[{"content":"","externalUrl":"https://github.com/maciekk/NoobRL","permalink":"/projects/noobrl/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"NoobRL","type":"projects"},{"content":"","externalUrl":"https://github.com/maciekk/snow-crash","permalink":"/projects/snow-crash/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"snow-crash","type":"projects"},{"content":"","externalUrl":"https://github.com/maciekk/black-oracle","permalink":"/projects/black-oracle/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"black-oracle","type":"projects"},{"content":"","externalUrl":"https://github.com/maciekk/snappy","permalink":"/projects/snappy/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"snappy","type":"projects"},{"content":"","externalUrl":"https://github.com/maciekk/prospero","permalink":"/projects/prospero/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"prospero","type":"projects"},{"content":"","externalUrl":"https://github.com/maciekk/loc-delta","permalink":"/projects/loc-delta/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"loc-delta","type":"projects"},{"content":"","externalUrl":"https://www.dgp.toronto.edu/~mac/research/viability-filtering/index.html","permalink":"/projects/viability-filtering/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Motion Planning with Viability Filtering","type":"projects"},{"content":"","externalUrl":"https://www.dgp.toronto.edu/~mac/research/rrt-blossom/index.html","permalink":"/projects/rrt-blossom/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"RRT-Blossom","type":"projects"},{"content":"","externalUrl":"https://www.dgp.toronto.edu/~mac/research/viability-envelopes/index.html","permalink":"/projects/viability-envelopes/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Viability Envelopes","type":"projects"},{"content":"","externalUrl":"https://www.dgp.toronto.edu/~mac/research/rpp-with-grasps/index.html","permalink":"/projects/grasp-planning/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Grasp-Based Motion Planning for Character Animation","type":"projects"},{"content":"","externalUrl":"https://www.dgp.toronto.edu/~mac/research/optimal-metric-discovery/index.html","permalink":"/projects/optimal-metric/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Discovery of an \"Optimal\" Metric","type":"projects"},{"content":"","externalUrl":"https://www.dgp.toronto.edu/~mac/research/octrees-of-metrics/index.html","permalink":"/projects/octrees-of-metrics/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Capturing Metrics Using Octrees","type":"projects"},{"content":"","externalUrl":"https://www.dgp.toronto.edu/~mac/research/landmark-bike-ctrlr/index.html","permalink":"/projects/landmark-bike/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Landmark-Based Motion Planning for Bikes","type":"projects"},{"content":"","externalUrl":"https://www.dgp.toronto.edu/~mac/research/sketch-based-planning/index.html","permalink":"/projects/sketch-planning/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Sketch-Based Motion Planning","type":"projects"},{"content":"","externalUrl":"https://www.dgp.toronto.edu/~mac/research/decsurf-with-NN-pairs/index.html","permalink":"/projects/decsurf-nn-pairs/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Decision Surfaces via Opposing NN Pairs","type":"projects"},{"content":"","externalUrl":"https://www.dgp.toronto.edu/~mac/research/NN-sampling-of-decsurf/index.html","permalink":"/projects/nn-decision-surfaces/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Better NN-Based Decision Surfaces","type":"projects"},{"content":"","externalUrl":"https://www.dgp.toronto.edu/~mac/research/viabenv-discovery/index.html","permalink":"/projects/viabenv-discovery/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Auto-Discovery of Viability Envelopes","type":"projects"},{"content":"","date":"3 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"2026","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"3 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/3dprinting/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"3DPrinting","type":"tags"},{"content":" Model: [link](https://makerworld.com/en/models/1312949-asanoha-pen-holder-desk-organizer#profileId-1347526) My previous \"pen holder\" was starting to rip, so printed out a nice looking alternative, although in reality it is smaller than I thought, and some things like scissors didn't fit well here. ","date":"3 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026/desk-organizer-print/","section":"Posts","summary":"Model: [link](https://makerworld.com/en/models/1312949-asanoha-pen-holder-desk-organizer#profileId-1347526) My previous \"pen holder\" was starting to rip, so printed out a nice looking alternative, although in reality it is smaller than I thought, and some things like scissors didn't fit well here. ","title":"Desk Organizer 3D Print","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"3 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Posts","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"3 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Tags","type":"tags"},{"content":"Software engineer. Thinker of thoughts. Writer of words that occasionally compile.\nMore about me →\n","date":"3 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/","section":"The Total Token Vortex","summary":"Software engineer. Thinker of thoughts. Writer of words that occasionally compile.\nMore about me →\n","title":"The Total Token Vortex","type":"page"},{"content":" \u0026ldquo;Moar statues\u0026hellip;\u0026rdquo; I liked this model a lot too (and original statue), but alas it is not as detailed as the Marcus Aurelius one.\nModel: link\n","date":"28 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026/ares-print/","section":"Posts","summary":" “Moar statues…” I liked this model a lot too (and original statue), but alas it is not as detailed as the Marcus Aurelius one.\nModel: link\n","title":"Ares Print","type":"posts"},{"content":" \u0026ldquo;The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.\u0026rdquo; \u0026ndash; Marcus Aurelius Model: link\nNow that I picked up Marble filament (Elegoo PLA Marble Cement Grey), I am trying out some busts and other statue-like items. First up, Marcus Aurelius bust.\nInitially I was quite concerned as the crosshatch fill was terrible, completely failed (I suspect 7% infill setting the blueprint had was just too sparse for this type of filament).\nHowever, in the end it came out really well, way better than I expected. Even the layers (used default 0.2mm IIRC) are not noticeable at all.\nColour me surprised!\nP.S. And even the removal of tree supports wasn\u0026rsquo;t all that bad\u0026hellip;\n","date":"12 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026/marcus-aurelius/","section":"Posts","summary":" “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” – Marcus Aurelius Model: link\nNow that I picked up Marble filament (Elegoo PLA Marble Cement Grey), I am trying out some busts and other statue-like items. First up, Marcus Aurelius bust.\n","title":"Marcus Aurelius","type":"posts"},{"content":" We gonna need a smaller nozzle\u0026hellip; Attempt #2 on printing a \u0026ldquo;moon\u0026rdquo; lamp lithophane, after asking Gemini for how best to optimize BambuStudio settings\u0026hellip; meh. Basically the same; slight improvement on reduced number of pinholes (under-extrusion).\nI\u0026rsquo;m thinking I\u0026rsquo;m at limits of what I can do with 0.4mm nozzle, so probably time to get a 0.2mm if I want better results. Although\u0026hellip; the other thing I don\u0026rsquo;t like is the melted/eroded look to the flatter sections. Well, I guess I\u0026rsquo;ll start with 0.2mm, I was going to get that hotend anyways.\n","date":"4 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026/moon-number-two/","section":"Posts","summary":" We gonna need a smaller nozzle… Attempt #2 on printing a “moon” lamp lithophane, after asking Gemini for how best to optimize BambuStudio settings… meh. Basically the same; slight improvement on reduced number of pinholes (under-extrusion).\n","title":"Moon Number Two","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"3 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/ai/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"AI","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"3 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/claude/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Claude","type":"tags"},{"content":"Came across this today:\nClaude Usage Limits Discussion Megathread Ongoing Interesting Tidbids # From \u0026ldquo;B. CLAUDE CODE CLI WORKAROUNDS\u0026rdquo;: add this to ~/.claude/settings.json\n{ \u0026#34;model\u0026#34;: \u0026#34;sonnet\u0026#34;, \u0026#34;env\u0026#34;: { \u0026#34;MAX_THINKING_TOKENS\u0026#34;: \u0026#34;10000\u0026#34;, \u0026#34;CLAUDE_AUTOCOMPACT_PCT_OVERRIDE\u0026#34;: \u0026#34;50\u0026#34;, \u0026#34;CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_MODEL\u0026#34;: \u0026#34;haiku\u0026#34; } } Also from B:\nCreate a .claudeignore file Keep CLAUDE.md under 60 lines Install the read-once hook (below) /clear and /compact aggressively Install monitoring tools (below) Save explanations locally: claude \u0026quot;explain the database schema\u0026quot; \u0026gt; docs/schema-explanation.md Read-once hook:\ncurl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Bande-a-Bonnot/Boucle-framework/main/tools/read-once/install.sh | bash Monitoring tools:\nnpx ccusage@latest — token usage from local logs, daily/session/5hr window reports ccburn --compact — visual burn-up charts, shows if you\u0026rsquo;ll hit 100% before reset. Can feed ccburn \u0026ndash;json to Claude so it self-regulates Claude-Code-Usage-Monitor — real-time terminal dashboard with burn rate and predictive warnings ccstatusline / claude-powerline — token usage in your status bar ","date":"3 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026/claude-usage-megathread/","section":"Posts","summary":"Came across this today:\nClaude Usage Limits Discussion Megathread Ongoing Interesting Tidbids # From “B. CLAUDE CODE CLI WORKAROUNDS”: add this to ~/.claude/settings.json\n","title":"Claude Usage Megathread","type":"posts"},{"content":" Where did all my tokens go??? Interesting Reddit post on r/ClaudeAI.\nAI Summary # This Reddit post from the r/ClaudeAI community discusses a widespread frustration: users on paid plans (Pro and Team) are hitting their usage limits \u0026ldquo;absurdly fast\u0026rdquo; when using Claude for serious technical work.\nThe Core Problem # The original poster (OP) and many commenters report that even with a disciplined workflow (disabling extra tools/features), their usage quota vanishes within an hour or two of heavy work. The primary \u0026ldquo;killer\u0026rdquo; is the cumulative context—Claude reprocesses the entire chat history with every new message, meaning long conversations become exponentially more expensive as they progress.\nKey Takeaways \u0026amp; Community Advice # The community reached a general consensus on how to manage this:\nAvoid \u0026ldquo;Opus\u0026rdquo; for everything: Users noted that the high-reasoning Opus model burns through the quota roughly twice as fast as Sonnet. The recommendation is to use Sonnet 4.6 for implementation and reserve Opus for high-level planning or final reviews.\nAggressive Context Management: * \u0026ldquo;Kill your darlings\u0026rdquo;: Start new chats frequently.\nHandoff Summaries: Before starting a new chat, ask Claude to summarize the current state, decisions made, and next steps. Paste that summary into a fresh session to \u0026ldquo;reset\u0026rdquo; the token cost while maintaining continuity. Narrow the Scope: Don\u0026rsquo;t provide your entire codebase if you\u0026rsquo;re only working on one file. Use .claudeignore or explicitly tell the model to focus on specific folders to minimize the tokens \u0026ldquo;read\u0026rdquo; during each turn. Shift to the API: Several power users suggested moving away from the $20/month subscription and using the Claude API instead. This allows for pay-as-you-go pricing, providing more transparency into exactly how many tokens each request costs. Treat it like a \u0026ldquo;Compiler,\u0026rdquo; not a \u0026ldquo;Chat\u0026rdquo;: Instead of small back-and-forth messages (which build up history quickly), try to use \u0026ldquo;single-shot\u0026rdquo; prompts that bundle multiple instructions at once. The Sentiment # The sentiment is largely negative toward Anthropic’s current tier structure for power users. Many feel the product is \u0026ldquo;borderline unusable\u0026rdquo; for complex coding projects because the limits are reached just as the model finally \u0026ldquo;understands\u0026rdquo; the full context of the task. Some users even speculated that limits have been tightened recently, though others pointed out this is likely just the reality of the 1M+ token context window being very expensive to maintain.\nMy Main Takeaways # /clear religiously. But first, get summary of prior chat, to seed the next one. Try codex? There are claims it\u0026rsquo;s just as good, if slower; but limits are far more generous! Fingers crossed a local gemma4 (or better, code-specific) local model will be \u0026ldquo;good enough\u0026rdquo; Additional own observations # double check selected model, using bare /model! I\u0026rsquo;ve had instances I did /model sonnet and it ended up after some days becoming a \u0026ldquo;custom\u0026rdquo; model! (and my observation: these are EXPENSIVE!) Always go with \u0026ldquo;(Recommended)\u0026rdquo;, unless \u0026ldquo;you know what you are doing\u0026rdquo; don\u0026rsquo;t forget about /effort; for mechanical could use \u0026ldquo;low\u0026rdquo;? ","date":"3 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026/claude-token-burn/","section":"Posts","summary":" Where did all my tokens go??? Interesting Reddit post on r/ClaudeAI.\nAI Summary # This Reddit post from the r/ClaudeAI community discusses a widespread frustration: users on paid plans (Pro and Team) are hitting their usage limits “absurdly fast” when using Claude for serious technical work.\n","title":"Claude Token Burn","type":"posts"},{"content":" This post is highly work-in-progress; gathering thoughts and ideas for now. Goal # build a near-equivalent of Claude using locally served models using Ollama evaluate how close or far they are from, say, Sonnet 4.6 Mise-en-scène # Pieces:\nOllama post: you can now use Ollama as backend for Claude Code tool! Just need: export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=ollama export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=http://localhost:11434 recommendations from a gemma4:4eb chat: use GGUF (or GGML) format prefer Q4_K_M quantization see if any community members have variants that they fine-tuned further on code increase context window (e.g., 32k+ tokens) recommendation (pre-Gemma4): highly quantized (Q4 or Q5) version of Mixtral or DeepSeek Coder in GGUF format ","date":"2 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026/claude-local-replacement/","section":"Posts","summary":" This post is highly work-in-progress; gathering thoughts and ideas for now. Goal # build a near-equivalent of Claude using locally served models using Ollama evaluate how close or far they are from, say, Sonnet 4.6 Mise-en-scène # Pieces:\n","title":"Claude Local Replacement","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"2 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/coding/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Coding","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"2 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/tools/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Tools","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"2 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/wip/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"WIP","type":"tags"},{"content":" Chat tools # Did a bit of research (Gemini), and suggestions are:\noterm: best all around, for general chat aichat: power-user choice, good for coding mods: nice, but more pure CLI tool elia: similar to oterm, but maybe better? If I can get it running\u0026hellip; oterm # To install oterm, best to:\npipx install oterm Evaluation:\nmeh\u0026hellip; the TUI is the one Claude Code generates for you, using Textual (I have same on my \u0026lsquo;palantir\u0026rsquo; tool) whole bunch of things bother me: pointless ASCII animation at start; was cool only the first time hate the big fat buttons, pointless waste of TUI real-estate (esp. when there are keybinds for them) it feels like a GUI application wearing TUI clothing I could do better with my own Claude coding session in 1h\u0026hellip; probably will.\nmods # Source: https://github.com/charmbracelet/mods\nAssessment:\npretty possible use, although I think I would prefer TUI Huh! This is the first time I ran into this: the AI chat tool (or model?) got into what seems like infinite loop of generating more and more content, veering into further adjacent topic. I had to Ctrl-C after probably 10 minutes and 30 pages\u0026hellip; Initial query was about which model would be best for coding, and I ended up at topic \u0026ldquo;OPERATIONAL PROTOCOL AGREEMENT: SYSTEMIC EPISTEMIC REVIEW (SER)\u0026rdquo;\u0026hellip;!!\nOther tools # Honorable mentions:\ngollama - very cool TUI for managing loaded models ","date":"2 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026/cli-tool-for-ollama/","section":"Posts","summary":"Chat tools # Did a bit of research (Gemini), and suggestions are:\noterm: best all around, for general chat aichat: power-user choice, good for coding mods: nice, but more pure CLI tool elia: similar to oterm, but maybe better? If I can get it running… oterm # To install oterm, best to:\n","title":"Cli Tool for Ollama","type":"posts"},{"content":" Set up # Google post: https://ai.google.dev/gemma/docs/integrations/ollama\nAlas, needs latest ollama but that version is not yet out on Omarchy.\nYou should be able to run it in parallel (i.e, official ollama in /usr/bin/, \u0026ldquo;external\u0026rdquo; one in /usr/local/bin/)\nInstall the external one:\ncurl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh To avoid interference, bring down the default one:\nsudo systemctl stop ollama (check with systemctl status ollama)\nDouble check the right one will come up:\n# Should be /usr/local/bin/ one. which ollama ollama --version (Hmmm, had to do typeset -U path PATH in my zsh, else for some reason shell would prioritize /usr/bin/)\nStart it in some background term:\nollama serve NOTE: sometimes the old one doesn\u0026rsquo;t come down proper, and systemctl seems unable to make it come down. Do:\nsudo lsof -i :11434 sudo kill -9 \u0026lt;PID\u0026gt; Now pull gemma4:\nollama pull gemma4 (Huh\u0026hellip; 9.6 GB; ok-ish)\nTake it for a spin:\nollama run gemma4:e4b Quick spin # \u0026gt;\u0026gt; Hi! How can I help you today?\n\u0026gt;\u0026gt;\u0026gt;I chose gemma4:e4b model\u0026hellip; is that the right one for my machine?\nThinking\u0026hellip; Thinking Process:\nAnalyze the Request: The user is asking if the \u0026ldquo;gemma4:e4b\u0026rdquo; model is suitable for their machine. Identify Key Information Needed: What is \u0026ldquo;gemma4:e4b\u0026rdquo;? (It\u0026rsquo;s likely a quantized or specific version of a Gemma 4 model, \u0026rsquo;e4b\u0026rsquo; suggests a parameter size/precision.) What are the user\u0026rsquo;s machine specifications? (CPU, GPU, VRAM, OS, etc.) What is the intended use case? (Inference speed, complexity of the task, required memory footprint, etc.) Assess Capabilities/Constraints: As an AI model, I cannot see the user\u0026rsquo;s machine specifications or know their current context. Formulate the Strategy: Acknowledge the model name (gemma4:e4b). State clearly that I need more information to give an accurate answer. List the critical pieces of information the user must provide for an assessment (Hardware specs, Task requirements). Provide general guidance on what \u0026ldquo;e4b\u0026rdquo; suggests (Efficiency/Quantization). Draft the Response (Internal Monologue Check): Initial thought: Just say \u0026ldquo;yes\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;no.\u0026rdquo; -\u0026gt; Bad idea, I don\u0026rsquo;t know the machine. Second thought: Ask for specs. -\u0026gt; Better. Refining the request: Be specific about why I need the specs (VRAM, RAM, OS). Final Polish: Structure the response to be helpful, polite, and actionable. (Self-correction: Ensure I maintain my identity as a helpful AI, not a hardware expert, but I can provide general guidance.) \u0026hellip;done thinking. To give you an accurate answer, I need some more information about your machine and what you plan to use the model for!\nSimply choosing a model name isn\u0026rsquo;t enough because suitability depends on three main factors:\nYour Hardware Specifications: The Model\u0026rsquo;s Requirements: Your Use Case: ❓ What I Need to Know From You: # 1. Hardware Specs (Crucial):\nGPU: (e.g., Nvidia RTX 3060, AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT) VRAM (Video RAM): (This is the most critical measurement for running large models. How much VRAM does your GPU have?) System RAM: (How much regular system memory do you have?) Operating System: (Windows, Linux, etc.) 2. Model Specifics (Regarding gemma4:e4b):\nSince I don\u0026rsquo;t know the exact format, if \u0026ldquo;e4b\u0026rdquo; refers to a specific quantization (like 4-bit quantization using certain libraries), the required memory footprint is generally very small, making it good for resource-constrained systems. 3. Your Use Case:\nWhat will you be doing? (Simple chat/inference? Fine-tuning/training? Complex multi-step reasoning?) How fast do you need it to be? (Real-time chat, or is background processing fine?) 💡 General Guidance (If you can\u0026rsquo;t provide specs): # If you are running this model purely for inference (chatting/asking questions), the smaller the model (and the more optimized/quantized it is, like e4b suggests), the better.\nGenerally, if your VRAM is limited (e.g., 6GB or less), a quantized 4-bit model is often the most reliable choice for running efficiently.\nPlease share your hardware details, and I can give you a much better assessment!\n\u0026gt;\u0026gt;\u0026gt; I\u0026rsquo;m on arch linux; what command should I run to give you my specs?\nThinking\u0026hellip; Here\u0026rsquo;s a thinking process to generate the suggested commands:\nIdentify the Goal: The user is on Arch Linux and needs to provide system hardware specifications to the AI to determine if a large language model (gemma4:e4b) will run well. Determine Necessary Specs: What are the absolute minimum pieces of information needed for LLM performance assessment? CPU: General processing power. RAM: System memory limit. GPU: Crucial for LLMs. Need make, model, and most importantly, VRAM. OS/Kernel: (Already known: Arch Linux, but good to confirm general environment). Select Appropriate Arch/Linux Commands: The commands must be easy to run and provide actionable data. System Info (CPU/RAM): lscpu: Good for CPU details (cores, threads). free -h: Best for RAM usage and total capacity. uname -a: Good for kernel version, helpful for compatibility. GPU/Video Card (The hardest part): The best command depends on whether the GPU is Nvidia or AMD, as the drivers/tools differ. Nvidia: nvidia-smi is standard and provides VRAM, driver version, and usage. (Must check if the user has the proprietary driver installed). AMD: lspci -v combined with radeontop (if installed) or checking /sys/class/drm/ is often needed, but the output can be complex. A simpler, reliable step is usually just looking at lspci. Structure the Advice: The answer needs to be user-friendly, grouping commands logically and explaining why the AI needs the output. Initial Warning: Since the user is on Arch, they might have different driver setups. I must offer multiple options. Step 1: Basic System Info (Easy). Step 2: RAM/CPU (Easy). Step 3: GPU Info (Complex - needs options). Final Instruction: Tell the user to paste the combined output. Refine Commands \u0026amp; Instructions (Self-Correction): Instead of dumping 10 commands, I\u0026rsquo;ll provide 3 key commands and explain what each gives. This prevents \u0026ldquo;command fatigue.\u0026rdquo; I must prioritize the GPU check. If they use nvidia-smi, they must have the Nvidia drivers installed first. I\u0026rsquo;ll mention this prerequisite. Generate Final Output. (This leads to the structured response provided below.) (Punt on the actual execution, just provide the instructions.) \u0026hellip;done thinking. That\u0026rsquo;s a good approach. Since you are on Arch Linux, which is highly customizable, the commands can vary slightly depending on whether you are using proprietary Nvidia drivers or the open-source AMD drivers.\nI will give you a set of commands that cover the core components (CPU, RAM, and GPU). Please run these commands one by one and copy/paste the complete output for each one.\n💻 System \u0026amp; Memory (CPU/RAM) # These commands give general information about your computer\u0026rsquo;s core processing and memory limits.\n1. System Architecture \u0026amp; Kernel: This tells me the base setup.\nuname -a 2. Memory (RAM): This shows the total and used system RAM.\nfree -h 3. CPU Details: This gives me details about your cores and threads.\nlscpu 🚀 GPU (Graphics Card) # This is the most critical part for running LLMs, as it determines your dedicated VRAM (Video RAM). You might need to run one of these two sections, depending on your card.\nA. 🟢 If you have an NVIDIA GPU (Most Common Scenario for LLMs): You must have the Nvidia drivers installed for this to work.\nnvidia-smi (This command is ideal because it explicitly lists the VRAM capacity.)\nB. 🔴 If you have an AMD or Intel GPU (Using standard Linux tools): This command checks the general PCI devices connected, which usually includes the GPU.\nlspci -v | grep -A 10 VGA (If that is insufficient, let me know the make/model of your GPU, and I can provide a more specific command.)\nPlease gather the output from all the commands (uname -a, free -h, lscpu, and your relevant GPU command) and paste them back to me. Once I have that block of text, I can accurately tell you if gemma4:e4b is right for your machine!\n\u0026gt;\u0026gt;\u0026gt; Yes, I have nvidia. Can you assemble all the commands you want me to run into a single, simple shell script that I can run?\nThinking\u0026hellip; Thinking Process:\nGoal: Create a single, simple script for the user to run on Arch Linux to gather all necessary system specifications (CPU, RAM, NVIDIA GPU details). Tooling: The user is on Arch Linux and has an NVIDIA card. Required Commands (Review): uname -a (System kernel info) free -h (RAM info) lscpu (CPU info) nvidia-smi (Crucial VRAM info) Scripting Strategy: Combine these commands into a single block. Using echo headers will make the output organized and easy for the user (and me) to parse. Safety/Execution: Since the user is running this in a terminal, the script should be straightforward and not require complex sourcing or permissions beyond standard user rights. Output Structure: Present the script clearly and instruct the user exactly how to run it (e.g., copy and paste, or use bash). (Self-Correction/Refinement: Ensure the script handles the output separation well so the user doesn\u0026rsquo;t get one giant wall of text.) \u0026hellip;done thinking.\nSince you confirmed you have an NVIDIA GPU, I can assemble a single script block for you.\nThis script will run the necessary system checks and then display all the output, clearly labeled for me to read.\n🚀 The Spec Gathering Script # Please copy the entire block of code below, paste it directly into your terminal, and press Enter.\necho \u0026#34;==============================================\u0026#34; echo \u0026#34; SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE INFO\u0026#34; echo \u0026#34;==============================================\u0026#34; uname -a echo -e \u0026#34;\\n==============================================\u0026#34; echo \u0026#34; MEMORY (RAM) INFO\u0026#34; echo \u0026#34;==============================================\u0026#34; free -h echo -e \u0026#34;\\n==============================================\u0026#34; echo \u0026#34; CPU INFO\u0026#34; echo \u0026#34;==============================================\u0026#34; lscpu echo -e \u0026#34;\\n==============================================\u0026#34; echo \u0026#34; GPU (NVIDIA) INFO\u0026#34; echo \u0026#34;==============================================\u0026#34; nvidia-smi What to do after running it: # Copy the entire output that appears in your terminal (the large block of text). Paste that entire output back to me in your next message. Once I have this detailed report, I will confirm the suitability of the gemma4:e4b model for your setup!\n\u0026gt;\u0026gt;\u0026gt; [screens of stats]\nThinking\u0026hellip; Here\u0026rsquo;s a thinking process to arrive at the analysis:\nAnalyze the Goal: The user wants to know if the gemma4:e4b model is suitable for their machine, based on the provided Linux Arch Linux specs. Analyze the Specs (Systematically): OS/Kernel: Arch Linux, 6.19.9. This is modern and highly flexible. No issues here. CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D (8 Cores, 16 Threads). This is a powerful, modern CPU. Sufficient for managing the process and data flow. System RAM: 30 GiB total. Massive overkill for running LLMs, which is great. GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti. VRAM: 12282 MiB (approximately 12 GB). This is the single most critical number. Utilization: Currently running at 17% utilization. Software Context (Crucial Detail): The nvidia-smi output shows a process running ollama using 9912 MiB of VRAM. This confirms that the user is actively running and comfortable with large LLMs using optimized tools. Analyze the Target Model: Model: gemma4:e4b Implied meaning: \u0026ldquo;gemma 4\u0026rdquo; model, optimized/quantized for efficient running (the \u0026ldquo;e4b\u0026rdquo; suggests a very small footprint, likely 4-bit quantization). Determine Compatibility \u0026amp; Suitability (The Verdict): Hardware Check: The 12 GB VRAM on the RTX 4070 Ti is the limiting factor. Model Size: A highly quantized, small model like gemma4:e4b (assuming it\u0026rsquo;s very small, maybe 2-3 Billion parameters or smaller) will require minimal VRAM (likely \u0026lt; 3 GB). Conclusion: The system is more than capable. The 12 GB VRAM gives a massive safety buffer. Structure the Answer: (Make it clear, confident, and helpful.) Direct Answer: Start with a clear, positive affirmation. Detailed Breakdown (Why it works): Explain why the hardware is sufficient by analyzing the key specs (GPU/VRAM). Optimization/Recommendation (Best Practices): Since the hardware is powerful, offer advice on maximizing performance (e.g., using specific frameworks, checking batch size, utilizing the VRAM well). Final Warning/Advice: Give general operational advice (cooling, stable power). (Self-Correction: Stick to the technical analysis unless the user asks about physical setup.) Refinement (Tone): Maintain a knowledgeable, professional, and encouraging tone. (Drafting the final response.) \u0026hellip;done thinking. This is an excellent set of specs.\nThe short answer is: YES, the gemma4:e4b model is not just right for your machine—it is extremely well-suited for it, and you have plenty of room to run much larger, more advanced models as well.\nHere is a detailed breakdown of why your system is fantastic for running Large Language Models (LLMs).\n✅ Detailed Analysis of Your Machine # 1. GPU (The Most Critical Component) # Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti VRAM: 12 GB Analysis: This is the most important number. For LLMs, VRAM dictates model capacity. 12 GB is a very robust amount of memory. You are running models using ollama (which is visible in your process list) that require significant memory, and your GPU easily handles this. 2. CPU \u0026amp; RAM (The Supporting Components) # CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D. This is a high-performance, modern CPU. System RAM: (Implicitly large, given the powerful CPU). Conclusion: Your CPU and RAM provide more than enough processing power to efficiently manage the data flow between the system memory and the GPU, ensuring fast inference speeds. 🚀 Compatibility Assessment # The Verdict: Excellent.\nVRAM Sufficiency: Your 12 GB of VRAM is more than enough to comfortably run even large, context-heavy models (like 7B or 13B parameters) while leaving substantial headroom for the operating system and other processes. Performance: The combination of a modern GPU and a high-core CPU means you can expect high throughput and low latency when running inference. Software Stack: Since you are using a modern NVIDIA GPU, you are fully compatible with all necessary ML frameworks (PyTorch, Transformers, CUDA, etc.). ✨ What This Means for You (Recommendations) # Model Choice: You should feel free to experiment with medium-to-large models (7B parameters and up). If you plan to use more advanced techniques like Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) with large document sets, your VRAM provides a buffer against running out of memory. Future-Proofing: Your setup is modern and powerful enough to handle model updates and research-grade experiments for the foreseeable future. Optimization: To maximize performance, ensure you are installing the latest NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit and cuDNN libraries that match your chosen deep learning framework (e.g., PyTorch or TensorFlow). This ensures the software can communicate optimally with your hardware. ","date":"2 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026/trying-out-gemma4/","section":"Posts","summary":"Set up # Google post: https://ai.google.dev/gemma/docs/integrations/ollama\nAlas, needs latest ollama but that version is not yet out on Omarchy.\n","title":"Trying Out Gemma4","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"2 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/blogging/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Blogging","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"2 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/hugo/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Hugo","type":"tags"},{"content":" Preface # First, hugo can (and does) use two formats, YAML (\u0026mdash;) and TOML (+++).\nIt is recommended:\nuse TOML for config (e.g., hugo.toml) use YAML for content frontmatter I\u0026rsquo;ve seen one place mention using --format yaml, but this fails when I try hugo new content, says flag is not known.\nAlternatively, it might be better just to edit archetypes/default.md, which is used as template for new posts.\nAlso, on config/_default/hugo.toml can add option:\n# For YAML metaDataFormat = yaml Creating new post # How to properly start a new blog post in hugo (captured to shell script):\n#!/bin/bash FNAME=$1 FNAME_PATH=content/posts/$FNAME cd ~/src/total-token-vortex/ hugo new content $FNAME_PATH # leave as \u0026#39;draft\u0026#39; for now, to evaluate end result first nvim $FNAME_PATH # regen `public/` hugo # bring up local server, to review draft hugo server -D Post Scriptum # In case of mess up with TOML-vs-YAML, apparently you can have hugo convert:\nhugo convert toYAML --output content_as_yaml ","date":"2 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026/new-hugo-post/","section":"Posts","summary":"Preface # First, hugo can (and does) use two formats, YAML (—) and TOML (+++).\nIt is recommended:\n","title":"New Hugo Post","type":"posts"},{"content":"Ooof, that was rough. Blogger underwent many migrations since I used it last, and whatever migration tooling people have come up with in the intervening years, all are now broken, unsurprisingly. After much Gemini poking, back-and-forth, we arrived at this, which \u0026ldquo;works\u0026rdquo; (reads atom.feed):\n# blogger_to_hugo.py import feedparser from markdownify import markdownify as md import os import re from datetime import datetime # CONFIG ATOM_FILE = \u0026#34;feed.atom\u0026#34; # Point this to your file OUTPUT_DIR = \u0026#34;content/posts\u0026#34; os.makedirs(OUTPUT_DIR, exist_ok=True) feed = feedparser.parse(ATOM_FILE) def slugify(text): return re.sub(r\u0026#39;[\\W_]+\u0026#39;, \u0026#39;-\u0026#39;, text.lower()).strip(\u0026#39;-\u0026#39;) for entry in feed.entries: # Filter for actual blog posts (Blogger feeds include CSS and settings entries) if not hasattr(entry, \u0026#39;content\u0026#39;) or \u0026#39;post\u0026#39; not in entry.id: continue title = entry.title slug = slugify(title) or f\u0026#34;post-{entry.id.split(\u0026#39;-\u0026#39;)[-1]}\u0026#34; date = entry.published # Standard ISO format usually content_html = entry.content[0].value # Convert HTML to Markdown markdown_body = md(content_html, heading_style=\u0026#34;ATX\u0026#34;) with open(f\u0026#34;{OUTPUT_DIR}/{slug}.md\u0026#34;, \u0026#34;w\u0026#34;) as f: f.write(\u0026#34;---\\n\u0026#34;) f.write(f\u0026#34;title: \\\u0026#34;{title}\\\u0026#34;\\n\u0026#34;) f.write(f\u0026#34;date: {date}\\n\u0026#34;) f.write(\u0026#34;draft: false\\n\u0026#34;) f.write(\u0026#34;---\\n\\n\u0026#34;) f.write(markdown_body) print(f\u0026#34;Success: Processed {len(feed.entries)} entries into {OUTPUT_DIR}/\u0026#34;) Invocation:\nuv run \\ --python 3.10 \\ --with feedparser \\ --with markdownify \\ python blogger_to_hugo.py (you might still need to pip install some dependencies\u0026hellip;)\n","date":"1 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026/migrating-to-hugo/","section":"Posts","summary":"Ooof, that was rough. Blogger underwent many migrations since I used it last, and whatever migration tooling people have come up with in the intervening years, all are now broken, unsurprisingly. After much Gemini poking, back-and-forth, we arrived at this, which “works” (reads atom.feed):\n","title":"Migrating to Hugo (from Blogger)","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"1 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/programming/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Programming","type":"tags"},{"content":"Welcome to The Total Token Vortex.\n","date":"1 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026/hello-world/","section":"Posts","summary":"Welcome to The Total Token Vortex.\n","title":"Hello, World","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"1 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/meta/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Meta","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"20 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2024/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"2024","type":"posts"},{"content":"See: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1057564/pretty-git-branch-graphs\nIn short, can use this one-liner:\ngit log \u0026ndash;all \u0026ndash;decorate \u0026ndash;oneline \u0026ndash;graph\nYou can also make this into its own \u0026lsquo;git\u0026rsquo; command (\u0026lsquo;git adog\u0026rsquo;) using:\ngit config \u0026ndash;global alias.adog \u0026ldquo;log \u0026ndash;all \u0026ndash;decorate \u0026ndash;oneline \u0026ndash;graph\u0026rdquo;\n","date":"20 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2024/getting-the-pretty-tree-for-git-log/","section":"Posts","summary":"See: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1057564/pretty-git-branch-graphs\nIn short, can use this one-liner:\ngit log –all –decorate –oneline –graph\nYou can also make this into its own ‘git’ command (‘git adog’) using:\ngit config –global alias.adog “log –all –decorate –oneline –graph”\n","title":"Getting the pretty 'tree' for 'git log'","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"20 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/git/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Git","type":"tags"},{"content":"Ran into this (massive hint printout from git when attempting pull)\nHint: You have divergent branches and need to specify how to reconcile them. Hint: You can do so by running one of the following commands sometime before Hint: your next pull: Hint: Hint: git config pull.rebase false # merge Hint: git config pull.rebase true # rebase Hint: git config pull.ff only # fast-forward only Hint: Hint: You can replace \u0026#34;git config\u0026#34; with \u0026#34;git config --global\u0026#34; to set a default Hint: preference for all repositories. You can also pass --rebase, --no-rebase, Hint: or --ff-only on the command line to override the configured default per Hint: invocation. Git failed with a fatal error. Git failed with a fatal error. Need to specify how to reconcile divergent branches. And then thankfully came across this VERY informative StackOverflow post:\nTL;DR: probably best to just do \u0026lsquo;git fetch\u0026rsquo; + \u0026lsquo;git merge\u0026rsquo; for more manual, full-flexibility approach, rather than doing \u0026lsquo;git pull\u0026rsquo;.\n","date":"20 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2024/the-many-merge-options-for-git-pull/","section":"Posts","summary":"Ran into this (massive hint printout from git when attempting pull)\nHint: You have divergent branches and need to specify how to reconcile them. Hint: You can do so by running one of the following commands sometime before Hint: your next pull: Hint: Hint: git config pull.rebase false # merge Hint: git config pull.rebase true # rebase Hint: git config pull.ff only # fast-forward only Hint: Hint: You can replace \"git config\" with \"git config --global\" to set a default Hint: preference for all repositories. You can also pass --rebase, --no-rebase, Hint: or --ff-only on the command line to override the configured default per Hint: invocation. Git failed with a fatal error. Git failed with a fatal error. Need to specify how to reconcile divergent branches. And then thankfully came across this VERY informative StackOverflow post:\n","title":"The many merge options for 'git pull'","type":"posts"},{"content":" Setting Up Alternate English Layouts Why Keys Don\u0026rsquo;t Do What You Expect Shifted Voyager Layout ZSA Loves: Colemak ","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2024/interesting-posts-on-zsa-blog/","section":"Posts","summary":" Setting Up Alternate English Layouts Why Keys Don’t Do What You Expect Shifted Voyager Layout ZSA Loves: Colemak ","title":"Interesting posts on ZSA blog","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/keyboards/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Keyboards","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/links/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Links","type":"tags"},{"content":"https://devonperoutky.super.site/blog-posts/mediocre-engineers-guide-to-https\n","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2024/interesting-read-mediocre-engineer-s-guide-to-https/","section":"Posts","summary":"https://devonperoutky.super.site/blog-posts/mediocre-engineers-guide-to-https\n","title":"Interesting read: Mediocre Engineer’s guide to HTTPS","type":"posts"},{"content":"https://anniecherkaev.com/principles-for-keyboard-layouts\n","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2024/interesting-read-principles-for-keyboard-layouts/","section":"Posts","summary":"https://anniecherkaev.com/principles-for-keyboard-layouts\n","title":"Interesting read: principles for keyboard layouts","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/web/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Web","type":"tags"},{"content":"https://zoyitools.com/product/zt-703s/\n","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2024/potential-purchase-hand-held-scope/","section":"Posts","summary":"https://zoyitools.com/product/zt-703s/\n","title":"Potential purchase: hand-held scope","type":"posts"},{"content":"https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40974193\n","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2024/interesting-hn-post-the-engineer-s-guide-to-deep-learning-understanding-the-transformer-model/","section":"Posts","summary":"https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40974193\n","title":"Interesting HN post: The Engineer’s Guide to Deep Learning: Understanding the Transformer Model","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/diy/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"DIY","type":"tags"},{"content":"Relevant articles, maybe:\nhttps://www.dyson.com/support/vacuum-cleaners/cordless/battery-care https://www.bestbuy.com/site/questions/dyson-v7-motorhead-cord-free-stick-vacuum-fuschia/5712664/question/5044ca65-ef4f-355a-99d9-83aa51fb2598 ","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2024/dyson-hand-vacuum-battery-troubles/","section":"Posts","summary":"Relevant articles, maybe:\nhttps://www.dyson.com/support/vacuum-cleaners/cordless/battery-care https://www.bestbuy.com/site/questions/dyson-v7-motorhead-cord-free-stick-vacuum-fuschia/5712664/question/5044ca65-ef4f-355a-99d9-83aa51fb2598 ","title":"Dyson hand vacuum battery troubles","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/repairs/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Repairs","type":"tags"},{"content":"https://old.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/1emkf7f/games_you_get_extremely_op_in_without_any/\n","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2024/fun-reddit-post-games-you-get-extremely-op-in-without-any-glitch-hacks/","section":"Posts","summary":"https://old.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/1emkf7f/games_you_get_extremely_op_in_without_any/\n","title":"Fun Reddit post: Games you get extremely OP in without any glitch/hacks?","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/gaming/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Gaming","type":"tags"},{"content":"Kruggsmash, of \u0026ldquo;Dwarf Fortress YT videos\u0026rdquo; fame, started playing Caves of Qud!\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcJSfynSTq0\n","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2024/kruggsmash-playing-coq/","section":"Posts","summary":"Kruggsmash, of “Dwarf Fortress YT videos” fame, started playing Caves of Qud!\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcJSfynSTq0\n","title":"Kruggsmash playing CoQ","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/review/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Review","type":"tags"},{"content":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna%27s_Archive\nClaude (migration note): Filename renamed from til-abotu-anna-s-archive to til-about-anna-s-archive (typo/encoding fix).\n","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2024/til-about-anna-s-archive/","section":"Posts","summary":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna%27s_Archive\nClaude (migration note): Filename renamed from til-abotu-anna-s-archive to til-about-anna-s-archive (typo/encoding fix).\n","title":"TIL abotu Anna's Archive","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/graphics/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Graphics","type":"tags"},{"content":"https://behdad.org/text2024/\n","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2024/interesting-article-state-of-text-rendering-2024/","section":"Posts","summary":"https://behdad.org/text2024/\n","title":"Interesting article: State of Text Rendering 2024","type":"posts"},{"content":"https://jvns.ca/blog/2024/07/08/readline/\n","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2024/interesting-read-entering-text-in-the-terminal-is-complicated/","section":"Posts","summary":"https://jvns.ca/blog/2024/07/08/readline/\n","title":"Interesting read: Entering text in the terminal is complicated","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/linux/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Linux","type":"tags"},{"content":"https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40892298\n","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2024/interesting-hn-article-how-to-think-in-writing/","section":"Posts","summary":"https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40892298\n","title":"Interesting HN article: How to think in writing","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/maciekos/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"MaciekOS","type":"tags"},{"content":"https://hiandrewquinn.github.io/til-site/posts/doing-is-normally-distributed-learning-is-log-normal/\n","date":"13 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2024/interesting-read-doing-is-normally-distributed-learning-is-log-normal/","section":"Posts","summary":"https://hiandrewquinn.github.io/til-site/posts/doing-is-normally-distributed-learning-is-log-normal/\n","title":"Interesting read: Doing is normally distributed, learning is log-normal","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"16 August 2017","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2017/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"2017","type":"posts"},{"content":"There are examples of this in real world: Elon Musk ventures jump to mind.\nThis idea transfers to self-dev: don\u0026rsquo;t build/chase \u0026ldquo;goals\u0026rdquo;/targets; instead build the things which themselves \u0026ldquo;build\u0026rdquo; those things. I.e., systems / habits.\nFurthermore, there is the idea of \u0026ldquo;HabitForge\u0026rdquo;\u0026hellip; go meta, develop a process for building habits. I.e., in essence a factory of factories.\n","date":"16 August 2017","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2017/don-t-build-things-build-factories-that-build-things/","section":"Posts","summary":"There are examples of this in real world: Elon Musk ventures jump to mind.\nThis idea transfers to self-dev: don’t build/chase “goals”/targets; instead build the things which themselves “build” those things. I.e., systems / habits.\n","title":"Don't build things; build FACTORIES that build things","type":"posts"},{"content":"TODO\nBorrow a lot from James Clear.\nClaude (migration note): Body is just \u0026lsquo;TODO\u0026rsquo; — no content has been written yet.\n","date":"14 August 2017","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2017/build-systems-not-goals/","section":"Posts","summary":"TODO\nBorrow a lot from James Clear.\nClaude (migration note): Body is just ‘TODO’ — no content has been written yet.\n","title":"Build systems, not goals","type":"posts"},{"content":"TODO\nClaude (migration note): Body is just \u0026lsquo;TODO\u0026rsquo; — placeholder content only. Body is just \u0026lsquo;TODO\u0026rsquo; — no content has been written yet.\n","date":"14 August 2017","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2017/how-life-is-like-the-westworld-maze/","section":"Posts","summary":"TODO\nClaude (migration note): Body is just ‘TODO’ — placeholder content only. Body is just ‘TODO’ — no content has been written yet.\n","title":"How life is like the Westworld Maze","type":"posts"},{"content":"Test.\n","date":"14 August 2017","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2017/inaugural-post/","section":"Posts","summary":"Test.\n","title":"Inaugural post","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"3 September 2012","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2012/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"2012","type":"posts"},{"content":"Here is how to set it up:\nhttp://gigaom.com/apple/ipad-quick-tip-enabling-multiple-google-calendars/\n","date":"3 September 2012","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2012/multiple-google-calendars-on-ipad/","section":"Posts","summary":"Here is how to set it up:\nhttp://gigaom.com/apple/ipad-quick-tip-enabling-multiple-google-calendars/\n","title":"multiple Google calendars on iPad","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"12 June 2012","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/fountainpen/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"FountainPen","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"12 June 2012","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/hardware/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Hardware","type":"tags"},{"content":"Use the 1020 driver, but turn off bidirectional support, to avoid a page job printing repeatedly. See:\nhttp://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c02205132\u0026tmp_track_link=ot_faqs/top_issues/en_us/c02205132/loc:10\u0026lc=en\u0026dlc=en\u0026cc=us\u0026lang=en\u0026product=4110396\nAlso suggestions on installing driver:\nhttp://www.w7forums.com/drivers-hp-laserjet-1022n-printer-t5048p2.html\nInstall HP LaserJet 1022n on Windows 7 (You DONT have to connect it to USB) * Download LaserJet 1022n driver from HP 32 bit - lj1020-HB-pnp-win32-en 64 bit - lj1020-HB-pnp-win64-en * Run your downloaded driver HP driver install window opens asking you to connect the USB cable * CANCEL installation IMPORTANT NOTE: This extracts the needed driver to your Hard Drive. Your driver will be extracted to folder: (64 bit) C:\\Program Files\\HP\\HP LaserJet 1020 Driver (32 bit) C:\\Program Files (x86)\\HP\\HP LaserJet 1020 Driver * Add your printer manually - START \u0026gt; Devices and Printers \u0026gt; Add a Printer * Add a Local Printer \u0026gt; Create a new port \u0026gt; Standard TCP/IP Port \u0026gt; NEXT * Enter the IP address \u0026gt; NEXT If you dont know the IP, have you 1022n ON, hold the diamond shaped button down for 10 seconds. A configuration page will print with the IP on it . * \u0026ldquo;Install a printer Driver\u0026rdquo; screen opens, click HAVE DISK * Browse to the folder where your driver was extracted (shown above) * Choose the \u0026ldquo;HPLJ1020\u0026rdquo; file \u0026gt; OPEN \u0026gt; OK \u0026gt; NEXT * Select your printer name \u0026gt; NEXT \u0026gt; FINISH Claude (migration note): Possible broken/collapsed markdown table (very long pipe-delimited line detected).\n","date":"12 June 2012","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2012/hp-laserjet-1022n-under-windows-7/","section":"Posts","summary":"Use the 1020 driver, but turn off bidirectional support, to avoid a page job printing repeatedly. See:\nhttp://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c02205132\u0026tmp_track_link=ot_faqs/top_issues/en_us/c02205132/loc:10\u0026lc=en\u0026dlc=en\u0026cc=us\u0026lang=en\u0026product=4110396\nAlso suggestions on installing driver:\nhttp://www.w7forums.com/drivers-hp-laserjet-1022n-printer-t5048p2.html\nInstall HP LaserJet 1022n on Windows 7 (You DONT have to connect it to USB) * Download LaserJet 1022n driver from HP 32 bit - lj1020-HB-pnp-win32-en 64 bit - lj1020-HB-pnp-win64-en * Run your downloaded driver HP driver install window opens asking you to connect the USB cable * CANCEL installation IMPORTANT NOTE: This extracts the needed driver to your Hard Drive. Your driver will be extracted to folder: (64 bit) C:\\Program Files\\HP\\HP LaserJet 1020 Driver (32 bit) C:\\Program Files (x86)\\HP\\HP LaserJet 1020 Driver * Add your printer manually - START \u003e Devices and Printers \u003e Add a Printer * Add a Local Printer \u003e Create a new port \u003e Standard TCP/IP Port \u003e NEXT * Enter the IP address \u003e NEXT If you dont know the IP, have you 1022n ON, hold the diamond shaped button down for 10 seconds. A configuration page will print with the IP on it . * “Install a printer Driver” screen opens, click HAVE DISK * Browse to the folder where your driver was extracted (shown above) * Choose the “HPLJ1020” file \u003e OPEN \u003e OK \u003e NEXT * Select your printer name \u003e NEXT \u003e FINISH Claude (migration note): Possible broken/collapsed markdown table (very long pipe-delimited line detected).\n","title":"HP Laserjet 1022n under Windows 7","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"2 November 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"2011","type":"posts"},{"content":"Good blog post about running Emacs in daemon mode:\nhttp://emacs-fu.blogspot.com/2009/02/emacs-daemon.html\nAlso a thread on how to cleanly shut the daemon down:\nhttp://stackoverflow.com/questions/1167484/how-to-gracefully-shutdown-emacs-daemon\n","date":"2 November 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/emacs-daemon/","section":"Posts","summary":"Good blog post about running Emacs in daemon mode:\nhttp://emacs-fu.blogspot.com/2009/02/emacs-daemon.html\nAlso a thread on how to cleanly shut the daemon down:\nhttp://stackoverflow.com/questions/1167484/how-to-gracefully-shutdown-emacs-daemon\n","title":"emacs --daemon","type":"posts"},{"content":"Can get to these by Running \u0026ldquo;msconfig.exe\u0026rdquo;.\n","date":"2 November 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/windows-7-startup-items/","section":"Posts","summary":"Can get to these by Running “msconfig.exe”.\n","title":"Windows 7: startup items","type":"posts"},{"content":"When I plug in an iPod into a machine running Ubuntu, the iPod auto-connects, but is not actually mounted. This is especially problematic when I am running under i3 or other window manager which does not have a system tray or other mechanism for listing connected devices.\nTurns out it is easy to disconnect:\nsudo eject /dev/sdb1\nSeason the device path as appropriate for your system. I typically find the device name by looking through /var/log/messages for the USB messages for when I connect the iPod.\n","date":"28 October 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/disconnecting-ipod-from-linux/","section":"Posts","summary":"When I plug in an iPod into a machine running Ubuntu, the iPod auto-connects, but is not actually mounted. This is especially problematic when I am running under i3 or other window manager which does not have a system tray or other mechanism for listing connected devices.\n","title":"disconnecting iPod from Linux","type":"posts"},{"content":"[NOTE: I have found Paragon Backup \u0026amp; Recovery tool to be better fit for me, and really like it: http://www.paragon-software.com/home/br-free/]\nSteps for setting up Clonezilla an a USB thumb drive:\ngo to http://tuxboot.org/download.php click Files on SourceForge download tuxboot*.exe (or other, depending on your currently booted OS) run tuxboot the defaults are good usually: clonezilla_live_stable chosen no Pre Downloaded images selected MD5 Check selected Type: USB Drive should be already the USB drive you have plugged in hit OK ","date":"27 October 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/clonezilla-disk-imaging-quickstart/","section":"Posts","summary":"[NOTE: I have found Paragon Backup \u0026 Recovery tool to be better fit for me, and really like it: http://www.paragon-software.com/home/br-free/]\nSteps for setting up Clonezilla an a USB thumb drive:\ngo to http://tuxboot.org/download.php click Files on SourceForge download tuxboot*.exe (or other, depending on your currently booted OS) run tuxboot the defaults are good usually: clonezilla_live_stable chosen no Pre Downloaded images selected MD5 Check selected Type: USB Drive should be already the USB drive you have plugged in hit OK ","title":"clonezilla (disk imaging) quickstart","type":"posts"},{"content":" This is an excellent site containing reviews of best freeware in many categories.\nSome notable reviews:\nhttp://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-anti-virus-software.htm http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/top-freeware-picks-category-editors.htm http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-firewall.htm http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-cd-dvd-burning-software.htm http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-pdf-writer.htm http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-disk-de-fragmenter.htm http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-drive-imaging-program.htm http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-portable-programs.htm http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-non-adobe-pdf-reader.htm ","date":"26 October 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/gizmo-s-freeware/","section":"Posts","summary":" This is an excellent site containing reviews of best freeware in many categories.\nSome notable reviews:\nhttp://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-anti-virus-software.htm http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/top-freeware-picks-category-editors.htm http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-firewall.htm http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-cd-dvd-burning-software.htm http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-pdf-writer.htm http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-disk-de-fragmenter.htm http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-drive-imaging-program.htm http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-portable-programs.htm http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-non-adobe-pdf-reader.htm ","title":"gizmo's freeware","type":"posts"},{"content":" This is a great website for getting at direct downloads of notable HW/SW patches, service packs, security updates, DirectX, etc.\nhttp://www.softwarepatch.com\n","date":"26 October 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/www-softwarepatch-com/","section":"Posts","summary":" This is a great website for getting at direct downloads of notable HW/SW patches, service packs, security updates, DirectX, etc.\nhttp://www.softwarepatch.com\n","title":"www.softwarepatch.com","type":"posts"},{"content":" In my experience USB \u0026ldquo;thumb\u0026rdquo; drives are notoriously unreliable, but that\u0026rsquo;s something you find out only once you attempt to read back the data you\u0026rsquo;ve \u0026ldquo;written\u0026rdquo; to the device. Always check your medium before use.\nGreat tool that I found for such drive validation: \u0026ldquo;Check Flash\u0026rdquo;: http://mikelab.kiev.ua/index_en.php?page=PROGRAMS/chkflsh_en\n","date":"25 October 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/checking-usb-thumb-drives/","section":"Posts","summary":" In my experience USB “thumb” drives are notoriously unreliable, but that’s something you find out only once you attempt to read back the data you’ve “written” to the device. Always check your medium before use.\n","title":"checking USB thumb drives","type":"posts"},{"content":"Registry change:\nhttp://ftp.gnu.org/old-gnu/emacs/windows/docs/ntemacs/contrib/caps-as-ctrl.reg\nFrom:\nhttp://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/windows/Installing-Emacs.html\n","date":"23 October 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/capslock-as-another-ctrl-windows/","section":"Posts","summary":"Registry change:\nhttp://ftp.gnu.org/old-gnu/emacs/windows/docs/ntemacs/contrib/caps-as-ctrl.reg\nFrom:\nhttp://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/windows/Installing-Emacs.html\n","title":"CapsLock as another Ctrl (Windows)","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"23 October 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/keyboard/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Keyboard","type":"tags"},{"content":" I recently broke my favourite umbrella, the Totes classic black \u0026ldquo;Doorman\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;Gentleman\u0026rdquo; stick umbrella, and had a hard time finding a place to buy a replacement from.\nNaturally, Totes online has it, but they don\u0026rsquo;t ship to Canada, and their Canadian store is only going to come online next year. Amazon.com does not ship to Canada. Sigh.\nFinally, success! Someone that has it AND ships to Canada:\nhttp://www.beltoutlet.com\nIt can be found here:\nhttp://www.beltoutlet.com/meaustumbto.html\nNow let\u0026rsquo;s see how fast they can get it here.\n","date":"22 October 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/totes-doorman-gentleman-umbrella/","section":"Posts","summary":" I recently broke my favourite umbrella, the Totes classic black “Doorman” or “Gentleman” stick umbrella, and had a hard time finding a place to buy a replacement from.\n","title":"Totes 'Doorman/Gentleman' umbrella","type":"posts"},{"content":"A lot of approaches on the Net specify hacking the locale files; e.g.:\nhttp://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=813945\nHowever, a far simpler and certainly less intrusive procedure is to simply modify default LC_TIME:\nhttp://askubuntu.com/questions/6016/how-to-set-monday-as-the-first-day-of-the-week-in-gnome-calendar-applet\nSpecifically:\nin /etc/default/locale add:\nLC_TIME=\u0026ldquo;en_GB.UTF-8\u0026rdquo; log out, then log back in ","date":"22 October 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/monday-as-first-day-of-week-in-gnome/","section":"Posts","summary":"A lot of approaches on the Net specify hacking the locale files; e.g.:\nhttp://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=813945\nHowever, a far simpler and certainly less intrusive procedure is to simply modify default LC_TIME:\nhttp://askubuntu.com/questions/6016/how-to-set-monday-as-the-first-day-of-the-week-in-gnome-calendar-applet\nSpecifically:\nin /etc/default/locale add:\nLC_TIME=“en_GB.UTF-8” log out, then log back in ","title":"Monday as first day of week in GNOME","type":"posts"},{"content":"Best deal on the \u0026ldquo;lean back\u0026rdquo; models is here:\nhttp://shop.brando.com/google-nexus-s-usb-cradle_p05659c1265d106.html\nhttp://shop.brando.com/google-nexus-s-2nd-battery-usb-cradle_p05660c1265d106.html\nInterestingly, you can hack the dock by adding resistors, to get different results:\nhttp://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=12160799\u0026postcount=40\nhttp://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=820275\n","date":"21 October 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/hunting-for-dock-for-nexus-s/","section":"Posts","summary":"Best deal on the “lean back” models is here:\nhttp://shop.brando.com/google-nexus-s-usb-cradle_p05659c1265d106.html\nhttp://shop.brando.com/google-nexus-s-2nd-battery-usb-cradle_p05660c1265d106.html\nInterestingly, you can hack the dock by adding resistors, to get different results:\nhttp://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=12160799\u0026postcount=40\nhttp://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=820275\n","title":"hunting for dock for Nexus S","type":"posts"},{"content":"http://www.gdargaud.net/Hack/DeadPixels.html\n","date":"19 October 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/dead-pixel-finder-online-version/","section":"Posts","summary":"http://www.gdargaud.net/Hack/DeadPixels.html\n","title":"dead pixel finder, online version","type":"posts"},{"content":"I must have clicked something naughty in Compiz Config Settings Manager, because I lost the top and left side panels, and generally there was not much more than just the desktop background. I was stumped on how to fix this.\nThen I found:\nhttp://www.tuxgarage.com/2011/04/missing-top-and-side-panels-in-unity.html\nVery good walkthrough for fixing Unity.\nIn the end, I executed the \u0026ldquo;Reset Compiz\u0026rdquo; section, and things are back to normal.\n","date":"18 October 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/fixing-broken-ubuntu-unity/","section":"Posts","summary":"I must have clicked something naughty in Compiz Config Settings Manager, because I lost the top and left side panels, and generally there was not much more than just the desktop background. I was stumped on how to fix this.\n","title":"fixing broken Ubuntu Unity","type":"posts"},{"content":"By default recent Ubuntus (e.g., 11.10) use Network Manager, which makes things simple:\nclick network icon in system tray Edit Connections select the one entry that you see there (unless your network is not working) Edit\u0026hellip; IPv4 Settings From Method drop-down select Manual the rest should be straight forward If not using Network Manager to manage network connections, you need to edit /etc/network/interfaces and add (adjust to own network parameters):\nauto eth0\niface eth0 inet static\naddress 192.168.0.100\nnetmask 255.255.255.0\nnetwork 192.168.0.0\nbroadcast 192.168.0.255\ngateway 192.168.0.1\n","date":"17 October 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/setting-static-ip-in-ubuntu/","section":"Posts","summary":"By default recent Ubuntus (e.g., 11.10) use Network Manager, which makes things simple:\nclick network icon in system tray Edit Connections select the one entry that you see there (unless your network is not working) Edit… IPv4 Settings From Method drop-down select Manual the rest should be straight forward If not using Network Manager to manage network connections, you need to edit /etc/network/interfaces and add (adjust to own network parameters):\n","title":"setting static IP in Ubuntu","type":"posts"},{"content":"Steps needed to download my repo from github to a new computer:\ninstall git generate SSH key\nssh-keygen -t rsa -C \u0026ldquo;your_email@youremail.com\u0026rdquo; add public key to github keys associated with my identity have ssh-agent forget identies\nssh-add -d now reread new ones\nssh-add verify ssh setup is working (see http://help.github.com/ssh-issues/)\nssh -vT git@github.com clone repo\ngit clone git://github.com/maciekk/emacs.git Note that did not have to do a \u0026ldquo;git init\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;git remote add\u0026rdquo;.\n","date":"17 October 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/cloning-a-github-repo/","section":"Posts","summary":"Steps needed to download my repo from github to a new computer:\ninstall git generate SSH key\nssh-keygen -t rsa -C “your_email@youremail.com” add public key to github keys associated with my identity have ssh-agent forget identies\nssh-add -d now reread new ones\nssh-add verify ssh setup is working (see http://help.github.com/ssh-issues/)\nssh -vT git@github.com clone repo\ngit clone git://github.com/maciekk/emacs.git Note that did not have to do a “git init” or “git remote add”.\n","title":"cloning a github repo","type":"posts"},{"content":"Steps needed to download my repo from github to new computer:\ninstall git ssh keygen add public key to github keys associated with my identity ssh-add -d (have ssh-agent forget identies) ssh-add (now reread new ones) ssh -vT git@github.com to verify ssh setup is working git clo Claude (migration note): Empty or missing title. Filename is a numeric post ID (likely a Blogger import artifact). Missing title and truncated content (ends mid-sentence) — strong candidate for deletion.\n","date":"16 October 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/post-1508366904087189637/","section":"Posts","summary":"Steps needed to download my repo from github to new computer:\ninstall git ssh keygen add public key to github keys associated with my identity ssh-add -d (have ssh-agent forget identies) ssh-add (now reread new ones) ssh -vT git@github.com to verify ssh setup is working git clo Claude (migration note): Empty or missing title. Filename is a numeric post ID (likely a Blogger import artifact). Missing title and truncated content (ends mid-sentence) — strong candidate for deletion.\n","title":"","type":"posts"},{"content":"This book has been highly recommended to me, I should check it out soon:\nMathematics: A Human Endeavor\nHarold R. Jacobs\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Endeavor-Harold-R-Jacobs/dp/071672426X\n","date":"2 October 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/recommended-book-on-mathematics/","section":"Posts","summary":"This book has been highly recommended to me, I should check it out soon:\nMathematics: A Human Endeavor\nHarold R. Jacobs\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Endeavor-Harold-R-Jacobs/dp/071672426X\n","title":"Recommended book on Mathematics","type":"posts"},{"content":"http://www.booksatoz.com/witsend/tea/orwell.htm\n","date":"2 October 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/a-nice-cup-of-tea-by-orwell/","section":"Posts","summary":"http://www.booksatoz.com/witsend/tea/orwell.htm\n","title":"A nice cup of tea (by Orwell)","type":"posts"},{"content":"Typically \u0026ldquo;Windows\u0026rdquo; is one of the last options in the GRUB menu, and thus rather brittle to selecting by static index. Instead, one can specify default GRUB choice by using the full option name. Here are the steps I followed last to update this on a recent Ubuntu (11.x) install:\nedit /etc/default/grub change GRUB_DEFAULT to FULL name of the Windows menu entry (best to copy-paste from your own config) save to propagate the change, run \u0026lsquo;update-grub\u0026rsquo; Note that, aside from the static integer index and the full menu item name, one can also use special string \u0026lsquo;saved\u0026rsquo;. However IIRC in the past I was not fully happy with this option (did not stick maybe?).\n","date":"11 September 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/configuring-grub-for-auto-selecting-windows/","section":"Posts","summary":"Typically “Windows” is one of the last options in the GRUB menu, and thus rather brittle to selecting by static index. Instead, one can specify default GRUB choice by using the full option name. Here are the steps I followed last to update this on a recent Ubuntu (11.x) install:\n","title":"configuring grub for auto-selecting Windows","type":"posts"},{"content":"From http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php/topic,25545.0.html\nSolution – Reset the Furthest Page Read\nUse the same device for all of the steps below before opening the book on a different one, the below example is using a single Kindle\n1. Set the Synchronization off on your Amazon Account (Go to Amazon -\u0026gt; Your Account -\u0026gt; Manage Your Kindle -\u0026gt; Manage Kindle Device Synchronization -\u0026gt; click the “Turn the Synchronization off” button to turn off the synchronization)\n2. Wait about a minute, then exit \u0026amp; re-enter your book\n3. Go to the beginning of your book on the Kindle\n4. Sync to the furthest page. If it tells you that you’re on the furthest location, you’re good to go.\n1. If not, select Cancel on the sync message, exit and re-enter the book to attempt the reset again. (I think that the Amazon databases have to get reset-thus the delay; in any case, it always works for me on the 2nd attempt)\n5. Turn on the synchronization setting on your Account – your Furthest Page read will be reset to your new location.\n6. On your other devices–if further along in the book, you will have to go to the beginning of the book, but once done the Furthest Page Read location will sync with your Kindle.\n","date":"31 July 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/how-to-reset-furthest-page-read-on-kindle/","section":"Posts","summary":"From http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php/topic,25545.0.html\nSolution – Reset the Furthest Page Read\nUse the same device for all of the steps below before opening the book on a different one, the below example is using a single Kindle\n1. Set the Synchronization off on your Amazon Account (Go to Amazon -\u003e Your Account -\u003e Manage Your Kindle -\u003e Manage Kindle Device Synchronization -\u003e click the “Turn the Synchronization off” button to turn off the synchronization)\n2. Wait about a minute, then exit \u0026 re-enter your book\n3. Go to the beginning of your book on the Kindle\n4. Sync to the furthest page. If it tells you that you’re on the furthest location, you’re good to go.\n1. If not, select Cancel on the sync message, exit and re-enter the book to attempt the reset again. (I think that the Amazon databases have to get reset-thus the delay; in any case, it always works for me on the 2nd attempt)\n5. Turn on the synchronization setting on your Account – your Furthest Page read will be reset to your new location.\n6. On your other devices–if further along in the book, you will have to go to the beginning of the book, but once done the Furthest Page Read location will sync with your Kindle.\n","title":"how to reset Furthest Page Read on Kindle","type":"posts"},{"content":"From:\nhttp://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1070212\nadd this line:\noptions snd-hda-intel model=acer_wmi\nto the end of /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base\nThis has now changed. Put the above line in /etc/modprobe.d/sound\n","date":"1 July 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/fixing-headphone-config-on-acer-aspire-one/","section":"Posts","summary":"From:\nhttp://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1070212\nadd this line:\noptions snd-hda-intel model=acer_wmi\nto the end of /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base\nThis has now changed. Put the above line in /etc/modprobe.d/sound\n","title":"fixing headphone config on Acer Aspire One","type":"posts"},{"content":" C-50 Ontario processor is 64-bit, so we\u0026rsquo;ll use the 64 bit image: ubuntu-11.04-desktop-amd64.iso installed image onto USB stick using: \u0026lsquo;sudo usb-creator-gtk\u0026rsquo; command make sure BIOS is configured to read from USB stick before HDD note: ubuntu kept hanging on me (mouse cursor/throbber frozen)\u0026hellip; from posts on Net I suspect it is due to wireless driver solution: install with wired connection plugged in; this allowed me to do install no problem this link sounds relevant: http://fossplanet.com/f10/[bug-775034]-[new]-natty-freezes-due-acer-aspire-one-522-wireless-148584/ suspend and hibernate work right out of the box with this (tested both) clicking on Additional Drivers in top bar, it seems we are already using Broadcom STA wireless driver (hence could conflict with other one) now able to use wifi (w/o wired plugged in) using following: add in /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf this line: \u0026ldquo;blacklist atl1c\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;sudo update-initramfs -u\u0026rdquo; suspend still works outstanding issues: (non-proprietary) video driver has poor YouTube playback, etc. after resume (from Suspend?) the Ubuntu top and left bars stop updating visually (Ubuntu One compiz component; switch to \u0026ldquo;Ubuntu Classic\u0026rdquo; in GDM and all is well) attempting ATI/AMD proprietary FGLRX gfx driver install\u0026hellip; resume from suspend no longer working\u0026hellip; can\u0026rsquo;t even ping the machine (but did not check earlier that I actually could) went back to non-proprietary video drivers ","date":"29 May 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/notes-from-ubuntu-11-04-install-on-acer-aspire-522-bz499/","section":"Posts","summary":" C-50 Ontario processor is 64-bit, so we’ll use the 64 bit image: ubuntu-11.04-desktop-amd64.iso installed image onto USB stick using: ‘sudo usb-creator-gtk’ command make sure BIOS is configured to read from USB stick before HDD note: ubuntu kept hanging on me (mouse cursor/throbber frozen)… from posts on Net I suspect it is due to wireless driver solution: install with wired connection plugged in; this allowed me to do install no problem this link sounds relevant: http://fossplanet.com/f10/[bug-775034]-[new]-natty-freezes-due-acer-aspire-one-522-wireless-148584/ suspend and hibernate work right out of the box with this (tested both) clicking on Additional Drivers in top bar, it seems we are already using Broadcom STA wireless driver (hence could conflict with other one) now able to use wifi (w/o wired plugged in) using following: add in /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf this line: “blacklist atl1c” “sudo update-initramfs -u” suspend still works outstanding issues: (non-proprietary) video driver has poor YouTube playback, etc. after resume (from Suspend?) the Ubuntu top and left bars stop updating visually (Ubuntu One compiz component; switch to “Ubuntu Classic” in GDM and all is well) attempting ATI/AMD proprietary FGLRX gfx driver install… resume from suspend no longer working… can’t even ping the machine (but did not check earlier that I actually could) went back to non-proprietary video drivers ","title":"Notes from Ubuntu 11.04 install on Acer Aspire 522 - BZ499","type":"posts"},{"content":" Claude (migration note): Empty or missing title. Body is empty. Filename is a numeric post ID (likely a Blogger import artifact). Empty title and empty body — strong candidate for deletion.\n","date":"29 May 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/post-438583127379641090/","section":"Posts","summary":" Claude (migration note): Empty or missing title. Body is empty. Filename is a numeric post ID (likely a Blogger import artifact). Empty title and empty body — strong candidate for deletion.\n","title":"","type":"posts"},{"content":"Under compiz window manager, you need an extra package, which is not installed by default in Ubuntu 11.04. I\u0026rsquo;ve set the keybinding through gnome settings, and that was not sufficient to have the fullscreen action work.\nSteps:\napt-get install compiz-plugins-extra Systems Settings \u0026gt; CompizConfig Settings Manager \u0026gt; Extra WM Actions \u0026gt; Toggle Fullscreen (provide keybinding, such as Alt-Enter) I found that I needed to restart the window manager for this to start working. Source:\nhttp://askubuntu.com/questions/2140/is-there-a-way-to-turn-gvim-into-fullscreen-mode\n","date":"29 May 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/ubuntu-gvim-in-fullscreen/","section":"Posts","summary":"Under compiz window manager, you need an extra package, which is not installed by default in Ubuntu 11.04. I’ve set the keybinding through gnome settings, and that was not sufficient to have the fullscreen action work.\n","title":"Ubuntu: gVim in fullscreen","type":"posts"},{"content":"Problem: on resume from suspend, Ubuntu/GNOME presents password entry dialog, which is annoying.\nFound a working solution here:\nhttp://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1466504\nNamely:\nAs you\u0026rsquo;ve probably already done, uncheck:\n\u0026ldquo;lock screen when screen saver is activated\u0026rdquo;\nin the System-\u0026gt;Preferences-\u0026gt;Screen Saver menu. Type gconf-editor in a terminal. Under apps/gnome-power-manager/locks check:\n\u0026ldquo;use_screensaver_settings\u0026rdquo;. If still asked for password, you can (also in gconf-editor) go to desktop/gnome/lockdown and check:\n\u0026ldquo;disable_lock_screen\u0026rdquo;\nCredits to itslofty below for this tip! I only had to do steps 1 and 2 on my Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwal on the Acer Aspire 522 BZ499.\n","date":"28 May 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/ubuntu-gnome-disabling-password-request-on-resume/","section":"Posts","summary":"Problem: on resume from suspend, Ubuntu/GNOME presents password entry dialog, which is annoying.\nFound a working solution here:\nhttp://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1466504\nNamely:\nAs you’ve probably already done, uncheck:\n“lock screen when screen saver is activated”\nin the System-\u003ePreferences-\u003eScreen Saver menu. Type gconf-editor in a terminal. Under apps/gnome-power-manager/locks check:\n“use_screensaver_settings”. If still asked for password, you can (also in gconf-editor) go to desktop/gnome/lockdown and check:\n“disable_lock_screen”\nCredits to itslofty below for this tip! I only had to do steps 1 and 2 on my Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwal on the Acer Aspire 522 BZ499.\n","title":"Ubuntu/gnome: disabling password request on resume","type":"posts"},{"content":"Various notes on trying to get latest Ubuntu (11.*) running on my AO522 netbook.\nUseful links;\nhttp://phoronix.com/forums/showthread.php?31961-Notes-on-Acer-Aspire-One-522 http://kered.org/blog/2011-02-24/acer-ao522-linux-compatibility-and-memory-upgrade-procedure/ http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1543009\u0026page=17 http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1680348\u0026page=2 ","date":"21 May 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/ubuntu-my-acer-aspire-522-bz499/","section":"Posts","summary":"Various notes on trying to get latest Ubuntu (11.*) running on my AO522 netbook.\nUseful links;\nhttp://phoronix.com/forums/showthread.php?31961-Notes-on-Acer-Aspire-One-522 http://kered.org/blog/2011-02-24/acer-ao522-linux-compatibility-and-memory-upgrade-procedure/ http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1543009\u0026page=17 http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1680348\u0026page=2 ","title":"Ubuntu + my Acer Aspire 522 BZ499","type":"posts"},{"content":"From:\nhttp://www.thank-you-note-samples.com/how-to-write-a-thank.html\nHere\u0026rsquo;s how to get started:\nDear [Name of person]. If \u0026ldquo;Dear\u0026rdquo; sounds too formal to you and you know the person well, you can get away with \u0026ldquo;Hi\u0026rdquo;, as in \u0026ldquo;Hi Michelle!\u0026rdquo; Thank you for the [description of gift] [name of gift].Example: Thank you for the fuzzy brown scarf. At least one sentence about the item; something you did with it, a reason you like it, when you plan to use it. Ideally, make the sentence 2 parts, like the example below. This makes the note feel more sincere.Example: It matches many of my clothes and I know I\u0026rsquo;ll use it on my trip to Iceland. Tell the giver you appreciate the thought or time they put into it and the occasion for which the gift was given.Example: It was so thoughtful of you to think of me on my birthday. Mention something about the giver such as family members or something happening in their lives.Example: Best wishes to Tom and the kids. OR Have a great time in Maine next month. I look forward to hearing about it! Sign off. \u0026ldquo;Love\u0026rdquo; is fine for family members and close friends. For others, some choices are \u0026ldquo;Yours Truly\u0026rdquo;, \u0026ldquo;Regards\u0026rdquo;, or \u0026ldquo;Warm Regards\u0026rdquo;. Sign your name. Don\u0026rsquo;t make this an autograph scrawl; neaten it up so you they know it\u0026rsquo;s you. ","date":"13 March 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/writing-effective-thank-you-notes/","section":"Posts","summary":"From:\nhttp://www.thank-you-note-samples.com/how-to-write-a-thank.html\nHere’s how to get started:\nDear [Name of person]. If “Dear” sounds too formal to you and you know the person well, you can get away with “Hi”, as in “Hi Michelle!” Thank you for the [description of gift] [name of gift].Example: Thank you for the fuzzy brown scarf. At least one sentence about the item; something you did with it, a reason you like it, when you plan to use it. Ideally, make the sentence 2 parts, like the example below. This makes the note feel more sincere.Example: It matches many of my clothes and I know I’ll use it on my trip to Iceland. Tell the giver you appreciate the thought or time they put into it and the occasion for which the gift was given.Example: It was so thoughtful of you to think of me on my birthday. Mention something about the giver such as family members or something happening in their lives.Example: Best wishes to Tom and the kids. OR Have a great time in Maine next month. I look forward to hearing about it! Sign off. “Love” is fine for family members and close friends. For others, some choices are “Yours Truly”, “Regards”, or “Warm Regards”. Sign your name. Don’t make this an autograph scrawl; neaten it up so you they know it’s you. ","title":"writing effective Thank You notes","type":"posts"},{"content":"Useful review of top free PDF printers:\nhttp://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-pdf-writer.htm\nI chose to install BullZip one. Ran into issue where upon printing I would get error about macros. The following post was useful:\nhttp://www.bullzip.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=8538\nIn particular, the key seems to have been to run a tool for cleaning up after Mcaffee uninstall:\nhttps://community.mcafee.com/message/110147\nhttp://download.mcafee.com/products/licensed/cust_support_patches/MCPR.exe\n","date":"6 March 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/pdf-virtual-printer-for-windows/","section":"Posts","summary":"Useful review of top free PDF printers:\nhttp://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-pdf-writer.htm\nI chose to install BullZip one. Ran into issue where upon printing I would get error about macros. The following post was useful:\nhttp://www.bullzip.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=8538\n","title":"PDF virtual printer for Windows","type":"posts"},{"content":"Interesting post, seen on https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/cdngiadmnkhgemkimkhiilgffbjijcie:\nYou don\u0026rsquo;t need any 3rd pary extension to block flash anymore. To enable Chrome\u0026rsquo;s built in Flashblock type \u0026lsquo;about:flags\u0026rsquo; into the address bar and hit enter. Scroll down to the botton and enable \u0026lsquo;Click to play\u0026rsquo;, then restart your browser. Now click the wrench menu \u0026gt; Options \u0026gt; Under the hood \u0026gt; Content setting \u0026gt; Plug-ins and select \u0026lsquo;Click to play\u0026rsquo; from the right hand side. You can use the Exception button to whitelist specific domains.\n","date":"21 February 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/blocking-flash-in-chrome/","section":"Posts","summary":"Interesting post, seen on https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/cdngiadmnkhgemkimkhiilgffbjijcie:\nYou don’t need any 3rd pary extension to block flash anymore. To enable Chrome’s built in Flashblock type ‘about:flags’ into the address bar and hit enter. Scroll down to the botton and enable ‘Click to play’, then restart your browser. Now click the wrench menu \u003e Options \u003e Under the hood \u003e Content setting \u003e Plug-ins and select ‘Click to play’ from the right hand side. You can use the Exception button to whitelist specific domains.\n","title":"blocking Flash in Chrome","type":"posts"},{"content":"Some instructions here:\nhttp://publicint.blogspot.com/2010/06/setup-googlecl-on-winxp.html\nHowever, it seems newest versions of the googlecl tool come pre-built. The only issue was I was missing MSVCRT71.dll file. This can be obtained for Windows 7 here:\nhttp://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/fix-msvcp71-dll-and-msvcr71-dll-missing-error-in-windows-7/\n","date":"17 February 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/setting-up-googlecl-in-windows/","section":"Posts","summary":"Some instructions here:\nhttp://publicint.blogspot.com/2010/06/setup-googlecl-on-winxp.html\nHowever, it seems newest versions of the googlecl tool come pre-built. The only issue was I was missing MSVCRT71.dll file. This can be obtained for Windows 7 here:\nhttp://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/fix-msvcp71-dll-and-msvcr71-dll-missing-error-in-windows-7/\n","title":"setting up googlecl in Windows","type":"posts"},{"content":"To that end, I found this link useful:\nhttp://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/MovingTheCtrlKey#toc4\nIn *NIX:\nsetxkbmap -option ctrl:swapcaps # Swap Left Control and Caps Lock setxkbmap -option ctrl:nocaps # Make Caps Lock a Control key ","date":"5 February 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/remapping-capslock-to-extra-control-key/","section":"Posts","summary":"To that end, I found this link useful:\nhttp://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/MovingTheCtrlKey#toc4\nIn *NIX:\nsetxkbmap -option ctrl:swapcaps # Swap Left Control and Caps Lock setxkbmap -option ctrl:nocaps # Make Caps Lock a Control key","title":"remapping CapsLock to extra Control key","type":"posts"},{"content":"Just got an Acer Aspire One (AO522); here are some things I bumped into with Windows 7 Starter, or otherwise interesting links:\nhttp://www.instructables.com/id/Windows-7-Starter-Easy-way-to-change-wallpaper/ http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7desktop/thread/063bdfc6-6062-49b5-b34f-f7c413bb7f86 http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/11243/how-to-personalize-windows-7-starter/ http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16041/change-the-wallpaper-and-customization-settings-in-windows-7-starter-edition/ http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/10024-password-require-wakeup.htm Xubuntu issues encountered:\nAMD \u0026ldquo;unsupported hardware\u0026rdquo; watermark with \u0026lsquo;fglrx\u0026rsquo; driver unable to resume from \u0026lsquo;sleep\u0026rsquo; xfce4 window manager does not have gui tool for setting keyboard options (e.g., swap CapsLock and CTRL) ","date":"31 January 2011","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2011/setting-up-my-acer-aspire-one/","section":"Posts","summary":"Just got an Acer Aspire One (AO522); here are some things I bumped into with Windows 7 Starter, or otherwise interesting links:\nhttp://www.instructables.com/id/Windows-7-Starter-Easy-way-to-change-wallpaper/ http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7desktop/thread/063bdfc6-6062-49b5-b34f-f7c413bb7f86 http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/11243/how-to-personalize-windows-7-starter/ http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16041/change-the-wallpaper-and-customization-settings-in-windows-7-starter-edition/ http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/10024-password-require-wakeup.htm Xubuntu issues encountered:\n","title":"setting up my Acer Aspire One","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"5 December 2010","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2010/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"2010","type":"posts"},{"content":"If you run \u0026lsquo;htop\u0026rsquo; you might see over 60 processes named \u0026lsquo;console-kit-daemon\u0026rsquo;. This seems to be a bug. On a mostly-single-user system one might as well uninstall \u0026lsquo;consolekit\u0026rsquo; package (seems to be used for fast user switching).\nFor more see:\nhttp://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=3609863\u0026postcount=10\nP.S. Alas, some other packages depend on \u0026lsquo;consolekit\u0026rsquo;; not removing for now.\n","date":"5 December 2010","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2010/console-kit-daemon-x60/","section":"Posts","summary":"If you run ‘htop’ you might see over 60 processes named ‘console-kit-daemon’. This seems to be a bug. On a mostly-single-user system one might as well uninstall ‘consolekit’ package (seems to be used for fast user switching).\n","title":"console-kit-daemon x60","type":"posts"},{"content":"From:\nhttp://serverfault.com/questions/10437/how-do-you-swap-the-caps-lock-to-control-in-xfce\nRun this on startup:\n/usr/bin/setxkbmap -option \u0026ldquo;ctrl:nocaps\u0026rdquo;\nThis can be placed in XFCE\u0026rsquo;s startup (Settings \u0026gt; Session and Startup \u0026gt; Application Autostart tab \u0026gt; Add button).\n","date":"5 December 2010","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2010/changing-capslock-to-ctrl-in-xfce4/","section":"Posts","summary":"From:\nhttp://serverfault.com/questions/10437/how-do-you-swap-the-caps-lock-to-control-in-xfce\nRun this on startup:\n/usr/bin/setxkbmap -option “ctrl:nocaps”\nThis can be placed in XFCE’s startup (Settings \u003e Session and Startup \u003e Application Autostart tab \u003e Add button).\n","title":"changing CapsLock to Ctrl in XFCE4","type":"posts"},{"content":"These are my favourite wallpaper sites, ranked by preference:\nhttp://nik.bot.nu/browse.fu http://wallbase.net/ http://4walled.org/ http://www.reddit.com/r/wallpapers ","date":"25 September 2010","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2010/favourite-wallpaper-sites/","section":"Posts","summary":"These are my favourite wallpaper sites, ranked by preference:\nhttp://nik.bot.nu/browse.fu http://wallbase.net/ http://4walled.org/ http://www.reddit.com/r/wallpapers ","title":"favourite wallpaper sites","type":"posts"},{"content":"I found that on my BenQ W9000 projector, when feeding it 1280x720 signal from my computer (for when my gfx card cannot handle the full 1900x1080 at reasonable framerates), and using the Anamorphic mode to scale image to full display area, a fair bit of the image was being cropped. Turns out this has to do with \u0026ldquo;overscan\u0026rdquo; setting, which alas is not accessible from regular projector menu. However, it is modifiable if one enters a secret \u0026ldquo;service menu\u0026rdquo;. For this projector, to enter the service menu press:\nMenu Up Down Up Down Up Down Menu [the above is from http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=799576]\nThe setting is under Video Signal option (\u0026ldquo;overscan rate\u0026rdquo;). When showing the 720p image, the overscan rate was originally only 93%! I\u0026rsquo;ve set it to 100% and now there is no longer any cropping. Yay!\nFYI, to get back to using the regular OSD menu once you\u0026rsquo;re done with the service menu, select the first option Factory \u0026gt; Return User OSD.\n","date":"17 February 2010","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2010/benq-w9000-service-menu-overscan/","section":"Posts","summary":"I found that on my BenQ W9000 projector, when feeding it 1280x720 signal from my computer (for when my gfx card cannot handle the full 1900x1080 at reasonable framerates), and using the Anamorphic mode to scale image to full display area, a fair bit of the image was being cropped. Turns out this has to do with “overscan” setting, which alas is not accessible from regular projector menu. However, it is modifiable if one enters a secret “service menu”. For this projector, to enter the service menu press:\n","title":"BenQ W9000 service menu / overscan","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"16 August 2009","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2009/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"2009","type":"posts"},{"content":"Installation instructions from:\nhttp://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-software-2/cups-unable-to-discover-an-hp-1022n-network-printer-710492/\nHere are the essential instructions:\nConfigure the printer with its own facility, getting into its web page: http://the-actual-ip-address. There, assign a static IP address of your choice. You would have to (recommended) restart the printer with the new assigned static IP. Configure manually the printer within CUPS. Follow instructions up to the point where you are asked to specify the URI. There, write socket://the-new-ip-address Specify it is an HPLIP printer, and when prompted to specify the type of printer, scroll down and find the \u0026ldquo;HP LaserJet 1022n Foomatic/hpijs, hpijs 2.8.10.33\u0026rdquo; (for example, version is actually the one shown in my system, could be some other). Choose Add Printer. Print a Test Page and\u0026hellip; Voila\u0026hellip;!! ","date":"16 August 2009","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2009/hp-1022n-on-linux/","section":"Posts","summary":"Installation instructions from:\nhttp://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-software-2/cups-unable-to-discover-an-hp-1022n-network-printer-710492/\nHere are the essential instructions:\nConfigure the printer with its own facility, getting into its web page: http://the-actual-ip-address. There, assign a static IP address of your choice. You would have to (recommended) restart the printer with the new assigned static IP. Configure manually the printer within CUPS. Follow instructions up to the point where you are asked to specify the URI. There, write socket://the-new-ip-address Specify it is an HPLIP printer, and when prompted to specify the type of printer, scroll down and find the “HP LaserJet 1022n Foomatic/hpijs, hpijs 2.8.10.33” (for example, version is actually the one shown in my system, could be some other). Choose Add Printer. Print a Test Page and… Voila…!! ","title":"HP 1022n on Linux","type":"posts"},{"content":"http://forums.linksysbycisco.com/linksys/board/message?board.id=Access_Points\u0026thread.id=11089 The above forum thread discusses how to setup multiple routers at home. In particular, the thread is by someone in a similar situation to my own, where the cable modem comes with a wireless router already, which are setup in the basement, and wants to add a second router on second floor of house for better connectivity. The solution:\nThere are 2 ways this can be done. 1. Use the WRT54GS as a router and cascade the routers. 2. Use the WRT54GS as an Access Point (AP). Solution for option 1. Set the LAN IP of the WRT54GS to 192.168.2.1 Set the WAN IP of the WRT54GS to 192.168.1.2 Set the Gateway and DNS to 192.168.1.1 Set the DNS server IP range to suit the new IP Connect the Ethernet cable from the WAN port of the WRT54GS to the LAN port of your choice. Clients will get an IP from the WRT54GS. Solution for option 2. Install DD-WRT for the WRT54GS Turn off the WAN port. Turn off the DHCP server Set the LAN IP to 192.168.1.2 Set the Gateway and DNS to 192.168.1.1 Connect the Ethernet cable from the LAN port to of the WRT54GS to the LAN port of your choice. Clients will get an IP from the TRENDnet device. This was done from the top of my head as I was to lazy to check my WRT54G for the settings, but I am sure they are correct. The difference between the 2 setups is that your network will appear as 2 different networks under option 1. In option 2 everything will appear as a single network. As far as function is concerned I don\u0026#39;t think you will realistically notice the operational difference. As for the wireless side of things I suggest setting a different SSID and channel to the primary router. Try to use WPA security if the option is available. Regards Fred ","date":"6 August 2009","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2009/using-multiple-routers-at-home/","section":"Posts","summary":"http://forums.linksysbycisco.com/linksys/board/message?board.id=Access_Points\u0026thread.id=11089 The above forum thread discusses how to setup multiple routers at home. In particular, the thread is by someone in a similar situation to my own, where the cable modem comes with a wireless router already, which are setup in the basement, and wants to add a second router on second floor of house for better connectivity. The solution:\n","title":"using multiple routers at home","type":"posts"},{"content":"The following is a fantastic map of Morrowind. It uses GoogleMaps.\nhttp://www.uesp.net/maps/mwmap/mwmap.shtml?centeron=Pemenie\u0026\n","date":"29 June 2009","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2009/morrowind-map/","section":"Posts","summary":"The following is a fantastic map of Morrowind. It uses GoogleMaps.\nhttp://www.uesp.net/maps/mwmap/mwmap.shtml?centeron=Pemenie\u0026\n","title":"Morrowind map","type":"posts"},{"content":"According to:\nhttp://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/reference.php?id=5\nNP (needlepoint). A very small point to give an extremely fine line. Sometimes referred to as XXF or EEF (extra-extra-fine). EF (extra-fine). A nib that will give a line width of around 0.4mm. Suitable for those with very small writing. F (fine). A nib that will give a line width of around 0.6mm. Suitable for those with small writing. M (medium). A nib that will give a line width of around 0.8mm. Suitable for those with average-size handwriting. B (broad or bold). A nib that will give a line width of around 1.0mm. Suitable for those with large writing or for signatures. BB (extra-broad). A nib that will give a line width of around 1.2mm. Suitable for those with very large writing or for signatures. BBB or 3B (extra-extra-broad). A nib that will give a line width of around 1.4mm. Will give large flowing lines and usually good variation between down-strokes (wide) and side-strokes (less wide). OM, OB etc (oblique). A nib ground so that the tip slopes to the left, rather like your left foot. Designed for those writers that either rotate the pen anti-clockwise or hold the pen at an unusual angle. Note that oblique nibs do not normally give more line variation than a standard rounded point unless specifically stated otherwise. ROM (reverse-oblique medium etc). A nib ground so that it slopes to the right, rather like your right foot. Sometimes suitable for left-handed people. Sometimes confusingly called right oblique. Uncommon. LH (left-hand, eg Pelikano and Lamy). A medium nib but with the point shaped so that it may be more suited to left-handed writers, particularly those who hold their above the line of writing (\u0026ldquo;over-writers\u0026rdquo;). MK (rounded medium). A special nib made by Lamy with a more rounded point such that the orientation of the pen relative to the paper is less critical than a standard point and therefore easier for beginners. The designation is no longer used but the current Lamy medium nib is made to the same specification as the MK. A. A rounded point made by Lamy for the abc school pen. Between fine and medium. Italic (eg IM, IB, 1.1mm 1.5mm etc). A nib ground so that the tip is flat instead of rounded. Designed to give extreme line variation between wide down-strokes and narrow side-strokes in the manner of a calligraphy pen. Often specified in terms of width (in mm). Most factory-produced italic nibs are actually stub- or cursive-italics meaning the corners of the nib are rounded so allow continuous writing unlike a proper calligraphy nib that requires much greater care. Stub. A more rounded, gentle version of an italic nib such that good line variation is produced. Like italic nibs, these are usually specified in terms of width (in mm). Less demanding in terms of angle to the page than an italic or stub-italic nib. ","date":"18 June 2009","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2009/great-explanation-of-nib-sizes/","section":"Posts","summary":"According to:\nhttp://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/reference.php?id=5\nNP (needlepoint). A very small point to give an extremely fine line. Sometimes referred to as XXF or EEF (extra-extra-fine). EF (extra-fine). A nib that will give a line width of around 0.4mm. Suitable for those with very small writing. F (fine). A nib that will give a line width of around 0.6mm. Suitable for those with small writing. M (medium). A nib that will give a line width of around 0.8mm. Suitable for those with average-size handwriting. B (broad or bold). A nib that will give a line width of around 1.0mm. Suitable for those with large writing or for signatures. BB (extra-broad). A nib that will give a line width of around 1.2mm. Suitable for those with very large writing or for signatures. BBB or 3B (extra-extra-broad). A nib that will give a line width of around 1.4mm. Will give large flowing lines and usually good variation between down-strokes (wide) and side-strokes (less wide). OM, OB etc (oblique). A nib ground so that the tip slopes to the left, rather like your left foot. Designed for those writers that either rotate the pen anti-clockwise or hold the pen at an unusual angle. Note that oblique nibs do not normally give more line variation than a standard rounded point unless specifically stated otherwise. ROM (reverse-oblique medium etc). A nib ground so that it slopes to the right, rather like your right foot. Sometimes suitable for left-handed people. Sometimes confusingly called right oblique. Uncommon. LH (left-hand, eg Pelikano and Lamy). A medium nib but with the point shaped so that it may be more suited to left-handed writers, particularly those who hold their above the line of writing (“over-writers”). MK (rounded medium). A special nib made by Lamy with a more rounded point such that the orientation of the pen relative to the paper is less critical than a standard point and therefore easier for beginners. The designation is no longer used but the current Lamy medium nib is made to the same specification as the MK. A. A rounded point made by Lamy for the abc school pen. Between fine and medium. Italic (eg IM, IB, 1.1mm 1.5mm etc). A nib ground so that the tip is flat instead of rounded. Designed to give extreme line variation between wide down-strokes and narrow side-strokes in the manner of a calligraphy pen. Often specified in terms of width (in mm). Most factory-produced italic nibs are actually stub- or cursive-italics meaning the corners of the nib are rounded so allow continuous writing unlike a proper calligraphy nib that requires much greater care. Stub. A more rounded, gentle version of an italic nib such that good line variation is produced. Like italic nibs, these are usually specified in terms of width (in mm). Less demanding in terms of angle to the page than an italic or stub-italic nib. ","title":"great explanation of nib sizes","type":"posts"},{"content":" swisher store : sells stand-alone nibs, converters (if link doesn\u0026rsquo;t work, select \u0026ldquo;Lamy\u0026rdquo; button, then \u0026ldquo;Safari collection) Lamy USA : sells Safari sections, although they don\u0026rsquo;t have orange! The Writing Desk : sells nibs ","date":"18 June 2009","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2009/places-to-get-lamy-nibs-sections/","section":"Posts","summary":" swisher store : sells stand-alone nibs, converters (if link doesn’t work, select “Lamy” button, then “Safari collection) Lamy USA : sells Safari sections, although they don’t have orange! The Writing Desk : sells nibs ","title":"places to get Lamy nibs / sections","type":"posts"},{"content":"http://zenhabits.net/2009/06/a-simple-guide-to-keeping-your-counters-clutter-free/\n","date":"17 June 2009","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2009/link-a-simple-guide-to-keeping-your-counters-clutter-free/","section":"Posts","summary":"http://zenhabits.net/2009/06/a-simple-guide-to-keeping-your-counters-clutter-free/\n","title":"link: A Simple Guide to Keeping Your Counters Clutter-free","type":"posts"},{"content":"When I try to use Meta-Ctrl-\u0026lt; in Emacs while there is some text selected, OmniOutliner pops up and tries to insert the text as a \u0026ldquo;Default Clipping\u0026rdquo;, which is terribly annoying, to say the least. After some looking around it seems to be a \u0026ldquo;Service\u0026rdquo; that can be turned off:\nYou need to remove the OmniOutliner Professional.service file from ~/Library/Services If you want to use OmniOutliner, you can changed the clipping shortcut through the OS X keyboard prefs or using some other app that will modify service shortcuts for you.\nand also\nYes, I did restart after deleting the .service file. I did however find a .plist file (as your colleague suggested) related to OmniOutliner somewhere and once that was gone I am now rid of error messages as well.\nLinks:\nhttp://forums.omnigroup.com/archive/index.php/t-9800.html http://www.mactech.com/articles/mactech/Vol.20/20.12/OSXServices/index.html ","date":"14 June 2009","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2009/omnioutliner-annoying-binding/","section":"Posts","summary":"When I try to use Meta-Ctrl-\u003c in Emacs while there is some text selected, OmniOutliner pops up and tries to insert the text as a “Default Clipping”, which is terribly annoying, to say the least. After some looking around it seems to be a “Service” that can be turned off:\n","title":"OmniOutliner annoying binding","type":"posts"},{"content":"Went on a \u0026ldquo;fountain pen bender\u0026rdquo; this past weekend. Found tons of interesting things. Here is a bag of them:\nhttp://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=8175 : index of pen reviews http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=39354 : index of ink reviews http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=58316 : fade test of inks http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=11808 : Fountain Pen Network FAQ http://www.richardspens.com/ : Richard Binder\u0026rsquo;s fountain pen site http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref/anatomy-vac.htm : Anatomy of a Vac. Lamy Safari pics:\nhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/36829683@N04/3452679206/ : orange http://www.flickr.com/photos/animalsoup/2045291870/in/set-72157610232874613/ : white http://www.flickr.com/photos/dowdyism/3019460841/ : lime green ","date":"8 June 2009","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2009/fountain-pens/","section":"Posts","summary":"Went on a “fountain pen bender” this past weekend. Found tons of interesting things. Here is a bag of them:\nhttp://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=8175 : index of pen reviews http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=39354 : index of ink reviews http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=58316 : fade test of inks http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=11808 : Fountain Pen Network FAQ http://www.richardspens.com/ : Richard Binder’s fountain pen site http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref/anatomy-vac.htm : Anatomy of a Vac. Lamy Safari pics:\n","title":"fountain pens","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2009","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/photography/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Photography","type":"tags"},{"content":"http://www.dailymotion.com/user/totocacapouet/video/x8uei4_openmindedness_tech\n","date":"20 May 2009","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2009/interesting-vid-open-mindedness/","section":"Posts","summary":"http://www.dailymotion.com/user/totocacapouet/video/x8uei4_openmindedness_tech\n","title":"interesting vid: open-mindedness","type":"posts"},{"content":"A colleague at work, who also happens to be called Ian, mentioned this excellent site about lacing and tying shoelaces: http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/index.htm\nClaude (migration note): Filename renamed from ian-39-s-shoelace-site to ians-shoelace-site (typo/encoding fix).\n","date":"14 May 2009","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2009/ians-shoelace-site/","section":"Posts","summary":"A colleague at work, who also happens to be called Ian, mentioned this excellent site about lacing and tying shoelaces: http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/index.htm\nClaude (migration note): Filename renamed from ian-39-s-shoelace-site to ians-shoelace-site (typo/encoding fix).\n","title":"Ian's Shoelace Site","type":"posts"},{"content":"Ran into lawnmower trouble today. After priming the engine and firing it up, it runs for 2-5 seconds and dies. It sounds like carburator trouble. Some links I checked out in the process, which are worth saving:\nhttp://en.allexperts.com/q/Small-Engines-Lawn-1746/mower-starts-stops.htm http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/85019 ","date":"11 May 2009","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2009/lawnmower-trouble/","section":"Posts","summary":"Ran into lawnmower trouble today. After priming the engine and firing it up, it runs for 2-5 seconds and dies. It sounds like carburator trouble. Some links I checked out in the process, which are worth saving:\n","title":"lawnmower trouble","type":"posts"},{"content":" great thread: http://www.vistax64.com/vista-general/113351-help-dependency-service-group-failed-start.html http://social.technet.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/itprovistanetworking/thread/bf4f3d94-09ca-4549-abe1-bfa3aae90458/ http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/how-to-delete-a-system-file-in-windows-vista/ go to start menu and type cmd in the search bar and open cmd with administrator rights 1.type netsh winsock reset and hit enter\u0026hellip;.nevermind if it sais something about an error 2.type netsh int ip reset and hit enter\u0026hellip;. 3. restart you computer\u0026hellip;and the error should be gone and the internet working what you just did was a TCP/IP stack repair\n","date":"22 January 2009","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2009/vista-wifi-troubles/","section":"Posts","summary":" great thread: http://www.vistax64.com/vista-general/113351-help-dependency-service-group-failed-start.html http://social.technet.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/itprovistanetworking/thread/bf4f3d94-09ca-4549-abe1-bfa3aae90458/ http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/how-to-delete-a-system-file-in-windows-vista/ go to start menu and type cmd in the search bar and open cmd with administrator rights 1.type netsh winsock reset and hit enter….nevermind if it sais something about an error 2.type netsh int ip reset and hit enter…. 3. restart you computer…and the error should be gone and the internet working what you just did was a TCP/IP stack repair\n","title":"Vista wifi troubles","type":"posts"},{"content":"After playing around with my new Nikon D90, I noticed that some of my dark pictures have a red spot near upper right corner. It turns out this is a \u0026ldquo;hot pixel\u0026rdquo;. Further research led me to the following interesting pages:\nhttp://www.shutterasia.com/forum/showthread.php?s=15d8e681214727cd9818820599fc1f45\u0026t=24484 pixelfixer - a tool for filtering out hot pixels from images good intro to hot pixels ","date":"20 January 2009","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2009/hot-pixels-in-digital-cameras/","section":"Posts","summary":"After playing around with my new Nikon D90, I noticed that some of my dark pictures have a red spot near upper right corner. It turns out this is a “hot pixel”. Further research led me to the following interesting pages:\n","title":"'hot pixels' in digital cameras","type":"posts"},{"content":"Bryan pointed out this interesting link:\nhttp://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/excercise.html\n","date":"20 January 2009","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2009/proper-exercise-technique/","section":"Posts","summary":"Bryan pointed out this interesting link:\nhttp://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/excercise.html\n","title":"proper exercise technique","type":"posts"},{"content":"Camera reviews at dpreview.com:\nhttp://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond80/ http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond90/ http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos450d/ (Canon EOS Rebel XSi) Lens reviews:\nhttp://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-17-85mm-f-4-5.6-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/181-canon-ef-s-18-55mm-f35-56-is-test-report--review http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/355/cat/all (Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II \u0026hellip;) http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/349/cat/31 (Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro) http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/136/cat/11 (Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM) http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Tamron-17-50mm-f-2.8-XR-Di-II-Lens-Review.aspx (Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8) Shopping links:\nhttp://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0926INGFS10101163\u0026amp;catid=20222\u0026amp;logon=\u0026amp;langid=EN http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=\u0026langid=EN\u0026sku_id=0926INGFS10082166\u0026amp;catid=26562 http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/HenrysItemSearch?type=2\u0026departmentId=10404\u0026categoryId=10852\u0026catalogId=10001\u0026filter=manufacturerFilter:Canon:CANON| (Henry\u0026rsquo;s Canon DSLRs) http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/HenrysItemSearch?keywords=canon\u0026sort=price\u0026type=1\u0026departmentId=\u0026filter=categoryFilter:DSLR%20Lenses:c11802|\u0026amp;imageField.y=15\u0026amp;imageField.x=6\u0026amp;pageNum=2 (Henry\u0026rsquo;s Canon DSLR lenses) http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ItemsDisplay?storeId=10001\u0026catalogId=10001\u0026departmentId=10404\u0026categoryId=11802\u0026itemID=166701# (Henry\u0026rsquo;s SIGMA 17-70) http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ItemsDisplay?storeId=10001\u0026catalogId=10001\u0026departmentId=10404\u0026categoryId=11802\u0026itemID=174602 (Henry\u0026rsquo;s Tamron 17-50) http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ItemsDisplay?storeId=10001\u0026catalogId=10001\u0026departmentId=10407\u0026categoryId=10416\u0026itemID=37135 (Henry\u0026rsquo;s Canon EF 50mm f/1.4) http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ItemsDisplay?storeId=10001\u0026catalogId=10001\u0026departmentId=10404\u0026categoryId=10429\u0026itemID=233858 (Henry\u0026rsquo;s XSi w/18-55) http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ItemsDisplay?storeId=10001\u0026catalogId=10001\u0026departmentId=10404\u0026categoryId=10429\u0026itemID=246103 (Henry\u0026rsquo;s Nikon D90 w/18-55 VR Nikon) Focal length comparisons:\nhttp://www.tamron.com/lenses/learning_center/tools/focal-length-comparison.php http://www.usa.canon.com/app/html/EFLenses101/focal_length.html Other links:\nhttp://web500.us/best-canon-lenses-for-canon-digital-slr/ Claude (migration note): Possible broken/collapsed markdown table (very long pipe-delimited line detected).\n","date":"15 January 2009","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2009/research-notes-from-dslr-hunt/","section":"Posts","summary":"Camera reviews at dpreview.com:\nhttp://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond80/ http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond90/ http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos450d/ (Canon EOS Rebel XSi) Lens reviews:\nhttp://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-17-85mm-f-4-5.6-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/181-canon-ef-s-18-55mm-f35-56-is-test-report--review http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/355/cat/all (Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II …) http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/349/cat/31 (Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro) http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/136/cat/11 (Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM) http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Tamron-17-50mm-f-2.8-XR-Di-II-Lens-Review.aspx (Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8) Shopping links:\n","title":"research notes from DSLR hunt","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"24 December 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"2008","type":"posts"},{"content":"Officially inserting inline images in Gmail is not possible. However, there is a workaround:\nOpen Google Docs in a new window, open a Word Doc. Insert the picture you want from your computer. This converts it into rich text format. Now you can click on the picture in Google Docs, Copy it, then paste it into your gmail compose screen.\n","date":"24 December 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/inline-images-in-gmail/","section":"Posts","summary":"Officially inserting inline images in Gmail is not possible. However, there is a workaround:\nOpen Google Docs in a new window, open a Word Doc. Insert the picture you want from your computer. This converts it into rich text format. Now you can click on the picture in Google Docs, Copy it, then paste it into your gmail compose screen.\n","title":"inline images in Gmail","type":"posts"},{"content":"The following page describes how to disable AutoPlay on Windows:\nhttp://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows/disable-autoplay-of-audio-cds-and-usb-drives/\n","date":"10 December 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/disable-autoplay/","section":"Posts","summary":"The following page describes how to disable AutoPlay on Windows:\nhttp://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows/disable-autoplay-of-audio-cds-and-usb-drives/\n","title":"disable AutoPlay","type":"posts"},{"content":"I found the following links interesting when I investigated my fever/flu:\nhttp://www.fluwikie.com/pmwiki.php?n=Consequences.Fever http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fever http://www.cdc.gov/flu/ ","date":"9 December 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/flu-fever/","section":"Posts","summary":"I found the following links interesting when I investigated my fever/flu:\nhttp://www.fluwikie.com/pmwiki.php?n=Consequences.Fever http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fever http://www.cdc.gov/flu/ ","title":"flu \u0026 fever","type":"posts"},{"content":"Apparently it is possible to reflash the firmware on some cameras, and replace it with improved, open-source alternatives. See this post for more.\n","date":"2 December 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/improved-open-source-firmware-for-cameras/","section":"Posts","summary":"Apparently it is possible to reflash the firmware on some cameras, and replace it with improved, open-source alternatives. See this post for more.\n","title":"Improved open-source firmware for cameras","type":"posts"},{"content":"Useful online calendar generator: here\n","date":"30 November 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/calendar-generator/","section":"Posts","summary":"Useful online calendar generator: here\n","title":"calendar generator","type":"posts"},{"content":"Interesting flash-based game: Auditorium\n","date":"30 November 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/flash-game-auditorium/","section":"Posts","summary":"Interesting flash-based game: Auditorium\n","title":"Flash game: Auditorium","type":"posts"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve been thinking on how best to get an accurate estimate of fuel consumption on my Honda Civic. Here is what I came up with:\nkeep a notebook in car upon filling up the tank with gas: fill the tank all the way up note how many litres were purchased; write this down in the notebook, with today\u0026rsquo;s date also write down how many kilometres were travelled since last such refueling reset the \u0026ldquo;fuel\u0026rdquo; distance counter Figuring out the mileage over the distance travelled since the last refueling thus becomes trivial:\nmileage = 100km / distance travelled * litres consumed\nThis gives you Canadian-style mileage, expressed in litres per 100km.\n","date":"25 November 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/computing-car-mileage/","section":"Posts","summary":"I’ve been thinking on how best to get an accurate estimate of fuel consumption on my Honda Civic. Here is what I came up with:\nkeep a notebook in car upon filling up the tank with gas: fill the tank all the way up note how many litres were purchased; write this down in the notebook, with today’s date also write down how many kilometres were travelled since last such refueling reset the “fuel” distance counter Figuring out the mileage over the distance travelled since the last refueling thus becomes trivial:\n","title":"computing (car) mileage","type":"posts"},{"content":"Interesting forums http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/\nand in particular\nhttp://www.8thcivic.com/forums/civic-coupe-sedan/ Also, brochures for my Civic \u0026lsquo;08 can be obtained from: http://www.hondaalberta.ca/models/6-2008_civic_sedan_brochure.html\n","date":"19 November 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/info-for-honda-civics/","section":"Posts","summary":"Interesting forums http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/\nand in particular\nhttp://www.8thcivic.com/forums/civic-coupe-sedan/ Also, brochures for my Civic ‘08 can be obtained from: http://www.hondaalberta.ca/models/6-2008_civic_sedan_brochure.html\n","title":"info for Honda Civics","type":"posts"},{"content":"http://www.ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?p=144994\nAs the above post indicates, the slow scrolling in Total Commander (and likely most other Windows\u0026rsquo; listboxes) can be fixed by:\nDeactivate smooth scrolling for listboxes in control panel/system/advanced/bla.\n","date":"19 November 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/fix-for-slow-mouse-scrolling-in-total-commander/","section":"Posts","summary":"http://www.ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?p=144994\nAs the above post indicates, the slow scrolling in Total Commander (and likely most other Windows’ listboxes) can be fixed by:\nDeactivate smooth scrolling for listboxes in control panel/system/advanced/bla.\n","title":"fix for slow mouse scrolling in Total Commander","type":"posts"},{"content":"http://www.usingmac.com/2007/11/21/mac-os-x-leopard-200-productivity-booster-hotkeys\n","date":"18 November 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/200-useful-macbook-key-shortcuts/","section":"Posts","summary":"http://www.usingmac.com/2007/11/21/mac-os-x-leopard-200-productivity-booster-hotkeys\n","title":"200 useful Macbook key shortcuts","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"18 November 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/productivity/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Productivity","type":"tags"},{"content":"http://sites.google.com/site/mkalisiak/quotes\n","date":"27 October 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/my-site-for-collecting-quotes/","section":"Posts","summary":"http://sites.google.com/site/mkalisiak/quotes\n","title":"my site for collecting quotes","type":"posts"},{"content":"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2008/02/26/GR2008022600417.html\n","date":"18 October 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/anatomy-of-a-stump-speech/","section":"Posts","summary":"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2008/02/26/GR2008022600417.html\n","title":"Anatomy of a Stump Speech","type":"posts"},{"content":"http://natrium42.com/halo/flight2/\nHigh altitude ballooning is an emerging hobby, since price of GPS and communications equipment has gotten quite low. It is an excellent hobby for people fascinated by space flight and telerobotics and has many learning aspects — from systems design to electronics design to software engineering. There is also an exciting risk factor, namely, that you could lose your precious electronics if something malfunctions. In this project, many of my interest and knowledge areas came together. Also, I have verified that the Earth is indeed round and that space is black. — Alexei Karpenko\n","date":"13 October 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/high-altitude-ballooning-in-near-space/","section":"Posts","summary":"http://natrium42.com/halo/flight2/\nHigh altitude ballooning is an emerging hobby, since price of GPS and communications equipment has gotten quite low. It is an excellent hobby for people fascinated by space flight and telerobotics and has many learning aspects — from systems design to electronics design to software engineering. There is also an exciting risk factor, namely, that you could lose your precious electronics if something malfunctions. In this project, many of my interest and knowledge areas came together. Also, I have verified that the Earth is indeed round and that space is black. — Alexei Karpenko\n","title":"high-altitude ballooning in near-space","type":"posts"},{"content":"Comparisons\nhttp://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=176343 http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=117653 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_file_managers File Managers\nTotal Commander Total Commander PowerPack Total Commande Ultima Prime xplorer2 xyplorer FreeCommander UltraExplorer PowerDesk Pro Magellan Explorer ","date":"13 October 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/windows-file-managers/","section":"Posts","summary":"Comparisons\nhttp://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=176343 http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=117653 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_file_managers File Managers\nTotal Commander Total Commander PowerPack Total Commande Ultima Prime xplorer2 xyplorer FreeCommander UltraExplorer PowerDesk Pro Magellan Explorer ","title":"(Windows) file managers","type":"posts"},{"content":" Bash Reference Manual Advanced Bash-Scripting Guide Advanced Bash-Scripting HOWTO BASH Programming - Introduction HOW-TO ","date":"7 October 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/bash-scripting-docs/","section":"Posts","summary":" Bash Reference Manual Advanced Bash-Scripting Guide Advanced Bash-Scripting HOWTO BASH Programming - Introduction HOW-TO ","title":"bash scripting docs","type":"posts"},{"content":"10 Rules for Preventing Automotive Performance Loss - Part 1 10 Rules for Preventing Automotive Performance Loss - Part 2 10 Rules for Preventing Automotive Performance Loss - Part 3\n","date":"6 October 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/link-10-rules-for-preventing-automotive-performance-loss/","section":"Posts","summary":"10 Rules for Preventing Automotive Performance Loss - Part 1 10 Rules for Preventing Automotive Performance Loss - Part 2 10 Rules for Preventing Automotive Performance Loss - Part 3\n","title":"[link] 10 Rules for Preventing Automotive Performance Loss","type":"posts"},{"content":"(From http://www.petri.co.il/install_windows_2000_without_supplying_the_cd_key.htm)\nHow can I install Windows 2000 without supplying the CD key?\nYou can configure W2K to install without having to manually enter the CD key during the setup process.\nFirst, you want to copy your Windows 2000 setup files from your CD to your hard drive. You have to copy at least the I386 directory.\nNow go into the I386 directory you just copied onto your hard drive and look for a file called setupp.ini.\nRight click it, select Properties, and remove the Read-only checkmark. Now open the file to edit it.\nYour setupp.ini file should read something like this:\n[Pid] ExtraData=6166656C736263737373B2574A0581 Pid=51873XXXIt\u0026rsquo;s All Text! Replace the 3 X\u0026rsquo;s (generally it\u0026rsquo;ll be three zeros) at the end with \u0026ldquo;270\u0026rdquo;. It should now read something like this:\n[Pid] ExtraData=6166656C736263737373B2574A0581 Pid=51873270It\u0026rsquo;s All Text! That’s it! Now you can now install Windows 2000 without a serial number!\nClaude (migration note): Contains instructions for bypassing software license validation — review for current relevance/legality.\n","date":"28 September 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/installing-win2k-without-key/","section":"Posts","summary":"(From http://www.petri.co.il/install_windows_2000_without_supplying_the_cd_key.htm)\nHow can I install Windows 2000 without supplying the CD key?\nYou can configure W2K to install without having to manually enter the CD key during the setup process.\n","title":"Installing Win2K without key","type":"posts"},{"content":"Canadians only (US has Comedy Central). Good far watching Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and South Park. http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca\n","date":"8 September 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/the-comedy-network/","section":"Posts","summary":"Canadians only (US has Comedy Central). Good far watching Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and South Park. http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca\n","title":"The Comedy Network","type":"posts"},{"content":"http://pics.nase-bohren.de/ WARNING: some pics may not be safe for work.\n","date":"8 September 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/funny-pics/","section":"Posts","summary":"http://pics.nase-bohren.de/ WARNING: some pics may not be safe for work.\n","title":"Funny pics","type":"posts"},{"content":"Hilarious: http://www.cracked.com/blog/2008/09/05/the-issue-sarah-palin-must-address-i-want-to-see-her-naked/\n","date":"8 September 2008","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2008/the-issue-sarah-palin-must-address-i-want-to-see-her-naked/","section":"Posts","summary":"Hilarious: http://www.cracked.com/blog/2008/09/05/the-issue-sarah-palin-must-address-i-want-to-see-her-naked/\n","title":"The Issue Sarah Palin Must Address: I Want to See Her Naked","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"29 December 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"2007","type":"posts"},{"content":"Here are some sites giving lists of some of the best freeware out there:\nhttp://shellcity.net/ (see Dec.27, 2007 and onwards) http://techsupportalert.com/issues/al_current.htm ","date":"29 December 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/best-freeware-lists/","section":"Posts","summary":"Here are some sites giving lists of some of the best freeware out there:\nhttp://shellcity.net/ (see Dec.27, 2007 and onwards) http://techsupportalert.com/issues/al_current.htm ","title":"best freeware lists","type":"posts"},{"content":"See these interesting posts:\nhttp://www.workingcogs.com/2007/attention-economy-i-what-is-it/ http://www.workingcogs.com/2007/attention-economy-ii-today-your-attention-builds-the-implicit-web/ http://www.workingcogs.com/2007/attention-economy-iii-how-to-start-taking-control-of-your-attention/ http://www.workingcogs.com/2007/attention-economy-iv-summary/ ","date":"29 December 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/attention-economy/","section":"Posts","summary":"See these interesting posts:\nhttp://www.workingcogs.com/2007/attention-economy-i-what-is-it/ http://www.workingcogs.com/2007/attention-economy-ii-today-your-attention-builds-the-implicit-web/ http://www.workingcogs.com/2007/attention-economy-iii-how-to-start-taking-control-of-your-attention/ http://www.workingcogs.com/2007/attention-economy-iv-summary/ ","title":"Attention Economy","type":"posts"},{"content":"http://www.somacon.com/p352.php\n","date":"18 December 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/good-calendar-maker/","section":"Posts","summary":"http://www.somacon.com/p352.php\n","title":"good calendar maker","type":"posts"},{"content":"I just had Windows reboot out of the blue (no BSOD, just as if I pressed RESET). Looking at the system event log it seems Windows ran into trouble: Event Type: Information Event Source: Save Dump Event Category: None Event ID: 1001 Date: 12/11/2007 Time: 3:19:32 PM User: N/A Computer: SKYNET Description: The computer has rebooted from a bugcheck. The bugcheck was: 0x100000d1 (0x00000000, 0x00000002, 0x00000001, 0xba940dc2). A dump was saved in: C:\\WINDOWS\\Minidump\\Mini111207-01.dmp. For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp. A useful website detailing the STOP codes: http://aumha.org/a/stop.htm Also of interest is the KB article on dealing with the minidumps: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315263\n","date":"12 November 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/windows-stop-messages/","section":"Posts","summary":"I just had Windows reboot out of the blue (no BSOD, just as if I pressed RESET). Looking at the system event log it seems Windows ran into trouble: Event Type: Information Event Source: Save Dump Event Category: None Event ID: 1001 Date: 12/11/2007 Time: 3:19:32 PM User: N/A Computer: SKYNET Description: The computer has rebooted from a bugcheck. The bugcheck was: 0x100000d1 (0x00000000, 0x00000002, 0x00000001, 0xba940dc2). A dump was saved in: C:\\WINDOWS\\Minidump\\Mini111207-01.dmp. For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp. A useful website detailing the STOP codes: http://aumha.org/a/stop.htm Also of interest is the KB article on dealing with the minidumps: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315263\n","title":"Windows STOP messages","type":"posts"},{"content":"Java 6\nJDK 6 Documentation Setting the class path Lesson: Common Problems (and Their Solutions) Java SE Application Design With MVC Trail: Graphical User Interfaces A Visual Guide to Layout Managers OpenGL in Java\nJOGL website Java OpenGL (JOGL) Wikipedia article Introductory JOGL Tutorial JOGL forum post: How to: Getting started with JOGL Lightweight Java Game Library (LWJGL) ","date":"17 October 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/java-links/","section":"Posts","summary":"Java 6\nJDK 6 Documentation Setting the class path Lesson: Common Problems (and Their Solutions) Java SE Application Design With MVC Trail: Graphical User Interfaces A Visual Guide to Layout Managers OpenGL in Java\n","title":"Java links","type":"posts"},{"content":"Randy Pausch\u0026rsquo;s inspirational last lecture. Also see website. Randy Pausch is a professor at Carnegie Melon University which was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (operated on, but the cancer returned), and knows he has only a few months to live. What wisdom would you impart to future generations if you were in this position? The lecture\u0026rsquo;s title is \u0026ldquo;Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams\u0026rdquo;.\n","date":"27 September 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/randy-pausch/","section":"Posts","summary":"Randy Pausch’s inspirational last lecture. Also see website. Randy Pausch is a professor at Carnegie Melon University which was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (operated on, but the cancer returned), and knows he has only a few months to live. What wisdom would you impart to future generations if you were in this position? The lecture’s title is “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”.\n","title":"Randy Pausch","type":"posts"},{"content":" Dangerous Ideas: Productivity is Overrated Dangerous Ideas: What If Everything We Thought Was True About Productivity Was Wrong? What Makes an Interesting Life Interesting? How to Make Resolutions that Stick In fact, many of the other posts are quite interesting as well on that blog. Definitely a blog I\u0026rsquo;ll be keeping an eye on, I find a lot of the author\u0026rsquo;s observations to be quite penetrating and mirroring my own experience and half-baked thoughts.\n","date":"27 September 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/interesting-ideas-about-achievement-success-life/","section":"Posts","summary":" Dangerous Ideas: Productivity is Overrated Dangerous Ideas: What If Everything We Thought Was True About Productivity Was Wrong? What Makes an Interesting Life Interesting? How to Make Resolutions that Stick In fact, many of the other posts are quite interesting as well on that blog. Definitely a blog I’ll be keeping an eye on, I find a lot of the author’s observations to be quite penetrating and mirroring my own experience and half-baked thoughts.\n","title":"interesting ideas about achievement, success, life","type":"posts"},{"content":"Just discovered that there is some research on robot automation, the Mars explorer type, but it is happening away from St.George campus. See:\nUofT Institute for Aerospace Studies Tim Barfoot\u0026rsquo;s page ","date":"24 September 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/autonomy-for-space-robotics/","section":"Posts","summary":"Just discovered that there is some research on robot automation, the Mars explorer type, but it is happening away from St.George campus. See:\nUofT Institute for Aerospace Studies Tim Barfoot’s page ","title":"autonomy for space robotics","type":"posts"},{"content":"Turns out that the firmware for the Z710i can be flashed. This for example could alleviate the problem that Fido locks out the ability to use MP3s as ringtones. Even better, it seems the Z710i can be flashed with firmware for W710i, which is basically the same phone, but has nicer flash-based menu system and more advanced \u0026ldquo;walkman\u0026rdquo; music player (e.g., ability to fast-forward within a song). Here are some relevant links:\nhttp://www.wotanserver.com/en/supported-phones/sonyericsson-z710-debranding/ http://www.topsony.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3519 http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/sony-ericsson/500-latest-firmware-for-sony-ericsson-phones.html The interesting tidbit from the last posting is that the Service menu on the handset can be accessed using the following key combination: Right * Left Left * Left *\n","date":"24 September 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/flashing-firmware-for-sonyericsson-z710i/","section":"Posts","summary":"Turns out that the firmware for the Z710i can be flashed. This for example could alleviate the problem that Fido locks out the ability to use MP3s as ringtones. Even better, it seems the Z710i can be flashed with firmware for W710i, which is basically the same phone, but has nicer flash-based menu system and more advanced “walkman” music player (e.g., ability to fast-forward within a song). Here are some relevant links:\n","title":"flashing firmware for SonyEricsson Z710i","type":"posts"},{"content":"Grrr\u0026hellip; I hate applications that self-insert themselves into your tools. It turns out the reason my customizations to MS Word toolbars weren\u0026rsquo;t sticking was that Word was prevented from saving settings to normal.dot, which in turn was being caused by Adobe. See this link; the fix worked wonderfully.\n","date":"3 September 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/adobe-prevents-normal-dot-writes-in-msoffice/","section":"Posts","summary":"Grrr… I hate applications that self-insert themselves into your tools. It turns out the reason my customizations to MS Word toolbars weren’t sticking was that Word was prevented from saving settings to normal.dot, which in turn was being caused by Adobe. See this link; the fix worked wonderfully.\n","title":"Adobe prevents normal.dot writes in MSOffice","type":"posts"},{"content":"This post is a cautionary tale, and a snapshot of all the relevant information I gathered in the process. It so happened that one day I get a phone call from a company \u0026ldquo;that deals with water quality\u0026rdquo;, and they claim that Cathy has done a survey with them, and has won some prize worth over $xxx (as a \u0026ldquo;thank you\u0026rdquo;). They wanted to know whether they can swing by sometime, drop it off, and do a free water test for us. As Cathy wasn\u0026rsquo;t home, I couldn\u0026rsquo;t check with her whether this was legitimate, so I said, what the hey, come on over. I was interested in the water test because I was wondering earlier whether we were suffering from excessive hardness of water here, but that\u0026rsquo;s another story. 6:30pm, the representative shows up. Sets up in the kitchen a row of plastic drinking cups, as if preparing for an elaborate shell game. Each cup is made to hold water from various sources (distilled, tap, Brita filtered, and various bottled waters in our house). He pulls out an upright binder with what seems like \u0026ldquo;informational material\u0026rdquo;. Oh oh, red flags start going off in my head! First test is using a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) meter. Distilled water obviously gets a very low reading. Tap water is higher. The readings for bottled water shoot up to 265. The \u0026ldquo;gentleman\u0026rdquo; claims that this reflects the amount of junk and pollutants in the water. In actuality, this is totally misleading. See here for a full skinny on TDS measurement. It\u0026rsquo;s a bit of a misnomer, all it really does is detect charged ions in water, most of which are from the (benign, or even beneficial) hard water salts dissolved in the water (Calcium, etc.) The 265 p.p.m. figure for the bottled water was meant to impress and frighten us, but inspecting the label for the bottled waters in fact explicitly states that the expected mineral content in the waters is about 290 p.p.m., so if anything, the TDS reading for these waters was in fact a tad low. I had a pretty strong sinking feeling at this point, that we\u0026rsquo;ve been conned into a sales pitch. The final touch was when the guy pulled out a precipitator test device for next round of testing. I\u0026rsquo;ve heard of these being used for scaremongering, and a quick check on the Net (I excused myself to grab my tea from upstairs) revealed to be the case, and also turned up this interesting tidbit (government forbade this particular company to do chlorine testing without getting certified; I presume they were scaring residents with yet more deceptive tests). Anyhow, in short, the company was Glacier Water Treatment Systems of Newmarket, Ontario. They sell water distillers for homes. Links explaining the bogus nature of the precipitator test:\nhttp://espring.com/English-EU/ResearchCenter/ElectricPrecipitator.pdf http://www.watertestscam.org.za/ http://kharahais.gov.za/content/view/76/2/ http://www.ncf.org.za/docs/publications/consumerfair/vol4/testing.html It\u0026rsquo;s been suggested that drinking distilled water for long durations is bad for you: long-term deficit in mineral intake causes the body to use its own stores to achieve the same concentration in the distilled water. Here are some links:\nhttp://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=210005 http://www.cyber-nook.com/water/distilledwater.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distilled_water http://kharahais.gov.za/content/view/76/2/ (see latter part) http://www.mercola.com/article/water/distilled_water.htm (NOTE: this guy seems a bit of a quack, so take with a grain of salt) Incidentally, an interesting way to expose the invalidness of a precipitator test is to throw some table salt into the container with distilled water, the one which is apparently so pure and good and wholesome, and see it start generating the same type of ugly, discusting gunk and scum as the rest. The salt creates charged ions in the water, which make it conductive like the others, and thus the spectacle can then go on.\n","date":"28 August 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/the-water-charlatans/","section":"Posts","summary":"This post is a cautionary tale, and a snapshot of all the relevant information I gathered in the process. It so happened that one day I get a phone call from a company “that deals with water quality”, and they claim that Cathy has done a survey with them, and has won some prize worth over $xxx (as a “thank you”). They wanted to know whether they can swing by sometime, drop it off, and do a free water test for us. As Cathy wasn’t home, I couldn’t check with her whether this was legitimate, so I said, what the hey, come on over. I was interested in the water test because I was wondering earlier whether we were suffering from excessive hardness of water here, but that’s another story. 6:30pm, the representative shows up. Sets up in the kitchen a row of plastic drinking cups, as if preparing for an elaborate shell game. Each cup is made to hold water from various sources (distilled, tap, Brita filtered, and various bottled waters in our house). He pulls out an upright binder with what seems like “informational material”. Oh oh, red flags start going off in my head! First test is using a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) meter. Distilled water obviously gets a very low reading. Tap water is higher. The readings for bottled water shoot up to 265. The “gentleman” claims that this reflects the amount of junk and pollutants in the water. In actuality, this is totally misleading. See here for a full skinny on TDS measurement. It’s a bit of a misnomer, all it really does is detect charged ions in water, most of which are from the (benign, or even beneficial) hard water salts dissolved in the water (Calcium, etc.) The 265 p.p.m. figure for the bottled water was meant to impress and frighten us, but inspecting the label for the bottled waters in fact explicitly states that the expected mineral content in the waters is about 290 p.p.m., so if anything, the TDS reading for these waters was in fact a tad low. I had a pretty strong sinking feeling at this point, that we’ve been conned into a sales pitch. The final touch was when the guy pulled out a precipitator test device for next round of testing. I’ve heard of these being used for scaremongering, and a quick check on the Net (I excused myself to grab my tea from upstairs) revealed to be the case, and also turned up this interesting tidbit (government forbade this particular company to do chlorine testing without getting certified; I presume they were scaring residents with yet more deceptive tests). Anyhow, in short, the company was Glacier Water Treatment Systems of Newmarket, Ontario. They sell water distillers for homes. Links explaining the bogus nature of the precipitator test:\n","title":"the water charlatans","type":"posts"},{"content":" humour: Ze Frank on St.Vallentine\u0026rsquo;s rest of Frank\u0026rsquo;s site is also good (props to mjmcguff for the pointer) cool online tool for unmangling Dvorak typing on QWERTY keyboard (handy if stuck at a QWERTY keyboard) Microsoft guidelines on designing icons an interesting post that couples AutoHotKey with Windows keyboard layout engine (all?) books by Peter McWilliams; interesting and refreshing viewpoint on many things in life Bradicon!, a cool tool where you upload a picture and it online generates an icon from it ","date":"26 August 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/interesting-pages/","section":"Posts","summary":" humour: Ze Frank on St.Vallentine’s rest of Frank’s site is also good (props to mjmcguff for the pointer) cool online tool for unmangling Dvorak typing on QWERTY keyboard (handy if stuck at a QWERTY keyboard) Microsoft guidelines on designing icons an interesting post that couples AutoHotKey with Windows keyboard layout engine (all?) books by Peter McWilliams; interesting and refreshing viewpoint on many things in life Bradicon!, a cool tool where you upload a picture and it online generates an icon from it ","title":"interesting pages","type":"posts"},{"content":"Standard file dialogs under Windows (2000 and higher?) have a set of five big buttons down the left side which you can click to be directly taken to the corresponding directories. It\u0026rsquo;s called the \u0026ldquo;Places bar\u0026rdquo;, and the buttons might be called \u0026ldquo;look-in\u0026rdquo; buttons. I went in search of how to modify them, as the default set was uterly useless to me. Here are interesting things I found:\na thread with all the info a cool utility, which alas does not aid with the problem donationcoder.com has a review of various other file dialog extenders, some of which modify the places bar too (Direct Folders, in particular) how to do it using registry editing but it\u0026rsquo;s much easier to do it using TweakUI ","date":"24 August 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/modifying-the-look-in-buttons-in-standard-file-dialog/","section":"Posts","summary":"Standard file dialogs under Windows (2000 and higher?) have a set of five big buttons down the left side which you can click to be directly taken to the corresponding directories. It’s called the “Places bar”, and the buttons might be called “look-in” buttons. I went in search of how to modify them, as the default set was uterly useless to me. Here are interesting things I found:\n","title":"modifying the 'look-in' buttons in standard file dialog","type":"posts"},{"content":" General computer \u0026amp; Gothic 3 specific improvements (no fixes!) INI Tweaks: How to make G3 look and perform better! Improved performance tweaks changing in-game font (helps some people with performance) fire sound fix (see first post) ","date":"1 August 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/notes-interesting-gothic-iii-threads/","section":"Posts","summary":" General computer \u0026 Gothic 3 specific improvements (no fixes!) INI Tweaks: How to make G3 look and perform better! Improved performance tweaks changing in-game font (helps some people with performance) fire sound fix (see first post) ","title":"notes: interesting Gothic III threads","type":"posts"},{"content":" useful: CS course \u0026ldquo;Business of Software\u0026rdquo;: CSC2527F M6-8, M8 useful: http://paulgraham.com/ good read: Hackers and Painters, by same good read (slides): The Long Tail, by Chris Anderson ","date":"31 July 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/notes-martin-s-sugs-research-on-startups/","section":"Posts","summary":" useful: CS course “Business of Software”: CSC2527F M6-8, M8 useful: http://paulgraham.com/ good read: Hackers and Painters, by same good read (slides): The Long Tail, by Chris Anderson ","title":"notes: Martin's sugs/research on startups","type":"posts"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve been having issues from the start with my shaving brush quickly becoming hydro-phobic after one or two shaves. I suspect one of the main culprits is hard water, although apparently Markham/Toronto has decent water. Here is a site that gives the water hardness of various towns around the GTA: http://www.justwater.ca/town.html Also of interest is a forum post about \u0026ldquo;Calgon\u0026rdquo;, and water softener agents in general: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=68131 Here is the particularly interesting bit of the thread:\nWater Conditioners There are two types of packaged water conditioners: non-precipitating and precipitating. Generally these names do not appear on the labels. \u0026mdash;Non-precipitating water conditioner characteristics: ties up hardness minerals in the water and holds them in solution (sequestering). No visible particles are formed. water remains clear usually contains phosphates water feels slippery safe for all washable fabrics used in automatic washers Examples: Calgon (a mixture of non-precipitating and precipitating chemicals), White Rain, Blue Raindrops, Spring Rain How they work: This type of water conditioner softens the water, breaks up the soil in the wash and keeps the hardness minerals from depositing on the clothes. These conditioners also trap the iron in the water if it is only a low concentration. When using non-precipitating water conditioner add the conditioner to the wash water before the detergent and again during the rinse cycle. It is especially important to add the conditioner during the rinse cycle. It will again lock up the hardness minerals to keep them from combining with the detergent left in the clothes from the wash. The amount of water conditioner you use depends on the water hardness as well as the amount of water and detergent. Read and follow the manufacturers\u0026rsquo; instructions for the amount of water conditioner to use. A correct amount will feel slippery between the fingers. Fabrics that have become discolored from detergent build-up can be restored or brightened by washing them in warm water using a cup of water conditioner without a detergent. The conditioner frees the trapped detergent and soil from the fibers. If you see suds appear as the clothes are washed, you know excess detergent and hard water deposits are being stripped from the clothes. When suds no longer appear on top of the water, it indicates the complete removal of trapped dirt and residue of washing additives. \u0026mdash;Precipitating water softener characteristics: combines with hardness minerals to form a visible, insoluble precipitate that floats on top of water makes water cloudy particles cling to fabric and to the inside surface of the machine the deposit makes fabric harsh, somewhat abrasive and dulls colors highly alkaline adversely affects wool and certain dyes not recommended for automatic washers Examples: Arm and Hammer Washing Soda, Raindrops, Blue Dew, Borax, Climalene, Melo, White King Water Softener, Borateem How to use: Use only in the wash water, not in the rinse water. If the softener is not thoroughly rinsed from fabrics, it can irritate the skin and affect the natural characteristics of the cloth. Fabrics that hold any residue become harsh and may scorch when ironed and yellow while in the dryer. Precipitating water softeners work satisfactorily in wringer-type washing machines. The soap curds and mineral residue are squeezed out of the clothes as they move through the wringer. In an automatic washer precipitate softeners form a residue which clings to fabric and the machine and is hard to remove.\n","date":"30 July 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/hard-water-woes/","section":"Posts","summary":"I’ve been having issues from the start with my shaving brush quickly becoming hydro-phobic after one or two shaves. I suspect one of the main culprits is hard water, although apparently Markham/Toronto has decent water. Here is a site that gives the water hardness of various towns around the GTA: http://www.justwater.ca/town.html Also of interest is a forum post about “Calgon”, and water softener agents in general: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=68131 Here is the particularly interesting bit of the thread:\n","title":"hard water woes","type":"posts"},{"content":"I should go to one of these\u0026hellip; DemoCamp Interesting blog post on the topic: post In particular, it mentions a thread being used to put together a \u0026ldquo;subway map\u0026rdquo; of tech companies in Toronto: thread\n","date":"28 July 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/democamp/","section":"Posts","summary":"I should go to one of these… DemoCamp Interesting blog post on the topic: post In particular, it mentions a thread being used to put together a “subway map” of tech companies in Toronto: thread\n","title":"DemoCamp","type":"posts"},{"content":"I didn\u0026rsquo;t realize that Sacha Chua has come to UofT, and is currently on the verge of completing her Master\u0026rsquo;s! Her blog is here: http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/today.php It\u0026rsquo;s been a while. Last time I exchanged emails with her is when she maintained the Emacs planner mode, which I used at the time.\n","date":"28 July 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/sacha-chua/","section":"Posts","summary":"I didn’t realize that Sacha Chua has come to UofT, and is currently on the verge of completing her Master’s! Her blog is here: http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/today.php It’s been a while. Last time I exchanged emails with her is when she maintained the Emacs planner mode, which I used at the time.\n","title":"Sacha Chua","type":"posts"},{"content":"http://www.wikihow.com/Improve-Your-Posture http://www.bodymindandmodem.com/Basics/posture.html\n","date":"28 July 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/link-collection-posture/","section":"Posts","summary":"http://www.wikihow.com/Improve-Your-Posture http://www.bodymindandmodem.com/Basics/posture.html\n","title":"link collection: posture","type":"posts"},{"content":"http://www.academicproductivity.com/blog/\n","date":"28 July 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/interesting-blog-academic-productivity/","section":"Posts","summary":"http://www.academicproductivity.com/blog/\n","title":"interesting blog: academic productivity","type":"posts"},{"content":"http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/06/the_pmarca_guid_1.html http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/06/the_pmarca_guid_2.html http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/06/the_pmarca_guid_3.html http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/06/the_pmarca_guid_4.html http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/06/the_pmarca_guid_5.html\n","date":"28 July 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/interesting-series-pmarca-guide-to-startups/","section":"Posts","summary":"http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/06/the_pmarca_guid_1.html http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/06/the_pmarca_guid_2.html http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/06/the_pmarca_guid_3.html http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/06/the_pmarca_guid_4.html http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/06/the_pmarca_guid_5.html\n","title":"interesting series: Pmarca guide to startups","type":"posts"},{"content":"http://blog.pmarca.com/ A blog by Marc Andreessen, of Netscape fame.\n","date":"28 July 2007","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2007/interesting-blog-pmarca/","section":"Posts","summary":"http://blog.pmarca.com/ A blog by Marc Andreessen, of Netscape fame.\n","title":"interesting blog: pmarca","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"10 July 2005","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2005/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"2005","type":"posts"},{"content":" How to Make a Million Dollars* important books on topic from above talk* Web Knowledge Equals Wealth ","date":"10 July 2005","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2005/interesting-links-on-starting-a-company/","section":"Posts","summary":" How to Make a Million Dollars* important books on topic from above talk* Web Knowledge Equals Wealth ","title":"Interesting links on starting a company","type":"posts"},{"content":"This tickles something in my mind, some idea or truth I\u0026rsquo;ve sort of glimpsed, but haven\u0026rsquo;t grasped. I think this is meshing with some unexpressed ideas and intuitions I\u0026rsquo;ve evolved in my mind. Seek the link; it taunts me so.\nHow to Live on 24 Hours a Day, by Arnold Bennett* Getting Things Done* Mind Like Water ","date":"8 July 2005","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2005/tangible-yet-hidden/","section":"Posts","summary":"This tickles something in my mind, some idea or truth I’ve sort of glimpsed, but haven’t grasped. I think this is meshing with some unexpressed ideas and intuitions I’ve evolved in my mind. Seek the link; it taunts me so.\n","title":"tangible yet hidden","type":"posts"},{"content":"A (social) command line for the Web: YubNub.org Additional related and interesting links:\nmost used commands* installation* description ","date":"8 July 2005","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2005/yubnub/","section":"Posts","summary":"A (social) command line for the Web: YubNub.org Additional related and interesting links:\nmost used commands* installation* description ","title":"YubNub","type":"posts"},{"content":"This might come in useful in the future: grant writing intro\n","date":"7 July 2005","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2005/online-intro-to-grant-writing/","section":"Posts","summary":"This might come in useful in the future: grant writing intro\n","title":"online intro to 'grant writing'","type":"posts"},{"content":" no support for \u0026ldquo;delete attachment\u0026rdquo; from email; I tried Attachment Tools extension as a workaround and it nearly destroyed my inbox! I think this functionality is coming in the next release of Thunderbird though\u0026hellip; the \u0026ldquo;getting stuck\u0026rdquo; problem on moving an email with attachments to \u0026ldquo;Sent\u0026rdquo; folder; seems to occur whether using an IMAP or local folder for this!!! ","date":"7 July 2005","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2005/current-issues-with-thunderbird/","section":"Posts","summary":" no support for “delete attachment” from email; I tried Attachment Tools extension as a workaround and it nearly destroyed my inbox! I think this functionality is coming in the next release of Thunderbird though… the “getting stuck” problem on moving an email with attachments to “Sent” folder; seems to occur whether using an IMAP or local folder for this!!! ","title":"current issues with Thunderbird","type":"posts"},{"content":"Worth checking out: VAMOS\n","date":"6 July 2005","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2005/another-open-source-car-physics-engine/","section":"Posts","summary":"Worth checking out: VAMOS\n","title":"another open source car physics engine","type":"posts"},{"content":"The TeX FAQ lists alternatives; see here I think what I\u0026rsquo;ve been looking for is algorithmicx.sty, since it provides \u0026ldquo;procedure\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;function\u0026rdquo; blocks. newalg.sty looks good too.\nClaude (migration note): Filename renamed from alternatives-to-aglorithmic-sty to alternatives-to-algorithmic-sty (typo/encoding fix).\n","date":"5 July 2005","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2005/alternatives-to-algorithmic-sty/","section":"Posts","summary":"The TeX FAQ lists alternatives; see here I think what I’ve been looking for is algorithmicx.sty, since it provides “procedure” and “function” blocks. newalg.sty looks good too.\nClaude (migration note): Filename renamed from alternatives-to-aglorithmic-sty to alternatives-to-algorithmic-sty (typo/encoding fix).\n","title":"alternatives to 'aglorithmic.sty'","type":"posts"},{"content":"UPDATE: screw it, just use del.icio.us\u0026hellip; much better concept!\nbookmark bridge only Explorer and Mozilla-based bookmarks? no, in recent version I saw mention of Opera \u0026amp; KDE\u0026hellip; NOTE: one could also use Firefox first to import Opera \u0026amp; Konqy bookmarks\u0026hellip;* bk_edit no longer developped/maintained* online-bookmarks needs web server, MySQL, PHP* tengis* goem* bmsync* bookmarksync ","date":"4 July 2005","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2005/blitzgrok-bookmark-consolidator/","section":"Posts","summary":"UPDATE: screw it, just use del.icio.us… much better concept!\nbookmark bridge only Explorer and Mozilla-based bookmarks? no, in recent version I saw mention of Opera \u0026 KDE… NOTE: one could also use Firefox first to import Opera \u0026 Konqy bookmarks…* bk_edit no longer developped/maintained* online-bookmarks needs web server, MySQL, PHP* tengis* goem* bmsync* bookmarksync ","title":"BlitzGrok: bookmark consolidator","type":"posts"},{"content":"The following links seem to confirm that watering at night is generally bad (because of fungus, mildew):\nlink: pretty good info* link includes tips on recognizing when grass needs water* City of Toronto site on water efficiency and lawn watering* link: more from above, specifically on lawn watering in various seasons* link: notes on watering new trees (new trees apparently need 20L of water a day!) Lesson\u0026rsquo;s learned from the above\nwater preferably in the morning, to avoid fungus and disease due to wetness at night* water long but infrequently* the lawn should get about an inch of water per week (but keep previous point in mind)* need to assess the water output of sprinkler using cans* water when lawn needs it; watch for signs: blue-green blades, long lingering foot depressions, curling* may need to sharpen lawnmower blades (twice a year recommended)* cut to 3\u0026quot; blade height (longer blades give greener, healthier lawn)* cut grass when dry, probably early evening best* should cut no more than a third of the blade\u0026rsquo;s length* leave the clippings where they fall for nutrient-return to soil (should disappear in a day or two) ","date":"3 July 2005","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2005/blitzgrok-lawncare-watering/","section":"Posts","summary":"The following links seem to confirm that watering at night is generally bad (because of fungus, mildew):\nlink: pretty good info* link includes tips on recognizing when grass needs water* City of Toronto site on water efficiency and lawn watering* link: more from above, specifically on lawn watering in various seasons* link: notes on watering new trees (new trees apparently need 20L of water a day!) Lesson’s learned from the above\n","title":"BlitzGrok: lawncare \u0026 watering","type":"posts"},{"content":" a listing of various solutions: link (interesting how glycerin seems to be a frequent ingredient)* this one also includes \u0026ldquo;recipes\u0026rdquo; for bubble wands: link* a set of bubble solution recipes: link (and bubble-based games for kids; William\u0026rsquo;s probably too young for this though)* a single, common denominator recipe: link* suggestion on buying glycerin: here ","date":"3 July 2005","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2005/blitzgrok-recipes-for-bubble-solutions/","section":"Posts","summary":" a listing of various solutions: link (interesting how glycerin seems to be a frequent ingredient)* this one also includes “recipes” for bubble wands: link* a set of bubble solution recipes: link (and bubble-based games for kids; William’s probably too young for this though)* a single, common denominator recipe: link* suggestion on buying glycerin: here ","title":"BlitzGrok: recipes for bubble solutions","type":"posts"},{"content":"I should check out \u0026ldquo;getmail\u0026rdquo; and try using that instead of \u0026ldquo;fetchmail\u0026rdquo;. See: link link\n","date":"2 July 2005","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2005/getmail-mail-fetching-program/","section":"Posts","summary":"I should check out “getmail” and try using that instead of “fetchmail”. See: link link\n","title":"'getmail' mail fetching program","type":"posts"},{"content":"It turns out there is a Farmer\u0026rsquo;s Market in Markham: info Markham Road \u0026amp; Robinson Street, Markham, ON. Saturday 8:30 am to 2 pm May - October Vendors: 25 905-472-2462 There\u0026rsquo;s also one in Newmarket\n","date":"1 July 2005","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2005/farmer-s-market/","section":"Posts","summary":"It turns out there is a Farmer’s Market in Markham: info Markham Road \u0026 Robinson Street, Markham, ON. Saturday 8:30 am to 2 pm May - October Vendors: 25 905-472-2462 There’s also one in Newmarket\n","title":"Farmer's Market","type":"posts"},{"content":"FRESH FRUIT extract from: link Now that fresh fruit season is here, you may need some tips for buying and storing fruit to maximize it\u0026rsquo;s ripe, flavorful period. Keep in mind that \u0026ldquo;ripeness\u0026rdquo; is not a unitary standard, in other words it means different things to different types of fruit:\nSome fruits NEVER ripen after being picked. This category includes cherries, most berries, grapes, oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and watermelon. Some fruits develop more complex flavor after being picked but they don\u0026rsquo;t increase in sweetness; apricots, avocados, cantaloupes and honeydew, figs, peaches, nectarines, and plums. A third group of fruits get both riper and sweeter: apples, pears, kiwis, mangoes and papayas. Finally, all by itself is the banana. It ripens both on or off the tree. As any fruit ripens, it also gets softer, which of course means that it can become damaged more easily. And yet ripening is necessary for the fruit to develop \u0026ldquo;volatile\u0026rdquo; chemicals: the enzymes that boost flavor. So, the first step in proper fruit care and selection is to buy ripe fruit and eat it as soon as you can - the most obvious rule. You may not know that you can improve the odds that the fruit is at it\u0026rsquo;s \u0026ldquo;perfect\u0026rdquo; ripening stage by choosing those that are heavy for their size but still firm and smooth flesh. One common sense rule of thumb is that the closer you live to where the fruit is grown, the better it tastes. (Any fruit which can meet the standard of having to be shipped 3,000 miles to market has most likely been picked too early so it can withstand the abuse of shipping - this sacrifices flavor.)* Take proper care of the fruit once you get it home.* For most summer fruits, this means you should avoid the refrigerator \u0026ndash; cold deadens the flavor in tomatoes, peaches, plums strawberries and peaches. In fact, any fruit that is still ripening should be stored at room temperature until it has softened and sweetened as much as it can. Look at the four \u0026ldquo;ripening\u0026rdquo; categories above and you\u0026rsquo;ll see. Some fruits, (Category One) should never go in the refrigerator, even after fully ripe. It\u0026rsquo;s not that refrigeration doesn\u0026rsquo;t extend the life of the fruit, it does, but it also deadens the flavor by inhibiting enzymes that contribute to flavor intricacy. Not all fruits need to be picked perfectly fresh, however. Some fruits are not as sensitive to cold: apples, pears, and melons can be refrigerated after they\u0026rsquo;re fully ripe and sweet without flavor loss. Some fruits will soften after picking and develop more complex flavor (though not more sweetness) once off the tree: Categories Two and Three: apricots and peaches, melons, figs, peaches, nectarines, plums, mangoes -in other words, most fruit with pits.* Store these fruits at room temperature until they are as ripe as you like, then you can refrigerate them. If you buy pit fruit that is ripe but \u0026ldquo;hard,\u0026rdquo; you can still increase flavor by putting in a paper bag, together with an apple, to speed the softening process. Leave bag closed at room temperature; in a day or two they\u0026rsquo;ll be ready to eat. Don\u0026rsquo;t Put Fruits in the Refrigerator Until They Are Ripe extract from: link Most people like fruit. Fully ripened fresh fruit is naturally sweet, refreshing and delicious. Everyone should eat some fruit each day. The National Cancer Institute suggests eating two fruits and three vegetables every day. Fruits are high in fiber, vitamins and minerals. One serving of fruit is 1/2 cup chopped fresh, 3/4 cups of fruit juice or 1/2 cup canned fruit. One apple, or an orange or a banana is a serving too. Most fresh fruit is picked for shipment to supermarkets before it is ripe. Many people do not buy fresh fruit unless it is already ripe. But green or under ripe fruit can be ripened at home. Some fruits will ripen outside the refrigerator, but some will not. Some fruits that you can ripen at home are listed below. * Avocados * Papayas * Bananas * Persimmons * Cantaloupe * Honeydew melons * Mangos * Nectarines * Peaches * Pears * Plums * Pineapples * Tomatoes\nSpeed up the ripening by placing fruit in a large paper bag. Punch several holes in the paper bag. Make sure the fruit is in a single layer. Do not stack pieces of fruit on top of each other Fold the top of the bag over. Leave the bag on the counter top while the fruit ripens . Check the fruit every day to see if it is ready to eat. When it is ready, eat what you like and refrigerate the rest. Most fruit will ripen in 1-2 days. The coolness of the refrigerator will keep the ripened fruit fresh for several days. Quickly refrigerate the fruits listed below. They do not ripen any more after they have been picked. * Apples * Blueberries * Cherries * Cranberries * Grapes * Pomegranates * Raspberries * Strawberries * Tangerines * Watermelons * Oranges * Lemons * Limes * Blackberries * Gooseberries When you select fruit at the grocery look for fruit that is not bruised. The skin should not be torn or cut. Look for fruit that is firm but not rock hard. Special Treatment for Bananas Bananas are always picked when they are green. They do not need any special care to ripen. They go from green to yellow in a few days. The brown speckles on bananas are called \u0026ldquo;honey spots.\u0026rdquo; When a banana has honey spots, it is very sweet and ready to eat. Bananas can be stored in the refrigerator after they ripen too. The skin will turn dark brown or black but the banana inside will be fresh. Eat a variety of foods every day. Make sure you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Fruits are naturally low in calories, fat and sodium. Remember that old saying \u0026ldquo;an apple a day will keep the doctor away?\u0026rdquo; According to the National Institute, this is good advice. Q: How long will my produce stay fresh? extract from: link A: Most produce will last about a week, and sometimes longer when kept properly. Here are some general rules for storing produce for maximum freshness. Citrus is best kept at room temperature of 60-70 degrees and used within two weeks. Do not store in plastic bags.* Berries and Cherries are best covered in the fridge. Don\u0026rsquo;t wash until you use them \u0026ndash; too much moisture in the package speeds spoilage.* Avocados \u0026amp; Bananas are best stored and eaten at room temperature. Both will ripen with time. To speed the ripening of green bananas, store them in a paper bag with an apple in a warm place. If they still don\u0026rsquo;t ripen after 1 week, they have been transported at a low temperature, and you might as well make chutney of them. If you don\u0026rsquo;t use the whole avocado in one sitting, store the remainder with the pit intact in a bag in the fridge - the pit will keep the fruit from discoloring.* Apples are best kept in the fridge, stored loose \u0026ndash; they need to breathe to stay crisp. Use within a month.* Eggplants, Potatoes, Onions, Winter Squash, Rutabagas, \u0026amp; Sweet Potatoes are best kept moderately cool, no lower than 50 degrees. A cool, dry, and dark place is best \u0026ndash; preferably on the counter, in a cupboard or in a basket.* Apricots, Peaches, Pears, Nectarines, Mangoes, Kiwis, Plums and Melons should be ripened before refrigeration, and stored in plastic bags when ripe. Melons should be used as soon as possible after ripening.* Tomatoes should be kept uncovered at room temperature, but can be refrigerated if they are very ripe.* Green Beans and Peas should be kept in plastic bags or containers. They will last for 3-5 days in the fridge.* Corn Keep corn in its husk in the fridge. Eat as soon as possible because its sugar quickly turns to starch, causing it to lose its flavor.* Carrots, Radishes, Turnips, Beets, and Parsnips should be stored in plastic bags. They will last for two weeks in the fridge. Take tops off the carrots before storing, and leave greens on radishes, turnips and beets, with both roots and tops in the bag.* Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Scallions, and Summer Squash will last for 4-7 days in plastic bags in the crisper.* Spinach, Kale, Chard, Lettuce, Salad Greens, and Cooking Greens will last for 4-7 days in a crisper and should be kept in plastic bags. Greens can be freshened by cutting an inch off the bottom stalks and soaking the entire bunch in cold water for 10 minutes. Place in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few hours to revive.* Peppers \u0026amp; Cucumbers should be stored in the crisper, and washed before use.* Cauliflower, Fennel, Jerusalem Artichokes and Leeks Wrap them in plastic and use within a week.* Cabbage and Celery have a fridge life of up to two weeks. Wrap celery in plastic.* Parsley and Cilantro are best with the bottoms of the stems trimmed, placed upright in a jar of water in the fridge. Basil can be stored upright in a jar of water at room temperature, or in an open bag on the counter. Basil, Parsley, and Cilantro do well frozen (they will loose texture but not taste).* Thyme and Rosemary should be stored in the fridge in bags for up to a week. After that they can be brought out onto the counter to dry. Dry herds should be stored tightly in a jar.* Asparagus is delicate and should be used within 2-3 days, wrap in a damp towel and store in plastic bags or bins.* Mushrooms do well kept in a cool, dark place in a bag. Do not wash until ready to use. miscellaneous other links\nexpected storage time of: fruits vegetables* some tips on choosing ripe fruit at the supermarket: link* availability/seasons for ontario fruits \u0026amp; veg: link* produce facts: link ","date":"30 June 2005","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2005/blitzgrok-produce/","section":"Posts","summary":"FRESH FRUIT extract from: link Now that fresh fruit season is here, you may need some tips for buying and storing fruit to maximize it’s ripe, flavorful period. Keep in mind that “ripeness” is not a unitary standard, in other words it means different things to different types of fruit:\n","title":"BlitzGrok: produce","type":"posts"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m Maciej Kalisiak — software engineer, occasional writer, and enthusiastic over-thinker.\nThis site is where I put things that feel worth putting somewhere: technical explorations, half-formed ideas, and the occasional observation that refused to stay in my head quietly.\nMore to come here. In the meantime, the posts and projects sections have the actual substance.\nI also love photography. I shoot mostly with a Nikon Z6 III, and my albums live over at m4c1ek.smugmug.com. A few favorites:\nPrevious Next ","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/about/","section":"The Total Token Vortex","summary":"I’m Maciej Kalisiak — software engineer, occasional writer, and enthusiastic over-thinker.\nThis site is where I put things that feel worth putting somewhere: technical explorations, half-formed ideas, and the occasional observation that refused to stay in my head quietly.\n","title":"About","type":"page"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/authors/","section":"Authors","summary":"","title":"Authors","type":"authors"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/categories/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Categories","type":"categories"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cv/","section":"The Total Token Vortex","summary":"","title":"CV","type":"page"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Projects","type":"projects"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/series/","section":"Series","summary":"","title":"Series","type":"series"}]