NSS Convention trip preparation

I am looking online at air-line travel to the convention.

United Airlines still has 2 tickets from Houston for $ 450 each.

Flying back Saturday or Sunday involves flying to Denver and changing
planes.   ( that sucks ).    Flying back Monday, would be a short 2 hour
flight.

Apparently, the airport is less than 45 minute drive to the Santa Ana Star Center. 

It would seem that it would be more practical to fly to the convention for attendees from Houston.

If I were totally insane, which I just may be, I would purchase the ticket right now, tonight, and take a huge gamble that I will be able to go.

If I wait a few days, the price will go up and the seats will be sold, so I will lose that option and be forced to drive like previous years ( Nevada, Missouri, Florida, Vermont, California, etc ).

I think I have driven to Albuquerque before and I know I have driven from Albuquerque to Carlsbad.   I have been on the tram to Sandia Peak.  And driven to Raton Pass once and another time to Clovis from Houston or from Dallas or College Station over the last 35 years.   I have been all over Clovis/Portales several times, and to Lubbock several times. ( My step-grandparents are buried in Inez, New Mexico and I have been there several times.   My step-father has a few acres of a vacant flat patch of land near there. )   I have driven all over southern New Mexico and even in the Gila Mountains near Mogollon.

The point is, that I have done enough driving in New Mexico for one life-time, so I should fly out there.

So lets say for grins, I landed at ABQ on the 16th or 17th, what would I do ?   Take a city bus to Rio Rancho ??

How would I get back to ABQ on the 23rd or the 24th ?

My other difficulty may actually be who would take me to HOU and pick me up at HOU.    I might be better off to just keep my motel paid for the week and take a city bus to HOU.

David Locklear

Mageia 6 Release Candidate - May 2017

Starting Day # 4 with my Mageia 6 RC computer.


I have a new boot error message.   Something about
sdb cache not found

I installed Google Chrome 58.0.3 web-browser.

I am in LXDE now trying it to see if Chrome web-browser works.
It seems to work, but my wi-fi is too bad to give it a fair
critique.

The image below shows I have added Chrome shortcut to the desktop

     https://www.dropbox.com/s/pwlf5w9ew1er9xu/LXDE-GoogleChrome-Mageia6RC.jpg?dl=0

I ran an update last night and updated Plasma to the newest point
release 5.8.7-5 ( I think ).

Some of the DE's that I have installed do not automatically turn on
my wi-fi and connect automatically.    I am not sure yet which DE's
have that issue, or if I can change a setting.   I will do more
research on that.    I believe Network Manager is not running in
any of my DE's.

My # 1 problem is still poor wi-fi.   I did not have that problem
with my previous Cauldron Sta1 install, so something must not be
set right or I do not have some packages installed correctly or
one is missing.

I just ran update in MCC and got a segfault message.    Something
about perl5 ( maybe 5.22.3 ).

MCC shows my download speed as 15000, but that fluctuates from
10,000 to 18,000.    I assume that is millibits per second.   Right ??

I have to go to work today, and probably will not have time to
play with all of this for 2 days.   But my plan is to go somewhere
with Ethernet, and see if I can give my computer a more unbiased
test.   At least that way, I can say all my issues are wi-fi related.

Thursday - June 1, 2017

I used Mageia Control Center Software Center and installed the
game "AssaultCube," and the geography virtual globe, called "Marble."
I played a quick game of AssaultCube and the graphics were good for
my old Intel i5 with no video card.   Marble worked really good.   So the
operating system is working as it should.   I also installed today's
updates which were some lib files.    I installed the game Extreme
Tux Racer, but it did not launch in LXQt.   I also still can not play
Chromium B.S.U.  which tells me some package is still missing from
my install.    I installed the fun puzzle game "Palapeli," and put a
puzzle together. I love that game, but wish it had more puzzles.
I did all that in LXQt, and the DE worked great.    LXQt has a bright
future.

I have Corebird installed and working now with my Twitter account.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/njz7a2tqmca83kp/GnomeXorg-Corebird-Mageia6RC.jpg?dl=0


I got the action-shooter game, Sauerbraten installed.    Here it is in a window
in LXQt:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vujow961w2r6o7l/LXQt-Sauerbraten-Mageia6RC.jpg?dl=0

Tonight I updated OpenShot and updated systemd 230 to 230-11 ( I assume it was 230-10 before ? )

I played my first game of Iagno ever ( using Plasma ) and won.    


David Locklear

Related to computers - Linux 2016

I would like to brag about a new personal achievement.

I can now claim that I know how to build personal Linux computers.

I spent the past month self-teaching myself, and devoted all

my spare time to it, and I can finally say that I have a basic

beginner's level knowledge of the operating system used

to install programs and make a new blank computer usable.

Our 11 year old daughter can turn on this computer and easily log-in, 

and has a choice of 25 exciting games to play.

I built a really fancy computer.    But it turns out, that Linux

does not require as powerful of computer as Windows and

Apple need.

Next-time, I can build a smaller more portable, less powerful

computer that will suit my business needs better.

I still have a lot to learn, as Linux is not yet perfect.     It is sort

of like Windows 7 was back in 2009.    People forget that when

Microsoft started coercing people to leave Windows XP and get

a Windows 7 computer, that many chose instead to get an Apple

Computer or move to Linux.    Now most businesses prefer Windows

7, but  Windows 7 is no longer being properly supported, and thousands

of computer geeks around the world are supporting Linux, so it has 

become just as good as Windows 7.     By August, Linux will surpass 

Windows 7 in functionality.

The whole point is that a person like me does not have to buy Windows or

buy the programs that use it.    Everything I need is free and right here

on my computer, and if I want to change a program, I know how to do that.

Where Windows still excels is in the areas where businesses use programs

like accounting and tax programs and AutoCAD, but I can see how Linux will 

eventually catch up to that.

I think Android ( like on Samsung tablets and smartphones ) is going to take 

over the touchscreen computer market, and

Linux will eventually be the most popular operating system for people that still

think they need a computer sitting on their desk.

Cheers,

David

2016 Linux/Ubuntu comments for Newbies

I installed Ubuntu Gnome version 16.10 on a new computer.    Here are just a
few things that I noticed:



When my computer is idling, it is using about 1.5 GB of RAM,
and when I have YouTube playing and a game playing, it is using
2.2 GB of RAM.

My CPU usage for 8 core i7 is 1 % in 2 or 3 of the cores and 0 %
in the other 5 to 6 cores when idling.     With Youtube playing and
a game in the background, the cores hover around 17% each, some
dropping to 8 % and the highest number I have seen is 23 %.

I guess that would suggest that a person can build a good Linux computer
with a i5 CPU and just 4 GB of good RAM.    Right ??



The comments below are specific to Ubuntu, and probably just the flavor
Ubuntu Gnome:

I now have a Twitter client on my menu bar.   It is called "Corebird."

     https://goo.gl/photos/MXenUWzeBx9reYtA7

It works great, but I can't get Facebook, Instagram, etc. in the same
manner.   I have to resort
to using the web-browser to get other social media.    I guess I will
have to start
Twittering now that it is easier to use on my computer.

Twitter address:    @dlocklear01


The link below shows my desktop when I am not doing anything.    The
only thing to click on is the word "Activities," at the left top corner, which
gets you into the vertical app bar and a text search bar, and top right corner
is the on/off menu, network, and volume.    In the middle top is the
date and time
which you can click on to get to a simple calendar and notifications.

     https://goo.gl/photos/Srn7jEey6u7js63H8


The link below shows what happens when I click on "Activities."    The vertical
toolbar to the left shows up.    Note the icon with the bird.   That
is not Angry Birds,
but the Twitter client mentioned above.    To the far right of the
screen there is a pull
out window, of all the apps that are running ( you have to squint to
see it, but it pulls out
easily by just hovering the mouse over it:

     https://goo.gl/photos/KPiiDWGhkGrY1sBR7

I have installed about 13 free games from the list of games the operating
system provides.   I found that "Neverball," was probably one of the best of the
games, especially for kids.


Having the vertical menu bar on the side of the computer works best with
the new wide-screen monitors.

Installation of all hardware was simple and invisible, except apparently it did
not like my model of printer.    I tried 2 different ones and it did not work.


There seems to be no reason to use Windows XP if you are a casual user
of computers.     I do not see any great reason to use Windows 7 if you are a casual
user just doing the basic things the average person does on their computer.

Awesome New Headlamp

Review of new LED headlamp

Bushnell Pro H300L

I created this review as there is no information about his headlamp yet on the internet and the headlamp is a good buy.    It is most suitable for use around camp or in your glovebox or as a

back-up emergency light, or for hiking at night, or light-caving in a small cave or as a back-up

light on a long caving trip.

http://i5.walmartimages.com/dfw/dce07b8c-49e8/k2-_34c5982b-a8e0-4b4e-a51b-35e98fe3722c.v1.jpg

Pros:

     1 )     Compact, lightweight

     2 )     Variable light settings:   Bright Spot, Dim Spot, Bright Flood, Dim Flood, and Red

               ( ***these settings are far superior to anything in this price range in retail stores.*** )

     3 )     Inexpensive

     4 )     Readily available at "select" Walmarts that have excellent outdoor departments.

              ( probably locked away in cabinet with other fancy hunting items )

     5 )     Easily rechargeable from any USB port.

Cons:

     1 )     Not suitable as primary light-source on a long wet muddy caving trip

     2 )     No overhead strap

     3 )     Changing battery would require a work-bench and tools.

     4 )     Battery is tiny, and the time listed on the specs is most likely exaggerated.

     5 )     Bright spot has no diffuser.

     6 )     Bright flood is not bright enough for any borehole passage

     7 )     Not waterproof enough to be a primary caving light in a wet cave.

     8 )     In a muddy crawling cave, the USB cord would most likely get destroyed,

              rendering the headlamp useless.

     9 )     Battery can NOT be changed in cave, creating a potential emergency if they

              light were to fail.

http://i5.walmartimages.com/dfw/dce07b8c-ac78/k2-_96474b92-0b5b-4184-87d8-c09b0dd5fba9.v1.jpg

Price $ 29 plus tax.

     

Movie Review - Dawn of thr Planet of the Apes

Considering that nearly every adult already knew what would happen in the movie, they did a good job to keep us entertained.  I would have preferred the human survivors not been in San Franscisco, but in a remote deep cave in the Mexican desert.  However, had they done that it would not explain how the humans lost San Fransicsco, nor how the Apes rose to power.  But the graphics were as good as they get.  I will now have to re-watch the prequel to see how the stories connect, as I forgot the first one.

Immigration crisis

On Monday, the president of Mexico signed an agreement with Guatamala ( and supposedly Belize ) that their people can migrate to the U.S. with no worries in Mexico.   All they have to do is fill out a simple form at customs and pay his political machine a small token of money to cover the cost of the program.    He calls this "El Programa Frontera Sur."     The anti-immigration folks are calling it, "The Southern Border Program to Improve Passage."    It seems that Mexico should be doing everything in its power to stop the flow at their southern border.    They clearly are against us on this issue.    Those people will still be bribed and robbed and raped along the way.   This is just a smokescreen for him to secretly move a lot of money to his Swiss bank account.    We need to knock him off, now, not tomorrow.