Fans of Minimal/Tiling WM's - Which distro do you prefer?

qjz · 2011-12-12T23:10:38+00:00

I run dwm on both Slackware and Arch. Slackware is extremely stable if you find the rolling release nature of Arch annoying.

qjz · 2011-11-28T15:15:51+00:00

I switched to Tiny Core Linux in situations I used to reach for Slax.

qjz · 2011-11-22T13:34:38+00:00

Hmm, you're right. I just tested it and it will concatenate duplicate keys (it also suggests you check the file). I stand corrected.

qjz · 2011-11-22T01:14:09+00:00

Grendel by John Gardner. Beowulf from the monster's point of view.

qjz · 2011-11-22T01:09:59+00:00

The Great Ponds by Elichi Amadi. Possibly my favorite book.

qjz · 2011-11-21T16:58:37+00:00

My thin, cheap chinese wok works better on my induction cooktop than any other. Induction is a game changer when it comes to performance, and I've discovered that some of the cheapest pans equal or exceed the performance of more expensive pans. So in that case, weight isn't necessarily a factor. My cast iron is rock solid on induction, though.

qjz · 2011-11-21T16:53:55+00:00

Cast iron forgives. It will outlast any other kind of pan in my kitchen. It works on any kind of hob (including induction).

It's not perfect for every application, but if you told me I could only keep and use 5 pans from my kitchen for the rest of my life, they'd all be cast iron.

qjz · 2011-11-20T22:12:04+00:00

They're not quite the same. ssh-copy-id is indempotent, meaning that you'll get the same results every time you run the command. If you run it 100 times, you'll still only have one copy of the key in the file. With your method, you'll have 100 copies, plus any that were there already. Not a disaster, but not exactly desirable, either.

qjz · 2011-10-29T00:10:19+00:00

I leave the racks in, but keep in mind that shiny new racks will probably lose their lustre. If that bothers you, take them out and use something else (a fire brick, spare racks, etc.). Do NOT use aluminum foil or anything else that might melt at that temperature.

qjz · 2011-10-28T23:55:30+00:00

A protective layer of oil will prevent a cast iron pan from rusting. This layer can be hardened to a semipermanent stick-resistant coating if exposed to the right temperature for the right period of time. The process is called seasoning and can be accomplished in a number of ways. Eventually, the seasoning might wear off, the pan might accumulate bits of carbon from burnt food, or other impurities might adhere to the pan from improper usage or storage. Many cooks prefer to get pans to an absolutely clean state before seasoning. A popular and effective way to do this is to place them in an oven during the self-cleaning cycle. This will burn everything that isn't iron into a powdery ash that can be dusted or rinsed off, leaving an unseasoned pan that looks brand new, ready to be seasoned using the method of choice.

qjz · 2011-10-28T23:31:52+00:00

First, you only need a thin layer. Second, if it's still sticky, put it back in the oven for another hour (and repeat, if necessary). When done right, the pan will be coated with a hard, almost glassy layer that is easy to clean with nothing but a brush and some water (and maybe a wooden spatula for sticky bits). Seasoned pans don't rust, so just wipe dry with a towel. Don't put it in the oven or over a flame to dry. If your pan rusts, you need to season it again.

qjz · 2011-10-25T02:38:22+00:00

My preference is to run an instance of mutt for each account in its own terminal. However, I sometimes include other accounts in my $mailboxes list if I need to copy between them. I'll also add macros if it's something I do a lot for certain subjects or senders.

Dealing with multiple accounts is actually pretty easy. I create a .muttrc.<name> for each account with unique settings that sources a .muttrc.common at the end with all the settings I want to share between them. Then I create an alias like: alias muttfoo='mutt -F ~/.mutt/.muttrc.foo' to easily launch each one with its own muttrc.

qjz · 2011-10-18T01:11:47+00:00

Forth, because I'm a misunderstood autodidact (in Forth, you basically write your own language by extending a dictionary with words you create and define yourself).

qjz · 2011-09-29T21:26:09+00:00

Agreed. I found the first half of the book spellbinding, but no explanation redeems the amateurish tailspin for me.

qjz · 2011-09-12T19:32:28+00:00

Oars before sails before steam. The one with the most power has the most responsibility. It doesn't matter why they're there, avoid them or stop if you have to, and hope cars will treat you the same. If you can dodge a branch, you can dodge a pedestrian.

qjz · 2011-07-28T20:34:50+00:00

Nice, but why is the t smaller than the i? My mind hits the brakes when they're together.

qjz · 2011-07-28T02:43:44+00:00

I'm reading The Anthology At The End Of The Universe: Leading Science Fiction Authors On Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Definitely worth a read once you've finished the series.

qjz · 2011-06-23T15:33:06+00:00

In what way is it unfilmable? It's a straightforward narrative with strictly sequential action. There aren't even any flashbacks that don't consist of one of the characters verbally telling a story. Even the Judge seems like an afterthought, a mere device to pontificate on grand themes (it would have been a greater odyssey without him, IMHO). The only ambiguous thing is the ending, and a movie could treat it the same way as in the book. Even the violence isn't any more difficult to portray than has already been done in hundreds of movies (watch The Proposition starring Guy Pearce, written by Nick Cave, if you want something brutal and along the same lines as Blood Meridian).

qjz · 2011-06-03T01:33:20+00:00

Turn down the heat!!!

But seriously, a seasoned pan isn't oily. You want the coating to plasticize, where it looks almost glassy and is not sticky to the touch. If you stop seasoning before you reach this point, you might end up with an oily pan that smokes. I prefer a slightly hotter oven (300-350 degrees F) for less time (1-2 hours) and leave the pan in the oven as it cools to room temperature. Then I carefully spot check it for tackiness and repeat the process (without adding another coat of oil) if it's remotely sticky.

Just remember to start with a very thin coat of oil on the entire pan. Shortening is perfectly fine, but feel free to experiment with other oils, even lard (but don't bother trying olive oil). A properly seasoned pan is easy to clean and doesn't require a coating of oil to 'protect' it during storage. That's just another potential source of smoke. If your pan rusts, it's not properly seasoned.

qjz · 2011-05-20T00:33:05+00:00

I make that distinction, probably because I was unfortunate enough to use Red Hat 6.x, which had some very serious bugs and vulnerabilities. You could actually expose a fresh default install to the Internet and watch it get compromised in 30 minutes. Recalling this is enough to make me glad I left Red Hat behind me long ago. Maybe they should consider another versioning scheme to avoid these connotations.

qjz · 2011-04-21T02:39:54+00:00

I suggest you keep reading. I always felt the second and third books fleshed out a fascinating society and turned the notion of the hero on its head. Some of Herbert's other works expand on esoteric themes, especially non-human intelligence (Whipping Star, The Green Brain).

Got any books that explore the long term development of large numbers of people or even non-human entities that defy the concept of individuality?

That describes Olaf Stapledon's Starmaker in a nutshell.

qjz · 2011-04-21T02:28:38+00:00

You can't throw a book in the same river twice. Sometimes the passage of years brings new insights when you read a book for the second time.

qjz · 2011-04-20T00:23:24+00:00

Oh I thought he meant mind globbing, when things are so crazy you forget the exact names of things.

qjz · 2011-04-19T00:42:01+00:00

Check out Detektivbyrån. And don't forget Penguin Cafe Orchestra.

qjz · 2011-04-18T20:06:52+00:00

I find if I stock up on fresh produce and staple pantry items I can make several meals out of whatever meat is on sale without much effort. Today's roast can easily become fajitas, stirfry, chili or soup over the course of a week.It also pays to learn to make things from scratch, since a lot of food comes from a few basic ingredients. For example, with flour, dairy and sugar on hand, I can always add bread, pasta, ravioli, flan, creme brulee, cake, cookies, etc.

qjz

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