Well, my plan of daily blog posts is not going entirely to plan. Spent most of Sunday working on the final parts of a course. Pausing between tasks, I found that the Beeb has really expanded their podcast offerings. Loaded up with 20 or so, which should make tomorrow so much more pleasant. Cheers Radio 4.
All posts by James Moore
Upgrading to Ubuntu 9.04
Last week I took the plunge and upgraded the operating system on my HP2133 to Ubuntu 9.04. I did not notice much in the way of a difference afterwards. This is a good thing.
Installing Ubuntu 8.10 had been fairly painless, but getting video and wireless card drivers to work effectively took some time and research. However, the recent upgrade was merely the case of clicking a few buttons and waiting for files to download and install. This was far easier than any Windows upgrade I have experienced.
Perhaps this is the year that Linux finally gains acceptance from average computer users. Ubuntu is free, easy to install and straightforward to use. Why pay for a Windows license?
I still prefer working in the OS X environment, and there is no way I am ditching my Mac, but every day I am getting to like Ubuntu more and more.
Twitter Video
I posted a (relatively) short video on the use of Twitter. The video was created for my colleagues at work. It is not exactly my finest hour – I kicked this out as quickly as I could. I had edited the screencast two time previously, but the exported results were missing sound and audio. I would like to think the earlier efforts were works of genius that were unlucky not to see the light of day, but that would be a stretch. Anyway, I hope they are of use.
Messing about with Mobile Blogging
Even though iBlogger and BlogPress are fine programs I probably will not use then most of the time. Since I am using the iPod Touch I can only upload when I have WiFi access (and getting photos onto the iPod is unreasonably painfully). Which brings me back to the Blackberry. A device that allows me to upload and update the blog from pretty much any place with a decent signal.
I looked at BBMetaBlog and Mopress but could not get either to work adequately. Email looks to be the easiest option at the moment. All of which means that this site will soon be littered with blurry cellphone shots from the road.
And here I almost threw my laptop in a rage
ScreenFlow
I use Screenflow to record lectures, presentations, and screencasts. Normally it is a program I love and recommend. But not today…
I upgraded Screenflow (which may be the problem) and everything that I recorded and that used screen and video actions was wasted. Somehow the editing process inadvertently merges the video assets and renders the final export unusable.
Several hours were lost today. I hate having to repeat unnecessary work.
Slowly starting to cool down and hoping that this is an aberration.
Down to two meters
Wavesense Jazz
I am down to testing two meters: the Wavesense Jazz and the OneTouch Mini. I should know in the next week which is the more accurate.
BlogPress vs. iBlogger
I am testing two mobile blogging apps for the iPod Touch. Neither is ideal, but they get most of the job done. At the moment BlogPress seems to work best. Strange, since it is the cheaper product. iBlogger offers the ability to add location information and has more flexibile image options. Chances are that I will end up using both apps.
Blogging with an iPod Touch
This week I started to experiment with the iPod Touch. It is a great little device. The keyboard is proving to be a tad problematic to use, but I am slowly getting there. The nice thing is the ability to blog from the device. Expect more frequent updates from here on….
Yeh, Diabetes
Hemocue 201
In January I was diagnosed with diabetes. This was a bit of a shock to me (and those around me) as I don’t fit the normal profile (having no family history of diabetes, skinny, vegetarian, etc.) so now I have invested much of my free time since in reading up on the subject as well as adjusting my diet and exercise. The good news is that my blood glucose levels have come rocketing down to near acceptable levels. I feel more human now and less of a zombie. Looking back I realize that I must have had diabetes for quite some time. At present I am employing the trifecta of medication, diet and exercise to keep blood sugar within a safe range. There are, however, frustrations – principally comprehending the competing and contradictory views on what to do, along with the somewhat depressing knowledge that most portable glucose meters are not particularly accurate. I have been comparing models as of late. I will post my findings shortly. The models I have tested are:
Ubuntu on the HP 2133
I finally got round to installing Ubuntu 8.10 on the HP 2133. I am incredibly impressed. I had not used Ubuntu before (my previous experiences were with RedHat) and this particular OS makes the NetBook sing. I can use Skype with the videocamera, the OS has a clean interface to install supported applications, etc.The only down-side at present is that the external VGA port no longer works. I attempted a couple of hacksbut to no avail. Will try later…