small thoughtssmall thoughts - LiveJournal.comAA-powered coolness- December 30, 2005 A while back we (if I may still use the editorial we) featured on Slashdot a device that sounded pretty cool to me at the time, and is now pulling even harder at my all-too-slender wallet: the GP2X from GamePark Holdings. It's no Maemo -- no built-in wireless, lower-res screen, less spectacular UI and range of apps, but: a) it's far cheaper and b) it takes AAs. (One day I ought to start my on-line shrine to the AA battery.) Even with a 320x240 display, it seems like the perfect travel-companion.http://tlord.livejournal.com/46564.html Main computer, not doing so hot ...- December 22, 2005 My Sempron desktop, the machine I use most frequently for just-about-everything (because it is the fastest machine I own, tied for most memory, has a 19" monitor connected, good keyboard, etc) is getting increasingly wonky. After an upgrade to the OS (Debian) a week ago, which left the system unusable, and a tedious and nerve-wracking effort to rescue my data (upshot: I think at least 95% effective rescue, which is far better than nothing), I am again running Debian 3.1 on the same system, but..http://tlord.livejournal.com/46304.html Where's my outgoing message from the President- December 21, 2005 It could be simple. Just a heartfelt "Tim isn't here right now. But this is George Bush, and you can be assured that Tim will get back to you. Or maybe I will -- me and some buddies figure it's alright to listen in sometimes. I know we hardly know each other, but I'll have to give you a nickname -- how's 'Mata Hari' sound The NSA might be listening, too -- you never know. Within our borders, mumblemumble, Almighty Providence, terrorists among us, etc. Talk with y'all later!" I mean, Carl Kassel.http://tlord.livejournal.com/46010.html Too late, but that's OK -- another AA contender- December 21, 2005 I was under the (mis)impression that the entire Lumix line of cameras was based on Li-Ion batteries. Turns out there's at least one that takes AA batteries -- the 5MP DMC-LZ2, which got this guardedly positive review at dpreview. 6x optical zoom is nice. It looks a bit chunky, lacks optical viewfinder, has some noise and purple fringing, lacks hi-res movie taking capability, but sheesh, it's available for $200! On the other hand, the 6MP Exilim z110 is $180 at Costco, and though it lacks the 6x.http://tlord.livejournal.com/45615.html Hey, no fair, I thought of it first!- December 19, 2005 However, this guy has written up a description that matches a lot of my napkin-doodles re: (one version of) the ideal house. Now, it just needs to be surrounded with a yard designed to match the rest of my household philosophy, and I will attempt to build it, just as soon as my lotto winnings arrive.http://tlord.livejournal.com/45362.html WWJBD- December 19, 2005 OK, I am a sucker for high-tech design, at least high-tech design of a certain sort. When it comes to digital cameras, one question that's been rolling around in my head for a long time is "What Would James Bond Do" (The "What would ..." meme is a hard one to evict from one's head.) I suspect James Bond would actually (in a fictional sense) have a Sony Qualia which actually looks like a Minox product, but one thing I'm pleasantly surprised by in the camera I just purchased is that it comes with.http://tlord.livejournal.com/45174.html Having just lost a bunch of data ...- December 18, 2005 Actually, I'm not sure how much data I lost. But my main desktop system (the only desktop hooked up at the moment, and the one I've been using for schoolwork for the last semester) decided to go south. It started last week when some of my menus mysteriously disappeared. (I thought that I'd just slipped in my inimitable way -- I can accidentally, irreproducably, inexplicably break just about anything on a computer.) Then sound started going buggy, which was a bit odd. I went to sleep one night...http://tlord.livejournal.com/44994.html |