Archive for November, 2007
My main computer is a laptop. It has a built in ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics card. There’s nothing I can do about that. For the most part it works well. I am using the fglrx driver from the Ubuntu repos (8.37.6). Using metacity they work quite well and I can play my favorite games when I have a few minutes to spare. I especially enjoy Sauerbraten.
I wanted to play around with compiz, but the version of the fglrx driver that I am using does not support aiglx. I know the newest driver is supposed to do so, but I’ve been following the reports in the forums and I’m not yet convinced. Without any other recourse, I installed xgl, also from the Ubuntu repos. This was quick and easy. One reboot and all was set up. Compiz and all the flashy effects are working perfectly.
Here’s where the problem comes in. Some of my 3D games are fine, Planet Penguin Racer for example. Sauerbraten, however, is giving me problems. Shaders don’t work, the monsters don’t appear (but they still can kill!). It seems that this game is not compatible with xgl, because if I remove that, all is fine.
I’m running out of ideas…I don’t want to choose between using compiz and wobbly windows, or being able to play the occasional game. Hmm.
Scylla and Charybdis anyone?
November 29th, 2007
I am a writer by trade. I have one book currently available on Amazon.com and another in process. While I find it useful to read Strunk & White occasionally, not everyone enjoys doing so. To assist those who would prefer a short list of grammar rules, here is one I found years ago and have modified slightly. Enjoy!
Rules for clear writing
- Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
- Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
- And don’t start a sentence with a conjunction.
- It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
- Avoid cliches like the plague. (They’re old hat.)
- Also, always avoid annoying alliteration.
- Be more or less specific.
- Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.
- Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies.
- No sentence fragments.
- Contractions aren’t necessary and shouldn’t be used.
- Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
- Do not be redundant; do not use more words than necessary; it’s highly superfluous.
- One should never generalize.
- Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
- Don’t use no double negatives.
- Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
- One-word sentences? Eliminate.
- Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
- The passive voice is to be ignored.
- Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary. Parenthetical words however should be enclosed in commas.
- Never use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice.
- Do not use multiple exclamation points NOR all caps for emphasis!!!
- Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.
- Understatement is always the absolute best way to put forth earth shaking ideas.
- Use the apostrophe in it’s proper place and omit it when its not needed.
- Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”
- If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times: Resist hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it correctly.
- Puns are for children, not groan readers.
- Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
- Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
- Who needs rhetorical questions?
- Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
- Do not put statements in the negative form.
- A writer must not shift your point of view.
- Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
- Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
- If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
- Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
- Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
- Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
- Always pick on the correct idiom.
- Be careful to use the rite homonym.
And last…
- Proofread carefully to make sure your numbers are correct and to see if you any words out.
Stephen King’s On Writing is another excellent resource.
November 27th, 2007
Well, I’ve been busy in real life, so my internet time has severely suffered. Still, it could have been worse. I could have been like this guy…
(click image to visit the comic’s website)
November 16th, 2007
Yeah, it isn’t practical at all, but it is beautiful! This Steampunk creation may be old news to some. Even so, it is just too beautiful and creative, I had to mention it…especially once I noticed the OS in the picture.
Link to site, go check out all the pics!
November 6th, 2007
We have all seen internet trolls. Some are more creative than others. Some are funny, others are mean. All of them are detrimental to community. I had an experience this week with a troll in the Ubuntu Forums that reminded me of an old thread that I had written. The definitive guide to Trolls was something I wrote in May 2006, partly tongue-in-cheek, partly to instruct forums users on what not to do in the forums, and partly to have something to point to when confronted with trolling.
Now, before I get comments reminding me of this fact, I will state clearly that the derivation of the term “to troll” revolves around fishing. There is a way to catch fish that involves pulling a lure behind a boat as you pass through the water, in the hopes of catching a fish that sees the lure and bites. This is the traditional definition of the verb “to troll.” One may also troll for complements, “Do you think this hairstyle looks good on me?” and one may troll for arguments, “Are you always this rude?” Trolling involves attempting to get someone or something to take the bait, to bite, to respond in a predetermined manner for your benefit (and not necessarily theirs, although the motive need not be sinister).
The use of the term to define online behavior goes back to the early days of Usenet newsgroups, and perhaps even predating that in bulletin board systems (BBSs). Let’s be honest. It is more fun to use the term in a modified manner, with a slightly twisted definition, while retaining the original meaning as well. I like it when the image of an ugly, mythical beast is conjured up because of the term “troll.”
The English language is fun that way. One may “troll” a forum, trying to get a response, and suddenly the verb becomes a noun through an accidental correlation between two words that are spelled exactly the same, but have vastly different meanings. Suddenly the person who committed the act of trolling has become an internet troll.
In the context of an online forum, to troll means to post something specifically provocative in the hopes of stirring up controversy. On occasion this can be considered a good thing, like Braveheart riding to the conference of the nobles to “pick a fight” in the hopes of obtaining a positive outcome for a noble cause. That is sometimes what forums trolls seem to think they are doing. Almost all of the time, actions done with this motive will achieve the exact opposite of their intended goal and they only serve to create an atmosphere that is harsh, argumentative, and unwelcoming. In the Ubuntu Forums, trolling can get a person banned permanently, and for very good reason. The overwhelming majority of the time trolling is witnessed, it is done for less honorable reasons.
To keep this short, if you are interested in a sometimes humorous description of internet trolls, including some very specific descriptions of certain types like the “Affected Profundity Troll” and “The Holy Misroller,” please check out this forum thread. I think you will enjoy it.
November 3rd, 2007
