*NIXEDBLOG 3.0

Thomas Holbrook II | *NIXEDBLOG 3.0

I am currently experimenting with Virgin Mobile’s Broadband2Go, and so far, I like the results.  I no longer have to search for WiFi networks that are unsecured.  Instead, I can enjoy broadband speeds wherever there’s coverage.  Virgin Mobile uses Sprint’s network for both phone and mobile broadband services.  Now I need to figure out how to get this thing working under Ubuntu and other distributions.  So why am I experimenting with prepaid mobile broadband?

It’s simple, really.  I plan on attending as many anime/scifi/gaming conventions as possible next year, and in order to do so, I need to make sure that I have a viable solution for getting onto the net.  You see, I’d rather not pay super high fees in a hotel room, and I’d rather not have to pay higher fees to have access on presentation floors and in panel rooms.  Thus far, it appears that I have decent coverage here in Warrensburg as well as near the St. Louis area.  I’ll keep everyone posted on how well it does when it comes to Ubuntu and other operating systems.

Thomas Holbrook II | *NIXEDBLOG 3.0

Other than my productivity-based systems, I am evaluating Ubuntu 10.04 LTS on some other systems.  I already installed it on my HP Pavillion desktop, and will eventually choose a netbook and the Toshiba Satellite for the other portable systems.  Not only do I need to finish this one final project for the next issue of the magazine…. I am also reviewing it for Silent Evil as well.  Oh, and I will do another VLOG.  It gets to be a bit difficult when one works the night shift.  Still, I do intend to go through with it to the best of my ability.

Thomas Holbrook II | *NIXEDBLOG 3.0

First off, I would like to thank Michael Wolfe for the previous post.  When people read about alternative perspectives and the political underground, they may have no idea what it entails.  What Wolfe wrote is just a fraction of what it entails.  Today I am writing out of inspiration from something that I saw only a few moments ago.  Take a look at the video below:

Notice the person always smiling and even joking.  When they said that at eight years of age, they decided they were never getting married, never going to have a job, and never going to have a real life, I had a flash back to several years ago myself.  I realized that I was thinking the same thing.  Of course, they were for different reasons (my limbs obviously being intact), but such thoughts are damaging to one’s self no matter the physical condition.  I’m doing things that I never thought I would be doing.

For starters, I am the President of the UCM Anime Club.  I am also going to be graduating college soon; even if it takes until the Sprign 2011 semester, I will finish what I started.  I am even running for the 4th Congressional District of Missouri (U.S. Rep) alongside Jason Braun in the Libertarian Primary.  If I get past the primary, I’ll be going up against Ike Skelton, whoever wins the Republican nomination, and the Constitution Party’s candidate.

The lesson for today is to never give up.  Even if it seems hopeless, remember that something positive will always come along in the end and everything will be alright.  You just have to stick it out.  Thanks to Phillip DeFranco for sharing the video in question.

Thomas Holbrook II | *NIXEDBLOG 3.0

I liked the plugin.  I really did.  The only problem is that the updated version was causing problems in terms of being able to comment.  Now that the visual editor is working again (something happened in a previous installation of WordPress), I no longer need the plugin and it will remain removed.

Thomas Holbrook II | *NIXEDBLOG 3.0

I am going to keep this short and to the point.  Some events have happened in my life.  I of course had a make it or break it moment.  Now I am going through another profound moment in my life.  It is the very moment that tells me that I need to take things to the next level.  Not only do I run this media venue…. I am Silent Evil's technology critic as well.  Black Divinity, the Editor in Chief of Silent Evil Reviews, is currently looking for the following:

• More editors.  He can't look over submitted reviews all by himself.
• More writers, especially literary critics.
• More technology critics, because there is no way I can do technology all by myself, especially since I specialize in software more than hardware.

I am also looking for more contributors to this site as well.  For those who want to contribute to Silent Evil Reviews, which is about to blast off, please drop BD a line.  If you wish to contribute to this website, feel free to say so in the comments below.  As of right now, it is time to take things to the next level.  Let's help each other grow and improve.  Thanks for reading.

Thomas Holbrook II | *NIXEDBLOG 3.0

I have a lot on my plate at the moment.  I am currently the President of the UCM Anime Club.  I am also preparing to possibly graduate next semester (depending on how things go).  I also have papers and finals to worry about.  I'm seriously considering a different vehicle.  I also have two weddings and a convention.  Oh, and I happen to be running for the 4th Congressional District of Missouri under the Libertarian primary.  How am I going to deal with all that is on my plate?

For starters, I need to take care of things one piece at a time.  There is a book for one of my classes that I need to complete.  There will be questions based on the contents of that book.  I think I'll take care of it tonight while at work (if I can find the book of course).  Sunday, I'll do some laundry while working on a paper for another class.  Monday night and into Tuesday morning, I'll hopefully finish my other two papers so I only have to worry about finals. 

Thomas Holbrook II | *NIXEDBLOG 3.0

I snickered all throughout 2008.  I kept hearing and reading that hope and change was coming to America.  Hope for what?  What was going to be changed?  Those were the questions I kept asking myself.  2009 came and went.  Was there hope?  Was there real change?  Wait a minute here…

Why do we as citizens of this country keep relying on a nameless faceless entity that sees the individual as a mere number to solve our problems for us?  It makes no sense to me.  It also puzzles me how one blogger can equate a police department and fire department with socialism.  Mind you, they are advocating for more socialism in this country, but when one implies that such things are socialistic in nature, it does cause me some confusion.  The concept of public safety has existed way before the word socialism was a part of anybody's vocabulary.  There is a big difference between a county level and the national level.  Also, some fire departments are ran by volunteers, meaning they aren't paid for the work they do.  This brings up the next point of this post.

Elements of socialism, in which sharing of resources is deemed mandatory, may work in a small group setting, but it will fail on a national scale.  This is due to the fact that not everyone is for sharing of said resources.  When it comes to sharing, caring, and helping other people, it only works when others want to, not when they have to.  Case in point: Ken Starks was recently offered several computer systems that impoverished kids could use.  The problem is that he needs resources to cover fuel costs (and needed parts) so that he can service them.  Now, if the entire state of Texas were to mandate that every citizen help his group out, there would be plenty of people who would be very upset.  That is an example of forcing good deeds to be done.  That is why he has simply asked that people help out if they want to.  When I volunteered for something, I felt very good doing it after the fact.  When I'm told I have to, that good feeling just isn't there.

True hope and change doesn't involve politicians vying for votes.  It involves individuals deciding that they don't like what they see and actually choosing to do something positive about it.  This can include teaching somebody to read or introducing somebody to a computer for the very first time.  In other words, things work better when people do them because they want to, not because they have to.  That is the essence of true hope and true change.

Thomas Holbrook II  | *NIXEDBLOG 3.0

There is a huge difference between being selfish and being stupid.  My last piece of writing on this blog showed the latter; utter stupidity in other words.  There is no point in asking for any sort of assistance if nothing is offered in return.  A new ChipIn event has been created.  It's basically a tip jar.  If you, the dear reader, believe that I am doing a fantastic job, you may feel free to tip me using the ChipIn widget.  For those who are very broke or worse, you may use the functionality offered by ChipIn to copy the widget onto your website, blog, etc….

I would still like to go to conventions, but I'll see what I can do about that myself.  As for the amount for the month of May, I came up with $500 USD for the sole purpose of gauging how well the site is doing.  If I do this one month, and all of a sudden, I receive more than the target amount, then my audience has grown significantly.  When the event ends, I'll simply create a new event.  So what would the funding be used for?

1. First and foremost, it will keep this site and The Freedomware Project online.
2. Supplies, such as CD-Rs, DVD-Rs, ink cartridges (or toner once a laser printer is obtained), paper, and more.
3. Equipment such as laserjet printers and more.

If all three areas are covered, the money will be saved for events such as conventions and review material (stuff that has to be bought if a vendor doesn't want to give away a review copy).  I really would like to get to the point where I can pay people to write articles, essays, short stories, and more.  That would be really awesome, but I'm not at the point where I can offer that as an option.

Note: After careful consideration (and the realization that such a plea was beyond idiotic), I decided to remove the widget in question.

Thomas Holbrook II | *NIXEDBLOG 3.0

We all have dreams.  I discovered mine while I was at A-KON 19, one of the oldest anime conventions in the U.S.  I asked myself, "What if I were to go from convention to convention throughout the country?"  The idea of being on the road, going to new places, and meeting new people appealed to me.  However, I shelved the idea for a couple of years.  Earlier this year, I had one of those moments that would change my life.  It was a make it or break moment.  Needless to say, I'm still here and far from broken.

I wanted somebody to share my life with.  The problem was that I had very little experience in dating.  In 2009, I went on one date in the fall.  I gave up on the idea for the rest of year.  This year has been different.  I am part of a wonderful community called Geek 2 Geek.  Through that unique site, I made a new friend.  While driving about 40 minutes away from my place of residence to meet them, that dream I mentioned in the first paragraph floated back to the forefront of my thoughts.  I was listening to music and enjoying myself.  The journey was so enjoyable, that I realized that I had to find a way to attend as many conventions next year as I possibly could.  I want to attend:

• Anime conventions
• Comic book conventions
• Conspiracy theory conventions
• Pro Wrestling conventions
• Technology related conventions

I can't do the traveling by myself.  I would most definitely have to take three people along with me.  Imagine going from state to state and discovering the life of many of the major cities throughout the country.  Would that be cool or what?  Aren't dreams nice?  They can also be achieved.  I am coming very close to graduating college, and I figured this would be something that I could do for myself, but it wouldn't be just for myself.  I realized that in order for THE *NIXED REPORT to truly take off, networking must take place.  I have already begun that process with Silent Evil Productions.  I will continue my networking as time goes on.  I also am aware that at many conventions, networking is quite effective.  So why am I asking for help on this?

I will be open and admit that it is truly selfish of me to be asking for assistance.  Yes, I am setting my own money aside to be able to accomplish this task.  However, I would rather not worry about holding onto a job while possibly going on such a wonderful journey.  Rest assured that I will not cram this fund raising attempt down everyone's throats 24/7.  If one would like to help, but they don't have the finances to do so, then feel free to use the ChipIn widget's ability to be copied to spread the word onto your blog and other social avenues.

Thomas Holbrook II | *NIXEDBLOG 3.0

One hears the mantra over and over again.

1. Ubuntu is not the Linux.
2. Ubuntu doesn't deserve to be popular.
3. Ubuntu is broken.

There are other statements against the popular operating system, but they will likely fall into one of the three categories of mantras.  I can understand frustration at times.  I've known of people who have struggled with the distro that's updated every six months.  Do things break from time to time?  Oh yes.  Just ask Ken Starks or Steven Rosenberg.  They will tell you about the many problems that Ubuntu currently has.  It is also important to keep this next part in mind.

Ubuntu was what ultimately gave me hope about using an OS other than Windows.  Other distros would have various problems with the Compaq Presario notebook that I had at the time.  I gave Ubuntu one chance, and I was surprised that it actually worked at all.  The sound even worked.  I was thrilled.  I had dabbled with Mandrake (now known as Mandriva), Red Hat, SuSE, and Fedora.  It was Ubuntu that got me asking, "What if I don't need Windows anymore?"  The thought excited me.  So is Ubuntu the standard bearer of Linux?

Of course not!  The only standard bearer of Linux happens to be the Linux kernel itself.  Rest assured that I do get it.  I recognized how popularity can eventually bring harm to any given project.  That is why I decided to do the one thing that must be done; join the community and participate!  It is important to note that I have changed in the past several weeks.

I learned that I needed to take responsibility for myself.  My destiny is ultimately in my hands.  For every action I execute there is a response waiting for me.  That is why I am attempting to offer constructive criticism when something does go wrong as opposed to referring to software releases as "garbage salad" or "half baked."  There are those out there who use such phrases and then complain when they get flamed.  It's like taking a baseball bat and beating up a beehive.  It may be fun initially, but the consequences may not be pleasant, let alone productive.

So the next time one complains about a peripheral not working or something else being broken, please keep the following in mind:

1. Not everyone is going to have the same problem.
2. Bugs do not make the entire project "garbage salad."
3. In order for a review to be decent, whether one is a journalist or a blogger, the positives and negatives must both be covered.

I am not encouraging rapid fanboyism by any means.  I am simply pointing out that there are more productive ways to bring problems to the attention of the appropriate people.  So how about we stop with the insults and be a bit more constructive, shall we?