Working with Linux
Content Category:
Work
Shire Silver
Shire Silver is one of my passions and hopefully will become lucrative enough to let me make a living at it. I've been working on the idea since 2007, when federal agents raided the offices of the Liberty Dollar folks.
Google unsupported browser error Fixed!
For several weeks now I've been getting error messages on all the Google sites I use. They all seem to have some problem with my browser being "unsupported". I know this is bullshit, because 1) they say my browser is supported in their documentation, and 2) it worked before - same browser.
Content Category:
One laptop to rule them all?
Today I got my new OLPC "green" laptop. I'm using it to write this blog entry, even.
So far it seems pretty cool, but it does have a few drawbacks. The keyboard, while spill-proof, is a bit small. Also, since it is totally open and free software, it doesn't have Flash. I think it can be installed - I'll have to figure that out later.
The browser has all the basic functionality you need, but I think I'll try installing Opera (which is already available for this special system) because it has all the "bells and whistles" I've gotten used to.
Content Category:
Business
As someone who tries to be a voluntaryist/agorist as much as practically possible, I do many things. I do small labor jobs for friends and neighbors, as well as try to find other income streams. For example, this and a few other websites that I've put together and manage have ads that return a small amount of money.
Content Category:
Working Online
Recently my laptop's hard drives failed. They had been set up as mirrored (both having the same data in case one fails) and I was able to limp along for a week while new hard drives were on their way. Thankfully I had been moving more and more stuff onto the web. When the laptop finally croaked, I did lose all the data on the hard drives, but it wasn't much of a loss.
Update: I have since moved to another laptop, and having so much already up on the web helped that transition tremendously. However, the new laptop also eventually had issues and I needed to reformat it. Now I'm working on going even farther towards web based tools and data.
So others can benefit from my example, I'm putting together this page that explains how I'm "Living on the web".
Content Category:
Back online
The hard drives on the laptop finally failed, but luckily I had already ordered replacements and copied all my valuable data.
I tried out a Linux variant, but apparently the drivers for my RAID controller are insufficient. Thus I had to re-install MS Windows. If I could have gotten it working with Linux, I would have also had to install something called cedega - that supposedly would allow it to run the Windows version of Civilization 4.
I do have Civilization 4 installed and operational, which is key. It didn't work until I applied the 1.61 patch.
Content Category:
All converted over to Gnu Hampshire
OK, I finally got all my web based stuff all converted over to Gnu Hampshire (the organization I'm working with). It should be much cheaper in the long run than the services I have been using.
Warning: Geek stuff
Content Category:
Kool Aid and Dogfood
Well, I'm now drinking the kool aid and eating my own dogfood. This new site, using Drupal, is the proof and the challenge.
Content Category:
resume
Sabbatical
2006 - present
I have taken a lot of time off to re-evaluate what I want to do with my life. Much of that time has been spent mastering web development using Drupal, with the intention of becoming a web consultant.
Programmer at PLATO Learning, Inc.
2001 – 2006
Worked as part of a team on a web based curriculum management system:
* Ported existing data tier from Borland Paradox to MS SQL Server 2000.
* Maintained, refactored, and enhanced the data tier.
* Created and maintained test utilities.
Content Category:
