On the edge of real and Cyberspace there is one place you can go. The Knightcast media channel. Featuring a weekly podcast "The Knightcast" and a web Tv show "KW-Tv" Both deal with the everyday adventures of a modern day technofile, filled with tips, tricks, manuals and how-to's on how to tune technology into your everyday life and let tech work for you. All this and more using Windows, Linux, and Mac computers, Web2.0 sites, services and more to upgrade from geek to cyber-citizen. Real Technology for Real life.
Where is the show ? I kneuw .. Where is the show.. What about the show ? When are you gonna do another show ? I know I know. It is frustrating and heartwarming to hear so many of you crave for your weekly dose of Knightcast. And rest assured .. She IS coming .. The show will come. Next week will be the latest date i'll air another show. And I also know what you are thinking. 'Knightwise has been off the pod-cast-ether for three weeks' .. What is going on ? Well .. I have my reasons .. unfortunately they are not lame excuses but ... very good ones.
Busy. First of all .. i'm in-cre-dib-ly busy these days. Got after hours appointments .. Heavy workload at work (i"m training a trainee) .. Figuring out what the hell is up with our new apartment (The whole thing is becoming a soap Oprah) .. Got classes on saturday ( for work) and if that is not enough.. World war three just broke out with my family.
Where is home ? I seldom let people take a peek into my private life .. nor do I like to smear my personal problems on the digital frontpage of my website.. But let just say i'm not feeling top notch these days. The busy schedule is nothing. I mean .. I'm used to that .. The whole emotional roller-coaster ..that's the thing that nudges me off my own subnet so to speak.
If you would like details I apologize but i'm not going to share those. I'm not like that. However I would like to give you a sneak peak into what my feelings are these days. This website is about the edge of real and cyberspace .. And let us just assume that our well known digital Cavalier is experiencing some analogue interference.
Dawn. Mornings are the strangest times. After I wake .. undoubtedly from yet another weird dream featuring all the people I would not want to have in there .. I take a shower and wobble into the car like some crazed zombie .. Mind already on infinity. Once in the car I once again curse gently that I forgot my cappuchino. I pop my Ipod in the player but instead of listening to my daily dose of podcasts .. I just drive and think .. think .. think.. If I do want to force my mind of things I play a show and have to seriously push myself to remain concentrated to listen all the way. After a little while I ease into it and feel the warmth of all these familiar voices. They embrace me and take my mind of things ..
Sometimes I swear .. the sound like family to me.. Myself ? I'm far from the bubbly springy techno-Machiavelli that you are used to . I find it hard to focus on my own podcast and idea's. Reason ? Lots of them actually .. but the major one is : Where do I belong. Heavy stuff eh ? I'm having major rows with the family back home .. My mom, my brothers .. and the one feeling that stands out from all this is ... I'm different.. Different from the nest that I sprang from. And it makes one wonder .. Where do I belong ? .. God .. this is beginning to look like some silly teenage livejournal posts that blab on and on...
I'll wrap it up in saying that i'm suffering from analogue interference . Its not that I cant get my agenda around the busy schedule. Its just that I have trouble getting my head (and heart) around all the other stuff thats going on. I somehow seem to be out of sync with my regular groove. Seem to have trouble finding the RSS feed of my daily routine. Got trouble compiling my good-and-groovy spirit into my daily desktop. So bear with me a few more days my loyal friends and catch my ping if i'm back on the digital flip-side.
Morning Thoughts. Once again darkness surrounds me. In the silence of dawn only the slight rapping of my fingers over the black keyboard disturbs the murmurs of a waking world. I look around me and hope to find something to hold on to. Some stability in a life that is to divers complex and dramatic .. a soap opera writer would be happy for months to come. Whenever i try to subside the ripples in my pond yet another waterfall seems to whirl its way toward me. As dark water dances in the deep I think of the monsters beneath the surface. Blackened clouds of uncertainty that have tainted my mare tranquilatis in shades of gray for the last few months. Never do I seem to know when they will rear there ugly heads above the mirrored surface nor do I know if these dragons bring fame or failure.
Perhaps the one thing I have learned is that happiness is not something acquired by default. It is something that one must look for. Must treasure and must appreciate. Sweet are our moments of love and laughter. Cherished and loved are the memories of joy throughout times of despair. But that my friends is what life is all about. Finding flowers in the storm, delicate, beautiful, rare and precious. One must venture out into the world and embrace the howling wind in order to smell the flowers. One must never hide nor stand down to trade the challenges of life for a dull gray existence somewhere in a hole in the ground. Shunning from danger and from life itself.
I could raise my hands towards the icy sky and howl why me ? Why us ? But then again. The higher the waves of life's ocean .. The wilder the ride .. The deeper the sorrow .. The higher the joy. Everything is relative and ... Before I wish upon a star that I would just like to have a normal life for a change... I shudder even more at the colorless drab existence then at the raging river our lives path has become.
So I gear up to face my dragons... My enemies.. My challenges and my kin. My sword rises valiantly into the misty dawn and once again I'm ready for another day. If one feels what one can lose.. One cherishes what one has. If one can feel the cold howling wind of sadness only then one can feel the warm fire of true love.
New Voyages. For those of you who do NOT now , and you are indeed very outnumbered, I am a Star Trek Fan. Not a trekky with suits and pointy ears, not one of those guys who dresses up as a Klingon with fake plastic ridges and certainly not one of those that loves Laforge over Scott as main engineer of the USS Enterprise. No . I'm a NORMAL fan. A fan who loves the show and all it stands for , who loves the drama and the philosophy behind the whole Star Trek Universe and perhaps I'm even that kind of fan that hums the theme of the classic Star Trek series when he is having a very good day. So don't put me in a little box of prejudice. Because if you do , you might just make the same mistake I did when I saw the first post about the " STAR TREK : New Voyages " episodes. What is it ? Well it"s Classic Star Trek BY the fans FOR the fans. Now I have seen some applauding Fan-made Star Trek productions in my fair days as a fan. From horrible Fan-Fiction, to love-making between Kirk and Spock , to transgendered theater plays of old episodes. So when I saw this website I thought .. oh my god .. Do we really need another dirty stain on the not so immaculate conception of all things trek ? Do I one again need to bow my head in shame next time a non-star trek fan makes fun of me and regards me as the one responsible for poor and ill sighted fan Idea's ? (because since i'm a fan , i am automatically responsible for the misbehavior of all other fans.) BUT ! first of all let me explain what these people want to do :
"Our ultimate goal is to produce a full year's worth (22 or more) web episodes per year maintaining Gene Roddenberry's philosophy and vision for the original 1960’s television show. We believe in challenging people’s thoughts and enticing them to action. We feel that Star Trek is a great vehicle for exploring the human condition. We plan to devote the series to commenting on the current condition of life on Earth in the 21st century." (for all other questions take a look at their site)
Now , i'm a fan of classic trek, when money was scars and ideas had to be creative . Back in the days when the whole set wobbled whenever the captain was making out with alien lover #356 five decks below the bridge. When trek was trek indeed ! Gene Roddenbery's ideas where naive at times but still, It was way better then what they have turned it into now. TNG ? was okay , DS9 ? lovelovelove Voyager .. okay at times whenever Janeways penis envy was not bigger then the delta quadrant... But ENTERPRISE (their latest show) Horrible ! Not only does the Captain in this series LOOK like George Bush , he is equally blunt when it comes to foreign relations. HORRIBLE .. I was ashamed to be a fan when I saw the episodes and was dismayed to see it canceled .. ending the Star Trek saga in a low key ..
But i'm veering of .. THESE guys from new voyages must have thought the same ? Because the resurrected classic trek. Not only is it produced by Gene Roddenberry's son .. it also features Kirk , McCoy , Scotty and all the others. This time they are played by other (amateur) actors but once you get used to their faces , the sounds of their voices and their sometimes naive but well intended acting-mishaps .. the show grows on you. The sets are great , the 3d work is top notch and the storyline is faster then a roller-coaster on steroids. But all in all ? I was pleasantly surprised to see that the episode kept me entertained for more then an hour. And that I can't wait to see the second episode. What these guys did with a limited budget and resources (much like the old days) BUT also coping with limited band with issues and no major production company behind them is fantastic. It sure as hell that the result of these people teaming up with paramount would result in a better Star trek TOS sequel then we have seen so far. 'New Voyages" might be considered a little fan project for the fans , but i believe it is much more then that. I see it as a torch that keeps a live the dream of Star Trek as it was and was meant to be.
Curious yet ? check out their site and download the first two episodes. Take a look at the nice artwork, the storylines and the legs on Captain Pikes Communication officer (They go on for lightyears !). STAR TREK NEW VOYAGES
Ow how I love these morning posts :). Once again dawn slumbers through sleeping streets in Hasselt. From the window of my office people can see the amber light of my desk-lamp mixed with the ever changing tones of a computer display. I am at ZEN with my world today , although another busy day is rushing towards me. But I do not mind. Yesterday evening was an evening as should all friday nights be. Before heading home I popped by the local hardware store to treat me to some goodies. That laptop docking station I had been dreaming of for a few weeks now was going to be mine. And what do you know. Once I popped in my Pc laptop I instantly regretted the fact I had not bought this baby sooner. Its nice looking , its slim, slick and ultra ergonomic. Thanx to this little baby my office table is no longer cluttered with external displays and large keyboards. It just pops my mobile companion up diagonally and lets me enjoy the laptop screen at eye-height without the ever so dreaded neck) strain caused by over-use of portable equiptment. I also got myself an external keyboard mouse combination ( Logitech of course) but am saddened to say i'm gonna have to take it back. I need USB on both the keyboard AND the mouse and it always seems to be one OR the other. ( Unless one goes for the more expensive models). But those logitech keyboard are worth it , I have one lying around here and its about 5 years old now (used daily) and it does not show any sign of wear and tear nor does it go out of fashion.
I also upgraded the internal network here (had a new adsl router lying around) and took a chance to install it . The 6Mbit pipe we have here (instead of the 3mbit we used to have) does show right now. Its a whoooole new world. ( + the addition of yet another router behind the first router does give us extended security and makes me sleep more calmly at night).
And like cream on the cake it was time to sit down with my Ubuntu. As Nyana traded the non interactive linear entertainment of TV for a nice webcam chat with some friends, I dug my heals in for a session of Ubuntu. I had not had the chance to try the thing out after I installed the AUTOMATIX script.. But boy oh boy .. Was I in for a treat. For years and years i've been fretting and fighting the cutting edge of linux desktop design. Never was there a distribution that pleased me or that gave me simple tools to "make it work for me" . With ubuntu THAT has changed. MSN / Skype / bittorrent / Email / surfing / Playing multimedia.. it ALL WORKED like a charm. Plugging in an external usb keyboard ? No problem .. usb mouse ? go ahead. There was no limit to its capabilities. I even downloaded an RPM (redhat) version of my mail client FIRSTCLASS. With ONE line of command code I changed it to a .DEB (debian or ubuntu-proof) program. With ONE more line I installed it. But i thought hey .. It does not show up on my desktop ? So its probably broken.. But when I checked the programs menu it was already waiting for me in the APPLICATIONS / INTERNET menu ? How the hell did ubuntu know it was a mailclient ? Fantastic .. and of course it WORKED !
Enough banter .. I must be off , talk to you guys tomorrow.
Am I under the curse of Frankenstein ? Or of Frank-and-Time .. Or of Einstein. I don't really know .. But E=MC2 does look rather realistic right now. Perception of time is relevant just like time its-self. Damn damn damn .. I don't know what it is but somehow we got to thursday already and all my best plans have been laid to waste so far. Clean up my office (properly) Install my two new routers (yeah-duhu) Take a look at my Linux laptop (remotely possible) and record my podcast + the articles i'm doing for podcastinfo.nl : Impossible. Might just be i'm gonna have to skip a show this week because i'm quite frank-en-stein-ly right out of time flat. I only wish I was a bittorrent File. They seam to have plenty of time .. Loads of it. This week i sat mysellf down and punched in some bittorrent files on my Ubuntu machine to 'go and fetch' They where classic 50's and 60's B-movies that you can download LEGALLY !
Go HERE http://www.publicdomaintorrents.com/ for more. I chose some classic Sci Fi movies (wonderfull) that I can take with me and play on my Ipod. (IF i have the time...) Destroy all planets (something about a giant turtel protecting the world) .. First spaceship on Venus ... Attack of the Giant leeches , Horrors of Spider Island .. All great flicks :) Overacted , overdone , overdubbed in the japanese movies.. But to those who want to see the roots of the genre for 'Godzilla' this is nice material. But they also have other genres as well of course. Go have a look-see.
Meanwhile I got up early just to do this post and because I like sitting here with my cappuccino in the dark. Strange Strange Strange... My Ipod has slurped its belly full of the daily dose of podcasts, I've got some equiptment lying around that I have to drop off when I come back from work and all in all I hope i'll be home for Christmas .
Ubuntu Cd's in the mail. Okay , i'm not gonna go off on another Ubuntu Linux Rant once again , cause quite frankly I haven't done didly squat with my Ubuntu laptop these last two days. But since I had ordered the cd's in the mail a few weeks ago I was pleasantly surprised to get a package in the mailbox 'the REAL mailbox' containing a copy of Ubuntu 5.10. Its like totaly for free , no shipping and you have a nice package with all the distributions. Its Tuesday morning right now , about 6.30 AM and I got up a little earlier to have some quiet time to blogg up with you guys. Its been very very hectic these last days. I'm not talking about work / stuff to do .. but also about all the personal stuff thats going down in my life. I haven't been able to write up and do some decent posts about all the 'real life stuff' thats getting in the way of my careless cyber-existence. Quite frankly it has to do with my family, the passing away of my father and all that comes in its wake. I'm a little bit shaken by all of it but don't worry .. I'll be fine .. I'm just not as cyber-focused as I am used to right now. Analogue interferrence from the real world we shall call it. So forgive my occasional Online absence . I will return in full force shortly.I am working on some new stuff for the next podcast so hang in there. She'll be up some time this week. Meantime I am overlooking my super cosy ( but still slightly chaotic ) new office. Nyana and me decided to save on heating costs and improve on quality time together by re-arranging my office into a shared Office / living area. So the room is divided in two giving me half for setting up a very cool workstation with about three different Hosts (on three different Os's) and a nice sitting area where Nyana can lounge out and watch some tv. This way we get to spend some nice time together in the evenings without be being hunched over a laptop in the living room all night. (oh sweet mac mini with your ergonomical monitor setup.. How have you saved my back and eyes). Its rather nice here and Nyana is responsible for that. If it where up to me it would be this matrix-like cyber hellhole with screens , books, cables and setups everywhere. Cluttered to the max with all things cyber (and very un-cosy) But Nyana manages to wheel me in , says things like 'don't overclutter , keep it simple , leave lots of empty space.. Put that plant (PLANT ?) there , and so on ans so on. The result ? A very cool room with minimal clutter on my office desktop , a nice view , a nice plant , and a painting of a boat on the wall. Not quite what Neo and Morpheus would have wanted for their ship .. but i'm happy and much more relaxed here (stares at plant for Feng-Shuie)As the loud click of the Logitec wireless mouse reminds me that I ditched my apple mighty mouse I must take a look at the clock and promise you my next entry for later on today or tomorrow. I've found a great article about saving data from a crashed computer using the Knoppix cd. (I'm not pimping Linux here David , just pointing out what tools are good for the trade) And I must admitt , the Windows machine right beside me has been down for 2 weeks and I have not even noticed. Shame shame shame on me !
Lounging on a sunday afternoon. Just a quick post from the heart of Maastricht in the Netherlands. I don't need much to make me happy..and quite frankly.. This caramel cappuchino and some exquisit company is doing it for me :) .... Enjoy your weekend
We've got a lot of stuff to talk about today. So open your veins and stand by for a short but high-energy information post. But first : To those of you who think I’m dead , judging by the evening hours I have spent on-line these last week : Your rumours are slightly incorrect. I am however getting pounded by stuff in the real world. So much even that I was far from feeling my chirpy self yesterday and Nyana sent me to bed at nine ! ( Ok , I was feeling poorly and when i'm sick I feel so sorry for myself I can make a clown cry). Bunked in the trunk 5 minutes later and my lights where out faster then an compaq Proliant server during a thunderstorm. No rest for the wicked as I've got some reinstalling to do tonight, a MAJOR meeting with my family on Thursday ( delicate subjects ) some drop-offs and pickups on Friday night and a IT-course on Saturday (all day long). So I’m swamped till next week. What is more surprising is that I’m feeling more worn out from all the stress that I have with all this stuff going on with my family .. then the rushing around I’m doing. Thank heavens for a lovely and supporting fiancé like Nyana. I would not be able to pull it off without her and I love her to bitts !
The automatix script.
But enough about little old me. Some tech stuff was done yesterday. I installed Linux on the HP NX6110 HP laptop I had at home and found it to be an exceptional experience. Installation was fast and swift. I selected all the updates and ran the 'AUTOMATIX script'. This is the little magic program that lets you add all these bonus funtionalities to UBUNTU that turn your computer from a 'linux workstation to play around with' to a fully fledged desktop system.
Here are the three magic lines. (just copy and paste them one by one in your terminal window)
Then you can click on the Applications--> System Tools and you will find the AUTOMATIX icon there. Click it , select ALL the options you want to install and sit back. Installation takes about an hour but after that you'll have all the goodies you need ! DVD playback , MP3 playback , ripping DVD's... and so on and so on. All the things I’ve been looking for in Linux for the last few years in 3 freaking lines of code .. fan Tas Tic ! (you'll find all the info here http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=66563 )
Google online bookmarks.
Meanwhile I just want to give you PC users something worthwhile too. I just installed the new Google toolbar and there is one function I absolutely LOVE : The on-line bookmark repository. It means that you can add bookmarks to the google toolbar.. These are then stored on line. If next time you work on another pc and have a Google toolbar installed there as well .. you'll be able to access those same bookmarks :) For me its a fantastic solutions to share my bookmarks between home and work. Here is the link. http://toolbar.google.com/intl/nl/index_ie.php And its available for firefox too of course :) .. But no mac or linux version yet .. Bummer :(
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