Long time no post!
Posted by admin
Ok so a lot has happened. Rachael left me for a fella named Tom Coutts. All the best to them, it was a totally painful experience at the time but I've realised that anybody who's going to leave me for somebody else isn't worth getting upset about. No offence, Rachael, and yes I know you said it was for umpteen other reasons but frankly you're not going to be able to bullshit me with that "it's your own fault" rubbish if you go out with someone else 2 weeks after we broke up. Ain't gonna happen.
Ok so in lighter news, I've made some new friends, discovered a love for Bon Jovi and that's about it. Still no direction in my life, but I'd like to take an LPI exam so I can become a Linux System Administrator. That costs money though, and I really don't know where I can get £120 from.
So yeah, life is still its usual roller coaster. Everything broke in the last 2 months or so, and I'm gradually fixing what I can - my desktop was the first to officially be labelled "mended". My phone, my netbook and my relationship with Rachael have all be written off as irreparable. Next thing to work on is my ability to finish projects (something I've never really had fixed). Any help with that would be appreciated, but I don't know who I'm talking to. I don't really have a support network. Oh well.
Responses to Open Letter
Posted by admin
These are the responses from the three candidates to the open letter I sent last night. First the conservative, who deigned to visit upon my inbox all manner of HTML goodness (that's sarcasm, I hate HTML formatted emails):
Dear Mr BrowneThank you for your email. I'm afraid I'm not too well up with IT! However, I regret the fact that this Bill was rushed through the Commons with little time for us to scrutinise and debate it. I therefore hope that we can return to this matter after the election and look forwrd to doing so. But for now, thank you for letting me have your views.
Best wishes,
Laurence Robertson The Conservative Party Candidate
The Green Party response was sent in a plaintext email (thankfully!):
Dear ChristopherThankyou for bringing these issues to my attention.
I am pleased to say that the Green Party propose laws that diminish, not
increase, copyright and intellectual property rights.
I agree with you that the powers brought in by the Digital Economy Act
represent an infringement of civil liberties, and I would oppose use of
these powers for that reason.
Of course, whilst criminals and abusers profit from cyberspace, measures
must be taken to protect the rest of us from their malicious use of it.
Achieving a balance between civil liberty and civil security is always
difficult, and I must confess that I am no expert on the matter. All I feel
prepared to say on this is that we should always be on guard against
'mission creep' in security measures, and be vigilant in safeguarding ourt
civil liberties
Were I elected I would join with others to vigorously oppose powers that
remove people from internet use in response to copyright violation. I feel
that this sets an alarming precedent.
Yours sincerely
Matthew Sidford
Finally, here is the response from Alistair Cameron, the Liberal Democrat candidate (multipart/alternative mime type):
Dear Mr Browne,Thank you for contacting me about the Digital Economy Act and a number of of related issues.
We have been highly critical about the so called “wash-up” process which has enabled this Act to pass with limited Parliamentary scrutiny before the General Election. The “wash-up” of the Digital Economy Bill was essentially a carve up between the Labour and Conservative parties that ignored Liberal Democrat arguments to consult more widely before introducing a measure to introduce web-blocking for copyright infringement. Liberal Democrats voted against the Bill at 3rd Reading in the House of Commons and against the Labour and Conservatives web-blocking amendment in both the Lords and the Commons.
Liberal Democrats remain to be convinced about the necessity for technical measures, which could include disconnection from the internet. Liberal Democrats were successful in getting the Government to agree to a period of at least a year in which no technical measures can be considered and then to undertake a process of rigorous analysis and consultation into the need for any such measures. We also believe that the music, film and other content industries must work more urgently to develop easy and affordable ways for people to legally access their products.
The recent Liberal Democrat conference in March voted to establish a party working group to look into further detail about the issues raised by the Act.
You raised a number of related questions about the internet, cyber crime and cyber terrorism. I will need more time to get back to you with a considered response to these questions.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Alistair Cameron
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate
I'll let you decide for yourself which is your favourite response.
The open letter is released under the same license as this entire blog (Creative Commons Share and Share Alike Attribution Non-commercial license). The responses hold views that belong to the indicated parliamentary candidates; I accept no responsibility nor liability for their views. On request from the owner or a person legally representing him/her, I will remove a response. I have not edited and will not edit any of the responses for any reason whatsoever.
Open Letter to three Tewkesbury Candidates (Alistair Cameron, Laurence Robertson and Matthew Sidford)
Posted by admin
Dear Tewkesbury Candidates (or at least, the ones who publish their email address),
I'm a constituent living in Tewkesbury, trying to decide who I should vote for on thursday.
I would like to know each of your opinions on the Digital Economy Act. I would like to know your more general opinion of Copyright vs Copyleft, and whether internet censorship is a justifiable enforcement of copyright law.
I would also like to know what operating systems you are each familiar with and to what extent you are familiar with each. After all, if you are passing legislation regarding digital media and the use/abuse thereof, I should hope you are at least aware of a significant range of operating systems, their distribution methods and their compatibility with Digital Rights Management.
The Internet, and legislation surrounding it, affects us all. I would like to be reassured that those who are creating this legislation understand the core principles of it. Concisely, what is the internet for?
Cybercrime and cyberterrorism are also immediate threats to the safety and welfare of United Kingdom residents. What safeguards are being taken to ensure users of the internet are protected against security crackers, malicious software, privacy invasion and internet-based attacks; do you feel the current legislation is sufficient? Does it protect without infringing on civil liberties?
Remote devices - such as smart phones, tablet PCs and laptops - often include Digital Rights Management software to prevent users from infringing copyright. Have you ever been unable to use any device in the way in which you want to due to this software? Do you think the software is justifiably restrictive?
There are many software platforms available on the market today, but the main three are NT (eg Microsoft Windows), BSD (eg Apple Mac OSX) and Linux (eg GNU/Linux). Which of these (or any other) do you use? Which of these (or any other) do you think represents the most accurate analogy for your political party, and why?
I look forward to hearing from you before the general election. I appreciate I may not receive my answers until after I have voted due to the busy nature of yourselves at this time.
Regards,
Christopher Browne
Transcript from Dell Sales
Posted by admin
I contacted Dell Sales about Free Software. This is the transcript:
Here is the email (s)he sent me: Yup, 2 hours later and still no email. I'm assuming (s)he's given up searching google for "why Dell is crap?".
Servers! Roof!
Posted by admin
Yes, my servers are finally in the roof; which means I can relax and wipe everything off my whiteboard. I'm happy. I'm also connected through w1zard who is now our network's personal Proxy server (currently optional, in the long run mandatory). It caches and filters and makes life more streamlined and safer for the old fogeys in the house who are a little naive to say the least (my mother searched Google for "fisting", thinking it was the act of shaking one's fist; which first prompted me to think about setting up a filtering proxy).
Ossum has changed its name to Enosis and still hasn't been worked on very much; but the infrastructure is now in place so the next step is to write a plan and then a tech demo. Fun, fun, fun!
I've received four 7"x5" canvases and finally dug out mum's old acrylics (of which there is a disappointingly small pallet, but it should be significant for the work I have planned); I will be painting four abstract works entitled "Battlefield of the Mind". Pictures once I've actually done it.
I have also begun thinking about considering contemplating starting to ponder the possibility of organising a "Geeknic" over the summer, so if you're a geek in the Tewkesbury area (or a geek who can reasonably travel to the Tewkesbury area) then get in touch, the more the merrier!
Very excited about finally having my desktop back... And my whiteboard, for that matter!
Oh, and started work on a computerised Rubik's Cube solver with the ultimate goal of making a robot that will solve rubik's cubes (hopefully to be shown off at the geeknic).
Servers!
Posted by admin
The two servers I ordered from ebay have arrived! £235 for:
w1zard:
- Intel Xeon 3.2GHz (/proc/cpuinfo reports 2 cores)
- 1024MB of RAM (free reports 1023012 bytes)
- 73.1GB 15k RPM SCSI hard disk drive (df reports 67456272 bytes on /)
- 2x1Gb ethernet (both identical Intel 82541GI Gigabit Ethernet Controllers)
- Floppy disk drive, CD ROM drive, front-availability VGA and 2xUSB
w1tch:
Same as above
W1zard is already up and running, serving you this webpage! W1tch will be up when I work out how to configure the network (I'm thinking internet->router->w1zard->w1tch->war1ock for the time being, with w1tch and war1ock later becoming siblings in a w1zard-controlled network).
Problems encountered so far:
- Missing kettle leads for both servers (borrowed a couple, ordered some from Ebay so I can return the borroed cables)
- W1zard's RAID was set to RAID 0, but the second disk had been removed - so I got a RAID error on first boot - solved by switching RAID off in the BIOS.
- Minor damage to w1tch's front mount thingy, fixed by bending it back the couple of mil it was out by.
They are also very noisy, and very big; which doesn't matter in the long run as their ultimate location will be the attic, but for now they are on my desk and very much in the way.
Both servers also came without any software, but the MBs support PXE; but it was a quicker job to use a Ubuntu 9.10 server edition disk on w1zard - I may experiment with PXE when I get w1tch up and running.
Any questions?
General updateyness
Posted by admin
First of all, let's introduce my readers to the new FSF campaign.
So basically, they are telling everybody what they already know (Windows sucks) and what they might not already know (there's an alternative, and it's FREE!).
As we all know, I'm an Open Source Advocate, and as such I will be participating in the Windows 7 Sins campaign at some point, I just need to figure out how.
My girlfriend, Rachael, who is wonderful, is visiting me tomorrow for three days, so I'm very happy about that...
I've replaced my website's half-dozen links with a single link to my new forum community, which is also the temporary home of a social club founded by myself and my good friend, Bret Ware, Port Manteau.
I've started work on Pre-planning Phase 0 of a new project, which is an LMOFPS called "Ossum". I take exception to the term "MMO", which implies that these games are massive, which is of course, totally untrue. For those who are saying "what? but they're HUGE!!! How can you say they aren't massive?!" I will give you a brief physics lesson: The word "massive" means "consisting of great mass; containing a great amount of matter". This is not the only definition, it is accepted colloquially as meaning "large in size or bulky". However, since the first meaning exists (and is my preferred meaning for the word), AND there are plenty of other words to describe something that is bulky, large, great, grandiose, enormous, huge, big or gigantic (have I proved my point yet), I see no reason to introduce ambiguity into the expression simply to please some marketing exec somewhere who wanted to press the word "Massive".
So we're calling them LMOs from now on, mmmmmkay? LMO, BMO, GMO, EMO, HMO, I don't mind which so long as it isn't MMO! EMO has a nice ring to it... Enormous Multiplayer Online Game... mmmmm EMO-licious.
Anyway back to updating you. I've also switched from Gnome to KDE, preferring the glassy, classy look and feel of KDE, and the easier development process.
Oh, and I've got back into Star Trek in a big way, I'll be buying a new computer shortly and I may well get Star Trek Online at some point, so if you're also planning to get it then look out for me in the Alpha quadrant! 
Science and the Environment
Posted by admin
I'm here to set the record straight. Climate change, environmentalism, eco-friendliness, it's all getting out of control. The political ticket of saying "we're saving the planet!" is worth more to people than the scientific value of real, hard, peer-reviewed evidence.
I'll spare you the science lesson, and skip straight to maths. A lightbulb uses 40-100W of power. In the UK, the power grid is split down like this:
- nuclear: 19.26% @ 16 g/kWh CO2
- coal: 33.08% @ 891 g/kWh CO2
- gas: 39.93% @ 356 g/kWh CO2
This tells us that overall, we produce 16*0.1926 + 891*0.3308 + 356*0.3993 = 439.9752 g/kWh CO2. Figures from wikipedia and world-nuclear.
Ok, so if I run my 60W lightbulb (we're talking standard, not 'energy saving' lightbulbs here) for one hour, I've used up 0.06kWh of electricity and it has cost the country 439.9752*0.06 = 26.398512 grams of CO2. Ok, sounds a lot for a single lightbulb to be producing in gas, but let's compare this to the amount a single human breathes out in that same hour. Now, wikianswers says 2.4 grams per hour for a human being, and micpohling says 462.2916667 grams per hour for a cow (average of the four figures from the link divided by 24 hours in a day multiplied by 1000 grams in a kilogram). So a cow produces the same amount of CO2 as 17 and a half 60W lightbulbs.
There's a statistic for you! Eating beef is good for the environment. Every cow you kill is the same as turning off 17 and a half 60W lightbulbs -forever-. Stick that in your vegetarian environmentalism pipe and smoke it!
Netbook!
Posted by admin
First off, an update on my health situation. Well, it has worsened somewhat. I have developed, as has seemingly become my custom after periods of illness, agoraphobia. I am seeing the doctor about it next monday, hopefully I will get to the bottom of this in due course.
Now on the bright side, I got my netbook from ZaReason! It is everything I expected and about three times faster than I thought it would be. The webcam isn't quite as high quality as I was expecting, but that's no big deal really and the battery life is a bit shorter than I would've hoped but there's not much can be done about that now.
There seems to be some minor shipping damage as well, the shift keys are a bit dodgy and the left speaker seems to have a loose connection or some interference or something. Thanks to the open hardware warranty, however, I can fix these myself or get a local shop to do repairs without having to send the thing back halfway across the world, probably picking up more shipping damage along the way.
Speed-wise, I couldn't be happier, the Intel Atom performs exceptionally and the 2GB of RAM is barely used by Ubuntu Netbook Remix (about 200-300MB in use most of the time).
Also, the 'book runs almost silent, drowned out by the noise of my typing on a keyboard whose own sound is drowned out by gentle background conversation. Even under heavy usage.
I've also set up Citadel groupware on my server to replace the postfix/dovecot solution, making it easier to share calendars and other stuff, and giving a more extensive web interface for local users. I will be looking at bundling Citadel with my SMART system when I get around to it.
Ill :( but I bear good news also!
Posted by admin
So I took most of yesterday off with a general health complaint, which seems to have continued into today (I speak in general terms to avoid grossing out my readers), so I am off again today. Forgive me if the article seems a bit disjointed, you can imagine why my keyboard availability won't be 100% today.
On a far less disgusting topic, I found a brilliant little niche business yesterday which I am extremely glad to pledge a large portion of my recent paycheque to in return for nothing less than -exactly- what I wanted. I've yet to receive the netbook, but based on the description and reviews I am confident that I will be singing its praises once it arrives. Even if I'm not, though, they have a 30 day money-back policy which would see an almost 100% refund (they charge a nominal restocking fee). I can't see myself returning it; let's go over the spec together:
- 2GB of RAM, which is more than my desktop so quite extraordinarily healthy
- choice of black or mocha (ubuntu coloured) case, I chose black
- Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor
- 10.2" 1024x600 screen. For those who don't know this is towards the top end of netbook screen sizes, which are normally between 7 and 11 inches.
- Draft-N WiFi, which is good because I don't plan to get a mobile broadband connection for it.
- 3 USB ports, unbelievably, that's more than I've seen on most laptops! I don't know what netbooks are like for USB support but I thought it'd only be 1 or maybe 2 tops; well, there's no CD drive so I suppose they have to make up for that but still...
- 640x480 webcam (not the best in the market but definitely good enough as far as I'm concerned)
- 3.5 hours battery life
And by far the best bit, the "windows" key (technically the Super Key, but everyone calls it the Windows key) has an option of either the Ubuntu or Tux (Linux penguin) logo emblazoned for all to see! And the attention to detail doesn't end there! The Made For Windows sticker has been replaced by a Ubuntu sticker, and according to one review they replaced the Windows Product Key with a Ubuntu Product Key. Note that Ubuntu does not need a Product Key like Windows does, and will not nag you to activate your copy of Ubuntu within 30 days after you've already put in the damn key 15 times (and that was on XP, not their newer, more bug-ridden versions of Windows!).
Apparently, the warranty is an Open Hardware Warranty as well, which basically means rather than "DO NOT OPEN THIS CASE" the warranty actually states (paraphrased) "PLEASE OPEN THIS CASE!", which is brilliant because it means I can tinker without losing peace of mind. I ordered it with a 16GB SSD with a view to upgrading the SSD when the prices for SSD come down, and that hardware warranty will make that job a darnsight easier. Not just the warranty being far more flexible but the fact that the manufacturer has created it with tinkering in mind.
I'm sure you're all dying to know just where you can find a linux laptop/desktop/netbook/server with all this and a techsupport email address which replied to my first query within 10 minutes, so with no further ado let me disappoint you by revealing the catch:
The company, ZaReason is based in Berkeley, California. I've had to import the netbook which will put delays and extra price considerations into the deal. However, I have had the idea that I shall get the first netbook, test it, trial it, make sure it's worthy and then invest some money in importing a joblot for sale in the UK. In other words, I may start reselling ZaReason gear from a UK outlet (if I can raise the funds necessary). I shall enter into negotiations with ZaReason regarding this in the coming months. They do ship to the UK and they will ship with UK power cords if you ask them to, but in the interests of faster build-to-reception times, I would like to stock some in the UK on behalf of ZaReason and sell them on for price of unit + shipping + import, with maybe a shred of profit for prospective growth of ZaReasonUK. Let's see how I like my netbook first, though, and leave the international trade negotiations for my next blog post!
Oh, and before I forget, they helpfully answered my question about a/v chat with an exciting piece of news which I think I heard drifting around the net a few months back but which now has been more or less confirmed (Alpha 5 of Karmic's release notes include this gem).
Ubuntu Karmic Alpha 5 includes the latest GNOME 2.27.91 development release.
Empathy has replaced Pidgin as the default instant messaging client, introducing the Telepathy framework.
The gdm 2.27.91 login manager is a complete rewrite compared to the version in earlier Ubuntu releases.
Exciting or what, eh? And no, I'm not talking about the version number of Gnome being an americanised 27th of February 1991, because that is a rather insignificant date to me. I refer to Empathy, which supports webcam! Unlike Pidgin, who has lacked this support since it changed its name from GAIM (and yes, I am just about old enough to remember that). The other thing to note is the new login manager, which according to the plans I read back when 9.04 had just been released (that's April this year), should prove to be far more fun and exciting than the current login manager. And yes, I am mostly excited because I will be talking to people using Telepathy and that just sounds too cool to pass up.
Ttfn, people, and watch this space closely for updates!
License
This work by Christopher Browne is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.