Preface: I have been using Linux since around 1998, when I installed Debian from scratch in my old Pentium II. I am more end-user than power user, but the computer I use most often (my netbook) has Linux in it by default. Also, my office computer is a Linux computer. And I am writing this in my MacBook. Which is not Linux, but at least it is Unix. What comes now is a personal rant, after a fight with my netbook.
Three months ago Oscar Del Ben posted an interesting post in his blog, FreestyleMind. In it he said that he saved (quite) a lot of money and a lot of back pain with a special office chair: he uses a gym ball.
The gym ball in question is the one used in yoga or Pilates training. They come in two sizes, 65 cm 75cm (diameter). I had recurring back pain, and decided to give it a try at home.
As I posted in Best Posts I Have Read in June and July, I liked a lot a numerical experiment in Re: Factor, a blog about learning the Factor programming language. The idea comes from another blog, this time about Clojure (a Lisp dialect running in the Java Virtual Machine), based on a footnote from Prime Obsession (Amazon affiliate link) by John Derbyshire. The footnote reads:
Here is an example of e turning up unexpectedly.
I just want to introduce you Fatou, our little cat.
I like napping in the sofa
We adopted him last Saturday, and he is 2 months old. He is named after French mathematician Pierre Fatou… Mostly because Laia didn’t want him to be named Kolmogorov, and Fatou was the first mathematician name she liked.
He is very cute (as you can see), and well-mannered. Last Monday he had to go to the veterinary clinic for a revision, and the vet told us it is amazing how good he is: he even wears his collar!
While I was in Iceland, I started to see visits coming to my blog from www.hanselminutes.com… A site I didn’t know about. As soon as I got a decent wifi coverage I went to see what it was about… And it was a podcast!
From his own description,
Hanselminutes is a weekly audio talk show with noted web developer and technologist Scott Hanselman and hosted by Carl Franklin. Scott discusses utilities and tools, gives practical how-to advice, and discusses ASP.
Being a copilot in Iceland can be either stressing or boring. It depends if you are going to an almost unmarked farm where you will spend the night or just in the middle of an unending straight road. And in the boredom moments, I decided to compile a list of things we had packed and were really useful. I hope this helps you in your next trip!
Fishing line: Fishing line is quite useful for several things.