In a word: Moof

I don’t have anything to rant about right now, but I have a few random things to recommend for your consumption:

I recently spent quite some time installing linux on my new (glorious) T43, and encountered a program called NetworkManager. This is a program linux desperately needs. It handles network connections without the slightest hassle, without using the command line, without editing configuration files. It’s completely antithetical to the all other networking tools for linux, and that’s perfect. It’s terribly buggy right now, but that should improve.

Boredom leads to violin playing. Fortunately I have Bach’s Partita #2 to work on. The Ciaccona is so difficult. Go listen to it. The arpeggios are insane. I don’t know how anybody manages those string crossings. My attempts end up a total mess. I can do the final page reasonably well though. Fun stuff.

Picked up a copy of Catch-22. One of the best books I’ve read this year. Heller’s writing style is hilarious and extremely unique. If you haven’t read it already, do so.

After months of deliberation, hours of consultation with that guy who knows everything about laptops, three mistrials, and a lot of cash, I ordered a laptop. The decision: an IBM Thinkpad T43.

For all those who really care about specs: 1.86 Pentium M, Radeon X300, 14.1 inch screen (SXGA+), 5.1 lbs (”travel weight”). Ram needs upgrading, HD is ok. The T line is IBM’s middle-of-the-road between ultra-portables and ultra-heavy desktop replacements. To those not satisfied by specs alone and want the full logic behind my decision: read on. Continue Reading »

I have nothing really to post today. However, I found the greatest bumper sticker in the parking lot at Case:

Of course I had to calculate the speed that would cause this phenomenon. It would be a betrayal to my science-geek nature to do otherwise. The approaching vehicle must observe a blue shift of z=-.27. I don’t have an astrophysics textbook handy to convert that to something with units, but it’s somewhere less than 27% the speed of light. Whatever the exact speed is, I need to find one of these stickers.

So I gave in and created a blog. I have no idea where this is going. We’ll see what happens. This entry is only so I can see what the page looks like with some actual content. Continue Reading »