Monthly Archives: January 2011

Money Junky

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It’s about 3:15 AM. Couldn’t sleep, so I’m up doing some more lessons on my Network + Course.
I’ve been posting every day, but I feel like I haven’t posted anything at all in a long time.

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of diving. It is really great. Even as a young kid I wanted to be a scuba diver. I really wish I could make a living diving. A lot of people do it, but the money isn’t generally good enough to pay the bills I already have. SO I’m locked into a high paying job in technology. Like a money junky. Wants to quit the habit, but can’t.
That’s supposed to be funny, anyone who reads this blog knows I’m not making any money these days, I’m living off of savings for the most part, trying to get my business off the ground. Even the easy things are turning out to be big obstacles. I’ve been trying to get my web site posted since December 6th, when I ran into technical problems which the phone company admits is their fault. I’ve been contacting them constantly, and finally got my first response from them last week. Maybe I’ll get the site up soon.
Yesterday I went to my cigar store. The place was dead. Usually on Saturdays it’s packed. Starting January first you can’t smoke in there any more. It’s like a gas station where you can’t bring your car on the property. It was nice, sitting in there smoking a cigar, then a tourist walks in, and you end up having a conversation, smoking cigars. Hopefully they’ll get this ventilation system and then we’ll be smoking there again soon.
I feel kind of down right now. I was looking at some old pictures, and am missing the “good old days”. Like last week. I know it’s crap, these are tomorrows good old days, but I can’t help feeling a little down, here in the middle of the night. Don’t worry, by the time you read this, I’ll be feeling all better!

Zorin

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As you have been reading, I switched from Windows to Linux Ubuntu on one computer. I got many comments, several who said try Linux Mint. Well, I wanted to re-install Linux so that I could give it a bigger partition (and windows a smaller one), so I installed Mint. I didn’t like it, I didn’t like the way it looked for one thing. I thought it looked better than Ubuntu at first, after a while I didn’t like it, and it made me like Ubuntus look more. Number two, I would install an astronomy program, Stellarium, and then it wasn’t there. I’d install it again, and it just wasn’t there. I can’t explain it. It seemed like it was installing properly. That happened with another program, Penguin Freecell too, I believe. I never spent much time trying to figure out what was going wrong, I just got rid if it.
Then I heard about a Linux program called Zorin Lite. I installed it, and I like it, pretty much. One thing I don’t like, is that it has “enhanced security” which means I have to enter my username and password. I was bitching before about just having to enter my password.
Anyway, I’m testing it now, but I think Zorin will be the one I keep.

Last of the Kittiwake Photos (for now)

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Plaque

How I got there

The Bow

The Stern

On the Bow, looking aft

Bow from near the bridge wing

Looking forward past the bridge
Dived her today. It’s a nice wreck to dive. It’s too shallow though, you can stand on the wreck and be up to your chest in water. About 60 feet to the bottom.

USS Kittiwake

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Pic from Wikipedia

The USS Kittiwake is scheduled to be sunk here today as an artificial reef. She served the US Navy from 1945 to 1994. I am sure many people love this ship, and it is kind of sad that this morning is her last day in the air. Ships are alive. I often think of my first ship from the Navy, the USS Somers. On the other hand, it is a good thing Kittiwake will be a reef, anyone can come and visit her, any time. Kittiwake will still see the day and night. The Somers was sunk as in 2800 fathoms of water. As a target. But she wouldn’t sink. The US Navy couldn’t sink her with its weapons, and after they gave up, they had to put people on board to sink her with explosives. So the Somers is down there in the dark and cold, and I don’t like thinking about it. The Kittiwake has a much nicer fate, and anything is better than the scrapyard.

Read about the history of the Kittiwake HERE.

I took these pics of The Kittiwake off Seven Mile Beach yesterday, Jan 04, 2011.

Ubuntu follow up

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Thanks for all the comments on my previous post.
Anonymous Coward: the program was Veetle, I use it with a TV program website I use, http://www.atdhe.net/ I did get it to install, and it screwed things up really bad. The machine wouldn’t boot without warnings, killed my sound, and no fixes on the internet worked, so finally I “restored” the computer.
I was thinking, “The day I write good things about Ubuntu, it crashes on me”. But I’m not giving up. I already put Ubuntu back on.
I might try Mint. The thing about Ubuntu is that it has a netbook version, which is what I have it installed on. (I got a free netbook, using my cell phone points)
I’m sure I will be whining here about my Ubuntu problems, like I whine about my Windows problems!!
Anyway, thanks again everyone, and don’t be afraid to try it! My rule for new computer things is, “Can I Undo it?”

Linux Ubuntu

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I am seriously thinking of making the switch from Windows to one of the Linux Operating Systems. The two most popular Linux systems are Fedora, and Ubuntu. I chose Ubuntu because one review I read said it is slightly more user friendly. Plus Ubuntu has a netbook version. And you can load Ubuntu onto a USB drive, and test it out by booting your computer from the USB. I tried that for a few days, then I went ahead and installed it beside my Windows XP.

Now it’s been about a week and I’m thinking of removing Windows. Ubuntu is so much better in a lot of ways. For the most part, generic versions of all the most common drivers are built into the OS, so you don’t need a hard-to-find manufacturers driver for each and every device in your system.

No anti virus program needed, (at least no one is telling me I need one.) No tons of apps running in the background, (look in your system tray, by the clock in the lower right corner of your screen.) All those icons show SOME of the programs running in the backgound that are consuming your computers resources, and most of them you aren’t using and your computer doesn’t need.

Another thing I mentioned before is Windows updates pisses me off. I install them after being harassed, Then I start getting harassed to install more as soon as I get done. Ubuntu releases updates every six months. I can handle that.

Plus there are tons of free programs available, for almost everything. I got a most excellent astronomy program. There is Open Office, which handles all Microsoft Office programs, free and built in.

I don’t claim to know it all, I have barely seen the tip of the iceberg. I have a problem where I have to logon when the computer boots, and I have all the settings I can find set for “do not ask for password”, but it still asks. I’ll find it.

Most of the programs install the same way you are familiar with, click the install file. But I have one program, that I need to install by “running a terminal” which I haven’t figured out how to do yet.

Windows is super screwed up, I think everyone agrees. Windows 2000 was the best Windows ever released, I don’t care what anybody says. Windows XP almost was as good, and the most acclaimed, but you inexplicably have to reboot XP every week or so. (Windows 2000 would run forever and never need a reboot). Windows Vista sucks, non usable in general and NOT approved for business. (I got rid of Vista immediately, and went back to XP.)

We got ripped off being forced to buy Vista, now Vistas flaws pressure us to spend more buying Windows 7. How much is Windows 7? Too freakin much.

The problems I have with Ubuntu are minor, caused by me not knowing the system yet. Overall, Ubuntu is very good and it’s free! Since I installed it, I haven’t missed Windows. I have never yet had to go to a Windows computer to do something I couldn’t do with Ubuntu.

79686

Happy New Year!

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Last night we had a New Years Eve Party. It was good, with about 30 people.
We went to bed at 3AM, I set the alarm for 6:15, and reset it for 6:45 when it went off. I am diving this morning and have to leave in a few minutes, just guzzling a little coffee.
We have lots of food left over, including an untouched cheesecake!