Keeping the Faith in Frisco

Mandriva Linux on a Dell D630

2007-11-08T15:16:00.001-08:00

i have a lot of excited raving to do about this distro++(see the bottom of this post), and the results i got on my laptop, but i moved all that to the bottom of this post, so that you, the reader, would not get frustrated and leave... so let's get right to it... most everything works, so there's not a lot of technical stuff to report...

Dell Latitude D630 with Mandriva Linux 2008 (PowerPack) (note; i started with the free 2008 One live CD, and when that worked with my system, i decided to support the company and bought a 1 year subscription for the PowerPack)

Intel Centrino Core Duo T7100 @ 1.8 GHz - works properly

Intel® Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (965 Chipset) - works properly

14.1 WXGA LCD Panel 1280x800 - works properly

1.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS - works properly

80GB² SATA Hard Drive, 9.5MM, 5400RPM - works properly

Standard Touchpad - works, but haven't figured out how to change settings (pad is ultra-sensitive)

24X CD-RW/DVD - works properly

Ethernet: Broadcom Nextreme Gigabit - works properly

Wireless (VERY IMPORTANT) Intel Pro/Wireless 3945 - works properly!

Integrated sound card (part of the chipset i guess) - works properly (but see below)**

6 Cell Lithium-Ion battery - works properly... i get the same up time as i did on XP

USB ports - working properly

"Fn" key + the various function keys - working properly (ie. battery usage display, brightness controls, standbye...)

PCMCIA slot - haven't tried it yet.

Earphone jack - haven't tried it yet

microphone line in - haven't tried it yet

i should also mention that the the volume buttons just above the keyboard do not work under linux - (THIS HAS BEEN FIXED!) it's as simple as selecting "System\Preferences\Keyboard Shortcuts" from the menu, and then selecting the actions and corresponding volume keys above the keyboard (i'm in Gnome, i am sure it's just as easy to find in KDE)... as i learn more about Linux, the more i realize that it truly is a complete answer to all my computing, and a VERY viable solution to the "windows problem".

**ok, the "weird sound issue". i have seen one other Mandriva user mention this problem (on the Mandriva boards) that i had when i first installed the distro... for some reason, the speakers make a loud hissing noise that at first makes you think that your fan is going at full blast. i played around and realized it was the sound of speakers on full blast with no sound coming out... just that loud hissing. it's a trip. :-)

i solved the issue by opening up the volume control and selecting the "HDA Intel (Alsa mixer)", then hit the "Recording" tab. on the first field "MUX", either slide the controls to the bottom or (what i did) simply click on the icons at the bottom to "X" them out, turning them off. i don't know anything about recording, so i have no idea what MUX is for, but for now, it solves the "hissing" problem and it has had no effect on my sound system in any other way.

++OK, LET ME RAVE EXCITABLY FOR A MINUTE... why a posting on my latest "tech obsession"? well, i finally made the switch to Linux... i have been wanting to drop windows for a long time, and i finally found the answer: and the winner is? Mandriva. why this distro? it was the first distro to really "just work" for the most part on my Dell laptop (although today i gave the Fedora 8 live CD a try... it's just as good). i am very proficient on the PC, i can do just about anything on windows that needs to be done, but i am brand new to Linux, and i needed a distro that worked right out of the box (or rather, right out of the download) and would let me focus on learning Linux file systems, package management & networking... and not keep me tied up spending days messing with my basic system configurations like wifi and screen resolution.

i know that i could have bought a Dell Inspiron 1420 with Ubuntu already installed, but i didn't want an Inspiron, i wanted a Latititude D630... it was worth waiting a few months for Linux to get caught up with my hardware... needless to say, i specifically told Dell to NOT install Vista, but to give me plain old XP home addition. i had every intention of switching to Linux once i learned enough and found a distro that would perform well enough to run my laptop without a lot of issues...

Mandriva is the first distro to "JUST WORK" on the Dell D630, which for a newbie like me is great. i have been dual booting just in case i get screwed up with my networking and need to jump into XP for some file transfers, but i figure in another few days it will be nothing but "NUX" on this ol' laptop!

a note to other newbies... when you find a distro that really works with your laptop, and you decide to make it your OS, help out the people that develop it! if they are a company selling support, boxed sets and/or subscriptions, at least get the basic package. if they are a private citizens sharing their hard work, buy a t-shirt or anything they are selling to support their efforts (or just make a donation)... use your dollars to "vote" for Linux... it will help the development of alternatives to microsoft, and it will still be a lot cheaper than paying for windows and all that commercial software developed for it... and while you are at it... get your coffee at that little mom-n-pop shop (or even 7-eleven!) instead of that other evil monopoly that is trying to kill off the "little guy".

marc

paying lipservice to recovery

2007-06-07T16:21:00.000-07:00

recovery is serious business for many of us. those of us that have had our lives implode because of our addictions. we have not only suffered, but caused the suffering of those we love most... for us, recovery was the small window through which we barely escaped with our lives... and never intact. shattered, broken, financially and morally bankrupt... often alone, those we loved cast or shoved aside (or they fled in self-preservation).

for us, recovery is not a game. recovery is an escape route, and not an ocean liner with free cocktails and room service, but a small, leaky dingy with only one oar... and we know that if we are not vigilant, a wave of alcohol and/or drugs can capsize it... and the next time that happens may just be the time we drown.

but for some people, recovery is something different. it's a game... a cool, hip party where the alcohol and drugs are replaced (temporarily, mind you) with swapping numbers with other young celebrities and paparazzi waiting outside of your 12 step meeting. these people use recovery as just another way to create PR, get attention, have their faces broadcast on the E channel so that someone else's red carpet appearance doesn't make the public forget about them. these young wanna-bees are paying lipservice to recovery, and it's a sin, because they are telling millions of young people out there that really do have a problem that recovery isn't serious, it isn't real help... it's just a way to get people off your back or even worse; it's just a quick way to look cool and mature...

every time i hear that one of these young celebrities (and i'm sorry, but what makes them celebrities? in the old days you had to have talent and actually do something to entertain people to be called a celebrity) is going back to rehab or returning to their AA meetings and "oh, aren't they so brave" and "it's so mature that she recognizes that she has a problem" i find myself retching.

why the constant back and forth? someone underage was caught by photographers throwing up outside a drinking establishment, so they run back back to rehab... someone else has a fender-bender after a night at the disco, and their back in AA... how cool recovery looks when the young, wealthy celebs of SoCal do it... they don't care that all the sobriety chips they carry with them say "30 days"...

lipservice... they're all posers... and it's sad, because of all the young people that idolize these celebridiots think that that's how recovery works... that it's a game, a "get out of jail" card in the game of addiction... a place to go so people think your mature and responsible, but will still allow you to go clubbing again next weekend... what a disservice these spoiled, pampered snots are doing to those kids (and adults) that really need help... who is going to take the program seriously if this is how it is portrayed?

i sometimes lament that AA and NA are non-exclusive. why, because then we could tell these brats that use the program as a personal PR launching pad that they don't belong here... not yet. they need to wait until they actually hit bottom... ask danny bonaduce, tom sizemore, steven baldwin... they know what recovery is about... they hit a real bottom and (gasp!) they aren't A-listers anymore... it doesn't seem so cool now, does it?

alrgiht, i'm done. i just felt it needed to be said...

a conformist, or a punk?

2007-03-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12: 1 – 2

It would be so easy to conform to the pattern of this world, wouldn't it? To just go with the flow, to not stand out. It's strange to think that in many parts of our country that being a follower of Christ is somewhat the "norm". While here in the San Francisco Bay Area we really are viewed as the "enemy". I'm amazed at how whenever I see something in the media that addresses the apparent "intolerance" of followers of a particular faith it's the Christians that they target. What about Muslims? They disagree with the same lifestyles and “choice” issues as Christians, but you don't see them being targeted in the news... that wouldn't be politically correct, now would it?

I have been a punk-rock fan since my high school years. I like music with raw energy and lots of emotion. I have never outgrown my love of the music, and have always appreciated the fact that “punk” is a state of mind, not just a music style... it's about thinking for yourself... not going along with what everyone else is doing, so as to blend in and "keep the peace". I know that many punks would think that my being a follower of Christ would mean that i was not in any way like them... but i know that living here in San Francisco, where the “norm” is to be anti-Christian, ultra-liberal and expected to publicly boo and hiss anyone who claims to be a Believer... i am indeed a punk.

And let's not confuse being a Christian with being a Republican, ok? I believe that the Republican party will eventually lose it's grasp on the Believers in this country. They are beating a dead horse with the gay marriage and pro-life/pro-choice debates. They have used these issues to control the votes of Believers for a long time, but Believers today (at least those that i know) are concerned with many more issues than just these two political hot buttons. We need to address poverty, homelessness, lack of proper help for the mentally ill, AIDS/HIV, the insane costs of health care and the fact that this country will use it's military to help fill the pockets of the most wealthy of it's citizens... (if we REALLY believed in saving other countries from themselves we would be in DARFUR, Sudan right now).

So, this all started with a posting i did to our blog at work, but i had some things i needed vent and that is not the place to do it... i have kept this blog because i knew at some point that i would eventually want to post my thoughts, but how often i get around to it we will just have to wait and see...

Niner and Raiders, oh my!

2006-10-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

well, at least one of my local teams won a game... to bad it was at the expense of another losing...

what a year we are having, huh? the niners are looking pretty good (compared to last year, anyway), real "scrappy" and fiesty... the radiers just look tired. it's sad to hear these comments in the media about Moss "losing hope" and wanting to be traded... all the raiders really need (well, they need a lot, but in my opinion the most important thing...) is to revamp that offensive line... Art Shell!!!! do something man!!!!! if there were anything he should understand, it's the O-line... what a mess....

i was really disapointed that the raiders pulled Andrew Walter late in the game... at this point they should just let him play... it's the best way to learn. that's what the niners have done for Alex Smith, just let him play... eventually he will start to feel more comfortable and start to improve...

it's still a long ways to go... 12 more weeks, right? and the raider already had thier bye...

anyway, at least my fantasy team is 4 - 1... yeah baby! lost this week but that's alright... i'll bounce back big, no problem... the Toros Locos are going to the superbowl!

more later...

another month of nothing

2006-09-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

well, i did it again. why bother having a blog if you don't write in it, right?

i actually like the idea of a blog, it's a great place to vent and share ideas... it's just getting into the routine of writing in it, ya know?

i have a problem of not being able to focus on more than one or two things in my life at any given time... right now it's been work... and fantasy football. i have let school and other things suffer.

so i will take one more crack at this. either i write in my blog at least twice a week for the next month, or i hang it up.

so we'll see, ok? oh, and i will do my best to keep with the theme... because i continue to find a lot of humor and a lot of frustration in living in SF. of all the places to live when you are a politicaly and socialy moderate to conservative, evangelical christian, i had to pick SF (not like i had a choice, growing up here and marrying a woman that will never leave here, oh well).

look for updates on football, fantasy football and my latest stab at microsoft...

later and God bless,
marc

So why did i start a blog?

2006-07-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

good question, huh? i thought this would be a good place to talk about my life as a regular guy in the ultraliberal city of San Francisco. a place to vent and talk about whatever i wanted.

well, i did here what i do so often everywhere else in my life. i got all excited and jumped on it... only to get distracted by the next shiny little thing and run off in a different direction. so, i realized that i had started something fun here, and decided to stay committed to something i started for once and keep posting.

you should know that there are things in my life i stay commited to. my marriage for one. my sobriety and recvoery program for another. my job. my church. oh, and let's not forget a very important part of my life every year from September to January... my fantasy football league! what's up fellas?!? it's gonna be my year, i can feel it. look out for El Pollo Locos this season!

anyway, i'm doing here what i'm doing in other areas of my life... learning to commit to it and staying with it. so, for those of you that have commented on my blog and liked what i was saying... i'm back! and i'll keep talking about the great things about being a regular guy here if SF, and complaining about the other stuff.

so please drop by, i'll be here.

Be Aware of the Crisis in Darfur...

2006-05-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

this is a good article on the humanitarian aid currently being sent to Darfur...

http://coalitionfordarfur.blogspot.com/ the post is titled "Darfur: Aid, Though Hefty, Leaves Gaps"

and on that note, please see the links in the right-hand column on this page to learn more about the genocide that is taking place in Darfur... and please prayerfully consider signing the many email petitions that are available that get sent to our elected officials asking that the U.S. take a stronger stand in stopping this crisis. remember Rwanda? we sat by and hundreds of thousands died... we can't let it happen again. our government needs to take a stronger stance on this genocide... on our own and through the UN. let our goverment know that you care.

The Meaning of the Title

2006-04-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

over the weekend i got to thinking about the title of my blog. i realize that it would indicate a platform by which i would be talking primarily about my faith and life as a child of God. but i think i want to clarify what i meant by the title...

i find it humorous (and often frustrating) to be one of the average joes in a city like SF. the media has long ago decided to ignore us, and the general impression that most people outside of the City have of us is the far-left liberals, overturning garbage cans and smashing windows in war protests, or dressing up in drag to rally at City Hall to scream at young people that have come to pray for this City.

what people don't see are the thousands of regular, moderate to conservative, singles and families that call SF home. we are the folks that go about our lives like much of the rest of the country; we work, go to school, raise our kids and pay our taxes. many of us grew up here in Frisco or at least in the Bay Area. many of us are immigrants; we came from central America and Asia with our families (and years ago we were the Irish and Italians), looking for a place where we can raise our families... and as i have already stated, you can bet that most of us are moderate or conservative. many of us don't agree with the often far-left political stances our mayor and board of supervisors take; but rather than dressing up and hitting the streets we wait for the ballot boxes to open and try make our voice heard there.

we accept that many non-natives flock to our fair city from other parts of the US because they like what the media has portrayed us as... a place of radical ideas and a "shoot the bird at the establishment" type of attitude. an "anything goes" place. that's ok. but they shouldn't be so shocked and angry when they come across regular people living here that don't agree with all that they stand for... and besides, most of us were here first.

now, i'm not saying that i am an extreme conservative that blindly believes all that the current administration tries to shove down our throats. i don't buy into the idea that "republican = christian"... i would be a fool not to see that politicians tell us what they know we want to hear. i don't trust corporate America anymore than the far-left, "fur equals murder" vegans that hang out in the same coffee shops that i do. i take my business to the small local vendors in my neighborhood. i lament the death of the small family farm (thank goodness that we here if Frisco support our local farmer's markets and our small produce shops scattered throughout our city, allowing local farms to exist).

anyway. this blog is about all this. it is a personal soapbox, not a pulpit. will i talk about the Lord and about my faith? you bet. it's the most important thing in my life. BUT, this blog is about the daily living as the regular guy in SF. i'm sure many people, on both sides of the spectrum, will not like it, but that's ok. i'm not writing this blog to win a popularity contest, i'm writing it for my own "personal therapy" if you will. if you don't like it or don't agree with me, you don't have to read it.

later...

What a Weekend

2006-04-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

wow. busy weekend... we (my wife and i) always have church on sundays, but this weekend we also have 2 funerals and a childs birthday party. its pretty rare that we go to a funeral at all (we're young yet, most of our family and friends are young and healthy), now we have 2? makes for a somber week, i'll tell you that.

today's memorial service is Chuck. old friend of the family, really great guy. just a couple of months ago he came to see me in the hospital after a big scare due to my back surgeries (a whole 'nother story), and he looked happy and energetic. a few weeks later he starts feeling lousy, and in just a matter of 5 weeks or so he's gone... cancer of course. saw him in the hospital last week... man, he was a whole different guy from the one that came to visit me....

so anyway, we are busy paying our respect this weekend. in the middle of all this mourning we are managing to go to our nephew's birthday party... it's cool, isn't it? there is life and youth, and there is death... sometimes we see it coming sometimes we don't, but as time moves forward so do we. wow, don't i sound profound... sorry, i hate sounding like i'm trying to be a poet or or the next Thoreau...

RIP Chuck. thank you for being you, and for your love and support over the years. you were an awsome guy, a real friend to my parents and us kids. i can't help but think that God had a big pipe organ installed in heaven for you... i can picture you pounding away on it right now.

so this is how it starts

2006-04-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

well, i guess this is the start of something that i swore i would never do... keep a journal. i think that by calling it a "blog" that it doesn't give me that "oh no, this is boring and redundant" feeling. and besides, where else can i share my ideas and opinions with someone besides my captive audience (wife).

i don't think it matters if anyone reads this or not... it's more for me to sort out all the stuff in my head and express my feelings about being a regular, married straight guy and an evangelical christian in a city like SF. oh, and also about being in recovery (41/2 years clean and sober).

i don't know how often i will write in this blog... my goal is at least twice a week. in addition to dumping my thoughts onto my laptop i will probably be listing links to anything that interests me and that i think should interest everyone else... LOL

so this is how it starts... see ya' around the blog pages...
marc