Screenshots Over the Years

Going through my fileserver recently I stumbled upon the directory I'd put screenshots in over the years that I've used Linux. It covers back from 1999 until the present, enjoy.

My first linux computer running Redhat 6.1 using GNOME v1.0.39 from 1999, this shot was taken in 2000 and shows all the fun of connecting via dial-up.

Still running GNOME this time I believe it's Mandrake in 2001


My Windowmaker fetish begins while running on Debian circa fall of 2001

My Fluxbox fetish begins in 2002

More Fluxbox goodness, from senior year in 2002

Fluxbox again after college graduation in 2003


Final Fluxbox shot after I moved to San Diego in 2004

Moving onto XFCE in 2004

And finally, full circle we come back to GNOME running on Debian in 2008

Night of the Clambake

Here are some random links from surfing tonite after the clambake primary results.

Transcript of Obama's speech in Madison - "Command of the English language is now 'in'"

Anatomy of a Smear - Op-ed by McCain's 2000 campaign advisor on Rove's smear that may have swung the republican nomination. Thanks Stephen.

Barack Obama Crossed the Line - Great writeup on Obama moving into running against the republicans come November after he wins the nomination.

Nice image that Kartik sent via email:


Image found in the comments of the above DailyKos link

Oh Mr. McCain

After the Feb 12th primaries Obama and McCain spoke back to back, and the differences were stunning. Let's do a little comparing and contrasting shall we?

First we'll start with the transcripts:

Obama's Potomac Primary Speech
McCain's Potomac Primary Speech

Both aren't bad on paper, but what happens when you add some visuals?

Whoa.

McCain's setup was a lot different from the surrounding crowds of Obama (and Clinton btw), whereas in stark contrast McCain camera was just filled with old while men. Where Obama spoke about America and even mentioned McCain and went on about him for a few minutes. McCain on the otherhand alluded to Obama multiple times but didn't actually mention his name. Where's the love? Obama did a great job, focusing on both Clinton for the present primary races, and at the same time linking McCain to Bush. McCain must have found a thesaurus just before his speech throwing out "platitude" while trying to knock down Obama's theme of hope. You could tell by his face the immense pride he must have felt for busting out a multi-syllable word like that. I think Olbermann puts it best when he said after both speeches, "The rule has to be, if you can, always speak before Barack Obama".

How can anyone actually think that McCain will make a good president? Because he's boring? Because he's afraid to say the name of his competition while not actually saying his name (O'Reilly anyone?)? Because he's anti-hope? This guy has nothing to go on except what republicans do best: do nothing and complain about everything.

UPDATE:

Here's the full video of the respective speeches:

How to Lose the 2008 Election

Vote for Hilary.

That's it, pretty simple eh? First let's begin with what the republicans are saying...

The narrative has followed Mrs. Clinton across the country. Strategists from both parties have often said Republicans would prefer Mrs. Clinton because she will motivate the party base. However, some now think a Clinton victory will unify Republicans behind candidate Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, despite concerns about his conservative credentials.

Do you see that? Right there, both parties, it's not just the republicans, it's the Democrats too. Great, swell job, let's do exactly what one is hoping for and another is afraid of.

Second, polls show that Obama would beat McCain and Clinton would tie.

Obama captured 48% of the vote in the theoretical match-up against McCain's 41%, the TIME poll reported, while Clinton and McCain would deadlock at 46% of the vote each. Put another way, McCain looks at the moment to have a narrowly better chance of beating the New York Senator than he does the relative newcomer from Illinois.

So there goes the argument that Hilary is more "electable" because of her loads of experience and less change. Yes, this is exactly what we want, a candidate who will rally the republicans purely to beat her and one who is shown to lose the election if it was held today. Not to mention her campaign is starved for cash and is resorting to dipping into her own pockets.

Yes, vote for Hilary, let's turn the predicted landslide for the Democrats into an easy win for the Republicans. Hilary needs to bow out, and the Democratic party needs to rally behind Obama. Let's focus on November instead of wasting money on the fight for the nomination. The republicans have done so and they've already begun to garner the headlines, it's time to take control of the party, the news cycle, and the country again.

Also, on another political note, check out opencongress.org.

I Want John Stewart to Smile Again

Best endorsement I've read so far, by Randall Monroe, author of XKCD,

"I want someone who can lead the country. When people grow cynical and detached from government, or blinded by partisanship, evil runs amok. Obama represents an honest shot at making our government something we can be proud of. I’m tired of throwing things at CNN. I’m tired of feeling depressed when I read speeches by the founding fathers. I want Jon Stewart to smile again. For a brief moment, next Tuesday, we’ll have a shot at finally getting things right. Please help."

The sentence that really strikes me is "I want Jon Stewart to smile again". I've seen many interviews with John Stewart, and I've seen how painful it is for him to speak about what he sees is wrong with this country. He's a comic, he finds humour in the most dire situations, he's not suppose to be impacted by this. But over the past 8 years he has, he's been jaded and you can tell he's fed up. To me this is a reflection of us as Americans, we are resilient and strong, but we can only take so much before we start to break down. Obama is our hope.

Precinct 222000

Want to really make a difference in the 2008 elections? Volunteer to work the polls. This morning when my brother and I went to vote at our polling station things weren't going as smoothly as expected. Most of the workers were senior citizens, I am grateful for their time, but asking a 70yr old lady who has eyesight problems to find names on a list with small fonts seems almost mean. As young Americans it should not just be our duty to vote, but to participate fully in the process by volunteering. We have the ability to quickly spot names on a list, we have the ability to simplify instructions, and most of all we have the ability to understand the new electronic voting machines.

This is last part is critical as we gradually phase out paper ballots. Senior citizens have always been a strong voting block and forcing a new (and usually unproven) technology on a group who's not familiar with them goes against the spirit of the democratic process. This problem is even more compounded when you realize that not until 50 years from now will we have a technology experienced elderly generation. It is the responsibility our generation now, with our myspaces and facebooks, to help our elders avoid these hurdles. This June and November, don't just feel satisfied with your single vote, but with the hundreds of others you may help cast.

Volunteer for San Diego Registrar of Voters (Did I mention you get paid too?)

Super Tuesday

To put my piece in before you head to the polls tomorrow, I think that both Clinton and Obama would make an excellent Dem nominee and have a sure chance of winning in November, but I'm siding with Obama. Both have excellent policies and ideas on how the country should move forward after the disaster that was the last 8 years, but Clinton isn't anything "new". She's been heavily into politics the last 30 years and represents the same old game. Does she have more experience? Yes, but I don't want experience, I want someone who will lead our country in a new direction, not hold onto the past. For me Obama embodies that, he's young, he's charismatic, and he knows how to get people excited for a new direction in this country. To me Clinton represents to much of the old guard and we need more dramatic change than she can, and is willing to bring. To further back my decision is this excellent piece that was run on DailyKos this morning, to quote,

"There are other reasons I prefer Barack Obama to Hillary Clinton. In most areas their policy platforms are similar. But one area where I think Obama represents a clean and necessary break with the past is in foreign policy. Obama isn't going to give away the farm. The realities of American Empire are that we will continue to have a huge military exerting influence across the globe. But Obama, through his statements, and through some of his key foreign policy advisors (like Zbignew Brzenzinski, Richard Clarke, Lawrence Korb, Robert Malley and Samantha Power) points to a more pragmatic and sustainable foreign and defense policy than does Clinton."

I encourage you to read the full piece here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/4/01850/33681/211/449297

Either way I'm excited for this coming year and regardless of your candidate choice 2008 will be a landmark year in American politics.

A Vote for Hilary is a Vote for Anne Coulter

Let's get this meme a rolling...

from Crooks and Liars