Linux problems Apr 18, 2007
I really want to get into Linux.  I have the time, the resources, and the ability.  My computer skills are far above novice.  I know what distribution I want to try (Ubuntu), I know what I need to do, and I can easily complete several steps of the installation process. 

But that's where it ends for me.  There's a problem during installation where the installer can't resize a partition.  Why not?  I don't know.  The internet is obviously a huge source of troubleshooting information and how-tos.  There's all kinds of information about this specific problem.  But nothing works.  Nothing ever works with me and Linux, and that's why it sucks. 

I'm pretty good when it comes to computers.  I know how to program.  I know about web servers and domain names.  I know how to use a command line.  I know what a regular expression is.  I know stuff. 

So if someone like me can't figure out how to install Linux on a brand new computer, there's definitely something wrong.  Fix this, Linux gods! 

Update (2007-04-18 2:44pm):  Thank you, Linux gods (a.k.a. Ubuntu documentation and Google search)!  Although neither of those links provide an accurate solution, here's what I figured out: 
  1. The Linux partition editor (GParted) only has read access to Windows XP's partition, but it needs read/write access.
  2. Through a random combination of Defrag, Chkdsk, and a number of restarts, GParted is able to get read/write access.
  3. Using the System Rescue CD, run "ntfs-3g /dev/hda1 /mnt/windows".  This will result in an error, but apparently that's ok.
  4. Run "startx" and run GParted from within the X.Org GUI.  Create a partition from the main Windows XP partition.
  5. Restart the computer with the Ubuntu LiveCD and format the partitions like the directions say.
So the main problem is that Ubuntu couldn't edit the Windows partition because it didn't have read/write access.  My solution sounds a little shaky, but it magically worked.  I'm now running a clean install of Ubuntu 6.10 on the same computer as Windows XP, and none of my data was lost.  If the Linux/Ubuntu people made this a little more clear, it would've turned a 4-hour headache into a 20-minute breeze. #technology
Firefox profiles Apr 13, 2007
If you share a computer with someone else, it can get a little annoying sometimes to coexist peacefully.  I've been sharing a computer for a while now with Wendy, and it wasn't a big deal until about two weeks ago.  I'm a Google nerd, so I'm always logged into their websites for mail and search.  Wendy was always a Yahoo person, so we never really crossed paths.  Worlds collided though when I started up Firefox one day to find that Wendy was logged into Google.  This meant I had to log her out and log myself in so that I could check my Gmail.  This was a major turning point in my life, so I had to do something about it. 

Windows has the option of setting up different profiles, and that seemed to be the solution.  I set up a separate profile for Wendy, but she quickly objected when all the settings and desktop contents were different.  I agree that it was actually more annoying to have to choose a profile to log into when the computer started up.  I previously had it set up to just log into the default profile when it started up.  This added step wasn't too cool. 

The real solution is to set up two different Firefox profiles.  Lifehacker has a guide on how to do this, and it really covers all the bases.  In a nutshell, you have to start Firefox's profile manager, which you can do by going to Start -> Run and typing "firefox -profilemanager".  You have to shut down the current instance of Firefox in order to do this.  From there, you can set up a new profile (I called the new one "Wendy").  Check the box that says "Don't ask at startup".  The key is to make these two profiles easily accessible, so you just need to create a link to each profile.  On the desktop, I made a new link called "Wendy's Firefox" whose target is ["C:Program FilesMozilla Firefoxfirefox.exe" -p Wendy] (without brackets).  The target is case sensitive, so adding a "-p wendy" won't work.  I'm not sure if this is necessary, but to make sure the previously existing Firefox link opens with the default profile, I added "-p default" to the target. 

And voila, Wendy's stuff stays separate from my stuff.  Separate but equal. #technology
My Google Maps Apr 12, 2007
Google Maps came out with a new feature last week called My Maps.  It essentially lets you add placemarks and draw lines and shapes on maps, and it's useful for things like keeping track of vacations and travel and things like that.  It's actually a feature I had been in search of for a little while now.  Google Earth, the downloadable version of Google Maps, does this and has a bunch of other features, so I used that for a while.  But incorporating this into the online version of Google Maps was a great idea.  Plus, there's an option to export a map as a KML file, which is a portable plain text version of your map markers.  Another awesome feature that has basically nothing to do with My Maps is the little blue arrow on the lefthand sidebar, which allows you to show or hide the sidebar.  I always wondered why Maps didn't come with this feature to begin with.  Sometimes you want to hide all the dumb search results and just look at the map.  Now you can.  The final feature I noticed was a right-click menu when your mouse is over a map.  It just has a few functions for marking and manipulating the map. #technology
AutoHotkey Apr 12, 2007
AutoHotkey is a program all the cool kids have been using for a while, but I just got into it today.  After 5 minutes of using it, I can already draw the conclusion that it's awesome.  It's essentially a program launcher based on hotkeys; you assign a certain keyboard combination to a certain program and that program is launched when you press that combination of keyboard keys.  I used to use an old Windows 98 program called WinKey to do this for me.  The problem with this program was that the settings weren't easily transferrable from one machine to another, so I had to manually set it up every time I started using a different computer.  HoeKey solved this problem by using simple syntax in plain text files, but it's a little buggy when you try to edit the configuration file while you're using the program.  AutoHotkey is similar to HoeKey except that it's easy to edit while in use, and it's talked about on more websites.  The folks at Lifehacker, for example, talk about the program regularly, and I've been meaning to try it out for a while now.  One of the coolest things I noticed in the first 5 minutes of use is that each configuration file (.ahk) can be compiled into an executable (.exe), which means it's incredibly easy to port settings from one computer to another.  And if you don't feel like installing AutoHotkey on that other computer (if you were just using it for a limited time, like at an internet cafe), the compiled executable solves that exact problem.  All in all, this is a really cool program, and there's tons of information about it on the internet, so it's infinitely extensible. #technology
Done with PayPerPost Apr 12, 2007
I think I've decided that I'm officially done with PayPerPost.  I started using their service last October to make a few extra bucks here and there.  In that respect, it's an excellent website, and it's the only money-making scheme that's actually worked for me.  And from what I've heard, it's really the only way for small-time bloggers to make money on the internet, seeing that contextual ads and affiliate marketing generate little to no revenue for websites that get little to no traffic.  Though the paid blogging system as a whole generates tons of criticism, it's actually a fairly harmless system, making money for a small-time blogger while increasing Page Rank for a certain website. 

There are two reasons why I'm done with PayPerPost.  First, their system is clogged with freaks.  I was one of those freaks.  By freaks, I mean people who have an abundance of time to sit around and wait for posting opportunities to show up, then take those opportunities as quickly as possible, thereby blocking other people from taking them.  It's like throwing raw meat to a pack of hungry wolves.  The PayPerPost owners love this, and for good reason.  The more people that sign up to use their service, the more money they make.  And the more people that take opportunities, the more money they make.  They don't have to agree with the legitimacy of the whole idea or the negative effect is has on the blogosphere.  They're just the go-between for advertisers and publishers.  And for that, I have to give them credit.  They're running a business, and they're doing well.  How can I criticize that?  It's just that the whole system is a little annoying, writing about things I'm not really interested in just to make a few bucks.  Granted, these "few bucks" added up to quite a bit over a few months.  Not quite a bit like quit-my-job quite a bit, but quite a bit like partially-fund-vacation quite a bit.  And that's cool by me.  But the amount of time and energy I was spending trying to make a few bucks just really wasn't worth it.  (And by the way, the reason I haven't written about PayPerPost recently on this site is because I actually went out and developed a whole new website just for PayPerPost stuff.  Yes this is within the rules, and yes this worked.) 

The other reason is that I can finally see it from the detractors' point of view.  Everyone keeps talking about disclosure and how it's kind of devious for people to get paid to write about things without saying they're being paid.  PayPerPost's mandatory disclosure policy basically fixed this situation, but the detractors weren't happy.  And here's why:  Even if I say I'm being paid to write something, it overlooks the fact that I wouldn't be writing about it in the first place if I wasn't getting paid.  Sure, there were a few posting opportunities that provided a means to write about something I would've written about anyway.  But the overwhelming vast majority of opportunities are for things I have no interest in:  Things like coupon codes, real estate, lawyers, loans, and online games.  I wouldn't normally write about these things, so by accepting money to write about them, I'm essentially transforming myself and my website into a commercial.  And to be honest, I find that a little off-putting.  When I read a person's website, I don't want to have to be interrupted by commercials for things they wouldn't personally recommend.  This isn't TV.  This is the internet, where personal publishing is king.  Unless a person can personally recommend something, I'm not interested. 

Maybe I'm only taking this position because I made some money and can verify the system's worth.  But there's nothing stopping me from starting it back up again.  The system works, and it's not all that difficult.  For that reason, I feel like my opinion on it is slightly less biased.  If I was kicked out, that would be another story.  But I reached a point where I just got sick of it, so I'm stopping (actually I stopped over a month ago).  Thanks for all your cold hard cash, PayPerPost.  Buh-bye. #technology
Google Reader Apr 11, 2007
Yesterday, I decided it would be a good day to move away from Bloglines and start using Google Reader.  This move was entirely superficial, and wasn't prompted by any sort of problem I was having with Bloglines.  I'm just a big Google nerd, and I wanted to start using their feed reader instead of somebody else's.  Google Reader didn't score too well in my ratings from long ago, but the Google people have been improving their product steadily over time, and none of the initial problems I had with it are still evident.  It's slightly different from Bloglines, so it takes a little getting used to, but I think I'm making the move permanent.  One added benefit is that Google Reader mobile is infinitely better than Bloglines mobile.  It uses keyboard shortcuts and just seems to be a simpler product.  Bloglines mobile tries to fit all the features of regular Bloglines into a mobile product, and it just makes things bulky and slow.  That's hardly a reason to switch, but it's worth mentioning. #technology
Mailing list fiasco Apr 10, 2007
Mailing list abuse is rampant at work.  Around 90% of the emails I get aren't actually sent to me, they're sent to a list I'm involuntarily forced to be on.  But a recent development has caught my attention, not because it's an improvement over the current system, but because it seems to be an extremely poorly implemented version of an otherwise excellent idea. 

One of the mailing lists contains literally every person at work.  There's no opt-in or opt-out.  You work here, you're on the list.  What used to happen is that anybody could send messages to this list, so there were all kinds of daily emails about retirement parties and lights on in the parking lot.  Somebody important must have complained about it, because there was a sudden change in the process.  People could no longer use the address to send things out to everyone; they had to send things to a certain person to get approval first, and this person would send out a single consolidated email that had each day's "important" news.  But then a few weeks ago, there was another change.  Instead of getting a daily email full of important news, I started getting a daily email with a link to a website that stored all the important news.  Nothing really changed.  I still get the daily email.  But instead of having any useful information, I'm told to click on a link to view said important information.  The reason this is funny is because I can imagine how the meeting went where this was determined: 
Important guy:  I'm sick of getting all these stupid emails everyday.  Do something about it!
Less important guy:  You heard the boss, no more stupid emails. 
Mid-level manager:  According to my Six Sigma training, that would mean a lower percentage of important content in current email communication, thereby producing a higher confidence level in the current dataset. 
Low-level manager:  He said he wants less stupidity in his emails. 
IT peon:  Yes, sir.  Do your work, Bob. 
Bob from India:  Thank you for calling customer support, my name is Bob.  I'd be happy to take care of your problem today.  So you want the same amount of emails, but without all the content?  Done. 
And today, we all received the best email to date.  Somebody probably realized how stupid this system is, so they decided to include the following correspondence to encourage everyone to click the link: 
If you are not reading the bulletin, you are missing information about events and other information regarding retirements, deaths of current and former community and family members. 
Ah, the stripped down honest truth.  I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. #technology
Palm is dead (2) Apr 4, 2007
I have a theory that the Palm brand of smartphones and PDAs is on its way out.  They essentially created a whole new market by making the first Palm Pilots, enabling people to store and organize information digitally without dealing with a computer.  And as they developed better technology and software, their devices became more and more useful.  My Treo 650 is a great example of this.  It's essentially a handheld computer combined with a phone. 

The problem with all this is that Palm is losing market share, and fast.  Just a few years ago, there weren't many choices of smartphones.  There was a Palm model, some sort of ultra-expensive Siemens model, and a failure of a Windows model.  Now, there are a plethora of good Windows models to choose from, and Palm is essentially in the same place as they were 3 years ago.  I don't think it helped their case when they released a smartphone that ran Windows software.  And with the abundance of Windows models comes an abundance of software and addons.  Plus, Windows Mobile feels pretty much exactly like normal Windows.  Palm doesn't make operating systems for computers, so they're already at a loss in that market.  But choosing between a Windows feel and a Palm feel is making it harder and harder to choose Palm. 

Palm used to be cool like Apple and Linux because it was a sort of underdog.  It had cool applications that performed simple yet useful functions, and nothing could compete with it.  Now Windows is competing with it, and I think Windows won.  Unless Palm can introduce something that blows the competition away, I think they'll be stuck with being the 3rd-place handset maker that also used to design handheld operating systems. 

Update (2007-05-07 9:28pm):  To clarify, I think Palm as a software company is dead, but Palm as a hardware company is still alive and will continue to live. #technology
eBay sucks (2) Mar 20, 2007
I was reminded again today why I don't like buying things off eBay:  Sniping.  Sniping is when somebody or some automated system places bids on an item seconds before the auction ends.  So some unsuspecting person like me could be winning an auction and then all of a sudden get outbid in the last 20 seconds and lose.  I hate it.  And I can just hear the geeks who won snickering and saying, "Sniping is what makes eBay awesome."  I say screw that.  I only use eBay for Buy It Now, which is still inferior to Amazon Marketplace.  Therefore, eBay sucks.  Buncha jerks. #technology
Rechargeable or not Mar 20, 2007
Most battery-powered devices use rechargeable batteries.  Or so I thought.  It seems that more and more devices these days are moving away from proprietary (and thus, expensive) rechargeable batteries and switching to standard (and thus, cheap), readily available ones. 

I bought a new digital camera recently.  I was surprised to find that most of the newer cameras that aren't super small are powered by two AA batteries.  It's pretty much a standard thing now.  I was worried the batteries wouldn't last very long, so I was conned convinced into buying "extra long-lasting" AAs.  It turns out these special batteries weren't compatible with the specific camera I bought (an unintentional mistake by myself and the Best Buy guy; something about lithium vs. alkaline), but the normal AAs worked fine.  As far as longevity, I took somewhere around 500 pictures and a few videos, all on 2 sets of batteries.  I used the camera like I normally do, which includes using the LCD, zooming, flash, deleting, transferring pictures from the card, etc.  I didn't do much to conserve battery life, and they ended up lasting quite long. 

And just yesterday, I was looking at GPS devices and noticed the same pattern:  Most of the newer models use standard AA or AAA batteries, and only a few models use rechargeables.  I think it's a great trend because it can obviously cut down on the overall cost of electronics, including the cost to develop the battery technology and the cost to mass-produce them.  And when you're on vacation in the middle of nowhere and your camera's battery dies (which happens to me quite often ... stupid little Canon batteries!), you can just buy some new ones at the nearest convenience store.  And you don't have to charge them before you use them, unlike normal camera and cell phone batteries.  I'm a believer. 

Update (2007-03-21 3:25pm):  A few more thoughts on this: 
  1. Having to regularly buy new batteries might not necessarily be less expensive than buying one battery and continually recharging it.  But I would imagine it would take quite a few disposable batteries to equal the price of a single proprietary rechargeable battery.
  2. The downside to disposable batteries (as Wendy pointed out to me) is that they're not a renewable energy source, or more specifically, they're yet another thing that gets regularly dumped in landfills.  Rechargeable batteries have the advantage of not contributing quite as much garbage to the environment.  They'll still probably hurt the environment, but probably much less.
  3. It's possible to buy rechargeable AA batteries.  They're a little more expensive, but maybe they're worth it.
#technology