Open media formats for Unitarian Universalists

Are there any Unitarian Universalists — or keen open codec advocates who read this blog — who use Ogg Vorbis (audio) or Ogg Theora (video) to play, share, stream or store media? These are free and open-source media formats. I may have a project. In related news, I bought a refurb digital audio player (“MP3… Continue reading Open media formats for Unitarian Universalists

Geek humor exposed

The New York Times today is running a story (“This Is Funny Only if You Know Unix “) about the xkcd.com comic strip, noting one of my favorites — first seen at works; thanks J.B. — in the lede. I suppose it takes all types. And the joke works in Linux, too.

Ubuntu Linux 8.04 is here

I’ve been using Ubuntu Linux as my operating system of choice since 2004, and upgraded to the newest version (technically the release candidate) yesterday, also known as “the Hardy Heron”. The proper release is today, and if you’ve never used Linux, I hope you give it a try. It isn’t a radical improvement over the… Continue reading Ubuntu Linux 8.04 is here

Epiphany browser fix

I love the Firefox browser — in theory. It’s free and open-source. It’s got tons of extensions . . . and that’s part of the problem. My former favorite browser is a terrible memory hog, at least on the (ahem) low-end machines that I can’t get enough of. Better to use the browser developed for,… Continue reading Epiphany browser fix

What common distributed work would work for UUs?

Two givens. My Day Job includes lots of interaction with software developers. My hobby — effectively — is learning more about my three computers, each with its own variant of Ubuntu Linux. Ubuntu Linux, like other free and open source software projects, have a open yet ordered and participatory style of development. There are days… Continue reading What common distributed work would work for UUs?

Distributed work to inspire

Later. Saw “Naked Day”? — it’s been moved to April 9. If someone asked to borrow your computer to conduct malaria research when you weren’t using it, would you? I think most people would, and you know I’m not speaking hypothetically. Indeed, if you say BBC World News tonight, you saw a feature story about… Continue reading Distributed work to inspire

Because the power of the Internet increases as people get connected . . .

. . . and because faithful people are more effective when connected freely, I’ve decided to take Michelle Murrain’s suggestion and install Flock, a social networking-empowered web browser, based on Firefox. To tell you the truth, Firefox has gotten so bloated lately that I was looking for other options, at least for occasional use. Like… Continue reading Because the power of the Internet increases as people get connected . . .

Folk Mass Hero

Friday was a noteworthy day at Day Job and included — among other things — a lunchtime round of Guitar Hero. (Don’t ask.) I was very kindly asked to participate but the music associated with the game is very much what I call Straight Boy Rock, and I don’t care for it. (Had there been… Continue reading Folk Mass Hero