Technology

Open Source on the OSX

by

First off, a disclaimer: I am a Linux enthusiast. This is no secret. What may not be evident, however, is that I’m not a purist. I believe in the best tool for the job, and if you want to use Windows or OSX, more power to you. I’d rather you choose to try it, rather than have me shove it down your throat. That said, I’m always available for help. I’m like that. 🙂

Jeri asked a question about word processing programs on OSX. As it happens, I have a little story about Office on my work computer…

When Office 2008 came out for the Macintosh, with Intel native code, I bought it. I installed it. I liked it just fine. Then one day, it quit working. I couldn’t figure out how to fix it, short of deleting my Library folder or something. It made me angry, because I had to open a Microsoft Word file. OpenOffice for OSX is not great. It requires X11, and is messy to use.

BUT, NeoOffice is a re-compile of OpenOffice designed to run natively in OSX. And it’s the shiz. The quick list of programs I use on OSX for word processing is:

  • NeoOffice – OpenOffice, but for OSX. It even includes the database program now. Awesome
  • Abiword – Word processor only. Unfortunately, kinda crashy in OSX. Lacks the one thing I love about it in Linux, because the OSX version won’t go full screen.
  • Bean – Cool, fast, awesome word processor. It also has a sweet logo and dock icon. I use this a LOT.

Ok, that’s it for now. 🙂

Back to Writing a Book

by

I think I’m going to try writing a book. Not a fiction book, although that is a dream someday. A technical book. Yes, a Linux book. It should be quite geeky, but hopefully fun to read. I’ll keep everyone posted. I’m sure you can hardly wait. 🙂

Pink

by

We just bought a new iPod nano for Donna, because she’s going to need the video playing ability this summer. It’s a really cute black 8GB model, and she likes it. That, however, isn’t what this post is about. See, Donna already had an iPod. It’s a pink 4GB nano, and since she has a new one, I get to use it for listening to audio books. Yay!

I figure Cory will appreciate it’s color, and I’m secure enough in my manhood to use it as well. Plus, even though the message was originally from me, it still reminds me of the girl I had it inscribed for. 😀

Lack of Organiza…LOOK A PONY!

by

You know those people that live and die by their paper planner? When they lose it, life almost ceases to go on, and they run in circles like a bee with a pollen allergy?

I’m not one of those people.

You know those people that have a crackberry/palm pilot/iPhone strapped to their side, and if their batteries die, they do too?

I’m not one of those people either.

As it turns out, I’ve been trying to get organized for close to a decade now. For some reason, I can never quite get it when it comes to scheduling things. It’d be nice to claim I’m too creative for schedules, but not only would it be a lie — it would also just be a nice artsy fartsy excuse for my failure. I don’t want to be one of those people.

Now that I have 2 awesome jobs, scheduling is critical. You see, I also have an awesome family that deserves my time. (What did they do to deserve that you ask? Well, they fed me, now they’re stuck with me) My current attempt at organization is Google Calendar:

The advantage is that I can access it from any computer, and “syncing” is not required. I’ve tried the syncing game, and it always burns me. When I get a phone next month with a data plan, I should be able to access my calendar anywhere. This pleases me…

How do you stay organized?

Just Shoot Me

by

Put the gun down, I was talking about video cameras… I put up a short article about the Penguicon over at Linux Journal, and the video is painful to my ego. I really should consider investing in something with better audio recording ability, and better low-light performance.

Or maybe I could get an implant into my eyeball that digitizes everything I see in real time… I could call it Shawncam, and get shawncam.com or something. I could put a patch over my camera eye for those “private moments” that I don’t want y’all to see. (Like picking my nose in the mirror. What were you thinking?)

It’s too bad we’re spending our incentive money on a new fridge…

Well, it’s Workin’

by

I’m not totally thrilled about the new theme, but for a day or so, this is what we’ve got. It’s 1:30, and I’m tired. 🙂

The good news is that I’m now managing the updates, etc, now. Hopefully I can manage to avoid most wonkiness in the future. We’ll see.

G’night.

Brain of Shawn Podcast #3

by

I’m here at the Penguicon, and it turns out, *I* am one of the horribly awkward individuals that becomes a wallflower in a crowded room. Based on my online presence, that might come as a surprise to some. You can hear me lament a bit here:

[display_podcast]