I had some old hardware, they were beyond repair. Of course they had some possible spare parts. But I've kept them around for years just to decorate my walls in the office. But I thought perhaps I could put them to some use to advocate for Linux use on older hardware?

Episode #55 interview with Cahlen Lee

cahlen.org

I was just playing a bit at the office because I plan to record new music there as well and post it here for supporters rather than sell albums. :D This is just a quick mp3 of me messing around on the guitar.

I interviewed Mark Sargent about Flat Earth Theory, Computer Pinball and other odd topics!

I recently decided that I wanted to created a "mobile" system that was as heavy as possible and sturdy. But when it came to the power source I didn't want to limit myself by using batteries that were light weight and easy to port around. So I decided to use ATV SLA batteries for this purpose. The L in SLA of course meaning lead which is a rather heavy element. I've nearly completed this dual screen system at this point and on the day of completion I will weigh it and see if I have accomplished a heavy, bulky, portable computer or not! hahaha It's going to be fantastic.

Anyway, there are many benefits to using an SLA battery. Some of which being the many automotive electrical components that are available for the voltage range of the batteries 14-10V. There are also SLA batteries that are meant for use in emergency lighting, outdoor cameras and UPS systems. But those batteries are meant to remain stationary and function in an upright position. While on the other hand, ATV batteries can ...

I recently needed to purchase some LED lighting for a new space that I am setting up for computing and video. I wasn't exactly sure the cost of such lighting but upon checking I realized that it was far more than I was willing to spend. I did however find some very affordable LED lights and small gauge wire all for $7 at a store called The Dollar Tree. These lights are meant to be powered from 3 AAA size batteries at 4.5V or around 5.2V fully charged. So I knew that I could run them in series at 5V 1/2A and use them for lighting this space. I purchased 6 of these lights and 4 spools of wire for $7. After some soldering, shrink tubing and cable routing I now have 3 lights to the right of me and 3 to the left. It's actually not too bad and I saved about $153 doing it this way!

I'm still in the process of setting up this space but it's coming along alright so far. Should be ready to go very soon hopefully!

I plan to do some new videos about a few systems that I have been working on and ...

In 2008 Dell released a series of home user desktop focused machines that offered Linux by default. This was a huge opportunity for the Linux desktop and Dell took into consideration the requests of real Linux users in their decisions about how the release would happen. After spending some time with one of these machines I must say that this machine was most definitely a DOA product. Though it was perfect for Linux users it lacked some serious features for average users.

I recall the time when the petitions were available and I, along with thousands of other Linux users, voted "yes" to request Dell provide Linux machines for the Desktop market. But when it came to the distro selection Ubuntu users would rule the day. And this for me always comes back to the commercial viability of Linux as an operating system. It would have been my preference to see Mandriva be the default choice. After all it was my distro of choice at the time. This meant that I never had to install any codecs to play back an ...