OLPC Tablet

OpenOffice.org vs MS Office Products

For years I have been using OpenOffice.org as my primary productivity tool. Word processing, databases, spreadsheets, presentations, PDF files and more are all done easily (and inexpensively).

It is easy to use, easy to learn and free of any strict licensing agreements. And also free for the price of a download. (If you can't download, I will gladly send a recent version on a CD along with other software).

A quick check saw that Office 2010 is retailing for $150. For anyone getting a new PC, please tell the salesman that you are going to save some bucks and get software that you can use on your new computer and your old computer and your neighbor's computer and ...

Yes, telling the world about FLOSS is my passion.

Life Purpose - Saving a Friend $75.99

Sometimes I feel like my face will turn blue trying to help my friends save $75.99 (or more). That is the special sale price (two days only) at CompUSA for the low end Microsoft productivity suite. Included is a comprehensive set of writing tools that help you create and share content, a powerful presentation tool that allows you to create professional-looking presentations, a powerful tool for creating spreadsheets, and analyze and share information, and a digital notebook.

Not bad for a home user or for a student off to school.

But I have ALL those things and more on my laptop for FREE. I use Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS). Since it is usually free as in beer, there is no money spent on advertising and it is not promoted in retail stores. Part of my life's purpose is to spread the word about FLOSS.

OpenOffice.org and wikidpad have all the functionality mentioned above plus a database solution that allows you to effectively track, report and share information.

For FREE.

Help me spread the word. I don't want to be a blue man.

Billy and Beverly at Dr Banjo's Jam Camp

This photograph was taken at Dr. Banjo's Jam Camp prior to MerleFest in 2002 by a fellow jamcamper. Unfortunately I do not remember his name. If you were there and know the photograher's name, please contact me so that I can acknowledge him! Thanks!

Beverly is "honey-colored" and "sunburst" and about the prettiest, sweetest sounding Kay-Englehardt URB in the whole US of A.

Learn more about bluegrass music at the International Bluegrass Music Association website.

Viral System For Getting Twitter Followers

If you are using twitter (and who isn't these days!), you will definitely want to check out this free and viral following system.

It costs nothing ever, and even includes 3 free bonuses just for trying it. It will automatically grow your twitter followers for you once you start the system.

Its free, its viral, its fun, its cool, and it works.


http://www.twitteringfortraffic.com/whatsthegbz

Jean Welles Worship Guitar Class

(Click for an 8-minute audio overview and description of the program. - http://www.worshipguitarclass.com/aff.htm?w=wcgs&p=a1192 -)

7 Reasons I Recommend Learn To Play the Guitar
with Jean Welles' Worship Guitar Class

1. Lifelong Enjoyment.
Playing provides a creative outlet, joy, and comfort.

2. Be a Blessing to Others.
Play for and with others, with their take-anywhere instrument.

3. Worship the Lord.
"Praise Him with stringed instruments" (Psalm 150:4).

4. Experience Immediate Success.
No previous music background is necessary.

5. Learn in the Convenience of Your Own Home.
No need to spend time going out to lessons.

6. Start Anytime.
And at any age, it's never too late to start!

7. Save Money.
Save hundreds of dollars compared to private lessons.

For more information visit:
http://www.worshipguitarclass.com/aff.htm?w=wcgs&p=a1192

TweetLater - I'm at the Beach!

Of all the social media programs popping up, I have definitely found Twitter the most fun and enjoyable. Multiple accounts support my passions and my business. At times things can get a little confusing!

My favorite Twitter tool is very quickly becoming TweetLater!

TweetLater allows me to schedule tweets, track keywords, vet new followers, shorten urls with bit.ly (so I can track clicks on links), send welcome DMs and more. And it is all for FREE!

Sure there is a professional upgrade version of TweetLater which has more features. But even the free version easily saves me two or three hours a day. Every day! So I can use those hours more productively at the beach.

Check out TweetLater today! And I'll see you at the beach!

New Linux.com Community

The Linux Foundation has launched the new Linux.com website. This promises to be an exciting, growing, interactive resource for Linux in particular and for Open Source in general.

For the community, by the community!

You can join the community at Linux.com/community

Tuz Replaces Tux to Heighten Awareness of Tasmanian Devil Threat

Some major events have taken place recently that I am just now learning about.

One is that Tux, the Linux mascot, is going on a walkabout. One rumor has him working as a barber for a while. While he is gone, the new mascot will be Tuz, a Tazmanian devil.

This major change was approved (initiated?) by Linus Torvalds himself to bring attention to the plight of the Tasmanian devil.

You can learn more about the Tasmanian devil and the deadly tumors which threaten their existence at Save The Tasmanian Devil.

This is the first I was aware of communicable facial cancers.

Linux Radio Spots and Helios

Helios and the Linux Community are encouraging the use and development of radio ads (spots) for promoting Linux, specifically, and FLOSS in general. Links have been provided to some basic audio tracks which can be used under Creative Commons licensing.

Ideas and clips are being sought, as well as funding for awards for the most creative use of these tracks. Many people have still not heard of Linux so these radio spots could be their first introduction. The basic tracks are of very good quality.

More info here:
http://linuxlock.blogspot.com/search?q=radio

Philosophy of Harv's Hamshack Hack CD

Reprinted here is the philosophy of Harv's (AI9NL) Hamshack Hack

There should be hundreds ... thousands ... of CD's like this one available in the Amateur Radio community. Each and every interest group ... homebrewers to DX'ers, Antenna modelers to EmComm ... should have there own collections of software and systems. We are quickly approaching the era when the greater part of our radios will be built at the keyboard. Solder splatters on the floor and the smell of burning rosin in the air are quickly fading into memories.

LINUX is soooo Ham! You can take it apart, rebuild it, add to it, or subtract from it. You can engineer, re-engineer, or reverse-engineer the entire system. No one will say stop, but many will lend a hand to your effort. The guys we used to call "Elmer's" are now known as "gurus". They are equally knowledgeable, resourceful, and obliging. The big problem for many older hams is that these "gurus" may be only 12 years old! LINUX provides an exceptionally wide range of tools to help you complete your project. At its very roots, Linux is a sharing, co-operative, community effort ... the very basis of things "Ham".

The future of our hobby, regardless the course and meanders it eventually follows, will be bound to our computers. Your next "transceiver" may very likely be a PCI plugin card. If we greet the need to learn how to manipulate new tools as an imposition, rather than a creative opportunity, then we deserve to loose our bands to BPL ... or whatever the next outrageous corporate exploitation proposes.

Barack Obama - The First Open Source President?

Alex Castellanos, a CNN Analyst, discusses future President Obama's acceptance speech in relation to the definitive essay "The Cathedral and The Bazaar". He raises the question "Will Obama introduce a bottom-up government for the communication age versus the old top-down government of the industrial age?"

Interesting to me was hearing about the FLOSS (Free/Libre Open Source Software) paradigm shift in a political, government leadership role by someone far outside the software world.

View the video on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-4afdMalVA


The Cathedral and The Bazaar essay is available for free viewing at
http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/

Version 08.10 of the OpenDisc and OpenEducationDisc Release

The new versions have just been released. I blogged about the OpenDisc and the OpenEducation Disc here. These discs are a great introduction to the world of FLOSS (Free/Libre Open Source Software).

Learn more at theopendisc.com

One Million Laptops for Venezuela School Children

Oil rich Venezuela will buy a million Classmate notebooks for school children, based on Intel's reference design.

According to the BBC, the $3 billion deal is part of a bilateral trade agreement with Portugal. The machines will be built in Portugal and use the Atom cut down microprocessor and will come with broadband connections and digicams.

Full article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7642985.stm

Open Life: The Philosophy of Open Source

The recently published 'Open Life: The Philosophy of Open Source' introduces readers to many entertaining and thought-provoking ideas, such as “Are all nerds courageous? Is laziness a virtue? Why did Stephen King leave a horror story unfinished?”. The author answers some and leaves others open for reflection after our journey into the Open Life.

The Philosophy of Open Source is currently a highly discussed and not yet understood concept in the computer and IT worlds. However, the philosophy is impacting many both inside and outside the technological realm. Almost everyone has been exposed to it and has been impacted by it. This book defines terms, clarifies ideas and introduces leaders within the Open Source Movement. A portion of the book is devoted to explaining how Open Source is being applied in non-technical areas.

According to author Henrik Ingo, "There is currently a strong trend of Open Source methods being applied in all kinds of fields, and I wanted to write in a style understandable to everyone, yet interesting enough also to people who already know a lot about Open Source would like to read it too".

In keeping with Free Software and Internet trends, the book is available to read or download online for free or can be purchased in real paper-print format. Donations can be made to the author who shares part of that donation with others. Either way, 'Open Life: The Philosophy of Open Source' is sure to entertain and enlighten.

Here is the link to learn more: http://www.openlife.cc/

Mark Shuttleworth Interview About Ubuntu

Interview with Mark Shuttleworth, who funds the development of Ubuntu, a Linux distribution based on Debian, through his company Canonical Ltd.

OpenDisc and OpenEducationDisc

Dear to my heart is the OpenDisc (and the closely related OpenEducationDisc) project which aims to introduce Windows-users to the many benefits of Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS). Dozens of high-quality programs are available for easy distribution via a single CD (or simple download from the OpenDisc website). On the disc is a screenshot and description of each program so you get a feel for each program before installing.

Programs are included for office productivity, internet, photo-editing, instant messaging, drawing, multi-media, games, mind-mapping, and more. The programs have been carefully selected for quality, ease of us, stability, and appropriateness for home and small office users. All programs install and uninstall cleanly. The disc is intended as an introduction into the exciting world of FLOSS.

All the programs are distributed under an Open Source License (OSI-approved) and thus can be installed on many computers, not just yours but your friends and your families also. The programs can even be modified with the freely available source code. The disc can be freely copied and handed out.

Last week, the latest version (08.05) of the OpenEducationDisc was released. The OpenEducationDisc is an extension of the the OpenDisc with additional programs deemed especially useful for students and for teachers. This version includes updated versions of all included programs and has added some newer programs from the previous disc.

To learn more, visit the OpenDisc website -- http://theopendisc.com/ --

As mentioned, the disc as well as all the programs can be freely downloaded from the Internet. If you do not have Internet access but would like the OpenEducationDisc (for free), please contact this blogger.

Getting To Carnegie Hall

The visitor was lost while wandering around New York City, looking for Carnegie Hall.

He stopped a distinguished looking gentleman and asked, "Sir, could you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?"

The distinguished looking gentleman replied, "Practice, Practice, Practice!".

You see, the gentleman he asked was a world famous conductor of a symphony orchestra that played Carnegie Hall often. He knew that nothing comes easy.

Whatever you desire is achievable but you must work to achieve it.

There really is no better time to be alive than right now. Opportunities abound. Get busy!

The New F-word

I am a fundamentalist. Better make that a Fundamentalist with a capital F!

There are certain absolute truths that are basic to my foundation. Without certain foundational (Fundamental) principles which must be adhered to there really is no need for principles at all!

A great concern of mine has been the number of Christian leaders who have been denouncing Fundamentalists as extremists. My heart aches for those who believe such teachings.

The same holds true with open source.

In yesterday's AP article, Nicholas Negroponte's quote "One can be an open-source advocate without being an open-source fundamentalist." really cut to the core. Either you are a person of principle or you are not.

In my faith and in open source, I am proud to be a Fundamentalist!

"a technology that could revolutionize how we educate the world's children" is now joining with proprietary interests which stifle education and the sharing of knowledge. With regrets, I can no longer support OLPC1

Ubuntu Desktop Training Available

Canonical Announces Ubuntu Desktop Training

Online Course Designed for Corporate and Home Users

London, UK April 14, 2008 - Canonical Ltd., the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, today announced training for corporate and home desktop users to get started with Ubuntu.

The Ubuntu Desktop Training program provides simulations, practical exercises and information to make daily tasks easy. No prior knowledge of the Linux-based operating system is required, although computer literacy is a pre-requisite. ...

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