http://www.marketwatch.com/story/rip-reaganomics-revolution-1981-2011-2011-05-31?link=MW_story_popularb
RIP Reaganomics. FINALLY. At long tired last.
We can finally wave goodbye to the Voodoo Economics zombies. So long, sorry it took the destruction of our nation for people to see you go.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Ubuntu Trials and Tribulations. BTW - Better than windows.
It's amusing and annoying at the same time, how something can be terrible in some ways, and yet still be a thousand times better than windows ever was. I've seen "seven" and I remain underwhelmed. I'd almost be disgusted, but I'm far too jaded by Microsoft.
I've noticed many quirks with Ubuntu that make it very annoying, especially the samba implementation. The "Network" window often displays nothing, not even the computer I'm using. "Can't load smb://location/" happens all the time. Thankfully, I've learned how to encourage Ubuntu to work properly.
By going to a Chrome window and typing in "192.168.1.x" with x being the location of my NAS device, the login window appears. Immediately, I return to the Network tab on Konqueror or 'File Browser' and lo! The SMB devices are all listed now.
Strange, but it's been working like this for weeks. It may have been like this for the last two years, but I've only recently discovered the trick to "waking" samba.
It's not just the NAS, either. ALL network locations are invisible until I do this. I know the NAS is cheap and "sleeps" too rapidly, and doesn't wake readily, but that shouldn't have much to do with other SMB broadcasts.
So, Ubuntu continues to underperform, and yet it's a blessing too. Just don't try to use the "ubuntu forums" for support or you'll get flamed. I've seen posts on that forum go unanswered for more than 4 years!
In most cases, silence is the best you can hope for from that crowd. I find most ubuntu answers on blogger, private blogs, and wordpress. I don't think that I've found a SINGLE useful response from anyone on an Ubuntu Forum in more than FIVE YEARS now.
Even so, Ubuntu itself remains the best free Operating System for casual PC enthusiasts. Be it laptop, workstation, or desktop, Ubuntu has consistent versioning and appropriate technologies to utilize most hardware.
Of course, when you install a new version, you'll need to re-install the MP3, DVD, Wifi, and other components that are not wholly "open source" from the 'multiverse' and whatever 'proprietary hardware drivers' that Ubuntu says you need. Mine has the "Symantec Touchpad", "NVidia Gforce" and "Broadcom Wifi" devices.
A few clicks, a quick download, and I was online. Few problems, and none that couldn't be resolved. I know that there are better versions of Linux, and Debian, out there such as "Arch Linux" or "Slackware" but these require much more user experience to install and are not for the faint-hearted.
To date I've used SuSE, Red Hat, Fedora, CentOS, Slackware, Ubuntu, Mandrake, FreeBSD, and many many others I can't recall now. Some are pretty obscure.
#1 best LINUX = Slackware. Hands-down the best linux version you'll ever use.
Pros: Horsepower to make your PC do burnouts on your desk. Ultimate control of your hardware.
Cons: BS degree required or equal experience in PC hardware and software. Can be rough on even experienced users.
#2 great LINUX = Arch Linux. Awesomely powerful, sleek, top-end linux distro that focuses on NEW technology.
Pros: Built for the fastest machines and newest hardware. Can run your newest video cards.
Cons: Will NOT run on older machines. REQUIRES building kernels and other high-end knowledge to fully configure.
#3 good LINUX = Ubuntu. Most common linux distro in circulation.
Pros: WAY way easy to use.
Cons: lacks a LOT of power, utility, and control of your hardware. Barely able to handle 3D desktops. Community support is tenuous at best.
These are my preferences from DECADES of using Linux, since 1991. My ideas of great, good, and best may not be the same as yours. My reviews center on USABLE, working, fully developed code.
I've noticed many quirks with Ubuntu that make it very annoying, especially the samba implementation. The "Network" window often displays nothing, not even the computer I'm using. "Can't load smb://location/" happens all the time. Thankfully, I've learned how to encourage Ubuntu to work properly.
By going to a Chrome window and typing in "192.168.1.x" with x being the location of my NAS device, the login window appears. Immediately, I return to the Network tab on Konqueror or 'File Browser' and lo! The SMB devices are all listed now.
Strange, but it's been working like this for weeks. It may have been like this for the last two years, but I've only recently discovered the trick to "waking" samba.
It's not just the NAS, either. ALL network locations are invisible until I do this. I know the NAS is cheap and "sleeps" too rapidly, and doesn't wake readily, but that shouldn't have much to do with other SMB broadcasts.
So, Ubuntu continues to underperform, and yet it's a blessing too. Just don't try to use the "ubuntu forums" for support or you'll get flamed. I've seen posts on that forum go unanswered for more than 4 years!
In most cases, silence is the best you can hope for from that crowd. I find most ubuntu answers on blogger, private blogs, and wordpress. I don't think that I've found a SINGLE useful response from anyone on an Ubuntu Forum in more than FIVE YEARS now.
Even so, Ubuntu itself remains the best free Operating System for casual PC enthusiasts. Be it laptop, workstation, or desktop, Ubuntu has consistent versioning and appropriate technologies to utilize most hardware.
Of course, when you install a new version, you'll need to re-install the MP3, DVD, Wifi, and other components that are not wholly "open source" from the 'multiverse' and whatever 'proprietary hardware drivers' that Ubuntu says you need. Mine has the "Symantec Touchpad", "NVidia Gforce" and "Broadcom Wifi" devices.
A few clicks, a quick download, and I was online. Few problems, and none that couldn't be resolved. I know that there are better versions of Linux, and Debian, out there such as "Arch Linux" or "Slackware" but these require much more user experience to install and are not for the faint-hearted.
To date I've used SuSE, Red Hat, Fedora, CentOS, Slackware, Ubuntu, Mandrake, FreeBSD, and many many others I can't recall now. Some are pretty obscure.
#1 best LINUX = Slackware. Hands-down the best linux version you'll ever use.
Pros: Horsepower to make your PC do burnouts on your desk. Ultimate control of your hardware.
Cons: BS degree required or equal experience in PC hardware and software. Can be rough on even experienced users.
#2 great LINUX = Arch Linux. Awesomely powerful, sleek, top-end linux distro that focuses on NEW technology.
Pros: Built for the fastest machines and newest hardware. Can run your newest video cards.
Cons: Will NOT run on older machines. REQUIRES building kernels and other high-end knowledge to fully configure.
#3 good LINUX = Ubuntu. Most common linux distro in circulation.
Pros: WAY way easy to use.
Cons: lacks a LOT of power, utility, and control of your hardware. Barely able to handle 3D desktops. Community support is tenuous at best.
These are my preferences from DECADES of using Linux, since 1991. My ideas of great, good, and best may not be the same as yours. My reviews center on USABLE, working, fully developed code.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
"Thinktanks Gone Wild" - Best Headline of 2011.
This is why I love Math, even though I'm not the best mathematician, and this is also why I love reading 538.
"I want to point out that just because a study uses objective criteria, that doesn’t make it sensible. In fact, studies that try to rank or rate things seem especially susceptible to slapdash, unthoughtful methodology (here is another example: a study which concludes that Gainesville, Fla., is a more gay-friendly city than San Francisco). If you come up with a result that defies common sense — like Modesto’s having better public transit than New York — then once in a blue moon, you may be on to something: conventional wisdom is fallible. But much, much more often, it’s a sign that you’ve done something wrong, and it’s time to reconsider your assumptions before publishing."
http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/20/thinktanks-gone-wild-on-the-economics-of-mass-transit-and-the-value-of-common-sense/
"I want to point out that just because a study uses objective criteria, that doesn’t make it sensible. In fact, studies that try to rank or rate things seem especially susceptible to slapdash, unthoughtful methodology (here is another example: a study which concludes that Gainesville, Fla., is a more gay-friendly city than San Francisco). If you come up with a result that defies common sense — like Modesto’s having better public transit than New York — then once in a blue moon, you may be on to something: conventional wisdom is fallible. But much, much more often, it’s a sign that you’ve done something wrong, and it’s time to reconsider your assumptions before publishing."
http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/20/thinktanks-gone-wild-on-the-economics-of-mass-transit-and-the-value-of-common-sense/
Monday, May 23, 2011
little known tricks... and how forums don't cut it as a form of help.
ubuntuforums were filled with not only wrong information, but repeated the same wrong information over a period of two years.
The problem was a simple hole in VNC for Ubuntu that, if you have Compiz installed on an Nvidia card system - you'd have no mouse or keyboard. Three years went by, but ubuntu's crack forum teams couldn't figure it out.
The solution they said, after more than a year of winging it... was to turn off Compiz.
This guy had the right answer, and I'm posting this blog through exactly this same compiz/nvidia setup right now. It now works, thanks to TRS-80 guy/girl.
nswered Oct 2 '09 at 9:45
TRS-80
The answer? An obscure setting I hadn't viewed anywhere else using command line for gconftool-2, disable "xdamage."
Command Line:
[gconftool-2 -s -t bool /desktop/gnome/remote_access/disable_xdamage true]
The above command I was able to execute using only SSH to the desktop, since my monitor has died some months ago. I'm only able to use that particular box with a projection screen I have had rigged for some time now, and it's nice to be able to save bulb life by using my laptop to access the server!
Ubuntu support? BUllshit! Ten Points from Griffendor.
http://superuser.com/ FIFTY POINTS.
Thank you, TRS-80 person. I used to own one too.
The problem was a simple hole in VNC for Ubuntu that, if you have Compiz installed on an Nvidia card system - you'd have no mouse or keyboard. Three years went by, but ubuntu's crack forum teams couldn't figure it out.
The solution they said, after more than a year of winging it... was to turn off Compiz.
This guy had the right answer, and I'm posting this blog through exactly this same compiz/nvidia setup right now. It now works, thanks to TRS-80 guy/girl.
nswered Oct 2 '09 at 9:45
TRS-80
The answer? An obscure setting I hadn't viewed anywhere else using command line for gconftool-2, disable "xdamage."
Command Line:
[gconftool-2 -s -t bool /desktop/gnome/remote_access/disable_xdamage true]
The above command I was able to execute using only SSH to the desktop, since my monitor has died some months ago. I'm only able to use that particular box with a projection screen I have had rigged for some time now, and it's nice to be able to save bulb life by using my laptop to access the server!
Ubuntu support? BUllshit! Ten Points from Griffendor.
http://superuser.com/ FIFTY POINTS.
Thank you, TRS-80 person. I used to own one too.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
A soon to be purged comment on Persephone Magazine...
I can understand the sentiment, but this is flawed logic. The entire article is more of a rant than a point in logic. Sure, you don’t to like it, and I think it’s rather a childish or pointless thing to “like” on any website, but harmful? That’s like saying anyone who sees a horror movie advocates murder.
There’s no connection. There’s never been any connection. Self Esteem is -by definition- internal to YOU. It’s what YOU think of yourself, and as such, it’s your problem not mine. I’m not being heartless, I’m being supportive. [Yes seriously.] You need to be treated as an adult, and asked to act like one, or you’ll never believe that you are equal.
So, woman-up.
Stop whining every time you see something that’s the least bit funny. Seriously. I’m not trying to be a “jerk” -such a crime! I’m completely calm, logical, and mean you no ill-will.
Women are still in second place because so few of them have decided to be self-sufficient. There are fantastic, super intelligent, wonderful women in the world doing great things! Just not as many as are male. Why? No one is really stopping women from doing things, in fact women do more harm to women than any single demographic!
There may well be a few rapists and murderers left out there in the wild woolly world, but even us men have to worry about that. If I went to Somalia I would not be anymore safe than you are, possibly even less. Despite such facts of life, there is no reason to not strive for self-achievement in a free country. Sure, rapes happen all over the world, murder too, and it isn’t limited to women. By trying to “claim” rape and violence as a 100% female victim issue, you’ve done yourselves a massive disservice.
Yes, it’s horrible. And? Do you expect a man who has been victimized to spend the rest of his life in therapy or to get on with life? When you swap “male” and “female” in your arguments, you’ll begin to see the flaws in those arguments.
I HAVE been victimized, more than once, and I chose to move on. It’s my past, and it does not define me. When one chooses to accept a role as eternal victim, even where you have never BEEN a victim, how can you expect anyone ELSE to take you seriously?
As a real-world victim, I see most feminists as laughably inelegant, illogical privilege-meters. So you aren’t a princess, boo hoo. Get a job. Again, not to be mean, but to be supportive of your SELF IMAGE.
When you have a “self” that you are not ashamed of, then your “self image” will improve.
So, why go on being hard on yourself? Just get up, and move on, and become a rocket scientist, or Senator, or whatever else you want to do! Stop worrying about what some comedian on Facebook “liked.”
http://persephonemagazine.com/2011/05/feminism-and-facebook-let-the-sandwich-thing-die/
There’s no connection. There’s never been any connection. Self Esteem is -by definition- internal to YOU. It’s what YOU think of yourself, and as such, it’s your problem not mine. I’m not being heartless, I’m being supportive. [Yes seriously.] You need to be treated as an adult, and asked to act like one, or you’ll never believe that you are equal.
So, woman-up.
Stop whining every time you see something that’s the least bit funny. Seriously. I’m not trying to be a “jerk” -such a crime! I’m completely calm, logical, and mean you no ill-will.
Women are still in second place because so few of them have decided to be self-sufficient. There are fantastic, super intelligent, wonderful women in the world doing great things! Just not as many as are male. Why? No one is really stopping women from doing things, in fact women do more harm to women than any single demographic!
There may well be a few rapists and murderers left out there in the wild woolly world, but even us men have to worry about that. If I went to Somalia I would not be anymore safe than you are, possibly even less. Despite such facts of life, there is no reason to not strive for self-achievement in a free country. Sure, rapes happen all over the world, murder too, and it isn’t limited to women. By trying to “claim” rape and violence as a 100% female victim issue, you’ve done yourselves a massive disservice.
Yes, it’s horrible. And? Do you expect a man who has been victimized to spend the rest of his life in therapy or to get on with life? When you swap “male” and “female” in your arguments, you’ll begin to see the flaws in those arguments.
I HAVE been victimized, more than once, and I chose to move on. It’s my past, and it does not define me. When one chooses to accept a role as eternal victim, even where you have never BEEN a victim, how can you expect anyone ELSE to take you seriously?
As a real-world victim, I see most feminists as laughably inelegant, illogical privilege-meters. So you aren’t a princess, boo hoo. Get a job. Again, not to be mean, but to be supportive of your SELF IMAGE.
When you have a “self” that you are not ashamed of, then your “self image” will improve.
So, why go on being hard on yourself? Just get up, and move on, and become a rocket scientist, or Senator, or whatever else you want to do! Stop worrying about what some comedian on Facebook “liked.”
http://persephonemagazine.com/2011/05/feminism-and-facebook-let-the-sandwich-thing-die/
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