I spent some time today making wooden shields for Joseph Darr’s birthday. After they dry I plan to paint one to look like a combination of the Hylian shield and Links wooden shield. The others will get the initial of the family names for his guests.
Shield making: Part 1 Read Post »
When I was seventeen I was in foster care and many of my life decisions were under direct control of the state. I knew that when I became eighteen I would gain some more freedoms. One of these was the ability to vote and participate more fully in trying to change the system.
I already had some interest in political science and history, so I decided to research it further. I read a few different books concerning different political parties and I ran across The Advocates for Self Government. This was 1997-1998 and the internet was still quite new. I remember opening Netscape and navigating to the site and reading articles by Dr. Mary Ruwart and others there concerning libertarianism. I also signed up for the Liberator Online newsletter on my Hotmail account.
I found the principles of libertarianism to be quite appealing after having spent my life in direct control of the state. After all the reading, I decided I best identified with the Libertarian Party and registered as a Libertarian on my birthday. After deploying with the Army Reserves to Iraq and realizing how bad of a decision that was for us as a country and wanting to try to more actively change things; I later became active with in the LP at the County and State level. I have since moved to Texas and I have not yet become active with the Party locally out here but I intend to in the future.
Why did I register to vote as a Libertarian? Read Post »
I’ve seen many Windows users express interest in trying out Linux lately. One of the first questions a new user may ask is which Linux distribution should they install? For those that are unaware of what a Linux distribution is, here is a quick answer: “A Linux distribution (often called a distro for short) is an operating system made as a software collection based on the Linux kernel and, often, on a package management system” (Wikipedia).
There are literally hundreds of Linux distros out there. DistroWatch (a popular website for information on Linux distros) has over 800 Linux distros currently listed on the website. It can be very easy to fall into decision paralysis while looking over all the choices. I’m going to attempt to make this easier for you by limiting the list to my top five choices for a new Linux user.
1. Ubuntu (ubuntu.com)
Ubuntu is one the best known Linux Distributions out there and is known for its ease of use. Ubuntu has many variants but its best known for its default configuration with the Unity Desktop Interface. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of ubuntu (literally, “human-ness”), which often is translated as “humanity towards others” or “the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity”.
2. Linux Mint (linuxmint.com)
Linux Mint is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu and Debian. Linux Mints goal is to provide a more complete out-of-the-box experience by including browser plugins, media codecs, support for DVD playback, Adobe Flash, Java and other components. Linux Mint is primarily known for using the Cinnamon and MATE desktops.
3. Fedora (getfedora.org)
Fedora is developed by the community-supported Fedora Project and sponsored by Red Hat. Fedora has a reputation for focusing on innovation, integrating new technologies early on and working closely with upstream Linux communities. The default desktop in Fedora is the GNOME desktop environment and the default interface is the GNOME Shell.
4. openSUSE (openSUSE.org)
openSUSE is widely used throughout the world, particularly in Germany. The focus of its development is creating usable open-source tools for software developers and system administrators, while providing a user-friendly desktop, and feature-rich server environment. The openSUSE project is a community program sponsored by SUSE Linux and other companies.
5. Manjaro Linux (manjaro.org)
Manjaro Linux is based on Arch Linux, which utilizes the Xfce desktop environment, a rolling release update model, and the Pacman package manager. Arch is known as a highly customizable Linux Distro and Manjaro attempts to make installation and use easier for the user.
If you are still undecided on which version to install, I would recommend most my first two suggestions of Linux Mint or Ubuntu. They both offer very easy installations, a wide variety of software and a large amount of community support.
Top five Linux distributions known for ease of use Read Post »
Sarah has always wanted a window seat. She also needed an area to store her sheet music for choir, piano teaching and show tunes. So I came up with a solution that fills both roles. For the base I used an Ikea Kallax Shelving Unit and placed it on the ground horizontally. I just really didn’t feel like building that part of the project. For the top portion I simply took two 2×4 pine boards and cut them down to the size I wanted (58 inches). I then cut four cross pieces to be 19 inches in length. I countersunk in the screes to connect the boards into a frame. I then painted the frame white. Across the top I placed four boards (1×6) that I had cut to 59 inches in length and stained. I attached them with finish nails and I also placed wood glue on the 2×4 boards they rested on. Overall, I am pretty happy with the finished project.
Window seat and music storage Read Post »
