Someone I know well and admire greatly recently sent me a question about the premise of my book, Penguin in the Pew. His question, I think, reflects the mindset of many who remain outside the realm of the libre software domain. It has taken me some time to get around to answering his question, but I thought I [...]
I did two different photo shoots this weekend. First, Maty and I went to Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden on an invitation Saturday evening. Then I did a separate shoot of an orchid.
I’m reading the “Digital Photography Bible” by Dan Simon. In Chapter Six he discusses using the “stairstep interpolation” method in Photoshop, and how one can increase the resolution of a photo in 10% increments. He has a side note that he has read that 1% increments are even better, but that he is middle-aged and [...]
I am experimenting a little more with my Nikon D70s, trying to learn a little more about photography. I used a polarizing filter for the first time and even decided on a whim to change the photo format to RAW. The RAW photos are absolutely brilliant, but I encountered a little trouble converting them to [...]
I recently installed Kubuntu 11.10 on an HP Pavilion (G71) – a system with a 2.2 GHz Core Duo CPU and GB of RAM. I had already replaced Ubuntu with Debian “Wheezy” on my Dell Inspiron desktop, using the KDE desktop. I also loaded Linux Mint KDE 10 on the Dell Vostro laptop. I guess [...]
Ever since I started with computers in 1995 I have found some need to use the command line to accomplish certain tasks. If you just want to do word processing, nothing beats a good graphical word processor. But some tasks – especially automated ones – practically beg for the command line. In order to automate tasks, you really need to know the command line commands. But if you don’t use the command line frequently, or are new to administering GNU/Linux systems, you might... (more...)
Someone I know well and admire greatly recently sent me a question about the premise of my book, Penguin in the Pew. His question, I think, reflects the mindset of many who remain outside the realm of the libre software domain. It has taken me some time to get around to answering his question, but I thought I would expand on my response to him here on my blog. (more…) Read More →
The other day I started to write a short post about how I was having fun bashing shell scripts. But then it occurred to me that could be hazardous in today’s society. Why people would be outraged that, not only was I happy to bash those poor defenseless shell scripts, but then go on and brag about it. The reaction would surely be swift and strong. The blogosphere would go berzerk, and my ugly mug would be front and center on World News Tonight. People would form the Society for the... (more...)
I did two different photo shoots this weekend. First, Maty and I went to Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden on an invitation Saturday evening. Then I did a separate shoot of an orchid. (more…) Read More →
As I have previously mentioned, I am learning to put a little more thought into the photos I take. I have managed to take quite few pretty darned good photos over the years, but I see some of my shots might have turned out better, or at least a little differently, if I had put more thought into the composition. After a bit of reading on photography techniques I played a bit with the aperture and shutter speed today. The results? I just knew you would ask that! Let’s take a look. ... (more...)
I’m reading the “Digital Photography Bible” by Dan Simon. In Chapter Six he discusses using the “stairstep interpolation” method in Photoshop, and how one can increase the resolution of a photo in 10% increments. He has a side note that he has read that 1% increments are even better, but that he is middle-aged and wants to finish his photos before he retires. I’m guessing he doesn’t know anything about combining ImageMagick with either a simple shell script... (more...)
I am experimenting a little more with my Nikon D70s, trying to learn a little more about photography. I used a polarizing filter for the first time and even decided on a whim to change the photo format to RAW. The RAW photos are absolutely brilliant, but I encountered a little trouble converting them to JPEG or other format. Not knowing much at all about digital photo processing, I was initially disappointed with my first conversion efforts, and completely lost as to where to start. If I... (more...)
I recently installed Kubuntu 11.10 on an HP Pavilion (G71) – a system with a 2.2 GHz Core Duo CPU and GB of RAM. I had already replaced Ubuntu with Debian “Wheezy” on my Dell Inspiron desktop, using the KDE desktop. I also loaded Linux Mint KDE 10 on the Dell Vostro laptop. I guess you could say this marks my return to KDE. (more…) Read More →
Perhaps the Libre Software Community should take heed to the old joke about the two preachers who both preached from the subject, “You’re Going to Hell”. The same message draws different reactions. The difference lies in the tone of the preacher. Libre software advocates should pay attention to the tone of their message. It is true that many people simply buy various devices based on functionality and not based on what they may be free to do. But libre software advocates... (more...)
This Saturday, Maty and I were split between going to the Renaissance Festival or the mountains to see the Autumn colors. We ended up in the mountains, but maybe knowing what to expect would have made the trip more fun. Still, it was a beautiful day to take the camera out for some action. (more…) Read More →
Someone I know well and admire greatly recently sent me a question about the premise of my book, Penguin in the Pew. His question, I think, reflects the mindset of many who remain outside the realm of the libre software domain. It has taken me some time to get around to answering his question,... (more...)
The other day I started to write a short post about how I was having fun bashing shell scripts. But then it occurred to me that could be hazardous in today’s society. Why people would be outraged that, not only was I happy to bash those poor defenseless shell scripts, but then go on and brag... (more...)
This Saturday, Maty and I were split between going to the Renaissance Festival or the mountains to see the Autumn colors. We ended up in the mountains, but maybe knowing what to expect would have made the trip more fun. Still, it was a beautiful day to take the camera out for some action. (more…) Read More →
My previous article mentions that Maty’s uncle passed away. In the midst of sight-seeing and shopping, we took a little time to spend with the family at her Uncle’s wake. (more…) Read More →
I did two different photo shoots this weekend. First, Maty and I went to Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden on an invitation Saturday evening. Then I did a separate shoot of an orchid. (more…) Read More →
As I have previously mentioned, I am learning to put a little more thought into the photos I take. I have managed to take quite few pretty darned good photos over the years, but I see some of my shots might have turned out better, or at least a little differently, if I had put more thought into the... (more...)
Yet another Spanish pronunciation goof. Imagine that just a week ago you learned the Spanish word for squirrel, which is ardilla. Now imagine that you are currently walking along the sidewalk or footpath and you – wanting to show off your great Spanish skills – decide to point out one... (more...)
Learning Spanish is a lot of fun, but you gotta watch your pronunciation. This is precisely what keeps some people from trying to learn a foreign language. They fear they’ll commit a terrible faux pas (which is a fancy word for “screw up”, usually demonstrating poor social skills).... (more...)