Popular Fiction

I have not read current fiction since I was in grade school. But I opened Dean Koontz’ “Tick Tock” in the middle, started to read, and it was a real page turner. Now, I have found a copy of Danielle Steel’s “Miracle.” I am wondering if many males read Danielle Steel and that genre, or if it is a mostly women audience. I am wondering what would happen if you could take all the Koontz novels Steel novels, and process them sentence by sentence through a computer program and tally word frequency counts. Next, for each page, encode from one to three numbers representing something abstract like, fear, envy, rage, jealousy, lust, sadness, death, etc. Would any sort of pattern emerge? How close might someone come to developing a programmatic novel generator?

Ubuntu Quaint Nostalgia: Naming Conventions

Notice the animal motif:

Table 1‐2. Ubuntu releases and support expiry dates.
Version number Nickname Updated until
4.10 Warty Warthog April 2006
5.04 Hoary Hedgehog October 2006
5.10 Breezy Badger April 2007
6.06 LTS 1 Dapper Drake June 2009
6.10 Edgy Eft April 2008
7.04 Feisty Fawn October 2008
7.10 Gutsy Gibbon April 2009
8.04 LTS Hardy Heron April 2011
8.10 Intrepid Ibex April 2010
9.04 Jaunty Jackalope October 2010

SOURCE:

Ubuntu Pocket
Guide and
Reference
Keir Thomas
MacFreda Publishing

TOTALLY FREE AVAILABLE ON PDF
Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference (PDF Edition)
Version: PDF1.1
http://www.ubuntupocketguide.com

Copyright © 2009 by Keir Thomas
All rights reserved.

SOME INTERESTING EXCERPTS AS I READ:

NOTE You might notice that a 64‐bit version of Ubuntu is
also available for download. In my opinion, there’s no need to use
this, even if you have a 64‐bit‐capable CPU in your computer,
unless your computer has more than 4GB of RAM. The 64‐bit
version of Ubuntu has been known to present a handful of
annoying compatibility issues that, while not show‐stoppers, can make life more difficult than it needs to be.

Problematic Installations

(alternate install)

Sometimes Ubuntu’s installation program goes wrong. Most commonly, this results in graphical problems that mean the installer program doesn’t work correctly.

In situations such as this, you can use the alternate install CD. This can be downloaded from http://www.ubuntu.com as an ISO image, just like the main install CD (click the link marked “Text-based alternate installer installation disk”, and, after selecting a download location near you, choose the file whose name ends with ‐alternate‐i386.iso).

The alternate CD provides the same version of Ubuntu as the main
install disc, but uses a “text mode” installer that doesn’t have a
graphical interface. As such the installer is compatible with virtually all computers, but this comes at a price because it isn’t as user-friendly as the main Ubuntu installer. The terminology can be obtuse for beginners, and the lack of a graphical interface means no mouse—you must navigate around the interface using the keyboard.

Configuring the firewall

Ubuntu contains a very powerful firewall called netfilter that is part of the central kernel program. However, it isn’t active by default, and must be manually configured. The reason for this is that Ubuntu has no outward-facing services. If you imagine Ubuntu as a house, you could say that it has no windows or doors through which intruders can gain access. All incoming connections hit a brick wall.
However, despite this fundamental protection, hackers are ingenious and there can be no room for complacency. Configuring the firewall using a GUI application like Firestarter, as described below, is so easy that there’s little reason not to do so.

TIP The ufw command can be used to configure the firewall at the
command‐line. This is relatively simple to use, but is still not as straightforward as a GUI application like Firestarter. For more de‐
tails, see http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=823741.
Installing and configuring Firestarter

Firestarter is a simple yet powerful firewall configuration tool. To install it, start Synaptic and search for firestarter. Put a check in the box alongside the firestarter entry in the results list and select Mark for Installation from the menu that appears. Click the APPLY button on the toolbar, and the APPLY button in the dialog box that appears.
There’s no need to restart because Ubuntu’s firewall component can be started, stopped and reconfigured while the system is up and running.

However, it is necessary to complete an initial wizard to configure
Firestarter itself, so start the program by clicking System 
Administration  Firestarter to run through this.

NOTE Bear in mind that there’s no reason to have the Firestarter
configuration program running to enjoy the protection of Ubuntu’s
firewall. All Firestarter does is configure Ubuntu’s built‐in firewall.
It isn’t a firewall application in itself.

Click the FORWARD button to work through the wizard. When asked to select the network device you wish to protect, select the connection type from the Detected Device(s) dropdown list. If you’re using a wireless connection, ensure the list reads Wireless Device, or similar (see Figure 7-1). Bear in mind that “Ethernet” refers to a wired connection, wherein the computer is connected by cable to a router, switch, or hub. Leave the other options as they are and click FORWARD to work through the wizard to completion. At the end, click the SAVE button.

NOTE There are almost no viruses or spyware infestations
affecting Linux. However, this is almost certain to change as
versions of Linux like Ubuntu become more popular.

REGARDING ENCRYPTION

NOTE: IF you choose to ENCRYPT a particular file or an entire folder, DO NOT forget the passphrase! If it is lost, any data you have
encrypted is also lost. There is no way of recovering the data, and
no way of cracking the encryption. Ubuntu uses 2,048‐bit
encryption keys. It is theorized that to crack such a key would take
more time than the universe has been in existence!

The Last Lecture

By Randy Paust, professor Carnegie Mellon, Hyperion
What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance, our last lecture? If we were to vanish tomorrow (and one day we shall) what legacy will we leave behind? How shall the world be different because we tarried here a spell?

At Barnes & Noble

Browsing books on Skype & Blackberry hacks from O’Reilly.

I posted this blog from my BlackBerry, sending it as an E-Mail to the secret e-mail address that WordPress provides for posting via e-mail.

One of the “Hacking” books was on Skype, and helped me solve at least one problem. The previous owner of this computer spoke French.  Everytime I launched Skype, it came up in French, although once I logged in as myself, it reverted to my preference for English.

Here are the notes I took on my Blackberry from “Skype Hacking” and also from the O’Reilly book “Blackbery Hacking.”

O’Reilly isbn 0-596-101893 Skype Hacks Andrew Sheppard

The solution to the French problem was to -

1). Set computer options to SHOW hidden files

2.) Enter the French users folder, enter APPLICATIONS, enter Skype, and remove his profile folder.

THE reason that Skype launched in French was because the French speakers user file was the first one it encountered.  After I removed it from the Skype folder, that user name no longer appeared.

C:/docs & settings/username/application data/skype/skypename

Also -

There is one crucial file that controls Skype:  Config.xml

C:/docs & settings/username/application data/skype/skypename/config.xml

Rename that file & Skype will rebuild it with default values

Another crucial file is Shared.xml

Tools folder options view advanced show hidden files
Delete user name

Docs&settings username application data skype username

Here is a tool which can be used to allocate extra bandwidth to the Skype application

Netlimiter.com

Skype Incoming speed 24.5 outgoing 11.5

I would love to have Skype on my BlackBerry, to see if it functions better on T-Mobile than on my desktop with Verizon DSL, which has given me some poor connections where the other party cannot hear my voice.

http://www.blackberryfreeware.com/2007/07/skype-client-freeware.html

Skyperunners.com

Here is another BlackBerry tip:

I can create an account in del.icio.us and bookmark pages with a tag of DESKTOP

Then I can use Bloglines to create an RSS feed from my del.icio.us for anything tagged DESKTOP. In this way I can remember to view on the desktop pages which are of interest but which would be difficult to view on the BlackBerry.

Verichat is a BlackBerry application which lets you combine many different IM accounts (AOL, AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, MSN) into one IM application, which is very similar to what Trillian does on the desktop.

Finally, I learned that if I need a full size keyboard for the BlackBerry, I can purchase a Freedom input bluetooth keyboard, which wirelessly connects to my BlackBerry.