Matthew Helmke

The Insider’s Guide to Technical Writing, 2nd Edition

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 15:09:06 +0000

It was ten years ago that I read and reviewed the first edition of this book. At that time I said, “The book is a resounding success. Everything I love is in here. Everything I do (including those bits I don’t love quite so much) is in here. The book is not only written clearly, but with a style that is enjoyable to read. Examples are interesting and ring true to life. If you have ever wondered whether you might want to become a technical writer, wondered what a technical writer does, or you are a technical writer who knows there are gaps in your knowledge, buy and read this book.”

Racket Programming the Fun Way

Sun, 14 Feb 2021 15:45:59 +0000

This is the second programming book that uses Racket that I have reviewed. I reviewed Realm of Racket back in 2013. I also reviewed a book about Racket’s ancestor, Land of Lisp, earlier that same year. While those books brought back some positive memories of when I first studied Lisp back in 1987 as an impressionable young lad, it was today’s book, Racket Programming the Fun Way by James W. Stelly that actually got me to stretch out beyond the book’s examples and exercises and write a little of my own code in Racket. First, the book, then a link to my silly personal stuff.

Monitoring my UPS with Grafana Cloud

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 20:52:44 +0000

A while back I bought an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) from CyberPower. I have a Linux workstation here at home that I need to keep safe from power outages.

CyberPower is kind enough to provide local monitoring and management software for Linux called PowerPanel that runs on the workstation and will shut it down appropriately if a power outage is detected and the battery back up is running low on battery power. Side note: this is not a paid advertisement, just being clear about the foundation for what I’m about to share.

Ubuntu Linux Unleashed 2021

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 14:12:31 +0000

I was the sole editor and contributor of new content for Ubuntu Linux Unleashed 2021 Edition. This is the 14th edition of this book and is intended for intermediate to advanced users.

Thoughts on Turning 50

Sun, 24 May 2020 12:00:00 +0000

I’m writing this post during the COVID-19 era. Officially, society is starting to open up. Unofficially, I think we are about to cause a second, larger wave of viral spreading. Anyway, with my chronic illnesses, I’m staying locked down. As I spend my fiftieth birthday in near-isolation (my older kids aren’t with me –EDIT: they surprised me by visiting!!–, but my wife and youngest kid are) I decided to share some thoughts that lead me here.

The Game is Rigged

Tue, 23 Jul 2019 23:17:44 +0000

The game is rigged. We all know it. So what?

The art is learning how to navigate within the structure for your own benefit. All it takes is a change in your perspective.

Care about others a little bit less; care about yourself a little bit more.

Selfishness rules the world. Dog eat dog and all that rot. It is kill or be killed; take or be taken.

I get out of bed and stumble toward the kitchen.

The Cartoon Introduction to Calculus

Mon, 22 Jul 2019 19:24:01 +0000

How did calculus come to be? Why? Who was involved? What does this have to do with pineapples (page 84)? These and other questions are integral to this book, which is not derivative of any other I have read. Okay, enough puns. Let’s get to the facts.

The Cartoon Introduction to Calculus is my favorite calculus book ever. Written by Grady Klein and Yoran Bauman, Ph.D., the book is informative, interesting, and insanely funny. That is not an easy task considering the subject matter. I got a C in calculus as a university freshman, and although I understand the topic better today, I really wish this book had existed at the time.

Amazing Decisions: The Illustrated Guide to Improving Business Deals and Family Meals

Thu, 18 Jul 2019 15:32:21 +0000

How do you make decisions? Do you know? Some of us use market norms while some use social norms. These and other topics are covered in today’s review.

Amazing Decisions: The Illustrated guide to Improving Business Deals and Family Meals by Dan Ariely and illustrated by Matt R. Trower aims to help readers learn to consider the reasons why some decisions are better than others.

To achieve the book’s goals of explaining how social sciences and behavioral economics overlap and differ we are presented with a narrative. The narrator, Adam, faces a continuous and confusing set of choices he must make. How will he decide which option to choose in each of these moments? Assisting the narrative are colorful and well-done illustrations.

Moonbound: Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight

Sat, 08 Jun 2019 18:08:35 +0000

On July 20, 1969, humans first walked on the moon. It was an amazing achievement, even by today’s standards 50 years later.

Moonbound: Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight is not the first book by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm that I have reviewed. In fact I have reviewed two others previously. As with each of those, this book is well-researched, historically valuable, and filled with illustrations that enhance the text.

Astronomy for Kids

Wed, 07 Nov 2018 20:43:54 +0000

I have an eight year old who knows more about the solar system than most adults I know. He is fascinated by stars, planets, asteroids, comets, and anything else you can think of in space. How cool that I was able to give him this book.

Astronomy for Kids: How to Explore Outer Space with Binoculars, a Telescope, or Just Your Eyes! is a wonderfully laid out, fascinating, and intellectually stimulating introduction to becoming an astronomer, whether amateur or eventually a professional. The stated (and in my opinion achieved) goal is to help kids find and name objects in the night sky while teaching cool and fun facts about them.

The Manga Guide to Cryptography

Fri, 26 Oct 2018 12:33:05 +0000

This “Manga Guide to…” series is fantastic. This is another solid entry worthy of your time and attention, provided the subject matter is of interest for any reason. While none of the entries in the series could or is intended to replace a textbook, they are all fantastic supplementary materials to any study of the academic topics covered.

The Manga Guide to Cryptography tackles all of the main points you would expect of an academic introduction to the topic. It does so with clarity, with precision, and surrounds the academic details with an enjoyable narrative that makes the information much easier to absorb. In fact, I would go so far as to say the story makes the subject matter move from difficult, but interesting, to enjoyable. This is done by giving a context to the subject matter that the reader can relate to.

Cracking Codes with Python

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 15:40:43 +0000

Cracking Codes with Python: An Introduction to Building and Breaking Ciphers has two goals. The book aims to teach the novice how to program in Python while also providing a good foundation in ciphers, encryption, and cryptography.

There is nothing in the book that will help the reader replace the excellent open source implementations currently available. That is not the goal. Rather, the reader has a chance to learn the foundations underlying classic and modern attempts to secure communication between parties.

I wrote this in 1985

Mon, 13 Aug 2018 17:37:29 +0000

I am a technical writer. That is what I do for my day job. It is what I sometimes do for fun. Until recently, I did not realize that I have been doing this in some way since 1985. This was a school project I created when I was a fifteen-year-old high school freshman and found in a box in my mom’s house during a recent visit. It was originally accompanied by a balsa wood and paper scale aircraft model, which I built and which was created half covered and half exposed to show the airplane’s frame. This is not amazing work for someone my age today, but for a fifteen-year-old, I think it is impressive and worth sharing.

Article on Opensource.com

Mon, 19 Feb 2018 12:17:12 +0000

An article I wrote has just been posted on Opensource.com: How the Grateful Dead were a precursor to Creative Commons licensing.

Attacking Network Protocols

Thu, 25 Jan 2018 22:22:44 +0000

I am always trying to expand the boundaries of my knowledge. While I have a basic understanding of networking and a high-level understanding of security issues, I have never studied or read up on the specifics of packet sniffing or other network traffic security topics. This book changed that.

Attacking Network Protocols: A Hacker’s Guide to Capture, Analysis, and Exploitation takes a network attacker’s perspective while probing topics related to data and system vulnerability over a network. The author, James Forshaw, takes an approach similar to the perspective taken by penetration testers (pen testers), the so-called white hat security people who test a company’s security by trying to break through its defenses. The premise is that if you understand the vulnerabilities and attack vectors, you will be better equipped to protect against them. I agree with that premise.

Learn Java the Easy Way

Fri, 15 Dec 2017 15:53:49 +0000

This is an enjoyable introduction to programming in Java by an author I have enjoyed in the past.

Learn Java the Easy Way: A Hands-On Introduction to Programming was written by Dr. Bryson Payne. I previously reviewed his book Teach Your Kids to Code, which is Python-based.

Learn Java the Easy Way covers all the topics one would expect, from development IDEs (it focuses heavily on Eclipse and Android Studio, which are both reasonable, solid choices) to debugging. In between, the reader receives clear explanations of how to perform calculations, manipulate text strings, use conditions and loops, create functions, along with solid and easy-to-understand definitions of important concepts like classes, objects, and methods.

A Practical Guide to Linux Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming, Fourth Edition

Mon, 13 Nov 2017 13:51:55 +0000

I was the sole editor and contributor of new content for A Practical Guide to Linux Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming, Fourth Edition.

I want to note that I feel I am standing on the shoulder of a giant as the previous author, Mark Sobell, has been incredibly helpful in the hand off of the book. Mark is retiring and leaving behind a great foundation for me.

Then She was Born

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 16:02:19 +0000

Eleven Nobel Peace Prize laureates. The Dalai Lama. Pope Francis. These are just some of many who support an initiative to #HelpAfricanAlbinos. In many countries, people with albinism are discriminated against, harassed, and persecuted. There is too little understanding and too much false information.

Then She was Born is an attempt to spread awareness of the problem using a fictional account of a girl, Adimu, who is born in a village. We see her struggle for survival against powerful superstition and tradition. Using information taken from the accounts of many African albinos, the story is gripping, moving, and also a call to action. The book was originally written and published in Italian by Cristiano Gentili as Ombra Bianca and has been masterfully translated into English for the reviewed edition by Lori Hetherington. The story is engaging, with characters that are relatable and deep.

Manga Art

Fri, 09 Jun 2017 13:18:58 +0000

Illustrators generally get paid to work on projects. This means taking someone else’s vision, story, or text and bringing it to life in pictures. Doing so requires special talent as the illustrator must listen to and absorb someone else’s ideas before creating their accompanying artwork. Mark Crilley is a talented and experienced illustrator who got the chance to find out what would happen if he pitched a book that contained illustrations that didn’t follow a specific theme, a book about illustrations without being a how-to book, a book about the art. We all benefit because Watson-Guptill Publications accepted that proposal.

Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery

Wed, 16 Nov 2016 22:33:50 +0000

I enjoy graphic adaptations of classic novels and short stories. Admittedly, sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. This is an instance of the adaptation working, very well.

Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”: The authorized Graphic Adaptation is a lovely and perfectly horrifying adaptation of the 1948 short story. The book was scripted and illustrated by Jackson’s grandson, Miles Hyman. Hyman does an excellent job of staying true to the original feel of the story with haunting, deep images that evoke genuine emotion. The words on each page are sparse, letting the artwork communicate much of the story. This is a wonderful use of a different medium to project the same message and creepiness of the original and required true translation skills. Hyman succeeds. There is a rhythm here that is controlled and which builds from mysterious to worrisome to absolutely horrifying. Fantastically done! If you enjoy the genre, this is worth your time.

Fewer Reviews from Me

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 11:53:49 +0000

Amazon has banned incentivized reviews, meaning it is now prohibited to post a review of a product that you received for free or that you received payment for writing.

I’ve seen this coming and I agree with it in principle. From a practical standpoint, it won’t affect me greatly as my review queue is down to only one book and I’ve not been requesting nor receiving books to review for a while.

The Official Ubuntu Book, ninth edition

Mon, 25 Jul 2016 17:31:09 +0000

I was privileged to again lead the team that updated The Official Ubuntu Book for this ninth edition. The book continues to serve as a quality introduction for newcomers to Ubuntu, both the software and the community that surrounds it.

Fighting Shadows

Mon, 15 Feb 2016 23:20:49 +0000

Fighting Shadows is set in Morocco. It is a fictional account that tells the story of one young man’s attempt to find justice after receiving a brutal beating during a political protest. Set against the backdrop of the Arab Spring throughout North Africa, the book attempts to demonstrate in narrative some of the reasons why the uprising never took hold to the point of revolution or civil war, like happened other countries such as Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt.

Two Python Books

Sun, 14 Feb 2016 19:27:37 +0000

I like Python. I like its internal consistency. I like its design that all but ensures there is one right way to write almost anything and that any good Python programmer can figure that way out and use it. I have reviewed several Python-focused books and expect to do so in the future. So, this review will not be about the language itself, but about how well each of the two books included cover the language and provide interesting use cases.

Slashdot Effect

Sat, 06 Feb 2016 16:43:50 +0000

The Slashdot Effect isn’t what it used to be (or maybe I’m not terribly interesting…possible). This blog was linked to from the beginning of an article a couple days ago. On Thursday, this blog had 178 views. On January 26, 2009, we had 7,120 views, which is the highest number recorded since I switched to WordPress and my stats were reset, mostly because StumbleUpon listed this post. Before that, back in 2008 we had more than 20,000 visitors in one day when I posted this.

The Manga Guide to Physiology

Thu, 14 Jan 2016 01:11:44 +0000

I’m re-using this first paragraph introduction from the last review I wrote for a book in this series:

This is one of several atypical educational books that use graphic art to help teach difficult concepts or illustrate the action and another wonderful entry in the “Manga Guide to…” series that I have been reviewing. I keep requesting review copies of each title in the series as they come out, and I have yet to be disappointed. This is an impressive series that consistently makes very difficult academic topics more interesting and a little easier for students. I would not consider these a replacement for a textbook, and neither would the publishers of the series, but every book that I have reviewed from the series would make an excellent supplement, especially for the struggling student.

An Elementary Introduction to the Wolfram Language

Fri, 11 Dec 2015 14:09:07 +0000

It was the Fall of 1988. I was a freshman at the University of Arizona. One of my classes was honors calculus. My professor, whose name is long forgotten, included in the course a new computer program called Mathematica. I remember, both because it was interesting and new and because it required me to purchase an additional book for the course. The book had a black cover, white text, and a colorful image that I can’t quite recall.

Ubuntu Unleashed 2016

Fri, 04 Dec 2015 17:05:01 +0000

I was the sole editor and contributor of new content for Ubuntu Unleashed 2016 Edition. This book is intended for intermediate to advanced users.

The Maker’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

Mon, 30 Nov 2015 15:20:26 +0000

The Maker’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is a fun book. It uses a (fictional?) story of preparation for a coming zombie invasion to weave a narrative that presents a use case for an interesting set of electronic projects. The projects are all centered on survival; specifically, the things you are likely to find most useful in a situation where the electrical grid has failed and you find yourself surrounded by hostile forces. The progression of chapter topics is logical and each build upon the previous.

Junkyard Jam Band

Mon, 23 Nov 2015 21:48:13 +0000

As I opened Junkyard Jam Band, the first thing I thought of was a couple of books I read in the mid-1990s by a man named Craig Anderton. I still have his books covering electronic projects for musicians and do-it-yourself projects for guitarists on my shelf, but they are a bit outdated. The connection is a positive one. I have played guitar for more than 25 years, built my own effects, and even built my own full-on tube amplifier.

The Smart Girl’s Guide to Privacy

Fri, 20 Nov 2015 14:11:33 +0000

At first I requested a review copy of The Smart Girl’s Guide to Privacy: Practical Tips for Staying Safe Online because I wanted to see whether it would be helpful for my middle school aged daughters. As I got into the book, I found tips and tricks that were helpful to an internet savvy long-timer like me could use.

The book covers topics like controlling what you share and where, keeping your personally identifying information safe, how to mitigate against data loss and cracked passwords, dealing with harassment as a female, and more. The topics range from middle school appropriate up to things that I wish more adults knew and thought about. I found the text easy to read and the tips intelligent and clear. One caveat for the more squeamish adults considering this book for their kids, read it first and make sure you are comfortable with the author’s discussion of things like dating and sexytime activities. I think the discussions are right in line with and perfect for today’s societal norms, but they may be uncomfortable for the more conservative among us.

How Software Works

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 22:26:34 +0000

I really enjoyed reading How Software Works: The Magic Behind Encryption, CGI, Search Engines, and Other Everyday Technologies. The author, V. Anton Spraul, also wrote Think Like A Programmer, which I reviewed three years ago. This book, like the older one, is not a “how-to” book in the sense of learning syntax, grammar, or other programming language-specific information. This is a conceptual book, one that explains the details of what software does algorithmically when performing tasks that seem like magic. The goal is to walk the reader through the most commonly used processes in software, but without using a single line of programming code.

How Linux Works

Thu, 14 May 2015 14:59:46 +0000

This is the Second Edition of How Linux Works: What Every Superuser Should Know and is the only Linux-focused book I can recall that has a strong focus on the computer science, what is happening here and why, big picture instead of the how-tos. The reader does learn how to do things, but only after learning conceptually what is happening. This is something that is sorely lacking in today’s computer education classes and I am thrilled to see the author’s focus here. I am convinced that once a person understands the concept of what a computer is, what it does, and how it does so (from a high level), it is much easier to then learn the mechanics. This is important because the concepts apply across operating systems and across time as those systems change their methodology, say by replacing the System V init program with Upstart or systemd.

Teach Your Kids to Code

Tue, 12 May 2015 23:15:44 +0000

Teach Your Kids to Code: A Parent-Friendly Guide to Python Programming is a unique and welcome addition to the recent trend of programming books with a focus on teaching children. Unlike books that are designed for self-study, Teach Your Kids to Code is intended to be used in a collaboration between an adult and a child. This could be a parent working with a daughter or son or a teacher working with one or more students. It certainly could be used for self-study, but I like how the intent and focus is to provide something to do together.

Battle Lines: A Graphic History of the Civil War

Mon, 27 Apr 2015 16:33:56 +0000

I confess that I have never been deeply interested in The American Civil War. After reading this book, I’m convinced that the only reason I wasn’t interested is because of how the topic was presented to me. I am now very interested.

Battle Lines: A Graphic History of the Civil War takes the history and scholarship surrounding the conflict which shaped the United States and which still has an impact on its internal politics and struggles and adds what was always missing for me: the human element. Each chapter takes an ordinary, everyday object from the era and uses that object to begin a vignette that demonstrates how the war affected real people. We are given solid history, but within a context that gives the facts meaning. As Jonathan Fetter-Vorm did with Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb, a difficult and complex topic is deftly broken down into easily digestible portions along with a moving and real sense of why I as a reader should care.

The GNU Make Book

Mon, 27 Apr 2015 15:58:02 +0000

The GNU Make Book is intended for people who already have an understanding of GNU Make, what it is, and the basics of how and why someone would use it. The reader is assumed to know enough about programming and source code, about compiling and creating software executables to not need an introduction. The book begins by talking about setting environment variables in your makefile. If you know what this means, you will likely benefit from the book. If you don’t, you aren’t ready for this book.

Build an HTML5 Game

Mon, 20 Apr 2015 23:15:19 +0000

No Starch Press has published a number of programming books that impress me, both in their depth and in their accessibility.

Build an HTML5 Game is intended for people who already have a basic familiarity with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This book takes you beyond the typical “let’s introduce tags and build basic web pages” stuff you usually see and walks the reader through building an entire browser-based game, start to finish. The programming starts immediately in Chapter 1, which is cool. All the important facets are covered from sprite animation, transitions and transforms, game logic, levels and sound, and quite a bit more.

The Cartoon Introduction to Philosophy

Fri, 13 Feb 2015 18:49:15 +0000

I like this sort of book, the type that combines complex ideas with approachable expression and style. It is even more enjoyable when I’m already interested in the topic.

The Cartoon Introduction to Philosophy provides a solid, basic foundation to the thoughtful contemplation and interesting ideas in philosophy. It is scheduled to be published in April 2015.

The book presents its information using an enjoyable graphic style that is well done and pleasant to the eyes. The topics are broken into six chapters, each of which builds on the previous. The order is logical, which is good for a book on philosophy, and is actually where we start after a short introduction. Logic is followed by a discussion of perception. This leads to a discussion of the mind, free will, God, and ethics.

Learn to Program with Minecraft Plugins

Tue, 10 Feb 2015 23:00:04 +0000

My kids love playing Minecraft. I run a server for them. I would love for any of my kids to learn to program (and also to take over the server admin duties from me). This book immediately struck me as having great potential.

Learn to Program with Minecraft Plugins: Create Flying Creepers and Flaming Cows in Java starts slowly, but it says it is going to start slowly. As it must, the book begins with coverage of topics like installation and configuration. This is the only dull part of the whole book, and I don’t think that could be helped.

Fire in the Valley, Third Edition

Mon, 05 Jan 2015 02:18:15 +0000

This is the first edition of this book to be published by Pragmatic Bookshelf, which I believe is an excellent fit as a company for the book’s content. The second edition was published back in 2000 by a publisher who specializes these days in a different sort of content. Plus, I love The Pragmatic Programmers series by Pragmatic Bookshelf and this history contained here belongs in this series. Good move for both the authors and the publisher.

Ubuntu Books I Wrote in 2014

Tue, 25 Nov 2014 16:27:51 +0000

Just in time for the end of the year holidays…

I have a new edition of Ubuntu Unleashed 2015 Edition (affiliate link), now available for preorder. This book is intended for intermediate to advanced users.

I also failed to mention on this blog the newest edition of The Official Ubuntu Book (another affiliate link), now in its eighth edition. The book continues to serve as a quality introduction for newcomers to Ubuntu, both the software and the community that surrounds it.

The LEGO Neighborhood Book

Fri, 26 Sep 2014 14:24:08 +0000

LEGO. There, now I have your attention.

The LEGO Neighborhood Book is another addition to the series of cool LEGO books published by No Starch Press. In it, you find a set of instructions for building anything from small features like furniture or traffic lights to large things like buildings to populate an entire neighborhood. Unlike the creations of my youth, these buildings are detailed structures. Gone are the standard, boxy things I used to make. Replacing them are fancy window frames, building mouldings, and seriously beautiful architectural touches. In fact, many of those features are discussed and described, giving a context for the builder to understand a little bit about them. Also included are instructions for creating different types of features to put in those buildings. Everything from art work to plants to kitchen appliances is in there.

Linux Distro for Kids?

Mon, 25 Aug 2014 13:09:57 +0000

Short, informal survey. Feel free to comment here or via private messages/email. I may not respond to all comments, but will read with appreciation any you make.

What is your favorite Linux distribution that is intended for use by kids, say anywhere between the ages of 8 and 18? If you have more than one, feel free to name each.

Why do you like it?

If your preference for kids is a standard distro and not one intended for that audience, which is it and why?

Seeing from Another Point of View

Fri, 18 Apr 2014 13:26:06 +0000

You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view — until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.
–To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch

These aren’t purely my thoughts. I’m sure I read something somewhere that sparked them, but I don’t have a link or citation, so I’m just being honest that I am not the source of all that I have written here, although I am using my words. Oh, and great book.

Every Page is Page One

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 19:52:06 +0000

Just about all of you reading this know that I am a technical writer. One of the things I do to keep up to date with the latest trends in the field is read. I read books, articles, blogs, whatever I can find that relates. I especially enjoy Mark Baker’s blog, Every Page is Page One. Baker consistently posts articles that make me think, and in good ways. When I heard he has a book out, I contacted the publisher immediately.

Ubuntu Planet Feed Changed

Tue, 28 Jan 2014 14:26:57 +0000

For years the main feed for my blog has been posted to Ubuntu Planet. Early on, most of my posts were strictly Ubuntu-related. That hasn’t been true for a long time. I changed my feed today in the Ubuntu Planet configuration and starting from whenever the cron job on that server reads the new config file, only posts with a specific tag should appear on the feed.

Everything that has appeared on Planet Ubuntu is also tagged, so I can keep track. I hope this doesn’t cause a huge posting flood when the new config is read…if so, apologies in advance.

American Nations

Mon, 06 Jan 2014 19:01:53 +0000

I don’t review everything I read. Not by a long shot. I generally have 3 or 4 books being read at the same time stashed in different places in my house. Today’s book is one that I bought and that I think deserves a wider audience. It begins by separating the idea of nations from states. Nations are essentially groups of people who share a common culture, ethnic language, or historical experience. States can be made up of nations, as in the nation-states of historic France or Turkey, but nations can exist outside of states, such as the Kurdish or Palestinian nations today.

The LEGO Adventure Book, Volume 2

Sun, 08 Dec 2013 17:54:06 +0000

One more post before the holidays. I reviewed the first volume in this series just about a year ago in a post that covered three LEGO-related books.

The LEGO Adventure Book, Volume 2 is another hardcover book. This time, the volume includes a series of about 40 step-by-step building guides that are similar to what is provided when you buy a LEGO kit and pictures of many more built models for further inspiration. What I said about the first book in the series also applies here, so I’ll start off by quoting myself:

Black Friday

Fri, 29 Nov 2013 15:10:48 +0000

Here in the United States, today is the day after Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving Day is a holiday where we traditionally gather together with friends and/or family and celebrate the things from the past year that make us thankful.

The day after Thanksgiving Day is not officially a holiday, but many workplaces give people the day off from work, so a lot of us end up with a lovely four day weekend. Some people like to start their shopping for Christmas presents on this day, because retailers generally stay open. I think that is fine.

Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb

Sat, 23 Nov 2013 16:15:50 +0000

This is one of those books that is hard to categorize. It is alternately fascinating and disturbing, historically important and tragic, accessible and thought-provoking. This is a perfect mix of what I think we should feel when confronted with the history of The Manhattan Project and the world’s entry into the Atomic Age.

Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb strives and succeeds at two tasks. It tells an accurate history of the facts and events leading up to the creation of the first atomic bomb through its use by the United States in the destruction of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasake. It also successfully prompts the asking of philosophical questions that humanity must wrestle with when faced with such destructive power.

HTML 5 Unleashed

Wed, 20 Nov 2013 20:54:51 +0000

I previously reviewed some books on HTML5 and CSS3, but that was back in 2011. This is a brand new book on HTML5. It doesn’t cover CSS3, but it covers the HTML specification in greater detail than the other two books.

HTML5 Unleashed is part of the same series as my book, Ubuntu Unleashed 2014 (which is brand spanking new as well…just saying…). I’m stating that right up front so that everyone knows that I have a potential conflict of interest. Read my review with that in mind. I’m trying to be unbiased, and I have no direct financial or editorial interest in HTML5 Unleashed, but I am the author of a book in the same series. So, now that that is out of the way, let’s dig in.

Survive! Inside the Human Body

Mon, 18 Nov 2013 19:06:43 +0000

This is a special review. This time around, I am including three books in a new educational manga series. I originally intended to produce three individual reviews, but I’m pretty excited about these books and don’t want to make you wait. The series was just published, so if it isn’t on your local bookstore shelves now, it will be soon.

Survive: Inside the Human Body, Volume 1: The Digestive System, Volume 2: The Circulatory System, and Volume 3: The Nervous System are being published by No Starch Press, the same people who brought us the Manga Guide to series, several books from which I have reviewed here in the past. Like that series, this set of books was originally published in another country (Korea, this time) and licensed by No Starch and translated into English. During this process, the information in these books was reviewed by medical doctors for accuracy. The story line was also updated in a few places to adjust the fun to an English-speaking audience.

Diabetes and Me

Thu, 14 Nov 2013 20:32:22 +0000

I don’t have diabetes. However, I know people who do. I also know people who are at risk. Some of these are kids. This book will be useful to anyone who has diabetes or is close to someone who does, especially if a child, adolescent, or teenager is involved.

Diabetes and me: An Essential Guide for Kids and Parents is filled with excellent information and advice that make the book worth reading accompanied by hand-drawn illustrations that transform the information into a comic book format that is a bit more accessible for both younger and older readers. It does so with a tone that is positive and hopeful about the future. The author, Kim Chaloner, is a middle school science teacher who was diagnosed with diabetes at age sixteen. Her husband and the book’s illustrator, Nick Bertozzi, is an award-winning and established illustrator and author in his own right.

Computers as Theatre Second Edition

Sat, 02 Nov 2013 18:38:53 +0000

Back in high school, a very long time ago, I took a drama class. I also took a one-sememster drama class at the university. This means I have a very elementary foundation, but I am far from an expert in the field. However, from the moment I heard this book’s title I immediately saw the potential.

Computers as Theatre, Second Edition is an update to a 20-year-old classic in the field of human-computer interaction. The author, Brenda Laurel, is an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science and Affiliated Faculty for Games and Playable Media at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In addition to her academic credentials, which include a PhD in theatre, she also has serious real-world experience with previous employers like Atari, Activision, and Apple.

Matt Helmke’s Walk Across Nevada

Thu, 24 Oct 2013 18:36:40 +0000

I don’t know this guy, but he and I have the same name (which is kind of cool and weirding me out at the same time) and he is doing something that deserves some publicity. Here is a link to a Facebook page about his event and a copied/pasted/gently-edited synopsis:

[This other] Matthew Helmke was born and raised in Nevada, a proud Navy Veteran, having served our country in the Gulf War and now a cancer survivor. Last September, at the age of 35, he was diagnosed with Central Nervous System Lymphoma….brain cancer. After immediately having surgery to remove the cancer he began a grueling in hospital chemo. Every other Tuesday he spent 5 days inpatient at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City receiving treatment. Just 3 months after his last chemo, he walked over 20 miles in his first “Relay for Life”. He wants to help others know that you can get better and step forward. He just passed the one year anniversary of his diagnosis. To mark this bittersweet occasion, he is walking more than 450 miles across the state of Nevada. Today alone he walked 35 miles with a 45 lb pack. I am trying to get his message out there to raise awareness, and provide encouragement for others on the same journey. He is truly an inspiration to those battling with cancer.

The Cartoon Introduction to Statistics

Sat, 19 Oct 2013 21:27:15 +0000

The is the second statistics-cartoon/manga mashup book that I have reviewed. The first one was about four years ago. Both books are pretty good, but they each present the topic differently. The previous book tells one main story as the book progresses, and statistics is taught because this story exists. It contextualizes the academic topic while expressing it in a simpler way and then adds the complex mathematics at the end of each chapter of the story that fit that chapter’s needs.

Legends of the Blues

Wed, 16 Oct 2013 23:17:53 +0000

Computers are not the only thing I am interested in. Not by a long shot. I have so many interests and hobbies that I haven’t yet mentioned on this blog. One of my interests is music. Some of you know I am a musician. I play bass in a local band. I have played guitar for more than 20 years. I love music. One style of music that has been a strong influence is the blues. Not only modern stuff like post-British-Invasion bands, but the old stuff, too. I also enjoy comics and manga and I’ve reviewed several titles that combine these with educational topics.

Android Programming Unleashed

Sun, 06 Oct 2013 23:06:10 +0000

I have a chapter in one of my books, Ubuntu Unleashed, that gives an introduction to using Ubuntu as a foundation for developing for Android. The information in that chapter barely scratches the surface of the topic. As a response to those who are interested in learning more and who ask me for book recommendations, I am writing this review.

Android Programming Unleashed is part of the same series as my book. I’m stating that right up front so that everyone knows that I have a potential conflict of interest. Read my review with that in mind. I’m trying to be unbiased, and I have no direct financial or editorial interest in Android Programming Unleashed, but I am the author of a book in the same series. So, now that that is out of the way, let’s dig in.

Watch the Seasons Change

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 20:11:59 +0000

Over the past year, I took a series of phone camera pictures out the window of the break room at work. I wasn’t consistent in where I held my phone while I took the pictures, and I didn’t take one every day. Even so, it is kind of fun. My friend, Jussi, was kind enough to create the animated GIFs. There are two versions and the only difference is the speed at which the images change.

Beautiful LEGO

Mon, 23 Sep 2013 23:38:38 +0000

This review will be short, but that is because the book is an easy sell. Usually a book sits on my desk for a week or two (or six) before I have time to read and review it. This one arrived today. I opened the envelope and was engrossed. Thankfully, I didn’t have anything else to do for a while.

Beautiful LEGO is a stunning coffee table book filled with astounding images of amazing things created with LEGO. This isn’t a “how-to” book, this is an inspirational book and a conversation piece. Here are some examples.

DevOps Troubleshooting

Sat, 21 Sep 2013 16:33:20 +0000

Have you ever been responsible for a server and had something go wrong? Ever been in a situation where you didn’t know what was causing the problem or how to figure it out? I think any of us who develop code, work in quality assurance, or administer systems have had this sort of experience. Sometimes problems appear that were never covered in a class or training session. Experience is an amazing teacher, but gaining that experience can be intimidating and sometimes painful. This book gives anyone working in DevOps a bit of a head start.

The LEGO Build-It Book: Amazing Vehicles

Tue, 17 Sep 2013 21:35:00 +0000

LEGO. There, I got the attention of a large number of you.

The LEGO Build-It Book: Amazing Vehicles is the first volume in a new series from No Starch Press that is intended to give anyone ages 7 and older some ideas of things they can build or modify using LEGO. The 10 projects in this book are ranked by complexity, functions, and required pieces. The introduction page for each project includes design notes, technical specifications, and beautiful pictures of each finished product to whet the appetite. There is also a pretty neat section on advanced building with some useful tips for building with greater strength and imagination.

The Healthy Programmer

Tue, 13 Aug 2013 19:50:36 +0000

I sit at a desk all day. I sit with my hands on a keyboard or mouse and my eyes fixed on a computer screen. This is a terrible thing to do to one’s body. I learned this first hand when, just over two years ago, I developed wrist and back pain so severe I nearly chose a different career. Instead, I talked to a doctor, read up on ergonomics and repetitive stress injuries, and made some significant changes to how I work.

Nginx HTTP Server, Second Edition

Fri, 09 Aug 2013 15:55:45 +0000

I reviewed the first edition of this book back in 2010 (see: Nginx HTTP Server). To be honest, that review was lukewarm and one of the reasons I started thinking about whether I would continue to review every book sent to me or whether I should be more choosy. I decided nearly two years later to be more choosy.

Nginx HTTP Server, Second Edition is an improvement over the first edition. Some of the shortcomings I pointed out have been addressed. The unnecessary chapter about basic Linux commands is gone, for example. The space was filled by expanding the Nginx-specific technical information chapters. In general, the writing quality has also improved a little, although this book still displays the annoying tendency seen in most Packt Publishing books toward awkward phrasing and grammar. Sometimes I wonder if their editorial staff is comprised of non-native speakers of English, in which case I would be more gracious toward the editors themselves while being more concerned about the company’s decision making.

Realm of Racket

Fri, 19 Jul 2013 20:36:25 +0000

This is not my first review of a book that covers a dialect of Lisp (see: Land of Lisp). That is because I am not alone in believing that learning Lisp makes you a better programmer, even if you never use it for any official project or paid job.

This is also not my first review of a book that is intended for young programmers. That is because I think learning a programming language is a useful skill worthy of pursuit, even if you never use it for anything but fun.

Day Against DRM at O’Reilly Media

Fri, 03 May 2013 12:40:32 +0000

Today at O’Reilly Media, save 50% on all Ebooks and Videos to celebrate Day Against DRM, including one of my books, VMware Cookbook.

Mastering NGINX

Wed, 01 May 2013 22:10:58 +0000

Nginx is an http server intended for high traffic websites with a mind toward network scalability. I used NGINX as my primary web server for about 3 years. At the time, I hosted my sites on under-powered hardware that had little memory and had trouble keeping up with demand when I used Apache, but was able to keep this web site up and running the day one of my posts hit the front page of Digg (back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and Digg was a really cool website). Back then, NGINX was still pretty new and most of the documentation was either in Russian, sporadic, or consisted of random posts on people’s blogs. It has been a couple of years since I upgraded my server to something beefier. At that time, I switched back to Apache, since I have used it for years and know it very well. That could change again, especially now that the official documentation for NGINX is much better, and because of today’s review book.

Learn You Some Erlang for Great Good!

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:05:34 +0000

Functional programming is not new, but it is becoming popular once again. For this reason, in my last book review, I talked about a Lisp book and this review will cover a book on Erlang. Functional programming treats computation differently from other programming languages. Here, computation is done by evaluating mathematical functions. State and mutable data are avoided. Most of this is rooted in lambda calculus, in which everything is a function (yes, I’m simplifying, but this is a short review). Even if you prefer to use a different programming style, learning a functional language is beneficial to expand your skills and your ability to think of a problem in multiple ways, which often leads to more elegant and human-readable solutions. This is vital for long-term maintainability of code.

Land of Lisp

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:31:15 +0000

Programming books are not fun. No one uses Lisp anymore, and almost no one ever did. There is no practical reason to read a book about Lisp. These are a few misconceptions that this review aims to correct.

Land of Lisp is by Conrad Barski, M.D. It is a book filled with enjoyable art, clear prose, and an easy to follow structure. The examples used in the book are easy to comprehend and do a very good job of illustrating the concepts being taught while also being interesting.

A Chance Encounter with Mr. Darcy’s Progenitor

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:11:31 +0000

(In honor of the 200th anniversary of Pride & Prejudice, a review written in a style which attempts similarity to that of Miss Austen.)

I found myself, through no fault of my own, suffering terribly for several days under a fever. During the course of that time, I exhausted the contents of my reading list and asked my beloved wife if I might read her favorite book, one Pride and Prejudice by a Miss Jane Austen. Here is my opinion.

Python for Kids

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:48:32 +0000

I previously reviewed a book intended to teach programming to kids, Super Scratch Programming Adventure. That book used a self-contained editor and language that was easy to understand, easy to use, but confined its usefulness to a very limited set of roles. This is because of how Scratch is run and written.

It is no secret that I like Python. Even though I really don’t write code anymore, at least not very often, for most purposes I am still a big fan of Python over any other programming language I have learned. I’ve reviewed two Python books in the past, Learning Python and Python for Unix and Linux System Administration. While I know people who use Python as a beginner’s language for kids, I had not done any reading nor read any curriculum used for teaching programming to kids using Python that I felt I could recommend freely. Until now.

LEGO books for all

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 16:24:47 +0000

This time around I have a real treat: three books about LEGO. These bricks were a staple of my childhood. They are well made and foster creativity in ways no other toy does. My LEGO collection has been handed down to my kids (who allow me to play with them sometimes) and added to many times.

These books give interesting insights and ideas that LEGO aficionados may enjoy. Each book is focused on a different segment of this audience. All are from No Starch Press. All the books are nicely printed on quality paper and include amazing color illustrations throughout. I’ll say right up front that, while I really liked all three of these books, I am reviewing them in order of preference. This preference reflects my personal tastes more than my feelings about the quality or content of any of the books, though. I think each deserves a high rating.

Ubuntu on a Mac

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 13:58:12 +0000

With every copy of Ubuntu Unleashed 2013 Edition we include a DVD of Ubuntu 12.10. This is similar to what we have done with past editions. The contents of the DVD are identical to and taken from the main Ubuntu download page. In the past, this disc has been sufficient to boot live or install on either a Windows machine or a Mac. However, this time around, anyone putting the disc in a Mac will find that the machine will not boot from the disc.

Advent 2012, justice, and God stuff

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 04:11:30 +0000

Advent really starts in a couple of days, but I’m already thinking about it. Here’s my thought for the season. Feel free to ignore this if it isn’t your thing. If my religious post makes you feel a little grumpy, please read it in the light of my post from 2007 about Holiday Greetings and hyper sensitivity.

The season of Advent is about waiting and anticipation. We believe these things, but are waiting for their full arrival…just as we believe in faith that Christ’s actions brought about our justification, but we are still waiting for the completion.

Ubuntu Unleashed 2013 Edition

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:37:02 +0000

I was the sole editor and contributor of new content for Ubuntu Unleashed 2013 Edition. This book is intended for intermediate to advanced users.

Podcast about The Official Ubuntu Book, 7th edition

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 21:02:43 +0000

The video podcast was recorded several months ago, but editing and post-production took a while. The video just posted to YouTube, where you can see a full size version. Enjoy!

Economix: How Our Economy Works

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 22:01:43 +0000

I live in the United States of America. It is an election year. The election is next month. The atmosphere is charged with political conversation and rhetoric. Some of it is based on knowledge. Some of it is based on fancy. Some of it is so obviously false that it is stunning that the speaker/writer believes that anyone will buy in to what is being said/written. On many occasions it is obvious that too many people have no understanding of economics, how an economy works, or even basic history. This book weaves all three together beautifully.

Are All Book Reviews Positive?

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:27:33 +0000

No, not all my reviews are positive, but it has been a while since I have posted even a lukewarm review. That is intentional. I got tired of making half-hearted recommendations for things I wasn’t thrilled about. Especially over the last two years, I have become more and more picky about what I am willing to recommend. So, as a result, all my reviews are pretty positive. If I don’t mention a book that I have been asked to review, I either haven’t read it, or I’m not willing to recommend it strongly.

Super Scratch Programming Adventure!

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:39:13 +0000

My parents bought my first computer for me in 1981. I was 11. When my TRS-80 Color Computer was turned on, it booted up into a BASIC editor. What it did afterward was up to me. That computer came with a whopping 4K (not a typo, K) of RAM and no storage. We bought a cable to connect the computer to a cassette tape deck so that I could store programs on cassettes. It took several minutes to load an entire program into memory.

Think Like a Programmer

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 00:14:56 +0000

I used to write software. I confess, it has been a long time. There are parts about doing so that I loved (problem solving, being creative) and parts I didn’t enjoy (solving problems that I didn’t find interesting, over and over and over again). This book concentrates on the parts I enjoyed most.

Think Like a Programmer came out earlier in 2012. It was published by No Starch Press, which consistently puts out books that impress me. It is one of the more consistent computer-related publishers and when I’m researching a specific topic, I generally look at any they offer, along with O’Reilly, before looking at other publishers’ offerings. I should probably disclose that back in 2009 I talked with No Starch about writing a book about Ubuntu. That didn’t work out and shortly afterward I ended up taking over the Ubuntu Unleashed title for SAMS when the previous author team didn’t want to continue with it, but my email conversations with the head honcho (or as their website says, the “Big Fish”), Bill Pollock, left me with a favorable impression of the company.

Who is Valuable?

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:41:47 +0000

Occasionally, events that I experience, witness, or just hear about remind me to question myself, my values, and how I live them. I think that is how it should be. What follows is the result of today’s pondering.

How do we determine whether a person is valuable or not? (Valuable in the sense of importance.)

It seems like an easy question, and in one sense, perhaps it is. We all come with different values (value in the sense of amount or number or specific status) for specific attributes: some are smarter, others are athletic, still others are artistic. We can categorize humans by a myriad of means. Is this one a kind person or a mean one? Does this other person belong to my group (religion, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, national origin, skin color, and the list goes on) or not? These may help you place a person in a category, but I submit that it has nothing to do with a person’s value (importance).

The Insider’s Guide to Technical Writing

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 00:14:48 +0000

EDIT: Read this, then check out my added review of the 2nd Edition, ten years later.

I love technical writing. Sincerely. When I say that to most people, they look at me oddly, squint a little, maybe cock their head sideways, and walk away. I think that is because most people don’t really understand what this job entails. To be sure, most people realize that technical writers are the ones who write those manuals that come with their favorite electronic toys and mechanical gadgets. We get credit for making sure mechanics have quality, accurate information before they lay a wrench on your car or adjust the hydraulic systems on the airplane you flew in to visit your grandmother. What most people don’t realize is that this process is actually a lot of fun. This book communicates that beautifully.

Reactive or Intentional?

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 17:41:21 +0000

I was thinking today about technical writing and how it fits within different companies.

Some companies think of technical writing almost like a nation’s military forces. Both consist of trained professionals and are used as the last layer of protection–something that should perhaps only be focused on when a specific threat exists. “Oh, Customer X can’t figure out how to configure Product Y. Get a tech writer in here, quickly! Let’s get something written up.”

The Manga Guide to Linear Algebra

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 19:08:07 +0000

It has again been a while since I have reviewed a manga book. This is one of several atypical educational books that use graphic art to help teach difficult concepts or illustrate the action and another wonderful entry in the “Manga Guide to…” series that I have been reviewing. I keep requesting review copies of each title in the series as they come out, and I have yet to be disappointed. This is an impressive series that consistently makes very difficult academic topics more interesting and a little easier for students. I would not consider these a replacement for a textbook, and neither would the publishers of the series, but every book that I have reviewed from the series would make an excellent supplement, especially for the struggling student.

The Manga Guide to Linear Algebra follows the actions of a Reiji, who wants a black belt in Karate and to gain the interest of the girl of his dreams, Misa. She happens to be the younger sister of the captain of the university Karate club, and although her brother is intimidating, he offers to give Reiji lessons in exchange for Reiji tutoring Misa. You will have to read the book to see how that turns out.

Seven Databases in Seven Weeks

Sat, 04 Aug 2012 23:56:38 +0000

I’ve spent some of my free time over the last couple of months researching different databases for a chapter in one of my books. I have some limited experience using some NoSQL options, but must confess that I am not as familiar with many of the newer databases as I would like. As a part of my research, I read this book.

Seven Databases in Seven Weeks: A Guide to Modern Databases and the NoSQL Movement by Eric Redmond and Jim R. Wilson came out earlier in 2012. It is published by The Pragmatic Programmers, as a part of their Pragmatic Bookshelf, which is an impressive and deservedly well-respected series.

More reviews coming soon

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 21:04:23 +0000

I moved house recently, and I got behind. I have several books in a pile waiting to be read and reviewed, and now that the dust has settled from the move, I’m ready to get back to it. I don’t have a time frame, but in the queue are books on databases, technical writing, and another entry in the Manga Guide series, this one on linear algebra. I’ve read enough of these to be certain they will be worth mentioning, but I also have several more that I haven’t even opened, so there may even be more than those three in the coming weeks.

Confluence, Tech Comm, Chocolate

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 13:01:03 +0000

As I mentioned in an earlier review of writing-related books, I am a writer. I write for a living. I write technical documentation, books, occasional articles for magazines and websites, and more. This review covers a book that has been helpful to me primarily in technical writing.

Wikis are wonderful. There, I said it right at the beginning. I’m biased. I’ve written documentation using everything from word processors like Microsoft Word and LibreOffice to XML variants like DocBook. I’ve hand-written entire suites of documentation using HTML and XHTML. I’ve also used various wikis, such as MediaWiki, MoinMoin, and the topic of the book in this review, Confluence.

The Official Ubuntu Book, seventh edition

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 20:59:21 +0000

I had the privilege to lead the team that updated The Official Ubuntu Book for this seventh edition. The book continues to serve as a quality introduction for newcomers to Ubuntu, both the software and the community that surrounds it.

VMware Cookbook, second edition

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 20:57:24 +0000

Just released.

I had the privilege to work with Ryan Troy for both the original and for this second edition of
VMware Cookbook. With scores of step-by-step solutions, this cookbook helps you work with VMware ESXi in a wide range of network environments. You’ll not only learn the basics—how to pool resources from hardware servers, computer clusters, networks, and storage, and then distribute them among virtual machines—but also how to overcome the stumbling blocks you’ll encounter when you monitor systems, troubleshoot problems, and deal with security.

Fixing a broken Ubuntu upgrade

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:39:44 +0000

ITWorld just posted an article I wrote outlining how I fixed a broken wireless card driver after an Ubuntu 11.04 to 11.10 upgrade.

Style Guides

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:36:25 +0000

As many of you reading this already know, I am a writer. I write for a living. I write technical documentation, books, occasional articles for magazines and websites, and more. The books in this post have been helpful to me primarily in technical writing.

Style guides exist to help writers reduce the number of decisions they must make as they write. This simplifies the complex task of writing technical documentation, at least a little, by eliminating many of the questions that a good writer must ask. Should my directions use the word “click” or “open” when referring to using the mouse to start a program? Should menu options be set off in sentences using italics or bold text? For many of these sorts of questions, there is no right or wrong answer, there is rather a strong need to choose a form and use it consistently. For other questions, there are strong reasons to choose one format or expression over another, but these are not always easy to remember. This is where style guides help.

I cut the rest off

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:28:08 +0000

The first half of my hair disappeared about two months ago. Most of the rest left today. I visited a barber for the first time in about 5 years. Hope you like it. I do. It was time for a change and this one feels good.

Ubuntu Unleashed 2012 Edition

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:32:15 +0000

I am the sole editor and contributor of new content for the just-released Ubuntu Unleashed 2012 Edition. This book is intended for intermediate to advanced users.

Pretty URL for My Amazon Author Page

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:56:38 +0000

This just in: http://www.amazon.com/author/matthewhelmke.

I cut my hair for cancer

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:40:40 +0000

Until yesterday, my hair was very long. It had grown down well below my shoulders. I cut it so that my hair can be made into a wig for cancer patients who have lost their hair as a result of treatment. There are many ways you can do this; I chose to donate via the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program. Here are a few pictures that my daughter took. These are thumbnails, click to view a large version.

Idea I don’t have time to pursue

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:54:36 +0000

There should be a blog called There was a meeting about this where every post shows something that was approved, created, and marketed but which causes normal people to scratch their heads and wonder why in the world this thing exists.

Reading up on HTML5 and CSS3

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:58:41 +0000

Everyone is talking about HTML5 and CSS3. If you believe the hype, they will change how web development is done while feeding the world and creating new opportunities for people everywhere to enjoy a new era of peace, love, and rainbow-emitting unicorns. Obviously, I’ve been around long enough to be a skeptic.

That said, I do want to keep up on standards and trends, if only to keep my work from causing me embarrassment and to prevent having to do more work than necessary (by having to perform updates soon after code is written). With this in mind, I picked up two books on HTML5 and CSS3.

Ubuntu Unity: A GUI for Beginners and Experts

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:09:19 +0000

An article I wrote for InformIT titled Ubuntu Unity: A GUI for Beginners and Experts just posted.

The iPlant Collaborative: Cyberinfrastructure for Plant Biology

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:00:20 +0000

I had the privilege of being one (of many) coauthors on an academic paper for the open access journal Frontiers in Plant Genetics and Genomics. The paper is titled The iPlant Collaborative: Cyberinfrastructure for Plant Biology.

The Official Ubuntu Book, sixth edition

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:37:19 +0000

I had the privilege to lead the team that updated The Official Ubuntu Book for this sixth edition. The book continues to serve as a quality introduction for newcomers to Ubuntu, both the software and the community that surrounds it.

ISBN-13: 978-0132748506

Link to the Amazon.com page for the book.

The Manga Guide to Relativity

Wed, 18 May 2011 22:35:27 +0000

It has again been a while since I have reviewed a manga book. This is one of several atypical educational books that use graphic art to help teach difficult concepts or illustrate the action and another wonderful entry in the “Manga Guide to…” series that I have been reviewing.

The Manga Guide to Relativity follows the actions of a high school class president who steps in to save the rest of the students at the school who were being threatened by the school headmaster with a punishment for their lack of scholastic success. To save them, the brave student leader agrees to take a special summer course on relativity and write a report for the headmaster. The student doesn’t know what relativity is, but a kind and attractive teacher volunteers to teach him all about it. The story line is okay, but not as good as some of the other stories in the series. However, it still succeeds in its main task of easing the reader into the topic.

Stepping Down from the Ubuntu Forums Council

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 07:04:25 +0000

My Ubuntu Forum Council term expired yesterday, but seeing as it was April Fool’s Day, I didn’t bother posting until today.

I have been a part of the Ubuntu Forums since April 2005 and on staff since March 2006. Since December 2006 I have been a member of the Forums Council and for the last year I have been council chairman. I have thoroughly enjoyed serving in all of these roles. I have become increasingly busy with real life responsibilities, and since my term has expired, I have chosen to allow others to take on the privileges and responsibilities of leadership. I’m still a staff member, but expect to be much less active.

New Computer from ZaReason

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 03:50:38 +0000

I have purchased computers in the past from System76 (and been extremely happy with them) because they offer Ubuntu pre-installed. I’ve heard so many people praise ZaReason that I wanted to check them out. I just bought a (highly customized) Limbo 7110. So far, I am really happy, although I should confess I only received the system a few hours ago.

I’m also happy with how easy it is to migrate my entire setup using Linux (well, Debian-based, anyway). For those unfamiliar, here are the basic steps, with the same operating system and version installed on each computer (I have Ubuntu 10.10 on both of mine):

Ubuntu Unleashed 2011 second printing

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:07:09 +0000

I learned from my editor this morning that Ubuntu Unleashed 2011 edition is going to receive a second print run. Yay!

Video interview with InformIT

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 20:09:25 +0000

I don’t really enjoy watching myself on film, but you might. I was recently interviewed by informIT and this short video is the result. I talk about Ubuntu, my books, and more.

Ubuntu Unleashed 2011 Edition & The Official Ubuntu Book, 5th Edition

Ubuntu Unleashed 2011 Edition

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 03:02:44 +0000

I am the sole editor and contributor of new content for the just-released Ubuntu Unleashed 2011 Edition. This book is intended for intermediate to advanced users.

OmniGraffle 5: Diagramming Essentials

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 20:09:59 +0000

I like to write. I write for a living. However, working with words to craft sentences is not all I do. My job title is “Senior Technical Documentation Specialist.” Documentation includes more than verbal descriptions. Sometimes, I need to create the perfect diagram.

My job provides me with a MacBook Pro and software. While I often use Dia for diagramming on Linux, at work I use OmniGraffle Pro. Both are quality programs for creating diagrams quickly and easily with good results. They are both similar to Microsoft’s Visio.

Cooking for Geeks

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 17:28:34 +0000

Cooking for Geeks is one of the most fun books I have read in a long time. I don’t get lost in the kitchen, but I’m certainly no great chef either. What this book does that is different from typical cookbooks is that instead of presenting a list of recipes, it talks about the science behind combining foods to create tasty dishes.

The book starts with an introduction to the kitchen; to tools, equipment, organization, and a way of thinking about them that is clear and easy to understand in the geek mindset. What does that mean? Those of us who call ourselves “geeks” have a certain way of looking at the world. We like to break things down to their components. We are not satisfied with only knowing what things do, but we want to understand how and why things work the way they do. That is what this book excels in teaching.

Forum Code of Conduct Updated

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 03:02:10 +0000

The Ubuntu Forums’ Code of Conduct has received minor adjustments many times over the years, usually without notice. Most changes have either been trivial or additions to encode long standing forum culture.

Yesterday, after many weeks of discussion and rewriting, a new version of the Forum Code of Conduct was posted. There are no real changes to the substance, but how we express the content is significantly improved.

Major changes include lengthening the Introduction to include all the major points and distilling the rest to two sections, one for General Policy and one for Posting Tips.

Using Ubuntu One Cloud Storage: From Basic to Creative

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:23:17 +0000

An article I wrote for InformIT on using Ubuntu One just posted. Enjoy!

Linux Identity’s Linux Starter Kit

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 01:38:55 +0000

I have an article about Ubuntu’s Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) in Linux Identity’s Linux Starter Kit for Linux Beginners. The magazine is available from Barnes & Noble, Borders, and other outlets.

Oath of Non-Allegiance

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:43:39 +0000

From Alistar Cockburn’s site:

I promise not to exclude from consideration any idea based on its source, but to consider ideas across schools and heritages in order to find the ones that best suit the current situation.

私は、現在の状況に一番適したアイディアを探すために、どんなアイディアもその発信元によって排除することなく、流派や派閥(schools and heritages)を超えて議論することを約束する。

Eu prometo não desconsiderar nenhuma ideia baseada em sua origem, mas considerar ideias vindas de todas as escolas e tradições com o objetivo de encontrar aquelas que melhor se encaixem em cada situação.

The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:40:06 +0000

It has been a while since I have reviewed a manga book. This is one of several atypical educational books that use graphic art to help teach difficult concepts or illustrate the action. This is another wonderful entry in the “Manga Guide to…” series that I have been reviewing.

The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology follows the actions of a two students who failed their molecular biology class and have to take a special summer course. The story line is enjoyable and eases the reader’s entry into the topic rather than being a distraction.

Nginx HTTP Server

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 16:41:13 +0000

I started using Nginx as my primary web server a little over 18 months ago. At the time, I was using an underpowered server with low memory, and I wanted to replace Apache with something lighter. Even though I still love Apache for its power, configurability, and contributions to the open source world, there are times when other options are called for.

Nginx is an http server written in Russia intended for high traffic websites with a mind toward network scalability. It also works great as a lightweight replacement for Apache on my little server with 256MB RAM and one processor (that has since been upgraded, but I didn’t switch back). Even the day I had a post on the front page of of a popular social networking website, my little server withstood the onslaught without crashing.

VMware Cookbook – Only $9.99

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:05:25 +0000

My book has been chosen for the Ebook deal of the day on the O’Reilly website for August 10, 2010.

VMware Cookbook – Only $9.99. Use code DDVMC

Interviewed by SearchEnterpriseLinux.com

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:05:34 +0000

I was recently interviewed by Ryan Arsenault, the Assistant Site Editor for SearchEnterpriseLinux.com for a feature on their website discussing the new fifth edition of The Official Ubuntu Book. You may read that interview here.

A Foreigner’s Reception

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:35:26 +0000

I wrote a short article for Talk Morocco about the ups and downs of living as a foreigner in Morocco. Talk Morocco is a website dedicated to discussions related to Morocco, its people, society and culture.

Interviewing the Authors of Unix and Linux System Administration Handbook

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:49:34 +0000

Not long ago I had the privilege of interviewing the authors of what I consider to be the best book for learning systems administration with Unix or Linux from a large, enterprise perspective. This book is unusual in another way: it was published by Prentice-Hall and the forward was written by one of their competitors, Tim O’Reilly, the founder and head of O’Reilly Media. That says something.

My interview with the authors appeared today on InformIT’s website. Take a look.

New Job

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 16:09:43 +0000

I have a new job that I am pretty excited about. The one downside is that the amount of time I have available to dedicate to Ubuntu-related projects will be a bit more limited, especially as I get going. I’ll still be around, but I probably won’t be quite as quick to respond or as readily available.

I am thrilled that as of last week, I am the Senior Technical Documentation Specialist for iPlant Collaborative, a National Science Foundation funded project that is creating a new cyberinfrastructure to assist research in plant biology. My responsibilities include working with programmers and biologists to create the documentation for the project software, which requires some translation between those who are highly proficient in computer technology but not biology and those who are highly proficient in biology but not computer technology…which means I’m spending some time in intense study to learn about plant genetics. Fun stuff. 🙂

The Official Ubuntu Book, fifth edition released today

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:45:15 +0000

This is the fifth edition of a wonderful book about an excellent computer operating system, Ubuntu. The Barnes and Noble Special Edition (ISBN-13: 978-0137081318) has an extra chapter about Ubuntu One and a DVD with screen cast desktop lessons by me (will come out 30 July 2010…the B&N page will be updated soon…).

For this edition, I had the privilege of rewriting chapters 3 and 4, revising chapters 1-2, 7, 10-11 and the appendices, and wrote the new bonus chapter for the Special Edition. I also provided assistance checking the full manuscript, including the final proof, against the final release version of the software covered and was the lead contact during the copy edit, index, and final proof and author query stages.

VMware User Conference – Phoenix

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 19:41:59 +0000

I will be speaking at the Phoenix VMUG User Conference at the invitation of the Phoenix Area VMware User Group in just a few days. They are giving away 300 copies of VMware Cookbook. If you are interested in spending a day with people who use VMware and/or you want to learn more about this virtualization platform, this will be a great opportunity to do so. If you can’t make this one, there will be others (but I’m only scheduled in Phoenix as it is close to where I live).

Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:56:53 +0000

Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution is a history of the beginning, growth and rise of the use of computers by people outside of the big businesses and governments that worked to create them in proprietary silos. This 25th anniversary edition of Steven Levy’s classic book retains its detailed and interesting chronicle of the events that brought computing power to the masses. It also records some of the problems, pitfalls, and failures along the way. Here you will find many names that computer lovers are sure to recognize from Bill Gates to Richard Stallman as well as many that are not as well known, but that deserve to have their victories recorded also.

Thoughts on Turning 40

Mon, 24 May 2010 16:40:40 +0000

I have been doing some thinking about life, the universe and everything (so I know the big birthday is actually in two years…) and I decided I would share a few things I have learned on the journey thus far. Some you may recognize. I didn’t come up with any of these in a vacuum.

Mercy is a better than judgement.
No one is poor who has friends.
It is better to leave the job and respect yourself than to endure for the sake of economics.
Being able to look at yourself in the mirror is more important than what other people think.
Making people angry for fun isn’t cool.
Degrees and certificates mean very little. The truly educated continue to learn throughout life and don’t consider their education complete when they earn a piece of paper.
Degrees and certificates are not bad things, though.
People are more important than things.
Helping is more important than hoarding.
Compassion and love are better than being right.
Accomplishing anything takes hard work.
No one accomplishes anything without the help of others.
The “self-made man” and “rugged individualism” are lies. No one is an island.
Better to be a clay pot that contains beauty than a whitewashed tomb.
Learning a new language opens the mind to be able to understand things that are inexpressible in other languages.
Understanding is worth the pursuit, even though you will never understand everything.
Conversation is better than coerced acquiescence.
Listening is more difficult and more rewarding than speaking.
Reading a lot is vital for anyone who desires to write well.
Only those who listen and learn may become good teachers.
Volume has nothing to do with correctness.
Truth is not relative, but perceptions are. To express truth one must first understand the perceptions of the listener.
Every culture is different, none are perfect, and all contain some beauty and truth worth absorbing.
Hating or mistreating someone because of how they look, their accent or language, or where they grew up is dumb.
Fear destroys more than anything other than pride.
People will often say and do things while anonymous they would never do if their names were attached.
Some opinions really are worth more than others and not every opinion is actually valid.
Knowing which opinions are more valid is rarely easy, so listening to all of them is important.
It is okay to be wrong if you are teachable because then being wrong doesn’t have to be destructive.
Very few people are teachable because humility is difficult.
Anyone who treats a waiter or waitress poorly is not a good person. You can learn a lot about someone by taking them out to lunch.
Planting a tree to commemorate a big event doesn’t make as much sense as it used to since society is so much more mobile now. Getting a tattoo is a good substitute in those cases.
Everybody gets grumpy when they are tired and/or hungry. Yelling at them doesn’t help. Feeding them and helping them rest does.
Politeness is a skill that anyone can learn and says to others that you value them as people.
It really is okay to do more than your fair share. It teaches others to be generous and starts a trend.

nginx, php-fastcgi and Ubuntu 10.04

Wed, 19 May 2010 20:04:31 +0000

Note: this post is outdated. Use at your own risk.

I’ve been using nginx for this blog and other sites for well over a year, beginning with Ubuntu 8.10. I have had to figure out some things, but overall I have been very pleased. I have upgraded the server for each Ubuntu release since then with no real problems. Yesterday I upgraded to 10.04 and thought all was well when I went to bed last night. However, at some time during the night all of my sites began to return 504 Gateway Timeout errors. Hmm.

A video showing what it is like at an Ubuntu Developer Summit

Wed, 19 May 2010 03:51:09 +0000

I make my first (only?) appearance in the video at 0:57 when I walk past the camera. Enjoy.

Server upgrade

Tue, 18 May 2010 21:20:25 +0000

All of my sites, including this one, were offline for a bit today while I upgraded the operating system on my server. I am now running Ubuntu 10.04 LTS on this server. The upgrade was easy and smooth. Yay!

Modifying the Ubuntu Release Schedule

Fri, 14 May 2010 16:39:54 +0000

Yes, we can! Robbie Williamson, Engineering Manager at Canonical and an influential voice in Ubuntu’s release schedule, responded on his blog to Mark Shuttleworth’s call to see if we could release 10.10 on 10/10/10 (which, if thought of as the binary number 101010 would equal 42, every geek’s favorite number). Take a look.

Testing Ubuntu Releases

Thu, 13 May 2010 09:13:38 +0000

Do you like it when your operating system “just works?” I do. This does not happen easily or without hard work. Ubuntu has a wonderful QA team that has a systematic method of testing releases on diverse hardware platforms. However, they don’t own every piece of equipment out there. This doesn’t have to be the end of the story. Anyone who is willing to do a little bit of work and follow some very clearly outlined procedures may become a part of the team and help make releases better. Interested? Take a look at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing for ways that community members can join the Testing Team and http://qa.ubuntu.com/ for information on the QA Team. These two groups work together toward the common goal of making Ubuntu releases the best they can be through finding bugs, reporting them, and helping find problems on an even wider set of hardware.

Mark Shuttleworth Keynote UDS-M

Wed, 12 May 2010 12:01:24 +0000

For those who hadn’t seen it and want to.

Ubuntu and Canonical Design Communication

Wed, 12 May 2010 07:05:12 +0000

There is a new initiative from the Canonical/Ubuntu Design Team to do a much better job communicating their thoughts, ideas and plans to the wider community. They have started a blog at http://design.canonical.com/ that I believe is worth reading regularly. Fire up your RSS feed reader and subscribe after taking a look at the wonderful foundation they have created to kick things off.

EDIT: I should mention that the main way that the Design Team communicates is via the ayatana mailing list. You can find it here:

Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meercat announcement video

Tue, 11 May 2010 07:28:55 +0000

Enjoy!

10.10.10

Mon, 10 May 2010 08:22:20 +0000

This number will mean something if we can make it happen. I’m sold. Let’s do it!

Ubuntu Developers’ Summit – Maverick Meercat

Mon, 10 May 2010 08:01:45 +0000

I’m sitting in one of the first sessions of Ubuntu UDS for the upcoming 10.10 release listening to Mark Shuttleworth speak about the philosophy and future of the distribution. This is going to be an amazing release with a ton of new development and goodies. Since 10.04 LTS was just released and is a Long Term Support release, the focus was to release a version that could be supported for a long time and which had more of a focus on software options and sources that will be stable and consistent for two years. The focus on 10.10 will be innovation of a new foundation on which to build in preparation for the next LTS in 2010. More to come.

Ubuntu Up and Running

Sat, 01 May 2010 16:59:30 +0000

I just received my copy of Ubuntu Up and Running. I had the privilege of being one of the tech reviewers, so consider this more of an announcement than a review (as well as an invitation to take a look and see if the book interests you–Robin Nixon is a good writer). It is similar in focus to another book that I have contributed to heavily, The Official Ubuntu Book; (5th Ed coming very soon!). Both are aimed at being an introduction of Ubuntu to people new to Linux, but each covers the topic differently and in differing depth and each has information that the other does not.

Ubuntu Regional Membership Board Restaffing

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:00:35 +0000

Just a quick reminder that you can still nominate somebody (that includes yourself) for the Regional Membership Boards EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) or Asia / Oceania until 12:00 UTC today. I have enjoyed my two years as a part of the EMEA board, but am not standing for reelection to make way for new people to participate.

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS released

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:59:51 +0000

(Abridged from the announcement on The Fridge)

The Ubuntu team is pleased to announce Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Long-Term Support). Codenamed “Lucid Lynx”, 10.04 LTS continues Ubuntu’s proud tradition of integrating the latest and greatest open source technologies into a high-quality, easy-to-use Linux distribution.

We are also pleased to announce Ubuntu 10.04 Netbook Edition, which is not a long-term support release.

Read more about the features of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS in the following press releases:

97 Things Every Programmer Should Know

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:53:58 +0000

I have read programming books for years. There was a time when I could write a “Hello World” program in each of seven or eight languages. That time has passed, mainly because I haven’t been intimately involved in any specific software project for many years. Still, I have this habit of reading programming books and enjoying them, perhaps in the hope or expectation that one of these days I’ll find myself with a project in front of me, time to work on it, and motivation to learn a new language or tool to make the project’s vision a reality. Well, here’s the newest book of programming foundational tips that I have read.

Open Government: Collaboration, Transparency, and Participation in Practice

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:28:14 +0000

The most basic definition of open government is the idea that people have the right to access the documents and proceedings of government. Being able to closely examine decisions, policies, and procedures is foundational to having the ability to make intelligent and informed decisions as a citizen, especially in a democracy where an informed electorate is vital if good choices are to be made by voters when selecting leaders or holding them accountable.

Ubuntu – refreshing the brand

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:30:32 +0000

For years people have complained about Ubuntu’s default color: brown. While I liked it, and while the last few releases have been more orange than brown, it was time for a new look. Jono Bacon has made an exciting announcement on his blog, with pictures, of the upcoming new look. I like it.

Ubuntu Free Culture Showcase

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:20:00 +0000

Have you heard about the Ubuntu Free Culture Showcase?

The Ubuntu Free Culture Showcase is an opportunity to show off high quality free culture content in Ubuntu. At the heart of Ubuntu’s ethos is a belief in showcasing free software and free culture, and with each development cycle we open the opportunity for any Free Culture artist to put their work in front of millions of Ubuntu users around the world. Although the space restrictions are tight, and we are limited to how much content we can include, this is an excellent opportunity for artists everywhere.

Why Ubuntu server installations will surge in 2010

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:15:09 +0000

An article today on the ITWorld website discusses the myriad reasons to expect Ubuntu to continue its growth, not only on the desktop, but in the server market. They interviewed my friend and coauthor, Ryan Troy, who is quoted heavily in the article.

Some of the reasons include licensing, ease of use, low cost, and regular updates.

Regular Expressions Cookbook and Mastering Regular Expressions

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:34:13 +0000

I have a copy of Mastering Regular Expressions by Jeffrey E. F. Friedl on my bookshelf. I bought it a long time ago to try to improve my skills at using regular expressions to search text and check input against desired norms. While that book is clear and well written, I am sometimes a bit impatient and it was taking too long for me to figure out how to do the things I wanted to do and I got distracted or busy before I read enough to complete the task (I ended up using Google and finding what I needed quickly). I have to admit that I still don’t have the regular expression skills I want to have, although this book promises to teach them to me. Someday it may do so.

Review of Ubuntu Unleashed 2010 edition on The Linux Blog

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:04:27 +0000

The Linux Blog posted a nice review of Ubuntu Unleashed 2010, which I helped write. Thanks!

One Million Registered Users on the Ubuntu Forums!

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:11:02 +0000

What a milestone! It has been a privilege to be a part of the Ubuntu Forums since April 2005, first as a member of the general population (user number 17635), later as a part of the staff, and most recently as a part of the Forum Council and Admin team. It has been a wonderful ride so far and I look forward to welcoming the next million.

Many thanks to fellow Ubuntu Forums staff member Joe Barker for catching the event with a screenshot.

Tech Tip from Ubuntu Unleashed on ITWorld website

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:28:31 +0000

The people at IT World asked and were given permission to quote a very-slightly-edited version of one of the tech tips from Ubuntu Unleashed. Thanks to them. You may view it here.

Footnotes in Gaza

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 01:32:18 +0000

Henry Holt and Company recently sent me a complementary advance, prepublication review copy of Joe Sacco’s history in graphic novel format Footnotes in Gaza.

This may be one of the most heart-wrenching books I have ever read. This well-researched history relies on both interviews with eyewitnesses and official documents to provide the information for its powerful telling of a bloody event in 1956 in Gaza when 111 Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli soldiers and many others wounded and scarred. Some call it a massacre, others a dreadful mistake. No one disputes the number of dead nor the painful events of one incident in a long and difficult struggle.

The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:24:05 +0000

After my review of another of their books, I asked W.W. Norton & Co., Inc. to send me a review copy of The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb. They didn’t respond. However, I saw the book in a bookstore and was so impressed that I went ahead and bought it for myself.

There are two notes on the cover that immediately grab attention.

The first says “adult supervision recommended for minors,” and I agree, at least as far as younger kids go, solely because the book of Genesis itself is filled with stories and themes that children will not fully comprehend or that they are not developmentally ready to deal with, just as a parent wouldn’t let a child watch an intense movie alone or perhaps at all while they are young, something like Schindler’s List for example, because there are things they don’t need to confront or know about quite yet. That doesn’t have anything to do with the quality of the content. There is also some nudity and violence in the book, and although it is of the pen and ink comic illustration variety and merely illustrating what is clearly described in the text, some may not be comfortable with children seeing it in some of the contexts in this narrative.

Ubuntu Unleashed 2010 Edition

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:47:17 +0000

I just received my copy of Ubuntu Unleashed 2010 Edition and I am thrilled. Since I am one of the authors, consider this more of an announcement than a review as well as an invitation to take a look and see if the book interests you. This book is intended for intermediate to advanced users, as opposed to my work on The Official Ubuntu Book, which is aimed at being an introduction of Ubuntu to people new to Linux.

Nelson Mandela: The Authorized Comic Book

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:04:10 +0000

I had very high hopes for this official history of a well respected world leader. The publisher, W.W. Norton & Co., Inc. sent me a review copy last fall and I was immediately impressed with the artwork. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as impressed with the writing.

The history contained in the book is accurate to the best of my knowledge, and Mandela’s life is certainly interesting enough for me to force my way through reading the entire book, but the narrative style is dull and unsuited to the graphic novel format, where one could tell the story much more effectively using images and dialogue instead of treating the artwork as mere illustrations to accompany walls of text.

Interviewed for Ubuntu UK Podcast

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:43:31 +0000

My friends at Ubuntu UK Podcast posted the most recent episode of season two on their site today. I was privileged to be interviewed by Alan Pope about my travels, writing books, and the Ubuntu Forums. Several friends get a mention including Benjamin “Mako” Hill and Ryan Troy. I did make one error in the interview. The Ubuntu Forums do not have about 850,000 users, we have more than 973,000 forum members!

Talk Morocco website launches

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:27:52 +0000

I am privileged to be a part of a new website dedicated to helping people who love Morocco to discuss issues important to that country and society. The first set of articles on Talk Morocco revolve around freedom of the press, and I am among the contributers.

Dove & Snake Giveaway

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:00:25 +0000

A little while ago I allowed a chapter from one of my books to be reposted in the most recent edition of an independent art and culture ‘zine from Tucson called Dove & Snake.

As a thank you, I have been allowed to offer a free copy of the issue to one of you, my blog readers. I’m not good at contest creation, so I’ll keep this simple. The person whose comment I deem the wittiest will receive a free copy. The comment must be made directly on this blog, not on a site that syndicates my posts like Facebook or LinkedIn or something else, and must be made no later than Wednesday, December 9th at the totally random time of 12 noon my local time. I will choose my favorite and will contact that person directly to get mailing address details (so be sure to use a real email address when you comment if you want to be considered).

Ubuntu documentation cleanup

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:18:19 +0000

I’ve volunteered to give our friend Bryce a hand cleaning up the pages about X in the Ubuntu wiki. One thing we would really like to do is focus these particular pages more directly on power users, testers, packagers and bug triagers. However, there are other end users who sometimes browse these pages and we don’t want to leave them high and dry. Ultimately, we would like to link them to appropriate documentation on help.ubuntu.com. Could the person responsible for the X documentation there please contact me? I have a few things I would like to discuss with you and see if we can coordinate.

Ubuntu Membership Myths Debunked

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:28:45 +0000

Daniel Holbach just posted this on his blog. As a member of the Ubuntu Regional Membership Board for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, I thought I would share his comments and help him out a bit.

One thing I really like about Ubuntu is that all kinds of contributions to Ubuntu are valued and recognised through Ubuntu membership. We have several hundreds of Ubuntu members already who have all kinds of backgrounds and all kinds of different areas of expertise. They are united by having made significant and sustained contributions to Ubuntu. There are a number of myths about Ubuntu membership that we want to debunk.

VMware Cookbook Early Reviews

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:08:35 +0000

Reviews have begun to appear for VMware Cookbook, written by Ryan Troy with some assistance from me. The comments I am seeing have been positive.

Comments have appeared today from Meera Subbarao’s Java Blog, Learnxpress, and Amazon.com.

Heading Home from UDS-L

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:40:34 +0000

The Ubuntu Developer Summit ended last night and I’m on my way home. Ubuntu 10.04 LTS is going to be an incredible release and I’m proud to have participated a little bit in the process. I’ll be writing more about it as time passes. For now, enjoy the group photo (I’m in the second row, just behind the guy holding the right end of the Ubuntu banner. Click the photo to go to the Flickr page where it was uploaded and where you will find a larger version available.

UDS Accents

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:08:23 +0000

I had one of my European colleagues say to me last night that he feels like he has picked up many aspects of the American accent while here in Dallas. I have spent a large amount of time with my British, Irish, Australian and other European friends and it seems I have picked up a few of their vocal mannerisms and accent quirks. That’s kind of how community works, isn’t it? We each give to and take from one another, ending up with a conglomeration that is mutually comprehensible and beneficial.

An Amusing Observation

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:02:49 +0000

I am sitting at the Ubuntu Developer Summit in Dallas and I had a sudden realization. No one knows the “correct” way to pronounce “Ubuntu.” Everyone, community members, developers, Canonical employees, Mark Shuttleworth, Jono Bacon, we all pronounce it a little bit differently. I’ve heard eww-boon-too, eww-bun-too, yoo-boon-too, yoo-bun-too, oo-bun-too, oo-boon-too and a few more that I can’t figure out how to phoneticize.

UDS-L

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:35:06 +0000

I’m at the Ubuntu Developers’ Summit (UDS). I like how Popey introduces the event, so I won’t bother doing more in this post than linking to his blog, quoting a bit of his post, and then heading out of my hotel room to hang out with people. As with him, Canonical is also sponsoring my attendance.

My friends sometimes ask me what happens at UDS, so I thought I’d write a little summary each day of what’s happened. I’ll try to keep it fairly short, although I appear to have failed so far with this particular post.

Learning Python, fourth edition

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:20:31 +0000

Years ago I purchased a copy of the very first edition of Learning Python.It was a small book, about 350 pages, but in 1999 when it came out, it was one of the best introductions to the language that existed. I hadn’t picked up my copy for some time, but I remember well how useful it was when I first bought it. When O’Reilly offered me a free review copy of Learning Python, fourth edition, I figured the differences between the two editions would primarily consist of updates to the content based on the differences in Python release versions, and that I wouldn’t likely learn much more from the new edition. I was wrong, and I will explain how and why below.

VMware Cookbook is now available for purchase

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:57:34 +0000

I’ve been talking about this book for months. It has been over a year since Ryan Troy and I started the process of creating it. Finally, VMware Cookbook is available for purchase.

Just a Geek

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:00:37 +0000

Okay, I admit it. I love Wil Wheaton. Hmm. Honestly, I don’t know him, so I can’t really say that. However, I love his writing; it is so clear, interesting, and makes me feel like I know him. I guess it would be more honest to say that I love those parts of him he has chosen to reveal of himself in his writing, but that sounds awkward.

While I have kept current on Wil’s blog for a long time, it is only now that I have finally read his book Just a Geek. It came out in hardcover while I was living in Africa and wasn’t able to pick up a copy easily. O’Reilly has just released it in paperback and I happened to be paying attention, so here we are.

Burn This Book

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:02:50 +0000

Not too long ago I found myself waiting around for something and with nothing to do. That sort of leisure time is rare for me, but when it comes I try to use those moments to pursue things that I enjoy. Reading is one of those pleasures. I happened to be near a bookstore and walked in. While browsing I picked up a book with an all black cover and the title in all capital white letters, BURN THIS BOOK. I had to pick it up for a closer inspection.

Linux in a Nutshell, sixth edition

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:07:25 +0000

Years ago I purchased a copy of Linux in a Nutshell, fourth edition. That book has been well used and is looking a bit shabby. When O’Reilly offered me a free review copy of Linux in a Nutshell, sixth edition, I jumped at the chance. Some of the thoughts that follow will apply to either edition (as well as the not-reviewed fifth edition, which I don’t have), but I will point out some of the more important or obvious updates to help others who also own older editions to determine whether the changes are sufficient to convince them to buy the new version.

Cory Doctorow’s writing experiment

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:55:59 +0000

Cory Doctorow, author and open source advocate, has designed an economic and research project that I find very interesting and will be following with interest. He has previously published using both a traditional publisher while also using a Creative Commons license. There has been some anecdotal evidence supporting his claims that this is viable and economically feasible (and frankly, his example influenced me heavily in my decision to use a CC license on both of my books on Moroccan culture). There has not been any experimentation to prove the assertions nor to silence the criticism he has at times received.

Do I dare review more books?

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:27:46 +0000

I review books on this blog occasionally. Many of them are books I bought myself and wanted to share with people because I found them interesting or useful. Some are books that have been sent to me by publishers (some of whom also publish books I have worked on).

Apparently the new Federal Trade Commission guidelines will require that starting in December 2009 bloggers who have any connection to publishers will be required to state that fact in any articles they write, whether that connection is employment (which makes sense) or just simply that the publisher provided the product being reviewed for free.

I was interviewed recently

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:09:44 +0000

I mentioned earlier that a local indie zine, Dove & Snake, had reprinted a chapter from one of my books. They also interviewed me recently for their website. You may read the interview here if you are interested.

vrms

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:29:11 +0000

My computer has a bit more non-free software than most I’ve seen in this meme on Planet Ubuntu, but nearly all of it is related to video drivers (so I can play cool games like Sauerbraten). Opera is for testing websites in yet another browser. I’m not sure why the linux-generic package is in there, unless it is because it pulls in the linux-restricted-modules package with the proprietary driver set.

Click if you are interested and don’t already know what vrms is all about (link is to a very short descripton).

Drowning out what I want to hear

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:50:41 +0000

Politics and religion are interesting topics, but so difficult to discuss in some venues. I completely understand why we choose to avoid them at times. However, in those moments where good discussion could be appropriate and useful, too often it is drowned out by extreme statements that distill down (what I hope are) complex and well thought out ideas into slogans barely worthy of a bumper sticker.

I would like to make a public request, solely on my own behalf.

Dove & Snake, issue 2 {Nobody Wants to be a Sucker}

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 04:26:10 +0000

I have a friend, Scott Appleman, who works at a local community college helping people learn how to write. Scott has also started a cool little indie zine called Dove & Snake.

I (gladly) let Scott and the D&S crew reprint a chapter from my most recent self-published, Creative Commons licensed book Nowhere Else to Turn in their most recent edition. Give them a click, check out the zine, and tell ’em Matthew sent you. 🙂

Linux Journal posts excerpt from The Official Ubuntu Book

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:46:07 +0000

I recently edited down a chapter from The Official Ubuntu Book for posting on Linux Journal’s website. Enjoy!

Free sample recipes from VMware Cookbook

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:48:50 +0000

O’Reilly has posted two sample recipes from VMware Cookbook, that Ryan Troy and I wrote. Please enjoy!

Sample 1: Ethernet Traffic Shaping

Sample 2: Monitoring CPU Usage

The Manga Guide to Calculus

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:34:26 +0000

Over the last year or so I have had the privilege of reading several atypical educational books that use graphic art to help teach difficult concepts or illustrate the action. This is another wonderful entry in the “Manga Guide to…” series that I have been reviewing.

The Manga Guide to Calculus follows the actions of a young newspaper reporter, Noriko, who wants to cover the big stories, to be a hard-hitting reporter who uncovers and reveals hidden facts about world affairs, the economy, and politics. She is saddened to discover that she has been assigned to work a small post in a small area where she is unlikely to find stories bigger than the opening of a local amusement park or the improving reputation of a local watermelon grower.

The Official Ubuntu Server Book

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:54:17 +0000

I had the privilege of helping out with one chapter in The Official Ubuntu Server Book–I didn’t do enough to earn an author’s credit or get a mention on the cover or anything, but Kyle Rankin was kind enough to mention me in the Acknowledgements on page xxiii. Thanks for the chance to contribute, Kyle and Mako!

Check out the Amazon page for the book. If you run Ubuntu on your server or are considering doing so, you are likely to find the book both interesting and useful.

Rockbox open firmware on my Cowon iAudio M5

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:35:57 +0000

I just installed Rockbox, an open source firmware for music players, on my Cowon iAudio M5.

I’ve owned this portable music player for a couple of years, originally purchasing it because it is wonderfully compatible with Linux and mounts as a USB Mass Storage device and plays nearly every common audio filetype, including all the ones I had/have on my hard drive.

I liked the original firmware that Cowon provided and never had a problem with it. However, me being me, I had some free time and needed a project, so I downloaded Rockbox and installed it today. I expected this would be a detailed and complicated process, as installing custom firmware often is (eg. like the first time I installed dd-wrt on my Linksys wrt54g v2). It wasn’t. The whole process took ten minutes, and that includes the time I took to read the installation instructions. Wow!

Passing the Baton

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:43:50 +0000

This project has been both fun and enjoyable, but my life has become much busier lately than it used to be. Rather than cancel or end the Ubuntu Community Interviews series, I have found someone who is both able and excited to take it over. Just as it was once passed to me, I am now passing the baton to Joe Barker (Joeb454 on the forums), who will do a wonderful job with it in its new home on his blog.

Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:26:37 +0000

I first read about this graphic novel adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s classic book about a month ago. I was immediately intrigued. The original book is one of my all time favorites and I wanted to see if a graphic adaptation could do it justice. In short: it does.

Tim Hamilton and the folks at Hill and Wang, with the blessing of Ray Bradbury, who writes the introduction to the book, have produces a beautiful and well crafted retelling of the classic story that is both true to the original and able to stand on its own.

Programming the Semantic Web

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:48:41 +0000

The semantic web. We have all heard about it, the buzz, the hype, and the excitement. Much of it seems well founded once you look deeper into the idea of organizing and making data available in a way that machines can find it, share it, and combine it in new ways that were not considered or even thought of when the data was being collected. This can yield amazing results and discoveries, but to do it, we need to move beyond theory and into practice. That is what this book is about.

The Official Ubuntu Book, Fourth Edition — first review and more

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:48:16 +0000

The new edition of The Official Ubuntu Book has hit the shelves in some places. I just received my copy. I mentioned earlier the Kindle version was available. Today, I’m pleased to mention another format: Adobe PDF. Also, a free sample chapter is available from InformIT, who are also selling the aforementioned PDF.

As the title mentions, the first review I have seen is up at A Million Chimpanzees. Enjoy!

The Official Ubuntu Book – Kindle Edition

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:31:37 +0000

The latest release of The Official Ubuntu Book is now available for your Kindle.

VMware Cookbook reviews beginning

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:33:51 +0000

We are already beginning to see reviews of VMware Cookbook, and the book has not yet been released. I’ll post more as I find them.

Thanks, Paul, for your post on your PJSquared blog.

The Official Ubuntu Book, Fourth Edition is available

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:37:34 +0000

The main Amazon site says it is in stock, and I’m hearing reports of people seeing it “in the wild,” although I haven’t yet received my copy.

This book is perfect for people who are interested, but have no idea where or how to get started with Ubuntu.

Disclosure: For this edition, I had the privilege of editing and updating chapters 1-4, 7, 11, and the appendices, and provided assistance checking the full manuscript, including the final proof, against the final release version of the software covered. I also was the lead contact during the copy edit, index, and final proof and author query stages.

An interview with Travis Newman

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:38:47 +0000

If you have been around the Ubuntu Forums for a while, you are certain to have come across a person calling himself panickedthumb. Guess who we are interviewing in this edition of Ubuntu Community Interviews?

1. Tell as much as you’re willing about your “real life” like name, age, gender, location, family, religion, profession, education, hobbies, etc.

I’m Travis Newman, 27 years old, living in Radford VA. My wife, Katie, and I have two cats Max and Leo. I’m AVP of IT at a regional bank in the area. In my spare time, which I seem to have little of lately, I’m an avid gamer and internet junkie.

The Manga Guide to Physics

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:18:26 +0000

What a fun book series this has been to read and review! I have been impressed by the book series so far and its treatment of the various topics. This may be my favorite of the series, although I will be reading The Manga Guide to Calculus later in the summer or early fall, so I won’t yet make that a definite statement.

As with the other books in the series, this book uses well drawn manga art to introduce and give a context for presenting the material–in this case, Newtonian physics.

SQL and Relational Theory

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:21:15 +0000

I have spent the last three or four weeks struggling through a book on relational database theory. Never content to know only the “how” of something, I wanted to learn some of the “why” behind SQL databases. This book covers that in depth, with a steep learning curve for someone like me who has a bit of experience using SQL in various applications, but who has never formally studied it. That is not a bad thing.

VMware Cookbook in Safari

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:44:28 +0000

If you have a Safari account and are interested, some of the chapters of our upcoming book, VMware Cookbook, are available in Rough Cuts. We would love to hear your comments (and corrections, if necessary).

One of my books is in a library

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:15:40 +0000

Or at least, it is about to be. I just found out that my book Humor and Moroccan Culture is being processed to be included in the Mohammed VI Library at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco. I hope it is the first of many, and that they find Nowhere Else to Turn equally worthy of being added to their collection.

Reading up on SQL

Sat, 30 May 2009 19:25:14 +0000

About four weeks ago I read a manga introduction to databases that I enjoyed thoroughly and reviewed. As I mentioned in that review, that sparked an interest in learning more. I’ve used databases for years, and my simple level of experience has served me well, but now I want to know more. I decided to start by brushing up on my knowledge of SQL. The three books discussed in this article are a good introduction. I have another book on my shelf that goes deeper into database theory and I will review that book later. Let’s start with a brief introduction to each of today’s books, which will be followed by a short comparison.

An interview with tinivole

Thu, 21 May 2009 14:21:33 +0000

We have a musician to interview in this edition of our Ubuntu Community Interviews. Unsurprisingly, tinivole is also a pretty good guy and a wonderful addition to our forum staff. I think you will enjoy this conversation.

1. Tell as much as you’re willing about your “real” life – name, age, gender, location, family, religion, profession, education, hobbies, etc.

My real name is Iain Buclaw. I was born in Surrey, 1989, and am currently living in the West Midlands, UK. I have a European bound family with heritage roots from Italy and Poland, to which I’ve picked up enough of the Polish language to survive if I were ever to visit the country. My strengths are in Studio Engineering/Production and IT Support/Analyst roles; I am yet to decide which one to take on as a full-time career. I have vendor IT qualifications in CompTIA A+, Network+; Microsoft Certified DST; and Linux LPIC1. In my spare time I am a hobbyist programmer of the C and Perl languages, and spend whenever I can thrashing out Jazz/Rock on guitars.

The Manga Guide to Databases

Mon, 04 May 2009 20:14:32 +0000

I have used relational databases for years. I’ve used them to store mailing lists, email account data for postfix, blog and forum data, and more. They are convenient and powerful time savers. Most of what I have learned has been indirectly learned while studying something else; documentation for a computer programming language like PHP or Python, a book on website design for commerce, or documentation and code for an open source project like WordPress or Drupal. As a result, my knowledge is adequate for simple tasks and queries, but I’m nowhere near ready to be a database admin. What I know is incomplete, adequate for my actual needs, but with gaping holes in my knowledge.

Security Monitoring

Fri, 01 May 2009 14:54:15 +0000

There are many good books that discuss the basics of systems administration. This is not one of those books. This book is much deeper and more specific and fills a niche that I think needed to be filled.

If you are in charge of a group of servers, especially as your company’s setup becomes larger and more complex, knowing how to check for problems and intruders is vital. It is also something that can be difficult to learn because of the dearth of materials readily available.

The Manga Guide to Statistics

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:27:43 +0000

I so enjoyed the last book in this short series that I decided to pick up all of the currently published titles. I’ll review each of them as time goes on. This time around, I will discuss The Manga Guide to Statistics.

Ahh, statistics. The subject that so many of us need to understand, too few grasp, and even fewer seem to enjoy. What better way is there to test the quality of the book than for me to read about something I don’t particularly enjoy and have never been terribly good with?

Sexy Web Design

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 05:10:04 +0000

People following this blog know that I have been doing a lot of research lately to brush up my web site creation and management skills. I’ve been reading about content management systems, JavaScript, systems administration topics and the like. With most of these are things I am well past the novice stage. My biggest weakness in the process is not technical, but design related.

I am not a graphic designer. I am not a web designer. I know I have a lot to learn. That is why I started looking for help. I’ve been reading sites like Smashing Magazine (where I acquired the free design I am currently using on this site) and SitePoint. At some point I ran across a blog by a designer named Elliot Jay Stocks and was floored by how attractive and unique his site is and was wowed by his portfolio.

An interview with Codename

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:25:51 +0000

Codename has given us the latest installment in our Ubuntu Community Interviews series. He’s a young guy, polite, friendly, and helpful. He also provides us with an example of thankfulness and service, choosing to help others in the community after recognizing the help he received. Thanks, Mike!

1. Tell as much as you’re willing about your “real” life — name, age, gender, location, family, religion, profession, education, hobbies, etc.

Well to start things off my name is Mike, and I’m 18. I’ve always been kind of a computer guy, the family calls me “The Computer Whiz Kid”. I was around computers as a kid so I’ve always kind of liked them and hence the reason I’ve became very fluent on the Ubuntu Forums. I really don’t have a job, but I’m working on becoming a Network administrator soon, so I’m really excited, and I want to fulfill that goal.

The Manga Guide to Electricity

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 20:54:50 +0000

I picked this book up for fun. I already know a lot about electricity. I have been known to read electron tube spec sheets and circuit designs for fun and amusement. I’ve been known to scrounge around at ham radio festivals and used book stores looking for old design manuals or tech books. You may remember my blog entry about one of my projects where I built a tube-powered guitar amplifier. So, I didn’t buy this book because I needed/wanted to learn the material. I already know it.

Drupal 6 JavaScript and jQuery

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:15:57 +0000

Anyone who has been paying attention knows that I have been doing a ton of reading lately on Drupal 6. I admit it, I have a tendency to get interested in something and then consume every bit of information about it that I can find. I recently read a book on pure JavaScript because I noticed that Drupal version 6 ships with a Drupal JavaScript library (drupal.js) as well as a fairly recent and powerful library that is gaining followers rapidly called jQuery.

Newspapers and an Analogy

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 17:13:54 +0000

Over the last couple of weeks we have seen what we all knew was coming: lots of newspapers making the final decision to cease publication. There are lots of reasons for this, including things like content that doesn’t appeal to readers, the convenience of the internet, investigative journalism that has been made subservient of the desires of marketing and sales departments, and more.

My personal feeling is that the most important reason is simply that for the most part words printed on cheap paper with cheap ink is an archaic method of getting information to the masses. It is slow, it is expensive, and frankly, it’s messy and wasteful.

Linux Identity’s Linux Starter Kit

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:54:02 +0000

I contributed seven articles and cowrote another with Ryan Troy for the Linux Starter Kit edition of Linux Identity. The issue should be on newsstands now.

Python for Unix and Linux System Administration

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:12:11 +0000

I have four Python books on my shelf. I like the language, at least in theory. It is easy to read, clear, and powerful. In practice, I really don’t program much. I was hoping that this book might push me over the edge from writing shell and PHP scripts for my simple needs into Python land. So many of my friends love the language.

I read the book this week. There are a lot of great ideas in there that would be useful for a sysadmin. The examples chosen are generally practical and useful. I was a bit disappointed by the occasional typographical or capitalization error, especially in code examples and discussion, which are not uncommon in first edition books, but are generally uncommon from O’Reilly books. I also found the early emphasis on iPython to be a bit excessive.

An interview with Rocket2DMn

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 03:52:04 +0000

Today we have the opportunity to hear from one of our staff members in the Ubuntu Forums, Rocket2DMn, in the latest installment in our Ubuntu Community Interviews series. Rocket2DMn first came to our attention as a result of his help answering questions in the forums. It wasn’t long before he became a member of our Beginner’s Team, which is focused on helping newcomers to the world of Ubuntu and Linux in the forums. He’s a great guy, a patient helper, and a wonderful asset to our community.

Learning JavaScript

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:48:27 +0000

I recently became the maintainer for a site that uses a bit of JavaScript. Surprisingly, I have no previous experience writing or maintaining anything in JavaScript, so I needed to get up to speed, if only to know what is going on. To help me out, I picked up a copy of Shelley Powers’ new book, Learning JavaScript.

I am familiar with Shelley Powers’ work, having read Unix Power Tools, a book that holds a special place on my shelf for its usefulness and depth. She is obviously someone who knows what she is doing.

An interview with Michael.Godawski

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:29:04 +0000

Michael.Godawski is a great example of what makes the Ubuntu Forums so special. This is why I chose him for the next installment in our Ubuntu Community Interviews series. Michael started in the forums and in the Ubuntu community as a Linux novice and has progressed to being a consistently helpful contributing member, assisting new users with their problems and being a positive example of kindness and gentleness, combined with competence. It is people like Michael who make the overall Ubuntu community so welcoming to newcomers. He also is a great representation of the international nature of our forums and our overall Ubuntu community.

Using Drupal

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:59:56 +0000

I have read a lot of Drupal books as well as online materials. This particular book is one I was looking forward to for a long time. It was just released in December 2008 and is from O’Reilly Press. I have never made it a secret that I find O’Reilly’s books to be consistently good, and usually the best in any category in which they have offerings available. This book lived up to my expectations.

Intellectual Property and Open Source

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:54:29 +0000

I took a trip this last week, one that involved several hours of airplane travel each way. I took along a book that I just picked up that looked interesting. If you are like me, you have heard about and read through some of the philosophical foundations of software licensing, copyright law, and intellectual property, but sometimes it all seems so complicated that you aren’t really sure how it all fits together. Patents, copyright, trademarks and trade secrets, licenses and contracts all seem to overlap at times making a sort of intellectual property law soup that can be hard to digest. That is precisely why I picked up Van Lindberg’s Intellectual Property and Open Source: A Practical Guide to Protecting Code.

Drupal Multimedia

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 04:33:38 +0000

Anyone following this blog for a while will notice that I have been reading a lot of Drupal books recently. I have a big project that I am working on for someone, and I want to do a good job for them. While I run Drupal on matthewhelmke.com, it is a very simple implementation solely to list my recently published work. I also ran Drupal on a site for my business, but that has since closed.

The Principles of Successful Freelancing

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 20:24:41 +0000

In the past, I have worked for others. More recently, I have run my own business. A few months ago, I closed that business and moved back to the U.S.A. and am currently doing a little bit of freelance work, writing mostly, just until I begin my grad school program.

My experience with freelancing has been mixed, primarily because I have discovered that I have some gaps in my knowledge.

Drupal 6 Site Builder Solutions

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:24:12 +0000

Those of you who read this blog regularly know that I like Drupal. I use WordPress on this site and think it is fabulous, but for sites that want to do more to connect with readers or customers, I think Drupal is one of the easiest and most powerful solutions out there for creating a quality site with as little difficulty and pain as possible. I personally administer three sites built on Drupal and have built others.

An interview with PartyBoi2

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 11:02:59 +0000

It has been a little while since we last had an installment of our interview series. With the new year fully begun and things moving back into a regular schedule, I think it is time we continue the introductions.

Today we get to hear from Karl, known in the forums as PartyBoi2. In the last two years, he has racked up over 3000 posts and helped tons of new users, attempting to focus on posts that have gone entirely unanswered as well as helping beginners with their adaptation issues.

Getting started with Arduino

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:15:52 +0000

I love Make magazine. It captures the excitement and joy of tinkering, experimenting, and modifying things for fun. This is an experience I have had over and over through the years, beginning in my early childhood. I was that one kid that always took all of his toys apart, usually putting them back together with “improvements.”

I have learned so much from doing things this way, probably more than I have learned from books. I am a book lover, but more than that, I am a tinkerer. I’m never content with knowing theory, I have to get my hands dirty and experiment, often before I bother to learn the theory.

Mastering phpMyAdmin 2.11

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 21:58:15 +0000

I am the sole person responsible for seven websites that use MySQL databases, and have worked on the back end of several others. Over the years I have worked on these databases in many different ways. I’ve done it from the command line, via ssh. I’ve done it using PHP scripts within the software being run on a site. I have also used phpMyAdmin. Each method has applications and moments where I would prefer using it to the others at my disposal.

Ubuntu 8.10 magazine

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:57:05 +0000

I wrote several articles, and co-wrote one with a friend, Ryan Troy, for the Ubuntu 8.10 edition of Linux Identity. I even got to write the editorial at the beginning of the issue.

I received my copy today. The issue should be available on newsstands soon. It includes two installation DVDs, one 32 bit and one 64 bit. The issue will give a good introduction to Ubuntu for your friends and coworkers, even those with little technical skill, knowledge or experience.

Nowhere Else to Turn

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:21:51 +0000

My second book (written solo, not as a cowriter) appeared on Amazon this morning. The cover still hasn’t appeared on the site, but hopefully it will soon along with “search within this book” capability.

From the back cover: “There are things that happen in the world that are difficult and sometimes impossible to explain. At times, we are confronted with circumstances or situations over which we have no control. How we deal with those situations reveals much about our strongest beliefs, our dreams, and our fears. This collection of short stories explores specific instances of involvement with or belief in the supernatural in one North African country. The tales, all claiming to be true, were collected over several years while the author was living in Morocco.”

One url Apache-style 301 redirects in nginx

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:56:03 +0000

Note: this post is outdated. Use at your own risk.

In Apache, you can create an .htaccess file to house 301 Redirect statements, or you can do it in the main config file. It is easy, and common. To change the url that appears in a client browser, as well as tell it where to find something that is no longer located in an original place, you would write something like this for http://mysampledomain.com:

A short how-to for switching from Apache to nginx

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:44:06 +0000

Note: this post is outdated. Use at your own risk.

I am running my sites on a VPS from Slicehost and have had a very good experience. When I started, I set everything up using Apache 2, since that is what I am most familiar and adept with using. Apache works well, but likes more memory than I have in my server. This caused me to use my swap far too much.

My experience with System76

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:40:57 +0000

I recently bought a new computer from System76 with Ubuntu pre-installed, because I want to support companies who are supportive of Free and Open Source Software. This was my experience.

Before I ordered the machine, I spent some time reading several pages of questions and answers from their support forum, housed at the official Ubuntu Forums. A quick disclaimer: I am an administrator for the Ubuntu Forums.

Later, I emailed their support team with several questions. They responded quickly and answered every one to my satisfaction.

Drupal 6 Themes

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:10:39 +0000

I have used Drupal to administer sites for years. It is flexible, powerful, and relatively easy to use. The one area of Drupal where I have been weak is theming. Generally, I have used contributed themes, maybe modifying colors, logos, and other simple things.

The one or two times I felt ambitious and tried to read through the documentation in order to learn how to create my own theme from scratch, I either got distracted by life, or found myself getting tired of the search and wishing I had all of the information I needed in one place to learn how to create a theme.

An interview with vor

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:49:07 +0000

Shawn Dennie, known as vor on the Ubuntu Forums, is one of our moderating staff. He is a programmer with a long technical history and being hired at 18 years old did wonders for his already-strong geek credibility. He is a world traveler, and an all-around interesting and good guy, and the subject of our latest in the community interview series.

1. Tell as much as you’re willing about your “real” life – name, age, gender, location, family, religion, profession, education, hobbies, etc.

Trolling, rudeness, and a lack of manners

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:18:44 +0000

What is it about the internet that causes some people to act like it is suddenly okay to be rude, demeaning, or to speak/write/act in a way that would otherwise be obviously unacceptable in any human society?

I don’t actually expect an answer. I just needed to vent.

CUPS Administrative Guide

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:32:05 +0000

I was recently given a copy of a new book, CUPS Administrative Guide, to read and review. My initial thought was, “There is an entire book about the Common UNIX Printing System? Why?” You see, I have never had a problem configuring or using a printer with Linux, but my needs are simple, and I have always done my research first to see if the hardware is supported before purchase.

An interview with Nicolas Valcárcel

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:54:14 +0000

Today’s interviewee volunteered to participate in the Ubuntu Community Interviews series some time ago. He is involved in some of the more technical aspects of the community, helping maintain and place packages in the repositories, working to keep Ubuntu up to date with security, and lots more. Enjoy!

1. Tell as much as you’re willing about your “real” life – name, age, gender, location, family, religion, profession, education, hobbies, etc.

I’m Nicolas Valcárcel Scerpella. I am a 24 years old male Peruvian student living in Lima – Perú with my parents, 2 sisters and a rotweiler. I’m coursing the 7th-8th period of systems engineering at the University “de lima”, working as Security Engineer in the OEM Solutions Group for Canonical. Before that i was Senior consultant in Aureal Systems, doing mainly sysadmin work on the client’s server (primary in Linux, but here was some other *nix like ones). I love adventure sports and outsides, i used to surf, skate and also played rugby at the university. While i was still at school i also used to row at the “Club de Regatas Lima” from 1998 until 2001.

On Being Thankful

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:37:16 +0000

No one is an island. None of us is able to survive, much less live, completely self-sufficient. Each of us need others. I am thankful for the many who have helped me during my life; family, friends, coworkers and colleagues, teachers, doctors, shopkeepers, assistants, the list would be very long indeed if I continued. It is important to take a moment on occasion and remember those who have been influential, helpful, or just plain loving, and say, “Thank you.”

Linux Identity and Ubuntu 8.10

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:48:25 +0000

I had the privilege of contributing several articles to the Ubuntu 8.10 edition of Linux Identity magazine, along with one I co-wrote with a friend, Ryan Troy (aka ubuntu-geek in the Ubuntu Forums). I even got to write the editorial at the beginning of the issue.

Now, with a little bit of fear and no small amount of intimidation, owing to how incredibly much I respect so many of you in the overall Linux and FOSS developer and Ubuntu communities, I am letting you all know about the issue while I hope I got all of my facts and details correct in the articles.

Why is intellectualism looked down upon?

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:23:38 +0000

Do you ever ask yourself questions like “Why?” and “What if?”

Do you enjoy reading and discovering diverse viewpoints, especially those to which you have not been exposed?

I do. Often. I love to explore options, delve into ideas, and pursue opportunities, if only in my mind.

What I discover when I do this is that there are perspectives and thoughts beyond those which I have previously known. These things stretch me. They enable me to better understand what others think and feel. They provide for me an opportunity to go beyond what I already know and hopefully better myself, my methods for doing things, and perhaps my world.

An interview with Nathan Grubb

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:36:52 +0000

In this series, we have had the privilege of including a number of adults. In today’s installment, we are highlighting one of our younger forum members. Nathan Grubb (forum username: nathangrubb) is also a comparatively new Linux user, having joined the fun just over a year ago. He has a blog that you are invited to check out, and included a couple of screenshots with his interview, in which you will discover he uses wmii, which I have inserted below.

Come Together

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:55:50 +0000

I am hopeful that the world is changing. Whether it is or not, it is obvious that American, and I believe much of the world society is. The days of “us” versus “them” are diminishing as communication becomes faster and easier and we all start to realize that we have more similarities than we have differences.

Those who seem to understand this best are the youngest among us, especially those under thirty or so, although that is not an absolute boundary by any means.

FBML Essentials

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:40:48 +0000

I have been playing around with Facebook for a while now. It is a fun place to connect with friends, and I have been able to find and reconnect with some that I haven’t seen or heard from in years.

Being a typical geek, I can’t leave well enough alone. I wanted to find out how to make this new toy do more. I wanted to personalize it, and see if I could make it do things it wasn’t originally designed to do. That’s where today’s short book review comes in.

Ubuntu Kung Fu

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 02:22:17 +0000

A while back, I was approached and asked to review a book that was still in progress. I read through it and made some specific comments and suggestions. Now, the final version of the book is complete and has been published. Not only were my suggestions taken, but I am privileged to have a quote of mine in use on the first page, just inside the cover. I liked the book when I read the earlier draft, and I like it even better now.

I’ve been published again

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 01:56:34 +0000

Ryan Troy, ubuntu-geek of ubuntuforums.org, and I wrote an article about Ubuntu JeOS and VMware for the current edition of Linux+.

An interview with Joeb454

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:40:33 +0000

The Ubuntu Forums are blessed with an amazing and wonderful group of staff members. This time around, we have the privilege of hearing from one of the younger and newer additions, a wonderful guy named Joeb454. Be sure to check out his personal blog as well.

1. Tell as much as you’re willing about your “real” life – name, age, gender, location, family, religion, profession, education, hobbies, etc.

An interview with John Crawford

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 03:46:42 +0000

_Welcome to the next installment of Ubuntu Community Interviews. Today we are highlighting John Crawford, an Ubuntu Member, a leader in the Arizona LoCo Team, one of the co-editors of the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, and the editor for the Ubuntu Fridge.
_

1. Tell as much as you’re willing about your “real” life – name, age, gender, location, family, religion, profession, education, hobbies, etc.

I’m John Crawford (johnc4510), a 55 year old male, living in Arizona. I was once married, but I have been single for so long now that I really don’t even remember it. 🙂 I grew up in Missouri which accounts for what I call my “hick” accent. I’ve had several hobbies over the years, but Ubuntu seems to have replaced them all.

Racism and abuse in Morocco

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:42:56 +0000

I couldn’t post this while I was still living in the country. Now that I have moved elsewhere, I can finally say something about a problem that bothered me immensely in Morocco, a nation of 33 million wonderful people, and a few thousand evil overlords operating in the police forces and elsewhere.

Racism. It’s a dirty word and an even dirtier practice. I have no patience for people who judge others solely on the basis of something as trivial as skin color. In Morocco, I witnessed it first hand many times. One of my final and most enduring images of this country was during my last week there.

An interview with Alan Pope

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 13:02:37 +0000

Well, it’s that time again folks–time for another Ubuntu Community Interviews. We have a special interview this time around. Alan Pope, sometimes known as Popey, is a systems administrator, an Ubuntu Member, a member of the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Membership Council (as am I…). Departing from our tradition in these interviews, he is someone who does not enjoy using web forums. He is smart, opinionated, a wonderful member of the overall Ubuntu community, and a good addition to our interview series. Enjoy!

Am I the only one who doesn’t usually enjoy podcasts or video blogs?

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:07:28 +0000

I get the appeal. You can listen to or watch your favorite people talk about or demonstrate topics that interest you at times that are convenient for you. That’s cool.

Here’s the deal: even though I think these are a pretty neat idea, I almost never listen to or view them.

Why?

Well, I suppose part of it could be that I am a very fast reader. I average two or three books a week, somewhere between 600 and 1500 pages. Some weeks I read more, a lot more. Other weeks I am involved in projects and am not able to read as much as I would prefer. Still, I’m not convinced this is the reason.

Do your own homework

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:52:47 +0000

We consistently have people come and ask very detailed questions in the Ubuntu Forums. That is reasonable, since it is an excellent place to get help. Occasionally, it is painfully obvious that the question(s) being asked are taken directly from a homework assignment, or something similar. The forum rules prohibit doing this, and moreso, the members of the community would rather a person actually learn the material they are expected to learn, and are willing to assist with hints or advice on where to look for help, but will almost never give direct answers to homework type questions.

An interview with overdrank

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:04:49 +0000

This entry in our interview series was conducted about a week ago, just before overdrank was invited to become a part of the forum staff. Along with being a welcome addition to our team, Mel is another one of the wonderful “regular people” types that have come into our community, someone with no real background in techy stuff, but who has discovered that Ubuntu really is “Linux for Human Beings,” and has shown that anyone with a will and a desire can learn the system can do so. He has also demonstrated humanity to others in his willingness to share what he has learned to others who need help, and for that we are very grateful.

An interview with the SABDFL

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 20:58:00 +0000

Our next interviewee in these Ubuntu community interviews really needs no introduction, but this is me, so I’ll write one anyway. The Self-Appointed Benevolent Dictator for Life, or SABDFL (see the bottom of the linked page), is an exceptional person. Mark Shuttleworth, in addition to being an all-around nice guy, is also a true geek at heart, with the credentials and accomplishments to prove it. I am sure you would enjoy his blog, and to answer the question on everyone’s mind, yes, he does have an Ubuntu Forums account, but he is a busy guy and isn’t able to spend much time using it. That can certainly be forgiven, as he does so many other wonderful things for our community. So, without further ado, I present one of my favorite interviews thus far.

Respect is something that must be earned

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 07:56:19 +0000

I disagree. Respect is something you choose to give. It is not based on achievement. It is not based on personality. Respect is given because you value people. Inherently.

A position may be earned. A title. Leadership. However, respect is something that we choose to give.

People who are respected tend to behave in a manner worthy of how they are being treated. Obviously, that is not universal, but it is common enough to be worth noting. If you want people to behave well and treat others around you with kindness and gentleness, then treat them well. Do unto others…

An interview with forestpixie

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:49:53 +0000

Those who have followed our interviews for a while will recall that we like to highlight people from many different backgrounds, levels of technical proficiency, and experience with Linux. Why? Because this gives a real cross section of one of the more beautiful aspects of the Ubuntu community–we are a well-rounded and diverse bunch with perspectives and backgrounds that are not as common in other Linux communities as a result of the focus on accessibility to technology that has always been at the forefront of the Ubuntu philosophy of Linux for Human Beings.

Introducing Ubuntu Community Interviews

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:23:01 +0000

Since September 2007, my friend and co-worker in the Ubuntu Forums, K.Mandla, has been doing interviews with forum members on his blog, Motho ke motho ka botho, giving all of us an opportunity to get to know some of the people who are consistently helpful and friendly contributors to our community. This has been a fun way to introduce the wonderful members of our worldwide forum community to one another in a little bit deeper way, with posts coming once every two to six weeks*, depending on the time of year, how busy everyone is, and how easy or difficult it is to get a response at a given time.

The Official Ubuntu Book, Third Edition, special Barnes & Noble custom edition

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:40:22 +0000

This is the third edition of a wonderful book about Ubuntu. The book itself will be for sale from multiple vendors.

The Barnes & Noble Custom Edition contains an extra chapter on the half-million strong Ubuntu Forums written by me. It gives a tour of the forums and its people, processes, and rules for getting assistance with your Ubuntu installation.

The book is slated for release on July 15, 2008. Pre-orders are being accepted on the Barnes & Noble website.

Gender, competence and the Ubuntu philosophy

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 22:05:13 +0000

I want to go on record and say that I do not believe that gender plays any part in a person’s competence in leadership, intelligence or mental capacity. I’m tired of people questioning another person’s intellectual or technological abilities based on their biological plumbing. I’m sick of female members of technological communities feeling like they need, or want, to hide their gender because of very real bias they have sensed against them.

Ubuntu membership, some reminders for those who want to apply

Fri, 30 May 2008 12:02:01 +0000

I am a member of one of the boards that considers candidates for official membership in the worldwide Ubuntu community. A person who has made a sustained and real contribution to the Ubuntu community may apply to be an Ubuntu member. It isn’t an incredibly difficult process, but we are pretty strict on following the steps listed.

Why?

Because those steps are the only way that we, as the membership board, can accurately and adequately determine whether a candidate’s contributions have been consistent, helpful, and sustained enough for us to feel comfortable giving them the right to make Ubuntu business cards, have an official @ubuntu.com email address, and live in the world as an official representative of the community.

Allowing flash (flv) files to be stored and embedded in a coppermine gallery

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 15:22:41 +0000

NOTICE: this is from April 2008. The information was accurate then and may still be accurate, but keep that in mind. Software changes. This info may need some adaptation. Also, see the disclaimer at the bottom of the post.

I have several websites for which I am responsible. On one site, I am building a new gallery site for storing pictures as well as sound and video clips. There are several good options for building a gallery site, and I have used more than one with success. For the site in question, I decided to use Coppermine, which is powerful, configurable, open source, and freely licensed using the GNU GPL.

Fun with Conky, part 3

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:12:25 +0000

All the way back in October 2007 I made two posts about conky, a lightweight and highly configurable system monitor for your desktop.

I still use conky and love it. My configuration changes regularly, especially the colors, but you can get the basic idea from the config files I included in the earlier posts. There is one change I made recently that I would like to highlight because I think others will appreciate it.

Using rsync to back up my laptop

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:28:04 +0000

There are lots of good ways to back up your computer. I’ve used several. Lately, I am enjoying the ease, convenience, and quality of rsync. In typical geek fashion, I was perusing the rsync man page the other day and found some nice options that I hadn’t known about, so I started to experiment.

I wanted to back up my laptop to a portable, external hard drive, starting with a full backup, then going to incremental backups after that. I also wanted to make sure the backup was kept in sync with my local hard drive, but without accidentally permanently deleting anything from the backup that I might want or need later. Here is what I came up with, posted here mainly for the sake of my memory, but you might find it interesting as well.

The real reason I use Linux

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:16:07 +0000

I admit it. I have given a metric ton of different reasons for why I choose to use Linux. I have made lists. I’ve discussed tons of features. I’ve mentioned freedom.

Earlier this week I found a blog post in which the writer claims the real reason we use Linux is because it is fun. You know what? He’s right, at least as far as probing the real reason I use Linux.

Guitar effects

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:42:26 +0000

Oh, yeah. I love guitar effects.

Any good guitar player will tell you that you have to start with a good instrument, learn good technique and tone, and have a quality amplifier. I agree. I also agree with those who say that the lion’s share of tone comes from one’s fingers. Once you have that foundation, though, it’s a blast to step on a little pedal and totally transform your clean, pretty sounds into a raging troop of screaming monkeys, fire-breathing helicopters, rude buzzsaws, and modulated head trips.

Silly date ideas for Valentine’s Day

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:55:25 +0000

Well, since everyone responded so well to my last post with a list in it, I thought I would share another. I have been married for more than 15 years to an amazing woman that I love and respect greatly. When you are in a relationship for a long time, it can be easy to get into a rut. Here are some (often silly) ideas to spice things up. Really, this is just for laughs, unless you are with a significant other with a great sense of humor like mine. However, if you use one and it works, please comment and say so! If you have any other good or goofy ideas, I would love to hear those as well. (This is originally from xkcd.com and can be seen via the Internet Archive. Thanks to mermshaus for finding the original and giving me a heads up in comment #4. I had completely forgotten where I originally found this list.)

What is the coolest thing you can do using Linux that you can’t do with Windows or on a Mac?

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 17:58:22 +0000

Someone asked me this recently. I don’t have just one answer. I compiled a list of things I thought of and emailed it to my friend…then I thought I would post it here for future reference. Feel free to add to the list! There is also a forums thread on the same topic, that I remembered as I complied my thoughts, so I stole some of the ideas posted there.

Automatic MySQL backups using PHP

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 23:07:51 +0000

Okay, as pointed out in a comment on my last post, there are lots of ways to do this sort of thing. Many (most?) real sysadmins would probably choose to write a short shell script. Here’s the deal: I actually like PHP. Anyway, in my last post I shared a way to do site backups using PHP. Here’s a short followup, how to backup a MySQL database using PHP. You can put this script into the same file as the last script, to be run by a cron job, or you can do this at a different time. Like the last one, this script also originated from this site.

Making automatic backups for your website

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 10:10:04 +0000

I have several websites that I administer. As any good site admin will tell you, making consistent backups is vital. I have a script that I originally got from this site that I use to back my sites up automatically, using cron. Here’s how I do it, and how I have modified the script slightly for my own purposes.

First off, create a php text file. I named mine site_backup.php. You will need to modify this with your site and email info. This script will create a archive file with the name backup..tar.gz, where is the number of the current day of the month. Every day of the month the number will change, thereby leaving you with a month’s worth of backups in your /home directory, that will be overwritten the next time the day of the month is the same.

Elitism or equality: false dichotomy?

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 14:26:41 +0000

From time to time we hear people talk about equality. I think equality is a nice idea, if it is used to express the thought that every person is valuable, solely based on their existence. To say that every person is equally valuable in terms of their contributions to society, to projects, or to the universe is easily disproven. To say that each person is equal in their abilities, gifts, talents or acquired skills is absurd and not worth the time it would take to disprove. However, to say that we value each person highly, that we desire them to feel loved, welcome and important to us, this is something worthwhile.

Holiday greetings and hyper sensitivity

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 09:44:43 +0000

I have a love/hate relationship with this time of year.

I love holidays. I love being with family and friends. I enjoy the general atmosphere of friendship, caring, and fun.

I absolutely hate the pseudo-religious wars over holiday greetings.

Imagine standing in line in a store. The clerk gives a generic “Happy Holidays” to a guest, who rudely responds, “No, it’s Merry Christmas! Don’t destroy my season” or something similar. Hmm. It seems to me the clerk was merely trying to wish the guest peace, love and joy, not start a fight.

Users who impose their beliefs on others

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 09:47:26 +0000

Every once in a while in the Ubuntu Forums I get a private message from a user, or we find a reported post, or someone posts something like this in a thread. The following is a direct quote, with some things removed to obscure the specific user and thread. No other editing was done.

i would like to report that a user on this forum has offended me very much by using bad language. I know last time this happened and i emailed you guys you did nothing. I am sick of being offended and nothing is ever done about it.

The definitive guide to Trolls

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 22:18:17 +0000

We have all seen internet trolls. Some are more creative than others. Some are funny, others are mean. All of them are detrimental to community. I had an experience this week with a troll in the Ubuntu Forums that reminded me of an old thread that I had written. The definitive guide to Trolls was something I wrote in May 2006, partly tongue-in-cheek, partly to instruct forums users on what not to do in the forums, and partly to have something to point to when confronted with trolling.

My custom amplifier…yep, I built it myself

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 22:21:12 +0000

When I made my guitar post, I promised to put up a picture of my custom, home-built tube amp. Here you go! Details below.

The amp started as a kit from Allen Amps and I built it at the end of 1999. It has since undergone a small amount of modification. The valve complement includes one 5U4G rectifier, two 6L6GC power tubes, and two 12AX7s plus two 12AT7s in the preamp and reverb circuits. The sound comes from two 10 inch Jensen C10Q speakers.

Fun With Conky, part 2

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:49:20 +0000

As you will recall from my earlier blog entry, I have been having fun with Conky, a lightweight system monitor that displays output to your desktop. Since I have upgraded to Gutsy, and therefore the latest repo version of Conky (1.4.7), I have had the opportunity to play with some newly available wireless variables. These were first pointed out to me by Mike, to whom I give credit and thanks.

The new wireless variables make it easier than ever to have specific data output relating to your wireless ethernet adapter. Here is how I have modified my previous setup…see the earlier post for the full details on how I am using Conky.

I love my guitars

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 20:40:49 +0000

I know there are some other players out there. Come on, let’s see some gear shots…

Included here: Guild D4 acoustic, Washburn Force 4 bass, Fender Telecaster, and a Squier Starfire IV. The Tele is my main axe.

Coming soon, a photo of my custom amp (that I built…).

Fun with Conky

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 22:43:32 +0000

I like to play. I especially enjoy playing with things that end up being useful. I started out exploring Conky when I saw this thread in the Ubuntu Forums. For those unfamiliar with the program, Conky is a lightweight system monitor that displays output to your desktop. It is highly configurable. Here’s a little sample, using some colors from the Ubuntu palette.

I made this by installing Conky, and then creating a hidden file in my /home called .conkyrc with the following contents.