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| This is as close to a giddy declaration of love as I will ever make.
I am in love with Ubuntu.
What is Ubuntu? It is a distribution of the Linux operating system. I am sure you have all heard of Linux; you have perhaps a vague idea of what it is. If you are like how I was, then you will have thought of it as that obscure browser that only super computer geeks use.
Apparently this was true of Linux in those halcyon early days of personal computing. Ubuntu, however, explicitly prides itself on its usability so that you actually do not have to have a degree in software engineering from MIT to use it.
For example, I would wager that most people, using a modern machine, will know how to navigate Windows (use Control Panel, Task Manager, etc. to handle the computer itself) and will be very familiar with most common programs (word processing, web browsing, multimedia applications, etc.). I would say that I am one of these people--that is, no more familiar with computers than the average teenager.
I was able to switch over to Ubuntu from Windows, if not seamlessly, then at least easily enough that the transition did not cause me undue emotional trauma. And now, this operating system gives me that same warm feeling in the pit of my stomach that I get when I am looking at very cute puppies.
Why am I so enamored? Well, for starters, Ubuntu is fast. Blazing fast. It starts up fast! It runs/kills programs fast! It shuts down fast! Don't tell me you don't want a faster computer! I know you do, whether you are a gamer or a hardcore programmer or just somebody who like Facebook too much.
Secondly, Ubuntu is rock-solid. What do I mean by this? Well, many things. Have you noticed overall performance issues with your computer? Does it sometimes freeze, or lock up, or straight-up crash? It seems like these are some of the most common complaints people have about their computers.
Of course, if you have ever experienced the great joy of using an older computer that has been somewhat abused by people failing to de-fragment periodically, or who run too many programs, et cetera, then you will know that these problems get much worse over time. They get exacerbated by issues such as viruses/malware and a generally inefficient operating system. Linux will not be hampered by either of those.
Finally, Ubuntu is generally impressive. Remember that it is free, and developed by a community of people who really care about it being streamlined, usable, and powerful. Meanwhile, operating systems like Vista cost a huge amount of money, and costs for those who prefer Macs are even higher. This completely free, open-source OS is not only comparable to the expensive Microsoft and Mac OS's, it is better! If that isn't impressive, I don't know what is.
(Note: Linux obviously has a unique appeal for developers and those more computer-literate than the average Joe. I am only focusing on usability here.)
Folks, give it a try. Install Ubuntu.
This sounds like a scary thing to do, but it really isn't. You can download Ubuntu for free and create a LiveCD, which will essentially run the operating system off the CD so that you can see what it looks and feels like even before you install anything. And, I'm not going to lie and say that everything will be completely smooth sailing, but honestly, there is so much support available from the community, and once everything is up and running, you will not regret it. I promise you.
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| I decided in my infinite wisdom to observe an alternative Lent which involves sacrificing a part of my daily life so that I may reflect upon my newfound atheism.
Well, I have officially given up Facebook and all elevators except to go up in Tower A (a necessity if I am to be on time for various things).
So far, a whole whopping day after Ash Wednesday (or substitute secular alternative name here), I feel like the purpose of this endeavor is making itself known admirably. Every time I take those stairs down from the thirteenth floor, I am granted a brief period of time alone in the echoing stairwell to reflect upon my atheism. Every time I habitually navigate to Facebook, I am reminded of my godless life when I stop myself from logging in.
I feel optimistic and humbled at the same time when I count down the days toward Easter, knowing that I have that much more time of exile--from Facebook and from elevators--to review my religious (or areligious) principles, to ponder the implications of a world without God, and to remember that there is always enough time in a day to think about the important questions.
What are your thoughts on religion or the lack thereof?
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| The romance in me is all dead, all dead, all dead. It is hard to be eloquent when pounding against my mind is the sick, disorganized urgency of a task put off too long. Inevitability seems to be something that I am all too eager to accept; I see so many parts of the world and of my stake in it as being in the process of a precipitous surge predetermined by an eternal momentum. That I might still change the course of things to come: my, my! What a concept. That I might yet write this paper due tomorrow: but it is beyond me; why I cannot explain. For the most part I know the moment something is assigned whether I will complete it or not, and the following days (or weeks, as it may be) only confirm what I first suspected. How curious to wage a downhill battle with myself. Back, fiend!
I haven't got much of a libido, as Freud uses the term: a life-drive. I haven't much desire to live in a precise or orderly way. And oh, I already know: in one hour, or in two, or maybe in three or four (the precise time isn't important, ladies and laddies), I will retire to bed with paper yet unwritten. But I will not do it now, no, no. I will push back the inevitable. I will struggle to maintain the pretense of still trying. Is this how people who ultimately get divorced enter their marriages?
Well--a friend once said that I compensate for my incredible laziness with bursts of creative energy. And oh, it's true, I do, but they are few and far in between; still, I wonder: I ought to have been an artist, to justify my long laconic laxities while I wait for my particular brand of intellectual prowess (such as it may be?) to redeem me. I guess I have never managed to be slow nor steady.
Bedtime. I guess I will fail Russian Fairy Tales. What does it matter anyways? | | |
| Absent as of late; down but not out.
I used to want to be an artist, but now I think that as a kid I probably confused my natural love of beautiful things with career goals. Now I know that everybody likes a pretty world, and nobody really likes career goals except for super-driven, obsessive-compulsive businessmen who climb to the top in the same manner that dogs eat bacon.
Regarding career goals, then. Oh, they are so tiresome. Laziness and ambition are quite the combination, no? and I seem to possess it. Or, likely: I am getting confused in my old age. Focus, please. Peas.
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| Republicans: OOPS! HAHA, look at all that spilt milk. EGG ON MY FACE! Oh man, I guess we spilled it bad. Let's get the military on this. The milk spillage crisis has seen action! We are in action!
Democrats: You guys screwed it up! You screwed it up bad!!! What? What's this? You're trying to fix it? TOO LATE! It's spilled already! You know what we would do? WE WOULDN'T HAVE SPILLED IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!
Shit. Foreign policy is looking a lot like a bad farce.
On the home front, school is wrapping up not so neatly. There are so many things left to do...
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