Razer Krait first impressions

My Razer Krait showed up today and I’ve been using it for a few hours now so I thought I would share my first impressions of it.

I am specifically NOT going to review it in the standard “gee whiz bang new gaming mouse” fashion. I really don’t think you care what exactly the box looks like, I know I didn’t – you only look at the box for a second, then open it and toss it aside anyway. Nor do I care to have an itemized list of items included – every piece of hardware comes with a generic instruction book and a driver install CD.

To read the entire review click here

Ubuntu Roadmap for Gutsy Gibbon announced

The fine dev’s at Canonical have let out their plans for the next release of Ubuntu Linux. Ubuntu releases every 6 months with a new version number (and a cute and fuzzy nickname). The next release will be in October of2007, version 7.10 (get the drift?) and will be named Gutsy Gibbon. What’s planned? Read on…

Keyboard redux (and a mouse too…)

Well, the keyboard showed up last week, what a disappointment. I knew going into it that it was a refurbished item, presumably refurbed by Microsoft as it is their hardware. But when I got it the “N” key required about 4x the pressure of the other keys to register the keystroke.

I kept having thoughts about the “ANY” key not working right… Way too many years of end user tech support.

Sadly they made me pay for the return RMA shipping (another $15) and won’t cross ship the new keyboard, even with a UPS tracking number. So right now this keyboard is at $45 in total cost and at least three weeks post purchase to ownership (minimum, I’ll keep you posted on total length to ownership…). I should have bought a new one for $50 and been done with it.

As a bonus we found that we had a few extra dollars in the bank account. A very unexpected surprise as we usually have not enough in the account. So I splurged and ordered a Razer Krait and ExactMat from TigerDirect. They’ll be here on Thursday!

I think this will start my first foray into hacking. As we all know, Razer is suspiciously absent in their Linux support, so I’ll be trying to hack Razertool to work with the Krait.

Stay tuned for the progress…

An excellent Ubuntu Linux FAQ

While surfing the Ubuntu Support Forums I found a link to this little gem of a FAQ for Ubuntu Linux. Give it a look and tell me again why does the world want Windows?

I’m going to Ubuntu Live 2007!

Woohoo! I just found out that I won a pass to the Ubuntu Live 2007 Conference! I entered a giveaway contest at Phoronix and just received notification from Michael that I am the lucky recipient!

Fortunately I already gave the heads up to my boos that I amy not be available on these days, I can’t “play hookie,” my conscience absolutely kills me just thinking about it. Next I suppose I should figure out which sessions I want to attend and won’t be WAY over my head.

Tell you what, dear reader (all 1 of you in the last two days according to the logs…) – Take a gander at the Ubuntu Live Schedule and see what you think would be a good selection for an experienced Windows power-user but a newbie to the Linux experience. Leave your suggestions in the comments area for this post.

GimpShop Review – Part III

Had the time so I thought I would do it. Part three of my GimpShop review is up! In this installment we’ll finish up with the logo we started and discuss the use of Transform and Alpha Channels in GimpShop. Also covered is cropping the image, and of all the things we’ve done, this is probably the most different from Photoshop…

Click here to see the the third installment…

GimpShop Review Part II

Yesterday we were talking about GimpShop and comparing it to Photoshop in a usability and functionality aspect. I showed you how to make a logo the “wrong” way and as promised I will now show you how to make it the “right” way.

To be honest, there are many different methods to accomplish the same end result in most photo editing programs. As I explained about drop shadows being the same item that was offset with a blur filter and a touch of transparency, these are two different methods (drop shadow script and manually editing) to accomplish the same thing. I’m sure some of the more experience Photoshop users out there will agree with this point.

In this part we will look at the basics of layers and filters in GimpShop and get half way to finishing the logo I promised…

For the complete Part II of this review click here!

GIMPShop Review Part I

As with most Windows to Linux converts I soon learned that there are certain applications that I seem to not be able to live without, and unfortunately there are not Linux versions of these same apps. Some that come to mind include WinAmp and Photoshop. I’ll talk about WinAmp later, for now, lets talk Photoshop.

By Photoshop I, of course, mean Adobe’s Photoshop.

As an alternative, Ubuntu comes with a free (as in beer) image manipulation program called GIMP, the GNU Image Manipulation Program. By “comes with” I mean that it is installed automatically when you install Ubuntu. So I gave it a try. Boy was that ever an exercise in futility for a long time Photoshop user. Everything was in different places, things were done differently and the learning curve appeared to be quite steep with less than stellar results. But it was there and it was free, and I thought that if I was going to embrace Linux, I better step up to the plate and live the life. And it hurt!

Enter GIMPShop …

For the rest of the review click here!

What a week…

I currently work as a Audio-Visual Techician at a conference center in the Columbia River Gorge, just 45 scenic minutes away from Portland. This weeks big guest was Keen shoes.

Wow, these folks have got it going on. I didn’t sign an NDA so am free to say what I wish about the conference, but I feel a little uncomfortable about it because of some of the content. I will say that the things they are doing to remain at the front of the environmentally responsible movement are incredible and to be admired.

And they have some just plain cool innovation. Things like injecting their soles directly onto their shoe uppers reducing the stitching and completely eliminating the use of adhesives in the making of their shoes. Did I mention their anatomically shaped left and right socks with the seam under the toe? How about a vanilla scented rubber? Sustainability has become a real watchword to these guys and gals, and I really believe in their cause.

I mention this because I had really planned on updating this blog more than once a week, but these folks had me running like crazy.

By title I am the Audio-Visual Technician I; as in the Roman Numeral I. You could call me The One but that would be inaccurate, there are a few Audio-Visual Technician II’s that don’t work for me. That’s right, I’m the senior but my subordinates don’t work for me.

Sigh…

It’s not really tough work but it gets tough over time. Especially when you have to do the work of several people, often times by yourself, often times while having to balance the needs of the guests. Ever try to hoist a 9′ by 12′ screen by yourself? While listening to a radio call asking to get someones wifi working on their laptop?

How about setting up 50 feet of pipe and drape behind a stage that’s already up and against the wall and in the meantime the guest enters the room and declares “When can we have the projectors running? We were supposed to be rehearsing at 6 this morning and it’s already 6:15 and I don’t see any projectors.” Did I mention that they want their laptops to be about 100 feet from the screen and none of the cabling is run yet?

The show went off without a hitch, other than the occasional surreptitious exchange of wireless microphones and the errant pressing of the mute button during the exchange. They are a fun group and I really look forward to seeing them again next year. They had fun and in the process we all did too.

I slept all day today. OK, so I was up at 6, mowed the lawn for an hour, then 1966 version of Planet of the Apes then slept for the rest of the day. Boy did I need it!

A new keyboard

I bought a new keyboard today. New is not really right – it’s a refurbished Microsoft Natural somethingorother 4000 from eBay.

Why?

Easy – I’ve been using MS Keyboards for a loooong time – since 98 or so when they released the Natural Elite. I was a crappy typer, and I still am, but the split keys forced me to type faster and better. My current keyboard is a Microsoft Ergo-wireless-desktop-something-2000 that includes a wireless keyboard and mouse. It’s nice actually, not a split key but more of a curved contiguous keyboard, more of a standard keyboard but big enough for my meat-hook hands.

The problem is that I have rediscovered gaming. Yep, I’m one of those. My discovery came AFTER I upgraded to Ubuntu/Linux about a month ago and found that the top first person shooters all support native Linux playing. Lately it’s been Unreal Tournament 2004 and Quake-III.

The rediscovery isn’t really the problem. The problem is that my current Microsoft Ergo wirelessdesktopsomething 2000 is missing a few keys after I threw it against the wall in frustration over an undocumented “feature.” See, Microsoft thought it a good idea that their wireless keyboard should have a timeout on a continued keypress thinking that it must be a hot key. In fact I find myself pressing directional keys continuously when gaming.

Picture this… You are in a tournament armed with lazer blasters, machine guns, rocket launchers, grenade launchers and sniper rifles. Your opponents are armed the same. You are running wildly through a landscape chasing down someone on the opposing team. A landscape you are thoroughly unfamiliar with. A landscape with pads that catapult you three hundred feet in the air. Where gravity is sometimes 10% of Earth. You are zigging, zagging, dodging left, dodging right, your crosshairs finally fall on the center of your enemies back after chasing him for what seems like miles. Your right index finger comes down on the mouse button to fire the killing blow and

ugh…

None of your keys are responding. You can aim but you can no longer maneuver around the trees. You are stopped motionless and then

WHAM

the enemy that was following you following his teammate just blew the back of your head off with a rocket.

Damn keyboard!