(no subject)
CURSES! Just something I threw together over the course of two weeks at work. I was testing a lot of system controllers, y'see, and it takes about a minute to run the tests. During that time, there's not much to do, so I picked up an unused results printout and started doodling with a nearby ballpoint pen.
I have artist's block. I'm hoping that getting into an "art fight" with another artist, wherein we take turns making small alterations to each other's character designs, can help pull me out. Unfortunately she doesn't have steady access to the intarwebs right now. Speaking of which, I still lack a router. I've pretty much settled on the Netgear WRG614, which has gotten solid reviews and is available for about $30 after rebate. Now I have to place an order for it, because they don't stock it in the store anymore. Once it's installed, though, I may be able to turn off our software firewall. Routers tend to have their own firewall protection and hide all the computers on their network behind them. That would really help free up some system resources for our aging Gateway desktop, and simplify daily operation (wouldn't have to keep Allowing or Denying programs access just because they got updated).
I've been to the county library a few times over the week to get/return books, but also to use their wireless connection. Downloaded and installed some essentials, like the OpenOffice.org office suite (don't waste your money on Microsoft Office...), avast! antivirus (...or on Norton/McAfee stuff!), Spybot, Ad-Aware, SpywareBlaster, a new md5sum checker for those big downloads, Realplayer for streams, Internet Explorer 7 just to get rid of IE 6 Winamp, a few Firefox plugins... all of it completely free of charge. Isn't freeware/free software grand?
I still haven't installed Ubuntu. I'm trying to get the XP Pro side of things set up a bit more to my liking first, and checking out the laptop's current status. It looks like my 80GB hard drive has a 45GB C:\ as well as a 35GB D:\ partition, the latter of which only has a measly 1 MB of used space on it. I'll have to find out what that partition's being used for before attempting to tweak and resize any of them to make room for Ubuntu. I was going to do a 50/50 split between Windows and Linux on the drive, but I really want to see what that extra partition is first.
Also, it looks like there are some issues that need to be tweaked to get Ubuntu running 100% on my laptop's hardware, mainly because the graphics card is a newer ATI and driver options for it are limited. The LiveCD sessions work fine except that it can't fit my widescreen's resolution natively, and there's no sound (which may be another glitch I might have to fix on my own).
Mom and I started changing the lock on our back door, installing a much-needed deadbolt. Unfortunately the mandrel adapter that came with the mounting kit has gotten fused to the large saw bit, and we need to remove it before making any more progress. It may have to wait until I'm back at work and can get somebody in the plant to give it a shot. Sucks, but at least the new doorknob is installed and lockable.
I have artist's block. I'm hoping that getting into an "art fight" with another artist, wherein we take turns making small alterations to each other's character designs, can help pull me out. Unfortunately she doesn't have steady access to the intarwebs right now. Speaking of which, I still lack a router. I've pretty much settled on the Netgear WRG614, which has gotten solid reviews and is available for about $30 after rebate. Now I have to place an order for it, because they don't stock it in the store anymore. Once it's installed, though, I may be able to turn off our software firewall. Routers tend to have their own firewall protection and hide all the computers on their network behind them. That would really help free up some system resources for our aging Gateway desktop, and simplify daily operation (wouldn't have to keep Allowing or Denying programs access just because they got updated).
I've been to the county library a few times over the week to get/return books, but also to use their wireless connection. Downloaded and installed some essentials, like the OpenOffice.org office suite (don't waste your money on Microsoft Office...), avast! antivirus (...or on Norton/McAfee stuff!), Spybot, Ad-Aware, SpywareBlaster, a new md5sum checker for those big downloads, Realplayer for streams, Internet Explorer 7 just to get rid of IE 6 Winamp, a few Firefox plugins... all of it completely free of charge. Isn't freeware/free software grand?
I still haven't installed Ubuntu. I'm trying to get the XP Pro side of things set up a bit more to my liking first, and checking out the laptop's current status. It looks like my 80GB hard drive has a 45GB C:\ as well as a 35GB D:\ partition, the latter of which only has a measly 1 MB of used space on it. I'll have to find out what that partition's being used for before attempting to tweak and resize any of them to make room for Ubuntu. I was going to do a 50/50 split between Windows and Linux on the drive, but I really want to see what that extra partition is first.
Also, it looks like there are some issues that need to be tweaked to get Ubuntu running 100% on my laptop's hardware, mainly because the graphics card is a newer ATI and driver options for it are limited. The LiveCD sessions work fine except that it can't fit my widescreen's resolution natively, and there's no sound (which may be another glitch I might have to fix on my own).
Mom and I started changing the lock on our back door, installing a much-needed deadbolt. Unfortunately the mandrel adapter that came with the mounting kit has gotten fused to the large saw bit, and we need to remove it before making any more progress. It may have to wait until I'm back at work and can get somebody in the plant to give it a shot. Sucks, but at least the new doorknob is installed and lockable.