to work. End of story.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Windows XP Ain't So Hot, Either
I wrote a negative review about Linux Mint recently, but am regretting it. That's the problem with blogging--opinions are apt to change. No sooner do I write something down then I begin to reconsider. I've continued reading about the advantages of Linux Mint and am beginning to doubt my own analysis.
Windows XP comes down with a bad case of the flu about once a year, if not more often, and I don't know why. When Windows works, life is great, but when it doesn't, it is just as cumbersome to deal with as a Linux installation process. And it can be scary, too, because one never knows whether a virus may be responsible for bizarre unexplained system errors. Trying to cipher any of the error messages Windows spits out requires research on the Internet.
Besides that, every Windows installation tends to slow down with age. I have to admit that for all the difficulties in learning a new OS, Windows presents a slew of difficulties for those that remain loyal. The latest Windows offers absolutely nothing to me, but would introduce a world of pain. It would require more RAM, a new printer, and a new scanner, because Microsoft in its infinite wisdom decided that old hardware needs replacing, even if it is perfectly functional. Old hardware needs to be replaced in order to extract money from the end user and put it where it belongs, in the bank accounts of Microsoft's corporate allies such as Intel, et al.
To be honest, I'm ready for a change, even if I do have to learn a whole new bag of tricks. Maybe that's the price I have to pay to get a stable operating system that doesn't make me jump through hoops every year like Windows.
Windows XP comes down with a bad case of the flu about once a year, if not more often, and I don't know why. When Windows works, life is great, but when it doesn't, it is just as cumbersome to deal with as a Linux installation process. And it can be scary, too, because one never knows whether a virus may be responsible for bizarre unexplained system errors. Trying to cipher any of the error messages Windows spits out requires research on the Internet.
Besides that, every Windows installation tends to slow down with age. I have to admit that for all the difficulties in learning a new OS, Windows presents a slew of difficulties for those that remain loyal. The latest Windows offers absolutely nothing to me, but would introduce a world of pain. It would require more RAM, a new printer, and a new scanner, because Microsoft in its infinite wisdom decided that old hardware needs replacing, even if it is perfectly functional. Old hardware needs to be replaced in order to extract money from the end user and put it where it belongs, in the bank accounts of Microsoft's corporate allies such as Intel, et al.
To be honest, I'm ready for a change, even if I do have to learn a whole new bag of tricks. Maybe that's the price I have to pay to get a stable operating system that doesn't make me jump through hoops every year like Windows.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
The Abyss, a Personal Candy Jar for Abyssal Knights
Lugonu, the Abyssal Knight's god, grants the power to enter and leave the Abyss with sufficient piety. The profession of Abyssal Knight therefore represents an interesting choice for Spriggans, because with their unsurpassed speed, they can acquire many treasures in the Abyss while outrunning most Abyssal baddies.
In the first pillage of the Abyss, a Spriggan may acquire a couple of scrolls or potions, or if he's lucky, jewelry, a wand, a weapon, or suitable armour. My best first pillage yet resulted in two rings, three scrolls, two potions and a slice of pizza--not a bad way to start the first level of the Dungeon. Races other than Spriggans will make acquisitions too, but their slow speed will hasten getting cornered by monsters and having to call upon Lugonu to leave the Abyss.
As a Spriggan grows in strength and abilities, these occasional forays into the Abyss will become more lucrative. If the player is cornered in the Dungeon, entering the Abyss allows a chance for rest and recovery in addition to the possibility of acquiring additional magical items that might allow the player to overcome his adversaries in the Dungeon.
In the first pillage of the Abyss, a Spriggan may acquire a couple of scrolls or potions, or if he's lucky, jewelry, a wand, a weapon, or suitable armour. My best first pillage yet resulted in two rings, three scrolls, two potions and a slice of pizza--not a bad way to start the first level of the Dungeon. Races other than Spriggans will make acquisitions too, but their slow speed will hasten getting cornered by monsters and having to call upon Lugonu to leave the Abyss.
As a Spriggan grows in strength and abilities, these occasional forays into the Abyss will become more lucrative. If the player is cornered in the Dungeon, entering the Abyss allows a chance for rest and recovery in addition to the possibility of acquiring additional magical items that might allow the player to overcome his adversaries in the Dungeon.
I Love Google, Except for One Thing
Google loves history. As in, ancient history. That's fine for most subjects. But when searching for technological terms, a result from over two years ago is of little value. There are exceptions, yes. But for the most part, when searching for technological terms, which I do every day, I want my results to be confined to the last 30 days. It astounds me that Google does not make such an option available in the user's settings, but they don't, probably to keep their corporate clients happy, because web site owners are touchy about their rankings and raise hell whenever Google makes the slightest change that may impact their search rank. Old results that were great in 2003 continue to show up in 2011, when their worth has diminished to zero. In fact, old results can be dangerous, if used.
I was pleased to discover an easy way to add this functionality to my home page this morning! It seems only my partner and I will benefit, because no-one else in the world seems interested in using my home page. The rest of the world seems content to let Facebook, Yahoo or Google set their home page. But that's okay. I don't get paid for it anyway.
I was pleased to discover an easy way to add this functionality to my home page this morning! It seems only my partner and I will benefit, because no-one else in the world seems interested in using my home page. The rest of the world seems content to let Facebook, Yahoo or Google set their home page. But that's okay. I don't get paid for it anyway.
Friday, June 3, 2011
One Bug, One Fix
What gets me high is when I can fix a bug with a single patch, without having to make multiple attempts. One bug - steady aim - kapow! Fixed! And that's all there is to it!
Body Odor
Seafood or fragrant gourmet cheeses bring to mind body odor, but not in a bad way. Oddly, their aroma is interpreted as pleasant and non-threatening, their flavor rich and delightful. The scent of a large mammal, though similar, is interpreted in a different way. Disgust is the dominant reaction.
I have noticed that people are indifferent to their own body odor or they may not even be aware of its intensity. I sometimes smell people who have not been vigilant about their personal hygiene. The odor can be overpowering, and if they only knew of its intensity, they would feel ashamed. All one remembers about them is their smell, a most unfortunate legacy.
But how can one broach such a subject? One cannot, in polite company. One simply endures, and then makes a mental note to limit one's future association with the stinking individual, or to at least situate oneself near an open window. That is a sad outcome that may result in certain people being lonely. I am reminded of my hyperactive friend who showered twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. That seemed excessive, but I understand the motive. For my part, I have made it a rule never to socialize without taking a shower. Rather than be smelled and not know it, I'd rather err on the side of fastidiousness.
I have noticed that people are indifferent to their own body odor or they may not even be aware of its intensity. I sometimes smell people who have not been vigilant about their personal hygiene. The odor can be overpowering, and if they only knew of its intensity, they would feel ashamed. All one remembers about them is their smell, a most unfortunate legacy.
But how can one broach such a subject? One cannot, in polite company. One simply endures, and then makes a mental note to limit one's future association with the stinking individual, or to at least situate oneself near an open window. That is a sad outcome that may result in certain people being lonely. I am reminded of my hyperactive friend who showered twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. That seemed excessive, but I understand the motive. For my part, I have made it a rule never to socialize without taking a shower. Rather than be smelled and not know it, I'd rather err on the side of fastidiousness.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Smith-Morra Gambit
Played a good game of chess today with victory in 18 moves. My worthy opponent played reasonable moves with clear justifications. He didn't blunder in any obvious manner, such as dropping a piece outright. But I think he was too aggressive. He postponed developing his King's bishop and never castled. The opening is a race for development. It is not the time to piddle around with the Queen in a speculative attack. What seemed to be an oversight on my part was planned. I still don't know if mine was a solid plan--this was speed chess, after all. But it worked.
[White me]
[Black anonymous 1980]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B21"]
[TimeControl "300+3"] (5 minutes plus 3 seconds per move, one of my favorite settings along with 120 + 12)
1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Nxd4 d6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. O-O e6 8. f4 Qb6 9. Be3 Ng4 10. Qxg4 e5 11. Nf5 Bxf5 12. Qxf5 Qxe3+ 13. Kh1 exf4 14. Nd5 Qc5 15. Nc7+ Kd8 16. Qxf7 Kc8 17. Ne6 Ne5 18. Qe8# 1-0
[White me]
[Black anonymous 1980]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B21"]
[TimeControl "300+3"] (5 minutes plus 3 seconds per move, one of my favorite settings along with 120 + 12)
1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Nxd4 d6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. O-O e6 8. f4 Qb6 9. Be3 Ng4 10. Qxg4 e5 11. Nf5 Bxf5 12. Qxf5 Qxe3+ 13. Kh1 exf4 14. Nd5 Qc5 15. Nc7+ Kd8 16. Qxf7 Kc8 17. Ne6 Ne5 18. Qe8# 1-0
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The Inevitable
I think most people operate under the assumption they're immortal, that is, they put the inevitable out of their thoughts. What's scary is thinking about the inevitable--not after, but during the passing. I suppose much of the physical process is automatic and uninteresting, except for the pain of course, but the awareness of the finality of everything, of never having another chance to right wrongs or accomplish good work must be the worst part.
Dismissing the fairy tale of Heaven gives Death fangs. One understands that the end is the end. Nothing awaits. One ceases to be. Material possessions are parceled out to survivors. Much gets thrown into the garbage. Choice bits wind up in antique stores. One is soon forgotten, just like everybody else.
Fate seems random. Some people, even no-good villains like Zimbabwe's tyrant, Mugabe, live to be eighty-odd, while others get cheated out of the average allotment of seventy-odd or eighty-odd years.
I'm not determined to drink life to the dregs, but would prefer a slightly early exit, with the emphasis on 'slightly'. I'd prefer to bow out around eighty or so, before mental deterioration overwhelms my ability to make a final decision. I fear the later stages of senility worse than any physical ailment.
Dismissing the fairy tale of Heaven gives Death fangs. One understands that the end is the end. Nothing awaits. One ceases to be. Material possessions are parceled out to survivors. Much gets thrown into the garbage. Choice bits wind up in antique stores. One is soon forgotten, just like everybody else.
Fate seems random. Some people, even no-good villains like Zimbabwe's tyrant, Mugabe, live to be eighty-odd, while others get cheated out of the average allotment of seventy-odd or eighty-odd years.
I'm not determined to drink life to the dregs, but would prefer a slightly early exit, with the emphasis on 'slightly'. I'd prefer to bow out around eighty or so, before mental deterioration overwhelms my ability to make a final decision. I fear the later stages of senility worse than any physical ailment.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
I Cheated in Trade Wars
I've been a big-time cheater all my life, at least in the wonderful world of games. I've never cheated on my taxes or on my partner, and the closest I've come to cheating my employer has been taking the odd pen home. Well, I'm not so sure my employers would actually have been opposed to taking a disposable pen home on occasion. They weren't skinflints, although the quality of the coffee in the office kitchen left a lot to be desired. I don't know why working people settle for rotgut when it comes to coffee. Good beans don't cost that much more than bad. I can get a pound of Sumatran for something like $7. Does that break the bank? I don't think so.
But I digress. I want to describe a specific episode of my cheating. It was brought to mind when I was winning an online chess game. I defeated my opponent in fourteen moves--checkmate, boom-yow! He never saw it coming. The words that came to my mind were, "Good night, sweet prince!" Those were the exact words used when finishing me off in Trade Wars about twenty years ago.
I don't know how many people remember Trade Wars. It was a text-based role-playing game of the BBS era set in a space-faring intergalactic civilization where one played as a merchant and was allotted a number of turns. The player visited planets buying ore or other goods and selling at a profit. Other traders would attack if encountered, because the goods of the vanquished were forfeited to the victor. One player in particular was a rampaging terror, wasting other traders, including me. He had a vast empire and was too powerful to eliminate, even if one were to find his hideaway.
My hacker nature got the better of me when I stumbled upon a system error that dropped me directly into DOS. I knew enough commands to load the Trade Wars Editor and give myself an enormous number of credits. Armed thus, I raised a vast army of ships so as to dominate the game. I tracked down the main player who had been lording it over every one else, killed him and took all his credits and other possessions. He would have to start over! I chuckled about that and called it quits for the day.
The next day when I logged on, I noticed that I was no longer able to load the Trade Wars Editor. When I logged into the game, I discovered I had been killed by the player I had killed the day before. He sent me a message that said, "GOOD NIGHT SWEET PRINCE!!!!!" It turns out that the System Operator had at least suspected my intrusion and had awarded my enemy even more credits than I had given myself. So, he was now invulnerable. Curse those tattle-tale system logs! I had to quit that Trade Wars Universe.
The moral of the story? There is no moral. I just like that line, "Good night, sweet prince!" It comes from Shakespeare and was spoken during a murder. Perhaps Macbeth?
But I digress. I want to describe a specific episode of my cheating. It was brought to mind when I was winning an online chess game. I defeated my opponent in fourteen moves--checkmate, boom-yow! He never saw it coming. The words that came to my mind were, "Good night, sweet prince!" Those were the exact words used when finishing me off in Trade Wars about twenty years ago.
I don't know how many people remember Trade Wars. It was a text-based role-playing game of the BBS era set in a space-faring intergalactic civilization where one played as a merchant and was allotted a number of turns. The player visited planets buying ore or other goods and selling at a profit. Other traders would attack if encountered, because the goods of the vanquished were forfeited to the victor. One player in particular was a rampaging terror, wasting other traders, including me. He had a vast empire and was too powerful to eliminate, even if one were to find his hideaway.
My hacker nature got the better of me when I stumbled upon a system error that dropped me directly into DOS. I knew enough commands to load the Trade Wars Editor and give myself an enormous number of credits. Armed thus, I raised a vast army of ships so as to dominate the game. I tracked down the main player who had been lording it over every one else, killed him and took all his credits and other possessions. He would have to start over! I chuckled about that and called it quits for the day.
The next day when I logged on, I noticed that I was no longer able to load the Trade Wars Editor. When I logged into the game, I discovered I had been killed by the player I had killed the day before. He sent me a message that said, "GOOD NIGHT SWEET PRINCE!!!!!" It turns out that the System Operator had at least suspected my intrusion and had awarded my enemy even more credits than I had given myself. So, he was now invulnerable. Curse those tattle-tale system logs! I had to quit that Trade Wars Universe.
The moral of the story? There is no moral. I just like that line, "Good night, sweet prince!" It comes from Shakespeare and was spoken during a murder. Perhaps Macbeth?
Reparations for the Drug War
One day, the U.S. is going to have to pay massive reparations for the unconstitutional and unethical drug war that has claimed the life of one former U.S. marine and countless others over the past eighty years. Our government is deep over its head in debt already from fighting pointless and counter-productive wars. The money will have to come from somewhere, so the D.E.A. may have to have its budget eliminated. It would be fascinating to see whether the D.E.A. could exist as a charity. Would anybody donate? Probably the immoral individuals that are profiting from property forfeitures would.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Moscow Gay Pride
Brave gay activists protest in Moscow, getting attacked and arrested by police. They say neo-Nazis staged a counter-protest, but there are reports the neo-Nazis were aided and abetted by police or were themselves undercover police officers.
Some of the things that were said by the anti-gays reminded me of television evangelists Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell in the early 1990s. For example, "if we let things like this (gay pride) happen in Moscow, God will burn down Moscow." How strange that people can be so ignorant as to believe such a thing in the year 2011! But then I remind myself that something like forty percent of Russians admire Stalin, who killed millions of Russians. The Russians seem as stupid as bricks. Whenever I feel disappointed in the actions of U.S. leaders and politicians, all I have to do to cheer myself up is browse what is happening in Russia, Iran, China, or North Korea, where the stupidity is quadrupled.
Some of the things that were said by the anti-gays reminded me of television evangelists Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell in the early 1990s. For example, "if we let things like this (gay pride) happen in Moscow, God will burn down Moscow." How strange that people can be so ignorant as to believe such a thing in the year 2011! But then I remind myself that something like forty percent of Russians admire Stalin, who killed millions of Russians. The Russians seem as stupid as bricks. Whenever I feel disappointed in the actions of U.S. leaders and politicians, all I have to do to cheer myself up is browse what is happening in Russia, Iran, China, or North Korea, where the stupidity is quadrupled.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Walk in Silk Slippers
Some bloggers churn out pages of verbiage per day. I've done so. If a more sedate pace as followed, then blogging offers an opportunity to review and refine one's writing and thinking. Reviewing a thought or idea several days after its creation offers entirely new perspectives. Sometimes, what seemed logical instead seems exaggerated for dramatic effect. Such ideas must be rejected as being not quite the thing, imprecise. Precision is important. Casting too wide a net is a common mistake.
I also think it is well to walk in silk slippers like the ninja, not clunking boots. Express an idea without overstating the case. Avoid excessive explanation. Draw an outline only, allowing the intelligent reader to fill in the blanks. By engaging the reader's mind in the activity of reading, making it work harder, the writer provokes interest. Additional areas of the brain are being stimulated. A baseline of pleasure is initiated. The writer must maintain that interest by giving various rewards, such as new or interesting ideas. He must avoid punishing the reader by inserting obvious exaggerations that insult the reader's intelligence, leading him into forming an instant rebuttal. Once a reader starts arguing with a writer, the game is over. The text will be dismissed. Obvious truths must be avoided, as well, in order not to bore the reader. An outline only is necessary. More is verbosity. A reader might not take exception, but won't take interest either. Make the reader work.
I also think it is well to walk in silk slippers like the ninja, not clunking boots. Express an idea without overstating the case. Avoid excessive explanation. Draw an outline only, allowing the intelligent reader to fill in the blanks. By engaging the reader's mind in the activity of reading, making it work harder, the writer provokes interest. Additional areas of the brain are being stimulated. A baseline of pleasure is initiated. The writer must maintain that interest by giving various rewards, such as new or interesting ideas. He must avoid punishing the reader by inserting obvious exaggerations that insult the reader's intelligence, leading him into forming an instant rebuttal. Once a reader starts arguing with a writer, the game is over. The text will be dismissed. Obvious truths must be avoided, as well, in order not to bore the reader. An outline only is necessary. More is verbosity. A reader might not take exception, but won't take interest either. Make the reader work.
Buying Gold in Online Games?!
I do not understand those of my fellow Westerners that use $$$real cash$$$ to buy imaginary gold pieces for their online games. The fact that last year Chinese slavers earned $2 billion off game-addicted Westerners by "farming gold" is bizarre. Just bizarre. I could think of other choice words, but I'm going to leave it at that. I'm sure whoever these customers are, they have enough problems as it is without anyone dumping on them.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Suicides in the Military
Commendable is the proposal by eleven senators to send letters of condolence to the families of servicemen who commit suicide during an armed conflict. Letters of condolence are sent to the families of other servicemen who die in war, so why not suicides? Who is prepared to judge every person who suffers a mental health breakdown due to physical, mental and environmental factors and commits suicide? Is suicide still considered a "sin?"
It is interesting that CNN characterizes the letter they signed as "bipartisan" when only a single solitary Republican joined ten Democrats in signing it. I thought "bi" implied a division into equal parts. Biweekly is once every two weeks. Ambidextrous means using both hands with ease. A bisexual is usually understood to be attracted to both genders with similar fervor. If bi- permits the greater part to outweigh the lesser tenfold, then a great many people must be considered bisexual.
It is interesting that CNN characterizes the letter they signed as "bipartisan" when only a single solitary Republican joined ten Democrats in signing it. I thought "bi" implied a division into equal parts. Biweekly is once every two weeks. Ambidextrous means using both hands with ease. A bisexual is usually understood to be attracted to both genders with similar fervor. If bi- permits the greater part to outweigh the lesser tenfold, then a great many people must be considered bisexual.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Psychopaths
Fascinating article about psychopaths in The Guardian. Perhaps it is a coincidence, but a recent case of a mother accused of murdering her daughter certainly brings to mind the subject. If found guilty, could the mother be certified as having the empathy-deficient brain profile of a psychopath?
Drupal 7.0
Drupal 7.0's default support for images seems rather primitive and not easy to configure. I was close to uninstalling Drupal and converting to Wordpress, which I may still do. I think Drupal's intended use is for large enterprises, public forums and the like, where the average creator is held in poor esteem. Everything about Drupal is intended to limit, confine, and exclude, to prevent users from doing naughty things like, I don't know, uploading porno or bad-mouthing the boss. Drupal seems poorly suited for the purpose of a personal blog or any small operation where the content creators are known and trusted.
I spent two hours trying to figure out how to accomplish in Drupal a task that would have taken me a skinny minute in pure HTML--adding a picture to content. In WordPress or Blogger, the procedure is relatively straightforward. Not so with Drupal. There is zero out-of-the-box support for image upload and insertion. One must first tweak the configuration, a point that not obvious to the end user. Eventually, through lengthy trial and error, I discovered that in Drupal 7.0, every user must first click on Structure | Basic Page | Manage Fields, and then add a new content-type for image. Then and only then will a prompt for image insertion appear on the Edit Content page. This essential configuration step was obscure. The so-called "Help" pages suggest a great many things that accomplish nothing, like clearing out the cache or checking the file hierarchy.
Anyone coming from a pure HTML/CSS background may be disappointed with tools like Drupal that seem to add rather than reduce complexity, and remove rather than add functionality. Drupal's really an enterprise tool, acting as a nanny for techno-dummies who can't be bothered to learn anything about html or css. For wannabe bloggers, I recommend Google's Blogger for pure ease-of-use and simplicity or Wordpress for the power user who wants greater control over the end product.
I spent two hours trying to figure out how to accomplish in Drupal a task that would have taken me a skinny minute in pure HTML--adding a picture to content. In WordPress or Blogger, the procedure is relatively straightforward. Not so with Drupal. There is zero out-of-the-box support for image upload and insertion. One must first tweak the configuration, a point that not obvious to the end user. Eventually, through lengthy trial and error, I discovered that in Drupal 7.0, every user must first click on Structure | Basic Page | Manage Fields, and then add a new content-type for image. Then and only then will a prompt for image insertion appear on the Edit Content page. This essential configuration step was obscure. The so-called "Help" pages suggest a great many things that accomplish nothing, like clearing out the cache or checking the file hierarchy.
Anyone coming from a pure HTML/CSS background may be disappointed with tools like Drupal that seem to add rather than reduce complexity, and remove rather than add functionality. Drupal's really an enterprise tool, acting as a nanny for techno-dummies who can't be bothered to learn anything about html or css. For wannabe bloggers, I recommend Google's Blogger for pure ease-of-use and simplicity or Wordpress for the power user who wants greater control over the end product.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
I Tried Linux Mint 11
I tried Linux Mint 11 RC, but ran into install problems. After three hours of staring at fancy splash screens, incomprehensible syntax on black-background text screens, a Linux command-line prompt on a screen that truncated the first character of every line, and a variety of BSODs, reminiscent of the bad old days of early versions of MS-DOS, I threw my install CD into the trashcan, reformatted the drive to NTFS (from ext4), and made a mental note to wait another ten years before dabbling with Linux again. I don't remember any GUI OS Microsoft ever published being so difficult to install and demanding that novices ascend such a steep learning curve. I had a similar experience with MEPIS and Ubuntu a couple years ago with a different rig. My opinion then is the same as my opinion now: Linux is nothing but a big old waste of time. It never has successfully installed on any system I've ever owned, but has succeeded in wasting several hours of time leading me on with fancy splash screens that ultimately lead to a BSOD or an otherwise non-responsive system.
Definitely any version of Windows is worth any price, yes, even several hundreds of dollars next to the Linux wilderness that requires unknown hours of technical massages in order to install in the first place, with no guarantee that other common tasks, such as connecting to a network and a printer, won't be equally difficult. I don't much care that Linux is free and that the programmers don't get paid. I'd rather shell out some money and get something that works the first time. I prefer to concentrate on getting things done with the computer, not tinkering with the OS and trying to figure out mundane and uninteresting chores that Microsoft solved ten years ago.
To be fair to the programmers toiling in voluntary slavery, I downloaded and tried the stable version, Linux Mint 10, also, and it successfully installed. However, I was stuck with 800 x 600 resolution, which meant I needed a proprietary video driver. That was a sticking point--I'm not sure I found the correct one, and I had no clue how to install it in the first place. I doubled-clicked on several files in the installation package, nothing happened, and I got bored and rebooted in order to get something done in Windows.
Disaster almost struck--Windows only booted on the third try, after I had unplugged the hard drive with Linux Mint installed. That was a bit too close for comfort. I was really hoping that Linux Mint was not going to kill my Windows OS. Eventually, through online research, I discovered that my dual boot installation could only be removed via the Windows Recovery CD. Luckily, I had one on hand--actually, a multi-purpose CD created by my thoughtful brother called "Bart's P.E." With that, I was able to boot to a command line, type in "fixmbr" and thereby kill the Linux boot. Still on the "to-do" list, I need to destroy the Linux partitions. All told, I lost about three or four hours tinkering with Linux Mint. I regret that, but every once in a while I just have to try out a Linux distro to see what all the fuss is about.
I will say that Linux Mint looked awfully pretty while it was running, and the nice appearance made me really want it to work. But in no way can Linux Mint be considered a user-friendly environment. Unless one has a Linux devotee nearby, one is S.O.L.
My conclusion is that Linux is okay if there is a Linux devotee standing by, willing to do all of the things that are necessary in order to set up a Linux box. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who uses Linux and don't feel like spending a hundred hours mastering all the requisite commands in order to perform the same tasks, or rather a great many tasks in addition to those that I perform on Windows. I'd love to try out a realistic alternative to Windows, but I don't think it's realistic to expect an end user to make all of the sacrifices that the greedy Linux God requires.
As an outsider looking in upon the Linux community, I think it suffers from the old Tower of Babel problem. That is, every adept worth his salt wants to break away from the herd and forge his own distro, whether needed or not. So there are scores of distros, each with its own set of devotees, and each tries to reinvent the wheel rather than all of them working together in harmony upon a single distro. If all the penguins focused on one distro, then they could iron out all of the usability problems and forge a product superior to Windows XP for the first time. As things stand, Windows XP is superior to any Linux distro of my knowledge, because it works the first time out of the box, and all hardware manufacturers support it, and its depth and quality of software surpasses Linux.
Another problem with Linux is that there seems to be a compulsion to compete with the latest version of Windows. Instead of implementing the latest cutting-edge technology, what Linux needs to do is focus upon working the first time and installing all the necessary drivers, so that users install the OS rather than tossing the CD into the garbage can. I am willing to bet that at least one out of every two .iso's downloaded are discarded due to difficulty installing and properly configuring the OS.
I'm not willing to rule out Linux entirely however. A day may come when I switch to Linux, especially if I can find a Linux guru in my local vicinity. The best scenario would be to buy a computer with a Linux distro pre-installed along with all of the usual apps.
Definitely any version of Windows is worth any price, yes, even several hundreds of dollars next to the Linux wilderness that requires unknown hours of technical massages in order to install in the first place, with no guarantee that other common tasks, such as connecting to a network and a printer, won't be equally difficult. I don't much care that Linux is free and that the programmers don't get paid. I'd rather shell out some money and get something that works the first time. I prefer to concentrate on getting things done with the computer, not tinkering with the OS and trying to figure out mundane and uninteresting chores that Microsoft solved ten years ago.
To be fair to the programmers toiling in voluntary slavery, I downloaded and tried the stable version, Linux Mint 10, also, and it successfully installed. However, I was stuck with 800 x 600 resolution, which meant I needed a proprietary video driver. That was a sticking point--I'm not sure I found the correct one, and I had no clue how to install it in the first place. I doubled-clicked on several files in the installation package, nothing happened, and I got bored and rebooted in order to get something done in Windows.
Disaster almost struck--Windows only booted on the third try, after I had unplugged the hard drive with Linux Mint installed. That was a bit too close for comfort. I was really hoping that Linux Mint was not going to kill my Windows OS. Eventually, through online research, I discovered that my dual boot installation could only be removed via the Windows Recovery CD. Luckily, I had one on hand--actually, a multi-purpose CD created by my thoughtful brother called "Bart's P.E." With that, I was able to boot to a command line, type in "fixmbr" and thereby kill the Linux boot. Still on the "to-do" list, I need to destroy the Linux partitions. All told, I lost about three or four hours tinkering with Linux Mint. I regret that, but every once in a while I just have to try out a Linux distro to see what all the fuss is about.
I will say that Linux Mint looked awfully pretty while it was running, and the nice appearance made me really want it to work. But in no way can Linux Mint be considered a user-friendly environment. Unless one has a Linux devotee nearby, one is S.O.L.
My conclusion is that Linux is okay if there is a Linux devotee standing by, willing to do all of the things that are necessary in order to set up a Linux box. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who uses Linux and don't feel like spending a hundred hours mastering all the requisite commands in order to perform the same tasks, or rather a great many tasks in addition to those that I perform on Windows. I'd love to try out a realistic alternative to Windows, but I don't think it's realistic to expect an end user to make all of the sacrifices that the greedy Linux God requires.
As an outsider looking in upon the Linux community, I think it suffers from the old Tower of Babel problem. That is, every adept worth his salt wants to break away from the herd and forge his own distro, whether needed or not. So there are scores of distros, each with its own set of devotees, and each tries to reinvent the wheel rather than all of them working together in harmony upon a single distro. If all the penguins focused on one distro, then they could iron out all of the usability problems and forge a product superior to Windows XP for the first time. As things stand, Windows XP is superior to any Linux distro of my knowledge, because it works the first time out of the box, and all hardware manufacturers support it, and its depth and quality of software surpasses Linux.
Another problem with Linux is that there seems to be a compulsion to compete with the latest version of Windows. Instead of implementing the latest cutting-edge technology, what Linux needs to do is focus upon working the first time and installing all the necessary drivers, so that users install the OS rather than tossing the CD into the garbage can. I am willing to bet that at least one out of every two .iso's downloaded are discarded due to difficulty installing and properly configuring the OS.
I'm not willing to rule out Linux entirely however. A day may come when I switch to Linux, especially if I can find a Linux guru in my local vicinity. The best scenario would be to buy a computer with a Linux distro pre-installed along with all of the usual apps.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
A Park Named After Harvey Milk
The Long Island City Council has recommended naming a park after Harvey Milk, a man I admire. He was the first gay mayor of San Francisco, assassinated by a homophobe, a failed candidate who had run against him, lost, and in a fit of vindictiveness, murdered him, shooting him point blank with a handgun like the coward he was. The assassin was arrested and convicted, but only served a paltry four years in prison, when he should have received life in prison or else the death penalty. But that was a more primitive time, an era of widespread right-wing brutality and violence that spawned a successful and victorious Liberal movement. Although he did not pay the full price of his crime, his dark deed had unexpected consequences that, perhaps, he would not have liked. It is often thus, with the violent cowards who think they can get their way with the gun. They manufacture martyrs. Indeed, I'd be happy to die if it meant the furtherance of the greater good. After all, what is life, this bag of bones and blood, next to the millions who will profit from a sacrifice, today and tomorrow? I do not think Harvey Milk would have regretted his life, even if he had foreseen the early end. To die in such a manner--noble, upright, heroic, standing for what one believes in, and killed by a coward--what could be a more beautiful death?
"Schipske, the Council's only other openly gay member, is against the naming because she believes the park should bear the name of a local gay rights advocate."
Harvey Milk's martyrdom transcends local sensibilities; I would like to ask whether the local advocate sacrificed his life for the movement. It is improper to name a physical structure after the living, because there is a possibility their name may be tarnished by a discreditable deed. Preferable is the policy of naming things after the dead, whose legacy is better assured. I'm unacquainted with the local situation, however.
"Schipske, the Council's only other openly gay member, is against the naming because she believes the park should bear the name of a local gay rights advocate."
Harvey Milk's martyrdom transcends local sensibilities; I would like to ask whether the local advocate sacrificed his life for the movement. It is improper to name a physical structure after the living, because there is a possibility their name may be tarnished by a discreditable deed. Preferable is the policy of naming things after the dead, whose legacy is better assured. I'm unacquainted with the local situation, however.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Billions in Aid to Pakistan?
I was reading this article today about an exchange of gunfire between U.S. and Pakistani forces, when I came across this line, "calls are rising to cut or suspend the billions of dollars a year in aid that flow to Pakistan." Well, it's about time. Congress is due some rue from the clue canoe. Billions, really? To a country that hates our guts? Tell that to students trying to get Federal aid to go to college.
I hate to pull a Donald Trump and call our leaders fools. Let me put it this way. Our leaders make it difficult to arrive at a positive evaluation of their intellect. Is that more tactful? Certainly Donald Trump made some succinct points about our nation's foreign policy.
I hate to pull a Donald Trump and call our leaders fools. Let me put it this way. Our leaders make it difficult to arrive at a positive evaluation of their intellect. Is that more tactful? Certainly Donald Trump made some succinct points about our nation's foreign policy.
Religion's Utility
Religion was probably a powerful and effective coping mechanism in the days when people were dying younger and more often from violence, accidents, starvation and most of all from diseases that we now know to be caused by microorganisms. Its utility should not be underestimated. It attempts to frame the human existence within a sweeping cosmic drama, giving meaning to otherwise mundane events of everyday life.
How can "everything's random" beat intelligent design, from an aesthetic point of view? I think atheism has more potential for an imaginative person, because admitting the mystery surrounding creation, rather than having a pat answer, encourages a different hypothesis to be considered at any time.
One of my fantasies (not elevated to the status of a theology yet) is that human life is an experiment conducted by greater beings who wish to determine, through the scientific process, the answers to certain questions. True scientists, they are not content with just one specimen, but require a large number, for the purpose of statistical accuracy. In part, maybe the most important part, they want to know what is good and what is evil and why. To this end, human beings play upon the stage. We live, breed, talk, fight, and die. In the ongoing debate over this and that, sometimes one side holds sway, sometimes another.
If that system were real, then scientists would be the ones closest to God in a manner of speaking. They would be the new priests.
Another fantasy I have is that we are the creators. That is, we created the Universe and everything. Not in the past, but in the future; we are progressing towards our divinity. Those alive today are the primitive ancestors of the future gods, just as primordial slime were our ancestors. Time in this system must be viewed as a circle, rather than a straight line. I am not sure how to conceive of time. Upon achieving divinity, time no longer represents an obstacle, although the past cannot be changed.
Let me see whether I can explain this imaginary system better. In the distant future, let's assume we become god-like beings, immortal and almost omniscient (I can't even conceive of omnipotent). A problem remains. The Universe is finite, because the rate of expansion continues unchecked. Foreseeing the destruction and rebirth of the Universe, which dooms all life, even the life of an immortal, and wishing to preserve a vestige of themselves, future beings may encode some undetectable vestige within their constituent parts, as tiny as atomic particles, to our way of thinking non-living, which would endure however long it took for the universe to be reborn. Their advanced science would predict that on a small number of planets, life would evolve from organic molecules at some point in the distant future, and on an even smaller number of planets, intelligent life would develop, and through the process of evolution, some relic of themselves would reappear, maybe even a clone of themselves. This cycle of the rebirth and destruction may have occurred many times.
I've often wanted to write a good science fiction story, but my early attempts were lamentable, even embarrassing to the extent I can't even locate any backup copies. They are erased forever. Part of the reason are the rejection slips I received from publishers and the stony silence I received from others. Rejections are bad enough, but being simply ignored does not help a writer's self-esteem. The general financial outlook for writers is terrible, so my decision not to pursue writing seems pragmatic. I'm dazzled by creative superpowers like Tolkien, Anne Rice and many lesser writers who have the ability to transport a reader to a fascinating supernatural universe where anything can happen, unlimited by the laws of physics. I can't imagine how such writers get as good as they do. I am also dazzled by the writers for television shows like True Blood, Downton Abbey, Beautiful People, Peep Show and Mad Men. I think they are absolutely brilliant.
How can "everything's random" beat intelligent design, from an aesthetic point of view? I think atheism has more potential for an imaginative person, because admitting the mystery surrounding creation, rather than having a pat answer, encourages a different hypothesis to be considered at any time.
One of my fantasies (not elevated to the status of a theology yet) is that human life is an experiment conducted by greater beings who wish to determine, through the scientific process, the answers to certain questions. True scientists, they are not content with just one specimen, but require a large number, for the purpose of statistical accuracy. In part, maybe the most important part, they want to know what is good and what is evil and why. To this end, human beings play upon the stage. We live, breed, talk, fight, and die. In the ongoing debate over this and that, sometimes one side holds sway, sometimes another.
If that system were real, then scientists would be the ones closest to God in a manner of speaking. They would be the new priests.
Another fantasy I have is that we are the creators. That is, we created the Universe and everything. Not in the past, but in the future; we are progressing towards our divinity. Those alive today are the primitive ancestors of the future gods, just as primordial slime were our ancestors. Time in this system must be viewed as a circle, rather than a straight line. I am not sure how to conceive of time. Upon achieving divinity, time no longer represents an obstacle, although the past cannot be changed.
Let me see whether I can explain this imaginary system better. In the distant future, let's assume we become god-like beings, immortal and almost omniscient (I can't even conceive of omnipotent). A problem remains. The Universe is finite, because the rate of expansion continues unchecked. Foreseeing the destruction and rebirth of the Universe, which dooms all life, even the life of an immortal, and wishing to preserve a vestige of themselves, future beings may encode some undetectable vestige within their constituent parts, as tiny as atomic particles, to our way of thinking non-living, which would endure however long it took for the universe to be reborn. Their advanced science would predict that on a small number of planets, life would evolve from organic molecules at some point in the distant future, and on an even smaller number of planets, intelligent life would develop, and through the process of evolution, some relic of themselves would reappear, maybe even a clone of themselves. This cycle of the rebirth and destruction may have occurred many times.
I've often wanted to write a good science fiction story, but my early attempts were lamentable, even embarrassing to the extent I can't even locate any backup copies. They are erased forever. Part of the reason are the rejection slips I received from publishers and the stony silence I received from others. Rejections are bad enough, but being simply ignored does not help a writer's self-esteem. The general financial outlook for writers is terrible, so my decision not to pursue writing seems pragmatic. I'm dazzled by creative superpowers like Tolkien, Anne Rice and many lesser writers who have the ability to transport a reader to a fascinating supernatural universe where anything can happen, unlimited by the laws of physics. I can't imagine how such writers get as good as they do. I am also dazzled by the writers for television shows like True Blood, Downton Abbey, Beautiful People, Peep Show and Mad Men. I think they are absolutely brilliant.
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