Ubuntu's Add Applications Program

  This is the screenshot from when I installed Rhythmbox and Eric Python IDE. As you can see just point - click - done. However, Rhythmbox sucks (or at least did for me); so, also using Ubuntu's Add Applications Program I unselected Rhythmbox and select XMMS instead. I've been listening to mp3s and streaming music for the past hour. 

Virtualization

The ACM Virtualization presentation (08 Mar 06) really impressed me. I went to vmware.com to download the server software and immediately got distracted by the Virtual Application challenge. $200,000 is one hell of a distraction. Anyway, I ended up downloading the VMware-player and the sample Browser Application. The sample Browser Application is only a 250 MB zip file that contains an Ubuntu disto with Firefox setup ready to go. Installation, execution, installing XMMS and Eric Python IDE, and downloading some MP3s took less than 45 minutes. This is with me playing around while doing this. This FUCKING Rocks! Thanks for answering all the questions I asked you since I came in to Kirk’s presentation late. To everyone reading this download & install VMware-player (28 MB) and the sample Browser Application (250 MB). Very cool shit. Browsed and Created in Browser-Appliance-1.0.0, VMware-player

If I were rich...

I think I'll start a "If I were rich..." theme. Anytime something really cool (but expensive) catches my attention I'll make a "If I were rich..." post. The SkyScout which you can read about at www.celestron.com is so cool. Just read this, "Aim it at any heavenly body, and the GPS receiver and three-axis position sensor identifies stars, planets, and constellations by voice or text." Sah-weeet! However, at four hundred dollars I'll just print out a star chart and wing it.

Building a Better Battery

I have a box of used alkaline batteries at home. I can't convince myself to throw them away since they are still holding 2/3 of a full charge. This is all the fault of my digital camera which takes four batteries at a time and only uses 1/3 of the batteries' charge before deciding that it needs more power. Luckily, I bought a wireless mouse several months ago and it will happily accept a 2/3 charged battery and drain it down to 1/3 of a charge before needing a replacement (and this takes a long time). In the March 2006, issue of Wired there is an article about the M1 battery. It is made by DeWalt (Black & Decker) and it is suppose to have double the power density, five times the peak energy, and a shorter recharging time than a Li-ion battery of the same size. Li-ion batteries are suppose to kick the crap out of alkaline batteries. So, that being said, where is my double-A M1 battery?