Ok, I should give credit to someone for this information — and I really WOULD if only I could remember where I found it originally.

The issue: HP 1020 printers have a known problem with Ubuntu and Kubuntu. It makes me crazy. Now back when I did my first Kubuntu system, I dug in (or begged help from someone) and managed to get it installed. Now, on Ubuntu (and my third Linux system rebuild) I had managed to forget that little “note” I’d made.

I’ve been trying for TWO WEEKS to get my printer to work. Heck, I even swapped out for three older printers I had lying around. (I really need to clean out my gadgets!) And, I was still without a working printer.

Then, this weekend, as I swapped all my notes over from BasKet Notes to Tomboy Notes, I found the little unassuming note. The process is listed here, and it works like a CHARM (although you should remember to remove any previous attempts in CUPS, reboot your system and reinstall via CUPS).

$ sudo apt-get install build-essential
$ wget -O foo2zjs.tar.gz http://foo2zjs.rkkda.com/foo2zjs.tar.gz
$ tar -zxvf foo2zjs.tar.gz
$ cd foo2zjs
$ sudo make uninstall
$ make
$ ./getweb 1020
$ sudo make install install-hotplug cups

Hope this helps someone else as much as it has helped me!

I write down everything I want to remember. That way, instead of spending a lot of time trying to remember what it is I wrote down, I spend the time looking for the paper I wrote it down on. — Beryl Pfizer

My perfect OneNote replacement will go above and beyond. It will:

Launch almost immediately – When I have a thought, an epiphany, a note, a grabbed reference from the web, a blog idea or a quote worthy of saving… I don’t want my creativity and my flow interrupted by having to wait for an application to launch.

Require Few System Resources - It would be nice if I could automatically launch my “everything” PIM on boot – and if it would sit quietly in the background (and in my systray) without sucking up all my CPU and await my commands.

Be Easy to Backup and Transport – It should backup quickly and easily on a thumbdrive and be able to be used on any computer anywhere.

Offer Web Access - It should allow me to install it or access it from my web server so I can “carry” it with me on my iPhone. It should be password protected and secure.

Be Open Source – Of course I’d want to be able to use it on my current Windows OS and on my upcoming Linux machine.

If anyone has found this type of program — without it being horribly complex — please let me know. In the meantime, I’ve downloaded and am testing Chandler to see if it will fit the bill.

(Note: Hats off to Matt’s Idea Blog for sharing the poignant quote!)

Ok, I don’t know about you, but I think this is just creepy. I like my technology, but this brings to light all my upbringing during the age of Battlestar G and Terminator movies: Nexi on YouTube

I recently added a new hard drive to my little emachines T5230 (a low-cost, high value desktop that runs Kubuntu and Ubuntu like a CHARM).

The reason for the new drive? I have a client that still needs work done on Publisher (of all things) and I cannot find an appropriate substitute for Linux-based systems. I’ll keep looking, but for now, I’m going to have a secondary Hard Drive that boots Windows XP.

I refuse to use the Windows Vista that came on the machine. In fact, I never booted the Vista. Not even once. I immediately wiped the drive and loaded up Linux. It never burped — so if you want a cool, low priced machine with lots of power for your favorite flavor of Ubuntu … this one works.

Of course, if I’m going to have XP on a hard drive, I also want to run Sims and keep my iTunes library (connected to my multi-media external drive) on the machine as well. :O)
I dread all the extra upkeep, Linux has spoiled me in the security arena.

If you have loaded up a version of XP and find that several of the drivers are missing (note the large yellow question marks when you right click on “My computer” and select “Manage” and look at the hardware devices).

Under “Other Devices” I had non-functioning status for the following:

• Other PCI Bridge Device
• PCI Device
• PCI Simple Communication Controller
• SM Bus Controller
• Unknown Device
• Video Controller

And, since I couldn’t get on the Internet to find the drivers I need (network needs a driver too), I had to reboot over to Linux to find the solution. (surprise, surprise)

The emachines download/support page was no help (they only offer the Vista versions).

I found the following drivers to fix the problems.

• Video controller from NVIDIA: Forceware Release 169
• Ethernet driver: nForce 430/410/405/400 – Windows XP/2000 32-Bit
• Audio driver: Realtek High Definition Audio Driver v. R1.76

Now, my Windows hard drive is booting properly, has all the updates and all drivers are working. I’ll be doing a bit more tweaking on this dual system in the near future, but I’m much closer now!

Hope this helps others looking to solve these issues all in one place.

I was reading about the latest type of mobile processor by Intel today and the writer, a Brian Caulfiled, wrote one of the funniest comparisons I’ve seen in awhile:

“An atom-powered device sounds powerful, even if one might hesitate to crack it open. By contrast, the Celeron sounded like a speedy vegetable.”

It’s been a long day, and maybe I’m just punchy, but I loved it!

(Note: Mr. Celery photo from BlueRocks.com.)

So, if I were to be independently wealthy … and if I were willing to wait until the second half of 2008 to get it … would this new surround-video, curved monitor from Alienware be configurable for a Linux system?

Go salivate for yourself here: http://video.techrepublic.com.com/2422-13791_11-183969.html

If you use Kubuntu and you want a command line string to easily backup the entire Linux system on an external hard drive (for regular backups as well as offsite backups), without encountering recursive errors, permission problems and other headaches, try using this TAR command from Konsole: (more…)

I’ve been following the LiveScribe Pen product since it was announced several months ago, and it occurs to me that this would be a great way for real estate agents to record meetings (and take notes) with both buyers and sellers.

How cool would it be to tap on your notes to “replay” the list of features that a potential buyer wants (when you didn’t quite have time to jot them all down?)

Personally, I’d love a way to hook this into a phone so I could take notes while consulting with a client and have the conversation “searchable” when I’m reviewing notes and completing tasks (with the client’s permission of course).

The chat-boards are already talking about my ideal paper solution — a Moleskin pocket sized notebook with the dot-pattern. Now THAT would be an awesome portable solution for this pen-and-paper loving tech-geek!

If you have a FaceBook account and want a chance at winning a pen — before they are available for sale, join the LiveScribe group. (Find out how here.) They go on sale at the end of this month.

(I’m getting a technology itch again, dang it!)

I was sent a great article today on the problems encountered by the development of multi-core processing chips (thanks, Pops!).

If you are interested in learning more about chips that are “smarter” and do more for you, if you are intrigued by the idea of hand-held mobile units that don’t need traditional keyboard and mouse inputs (think voice commands!) and processors that are “all in one” devices for computing, graphics and higher end functions — then you should read the article too.

It also points to the unveiling of a new set of programming niches for those script artists looking for a brave new place to call home. New York Times article on multi-core chips. 

Negotiations, reported by the WSJ today, may make it possible to digitally “rent” FOX movies for play on your iPod for a limited period of time.

I, for one, could really go for something like that (if the price is right). It would save me the trouble of going out to rent a movie and would give me immediate gratification when I did find a title I wanted to see. Instant gratification is nice, isn’t it?

And, it would let me “stock up” on things to watch on my iPhone right before a trip.

I like! To learn more, read the Wall Street Journal Article on iPod movie rentals.

More cool blogs and useful websites for your viewing pleasure. Today’s selection is for those creative types who design and personalize their own websites and those who help others develop unique websites.

These sites offer tools, tips, tricks and even creative motivation for web workers. Feel free to share your own favorite sites!

(more…)

I’ve made the switch to open-source. My blog is powered by WordPress and my business site will soon follow. My must-have programs are almost all open-source now. And just recently, my operating system went open-source as well.I’m running my business on Linux! Originally, I had a two year plan to make the conversion. First I was learning open-source packages that would work with Windows AND with Linux. I expected a slow adoption schedule, but I ended up switching several months early. For anyone who has been considering taking this leap, I’d like to offer a few words of wisdom.

If you are going from Windows to Linux you may want to save yourself a bit of time and research by considering theses options:

Go Kubunto – Select Kubuntu (Feisty Fawn distribution) as your first foray into the Linux realm.

• It’s a well-rounded Linux distribution.
• It can be downloaded onto a CD and you can boot a machine up almost as easily as with any Windows install – easier in some ways!
• It automatically detects most hardware and just simply WORKS. (Linux has come a long way, baby!)
• It looks and (in many ways) acts in a familiar way when you use the KDE desktop.

Basic Programs – Most of the programs you will need for basic office and Internet functions are available from within Kubuntu (in the Add/Remove Programs menu). So there will be very little need to even learn how to load packages manually for most users.

• OpenOffice.org programs (includes most office packages you will need… and then some!)
• Kopete – an IM service with cross-platform compatibility. It’s loaded in Kubuntu by default. It’s not fancy, but it just works. (Gaim is an option that works for both Windows and Linux)
• GIMP – (The GNU Image Manipulation Program = GIMP) a great little image manipulation program.
• GNUCash – a financial management package. I’m just now reviewing this one, but it looks quite promising.
• BasKet Note Pads – A note taking application and my “One Note Replacement” of choice… so far. (This is available ONLY in Linux, unfortunately. It is almost worth switching to Linux just to have this notes program!)
• GwenViewer – fast-loading image viewer which comes installed on the Kubuntu distribution. (Linux only)
• Scribus – an MS Publisher replacement. I’ve not worked with this one much (although I have it loaded) because I’ve changed my business model a bit and have decided to farm out my publisher and DTP work and concentrate on my core services. It does come highly recommended from the open-source community. (Available for Linux and Windows platforms)
• FileZilla – an FTP program and the best of show in my opinion. (Windows and Linux)
• KeePassX – a password wallet program (my replacement for eWallet) it’s an option for automatic download on Kubuntu’s additional programs menu. (The windows version is called KeePass)
• Firefox browser. ‘Nuff said.
• Thunderbird email – there are many other options for Linux – but I love this one. I have used it for quite some time over on the old Windows machine. I may investigate others later, but for now, there’s been enough change in my online life.

Customize – The machine can be as “vanilla” or as ornate as you care to make it.

• There are beautiful icons available for free to dress up your desktop. The PNG format is so much nicer (and more eye-popping) than the old ICO formats. Pick up freebies for fancier desktops here: http://browse.deviantart.com/customization/icons/dock/
• There are a plethora of programs to make it work the way YOU work and it’s fun “shopping” for new software and the price is so right! What could be better than free?
• There are a multitude of forums and helpful websites if you get stuck. Linux folks love to help newbies. It’s a great community.

Back up – As soon as you get your install the way you want it, back up your home files. In Linux, everything “lives” under the home folder. Just show all your “hidden” folders and grab a full backup. I managed to fit mine on a large thumbdrive. (Don’t forget to make a backup of your email profile as well — that one bit me a couple times.)By doing this, you can completely reinstall Linux, if needed, and just “drop” your home folder in from a backup and keep on working.

Why have I gone open-source? At first it was a protest. I didn’t want to adopt the next windows OS once I learned of the privacy issues and that my hardware was going to be tapped by this new OS to make sure I was legal and to monitor me. I’m legal. I’m not a thief or a rogue. I resented the idea that “big brother” would check up on me, so I decided I’d never own a Visa machine. That started the ball rolling.

Now, I’m thrilled with my decision. I love Linux. And, although there has been a bit of a learning curve, I am willing to guess that it’s more for me than it would be for most casual users. I like to poke at the OS to see what’s under the hood. Most people wouldn’t do that. Invariably, that compulsion is what gets me into trouble.

If you want to go with Linux and you don’t want to uninstall packages, reconfigure and generally harass the OS, you will probably have an almost “plug and play” operating system with Kubuntu.

And what else will you have? Free software. Access to the best minds in the business – via the forums and the Ubuntu help site. And a computer that doesn’t need to be replaced nearly as often. As long as I’ve been in business, I’ve replaced my computer every 12-18 months. (I work my machines literally to death). Now, I’m going to be building a Linux machine. Yes, building it from the motherboard up.

It may take a bit longer to build than to run down to my local computer superstore and buy one, but I expect this Linux optimized creation to last me 3-5 years. THAT is really saying something. Not having to worry about a new computer and having redundancies built-in will be a serious time, money and worry-saver for me.

If you want a solid business machine and you don’t have the overwhelming urge to play high-end graphic games, Linux may be for you too!

I’m a control freak. This means that I like having my stuff in my possession. It also means that this new wave… this new push to put everything on “web-based” apps on someone else’s servers… makes me a little nervous.

On the flip side, having a hard drive crash makes me a LOT nervous. Redundant drives with full backups help — but they don’t prevent that horrible sinking feeling and the quick, rabbit like thoughts of “what files have I touched since the last full backup?!?!?” when a hard drive burps.

Web based data eliminates that. It also eliminates the need for data storage expenditures (which cost me almost as much as my computers do each year). It eliminates all the cords strewn from the UPS (uninterrupted power supply) hogging the leg-room under my desk and those snaking across my desk to plug into the powered USB hub behind my monitor. Want to know a secret? Wires make me crazy. I hate them.

I’ve seen with the iPhone how the web-apps can be pretty nice indeed — so long as I have a connection to the Internet. All is lost when the edge network isn’t available.

Web-apps also eliminate the need for program installation (and reinstallation when you buy a new computer or do a complete re-gen on an old computer) and it would also prevent the cross-operating system incompatibilities I’m experiencing now as I make the transition to Linux. It lowers the operating cost for computers because it takes less powerful computers to run the higher-end apps when all the “heavy lifting” is being done server-side. There are fewer “software upgrade” costs and you are always running the latest version (even if the previous version was better, I should add).

It makes sense to have someone else take care of my stuff. It means I worry less, have more fun, do less work…

Or does it?

Maybe, like the old quote about those willing to give up freedom (read control) and privacy to gain security end up with neither.

I don’t want someone else to have access to all my “stuff” — even if that means I have to maintain it all myself. I know there must be some happy medium between what I do online and what I store offline. I’m trying to find that “sweet spot” but I’m having real battles with it.

I love Google Docs and Zoho Docs and all those look-alikes — they offer a great concept. But would I do mission critical, sensitive client work on it? Nope.

I also like Basecamp. It’s a great online tool. I use it with a partner to outline our next steps in a joint venture. Do I feel comfortable having all our stuff online? Not really. It’s convenient. It’s nice to know that both of us can gain access to this information at any time from any location. And, yes, I’ve read the privacy policy.

Can I be frank? Although I recommend that all my clients have a privacy policy — and only speak the truth in it, I still don’t really trust privacy policies on websites. I’ve written dozens of them and I’m a skeptic. I know they are only as good as those people who write them and those responsible for insuring the company follows them. There are too many variables there.

Yes, I enjoy the ability to do my banking online, but I’ve not quite managed to get comfortable with doing my books online. I have the urge to simplify my books — it’s more of a compulsion, less of an urge actually. I hate QuickBooks — online or offline. Despise it. I want to investigate FreshBooks online. It looks great, but I just can’t bring myself to do that yet. It seems too much like walking down the street in a sheer nightie — yeah, I may be covered, but how much effort would it really take to see all my “stuff” if you were really looking?

As I make the changes in my business model that are currently underway, I may become a bit more comfortable with the online world. I may have to. There may be no option soon.

I love the Internet. I love working online. My computer is (usually) my best ally and coolest tool in my business and creative endeavours. But my sense of individuality is threatened when I consider the ways my data can be taken, shared, hi-jacked, damaged, destroyed or lost.

Maybe the solution is to harbor less data and I am “cleaning up” my data files and my extra redundancies and old versions as I sweep through the new business data system I’m building. Maybe the solution is to share more freely and worry less. Perhaps I should follow the herd toward a web-based world — and I may eventually do that — but right now, I’m still sitting here with crossed arms shaking my head no.

Web apps have their place. I know this. And I don’t really have a problem with the apps being web-based. I have a problem with the data being there too.

I know that the best solution for mobility and for the non-tech users in the world is a web-based application mecca. I know that the hard drive space on the mobile devices can go way down when web-side data storage is implemented. I get it.

I’m just not sure I want it yet.

In a perfect world, the web-based apps would have a local computer-based backup app that would let you read and manipulate all the data files created in the web applications. (Having all my stuff in OneNote during this switch over to Linux has turned me against “proprietary formats” forever.) The data would be stored locally — or at least backed up to a local drive (fully encrypted from the web application of course).

That way, your information would never be held hostage, or held in a format that you can’t read or append. And I wouldn’t have this “sinking” feeling whenever I consider letting my critical data get out of my sight.

I guess I’m just not a trusting person. (*shrug*) So be it.

My father got an iPhone from my mother this year for his birthday (Happy B’day, Pops!)  I can’t believe my non-geeky mother bought this piece of equipment. What’s even more unbelievable is that she likes it too and (methinks) wants one of her own! This, gentle reader, is the power of the iPhone… to convert to technology the unconvertable (namely, my mother).

So, Pops is spending the wee hours of the morning finding all the cool stuff online and on the phone itself. I’ve found a few cool new things for him that I’ll share with my readers here… (more…)

I’ve been reading quite a bit lately about how to make sure websites are mobile-friendly and, in particular, how to make them iPhone friendly.

Sure, there are lots of mobile devices out there (and I’ve owned quite a few myself) but none have the kind of market saturation that is expected for the iPhone. So, as a website owner, I’m interested in how to make my sites more iPhone friendly and will encourage my clients to do the same for their sites.

If you want to read more on this topic for your own site, consider the following resources: (more…)

Yup! It’s being done. And there are new, more creative ways to get your ebooks all the time. I’ve been following some of the methods, but most leave you with tiny, ugly notepad typestyles.

Then I found this particular ebooks for iphone video, which gives a great overview of using the PDF download functionality alongside Safari to have a fully illustrated and scaleable ebook on the iphone. Not sloppy! (more…)

If you are salivating over the thought of an iPhone and would welcome a discount, you may want to consider a “refurbished” model.

Why? Well, it costs $100 less from the start (for either the 4 gig or the 8 gig model), you can still get the extended warranty (if desired), and you don’t have to sell your soul to AT&T for two years to get a working iPhone. Actually, after trading emails with a manager at AT&T you still DO have to sell your soul and accept that two year contract.

From an email with that manager, delivered this morning: (more…)

I’ve already posted a few things I wish I had on the iPhone. Today, I sent those, along with the new list (below) to www.apple.com/feedback, in the hopes that they would listen up.

I love my iPhone, I really do — and just a few software tweaks would make it so much better. So I took the time…

(more…)

Ok, I love my little iPhone. That’s an established fact. But, there’s this one tiny thing that’s making me a bit battier than usual.

On my video iPod, I could set it up to play ALL my music videos (shuffled, even), and I can’t figure out how to do that on the iPhone. I can play the MUSIC from the music videos, but there’s no motion on the screen. I can do a playlist for regular songs too — but no videos. *sigh*

If there is any iPhone guru out there willing to share the (probably simple) method to accomplish this, please let me know. I can’t stand it when my music dies!

Ok, I’ve HAD It… Time to Simplify! I seem to spend much of my time looking for the stuff that I recorded so I’d have it when I needed it.

I may simplify my physical life — constantly — but my virtual life is cluttered all to hell. There. I said it. I admit it. I’m a virtual packrat.

Since 1 gig of stuff is stored in the same physical space as 750 gigs, I’ve “reasoned” that I’m still simplifed. I’m just lying to myself. And I’ve been looking at buying more HD space because 1.5 terabytes isn’t enough.

How sad.

The fact is, I’ve had an epiphany. (Unlike some creative types, I still believe in that concept). Granted, the epiphany came as the result of personal frustration and total exhaustion, but it came all at once so, I’m sticking with the “epiphany” term.

It’s a horrible realization. It’s also joined by dozens of other, more specific realizations that I now have to confront and solve. For instance… (more…)