Switch… to Linux…

Gone Bad, Projects

So last night I thought I’d try something that I’d been thinking about for a while. I read an article about Linux MCE, specifically Ubuntu and Myth TV and thought I’d give it a try. Especially since my copy of Windows may not be as genuine as it should be. So I downloaded the Ubuntu installation and got ready to go. I put my hair in a pony tail and put on my most ironic t-shirt. It had been a while since I played around with Linux so it was nice to see that the installation process had been sped up. You could boot from the CD and try out the environment without installing and then choose to install it if you wanted, which is much easier than installing windows. I was very excited.

I set up some basic options, it comes with some software pre-installed, Firefox, Open-office, all stuff that I’ve used before. I was thinking that I’d be over at Micro-Center(nerd hq) in no time conversing with my new friends about how great Linux is. But then they pulled the bait and switch on me. They make it so easy to get started but when I wanted to do the simplest thing it suddenly got very complicated. All I wanted to do was install a program, MythTV. On windows there’s an executable file… not in Linux. Which is fine. On Mac OS you just unzip the files and put them into your programs folder… not in Linux. Ok then how do I do it? So I did a little searching around and found a guide on how to do exactly what I wanted. After following the first 5 steps which involved using the command line and setting up permissions for new users and installing MySql… well I sort of gave up. I will be back because I think Ubuntu has promise. But it’s kind of like decorating a moped like a Ducati. You may get 95mpg, but you’re still a dork.

Now let me just explain that I know computers. I do Java programming for a living. I work on computers every day, I have websites, blogs, I have a degree in computer graphics. I could and will probably figure this out. But it should be easier, my recommendation for now… If you want to switch… switch to Mac.

Later!
Mark

UPDATE – it turns out mythTV isn’t just a program, its a new front end for the operating system.

My legs are a movin

Life, Randomness

I think since it’s been getting warmer outside (and inside our house) I’ve been having more trouble falling asleep. I was thinking this was because of restless leg syndome (which I’m not entirely ruling out at this point). But I think the real cause is what I’m going to call Upper Fitness Imbalance. My theory is that my lower body is in much better shape then my upper body, the divider is my waist. I’m thinking my upper body is getting tired much faster than my legs, which will only get worse as I get older and fatter. Soon I’ll look like a sausage on two toothpicks.

I need to start thinking of a treatment plan.

Later!

Movie Good…

Entertainment, Movies

I just got back from Reign Over Me. Which I thought was a superb film. It’s really late and I have to get up in about 6 hours. But here’s my review.


WOW

.

Another thing I realized is that I really don’t like reading forum posts on the internet. Reading about 2 people arguing about who’s opinion is right makes me want to stab myself in the stomach.

I thought this movie was really good, but there will always be someone who doesn’t like it. I mean come on… I like Pauly Shore.

I like this movie, I hope you do to, then we can talk about it.

Schu-Review : 4 out of 5 Schus

Later!
Mark

Summer plans at the Sausage

Life, Randomness

All this warm weather has gotten me anxious for summer. The weather was so nice on Sunday that we decided to set up the fire pit on the deck and have a little cookout. (I know, this doesn’t sound like a safe idea. But neither is anything else I do) I remembered how much fun barbecues are and how much I want to have one. Then I thought of how much fun the little pool was, so I want to set that back up. Then that led me to the Wiffleball home run derby. I know I might have to wait to get all three of these ideas into one day of awesomness, but here’s list of summer fun at the Vienna Sausage (dates still to come)

  • Summertime and the Livin’s EZ barbeque: featuring Meat
  • Pool Opening Party: Hurry up before it grows algae
  • Dude we made a slip and slide / somebody take Jesse to the hospital
  • How drunk can I get before sundown challenge aka: Wiffle ball home run derby
  • Mark’s Birthday Party

Later!
Mark

I finish book.

Entertainment, Random

In a recent post I talked about buying several new graphic novels and getting a new book that I was really excited about. Well I was so excited about it that I actually finished it, which brings my average up to about 70%. (damn that wine book!) I’ve also finished most of the graphic novels. But I’m starting to think that reading 3 series at once is going to get expensive, with them going for about 10 bucks each. I only like the Trade Paperbacks (TPB) because I like to collect them.

Well anyway, here’s the reviews.

Fables: I like it, but it seems a little forced, maybe that’s just because it had to introduce so many characters it didn’t have time for a strong enough story. a little like the first X-Men movie.

DMZ: A strong first book. It drops you in the middle of an occupied NYC and just hits the ground running. It has certain cinematic elements, so much so that I can really see this being made into a movie at some point.

Transmetropolitain: Spider Jerusalem is one of the best characters to come along in a long time. The book has certain elements that also made DMZ a good read, like the city setting. But being a futuristic novel it takes things to the extreme. Spider reminds me a lot of Tank Girl, which is exactly why I hope they never make a movie out of this comic. Well live action movie anyway.

World War Z: This book was absolutely amazing. Well for me anyway since I love Zombie / Post-Apocalyptic movies. But I don’t think the zombie genre has ever been done on this scale, I should know, I’ve seen a lot of those movies. It’s always set in some small town, a single farmhouse, or at most you get to see the story of one group of survivors from all over the place. The notable exception being Land of the Dead, but for some reason that movie really didn’t do it for me. just something wasn’t there. But I digress…
In this book you get to see the story from all sides. The narrative is set up as the author interviews survivors of the war 10 years after victory has been declared. Most of the interviews are only a few pages long, he uses them to widen the scope of the story. Not that it doesn’t have some of the cliched zombie movie parts, rich people paying for protection, greedy people looting. But those are balanced out by the depth of the story.
But what really makes this book different is that the author (Max Brooks) has thought of everything. I mean what would happen if the US army set up in New Jersey to fight the 10 million Zombies that came pouring out of NYC? (it doesn’t end well for us) How would the governments of the world really respond if their people started dying and returning to life? Japan? China? North Korea? Cuba? Russia? You get a glimpse of all those places through the course of the story. What happens when zombies walk/fall into the ocean? (They just keep walking) The story also goes on after we start to win the fight against the zombies, on to the cleanup and reclamation of the world.

What I’m really interested is that this book is being made into a movie. But the problem is that they’ll never be able to get all this story into one movie. I trust the writer that they have in charge now, J. Michael Straczynski who wrote the show Babylon 5. He has a history of being able to weave in a lot of details in one story.

Here’s my final word on the book. I like it so much I might start reading it again.

Later!
Mark