Discussions about computers and related technologies
My 10-year-old Dell XPS laptop finally died. With its core i7, it was pretty hot back in 2013. I replaced its Windows OS with Linux some years ago and it was still performing acceptably. There were issues, of course. I prefer lightweight devices these days but the XPS is on the beefy side, which means…
As I wrote yesterday, I updated the gallery with two paintings that I finished last year. Here is the second one titled The Singer: The Singer is 40″ x 50.” The WordPress plug-in I use to manage my gallery, NextGen, failed so I opened a support ticket. As with the other times that I’ve had…
Yesterday I noticed that I haven’t updated my galleries for a while. So, I added two paintings that I finished last year. Here is one of them, Woman in Black-stripped Dress: Woman in Black-stripped Dress is 40″ x 54.” While working on the gallery, I noticed that the gallery plug-in, NextGen, wasn’t working properly; the…
I have a Windows computer but I use my Linux laptop for most work and prefer it over Windows. I describe myself as a ‘normal ++’ user, not a power user. This post is for those of you who are thinking about Linux. Why use Linux? Linux is faster than Windows. Linux distributions are bloat…
Sunshine has been rare in NE Ohio. The sunlight lighting the studio is cheery and warming–and winter has barely started. Yes, I have five computers on my desk. I am using three of them to investigate Linux distributions–CentOS, Manjaro, and Ubantu. I spent the morning drawing, then applied an oil ground to a new canvas,…
My son John and I left early yesterday morning for a visit to the University of Cincinnati. John, a senior in high school, plans to be a computer engineer and UC’s program is #2 in the state (behind OSU’s).
It was raining when we left; a freezing rain that made the roads treacherous. My F-150 with 4-wheel drive handled the icy roads with aplomb. We had no trouble during the hour it took to get to I-71 at Ashland. But over the first 60-mile stretch of I-71 we passed 13–13!–wrecks. At mile 131, Delaware City, i-71 turned into a parking lot. The traffic app on my Galaxy Note 4 (love that phone) informed us that I-71 was closed 9 miles ahead (9 mile traffic jam!) due to an accident.
We got off at Delaware City with over a 100 miles left to go. Unfortunately, everyone else on I-71 did the same and Delaware City was another parking lot. We jumped onto some uncharted back roads and took Route 42 south, where we hit I-70 a half-hour later.
We turned back east and got on I-71 south of Columbus where we ran into another traffic jam! Long story short, we missed our tour. John wasn’t interested in just stomping around the campus We cancelled our trip and headed to Dayton where we had a delightful visit with my cousins, Homer King, his wife Becky and their children and grandchildren. We had such a wonderful time that it made up for the frustrating morning.
Homer lives near Wright State (my alma mater) so we did a quick tour. Wright State does have a computer engineering program but no dice–John isn’t interested.
My first session in the new studio! In this photo, you can see two easels set up and ready to go. The third one is off the frame to the left. The old studio had room for just one easel. I have a bank of natural daylight lights running along the steel beam in the…
For my birthday, I upgraded my phone to the Galaxy Note 4. And, because it was my birthday, I upgraded my son Keith’s phone to an iPhone 6. Keith is an Apple fan; me, I like Android.
I love the Note 4. Its large format accommodates my fumble fingers. The screen is crisp and clear and large enough that I can dispense with my Nexus tablet. So far the performance been great. I am still getting used to the pen.