Background Back in 2007–2009, I had a lot of fun playing drums with Rock Band . It was well constructed as a game, just physical enough to not feel like a game, just accurate enough to feel realistic, and just social enough to play comfortably at parties. I can't remember whether it was Rock Band 1 or 2, but they were fairly similar; Rock Band 3 changed things with "Pro" controller support,…
It's been a while since I've made any changes to the site, but it was time! I no longer believe in the mission of WordPress or its masters, Automattic. I've been getting fed up with the administration system and the editor for years - at least since the introduction of the block-based Gutenberg editor in 2019. (It's awful, and not even in a consistent way.) Now they're…
As mentioned in my survey of bolt-action pens , I decided to buy The Right Choice Painting Company's bolt-action pen . Just as I was finishing that post, the pen arrived. Here's my review!
This post will introduce you to the world of machined bolt-action pens, first explaining why I care about them, then describing my desires and biases, and finally giving overviews of a heck of a lot of pens.…
I'm a programmer and a gamer, so I spend most of my day using a keyboard and mouse. I haven't had serious issues with repetitive strain injury , but my hands and forearms do get tired and uncomfortable after a long day on the computer or a number of days without a break. I've tried a lot of things to head off the risk. First and easiest was switching to an ergonomic keyboard. Some…
In an effort to simplify, I've moved the site yet again , this time to the much simpler hosted version of WordPress run by Automattic . I had been maintaining the site on a Linode for years (sorry I never posted about that) and they're great, but I need more time to focus. So far, WordPress.com has had good performance and stability (and support!) but let me know if you see any issues.…
Things that have excited me lately: WakeMate - $50 and you might sleep better. It tracks your sleep patterns and wakes you between REM periods. It seems most useful for heavy sleepers, like me. My wife sleeps very lightly and wakes up often. I don't think she'd need additional jarring. Samsung's Galaxy S phones - good Android phones on every carrier... including AT&T. This may be…
Clash of the Titans really doesn't deserve the bad reviews it's getting. If you like mythology at all, you'll probably like it. They did take a few liberties with the story, but all movies do. The 3D effects were understated and didn't detract from the movie like so many are claiming. Overall, good effort, and didn't disappoint me as a fan of Greek mythology.
Quick tip - Not all Linux-based operating systems wake from suspend mode when you use your keyboard. To enable that feature, do this: echo USB0 > /proc/acpi/wakeup You can add that line to /etc/rc.d/rc.local (on Fedora, similar elsewhere) to make sure the setting is enabled on startup.
Important note if you have Intel 4965 wireless (the card used in the Dell XPS m1330, for example) - the Linux drivers for this card do not work well with "Afterburner" mode in Linksys routers. I assume it's the same for "Super-G" and modes from other brands. Turn off that feature and you may save yourself hours of trouble.