My life is more interesting than I give it credit for. Really, everyone's is. Every day, I think of something to type into this blog. Every day, something interesting enough to talk about happens, but on most days I cannot find the time to log in long enough to type these things out. I mean, it takes time to write these.
However, I do want to continue this because it provides to me a record of what I was doing. I occasionally look back at the previous posts and I'm amused at my thoughts of the time. I may even look back at the previous one about the Virtual Machine someday and ponder how quaint I was at the time. Point is, there's a lot that goes on that I fail to wite about, and then I completely forget about it, which is the point of writing it down to begin with.
I've said before that I want to be more diligent with this blog, and I continue that desire. I would promise, but promises are worthless without action. Oh well, I'll try anyway.
I do have that trip coming up, and at the very least, I can blog about it as it moves along. I know the Queen and the Princesses would enjoy the read.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Laptops and Linux
So there are some toys out there that are fun when you first get into them, and there are some that remain fun no matter how long you have them. Two such toys are in my possession at this moment. One is a laptop that I have on loan from work for a trip that I will be taking across the country in a couple weeks so that I can keep in touch this time, unlike last year when I was almost completeely incommunicado. The other is a virtual machine running Linux. This laptop, of course, is running Windows XP, but where's the fun in that? No, I got myself a free, open-source virtual machine, and installed a free, low memory usage distro of DSL (damn small linux).
This means I am accomplishing the completely pointless venture of running one operating system on top of another operting system just to surf the internet. Why, oh why, would I do such a thing? In all honesty, there is no reason to do this except that it's fun for me. I could argue the point of near total security of my surfing practices, but I don't go anywhere that is terribly seedy. So there's nothing to hide. I suppose I could be keeping all my passwords and such a secret... I'm sure they're real interested in learning all that. But then, I already visited several sites on the base XP OS anyway, so I would only accomplish visiting said sites...again.
So in the end, the only reason to do it is because I think it's fun. I mean, I'm running Linux on Windows. I have a second machine mounted on the main machine, and it's a machine that, while it uses the memory and hard drive of its host, it's moderately independent of the host and it can be instantly zapped from existence if I screw it up and crash it...not that I will.
I've always been curious about how other OS's work anyway. I mean, I grew up on Microsoft. Really, you'll find a minority who didn't. Sure those Unix and Apple users are out there (and yeah, I spent my time on an Apple IIe as well as a TI99/4A), but for the most part, once we actually started in on the hard core computing, what did we have? MS-DOS and then when the 90's rolled around, we got ourselves the latest and greatest: Windows. But it turns out that while Bill Gates bought everyone's love, the other OS's quietly hung around, buildin their own fan bases.
Besides the Linux I'm running here (there are actually multple distros of Linux, DSL being the smallest of the bunch), there is still Unix, something call Solaris, the Macintosh OS, and apparently more that I've heard even less out of. Microsoft being the big dog on the block, it receives the most flack of them all and really, its size is its greatest weakness.
I cannot admit to being the biggest expert on the matter, but here's what I do know about it.
Microsoft tried to make Windows all things to all people. It has a huge distribution, big demands, and a lot of expectations. This means that the company has to make the OS to ceertain specifications. Not only those of the consumers, but also those of the people who have worked on it before, and the businesses who depend on it. They also have to use and refine what hasa come before so that all the programs and such that were based on the previous versions will still work. So if there wewre bugs in the previous versions due to any number of factors, those bugs have to be corrected and that code revised and updated to a current standard of memory, hardware, security, etc.
Once upon a time, there was an operating system called Unix. It was then and is still known to be incredibly stable. Windows doesn't use Unix. It was based on some other code that Bill Gates got off someone else. Unix remains stable and the amusing thing is that in my company, while Windows is used for nearly everything in the building, several of the servers that handle the important transactions run on Unix because of its stability. Funny, huh?
So Windows is something else. But what about the others. Here's what I do know. You may have heard that MacIntosh's OS is more stable than Windows. Guess what it's based on? Unix. That's right. OSX is a proprietary version of Unix made for Mac. What about Linux. Also based on Unix.
This would be why I'm curious about Linux. And this is why I'm playing with it. I've heard that Linux runs a bit slow on a VM in a Windows box, but ironically, Windows runs better in a VM on a Linux box.
I think I started babbling. Bottom line is that my battery is about to die and then the fun will really be over....
This means I am accomplishing the completely pointless venture of running one operating system on top of another operting system just to surf the internet. Why, oh why, would I do such a thing? In all honesty, there is no reason to do this except that it's fun for me. I could argue the point of near total security of my surfing practices, but I don't go anywhere that is terribly seedy. So there's nothing to hide. I suppose I could be keeping all my passwords and such a secret... I'm sure they're real interested in learning all that. But then, I already visited several sites on the base XP OS anyway, so I would only accomplish visiting said sites...again.
So in the end, the only reason to do it is because I think it's fun. I mean, I'm running Linux on Windows. I have a second machine mounted on the main machine, and it's a machine that, while it uses the memory and hard drive of its host, it's moderately independent of the host and it can be instantly zapped from existence if I screw it up and crash it...not that I will.
I've always been curious about how other OS's work anyway. I mean, I grew up on Microsoft. Really, you'll find a minority who didn't. Sure those Unix and Apple users are out there (and yeah, I spent my time on an Apple IIe as well as a TI99/4A), but for the most part, once we actually started in on the hard core computing, what did we have? MS-DOS and then when the 90's rolled around, we got ourselves the latest and greatest: Windows. But it turns out that while Bill Gates bought everyone's love, the other OS's quietly hung around, buildin their own fan bases.
Besides the Linux I'm running here (there are actually multple distros of Linux, DSL being the smallest of the bunch), there is still Unix, something call Solaris, the Macintosh OS, and apparently more that I've heard even less out of. Microsoft being the big dog on the block, it receives the most flack of them all and really, its size is its greatest weakness.
I cannot admit to being the biggest expert on the matter, but here's what I do know about it.
Microsoft tried to make Windows all things to all people. It has a huge distribution, big demands, and a lot of expectations. This means that the company has to make the OS to ceertain specifications. Not only those of the consumers, but also those of the people who have worked on it before, and the businesses who depend on it. They also have to use and refine what hasa come before so that all the programs and such that were based on the previous versions will still work. So if there wewre bugs in the previous versions due to any number of factors, those bugs have to be corrected and that code revised and updated to a current standard of memory, hardware, security, etc.
Once upon a time, there was an operating system called Unix. It was then and is still known to be incredibly stable. Windows doesn't use Unix. It was based on some other code that Bill Gates got off someone else. Unix remains stable and the amusing thing is that in my company, while Windows is used for nearly everything in the building, several of the servers that handle the important transactions run on Unix because of its stability. Funny, huh?
So Windows is something else. But what about the others. Here's what I do know. You may have heard that MacIntosh's OS is more stable than Windows. Guess what it's based on? Unix. That's right. OSX is a proprietary version of Unix made for Mac. What about Linux. Also based on Unix.
This would be why I'm curious about Linux. And this is why I'm playing with it. I've heard that Linux runs a bit slow on a VM in a Windows box, but ironically, Windows runs better in a VM on a Linux box.
I think I started babbling. Bottom line is that my battery is about to die and then the fun will really be over....
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Band Thing II
First, I'd like to apologize for the long delay in writing a new post on this. A lot has actually happened, and I've been honestly meaning to write about it. But yeah, I just didn't.
As for the band thing, what bugged me more than anything else on it was that I believe that things happen for a reason. Most everything that I go through (good and bad) can be traced to a purpose, either obvious at the time, or one that reveals itself as time goes on. When I was fired from my last job, I figured out why a few months later after I'd been at my new job for awhile. I was meant to move onto something much better. Sometimes I've learned a lesson. Sometimes, I just got something out of it and moved on.
But the band thing bugged me. I wondered over and over why I was to go out to this place and play with these guys if nothing was to come of it. Well, patience is always the best policy with these things, and I was patient.
It wasn't long before my contact here at work talked to me again and started by saying not to write off my experience there, since the guy who wasn't the actual leader of that group but owned all of the equipment liked me. In fact, it turned out that there was only one hold out for letting me be in the group, and to this day, he holds out. Oh well.
However, I intrigued the other guy (the one who owns the equipment and whose house the rehearsal was out) very much. He played guitar that night, but plays pretty much everything, like I do. He also has some greater band experience, and his experience and knowledge (not to mention the gear) was the reason these other guys came to him. As I intrigued him so, he wanted to at least get together with just me, but I would be on piano, and he figured he would back me up on drums. I was given carte blanche to pick the music. I was told just stuff I play on piano.
Well, I went a little crazy and started digging through my library to see what was cool. Let's face it, I play a little of everything on the piano, and really I prefer piano over...well, everything else. So he asked for a Tuesday, and it couldn't be last Tuesday since he broke his drum monitor. So the night is tonight. I've been playing through about 25 tunes to be able to channel the spirit of Billy Joel (yes, I know he's alive, but it's the spirit that counts -- say Chopin, if it makes you feel better), and as I write, I'm listening to them on my iPod. I've got only 2 songs that are originals, but I was busy preparing for this, so I didn't throw anything new together.
Do I know the intent or goal of this? No, I don't. In fact, my contact here at work doesn't really know either. He's going to be out there running the sound and working with recording things to see how that goes, but overall, there's very little information going into this. I had sent the guy my proposed songlist last week, and he waffled between playing guitar and drums untuil he settled back into drums since he saw a video online where there was a piano player and drummer, and he thought it was cool.
So, I'm going to see where this goes. I'm excited since I've never had the chance to be the lead on a rehearsal where I pick the music and am essentially the "star of the show." Sure, it's just a rehearsal, but it's going to be fun. That's been universally acknowledged anyway.
Of course, my main fear is living up to the rather lofty expectations I've heard for my abilities. That's a bit scary, since I impressed this guy a lot a few weeks. I'll keep you updated. Promise.
Yeah, really.
As for the band thing, what bugged me more than anything else on it was that I believe that things happen for a reason. Most everything that I go through (good and bad) can be traced to a purpose, either obvious at the time, or one that reveals itself as time goes on. When I was fired from my last job, I figured out why a few months later after I'd been at my new job for awhile. I was meant to move onto something much better. Sometimes I've learned a lesson. Sometimes, I just got something out of it and moved on.
But the band thing bugged me. I wondered over and over why I was to go out to this place and play with these guys if nothing was to come of it. Well, patience is always the best policy with these things, and I was patient.
It wasn't long before my contact here at work talked to me again and started by saying not to write off my experience there, since the guy who wasn't the actual leader of that group but owned all of the equipment liked me. In fact, it turned out that there was only one hold out for letting me be in the group, and to this day, he holds out. Oh well.
However, I intrigued the other guy (the one who owns the equipment and whose house the rehearsal was out) very much. He played guitar that night, but plays pretty much everything, like I do. He also has some greater band experience, and his experience and knowledge (not to mention the gear) was the reason these other guys came to him. As I intrigued him so, he wanted to at least get together with just me, but I would be on piano, and he figured he would back me up on drums. I was given carte blanche to pick the music. I was told just stuff I play on piano.
Well, I went a little crazy and started digging through my library to see what was cool. Let's face it, I play a little of everything on the piano, and really I prefer piano over...well, everything else. So he asked for a Tuesday, and it couldn't be last Tuesday since he broke his drum monitor. So the night is tonight. I've been playing through about 25 tunes to be able to channel the spirit of Billy Joel (yes, I know he's alive, but it's the spirit that counts -- say Chopin, if it makes you feel better), and as I write, I'm listening to them on my iPod. I've got only 2 songs that are originals, but I was busy preparing for this, so I didn't throw anything new together.
Do I know the intent or goal of this? No, I don't. In fact, my contact here at work doesn't really know either. He's going to be out there running the sound and working with recording things to see how that goes, but overall, there's very little information going into this. I had sent the guy my proposed songlist last week, and he waffled between playing guitar and drums untuil he settled back into drums since he saw a video online where there was a piano player and drummer, and he thought it was cool.
So, I'm going to see where this goes. I'm excited since I've never had the chance to be the lead on a rehearsal where I pick the music and am essentially the "star of the show." Sure, it's just a rehearsal, but it's going to be fun. That's been universally acknowledged anyway.
Of course, my main fear is living up to the rather lofty expectations I've heard for my abilities. That's a bit scary, since I impressed this guy a lot a few weeks. I'll keep you updated. Promise.
Yeah, really.
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