Worst Blog Ever

Welcome to How to Linux OS. A deep dive into Linux operating systems for beginners.

Welcome to the show everyone, I’m your host, Leo Saumure.

I want to say, right out of the gate, that I am NOT a linux expert. I am not a window’s expert. I’m not an expert of any kind.

I am however, very curious about technology. I actually refer to myself as a technology scout. My definition being that I like investigating upcoming and bleeding edge technologies. I should further define my interest as consumer cloud technologies. Things like dropbox, and google docs, and various web apps...things like that.

So that is a little bit about me. Now, a bit about this podcast.

The idea of this podcast came about as an opportunity I saw to fill an information gap that I saw when it came to using Linux. Now there are a tonne of sources out there that will give you great information about using Linux. Some of my favourite youtube channels for beginners are OS first timer or LinuxSpatry. These are channels that give you a broad overview of a particular linux distribution, and then move on to another distribution in their next video. Then there are channels such as NixiePixel, who will give tonnes of tips and tricks and opinions on using Linux, but won’t necessarily have a linear format. There’s the Linux Action Show, there’s This Week in Linux, Linux4UnMe, and lots and lots of others...and that is just the channels in youtube. There are also other one off videos on how to use linux, there are stupid amounts of blogs, forums, websites, magazines, and other podcasts. So it isn’t like there isn’t linux information available out there.

But what I’ve noticed, is that a large amount of the information out there, is pretty much one-off things. So you can get a great video that shows you how to install and review a new linux distribution. And you’ll find some really useful tips on forum sites that will answer your linux technical questions, but there is nothing out there that will answer ALL your questions from start to finish as a new linux user.

For example, let’s say that you’ve watched and followed the instructions on youtube that show you how to install a particular distribution of linux.. You follow all the steps, pausing the video every 20 seconds, making sure you’ve followed each step correctly, and holy guacamole, it works! So you start happily using your new operating system, feeling a bit smug that you’ve been able to go beyond windows or OS X, but a little later on, you notice that you can’t watch youtube because of a missing flash player. Well you’ll notice fairly quickly that getting flash to work on some distributions of linux isn’t as easy as getting it to work with windows.

That is the gap in information that I was talking about. There are very few examples of good, contiguous and linear articles or guides that will show you how to get from start to finish, while exploring the roadblocks as well. The only one that I can think of, of the top of my head, is Full Circle Magazine, which is a Linux Ubuntu electronic magazine, that will publish some really in depth articles and how-tos that will go on for months and months.

So that is what I want to do with this podcast. I want to dive into a particular distribution of linux, and take you through the ins and outs of using it, not just for a day or two, but anywhere from a month to two to three months. I want to show you where I stumbled, and hopefully, after finding a solution to the problem I might have, give you the answers as well.

This isn’t just going to be a podcast either, I will also be blogging about it all as well as posting youtube videos, etc. If you want to come along with me for the ride, I’d love to have your company, and hopefully, you’ll be able to teach me a thing or two as well.

That is it for this inaugural episode of How To Linux OS. Hopefully see you next time, where we will be diving into our first linux operating system: JoliCloud. See you soon!

Check out this episode!

Kristie and I went out for our first post half marathon run today. The idea was to go for a short 7 KM run, but as Kristie and I both seem to be suffering from post Sydney colds, it was probably a mistake to go.

Kristie wasn't feeling great before hand, so a couple kilometres into the run, we decided to cut the run down to 5 KM. Along the way, we had to have a bathroom break, and afterwards, Kristie's stomach just wasn't doing well, so we shortened the run even further to 4 KM.

In the end, the run itself wasn't difficult, the difficulties were with our colds and stomach.

How Not to Train For a Half

First Run

Second Run

No More Runs for You

Race Day

Today was the practice run for the half Marathon in two weeks, and it was...ok.

We probably couldn't have asked for better weather as we're coming near the half way mark to September in Wellington; which usually means cold, bleak, rain, and wind!  Lot's and lots of wind! Apparently that is coming tomorrow. Today's weather however, was wonderful; nice and sunny, and not too much wind.

We started out the run at Balaena Bay at about 6:30 a.m. as we wanted to emulate the start time for the run in Sydney in a couple of weeks. As we made our way our way south for the first three or four kilometres, we were pushed along by a gentle wind, but had a great view of the sun rising above the harbour.

At about the 4 KM mark, we ducked into The Cutting, into the Miramar neighbourhood, and then into Seatoun. From that point on, it was nothing but but gorgeous sea views from that point on.

I was feeling pretty good throughout the entire run, except for the last 2 KM. I have a feeling it is nothing but a psychological thing, but I always find the last two KM (even in a shorter run) to be the hardest.

Anyway, run completed. We're not breaking any records, but we're slowly but surely getting more and more kilometres under our belts.

Half Marathon before the half marathon

Today's run was just a warm up to keep our legs energized. It wasn't very fast, it was super short, but again, this was only a warm up for tomorrow's 21.1 KM.

Tis but a warm up.

Muddy Shoes

Planet Without Apes

Tonight Kristie and I went to a lecture at the Embassy Theatre titled: Planet Without Apes, by Craig Stanford.

Craig Standford is one of the lucky few who have studied under Jane Goodall, in Gombe National Park in Tanzania. The lecture was quite good and interesting, and it covered a broad range of topics from the branching point of our shared ancestry, to the plight of the Bonobos in the Congo due to Coltan mining.

Personally, I was hoping to learn a bit more than I did from this lecture, but I understand that in forums such as this, the lectures have to have a broad appeal to many different audience members; it will not often be a deep dive into a single topic.

That being said, I still really enjoyed it.

One thing that I thought was quite strange was after Craig Standford's speach, a faculty member of Massey University, who sponsored the event, got up to give a brief speech on the same general topic.  That wasn't the strange part... The strange part was while he was giving his speech, multiple people got up out of their seats, and left the theatre!

I thought: Wow! Not only is that really distracting, but it was incredibly rude!

Like I said, as an audience member I found these people going for the exits a distraction, I can only imagine what the faculty member thought as he was speaking.

Last night, we had an unexpected appointment, so we had to defer our evening run. But the weather is going to be turning to custard soon, so we didn't want to lose any good weather days for training; I am a total fair weather trainer! So because we had to defer that run, we decided to run first thing the next morning.

Love/Hate Relationship

I am of two minds when it comes to morning runs. Actually, most people would say I only have half a mind, but that is beyond the point.

Cons

On one hand, I absolutely hate getting out of a nice warm bed, and going out into the cold; it was only 5 degrees C this morning! Added to that is the fact that we've got to get up so frigging early! 5:00 a.m. not a time for exercise! 5:00 a.m. is barely even appropriate to go to the bathroom!  Speaking of which, there have also been a few episodes in the past, where the bathroom routine didn't correspond to the run. So half way through the run, I'm clenching like a pair of vice-grips, and still have ages to go before reaching a bathroom...not good!

Look, I know I'm a wimp; I know that I winge a lot, but....ok, I don't know how to counter that statement.

Pros

On the other hand, once we get going, I find that it turns out to be a very good run! The runs early in the morning, are generally done right by home as we don't want to go driving and then running...too much time! And because we're running straight from the house, we are pretty much stuck doing hills, which is actually a good thing.

Ngaio is a suburb that is pretty much nothing but hills. Actually, come to think of it, Wellington itself is pretty much nothing but hills...except for the waterfront.

While I find the hills more difficult than the flat (duh!), I also love the accomplishment of making it to the top of a hill. Plus, the half marathon in Sydney is suppose to have hills, so it helps with the training.

The final good point about the morning runs, is the fact that I generally feel energized for the rest of the day.  I feel euphoric for hours afterwards. It is like the feeling I get pre-migraine, but without the migraine.

Post running coffee is a total perk of morning runs

With only a few days left until we leave for vacation, we thought it might be a good idea to get Angus cleaned up before going into the poky.

Angus cleans up nice!

We're starting to get down to the wire here.

We've got just a little over a week's worth of training until we head out to Sydney, and with race day looming ever closer, we want to ensure that we follow the training regiment as closely as possible. That being said...I'm getting frigging tired!

Our mileage is constantly adding up, and our days off are becoming less frequent. As such, even the shorter runs like today's 8 KM, are feeling tiring.

We've got a 7 KM run tomorrow after work, and I'm just so happy that it is only 7 KM. I wish we had the day off, but that won't be happening. Luckily we've got Wednesday off to go to a lecture.

Less than two weeks until we leave for Sydney! Which means less than two weeks left of training.

Kristie and I are not going to be breaking any land speed records, but we are looking forward to the half-marathon in Sydney, if only for the scenery!

Starting something new

I've created a template in GIMP that will allow me to swap out our running data images from Nike+ along with the photo of Kristie and I from that day's run.  It's nothing fancy, but I think it will work!