hp 2133 mini-note and xubuntu

I was asked by a co-worker if I would install a different Linux distribution on the HP 2133 Mini-Note subnotebook that he bought for his 15 year old son. The netbook came with SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 installed and he was not happy with it.

I am much more familiar with Ubuntu than any other Linux distro, so I decided to install Xubuntu 8.10 on the netbook, since the Xfce desktop environment is a bit leaner than the GNOME environment, which is used by Ubuntu, and should perform better on more limited hardware (1.2 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM).

I created a bootable Xubuntu USB drive using the built-in utility introduced in the Ubuntu 8.10 release. The initial install from the USB drive went very quickly and very well. The only problems I encountered were that the wireless network card required a proprietary driver (Xubuntu automatically prompted me asking if I would allow it to install the driver) and the screen resolution was not correct.

To fix the screen resolution issue, I installed the VIA driver according to the instructions on this page and replaced the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file with the one given. The only remaining task was to install software packages that would be useful but do not come pre-packaged with the install (like Adobe Flash and the VLC media player).

That is essentially all there was to the install. This was one of the smoothest and fastest OS installations I have had.

The combination of the HP 2133 and Xubuntu yields a much faster experience than I anticipated, and Xfce is not nearly the compromise in usability that I assumed it would be. As a matter of fact, if it were not for the GNOME Do application, I would consider switching to Xubuntu as my primary OS for the speed.

The HP 2133 hardware is very nice. The keyboard is surprisingly usable (my main concern) and the hardware feels robust and it has a gorgeous display (1280x768). Unfortunately, this means that I may have to consider picking up something similar for my own personal use.

duaneedmonds

simple camera

The camera and lens combination I have found myself using most often over the past few years has been an old  rangefinder camera (like the Leica M3) and a 50mm lens. I'm not completely sure why this has been the case, the this combination just "fits". I've been focused primarily on candid portraiture. The camera is relatively small and quiet, which makes it nice to use in these situations. The 50mm lenses I've used are also fairly fast, making shots possible in lower light than would be possible with slower lenses. Overall, I'm really enjoying this simple combination.

duaneedmonds

the invitation

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what
you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

 It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk
looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being
alive.

 It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to
know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have
been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from
fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your
own, without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.

 I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can
dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers
and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember
the limitations of being human.

 It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to
know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear
the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be
faithless and therefore trustworthy.

 I want to know if you can see beauty, even when it's not pretty, every
day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.

 I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still
stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes!"

 It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you
have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair,
weary and bruised to the done, and do what needs to be done to feed the
children.

 It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I
want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not
shrink back.

 It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I
want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.

 I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like
the company you keep in the empty moments.

 - Oriah Mountain Dreamer -

cófe

i met you in a café, our café, behind the counter. you had the most radiant smile, a warm laugh. the way you looked at me captured me. i was yours to ruin. we talked, you laughed. i watched your lips move, infatuated, in love. you spoke in a glow, spotlight-like. i stared at your stage. don't stop. please go on. i have all day today, tomorrow. no, don't leave, we just met, we just got here. it isn't time to go. please, don't go. remember me. i'll never forget you... or now.

- d edmonds -