Two years ago I bought my future (now current) wife a laptop. Now, it wasn’t nothing big, I just wanted her to have a laptop that she could experiment with, as well as the laptop that she worked on from day to day so I got her a cheap-ish refurbished HP laptop.
The day she got it, I helped her install Linux on it and helped her get started with using Linux. However, she did not have the best of luck with it. For starters, she went into Linux trying to use it the same way she used her Macbook. Despite my reminders that Linux doesn’t work the same as Mac OS/X, she only found frustration.
This set a kind of odd precedent for her and me regarding the function of this laptop. One that resulted in her saying that Linux sucked, and me saying that she was doing something wrong. In my defense, when I used her computer, I never had these problems, so I literally could never duplicate the problems she was having.
Until tonight.
Typically, I don’t have problems installing Linux, particularly Arch Linux, on anything, however, tonight the laptop seemed to insist on fighting me every step of the way. After two failed installs, I finally got the installation to complete, but I was unable to get it to boot.
This led me to trying to troubleshoot hardware, so I started with the BIOS to see what diagnostics it offered. The disk test succeeded, but I was getting an odd failure when testing memory. So, after removing one stick of memory, I rebooted, and voila, everything work.
The moral of the story folks: listen to your spouse. Especially, if they are complaining about their crappy performing desktop.
As I previously mentioned, I’m something of a fan of music of the Punk genre. This is, in part, due to a lifelong exposure to bands like Bad Religion, the Ramones and the Clash; but as I grew older, my tastes expanded to include Pennywise, H20, NOFX, and a slew of others. Of course, I wouldn’t be here writing this without a point, so here are some of my favorites, with as little commentary as I feel is necessary to explain why I love that song.
10. Dropkick Murphys – “Workers Song”
Ok, I stumbled on this one while our CEO was traipsing around the world doing the things I could only dream about doing, so there is a bit of personal motivation for this song making the list. Aside from that, it is one of the more melodic Dropkick Murphys tunes, and it isn’t disappointing at all. While there are probably a few more DKM tunes that others will say are better, this is one of my personal favorites of all time.
Also: “Gang’s All Here” and “God Willing”
9. Anti-Flag – “You’ve Got to Die for the Government”
It is said that we tie memories to emotions. This song is tied to that emotion that is best described as a healthy serving of rage with a side of disappointment and shame. It also fits whenever I spend extended periods of time with my overly conservative military family.
Also: “Turncoat” “Soddom, Gomorrah, Washington DC”
8. Goldfinger – “King for a Day”
I’ve never thought that punk music had to always be anger and rage. This track reminds me to take a minute or two and calm down. Afterall, what’s the point of living your life the way you want to live it if you don’t take the time to enjoy it?
Also: “Here in Your Bedroom” “99 Red Balloons”
7. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes – “Rocket Man”
This is one my wife’s favorite songs, and I have to admit that her preference has a lot to do with my love of it as well.
Also: “The Longest Time” “Much Too Young”
6. The Offspring – “Bad Habit”
Seriously, this is the only song that can save me from the uncontrollable anger that being stuck in traffic for an hour can bring on.
Also: “Killboy Powerhead” “The Kids Aren’t Alright”
5. NOFX – “She’s Nubs”
All kidding aside, it is probably a bit insensitive to make a song about a girl that has no arms or legs. This is all made ok by the fact that she makes some dude carry her to punk shows in a backpack. The song is cleanly wrapped up in the final line: “But boy she sure knows how to rock, she’s nubs”.
Also: “Moron Brothers” “Whatever Didi Wants”
4. Rise Against – “Give It All”
Here’s a challenge for you, go to your nearest windy road, put this song on, drive. When the song is done, see how fast you are driving, and slow down before you get yourself killed. Really though, this is one of the best driving songs I’ve ever heard, perhaps that’s why its been in more than a couple driving games!
Also: “To Them These Streets Belong” “The Dirt Whispered”
3. Millencolin – “Man or Mouse”
Yeah, this kinda ventures out of the punk realm, but it is also a fantastic song to get your spirits up when people are trying to get you to live your life in a way that you don’t personally agree with.
Also: “Machine 15″ “Monkey Boogie”
2. Bad Religion – “Funk Armageddon, This is Hell”
This song _still_ gives me goosebumps when I hear it. It is fun to mosh to, listen to, write to… Actually, hearing this song live is one of the few things that can drive me to wanting to punch a random stranger in the face for shoving religion down my throat since I was born.
Also: “Supersonic” “A Walk”
1. Pennywise – “Date With Destiny”
Two things you should know: Pennywise is my favorite punk band, and I didn’t pick Bro Hymn because I think it kind of transcends the purposes of this list. “Date With Destiny” however, is one of the few songs that really embodies many of the underlying philosophies that spawned punk music as a whole.
Seeing as how I’m moving most of my professional style blog posts to my SEO site, I figured the new year was as good a reason as any to start the blog over again. Starting today I’m going to commit myself to a weekly post, covering the things I’m interested in: Linux, KDE, and the three P’s (Python, Philosophy, & Punk Music); without venturing into the things I work in: SEO, SEM, Online Marketing, Web Design, User Interface & Experience (all of these will be covered over at KZen SEO).
Continuing with the new year theme, I wanted to share some resolutions I have for this year.
Name Change
For years I have wanted to change my last name, and this year I will finally finish it. In just a few months, I will share my last name with my stepfather.
I Will, For Once, Work For Myself
Not that I have anything against corporations, but for far too long I have worked for companies whose greatest interest is in improving their bottom line. That said, I think this year I will finally establish my own personal consulting firm (hence KZen SEO), perhaps covering a range of services from SEO and SEM to areas that further engage my passions such as implementation of Linux as a computing platform for small businesses and non-profit organizations.
A Thought a Week, Every Week
Being the introvert that I am, I will start sharing my views on many of the thoughts that zoom through my INTP head all the time. Granted, this will be the scatter brained thoughts that can only classify as random, but maybe they’ll start to make sense in time.
Certifications and Education
For a long time I have gotten by using the knowledge that a life in jobs ranging from fry cook to robotics developer without much to show for it. Seeing as I really want to improve my lot in life, I will begin pursuing the education and certifications that actually prove to myself, as well as everyone else, that I actually do know what I’m talking about. On the horizon is my LPIC-1 and LPIC-2, but more will be added as time goes on. Particularly, I want to increase my knowledge and authority with Python.
Write and Release, a Backup Application
I’ve always been disappointed with backup solutions on pretty much every platform I’ve ever used. Some are pretty good, but are missing out on features I feel are critical; some have the features I want, but an abysmal interface; and the rest are the abominations that appear in b-rated horror movies.
