July 05, 2010
burn cd on ubuntu - requires restart
So, if (like me) you are running Ubuntu 10.4, and (for reasons lost in the depths of time) you didn't have cd/dvd writer installed, and you wanted to write a cd, so you installed cd/dvd writer (as that is the software the help system recommends) - I recommend you restart after installing the software. Then everything starts to work like what it says in the help system.
June 11, 2010
really nice sports tournament schedule
This interactive schedule for the World Cup is a really nice example of how digital information can be awesomely better than paper.
June 09, 2010
free as in freedom
This article by the vice-principal of a school which has moved to open source software is a pretty good statement of the philosophical reasons people might want to use open source software. In particular, it struck me that they'd noticed how schools tend to turn a blind eye to students illegally downloading copies of proprietary software so they can do school work on their home computer(s).
I've noticed that students, charities and other not-for-profits often do this, and it seems so incongruous with their other stated aims and values. While open source doesn't always provide a viable option, some products do the job perfectly well - particularly when the user just wants to do something simple. I can only hope that the leading open source candidates will continue to get better and easier to use.
June 08, 2010
cccccccold
Today I stayed home with a head cold. I slept it was good. But this also meant I had more exposure to the weather than I usually do in my ground-floor office, far from the windows. The weather was horrible. Perhaps I noticed more than usual, because we are still missing some of our cladding on our southern wall. But I think it really was that bad. I collected evidence from the following websites:
- 41south: 4 degrees
- the island bay affiliate: 4 degrees
- metservice: 4 degrees
