If I had any mod points, I'd be trying to decide whether to vote "+1 funny" or "+1 informative" right now...

More likely the dragon will roast your a**...

Though I've heard most dragons try to avoid lawyer-meat. Something about it tasting slimy and rather disgusting... :-)

Because with a dual-boot system, you have to reboot to switch between games and work. With a virtualised second OS, you just kill off (or suspend) the VM when you want to do some work again. Also, if you've suspended the VM, you can carry on right where you left off, no save-games necessary (which more often than not leave you at some arbitrary place in the level, rather than where you were when you saved).

Maybe I'm just lazy...

In the space of 4 years, I've almost completely migrated the family machines to Linux. It's not been easy, and my brother still insists Windows 2000 is "better", but two out of three converted laptops (and my mother preaching the virtues of Linux) really isn't that bad IMO.

I started shortly after Openoffice.org and the first OSS release of Firefox (0.9?) were released -- I migrated my machine over to these instead of my ageing copy of Office 97 and MSIE. Shortly afterwards I showed them to my mother (who was making do with MS Works and MSIE), who asked if I could install them and let her play. I don't think she's used Works since I installed OOo, and later on I just plain didn't it on her laptop... after that reimage, she commented on how much faster it was...

Fast-forward to August/September this year. I decided to upgrade the OS on my Eee from Ubuntu 8.10 to 9.04. Mum peered over my shoulder while I was doing some work on said netbook, and asked why my desktop "looked different". I offered to let her play with the Ubuntu Live CD for a while. Turns out her ageing Toshiba laptop worked almost perfectly (I seem to recall having to turn the mouse sensitivity down, but that's it). Her first comment after I showed her where the Programs menu was?

"Wow, it's got Firefox too! I can use the same software that I used to use on Windows?"
"Yep."
"How long does it take to install this?"
"About half an hour. 40 minutes if you want Windows on there too."

45 minutes later all her data was backed up and Ubuntu was installed.

She's since bought an Eee 1004HA, and I've upgraded the RAM to 2GB and installed Ubuntu 9.10 for her. She loves the 6-hour (give or take) battery life, being able to use "all the Windows apps [she's] used to", and the fact that she doesn't have to worry about viruses any more...

Even the training software her office provides (Acrobat Connect Anywhere or something like that) works. Admittedly it's only a Flash applet, but still... it's nice when everything works to plan :)

Full disclosure: her 1004HA does have Windows installed, but I don't think she's booted it since I installed Linux on the machine...

As I said before, my brother insists that Windows is the One True OS, but Dad really doesn't seem to mind. Ubu9.04 is close enough to Windows that he can figure out what's different in a few seconds, boot Mum's old laptop (the Toshiba) and send/receive emails, browse the internet and so on fairly quickly.

All in all, I'd call the Linux migration a success. I certainly don't get as many tech-support requests...

The difference being that with houses and cars, you have deeds, public record and so on which state -- in black and white -- who the legal owner is. Thus meaning that if anyone tried that in the real world, they'd get quickly smacked down or told to STFU.

Proving copyright ownership is a fair bit harder...

You're thinking about the Panasonic Toughbook. Weatherproof, waterproof, dustproof, drop-proof. For a while, British Gas / Transco were sending them out with gas engineers -- from what I was told, they used them for work tracking (read: glorified Filofax) and for storing gas equipment service manuals (beats carrying a dozen A4 binders around with you, even if the machine weighs about as much as a concrete block).

From what I've heard, the US and UK Military like them quite a bit, and they tend to get featured in just about every episode of "Eureka" (the Panasonic badge is usually covered, but the Toughbook badge is almost always visible just above the screen catch).

Because there's no PROFIT in it.

Geez, I sound like a Ferengi.

Are you related to my boss?

It's just a shame there's only one P-touch tape printer that's actually supported under Linux using "official" drivers -- the PT-9500. My PT-2450DX is sitting here gathering dust while I learn enough Libgd to write a driver library.

For anyone who's currently engaged in an argument with a PT-2450DX: the protocol is basically the same as the PT-9500PC in "CBP-RASTER (PTCBP)" mode. The documentation for this particular mode is on .

Obligatory Armageddon quote:

American components, Russian components, all made in Taiwan! :)

There was an OSS/FS implementation of Battle.net -- Bnetd. Problem is, Blizzard didn't like the idea of that (OH NOES THEY'LL USE IT TO PIRATE OUR GAMEZ! O WOE IZ US!) and sued the Bnetd developers.

There's PvPGN as well, but I haven't had a chance to play with that. Looks like it's still being updated, though.

Probably the Canon 1000D or the Nikon D40 for digital.

That said, there are plenty of film SLRs on the used market. If I was starting over I'd probably get something along the lines of a Canon EOS 33V (Elan 7N) and a "thrifty fifty" (Canon EF 50mm/f1.8 Mk.II) to start with. After that, improve the lens -- EF 28-135mm f3.5-5.6/IS/USM or EF 24-105 f4 L/IS/USM.

If for some reason I decided to go down the Nikon route instead... I honestly don't know what camera body I'd buy, but I'd stick with a 50mm as a starter -- 50mm lenses were for many years the staple of lens manufacturers. They've had years to perfect the optical quality (prime, aka fixed-focal or "fixed zoom", lenses tend to be quite sharp anyway) and get the price down -- an entry-level Canon or Nikon 50mm lens can be bought new for about a hundred pounds Sterling.

Can you tell I've been doing this a while? :)

You're probably not going to get RAW mode in any compact in that price range... Not with stock firmware, anyway. The first compact that comes to mind with RAW mode is the Canon G10 and its predecessor, the G9.

Alternatively most of the PowerShot and Ixus range can run CHDK, which adds RAW mode, a live histogram, and a few other really neat toys to the Canon firmware.

URL for the latter is: http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK

(From the article)
"Eastman Kodak Co said it will retire Kodachrome color film this year, ending its 74-year run after a dramatic decline in sales."

The problem with Kodachrome (when compared to E6-process slide film) is that the developing process (the "K14" process) is quite elaborate and complex -- it involves seven different chemicals, exposure to light during different stages of processing, and a ton of monitoring. There are only a few companies that still have working K14 processing machines and the chemistry and expertise necessary to run them (Dwayne's Photo Service in Kansas). From what I've heard you can still process it with black-and-white chemistry, though obviously without the colour.

As a point of comparison, E-6 is a far simpler process -- half a dozen steps in the "pure" E6 process, or three (or four, depending on manufacturer) for the "simplified" E6 kits sold by e.g. Fuji-Hunt Chemicals and Tetenal. As long as you can keep the chemical bath temperatures within spec, it's possible to do E6 (and C41, the normal colour negative process) at home. Getting the chemistry isn't easy, and the chemical heaters are getting thin on the ground (but you can always use a sink filled with warm water and a couple of mixing jugs/flasks).

For what it's worth, Fujifilm are still making Velvia. E6 process, and about the same tonal response as Kodachrome. Admittedly it isn't exactly the same, but it's close enough that for most people it really doesn't matter (and there are far more E6 labs and pro-labs than there are K14 labs)...