Level: 2 blocks – busted this one out before 8 AM. Really ties the room together.
#! My Linux Journey
I’ve been using Linux on my Toshiba NB205-N210 netbook for about 3 years. It seems much longer because of the sheer amount of information I have absorbed about Linux, open source, and operating systems in general in that time. Most of the people I know have very little experience with Linux. Many wonder why I would go through the process of converting from Windows (or OSX), given the learning curve one has to traverse to become comfortable using a Linux OS as a daily driver. Linux isn’t for everyone, but there have been significant improvements in its desktop environment(s) to make the transition not as frightening as it once was.
I started down the Linux path partly out of curiosity and partly out of presumed necessity. I had run Knoppix off of a live CD about 10 years ago, so I knew a little about Linux and wanted to try it out on a full install. When I came to Japan in 2009 I had just bought a $300 Toshiba NB205-N210 netbook. It was very resource limited running XP, even then, and ran clunky on the modern web. But it got the job done, for the most part. But as a couple years past it became more and more bogged down, updates took an eternity, programs locked up, and all the rest that comes from running a netbook on XP. This I cringed and coped with.
Windows XP (as some will remember) locked the operating system GUI into the particular language it was installed as. My XP was in English, but certain programs were needed here in Japan that used a Japanese interface (my ISP had software that needed to run to troubleshoot my connection). There programs would throw up dialog boxes filled with jibberish, making using them darn near impossible. Of course this became a real issue since I didn’t have the networking skills to manage my connection manually (yes, that is sad) and needed my ISP’s helper program to auto configure. My rather risky decision then was to install a Japanese copy of Windows XP (acquired nefariously) and start from there. Surprisingly this worked, but because it wasn’t a fully-legit install the Service Pack updates were held back, locking the OS from important security updates.
This setup was good for only a few months as XP drained away my mini netbooks already meager resources. This led me to experiment with Linux again, first with a Debian live CD, then a botched dual boot that made my Windows partition inaccessible. Finally, I fully wiped everything and put Debian Wheezy on as my sole OS – and my computing life changed.
It was smooth, fast, reliable, and offered all the same functionality and more. I stuck with standard Debain 7 for a few months, learning Linux as I went. Eventually I became proficient enough to begin searching for a new distribution that could run the best on my extremely low-spec machine. That led me to Crunchbang Linux (#!), a Debian based distro that is stripped down and uses the openbox window manager, tint2, and conky – giving it a retro look but making it lightening quick. Boot time clocks in at 46 seconds (power on to login screen,1:01 after login and all the services load) and that is after a long hard drive encryption pass phrase is entered and GRUB2 is prompted via a keystroke. It could be even quicker! My desktop environment isn’t clogged up with icons and widgets. In fact, icons aren’t even a possibility (by default) unless you install another full desktop environment, defeating Crunchbangs primary purpose. Have a look for yourself:
I have lived within this setup for about 2 years and loved every minute of it. Crunchbang is not for beginners, but I came to it still relatively fresh to Linux and have learned as I went. This distro has been extremely helpful in my learning process since it doesn’t hide behind all the bells and whistles the modern desktop based systems exploit (Ubuntu). It has kept my crap Toshiba netbook alive well past its expiration date. Oh, and it works!
Using this distribution has significantly impacted my Linux IQ. I plan to take the Linux LPI Essentials and the LPIC-1 in a few weeks time. I am doing that just for my own amusement, since I don’t work in the technology sector and probably never will. Pass or fail, I am certain that my knowledge of computers, operating systems, and Linux is far better than the average bloke.
Having said all that, it was sad to hear that my Crunchbang distro is ceasing to be developed by the maintainer (one person!). There is a chance that it might be continued by other developers, but you never know. In the meantime I have been experimenting with Puppy Linux (a small distro that I can run entirely in memory and off a SD card) and looking into switching to Arch as my next distro. (it’s big enough, always current, and a rolling release so I never have to to a clean version install) Linux is always an adventure!
Review: LPI Linux Essentials Certification All-in-One Exam Guide
LPI Linux Essentials Certification All-in-One Exam Guide by Robb Tracy
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
Where to begin with this train wreck. I understand that providing accurate and up to date guides for tests like the LPIC can be a difficult task, but this particular book is riddled with too many errors to simply ignore or chalk up to the dynamic nature of Linux. There are errors in key commands like groupmod (the author tells of an -A option to add users, a completely non-existent option!), basic errors in describing the how sub-shells spawn, and a completely incomplete analysis of openssh configuration. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Only a few of the chapters are free of error and even the practice questions in the text have editing mishaps. This is especially frustrating because students studying for the LPI Linux Essentials exam are expecting reliable info and especially want practice questions they can trust.
Countless times throughout this book I had to jump to the Internet or other texts to to verify information in the book. More often than not, this books text is either very poorly worded or just plain wrong. Here is one choice example describing the mv command:
“The mv command is used much like cp. However, it copies the specified directory to the new location in the file system and then deletes the original.”
The layman might assume this is correct, but if you read any documentation about the mv command you know that this is plainly wrong! The only time a copy and delete is performed is when you mv files across file systems. Basic errors like this left my head wanting to implode. Other times the author seems to focus exclusively on Fedora systems and left out the appropriate Debian command or file system location for a configuration file. Another egregious example, the text completely neglects to mention aptitude or apt-get when discussing package management! The LPI tests expect you to have knowledge of both Red Hat and Debian systems, so this type of oversight can’t be forgiven.
But yet I pushed on through the book, marking errors along the way and hoping for some valuable material to be gained. There is a lot of info on PC hardware that I suppose could be useful to someone, but I think it was way too extensive and not at all relevant to the LPI Essentials exam.
But extensive irrelevant information can’t even begin to make up for hideous errors on commands that are essential not only to the Essentials exam but all future understanding of Linux. Here is one choice pick: “The * regular expression matches any number of characters…”! Any basic manual on regular expressions and grep will tell you that * matches zero or more of the preceding character. So when this book instructs me, repeatedly, that grepping eth* will match eth1, eth2, eth3 (etc.) I cringe! I could go on but I am at a lost for words.
Other textbooks on Linux have errors (Oreilly!), but they have been conscientious enough to create an online errata that addresses these short comings. The LPI in a Nutshell has quite a few errors (though not usually command line syntax), but the author thoughtfully replied to hundreds of emails to ensure the right info gets passed on to the reader. McGraw Hill has no such addendum available.
Why did I get this book? Plain and simple, it is one of only a few on Amazon that specifically deals with the LPI Essential Certification (so choice is limited). It also has a practice exam CD, which I was the most interested in. And here is the most bizarre and telling thing about this guide. The CD-ROM is only compatible with Windows! That says it all folks. A guide for a Linux certification give you a practice test for a Windows computer. I’m practicing for this test on a Debian system, testing commands, checking my systems configuration files and all that good stuff – and then this book hands me this CD I can’t natively run unless I go over to that evil box in the other room. For shame! Oh…and the custom test engine on that CD – 43 practice questions nearly identical to those found in the book (regular expression errors and all!) and another 40 question simulation test that was suppose to mimic the real test. I was really looking forward to that, but guess what, it is 40 of the exact same practice questions – just with a 60 minute timer added – genius! When you run the test again it just reshuffles the same 40 questions! 40 questions! Apparently there is another “extra” test I can access on-line but I am too disgusted at this point to even bother.
If you really want to better prepare for the Essentials Certification, a far better text is the free one recommended on the LPI website written by Linux Front GmbH. This and the Sybex’s “Linux Essentials” by Roderick Smith should be way more helpful and put the learner on the right track. Even better, look at some of the non McGraw Hill books on the LPIC-1 and use that knowledge for the Essentials cert.
Samurai Paper Muji
Muji always manages to keep me entertained. This paper samurai model took up a good chunk of an evening, but I was pleased with the results. Along with the Muji paper Himeji Castle, this towering statue really ties the micro-man cave together.
Review: My Spiritual Journey
My Spiritual Journey by Dalai Lama XIV
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Yes, I am giving the Dalai Lama two stars. Not that there isn’t valuable material here, there always is when it comes to the DL. But to market this as a spiritual autobiography is a bit unfair to the reader. This is primarily a political track emphasizing the Tibetan government in exile’s current position in relation to China. As far as spiritual writing goes, there is a fair bit of that as well. But what this book doesn’t do enough of is tell the story of the Dalai Lama’s early spiritual development. There are snippets of the past, the odd antidote and such, but not enough of what I was expecting.
If your searching for insights into DL’s early life, upbringing, or behind the scenes of is formative years then you might be sorely disappointed in this release. There is just enough pragmatic spiritual to pull the reader through, and it certainly is a very quick read – so no harm no foul Mr. Lama.
Review: LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell
LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell by Adam Haeder
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A compehensive look at all the objectives on the LPIC1, though slightly dated in its lack of GRUB2, systemd and udev coverage. The first half, focusing on the 101 exam, does a decent job of bringing the reader along with concepts and practical exercises. The second half, focusing on exam 102, is a bit convoluted in its presentation of the material, leaving many of the underlying concepts not fully explained or deductively presenting key information without explanation of foundation concepts.
As a whole, preparing for the LPIC1 with this book alone might prove difficult. But supplemented by other texts, online tutorials, along with constant practice of the commands, configuration files and concepts that this book does cover should give the test taker a fighting chance on test day.
2015 – a year of making
There is no end to the amount of projects I have lined up this year. Big or small, artsy, mechanical, physical – There is something creative ready to be made any day of the this year. I started small with some Nanoblock projects and Micro Man Cave scaping. Projects like this often kickstart other parts of my brain and helps me focus.
A stocking stuffer that absorbed more than 3 hours was this great Nanoblock set depicting the Sapporo Clock Tower, a city landmark that is still one of my favorite places to visit. Instructions gave it a 2 out of 5 difficulty, but that’s slightly underrated.
This Week’s Brew – Kin Mugi
Continuing in the 187 Yen, 500 ml can, not-exactly-beer trend; this week’s brew hails from Suntory, which seems to be matching it up as a direct competitor with the other big brewer’s happosei (low malt liqueur infused third type beer). Kin Mugi and it’s ubiquitous blue can is seen everywhere in adverts throughout Japan. Suntory has really been pushing it, especially with the consumption tax hike that took effect last spring.
It stacks up pretty well with my other go to happosei, Sapporo’s White Belg. I enjoyed it slightly more but overall it is nothing to write home about.(but apparently enough to blog to the world about) Basically, it is a very cheap 5% alcohol beerish beverage to pick up for a Friday evening wind down. I especially love how the label declares “Rich Malt” prominently in large gold font, when that hardy can be the case. Still, nice try Suntory. I tried my best to enjoy this in “relaxing time”.
Beer Type Thingy
In a previous post I wrote of what I mistakenly referred to as malt beer (happoshu). It actually is a low-malt beer with under 67% of parts representing malt. This is the standard Japan uses when taxing alcohol. Anything under 67% is in a lower tax bracket, thus contributing to its lower cost.
Well, as it turns out, Japan’s major breweries have found even more ways to save consumers their fiercely protected yen – a daisan no biru, or “third type beer”, consisting of under 25% malt infused with liqueurs and other dubious ingredients(thus entering an even lower tax bracket). Basically, via very careful mixology and because of rather bizarre/antiquedated tax laws, the big breweries have created artificial beer (but with alcohol). It is the cheapest available “beer” in the supermarket, and since I am not a stickler for taste but more interested in “does this can of brew help me forget this insultingly boring job that holds me hostage for much of the day?” – I was more than willing to hop on the happosei(as third type beers are labeled on the can) bandwagon.
I bought Sapporo’s White Belg solely based on its unique can and its low-low price. The can explains, in English, that it is made from coriander seeds (liqueur), orange peel (liqueur), and Belgian malts (very little). All fancy scientific brewing techniques aside, this wasn’t all that bad. Beer experts will complain about metallic tastes and whatnot, but a 500 ml can costing only 187 Yen (Tokou Supermarket) and enjoyed on my flowered balcony looking out towards Mt. Moiwa on an early fall evening – that’s a pretty good drink.
Yogurt
It may seem surprising, but yogurt is very popular in Japan. Since Hokkaido is famous for its dairy industry, there is no shortage of yogurt based products to choose from. I was able to sample some great yogurt drinks from the island’s northern region at a recent farmer’s market held at Hokkaido University.
Of course, Japan’s most famous yogurt based probiotic drink is made by Yakult and packaged in small single shot serving size plastic bottles. They are a mainstay for the Japanese diet, be it for breakfast or as a quick refresher.
But what I like most about the drink is the “Yakult Ladies” who deliver it by bicycle through the streets of Sapporo (and other cities throughout Japan). They do this come rain or shine, snow, sleet or hail. It’s a quant addition to city life that I really love. Reminds me of the milkman from 1950s America.
