I admit I was wrong about Ubuntu... going back to Windows

I'm not sure how long I stuck with it, must be about 6 months since I switched from Windows to Ubuntu on my laptop, which is also my desktop at home and in the office and on the road, so basically my only computer. (Actually my employer's computer. But they are cool with technology people testing out technology, the CEO uses Ubuntu, as do several developers. And this is not, and need not be, an issue, unlike some prior employers thought... but I digress...)

Unfortunately I have to concede defeat.

I can't stick with Ubuntu because Dell, Nokia, and Nvidia don't support it well enough. It doesn't run MS Office (well enough) and Open Office is only 90% there if you are a heavy user. The screen and docking station were a daily nightmare. Constantly booting Windows in VMWare a real drag. There were some devices and apps I never got to work - webcam, Skype with voice, VPN to the office, printing on my home network.

There were good times too.

Times I could boot, reboot, and shutdown about 4 times faster than Windows. Times when Windows under VMWare was faster than Windows running natively (don't know whether to laugh or cry about that one). Times when having posix command line meant I could do twice the job in half the time. Also, it was cool. I have to admit that.

But it is an OS for geeks. Still, after all the compromises and ease of use features, unless your PC is built and tested for Linux and has built in all the apps you need (i.e. a netbook) then it is just too complex. I like command line and editing text config files, but whenever I did it I thought, "there's no way I could talk my Mum through this on the phone".

So back to the loving embrace of Bill's progeny I go. (A process that might take more than one weekend).

Of course I could try Apple's MacOS... but what I need is a real operating system running on a real computer, not an expensive dvd player and a lobotomy.

Adventures in Blippo by Brian Heffernan

I haven't been to an art exhibit in 10 years but yesterday I went to my second one in the same week. Hosted in the Broadstone Studios, it is "Adventures in blippo : An exhibition of 10 abstract typographic compositions" by Brian Heffernan.

Blippo is a font, and the exhibit consists of various prints (mostly black on white), of characters from the font arranged in interesting ways. With the exception of one work, the characters aren't spelling out any actual message, but forming high contrast abstract images and patterns.

I thought it was cool.

Brian has drilled down into a very specific and obscure (for some people) cultural artefact from the 1970s, and created a range of interesting and unique new works. (Of course, Blippo isn't obscure if you know typography and fonts or have done design work, and everyone will instantly recognise it when they see it, but before I went it was pretty obscure to me, now I'll see it everywhere of course).

Today is the last day unfortunately, so if you have 20 minutes and are around Dublin 7, check it out.

Prague Marathon - Personal Photo Album

Some pics taken with my phone:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/marklen/PragueMarathon?feat=directlink

finished

3hrs 45mins. Way off my target of 3:28. Came apart around 35k. Got too hot (i've been training in Ireland after all), got big blisters, wanted to lie down and sleep in the street.

Anyway, the real reason I didn't do it was not enough training. In particular missing 3weeks of the last 2 months and not getting enough long runs in.

Excuses excuses!

I'll do better next time. It was a great marathon, lovely route, perfect weather. Next I might do London or New York, still thinking about that.

I'm having a beer and a schnitzel in the old town square with Andrea.

40k

Just went past 40k at almost 3:30 exactly. So now I have all the time in the world! Shite! Oh well...

last report

Past 30k. Feet sore. Too hot. Slowing down.

20k

I have just passed 20km.
I'm feeling ok ish.
1:35:50
Feet getting sore

10k

I have just passed 10km.
I'm feeling ok.
My time about 47:25
I think it is a bit warm. That might get to me later.

marathon innovation

Porta-urinals!

They fit 4 of them to the same space as a normal cabin. Though open they are pretty private, you step into a narrow alcove. Maybe for that reason the queues to the normal loos were only 3 deep.

Of course it help that we're surrounded by restaurants who are willing to let runners use the facilities.

{Edited after race to fix predictive text!}

ready steady...

I could have slept in for another 30mins. Not much to do here except wait (apart from one well timed visit to portaloo). Seems well organised. There's only one muster lane, it is divided by number range rather than time, though I think I specified target time when I registered. I'm number 1020 and hopefully I can do it in 3hrs 28mins.

Marathon today

Don't know if I'll try and blog during the race like I did the first one. I guess nobody but Andrea will be reading at this time. I might upload some pics at the end. Just over an hour to go and I feel fine.

Prague Marathon

Nothing for months! I haven't had time, I've found a weekly facebook status update is about the best I can do these days.

News:

1. I'm running a Marathon in Prague on Sunday morning (8am-11:30am Irish time). Hoping for 3 hours and 28 minutes or so. Andrea and I are going over there for 5 nights, very exciting because we haven't been before, though I'm a bit stressed now with all the packing and stuff. And of course my throat is sore, my back is sore, my knees are clicking, my tummy is upset, etc. etc. just the usual pre-race hypochondria!

2. We are buying a house. I can't say much more than it is "sale agreed", and in Dublin 7. So soon I'll be close to Phoenix park and the office, and the 2 hours a day I spend commuting I'll be able to get back into my real life. Also there'll be a garden, and eventually a dog.

HAI Dart Add

Spotted on the DART tonight:

Someone we know has an email virus/worm

This is an awkward one, someone who knows myself and Andrea, and has emailed us in the past, has an email virus or worm. They are based in Dublin and use ESAT or BT Ireland (or an ISP that connects via them) as an ISP. They use one of the Windows operating systems and probably Outlook as an email client.

The odd thing is they (it could be you) are unlikely to ever see any sign of this themselves, since the worm will use email addresses on their computer (sent, recieved, address book, etc.) as both the recipient and sender address for the worm emails, leaving their normal email alone, so they won't be getting bounced emails or error messages themselves.

So how do you know if is you? If some of the following seem familiar then it probably is you:-

• giantantsareeatingmyhead
• K. Pringle
• manolitomalo
• S @ bright lights
• N. Moorehouse
• Champers / Engraved

Pain

Frist post in 3 months and it isn't pretty

Bad bad toothache, culminated in a 45 minute drive from Crumlin to Dun Laoghaire, for my second dental appointment in 2 days, while repeatedly rinsing with a bottle of cold water and sucking on ice cubes. One of the most pain filled hours of my life so far. (The other was also dental related, some years ago, but I don't want to talk about it.)

The culprit was a wisdom tooth. It is now gone. There was no tooth opposite it so I'm not really missing anything.

Wisdom teeth = bad design - that's all I'm saying!