For one, I'm still on Ubuntu. =) I deleted my Windows partition about a month ago, even though I'm contemplating putting it back on the 80GB to play some games on, of course.

So, what can you probably expect in the near future? In about a couple weeks I will be giving my thoughts on Ubuntu 10.10 when thats released, also to note I will be going 64-bit again! =) About half a month ago when IE9 beta was released Adobe decided to come out with Adobe Flash Player Square, which has support for 64-bit on All three platforms, OS X, Windows, AAAAAAND Linux. I am definitely excited to go back to 64-bit once Ubuntu 10.10 is released.

And of course, as the title of this blog post mentions, I WILL be streaming this Friday. After a little bit of thinking, for about a few weeks I'm gonna give streaming every Friday night and doing a show a trial and see how that goes. If it goes well, and I get a good amount of Interest, I WILL continue doing it every Friday night, if not, then oh well, I might still do it. I will make a note of what time I plan on doing that, probably doing the evening.

A few updates on the IRC channel.. CondyBot is current down for the moment. Until I can get another machine to put CondyBot (that uses very little energy and is quiet), I will have somebody else running an IRC bot. Thanks to Dan/Grimreaper on that one.

Another thing that I have setup recently is a Teamspeak server that I set up for personal use, a few friends, and it also serves as the Backup Server for the This Week In Linux Teamspeak server.

And as a final note, as you may have noticed there are a few posts on this blog that were not written by me, that is because I have decided to allow FlamingLinux, someone I have met from the TWIL Community, to do blog posts on Linux related topics every now and then.

Anyway, thanks for reading, please check later for a specific time on when I will be doing the stream this Friday, subscribe (As I normally say) to get updates on future blog posts/content, also you can follow my on Twitter which is @condoulo, and subscribe to the youtube channel Condoulo (Which I will be putting the shows up on). Until Next Time,

- Tyler J. Brown (Condoulo)

Anyway, I've been messing w/ the IRC bot in my IRC channel, named CondyBot. To start out with I only had CondyBot as a Topic/RSS bot, but I decided to add some functions to it Today!

!trout *nickhere* = has CondyBot slap somebody w/ a Trout

!WinME *nickhere* = has CondyBot slap somebody w/ a Copy of Windows ME

!trade *nickhere* = has that person trade their computer w/ some random nick.

^ for those three if you don't put in a nickname it will slap you w/ a Trout, copy of Windows ME, or force you to trade your computer w/ somebody.

Some other more useful ones I've added are:

!latestpost = will post my latest blog post

!google *searchtermhere* = searches Google, used a google script I found somewhere.

!weather *zipcodhere* = displays the current weather information for your location.

!forecast *zipcodehere* = displays a 5 day forcast for your location

(Edit: The Weather and Forecast triggers are all part of one script I got from here.)

!live = links to my live page

!blog = links to the home page of this web-site

!kbotspam *nickhere* = allows those that are hop and above to kick somebody for abusing the bot (I'll add a !kbbotspam trigger later, maybe).

I believe thats it. If you want to chat about just whatever w/ the people in my IRC channel, or want to have fun w/ the bot (w/o abusing the commands too much, otherwise you'll be kicked), stop by #condoulo on irc.geekshed.net. You can either use web clients like the Geekshed client or Mibbit, or you can use desktop IRC clients such as mIRC, IceChat, xChat, KVIRC, Konversation, Colloquy, Linkinus, etc.

The question for Today's blog post happens to be: Wheres your IRC channel located, do you have a bot in it, and how many people on average do you get? Please answer in the posts comments!

Anyway, thanks for reading, subscribe to the Blogs RSS feed using your favorite RSS reader/client, and be sure to check back Monday for a new post!

- Tyler J. Brown (Condoulo)

The post is brought to you by lekhonee v0.7

Lekhonee (Click for Larger Image)

So, to start off with the Basics, Lekhonee's UI is pretty straight-forward. You have an area to input your blog's message, a right sidebar for selecting categories, area to add your tags, and to include a Title. One thing I would like to mention is formatting is kinda limited to a few options, such as bold, Italics, including a link or Image, however, you do have the ability to include HTML formatting as you like. Overall I have to give the UI a 7/10, although it is very straight-forward and easy to use, you do have limited formatting options in the toolbar.

Now some of the not so obvious features of Lekhonee include being able to browse through and edit older posts (Edit > Old Posts), The Last Post (Edit > Last Post), or you can actually upload files as well (FIle > Edit) which I actually just learned about when writing this post.

Now, there have been a couple differences I've noticed between the KDE and GNOME versions of Lekhonee, one of which is how the Categories are selected on the right sidebar. On the GNOME version, if I want to select more than one Category, I have to press Ctrl (like I would in the file manager), while in the KDE version I can just select more than one w/o having to press Ctrl. Its a tiny annoyance and wouldn't prevent me from using the GNOME version of Lekhonee, however, it was a bit annoying when I when from first testing the KDE version to using the GNOME version. Another difference is probably due to the KDE version is ahead in development compared to the GTK version, but the bottom area in the GNOME version where it has the WordPress Tab it just says "For Future Use", whereas in the KDE version I see a button that says "Add Page". Although the button does nothing when pressed, I just found that interesting (as well as the fact that the KDE version had another tab at the bottom that was faded out that had the text "Future Work").

So overall I would have to say that Lekhonee is a pretty good, straightforward application for Blogging using WordPress, although it could use more options, it definitely does the job I need it to do. I would personally give Lekhonee a 8/10.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to Read Today's Blog Post, Subscribe and Check Back for Friday's Post in a couple days, and tell your friends about my blog as well. Another thing I would absolutely appreciate is Feedback in the comments section, whether you liked the blog post, disliked it, etc.

- Tyler J. Brown (Condoulo)

The post is brought to you by lekhonee v0.7

Another thing I was thinking of is maybe have a different type of content for each of one of those days? Maybe a software review on one of those days, a News roundup on another day (probably Friday), and even a Linux distro review on another?

However, what I'm also looking for is Feedback. What I'm wanting to know is what do you want to see on this blog? Software reviews, Linux Distro reviews, more news, more personal stuff (although I think personal blogs won't follow any schedule, and will be posted just whenever), more videos, etc? Please leave comments on this post to let me know. Because lately I've definitely felt more motivated to start getting stuff setup on this blog and creating more content.

What I would also like some feedback on, is possibly getting a new theme for this blog, as well as what would you like to see on this site in general?

So again, thanks for reading, subscribe for more upcoming content, a new post coming this Wednesday, and PLEASE leave some feedback in the comment sections. I'd like to see what you all think.

The post is brought to you by lekhonee v0.7

Soo.... no new content today. Just figured I'd explain why. I will definitely try and do one tomorrow though. Thanks for checking in.

After graduation, we went straight home, but didn't stay there long. Probably about 15-20 minutes before we left and headed out to Golden Carrol for Lunch. Had a few plates of food, mainly the Roast Beef with some potatoes, and some dessert.

Sooo..... now that I'm done with High School, got my Diploma, etc. What am I going to do now? Well, considering I'm coming down with a cold, I'm probably going to rest for a day or two. I may end up having a graduation party, and I will probably end up going to those of a few friends as well over the weekend. Starting next week, I will definitely start looking towards getting a job. I have a couple places in mind that I'm seriously considering. This fall I will go to Jefferson Community College to start off my first two years of college, and I also plan on taking the test for my Network+ Certification this Fall (After studying over the Summer).

And yeah, Todays post was out a little later as well. However, Today was also one hectic of a day. I was barely on the computer until later in the day. With graduation, eating out, spending time with family, I definitely bugged a few people that felt like I was ignoring their messages, whether it be on any IM service I'm on or through IRC. Thanks for reading this short post, and check back tomorrow for another, hopefully tech related, blog post. And don't forget to subscribe using services or software like Google Reader, Thunderbird, in-browser RSS readers that are built into browsers such as Firefox or Opera, etc.

- Tyler Joseph Brown (Condoulo)

PRP Class of 2010 Graduate!

There are two things I noticed first about PCLOS 2010 when I booted into the LiveCD for the first time. The first thing being that they had customzied KDE4.4 really well. This is very different from my usual KDE experience, which I admit, usually came from Kubuntu, and its pretty obvious that Kubuntu is just a base Ubuntu install w/ stock KDE4 installed. Its been that way since 8.04, and for the past 2 years Kubuntu has felt like the ugly Step child. Not to say theres anything wrong with stock KDE - but, it feels as if Kubuntu doesn't have its own identify anymore, or if KDE is optimized on it. Anyway, off the Kubuntu soap box for the moment, lets get back to PCLinuxOS 2010. Another thing I've noticed is that KDE seems to perform much better on PCLOS 2010 than it does on other distros I've tried so far. PCLinuxOS 2010 actually performs very well in general.

(Edit note: I started this blog post and didn't finish a while back, so I guess this is more of a review of PCLOS after I got done using it).

Being based on Mandriva, PCLinuxOS 2010 also had Mandriva's control panel, which was also a really nice feature.

Beyond that, I did have a few problems. However, most of the problems were related to KDE itself, and could be found across any KDE distribution. Such as GTK and QT apps fighting for the use of the sound card, or the KDE monitor config tool not wanting to properly configure dual monitors, thus resorting to using ATI's Catalyst Control Center to configure them. Simple stuff like that.

I also did notice one oddity. Although PCLinuxOS used Synaptic Package manager, which is quite odd for an RPM distribution to do so, I did notice there was no interface to install individual packages with until I installed Kpackagekit. Figured I would mention that as well.

Overall, PCLinuxOS is a great distro, I would recommend it to anybody who is looking for a Linux distro in which nearly everything works out of the box, and also wants a really nice KDE distribution. Anyway, I would like to thank everybody for reading this post. Sorry for finishing this really late, and it kind of made the rest of the post after (Edit Notice) kind of not all that great as I have already switched to another distribution. It had mostly to do with GTK and QT apps fighting over usage of the sound card, and PulseAudio not wanting to properly install, which is more or less a KDE problem instead of a PCLinuxOS problem. I am currently on Ubuntu 10.04, and I will give my thoughts on that in a later blog post. Anyway, thanks for the patience, and waiting another month for a blog post. I try to make sure the posts aren't too far away, but stuff comes up, I just get distracted, or what not. If you want to, I would recommend subscribing using the RSS link towards the top right, and take the time to read future posts. I should have my thoughts on Ubuntu 10.04 coming within the next few days - if not within the next 24 hours.

- Tyler J. Brown (Condoulo).

I was just randomly thinking, the first month of the year is already over, of the new decade too. Its real hard to believe how much has changed just in the past month in terms of what I do online, and how I do things. I'm also thinking of the changes that will be occurring in the next 11 months as well.

So, lets just start off with the changes that have occurred in just the past month, which has gone by way too fast. To start off, the Downstairs furnace we had failed. Since then we've been trying heat at least the main areas of the main floor with 3 to 4 different space heaters, which has been a real pain due to the Harsh winter we've been experiencing in the past month (with a nice little break of warm weather in between).

I also decided to take a leave from McInTEC at the beginning of the month, and pretty much had decided to leave at this point. I guess this is my official announcement on my blog of me leaving McInTEC? I won't go into the detail for the reasons why, but, I just felt things weren't really the same anymore. Just didn't feel like a "community" as it used to.

In the past month I've also been trying to bring a few people together to come up with ideas for a community project. In the end we decided to work with Dallin on creating a part of GeekLoop focused around the community. Theres more information here. If you want to do more to help, stop by #GeekLoop on GeekShed.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I have finally gotten a dual monitor setup! I absolutely love the fact that I can do so much more with a dual monitor setup, and I don't think I'll go back to a single-monitor setup, at all.

So with the first month of 2010 nearly gone, what changes lie ahead? Well, I plan on getting my A+ certification in the next couple weeks! On February 5th Portfolios are due, and February 12th marks the end of the Second trimester of my Senior Year. On the 26th of March I will be turning 18, which will definitely open up a lot of opportunities for me. And of course, in May in graduation and I hope to get a job in late May or early June.

I guess when I try to do posts I don't do many personal blog posts, but I really think I should plan on doing more personal posts in the future. I guess its just something I really ought to do. However, I also should start doing more technology posts and opinion posts as well, just to keep things interesting. Got any suggestions on what I should possibly do a video or blog post on? Leave a comment below and I'll see what I can do. Anyway, thanks for reading.

- Tyler

P.S. Just a little extra edit before I publish this, I would like to encourage you all to check out Constant-Hosting if you need a host for your web site, blog, or whatever!

On a side note, my 160GB drive ended up having issues. =/ but no worries, I should be getting a new one later this week! =D so I can dual boot Windows and Ubuntu again, but all 64-bit this go around.

Also, gonna refer ya to a couple sites to check out and possibly subscribe to:
http://geeknexus.com - A Place where Geeks Get Connected! A Twitter-Like Service specifically for Geeks!
http://ipaidcashformyclunker.com - A blog basically explaining the problems that exist within the Cash for Clunkers program.

Anyway, thanks for reading! =D Please check out those links above, and if you like this blog, subscribe to this one too!

~ Tyler J. Brown

Lets see, in December I ended up reviewing and keeping a B-Gears B-Envi Case and moved my second desk into another corner, in March I got a 22" Envision LCD, looks great, got it for $100 used, works as the day I got it (though, could be cleaned,) in May I had to replace my Keyboard due to an accidental spilling.  Just within the past week, I ended up getting another table that would be specifically used for my iMac (a couple pictures below.)

Now, what I plan on doing in the next couple days would be swapping out the Hard Drives in my secondary Linux Box and my iMac G3, so that the Linux box will have an 80GB HDD, and the iMac will be downgraded to a 20GB HDD. Why? I have recently run into a couple family members needing to access the iMac on the network, and they seemed to have issues, but managed to find my main Ubuntu PC just fine, so I figured, since Linux is better for network storage anyway, why not put the larger drive into the Dell. Does that mean I will use my iMac G3 less? No, since I don't run too much on there that takes up too much space in the first place, I don't think I have to worry.

Also, another note. Due to WordPress being kinda weird with inserting media into posts on Opera, I will continue to use Opera for my daily browser, but I will use another browser for working on my blog. Kinda of a weird solution until Chromium is officially released, but it will have to work for now.

Anyway, Thanks for taking the time to read this personal blog post. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please subscribe, its free, all you need to do is click on this orange button thats on the top right corner of the page.

Also, if you are in need of a good web-host, to host your own blog, website, community, RP forum, whatever, I recommend using Constant-Hosting! They have been Constantly Stable for me, and I have had a great experience in terms of support!

Anyway, Thanks for reading!

~ Tyler Brown (Condoulo)