Igneous Quill

What is Igneous Quill? (1)

2009-11-30T06:30:00.007-05:00

Summer Beats 2010

2009-11-29T06:30:00.001-05:00

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Chad Vader S1 Ep1: A Galaxy Not So Far Away

2009-11-28T06:30:00.001-05:00

If you haven't been watching Chad Vader on YouTube, you've been missing out.

Life Almost Entirely Off the Grid

2009-11-27T06:30:00.001-05:00

In 1998, a year after my first mission trip to Brazil, my ministry program at Harding University went to Brazil on an "International Campaign". One classmate didn't make it to orientation and also had to go to Brazil a couple of days after the group arrived. We were in downtown Belo Horizonte walking back to the church building after lunch when we met up with him. He was grinning from ear to ear and looking up at the buildings. I told him it was good to see him, and he continued grinning and looking around.

"Wow. I didn't know there'd be all these buildings here. This is a city! I thought we were going to be in a village in the jungle somewhere!"

Sigh.

The year before I moved to Brazil and got married I went to a teaching supply store. I was preparing to teach English in Brazil, so I needed some items to help out. Looking around I found a series of books for elementary school teachers about different countries around the world. There was one for Germany, another for the United Kingdom and still others for South Africa, China and Australia. Sorting through them I found "Brazil." I took a deep breath and opened the book. Jungle. Amazon. Canoes. Native American villages.

What comes to the minds of most Americans - if anything - when they hear the word "Brazil" are images of jungles. They think "Amazon." This inaccurate association may well be corrected over the coming years as the 2016 Olympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro approaches, but I'm not sure.

The trouble is that although I want people to understand that Brazil is much more than jungles, and in fact most of the country is not jungle and the vast majority of the popluation lives in urban areas, we really shouldn't forget that there are jungle areas in Brazil. They make up part of what is Brazil.

Seth Kugel can generally be counted on for an interesting first-person view of life in Brazil from the perspective of an outsider (non-Brazilian). He doesn't disappoint with his recent article for GlobalPost, Soccer and soap operas in the Amazon. In it he shares about a small fishing village where there are a handful of TVs and a generator that sometimes has fuel to power them. The locals are hooked on soccer games and soap operas, and through these they absorb the larger Brazilian culture that exists thousands of miles away.

Some may consider they way of life idyllic and the TVs an intrusion, but I wonder about their health care and education situation. The report doesn't tell us. That wasn't the point. It seems to me though that there are definitely "benefits" to civilization which, without coercion, these folks would love to embrace. Television and electric lighting is just a beginning.

You may call me evil, but I'd like these people to have the opportunity to be "on the grid."

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-26T06:30:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving from Igneous Quill!

Android Could Have a Problem

2009-11-25T06:30:00.000-05:00

Originally Published on the Igneous Quill Xanga blog.

Mike Elgan thinks Android could fail. I'm afraid he might be right.

When the iPhone first went on sale back in 2007 it made an enormous impact on the smartphone market. Really, it took "smartphones" mainstream. Up until it came out, what we now call smartphones were devices primarily for business people and geeks. Rank-and-file mobile subscribers were content to talk and text with dinky flip-phones like the Motorola RAZR. My, how times have changed. Actually, a year ago I actually predicted that smartphones would be the future for most folks, and so far I think I'm being proven correct. On the train to work and in the streets I'm seeing more and more of these devices in people's hands. I believe this process of moving to smartphones was inevitable, but greatly accelerated by the iPhone.

The iPhone's a great device. It has a strong brand, an overflowing app store and hardware that was good to begin and has only improved. It may not be to everyone's taste (call me old-fashioned, but I really like my Blackberry), but it's clearly a powerful and fun device to use. The only real drawback I can see to it is the unevenly built-out mobile network it has to depend on in the United States.

What about Android? Well, it's a mobile operating system, not a device. Many different smartphones are being made to run with Android. So the brand is split up in a way, between the mobile OS and whatever hardware and carrier it is on. The iPhone doesn't have this problem. It's the iPhone on AT&T, and that's it.

Problems are arising precisely because there are many different hardware types running Android. Android app developers are struggling to make their apps compatible with the myriad different smartphones running Android, and no guarantees can be made as to functionality, except regarding specific devices. For iPhone app developers this really isn't an issue, given that the hardware is consistent. The iPhone OS is only intended for the iPhone device. No strange hardware configurations to be concerned about.

To mix things up even further, there isn't even a single Android OS in circulation. There are three versions of the OS in active circulation (Android 1.5, 1.6 and 2.0) and manufacturers and carriers often install their own custom firmware. For app developers this can be a major headache, and end-users are none-too-pleased when the app they download for Android doesn't work properly.

Having said all that, I'm sure there's a way forward. Android is a Linux-based, open source mobile OS. Any problem can be solved with enough eyes looking at it. Carriers could begin developing their app stores to differentiate better between different Android versions and mobile hardware, allowing downloads of only what is truly compatible with a particular device. Branding should be done from the device side, emphasizing the phone's brand rather than the OS on board.

Some matters need to be resolved to make Android a success, perhaps including the absense of the name "Android" from marketing. Could Android "fail"? Yes, it could, in a manner similar to the failure of Windows Mobile. The strength and weakness of Android is its open-source model. Proprietary has worked well for Apple and has been employed poorly by Microsoft in the mobile market, but only time will tell how well open source mobile development will do.

See Also:

Why Android Could Fail (Datamation.com)

Android's rapid growth has some developers worried (Wired.com via CNN Tech)

"Go" is a Go

2009-11-24T06:30:00.064-05:00

I'm pretty close to being a complete n00b with programming, despite the year or so of contact I've had with Python, Ruby and Bash. I like programming, but haven't been able to spend much time on it. When I heard about Google's new "Go" programming language I decided that despite my inexperience (or perhaps because of it), I needed to check it out.

Since I don't believe I'm knowledgeable enough about programming to give a full review, I'll just say this: I like it. Also, it isn't apparently intended as a language for Android or the Chrome OS. It's being offered as a systems programming language, intended more for the backend. It definitely has an "old school" feel about it, as I had to write, compile and link the program before running it. With higher level languages like Ruby and Python it's just an issue of writing and then running.

A year ago I tried to start learning to program in C++. I gave up quickly. Perhaps now I could try again, but maybe I'll go with Go (Pun? What pun?).

Check out the official Go language page for installation instructions and a brief tutorial. I look forward to seeing what sort of community forms around Go, and personally hope and plan to be a part of it. And yes, I'm still going to work on Ruby!

Here's what the canonical "Hello World" looks like in Go:

package main import "fmt" func main() { fmt.Printf("Hello world!\n") }

See Also:
The Go Programming Language (Official Site)
Google's New Language: Go (Good Math, Bad Math)
Ruby Programming Language

AT&T: More Lame Than Threatening

2009-11-23T06:30:00.002-05:00

For quite a while AT&T has seemed like the Death Star: big, full of potential for harm and probably pretty pricey. After all, AT&T has a huge network, well-established brand name and it's the U.S. mobile carrier that got the exclusive deal on the iPhone. After all that, it's now starting to look more and more like Chad Vader. There's an illusion of menace, but in reality it's just bumbling and ineffectual.

When AT&T managed to swing the iPhone deal with Apple it guaranteed itself a brisk business. I have no idea how much the company actually profited off of the iPhone and how much got passed along to Apple, but after a few years it has become clear that whatever money AT&T has been making, it hasn't been reinvesting it in building top-notch infrastructure.

Verizon's been running ads comparing their 3G coverage with that of AT&T. AT&T objected, not claiming that their 3G coverage was better than Verizon reported but rather that people would think that no 3G coverage means no coverage at all. AT&T went so far as to file suit, attempting to convince a court to force Verizon to stop running these ads. Verizon's response was classic, and the conclusion contained the following gem that sums up the entire issue:

"In the final analysis, AT&T seeks emergency relief because Verizon's side-by-side, apples-to-apples comparison of its own 3G coverage with AT&T's confirms what the marketplace has been saying for months: AT&T failed to invest adequately in the necessary infrastructure to expand its 3G coverage to support its growth in smartphone business and the usefulness of its service to smartphone users has suffered accordingly. AT&T may not like the message that the ads send, but this Court should reject its efforts to silence the messenger."

The court, at least for now, has agreed with Verizon's argument. There are no factual issues in dispute here. What AT&T calls misleading are ads that very clearly and accurately describe the 3G coverage of AT&T and compare it with that of Verizon.

Now AT&T has a silly response commercial shot in a cheap venue and a website with nothing but marketing talking points and no statistics or other solid facts for evaluation.

Neither AT&T nor Verizon appeal to me much. Comparing the two, if I were in a position to chose between the them, I'd most definitely opt for Verizon. At least the company doesn't whine.

COMO PASSAR POR CIMA DO ESTADO DE DIREITO

2009-11-22T18:30:00.013-05:00

por Thomas Korontai

Existem diversas formas de se fazer isso e pelo jeito, no Brasil, muitas delas são utilizadas. Antes de qualquer coisa é preciso relembrar as funções de cada um dos Três Poderes, pelo menos de forma básica e cremos que cada cidadão tem uma boa idéia do que se trata. Ainda mais quanto a separação e independência harmônica de cada um.

A busca de argumentos jurídicos para “construir” uma fundamentação jurídica com o objetivo de se negar a extradição de Battisti para que ele cumpra a prisão perpetua na Itália, por seus crimes hediondos, é uma delas. Com a decisão final nas mãos do Presidente da República, em uma verdadeira atitude de Pilatos tomada pelo STF, fica clara a interferência – quem sabe até o comando, se não estivermos exagerando – da Suprema Corte nacional pelo Executivo, que, afinal, indicou oito de sue onze ministros. Mesmo que dois deles não tenham votado. Se a decisão é do Presidente então porque o STF foi acionado? Porque se buscar uma “orientação” da mais alta corte, se cabe à esta a defesa do Estado de Direito? Se, na dúvida entre o Direito e a Justiça se deve praticar a Justiça, não seria justo que o criminoso fosse extraditado de nossas terras para seu país de origem, cumprindo tratados legais e morais?

Outra maneira de se passar por cima de outro Poder, o Legislativo, é a convocação da chamada “Sociedade Civil Organizada”. Para se “construir” novo corpo de regras que subvertam o que está estabelecido, o Poder Executivo organizou um conjunto de “conferências estaduais” em assuntos diversos, como direitos humanos e agora, comunicação, a tal da Confecom, no próximo dia 14.12. Tudo sob o eufemismo da “necessidade de democratização” disso ou daquilo. Nessas conferências comparecem delegados de todo o País, que dizem representar grupos sociais diversos, organizados cada um por meia dúzia de participantes alimentados com verbas federais e até estrangeiras, discutindo e votando assuntos que terão documentos diligentemente redigidos dentro dos interesses maiores do Poder Executivo e dos que o apóiam.

Antes que isso possa parecer uma acusação leviana, basta analisar via Google, o formato de cada conferência regional, estadual e a grande apoteose da “representatividade da Sociedade Civil Organizada” na conferência nacional, composta por milhares de delegados pagos com recursos não se sabe bem de onde. Infelizmente poucos perceberam que tal ato, tido como democrático, é na verdade, um by pass no Congresso, no Poder Legislativo. Os deputados e senadores da República é que são os portadores da representatividade do Povo e não delegados que dizem representar uma tal de “sociedade civil organizada”.

E, para não deixar pedra sobre pedra, o Poder Executivo utiliza muito bem o modelo redistributivista que é delineado sob a prática da extorsão de recursos do Povo em todo o País, centralizando 75% de tudo que é arrecado em tributos na esfera federal, para controlar o Congresso, barganhando liberação de verbas com parlamentares, ampliando sobremaneira a tal “base de apoio” no lugar do que se faz em países civilizados, a conhecida “coalizão para governar”, no interesse da Nação.

Com os poderes amplamente dominados pelo Poder Executivo, acrescido do já comprovado aparelhamento de todas as instituições de Estado, vai se fechando o cerco da centralização que terminará em algo que será difícil de ser desmontado, graças à força do processo plutocrático que sustenta toda a operação. São as conseqüências da centralização. Considerando que o uso da força para manter a sociedade afivelada no cinto de segurança pode não funcionar em razão da interdependência econômica e a conseqüente insegurança no fluxo de investimentos, resta a esperança de que o sistema imploda em dado momento, graças a impossibilidade de se cooptar a todos por todo o tempo. A reação, quando chegar a ser considerada de escala, será calcada mais na inteligência, comunicação, estratégias e táticas. Será uma guerra assimétrica composta de novos elementos, isso se a internet, último baluarte da livre comunicação, não for controlada “democraticamente”. A descentralização dos poderes teria evitado isso tudo...

Thomas Korontai é empresário, autor de livros e presidente do Partido Federalista – www.federalista.org.br

Pastor Kicked Out of Favela Home By Drug Traffickers

2009-11-22T06:30:00.003-05:00

Originally Published on the Igneous Quill Xanga blog.

Two years ago Odilon Calixto da Cunha moved from the Brazilian countryside to a favela in Rio de Janeiro called "Vigário Geral." He's a pastor a denomination called the God is Love Pentecostal Church and was moving there with his family (wife and six children) at the invitation of another pastor to work with the local church. What he didn't know was that his pastor friend was in the hip pocket of the local drug trafickers, even running errands for them that involved infractions of the law.

According to Odilon, he never went along with the requests and demands of the drug dealers. He tried to live his life quietly serving God and the community, but since he wasn't cooperating with the local criminals they accused him of being on the side of the police.

Things came to a head this past Sunday (November 15, 2009) when armed "bandits" came to his door and ordered the family out. Not allowed to take anything with them or even, as he put it, eat the meal that was waiting for them on the stove, they spent a chilly night beneath a supermarket awning. The next day they notified the police, who assisted them in recovering what they could from their invaded home. Unfortunately Odilon is only less than halfway through payments on the $12,000 debt he created in buying their home. One wonders what on earth they'll do now.

If this fellow is as upright as he sounds, good for him. It also makes me wonder, though, how other religious workers get along in the favelas. Are these chaplains to drug lords no better than the thugs to whom they say they are ministering?

H/T Notícias Cristãs

Happy Birthday to my Precious, Clever and Beautiful Wife

2009-11-21T06:30:00.005-05:00

Chrome OS Source Code and Videos

2009-11-20T06:30:00.003-05:00

For hardcore hackers, click here to get the Chrome OS source code. For everyone else, just enjoy the videos below.

No Overpriced Crapware for Grandma!

2009-11-19T06:30:00.003-05:00

The other day over on my Xanga blog I commented briefly about Simplicity computers. These are computers that come with a distro of Linux based off of Linux Mint, oriented towards older folks. The idea is that older people tend to be afraid of computers (fear of "breaking something") but want to be able to send e-mail and look at websites. At first I thought the idea sounded fine. Then I saw Charlie Sorrel's article about it. Apparently the people behind this are using low-quality hardware with a modified free OS and attaching a high price tag. Simplicity is starting to sound to me like the "Jitterbug" of computers.

Here's a suggestion going out to all of you moderately tech savvy folks with a grandmother who wants to go online. Drag that older computer out of storage that still boots up but has Windows 98 on it and install a copy of something like Linux Mint. Put BIG icons on the desktop to just the things grandma might want. Write her a simple explanation for how to do routine things like check e-mail and search with Google. Disable anything that might throw her off. Give it to her. Patiently tutor her in the basics. Lastly, assure her that since it came out of the basement and the software was free, she can break anything and you'll just reinstall the software.

Even if you go the new, proprietary route and buy her a desktop computer with Windows 7 you'll still come out saving her a lot of money compared to Simplicity, and can make the same sorts of modifications I described above.

Just don't waste your money or grandma's on overpriced crapware. Please.

See Also:

Simplicity Computers

PCs for Old Folks: Do Seniors Need Stripped Down Tech? (Gadget Lab)

Linux for Older Folks (Igneous Quill Notes)

Tourists: Stay Out of Rio's Favelas

2009-11-18T06:30:00.002-05:00

It's probably hard for most folks in the United States and Europe to imagine. Maybe you've seen movies like "City of God" and have a notion from that of what favela life is like in Brazil. Despite my more than a decade of contact with Brazil, it's sometimes difficult even for me to keep retain and awareness of the reality people face daily there.

I've never set foot in a favela. Perhaps I lack faith or courage, but I prefer to believe it's the good sense my mother taught me that's kept me away. Several years ago when I was in Rio de Janeiro to take care of some business at the American consulate, our taxi driver told us a story. He said one day he had three young American men hire him to drive them around the city. As he drove near the edge of one of Rio's many slums, he pointed it out. They asked him to slow down, and the next thing he knew two of the boys had hopped out of the car and ran into the favela. He yelled for them to stop and waited a few minutes, but given the dangerous area they were in he couldn't stay. He drove to remaining young man, now increasingly worried about his friends, back to the hotel. The police were called and were taking the report when one of the young men walked into the lobby. He was roughed up and shoeless (he'd been mugged) but otherwise okay. Not long after that the last young man came in. He'd been tossed in an open sewer. Both were incredibly lucky.

With the 2016 Olympics scheduled to be held in Rio de Janeiro, I wonder how many tourists will be stupid and decide to go sight-seeing in a favela? Sure, the police may get things under control by then (hard to believe) or the drug lords may authorize "official" tours. Still, pretty risky.

See also:
2016 Olympics in the “Cidade Maravilhosa” (Igneous Quill)

Star Wars Holiday Special

2009-11-17T07:20:00.001-05:00

This program aired in the United States only once, 31 years ago this evening, Nov. 17, 1978. If you watch only a few minutes of any of the clips below, you will see why it never officially saw the light of day again (aside from scattered airings overseas). Terrible. The only good thing about this show was the commercials (where they weren't removed by the person who put them on YouTube for us).

Whether you can stomach watching any of this train wreck or not, take a look at what Wikipedia says about it, or click here for an excellent Vanity Fair article about the special.

First, Best Destiny

2009-11-16T06:30:00.001-05:00

Over on Facebook a while back Keith Brenton quoted from Star Trek: "If I may be so bold: It was a mistake for you to accept promotion. Starship command is your first, best destiny. Anything less is a waste of material." - Mr. Spock to Admiral Kirk, Star Trek II. Then Keith asked, "What's your first, best destiny?" The answer that came immediately to my mind: "Mission in Brazil."

That's got me thinking. A lot.

For a couple of years I taught English and did missionary work in Brazil, South America. My wife is Brazilian-American, and my children were both born there. One day while I still lived there a letter came in the mail from a woman who attended a church I'd served in Missouri. I don't remember anything else she said in the letter, but I do remember she said: "you're living your dream!" That day as I rode the city bus home from work I saw a Brazilian flag flying high over a John Deere dealership (yes, they have those there) and remembered her words. I felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

It's been a while now since I felt that way.

We left Brazil for a multitude of reasons, not least of which being the tenuous financial situation of both the country and our household, and the fact my permanent visa was taking so long to be approved. Our intention was to move back in five years. That was 2003, it's now 2009 and I haven't been back once. My wife went to visit her family in 2006 and my mother-in-law has been to visit us in New Jersey a couple of times.

What happened?

There's a large Brazilian population in the part of New Jersey where we live, and we attend a Brazilian church. Products from Brazil are readily available at area supermarkets. I don't have to deal with the frustrations and indignities of life in a developing nation still hung over (though they'd scarecely admit it) from years of a military dictatorship and rife with silly, counter-productive ideologies. Still, it just isn't the same.

We have a good life here in the United State and I can't see uprooting our family for another major move, but that doesn't change my sense that Brazil was, is and will always be my "first, best destiny."

Nove Representantes da Igreja Universal Investigados

2009-11-15T06:30:00.006-05:00

Fico contente com a notícia que 9 integrantes da Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus (IURD) estão sendo investigados pelo governo do meu pais. Infelizmente esta denominação está já anos enganando o povo não somente do Brasil mas também de outros países com ensinos sem fundamento na Bíblia, prometendo bençãos matérias em troca de dinheiro.

A grande maioria dos neopentecostais do Brasil vão continuar a defender a IURD, dizendo que esta investigação é perseguição. Para quem tem olhos para ver e ouvidos para ouvir, por favor não desiste de Cristo por cause da cobiça e mentira de alguns que agem em nome de Deus. Procure uma igreja séria que busca a Palavra de Deus em honestidade, integridade e sinceridade pura.

Verifique também:
Só Para Comparar....

PSP GO Review

2009-11-14T06:30:00.036-05:00

The following was contributed by the young vlogger behind the rockleecellist's Channel on YouTube. He'd be glad if you checked out his other videos and subscribed.

The PSP GO is a slimmed version of the PSP 3000. The big difference between the two is the UMD is not on the GO. It has a store where you can buy games like the Apple store. The bad part not all PSP games are in that store. The GO can use a Bluetooth. Instead of a memory stick it has 16 GB is memory. On the PSP 3000 it had a way to take off the battery. PSP owners hacked it. On the PSP GO you can't take out the battery. By comparing the two the GO has a larger sceen than the 3000. The PSP GO is comfortable in your hands when you are holding it. When the screen is slid up it reveals the controls. The GO fits in your pokect perfectly. I think first time PSP owners should get a PSP 3000. The GO is too high with its problems. If you want it, it's priced at $250.

O MURO DE BRASÍLIA

2009-11-13T06:30:00.003-05:00

por Thomas Korontai

As televisões de todo o mundo mostraram as comemorações dos 20 anos da Queda do Muro de Berlim, e o momento é oportuno para uma tropicalizada analogia – O Muro que separa o princípio do verdadeiro Estado de Direito do Direito do Estado. Este muro, separa o indivíduo brasileiro de sua real cidadania, liberdade e autogestão, assim como, das esferas de governo mais próximas de sua vida – o município e o estado, que deveria ser federado.

O Muro de Brasília separa o Estado Unitário da Federação, esta que está do lado de fora das pretensões cada vez mais centralizadoras dos últimos governos federais. O Muro de Brasília multiplica-se em congêneres estaduais e municipais, aonde o poder, na absoluta maioria das situações, é também centralizado, de maneira que o cidadão fica isolado em sua restrita cidadania.

Muito se discute quanto aos direitos do cidadão, muito até se condena quando se constatam exageros, como no caso do ECA – Estatuto da Criança e Adolescente – ou do MST, cujos “direitos” de invasão como protesto ou pressão são apoiados por muitos governos, a começar pelo Federal. Mas os verdadeiros direitos do cidadão como o de abrir uma empresa em apenas um dia, sem a multiplicidade de carimbos e licenças, de obter crédito com juros civilizados, o de obter justiça rápida e tecnicamente bem fundamentadas na justiça e não apenas em direitos que se confrontam com esta, de viver em um modelo de Estado com tributos justos e não escorchantes que agravam os preços por tributar a produção, de ter uma imprensa livre, que não seja servil aos interesses dos ocupantes do Estado, que tenha direito a segurança, educação e saúde de qualidade, e que se forem privados que possam pagar por isso, enfim, direito de buscar a sua própria felicidade, estes estão soterrados do outro lado do Muro, um muro invisível construído diligentemente pelos ocupantes dos palácios governamentais.

A Queda do Muro de Berlim se oferece como um símbolo que vai além da condenação ao comunismo, deve ser compreendida sob uma nova perspectiva que nos ameaça, uma matrix plutocrática regida pela mistura do capitalismo que sustenta um esmagador controle social, seja no Brasil ou mesmo em países do chamado Primeiro Mundo. A analogia deste fato, ora comemorado deve servir para avaliar este novo muro que se ergue, pois não se poderá derrubá-lo a marretadas. Movimentos de descentralização dos poderes, dos recursos financeiros, das decisões legislativas, políticas e administrativas são as únicas formas de combate a esta negra perspectiva contra a Humanidade. Pouco importa o nome que se dê, federalismo, poder local, autonomia local ou simplesmente descentralização. Importa é desconcentrar os poderes. A síndrome dos muros é uma doença do poder, e só pode ser combatida com a vacina certa.

Thomas Korontai é empresário e presidente do Instituto Federalista – www.if.org.br

Free Geek in Minneapolis, No Free Geek for NYC

2009-11-12T06:30:00.001-05:00

Free Geek is a good idea. Older but still serviceable computer hardware is recycled (GNU/Linux installed) and sold at a very low price. Those who help to recondition the computers learn valuable skills and, on their sixth repair, receive a free system. Free Geek has gotten itself going recently in Minneapolis, but there are no plans to begin in NYC. Why? The two reasons I was provided were rent (sky high in Manhattan) and a much-disputed city law that would mandate manufacturer-funded recycling.

Oh well. How about Brazil?

Why Do You Like KDE?

2009-11-11T06:30:00.004-05:00

About a month ago Jeremy LaCroix asked, "Is Kubuntu Caught in a Downward Spiral?" As a fan of KDE, Jeremy wants Kubuntu to be great and succeed. His article explains well his valid, well-considered obvervations and concerns for the future of Kubuntu. As for myself, I've never liked the KDE desktop environment. I'm really not sure why, and suspect it's just a matter of preference. Some folks are KDE enthusiasts, and so I'd like to ask them a simple question.

Why do you like KDE?

Please, no direct attacks on other desktop environments (useful comparisons are encouraged) and absolutely no jabs at KDE unless they are constructive criticisms. I would like to hear from users of KDE, no matter the distro, on what they think is great about the desktop environment.

William Kamkwamba and His Windmill

2009-11-10T06:30:00.007-05:00

William Kamkwamba from the African nation of Malawi found a book in a library that showed a windmill. The book was in English, a language with which he wasn't entirely proficient. William was 14 at the time. He built a windmill. It gave light to his home. This man's a natural-born engineer.

The TED talk below is from 2007, when William was 19. He was a little difficult to understand, but in the second video from this year (2009) his English is far better. Watch both and be impressed. William's book about building his windmill is "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope."

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

William Kamkwamba

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

Improve My Ruby #1

2009-11-09T06:30:00.000-05:00

Although I've played around with both Bash and Python, I keep coming back to Ruby. This is partly because that's what the developers where I work use (I'm in QA and customer service and not a developer). In general, I find Ruby to be pretty user friendly and accessible for a n00b like me.

My basic guide is Chris Pine's "Learn to Program." A friend gave me the book, but a shorter version is also available online. In attempting to do the work suggested in the book I came up with the two items below.

The first is a simple program that asks first, middle and last names and then puts them together at the end. Check out how I did the spacing on the last line. That can't be the best way to do that, can it?

puts 'What\'s your first name?' firstname = gets.chomp puts firstname + '? Nice! So how about your middle name?' secondname = gets.chomp puts 'That\'s a good middle name. I guess you know what I want to know now! What\'s your last name?' lastname = gets.chomp puts 'Great! So your full name is ' + firstname + ' ' + secondname + ' ' + lastname + '.'

The second item here asks for first, second and last names, counts the letters and then tells you how many letters there are in your full name. This works, as does the other script above, but I can't help wondering if there isn't a better way to do this.

puts 'What\'s your first name?' firstname = gets.chomp puts 'What\'s your second name?' secondname = gets.chomp puts 'What\'s your last name?' lastname = gets.chomp fullname = firstname.length.to_i + secondname.length.to_i + lastname.length.to_i puts 'Your name has ' + fullname.to_s + ' letters!'

As you can see and as I have already said, I am a newbie when it comes both to programming and to Ruby. I'd appreciate any help, understanding where I am and accepting that. Also, if you are familiar with another programming language and would like to show how the two programs above would look in that language, feel free to do so in the comments as well.

Interview with World Convention President B.J. Mpofu

2009-11-08T06:30:00.000-05:00

Craig Brown of the Australian Churches of Christ interviews World Convention President B.J. Mpofu at his home in Zimbabwe. They discuss mostly the relationship between the Australian and Zimbabwean churches but also matters of ministry and mission in partnership that will be of general interest.

Taken

2009-11-07T06:30:00.000-05:00