Monthly Archives: March 2011

Dreamlinux 3.5 Overview and Install

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I wanted to try out a Debian based distribution on my laptop now that Debian’s newest release has been out long enough to take care of the bugs that always show up with a new release.  Debian itself is easy enough to install, and rock solid, but Debian via Debian is kind of boring, and bare of files some people need.

I had used Dreamlinux back in 2009 on my Netbook, and Dreamlinux was a good little distro then. I thought perhaps a good distro could only get better with the passing of time. The current sable version of Dreamlinux is 3.5 which I downloaded and burned to cd. Dreamlinux runs as a live cd, so you can see what you get before you commit to an install.

Running the live cd, I noticed not a lot has changed in the last few years. There are some small improvements but nothing major caught my attention. It is good to have a stable development team behind a distribution. The default desktop is a well tuned XFCE desktop. Of course other desktops are available if one wishes. I think Dreamlinux has always done a good job with the desktop and makes Dreamlinux unique. Conky is available in the menu in three preconfigured levels  depending how much information is wanted

One item to note on the live cd is a lack of Games. Dreamlinux is well stocked, but not for playing games. I imagine Dreamlinux is that way as a matter of real estate. A cd only has so much room. Dreamlinux live cd worked as it should, so I decided to install Dreamlinux to my hard drive.

Dreamlinux install is unique among installs. The install starts and ends on one screen. I think it is designed that way to make it simple, and separate newer users and those who are not to sure about how a Linux install works from those that do. I think anyone who has a Linux distribution on their hard drive can install Dreamlinux to their hard drive.

Installation takes a little more thinking about the process of an installation. After selecting your drive partitions, they need to be added to the right side of the screen. Once the installation screen options are completed correctly you can continue past the screen and actually begin the installation. If you can not continue, something was missed.

Install is normal to quick. The only oddity I experienced is I was not sure my user account was created. It turns out it was, but iI did not add a proper password. That was an error on my part I think. Other than the initial install screen the rest of the install is hands off until it is time to remove the cd and reboot. Once install is completed, there are the few final settings for the internet.

Dreamlinux is fairly fast on my old laptop, maybe not as fast as Puppy Linux, but as fast or faster other distributions running on older hardware. Start time is about average. No matter how small or fast a distribution is, the system needs to be loaded and tweaked before you can log in.

I like the desktop itself, and the simplicity of the menu. The menu itself is nothing fancy, but then again if I wanted a lot of flash I would need new laptop and a flashy distro. The menu is well stocked with more options than most of us will need or want. If anything is missing from Dreamlinux, the Synaptic package manager will install it in short order.

If the installed applications are not enough, Dreamlinux also has what they call an easy install button where other common packages may be installed with a few clicks. The easy Install options include: Google-Earth, Google-Desktop,Picasa, Kompozer, Opera Browser, Skype, Adobe Acrobat Reader , Azureus, WineHQ/Wine-Doors, W32Codecs, DVD Support, Nvidia Driver, and more. Nice replacement programs if the default programs are not what is wanted.

Dreamlinux comes with some additional options users may enjoy. There are icons for creating both a bootable usb stick, and a persistent usb stick. A third and I think one of the best options is an icon to create a remaster of your own creation. I did not use any of these options myself, and I cannot verify how well they work. Here is a link to help with the various installation options.

When I completed the installation and opened Synaptic, there were almost a cd’s worth of upgraded packages waiting to be be downloaded and installed. Downloads were completed at reasonable speed with no real slowdown after the first minutes. I imagine the upgrades are a result of the flux in Debian’s new release. No matter how well tested, not every bug is found when a new version is released.

There is no downside to using a Debian distribution. It is thought that Debian being conservative runs behind the time with browsers and other programs. This is not the eighties and there are not major breakthroughs or changes in programs. Unless there is a reason for needing the newest version of a program, what is installed will work fine. For those who need something newer, there is also the option of doing a self install of wanted packages.

Dreamlinux is an interesting mix of practicality and flash. With Mac like looks, straight forward menu system, multimedia, and solid reputation of Debian make for a Linux distribution to please most users.  With the programs the live cd installs and the Debian repositories backing up the initial install, if you cannot find a program to do what you need, it probably does not exist in the Linux world. For those with more experience or the need to be on the edge, there is a beta available to be downloaded and tested.

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Mac Note Taking Apps Short Review of Three

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I am looking for a small but complete note taking application for Mac which I will keep using.  What I first started looking for was a note-list of files all in one place combined with a notes program. I found these three programs to be closest to my wants and of most use to me due to the way I organize my notes. The three applications are: MacNote3LE, Notational Velocity, and xPad.

Text Edit is okay and it is free of course, but kind of plain. I traded up to Bean, and then to myWritings as the price is reasonable and there are features in myWritings I am willing to pay for. However there is still that empty little niche for short notes. I find I do a lot of small note writing and taking. I also seem to collect numerous short term use notes.

I looked at a number of note taking apps and have narrowed it down to these three. They have there pluses and minus, and if there were only one, any one of them would work work well for me. They are all reasonably priced, one is free, one is ten dollars, and the third sixteen dollars for me to register.

Here is my short synapsis, and is in no way complete or comprehensive. All three applications do basic word processing. I mentioned below only those unique items which may be important to me. As I mentioned for general text editing they all offer about the same basic options. Notational Velocity offers the least options, xPad offers more options, and MacNote3LE offers the most options.

MacNote3LE 2.7.0 – Import and one page at a time export which is all most of us may need. The note-list has tree/outline structure with Parent and Child nodes. The note-list can be located to left, right, or bottom. Export to ipod directly from MacNote3. Search all notes for string occurrence. Holding cursor over Note Title brings up note info. Smart links to other MacNote3 pages, any files, or urls. Pages can be protected from erasure. Screen Capture. Comes with a generous thirty day trial. Sixteen dollars at this time for me to register. Password protection available but author states it is not serious protection.

Notational Velocity  2.0 B4 (7) – Note-list can either be on top or on the side, allowing more preference latitude. Can be synchronized with Simple Note. Secure note encryption, and key logging protection is an option. Search all notes for string occurrence. Autosave note feature. Password protection Can link to other notes. Can be opened with keyboard key sequence. Can use tags. Recognizes pasted urls as urls. Is free to use.

xPad 1.2.6 – Import and Export one or more files. Note-list can expands to allow descriptive titles. Note-list auto opens to left or right depending if the program is open on the left or right side of the screen. Notes can be categorized by color. Searches open note only for string occurrence. Note info button on bottom right. Auto save feature on exit, aware of duplicate notes and appends and integer to the duplicate. Export to ipod. Create links to web pages. Screen Capture. xPad is limited to fifteen notes for the free version.  About Ten dollars for the paid version.

At the moment, I really do not know which application I will end up using and which programs will go. I have been using all three, and all three programs do what they do well. I need to decide soon, as syncing all three programs with the same notes is overkill. I thought I would post this as it may be a help to you having a few blips on each program in one place. If you want more in depth more accurate information of these application’s abilities, visit their respective websites listed below.

Notational Velocity additional features:

- The ability to synchronize notes with a directory of text files, allowing synchronization with most Dropbox-based iOS text editors
- Font-independent styles as opposed to rich-text editing
- Automatic wiki-linking including automatic title suggestion
- Preservation of indentation (like BBEdit)
- Note bookmarks that store search context
- External links to notes
- System service for importing any text or document
- Preservation of the source URL when using “paste-as-new-note” command from web pages
- Ability to import web pages as text by dragging URLs onto icon
- Synchronization of tags with other apps that use the OpenMeta standard
- Import any plain text format, as well as PDF, RTF, HTML, Word, Stickies and others
- Export as the same
- Per-note undo management

MacNote3LE additional features:

- User is able in any MacNote3 page, to install links to URLs, Files, other pages of MacNote3 and messages in Mail.app
- Allows the opening of multiple windows.
- Provides a list of “Frequently-used pages” and “Recently-used pages”
- AppleScript compatible
- Windows can be made to appear as tiny icons
- Compatible with other services that apply in Mac OSX

xPad additional features:

- With the category editor you can create and color-code categories, then quickly assign documents in the drawer.
- Documents can be sorted by name, date or category.
- Efficiently manage limitless documents with color coding that provides a constant reminder of your organizational scheme.
- Quickly rename documents, delete one or many, and export a single, multiple, or all your documents in both Rich and Plain Text formats using both drag and drop or conventional panels.
- Instantly export to your iPod, allowing you to read your documents when you are away from your computer.
- Automatically saves your work, so you never have to worry about manually saving what you’re working on or accidentally closing something without saving—and losing all your information.

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Stretch Gooder With a Simple Mind Trick

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If you are like me, stretching is not one of those areas you can excel in. I will never make to the level of a Yoga Master, Exercise Training Specialist, and no where close to the rubber like flexibility of a baby.

Stretching has always been work for me. Touching my toes after my Teens was moved to a personal olympic event. It was too painful on the backs of my knees. Almost every doctor I have seen has told me I am way too tense. If this sounds like you, help is on the way.

I have recently discovered how to make stretching easier. Making stretching easier increases individual stretches to levels I never thought I could achieve. It does this painlessly to the point, I surprise myself with the new angles of stretch I am able to reach.

While each of us have our own built in limits to what we can do with our bodies, I can quickly explain how you too can stretch farther, easier, and with less effort than you could only a few minutes ago.

Here is a sample to get you started. Keep your personal safety in mind, and do not stretch any body part you normally do not stretch. Pick any simple stretch that you normally do, which you know you do not do as well as others. Read the next paragraphs before continuing and  be careful not to overstretch. You do not want to hurt yourself.

The idea of this first stretch is to set a median stretch for you to compare to after you try using the method I will explain to you when you stretch a second time.

Stop stretching where you normally stop, do not try to achieve a new personal best. The purpose of this first stretch is find your normal stretch or twist limit, not to set a personal record, or to prove me wrong. I do not want you to hurt yourself, and my feelings won’t be hurt if it does not work for you.

Notice your body position if you are twisting your torso in some manner for your stretch, if that is a common stretch for. Pause as you reach your stretch limit and notice your body position in relation to something you can use to measure against.
If you are doing a different type of stretch, notice where your fingers touch your body or other surface. If you are doing a more general stretch, say touching your toes, or bending sideways watch where your hands, fingers, or finger tips stop against your legs.

Do not hold the stretch or struggle to stretch a little bit farther.

Over stretch and you could hurt yourself, and we do not want that to happen. Slowly move back the position you started from.

If something does not feel right, stop now as what I am about to suggest is not for you.

If you feel the same as before you stretched, here is what I suggest you do, and see if it makes a difference.

The first time I tried stretching while focusing on other things the length of my stretch improved a lot and without tightness or pain.

When you begin to stretch think about doing the stretch safely. Think about some part of your body that is not involved in the stretch, say and ankle or elbow that is not part of what you are stretching. Concentrate on the body part you picked, and ignore the body parts and muscles being used in the stretch itself. It also helps if you direct your focus on something away from you, look at a pattern on the wall, ceiling, or floor. Keep as many of your senses focused on something besides the muscles you are using for the stretch.

I think what is happening is by thinking about safety, a part of your body not being used in the stretch, and keeping your eyes busy is this:

When we think about something, that thing has our focus. In the case of our body when we focus on some part of it, that part gets ready for action, it gets ready for a change in state. The muscle is no longer loose and relaxed.  Our awareness of that body part is heightened.

Think about going to your Dentist for dental work. If we know we are going to get a tooth drilled on, our complete focus is on that tooth. We wait tensely for the smallest sign of discomfort. In short we overcompensate instead of relaxing and ignoring.

So it is with our muscles. When we stretch and focus on our thigh for example, our thigh is not as relaxed as it would be when we think about our ankle while we stretch our thigh.

We can imitate a magician and use misdirection. Our mind is focused over there, but what is really happening (the stretch) is over here, and we are not paying attention. I discovered this during my own stretching a few months back. I have found it does make a difference having something else for my mind to focus on while I stretch, than if I place my focus on my stretching.

I have better results when my thoughts are other places than the muscles I am stretching. I hope you have the same experience and find more satisfaction in your stretching without pain or discomfort. Good exercise does not hurt.

* The misspell in the title is intentional.

 

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When the Bottom Falls Out of Your Life

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Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone has problems in their life sometime or another. No matter who you are and what you do you have some types of problems. Sometimes life is good, and then it rains on your parade. Occasionally the rain becomes a raging flood, and you wake up one day and wonder what happened. When this happens and you know there is no earthly cause why this happened to you, perhaps it is time to look into other areas for the cause.

Whether you peruse Supermarket Rags, follow Celebrity gossip on television or internet, or pay attention to what is happening within your circle of friends and acquaintances, there is always one underlying theme. Ms. Christina Aguilera made the cover of a Supermarket Magazine recently. Other celebrities made the front pages of other magazines, and still more celebrities are making the gossip pages on the internet. In your world and mine, we know someone who is suffering the same fate, or is about to. The shock of finding your friends life dissolving is not restricted to somebody the media can exploit to make a few nickels.

What these people who’s life has fallen apart for no obvious reason share is feeling distanced and cut off from the rest of the world. Try as they may, what they have been doing all these years, no longer works. Pretending everything is fine, or burying themselves in something exterior to dull the pain, does not help the pain of isolation and surging feelings of loneliness. Temporary relief for some people it is food, for others, some other form of personal abuse. For any who have been in this situation, we feel like we are standing with toes over the edge of a bottomless pit, and we have not quite made the decision to jump yet.

In America (at least) we are conditioned to treat everything with a physical response. If it hurts, there is a pill for it. If we are lonely there is someone waiting for us. We use in excess food, alcohol or drugs, and other forms of self abuse. When our cure does not work, we try harder and at times add something else to the mix. A famous singer from the sixties is an example, food, alcohol and drugs, and none of them helped in the end.

There is also an internal perception problem. Our perception is the world has cut us off. No matter what we do we can not connect in any meaningful way. We try different ways of trying to connect. We join to groups we never really become a part of. We try sports, religion, or attachments. We search Boyfriends or Girlfriends who will be sympathetic to how we feel. No matter how they try, they can not make us feel complete. That emptiness is always hovering in the background, just out of site.

I made a post, The Dark Night of the Soul which captured some of what I learned from the process. To put everything in a cookie cutter mode, if you feel this way, the world has not shunned you, you have shunned the world. If you find that offensive, it is because there is truth to be found there. Life to be lived properly is lived through the heart. Life lived any other way is an empty shell of a life.

Two real choices exist when this state is realized. Go on living the same way, knowing nothing will change. Or decide that life in such a state is not worth living, and make the decision to change your life no matter how painful change may be. The quickest way to change, and that does not really relate to quick as in a timeline, is to acknowledge that everything you believe to be true about yourself and the world is most likely incorrect.

Beliefs encompassing physical and spiritual domains, yourself, and your reality is most likely faulty. Of course there is always the other option and that is the idea that live will start improving any day now, even though life has only become more difficult over the last years.

The bright side to finding ones self in this situation is the knowledge that if it has not happened already, hitting rock bottom is a certainty and not too far away. At that moment the choices become very clear. Either continue to exist in a life one would not wish on their worst enemy, or make the decision to let go of everything one thinks is true and start over. Starting over, is by far the more pleasant of the two choices though it comes with some amount of pain before any gain is realized.

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You Too Can Be Employee of the Decade

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I went into a fast food place as I had about twenty-five minutes of waiting to do before an appointment close by. I ordered a cup of coffee and something sweet to go with it. I paid, was given my order and I went to look for a place to sit down where the tables were.

There were a number of tables open, but the only one open for two people or less was cluttered from prior use.  A young man mopping the floor noticed I was looking at the table for two, put his mop down, walked over the table and started cleaning it up. He smiled at me and said, “Your table will be ready shortly.”

With that said the young man took the trash to a trash can, found a towel, wiped down the table, and turned and said to me, “Sir, your table is ready for you.” I sat down and thanked him for cleaning up the table. The young man replied, “My pleasure sir, I hope everything is okay?” I said yes, everything was fine and the young man went back to mopping the floor.

Because I am curious about people, and I was surprised by the young man’s attentiveness to his work, and my table, I waited until he faced me, and asked him, “Have you been working here long?” The young man paused, and said, “I have been here at this store for six months now, and I have worked for this company for twelve years”, he proudly stated. “This is a very good company to work for. They like me and when I moved here, they found a store for me to work at so I could start working as soon as I moved here”, he finished.

I spoke with him for a few more minutes as it was slow, and he was doing busy work, being productive. It was obvious the young man was never going to be able to make the move into management and perhaps someday run his own store. It was also apparent that he had no desire for that to happen. The young man was the Dilbert Effect in reverse. He knew the level of his ability, and he was happy to remain doing what he was doing. As he told me in conversation, he was able to, “…have a good job and be productive.”

I left him alone, so he could continue his work when a family of four showed up with their tray, looking around deciding where they would sit. The young man put down his mop, walked over to a table and told the young family, “Here is your table, I have it all ready for you. Do you need a child seat? Do you need help with the baby, Maam?”

The young couple were taken aback by the young man’s willingness to help. This was a fast food place, where generally you can return to the counter seconds after getting your food, and you are not recognized by  the person at the register. This kind of service is was something you find at a very expensive dinner house. I too was impressed and waited for the outcome.

The young man brought a baby seat for the couple, and offered to place their jackets in the booth across from them as it was slow and they could keep an eye on them. He finished helping the family, and went back to mopping.

I do not know how others feel that have come into contact with that dynamic young man. In my case he made me feel less than for lacking or not promoting those qualities in myself which he so easily displayed. He may have been challenged in the rocket science department, but he has a doctorate in how to stand out as an employee!

I can not imagine any manager, whether the manager of that store or any other business that serves the public, who would not watch this man in action for ten minutes, and find most of not all of his own employees coming up short in comparison. This young man would be a hard person to best in his area of expertise, and expert in his field he surely is.

Anyone can improve themselves by watching this young man for twenty minutes, and not pay a penny for the lessons. All anyone needs to notice is this young mans working strengths and skill. He is overflowing with positive attitude, wanting to do his best, caring for customers, and doing what he can to make sure customers he comes in contact with are repeat customers. He is the employee from which his peer were compared to, and I do not think he is even aware of his position!

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How to Become the Best

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During my work work day, I have the privilege of observing several workers who are here in the United States on temporary assignment. I do not work directly with them, although I do see them frequently throughout the day. I think it is a privilege to watch these Japanese workers accomplishing various tasks, because of the their approach to everything they do while at work.

In brief, they are respectful and meticulous in each and every aspect whatever they happen to be doing at the moment. Japanese workers are respectful of everything pertaining to their work environment.

The Japanese workers pick up after themselves. They take the extra step of cleaning up after someone before them if they occupy the same work area. They are publicly polite to the point of being over polite. They are obviously grateful when the same level of politeness is returned to them. I am guessing return politeness does not happen often.

If the number of Japanese workers I come in contact with in my daily activities, over thirty are all outwardly respectful and polite, it is obvious to me this is a learned behavior. Whether they are taught this type of behavior as children, or see it and have it reinforced in the work environment, it is a learned behavior.

I read a short blip on the famous investor Mr. Warren Buffett. The paragraph mentioned that Mr. Buffett bought his first share of stock at age eleven, and his first company at age fifteen. Whether those dates and my memory are correct or not is not as important as the fact it happened early in the life of Mr. Buffett.

Mr. Michael Jordan, President Obama, Mr. Buffett, and one of my personal hero’s, Mr. Mohammed Ali, also bring special skills to the table at which they reign. None of them however achieved what they achieved in their life through blind luck.

There is a (presumably) Eastern saying, that when the Student is ready, the Teacher arrives. I like this saying. It reflects the same type of thinking as King Solomon when he penned the thought that there is nothing new on the earth, and everything has been done before.

King Solomon had a lot of good insight on how the world works. Certain behaviors are intrinsic to each of us. We have areas where we excel, areas in which we aspire to, and areas where we are not so good at. For every Super Human, average people like myself, and you too, there are teachers to help us find our way if we wish to improve.

The idea of sitting under a shady tree relaxing and having a Teacher show up telling us they are here to teach us how to excel in eaching our goals is a wild fantasy at best. Not that there are not any Teachers out there to show us what we want to know, only that we have to take the initiative ourselves to be taught.

How do we get in touch with these great teachers, and how do we get them to teach us? Bribery sometimes works, but for most of us, the cost of hiring a true expert to guide us is out of our financial reach, not to mention our current needs. Fortunately there are other resources, and most of them are free.

The simplest is simply to watch someone who does a task well which we want to learn. If you want to be a great table waiter, watch Waiters where you are currently working. Watch how they talk to and treat their customers. Watch how they subtly take charge and direct the experience of dining.

If you wish to become a financial wizard, odds are a good number of people you know good financial advice to share with you. Even if you do not ask them, how they manage their own finances is a form of teaching you can learn from. If they may not know how to manage finances well, they sure can show you how not to do it. This is as valuable as any free lesson can be.

If you aspire to be or do something great, look around you. There are people who do whatever you want to become or do better than you do. Watch them and act like they do. Eventually with enough practice, you will know why they are doing what they do, and why they do it that way. Once you have learned all you can from them, look for other teachers, and learn from them. Keep the process going, and before you know, people will be looking to you as an expert, and asking you for advice or help.

Mr. Jordan, Mr. Buffett, President Obama, and Mr. Ali, all have a tremendous amount of natural ability to have achieved what they have achieved. They also had years of watching, studying, and learning how to take what they have and make it better. They also had more than a few great teachers who showed them a better way to accomplish their goals. Neither Mr. Jordan, Mr. Buffett, President Obama, or Mr. Ali would have accomplished what they did unless they received help in achieving their life goals.

It is the perfect time to start creating your life dream. If thousands, if not millions before you achieved their dreams, you can too. All you need to do is watch and learn, and you are on your way to greatness!

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