Linux Mint 13 RC

 Technology  No Responses »
May 202012
 

As I have previously stated, I have moved away from Ubuntu as my distro of choice, primarily because of their choice to replace Gnome 2 with the Unity desktop and the direction the Gnome Foundation is taking Gnome 3. I tried a couple of different alternatives and I finally settled on Linux Mint and I have been using version 12 for 3 or 4 months now. Linux Mint is a Ubuntu derivative and so its new version follows the Ubuntu releases by a month or 2. Well, this week Linux Mint 13 Release Candidate has been released. Normally, I’d wait for the final, but it is time to upgrade my server which is still running Ubuntu 10.04, the previous Long Term Support release. So I would like to update my server as soon as the Linux Mint 13 final has been released and that means I need to be a head of the game.

So this morning I installed the latest RC release. I have installed Linux so often on so many machines, reinstalling is fairly trivial to me now. For the record, installing Windows is just as trivial to me. I have a couple of scripts that automate all the tedious things that must be done on a fresh install, like running updates, installing software I use and removing things I don’t need. My only complaint at this point is the installer wanted to download and install a bunch of language packages that I did not really need and the download was taking way to long. So I restarted the install and this time, did not connect to the Internet until after the system was installed. Once in, I ran three scripts, while I watched an episode of NCIS on my TiVo, I then spent a few minutes adjusting my desktop and that was it. So far no complaints, everything went smooth.

The only real question left is should I buy a new computer to replace my server. It has been in service for 3 years and it was used when I got it. The problem wih computers is the older it gets the more likely it is to fail and I would much rather be a head rather than behind that curve. I am thinking maybe a $299 Dell will suffice just fine. For a server I do not need Nvidia video or more than 2GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive is bigger than the one I am using now. Well, anyway, not today, maybe I will order it so it arrives while I am on vacation, I don’t know.

Interesting moments in life

 My Life  2 Responses »
May 192012
 

The girl behind the counter at Chick-fil-A gave me the senior discount. A couple of years ago this might have annoyed me, today, my only thought was Woo-Hoo 10% discount, life is good.

I wonder what the German Police are doing wrong?

 Culture  No Responses »
May 132012
 

I found this very interesting.

http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/11/11662345-german-police-fired-just-85-bullets-total-in-2011?lite

Seriously, how can the Germans claim to be a free and democratic society when their cops don’t shoot at the civilian population just to make sure everyone knows what will happen if they get out of line. I think the Germans need to implement a 50 bullet per perp minimum, that will teach those crazy socialists to embrace capitalism and stuff.

GURPS Cyberpunk ][

 Role Playing Games  1 Response »
May 132012
 

I was looking over the GURPS Cyberpunk book and reading the recent Pyramid Magazine dedicated to updating GURPS Cyberpunk to GURPS 4E and two things jumped out at me. First, the Cynerpunk genre as seen through the lens of 1990 is outdated and almost retro now. Second, the rules for building computers and CyberDecks does not really parallel or emulate real world computers at all. The first one I am not really going to get into, science fiction writers have been getting it wrong for a lot longer that 20 years. The second issue though requires some looking at from a game mechanic aspect.

GURPS computer rules seemed to be based on the idea that Atari ruled the personal computer industry rather than IBM and Apple. The rules are based on the idea that computers come with their operating system (OS) hard coded into the hardware and programs can only be run a very few at a time and are loaded by slotting the media into the system. Now I don’t know about anyone else, but my OS has not been hardwired into my computer for a very long time and my programs are installed onto my hard drive, not slotted in like a Nintendo game and I can run a whole boat load of programs at the same time.

At the current time, we are living in a mature Tech Level (TL)  7. General purpose computers are fairly common and dedicated computers are small, cheap nearly everyone has one.  What is not available at this point is a true 3D interface, most of our interaction with computers is still based on the keyboard and mouse, touch screens and gestures are only now just coming into common use. Most Cyberpunk stories pretty much take place in early TL8, where computer technology and communications have made large leaps, medicine has made many interesting steps forward, but men are still killing each other with bullets and space travel is still largely non-existent.

In my brain I thinking along the lines of the Book Ready Player One, where most computing has been taken over with a massive online world called Oasis and while there is a variety of computers and equipment available, all of it will run Oasis to some degree or another and even the poorest people can afford a dedicated system to access it. At its most basic level, the computer you are using is basically not relevant, what is important is your avatar and your ability to build it up. Of course having better equipment and higher speed network makes things easier for you, but at the end of the day, your avatar can still be put in the penalty box with a virtual bullet to the head, just like everyone else.

Politics, FaceBook and Me

 Culture  No Responses »
Apr 292012
 

A picture from Facebook posted by a friend and peer at work, I disagreed with him on FaceBook and he asked me to provide some proof that this was wrong.

So first up, is those numbers. These numbers might be vaguely correct (but not really) of President Obama’s first budget had started on January 20th 2009, it did not. The last Bush Budget did not expire until September 30 2009.  By the time the last Bush Budget expired the national debt was already at 11.9 trillion dollars. What this means is George W. Bush was not only responsible for a nice hunk of the 6.307 trillion on the left side, but he was responsible for most of the 6.477 trillion on the right side. Go a head, check it out, I am telling the truth.

http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt_histo5.htm

Next, I would like to have a look at the cause of the 3 trillion or so dollar increase in the national debt since then. Lets have a look at what the cost of continuing George W. Bush’s tax policies and wars versus new spending by President Obama.

These 2 charts paints a much different picture from the first graphic. What this means is, most of the deficit is coming from  continuing policies from the Bush administration, which presumably, my friend agrees with, tax cuts and the various middle east misadventures.

Edit: I am aware the number provided in the original graphic do not work when presented in context. The implication of the graphic is the national debt is 12.784 trillion dollars and 6.477 trillion of that is President Obama’s fault. If you compare those two numbers to the number provided in the link to the Department of Treasury, you see the national debt was at 6.2 trillion on 09/30/2002, which would have been when the first Bush Budget expired. the 12.784 trillion was not achieved until sometime between 09/30/2009 and 09/30/2010. In effect, the creator of that graphic is trying to blame the deficit spending of the Bush administration on President Obama. While I find it mildly amusing that someone went to this trouble, it is a lie and does not hold up to even cursory examination.

The Future of Space Travel

 Technology  No Responses »
Apr 282012
 

The recent New York fly over of the Space Shuttle Enterprise reminds me of the test flights conducted back in the late 70′s. I remember some newscaster predicting that if you were under the age of 30, there was a good chance you would be able to experience space travel in your life time, I was perhaps 14 at the time. Today of course, at the age of 48, ever seeing space is a ridiculous notion.

Now that funding for whatever will replace the Shuttle program has shifted primarily to private sector development, we can expect a very slow slog towards probably nothing. Several private companies will vacuum up billions of federal dollars and produce nothing over the next decade. Look at Mojave Aerospace Ventures, they have only managed put a man in low earth orbit, something that was a serious trick in 1964 but not so much in 2004. I suspect Ethiopia could successfully put a man in low earth orbit with a balloon and a lawn chair if they wanted to.

The problem of course is as a country, we simply do not have the will for space exploration and I do not see this changing anytime soon. Our government is moor bound by conservative partisanship and the need to cut spending on everything except the CIA and the Defense Department. The private sector has no interest in space because there is no profit to be made yet. Yeah, yeah, mining asteroids blah blah. Not going to happen in my lifetime. Before we can effectively mine asteroids one of two things must happen, either the minerals we will mine will become so expensive the cost of getting it will be profitable or space flight will have to be so inexpensive that the cost of getting the minerals will be profitable. I see neither of these things happening in my life time. Of course if we had discovered hydrocarbons on the moon, we would have had a base there in 1975, and you’d better bloody fucking believe it would be American territory. But the fact is, the closest deposits of hydrocarbons we are aware of are on Saturn’s moon Titan, and since the shortest possible trip there would be 2 plus years, good luck with that.

Mono Blue Misc

 My Life  No Responses »
Apr 272012
 

Several weeks ago I posted a deck built out of the left over cards from a couple of preconstructed decks I bought and raided. I gave the deck to a friend who plays magic casually and but is not interested in spending tons of money on the hobby and really, who can blame him. To recap here is the original deck.

4x Phantasmal Bear
4x Neurok Commando
4x AEther Adept
4x Master Thief
4x Phantasmal Dragon
2x Spined Thopter
2x Frost Breath
4x Negate
4x Mind Control
4x Mana Leak
4x Preordain
20x Island

The strength of this deck is its ability to grab creatures and artifacts from its opponents and deny them the ability to develop a significant offense. He has played this deck successfully several times now, he likes the deck, however it does have several weaknesses. While its mana curve is not horrible, it is a bit flat, with 12 cards outside of casting during the first three turns and nearly half the deck can not be cast if you miss a mana drop during the first three turns.

First up, the Phantasmal Dragon has got to go, for as big a creature it is, it is too easily killed, I’d rather use the Delver of Secrets, 1 drop and flip from a 3/2 flying creature. Yeah it is still inside shock range, but having an attacking 3/2 flier on the field on turn two is too good to pass up. Next, I would replace the Preordain with Ponder. Preordain is out of the Standard block now and only allows you to dig 2 deep into your deck. Ponder allows you to dig 3 deep and costs the same. Finally, I would drop Spined Thopter and Frost Breath for 4 Vapor Snag or Unsummon, Unsummon is easier to get, but Vapor Snag has the added bonus of doing a point of damage to your opponent. This also adds 4 more instants which increases the chances of flipping the Delver on turn 2.

4x Phantasmal Bear
4x Neurok Commando
4x AEther Adept
4x Master Thief
4x Delver of Secrets
4x Vapor Snag
4x Negate
4x Mind Control
4x Mana Leak
4x Ponder
20x Island

There, now the mana curve is much better, the deck will play faster and more consistent while becoming better focused. The really nice thing here is the modifications will cost around $5. While I would not take this deck to a tournament, I would not be embarrassed to bring it to Friday Night Magic at the local game store.

Who is the party of fiscal responsibility?

 Culture  3 Responses »
Apr 222012
 

This is an interesting graph showing us just who really spends federal money like drunken sailors.

It seems interesting to me that during Republican Presidencies deficits don’t matter, but during Democratic Presidencies it is the single biggest issue that must be dealt with immediately, but not by raising taxes or cutting the military. Another oddity that sticks out here, is President George H.W. Bush was and still is reviled by his own party for his efforts to cut the deficit. I am sure I will hear some bullshit about both parties being equally bad, blah blah, but if you look at this chart, it is not even close to being true. Where the budget is concerned, there is one party that is drastically better than the other.

MTG: The Mana Leak Discussion

 My Life  No Responses »
Apr 212012
 

It is interesting looking at Magic: The Gathering through the lenses of someone who has not played for more than decade. I was reading this article over at Wizards website about how they are fixing an overpowered card called Snapcaster Mage. One of the problem cards that is commonly abused by the Snapcaster Mage is Mana Leak. Apparently, Mana Leak is a powerful card, to quote the article;

“One of the problems is that Mana Leak is simply a much more powerful card than we would be comfortable printing under modern development rules. Similar to why the Swords are so powerful—their costs were locked in before people really understood how to price Equipment—Mana Leak is a relic of a bygone era.”

Having played MTG in said bygone era, I have to tell you Mana Leak was considered the worst counter spell in the game. Yes, early in the game it could be useful, but was generally a wasted draw by turn 5. Virtually everyone would rather have drawn a real Counter Spell or a Power Sink. I can tell you, I was a consummate Blue player and I never used Mana Leak in a constructed deck. Today, I certainly will, but only because Power Sink is gone and other counter spells are either more expensive or hampered in some way. From my point of view MTG does not have a power creep problem, it has a power drain problem. Cards are getting weaker and less flexible, decks are getting predictable and games are getting longer. I have not decided if this is a good thing or not.

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