It's News to Me

On October 21st I posted here about the fact that I couldn't boot from the recently released Live CD version 7.10 of Ubuntu, the so-called Gutsy Gibbon.  That post attracted more comment than any other ever has on this blog as others reported that they too had encountered the same problem.  One of those who responded was Tomcat--TC since he too was having the problem.  Earlier today, Tomcat--TC reported back that he had found a solution that worked for him, and as the screen shot at the right demonstrates, I have just proven to myself that it works for me too.  For the first time, I was able to boot from the Gutsy Gibbon Live CD on this, my Sony machine.

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On October 18, 2007, the newest distribution of Ubuntu (Version 7.10, code named «Gutsy Gibbon») was released, and I downloaded the ubuntu-7.10-desktop-i386.iso image and, after checking the MD5 checksum, burned it to CD.  I was able to use this Live CD to boot into the new version and install it on the Dell 4100 system I have here at home.  Because the checksum of the downloaded image verified and the Live CD works on my Dell system, I know there is nothing wrong with the CD itself.  I took the screen shot at the right showing the desktop with the included program, Tomboy, on the screen.  (If you click on the image above, a larger version will open and you can read the two open windows to learn what a neat little utility Tomboy is.) 

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This time Professor Wesch calls it Information R/evolution.

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I've already given this idea to the on-duty manager of the grocery store where I shop but she probably filed it under looney ideas gleaned from talkative old men in the checkout line and did little or nothing else with it, so I'm offering it to any of my programmer friends who might want to make a name for themselves and in the process create a useful tool for crazies like me who look for innovative ways to use our Internet connection.  I, like most everybody else and maybe even you, dutifully hand the cashier my «value card» as he or she is about to ring up my purchases so that I can get the discounts that accrue from having given them my name and address and having allowed them to tag me with a unique Customer ID.  They use it, among other things, to print out a listing of the items I have purchased that day, neatly categorized into sections like Produce, Package Meat, Grocery, Frozen Food, Dairy, Candy/Gum, etc., and at the conclusion of that listing they announce that Your Savings Today was $7.48 on my most recent (9/16/07) expenditure of $56.66.  I walk away, informed and satisfied that it could have been at least $7.48 worse.

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If you are like me, you have a few friends who rely on you to help them out occasionally with using their computer.  I often find myself talking with these folks by Skype both because it saves money and/or minutes on the calls and because I enjoy being hands free when I'm talking with them.  In addition Skype offers the ability to chat while you are talking which frequently proves useful for sending links to explanations or other resources that can help resolve the issue I'm working on with them.  But sometimes words fail me and it would surely be nice to be able to show them what I am talking about.  That's where the Jing Project comes in.  It's called a project because it's not yet a product nor is it a beta, as the FAQ explains.  This video explains in less than 2 minutes just what it does.

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In an email exchange this morning with my friend Juan, who recently celebrated turning 60, he commented that he had been somewhat concerned about me because he noticed that I hadn't updated my blog in «many days.»  He is right of course in a manner of speaking , but in another way he is overlooking that the blog actually is updated each day, even if there isn't a newly composed post like this one.  Since others of you may not be aware of these daily modifications either, I thought it worth my time to point them out to you and to share some of the insightful remarks that Juan made in our exchange. 

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This morning I discovered through my RSS feeds that version 0.9 of Flock was available for download, so I downloaded and installed it.  I am writing this post using its blog editor.  My initial impressions of the user interface are generally positive as it is quite different than it was when I last used it.  I have taken a hiatus from using each of the intervening versions since I ceased using it on October 30, 2006.  I'll spend the day experimenting with this version and see how I like it.  I'll update this post later in the day with my reactions.

Blogged with Flock

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With all the hoopla about the new Apple iPhone's arrival mere moments from now and with people like Robert Scoble standing on line in Palo Alto («because that's where all the geeks will be»), I thought this cartoon from bLaugh expressed my feelings about the frenzy pretty accurately. I just wish it said iPhooey rather than iPhoney.

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In this short video, I demonstrate a few of the shortcut keys I use in reading RSS feeds in Google Reader.

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Watch this seven plus minute video and prepare to be amazed at what an application called Photosynth can do. It's architect, Blaise Aguera y Arcas, demonstrates and describes the technology and what lies ahead. (Link courtesy of Michael K. Bergman of AI3.) It's so amazing, I almost want to begin exercising just to ensure I stay around long enough to see where all this is leading. Wow.

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