Well, the battery for the T61 arrived today. No problems noted so far. Everything seems to be working fine. (Though it's a bit larger than the extended battery I had in the system. Hopefully more cells, more charge...)
The bigger news: In a wild hair moment, I decided to test Mint on the X60s. A live boot test showed no problems, so I went nuts, nuked XP and Lubuntu off the system, and did a Mint 13 install. So far, everything has been working fine. I'm using the system right now, and I can't complain in the least.
I rather like Mint. I went with the Mate interface over Cinnamon simply for convenience. I didn't want to burn another DVD. Mate was what I had available, so...
If I remember correctly, Mint installs with Flash, so I shouldn't have any problems with YouTube stuff. And it does have LibreOffice, which I prefer over AbiWord. The SD card works fine as well, so I now have a total of c.112 GB of storage on the system. (Minus the c.6 GB for the system install, of course.) I can handle that.
Silly news: I stuck a big, orange domed Ubuntu sticker on the lid of the T61. It covers up the worst part of the scarring on the lid. (I'd like to know what was on the lid that was so violently removed. Part of it looks like a name or number of some sort. The rest... Maybe a logo of some sort.)
Still ruminating on the Steampunk stuff I was looking at the other day. I find it fascinating. However, it's not something that I would dive headlong into. I could probably scrounge together stuff for costuming and suchlike, but I'm not much into that. Still, I find the aesthetic very appealing, and the mechanical stuff always fascinated me. (Even though I have 10 thumbs when it comes to working on anything mechanical.)
Have to put the systems through their paces tonight, doing some more research on the subject. Looks like I'll have plenty of time, as we have a nice winter storm settling in over us. And, maybe even worse coming next week.
Oh, the fun of winter...
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Just Lovely
OK, I know this is probably ancient news, but I just ran across this shown on Jake Von Slatt's excellent Steampunk Workshop site. If this isn't the coolest thing, I don't know what is.
And to think this was made as a wedding present from the gentleman to his wife to be... Kinda the perfect techie story...
 |
| Photo of Dave Veloz's modded Mac Mini. From Jake Von Slatt's Steampunk Workshop website. |
And to think this was made as a wedding present from the gentleman to his wife to be... Kinda the perfect techie story...
Moving on
Well, after last night's exceptionally upbeat entries...
Yeah...
Today, things are moving along much better. The R40 got moved to the back room to stay while I consider other options. (There is always an install of Puppy Linux...)
The battery for the T61 still hasn't arrived, but I did get in the new 32 GB SD card that I'm going to use as extra archive storage on the X60s. (It works perfectly, by the way. Have it in right now, and did some quick compatibility testing. Nice to have the extra storage.)
Also got a new 16 GB USB thumb drive. The story behind that is that it was ordered as a replacement for one that was lost during the great "furniture malfunction" incident. The funny thing is, of course, that I found the lost thumb drive in a totally different location. Figures. But I now have tons of free USB-based storage as well.
I think I've reached my saturation of computer stuff for now. I'll be happy when the new battery gets here. (I've been using the T61 off it's old battery, which gives me somewhere over 2 hours. It's a beautiful system, and I really want it up to full potential.)
As a side note, I got a package from Canonical. I'd grabbed some stickers from them, including some "domed" stickers for use on the T61 to cover up the nasty scratches on the top of the lid.
It looks like we're due to get some ugly weather for the next few days, so I may be enjoying my systems a bit more than usual. We'll see how things go. Hopefully, it won't get too bad...
Yeah...
Today, things are moving along much better. The R40 got moved to the back room to stay while I consider other options. (There is always an install of Puppy Linux...)
The battery for the T61 still hasn't arrived, but I did get in the new 32 GB SD card that I'm going to use as extra archive storage on the X60s. (It works perfectly, by the way. Have it in right now, and did some quick compatibility testing. Nice to have the extra storage.)
Also got a new 16 GB USB thumb drive. The story behind that is that it was ordered as a replacement for one that was lost during the great "furniture malfunction" incident. The funny thing is, of course, that I found the lost thumb drive in a totally different location. Figures. But I now have tons of free USB-based storage as well.
I think I've reached my saturation of computer stuff for now. I'll be happy when the new battery gets here. (I've been using the T61 off it's old battery, which gives me somewhere over 2 hours. It's a beautiful system, and I really want it up to full potential.)
As a side note, I got a package from Canonical. I'd grabbed some stickers from them, including some "domed" stickers for use on the T61 to cover up the nasty scratches on the top of the lid.
It looks like we're due to get some ugly weather for the next few days, so I may be enjoying my systems a bit more than usual. We'll see how things go. Hopefully, it won't get too bad...
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Chaos 6, Me 0
And so, the R40 project comes to a crashing end.
Well, not entirely crashing, but I damn well felt like it...
I did my homework, and found no really good answer to the great "Suspend" problem. So...
I ended up selecting three alternatives to Mint: Lubuntu 12.04, Xubuntu 12.04, and Puppy Linux 5.3 "Wary Puppy." After looking those over, I went with Xubuntu, as 12.04 is a long term service release. So, I burned a copy of it, and then...
Do I need to go further...
Yeah, the very same problem. Suspend and go into a permanent coma.
This was very, very good for my soul...
So, after I ran through the world vulgarity lexicon, I decided to call it quits. I didn't feel like doing any more disk burning. I tucked the newly "offensive" OS disks out of the way, and did the same with the R40. (It'll probably migrate to the back room tomorrow...)
Yeah, boy... Fun, fun, fun...
(And, yeah, one of these days I'll get round to playing with the other distros I downloaded. One of these days...)
Well, not entirely crashing, but I damn well felt like it...
I did my homework, and found no really good answer to the great "Suspend" problem. So...
I ended up selecting three alternatives to Mint: Lubuntu 12.04, Xubuntu 12.04, and Puppy Linux 5.3 "Wary Puppy." After looking those over, I went with Xubuntu, as 12.04 is a long term service release. So, I burned a copy of it, and then...
Do I need to go further...
Yeah, the very same problem. Suspend and go into a permanent coma.
This was very, very good for my soul...
So, after I ran through the world vulgarity lexicon, I decided to call it quits. I didn't feel like doing any more disk burning. I tucked the newly "offensive" OS disks out of the way, and did the same with the R40. (It'll probably migrate to the back room tomorrow...)
Yeah, boy... Fun, fun, fun...
(And, yeah, one of these days I'll get round to playing with the other distros I downloaded. One of these days...)
Monday, February 25, 2013
Here we go...
It always has to happen, doesn't it?
Yeah... Mint problems. One that I should've found before going through the whole rigamarole...
Apparently, I am suffering from the infamous "won't wake up from Suspend" bug. And none of the "fixes" I've seen online seem to help. So...
So...
More research, I guess. I've switched over to X60s and am winding down... We'll see what comes of it later...
Yeah... Mint problems. One that I should've found before going through the whole rigamarole...
Apparently, I am suffering from the infamous "won't wake up from Suspend" bug. And none of the "fixes" I've seen online seem to help. So...
So...
More research, I guess. I've switched over to X60s and am winding down... We'll see what comes of it later...
Success, Mk II
Yep, Linux Mint is up and running on the R40! I've only just started getting into it, but I have to say it's good.
I just hooked up the Lenovo USB keyboard to see if it would work properly. (It does.)
So, I'm now running three Linux distros (Unbuntu, Lubuntu, and Mint). Should I crank up "White & Nerdy" now? (Probably not. I don't think I rate on the "nerd" scale at all...)
It was odd, but I felt a little off, nuking WinXP off the R40. But, it was getting long in the tooth. I couldn't get it to upgrade anymore, and I was having second thoughts about running AVG, so I was leery about going online with it. Mildly paranoid on my part, but...
So, yet another "new" toy. Maybe I should say "refurbished" toy. But it's cool, so...
I just hooked up the Lenovo USB keyboard to see if it would work properly. (It does.)
So, I'm now running three Linux distros (Unbuntu, Lubuntu, and Mint). Should I crank up "White & Nerdy" now? (Probably not. I don't think I rate on the "nerd" scale at all...)
It was odd, but I felt a little off, nuking WinXP off the R40. But, it was getting long in the tooth. I couldn't get it to upgrade anymore, and I was having second thoughts about running AVG, so I was leery about going online with it. Mildly paranoid on my part, but...
So, yet another "new" toy. Maybe I should say "refurbished" toy. But it's cool, so...
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Slight Return (with side note)
And a bit more success, I guess. Just to follow up...
I'm running Puppy Linux in RAM on the T61. It functions. It's, in fact, sort of cute. In an annoying, chewing on the furniture sort of way. I had a hell of a time getting online, simply because I didn't choose the simpler of the two networking tools.
So, this is SeaMonkey, which is stripped down web browsing. This almost makes Chromium look expansive...
Anyway, it's running. It works. I know I can use it in an emergency. On certain systems...
Anyway, again...
My side note: I managed to catch the Masterpiece Contemporary performance this evening on PBS. They were running "Page Eight", an English espionage/psychological/conspiracy thriller starring Bill Nighy, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambone, Alice Krige, Rachel Weisz, and a host of others. I'd caught the last half of it a goodly while back, when it was apparently first broadcast. This time I was lucky enough to catch the whole thing.
Once again, the English run circles around us for good drama. No violence, no car chases, no guns, no studly, dull-witted "heroes". just a collection of exceptional actors with a fine script. That's how it's done.
And, now to put the Puppy to bed, and hit the sack. I've had enough tech for one evening...
I'm running Puppy Linux in RAM on the T61. It functions. It's, in fact, sort of cute. In an annoying, chewing on the furniture sort of way. I had a hell of a time getting online, simply because I didn't choose the simpler of the two networking tools.
So, this is SeaMonkey, which is stripped down web browsing. This almost makes Chromium look expansive...
Anyway, it's running. It works. I know I can use it in an emergency. On certain systems...
Anyway, again...
My side note: I managed to catch the Masterpiece Contemporary performance this evening on PBS. They were running "Page Eight", an English espionage/psychological/conspiracy thriller starring Bill Nighy, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambone, Alice Krige, Rachel Weisz, and a host of others. I'd caught the last half of it a goodly while back, when it was apparently first broadcast. This time I was lucky enough to catch the whole thing.
Once again, the English run circles around us for good drama. No violence, no car chases, no guns, no studly, dull-witted "heroes". just a collection of exceptional actors with a fine script. That's how it's done.
And, now to put the Puppy to bed, and hit the sack. I've had enough tech for one evening...
Success! (kinda.....)
Let's boil it down. Linux Mint 13, with Mate, works. Quite well, in fact. I rather like it. (I did download the Cinnamon version, but didn't burn it to disk.)
That's the success.
Boiling, as my temper is... Puppy Linux did not work. I downloaded and burned Puppy Linux 5.4.3, "Precise Puppy". After doing a live boot with Mint, I decided to do a quick test of Puppy...
And was informed that my CPU couldn't handle this, as it required PAE...
So, the little tiny, simple, stripped down, "runs on anything" Linux can't run on a system that is only about 9 years old. Great.
The big version of Linux that requires a DVD to burn to, which has the fairly heavy user interface, which comes loaded with advanced software, etc., will run on the computer that's 9 years old with its sad ol' CPU.
Ok... Help me here...
Anyway... I haven't installed Mint yet. Just kind of got out of the mood. I'll probably do it tomorrow. Maybe after I send back the incorrect T61 battery...
And, yeah, I know. At least Mint worked...
That's the success.
Boiling, as my temper is... Puppy Linux did not work. I downloaded and burned Puppy Linux 5.4.3, "Precise Puppy". After doing a live boot with Mint, I decided to do a quick test of Puppy...
And was informed that my CPU couldn't handle this, as it required PAE...
So, the little tiny, simple, stripped down, "runs on anything" Linux can't run on a system that is only about 9 years old. Great.
The big version of Linux that requires a DVD to burn to, which has the fairly heavy user interface, which comes loaded with advanced software, etc., will run on the computer that's 9 years old with its sad ol' CPU.
Ok... Help me here...
Anyway... I haven't installed Mint yet. Just kind of got out of the mood. I'll probably do it tomorrow. Maybe after I send back the incorrect T61 battery...
And, yeah, I know. At least Mint worked...
Distros
So, I've been doing some research...
Always a dangerous sign, because it usually means I'm either going to end up buying something grotesquely expensive, or I'm going to tear something up...
Hopefully, this time is different. (Fingers to the crossed position, please...)
I've been searching out Linux distros that should be able to work on my old R40 Thinkpad with it's strangely unloved Pentium-M chip. This came up after I tried to do a Lubuntu 12.10 install, and found out that that version won't support a chip that doesn't include Physical Address Extensions.
After doing some tripping about the Linux forums, I decided that Mint 13 sounded like a good choice. It's the latest long term release of Mint, and doesn't require PAEs. (Mint 14, however, does.) Then the big choice became... Cinnamon or MATE interface. (Dodging the religious wars over this, as I don't have a canine in the fight, I'm leaning towards MATE, as it's supposed to be "lighter weight." Though Cinnamon looks nicer.) And I quickly rejected the Debian versions, as I'm still not overly comfortable straying too far from the shores of Ubuntu...
OK, so then I notice that I need to download and burn to DVD. Sooo... Off to the local Wal-Mart (which gives me hives) to get some DVD-R's...
Back home, I'm doing a little bit more reading up, when I run across... Puppy Linux. I remember the "Linux Guy" at the local shop uses this variant to do his testing, and spoke very highly of it. So, more research... Hey, there's "Precise Puppy", which is (you guessed it) built of Ubuntu 12.04 "Precise Pangolin"... I start thinking about an old Acer netbook that's been buried under a pile of junk for a long time...
And... There's the "Wary Puppy" version that's supposed to run on older hardware... (How old..?)
So, at the very least, two new versions of Linux I want to download and play with. I still haven't even dragged out my other laptops to do the downloading and burning. (The X60s being sans DVD burner...)
Yeah, this may all be getting entirely out of hand...
Always a dangerous sign, because it usually means I'm either going to end up buying something grotesquely expensive, or I'm going to tear something up...
Hopefully, this time is different. (Fingers to the crossed position, please...)
I've been searching out Linux distros that should be able to work on my old R40 Thinkpad with it's strangely unloved Pentium-M chip. This came up after I tried to do a Lubuntu 12.10 install, and found out that that version won't support a chip that doesn't include Physical Address Extensions.
After doing some tripping about the Linux forums, I decided that Mint 13 sounded like a good choice. It's the latest long term release of Mint, and doesn't require PAEs. (Mint 14, however, does.) Then the big choice became... Cinnamon or MATE interface. (Dodging the religious wars over this, as I don't have a canine in the fight, I'm leaning towards MATE, as it's supposed to be "lighter weight." Though Cinnamon looks nicer.) And I quickly rejected the Debian versions, as I'm still not overly comfortable straying too far from the shores of Ubuntu...
OK, so then I notice that I need to download and burn to DVD. Sooo... Off to the local Wal-Mart (which gives me hives) to get some DVD-R's...
Back home, I'm doing a little bit more reading up, when I run across... Puppy Linux. I remember the "Linux Guy" at the local shop uses this variant to do his testing, and spoke very highly of it. So, more research... Hey, there's "Precise Puppy", which is (you guessed it) built of Ubuntu 12.04 "Precise Pangolin"... I start thinking about an old Acer netbook that's been buried under a pile of junk for a long time...
And... There's the "Wary Puppy" version that's supposed to run on older hardware... (How old..?)
So, at the very least, two new versions of Linux I want to download and play with. I still haven't even dragged out my other laptops to do the downloading and burning. (The X60s being sans DVD burner...)
Yeah, this may all be getting entirely out of hand...
Saturday, February 23, 2013
'Punk
It's the odd little synchronicities that are the most entertaining...
While doing the battery discharge on the T60, I cruised YouTube. And by one of those weird twists that only happens in the hypertextual world of the 'web, I found myself watching some videos about Steampunk.
I've alway had a weak-spot for aesthetics of steampunk. The Victorian period fascinates me, and I obviously have sci-fi proclivities, so... (To be honest, I also have some fascination for some aspects of goth as well, though I think my interests run more towards the 18th century "goths", the collectors of oddities...)
And, mentioning Oddities... I sort of half-watched a couple of the new episodes of the show. It was during the "coming up next" ads that I got the tingles, as they were running a show entitled Odd Folks Home, which I have somehow completely missed. (I was shocked to find out it had been running since November of last year. Where the hell have I been..?) To my joy, the show is hosted by the charmingly wonderful Edgar Oliver. So, of course, I had to watch it.
And, to complete the synchronicity, they were running a segment of the folks who own/operate Brute Force Studios, yes, a steampunk crew! I'd honestly never heard of them before, but what I saw in the episode, and what I saw on their website, was quite cool. (Loved the beautiful house. And the work they do is quite incredible. Besides, you have to love people who hang out in antique shops and dream up new uses for old odds-n-ends geegaws they find...)
So... A bit of punk synchronicities... Brought to you by the strangely soothing tones of Mr. Oliver...
While doing the battery discharge on the T60, I cruised YouTube. And by one of those weird twists that only happens in the hypertextual world of the 'web, I found myself watching some videos about Steampunk.
I've alway had a weak-spot for aesthetics of steampunk. The Victorian period fascinates me, and I obviously have sci-fi proclivities, so... (To be honest, I also have some fascination for some aspects of goth as well, though I think my interests run more towards the 18th century "goths", the collectors of oddities...)
And, mentioning Oddities... I sort of half-watched a couple of the new episodes of the show. It was during the "coming up next" ads that I got the tingles, as they were running a show entitled Odd Folks Home, which I have somehow completely missed. (I was shocked to find out it had been running since November of last year. Where the hell have I been..?) To my joy, the show is hosted by the charmingly wonderful Edgar Oliver. So, of course, I had to watch it.
And, to complete the synchronicity, they were running a segment of the folks who own/operate Brute Force Studios, yes, a steampunk crew! I'd honestly never heard of them before, but what I saw in the episode, and what I saw on their website, was quite cool. (Loved the beautiful house. And the work they do is quite incredible. Besides, you have to love people who hang out in antique shops and dream up new uses for old odds-n-ends geegaws they find...)
So... A bit of punk synchronicities... Brought to you by the strangely soothing tones of Mr. Oliver...
Working!
Made it over to the computer shop across the river, and picked up the new battery. Let's just say, they bought higher quality than I did. It was a bit more expensive than I've been paying for batteries but, so far, it's working fine. I think that's the true bottom line.
As per usual, the thing came with about a 3/4 charge on it, so I'm running it down to do a fully discharge/recharge cycle. Hopefully, this one works fine, and keeps on doing it for a long, long time.
Good news.
I'll just be so glad when the T61 battery comes. Then the whole Thinkpad stable will be up to full steam...
So, not a bad day. In fact, as far as the day went, it was a beautiful day. Sunny and bright, and decently warm. Nice day to get out and walk, which I did.
Ah, now if I could just match up the 6 numbers in Powerball, everything would be just peachy.....
As per usual, the thing came with about a 3/4 charge on it, so I'm running it down to do a fully discharge/recharge cycle. Hopefully, this one works fine, and keeps on doing it for a long, long time.
Good news.
I'll just be so glad when the T61 battery comes. Then the whole Thinkpad stable will be up to full steam...
So, not a bad day. In fact, as far as the day went, it was a beautiful day. Sunny and bright, and decently warm. Nice day to get out and walk, which I did.
Ah, now if I could just match up the 6 numbers in Powerball, everything would be just peachy.....
Friday, February 22, 2013
Pickin' (and no grinnin')
I think I mentioned somewhere a while back about my fascination with the intrepid "trash pickers" who seem to have the most incredible luck at pulling workable tech out of the dumpsters and transfer stations of America.
I am not one of those people. Sometimes I wouldn't mind to be, but...
To be honest, I think I'm cursed by geography. I live in a fairly rural area, which also happens to be fairly economically depressed. If, by chance, someone would toss a computer or such out, it's probably going to be moldy toast. We don't even really have a recycling center close by. (The so called "recycling drop off point" we do have is basically a "dump off your plastic bottles and cardboard boxes" kinda place. The city is always howling about finding deer carcases tossed in amongst the soda bottles during hunting season...)
We do have a local college, which is known for its out-of-state clientèle. (I did graduate from there, by the way, even though I was a local. Makes me a bit of an oddity.) However, I really have no desire to stick my head nor hands into a dumpster sitting at the back of a dorm-full of celebrating seniors...
Even the "you'd have to pay" spots aren't that great. The local Goodwill is basically a clothing shop, with some very sad junk floating about.
And, today, for the sheer devilment of it, I went to local pawn shop and had a look. Sad. A small, mangy collection of really overpriced HPs, a couple Dells, and I believe a Samsung. One all-in-one desktop with that "me-want-man-cave" look to it. (I think I paid less for my 3 current Thinkpads together than they wanted for one of the HPs or Dells.) Nothing worthwhile, or worth the price.
I guess the 'picking could be done nearby. When I was at the state university (just shy of 70 miles up the road), a friend of mine used to cruise the student-heavy neighborhoods at the end of the semester and pick up new furniture for the next year. I suspect there might be some technological cascading going on there. But, again, I'd be wanting to wear a hazard suit in some areas... (It was a wild place when I was there, but now...Yee-HAW!)
Still, I'd kind of like to see if I could have any luck cruising for discarded tech. Alas, I think I would have to go far afield to do it. And that begins to cross over my essential laziness and apathy.
Putting out effort requires effort, you know...
I am not one of those people. Sometimes I wouldn't mind to be, but...
To be honest, I think I'm cursed by geography. I live in a fairly rural area, which also happens to be fairly economically depressed. If, by chance, someone would toss a computer or such out, it's probably going to be moldy toast. We don't even really have a recycling center close by. (The so called "recycling drop off point" we do have is basically a "dump off your plastic bottles and cardboard boxes" kinda place. The city is always howling about finding deer carcases tossed in amongst the soda bottles during hunting season...)
We do have a local college, which is known for its out-of-state clientèle. (I did graduate from there, by the way, even though I was a local. Makes me a bit of an oddity.) However, I really have no desire to stick my head nor hands into a dumpster sitting at the back of a dorm-full of celebrating seniors...
Even the "you'd have to pay" spots aren't that great. The local Goodwill is basically a clothing shop, with some very sad junk floating about.
And, today, for the sheer devilment of it, I went to local pawn shop and had a look. Sad. A small, mangy collection of really overpriced HPs, a couple Dells, and I believe a Samsung. One all-in-one desktop with that "me-want-man-cave" look to it. (I think I paid less for my 3 current Thinkpads together than they wanted for one of the HPs or Dells.) Nothing worthwhile, or worth the price.
I guess the 'picking could be done nearby. When I was at the state university (just shy of 70 miles up the road), a friend of mine used to cruise the student-heavy neighborhoods at the end of the semester and pick up new furniture for the next year. I suspect there might be some technological cascading going on there. But, again, I'd be wanting to wear a hazard suit in some areas... (It was a wild place when I was there, but now...Yee-HAW!)
Still, I'd kind of like to see if I could have any luck cruising for discarded tech. Alas, I think I would have to go far afield to do it. And that begins to cross over my essential laziness and apathy.
Putting out effort requires effort, you know...
Accomplished
Well, everything seems to be working out for the better...
The seller on the T61 battery got back in touch, and we worked out a return/refund. I have to say, they've been quite nice about it. Far too many sellers I've encountered aren't anywhere near as personable as these folks have been. Our communications have been a bit meandering, but they've been decent on their end.
And I did find a new battery which matches the specs, and have placed an order. So...
And, on top of that, I just got a call from the computer shop folks that the battery for the T60 has come in. They seem to think that this battery will work well with my wayward T60. I'm hoping... Especially after the problems with the faux T61 battery not being recognized.....
Anyway, I'm still using the X60s off battery, which is cool. Did some 'Tube browsing, and ran across some Jeri Ellsworth videos. Hmmm...
OK, I'm back....
So, after all that, I've settled into an evening's diet of How It's Made episodes...
Do I have my nerd cred yet????
The seller on the T61 battery got back in touch, and we worked out a return/refund. I have to say, they've been quite nice about it. Far too many sellers I've encountered aren't anywhere near as personable as these folks have been. Our communications have been a bit meandering, but they've been decent on their end.
And I did find a new battery which matches the specs, and have placed an order. So...
And, on top of that, I just got a call from the computer shop folks that the battery for the T60 has come in. They seem to think that this battery will work well with my wayward T60. I'm hoping... Especially after the problems with the faux T61 battery not being recognized.....
Anyway, I'm still using the X60s off battery, which is cool. Did some 'Tube browsing, and ran across some Jeri Ellsworth videos. Hmmm...
OK, I'm back....
So, after all that, I've settled into an evening's diet of How It's Made episodes...
Do I have my nerd cred yet????
The Day After...
Figured a nice, melodramatic title would do...
I'm getting too old to be pulling these all-nighters...
The saga of the T61 battery continues. I've been exchanging emails with the seller, which was sort of like dunqua-dunquing back and forth with no progress being made. I finally actually got my head out of the clouds, and did some digging.
My T61 is a "type 7663", which (according to Lenovo references) uses a # 42T5229 battery. Checking images of that type of battery, they matched what I had in my laptop. So...
I sent a note back to the seller, along with a comparison photo, and said that if they had that particular model of battery, we could do a swap. Otherwise, I'd just return the battery they sent me for a refund. Simple enough.
Haven't heard a word back from them since early this morning. So, I'm waiting. And waiting...
This is going to be protractedly fun, isn't it?
At least I can still use my T61 for decent periods off the old battery. But it's charging to about 82% of capacity, and I'm not sure how long it'll keep doing that.
In better news, the little X60s is shining. Things seem to be going quite well with the Lubuntu install. (Which I'm currently using.) I ended up giving it about 25 GB of space on the drive, which is roomy for now, and leaves decent space for any work I might need to do in XP.
So, i'm now walking very lightly, waiting for some unmitigated disaster to strike my new little notebook.
Oh well. So it goes...
I'm getting too old to be pulling these all-nighters...
The saga of the T61 battery continues. I've been exchanging emails with the seller, which was sort of like dunqua-dunquing back and forth with no progress being made. I finally actually got my head out of the clouds, and did some digging.
My T61 is a "type 7663", which (according to Lenovo references) uses a # 42T5229 battery. Checking images of that type of battery, they matched what I had in my laptop. So...
I sent a note back to the seller, along with a comparison photo, and said that if they had that particular model of battery, we could do a swap. Otherwise, I'd just return the battery they sent me for a refund. Simple enough.
Haven't heard a word back from them since early this morning. So, I'm waiting. And waiting...
This is going to be protractedly fun, isn't it?
At least I can still use my T61 for decent periods off the old battery. But it's charging to about 82% of capacity, and I'm not sure how long it'll keep doing that.
In better news, the little X60s is shining. Things seem to be going quite well with the Lubuntu install. (Which I'm currently using.) I ended up giving it about 25 GB of space on the drive, which is roomy for now, and leaves decent space for any work I might need to do in XP.
So, i'm now walking very lightly, waiting for some unmitigated disaster to strike my new little notebook.
Oh well. So it goes...
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Witching Hour + 1
I now have a dual-booting X60s with WinXP and Lubuntu...
And I managed to install the Flash plugin into Chromium...
Does anyone realize how long it's been since I used a UNIX command line? Does anyone realize how long it's been since I've used any command line???
All this just to watch YouTube...............................................
Yay for me....
I desperately need to go to bed....
And I managed to install the Flash plugin into Chromium...
Does anyone realize how long it's been since I used a UNIX command line? Does anyone realize how long it's been since I've used any command line???
All this just to watch YouTube...............................................
Yay for me....
I desperately need to go to bed....
Abraca-Hocus! Pocus-Cadabra!
Ok, so two posts in the same day.. Oh boy!
I'm still trying to run the battery down on the X60s, and it's hitting back by holding a solid charge. I'll admit, I'm impressed with the little devil. Even with the WinXP stuff.
And it's the WinXP stuff that's giving me pause. You can see the threadbare edges, as you fiddle with the system and traipse about the web. Even the fresh restore with all the updates doesn't really hide the old paneling under the (re-)paint job. IE, in particular, is it's normal stodgy self. (One of my accounts online actually informed me that it didn't like this version of IE, and I'd better upgrade... The cheek...)
I'm kinda off-put by the amount of hard drive real estate that's taken by XP, the "ThinkVantage" stuff, the restore partition, etc. I'm left with around 50 gigs out of just under 80... (Even though I know it's not correct, I keep comparing this to my old Powerbook G4 80 GB HD, where I've jammed tons of crap onto it in addition the OSes [OS X and Classic], and still have scads of storage left...)
Despite not having much room to play in, I'm strongly reconsidering my feelings about installing a disk partition with Lubuntu. (I did bobble about, looking at Mint and Xubuntu, but I'm sticking with Lubuntu for now. Mainly because I'd have to do too much digging and climbing to get to the rest of those old CD-Rs. And I don't feel like burning another disk, anyway...) (Yes, laziness is just one more of the fine services we offer...)
I'm thinking about giving myself about 20 GB of storage, and playing with Linux for a bit. Granted, I can zap the partition if I have to. (Not an option I would look forward to, given potential Window's hard drive jitters, but...)
To be honest, given the worn nature of XP, the whole drive will probably be going over to some variant of Linux before long. But I'll try to keep the Windows open for a while. (Something to hear from a twisted Mac user like me... And just a bad joke in general...)
Now, I'll just need to work up the gumption to do the install, and I'll be in business...
I'm still trying to run the battery down on the X60s, and it's hitting back by holding a solid charge. I'll admit, I'm impressed with the little devil. Even with the WinXP stuff.
And it's the WinXP stuff that's giving me pause. You can see the threadbare edges, as you fiddle with the system and traipse about the web. Even the fresh restore with all the updates doesn't really hide the old paneling under the (re-)paint job. IE, in particular, is it's normal stodgy self. (One of my accounts online actually informed me that it didn't like this version of IE, and I'd better upgrade... The cheek...)
I'm kinda off-put by the amount of hard drive real estate that's taken by XP, the "ThinkVantage" stuff, the restore partition, etc. I'm left with around 50 gigs out of just under 80... (Even though I know it's not correct, I keep comparing this to my old Powerbook G4 80 GB HD, where I've jammed tons of crap onto it in addition the OSes [OS X and Classic], and still have scads of storage left...)
Despite not having much room to play in, I'm strongly reconsidering my feelings about installing a disk partition with Lubuntu. (I did bobble about, looking at Mint and Xubuntu, but I'm sticking with Lubuntu for now. Mainly because I'd have to do too much digging and climbing to get to the rest of those old CD-Rs. And I don't feel like burning another disk, anyway...) (Yes, laziness is just one more of the fine services we offer...)
I'm thinking about giving myself about 20 GB of storage, and playing with Linux for a bit. Granted, I can zap the partition if I have to. (Not an option I would look forward to, given potential Window's hard drive jitters, but...)
To be honest, given the worn nature of XP, the whole drive will probably be going over to some variant of Linux before long. But I'll try to keep the Windows open for a while. (Something to hear from a twisted Mac user like me... And just a bad joke in general...)
Now, I'll just need to work up the gumption to do the install, and I'll be in business...
SHA-ZAM!! (?!?)
Another one of "those" days... Good, bad, ugly, and highly apathetic, all rolled into one...
Might as well get it out of the way. The new "Mystery" machine arrived today. And, no, it didn't have anything to do with Scooby-Doo... (I know... Bad... Bad...)
I picked up a clunker Thinkpad X60s. The thin, just shy of netbook (but a lot better) machine. It's nice, has seen some abuse, but is quite functional. The seller reinstalled WinXP on it, a clean install back to factory specs, which is OK, for the time being. The system came with no battery installed, but joyously, the battery I ordered for it came today as well. It's an 8 cell model, with an odd blanking plate I had to attach before installing the battery. Strange...
The bad, ugly, and apathetic came along, though. I also got another battery today, supposedly the battery for the T61. Happy as all get out, I got the '61 out and got ready to install...
And then the problems started: The battery obviously wouldn't fit. A quick exam showed it was a close-but-no-cigar mismatch in the shape of the battery. A bit of irked fiddling showed that I had a T60 battery, not a T61.
OK, lemon to lemonade. I got the T60 out and fitted the new battery in.
And the system wouldn't recognize it. The lemons got really sour...
I believe, at that point, that I discovered some problems with my soul. Deep breath. Go on.
So, I set the T60 aside, made sure the old battery was back in the T61. Emailed the seller, asking about doing a swap for a proper battery (I'll probably just end up returning it for a refund)
Deep breath. Go on.
The X60s seems to be doing fine, though. Battery charged up quite nice (showing about 3.5 hours on it). Not bad.
Even better, I found the old external USB DVD drive from one of the old netbooks I had. And it works quite divinely with the X60s. So...
Deep breath...
Do you know that you can't do a WUBI install of Lubuntu without doing a bunch of jiggerypokery that I just really don't feel like doing..?
Now, if I want to live boot from the CD, that's fine. If I want to partition the hard drive and install Lubuntu alongside Windows, that's great. If I want to wipe the drive and install Lubuntu solo, that ecstatic. However, I can't seem to find an effortless way to install Lubuntu inside Windows, so that I can nuke it in an emergency... My essential laziness is deeply affronted.
Granted, I'm probably just going to nuke XP eventually, and install some variant of the Ubuntu family. But, I just don't want to do that right now... Not sure why, but...
Think I'm just going to ramble on over to YouTube and see how the X60s here handles video. Maybe watch some CNet/Molly Wood's videos to cheer myself up.
Or depress the hell out of myself. For obvious reasons...
Might as well get it out of the way. The new "Mystery" machine arrived today. And, no, it didn't have anything to do with Scooby-Doo... (I know... Bad... Bad...)
I picked up a clunker Thinkpad X60s. The thin, just shy of netbook (but a lot better) machine. It's nice, has seen some abuse, but is quite functional. The seller reinstalled WinXP on it, a clean install back to factory specs, which is OK, for the time being. The system came with no battery installed, but joyously, the battery I ordered for it came today as well. It's an 8 cell model, with an odd blanking plate I had to attach before installing the battery. Strange...
The bad, ugly, and apathetic came along, though. I also got another battery today, supposedly the battery for the T61. Happy as all get out, I got the '61 out and got ready to install...
And then the problems started: The battery obviously wouldn't fit. A quick exam showed it was a close-but-no-cigar mismatch in the shape of the battery. A bit of irked fiddling showed that I had a T60 battery, not a T61.
OK, lemon to lemonade. I got the T60 out and fitted the new battery in.
And the system wouldn't recognize it. The lemons got really sour...
I believe, at that point, that I discovered some problems with my soul. Deep breath. Go on.
So, I set the T60 aside, made sure the old battery was back in the T61. Emailed the seller, asking about doing a swap for a proper battery (I'll probably just end up returning it for a refund)
Deep breath. Go on.
The X60s seems to be doing fine, though. Battery charged up quite nice (showing about 3.5 hours on it). Not bad.
Even better, I found the old external USB DVD drive from one of the old netbooks I had. And it works quite divinely with the X60s. So...
Deep breath...
Do you know that you can't do a WUBI install of Lubuntu without doing a bunch of jiggerypokery that I just really don't feel like doing..?
Now, if I want to live boot from the CD, that's fine. If I want to partition the hard drive and install Lubuntu alongside Windows, that's great. If I want to wipe the drive and install Lubuntu solo, that ecstatic. However, I can't seem to find an effortless way to install Lubuntu inside Windows, so that I can nuke it in an emergency... My essential laziness is deeply affronted.
Granted, I'm probably just going to nuke XP eventually, and install some variant of the Ubuntu family. But, I just don't want to do that right now... Not sure why, but...
Think I'm just going to ramble on over to YouTube and see how the X60s here handles video. Maybe watch some CNet/Molly Wood's videos to cheer myself up.
Or depress the hell out of myself. For obvious reasons...
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Lightness
Soooo.... Given the title, I wanted to do an Unbearable Lightness of Being joke, but just couldn't make it happen... (And if you've not seen the movie... Uhm.... I don't know what to say...) (And I'm letting you off the hook as far as Kundera's book is concerned. I never made it through, either.)
It's been a bit of a day. Was in the office, testing the T61 on the office network. (Everything kosher, except the main network printer. Going to have to do some fiddling...)
Came home this evening, and ran into a bit of a problem. Seems I hadn't locked in the "proprietary graphics drivers" that the Nvidia chip in this thing needs, so I had some odd screen issues when coming out of suspend mode. After a bit of fun reinstalling those, everything seems copacetic.
I've been looking at the WinXP install on the R40, and contemplating a change there. So, after some rather hasty study, I decided to give Lubuntu a try. Yes, Lubuntu, the "Light-weight Ubuntu". Supposedly smaller in footprint than Xubuntu, the original light Ubuntu distro...
Anyway, I downloaded the .ISO (the disk image) from the Lubuntu section of the Ubuntu web pages, and then realized that I needed a CD to burn it to. Off I go, digging around the room. After digging my way to the far side of my desk, I discovered the remnants of box of CD-R's that I'd had since... uh... Well, they're CD-R's... I've had'em for a while...
So, I drag out the R40, boot it up, pop the CD in, and the system recognizes it. Cool! So, reboot the system, pop into the setup and tell it to boot from CD and...
Nothing happens.
I'm then informed that the CPU doesn't have what it takes to run this software.
Performance issue jokes aside, I'm not particularly happy.
Away goes the R40, out comes the T60. A quick run-through again, and HEY!, the system live boots from the CD! (At least I know I can still burn a CD properly...)
Lubuntu 12.10 came up fine, identified the wireless, and I was able to get online with Chromium (which would normally give me hives, but this time wasn't bad...), then just flipped through the rest of the included software. Not bad. I kind of like it. Certainly more spare than the Unity desktop, but that's good. Even running from the live boot, the system responded quick and snappy.
So, I have a installer disk for Lubuntu, and really nothing to use it on. I don't know if it'll run on the CF29 or not. (Drivers for the touch screen???) Not sure what I'm going to do here...
I am thinking about clearing the WUBI install of Ubuntu 12.10 off the Toshiba, and doing an "inside Windows" install there, to see how it handles. And I've still got the mysterious "Other" system coming, hopefully soon. That's a possibility...
So, I'm ending the day, and putting the lightness aside...
It's been a bit of a day. Was in the office, testing the T61 on the office network. (Everything kosher, except the main network printer. Going to have to do some fiddling...)
Came home this evening, and ran into a bit of a problem. Seems I hadn't locked in the "proprietary graphics drivers" that the Nvidia chip in this thing needs, so I had some odd screen issues when coming out of suspend mode. After a bit of fun reinstalling those, everything seems copacetic.
I've been looking at the WinXP install on the R40, and contemplating a change there. So, after some rather hasty study, I decided to give Lubuntu a try. Yes, Lubuntu, the "Light-weight Ubuntu". Supposedly smaller in footprint than Xubuntu, the original light Ubuntu distro...
Anyway, I downloaded the .ISO (the disk image) from the Lubuntu section of the Ubuntu web pages, and then realized that I needed a CD to burn it to. Off I go, digging around the room. After digging my way to the far side of my desk, I discovered the remnants of box of CD-R's that I'd had since... uh... Well, they're CD-R's... I've had'em for a while...
A quick run through the Ubuntu CD/DVD burner utility, Brasero, and voilΓ‘, I have my new OS CD.
So, I drag out the R40, boot it up, pop the CD in, and the system recognizes it. Cool! So, reboot the system, pop into the setup and tell it to boot from CD and...
Nothing happens.
I'm then informed that the CPU doesn't have what it takes to run this software.
Performance issue jokes aside, I'm not particularly happy.
Away goes the R40, out comes the T60. A quick run-through again, and HEY!, the system live boots from the CD! (At least I know I can still burn a CD properly...)
Lubuntu 12.10 came up fine, identified the wireless, and I was able to get online with Chromium (which would normally give me hives, but this time wasn't bad...), then just flipped through the rest of the included software. Not bad. I kind of like it. Certainly more spare than the Unity desktop, but that's good. Even running from the live boot, the system responded quick and snappy.
So, I have a installer disk for Lubuntu, and really nothing to use it on. I don't know if it'll run on the CF29 or not. (Drivers for the touch screen???) Not sure what I'm going to do here...
I am thinking about clearing the WUBI install of Ubuntu 12.10 off the Toshiba, and doing an "inside Windows" install there, to see how it handles. And I've still got the mysterious "Other" system coming, hopefully soon. That's a possibility...
So, I'm ending the day, and putting the lightness aside...
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
New Addition
I'm finally going to have to admit it in a short entry. I have another one. I'm typing on it now.
When the T60 came in, and I fell in love with it, I decided I ought to grab a backup for it. So I went searching the 'Bay, and I finally found one for an acceptable (ie, fairly low) price.
I ended up snagging two of them. One's not here yet, so I won't talk about it. But one is, and I've been playing with it all evening, and it's wonderful.
It's a Thinkpad T61. Looking at the images, reading the seller's description, and basing it on the price asked, I wasn't really looking for much. The photos seemed to show a roughed up system. The hard drive was wiped, the battery probably shaky, and an older install of Ubuntu was on it. But I went ahead and pulled the trigger.
Pulling it out of the box today, I thought my initial reaction was correct. The lid is horrendously scratched. There must've been a logo/sticker/something on the lid at one time, because someone almost violently scratched it off, right dead center on the lid.
But...
On a closer look, the scratches weren't quite as visible as they'd been in the pictures. Still bad, but... Hmmm...
I opened the screen, and was stunned. They keyboard, palm rest, and bezel looked impeccable. Not even any wear visible. The famous "tactile feel" is perfect. The screen shows some slight scratching when shut off, but when on is great. Even the ThinkLight works!
The system came with Ubuntu 11.04, "Natty Narwhal" installed. I briefly thought about keeping it on the system, but changed my mind when I saw the upgrade system offering me the upgrade to 12.04 "Precise Pangolin." The upgrade process was fast and painless, my only regret being that I stupidly did not back up the beautiful wallpaper photo that had been installed. However, once the upgrade was complete, I did find a suitable replacement.
Beyond the lid scarring, the only weak spot is the battery, which is showing its age. It still gives about 2 +/- hours of life, which will do till it's replacement arrives.
I absolutely fell in love with this computer. I think the T60 may become something of the backup system now. This one is just too good to let sit for any period of time.
Right now, I'm searching for something to stick on the lid to hide the scratching. I really need something bumper sticker sized, but the only thing I have that might work is a "Timmy the ThinkGeek Monkey" sticker. Not really sure I want to go that route. (And, no, I am NOT putting an Apple sticker on it. I'd do it to almost any other laptop, just from a pure sense of ornery-ness, but not a Thinkpad. They're the only laptop that rates on the same coolness scale with a Macbook...)
No pictures yet. I did actually do a quick video on the iPhone of me kicking the upgrader on. But nothing postable.
Maybe later. I'm having too much fun playing right now...
When the T60 came in, and I fell in love with it, I decided I ought to grab a backup for it. So I went searching the 'Bay, and I finally found one for an acceptable (ie, fairly low) price.
I ended up snagging two of them. One's not here yet, so I won't talk about it. But one is, and I've been playing with it all evening, and it's wonderful.
It's a Thinkpad T61. Looking at the images, reading the seller's description, and basing it on the price asked, I wasn't really looking for much. The photos seemed to show a roughed up system. The hard drive was wiped, the battery probably shaky, and an older install of Ubuntu was on it. But I went ahead and pulled the trigger.
Pulling it out of the box today, I thought my initial reaction was correct. The lid is horrendously scratched. There must've been a logo/sticker/something on the lid at one time, because someone almost violently scratched it off, right dead center on the lid.
But...
On a closer look, the scratches weren't quite as visible as they'd been in the pictures. Still bad, but... Hmmm...
I opened the screen, and was stunned. They keyboard, palm rest, and bezel looked impeccable. Not even any wear visible. The famous "tactile feel" is perfect. The screen shows some slight scratching when shut off, but when on is great. Even the ThinkLight works!
The system came with Ubuntu 11.04, "Natty Narwhal" installed. I briefly thought about keeping it on the system, but changed my mind when I saw the upgrade system offering me the upgrade to 12.04 "Precise Pangolin." The upgrade process was fast and painless, my only regret being that I stupidly did not back up the beautiful wallpaper photo that had been installed. However, once the upgrade was complete, I did find a suitable replacement.
Beyond the lid scarring, the only weak spot is the battery, which is showing its age. It still gives about 2 +/- hours of life, which will do till it's replacement arrives.
I absolutely fell in love with this computer. I think the T60 may become something of the backup system now. This one is just too good to let sit for any period of time.
Right now, I'm searching for something to stick on the lid to hide the scratching. I really need something bumper sticker sized, but the only thing I have that might work is a "Timmy the ThinkGeek Monkey" sticker. Not really sure I want to go that route. (And, no, I am NOT putting an Apple sticker on it. I'd do it to almost any other laptop, just from a pure sense of ornery-ness, but not a Thinkpad. They're the only laptop that rates on the same coolness scale with a Macbook...)
No pictures yet. I did actually do a quick video on the iPhone of me kicking the upgrader on. But nothing postable.
Maybe later. I'm having too much fun playing right now...
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Old Stuff
Well, here's some old text that never made it into the blog, but which I wanted to get out there. (Blame this on the T60's battery biting the big one. And thank the old T60 battery for making a comeback.)
An interesting
question: Why are the majority of the computers I see
in these "trashpicking" videos Dells? What sort of a statement is that making??
In another note, while 'Tube cruising,
I discovered that Stephen Fry had a series on in England entitled
“Gadget Guy”, which looked quite fascinating. I could only find
a couple episodes online, plus some “extras” material, but what I
saw was pretty cool. (The one on exercise technology featured a bit
set in a gym, and had a very attractive young lady named [I believe]
Zoe who had an incredible body and mesmerizing movements...)
Also tripped across an intriguing show
called “Fame in the Frame”, which featured a former art forger
who'd “gone straight”. The entire theme of the series was taking
several art classics, repainting them with contemporary “famous
people” standing in for the subjects of the paintings, all the
while allowing this artist to analyze the work. (One episode, yes,
did feature Stephen Fry, replacing the Pope in Velasquez's the
“Portrait of Pope Innocent X”. Fascinating.) (Helps that
the “Portrait...” is one of my favorite paintings...)
I think I should move to England, just
for the television. It seems so much more interesting than the tripe
we're forced to deal with.
OK, now that that's out of the way, and I look like a completely sexist snob...
It's a nasty, cold, ugly day here today. The temperature hasn't really gotten above about 23° F , with winds and (oh yeah) snow... The joys of winter.
I've been trying to come up with some ideas for future projects. Not much action there. I keep trying though. Maybe it's the influence of the Thinkpad here. It just demands to do work. Real work. Must do work!!!
Or, maybe I'll just go stare out the window at the snow...
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Happy Return
Yes, the T60 is back home. Apparently it's a bad battery, as the techies tested it, and found that the battery had problems in a couple laptops. Mine worked fine otherwise.
I happily picked up my little Thinkpad, and ordered a new 9 cell battery. On coming back home, I reinstalled the original 6 cell battery, and was impressed when it showed good charging. I'm running it off that battery right now, and it's showing about 2 hours charge. We'll see how it lasts in reality.
Of course, I had some 'fun' while at the computer shop. I made the mistake of identifying myself as a Mac user. Here came the "I hate Macs" torpedoes. Their great argument was something to do with Macs only being so resistant to virii because there are so few Macs. I guess exceptional reliability and superior user experience is something they didn't want to address...
I just stood and smiled.
Moving on...
I happily picked up my little Thinkpad, and ordered a new 9 cell battery. On coming back home, I reinstalled the original 6 cell battery, and was impressed when it showed good charging. I'm running it off that battery right now, and it's showing about 2 hours charge. We'll see how it lasts in reality.
Of course, I had some 'fun' while at the computer shop. I made the mistake of identifying myself as a Mac user. Here came the "I hate Macs" torpedoes. Their great argument was something to do with Macs only being so resistant to virii because there are so few Macs. I guess exceptional reliability and superior user experience is something they didn't want to address...
I just stood and smiled.
Moving on...
Friday, February 15, 2013
Hittring the Fan...
Well...
Yeah, here we go. I knew I shouldn't have made that Nixie Pixel/Open Source joke... The Gnu Gods were displeased...
Was getting ready to head out this afternoon to do some running, and thought to take the T60 with me to do some tests with public wifi spots. When I picked it up, I noticed the battery light was yellow and blinking quickly. Thinking this might not be a good thing, I kicked it out of Suspend and checked. The battery indicator icon in Ubuntu looked like it was charging, and I thought maybe it had been accidentally unplugged or something. But when I clicked on the icon for information, I was informed that the battery was not installed.
Oh yeah...
This lead to general panic and checking, and nothing seeming to be wrong, but all the indicators showing nothing to be right... I finally did a boot test off the battery alone. The machine booted and ran fine, but the icon appeared to show the battery completely dead. And, when I clicked on the icon, I was informed that the battery was not present...
The obligatory desperate Google check showed a possible problem, a need to upgrade the BIOS. Great, save that all the BIOS upgrade jiggerypokery involves having Windows installed on the system. Uh huh... A further check showed a possible Linux-centric workaround, but involving having a bunch of things I don't have, along with a level of patience I'm lacking at the moment.
'Course, it could just be that the $20 eBay special battery just gave up the ghost a little early. Or maybe there's a problem with the slightly more expensive eBay special power adaptor... Or... Etc., etc., ad nauseum.
I finally did the all-too-easy, but probably smartest thing for me to do. I dropped the laptop off at the little computer shop across the river. Of course, they were going to have to wait on their "Ubuntu guy" to come in (???), and it might be this evening, or it might be tomorrow, before they could get 'round to it...
So, no word so far. I think we're pretty close to closing time for them, so they'll have me sitting on their doorstep tomorrow, fairly early. I miss my new favorite laptop.
Right now, I'm on the Toshiba. May get the MBP out this evening, to have something smaller to tote round the house.
In a word, phooey. This has not been a good week at all...
Yeah, here we go. I knew I shouldn't have made that Nixie Pixel/Open Source joke... The Gnu Gods were displeased...
Was getting ready to head out this afternoon to do some running, and thought to take the T60 with me to do some tests with public wifi spots. When I picked it up, I noticed the battery light was yellow and blinking quickly. Thinking this might not be a good thing, I kicked it out of Suspend and checked. The battery indicator icon in Ubuntu looked like it was charging, and I thought maybe it had been accidentally unplugged or something. But when I clicked on the icon for information, I was informed that the battery was not installed.
Oh yeah...
This lead to general panic and checking, and nothing seeming to be wrong, but all the indicators showing nothing to be right... I finally did a boot test off the battery alone. The machine booted and ran fine, but the icon appeared to show the battery completely dead. And, when I clicked on the icon, I was informed that the battery was not present...
The obligatory desperate Google check showed a possible problem, a need to upgrade the BIOS. Great, save that all the BIOS upgrade jiggerypokery involves having Windows installed on the system. Uh huh... A further check showed a possible Linux-centric workaround, but involving having a bunch of things I don't have, along with a level of patience I'm lacking at the moment.
'Course, it could just be that the $20 eBay special battery just gave up the ghost a little early. Or maybe there's a problem with the slightly more expensive eBay special power adaptor... Or... Etc., etc., ad nauseum.
I finally did the all-too-easy, but probably smartest thing for me to do. I dropped the laptop off at the little computer shop across the river. Of course, they were going to have to wait on their "Ubuntu guy" to come in (???), and it might be this evening, or it might be tomorrow, before they could get 'round to it...
So, no word so far. I think we're pretty close to closing time for them, so they'll have me sitting on their doorstep tomorrow, fairly early. I miss my new favorite laptop.
Right now, I'm on the Toshiba. May get the MBP out this evening, to have something smaller to tote round the house.
In a word, phooey. This has not been a good week at all...
Thursday, February 14, 2013
UnSync
I've been somewhat out of touch with the digital world for the last couple days.
Let's just say I had a "furniture malfunction" a couple days back, and that lead to a good bout of 1) not sleeping, 2) massive clean-up to install a new piece of furniture, and 3) acquiring, assembling, and getting new the piece of furniture into place. Oh, and a follow-up action of shifting the stockpile of "stuff I need to keep" up to the attic. Sadly, that included the bulk of my vintage Mac Powerbook collection.
I'm still a bit punch drunk from the lack of sleep, and I'm aching in muscles I'd long since forgotten about. (Which is why I'm sitting up at witching-hour-plus typing away on this blog. Makes perfect sense...)
Actually, I had some cutesy stuff I was going to plug in here, some notes about a Stephen Fry show that I didn't know existed, and a few other things. But those notes are on the T60, and I'm on the Toshiba. ( And no, I'm still not going to sign up for Cloud services...)
And my head's still spinning from watching one too many Nixie Pixel videos. (Who knew that open source software could be so...uhm... So... uhhhhhh...)
Oh boy...
I think I should go to bed, before the aspirin completely wear off.........
Let's just say I had a "furniture malfunction" a couple days back, and that lead to a good bout of 1) not sleeping, 2) massive clean-up to install a new piece of furniture, and 3) acquiring, assembling, and getting new the piece of furniture into place. Oh, and a follow-up action of shifting the stockpile of "stuff I need to keep" up to the attic. Sadly, that included the bulk of my vintage Mac Powerbook collection.
I'm still a bit punch drunk from the lack of sleep, and I'm aching in muscles I'd long since forgotten about. (Which is why I'm sitting up at witching-hour-plus typing away on this blog. Makes perfect sense...)
Actually, I had some cutesy stuff I was going to plug in here, some notes about a Stephen Fry show that I didn't know existed, and a few other things. But those notes are on the T60, and I'm on the Toshiba. ( And no, I'm still not going to sign up for Cloud services...)
And my head's still spinning from watching one too many Nixie Pixel videos. (Who knew that open source software could be so...uhm... So... uhhhhhh...)
Oh boy...
I think I should go to bed, before the aspirin completely wear off.........
Monday, February 11, 2013
Off the Goodwill
OK, not a good title. But...
I made a pass through the local Goodwill today, hoping against hope that they might have some old junker computers stashed around, things I might manage to do some cannibalization on... (Actually, I was fantasizing that I would walk in and find an old Thinkpad and a couple G4 Powerbooks forgotten behind some old dishes. Alas...)
Instead, I was greeted by few old keyboards, a couple ratty printers, and an old portable electronic typewriter (with a single sheet of paper sticking forlornly out of it). There was a couple boxes of what looked like a mishmash of power cords and adaptors, but some woman had literally parked in front of them, and was sorting through them, all the while scribbling notes in a battered old organizer. I just didn't feel like playing offensive lineman to get through to the boxes...
Probably should've taken a look at the printers, as I only have one functional all-in-one printer system here at the house... Maybe I should snag a spare...
Oh well... Maybe next time.
I should know better than to go on these little expeditions. Like most expeditions in real life, nothing ever comes of them. (Though I do hear that there's a Goodwill tech recycling center about 40 miles north of where I live... Hmmm...)
There is actually a little Mom & Pop computer shop not far from the house, and I keep meaning to stop in and see if they have anything, and if I might do some horse trading. But, again, I have to be in the mood, the stars have to be in alignment, and someone has to make a proper sacrifice to the great god Xeroxes before that can happen... (10 Points to anyone who remembers the Ask Doctor Science show the latter came from!)
Anyway... It's been a fun evening. We've had high winds, which blessed us with a 4.5 hour power outage. Granted, not much compared to what New England is going through, but still a pinprick annoyance.
Good things: The Thinkpad USB keyboard is working fine with the T60. (Did I expect anything else?) Looking at the two keyboards, they're like twins, save for a few minor quibbles.
So, guess it's off to YouTube to watch videos again. What ever happened to anything decent on TV? An episode of Mythbusters, a decent documentary, anything...
Alas...
I made a pass through the local Goodwill today, hoping against hope that they might have some old junker computers stashed around, things I might manage to do some cannibalization on... (Actually, I was fantasizing that I would walk in and find an old Thinkpad and a couple G4 Powerbooks forgotten behind some old dishes. Alas...)
Instead, I was greeted by few old keyboards, a couple ratty printers, and an old portable electronic typewriter (with a single sheet of paper sticking forlornly out of it). There was a couple boxes of what looked like a mishmash of power cords and adaptors, but some woman had literally parked in front of them, and was sorting through them, all the while scribbling notes in a battered old organizer. I just didn't feel like playing offensive lineman to get through to the boxes...
Probably should've taken a look at the printers, as I only have one functional all-in-one printer system here at the house... Maybe I should snag a spare...
Oh well... Maybe next time.
I should know better than to go on these little expeditions. Like most expeditions in real life, nothing ever comes of them. (Though I do hear that there's a Goodwill tech recycling center about 40 miles north of where I live... Hmmm...)
There is actually a little Mom & Pop computer shop not far from the house, and I keep meaning to stop in and see if they have anything, and if I might do some horse trading. But, again, I have to be in the mood, the stars have to be in alignment, and someone has to make a proper sacrifice to the great god Xeroxes before that can happen... (10 Points to anyone who remembers the Ask Doctor Science show the latter came from!)
Anyway... It's been a fun evening. We've had high winds, which blessed us with a 4.5 hour power outage. Granted, not much compared to what New England is going through, but still a pinprick annoyance.
Good things: The Thinkpad USB keyboard is working fine with the T60. (Did I expect anything else?) Looking at the two keyboards, they're like twins, save for a few minor quibbles.
So, guess it's off to YouTube to watch videos again. What ever happened to anything decent on TV? An episode of Mythbusters, a decent documentary, anything...
Alas...
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Placid
Rather quiet Sunday morning here. I was up far earlier than usual for a Sunday, due to a bout of sudden-onset-insomnia. Go figure...
So, I'm doing some low level computer fiddling. (Upgrading the anti-virus and web browser on the Toughbook.) Been out and walked for a bit. Quiet morning.
Actually using the Thinkpad keyboard with the CF-29, and I'm very impressed. I think it works better with this computer than it does with the Lenovos! And the TrackPoint is almost a joy to use here, when you're used to fighting with the crotchety trackpad on the Panasonic. (Of course, I'm actually using the keyboard properly her, sitting on a nice, level surface with the feet extended. Very comfortable.)
The Panasonic is sort of my "comeback kid" system. After the oddball troubles I had with it right after getting it, when I figured it was soon to see the door, and then to get it working quite well now... Well, I feel better about what was (comparatively speaking) a noticeable investment on my part. It's a solid little computer. And one that not a huge number of people have, so I guess it has a little cachet to it.
What I really need to do is get back into writing. Creative writing. I used to have a habit of churning out bits and pieces of fiction, and then inflicting them on friends to see what they thought. Work (and general laziness) drove me out of the habit. I really need to get back into it. (Cue up fantasy dream sequence of being a famous, bestselling author. Fancy music, dancing animals, etc.)
(Reality kicks back in.)
Yep, on with yet another placid day...
So, I'm doing some low level computer fiddling. (Upgrading the anti-virus and web browser on the Toughbook.) Been out and walked for a bit. Quiet morning.
Actually using the Thinkpad keyboard with the CF-29, and I'm very impressed. I think it works better with this computer than it does with the Lenovos! And the TrackPoint is almost a joy to use here, when you're used to fighting with the crotchety trackpad on the Panasonic. (Of course, I'm actually using the keyboard properly her, sitting on a nice, level surface with the feet extended. Very comfortable.)
The Panasonic is sort of my "comeback kid" system. After the oddball troubles I had with it right after getting it, when I figured it was soon to see the door, and then to get it working quite well now... Well, I feel better about what was (comparatively speaking) a noticeable investment on my part. It's a solid little computer. And one that not a huge number of people have, so I guess it has a little cachet to it.
What I really need to do is get back into writing. Creative writing. I used to have a habit of churning out bits and pieces of fiction, and then inflicting them on friends to see what they thought. Work (and general laziness) drove me out of the habit. I really need to get back into it. (Cue up fantasy dream sequence of being a famous, bestselling author. Fancy music, dancing animals, etc.)
(Reality kicks back in.)
Yep, on with yet another placid day...
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Something wrong here..?
Uhhh...
When the keyboard is bigger than the computer..........
And I DO NOT want to hear anything about compensation issues!
When the keyboard is bigger than the computer..........
 |
| TC1100 & the Thinkpad USB keyboard |
And I DO NOT want to hear anything about compensation issues!
More Small Bits
The new 1 GB memory stick for the R40 showed up today, and I installed it with a bit of silly haste. I really should've switched the 512 MB stick over to the number 2 slot,but I didn't. Just stuck the gig in and fired the system up. Worked perfectly. That made me feel good.
And I can tell the difference. Programs are loading snappier than before. I'm going to give it a run with YouTube, see how the videos work.
I did the discharge cycle on the T60, and it's now happily recharging. Still haven't gotten a clear picture of it's total life, but it's well over 3:30 hours, probably closer to 4. (Which is odd, compared to the R40 here, which is showing slightly over 5 hours.)
In other good news, I managed finally (after a long adventure I won't go into) found my old software stash. And I managed to get some decent productivity software loaded onto the Thinkpad A31, my "space computer." I've got it charging up now, and intend to use it as a writing platform. (The seller I got it from included an IBM branded wireless card, but I'm not sure I want to take it online.)
This hobby is...well... Strange...
A side note. I've been getting into watching some of the YouTube vids on "trash picked computers." Sounds wonderful, I know. But, to be honest, some of the videos are fascinating. The folks who are doing the "picking" are (usually) a damned clever lot. And I'm fascinated by the uses (or re-uses) they put the systems they find to. For some reason, whenever I see this stuff, I'm reminded of the old bit from William Gibson (with a huge nod to William S. Burroughs), about the "street finding its own use for technology..."
If you get the urge, do a YouTube search for "trash picked computers" and/or "trash picked laptops." Granted, if you don't have an interest in techie stuff, it probably won't do it for you. But, if you have that odd urge to delve into the Interzone...
And I can tell the difference. Programs are loading snappier than before. I'm going to give it a run with YouTube, see how the videos work.
I did the discharge cycle on the T60, and it's now happily recharging. Still haven't gotten a clear picture of it's total life, but it's well over 3:30 hours, probably closer to 4. (Which is odd, compared to the R40 here, which is showing slightly over 5 hours.)
In other good news, I managed finally (after a long adventure I won't go into) found my old software stash. And I managed to get some decent productivity software loaded onto the Thinkpad A31, my "space computer." I've got it charging up now, and intend to use it as a writing platform. (The seller I got it from included an IBM branded wireless card, but I'm not sure I want to take it online.)
This hobby is...well... Strange...
A side note. I've been getting into watching some of the YouTube vids on "trash picked computers." Sounds wonderful, I know. But, to be honest, some of the videos are fascinating. The folks who are doing the "picking" are (usually) a damned clever lot. And I'm fascinated by the uses (or re-uses) they put the systems they find to. For some reason, whenever I see this stuff, I'm reminded of the old bit from William Gibson (with a huge nod to William S. Burroughs), about the "street finding its own use for technology..."
If you get the urge, do a YouTube search for "trash picked computers" and/or "trash picked laptops." Granted, if you don't have an interest in techie stuff, it probably won't do it for you. But, if you have that odd urge to delve into the Interzone...
Friday, February 8, 2013
Extras
So, things seem to be working well. The T60 ran for ages on the new battery. Took me forever to run the thing down for a complete discharge. It's happily charging away right now. I'm very, very pleased with it.
Currently running the R40 because...well, because. However, I've been playing with a new toy. One that lives up to the very core values of this blog.
Yeah, it is... It's a disembodied Thinkpad keyboard. It's a standard USB keyboard, complete with the "Trackpoint" pointing device, and pretty much all the buttons you expect from such a keyboard. (The only thing lacking is ThinkLight hotkey.)
Now, why in the name of sense do I have one of these. Well, to be honest... I haven't got a clue. It was a complete impulse buy. I ran across a video on YouTube featuring one, was intrigued, and... One thing lead to another, a bit of research was done, and a cheap price was found. And, voila!
It is kind of nice for the decadent side of me. I can prop my laptop up on the bed, and then connect this keyboard and work away without having to have the heavy, rather warm piece of tech sitting in my lap. Very ergonomic. My back will thank me for this during those marathon sessions of late night web browsing.
My bank account, however, will have another opinion...
Currently running the R40 because...well, because. However, I've been playing with a new toy. One that lives up to the very core values of this blog.
 |
| A new toy |
Now, why in the name of sense do I have one of these. Well, to be honest... I haven't got a clue. It was a complete impulse buy. I ran across a video on YouTube featuring one, was intrigued, and... One thing lead to another, a bit of research was done, and a cheap price was found. And, voila!
It is kind of nice for the decadent side of me. I can prop my laptop up on the bed, and then connect this keyboard and work away without having to have the heavy, rather warm piece of tech sitting in my lap. Very ergonomic. My back will thank me for this during those marathon sessions of late night web browsing.
My bank account, however, will have another opinion...
It All Comes Together
Yeah, the Thinkpad T60 arrived.
Yeah, it was in good shape.
And, yeah, the power adaptor arrived too.
And, further, yeah, everything seems to be working OK.
I did the Ubuntu install off of the the Canonical DVD, and it simply couldn't have been easier. The T60 arrived sans OS, so I powered it up, hit the "ThinkVantage" button, which took me into the system setup, where I was prompted for a temporary boot device. In goes the DVD. A few mouse clicks, and a couple bits of info, and then everything ran on automatic.
The folks at Canonical have done an incredible job with the installation mechanism. I've read where some older installers had trouble with certain systems (including Thinkpads), but the 12.10 installer works right out of the box. Instantly identified my system as a Thinkpad T60, hit the wireless, noted the battery, and set up the keyboard. I believe it went out and downloaded some drivers. When the system came up, I quickly went into the system updates, which went entirely smoothly.
My only concern right now is the battery I got, which appears to be a 9 cell, but which is currently only showing just under 3 hours. I haven't done a complete drain & recharge cycle yet, and I'm hoping that maybe that helps... We'll see...
The keyboard on the system is worn, obviously from heavy use. But it is quite serviceable, reminding one of why Thinkpad keyboards are the gold standard.
Oh, and one minor quibble. The system is missing one of its rubber feet. Which is funny, as I have the "rubber foot kit" on the way for the R40. I think I can do some adapting from that, when it arrives.
All in all, I'm happy. The T60 is a very nice system, and I think it'll make a great workaday system. Nice and compact, yet built like a tank.
Even the ThinkLight works. ;-)
Yep, I think things have come together. Nicely...
Yeah, it was in good shape.
And, yeah, the power adaptor arrived too.
And, further, yeah, everything seems to be working OK.
I did the Ubuntu install off of the the Canonical DVD, and it simply couldn't have been easier. The T60 arrived sans OS, so I powered it up, hit the "ThinkVantage" button, which took me into the system setup, where I was prompted for a temporary boot device. In goes the DVD. A few mouse clicks, and a couple bits of info, and then everything ran on automatic.
The folks at Canonical have done an incredible job with the installation mechanism. I've read where some older installers had trouble with certain systems (including Thinkpads), but the 12.10 installer works right out of the box. Instantly identified my system as a Thinkpad T60, hit the wireless, noted the battery, and set up the keyboard. I believe it went out and downloaded some drivers. When the system came up, I quickly went into the system updates, which went entirely smoothly.
My only concern right now is the battery I got, which appears to be a 9 cell, but which is currently only showing just under 3 hours. I haven't done a complete drain & recharge cycle yet, and I'm hoping that maybe that helps... We'll see...
The keyboard on the system is worn, obviously from heavy use. But it is quite serviceable, reminding one of why Thinkpad keyboards are the gold standard.
Oh, and one minor quibble. The system is missing one of its rubber feet. Which is funny, as I have the "rubber foot kit" on the way for the R40. I think I can do some adapting from that, when it arrives.
All in all, I'm happy. The T60 is a very nice system, and I think it'll make a great workaday system. Nice and compact, yet built like a tank.
Even the ThinkLight works. ;-)
Yep, I think things have come together. Nicely...
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Knicks & Knacks
Not quite as happy today, as the T60 power supply didn't show up. Irksome. (I have no patience to wait for these things. Drives me up the wall to wait on anything, or anybody.)
But, at least the little R40 Thinkpad is working quite well. Just remembered the missing rubber "foot" off the back of the system, which makes it sit a bit lopsided. Luckily, I found a replacement kit online for a fairly decent price, so I snagged it. (I've got it propped up on some folded up junk mail. Weird to actually think junk mail can be made useful...)
Oh, and the R40's Thinklight works! I was giggling like a loony when I hit FN + PgUp, and the light came on. Groovy Cool! (Yeah, it doesn't take much...)
And why, oh why do I find a blue ENTER key to just be the niftiest thing of the moment? (They keyboard on this system, despite the heavy use it's obviously seen, is wonderful. Definitely the standard by which others should be compared.)
Anyway... I had some old 512 MB SODIMMs from a MacBook Pro a friend had given me. Seriously thought about trying on in the R40, but thought better of it. The specs don't match, and I'm not even sure the pin assembly is the same. So I'll wait. The 512 MB that's currently in the system will hold me over till the proper memory arrives. It even plays YouTube videos fairly well.
And I'm impressed with the battery I stuck in this. It's giving me right at 5 hours, +/-, depending on what I'm running at the moment.
This computer would definitely be another one that I'd be happy to take "back to school" if I were a student looking to get by on the cheap. (I did a past entry on stuff like that, holding my old Powerbook G4 up as a good example of such a system.) Of course, that's me. I can only imagine the gasps of horror from some younger family members if they were saddled with this, like, you know, old thing...
My knick-knacks... I love them...
But, at least the little R40 Thinkpad is working quite well. Just remembered the missing rubber "foot" off the back of the system, which makes it sit a bit lopsided. Luckily, I found a replacement kit online for a fairly decent price, so I snagged it. (I've got it propped up on some folded up junk mail. Weird to actually think junk mail can be made useful...)
Oh, and the R40's Thinklight works! I was giggling like a loony when I hit FN + PgUp, and the light came on. Groovy Cool! (Yeah, it doesn't take much...)
And why, oh why do I find a blue ENTER key to just be the niftiest thing of the moment? (They keyboard on this system, despite the heavy use it's obviously seen, is wonderful. Definitely the standard by which others should be compared.)
Anyway... I had some old 512 MB SODIMMs from a MacBook Pro a friend had given me. Seriously thought about trying on in the R40, but thought better of it. The specs don't match, and I'm not even sure the pin assembly is the same. So I'll wait. The 512 MB that's currently in the system will hold me over till the proper memory arrives. It even plays YouTube videos fairly well.
And I'm impressed with the battery I stuck in this. It's giving me right at 5 hours, +/-, depending on what I'm running at the moment.
This computer would definitely be another one that I'd be happy to take "back to school" if I were a student looking to get by on the cheap. (I did a past entry on stuff like that, holding my old Powerbook G4 up as a good example of such a system.) Of course, that's me. I can only imagine the gasps of horror from some younger family members if they were saddled with this, like, you know, old thing...
My knick-knacks... I love them...
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Master Plan II: Wild and Crazy?
Yeah, all this talk about the "new" Thinkpad got me to thinking about an old one...
I talked about the R40 I got off eBay for next to nothing a goodly while back. It's quite a battle-scarred piece (I particularly like the chunk out of the palm rest that the previous owner simply coated over with black electrician's tape. You actually have to look close to see it.)
It's a PentiumM model (can't remember the speed, and can't check as I have it running a disk check at the moment) with 512 MB of RAM, 40 GB HD, running WinXP. Runs quite nicely, is fairly light for its age, and has that wonderful Thinkpad keyboard. (Hmmm... I forgot to check if the Thinklight still works...)
For whatever reason, I'd always assumed 512 MB was the max this model could take, and that it probably had 2 256 MB modules installed. But, after playing with the Toughbook all evening, I got that wild urge to pull the R40 out and check.
Only one 512 MB module installed. Cool!
OK, the first plan was to just get another 512 MB module, and jack it up to 1 GB. However, a quick jump over to Lenovo's tech specs showed that the PentiumM models can support up to 2 GB. So...
I decided to not replace the module I have, and only get an extra 1 GB to install. 1.5 GB is enough for my needs. (I can hear some people screaming out there, but...)
Just spent a while upgrading my antivirus stuff on the R40, and cleaning off a raft of obsolete Norton and McAfee junk. Now just doing a re-verification on the hard drive, and going do a defrag afterwards.
Yep. Wild and Crazy. I don't know how I stand the excitement........
I talked about the R40 I got off eBay for next to nothing a goodly while back. It's quite a battle-scarred piece (I particularly like the chunk out of the palm rest that the previous owner simply coated over with black electrician's tape. You actually have to look close to see it.)
It's a PentiumM model (can't remember the speed, and can't check as I have it running a disk check at the moment) with 512 MB of RAM, 40 GB HD, running WinXP. Runs quite nicely, is fairly light for its age, and has that wonderful Thinkpad keyboard. (Hmmm... I forgot to check if the Thinklight still works...)
For whatever reason, I'd always assumed 512 MB was the max this model could take, and that it probably had 2 256 MB modules installed. But, after playing with the Toughbook all evening, I got that wild urge to pull the R40 out and check.
Only one 512 MB module installed. Cool!
OK, the first plan was to just get another 512 MB module, and jack it up to 1 GB. However, a quick jump over to Lenovo's tech specs showed that the PentiumM models can support up to 2 GB. So...
I decided to not replace the module I have, and only get an extra 1 GB to install. 1.5 GB is enough for my needs. (I can hear some people screaming out there, but...)
Just spent a while upgrading my antivirus stuff on the R40, and cleaning off a raft of obsolete Norton and McAfee junk. Now just doing a re-verification on the hard drive, and going do a defrag afterwards.
Yep. Wild and Crazy. I don't know how I stand the excitement........
Master Plans
So, things have been going somewhat better than usual.
The Toughbook is actually working well, which made me feel strangely good for week. (Kind of sad when a computer working right makes the day better, but...)
And, today, I received a small package from the Royal Mail. Got a couple bits of media from Canonical, the "entity" that maintains Ubuntu. Rather than invest in a box of DVD-R's and burn my own, I just had them send me the latest desktop edition of Ubuntu on DVD, and on a very tiny USB drive. Cool to have.
Especially as I was relying on that DVD for when the "new" Thinkpad comes rolling in. (Which the P.O. tells me should be on Friday.) I'm hoping that the installation will go well, and I'll soon have a dedicated Linux computer running.
I am dearly hoping that the Thinkpad is in good shape, particularly the keyboard. I like the keyboard on the Toshiba, which, to my mind, is sort of a "proto-island" style, which means it has very large, easy to hit keys. However, they have an odd feel to them, which sort of throws me occasionally. I'm looking forward to using the Thinkpad, which is highly rated for its "type-a-bility."
So, the Master Plan is slowly coming together. The OS is here, along with the new battery. The power supply is supposed to arrive tomorrow. Hopefully, the Friday delivery for the Thinkpad holds true. (Fingers crossed. I hate to wait on things...)
In other quick news, I find myself drifting back towards some good pen usage. Did a good flush-n-fill on some of my fountain pens, and have been toting them about. No really good work done with them, but...
I did have one bit of fun with my pens last evening. Dropped into the local Historical Society for open hours, just to get out for a bit. (Yeah, I lead a thrilling life.) While going through some old news papers (more fun than you think!), I was scribbling notes with my Noodler's Ahab pen (in the ΓΌber-cool Ivory Dark color), when the charming AmeriCorps volunteer commented, "What a cool pen!" So I handed it to her and let her write with it. She was shocked when I told her it cost a whole $20. "I've never spent that much on a pen!"
So I handed her my Montblanc 149 and let her write with it. And then told her how much a new one of those cost...
I thought I might need smelling salts...
I am an evil man. With a Master Plan...........
The Toughbook is actually working well, which made me feel strangely good for week. (Kind of sad when a computer working right makes the day better, but...)
And, today, I received a small package from the Royal Mail. Got a couple bits of media from Canonical, the "entity" that maintains Ubuntu. Rather than invest in a box of DVD-R's and burn my own, I just had them send me the latest desktop edition of Ubuntu on DVD, and on a very tiny USB drive. Cool to have.
Especially as I was relying on that DVD for when the "new" Thinkpad comes rolling in. (Which the P.O. tells me should be on Friday.) I'm hoping that the installation will go well, and I'll soon have a dedicated Linux computer running.
I am dearly hoping that the Thinkpad is in good shape, particularly the keyboard. I like the keyboard on the Toshiba, which, to my mind, is sort of a "proto-island" style, which means it has very large, easy to hit keys. However, they have an odd feel to them, which sort of throws me occasionally. I'm looking forward to using the Thinkpad, which is highly rated for its "type-a-bility."
So, the Master Plan is slowly coming together. The OS is here, along with the new battery. The power supply is supposed to arrive tomorrow. Hopefully, the Friday delivery for the Thinkpad holds true. (Fingers crossed. I hate to wait on things...)
In other quick news, I find myself drifting back towards some good pen usage. Did a good flush-n-fill on some of my fountain pens, and have been toting them about. No really good work done with them, but...
I did have one bit of fun with my pens last evening. Dropped into the local Historical Society for open hours, just to get out for a bit. (Yeah, I lead a thrilling life.) While going through some old news papers (more fun than you think!), I was scribbling notes with my Noodler's Ahab pen (in the ΓΌber-cool Ivory Dark color), when the charming AmeriCorps volunteer commented, "What a cool pen!" So I handed it to her and let her write with it. She was shocked when I told her it cost a whole $20. "I've never spent that much on a pen!"
So I handed her my Montblanc 149 and let her write with it. And then told her how much a new one of those cost...
I thought I might need smelling salts...
I am an evil man. With a Master Plan...........
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Tech Oddities
I wonder about these computers. I really do. Sometimes I think they're secretly plotting to drive us all crazy.
I'm still happily fiddling about with the Ubuntu world, and rather enjoying it. So much so that I went looking for, and found, a cheap Lenovo Thinkpad from a surplus dealer, and snagged it for next to nothing. The system was sold devoid of an operating system, so... Well, you know what's going to be installed...
While I was waiting, I got a wild idea to do some more experimentation As I noted in some entries way back, I was having problems with the old Panasonic CF-29 Toughbook I had. The thing was booting slow, was having problems with "sleep" mode, the "Media Packet" indicators wouldn't go off, etc. So... Why not try a Wubi install, and see if things work better?
So... I dragged the CF-29 out from under the pile of junk it was hiding in, hooked up the charger, and let it sit for a bit.
The damned thing booted perfectly. The "Media Packet" indicators didn't come on. I haven't tried putting it to sleep yet, but will shortly.
???
I swear the cussed thing is trying to drive me flippy.
Anyway, I think I'll hold off firing up Wubi for now. We'll just see how things go...
I'm still happily fiddling about with the Ubuntu world, and rather enjoying it. So much so that I went looking for, and found, a cheap Lenovo Thinkpad from a surplus dealer, and snagged it for next to nothing. The system was sold devoid of an operating system, so... Well, you know what's going to be installed...
While I was waiting, I got a wild idea to do some more experimentation As I noted in some entries way back, I was having problems with the old Panasonic CF-29 Toughbook I had. The thing was booting slow, was having problems with "sleep" mode, the "Media Packet" indicators wouldn't go off, etc. So... Why not try a Wubi install, and see if things work better?
So... I dragged the CF-29 out from under the pile of junk it was hiding in, hooked up the charger, and let it sit for a bit.
The damned thing booted perfectly. The "Media Packet" indicators didn't come on. I haven't tried putting it to sleep yet, but will shortly.
???
I swear the cussed thing is trying to drive me flippy.
Anyway, I think I'll hold off firing up Wubi for now. We'll just see how things go...
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