I worked a solid day's work today. During lunch, I tried to take a brief walk in the park, but the winds soon drove me back to the car. I'm sitting here with an issue of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine open.
The mail brought not one but two eBay purchases--a used Compaq NC 2400 computer from New Jersey and a power cord for it from China. After my success in installing Linux on an old computer and giving it to a friend, I decided to create a similar one for myself. The cost so far has been 53 dollars, and in theory this model should not require a wi-fi card to be added. The fun part now is choosing which of the many Linux distros to use. I may choose one of the Ubuntu variants, such as Lubuntu, because I like the ease of installation, the way the wi-fi "just works" and the vast software repository. I will need to
install something fairly lightweight, because the CPU only pushes 1.2 Ghz. I would install Puppy, which I already have on a USB, but on my main laptop I could not get the wi-fi to work. When I installed Pear Linux (an Ubuntu respin) onto my friend's laptop, I had the wi-fi up within thirty minutes.
My goal is to use this used computer rather than continue to try to dual-install Linux on my main laptop. I use my main laptop when I travel for work, and do not want to risk botching a dual install. On a used laptop, I can just install Linux as the operating system. My goal is to learn the music-making software and have new tools for music. I have in waiting for me a Raspberry Pi, which I also plan to get up and running with Debian Wheezy. When I have it running, I may try to do something fun with it, with an old used Goodwill TV set and lots of software that will not mind a lightweight driver.
Lately my music is getting used on more youtube videos. It's funny how uses of the songs vary; one will be a fellow filming his minecraft gaming, while another will be an odd jokey promo for a rugby team. One use was in a trailer for a very interesting film about the difficulty of dialogue about abortion, while another was this cool first-person film about a fellow who rented a warehouse space for his living space in Oakland.
Our dog Beatrice is getting older. The gray hair is creeping up from her feet. She is very sweet.
I'm thinking about German chocolate cakes, cake walks,perp walks, and perpendicular lines.