A friend just got a Compaq Presario CQ62 and wanted me to help her set up ubuntu. So sunday came around and what was meant to be a 30 minute affair has turned into 3 days of...
In any case here are the issues I had and how (or links to how) I resolved them along with some info about what I tried unsuccessfully.
Sound
I tried removing ALSA and installing OSS instead. Let's just say I was fortunate enough to live through the loud beep that resulted each time I restarted the system.
Thanks to this link: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1532127, I was able to finally fix the sound...
- Enable backports repository and install
- sudo apt-get install linux-backports-modules-alsa-lucid-generic
Wireless
Network Manager was working but no wireless signal was received. So I took a look at dmesg and noticed there was an error message about a missing "RT2860STA.dat" so I created the missing file "/etc/Wireless/RT2860STA/RT2860STA.dat" and bingo...
Other general advice...
Always create more than one partition when installing ubuntu. That way if you have to re-install you'd only have to overwrite the root partition and not your /home partition.
Also, google and then download "ubuntu tweak" - it made my life easier
Tuesday 28 September 2010
Friday 24 September 2010
Rediscovering Y
This week I've been thinking a lot about 'why'. When you work in I.T it's really easy to let go of 'why' and to start concentrating on 'how'. 'How' puts food food on the table much faster than 'why'. If you are a programmer, 'how' parades itself around in the form of the boss that goes: "x and y did that in two weeks so I expect it to get done in one... Just copy what they did". If you dream of becoming a hacker he tells you that producing the next cool app fastest wins all the accolades - regardless of the fact that accolades is never a good reason to chase anything.
'how' is to life what subsistent farming is to a full time farmer - it will only get you so far. And 'so far' isn't where the man upstairs intended when he knelt in the mud that day, 6,000-ish years ago.
So, I've been thinking. Funny thing about thinking is that if you are very good at 'how' your first inclination would be to see 'why' other attempts are wrong and that lures you, falsely, into thinking that you've experienced a 'why' paradigm shift. The reality, though, is that you know one way (or more) of doing stuff well and you've assumed that, off the bat, yours is the best - you are still chasing the 'how' instead of the 'why'. Now, this isn't to say that sometimes the 'how' that you know isn't really the best way to get the job done. The point here is that understanding the 'why' gives you more just the opportunity to apply a random 'how'. The 'why' helps humble you and expands your understanding of the intricacy of the 'how' so that you then know how to apply it better - kinda like 'why' is the proper way to understand the 'how' and not the other way around.
Ok, I'm tired of putting quotes around 'why' and 'how'...
This morning I was listening to an old VOP podcast (a cheap replacement for actually studying my bible) and the presenters mentioned how James and John said they were willing to drink the cup even without understanding what the cup entailed. The thought that struck me then was that 'life and death is in the power of the tongue'. The other text that crossed my mind was the centurion telling Jesus to just say the word and it would be done. The centurion further explained that he was a captain of a company too and he could tell a soldier to go or come and his command would be carried out. Paul says faith says those things that aren't as though they were.
It wasn't the point of the podcast, but I had a rough night yesterday, and it seemed to me like God was saying to me, this morning, you can say it and it would come to pass if you believe. The concept is so simple it's feels like a lie but the reality is 'in Jesus name' (we'll have to talk about in Jesus' name maybe next week) all things are possible.
I love Fridays. Especially because the following day is the Sabbath. One of these days I'll fully understand the 'why' of it so that the 'how' of keeping it holy would become clearer.
'how' is to life what subsistent farming is to a full time farmer - it will only get you so far. And 'so far' isn't where the man upstairs intended when he knelt in the mud that day, 6,000-ish years ago.
So, I've been thinking. Funny thing about thinking is that if you are very good at 'how' your first inclination would be to see 'why' other attempts are wrong and that lures you, falsely, into thinking that you've experienced a 'why' paradigm shift. The reality, though, is that you know one way (or more) of doing stuff well and you've assumed that, off the bat, yours is the best - you are still chasing the 'how' instead of the 'why'. Now, this isn't to say that sometimes the 'how' that you know isn't really the best way to get the job done. The point here is that understanding the 'why' gives you more just the opportunity to apply a random 'how'. The 'why' helps humble you and expands your understanding of the intricacy of the 'how' so that you then know how to apply it better - kinda like 'why' is the proper way to understand the 'how' and not the other way around.
Ok, I'm tired of putting quotes around 'why' and 'how'...
This morning I was listening to an old VOP podcast (a cheap replacement for actually studying my bible) and the presenters mentioned how James and John said they were willing to drink the cup even without understanding what the cup entailed. The thought that struck me then was that 'life and death is in the power of the tongue'. The other text that crossed my mind was the centurion telling Jesus to just say the word and it would be done. The centurion further explained that he was a captain of a company too and he could tell a soldier to go or come and his command would be carried out. Paul says faith says those things that aren't as though they were.
It wasn't the point of the podcast, but I had a rough night yesterday, and it seemed to me like God was saying to me, this morning, you can say it and it would come to pass if you believe. The concept is so simple it's feels like a lie but the reality is 'in Jesus name' (we'll have to talk about in Jesus' name maybe next week) all things are possible.
I love Fridays. Especially because the following day is the Sabbath. One of these days I'll fully understand the 'why' of it so that the 'how' of keeping it holy would become clearer.
Thursday 23 September 2010
1 Nil to the Arsenal
This week's been awesome - Arsenal beat Braga 6-0. The tests I suffered on don't count when you watch beautiful soccer like that. Someone asked me what I gain from soccer sef? Well, I don't have to tell you it was a girl that asked. I also don't have to tell you that I'm not going to answer that question here.
I typed quite a post on my phone but I mistakenly overwrote the bulk of it. I'm not bothered though - like I said it's been a great week: Arsenal, 6-0. The post was about Jeremiah 29 (go read it yourself - frome the first verse) and Philippians 4 (also make sure you read from the first verse). I wish I could be bothered about not been feeling the need to type that whole post again but I am not bothered - obviously because (say it with me) - Arsenal 6, Braga 0.
You think that I get paid or something for how much I promote Arsenal. When I wrote the paragraphs above, Friday, last week, I was on cloud 9 then saturday came by and we let in a goal in the very last minute of extra time. But Karma is a pretty dark skinned lady with the most beautiful smile. She made sure we beat the 'hotscums' in style today. I'm almost in heaven.
Seriously though, God has been good to me. I'm grateful. When it's all said and done He is a sweetest friend I could ever hope for. I think I'm discovering what love is and she's beautiful!
I just read over what I've written so far and for most parts I feel like an hippie - a properly drugged hippie - which is cool by me. I feel sorry for the rest of you though so I'll stop now.
I typed quite a post on my phone but I mistakenly overwrote the bulk of it. I'm not bothered though - like I said it's been a great week: Arsenal, 6-0. The post was about Jeremiah 29 (go read it yourself - frome the first verse) and Philippians 4 (also make sure you read from the first verse). I wish I could be bothered about not been feeling the need to type that whole post again but I am not bothered - obviously because (say it with me) - Arsenal 6, Braga 0.
You think that I get paid or something for how much I promote Arsenal. When I wrote the paragraphs above, Friday, last week, I was on cloud 9 then saturday came by and we let in a goal in the very last minute of extra time. But Karma is a pretty dark skinned lady with the most beautiful smile. She made sure we beat the 'hotscums' in style today. I'm almost in heaven.
Seriously though, God has been good to me. I'm grateful. When it's all said and done He is a sweetest friend I could ever hope for. I think I'm discovering what love is and she's beautiful!
I just read over what I've written so far and for most parts I feel like an hippie - a properly drugged hippie - which is cool by me. I feel sorry for the rest of you though so I'll stop now.
Friday 10 September 2010
If I could...
I'm a realist (if there's such a word). I think that there are absolutes - God, his commandment, love - and there are relatives. I think the relative issues can be bent based on the circumstance in question. For instance, I tuck in my shirt when I go to work because the reality is that I need the money and the people God has put in the position to give me the money demand that I tuck it in. Let me rephrase this - I think that the absolutes determine the relatives. Ok, so I'm not a 'realist' - I'm a christian (after all I just mentioned God).
So, I was busy doing nothing as usual at work when I stumble onto a blog where the guy gives reasons for not buying into microsoft's silverlight. I realized then that I'm a bigot. You see, unlike this guy I make no apologies for my likes/dislikes. I think I am right just because I feel I am and not necessarily because some sane logic demands it.
I hate labels. Only the psychologists realize what the boundaries are for each temperament - and I bet the most honest of them would tell you it's all just good guess work. For instance, I'm the one person that can't count his chickens before they hatch. In my mind, as long they aren't hatched, something can still go wrong. So I'm a pessimist. Yet I'm also the one who supports the stingiest team in england in terms of financial dealings. In fact, I don't just support Arsenal but I expect them to win the league every season - I've done so the last 5 years with no return. I'm not sure if this falls into the bigotry or the optimist category. They say Einstein once defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. I guess that would make me insane - an insane optimist or an insane bigot. Or is it just that I'm conceited?
It would be a fair conclusion now to say I'm confused. But you won't be saying anything new - trust me (or just read the disclaimer under the blog title). The really wierd thing is that someone out there had the privilege to look at my life from beginning to end. And He saw something someone he liked loved loves. He realized there was no way on earth I survive destined as I was for death from birth. So He gave up his own life on the extremely slight chance (worse than one in a googol) that I would take up his offer and live the life that He was destined for instead.
So here's a deal of a lifetime, absolutely free (no conditions in fine print), and perfectly suited for me. I'd have to be a fool to not jump at it, wont I?! Hmmm... fool... let's hope that isn't the label that sticks for eternity.
So, I was busy doing nothing as usual at work when I stumble onto a blog where the guy gives reasons for not buying into microsoft's silverlight. I realized then that I'm a bigot. You see, unlike this guy I make no apologies for my likes/dislikes. I think I am right just because I feel I am and not necessarily because some sane logic demands it.
I hate labels. Only the psychologists realize what the boundaries are for each temperament - and I bet the most honest of them would tell you it's all just good guess work. For instance, I'm the one person that can't count his chickens before they hatch. In my mind, as long they aren't hatched, something can still go wrong. So I'm a pessimist. Yet I'm also the one who supports the stingiest team in england in terms of financial dealings. In fact, I don't just support Arsenal but I expect them to win the league every season - I've done so the last 5 years with no return. I'm not sure if this falls into the bigotry or the optimist category. They say Einstein once defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. I guess that would make me insane - an insane optimist or an insane bigot. Or is it just that I'm conceited?
It would be a fair conclusion now to say I'm confused. But you won't be saying anything new - trust me (or just read the disclaimer under the blog title). The really wierd thing is that someone out there had the privilege to look at my life from beginning to end. And He saw something someone he liked loved loves. He realized there was no way on earth I survive destined as I was for death from birth. So He gave up his own life on the extremely slight chance (worse than one in a googol) that I would take up his offer and live the life that He was destined for instead.
So here's a deal of a lifetime, absolutely free (no conditions in fine print), and perfectly suited for me. I'd have to be a fool to not jump at it, wont I?! Hmmm... fool... let's hope that isn't the label that sticks for eternity.
Friday 3 September 2010
nothing...
I've got nothing to write about today - zilch, zero, blank. But I figure if I talk about nothing long enough it might look like something when I'm done. Don't get it twisted though - talking enough about nothing doesn't suddenly make nothing turn into something. That's a fallacy we've sold ourselves for far too long - about 6,OOO years precisely (I figure the devil should not get all the credit there).
Nothing is fancy and nice too. I spent the bulk of today at work doing nothing and it sure as hell looked like I was getting a lot done. I guess nothing is contextual too Nothing looks contextual too but I figure you've got to have absolutes, right? Moreover, relativity is an abstraction that only works in physics textbooks and that only because it presents a means for our limited mental capacities to explain away a tiny fragment of the reality we can observe. I think that in the land of absolutes nothing has a clearly defined boundary. It's almost like in set theory where an empty set is a type of set but... ok, now I'm thinking I'm totally confused (apparently an empty set is something).
In any case, before we were interrupted by that unfortunate detour into set theory, nothing can't be something because if it were something it would cease to be nothing - get it!
I could quit now but I'm on a roll, why stop. So nothing exists in a clearly defined space. I think that's a wrong statement too isn't it. I mean for nothing to exist would mean nothing is something. Seriously english sucks (yes I'll blame on the language - I'm proud!). Much more than just boundaries, nothing should have none of the properties of something, I figure. Like darkness is that absense of visible light so nothing is the absense of something. I guess that would mean the presense of nothing in an object would invariable result in the deflation of the said thing. After all you need something to give structure to an object. I guess that's why the "world was void and, consequently, without shape". The really scary thing about nohing is that it's so hard to describe - I know because I just made a harsh of my attempt at it.
The one thing I'm certain of is that nothing clearly leads to chaos. If you live in nada-land long enough you lose clarity of thought. I'm not going to bother about rationalizing how or why - that's just the way it is. So, if we've sold and bought ourselves nothing for so long it's easy to see why we (I'm messed up but I figure I could share the love here) live such messed up lives? Nothing takes many forms - idle hands, drugged minds, hollywood-ish life styles (nothing is beautiful). I think nothing has a time and a purpose apart from chaos but that's a purpose that's surely out of my realm (frankly virtually all purpose is out of my hands anyway).
I don't know where this would take me but I know how it ends so let me end it. It's been a rant worthy of it's name.
In the bible, there's mention of a being that can bring order out of nothing - out of chaos (say goodbye to your dearly beloved laws of thermodynamics fellas). "In the beginning God..."
Nothing is fancy and nice too. I spent the bulk of today at work doing nothing and it sure as hell looked like I was getting a lot done. I guess nothing is contextual too Nothing looks contextual too but I figure you've got to have absolutes, right? Moreover, relativity is an abstraction that only works in physics textbooks and that only because it presents a means for our limited mental capacities to explain away a tiny fragment of the reality we can observe. I think that in the land of absolutes nothing has a clearly defined boundary. It's almost like in set theory where an empty set is a type of set but... ok, now I'm thinking I'm totally confused (apparently an empty set is something).
In any case, before we were interrupted by that unfortunate detour into set theory, nothing can't be something because if it were something it would cease to be nothing - get it!
I could quit now but I'm on a roll, why stop. So nothing exists in a clearly defined space. I think that's a wrong statement too isn't it. I mean for nothing to exist would mean nothing is something. Seriously english sucks (yes I'll blame on the language - I'm proud!). Much more than just boundaries, nothing should have none of the properties of something, I figure. Like darkness is that absense of visible light so nothing is the absense of something. I guess that would mean the presense of nothing in an object would invariable result in the deflation of the said thing. After all you need something to give structure to an object. I guess that's why the "world was void and, consequently, without shape". The really scary thing about nohing is that it's so hard to describe - I know because I just made a harsh of my attempt at it.
The one thing I'm certain of is that nothing clearly leads to chaos. If you live in nada-land long enough you lose clarity of thought. I'm not going to bother about rationalizing how or why - that's just the way it is. So, if we've sold and bought ourselves nothing for so long it's easy to see why we (I'm messed up but I figure I could share the love here) live such messed up lives? Nothing takes many forms - idle hands, drugged minds, hollywood-ish life styles (nothing is beautiful). I think nothing has a time and a purpose apart from chaos but that's a purpose that's surely out of my realm (frankly virtually all purpose is out of my hands anyway).
I don't know where this would take me but I know how it ends so let me end it. It's been a rant worthy of it's name.
In the bible, there's mention of a being that can bring order out of nothing - out of chaos (say goodbye to your dearly beloved laws of thermodynamics fellas). "In the beginning God..."
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