RawCode

The urge to play around with linux is rising. Every time this occurs I always get pretty wrapped up in the project since I generally have a specific goal I am trying to attain. This time I want to build Linux; starting from bootstrapping to my end goal of network connectivity with SSH. So I have decided to go with LFS. ] It tries to teach you the role of all the packages you need to get a very basic system up and running.

I want to purchase a separate computer to install this on so I don’t hose my current slackware box which I have servicing my network acceptably.

Filed by RawCode at 5:12 am under Banter
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I swear it is! On my robot dollar!

Filed by RawCode at 6:05 am under Banter
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I have recently taken up chess again. I am finding it to be quite fun, but it also fills me with apprehension and doubt. When I log into my Gmail account and find some Move Notification emails from RedHotPawn, the first feeling I have is doubt. I have no idea why since it is just a casual game between friends (or internet strangers) and neither has anything to gain from the virtual conflict.

Before I log in to check on the reported move, I find myself running through the game, trying to think if there was something I overlooked. A weed growing in a crack of my plan if you will. Once logged in,All the emotion I felt just melts away and are replaced with move analysis, plans, and counters. It is quite odd.

I find myself having those feelings before other games too. In a multiplayer RTS game like Dawn of War, I go through that entire process before the game. Once in the game, again all the emotion drains away and is replaced with mechanical movements, plans, and defense. Could it be a coping mechanism when I am placed under stress? Or am I just afraid of getting beat down?

Filed by RawCode at 5:15 am under Banter
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I found this artist’s experiment quite funny. It exemplifies how entrenched fear has become in American society.

Declarative Lamps!

I am not a bomb. lol

Filed by RawCode at 4:15 am under Banter
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I just thought I would post a link to a blog post by John Siracusa of ArsTechnica.

Let a Million iPhones bloom

In his post he basically describes how all Apple needed was one thing: a carrier. Doesn’t have to be the best; big will do fine in a pinch. He also theorizes that the iPhone may be the one device (and Apple as the company) to break up the monotony that consumes the American cellular market.

Filed by RawCode at 12:38 am under Banter
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The main reason why I updated to the newest version of WordPress is so I could get this new plugin to run.

Subscribe to Comments

So now if you feel compelled to comment on a post, you now have the option to know when other comments are posted. There is also a subscription interface for commentors so they can control their subscriptions to the various posts. Pretty nifty if you ask me. It is hard to keep track of all the blog posts I comment on, and to watch for comments following mine. This solves the issue nicely.

Filed by RawCode at 5:31 am under Banter
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I finally decided to upgrade from Wordpress 2.0 to 2.2.1 which was released at the beginning of this week. The upgrade itself went smooth and almost all of my plugins work except for one. My Viper’s Video Quicktags is currently throwing a fatal error when I try to activate it. I haven’t had the time to really read up as to what the actual issue is.

Filed by RawCode at 3:48 am under Banter
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As a state, we have the slowest broadband in the nation. As per a PDF report from Speedmatters.org, which is run by the Communication Works of America Union.

You can also see what speeds were reported in your area via this flash map.

My friend recently moved to Seattle, and he is getting 7Mb down and 1Mb up for 40 bucks a month. It is insane how fast your Internet can be, *if it is available in your area!* I think one of the largest problems in broadband deployment is the sheer amount of surface area we have to cover. Lets look at other countries physical size: Japan has 377k sq km of land, South Korea has 100k sq km, Finland has 340k sq km, Sweden has 450k sq km, France has 550k sq km.

The United states has 9,600,000 sq km of area to cover. It is very difficult and expensive to network such a vast area, especially if you think about how Americans love suburbia and driving hours to work each day.

Now look at the state level. Just the State of Alaska is 1,717,855 sq km and we have the slowest internet. Now look at the fastest State in the report, Rhode Island. It is ranked 50th with a measly surface area of 3,144 sq km.

I think I am on to something.

Filed by RawCode at 3:04 am under Banter
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When I first started working with PC’s back in 1999, I would build my own boxes, spend hours overclocking them, dealing with noisy fans and not caring a whit about long term stability.

Now I just want it to freaking work without hassle.]

A lot of Arsians feel the same way too.

I guess at some point, a geek surpasses the stage where he is infatuated with technology. A stage where they will spend all night building a box, tweaking BIOS settings, buying the best HSF, and then more time tweaking windows for it to run as optimal as possible. Eventually, the geek tires of all the work just to get 10-15% faster on his home computer. He just wants it to be reliable and be there for when he needs it for his other hobbies. Like cars, mountain biking, gardening, cooking and so forth. The geek begins to use technology as a tool for other things in life, not as an end in of itself.

Hell my latest computer is an EMachine that I bought at Best Buy when they had a huge sale. The next computer I buy will most likely be a Dell, for HTPC/Living room internet purposes. I don’t spend 8 hours making sure that I have all the crap turned off, or tweaking the registry to make things just right. My time is too important and limited to spend worrying about menu colors, driver versions, and clock speed. Is it fast enough for what I want to do and have the features I require? Sign me up!

I still love computers, but they just are not a hobby for my anymore.

Filed by RawCode at 3:43 pm under Banter
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This is awesome. Courtesy of Make, I found this video of a binary marble adding machine.

I find it simplicity to be awesome. I am not well versed in computer history but I wonder if something like this was used back in the 1800s. I guess the main limitations would be it’s reliance on gravity to provide movement, and that it would not be able to do loops. I imagine that one could build a machine that could do loops, but it would require a vast amount of marbles.

Best to stick to steam, gears and transistors I guess.

Filed by RawCode at 8:33 pm under Banter
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