Laser etched at Idée, 2014-02-07.
Author: scruss
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elementary OS: could be worse
Imagine there’s a really nicely arranged screenshot of elementary OS here. You know, browser arranged just so, dock showing shiny icons, and a coy little dropdown showing that I’m playing music that’s faaaar hipper than you’ll ever be. Got that image? Good. ‘Cos I just spent a ½-hour setting it up, then deleted it in a second of unthought when I cleaned up the elementary OS VM from VirtualBox. Aargh!
elementary OS is a very pretty Ubuntu/Debian distro. It has a very strong visual identity, and is designed and managed by a very small group. This rigidity may annoy the seasoned Linux user, but will likely work in a more logical way if you’re used other OSs. You won’t face jarringly mismatched user interface elements, as still happens with Ubunty/Unity. Linux UX allows too much choice, so you’re never sure which options do what at any given time.
(F’rinstance: Ctrl+Q used to quit programs. Now, Ubuntu wants us to use Ctrl+W, the old close-the-window command. Some programs no longer quit with Ctrl+Q, so you’re left with an awksmash of Ctrl+Q_no-I-meant_W. Don’t make me think!)A couple of things put me off elementary OS:
- You can’t put files on the desktop. In an effort to be tidy, eOS forbids you putting the stuff you’re working on in the place you’ll see it. This is a major annoyance, but worse things are coming.
- It expects you to pay for it. No, really. They want $10 from you, right from the get-go. While you can get around this (click the “Download†button; it only looks like it’s linked to the payment button), they do something far, far worse:
They use a PayPal pop–under.
Srsly. Gahh. Eww. Pop-unders are the web equivalent of taking a 💩 on an art gallery floor. If they’re low enough to pull that kind of stunt, who knows what leakage lurks under their pretty graphics?
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Overly-cheerful elevator detail
Instagram filter used: Lo-fi
Photo taken at: Toronto Public Library (North York Central Library Branch)
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Library from on high
Instagram filter used: Lo-fi
Photo taken at: Toronto Public Library (North York Central Library Branch)
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Thanks, Pete
You did good. We’ll miss you.
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Linking ≠Abuse.
Got this e-mail today. Addresses redacted, but otherwise verbatim:
Subject: Link removal request From: Rodger Lodge <entrust_____@gmail.com> Date: 14-01-27 08:46 AM To: abuse@my hosting company.com, me, hostmaster@my hosting company.com Hi,
We have recently received a notification from Google stating that our website has unnatural links pointing towards it. This has really damaged our rankings on Google and as a result, we’re trying to clear things up.
Our website url is www.entrust.net.We noticed the following links are pointing to our website from your site:
http://scruss.com/blog/2006/12/
http://scruss.com/blog/2006/12/14/when-you-really-havent-chosen-not-to-trust-citrix-mac-os-x-and-entrust-certificates/
http://scruss.com/blog/tag/citrix/I appreciate this is inconvenient and isn’t a reflection on your website at all, but if you’re able to remove the links, we would really appreciate it and would be very grateful.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Rodger Lodge
Entrust, Inc.
So, one of the prime security companies (I’m strongly resisting the urge to link to them here, but I’m above that) is using gmail to send out official notices? Why not a securely signed e-mail from their .net domain? That might be more legit. Also, sending me a copypasta response lifted from the “Ultimate Guide to Google Penalty Removal†seems a little … gauche.
If this is for real, then I’m annoyed. I wrote the original article in 2006 in an attempt to help Mac users get work done with a popular remote-access package. I’m not dissing the company in any way: I’m helping people use their products better. Linking is not abuse.
It’s probably just spam, though.
Update: Nope, not spam. Got an apology by e-mail from Nate Plaunt of Online Performance Marketing, saying: “This was an automated email generated by this digital agency and your sites were mistakenly targetedâ€. Still no apology for the e-mail to abuse@…, tho’. That’s never an acceptable first communication.
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Estimating the speed of sound with stereo microphones and Audacity
With a pair of binaural mics placed 33.7 cm apart feeding into a stereo USB sound card (a Griffin iMic), I clapped near the left mic. It took 39 samples (884 µs) for the peak to travel between the microphones. That gave me a speed of sound of 381 m/s. A bit high, but the conditions this evening weren’t ideal, and I only set up the experiment with cursory care.The iMic seems unusual in having a stereo line/mic input. Most other (cheaper) USB dongles only have a mono input.
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A most excellent reel de-spooler
A family member gave me his old Abu Ambassadeur C3 along with a nice little custom carbon baitcaster rod. There was some old monofilament on the reel that I’d need to change out; but how to despool it?
It turns out that a toilet roll tube is a light friction fit onto the keyless chuck of my cordless drill. Wedge the end of the line under the tube, put the reel into casting mode, and (gently) rev up the drill. You’ll need to guide the line so it doesn’t run off into the drill shaft. Takes a minute or so to empty the whole reel.
Once you’re done, take a pair of snips and cut the cardboard tube lengthwise, cutting through the fishing line as you go. This ensures that there are no long bits of nylon that can trap wildlife, as fishing line biodegrades very slowly.
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Ripley’s? Tripley’s, more like
On Wednesday, Catherine and I went to Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada. It was fantastic. I took some pictures:
