Well, it’s been a while, but here’s a rundown of what has been occuping my mind/time over the last couple months:

1. Migrating from Windows to Linux, specifically from XP Pro to Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) on my home desktop
2. Global Warming vs. The Recession
3. My Senior Thesis: Karl Popper’s epistemology (and consequent scientific method) vs. Francis Bacon’s epistemology and method
4. Getting Organized: Budgeting; Workspace organization; Planning for the future
5. “Quitting” Smoking using an eCigarette: What do I think of the idea of remaining addicted to nicotine but (potentially) removing all the major negative side-effects?
6. Finding the love of my life (without using eHarmony): SPOILER ALERT - I haven’t found her yet
7. Why I want a 1965 to 1972 Chevy El Camino as my “10-year Car”, and how I’m going to badassify it “beyond belief*”

* only true for the sufficiently unimaginative

There’s no way I’m going to spend the time to get my thoughts out on all of these in one go, so I’m going to take them one at a time, and hope that I finish my thoughts on all of them (over the next couple weeks) before I get struck by some sort of blogging malaise.

So to start:

Linux vs. Windows

There were a variety of factors that encouraged me to do the full switch from XP to Ubuntu. Here are the major ones (in no particular order):

1. Security: A lot of frustration has built up because of all the time I’ve spent over the years in finding, installing, and testing, freeware security software (anti-virus, firewalls, anti-rootkit, etc). An examination of all this time spent, plus the resource consumption of this software (I’m looking at you, and your feature-bloat, AVG) combined with the fact that no matter what configuration I ended up with I never felt that the machines were really all that secure. My paranoia was given boost by the Conficker worms that have been running rampant all over the place in the last 5 months. The idea of spending 1/20th the time, and having 1/100th the worry, by switching over to Ubuntu was very appealing.
2. Eye-Candy: As silly as it may sound, the awesomeness of the rotating-cube-with-multiple-desktop-workspaces, combined with the plethora of other visual effects possible with Beryl/CompizFusion was actually a major motivation for wanting to switch. The customizability of the eye-candy only makes it all the sweeter, but I address customization specifically later, so I just leave off with that.
3. Learning Curve: I knew after about 10-15 hours playing-around-with/troubleshooting Vista, that there was no way in hell I was going to go to the effort of learning all the ins-and-outs, shortcuts, and idiosyncrasies of a new Operating System that was essentially doomed (or just being repackaged with a Service Pack as ‘Windows 7′ depending on your view). Also, I realized even if I waited for Windows 7, I was still going to have to invest time in learning it. This isn’t to say that I believed there would be less of a learning curve with Linux/Ubuntu (I’ve spent too much time on Slashdot to be that naive), just that the I realized that there was no way I was going to escape spending a chunk of time learning a new operating system.
4. Customization: Although not the primary factor in deciding to make the switch to Ubuntu, the appeal of this level of control over all the different aspects/elements of the Operating System has quickly become the primary reason why I will NEVER go back to Windows. Although there is without a doubt a significant learning curve (is that the proper adjective to apply to learning curves?), the benefits of being able to choose every single component of the operating system, along with the detailed control one has over each component, far outweigh the time invested in learning - for me, at least. From the powerful scripting (although I’ve yet to really dive into it), to the wide variety of options built-in to all the popular Linux software packages, to the OS interface customization (being able to easily set tons of keyboard shortcuts, window behaviors, et al) means that I can configure my system to do exactly what I want, and nothing more. Also, I can easily (for most packages/components I’ve experienced so far) change their configurations/features at a later date should my needs/desires for that package/component change.
5. Free, as in, totally: I will NEVER have to pay for an operating system again, and I get to sell off the XP (Pro and Home) licenses/disks I’ve accrued over the years. Although I’ll keep one XP Pro license for setting up a Virtual Machine, I definitely like the idea of getting “paid” hundreds of dollars to switch to Ubuntu (minus the time and fees for eBaying the disks/licenses, of course). Also, the Open-Source-Software (OSS) thing is pretty cool. It’s pretty sweet that there are literally thousands upon thousands of top-notch (and not-so-top-notch) developers constantly working to improve almost every aspect of Linux. Although the fragmented (according to the different flavors/distributions of Linux) nature of the developer community means that there is always a concern that your particular flavor of Linux might not be developed (or fixed) as quickly as others, it seems that the transparency inherent in the definition of ‘Open Source’ does mean that potential exploits (especially in the kernel and most popular packages) will be responded to (and patched) much faster than can be expected with closed-source/proprietary software.
6. 4+ GB of RAM: This was actually one of, if not the, strongest factor in switching to Ubuntu. After reading up on the terrible hardware-support/bugginess of XP 64-bit (plus the fact that XP will eventually be phased-out/unsupported) and my experience-based distaste for Vista, I knew that I either had to wait until Windows 7 (and then pay an exorbitant price and hope that it didn’t have similar 64-bit bugginess) or move to Linux. Why do I need 4+GB of RAM (640K ought to be enough for anyone)? Virtual machines. Lots and lots of virtual machines. Like, 10-15 virtual machines (VMs) with various OSes, from DOS 6.2x, to XP Pro, to openSUSE, running simlutaneously on a virtual network. Why the hell do I need VMs running DOS?! Well, frankly, that’s none of your damn business (also, kindly disregard the ‘World Domination’ category for this post).

All in all I have been more happy than not with the switch to Ubuntu. This is not to say that it has been perfect. In fact, I am still working through quite a few peculiarities/difficulties in getting myself back to the level of efficiency and versatility that I had been at with XP Pro. However, I’d like to set aside a whole post for “Frustrations With Linux/Ubuntu”.

Until next time!

Although I’ve never actually tracked exactly how long it takes one of my better /. posts to max out at 5, it’s kinda cool when it happens in under an hour.

Man, this is three /. related posts in a row… time to break the cycle…or create a /. Category…

Not talking about tuberculosis here - which is what consumption meant way back in the day (circa 1800’s). We’re talking good old capitalist-consumerism. Which is awesome, but only in moderation.

So to encourage myself in that, I’ll keep a totally useless log of what I remembered spending money since I last posted.

Got hurry and finish this post, WoW awaits.

Here’s a slightly shaming admission of my failure to realize the complete idiocy of smoking on my last attempt, as well as my underestimation of the seduction of “the monster” in the first couple weeks. Cheers to over-confidence! It’s good to be TRULY free, now!

My imagination is now filling with the awesomeness of not being chained down (socially especially) by the little beast! Imagine: being able to take in the full enjoyment of a social environment without The Nagger breathing down my neck telling me to breathe his!

I’m pretty excited, and supremely certain that I will NEVER partake of another product containing nicotine. Any of my smoker friends reading this would say things like:

Smoker Friend: “But, dude, aren’t you gonna miss the full-flavor of the warm smoke right after a full meal?”

And I respond, “Are you fucking retarded?!? Seriously, dude. Seriously. Are you? You really need to stop for just one second and actually taste the cigarette you’re smoking. Dude…it tastes like burning ash, literally. But the release from the anxiety of the nicotine pangs has become confused for pleasure in your mind. And you associate this “pleasure” with the “flavor” of your cigarette. Which is why…in the end any cigarette (despite how wildly different the brands may taste) will do.”

Smoker Friend:“Yeah, well, it’s like the Matrix, whatever the illusion, my mind says ‘Pleasure’, and so does yours!”

Me: “Exactly, dude. Perfect analogy. I’m like Neo: ‘There is no spoon’, and the opportunities opened up by not being controlled by this ‘Pleasure’ are comparatively limitless. I can even stop mind-bullets, just ask Wonder Boy. You’re more like…some random schmuck in the Matrix. Enjoy you’re illusion while I save the world, and totally get Carrie-Anne Moss (who may not be the hottest movie star, but she does have that je ne sais quoi, which is French for (roughly): the ability to look absolutely stunning and deadly in tight leather and short cropped hair despite not being a particularly stunning or deadly-looking person normally. ).

Sorry for the clauses, I’ve been reading a lot of Douglas Adams, lately. Seriously, though, now that I not a smoker anymore, I could do waaaay better than Carrie-Anne Moss, who according to IMDB is almost 41, married and has 2 children. Any ladies reading this…I’m talking about you. And not in the general plural “you” sense. Through the wonders of future technology, specifically, time travel, I’m actually addressing, YOU, my future wife. That’s right, baby, you ARE the one. I’m not addressing your friend if you send her a link to this page, nor your friend that sent you here. I’m talking only to YOU, babe.

Wow, helluva digression. This is what I call top-notch blagging. Excuse me while I miss the sky…but not cigarettes, w00t, and listen to Glycerine with a night-cap.

A weekend of glorious fun and excess (kind of).

Friday night:
1) Katie flakes on going out. Instead goes to local bar and has a beer with Brenna.
2) Sarah picks up Jeanne late from LAX
3) Everyone’s having good time at “Good” (bar).
4) Everyone = Raf, Mark, Loryn, Sean, Tom Wr., Max, Helen, Bridget Don., Erin, Tim, Others(??)
5) Sarah, Jeanne and I arrive almost simultaneously. The party really starts.
6) Move to “Winchester’s” due to insane crowd @ Good.
7) Lose Bridget, Helen, Max, Sean, Tom. Gain Joey, Dana, Laura Lau., Others.
Good times continue. Shots. Copious Photos.
9) Crash at the McLean’s. Star Wars chat with Mark. Good times.
Saturday
1) Wake up. Beginning skimming Star Wars book.
2) Scare Mrs. McLean.
3) Get Starbucks. Go to Orellana’s. Chat with Raf over Starbucks. Good times.
4) Lunch @ El Pref with Raf, Jeanne, Sarah. Raf leaves to visit Gabe.
5) Great talk with Sarah and Jeane about Faith, belief, and the importance of Truth underlying what we live by. Very Good Times.
6) Part ways with Sarah & Jeanne. Head into Ventura (towards Fry’s). Call Joy. She’s finishing shift at golf course. Perfect timing. I veer from course and head towards golf course. Hang out in Bar & Grill, chatting with Greg and Dustin, the bartenders, who serve me free beer. Good times.
7) Sister and I want to see a movie. Katie does not, but says she’ll be ready in a couple hours. Sister and I go see Wanted. Get iced chai tea and chat before movie. Good times.
Watch Wanted with Sister. Very Fun movie.
9) Sister and I part ways. Supposedly only for hour or two until we meet again in downtown Ventura. I go to the Scanlon’s.
10) Empty Scanlon’s house, minus Katie, Brenna and Kirstie. Kinda weird (the house being empty, that is). Preparation to leave begins. Promises are made.
11) Drinks with Katie while other two get ready.
12) Drinks with Katie and Kirstie while other one gets ready.
13) Everyone ready to go. All looking (in my opinion) just as pretty as when I arrived. Me and three pretty girls. Good times.
14) Arrive at Main St.
15) Meet up with a gorgeous Colleen (as always) and a debonair-evil Evan (it’s all about the goatee). Definitely one of the prettiest (and smartest) couples around.
16) Cafe Fiore. Dancing. Drinks. Pictures. Meet up with Sarah, Jeanne, and Raf. Good times.
17) Head to “J’s”. Kirstie has an in, but it’s packed, and definitely not our kind of crowd. Up to Star Lounge, say hi to Joey and Dana. Off to Winchester’s (due to later last call than other places)
18) Drinks, pictures. More drinks. More pictures. Last Call. More pictures. Pizza on the way back. Group splits. Sarah, Jeanne and Katie. Brenna, Raf, Kirstie and me.
19) Back to Scanlons. Brenna and Kirstie crash. Raf and I make ourselves some Screwdrivers. Great conversation (even better than usual) with Raf until pre-dawn light in the sky. Good Times, good times.

Sunday
FORTHCOMING (gotta sleep now)

Smoker: No
Alcohol Consumption: 3 Corona Lights. 2 Glasses red
Weight: 242.6
Symptoms: Dry, scratchy throat. Blurry vision. Mental tiredness.
Food Intake: Delicious BBQ chicken (prolly about 1.5 lbs), summer squash/zucchini, salad, and 5-6 pieces of garlic bread, for dinner (at Anthony and Anne-Marie’s) Apple pie for dessert. Lunch was club sandwich w/ salad at the Scanlons. Strawberry ‘n Creme Starbucks. Large Diet Coke.
OMG I feel like a fattie after listing all that: Yes, ’specially ’cause Iz ’bout to has ‘nuther Corona Light (it’s ok tho cuz its lite = makes me skinnier the more I drink)

Cool Idea for a T-Shirt:
The Meme Shirt. A 3×3, 4×4, or 4×5 grid of rounded corner squares (white space in between) with something that distinctly represents a famous meme. Including:
lolcats, AYBABTU, hampster dance, dancing baby, dramatic prairie dog, peanut butter jelly time, ultimate showdown, Leeroy Jenkins, Snakes on a Plane, O RLY owl, OK GO, Canon D, Chuck Norris Facts, Mentos + Diet Coke fountains, Ask a Ninja, Maddox, Rickroll, Homestar runner.

The title of the shirt reads “Don’t Worry, Ma’am. We’re from the Internet.”

It’s not hard. It’s not anything. Literally.

I just realized that I don’t have to “fight” nicotine. I don’t have to “fight” anything. I just don’t want to smoke anymore. So I’m not going to. The pleasant awareness of the reality that the physical addiction of nicotine is actually very minor, and will have to be suffered through as I would a head cold, or an upset stomach, for a couple days, is actually indescribable. I’m grinning like an idiot as I’m writing this.

Wow. What an awesome revelation. The funny part: this is going to “succeed” or “fail”. It can’t. Because I’m trying to “do” anything. My time at T.A.C. should have taught me that a void (in this case, of activity) is not any thing.

I just don’t want to smoke anymore. This is so wild, and hilarious. More will follow once (or as) I have to “suffer” through the physical “withdrawals”.

EDIT: Let me explain a little more:

It started on Slashdot. I had scrolled halfway through the main page of headlines, when I noticed in the the “Quick Links” section on the sidebar (it was the capitalized “XKCD” that caught my attention - I love that site, and everyone that tributes them). Anyways, as I thought of clicking on, and perusing AnimeFu (despite not being “Addicted to anime” as it suggests) saw the Penny Arcade link, and thought, “Hey, I haven’t been there in a a couple weeks. I should catch up on the comics.”

So I opened Penny Arcade and Everything (<–sounded interesting for a Professional Expert) in new tabs. Reading through the Penny Arcade comics (backwards) I come upon this one about a Quitting Smoking video game for the Nintendo DS

This got me interested in a new “aid” for “quitting” smoking. Looked into it. Discovered it was based off of this guy Allen Carr’s method, which he developed, wrote a bestseller, and has been doing clinics on since 1983. Read up a bunch from his company’s site (he himself died from lung cancer a couple years ago). If you laughed at that, and are thinking, “I can’t believe that you’re falling for such a lousy scam”, then you’re going to feel like a real a-hole when you get the facts. Anyways, bottom line. This guy doesn’t matter. His philosophy, on the other hand, does.

Simplified, as I interpreted it from the various sources, it goes something like this:
Smoking is an activity that you want to do. Every time you light up it’s because you ARE making the choice, “I want this cigarette and I’m going to act upon this desire”. Stopping smoking is simply saying, “Y’know what? I don’t want that cigarette” or “I’ll abstain from that activity, thank you anyways.” Just like you would if someone asked you if you wanted to go beat a litter of newborn kittens to a bloody pulp with a 2×4.

I mean, sure, murdering helpless baby animals may have its pleasures, but in the end its just not your thing (NOTE: If it is your thing, please remove yourself from the gene pool by the most expedient means, thank you). Likewise, smoking is just not my thing anymore. And I’m cool with that.

Again, what’s important here is that there is NO STRUGGLE. This is not a contest/battle involving your willpower, because you’re NOT DOING ANYTHING. Literally. If this is too difficult for you to understand, well, I hope you’re not a smoker.

Although I don’t see myself smoking cigarettes (or shooting heroin or murdering kittens - unless they deserve it) any time in the future. I ordered this dude’s book from Amazon (only $14 after shipping). I’ll give it to a friend who wants to stop smoking after I read it, if I read it.

END EDIT

Breaking the list of everything I need to do down by deadline

1 month:

• Aunt Nancy’s Tent
• Corolla Registration
• Project Blimm
• Anthony’s Wobsite/Gallery
• Organize My Stuff at the Lab
• Setup Workshop/Space at the Lab
• Corolla Oil Change
• Sanity Online Design
• Get Family/Friends contact info organized
• Pay Bills - AT&T, Sprint

1 Week

• Pick-up Peter from the airport (Sat. 12:15pm)
• Get Joseph birthday/graduation gift
• Re-Install nLited XP on white EEE
• Get Dad Father’s Day gift
• Charge-up Skype account