I mentioned in a previous journal entry that linux hates my machine. Well I tried again, and failed. I installed Fedora 8. It went well. Then it started crashing as before with Ubuntu. I installed kmod-nvidia and the crashes stopped - for the most part. I still experienced a freak crash several minutes into operation while doing typical things so I suppose I will give up installing Linux on this machine. I really wish there was a good answer since Fedora Core 5 worked so well with this motherboard and configuration. Also: the latest netbeans wouldn't install which even if the machine would have been stable would have put a pretty serious damper on things.

From the previous post:

I did manage to install Ubuntu once I used the simple text installer though once I had it setup and fully operation I experienced at least one or two crashes that shouldn't have happened - so when Fedora did it I quit after the first crash. Luckily all I had to do was pop the IDE drive back in, reformat the sata raid partition and setup data/music from backups, and I am back in operation.

Epiphone finished working on an active pickup they call EpiActive. I am assuming they are wanting to gain back the market segment ESP stole with their LTD EC-500 and EC-1000 guitars. I think this would be something I would consider. Not much shows up on google yet, it seems like a very new product. I was actually considering an ESP EC-500 since for the price you can't beat it (any guitar w/ EMG pickups starts at about $500.) I really don't want another 24 fret guitar but it is not too big of a deal.

Today we solute Maya Ababadjani for realizing that her freedom is worth fighting for. This woman is not even a Muslim, her parents were Lebanese Christians, yet some Muslims in Denmark don't want her to exercise the freedoms granted to her.

This is easily my biggest holdup when it comes to the religion of Islam. This is a religion, but it places such strict rules upon society. Chief among these is the oppression of minorities - and in particular women and religious minorities. Though there was originally a lot of good intent and indeed many strides made, this healthy growth did not continue. Did you know that in Saudia Arabia they didn't even allow Muslims to have as a manager a Christian? Technical merit out the window, yep, sounds like a great idea.

I absolutely hate the idea of being a dhimmi. (Though for others their fate was worse - assimilate to the religion or die.) I also hate the idea of Muslims rewording human rights so it can fit their agenda and world view. (Though they would say the same about the UDHR in relation to the Judeo-Christian world view.) Notice they say that they can not agree to the UDHR without trespassing the Islamic law! They cannot change their view, because if God told his will to his prophets then this issue cannot sway. For to change their view on the issue would mean that God is wrong which obviously cannot happen. Nevermind the possibility that the prophet/leader may not have perceived properly the will of God. I guess I am getting sick of the accommodation of the Islam socio-religion when there are such glaring problems. Being open minded and discussing the issues is one thing, being blind is another. I leave you with a small quote:

I could write more but I don't see the point. I just urge you to go to the library sometime and read about Islamic law. I apologize if I may have worded phrases wierd or wrong. The english grammar is definitely not one of my better strengths. It doesn't help that I read too much Tolkien with all of his long sentences.

I haven't experienced any outrageous modding lately, I guess it was time for a reality check. Oh well, nothing like going against the slashdot groupthink. I thought it was obvious that nobody wanted to write applications in C or C++ anymore? Has nobody looked at projects like gedit and mozilla and wondered why they were doing all this weird shit that didn't even look like C anymore? Proper technologies like smalltalk are all too obviously the way of the future once we get more multi-core chips around but don't tell that to the slashdot dolts that pine for the days of their shitty 386. I had a 286, it sucked, why do these guys have to be so nostalgic? I can kind of understand why they might want better leaner code; but the levels of virtualization such as in C#, java, smalltalk, etc are here to stay.

Well, I knew this was possible, I just wish it wouldn't have. It does seem fitting for the MLB Playoffs to end on such a non-interesting note though. After game 1 I didn't even watch game 2. (I couldn't fall asleep for 2+ hours I was so disgusted. I figured it wasn't worth the pain/trouble; I have shit to do not sleep to lose.) Watched game 3, how the FUCK does Hurdle pull Herges like that? So accordingly I didn't watch game 4. Spending my time playing guitar was much less stressful. There is hope for next year at least, definitely a lot of young talent. One last thing: I HOPE TO HELL they fire Brian Fuentes.

My machine hates the new Ubuntu (7.10) so I am downloading FC7's live disc instead. I would otherwise just download the DVD iso but alas I don't own a dvd burner. I know others with AMD64 type machines who have USB/Noboot issues with Ubuntu, I wish they'd get their shit together. I run Ubuntu on my x86 box and I definitely like it.

Here it is!

And lastly, the funny finale:

I keep reading various places do articles on the coming World Series but I wish to interject my views (primarily as to why/how the rockies should do well.)

* The Rockies may play in the NL but they came from the NL West, which had 3 "contenders" for the post season and had 4 teams in total that were good. The dodgers were contending well up till being swept by the Rockies at the end of the season. The Rockies played well in inter-league play, even beating the Bo'Sox mid season while being a ".500" club.
* The Rockies hitting is "fearless" when facing good pitching. They are young and could not care less if an opposing pitcher is supposed to be good.
* Clint Hurdle has setup the roster to be able to alternate right handed and left handed hitters.
* Todd Helton has been basically anemic so far this post season, look for him to step up to the forefront this series.
* Their good defense has been great this post season inspite of being such a young team. I (as a fan of CR) hope this continues at this the biggest stage.
* While Brian Fuentes has a tendency to combust, at least now they have Manuel Corpas to bail him out of trouble.
* Herges has been great, and Latroy Hawkins has yet to @#$! up this post season.

That's my perspective of the Rockies, as a fan so to speak. People say the Red Sox are a good team, I'll say what I said before the NLCS: "I have faith that the Rockies will continue to dominate."

Would you stop running beta tests on the live server!!! Pulling shit like this gives you zero credibility!

Oh yea, go Rockies! Who wants to bet on Kaz Matsui and Yorvit Torealba getting their post season batting average up to .500?

That's the ending to an entry from the 6th of August in Journal of a Trapper, originally written by Osborne Russell. This was during the years 1834 to 1843 while trapping near/in the Rocky Mountains. He had one previous entry that is a very timely entry right on the 4th of July where they were fording a river and barely escaped but is much to long to try to type in here. Suffice to say it is an excellent read though almost always bad grammar with usually simple entries on where he was traveling. I have already come across one very interesting thing: he makes special note continually of the Blackfeet Indians as being especially mean spirited - this is not present in their Wikipedia entry or other online resources I have read about them. A similar book, which I read when I was younger was The Log of a Cowboy but I don't remember much of it and will have to re-read it.

The Rockies have just this weekend swept the San Diego Padres and are now only 1.5 games behind the Padres, while the Philadelphia Phillies are .5 games back. The Rockies only have 6 games left to play so I hope they stay as hot as they have been. In case anyone missed it Matt Holiday is injured and will likely be sitting out for a while. How this may or may not affect his chances at the NL MVP I don't know.

A friend of mine picked up Rapala Tournament Fishing for the Wii this weekend. Definitely a fun game, depending on your viewpoint on fishing games.

Currently doing a bunch of work with WCF, C# and so forth. Spending more time with databases than I prefer to :-( All in all I think it's a worthwhile technology (WCF and friends) but you can't help but wonder if this stuff couldn't have been easier to work with.

Waiting paitiently for the new Metroid. Also picked up the earlier Gojira album "The Link" recently as well as As I Lay Dying's "An Ocean Between Us". The Link is absolutely amazing, progressive metal is where it is at. An Ocean Between Us has a very wierd vibe, sort of like what Power Metal slammed into Metalcore might sound like. Not because of solos but the same fast melodies every time with similar feel from song to song. Metalcore in retrospect is dead and dying - and probably has been for a couple years or so. Not to say it won't get more popular; metalcore seems to be getting more popular yet. What I'm saying is musically I think it is empty and I personally am not going to expect anything interesting to come from the genre anymore.

As for my "musicianship": it is coming along slowly. I still do not play much per day since my callouses are still quite weak. I will say I am getting better and am making strides continually. Does anyone have any suggestions for pickups for the Ibanez? I am thinking at this moment a Seymour Duncan Jazz for the neck, and a Dimebucker for the bridge (though maybe a Bill Lawrence L-500XL.) I will be honest the stock Ibanez bridge pickup is decent but the neck one sucks compared to the S.D. '59 I put into my Les Paul. Btw Ibanez RGT42* has the INF1 and INF2. They don't seem to make my model anymore though.

Did anyone else find the Porch Monkey part of Clerks II interesting? In South Dakota, where the main minority is Native Americans, I had never heard this term before and was as such surprised at its connotations. Do any of you (readers) agree or not? I took the word for its face value, i.e. anyone that might be lazy.

It is not fair to just think Black people are lazy as the Whites ... especially down south ... can be lazy with a vengeance. Growing up I didn't see much racism so for me people are just people. I always say to my friends I am an equal opportunity racist and will hate on any people if necessary. Hell; my name "Noble" has an English background and the English, probably the most of any 'ethnic' group, deserve massive ridicule. In the end: racism can often be in the eye or words of the beholder so all of my thoughts are basically pointless.

Random wikipedia reading lead to this:

Doesn't that seem rather high? Is all of the UK/Britain like this?

Quick link to a blog post I put up recently.