I decided about a year ago I wanted to get my weblog and website fixed and running again.   I went down the Java portal (JSR-168) route, since Java is my strongest language.  After much, much work, I just wasn't able to find a solution I was happy with.  The open source Java portals are all nice, but they all have one limitation or another that I am just not happy with.  I spent many hours trying to fix each portal, to turn it into something I would like.  In the end, I just couldn't find a fit.  At some future date, I'll make an entry covering all tRead more

So why am I blogging after two years of silence?  The answer is, I never meant to stop.  Life really got in the way.  I lived in four different locations during that time.  I met a terrific woman.  I bought a house that would best be described as a fixer-upper.  Read more

Today, Google released Google Earth for Linux.  I downloaded it, and wow, it works flawlessly.  Every bit as good as on Windows.  This was really one of those programs I was missing since I switched all of my computers to Linux.  Very happy to see this. Read more

I use Gnome, and I prefer Gnome over other desktops. I recently upgraded to Gnome 2.6. I like a lot of the changes, and overall it is a very good upgrade. However, I have one major gripe. The new incarnation of Gnome opens a simplistic looking "File Browser" window for every folder you open. So if you open a folder, then click a folder again, you have two windows open. Give it a few minutes, and you have 20 windows open. This is reminiscent of Windows 95.Read more

The problems with the USPTO are well publicized. The USPTO grants patents on software that actually prevent creativity and innovation. The USPTO grants patents on business processes which are all to often simple and obvious techniques.Read more

Today I was looking over Google's 20 Year Usenet Timeline. It gives some very interesting references to Linux's early roots. This is practically funny stuff in retrospect, now that we know things that Linus and others could not possibly have forseen.Read more

Linux. Gentoo Linux to be exact.

My impressions of Linux:

I'm in love. It was a ton of work. Gentoo is a hard distribution to start on. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone as a first dive into Linux. But, I'm in love.Read more

Last night I tried out Wurm Online for the first time. Wurm Online is a MMORPG (like Everquest or Ultima Online) written entirely in java. I spotted it on the latest Swing Sightings. WO is at a very early alpha state. But, none-the-less...WOW. This thing will knock your socks off. It totally blows away any concept of Java being strictly a server-side technology.Read more

After a very long time offline, my web/mail server is back online.

I recently moved in with a roomate who already had a DSL modem. I bought a wireless 802.11g router, plugged it into the DSL modem, and voila, Internet access for all. But for some reason, no matter what I did, I couldn't expose the www, pop3 and smtp ports to incoming requests. I tried everything, and fought with the router over and over.Read more

Oct 21, 2003:
Today something called the combustion engine was invented. It consumes simple gasoline, and can propel a wheeled vehicle forward at a high rate of speed. This wonderful technology promises amazing things. It would allow us many conveniences, and promises to make our lives much, much easier and richer.

December 3, 2003:Read more