Couns. Mike Pagtakhan (Point Douglas) and Gord Steeves (St. Vital) and are proposing to rename Garbage Day to Recycling Day, using a straight from the Communist doublespeak playbook.
It was reported earlier last month that Winnipegers are recycling less than other provinces because it is less convenient for them.
The real story why people are not recycling anymore is because we are being told that aside from aluminum cans, the rest of our trash goes into the Brady Landfill anyways.
Once you watch Penn & Teller explain how stupid most of recycling is, then you'll become more reasonable when throwing out the trash.
3.11.2009
3.05.2009
"Now, this is the one I've been waiting for"
My 18-year old cat passed away on his birthday, March 2, 2009.
Around 12 hours later in the afternoon, I had the voice of my deceased Uncle come into my mind and say:
When I checked with my Mom if Uncle Rudy did in fact like cats, she confirmed this.
Around 12 hours later in the afternoon, I had the voice of my deceased Uncle come into my mind and say:
"Now, this is the one I've been waiting for."I truely believe that Uncle Rudy, who passed away in 1995 after a heart attack related to type 2 Diabetes, is taking care of my cat Smiles until it's my time to be with my cat again in Heaven.
When I checked with my Mom if Uncle Rudy did in fact like cats, she confirmed this.
3.01.2009
Maple Syrup Price Beyond Reasonable
My earliest ancestors from the 1300s lived among the maple trees, that is what the surname stands for. A 'Jawor' tree is a sycamore maple, and 'ski' means 'place of'.
So maybe that is why I love pancakes and of course the only real thing to put on them is maple syrup.
When I was a kid we had the Old Colony brand of maple syrup that you could buy at the Safeway supermarket. I can't recall what they charged for a bottle. Perhaps $2.50 or so back in the 1970s.
Then the prices went up in the 1980s and our family started buying the Old Tyme brand which is marketed as "artificial pancake syrup". It's just not the same thing.
The artificial stuff is thinner, and is surely cheaper. But there are some preservatives and other things in there that I'd rather not be eating.
In the 1990s when I moved out on my own I started to buy real maple syrup again, and the cost was around $3.00. Then in 1994 and again in 1998 the price jumped from $4.30 to $6. The justification for the price increase was that the maple syrup farmers in the province of Quecec had that ice storm and also it seems that the maple syrup farmers had, in their greed, wanted more of the dollars as income that came from selling it to the Federation des producteurs acericoles du Quebec (the marketing board).
Now, according to this news report from UPI, the farmers and/or the marketing board is at it again, claiming that there is some kind of "shortage" of maple syrup...And now they want $10 bucks for one bottle.
Oh, and by the way, Old Colony was purchased by Old Tyme, which is an American company, and the Old Colony brand was shut down.
Shades of Orwell's 1984 to come?
So maybe that is why I love pancakes and of course the only real thing to put on them is maple syrup.
When I was a kid we had the Old Colony brand of maple syrup that you could buy at the Safeway supermarket. I can't recall what they charged for a bottle. Perhaps $2.50 or so back in the 1970s.
Then the prices went up in the 1980s and our family started buying the Old Tyme brand which is marketed as "artificial pancake syrup". It's just not the same thing.
The artificial stuff is thinner, and is surely cheaper. But there are some preservatives and other things in there that I'd rather not be eating.
In the 1990s when I moved out on my own I started to buy real maple syrup again, and the cost was around $3.00. Then in 1994 and again in 1998 the price jumped from $4.30 to $6. The justification for the price increase was that the maple syrup farmers in the province of Quecec had that ice storm and also it seems that the maple syrup farmers had, in their greed, wanted more of the dollars as income that came from selling it to the Federation des producteurs acericoles du Quebec (the marketing board).
Now, according to this news report from UPI, the farmers and/or the marketing board is at it again, claiming that there is some kind of "shortage" of maple syrup...And now they want $10 bucks for one bottle.
Oh, and by the way, Old Colony was purchased by Old Tyme, which is an American company, and the Old Colony brand was shut down.
Shades of Orwell's 1984 to come?
2.19.2009
Old 24Hours news them from 1979 - June 1982.
I grew up watching CBWT's 24Hours news program in the 1970s. My Dad would take me to his parent's home on Dudley Ave. around 6:30 p.m., while we left Mom behind to watch CJAY News. I was was 4 years old at the time and we'd watch Garth Dawley read the news, and then grandpa would turn off the sound so that we could talk.
That's all I remember from that period.
In the mid-1970s we used to watch CKY News.
By the Spring of 1979 there was a flood in the Red River Valley, and I switched channels from CKY to CBWT where the program 24Hours was on. I found the reporting to be quite a bit better than what CKY had done. 24Hours had included in-studio interviews by John Robertson, and others as well as feature documentaries on a regular basis.
The set was simple blue screen, but it was all they had back then.
It was a somewhat of a magical period, even more so than during the mid- and late 1980s when Mike McCourt took over has host of the program.
But the 1979 to 1982 period I find to be the best. The Youtube video below is the 24Hours theme used back. The title was called "Gathering Crowds" by Mike Vikers (aka Patrick J. O'Hara Scott).
That's all I remember from that period.
In the mid-1970s we used to watch CKY News.
By the Spring of 1979 there was a flood in the Red River Valley, and I switched channels from CKY to CBWT where the program 24Hours was on. I found the reporting to be quite a bit better than what CKY had done. 24Hours had included in-studio interviews by John Robertson, and others as well as feature documentaries on a regular basis.
The set was simple blue screen, but it was all they had back then.
It was a somewhat of a magical period, even more so than during the mid- and late 1980s when Mike McCourt took over has host of the program.
But the 1979 to 1982 period I find to be the best. The Youtube video below is the 24Hours theme used back. The title was called "Gathering Crowds" by Mike Vikers (aka Patrick J. O'Hara Scott).
2.17.2009
2.06.2009
11.12.2008
AM DX'ing from Winnipeg
For about the past 30 years (this month) on and off I have been into AM DX'ing, which is the hobby of receiving non-local AM radio stations.
The first non-Winnipeg station I used to listen to was Newsradio 78 WBBM Chicago back in late Summer of 1978.
Some of the radios I have had access to have had good sensitivity, while others are just good for local reception.
This time around, I've created an OpenOffice spreadsheet that lists the station callsign, city,
Here's the spreadsheet in PDF format.
And another version, that I've created in MySQL:
mysql> select frequency, callsign, city, state, network from radio_receivable order by frequency;
+-----------+----------+--------------------+-------+------------------+
| frequency | callsign | city | state | network |
+-----------+----------+--------------------+-------+------------------+
| 540 | CBK | Watrous | SK | CBC Radio One |
| 610 | KDAL | Duluth | MN | CBS Radio |
| 660 | CFFR | Calgary | AB | CORUS |
| 680 | CJOB | Winnipeg | MB | CORUS |
| 700 | WLW | Cincinatti | OH | ABC Radio |
| 710 | KXMR | Bismark | ND | ESPN Radio |
| 720 | WGN | Chicago | IL | ABC Radio |
| 730 | CKDM | Dauphin | MB | Ind. |
| 740 | KVOX | Fargo | ND | Fox Sports Radio |
| 760 | WJR | Detroit | MI | ABC |
| 780 | WBBM | Chicago | IL | CBS Radio |
| 790 | KFGO | Fargo | ND | CBS Radio |
| 810 | CKJS | Winnipeg | MB | Ind. |
| 830 | WCCO | Minneapolis | MN | CBS Radio |
| 850 | KOA | Denver | CO | Fox News Radio |
| 860 | CJBC | Toronto | ON | Radio-Canada |
| 880 | CKLQ | Brandon | MB | Ind. |
| 920 | CFRY | Portage la Prairie | MB | Ind. |
| 950 | CFAM | Altona | MB | Ind. |
| 990 | CBW | Winnipeg | MB | CBC Radio One |
| 1050 | CKSB | St Boniface | MB | Radio-Canada |
| 1100 | KZFG | Fargo | ND | Fox News Radio |
| 1110 | KFAB | Omaha | NE | Fox News Radio |
| 1150 | CKOC | Hamilton | ON | Astral |
| 1200 | KFNW | West Fargo | ND | Ind. |
| 1250 | CHSM | Steinbach | MB | Ind. |
| 1290 | CFRW | Fort Garry | MB | CHUM |
| 1330 | WLOL | Minneapolis | MN | Relevant Radio |
| 1430 | CHKT | Toronto | ON | Ind. |
| 1500 | KSTP | St Paul | MN | ABC Radio |
| 1540 | KTGG | Spring Arbor | MI | Ind. |
| 1540 | KXEL | Cedar Rapids | IA | ABC Radio |
| 1550 | CBE | Windsor | ON | CBC Radio One |
| 1630 | KCJj | Iowa City | IA | Ind |
| 1670 | WTDY | Madison | WI | ABC Radio |
+-----------+----------+--------------------+-------+------------------+
35 rows in set (0.00 sec)
The first non-Winnipeg station I used to listen to was Newsradio 78 WBBM Chicago back in late Summer of 1978.
Some of the radios I have had access to have had good sensitivity, while others are just good for local reception.
This time around, I've created an OpenOffice spreadsheet that lists the station callsign, city,
Here's the spreadsheet in PDF format.
And another version, that I've created in MySQL:
mysql> select frequency, callsign, city, state, network from radio_receivable order by frequency;
+-----------+----------+--------------------+-------+------------------+
| frequency | callsign | city | state | network |
+-----------+----------+--------------------+-------+------------------+
| 540 | CBK | Watrous | SK | CBC Radio One |
| 610 | KDAL | Duluth | MN | CBS Radio |
| 660 | CFFR | Calgary | AB | CORUS |
| 680 | CJOB | Winnipeg | MB | CORUS |
| 700 | WLW | Cincinatti | OH | ABC Radio |
| 710 | KXMR | Bismark | ND | ESPN Radio |
| 720 | WGN | Chicago | IL | ABC Radio |
| 730 | CKDM | Dauphin | MB | Ind. |
| 740 | KVOX | Fargo | ND | Fox Sports Radio |
| 760 | WJR | Detroit | MI | ABC |
| 780 | WBBM | Chicago | IL | CBS Radio |
| 790 | KFGO | Fargo | ND | CBS Radio |
| 810 | CKJS | Winnipeg | MB | Ind. |
| 830 | WCCO | Minneapolis | MN | CBS Radio |
| 850 | KOA | Denver | CO | Fox News Radio |
| 860 | CJBC | Toronto | ON | Radio-Canada |
| 880 | CKLQ | Brandon | MB | Ind. |
| 920 | CFRY | Portage la Prairie | MB | Ind. |
| 950 | CFAM | Altona | MB | Ind. |
| 990 | CBW | Winnipeg | MB | CBC Radio One |
| 1050 | CKSB | St Boniface | MB | Radio-Canada |
| 1100 | KZFG | Fargo | ND | Fox News Radio |
| 1110 | KFAB | Omaha | NE | Fox News Radio |
| 1150 | CKOC | Hamilton | ON | Astral |
| 1200 | KFNW | West Fargo | ND | Ind. |
| 1250 | CHSM | Steinbach | MB | Ind. |
| 1290 | CFRW | Fort Garry | MB | CHUM |
| 1330 | WLOL | Minneapolis | MN | Relevant Radio |
| 1430 | CHKT | Toronto | ON | Ind. |
| 1500 | KSTP | St Paul | MN | ABC Radio |
| 1540 | KTGG | Spring Arbor | MI | Ind. |
| 1540 | KXEL | Cedar Rapids | IA | ABC Radio |
| 1550 | CBE | Windsor | ON | CBC Radio One |
| 1630 | KCJj | Iowa City | IA | Ind |
| 1670 | WTDY | Madison | WI | ABC Radio |
+-----------+----------+--------------------+-------+------------------+
35 rows in set (0.00 sec)
11.03.2008
Turboprint for Linux
I just bought myself a neat little Linux printer driver, Turboprint.
It can display the amounts of ink left, and has the printer utility programs like cleaning the nozzles, aligning the print heads, printing a test page etc...
However, since I have the Fedora version of Linux installed I must deal with SELinux from time to time. The printer doesn't print from my non-root username. I get the following error in SELinux:
and enter your password, then it prints just fine.
This is just a workaround until I find out how to fix this in SELinux. Apparently it works fine in Fedora 9, but 9 I've heard is kinda buggy... I'm waiting for 10 or 11.
Summary:
SELinux is preventing tpstdin (cupsd_t) "write" to ./print.log (var_log_t).
Detailed Description:
[SELinux is in permissive mode, the operation would have been denied but was
permitted due to permissive mode.]
SELinux is preventing tpstdin (cupsd_t) "write" to ./print.log (var_log_t). The
SELinux type var_log_t, is a generic type for all files in the directory and
very few processes (SELinux Domains) are allowed to write to this SELinux type.
This type of denial usual indicates a mislabeled file. By default a file created
in a directory has the gets the context of the parent directory, but SELinux
policy has rules about the creation of directories, that say if a process
running in one SELinux Domain (D1) creates a file in a directory with a
particular SELinux File Context (F1) the file gets a different File Context
(F2). The policy usually allows the SELinux Domain (D1) the ability to write,
unlink, and append on (F2). But if for some reason a file (./print.log) was
created with the wrong context, this domain will be denied. The usual solution
to this problem is to reset the file context on the target file, restorecon -v
'./print.log'. If the file context does not change from var_log_t, then this is
probably a bug in policy. Please file a bug report
(http://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/enter_bug.cgi) against the selinux-policy
package. If it does change, you can try your application again to see if it
works. The file context could have been mislabeled by editing the file or moving
the file from a different directory, if the file keeps getting mislabeled, check
the init scripts to see if they are doing something to mislabel the file.
Allowing Access:
You can attempt to fix file context by executing restorecon -v './print.log'
The following command will allow this access:
restorecon './print.log'
Additional Information:
It can display the amounts of ink left, and has the printer utility programs like cleaning the nozzles, aligning the print heads, printing a test page etc...
However, since I have the Fedora version of Linux installed I must deal with SELinux from time to time. The printer doesn't print from my non-root username. I get the following error in SELinux:
su -and enter your password, then it prints just fine.
This is just a workaround until I find out how to fix this in SELinux. Apparently it works fine in Fedora 9, but 9 I've heard is kinda buggy... I'm waiting for 10 or 11.
Summary:
SELinux is preventing tpstdin (cupsd_t) "write" to ./print.log (var_log_t).
Detailed Description:
[SELinux is in permissive mode, the operation would have been denied but was
permitted due to permissive mode.]
SELinux is preventing tpstdin (cupsd_t) "write" to ./print.log (var_log_t). The
SELinux type var_log_t, is a generic type for all files in the directory and
very few processes (SELinux Domains) are allowed to write to this SELinux type.
This type of denial usual indicates a mislabeled file. By default a file created
in a directory has the gets the context of the parent directory, but SELinux
policy has rules about the creation of directories, that say if a process
running in one SELinux Domain (D1) creates a file in a directory with a
particular SELinux File Context (F1) the file gets a different File Context
(F2). The policy usually allows the SELinux Domain (D1) the ability to write,
unlink, and append on (F2). But if for some reason a file (./print.log) was
created with the wrong context, this domain will be denied. The usual solution
to this problem is to reset the file context on the target file, restorecon -v
'./print.log'. If the file context does not change from var_log_t, then this is
probably a bug in policy. Please file a bug report
(http://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/enter_bug.cgi) against the selinux-policy
package. If it does change, you can try your application again to see if it
works. The file context could have been mislabeled by editing the file or moving
the file from a different directory, if the file keeps getting mislabeled, check
the init scripts to see if they are doing something to mislabel the file.
Allowing Access:
You can attempt to fix file context by executing restorecon -v './print.log'
The following command will allow this access:
restorecon './print.log'
Additional Information:
9.27.2008
Metro Winnipeg Transit Logo
I finally managed to create an electronic version of the old Metro Winnipeg Transit logo. I used Inkscape 0.46 on Linux to do it, and exported to EPS, PNG, and Inkscape SVG formats. A while ago I had found a newspaper image with the caption that this would be the logo for the newly formed Metro Winnipeg Transit (circa 1961), part of the Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg, so I had a reasonably good image to use, albeit B&W.
Exporting to Adobe Illustrator in case someone in the future wants to fix up the look of the image a bit is a good idea, but is currently broken in Inkscape 0.46. This means that if someone wants to edit the image, the Illustrator user would have to Import the SVG.
From looking at photographs of Winnipeg trolleybuses and diesel buses from the period, the colours used, for example, the orange is like that from A&W, the green is a kind of deep forest gree/army green, and the yellow is a ever so slightly orangy than lemon.
9.16.2008
This is not family-friendly reading material
I've been meaning to contact the WPL over a magazine that I've spotted that they've been carrying for a while - Bitch Magazine.
The magazine claims it's purpose is to:
Provides commentary on our media-driven world from a feminist perspective.
What then is the best way to get this man hating magazine OFF the shelf of our Public Library. It's horribly inappropriate and is spreading hatred against another gender.
I will consider various options to get this damn thing out of our main library and if it's at other branches too.
The magazine claims it's purpose is to:
Provides commentary on our media-driven world from a feminist perspective.
What then is the best way to get this man hating magazine OFF the shelf of our Public Library. It's horribly inappropriate and is spreading hatred against another gender.
I will consider various options to get this damn thing out of our main library and if it's at other branches too.
8.25.2008
Restoring from BackUp My PC CD-Rs
This is a follow up to my previous post about getting Linux restored on my computer.
Five years ago I started using a backup program from Veritas, BackUp My PC. It only runs on Windows and I am now just running Linux.
So I had to use another Windows machine to restore those backups.
Six sets of backup CDs were created:
Also the earliest backups have the same files plus newer files between backup #1 and #6. So it's always a good idea to backup all the files incrementally with any newer ones you create.
BackUp My PC stores backup sets in .qic (QIC cartridge) format, which dates back to the 1980s. According to one website it says that Windows backup also uses QIC 113 format to store its backups.
Five years ago I started using a backup program from Veritas, BackUp My PC. It only runs on Windows and I am now just running Linux.
So I had to use another Windows machine to restore those backups.
Six sets of backup CDs were created:
- Created in May 2003 - the BACKUP file is not recognized by the program. It was a Verbatim CD-R with a paper label affixed.
- Is not recognized by BackUp My PC. ?? CD-R with a paper label affixed.
- Recognized. No paper label.
- Recognized. No paper label.
- Index file corrupt. The program then says it can manually create a new index from the files, however there is no indication of how it is progressing. No paper label.
- Two disc backup set. No paper label. All files restored.
Also the earliest backups have the same files plus newer files between backup #1 and #6. So it's always a good idea to backup all the files incrementally with any newer ones you create.
BackUp My PC stores backup sets in .qic (QIC cartridge) format, which dates back to the 1980s. According to one website it says that Windows backup also uses QIC 113 format to store its backups.
8.23.2008
Rewrite of Catholic Preface Dialogue Needed
The Preface Dialogue is the part just before the Eucharistic Prayer. It goes like this:
Priest: The Lord be with you. All: And also with you.
Priest: Lift up your hearts. All: We lift them up to the Lord.
Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God. All: It is right to give him thanks and praise.
Now since at least the 1980s I've been saying:
Priest: The Lord be with you. All: And also with you.
Priest: Lift up your hearts. All: We lift them up to the Lord.
Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God. All: It is ALWAYS right to give him thanks and praise.
It goes right with what the Priest says next:
Priest: The Lord be with you. All: And also with you.
Priest: Lift up your hearts. All: We lift them up to the Lord.
Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God. All: It is right to give him thanks and praise.
Now since at least the 1980s I've been saying:
Priest: The Lord be with you. All: And also with you.
Priest: Lift up your hearts. All: We lift them up to the Lord.
Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God. All: It is ALWAYS right to give him thanks and praise.
It goes right with what the Priest says next:
8.19.2008
New Hard Drive
I had to replace my 4 year old 40 GB hard drive last week because it was making clicking sounds and the BIOS was no longer recognizing it.
So the new one is twice the size, and this gave me an opportunity to repartition using LVM and doing it the proper way with the 4 partitions -- /boot, / (root), /home, and /swap.
My /boot partition is 100 megs, while root and /home are 10 gigs, and /swap is 2.048 gigabytes.
After installing all the software I use, the root partition just has 6.5 gigabytes left over, but with LVM I can easily expand that without having to reformat, as there is 46 gigabytes of freespace.
So the new one is twice the size, and this gave me an opportunity to repartition using LVM and doing it the proper way with the 4 partitions -- /boot, / (root), /home, and /swap.
My /boot partition is 100 megs, while root and /home are 10 gigs, and /swap is 2.048 gigabytes.
After installing all the software I use, the root partition just has 6.5 gigabytes left over, but with LVM I can easily expand that without having to reformat, as there is 46 gigabytes of freespace.
8.09.2008
Great, funny YouTuber:
His view count numbers in the 100s of thousands, days after his video rants are posted:
Philip Defranco (sxephil)
An example of how good his video rants are. Here's one on "Realization":
I think Phil should have his own tv or radio show. He's made for it.
His view count numbers in the 100s of thousands, days after his video rants are posted:
Philip Defranco (sxephil)
An example of how good his video rants are. Here's one on "Realization":
I think Phil should have his own tv or radio show. He's made for it.
7.27.2008
Fedora Core 8 & Logical Volume Management
This weekend I decided that after two years with Fedora Core 5 on my workstation that it was time to update because I was missing out on the Linux versions of some great software like Scribus 2.3.4 and Gimp 2.4.
The big computers have had a way of partitioning hard drives that makes it easy to add or remove storage as required without having to shutdown and reboot.
As a fan of that kind of technology it's nice to be able to "test it out" so to speak.
So now the current version of Fedora Core 8 makes it easier to set up partitions using LVM (Logical Volume Management).
But because I haven't really paid much attention to this before because it hasn't really been documented very well how to set it up.
Basically you need 4 partitions:
/boot
/ (root)
/home
/swap
The /boot partition must be located outside of the LVM container though.
The Volume Group shows the big picture and contains all disk volumes. A physical volume is a single hard drive and a logical volume can be spread over one or more physical volumes.
So my hard drive is a small 40 gigabyte model, which is just fine for the stuff I want to do like surf the net, participate in blog and web forum discussions, create documents like the TRUWinnipeg pamphlet, and watch videos on YouTube.
I really don't need a whole lot more than that. I wish I could do desktop video editing, but that is probably best done with a full fledged PC workstation.
So onto the partitioning.
I wanted to set up a separate /home and on the Fedora Core 5 system I had previously I also had a CD-R sized partition on /share that I could use to archive documents to.
This time I also decided not to install Windows XP because I don't really use it, except to scan in the odd image, but that happens very rarely.
The /boot partition cannot sit inside an LVM because Linux won't be able to see it.
The /boot partition must be about 100 megabytes, but not much more than that. It is where the Linux kernels are kept, and you can keep more than one on your system and switch between them if needed.
The /home partition should maybe be about 10 gigabytes. This is where program configuration files are stored, as well as your documents and e-mail messages, so it's important to keep this large enough. When I backed up my e-mail messages I found that 1,000 messages going back about 2 years could be stored in about 250 megabytes of storage... And Firefox browser settings and bookmarks both could fit on one CD-R.
And you really should have a separate /swap partition that is set to double the size of your current amount of RAM.
But because I'm new to this LVM thing I couldn't get it to work as I understood the concept at the time. So instead of a separate /home directory I let Anaconda choose the default setup, which is two partitions -- /boot and / (root).
The restore operation of Firefox and Thunderbird data went very well. Before repartitioning I had copied the following directories onto a CD-R disc:
/home/jim/.mozilla/firefox
/home/jim/.thunderbird
Both those directories store Firefox bookmarks, passwords, and plug-ins, e-mail and login information to all e-mail accounts. This marks the first ever time I have been able to successfully restore my e-mail from a previous installation, and it sure felt good to still have those e-mails to refer to when I need to.
Next time I put a new version of Linux on my workstation I'll know enough to do it the recommended way, which has the benefit of not having to reformat the whole hard drive. I could then leave the /home directory intact and just have Anaconda reformat / and /boot and install onto those two.
The big computers have had a way of partitioning hard drives that makes it easy to add or remove storage as required without having to shutdown and reboot.
As a fan of that kind of technology it's nice to be able to "test it out" so to speak.
So now the current version of Fedora Core 8 makes it easier to set up partitions using LVM (Logical Volume Management).
But because I haven't really paid much attention to this before because it hasn't really been documented very well how to set it up.
Basically you need 4 partitions:
/boot
/ (root)
/home
/swap
The /boot partition must be located outside of the LVM container though.
The Volume Group shows the big picture and contains all disk volumes. A physical volume is a single hard drive and a logical volume can be spread over one or more physical volumes.
So my hard drive is a small 40 gigabyte model, which is just fine for the stuff I want to do like surf the net, participate in blog and web forum discussions, create documents like the TRUWinnipeg pamphlet, and watch videos on YouTube.
I really don't need a whole lot more than that. I wish I could do desktop video editing, but that is probably best done with a full fledged PC workstation.
So onto the partitioning.
I wanted to set up a separate /home and on the Fedora Core 5 system I had previously I also had a CD-R sized partition on /share that I could use to archive documents to.
This time I also decided not to install Windows XP because I don't really use it, except to scan in the odd image, but that happens very rarely.
The /boot partition cannot sit inside an LVM because Linux won't be able to see it.
The /boot partition must be about 100 megabytes, but not much more than that. It is where the Linux kernels are kept, and you can keep more than one on your system and switch between them if needed.
The /home partition should maybe be about 10 gigabytes. This is where program configuration files are stored, as well as your documents and e-mail messages, so it's important to keep this large enough. When I backed up my e-mail messages I found that 1,000 messages going back about 2 years could be stored in about 250 megabytes of storage... And Firefox browser settings and bookmarks both could fit on one CD-R.
And you really should have a separate /swap partition that is set to double the size of your current amount of RAM.
But because I'm new to this LVM thing I couldn't get it to work as I understood the concept at the time. So instead of a separate /home directory I let Anaconda choose the default setup, which is two partitions -- /boot and / (root).
The restore operation of Firefox and Thunderbird data went very well. Before repartitioning I had copied the following directories onto a CD-R disc:
/home/jim/.mozilla/firefox
/home/jim/.thunderbird
Both those directories store Firefox bookmarks, passwords, and plug-ins, e-mail and login information to all e-mail accounts. This marks the first ever time I have been able to successfully restore my e-mail from a previous installation, and it sure felt good to still have those e-mails to refer to when I need to.
Next time I put a new version of Linux on my workstation I'll know enough to do it the recommended way, which has the benefit of not having to reformat the whole hard drive. I could then leave the /home directory intact and just have Anaconda reformat / and /boot and install onto those two.
7.03.2008
Dressing The Man
A book titled Dressing the Man has been out since. The book illustrates through old and new photographs how to make a man look great for work or for formal occasions. I found reference to it at the Fedora Lounge, a website devote to men dressing well.
It says that "business casual" has come to mean sloppy dress code for work, and that we need to reverse that awful trend and get back to looking proper again.
Last month was my birthday. I already had a medium blue dress shirt with a yellow grid pattern I bought last year. I know that blue and purple are complimentary colours, so I searched out a purple tie.
Wow!
I haven't felt this good about choosing colours that go with one another to make an outfit since, uh, the mid-1980s, when Madonna's True Blue album was on the charts.
Earlier in June I bought myself a felt fedora hat. Never had a nicer hat before in my life, but way back in the 1980s I decided that by the time I turn 40 that I want something nicer than a baseball cap. This past Spring was very cold compared to previous ones, so it was not any different than wearing it in April.
But by the time the temperatures warmed up to the mid-20s Celcius I found it too hot if I was walking around in it for over 30 minutes outside. Someone told me that I should get a straw fedora. I'm totally new at this hat thing, but I thought a straw hat was like a "garden hat" for working outdoors. Not really. The Bay also had one of these for $25.
It says that "business casual" has come to mean sloppy dress code for work, and that we need to reverse that awful trend and get back to looking proper again.
Last month was my birthday. I already had a medium blue dress shirt with a yellow grid pattern I bought last year. I know that blue and purple are complimentary colours, so I searched out a purple tie.
Wow!
I haven't felt this good about choosing colours that go with one another to make an outfit since, uh, the mid-1980s, when Madonna's True Blue album was on the charts.
Earlier in June I bought myself a felt fedora hat. Never had a nicer hat before in my life, but way back in the 1980s I decided that by the time I turn 40 that I want something nicer than a baseball cap. This past Spring was very cold compared to previous ones, so it was not any different than wearing it in April.
But by the time the temperatures warmed up to the mid-20s Celcius I found it too hot if I was walking around in it for over 30 minutes outside. Someone told me that I should get a straw fedora. I'm totally new at this hat thing, but I thought a straw hat was like a "garden hat" for working outdoors. Not really. The Bay also had one of these for $25.
6.08.2008
It is ALWAYS right to give Him thanks and praise
Part of the Catholic Mass (and in some other Christian services) there is a two way exchange between the Priest and the congregation, called the Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer (Sursum corda in Latin). A few years ago I felt the need to add a word in the congregation's response because it makes the most sense...
That last line. I add the word "always" in there, even though it is not part of official Mass... But it really balances things out correctly, because of what the priest says next...
See also:
Rewrite of the Apostles Creed is Needed
Priest: The Lord be with you
Congregation: And also with you.
Priest: Lift up your hearts
Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord
Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
Congregation: It is always right to give Him thanks and praise.
That last line. I add the word "always" in there, even though it is not part of official Mass... But it really balances things out correctly, because of what the priest says next...
Priest: Father, it is our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere, to give You thanks through Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ.So next time you're in a Christian church and they have this ping-pong style prayer, add the word "always" in your last response. It agrees with and helps the Priest or minister with his next part — the second part of the Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer.
See also:
Rewrite of the Apostles Creed is Needed
6.03.2008
How Hats Communicate Chivalry
Since I was a teenager in the early 1980s which was also when my Dad reached the age of 50 I had long ago decided that when I reached the age of 40 I would go from wearing a baseball hat to wearing one of those nicer ones men used to wear.
My Dad looked really awful in a baseball hat when he turned 50. His hair was not always short enough at the time to make it look good, but that was part of the hair style back then to begin with.
So flash forward to the past year. Men have lost their "cache" of being real men, and I guess when things got bad enough I decided that I needed to fight back as best as I could and this meant going from very casual dress code at work to emulating what men wore in the 1940s and 1950s...a suit, a tie....and a fedora hat.
The fact that I bought one so close to the opening of the fourth Indiana Jones movie is just pure coincidence. And I've noticed too that other men, young and old are also starting to wear the nicer hats.
I think it is all a part of men wanting to be men again, and deciding that when women told us guys from the late 1980s that we "should get in touch with our feminine side" was just pure rubbish to begin with.
The story goes that until the early mid 1960s all men wore a nice hat like the one above, whenever they went out beyond their home. There was a certain protocol that also went with wearing such a hat, rules that have been forgotten by men, such as when you're in an elevator. If you're the only man or if the elevator is full of other men you are allowed to keep your hat on. However, once a lady steps onto that elevator and until she/they leave you must take it off and carry it in your hand beside you.
You're also supposed to tip your hat to a lady that you know when you pass her on the street. I have never been taught this and I'm finding it hard to remember, but I know eventually it'll be as easy as second nature the more I practice.
And I suppose that to take this to the next level, as a man, you can act more gentlemanly, and use the hat as a sort of "prop". For example, this afternoon on my lunch hour I was waiting for the bus. A young lady was passing me by, and for a second she kind of glanced at me and my hat. What I should have done, and I think what men used to do in such a circumstance, is to tip their hat slightly and say something like "Afternoon, ma'am". But like I said, I need experiences like this to form or recall a protocol that I really was not mentored in.
What does this mean though? Why am I doing this? Aren't we really past all that formal stuff and just talk lazily like "Howz it goin', man"? I think that just like the dress code has slipped too far to the extreme, the way we talk to one another has also slipped. Therefore, I am all for bringing back civility to the way men and women talk to each other in our everyday lives. In the years ahead it may mean the difference between a nicer, more civil city, and one that is more meaner and less friendly than it is now.
See also:
Art of Manliness - The Perfect Hat For Your Face
AskAndyAboutClothes.com - Etiquette for Hats and Caps
The Fedora Lounge
6.02.2008
Tears For Fears - The Hurting
I recently bought a CD of rock group Tears For Fears live concert from1985, playing the music from their first two albums -- The Hurting, and Songs From The Big Chair.
TFF, as fans like to refer to the group, was my third favourite group in the 1980s, behind Phil Collins (including Genesis), and Madonna.
While I've had a copy of The Hurting for a few years now, I have not really played it much. Maybe it is because of the heavy theme of family dysfunction. This now classic album cover features a young boy sitting down with his head in his hands looking as if he is crying. The songs are told as from a child's point of view within a family. Maybe it was just the technical standards of some of the tracks on the CD. For example the title track which appears first could have been produced a bit better with maybe more volume in the bass track prior to final mixing. But this may have more to do with the then new Compact Disc technology which appeared at the same time as The Hurting did. To test this theory I'd have to acquire a cassette tape or LP copy of it to compare.
The tracks that I have not really paid any attention to now were The Hurting, Memories Fade, Suffer the Children, and The Start of the Breakdown. Listening to these four tracks can be quite intense, and I recommend you not listen to them too often because of the likelihood you may feel worse off. Everything in moderation as they say.
TFF, as fans like to refer to the group, was my third favourite group in the 1980s, behind Phil Collins (including Genesis), and Madonna.
While I've had a copy of The Hurting for a few years now, I have not really played it much. Maybe it is because of the heavy theme of family dysfunction. This now classic album cover features a young boy sitting down with his head in his hands looking as if he is crying. The songs are told as from a child's point of view within a family. Maybe it was just the technical standards of some of the tracks on the CD. For example the title track which appears first could have been produced a bit better with maybe more volume in the bass track prior to final mixing. But this may have more to do with the then new Compact Disc technology which appeared at the same time as The Hurting did. To test this theory I'd have to acquire a cassette tape or LP copy of it to compare.
The tracks that I have not really paid any attention to now were The Hurting, Memories Fade, Suffer the Children, and The Start of the Breakdown. Listening to these four tracks can be quite intense, and I recommend you not listen to them too often because of the likelihood you may feel worse off. Everything in moderation as they say.
Safeway Canada's Blue Ribbon Campaign for Prostate Cancer
Three cheers for Safeway Canada for their recent campaign to raise funds for prostate cancer research... We all know that prostate cancer affects more men than breast cancer does women.
Someone I know said that Safeway had a breast and prostate cancer campaign about four years ago, however, they chose to go with a pink ribbon as a symbol rather than keep the two campaigns separate as they should have been. This is a much better campaign. Perhaps we should give written kudos to Safeway for supporting men's health issues.
And yet the so-called breast cancer awareness campaigns have been ever present at various stores and in the print and electronic media.
I'd really like to get a Blue Ribbon campaign going in Winnipeg, to counter what is being taken away via breast cancer campaigns.
One of these days someone will be crying that their father, child, uncle, grandfather is dying of prostate cancer because there was not enough funding to help him.
I really feel that what the current craze over breast cancer is all about is not really about the cancer itself, but it is just the inevitable result of all those abortions that were performed after birth control pills were made widely available. It's just catching up to the women.
Told 'ya so.
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