Archives: 2010 January
Hands On with Thinkpad X200s and Debian Squeeze
January 29th, 2010, 23 Comments
I have recently been evaluating small laptops, and wound up purchasing the Thinkpad X200s. It arrived a few days ago, so here are some first impressions. The Hardware The X200s is, in a word, awesome. It is light and portable, built solidly, and very fast. With the 6-cell battery, it feels light. The 9-cell makes [...]
Greek Mythology and the Old Testament
January 27th, 2010, 102 Comments
I have lately been reading Homer’s epic poems: first The Iliad, and now I am nearly done with The Odyssey. I figure there isn’t anyone alive today that believes that Zeus literally caused thunder in answer to a prayer, or that Athene really transformed Ulysses between having a youthful and an aged physical appearance at [...]
98.9% of Kansas may die next month
January 21st, 2010, 7 Comments
My subject line is a little over-dramatic, but only a little. Like many states, Kansas is facing a severe budget problem. Last year, the state cut many programs to the bone and beyond. Nursing homes, schools, universities, and charities have all been hard-hit. A 10% cut in Medicaid reimbursement rates and similar cuts to education [...]
Netbook / Notebook Update
January 17th, 2010, 16 Comments
Two days ago, I posted about looking for a new netbook or notebook, and asked for people’s advice. Since then, I’ve done some investigation based on these suggestions. Rejected Candidates First, I’ve outright rejected several options. The Thinkpad X100e was out, mainly because it doesn’t compare favorably to the Acer 1810TZ. The X100e’s battery life [...]
Netbook or thin & light notebook?
January 15th, 2010, 43 Comments
I am a big fan of thin and light notebooks. I’ve been using the 9″ EeePC 901 for awhile now, almost since it first came out. I initially loved it. The keyboard, while an obstacle, wasn’t as much as I feared. The thing got insanely long battery life (5-6 hours or more typical), and was [...]
System Administrators Might Save Your Life
January 13th, 2010, 7 Comments
There’s a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of system administrators. Unless you’re one, it’s probably hard to grasp the full weight of it. This week has been full of reminders for me. This afternoon, shortly after lunch, I got word that people were having trouble with phones. A few minutes of testing showed that [...]
Review: Shmoop’s Coverage of Homer’s Iliad
January 12th, 2010, 4 Comments
I read The Iliad recently; see my review of it here. This article isn’t about The Iliad, but about Shmoop’s coverage of it. I have never been a person who puts much stock on “study guides” before, and my own prejudice is that they have probably earned their reputation as useful for little more than [...]
Sing to Me, Muse
January 11th, 2010, 8 Comments
(a review of Homer’s Iliad) Here, therefore, huge and mighty warrior though you be, here shall you die. – Homer (The Iliad) And with that formidable quote, I begin my review of The Iliad. I shall not exhaust you with a rehashing of the plot; that you can find on Wikipedia. Nor shall I be [...]
It’s Time (or, how the ancient Greeks interfered with American sanitation)
January 5th, 2010, 5 Comments
Had you been on our yard tonight, you would have seen a strange sight. Me, dressed warmly (but not quite warmly enough), jumping on the icy and snowy hood of my pickup. Some maniacal fit? An obscure part of my 3-day-long taking out the trash routine? Not exactly. Before I tell you why I was [...]
Taking Out the Trash
January 4th, 2010, 9 Comments
Once a month, I take our recycling to the road. This is something far more annoying than most city-dwellers may suspect. For one thing, the road is about 1/4 mile away. Over a month, we fill up at least three large plastic trash cans full of recycling. If I walked each of those there to [...]
