Procastination Gets A Bad Name

Like a lot of people, I spend a lot of time beating myself up about the shit I’m not getting done. As I get older, life has become a long goddamn list of projects I haven’t finished, goals I haven’t achieved, people I’ve disappointed, and to do lists that aren’t getting done. Sometimes I wish I had a good excuse, like those lucky drug addicts!

But of course I’m probably just torturing myself with the endless unfinished. I feel guilty I haven’t transfered pictures over to my PDA, for example. But do I really pictures on my PDA? To show who, exactly? Why do I care? And it’s a pain - I have to pick pictures, resize, rotate and transfer. Not a big deal but big enough. So, PDA - stop torturing me!

Linux Success

Thanks Ben.

I’m writing this entry on a free low-fi computer running Dyne:bolic off of a CD in the back corner of my office. With a little help from the IT department, it’s (obviously) hooked up to the internet and doing stuff. It also lets my work computer get a little less CPU overload while it’s trying to render. Nice!

My next step is to get the thing running off the hard drive. But I don’t even SEE the hard drive from the file browser, so that’s tricky. I can’t store any settings, so I guess I just need to see how long I can keep it running.

Picnic, PCs

Lauren and I and the little kids all went out to the park for a picnic. Lauren made a bunch of popcorn and put it in grocery bag. We had salami sandwiches and Popeye’s chicken and homemade Iced Tea and the park wasn’t nearly as crowded as it could have been. We sat on two layers of blankets and talked about books we might write. When we got home, Lauren made an ice cream pie. People drifted off to sleep only to be woken by screaming progeny.

The kids came to my office and I struggled with the Linux box. They played and I had struggled and I figured out disabling the hard drive is better. I think that’s what it was. I did some photo stuff and fought with After Effects and I did it all left handed.

Sikscreen

What a great tutorial on No Media Kings about How to Silkscreen Posters and Shirts! It makes me want to set up a silk screen studio. But then I remember twenty five years ago when I went to Simon’s Rock and took a silk screening class and Bob Anderson came out so we could do posters for his band Special Guest and then Bob acciedentially got emulsifier on his leg and it started to eat through his pants as we were walking in the freezing cold weather from the studio back to the Crosby dorm so he could shower to get the emulsifier off his leg and I was laughing and laughing because he was hobbling along in such pain. I’m laughing now thinking about it, too.

Maybe I shouldn’t set up a silk screen studio. 

Linux Hades, Computers Are Free

Ben Haines is both internationally known AND he’s known to rock the microphone. Ben read about my Linux plight and suggested I try Dynebolic. That’s a bundled Linux install that boots from CD and includes some applications and most importantly is Rasta Software. Yes, it is!

Well it sort of is working. I tried it on my old computer. Didn’t work. On another system with lots of stuff. Didn’t work. On a 450 Mhz Dell, old old computer - worked! Still some problems though - networking shit that’s related to be on the work network, I reckon.

I should also point out that computers are free at this point. Forget your $100 laptops. I am literally sitting in front of a pile of free computers. Abandonded and left for dead. Just laying around and perfectly capable of doing tons of neat and creative stuff. Want a free computer? Try CraigsList. Just ask. I am very sure someone will give you one.
Okay, don’t really forget the $100 laptops because it’s a brilliant idea and good for the people of earth.