So you may have noticed my lack of updates for over a year. Well, I haven’t been doing nothing. Here’s what’s new since last time:
Hopefully more to come soon.
A few days ago, I received an iPAQ 111 from HP. From my first few days of usage, it seems to be a pretty high-quality device.
The first thing that struck me was the speed. (I was coming from a Palm Tungsten, so my standards were not set very highly.) The device did not slow down at all when I had seven programs running. Admittedly, the programs are probably not that processor-intensive, but still…my old Tungsten couldn’t have handled that.
As a Windows Mobile device, it also seemed to have a pretty wide range of applications available. So far I have installed Google Maps, Facebok, YouTube, and Pocket PuTTY.
One thing I have to complain about is the resets. It appears that just like its desktop counterpart, Windows Mobile does not do well when running for longer than 24 hours.
Even with the resets, I’m pretty happy with it. I’ll post updates as I come across any new developments.
I recently was confronted by a few readers of “Non-Programmers in Programming Classes”. They seemed to assume I was calling them stupid. Not at all.
Perhaps I should not have said that so few students were understanding. However, even if I did mean to imply that a large number of students were not programmers, that does not mean I called them stupid.
Finally, some students at whom the previous post was not directed for some reason thought I was directing my post at them. Chances are, if you know what you’re doing, I’m not going to say the opposite.
I’m in the process of writing new, better wiki software for the site. While it was cool that I was able to code the original version in ten minutes, I completely neglected security and other important considerations.
Have you ever had the feeling someone was watching you? If you live in the United States, you may very well be right. As it turns out, the NSA was/is spying on us more than previously believed.
Hopefully this will change with the new administration.
Well, time for another rant. I’m the unofficial assistant in one of my programming classes. While at first, I thought this would be a good position for me, I now realize just how little my peers know about PHP (and about programming in general).
Take the following example: One of my classmates had to make a simple PHP document with a table and a loop to create a few rows and columns. The student calls me, and of course, I agree to help. Let’s fast forward two hours later. The table displays (meaning it appears in the browser without any errors/warnings), but the table is still blank.
It’s not the teacher’s fault (or mine). The problem here is that the students either don’t learn, or they forget everything once class ends.
So I propose the following idea: Programming classes should require an entrance exam. Not a test on code, mind you, but on the process behind the code (i.e. write the code, but at a higher level, maybe even in English). This way, inexperienced programmers can still learn, but only those who have an aptitude for the class can enter it in the first place.
This is not to “be mean” or anything of the sort. It’s simply to help people do whatever they do best. The teacher can help students better, since there will be fewer, and the non-programmers can take another course in which they have a better chance of success.
Ideas? Suggestions? I’m always open to debate.
Well, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? A few days ago, I set up Ubuntu Intrepid on my HP dv5z.
Most things work, but not necessarily out-of-the-box. Here’s what I think is a pretty complete list of features and status:
Installation: Works (use the AMD64 version; trying to install the i386 version will fail)
Keyboard: Works
Trackapd: Works
Ethernet: Works
Sound: Works (Update: Broken as of 9.04)
Wireless: Works (see footnote)
Ports: All that I have tried work (I don’t know about the docking port, since I don’t have a docking station)
Remote: Broken
Fingerprint Reader: Broken
Touch-sensitive control bar: Works
Fn-*: Works
Proprietary ATI Driver: Works
Suspend: Works
Hibernate: Works
Wireless: Ubuntu comes with built-in wireless drivers. Unfortunately, they don’t work because they are the wrong drivers. Unsharp Tech has a writeup on installing the correct ones.
I now have a new, shiny HP laptop in my hands/lap, and I must say, I’m pretty impressed. The graphics card seems to be able to keep up with me me a lot better than the Intel GMA I was stuck with on my MacBook. HDMI and eSATA support are pretty nice, too.
HP, you have made me a very happy geek!
Apple, I tried. I really did. You just aren’t up to my standards anymore. How could you possibly put an Intel graphics chip (and a bad one, at that) in your computers, when your computers are being used by graphics professionals? You’re alienating your user base!
Of course, that’s not the only reason I’m leaving. I’ve already dealt with the above problem for about two years. The real shot in the arm for me to leave Apple is that my laptop’s ports (including the power port) were either poorly constructed or couldn’t handle the kind of use I made of them. In any case, they no longer work, making my laptop non-functional. On top of that, it would cost $750 to have the system repaired.
So, I’ve decided to start using (hopefully only temporarily) a new HP laptop. Of course, I’ve upgraded from the base config. Here’s what I changed:
Plus, since I know that I run my laptop into the ground, I went with the Accidental Damage (read: Drop this laptop off a building and we’ll pay for it) plan. Hopefully, things will turn out better this time around.
Now all I have to do is wait a week for the new laptop to arrive. This is going to be a long week.
Well, that’s all, folks! The election is over. As we know, this was a hard-fought battle for all candidates. Hopefully the new Obama administration will be better than what we’ve had to deal with for the past eight years.