Month: February 2014

Throwback Thursday: Zip Disks and Red Hat 5.2

An unopened Zip disk and Red Hat 5.2
Steven Tompkins really outdid himself with this find.

The latest issue of the magazine was a bit late, but the delay was worth it.

Steven Tompkins, our fellow podcast co-host came upon an unopened Zip Disk and a copy of Red Hat 5.2 at the local Salvation Army.  Talk about throwbacks!

Back when it was called Central Missouri State University, I job shadowed somebody who was a web developer.  I was eventually led to another part of the campus that was technologically oriented.

When I entered one room, I was told that no Microsoft products were on any of the machines.  I was shown WindowMaker and GNOME if memory serves.  Among the distros that was mentioned was Red Hat.

Zip Disks themselves were designed by Iomega to be used as a successor to floppy disks, but were replaced by flash storage instead.  I remember every computer on that campus having a Zip drive.

My how far we’ve come!

Issue #8 is Now Available!

An unopened Zip disk and Red Hat 5.2
Steven Tompkins really outdid himself with this find.

The newest issue of The *Nixed Report digital magazine is now available in PDF.  This is the second issue that was created and edited using Google Drive.  This is a technology-focused issue, so Overlooked Pop Culture won’t be as prevalent.

In this Issue

  • ./: Steven Tompkins acquired an old ZIP disk (never been opened) and a copy of Red Hat Linux 5.2
  • DistroJourney: Fedora 20 is the first stop for this year’s journey.
  • Low Power Revolution: We take a look at the ARM-based Samsung Chromebook and Steven Tompkins’s Raspberry Pi.

The magazine may be downloaded here.

Good News Saturday: Austin Evans

Picture of Austin Evans
He runs a popular YouTube channel that focuses on computers, mobile devices, and more.

This individual has a popular YouTube Channel that covers technology.  Some of his videos include browser tests, mobile device reviews, and more.

A techie at heart, he had the misfortune of a fire at his apartment.  He was able to get out, but most of his stuff was destroyed.

He goes through everything in a video, and an interesting thing happened.

While going through misfortune, he manages to keep a level head.  He even manages to crack some jokes in the video below.

 

 

Friday Epic Fail: One Cop and a Golden Shower

Crotch shot of some dude's boxers.
Hey. It’s cool if I pee on you, right? What, you mad bro? (Image from here under this license).

Thomas Holbrook II

It’s the story of a guy named Noah, and he was at this frat party in Albany, New York.  The cops decided to bust said party, which is such a downer.

Then he got a brilliant idea, and since he was in such a giving mood…….

…..he bestowed upon one of the officers the honor of receiving a golden shower.  Yes, he peed on a member of law enforcement.  He could have tried running or even throwing up hands, but he chose the path of least resistance and just let it all flow out.

Oh, and he had a fake driver’s license too.

All I’ve got to say to Noah is don’t drop the soap bro.  Don’t drop the soap.

Throwback Thursday: Dial-Up

Old School Modem
Image Courtesy of Leon Brooks under Public Domain.

By Thomas Holbrook II

I went to school at the Leeton R-X school district in Missouri.  The computer lab was quite humble.

There were mostly DOS machines with some Windows 3x machines connected together via Novel Netware.  It wasn’t until about 1996 that Internet access became available.

Before I graduated high school in 2002, we had one major upgrade.  Windows 98 with Office 2000.  It’s amazing how a school could fall behind on technology.

At least the Internet connection was fast.  I remember to this day having to deal with dial-up.  It was mostly through my dad’s AOL connection, and heaven help me if I had any Windows Updates.

This was before I delved into this thing known as Linux, or rather GNU/Linux.  One of the reasons I wanted to have regular access to hi speed Internet was due to the prevalence of soft modems.

Linux-based drivers were difficult to come by back then.

Access via Ethernet was an appropriate way around that problem.  I do have fond memories of dial up, though I’ll admit that I’d be frustrated today, though not nearly as much as with a mobile hotspot that’s going at Edge Network speeds.

Truth be told, I came into the computer culture late in the game.  I never got to experience the dial-in BBS’es that others had the pleasure of using to talk to each other and trade files with.

It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I actually utilized IRC.  I can only imagine the amount of lag from all the conversations at once.

These days, I feel fortunate.  There’s a straight up monthly fee for access (while a price guarantee is in effect).  Long distance fees for access are a thing of the past.

Yet I still remember the excitement while exploring vast communities and dreaming of things that I wouldn’t have otherwise attempted to accomplish.

Dial-up modems still exist to this day, and there are still plenty of dial-up users out there.  Sometimes, the old reliable is all that’s needed.  Hopefully, I won’t have to use that as an only option.

With that said, I appreciate the legacy.  What are your memories of dial-up access?

Wednesday Weekly Links: February 5, 2014

Wednesday Weekly Links

Ah, the month of February.  Cupid is in the air, and love is all around us.  Sometimes that feeling shows itself in strange ways, especially this week.

There’s creative amusing love, reciprocated love, tough love, and more.  This week, we’ll explore a few examples both in the technology and pop culture realms.

Unix

  • Nixie Pixel: Her site is full of tech, video games, and all around nerdiness.  After seeing her respond on Slashdot to both positive and negative comments, it was only fitting to have her site linked this week.
    Screenshot of Nixie Pixel's comment on Slashdot defending herself against negative comments and appreciating positive feedback.
    Well articulated defense!

     

  • Toshiba Chromebook Hits the Scene (MaximumPC): Google’s cloud-based OS is finding itself on more devices.  Toshiba’s offering is Intel-based and has a 720p webcam, which means high quality video for YouTube.  One can either get it from the company for $300 USD or from other venues for $280 USD when it becomes available.
  • The Day the Light Came On for Eddie (FOSS Force): Ken “helios” Starks tells the story of a teen wanting to learn Python as well as an offer made to a family member regarding their GPA and a new computer.  It’s a heart warming story.

 

Overlooked Pop Culture

  • Maddox Responds to Backlash Against Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola’s Super Bowl ad with America the Beautiful being sung in multiple languages has caused quite a stir.  Maddox responds with an image of his own, and sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words.  It’s well worth the read, especially given the hypocrisy of today’s society.
  • Maddox Responds to “Inspiration:” Why link to his site twice in the same week?  Simple.  He’s Maddox.  While there are times for inspiration and positive thinking, people sometimes take things a bit too far as he illustrates in his piece against the motivational speaking industry.
  • Snow Day Announced Creatively (KSHB): Tim Reves, the Principal of Cedar Creek Elementary announced a snow day over the phone to his students to the tune of What Does the Fox Say.  Needless to say, nobody asked how Reves felt.