Webs’ Random Ideas

I could of written one, but that would be reinventing the wheel. Instead read this Ars Technica review of Ubuntu 8.04.

The review is very well done and convers some areas of Ubuntu I didn’t know existed. One complaint I have with the article is it seems to be written from the standpoint of, “If your Linux Distribution is not perfect I’m going to harp on you, and shame on you for not being perfect.” Maybe I read too much into it but I thought the end was a little annoying with this:

A strong 8.10 release with fewer problems out of the box would help put Ubuntu back on track.

I have yet to encounter any distribution of the big players (Windows, MAC, and Linux) that is without major flaws out of the box. There is so much work that goes into a distribution it’s incredibly difficult to catch everything. So the statement above just seems to me to be a pointless gripe about a piece of software.

The thing that’s great about Open Source Projects is the community of users. If there are major problems users can leave feedback and developers can fix the problem. If developers cannot fix the issues quickly, then anyone can step up and fix the problem since the software is Open Source. It’s a very efficient model and is helping to push Linux into wider acceptance.

Other than my one complaint the article is a pretty excellent review of Ubuntu 8.04. Go check it out.

So I’m done with all school work, class and the class I teach, and I am still friggin busy. I’m expecting to get back to some regular posting here pretty soon.

Thanks DOF…

So there was some interesting conversation going on with my post on religion and the “A” in my sidebar. Basically one user’s comments brought up the question, at least for me, if indoctrination is necessary for any organization to survive, specifically religious organizations.

Religion that is imposed upon another, is not going to be true Faith.

While I agree with that statement, it made me think, “Can religion survive without indoctrination of others?”

I think indoctrination at any level, or for any system or organization is wrong. I would never grow a child up to believe in something. That just wrong for the development of a child. The learning process should never be hindered.

At the same time, can any organization survive without attempts to recruit? Is indoctrination a necessary evil? What do you think?

So the other day I read a post by Paul at Cafe Philos about “Standing up for Nontheists. It’s a very good post and is thought provoking, as all of Paul’s posts usually are.

For years, my deepest, most fervent and heart felt opinion on the ontological existence of deity has been a passionate conviction that the question of whether or not god exists is boring.

This is probably one of the few areas where Paul and I differ. But my interest in the issue comes more from my own stupidity on religion than from anything else. I wasted my younger years not learning all the interesting concepts out there in the world. Which leads to my interest in just about everything nowadays.

The main point made in Paul’s post is his frustration of seeing how atheist are treated in this country. And it can be very frustrating at times for an Atheist. Take the simple definition of the word atheism. It means lack of belief, specifically any religious belief. So Atheists are being mistreated, and in some cases abused, because of their lack of a belief. If that last sentence sounds odd to you, welcome to the world of an atheist.

What is the reason for the bigotry and mis-treatment of atheists over their lack of beliefs? Please tell me it’s not from some misguided thought about how a lack of a belief in any religion predisposes someone to more violence or criminal activity. Hopefully it’s not that myth about divorce rates. Does it have something to do with our lack of beliefs threatening your beliefs?

Whatever the reason, take any question from above and even if the answer is yes, bigotry and mistreatment to any human being is uncalled for. Part of living in a civilized society is treating others fairly, justly, and not discriminating. As well as giving someone the civil rights they deserve so long as they do not remove or encroach on the rights from someone else.

So, as Paul did with his blog, I will be adding the “Scarlet A” to my blog. Not because I necessarily care about the movement of outspoken atheists and not because I am the sort of person to sum up my feelings and thoughts with a bumper sticker slogan. But because I am tired of being treated differently for my beliefs and I want others to know why.

I add the “A” to my blog because what Nicole (see video below) went through is bullshit and undeserved. No belief should exclude someone from treating others fairly and humanely.

There’s nothing like narrowly missing a collision with a car while riding a bike to make you think, “Holy Shit! I’m still alive.”

And it’s exactly the reason that I JUST ride my bike while riding my bike. I try to limit the number of tasks my brain has to do so I can focus and be aware and lookout for other people. It has nothing to do with me not trusting myself, or me thinking that I am a horrible bicyclist. The issue is that I do not trust everyone else on the road. I have been in enough close calls to know that people in any type of automobile, generally speaking, do not look out for pedestrians or bikes.

What specifically happened is below Read the rest of this entry »

First click here, Expelled Exposed!

Then go here to learn how to help (it’s really easy)…

This is really more of an update to my project of creating an Internet Kiosk Management Server.

The gist of the project is this: Currently we have a boot CD Linux distribution for Internet Kiosks, or walk up Internet/Email stations at work. What this means is that I have a Boot CD with a fully contained Operating System that runs off the CD. So no hard drive or floppy is needed. The system boots directly into Mozilla Firefox with no other applications or options available to the user.

Sounds wonderful right? Well yes, but I have been running into issues with this current system, called Boothbox. As mentioned in my previous posts on this topic, I have run into issues getting Boothbox to run on Dell Hardware. The problem is Boothbox is based on a really old kernel. And updating the kernel in Boothbox just wasn’t working out for me at all.

So a new system is in store.

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… I got your technology controlled, automated household right here! No seriously I do. People say they are still waiting for it, but with a some Linux skills or if you can befriend a geek, automation of daily house chores can be done.

This is some really friggin cool stuff. First we have a cat that posts videos and twitters every time it eats:

First, a proper “cat studio” is required. I picked up a laundry basket, some thin anti-slip mat and a couple of new food bowls for under $15 total. The laundry basked got a side removed by my trusty Dremel tool, and the anti-slip mat was cut to fit and hot-glued in place. After that was done, I had a spare light fixture with a clamp lying around to add to the mix for better lighting.

Motion is a great webcam application that fits my needs exactly. More specifically, when it detects motion, it records a video - think like a security camera, but way, way smarter. When Motion no longer senses any movement after a defined period of time, it encodes the captured video, and then it can run a script or set of commands afterwards. Bingo!

Wow, that actually sounds pretty do-able. I know you may be asking yourself, “What the hell good is that?” Well, think outside the box.

Imagine having a pet and going a vacation for a week to anywhere. Now you no longer have to worry about if your cat has enough food. Open any device with a network connection and has capabilities to display video. Bam! Now you know if you should tell your neighbor to grab the hidden key and add some more food or water.

Want to create a security camera system on the cheap with some amazing capabilities? Want to monitor a child and only be alerted when the child is restless, moves, or wakes up? Or are you just curious about what your pet might be up to while you’re away?

Okay, but what about other chores?

Well we have a link here where a blogger shows he can set up a system where plants notify the owner when they need more water.

The future is coming pretty fast. I would expect to see commercial one stop automation products to come out in the next year or two. And new homes will likely start having some of these features built in. When I build my own house down the road, these are items I’m going to be planning for.

I always do the same thing before installing an OS, no matter which OS it is. I grab my handy Ubuntu 7.10 disk, boot up, and partition the drive. I don’t really install it as my favorite OS is Xubuntu, but the partition editor is really easy to use.

It’s important to note this can be done without touching a pre-existing OS install. Follow the directions below and you can be all set for a dual boot. Here is what I do when I need to partition drives:

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