Ubuntu 11.04 Beta 2

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Jesse Zylstra

Linux has come a long way. Linux is arguably the third most popular operating system in existence. Linus Torvalds, the main creator of the first Linux operating system, probably never imagined his computer code would go so far in the world. Seldom do we actually install an operating system that contains only Linux — Linux itself is a kernel and does not do much else. Distributions of Linux allow for a desktop user interface and other programs making the desktop experience functional. Of all the distributions, Ubuntu has probably made the most progress for being user friendly and up-to-date.

Despite the fact that I no longer want to primarily belong to the world of technology, I still enjoy trying out new software before most other people. Ubuntu 11.04 beta has finally reached a point in stability that it can manage as a primary desktop without too much trouble. When I first started reading about the beta, I learned that Ubuntu would no longer have a Gnome desktop, but would be replaced by a new desktop interface called Unity that is quite unlike anything I had ever used before. Unity is probably the biggest new feature of Ubuntu 11.04. I was quite skeptical, but I held my judgmental tongue and gave it a try. It is quite neat! I am surprised at what a new experience it has brought to my desktop. Continue reading →

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Ninite: An Automatic Installer (Windows & Linux)

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Jesse Zylstra

Ninite is a free online service that creates “mega-installers”, allowing you to simply check the box of each program you want to use and download an installer which will download the programs for you, and install them.

No clicking next, no accepting agreements, it just installs the software.

Ninite is mainly for Windows, but has a Linux version. The Linux version has a limited amount of software. Continue reading →

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Earworms: Forgot a song? Try a new way to find it.

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Jesse Zylstra

Earworms: when you get a song stuck in your head that just won’t leave. When you hear a song on the radio, television, or in a store that just gets stuck and it plays over and over in your head and you don’t know the title it can drive you mad.
Forgetting the title of a song sends you searching down Google Lane. Especially if you do not know the lyrics, or if the part of the song you remembered contains common words, it may be impossible to find your results. I once spent well over an hour trying to find “Video Killed the Radio Star” after I heard it on the radio for the first time.

What if you only have the music part of the song stuck in your head, and not the words? There is a service I discovered on the Internet a while ago that is built to tackle this very problem. Midomi, a website where you sing into your microphone and it attempts to find the song for you. Midomi requires flash, and flash to be configured to access your microphone. It is extremely handy. I gave it a few songs that I did know to try it out, and it was able to find the song I sang. It even picked up my very unique rendition of Lady Gaga’s: Bad Romance. (I swear, the only reason I listen is for the first part of the song — and not because I like it, but because I swear she stole it from someone and I am trying to remember the original song… her music is, in general, terrible, and you should not use your own name excessively in your songs. That is another article for a later date..)
Continue reading →

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Where’s George? Track US Dollars and where they go.

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Jesse Zylstra

When you spend a dollar in cash, where does it go to after it enters the cashiers till? For many, the thought of an adventure stops when it is out of our sight. Some people even think that cash, after spent, goes back to the bank where it is destroyed and replaced.
In fact, most cash that is still in good condition is redistributed back to people. The “natural” circulation of cash can leave a dollar bill in many different places all around the US — even the world.

A site called, Where’s George (www.wheresgeorge.com) set out in 1998 to allow people to track where their money goes after it is spent. Continue reading →

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Google Introduces Motion Control to Gmail

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Jesse Zylstra

Gmail has recently introduced a new feature to their online mail client: Gmail Motion! Certainly one of the most revolutionary ideas introduced to email and computing in general. The interactions require only a computer with Flash and a webcam. Making hand signals (such as a side motion to move onto the next message) can archive, reply, start a new message, and move through your inbox. Hands-free computing is sure to be the future of all computer applications. Gmail project manager Paul McDonals explains the feature and technology in this video.

Continue reading →

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Ad: Ticket America

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Jesse Zylstra
The Following is a paid advertisement.
We are not responsible for the content of the actual website.

Ticketamerica.com has tickets in calgary and edmondton canada and all birmingham alabama concert sports and theatre tickets.

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Windows vs. Linux

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Jesse Zylstra

Today, I present an essay focused towards people who are not familiar with Linux, explaining from an unbiased view (as unbiased as I could get) the differences and similarities between Windows and Linux.

Brief: “What are Distributions?”
I would like to start with a brief explanation of “what is Linux really?” to better the understanding of distributions and why they exist.
As short as I can put it: Linux by definition is a kernel. It manages the way programs interact with hardware on your computer. (All operating systems have kernels). Linux is not usually known as being “just a kernel”. Linux is usually associated with various distributions (or “completed” and “compiled” “prepackaged” versions of Linux.) A kernel on it’s own does not really do anything. The desktop interface is a program added to the kernel amongst many other things (command line, basic commands, etc). When all of these different elements gets put together, we often think of that as an “operating system” (a system of packages for operation…)
Different people (and later, different groups of people) believe that these operating systems should be different. Therefor, they have created many different distributions that may specifically apply to their needs. For example: Debian is popular for servers, but Ubuntu, which is directly based off Debian, is meant to be more user-friendly. Can anyone make their own distribution? Yes!
Questions? Post a comment!
Now to the essay:

Windows vs. Linux

At first glance, the Windows Operating System may seem better than the Ubuntu Linux operating system. An in-depth look at both of these operating systems can reveal something quite different. Differences in the graphical user interface, the standard applications included with both operating systems, cost, hardware and software support, and system requirements greatly affect how these two operating systems appeal to different individuals.
Continue reading →

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Ad: Xbox Repair

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Jesse Zylstra

The following is a paid advertisement.
We are not responsible for the content of the actual website.

XBox 360 broken? Red Ring of Death? Why pay to send it back to Microsoft when you can fix it at home. Xbox 360 Repair can help you fix the problem from your own home.

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Celestia: Explore Space! (Windows, Linux, and Mac Software)

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Jesse Zylstra

Celestia is a free program that allows you to explore space! Celestia allows you to view more than just the night sky, but to virtually travel through it and see distant galaxy up close and pinpoint their locations in the universe. Celestia has a massive catalog with thousands of stars, moons, galaxies, comets and more.

Celestia also allows you to search for items in space by their names (whether common or scientific). Celestia is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac all for free. Hundreds of addons are also available for countless additional features.

To download Celestia, visit their website and click the Downloads button.

For a less complicated program simply for viewing the night sky, check out Stellarium.

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Explore the Sky: Stellarium (Windows, Mac, and Linux)

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Jesse Zylstra

Stellarium is a free program available for Windows, Mac, and Linux that will allow you to explore the night sky. Enter your GPS coordinates for where you are now or want to be, and see what the night sky will look like! Stellarium will allow you to skip forward and backward through time to see what the sky looked/will look like. This is a great way to know what will be where on a particular day. I use Stellarium to find out where the moon will be on a given night and determine if I should get my telescope out.

Stellarium is a great classroom program for students of any age and a great way to bring the night sky into your classroom during the day on a projector screen, or interactively on individual computers.

Stellarium allows you many options to further customize the program. One of my favorite features of Stellarium is the ability to see the constellation lines, and then also see the constellation artwork.

To download Stellarium, visit their website.

For a more advanced program to let you explore space, check out Celestia.

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