Done last week (20121124 Sa - 30 Fr)

[mdlbear]

Well, well. An entire week. Which just happens to coincide with the end of the month, this time.

Did a little work on the network configuration, aimed at making things more stable in the DMZ (the area between the Internet modem/router (polaris) and the inside gateway/router (stargate)). In particular, I got rid of an obsolete DHCP reservation for cygnus, that was conflicting with stargate's static IP address. Gleep! No wonder stargate's WiFi dropped out every so often.

Also for computer geeks: I got Colleen a 7" tablet. It's a Jazz, on sale at Office Depot for $70. Markedly inferior to my Nexus 7, but it does what she wants it to: web browsing and email. The only problem right now is printing; that's going to require setting up Google cloudprint. Which is kind of stupid for talking to a CUPS printer, but...

I *finally* got autoraise back -- turns out that the compiz window manager doesn't actually listen to the desktop config items anymore; Ubuntu has hacked them up to accomodate the Unity desktop. Which is Unbearable.

A number of other geeky items that I ordered during the last week dribbled in, including a case and USB-OTG cable for the Nexus, a really tiny 32-GB USB drive, a couple of uSD cards and adapters (16- and 32-GB), and a couple of other items that suggest that I probably need to stay off of Amazon for a while.

We got Chaos a microwave oven (hers had died). Colleen got the amethyst necklace she'd commissioned at Orycon -- this involved a trip to Wayward.

Moving on, ... I don't really like the way my weight has been going. I think that much of the recent increase was due to going off my diuretic. It was an interesting experiment, but my BP's on the high edge of normal right now; it may be worthwhile going back on the meds.

Of course, my BP would probably go down if I lost 30 poumds, too. Which would be better for me in other ways as well.

The last time I successfully lost weight was my senior year in college. Over 40 years ago.

Humph. One of the things I really like about commuting by bus is that it gives me time to read. I'm not a particularly fast reader, a trait which is better adapted to poetry than to novels. I am, nevertheless, reading two books right now. The one on my Nexus (via Kindle) is Coding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking by E. Gabriella Coleman -- an anthropologist's view of hacker culture. Fascinating.

The other, on my phone from Gutenberg via Cool Reader, is Pride and Prejudice, which has been highly recommended to me but was something I was always leery of. It's... ok, I guess. Perhaps someone more familiar with the genre could tell me whether it's meant to be funny -- there's an undercurrent of what appears to be wry amusement on the part of the author. Perhaps one problem is simply the lack of characters I can easily identify with. I'm curious, but not involved.

Anyway... details in the notes, as usual. I should probably try to get back on a twice/week schedule, shouldn't I?

1124 Sa
  * up 8ish; W=198.2 BP=110/73 P=54; d, n, t; laundry, exercise, dishes, light
  @ Olympic Peninsula loop - not today
    -- it's a minimum 8-hour trip.  But one we want to take some weekend.
  * 15min:  assorted config hacking in the DMZ, hopefully making things there a
    little more sane and stable.  Mostly, removing a bogus DHCP reservation for
    the inside gateway, which is now static.
  * 15min:  took a soggy box of fabric off the porch.  Was underneath some other
    stuff, which is why I hadn't noticed it.
  * Freddy's with Colleen, mainly to get a microwave oven for Chaos's slightly
    early holiday present.
  * ask office about door code
  % (17:22:09) ***mdlbear is feeling reasonably contented, after a glass of gin
    and some dinner 
  * cleared two boxes of tea, into two plastic bins under the buffet, + a drawer
    The artwork from one of the bins is now just sitting out, so...
  * 7ish to Wayward to meet Angela for necklace.  Jewelry and art geeking ensued.
    Angelwear Creations (Angela)
    NightshadeRose Designs (Elizabeth)
  @ http://freecomputerbooks.com/
    Downloadable GNU/Linux PDF books
  * Raise-on-focus problem solved:  need to use the *compiz* config editor. (ccsm)

1125 Su
  % dreams that involved escaping from a very tall tower on a planet that was being
    invaded.  At one point there was an army of singing clown robots.  Never
    said my dreams made sense.
  * up 7:05; W=198.6,.. BP=102/69, P=59; d, n, t; laundry, dishes,... light
  * joined Amazon Prime; ordered stylus, OTG cable, USB ethernet adapter, and
    *tiny* flash drive.  Is $79/year; I apparently spent more than that on
    shipping in the last year, so win.  Even without the free streaming video.
  @ Coding Freedom: an anthropologist understands hacker culture - Boing Boing 
    Coding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking: E. Gabriella Coleman 
    It's a CC license, so one would think it'd be available free.  I paid for it
    on Kindle, though.  I don't mind supporting Princeton University Press, but
    I should probably have checked for a DRM-free version first.
  @ Kill the Password: Why a String of Characters Can't Protect Us Anymore |
    Gadget Lab | Wired.com (dmarti - Kill the username while you're at it.) 
  * Grocery shopping, plus a drive all the way out to Edmonds on 15th Ave and
    Ballinger Way.  On the way back stopped at the Office Depot that we'd seen
    on the corner of 15th + B, to look at tablets.  Got Colleen a 7" Jazz
    Ultratab, which upgrades to Jelly Bean and was a lot cheaper than the
    Nexus.  (Not as fast or as much memory, but just fine for what Colleen wants
    with it.)  Also got a somewhat larger lapdesk.  It's big enough even when
    things are plugged into the USB port, and has elastic bands that hold the
    trackball and hub down.  Nice.  The Jazz seems to be an Office Depot
    exclusive.  There's also a 9" for $100  Prices good until end of month.
  * dinner:  turkey in chunks in quick gravy (basically just turkey broth with a
    little roux), stuffing, biscuits, and Colleen's cranberry/orange relish.
  * pay bills for this week, at least through Dec 3

1126 Mo
  * up 6:20; W=198.2, BP=120/70, P=53; d, n, t; laundry, exercise, dishes, light
  @ AirTurn vs. PageFlip Cicada – A Bluetooth Pedal Showdown
  * walk:  Pike + 3rd.  Brisk.
  * my HDMI/DVI adapters and cables, my nexus case, and Colleen's cloak from the
    Pyramid Collection all arrived today.  Made for a biggish pile in my chair!
  * finally starting to catch up on LWN.  Will probably never get caught up, and
    will probably not renew my paid subscription.  I'm obviously ok with being a
    week or more behind.
  @ Moglen on Freedom Box and making a free net [LWN.net]
    -> FreedomBox Foundation
  * got VPN maybe working, but it apparently did something evil to my networkmanager
    config.  Dropping the combined indicator applet fixed it, but...  gaak!

1127 Tu
  * up 6:15; W=200 BP=124/74, P=53; d, n, t; laundry, light
  * dim sum lunch at O'Asian.  Came to $16/person (at our table)
  * broke a chunk off my temporary crown.  Fortunately the permanent is getting
    installed tomorrow.
  @ Holes discovered in SSL certificate validation [LWN.net]
  @ Privacyfix [LWN.net]
    Privacyfix - Lock down your privacy
  * invited to dinner at N's Thursday -- propose to Colleen and point out that
    she's having dental work done Wed.

1128 We
  * up 5:30; W=200.6; d, n; laundry, dishes
  @ Penn State University's Electronic Classics Series Site: Download Great
    Literary Works in PDF PDF sucks, but...
  * 8am dentist:  me and Colleen
  @ English is a Scandinavian language?
    ‘English is a Scandinavian language’ : Views and News from Norway 
  @ mockito - simpler & better mocking today's object of study
  @ Linux and automotive computing security [LWN.net] scary!

1129 Th
  * up 7am; W=19.6; d, n, t; laundry, dishes
  * got my test s/w talking to the code under test, after somehow losing the
    OAuth magic and other bits of lore while thrashing around.  Finding other
    people's bugs now, which was the general idea.  But when you're up to your
    arse in alligators...
  * over to N's for dinner.
  @ xpra - screen for X

1130 Fr
  * up 7am; W=199.6; d, n, t; laundry, exercise, dishes
  * walk - University + 5th, including a stop at Union Bank for cash
  @ D-Link | DIR-505 SharePort Mobile Companion arrived today
Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: D-Link All-in-One Mobile Companion (DIR-505) 
    good info on setup.   Firmware update essential.
  @ LinkedIn Like It’s Your Job: 6 Things Recruiters Look For 

Comments

[lemon_badgeress]

I'm not entirely certain I'd have recommend P&P to you. I adore that book, but I don't recommend it that widely? I wouldn't really have expected it to be your thing.

On the other hand, I can assure that yes, it is supposed to be amusing -- she's making fun of everyone from line one. :P

[mdlbear]

I'm pretty sure it's not my thing, but my tastes have been known to change, and I never really know where the boundaries are without pushing them a little. The snark is kind of fun, when I can identify it.

[lapislaz]

This is one of those cases where it actually helps to watch a good production of it. I'd recommend the A&E version with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle - it sticks close to the story line and uses much of the original dialogue. Gives you a visual reference for some of the more sarcastic parts. And I do agree - she's pointing out the ridiculousness of everything and everyone. No one is safe.

[mdlbear]

I'm not sure I'd have the patience to sit through a movie of it -- the advantage of a book is that I can take it a chapter at a time. Or less.

Pride and Prejudice

[chaoswolf]

I couldn't stand the book, myself. Part of it was because of the accent, but part of it was because the plot seemed full of holes and was extremely cheesy (IMO, anyway.) Another reason is that I just couldn't get my head around Austen's writing style, especially after having to re-write Goldilocks and the 3 bears in her style as an AP English project.

Re: Pride and Prejudice

[mdlbear]

My sympathies -- I don't think I could have taken it at your age either. (I did a book report on Northanger Abbey, wherein I said that I'd rather have been reading one of the Gothic romances she was poking fun at.)

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

"English is a Scandinavian language?"

After I failed at being a physics major, I became an English major in college, so of course I studied Beowulf and Chaucer in their original forms. More recently, I visited Iceland, and was amused to discover that modern Icelandic looks and sounds almost exactly like the "Old English" of Beowulf.

[tibicina.livejournal.com]

Yes, Pride and Prejudice, and, indeed, all of Miss Austen's novels, are meant to have a lot of humor in them. They aren't /purely/ humorous; I might classify them as 'dramedy', but yes, they are supposed to be amusing.

[jcfiala.livejournal.com]

I haven't read Pride & Prejudice, but I've seen my wife watching it a bunch of times, and there's definitely a lot of wry humor over what the main character goes through and the way she looks at life.

[jenk]

I think it can be safely said that the characters are at times rather snarky. ;)

Hello

[markiv1111.livejournal.com]

I am glad to hear from you. I continue reading your posts but am not currently blogging. Nonetheless, communication between you and me will not be impossible, and I *am* reading!

Nate B.

Re: Hello

[mdlbear]

Glad to hear it. Take care.