Update to 4/13/2007
Today my Yard got an upgrade. From none other than the infamous Webster. This gift is best expressed in pictures.
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Monthly Archive for April, 2007
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Update to 4/13/2007
It has only been 10 days, but The Desktop Yard is doing rather well, I think. I actually gave it a trim this morning. I urge you novice Office Gardeners to use your office supplies to create new and interesting landscaping. Your sanity will thank you!
Well, many thanks to all who showed up to celebrate this End of an Era. With all your help, we raised $200 for the American Diabetes Association. Thanks for your donations! Also thanks to the Pauls and Nick and James for their show of solidarity in not shaving for various amounts of time. If someone has better pics, please send them along.
Well, I suppose a picture is worth 1000 words. We’re working on getting some video footage.
Thanks again!
Best… birthday… ever.
I took this picture on my actual birthday Thursday, the 19th. I had been sick in bed for the entire week, and hadnt shaved since the Friday before that. I thought it was a good time to take a Before shot.
Here I am the next day. I cleaned up the shave from the night before. It’s pretty hard to look in the mirror, but I think I am warming up to this new face.
In an amazing and surprising show of solidarity, the Pauls, Nick and James all had various degrees of mustaches. Nick had let his grow out for 4 months, hiding it from me under his beard. Paul had about 3 weeks there in that pic. Paul works at a Boston Law Firm, and actually went to work like that. It’s good to have friends like these guys!
This morning at work I used the last CD-R, leaving me with a short, empty CD spindle. Trying to be creative, I started to think what I could do with this new toy. And then… it hit me. Probably the best idea Ive had all week. It’s been that kind of week. Our cubicle has a healthy amount of greenery. Philodendron, Amaryllis, spider plants, African Violets. So, keeping with the green cubicle, I thought I could plant something in the empty spindle. But what kind of plant would require so little room? And be low maintenance? And so was borne, the Desktop Yard. Grass! Within moments I had a sketch drawn. So for good of cubicle dwellers everywhere, I present my creation, the Desktop Yard.
The ingredients are simple, some pebbles, dirt, grass seeds, and time.
You want to line the bottom ( formerly the top ) of the spindle with small pebbles. This will create a natural drainage bottom. Much like Mother Earth herself.
Now it’s time for the grass seed. I went with URI Grass Seed. URI has a pretty good agriculture program, so I trust them. And it was on sale at Benny’s. You want to spread the seeds as evenly as possible, mixing them into the soil.
After you lay the seed, press the seeds into the soil, ever so gently. Then lay down some more soil, about 1/4 of an inch more on top, covering the seeds. Water the dirt pretty well. Water daily or twice daily for a few weeks, and in 3-4 weeks the seeds should start to sprout!
And there you have it, your very own Desktop Yard. Stay tuned and Ill be posting pics of any significant growth. Next week Ill be turning my pencil sharpener into a lawnmower.
So Cousin Dave is getting an Apple laptop. Being a computer enthusiast, he was discussing this with a colleague of his at Best Buy, who also works for the local college’s IT staff. This other kid, let’s call him “IT Guy” was asking if Dave was going to put Linux on his Apple. Dave said he wasnt planning on it, but he had used Linux on his other laptop in the past. IT Guy asks him what distro, to which Dave says Ubuntu. This is where I get disturbed. IT Guy scoffs. “Ubuntu, you mean Linux for retards.” IT Guy uses Gentoo.
I dont even know where to begin. Ubuntu has created more buzz about Linux on the desktop and Linux in general in the past 2 years than I have ever heard before. It’s trying to bring GNU/Linux to the masses, how can you not respect that? I can almost see where he is coming from. These people who install Ubuntu as their first distro and think they know everything. Assholes are assholes, doesnt matter what distro you are using. But for IT Guy to categorically generalize every Ubuntu user as a retard, come on…
I personally used Slackware for 5 years. I liked it very much. I compiled, make and make installed until I was blue in the face. But I grew tired of it, and the package management wasnt the best. Sure, maybe I didnt give it the chance it deserved, but I dont regret switching to Ubuntu at all. And, alas, I dont consider myself a retard for using Ubuntu. I dont think I am alone in this regard.
The other problem I have with IT Guy’s “Ubuntu == retards” comment is the fact that we Linux users have to stick together. There’s always discussion about distros, a few flame wars here and there for sure, but as Linux users we have to stick together for the good of the Kernel.
I guess I really have to take IT Guy’s comments with a grain of salt. I know he told Dave he works at Best Buy for the discount. Obviously, if he were a real geek he wouldnt be buying his stuff at Best Buy… but that’s another post for another time.
