After spending most of the day buying and installing lagging for my and H’s outside pipes and fixing her leak(in freezing cold wweather), I finally settled down to some quality time- not with my family but with my new toy (now where s that right shift key?) Asus. Thanks to some detailed instructions (this keyboard is so small!) at http://wiki.eeeuser.com/howto:beginners_guide I now have a proper Linux desktop instead of the kiddies’ big buttons. The same site also taught me a bit about using this with wireless networks. It works fine where i am now on an unencrypted network but still doesn’t like mine even though the password is now 13 characters long (I had no idea about that requirement for non-Macs). I am starting to warm to this little machine. For some people the first thing they did on receiving their little Asuses was to dismantlle it to see how it is put together then solder extra things into it. My son’s approach to ladybirds was a little like that as a two year old.
Month: January 2009
Getting to know the Asus EEE pc
I took delivery of this little toy yesterday and so far am not too impressed with it. It seems hopeless at connecting to wireless networks. I connected to one unencrypted network but my own seems to cause problems. Isn’t this kind of computer called a ‘netbook’? The ‘net’ part ought to be easy. The keyboard is pretty small and so is the screen but I think these will just take some getting used to. I hate the ‘simple’ interface which seems to be aimed at small children and I haven’t found out how to get back to the normal Linux desktop. The webcam works with Skype which is hopeful. Battery life is ok but not impressive…
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008)
I finally saw this bio directed by Alex Gibney. It has a strange aesthetic – busy backgrounds, constant music track, very ‘live’ looking interviews that all did not make me feel very close to Thompson. However, one or two figures stood out as being very clear and passionate about his role in critical American culture and mourned his demise (by suicide – he shot himself in 2005) on this count. For me the most moving point was a young fellow journalist from Rolling Stone who told us how much America needed a figure like him today and read excerpts from one of his books with tears in his eyes. Thompson’s texts are read by Johnny Depp. Worth seeing to get more informed about this strange figure though not an engaging film in the normal sense.
Buff review
I got a Buff ‘thing’ for Christmas. I’d never heard of them but being easily impressed was attracted by the packaging and the concept. After wearing it in the privacy of my own home as a kind of pirate headscarf I tried it on another icy cold ride on the motorcycle. As a balaclava it did a fantastic job of keeping the chill off my neck and chin. At £12 I recommend them. Details at http://www.buff.es/index.php.
Breathing in… breathing out
One meditation technique involves ‘breathing out’ unhelpful qualities and habits of thought and feeling, and ‘breathing in’ more noble qualities. For me I find it suprising how a range of mean attitudes that give rise to suffering and sabotage relationships spring from a kind of lack of confidence. So with this in mind here’s a meditation I’ve found useful. You time it with your breath and imagine the attributes:
I breathe in confidence
I breathe in health
I breathe in presence
I breathe in balance
I breathe in power
I breathe in equanimity
I breathe in generosity…
I breathe out resentment
I breathe out a sense of powerlessness
I breathe out victimhood
I breathe out anxiety
I breathe out fear
I breathe out anger
I breathe out despair