I’ve finally re-resuscitated the Thinkpad T21 into a basement server. Quiet it isn’t (its fan cooler and hard drive are loud), but it just works. It used to run OpenBSD, but now it’s running Ubuntu Server. I really tried to like OpenBSD, but it was a bit too spartan for my tastes.
Author: scruss
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WindShare AGM
… and I wasn’t expecting to, but I ended up back on the board of directors of WindShare.
… and I got to sing with the Raging Grannies!
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dove on the line
A mourning dove sits on the CN rail. It watches me. I watch it. We have an understanding.
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a poem I’ve been trying to memorize for years
When tiger-men sat their mercurial coursers,
Hauled into shuddering arches the proud fibre
Of head and throat, sank spurs, and trod on air—
I was not there. …When clamorous centaurs thundered to the rain-pools,
Shattered with their fierce hooves the silent mirrors,
When glittering drops clung to their beards and hair—
I was not there. …When through a blood-dark dawn a man with antlers
Cried, and throughout the day the echoes suffered
His agony and died in evening air—
I was not there. …— Mervyn Peake
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energy does matter; energy *is* matter …
I’m going to Energy Matters for the next couple of days.
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tidyin’, fixin’, payin’, all the while livin’ off plastic
- Income taxes filed. Some tidying was required in order to find all the necessary paperwork. I know it’s ages before the deadline, but Catherine needs it early for her US taxes.
- Noticed the last two water bills were double what they should have been. A $3 flapper valve for the loo should sort that. You’d never get that with a British syphon flush …
- One of the neighbours just got a Linksys wireless router (with no encryption and default passwords, no less), so I had to rename and rechannel ours. Most hassle was getting the WET54G wireless bridge to talk to the new location. It didn’t help that it had the oldest version of the firmware in the world, plus it kept trying to rejoin the neighbours’ network.
- Braved IKEA. I now have a basement server/printer rack fashioned from multiple Rast bedside tables screwed together.
- Opened up the outside tap, now that the threat of -20°C weather is gone for the year.
- Paid many, many bills, some of which were routed from their mulching sleep while I was looking for tax paperwork.
- Joined worthy societies like FOE and Greenpeace.
- Saw Sharkwater. You should, too.
- My new Interac card is less than interactive. I’m sure I managed to get it to work once, but now it’s gone dead. This means a trip to the Honkers & Shankers on Spadina, always a joy …
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a small form of happiness is
… a USB key with the irritating U3 software uninstalled.
Seriously, U3 is a major annoyance if you:
- use Mac
- use Linux
- work on a PC with locked-down permissions
- work on a PC with a one-letter drive gap (like having
D:andF:, but noE:); U3‘s read-only system will appear in the gap, but your data won’t be accessible.
(It’s not really U3‘s fault. The fact that Windows still has drive letters amazes me; why don’t they go for the whole 70s thing and have punch cards and gargantuan 5MB hard disk packs?)
All four of the above apply to me, so
u3 uninstall.exeis my friend. -
syndactyls, revolt!
I used to be devoted to Vibram soles on my boots, but now I’m not so sure. Vibram fivefingers are an affront to my people, the syndactyls.
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that would be wonderful
In my Ephemera gallery, I have this image:
I scanned it years ago from the magazine Strange Things Are Happening, which was a short-lived publication from Phil Smee’s insanely great Bam Caruso record label. It was attached to an article about early SoCal punks The Weirdos. It never actually said if it was one of their flyers or posters.
Since Francky, Ellen and Linda want a better quality version of it, there’s the 300 dpi PNG linked above, plus a couple of vectorized versions I produced: World Full of Weirdos (PDF), World Full of Weirdos (EPS).
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acned, yet inscrutable
(it’s actually the USB connector from my Kingmax Super Stick …)
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these ain’t buildings ..:
… They’re bvildings, the Bay Street stone edifices.
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punks 4 peace at the courthouse
Someone has scrawled – in chalk, so it’ll wash off – “End War”, “Kyoto Not War”, “Smart Kids or smart bombs”, “Bring our troops home” and “Punks 4 Peace” all over the court house at 361 University. Sentiments I approve of – and it gives work to Guardsman Surface Restorations.
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bunny car
Lindt Gold Bunny ad car outside the downtown Hilton yesterday.
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my half-baked idea
Smart Microwave: Microwave turntable remembers start position, and either adjusts rotation speed so it ends up where it started, or continues turning after the cooking stops, so it ends up where it started.
Anyone who’s ever reheated a beverage, and pawed frantically at the superheated vessel to try and get the handle in a reachable position – this one’s for you.
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go jump over the fire!
Happy Norooz!
Norooz, Persian New Year
Year of 2566 (1386)In harmony with rebirth of nature, the Persian New Year Celebration, or Norooz, always begins on the first day of spring, March 20th of each year. Norooz ceremonies are symbolic representations of two ancient concepts – the End and Rebirth. About 3000 years ago Persian’s major religion was Zoroastrianism, named in honor of its founder Zoroaster, and arguably the world’s first monotheistic religion. Zoroastrians had a festival called “Farvardgan” which lasted ten days, and took place at the end of the solar year. It appears that this was a festival of sorrow and mourning , signifying the end of life while the festival of Norooz, at the beginning of spring signified rebirth, and was a time of great joy and celebration. Norooz was officially acknowledged and named “Norooz” by mythical Persian emperor, Shah Jamshid, from Achaemenid Dynasty (500 BC). Ashaemenied created the first major empire in the region and built Persepolis complex (Takhte Jamshid) in the city of Shiraz. Norooz in Persian means “New Day” and brings hope, peace and prosperity to the world and has been celebrated among people regardless of ethnic background, political views or religion in many countries around the globe such as Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Georgia, Iraq, Tajikistan, Syria, Armenia and India. Some of the activities during Norooz are Spring cleaning, buying new clothes, painting eggs, family reunion, giving presents, visiting neighbors and friends and celebrating by having a picnic on the 13th day of Spring. Happy Norooz!
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first
Saw my first redwing blackbird of spring just by Scarborough station.
