Distributions
I've been using GNU/Linux as my primary operating system for many years. At my last job I used Microsoft Windows as my desktop operating system for about the first year, but was able to gradually convince my boss that I'd be more productive using GNU/Linux. When I started at OSU, I used Microsoft Windows for the first couple of months, because that's what I was given, before installing GNU/Linux onto my machine. On the whole, I do think I'm more productive using GNU/Linux as my desktop client: it's been super reliable for me, and largely problem free through all the upgrades I've performed.
When I first started using Linux, way back in the mid-1990s, I used Red Hat 5.2. Almost everyone I knew used Red Hat, except for a few show-offs who used Slackware. I dutifully upgraded to 6.0, and then 6.2, and then 7.0 and 8.0. Somewhere right around there, Red Hat decided to focus exclusively on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Like many disgruntled users, I decided that Red Hat was no longer the distribution for me, and I switched almost overnight to Debian. It was a rocky transition -- at the time the Debian way and the Red Hat way of doing the same tasks were very different, and I wasn't exactly an expert user. I managed to muddle through, though, and found myself liking Debian an awful lot. I stuck with Debian until I found Ubuntu.
I've been using Ubuntu on my computers exclusively ever since. I really like it. It offers all that I've grown to love from Debian with a more aggressive release cycle, so that I get more recent releases of software more often. I haven't had any real complaints about Ubuntu in all the time that I've been using it.
Until today.
At work we have a Microsoft Windows Active Directory. It is possible to join GNU/Linux clients to an Active Directory infrastructure, so that a user can use a single account to log onto both Windows and Linux client machines. This is important at work because we plan to dedicate one of our computing labs to Linux computers, but we don't want to unduly increase our administrative overhead. Using the Active Directory allows us to have a single user account for all our students, but still allow them to use the platform of their choice.
Until recently, my Linux workstation had been a standalone system to which I logged on using a local user account. After upgrading my workstation to Ubuntu 8.04, I joined it to the Active Directory so that I could log onto it using my domain account. In many ways, I think it's important that the IT support staff "walk the walk" by using the services they provide. This is an important sentiment that will surface again later in this post. Joining my machine to the domain wasn't terribly difficult, and I had quickly migrated all my data from my old standalone account to my domain account. Shortly thereafter, the trouble began.
While doing the normal things I do with my computer -- launching applications, opening files, browsing directories on my hard drive -- my system would spontaneously lose all of the theme configuration I had applied. It's somewhat of a challenge to accurately describe the problem to someone who hasn't used Linux. Basically, all the widgets and buttons on my desktop and in my applications would lose their style and revert to the ugly default. Worse, I was unable to change these settings back to the way I wanted them unless I logged out or rebooted the computer. Neither solution is acceptable. I discovered several other problems when this would happen: sometimes I would be unable to see the contents of my home directory! This would happen in the Nautilus graphical file manager, as well as in "File Open" dialog boxes. This was absolutely catastrophic: it meant I couldn't attach files to emails, or navigate to sub-directories in my home directory. (I could still access things from the command line, which was only a modest relief to the problem.)
I narrowed my problem down to the fact that the gnome-settings-daemon was failing. Searching revealed that a number of other people experienced the same problem, and a variety of solutions and work-arounds were put forward. I tried most of them, but had not lasting success: gnome-settings-daemon kept terminating, resulting in a mostly unusable desktop for me. I found, and commented upon, bug 138277, but no replies have been made. I started a thread on the Ubuntu forums, but it's seen no action yet. I readily accept that I may have done a poor job describing my problem in a way that folks can understand.
One troubleshooting step would be to perform a complete re-installation of Ubuntu 8.04. I had originally installed 6.10, and then upgraded to 7.04 and then 7.10 before finally upgrading to the latest 8.04. I'm not entirely keen on this, but it would help identify whether the problem is a glitch introduced during my upgrade, or whether it's a substantive problem with Ubuntu 8.04.
As I said previously, though, I think it's important for IT folks to walk the walk. In our computer labs, we won't be running Ubuntu. We'll be running Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop. Many of the scientific and engineering applications our students use are only available for Red Hat or SuSE. I suppose I could try CentOS, but our college has brokered a deal with Red Hat. We have plenty of available licenses for their offering, so that's what we'll use. I am strongly considering taking this opportunity to configure my workstation in an identical fashion as all the lab computers. This would be good practice, and would help me to provide better support to the labs because I'd be clued in to the particular nuances of the distribution. This has its own set of problems, as you might expect.
I admit that I've been spoiled by Ubuntu with fresh new versions of most software. Red Hat Enterprise Linux does not offer the same new versions of all software. For example, Red Hat still ships Firefox 1.5, whereas Ubuntu is now shipping Firefox 3 beta 5! This might be a non-issue, though: many of the servers and devices we have in our network (fiber channel switches, Ethernet switches, security cameras, IP KVM, etc) use Java applets served through a web page. Java applets do not run on 64-bit GNU/Linux systems. My system is a 64-bit system. I found it extremely annoying using Ubuntu to have to make a Remote Desktop connection to a Windows computer just to launch Microsoft Internet Explorer in order to execute a Java applet. So, if I install Red Hat, I could install the 32-bit version of a newer Firefox and enjoy native Java applets (and native Flash to boot! YouTube, I've missed you!).
The purpose of this post has been, primarily, to get myself to think about the pros and cons of using Ubuntu and Red Hat. Each has definite strengths and weaknesses, and neither is demonstrably superior for this situation. Switching back to Red Hat will invoke a bit of a learning curve, but I think it's probably the best choice for my work computer. Besides, if I take the time to re-install Ubuntu and the problems with gnome-settings-daemon persist I'll be installing Red Hat anyway!
NOLA
For our five year anniversary, Carina and I took a long weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana. We stayed at the Ursuline Guest House, nestled in the heart of the French Quarter. This was a wonderful place to stay, as it wasn't too close to all the raucousness of Bourbon Street, but it wasn't so far away that everything was a labor to reach. Bill, the owner, was a wonderful host, and we thoroughly enjoyed chatting with him over the complimentary wine he offered every night. I shared with Bill that were it not our anniversary trip I would have liked to have rented a car to just drive around to see some of the reality of post-Katrina life. Bill informed us that there is a bus tour offering precisely that experience in a safe, controlled way and encouraged us to take it. "We need your tax dollars," he said, "so you should see for yourself just how bad we need 'em!"
Thursday night, after two bottles of wine with Bill, we spent a lot of time and money enjoying all that Bourbon Street had to offer, and I paid for it all day Friday. We ventured out to see Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral, Cafe du Monde, and a few other major sites, but I spent the bulk of the day in the hotel room convalescing. Not exactly how I wanted to spend our romantic weekend.
Saturday morning we rode the street car out to the Garden District to look at the fancy houses. We stopped first at the cemetery and marveled at the age and number of occupants of some of the tombs.
We walked for a bit around the Garden District, but quickly tired in the heat and humidity. When we returned to the French Quarter we visited the aquarium for an easy-to-do air-conditioned activity. The albino alligator was absolutely stunning. Carina and I were convinced that it was a replica on display until the thing closed its mouth and moved its tail.
Re-energized, we took the ferry across the Mississippi River for a stroll around Historic Old Algiers. There's not much there outside of Mardi Gras World, which we decided to skip. We had a late lunch at Tout de Suite, a little cute diner that was horribly understaffed, and then rode the ferry back to the French Quarter. Upon Bill's recommendation we ate dinner at Coop's, and absolutely loved every morsel served to us.
Sunday morning I woke early and took a stroll throughout the French Quarter while Carina slept in. it was a very different experience to walk around the French Quarter at 7 AM, though I was hardly the only person up and about. As I walked up to Bourbon Street it was not entirely incongruous to see an ambulance passing one way and a street sweeper passing the other. Lots of people were hosing filth off the sidewalks of their establishments, and I passed a fair number of people jogging or walking their dogs. I only saw two or three obviously drunk people, though I did note that a number of street performers were sitting in the early morning shade with beers next to them.
I returned to the B&B in time to wake Carina for the swamp tour we had booked for the day. When looking at the available tour options, we elected for the swamp because it's the one thing we're unlikely to see anywhere else any time soon. Our guide, Captain Gerry, was an affable and articulate man who really made the trip worthwhile. He was clearly passionate about his homeland, and imparted on us his own deep sense of respect for mother nature. We learned the difference between a swamp and a marsh, an awful lot about alligators and cypress trees, and a little bit of Louisiana history.
Capt. Gerry surprised all of us when he threw marshmallows to an alligator swimming in the water. He calmly explained to us that he refused to throw meat, nor to use meat to attract alligators to the boat, and that they loved marshmallows! Even though there hadn't been a single recorded alligator attack against a human being in Louisiana for a long time, Gerry did not want to encourage the gators to associate human beings with meat or easy meals. While Gerry wasn't afraid of a lone gator, he was extremely concerned about the possibility of three or four gators investigating a tour boat that had been throwing meat to them: an alligator can launch its body more than halfway out of the water, and all it would take is one inquisitive -- never mind aggressive! -- gator to jump onto a boat to hurt a single passenger. We passed several other swamp tour boats operated by different companies, and we all shared Gerry's deep disappointment to watch the boat operators put hot dogs on sticks and splash them about in the water. Alas, it's not illegal, so there was nothing for us to do but feel glad that our guide was a bit more cautious about the matter.
We had po' boys for lunch at Johnny White's -- Carina had roast beef and I had oyster -- and then took a short nap back at the hotel. We joined Bill again for wine, and chatted comfortably for a bit. Bill helped us try to make reservations at K-Paul's (closed) and Nola's (booked), so we ended up eating at Galatoire's, a restaurant recommended to me by a co-worker before we left. The service was phenomenal. When we were seated, the host asked us if we had a server who usually took care of us, to which I responded no. "You will soon," he replied, and whisked away to seat someone else. He was right: if we ever go back to Galatoire's, I'll absolutely ask for Shawn to take care of us. The food was absolutely exquisite. Oysters Rockefeller and sauteed shrimp appetizers preceded the most delicious sirloin I can remember.
After dinner we strolled down Bourbon Street, in no particular rush and with no particular destination. It was fun to watch the city get crazy around us, but not to get swept up into that craziness. We stopped for a few drinks, and enjoyed holding one another's hand in quiet contentment as we casually made our way back to the Ursuline Guest House. Monday morning we left for home.
While we didn't do too much, I think we did just enough. We weren't hurried, and we didn't come home so exhausted that we needed a vacation from our vacation. We enjoyed one another's company, made some wonderful memories, and had plenty of opportunity to appreciate our free time. Several times both Carina and I did something of a double take as we experienced the liberation of realizing "Hey, we don't need to do anything at all. We're having fun just strolling along here. Let's enjoy doing this for a little longer."
My mom always encouraged me to view every trip as a reconnaissance mission for the next time I would go to that destination, and that advice has always served me well. This weekend Carina and I were able to do what we wanted to do, while taking notes for things to do when we visit New Orleans again. We'd love to spend a few days there with a few friends. Hopefully we can make that happen sooner, rather than later.
Five
I don't know if it's true or not, but I've been operating under the impression that most marriages that fail do so before the couple reaches five years together. I seem to recall having read or heard that statistic somewhere, and have ever since marked five years of marriage as a real milestone moment.
Yesterday Carina and I reached that milestone. All signs indicate that we have a healthy relationship and are on the path of a long life together. I'm looking forward to the next five years with my best girl.
Our day yesterday was one of quiet friendship and family, launching model rockets at the park and having a cookout with friends. We laughed a lot together, and had a really nice time.
Next weekend I'm taking Carina to New Orleans for a long weekend together without the kids. We're both really looking forward to the trip, and the opportunity to have a weekend without a schedule, seeing sites at our own pace, and enjoying one another's company.
Launch
Tyler and Carina had an early morning appointment on Saturday, so I took Tayler with me to run a few errands. Our first stop was at the shoe store, so I could get a pair of shoes repaired. It was 9:30 AM when we arrived, and though the sign on the window said they opened at 9, no one was inside. Three or four doors down from the shoe place is a HobbyLand, chock full of model trains, airplanes, collectible trading card, military simulation and roleplaying games, and a whole lot more. I spent many hours in this store in my youth, browsing through RPG sourcebooks and skimming AD&D adventures. I also purchased a fair number of Estes model rockets, which I loved to build and launch.
HobbyLand didn't open officially until 10 AM, but the employee who unlocked the front door saw Tayler and I peering into the window and invited us inside. I immediately took Tayler back to the model rocket section, and we had an enjoyable couple of minutes perusing the selection. The basic model kits were almost exactly as I remembered them, and they even had Big Bertha, a rocket I remember longing for when I was younger. The rockets that really caught our eyes were the ones with cameras built in -- both film and digital -- though the price turned me off. Tayler was enthusiastic about the idea of launching rockets, and I knew Tyler would have fun with it, so I bought a starter kit with a simple-to-assemble rocket, launchpad and control system.
It took me a couple hours to put everything together and let the glue dry. The kids were both eager to get to the park to see what the launch was like. I mentioned on Twitter that I had purchased the kit, and our friend Matt replied that he would love to watch the launch, so we extended to him and Toddmichael an invitation to join us. After a pleasant walk to the park, I set up the launch platform and spent a few moments reviewing safety information for the kids. I was a little flummoxed that a few kids playing in the park wandered over to watch us, and I was particularly agitated when one them picked up the rocket and began manhandling it: I could just see this kid breaking the rocket before it ever got airborne! Thankfully the kid returned the rocket when I politely asked for it back, and she kept her hands to herself thereafter. She and a few boys both asked if they could launch the rockets with us, but I rebuked them saying that I didn't want to be responsible for them should anything bad happen.
Tyler took the first launch, and she shrieked with joy as the engine ignited and the rocket screamed into the air. The parachute didn't open all the way, so the rocket fell back to earth considerably faster than I thought was safe. I sprinted across the park -- in my flip-flops! -- and managed to catch the parachute in my hand just before the rocket hit the ground. Tayler timidly took the next launch, and she smiled broadly as the rocket launched. Again the parachute failed to spread, but this time I was unable to catch it, so the rocket hit the ground. Thankfully nothing was broken.
It was a lot of fun for me to share this little bit of my own childhood with my kids, and it was tremendously satisfying that they both enjoyed it so much. Toddmichael and I reveled in the nostalgia of it all, since he, too, had enjoyed launching rockets in his youth. We talked about the different models and styles we had launched, or the ones we had always wanted to launch. I agreed to help him launch the legendary Saturn V if he could find one.
The rocket kit came with two engines of moderate power (a low "B" designation), and I bought two more packs of three engines each: one low power ("A" designation) and one moderate power ("B" designation, but higher than the engines included in the kit). We used the engines from the kit first, and then the "A" power engines. When these were used, I put in the first of the "B" engines and let Matt launch the rocket. This engine was substantially more powerful than I expected, and the rocket went a lot higher into the air than it had before. We all gaped as the thing kept going and going! Finally, when we could barely see the rocket in the sky, the nosecone popped and the parachute deployed. Then we all held our breath for a moment, as the realization set in that the rocket was going to be taken by the wind. We watched the rocket spin lazily during its slow decent, and the twins ran off to the far end of the park hoping to track it back to earth. From the launch site, it looked to us like the rocket landed in one of the trees closest to us, but upon investigation we discovered that it had in fact landed much higher up in a tree further back. The rocket was lost.
I had a lot of fun launching that day, so I wasn't terribly upset about the loss of the rocket. I expect I'll buy another rocket or two in the near future, and I'm looking forward to seeing what other rockets do. I don't think this is the kind of thing I'll do every weekend, but it makes for a fun family excursion!
With nothing left to launch, we packed up and prepared to head for home. On a lark, we invited Matt and Toddmichael to join us for an impromptu cookout at our house, which they happily accepted. We spent the rest of the evening eating delicious food, drinking good beer, and enjoying excellent company. It was the perfect close to a fun day.
Morons
While in Warren, Ohio for a small family reunion at Carina's grandfather's house, I stopped by Best Buy to purchase a Pure Digital Flip camcorder. These little devices are extremely popular, and received a very positive review by David Pogue.
The Warren, OH Best Buy had only a single Flip left, and it had previously been returned. I decided to buy it, reasonably comfortable that I could also return it if it proved defective. I let Tyler record the exhilarating ride back to the house, and then sat down with the device to check it out in earnest. Tyler recorded maybe a few minutes worth of video, so I was dismayed when the device reported that it had only 40 minutes or so of recording capacity left. Maybe this was why the previous owner returned it?
I flipped out the USB plug (thus the product's name) and connected it to my laptop, running Ubuntu. It was immediately detected as a USB drive, and the contents were displayed to me. The recordings, saved as AVI files (XviD video with mono ADPCM audo), were all listed in the DCIM/100VIDEO folder. There were several files named VID00XX.AVI, where X was a number; but to my surprise there were a handful of other files there, with names like "Smoke", "Smoked", "Smokeing" and "Smoke Out". I immediately copied these to my laptop and watched them.
What I saw were two young men, high school or college kids, sitting in someone's room smoking a joint, and then a bong. I'm left wondering what would motivate someone to record themselves smoking a joint. I certainly did a lot of stupid stuff when I was younger, but to the best of my knowledge I never had the desire to document any of it. (That said, there does exist a surprising amount of documentation of some of my shenanigans. Hopefully Elfboy never gets vindictive!)
I assume that these jokers connected the Flip to their computer, enjoyed watching their masterpieces, and gave the videos meaningful names so they'd remember what it was later. However, they renamed the files on the device itself, rather than copying the files to their computer and then renaming the copies. These renamed videos were not seen when using the Flip's controls to view and delete recorded videos. The Flip user interface apparently doesn't look for all video files within the DCIM/100VIDEO directory, but instead only looks for files that match the filenames it creates. As such, "Smoke" and the other renamed videos remained on the device.
It's dumb enough to record yourself using illegal drugs. It's dumber still to rename the filenames of said video on the recorder, and then return the recorder to (presumably) the place of purchase.
For the benefit of all mankind, I've uploaded the videos for your viewing pleasure: Morons part 1, Morons, part 2, Morons, part 3.
As Sean observed, That should be an anti-drug commercial. 'Do you really want to be like these douches?'
