Linux is Awesome

Doctored up this photo of a Swiss Army Knife. Linux is truly the "Swiss Army Knife" of operating systems. 

The Ubuntu Linux Test

Over the last few days I have installed and configured Ubuntu Linux on a friend's laptop. It was an older Sony VAIO and it either needed WindowsXP reinstalled or a fresh cup of Ubuntu. My friend is a avid Windows user but was open to the idea of trying Linux. He wanted a copy of Xandros he saw at a store installed. I told him that it was unecessary to purchase a copy of Linux. The Xandros marketing was slick.. it showed all sorts of Windows applications running in a Linux environment. Of course part of the price tag was Cross-Over Office.

The Ubuntu install on the Sony VAIO went rather smoothly. One of the primary concerns was what was going to replace the coveted iTunes. Amarok was the choice and it worked out rather nicely. He was able to watch DVDs, play MP3s, WMAs, and WMVs. Open Office took over for MS Office rather nicely. The WiFi worked perfectly where in Windows it did not. Hooking up and syncing an iPod couldn't be easier. The one minor thing that didn't work was the media card reader on the side of the laptop.

The biggest thing to over come was the training aspect of migrating from a Windows enviroment to a Linux environement where things are well.. slightly different.

The laptop was a solid build, I would be happy to use it. I received the phone call today (after only 36hours) I had been expecting. "Dude, you are gonna' be pissed at me." I thought that he crashed the system or something. "Can you just put Windows back on? I've been trying to play with these updates and I just want to go back to Windows."

The words made me cringe. All in all I spent about 6hours on that little machine and now... I will be shoving Windows back down it's throat. This was the first time I installed and configured Linux for a non-Linux user. I was interested in how this was going to work out.

For those of you who have done this for someone you know what I am talking about when I say that reality really sets in when you are setting up Linux for a Windows user. The average Windows user just wants things to work with little or no thought. In a Linux environment for Linux users we think that Linux is at that point. While I am setting Linux up on my friend' s laptop.. I am explaining the steps to get things configured properly... "Now we just need to do 'apt-get install'. This is too much for the Windows user to choke on. They just want a .exe file to click on. For those of us used to a Linux machine, we can get it to do whatever we want and sometimes things need a bit more tweeking. And usually it doesn't seem too tasking for us.

So when I say reality set in during this Linux install for a friend... I mean I realized that as much as I thought Linux was easy and didn't understand why I haven't seen more and more installs around, it was apparent that it is still complex to someone who is used to Windows.

I'll still try to win over Windows users by spreading the good word about the powerful Linux OS. But for now... this test has FAILED. I'll be installing Windows on that machine in the next day or so.

Caine Mutiny

A quote from the book that I particularly enjoy, which sums up the secret to my Navy career:

“The Navy is a master plan designed by geniuses for execution by idiots. If you’re not an idiot, but find yourself in the navy, you can only operate well by pretending to be one. All the shortcuts and economies and common sense changes that your native intelligence suggests to you are mistakes. Learn to quash them. Constantly ask yourself, ‘How would I do this if I were a fool?’ Throttle down your mind to a crawl. Then you’ll never go wrong [. . .]”

I was thinking of putting this portion of the quote in my ‘signature’ block:

“The Navy is a master plan designed by geniuses for execution by idiots.”

I don’t know how well that would go over.

I have been in the Navy for just about 13yrs and was slightly taken back when I read that passage. I don't consider myself an idiot, so I guess that is why I have had a successful career in the Navy by just doing my job. It is coming up on 2am.. I need sleep. This isn't the first time I am up most of the night and it won't be the last.

ATL Oct. 2004

Sitting here trying to connect to the wireless Internet at the Atlanta airport. I have been unsuccessful. I have 1hr until my flight departs. I find it hard to believe that OCS is over. 12 weeks came and went. It seems just that easy in retrospect but I know it was damn hard some days. I have a renewed sense of pride (in my professional life) now that I am a United States Naval Officer. Yesterday I graduated and received my commission. I was issued plane tickets flying out of Pensacola this morning. Since a hurricane called Ivan hit Pensacola, hotel rooms have been scarce. Between people who have lost their homes and contractors from out of the area coming to help out (and make some money) there are virtually no rooms available. So being out of OCS, I no longer had a room at the school and didn’t have one out in town. I was planning on sleeping in a chair at the airport. The USO was open so I checked in there and the gentleman told me that it was closing and that they don’t let people stay there. He had lost most of his house in the hurricane and was staying there himself. Since he was part of the staff he said that I could stay the evening there and make an exception to their current policy. I was able to get a fair amount of sleep commensurate to that of which I have been getting over the past several weeks. I am looking forward to getting back home later on today. I can’t wait to put my arms around my wife, Tissha. I don’t have much planned for the next 2-3 days other than unpack and spend time with both Tissha and Jaden. I have to make sure that my uniform is ready to go for Wednesday morning when I am scheduled to report for temporary duty at NSGA Kunia. It will be a new experience for me. I don’t know much about the Cryptology community. I suppose the idea is that the only people who know about the Cryptology community are the ones who are in it.

Sitting here reflecting about the last 12 weeks, I have to say that yesterday morning I found myself holding back tears during our morning routine at the galley as well as when my class was formed for our final dismissal. Myself and 44 others graduated yesterday morning and then hit the road or the airport to proceed to various destinations through out the United States and the world. As of right now, I am the only one headed to Europe. Four of my classmates are headed to Japan and the rest are headed elsewhere within the boundries of the United States. No one received orders to Hawaii, which is where I am currently headed to today. A large number of my classmates were assigned to extra schools and will receive their duty station once they complete their assigned training. So it would be safe to say that I won’t see any of my classmates until I report for Cryptology school in January.

It is coming up on 10am here in Atlanta. I contemplated calling friends and family, but in Hawaii it is approaching 6am (early for a Saturday morning). West coast would be more feasible (8am), but I will wait until I land in Los Angeles. Well I need to pack it up and head to my assigned gate (T3)…

Pensacola Sept. 2004

So here I am in Pensacola. Still. I was able to get out in town for just under two hours this evening. Haven’t had access to the Internet in almost two weeks and I still had no luck this evening. This Pensacola place is unlike anywhere I’ve been to recently. More of a large, spread out town than a city. It has a few components of a city. It has old buildings. Some historical stuff downtown. At any rate, I couldn’t find any Internet connectivity out in town. A friend and fellow classmate of mine was kind enough to invite me to leave the base with him, otherwise I would haven’t been able to get very far if anywhere. With less than one hour left until we had to be on base we stopped off at one of the local watering holes, Brews Brothers. A quaint looking establishment, with more beers on tap than pages in the bible. About six of our classmates were already there and well on their way to getting trashed. They were finishing a pitcher as we stepped up to the bar. A beer seemed mighty nice, but I had a fine martini on my mind. I requested a Ketel One martini. They didn’t stock Ketel (sp) One, so I ended up settling for Level One (what is with the “one”) Martini, served up and dirty. The young lady bartender ended up making the martini a little dirtier than I would have liked. I drank the whole think rather quickly and then participated in some shots before we had to get on the road and head back to base. It was good to see some of my classmates outside of the Officer Candidate School environment. It also good to see some of them a little tipsy. I would have liked to spend more time hanging out with them, but time just doesn’t allow that sometimes.

I find myself missing Tissha immensely. Anytime I am not actively involved with something. I find my mind wandering towards her. She is always on my mind, which is good most of the time. I found myself thinking about her while I was showering. There is absolutely no privacy in the shower and I almost couldn’t contain my manhood (you know what I mean). I can’t wait until I can get my arms around her next weekend. I will wrap my arms around her and inhale deeply taking in her lovely scent (provided she just didn’t get done smoking a cigarette). Speaking of cigarettes, I just ruined the moment.. I really wish that she would stop smoking. Tissha has truly been an angel for me as I proceeded through this training. She sent me countless love letters, letting me know that she was there for me, thinking about me, missing me. They made me laugh, smile, and cry. God I can’t wait to make love to her. Ok, ok, ok.. enough of the mushy stuff..

Tomorrow is Sunday, the beginning of my last week at OCS. The days just keep getting longer. I know that I can’t wait to get out of here and get away from some of my classmates however; I know that I will remember and miss most of them. We have spent just about 12 weeks together, closer together than other classes have experienced. We have had our living quarters together as a class for the whole time. Normally, a class gets split up around their 9^th-10^th week of training. Our class hasn’t experienced that. In fact, we have experienced the exact opposite with the occurrence of hurricane Ivan. We’ve had to stay in close quarters (no privacy) at Corry Station. Sprawled out on classroom floors with nothing more than blankets distinguishing one living area to another. 2200.. time for bed (the rack), goodnight.

Hurricane Ivan Sept. 2004

So, there I was… 10 weeks into Officer Candidate School and in a hurricane shelter. It is 8pm and it feels like 3am. My bed (if you can call it that) is a thin wool blanket on a laminate floor. It is more like a marker used to claim the area in the room where I place my stuff. I have never been in a hurricane. This will be my first. Apparently it will be the worst one to hit this area in quite sometime. I am bored. I have a laptop with a DVD player that won’t play DVDs. I have a song collection that I built using my classmates CDs from earlier today. Two books that I have been reading. One is a collection of stories and the other is a current NY Times Best Seller, The Davinci Code. I have no access to the outside world, actually there are a few people in this shelter that have AM/FM radios and they relay information as they get it. But that is the extent of it. No phone, no internet, no TV. Am I crying about it? No. There are people scattered about. Some sleeping. Some reading. Some watching DVDs on laptops. Some gathered in rooms around laptops. Me, I am hidden away behind a row of consoles. The latest update is that the hurricane will hit land fall by 1am. I have been hearing about this terrible thing for over a week now and I want it to hurry up and come so that I don’t have to keep hearing about it. Still… two weeks left in training and everything comes to a slow crawl. The next 48 hours will probably drag by. It would have been nicer to stay on our regimented schedule and the days would continue to click away. If that was the case I would probably be bitching about that too. We have had a new class of 42 come in this past Sunday (today is Wednesday). I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes. We (my class) have quite a bit of luxuries that the junior classes do not. The real junior class has it the worst. There are 8 showers available for all the males in this shelter and we must share them with another group. The showers are not located in this building.. they are located about 150 yards across a parking lot in the gym. If the hurricane is barreling down on us tomorrow, we will not get showers. No shower until Friday. Not a very comforting thought. The muscles in my legs ach. I don’t know why. It may be due to lack of exercise today. I haven’t done nearly as much walking as I have been accustomed to over the last several weeks. I am curios as to what will happen tomorrow. What time will we have to be up? What will breakfast consist of? Will tomorrow be more books, DVDs, etc? Will tomorrow go fast than today? It doesn’t matter what we are doing. I wouldn’t be truly enjoying myself either way. When Oct. 1^st comes and I am able to gain my life back, then I will start enjoying myself. I still don’t have orders which will tell me exactly what I am supposed to be doing after Oct. 1^st. I have a general idea or maybe you could just call it a theory. I just might be totally caught off guard by the orders I am actually issued.

I have been observing my classmates and as myself the question, “Have we really been transformed over the last several weeks?” Some type of change has taken place. We have all gotten to know each other. And those who have never been in the military have learned some common thread of language.

I will be glad to leave Pensacola Florida. There isn’t much that interests me here. I haven’t been able to explore much, but from what I have seen so far makes me want to move on to other places. The place has only one Starbuck’s. Can you believe that? The weather has been miserable over the past 10 weeks. If it isn’t so humid you could swim through the air… there is a hurricane coming to ruin your week. No wonder property is cheap in these parts. I was told that this is a popular retirement place? Why? Because there is nothing to do here and retired people won’t feel like they are missing out on anything?

People are eating all kinds of junk. Snacks. Chocolates and candies. Potato chips and candy bars. Why? Is it because we were without it for several weeks or is this normal? I have to confess that I have chocolate urges like I have never had before. It sounds retarded, I know, but it is the truth. Try not eating chocolate for 6 weeks. I guarantee the 1^st piece of chocolate you taste after that long without will be the best tasting piece you will ever have.

Anyways… enough for now.

Frustrated.. Listening to music right now trying to escape. Have been trying to shave and brush my teeth for about 40min now. If it isn’t on thing it is another. The junior class had to use the restroom and now everyone was instructed to fill their canteens in case we loose plumbing. 150+ people using two sinks to fill their canteens. Gotta’ wait 30min or so before trying again. I would like to shave and brush my teeth and then put myself down on the floor to sleep this evening. It is now 10:15pm or 22:15 for you military types. Listening to some tribe called quest. Some good tracks. Missing Tissha. Wish she was here. Actually, I wish I was there. Here is boring, but she would make it more bearable. 2 and ½ weeks to go. Tomorrow it will be less. The big count down. How many count downs have I done in my military career? How many times have I done this pulling into port? And here I am again. No one to blame but myself. Remember, I asked for this. I had plenty of opportunities to something else. To count down something else. Here I am. I am really excited about the 1^st of October. I have been working towards a commission as an United States Naval Officer for over a year now. Even longer if you count my school time. It took a lot to get to this floor where I am sitting this evening, bracing for the impact of the great Hurricane Ivan. I am the closest I have ever been and I am only getting closer.

I would like to get out on the open road with Tissha in a nice, fast car, just us and the road going wherever our hearts take us. I think a road trip is in order. I have been restricted, locked up, whatever for so long… my mind wanders. A road trip is appealing because of the freedom involved. Music, nice weather, nice car, and the road to ….?? Wherever. Watched Ocean’s 11 this evening (the new one w/ clooney), yes, Now I want to go to Vegas. Anywhere, but here in this brick building without windows.

I miss DJ’ing. I have had several ideas for mixing songs over the past several weeks and I have been unable to do much of anything about them. Wonder if I will be able to get back into the game back in Hawaii or wherever. Would like to sit down with the music collection and listen/mix music for a few hours. Get some quality practice in (not that I was ever that good).

Electrical Power comes in and out in this building. The surges have been becoming more frequent. Lights on, lights off, like someone is playing with the light switch. Lights off and then a number of beeps coming from the equipment in this room. Mostly the APC units. People are starting to get on my nerves. Nothing that I can’t tolerate and deal with. This is an old hat to me. Couped up with 100+ people.. just like the USS Chicago (SSN721). Slightly different. No watch here.

So I am back (giving you a play by play).. shaved and teeth brushed. Damn forgot to cut my finger nails. That can wait until tomorrow. Listening to this Tribe Called Quest song again for the umpteenth time. It is a good track (obviously). Going to listen to some music and then try to get some shut-eye.


So here it is a week and a half later… still in the same place, just got electricity back today. Sucks. To sum it up in one word. One week left to OCS. I am getting fairly tired of most of the people around here. At times here doesn’t seem like there is any way to escape all this. They tell us that this weekend we may possibly move back into the barracks. At this point it doesn’t matter…

The past 3 days have been full of hard work. I have been with a select few candidates to go on working parties to houses out in the area. The people we have been helping have been very grateful and have fed us well. I have had a beer everyday for the past three days. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but if you were in OCS you might understand. The people we have helped have been related to the armed services in one form or another. We’ve helped two retired captains, a former aviator, and a intelligence director for the US Coast Guard.

I never imagined that I would be in a “hurricane shelter” this long. My parents, my wife, my cousin and my friends will not be coming to Pensacola, which is a good thing. This place is a disaster area, most people would want to leave and people I knew wanted to come here. The building I am staying in received power today, however no one wants to reset breakers and we have less light in certain areas than we did without power. The big push was going to be getting air conditioning up. It was quite humid today which is carrying over into this evening. Getting back to normalcy will be good. Goodnight.

I am now back in the battalion building. I will be sleeping on a mattress for the first time in over a week and a half. We have electricity, more than two sinks for 40+ people and I have two new roommates. One of my roommates has remained the same. I was supposed to be in a different room than the one that I am in now. My previous roommate insisted that I swap with someone so that I would be his roommate again. At this point it doesn’t matter to me. I normally would not have switched assigned rooms but he did the swap before I was in the building. Less than a week left before I move out of here, I could practically room with anyone for a week. This reminds me of being underway on a submarine, not being able to totally get away from the people you don’t want to be around.

I was able to speak with the detailer today. I attempted to get orders to Hawaii, he was quick to tell me that it was not going to happen. I was dumb-founded when I was told this and didn’t know what to say in response. I then asked for Washington D.C. and again was told the same thing. He then said, “How about Europe?” I was both excited and apprehensive about being stationed in Europe. I told him that I was up for it. So he told me that he had a position in the UK that would go with my current security clearance status. I spoke with Tissha today and she was excited to hear about it. Luckily I had mentioned the possibility of being stationed in Europe earlier this year so that her subconscious had time to “chew” on it. I need to remind myself to not try to plan out the whole move in my head. The logistics are overwhelming, so I need to focus on one step at a time and eventually everything will fall nicely in to place. I have a number of questions and I am sure Tissha does to. I haven’t spoken with my parents about it. The biggest thing about being stationed outside the United States is the fact that I will be so far away from family. I thought being in Hawaii was somewhat of a hassle. I think that my parents will be somewhat distressed over me being stationed all the way up in the UK (it rhymes). I wonder what problems I will run into being stationed in a different country. Will I be able to subscribe to American Magazines? I wanted to subscribe to the Wall Street Journal but I am not sure if that is possible. I was grateful to get the Wall Street Journal delivered on time to my doorstep in Hawaii, but in the UK? My brother, Jason, has given me the idea of subscribing to the National Geographic, which I may still try and do.

I have a lot of things to tie up in Hawaii. I have a house, a car that I don’t think that I can drive in Hawaii. I am a partner in a business with one of my best friends, Sal. I have yet to break the news to him. He will be upset and want to sell off the business, he may surprise me and choose differently. I will be supportive either way. I would like to be stationed in Hawaii and continue to support the DJ/Dance/Music scene the same way that I have been for the past 3-4 years.

I am finding myself doing limited research on my laptop, w/out Internet, on the UK, London, etc. Interesting, but I need the Internet to give me more current and pertinent information.