- DailyKos - I'm liberal, go figure
- Crooks and Liars - Lots of nice media bits
- Pollster - Daily poll updates, trends, and analysis
- FiveThirtyEight - Tons of statistics and "what if" situations
- Redstate - Sometimes I need to be brought back to reality... yeah...
- New York Times - Good ole gray lady
- MSNBC - The Place for Politics, free online streaming too
Selasa, 28 Oktober 2008
Daily Election Websites
As the election is wrapping up this week I thought I'd share the sites that I follow daily on determining of how this election is going.
Sabtu, 25 Oktober 2008
My Moleskines
Over the past few years I've had a variety of different Moleskine notebooks that I've used for many purposes. Some were just for random notes and lists, while others were for more specific activities like Fantasy Football or wine tasting. Because of the infrequent use and just grabbing whichever one I could they're mostly sporadic and difficult to find anything other value other than flipping through the entire thing. Since starting at Qualcomm though and having a development goal of better time management set, I decided it was time to get serious about some type of organization for notes.
I first started by reading the excellent O'reilly book Time Management for System Administrators. The author has his own "Cycle System" that he uses to keep track of his daily tasks, appointments, and long term projects. While the system itself is easy and fleshed-out I found that it wasn't exactly tailored to my needs. I did take a lot of his ideas and work them into my use of Moleskine notebooks that are relatively simple yet have some nice features (durable covers, elastic binding band, cloth bookmark, and back pocket). Below is what I did to customize and tailor them to my needs professionally and personally.
The Notebooks
In the book there are three areas the author focuses on; To-do Lists, Appointments, and Goals. Now because the specific notebooks I like to use (either lined or graph paper) do not have a calendar built-in I skipped the appointment portion, and instead rely on Google Calendar for personal and Outlook Calendar for professional date keeping. I also didn't like the idea of keeping both personal and professional in the same notebook and therefore split them up into two different notebooks. My personal notebook is a squared soft-cover, which is smaller than a regular size and fits perfectly into my back pocket. My professional notebook is larger hard-cover lined variant that travels well in my laptop bag and works well for larger notes. The two follow the same criteria for my needs however.
Structure
I wanted to keep the setup simple and similar for both of them and generally stuck to the same format for both. I've read about many Moleskine Hacks and took some ideas, but most of them were too complex and involved for me to use, I just want something simple. Here's how I've set mine up:
Professional Format
My professional one however does have a specific format for the to-do pages which I semi-copied from the time management book. I first date the top of the page, then split the first third of te page into a general todo and project list. Every morning when I first get into work I lay down my todo list, adding new items from our ticket system or email. Each todo item is then assigned a value (A, B, C) depending on it's priority and I get to work, crossing them off as they are done. The ones that aren't done at the end of the day are then moved to the next days list and marked with a - to show they were moved. The projects side is more just to keep in mind what I'd like to accomplish in a more long term sense. The second third of the page is for general notes, small scribblings on something I'm working on, random commands, etc. The final third is a ad-hoc schedule that I just fill in with times for meetings and other appointments that I have during the day. I don't fill any out ahead of time since I let my Outlook calendar keep track of recurring meetings and appointments.
Here are some pics:
Table of Contents
Side date label
I first started by reading the excellent O'reilly book Time Management for System Administrators. The author has his own "Cycle System" that he uses to keep track of his daily tasks, appointments, and long term projects. While the system itself is easy and fleshed-out I found that it wasn't exactly tailored to my needs. I did take a lot of his ideas and work them into my use of Moleskine notebooks that are relatively simple yet have some nice features (durable covers, elastic binding band, cloth bookmark, and back pocket). Below is what I did to customize and tailor them to my needs professionally and personally.
The Notebooks
In the book there are three areas the author focuses on; To-do Lists, Appointments, and Goals. Now because the specific notebooks I like to use (either lined or graph paper) do not have a calendar built-in I skipped the appointment portion, and instead rely on Google Calendar for personal and Outlook Calendar for professional date keeping. I also didn't like the idea of keeping both personal and professional in the same notebook and therefore split them up into two different notebooks. My personal notebook is a squared soft-cover, which is smaller than a regular size and fits perfectly into my back pocket. My professional notebook is larger hard-cover lined variant that travels well in my laptop bag and works well for larger notes. The two follow the same criteria for my needs however.
Structure
I wanted to keep the setup simple and similar for both of them and generally stuck to the same format for both. I've read about many Moleskine Hacks and took some ideas, but most of them were too complex and involved for me to use, I just want something simple. Here's how I've set mine up:
- Three Sections: To-do, Notes, Ideas (only in personal) and Goals marked with sticky labels
- Initial date written inside front cover and on side with black marker
- Every odd page numbered
- Table of contents on inside cover with the odd page and short description
Professional Format
My professional one however does have a specific format for the to-do pages which I semi-copied from the time management book. I first date the top of the page, then split the first third of te page into a general todo and project list. Every morning when I first get into work I lay down my todo list, adding new items from our ticket system or email. Each todo item is then assigned a value (A, B, C) depending on it's priority and I get to work, crossing them off as they are done. The ones that aren't done at the end of the day are then moved to the next days list and marked with a - to show they were moved. The projects side is more just to keep in mind what I'd like to accomplish in a more long term sense. The second third of the page is for general notes, small scribblings on something I'm working on, random commands, etc. The final third is a ad-hoc schedule that I just fill in with times for meetings and other appointments that I have during the day. I don't fill any out ahead of time since I let my Outlook calendar keep track of recurring meetings and appointments.
Here are some pics:
Personal notebook on top of professional one
Sticky labels denoting sections
Table of Contents
Side date label
To-do page layout in professional notebook
Rabu, 22 Oktober 2008
How to install a minimal Ubuntu
Sometimes you do not want to install anything more than a working command-line Ubuntu Linux system. Maybe you want to use another Desktop environment than GNOME, KDE, or XFCE. I have been trying out Openbox recently, but I wanted to get a completely fresh install of Ubuntu to work with. When I first started searching the net to find how to install a minimal Ubuntu system I came to dead ends. After digging deeper into search reults and forum posts I was able to find the answer. Here are the steps to get a minimal system from Ubuntu.
- Download the Alternate install ISO.
- Burn this to a disc and pop it into your computer to boot from it (unless you are doing this virtually, then you just need to make the virtual computer see the ISO).
- When you get to the initial boot screen do not press enter right away. Instead press F4 to bring up a menu where you can select "Install a Command-Line System".
- Now you press enter and follow the install process like normal.
Jumat, 17 Oktober 2008
Positions
Earlier tonight I took a survey on how well my positions match with those of Barack Obama and found that I match him about 56% of the time. During the survey I noticed that some of the questions were awkwardly worded and I didn't have a clear answer to give. Reading them though made me start thinking about where I actually stand on most of the issues presented in this election cycle and inspired me to put them down in writing.
Separation of Church and State - Favor
Religion should have no place in government. There are too many creeds and opinions based off ideological faith and they have no business influencing laws that govern a diverse group of people. This is my main justification for my positions on Abortion and Gay Marriage. To me government should rule with a secular hand and if a politician has personal values that's fine, just as long as they focus on what's best for society. I also believe that the founding fathers when establishing American democracy had this in mind.
2nd Amendment - Favor
I strongly believe in the Constitution and therefore support the 2nd Amendment even though I'm not in favor of guns themselves. I understand the need for personal protection and the reason the founders made this amendment in the first place, to give the citizen the power of strength to overthrow a government turned to tyranny. I am however in favor of gun control and laws that restrict possession and use of certain weapons in private hands. Guns are dangerous, and having to pay a tax or undergo a background check is nothing that a private citizen who has no intention of committing harm should worry about. This, in my opinion, does not violate the 2nd Amendment.
Abortion - Favor
I firmly believe that abortion is a manufactured religious distraction of other issues that are more important, and therefore is something that shouldn't even be a factor in the political process. Unfortunately many people see this as a single issue vote and therefore it's a popular issue, especially among Christian voters. I do not favor the actual act, and would like to see more education and counseling requirements before the procedure is done. The only reason I am in favor is I know that without legal constrictions the consequences would be even worse.
Taxes - Raise 'em
I never really understood the anger people have when it comes to paying taxes. Contrary to popular belief Americans live in a society of other people. Regardless of how much an individual thinks they contribute back, society does even more. The benefits of taxes are almost impossible to measure and therefore many people think they are treated unfairly when they have to pay them. The downside is that government may misuse funds (cough cough Iraq war) but taxes still provide more good for citizens than most would like to believe. To me this is not an issue of freedom but of individual responsibility to the society that supports you.
Censorship - Unfavor
Swear words, sex, nudity, reality. Explicitly trying to stop someone from seeing someone because you deem it inappropriate is a threat to the individual. It is an individuals choice what they want to see and don't see, and if that individual is a minor then it is the parents responsibility. Government should have no interference with it thinks people should see and shouldn't see.
Healthcare - Give it to 'em
Preventative medicine is the best medicine. Instead of fixing the problem as it occurs it's better to treat it before it breaks. Vaccinations, yearly physicals, health evaluations are all cost effective and save money down the line by avoiding expensive procedures to fix bigger problems. This works for any type of mechanical maintenance and to claim it doesn't for health maintenance is naive.
Gay Marriage - Favor
In step with my above positions on Abortion and Separation of Church and State I also believe this is another manufactured distraction to take away from other issues. The Constitution protects rights and no amendment should take them away. Love is a universal and secular emotion, to deny a couple, regardless of sexual orientation, is a violation of natural laws.
Summary
I believe in a secular non-invasive government that provides essential services to both the individual and society. Most of my positions are considered to fall on the left side of the spectrum but I understand the value of balance and that not everyone thinks like I do. I believe that the American style of democracy is one of the greatest systems of government created and caters to this balance. Even with it's pitfalls I would not change any of the core ideas that our government was founded on.
Separation of Church and State - Favor
Religion should have no place in government. There are too many creeds and opinions based off ideological faith and they have no business influencing laws that govern a diverse group of people. This is my main justification for my positions on Abortion and Gay Marriage. To me government should rule with a secular hand and if a politician has personal values that's fine, just as long as they focus on what's best for society. I also believe that the founding fathers when establishing American democracy had this in mind.
2nd Amendment - Favor
I strongly believe in the Constitution and therefore support the 2nd Amendment even though I'm not in favor of guns themselves. I understand the need for personal protection and the reason the founders made this amendment in the first place, to give the citizen the power of strength to overthrow a government turned to tyranny. I am however in favor of gun control and laws that restrict possession and use of certain weapons in private hands. Guns are dangerous, and having to pay a tax or undergo a background check is nothing that a private citizen who has no intention of committing harm should worry about. This, in my opinion, does not violate the 2nd Amendment.
Abortion - Favor
I firmly believe that abortion is a manufactured religious distraction of other issues that are more important, and therefore is something that shouldn't even be a factor in the political process. Unfortunately many people see this as a single issue vote and therefore it's a popular issue, especially among Christian voters. I do not favor the actual act, and would like to see more education and counseling requirements before the procedure is done. The only reason I am in favor is I know that without legal constrictions the consequences would be even worse.
Taxes - Raise 'em
I never really understood the anger people have when it comes to paying taxes. Contrary to popular belief Americans live in a society of other people. Regardless of how much an individual thinks they contribute back, society does even more. The benefits of taxes are almost impossible to measure and therefore many people think they are treated unfairly when they have to pay them. The downside is that government may misuse funds (cough cough Iraq war) but taxes still provide more good for citizens than most would like to believe. To me this is not an issue of freedom but of individual responsibility to the society that supports you.
Censorship - Unfavor
Swear words, sex, nudity, reality. Explicitly trying to stop someone from seeing someone because you deem it inappropriate is a threat to the individual. It is an individuals choice what they want to see and don't see, and if that individual is a minor then it is the parents responsibility. Government should have no interference with it thinks people should see and shouldn't see.
Healthcare - Give it to 'em
Preventative medicine is the best medicine. Instead of fixing the problem as it occurs it's better to treat it before it breaks. Vaccinations, yearly physicals, health evaluations are all cost effective and save money down the line by avoiding expensive procedures to fix bigger problems. This works for any type of mechanical maintenance and to claim it doesn't for health maintenance is naive.
Gay Marriage - Favor
In step with my above positions on Abortion and Separation of Church and State I also believe this is another manufactured distraction to take away from other issues. The Constitution protects rights and no amendment should take them away. Love is a universal and secular emotion, to deny a couple, regardless of sexual orientation, is a violation of natural laws.
Summary
I believe in a secular non-invasive government that provides essential services to both the individual and society. Most of my positions are considered to fall on the left side of the spectrum but I understand the value of balance and that not everyone thinks like I do. I believe that the American style of democracy is one of the greatest systems of government created and caters to this balance. Even with it's pitfalls I would not change any of the core ideas that our government was founded on.
Kamis, 16 Oktober 2008
McCain Seeing Stars
I don't know how many of you may have watched the final debate last night, but when McCain was trying to claim that Obama is earmark friendly, he brought up the clain that Obama wastes so much $ he's marked "3 million dollar overhead projector". He did the same thing in the second debate and I'd just like to clarify this as complete and utter nonsense. Think about it "Who honestly spends 3$ million dollars for an overhead projector?" It makes it seem as if Obama is dropping a metric ton of $ on something that every classroom in America has for less than 100$. Course you can argue that hey "NASA spent 1 million inventing a pen that writes upside down, when the Russins used a pencil", and therefore government just throws money away.
But, my friends, this is not the case. It's 3$ million for a replacement Zeiss Mark VI star projector for the Alder Planetarium, you're not going to do geometry straight on the glass with this guy. In addition to a highly specialized piece of scientific equipment, the piece of hardware they have now is over 40 years old, so this isn't just some new toy. I know this is just a small detail in the midst of the debate, but I think it's good to clarify some of these outrageous claims.
More info:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/16/repost-mccains-planetariophobia/
http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/pressroom/pr/2008_10_08_AdlerStatement_aboutdebate.pdf
But, my friends, this is not the case. It's 3$ million for a replacement Zeiss Mark VI star projector for the Alder Planetarium, you're not going to do geometry straight on the glass with this guy. In addition to a highly specialized piece of scientific equipment, the piece of hardware they have now is over 40 years old, so this isn't just some new toy. I know this is just a small detail in the midst of the debate, but I think it's good to clarify some of these outrageous claims.
More info:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/16/repost-mccains-planetariophobia/
http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/pressroom/pr/2008_10_08_AdlerStatement_aboutdebate.pdf
Senin, 13 Oktober 2008
Christmas in October
Or as I've said a few times today, today is like Christmas for Democrats:
West Virginia is now a "toss up" state
McCain has attended ACORN rallies
Paul Krugman is awarded Nobel Prize in Economics, after being blasted by the right a few years ago for spreading FUD about the housing market
Obama focuses economic plans and McCain abandons his
With the DOW almost going up 1000 pts today things are starting to look up.
West Virginia is now a "toss up" state
McCain has attended ACORN rallies
Paul Krugman is awarded Nobel Prize in Economics, after being blasted by the right a few years ago for spreading FUD about the housing market
Obama focuses economic plans and McCain abandons his
With the DOW almost going up 1000 pts today things are starting to look up.
Installing VMware Tools in 8.10 Beta
Following the advice of a couple of different posts I was able to install VMware Tools in Intrepid Ibex. Make sure you have the virtual machine up and running. Click on Install VMware Tools... in the VM menu. This will mount an iso that contains the VMware Tools package. Go ahead and close the Nautilus window that popped up and open a terminal. Execute the next lines of code to install VMware Tools on your 8.10 guest. Please note that the * is a placeholder for your version of VMware Tools.
Make sure you pick the resolution that you want the virtual machine to run in. When I ran these lines it did not compile the network and file sharing driver. When I am able to get those two parts of VMware tools working then I will edit this post with the method. At least for now I have a better display driver.
sudo aptitude isntall build-essential linux-headers
cp -a /media/cdrom/VMwareTools-* /tmp/
cd /tmp/
tar -vxzf VMwareTools*
cd vmare-tools-distrib/
sudo ./vmware-install.pl
Make sure you pick the resolution that you want the virtual machine to run in. When I ran these lines it did not compile the network and file sharing driver. When I am able to get those two parts of VMware tools working then I will edit this post with the method. At least for now I have a better display driver.
Minggu, 12 Oktober 2008
Test Driving Ubuntu 8.10 Beta
There are many great features available in the next release of Ubuntu. Since I have been using 8.04 since its release I wanted to check out the next release. I chose to do this through the virtual interface of VMware. I know there other solutions available such as Virtualbox, Parallels, etc. I already had VMware Server installed and I didn't want to install another solution.
The features are listed on this page. I tested out the tabs feature and the eject button of nautilus. I also set up encrypted private directories which work very well. All of the features can be read on that page mentioned above. I can't wait for the release of Intrepid Ibex. I will certainly be downloading this release on the day that it is released.
The features are listed on this page. I tested out the tabs feature and the eject button of nautilus. I also set up encrypted private directories which work very well. All of the features can be read on that page mentioned above. I can't wait for the release of Intrepid Ibex. I will certainly be downloading this release on the day that it is released.
Minggu, 05 Oktober 2008
The Beginning
There is always a first time for everything. This is going to be the first post in a long series of posts about the Linux distribution Ubuntu. I personally have used many of the Linux distros, but I have recently switched to using Ubuntu. Obviously this website is in no way official documentation from Ubuntu. I will post different types of set-ups and various technologies that I will try out along the way. Hopefully someone will find this site useful in their dealings with Ubuntu.
I have found with my dealings of other distros that documentation and even web searches yield little results to help. My only purpose is to help every day users make the most out of Ubuntu. I want to contribute as much as I can back to the community that has helped me out as well.
I have found with my dealings of other distros that documentation and even web searches yield little results to help. My only purpose is to help every day users make the most out of Ubuntu. I want to contribute as much as I can back to the community that has helped me out as well.
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