Like: Narwhal Microblog Plugin for WordPress: Quickly Posting Notes to your IndieWeb Site by Chris Aldrich
Like: Narwhal Microblog Plugin for WordPress: Quickly Posting Notes to your IndieWeb Site by Chris Aldrich for the indepth review and how to.
Like: Narwhal Microblog Plugin for WordPress: Quickly Posting Notes to your IndieWeb Site by Chris Aldrich for the indepth review and how to.
Although I’ve caught bits of the Trump impeachment hearings on the radio (NPR) in the car, I can’t bring myself to try and watch/listen to more. I got my dose during the Watergate hearings. I was in Junior High and tried to catch as much as I could. On top of the whole Vietnam War thing of many years, the Cold War, the Bomb, Watergate made it seem to me, like the whole nation was coming apart.
I, we, the nation survived. Not stronger, but we survived.
So for the Trump Impeachment, I think younger citizens should watch and they should draw their own conclusions based on the evidence. History is being made. But for me: been there, done that, it’s a shame we’ve come to this - again. So I’ll take the highlight reel.
Most people who want to use Linux take an old Windows computer and install Linux on it. That is certainly a good option for those who want to take that route.
However, many people like myself just want to buy a new computer with Linux (probably Ubuntu Linux) already installed and ready to go, in the same way you would buy a Windows or Macintosh computer. There is good news, you can buy a computer with Linux pre-installed. Here are a couple of good places to buy from.
LinuCity.com is a small firm that takes new old stock (previously unsold) or overstock Windows computers, erases Windows and then installs Ubuntu Linux. This means you can get a new Ubuntu Linux computer for a lot less money than you would pay for a built from scratch machine. I have ordered several computers from LinuCity over the years and have been very satisfied.
The website is not slick or fancy but don’t let that turn you off. Stock changes all the time so there are constantly new brands and models becoming available. In laptops you will recognize most of the brands that come up: Lenovo, HP, Acer, Toshiba, etc.. generally low to middle range (sometimes high-middle range) models. They also have desktop computers too.
With these you are going to find Apple Mac-like prices. Still, check them out they may prove more affordable than you thought.
Zareason assembles their own computers from quality Linux compatible componants. These computers are a attractive and durable. I have ordered at least one laptop from Zareason and was completely satisfied.
An added benefit of buying from Zareason is you can choose which Linux distro (version) you want installed: Ubuntu Linux is the default and a good choice or you can specify from others or you can write in a Linux distro that is not listed so this is an opportunity to have sometthing like Elementary OS Linux installed. (Elementary is Linux with a more Mac-like UI.)
Dell makes Ubuntu laptops and desktops but they do not sell them in stores. The XPS 13 Developer Edition is a high quality laptop. I have never ordered one, but this will probably be my next Linux laptop.
There are other companies out there that sell Linux computers, but I have limited this to companies that I have had a good experience with or in the case of Dell which is sort of the gold standard of linux laptops.
I always recommend Ubuntu Linux by default for people new to Linux. Ubuntu has a good UI, and is targeted at a broad, mainstream audience. It’s stable, well thought out and equipped with an app store full of good useful software: games, office, web. I’ve tried other Linux distros, but I keep coming back to Ubuntu.
At US $200 the Pinebook Pro looks like a really good (and cheap) alternative to a Chromebook. The Pinebook Pro can run many differnt Linux versions so you get a full OS not just Google Chrome. There are installers available for the most popular versions.
Chromebooks are not cheap and they have the added problems of compromising your privacy that all Google products have.
The Pinebook Pro makes a good alternate choice for surfing the web, light computing or something cheap for travel.
It’s been awhile since I used Ubuntu Linux, one thing Ubuntu has going for it is a lot of software in it’s “store”. I’ve looked at the software stores (repositories) on both Pure OS and Pop OS and they are pretty sparce. This is because many Linux distros have agendas like minimalism or FOSS only. But Ubuntu is more for people coming over from Windows or macOS and they don’t want to go on a Scud-hunt looking for software to fill their needs.
So just looking at the Ubuntu store, it has tons of games you can download, if you need a Markdown editor it has several, if you need an RSS reader, again, several, paint programs, photo manipulation, Office type stuff - ditto, ditto ditto. Ubuntu has done well in this department and frankly it’s better than the Windows 10 software store. If you want the general public to adopt your OS you have to appeal to the broad base of users. Other Linux distros take heed.
So let us begin anew – remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate. Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.
– John F. Kennedy
You don’t know how much it pains me to even partially agreed with Trump, but he is right on one thing, the USA does need to get out of Syria. Of course Trump went about it all wrong, and his throwing our Kurdish allies under the bus was cowardly, selfish and stupid.
Some Points:
Instead, Trump did it all wrong and in the most inept manner possible. I’m guessing his motivation is the presidential election in 2020 and he wanted to brag about how he got us out of part of the Middle East. Instead the US looks inept and he’s turned us into the bad guys. Maybe it’s too hard to understand this when you are too busy Tweeting every day in the Presidential toilet. Dunno.
Watching: Murder on the Lake Mhz Choice. German with English subtitles. Not great but watchable. Features police detectives on a joint German/Austrian taskforce along the border by Lake Constance. Lead actors are just a tad too good looking, too cool and pose for the camera a lot. And of course they are damaged souls, which seems to be a prerequisite these days. Still, they get the job done. Plots are creative so far, including the imaginative manners of death.
All said, Murder by the Lake is not a cult classic, but it does not suck, nor is it drivel. You can be entertained by it.
First: What is RSS all About?
I have done the newsletter thing before I started blogging. Back in the 1990’s and early 00’s I was both a publisher and subscriber to numerous newsletters. Unfortunately, my inbox was also full of email spam and emails produced by early computer viruses trying to infect my own computer. At the peak, I was getting 350 emails a day and for many years afterward I was still getting about 150 emails a day. That never ending tide pretty much killed the email newsletter for me.
RSS readers give me control of what I subscribe to without having to surrender my email address. RSS feeds let me be notified of updates especially for blogs or news sites that don’t post very frequently. And I can unsubscribe at any time, since I’m in control. All good stuff.
RSS readers come in all flavors: 1. desktop/laptop readers, 2. cloud based readers, 3. apps for phones and tablets, and specialized podcast readers.
You can learn about the best RSS feed readers here: Best Free RSS Reader-Aggregator - Gizmo’s Freeware
Cloud vs. Desktop
I’m currently trying to avoid any more monthly fees so I have switched from cloud based readers to desktop readers which are free software (apps) I download right to my laptop. Right now I recommend:
macOS - Netnewswire which is IMHO about the gold standard for desktop RSS readers.
Linux and Windows - QuiteRSS I’m using the Linux version. I’ve been told the Windows version is very nice too.
Did this article help you? Let me know what you think.
OTA updates for the OS are essential for a smartphone. This makes it likely that I will go with the Librem 5 for my next phone. Only it’s been on order by me, since 2017. I hate waiting another 6 months to get the build I want.
Hopefully, the extra wait will mean more essential apps will be available by the time I get it. Plus bug fixes. Because Steve Jobs was right when he launched the iPhone in 2007, people rely on their phones and the thing has got to just work.
Previously, I had been using an online RSS reader service. But I’ve hit the limits of the free version and I don’t want to add yet another monthly subscription payment. These monthly services for streaming TV, apps, subscriptions, web services and even charitable donations are starting to become quite a drain and I really don’t want to add any more. So I’m experimenting with switching back to an old school software RSS feed reader, so it resides on my computer not in the cloud.
Advantage: free software, no ads, no fees. No third party provider so privacy too.
Disadvantage: Not cross platform and no sync.
I went to my favorite review site and (re)found this article Best Free RSS Reader-Aggregator. Their top recommendation for a desktop RSS reader was: QuiteRSS
QuiteRSS is open source, free and multi-platform. It has Windows, macOS, Linux, OS/2 and more versions available. I’m using Pop_OS version of Linux which is derived from (downstream) Ubuntu and they have an Ubuntu version. Most any Ubuntu software will run on Pop_OS. Good. But the Ubuntu version requires an install from command line. This gives me pause, I’m not a fan of command line. But, frankly, this looks like the only full featured RSS reader I’m likely to find so I had to man-up and just do it.
The command line install, went smoothly, so I won’t bore you with the details. When I got done there was a nice friendly QuiteRSS icon in my software tray.
I clicked on that, and wonders, QuiteRSS ran! I added a feed and that worked perfectly.
My first impression is QuiteRSS runs smoothly and looks and feels polished and full featured. So much of FOSS, Linux software always seems to me, to be, not quite finished, but QuiteRSS is the exception to that experience. The UI is not very intuitive, but using the “Stupid Brad” principle - if I can figure it out then most people can figure it out. I don’t think you will have much of a problem. There are lots of customization options, it’s just that you have to dig a little to find them.
More after I use it.
Gnome “Web” browser f/k/a “Epiphany” is going to be the supplied default browser on the Librem 5 Linux smartphone. Because of that and because I’m lined up to get a Librem 5, I decided to check it out.
I’ve tried Web on the desktop years ago and always found it to be too minimalist, too light weight for my needs on a desktop. But looking at it again I did find some really Good Things.
Good Things:
Rendering Engine: Web uses the same open source fork of WebKit that Apple’s Safari uses, or darn close to it. This is good because Safari renders very well on a smartphone screen. It’s tried and true and well supported with Apple, Gnome and others contributing improvements and refinements to the upstream. Plus it is NOT based on Chrome/Chromium so we help avoid a mono-culture.
Leanness: Web only uses 2MB of memory running on most Debian based Linux distros. While that leanness might be a liability on a full desktop computer (subjectively), it becomes a strength on a smartphone with a 6” touchscreen.
Firefox Sync: If you are a Firefox user, Web will sync with Firefox. This means your FF bookmarks, history and passwords will sync back and forth between Web and FF.
These three things do a lot to put my mind at ease about being restricted (at least at first) to Web as a browser on the Librem 5.
Even Linux users on the desktop might find Web to be just what they are looking for, so you might want to try it out.
humourless void
Watch the video: Piers Morgan is not wrong Liberals have become illiberal. This is a totalitarian thought process.
It’s a sort of mob rule, driven largely by social media pile-ons. It is akin to the mentality of the Reign of Terror only without the guillotines. What’s worse is the the liberals are not just feeding on conservatives and populists (who continue to be mean), they are feeding on themselves.
I’ve had a Librem 5 Linux phone on pre-order since 2017, and they hope to finally ship it in Q3 of 2019. That’s Real Soon Now.
I also have a iPhone XR which is only a couple of months old that I like alot. I feel the need to put my money where my mouth is and support the privacy based Librem 5 effort. The catch is, I know the Librem 5 is not going to be able to fully replace my iPhone when first delivered. (I think it might lack a calendar app at first and I need that and the calendar needs to sync across numerous devices.)
The Librem 5 should come with enough apps and functions to make it roughly comparable to the very first iPhone (2007): Phone, SMS, Web Browser, email, weather, camera, contacts and maybe a few more. For everything else I’m going to have to rely on the web browser and HTML5 web apps. Web apps are fine for a lot of things but they don’t quite handle notifications quite as well as a dedicated app.
Fortunately, the Librem 5 will launch with an app store so third party app developers can quickly make their new apps available to all users.
I’m already making mental notes of apps I use on my iPhone and web equivalents I can replace them with:
*Twitter - actually I like the web app interface on Twitter so no loss there.
*Apple News - web versions of MSN News, NewsNow.co.uk, BBC News.
*Notes - I don’t see any mention of a note app, but I have to believe somebody will come up with a note app fairly quickly. Simplenote’s web interface might work.
*Rain Gauge - (a doppler radar measurement of how much rain has fallen at your location.) I actually use this quite a lot. I don’t expect a replacement to ever be available. :-(
*Apple Maps - (or any map Nav app) Not at first. They show a Maps icon but I’m told it does not really do navigation. The work around might be DuckDuckGo search engine, which uses Apple Maps. I’m not sure if it does turn by turn navigation. I don’t use Navigation very much, but when you need it it is darn nice to have on demand.
*Wunderground Weather - there is an HTML5 version. It’s not quite as good as the iPhone app but it should do.
*PDF reader - I do get a lot of PDF’s as attachments. I’m hoping the Librem will be able to open them for reading. It will be Real Annoying if I can’t.
*Calendar - there is a web version of Google Calendar. Maybe it will do or maybe it will be Real Annoying. This is a must have for business users and me. My work flow is to enter appointments into my Phone and it syncs with Google Calendar to all my devices. Google may be a privacy liability on this but it just works, were all others have failed so I’m keeping it for now.
I’ll still miss things like Kobo Reader, Amazon, Aldi app, etc., but I can make do. Plus I doubt the Librem will ever sync with my cars. I still think it’s important to get Linux really working on Phones (tablets too) and break the Android and iOS monopoly. If Librem 5 fails and turns out to be nothing more than an expensive toy, I can always switch back to my iPhone.
All this, initial, reliance on HTML5 web apps puts great responsibility on the web browser. Librem 5 is using a modified version of Gnome browser (aka Epiphany) which is light weight and probably good enough for a phone, IF it can handle passwords properly. Hopefully, Firefox browser will get ported over someday.
If the Librem 5 is to be a success, they need to emulate the launch of the first iPhone. A phone is a critical piece of gear in peoples lives, downtime is unacceptable, it has to just work right out of the box.
Ethiopia bids to break tree-planting record to tackle climate change I’ve started reading up on Reforestation and Afforestation and I think they have a lot of merit in tackling climate change if done right. It will certainly help developing countries like Ethiopia and developed countries restore historic forest cover plus provide timber resources for future genrations. Again, if done right, I see few downsides.
I always wanted to plant a forest.
Reading: The Dark Iceland Series by Ragnar Jonasson. Mystery/Crime/Thriller
Normally I avoid Nordic Noir crime novels. Sorry but I just find the subgenre to bleak, to dark and to damn depressing. But I’ve been rewarded by giving these books a try. The difference here is that the author, Ragnar Jonasson, has translated 14 Agatha Christie novels into Icelandic and he has incorporated lessons learned from Christie about setting, and characters into his contemporary crime thrillers. So what we have is a sort of fussion of Nordic Noir with Agatha Christie set in contemporary Iceland. To me this keeps the Nordic penchant for darkness and loss at bay enough that I’m enjoying these novels.
I give them a solid 4 out of 5 stars. If you like Nordic Noir, you’ll like these. If you like Agatha Christie you might want to try “Snowblind” the first novel in the series, just don’t expect it to be cozy.
New England Is Crisscrossed With Thousands of Miles of Stone Walls By the middle of the 19th Century, New England was 70 percent cleared, primarily for farming. Slowly fields were abandoned and the forest grew back leaving thouseands of miles of abnadoned stone walls running through them.
What the Declaration of Independence Said and Meant by Randy Barnett (Reason.com)
The assumption of natural rights expressed in the Declaration of Independence can be summed up by the following proposition: “First comes rights, then comes government.”
Source: Khurt Williams: Island in the Net with thanks.
Diet Orange Crush does not have the bite I remember from regular Orange Crush. That was decades ago so my memory might be off or my taste buds have changed.
Diet Sprite is no longer called “Diet”. Tastes funny. It’s called Zero Sugar or some such. Tastes funny.
I always preferred old time 7-Up before they ruined it, decades ago, by making it taste more like Sprite.
I miss Canfield’s pop. Particularly 50/50 and their Root Beer. People outside of Chicagoland won’t understand.
Canada Dry Ginger Ale (both regular and diet) is still being made. Yay!
Most of the good root beer brands have disappeared from the shelves. What’s with that?
Buying recycled paper products locally has become a challenge. Local supermarkets that 10 years ago had a wide range of recycled paper now seem to have gone dry. Seems like corporate America has taken over this niche with products that imply eco-friendlyness on their packaging with marketing words like “responsible” and “Sustainable” but are short on details like actual percentage of pre and post consumer waste, the use of chlorine in their process and even where it’s made.
It all seems a little dodgy to me.
Fortunately there is Amazon where you can better sort through the details, even though the price seems to be constantly rising on all recycled paper there.
I’m trying a different route from recycling by trying renewable bamboo based facial tissue. We’ll see how this goes although I admit to being skeptical.
Of course, every time I find a product that I really like it gets discontinued or so expensive and hard to find that it might as well be discontinued. This happens so much that I’m afraid to give anything my Brad Seal of Approval lest it disappear.
I stumbled across one of the best reviews/essays for a TV series collection on DVD that I have ever read. It’s a DVDtalk.com review of the complete Danger Man a/k/a Secret Agent series. If you like spy films, if you like vintage British Cult TV, if you like noirish films I urge you to watch Danger Man, which is one of my favorite TV shows.
Don’t take my word for it, read the review (above), which is long but well worth it.
Starting Your Own Webring on Webringo.com
You need a ring host. I have used Webringo.com recently and everything there is in working order, with no spam from Webringo and no ads being inserted into rings. Honest and clean.
This is about where my memory ends. It was pretty straight forward. It’s free so you can play around with it and learn. Feel free to create a demo ring first to learn on, you can always delete it.
Tips:
On the evening of D-Day, 6 June 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addresed the American nation with this prayer:
“My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.
“And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:
“Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavour, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilisation, and to set free a suffering humanity.
“Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.
“They will need thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
“They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men’s souls will be shaken with the violences of war.
“For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.
“Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into thy kingdom.”
On a trip to Iowa, well off the Interstates. All two lane highways here. Here in the Heartland, it’s a mixed bag, some small towns are dying and some seem to be doing better than they were 30 years ago.
I brought only the iPhone and the iPad but that is working out well. Also, this older motel has decent WiFi so I can stream a show on the tablet in the evenings. Basic cable is kinda bad.
Democratic Presidential Candidates:
I think we’re up to a gaggle of 20 at last count. I’m going to seperate out the 3 that I think have potential. (All subject change.)
Berine Sanders - he’s farther Left than I’m comfortable with, but he’s the only one that has truely new ideas. This is the guy we should have run against Trump the first time. I like his ideas on health care. He would offer a kinder, and more reasoned Populist alternative to Trump.
Elizabeth Warren - perhaps a little too intellectual for prime time but I generally agree with her. I’m not sure she can capture the public imagination, she’s about as exciting as watching cement set. So far she has not done well in her skirmishes with Trump. Still, she would be way better than Trump.
Joe Biden - I consider him the “safe candidate” I think Joe, flawed as he is, has the moxie to take on Trump without leaving “The Establishment” wing of elites in the Democratic Party. Which means he won’t step too far out of the status quo and there is a danger to that because we need some bold reforms and I’m afraid Joe isn’t up for that. Still I like Joe.
It’s really early days so my lineup might change. Just thinking out loud.