Low Tech Solution to a High Tech Problem

Sometimes a little ingenuity and a simple approach beats a high-tech solution. Tonight, I thought I would get fancy and try out some experimental display drivers on the new PCLinuxOS installation I put on this laptop. Specifically, I was toying with Compiz-Fusion settings. Compiz-Fusion is a software subsystem that gives you all sorts of fancy graphic effects. However, I changed one setting that hosed the display. All I could see was a black screen with a few white blocks here and there, along with the mouse pointer. Uh-Oh!

Since I have spent a few hours downloading and installing various software packages, I didn't want to start all over again with a reinstallation, but knew that I had that option if I couldn't find any other way to get this problem reversed. Knowing that I have that ace in the hole, along with the other hard drive with Windows Vista intact, was a safety net that kept me cool and collected. I got to thinking, "If only I knew where to click on the screen to change back to the old settings everything would be fine." That led to the idea that turned out to be a very quick and simple solution.

I booted my system from the Live CD of PCLinuxOS, ran the configuration tool from there, and used pieces of paper sticky notes to indicate where I had to click to change the settings. It was a total of 5 clicks around the screen, so I numbered the paper in the proper order. I then shut down the system, removed the CD, and once again booted from the hard drive.

Click by click, following my paper trail of sticky note pieces, I went through blindly on the black screen. Then I shut down the system, and rebooted again. Voila! It worked like a charm. So, I guess that is one setting I will leave alone. Still, one reason to install Linux is to experiment and learn, and I did indeed learn from this. My solution was certainly faster than a reinstallation of the OS and all the programs. In a matter of less than 2 minutes, I was back in business!

So there are times when an unorthodox solution turns out to be the right one. This was one such instance.

Pondering on Endings and the Future

Ever since I was a young child, I have occasionally thought about how amazing it is that it is now. What do I mean by that? Well, in the infinity past and infinity future of time, how great a coincidence that it is now, the short span of my years to be alive and think about it. Since all the infinite time past, back to the Big Bang and beyond (if time has meaning beyond that point), I was not here to think about anything. Soon, whether it is today or fifty years from now, the consciousness that is uniquely me, will once again be absent from this universe, unable to ponder anything at all. The infinitesimal period of time where I lived will have passed, and this universe will continue on without me, my atoms no longer a part of the being that today is me.

Not only do individual people die, but everything comes to an end. Nothing, it seems, is forever. Not even diamonds, despite their advertising slogans. It has been said that if the universe since the Big Bang were compressed to a single 24-hour day, humanity's entire existence has only taken place in the last 30 seconds before midnight. Stars, planets (the Earth included), political entities (such as the United States), mountains, continents, and even our own Milky Way Galaxy, are temporal things that will eventually pass from existence. Our neighbor in intergalactic space, the great galaxy in Andromeda, is heading toward the Milky Way, the two pulled together toward a future collision on a cosmic scale, while the greater universe is ever expanding.

The most recent issue of Scientific American has a very interesting article, stating that we currently live in a time where discovery of the expanding universe is possible, but in the future, it would not be. At some point in time, the recession of distant galaxies will render them so distant that none would be visible if the Earth were still here. Only stars in our own merged supergalaxy, would fill the sky. Even that is not a permanent situation, as the universe depletes itself of fuel for new stars and eventually they all twinkle out into black holes or dark matter. Long before our universe dies, the earth's living heart, the geothermal engine inside the planet, will cool down, leaving a waterless ball of rock, much like Mars, and eventually being consumed by our sun as its own death throes expand it beyond the orbit of the world we call home.

The late Dr. Carl Sagan said we are made of "star stuff", the heavy elements in our bodies forged in long dead stars and expelled across the universe to give rise to new stars and planets. As such, we are a way the universe observes and tries to understand itself. We don't know, and may never know, if we are alone in the vastness of space, or if other sentient beings and other civilizations have arisen across the cosmos. But we do know it will all have an end someday, with our without our continued existence.

I don't hold a lot of hope for our species surviving its own self-destruction. The Earth was fine without human beings, and it could easily carry on without us again. I saw a program on The History Channel this week, titled Life After People, demonstrating that if all human beings on the planet were to disappear, just how quickly all evidence of our existence would be wiped away. Everything from our great cities and skyscrapers, to our highway infrastructure, to our greatest engineering marvels would all be gone in a fairly short period of time, returning the planet to its pre-mankind state of nighttime darkness and pristine environment. It was a look at a possible future I hope doesn't happen. Regardless, eventually it will all be gone.

Does the temporal existence deprive all meaning from life? Absolutely not! In fact, it makes it of even greater value. Things that are in infinite supply are not highly valued. It is the things that are rare that have the greatest intrinsic value attached to them. Every day of life, every bird singing, every mountain or cloud that we see, every moment is an opportunity to experience something that may not exist anywhere else, and may never again. Once I am gone, it will not matter to me anymore, but for today, I am happy to be here to observe and contemplate this amazing universe and this wonderful planet Earth.

Coffee Shop, CLUE, and Linux

It's about 5:30 PM, and I have left the office for the day. I am sitting in the Caribou Coffee shop not far from work, enjoying a strawberry-banana smoothie. It is quite tasty, but in a weird way, it reminds me of the taste of those Gerber baby bananas. Or at least sort of how I remember them, since I haven't eaten any of those in a very, very long time.

In any case, I decided to stop by and relax for a few minutes. After I leave here, I am headed to the monthly general meeting of CLUE, the Colorado Linux Users & Enthusiasts. Hopefully, it will be a good program tonight, as I haven't made the effort in several months. I am particularly interested now, since over the last weekend I managed to get GNU/Linux up and running on my laptop.

Last November I posted on here about my intent to do this from the time I purchased this machine over a year ago. My efforts were thwarted in that there were no drivers for some of the hardware in any of the Linux distros I tried. Well, after trying the latest Mini-Me 2008 version of PCLinuxOS on this Gateway MT-3705, I decided to take the plunge.

In order to not risk mucking up my Vista installation, I went to Best Buy and found a 120 GB laptop hard drive on clearance for $62. What a deal! I went home and replaced the Vista drive with the new Hitachi model, loaded PCLinuxOS Mini Me, and we were off to the races! I haven't tried a couple of things, like burning DVDs or CDs for example, but so far, so good. I did have to use Ndiswrapper and a Windows XP driver for the network card, and it is working perfectly. The sound, another problem on previous Linuxes (except Fedora 8), also works from the get go. I couldn't use Fedora though, since it doesn't support Ndiswrapper without some complicated tweaking, which was more than I wanted to do.

Since Mini Me is a light version without much software, I then fired up Synaptic to get Firefox, OpenOffice.org, and a host of other programs; grabbed the Microsoft core web fonts, and now this machine is doing great. I have had quite a few hits on this blog about this subject from other users of the same machine, so hopefully this will help others.

So for now, my Vista install is safe and sound on the hard drive I removed. If I ever need to get to it, it will be pretty easy. However, if I ever do want to reinstall Windows on this, I will likely repartition and make space for XP after I round up the drivers for it. Vista is nice, but XP just seems to be a better choice.

Different Ideologies - Similar Themes

Two things that interest me are history and the use of imagery to shape ideas. When imagery is used for purposes to change peoples views, it goes beyond advertising and into the realm of propaganda.

During the Second World War, the movement of women from the role of homemaker into an active participant on the homefront was a common theme on all sides. As the men were sent into combat roles, the women were moved into roles of conservation of resources, actively joining the production of armaments, and into the military as nurses. Below are some famous propaganda pieces in this vein that demonstrate this common theme across the board.


American propaganda poster encouraging women to get a job


Famous American poster featuring "Rosie the Riveter"


Yet another American propaganda poster



This poster was displayed across the United Kingdom


German propaganda poster urging conservation.
The USA had similar ideas on display as well, urging to "Make do".


Meanwhile in the Soviet Union . . .

The New Train Has Arrived!

A few weeks back, I waxed nostalgic over the demise of the old mini-train at Houston's Hermann Park. On Friday, the new train made it's debut, and a beauty it is! I am going to have to get back down there and take a ride with the rest of the kids, just for the fun of it all, and for old times' sake!

Take Your Library With You - Cell Phone Photo of the Day

A young woman tries out Sony's electronic reader at CES2008

Amazon.com has made a buzz over the past few months with its Kindle electronic reading device. With the Kindle, you can download books, magazines, and other reading material and take it with you.

Another, similar device is made by Sony, and they had several of their latest models on display in Las Vegas at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show. In the photo above, a young woman was giving the device a tryout. This little wonder is very thin, and can hold large volumes of information.

While this type of device is making strides toward the mainstream, at this point I'll stick with the older technology, called a book, at least for the foreseeable future.

Red Light Cams - Cell Phone Photo of the Day

The red light camera installation at Yosemite & Arapahoe

As I have noted before, there is a lot to like about my Motorola Q cell phone, from its ability to pull down my work and personal email, schedules, and surf the web. Of course it can make and receive phone calls too. The one feature that is a bit on the weak side is the camera. Still, since it is always in my pocket, why not feature some more of the daily sights I encounter taken with the Q?

Today's photo is a bit of a roadgeek shot. This was taken looking west down Arapahoe Road while waiting to turn onto it from northbound Yosemite in Centennial, Colorado. Cameras to automatically cite people who run through red lights are becoming more common all over the country, and the Denver metro area is no exception. There was an identical installation diagonally across the intersection. Here we can see not only two of the cameras, but also between the traffic lights is a strobe that illuminates license plates for the cameras when they snap a photo of a traffic offender.

In the distance are the Rocky Mountains and a sky full of interesting clouds.

Look Me In The Eyes When You Speak to Me!

Okay, this is one of those things from the twisted minds at Disney. I was watching TV tonight, when a commercial for the Disney on Ice production of Finding Nemo came on the screen. I was sort of halfway paying attention, so when this commercial came on, it definitely caused me to do a double take. Surely the Disney folks had to know...I cannot believe the Disney folks are this dumb. I am also surprised the TV commercial made it on the air.

I went out on the web and found a few photos from the production. I guess it is a family show, after all. Something for the kids, and something for dad who has to sit through it!


Nemo's eyes are, oh, maybe 36Cs? And the large
version shows that Nemo has some serious
"camel toe" issues going on! Yikes!


Where do you stuff the dollar bills?


I never knew fish had such "perky" eyes.


Okay, now this is just over the top!

Outside The Galleria in Houston

Macy's and west end of The Galleria in Houston

My business trip to Houston last weekend was a lot of fun, and a chance to visit my parents, sisters, and other family members for the first time in many months. But alas, it was still a business trip, so business was conducted. Monday night, our business partners took me and three colleagues to a wonderful Mexican cantina on Richmond Avenue, called El Tiempo. What a fantastic place. There were a variety of meats on a hot grill brought to the table, including steak, chicken, pork, shrimp, lobster, ribs, and quail; accompanied by freshly made tortillas. Even though it is winter, it is also Houston, so we sat outside on the patio and enjoyed a pleasant Houston winter evening. El Tiempo is owned and operated by the Laurenzo family, whose mother used to run the famous Ninfa's Mexican restaurants in Houston years ago.

The next day (Tuesday) we went to the company's office in the Galleria area of Uptown Houston. We met in a conference room on the 10th floor of a building looking out over the Galleria to our east. The photo above is the view from the conference room, and since it was taken with the camera phone, it isn't as clear as a dedicated camera would take. Still, it gives you an idea of the view. A full panorama, which this doesn't show, would have been nice. Of course you can see The Galleria's west entrance and the ever present Williams Tower (formerly Transco Tower, which I have written about before). You could also see the skylines of Greenway Plaza, Downtown Houston, and in the distance, the Texas Medical Center. Spectacular!

Leaving our meeting and heading to Bush Intercontinental Airport for the return trip to Denver, I also used the camera phone to grab the shot below. It is taken through curved window glass of our rental van, so the Galleria II tower looks a bit wavy! This is one of the north entrances to The Galleria, and of course Williams Tower. This is one of my favorite areas of Houston.


North entrance to The Galleria, with Williams Tower standing tall

Fill 'Er Up?

An old service station in Hempstead, Texas

One thing that has always held a fascination to me is service stations. My dad tells me that when I could barely talk, I could recognize and name the various brands. Over the years, the architecture of stations has evolved, including some very nice art deco style stations in the pre-World War II era. Even though the "service" is long gone from what are today self-serve pumps, the basic idea of an refueling island has remained a constant.

The photo above is a vintage service station that is situated on old US 290 in Hempstead, Texas. As new 290 (Houston's Northwest Freeway) has finally bypassed the town, it is having an impact on businesses on the old route. I don't know how long it has been since gasoline has been dispensed from here, but the pumps are long gone. It appears to be a tire business, but has no sign; and the post that once held a sign proclaiming a brand of gasoline, now holds a tall stack of old, painted tires. The ubiquitous Halsey Taylor water cooler is plugged in, but as this was taken on Sunday afternoon, it is hard to tell if there is still a business operating at this location.

Regardless of its current status, I hope this example of roadside American architecture ends up being restored rather than falling to demolition. A coat of white paint and a bit of TLC could make this a great home for some small business.

Tea Anyone?

Martha's Bloomers big teapot

Just outside of Navasota, Texas, is an interesting place. Martha's Bloomers is a unique shop, with flowers, antiques, garden and decorative items, and a tea shop where you can go inside and have a light meal and some tea. Martha's Bloomers is one of Southern Living Magazine's Top 50 Shops, and if you are traveling on Texas Highway 6 through Navasota, you cannot miss it. The location has a large teapot sitting on the grounds, making it easy to find.

One thing I enjoy is the variety of advertising used by businesses to draw the attention of travelers passing by, and this teapot is a great example of roadside Americana that increasingly is going by the wayside as homogeneity and chain stores take over the landscape. I only wish that I was hungry when we got to Martha's Bloomers, as I would have enjoyed sampling their fare. I suppose that will have to wait for another day, but if you make it down to Navasota, stop in and give it a try. I have a suspicion that you won't be disappointed.

Moo!

A white Texas Longhorn wonders what is going on.

On Sunday, I took a drive from Houston, Texas to Bryan, Texas for a lunch with about 14 other family members. Along the way there, I noticed this beautiful animal standing in a pasture beside Texas Highway 6 just north of the town of Hempstead. As we had a rendezvous time with the others, I made a mental note of where he was so that I could return on the way back to Houston to get his picture.

So on the way back, I found him still grazing, and pulled over to the side of the highway. My sister got out and started calling loudly to him, "Hey! Hey bully!", so when he looked up to see what all the commotion was, I got a few pictures. Given that a longhorn steer this size could be dangerous, we didn't stray too far from the car.

One thing I noticed is that his head seems disproportionately small when compared to his massive body. Perhaps he is still young, but those are a fine set of horns on this big boy!