earobinson.org

Well there is another meme on planet ubuntu and this one is about the name of your computers. I typically name my computers after different ways of saying NULL in different programing languages. I currently have:

• MinusOne - This is my main computer. -1 is a way sometimes used to mark an int as NULL.
• NaN - This is my laptop, a dell inspiron 1300 … also my battery is dead if anyone knows where I can get a cheap one in Canada that would be great. NaN stands for not a number in matlab.
• Void - This is my current test box. I’m not really sure if void is used in any programing languages but it seemed to me like a synonym to NULL.

In the past I have also had:

• NULL - This was my first linux computer and the mother board died.
• Zero - A laptop that no longer works. Zero is also used as a NULL value.

I also have three devices that currently do not follow this naming convention:

• xo - This is my OLPC XO this computer came whith that name and I have not changed any of the default settings on it.
• Neo - This is my work computer, named after Neo from the matrix. When I have more than one work computer I use other matrix character this helps me keep my work machines seperated from my personal computers since some of them travel with me and spend a lot of time on my home network.
• DD-WRT - This is my router and yes it is using the DD-WRT firmware. The DD-WRT firmware is a great way to get all the power out of your router. I only just started using this and would love to get some neat tips and tricks or other recomendations that people find better and why.

Lastly I have one virtual computer:

• earobinson-PC - This is my vista box, this is the name vista gave it, and I hardly use it so it can stay like that. (Well the last time I used it was to check out google chrome)

So what do you name your computers? Also I do intend to recycle the no longer used names but if anyone has any ideas for more ways of saying NULL I would love to hear them so far the only unused one I have is None from python.

Tags: dd-wrt, matrix, meem, MinusOne, my computers, name, NaN, Neo, NULL, olpc, planet ubuntu, Void, xo, Zero

<rant>Although I get to use Linux mostly for work and personally, there always comes a time when I need to use Windows. It could be that I need to write a program for Windows, or that I have a friend, or family member that needs windows for something. This is one of those times.

What frustrates me most is that I’m trying to install Windows on a laptop that came with Windows Media Centre. That laptop has a Windows Media Centre key but I don’t have the Dell disks that came with that laptop, and I know I can order them from Dell and at the end of the day I just might have to do that (and end up paying for it). But what annoys me most is that including the Windows key on the bottom of the laptop, that I’m trying to install windows on, I have three legit Windows XP keys but cant get an install working. I have an MSDNAA Windows XP key, as well as the Dell XP key from the bottom of my laptop and what annoys me is that I have three valid XP keys and I cant seem to install XP.

I have no media center disks, annoying and I really don’t want to used bittorrent to download them. I don’t feel like I should have to steal software that I own

The MSDNAA ISO and key came from two different people, eg its my key buy my buddy burned the ISO when he got a key, maybe that’s causing the problem I will burn my own copy and find out.

Obviously my laptop is OEM for XP pro and cant be installed on another computer even though I have never used it.

Guess this is just another reason I use Linux, I find this so annoying. Microsoft/Dell should really have a website that I can find out why the one key wont work as well as download ISOs. I know this is the way things are and that me wining about it is not going to change anything but I really just wish if I had a CD key I could download the ISO and use that key on any computer (only one of course). This just makes my windows experience more painful and makes me want to avoid Windows more.</rant>

Also my blog still seems to be broken I don’t want to update and spam the planet again by removing the fact that I think I fixed one of the issues.

Tags: Dell, Linux, Microsoft, My Experience, Rant, Why I use Linux, windows, Windows Media Center, Windows XP

I am a huge fan of the google docs, In fact I am pretty much a fan of all of googles services. I love having all my information with me wherever I go and I am willing to “sacrifice” my privacy in exchange for that service. Anything really important and I will keep it on my own server but I am yet to have anything that I really worry about. That said some people might not want to use google to host there expenses, I do.

The great thing about using google docs to host my expenses is that I can add an expense from anywhere using the google docs form feature In the example I provided (Fake Expenses), I use the forum feature to add expenses on the road as well as getting real time updates about the amount of money I spend per day, week, etc.

If you would like to use my expense tracker you can view it here (Be sure to check all the sheets (Form, Overview, Worker, and Totals)), or download it here. Then simply upload it to your google docs and set up a form. Also feel free to play around and add fake expenses to the doc.

How do you track your expenses?

Update 01: Click here to get your own copy of the doc in your google docs. Thanks JR.
Update 02: Any idea why when I edit my posts they are being republished?

Tags: Expense Tracker, google, google apps, google docs

APT-URL is one of my favorite programs. The great thing about it is I can keep a list of programs I like on a website and easily install all the program I like on a new box, or point someone new to Ubuntu to the website with all my favorite programs. The problem is that with the personal package archives, letting users run there own repositories on launchpad, and many great programs using there own repository’s you need to add them to your source.list file before you can use any of those great programs.

My solution, let APT-URL add a repository after giving a warning of course. Is this dangerous, sure it is but we can take a similar approach to this that Firefox does, only let trusted websites add to the source.list file. So on a trusted website like launchpad you would get a message like “launchpad.net is trying to add the following repository” compared to a random website that might say “wiki.earobinson.org is trying to add a repository if this is a trusted website please click yes otherwise click no”. This would add some risk but the benefit to the user is huge. Please support this idea by voting for it at the Ubuntu brainstorm.

Tags: apt-url, feature, idea, install, repository, request, Ubuntu, ubuntu brainstorm, vote

I love planets, both the ones in the sky’s, and the ones on the web. But this post is about the latter. One of the things about the web is that you have profiles everywhere, and while openID partly solves this problem allowing me to use one user name to authenticate everywhere it does not solve the problem that people have to visit a bunch of different sites to find out about me. They need to visit my facebook profile to find out what I’m up to, last.FM to see what music I’m into, Digg to see what I’m digging (but I can never decide if I like Digg or not), and the list goes on. I guess if something really important happens, like the launch of Ubuntu brainstorm, I can always blog about it or Digg it but I’m not about to go blogging or digging everything I see. There are a few facebook apps that allow me to display my google reader info on my facebook page and thats kinda cool but I want it all in one place.

My solution planet earobinson, this lets me put any content I have with a rss feed onto my own personal planet its kinda what I’m up to everywhere and until I find a better way to link all my content into one place I’m sticking with it. Google’s open social has some promise but as of right now i’m only linked to my last.FM profile.

So how do you keep all your content in one place?

Tags: content, digg, earobinson, google, google reader, open id, open social, planet, Ubuntu, web browsing