Well, after I called and found out well “we have no internet yet” I replied and said well…we still like cash-back and I find they taking long to fix it. Maybe I should’ve apologised explicitly (I don’t mean badly…I mean actualy write out I apologise. But I still vexed).

I wish Chennette was here, but we’re balancing the timing because although Big Sis is due end of the year, people are thinking she can come ANYTIME!
And Chennette isn’t coming until say….the 1st?
So, we can’t wait.

So I made the baklava last night (a bit too soggy…maybe too much butter and too much syrup?) The top is fine but the lower layers…are a bit soggy.
Regardless it tastes good.

Mom loves Rose Levy Beranbaum’s recipe for pizza so much that we sprinkled zatar seasoning on it last time we made and had zatar bread. The only thing missing was the shankleesh (stinky cheese!)
Zatar has sumac, oregano, thyme, black seed and who knows what else….sesame seeds…
So this time, I put the rest of the zatar into the dough itself and mom will make a fresh batch in the morning which we’ll sprinkle on top with a touch more olive oil maybe.
So, it’s in the fridge and for two hours tomorrow I shall be shaping, spreading and baking on the stone with a new peel!

And since Chennette got us tahini and we have channa, lime juice and garlic we shall make…HUMMUS!!! for a dip.

Mom has already made and assembled the beef kibbe. All that is left is to BAKE IT!

Mom also is going to do a kinda pot grill beef and make a chicken biryani.

We’re going to make a fresh salad (ordinary tomato, cucumber and lettuce) and also a coleslaw…tart or sweet? Well it depends if i forget the lime juice or the honey. I always forget *something*. I’m really sad we’re out of horseradish…:-(
Anywayz, mom likes it however I make it sweet or sour :)

If we had corn we’d boil it and lightly coat it with garlic butter but no corn so well…hummus and garlic, right?

Maybe somebody will bring ice-cream?

I’ll try to remember to take pictures tomorrow and actually get them off my camera and you know….upload them somewhere…
Pity I haven’t learned Chennette’s lesson yet.

And in non-food-related news, guess what I’m typing on?
Oh, yeah! and now guess the specs! :)

PS I don’t look forward to clean-up…and wait I’m still up after 3 am … will I sleep? Ah well, at least I finished grading and entering marks and let’s hope…that it’s all good!

Laterz!

It’s not mine…

My powerbook isn’t quite dead yeat but it has vertical red lines running through it from start-up and then when (if) it loads the GUI there’s a box of vertical hashes following the mouse pointer along and when (if) it loads the console lots of the output is fuzzy.

Sometime during start-up it halts for five minutes and then recommences. I checked the dmesg (I think that’s what I check) and I think that’s just before or just after it starts doing things to the graphics card/video adapter (I forget precisely). And then 5 minutes later it continues in the log. I figure if it’s the graphics adapter and not say the display or whatever then it’s toast regardless.

I really need a new computer.
Now.
But I wasn’t ready for my powerbook to die.
*sob*

Remember when last month the Daring Bakers made Lavash and I complained. I could’ve joined them. I actually made lavash from the same recipe that month.

Well guess what they baked this month!
See here!
Pizza.
From Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.

Yeah.
We all know what I have sitting in my freezer, right?
right?

In case you don’t know, let me refresh your memory:

And I still am not a Daring Baker.
*sob*

Well, a while ago I trashed my linux install (I may have posted about it, I don’t recall) and had Ubuntu, Debian and Fedora Core installed on my desktop, but only the last one, Debian was bootable (and even that took some finagling). So, I still had major sorting out to do with all the partitions and files and unifying them and getting rid of the bad /boot and such. A month or so before my brother, sister-in-law and niece came, I backed up the files, wiped it all and installed a fresh Debian Lenny. I got wireless working and everything was pefect. I didn’t bother deal with audio because…well, something had happned to the speakers in the interim so it wasn’t necessary.

A couple weeks ago my sister returned my powerbook (hopefully for good). It’s been acting very slow. Things take long to load and programs to switch. I had plans of installing linux and linux alone for a while now so, I backed up all my files (you try backing up files on an 80GB harddrive from another 80GB harddrive…*sigh*). And then…installed Debian Lenny and got the wireless working and yay.

Well of course the audio wasn’t working out of the box. I think I had to install alsa-base or alsa-tools or alsa-utils or something.

But even then the mike wasn’t working.
I wasn’t surprised.
I don’t think I ever got the mike working.
But I figured I would try. Some people seemed to have reported their mike working. Things have changed. Even though I can’t skype from LinuxPPC, I could at least dedicate some time getting the mike working so I could record dear niece when she feels like it.

So, I did some googling and found this from a iBook G4 user on Ubuntu. He or she said that nothing recognized his built-in microphone until he installed gnome-sound-recorder (aptitude install gnome-media) and then he launched that and selected Mic as the source and it recorded audio.

Furthermore, all the other programs he was trying to use to record sound also now recognized his mic.

Wow!

So, I figured it was worth a try.
I did it and wooohooo! My microphone works. Maybe I’ll upload the first audio recording from this powerbook on Linux.

I have no idea why it works and why it didn’t before.
I didn’t really do *anything*.
And his post to ubuntu was since November 2006…a year and a half ago! Oh my!

I’m thrilled.

Now, back to the linux box that I built that resides downstairs that is used by my brother and his family. Of course he wants to listen to Qur’an and lectures and such on it. He woke me up one morning looking for headphones and of course took the better of the two in my storage. Of course!

Later that day when I came downstairs it wasn’t working.
I again installed alsa-*.
And it still wasn’t working.
He had it in the wrong connector.
But…to be honest, he’d tried them all. I just hadn’t checked that he had it in the wrong one when I started fiddling.

So…sound output works.

Now, I’d succeeded with the powerbook input the night before so I installed gnome-media and other things one time. Of course, if I didn’t have speakers and headphones downstairs, do you think I had a microphone? NO!

So about a week later (ie today), I unearthed a microphone and went downstairs and plugged it in and launched gnome-sound-recorder and… RECORDED SOMETHING! and heard it playback. Maybe I’ll upload that clip too later.

ECSTASY!

And the skype test call worked too. There was nobody online that I knew with whom I could skype.

Can you believe the mics work? What’s been going on in Linux while I slept?

Of course, I may have to mess with settings and such because the feedback on the powerbook is kinda horrible. I think the downstairs computer is better but it could be because it’s using headphones and not speakers.

Regardless I am happy.
This I can manage.

Thanks!

Whoa it’s been a long while.
Well eventually we sorta got okay service. I mean it was around the 128k download. The upload as usual sucked…it was closer to say 40 if I was lucky.

Some months ago (February? or was it end of last year? … hmm February when the babies left the house and I went to Guyana) they started offering their TT$201/month for 128k/64k package. It was a promotion. Mom said lots of people at work signed up.

Well we were then paying TT$316.25/month for the same so we got a call about the new pricing (wow!) and did we want to remain at 128k or stay at TT$316.25 for 256k. Mom said wait til I get home but let’s try your 256k for a month.

So we tried it for a month and it was okay. Faster. They did things to try to get our upload okay. They also did things to try to get our download okay. (Anthony?)

So we’ve been on it for a few months. I’ve never felt compelled to check after the first month. But i did a speed test tonight.

And as usual the upload sucked. It sucks worse now tho. So I will check it a few times.

Here it is!

I was considering upgrading to a higher package for the “summer” influx of people to the house. We shall see.

I guess we might have to sort out all our billing issues first.

:-)

Anywayz…not much going on here…we baked the other day…in the middle of loading pictures on flickr.

Arabic exams coming soon…very worried…*sigh*

I’m a tad bit worried.
My year break is more than half-way through and I still have no clue what to do with myself. I guess I’ll eventually figure it out. I miss having an income. I should start back cooking…*sigh*

Both my sisters need new laptops…and I get to vet them.
This is not good for me. It gets me drooling. I don’t need or really want a new laptop…but my powerbook is now over 3 years old so I love looking.
Thankfully I have no money (although I did buy this powerbook when I had no real job)…
But also, I’m not a multi-computer person…especially unemployed. I don’t really have time to spend on more than one machine. I wish I did…but maybe I can’t multi-task? Or maybe I just don’t have a need yet. It feels like cheating.

There were all these projects and learning things I wanted to do but haven’t even gotten around to them. It feels almost like wasted time…except full-on babysitting that happened end of last year…

Well my year’s not done. I can do more than learn arabic.
I should make a long list and start doing…and check things off as I go.

Well, maybe not a *long* list…

I want to feel accomplished…

So wish me luck.

This should mean I’ll be online more regularly and you know…read email, blog, etc etc etc.

I can’t wait!

See…isn’t that a good reason for not really blogging for ages?

Isn’t it???

Unfortunately it only happened last night…the smoking that is.
I knew there was a short in it before…I just couldn’t admit it to myself.

A month or so ago, I noticed that although my powerbook was plugged on, it wasn’t lighting. I thought maybe the brick had died…and then after I reconnected it I thought maybe the plug slider was loose or even the socket had gotten loose and so the prong wouldn’t stay in the computer properly.

But then I noticed that I had to set the cord down properly…and not interfere with it.
It wasn’t the way the electric plug was connected to the brick.
I should’ve been smarter.
Something dangerous could have happened.

Last night I got up as I couldn’t sleep to go work on something.

Tbankfully I didn’t put on the light.
As I moved the laptop to my bed I noticed there were two lights lighting.

The brick was flickering.

See, the little thin cord that comes out from the brick, as it moved back and forth it was sparking and smoking.

FIRE!!!
If only.
I disconnected.

Hmm.
Should I unplug ALL my electric stuff at night?
Fires are scary.

Also.
I need a new power adapter.
My brother has one.
If I collect it from the service shop…(but but but…I seemed to have not blogged about this but my the bathroom in my brother’s bedroom leaked in july/august or something and their whole room was flooded and his laptop was on the ground and was submerged….death! so is it smart to use the allegedly working power cord that was submerged? I have a feeling not).

So…I need to buy one.
*sigh*

So, I replaced a battery after a year and a half and now powercord after 3 years. That’s not bad.
I’m just worried about it going up in flames again.

Do other people worry?

Man.
When I first built my desktop, I used to run around smelling it. I was always sure I was smelling something burning. I was SOOO paranoid.

But my room has good airflow from outside. And my neighbours are always burning things. Or welding. They send me crazy.

*sigh*

Thankfully it’s fully charged.

I’m using dad’s ASUS laptop (my desktop is downstairs for my brother and sister-in-law to use and iMac mostly used by mom and everybody else).

It’s hard. I’m using windows. And can’t recall what software to use!!!
Maybe I boot my laptop to get my firefox and thunderbird profile off it so I don’t feel so bereft….

*sigh*

I wonder if I’d do a better job of handling our mail ourselves.
Yeah…but nobody will be able to access it because of crappy internet.

*sigh*

I’m sure it’s not my fault.
But maybe I should’ve contacted customer service for clarification.

They’re going to blame me anywayz.
Chennette is going to have a fit.
Let’s not talk about mom.

Hey, I’m sick, double whammy almost (stupid fever) and I’m fretting horribly…but nobody will care. *sigh*
All my mail.
Why don’t I believe in backup?
(Okay, I *do* but I just don’t)

Will I ever? Maybe.

Or maybe this is the only way I know to clean house…lose things so I don’t have to actually throw them away.
This is why I don’t back up.

Like, you would think, it’s been OH MY LORD 10 YEARS SINCE SECONDARY SCHOOL (*faints* I just realized! yikes yikes yikes), 6 years since undergrad and 3 years since grad school…you would think I’d be able to at least go through some of those Secondary school things and throw away them (no comment on this paragraph from you know who that uses my iMac please!). Some of my undergrad things should be able to throw away too. The post-graduate stuff still gives me hives so that might need some time. *sigh*

I’m depressed.

I’m panicking!!!

Maybe the provider might still have my email…cuz they only deleted the domain, did they delete the mail stored? gah! gah! maybe it happens automatically because the mailboxes sure are deleted.

*panic*

But, every now and again there are a few trini websites I can’t access. It’s very sad. More than sad, it’s FRUSTRATING!

They are
trinigourmet.com
themanicoureport.com
ttblogs.com/patrickmanning

I think they are all hosted by GoDaddy. That’s the only common factor I can find. Now my domain names are hosted by GoDaddy but not my websites…

Yesterday for a couple hours or so I was able to get them. I was happy.

Now, I don’t know.
Is Greendot (my ISP) blocking them? Are my dns servers not working properly? What’s up? What should I do? Complain to Greendot? ARGH

Also it is raining and I think my roof is leaking because there are water droplets on my screen.

*sigh*

I know what would do it tho…installing Linux *only* on my powerbook.

I just have to. But, even tho I don’t use flash alot, I don’t think I could live without it. But whenever I use Xubuntu for a prolonged period of time on the powerbook, I think why not. Whenever I use OSX for a prolonged period of time…I think um…flash um…

But that’s not what this post is about.

It’s about the other two computers.

The iMac G4 has been saved because mom uses it. I use it too occasionally because I, oddly enough, have neither MS Office (yuck! it’s for work) nor tetex installed on my powerbook. But they’re on the iMac. (oh, see, if i was a true geek, i wouldn’t be procrastinating about reinstalling and personalizing that imac but haven’t done it since i bought it…yuck!).
It’s slow when I use it but it’s a 17″ screen which is priceless when compared to itsy 12″. I would use it.

But why aren’t I using my linux box? (Well, to be honest, I could probably use two computers…it’s the three that sends me crazy or maybe it’s that I haven’t set up the third…)

Well, first there were the building problems.
Then there were the OS problems.
Then I really hate that huge CRT and should take the smaller CRT.
And maybe it’s where it is.
And I’m accustomed to my powerbook.

If it were my only computer that’d be fine but I have too much. See, if I were a true geek, I’d be using it to do other stuff (I did intend to, but never had the time…story of my life).

Well, you know what I always thought would be absolutely great?
A Kitchen computer.

So we wouldn’t have to tote the laptops downstairs (okay, so wireless and portable why not!) but still…gets messed up with food you know :)
And finding the plugs that make positioning laptop convenient.

Also, iMac would be great…little footprint, not much space, all in one…but it mightn’t fit too right between the upper and lower cabinets. Also we have the little TV (old 14″ CRT now replaced by 15″ flat panel LCD..yum…speakers on both sides!!!) and the cable box there so there really is no room.

Well, my mom reads this blog, so let’s see how she likes this idea.

Put Linux Box downstairs! (and yay! I free up a desk or place in my room).
How will I manage that?
Well, plug VGA (VGA right? not s-video) cable from LinuxBox into new TV, maybe plug audio cables in( I guess if we want to watch DVDs…I’d have to make sure that everything works right?…do we have audio cables? I wonder what we need?).

Then make the Linux Box very mouse driven (and I really mean that. So, tho I don’t like desktop shortcuts for KitchenComputer it is good…). Have shortcuts to URLs (example allrecipes.com etc) on desktop. Have decently organized and frequently used bookmarks available so we don’t actually have to pull the keyboard out (okay we will need to type into the search box but we could have some sort of syncing thing going on (deli.cio.us etc) and just pull it out when absolutely necessary). The mouse can stay out.

Hmmm.

I should be sleeping.

But wait, where would this big case go?
I know that too.

INSIDE THE LOWER CABINET!
so the tv is on top the counter/lower cabinet.
Put PC in lower cabinet and get some holes drilled for cords to pass.
And we…have KitchenComputer…and a decently spec’d wireless one too.

Doesn’t that sound great?
Granted no TV and Computer at the same time but…there must be an input button for quick switching.

And we can do away with stupid big CRTs.
Okay maybe keep the small one in case someone wants to go online downstairs (guests!) and someone else wants to use computer.

So…what do you think?

Does kitchen computer really need a DVD burner and 300 GB harddrive?
Oh well…that’s what it’ll get!

Then, I wouldn’t feel so guilty anymore about so many computers.
And we’ll finally have a computer downstairs where we need it!
And I’ll have my desk free!!!

*bliss*

I’m not sure if I should show the person’s picture…oh well.

I wish the state of internet in Trinidad was better.

My mom’s letters to our ISP (GreenDot) usually results in someone¹ frantically trying to contact her/us. It was a beautiful letter.

But will they do anything?

We asked them to reduce our package to 128k/64k because when I don’t get the 64k and the good service I won’t feel as hurt² as when I don’t get the 256k/64k.

Should I just get a new ISP? But who? Dial-up with TSTT? Try to get EV-DO with TSTT? But why pay that if I already don’t trust TSTT with my dial-up. My options are really just other wireless providers like GreenDot (Lisa, Caribel, Carib-Net). I don’t know if they’re any good. Should I pay another huge hookup fee to just get rid of them?

Should I just wait for Flow to come? They’re my cable company and some people don’t trust them either. But…their cable service here is…passable…is passable enough? Will they really come here like I was told?

Oh well, here’s my speedtest (clearly they’ve not reduced it to 128k yet and my upload still…sucks!)

1. Almost always seems to be a DIFFERENT someone. Passing the buck so it’s always tell me what’s the problem, how big was the file you were trying to download? (Like it was one file I was downloading.) You know if it’s a file several megabytes in size it will take longer. Idiots! I’m not an idiot. Obviously. Did you run speed tests on toast.net? I’ve run speed tests everywhere. How else do you think I’m telling you…and idiot if you talked to people who we were communicating with before…well…hmmm…they would’ve told you yes we did run speed tests and we call and tell you it sucks.

   The thing is, I’m tired of talking to someone new. Mom and I are just tired. We don’t want to repeat the same old story every single time. It’s tiring and draining and you start questioning questioning and I’m just fed up and mom’s just fed up. Stop stealing our money and give us good service without all the cut outs. Come check our service too.

2. FYI:
   US Exchange Rate: US$1 = TT$6.33 (approx)
   256k/64k package: TT$375 + VAT = TT$431.25 (a month)
   128k/64k package: TT$275 + VAT = TT$316.25 (a month)

   Hurt Savings: TT$115 = US$18 (approx)

   Is reduced download speed really worth US$18? Who knows! I just don’t see why I should give them all our money.

Enter Google Code Jam Latin America 2007, a timed online competition between the region’s most talented coders. Pick your programming language, use your coding skills to solve a series of problems, and compete for R$75,000 in prizes – and the respect of your peers.

Ooo! Google Code Jam for the Caribbean. (Yes, I glanced at the google blog).
I hope some people from T&T are competing in this.
I don’t think I’m an awesome programmer sooooo….

Man, my mother is going to see this and tell me about my NEGATIVITY.

But, it’s so cool! I think. If I remember what a Code Jam is.

And it should reach somewhere in four days (when they eventually ship it).

So, next week, my camera reaches big sister’s in-laws. How do I get it, now?

Also, I am slowly, but surely working on Chennette and she’s craving that DSLR!
Okay, so we’re trying to plan a vacation and that helps! :-)

But also, if I get my camera back soon, I think I’m willing to buy a new one regardless, but not a DSLR yet but a super-zoomer, a Canon PowerShot S3 IS.

/me craves camera!

Preferably by….April? March?

At least that’s what the e-mail said…they’re repairing it for free unless they find out it’s water damage or blah blah blah.

Maybe I don’t need a new camera. So, now it’s just a matter of getting it back to me and…um…learning to not dream of SLRs.

My sister should just get one.