• Hooray for early-maintenance! At least it's light out this time. #
• Decent Ars article on Flat World's open-source ebooks http://bit.ly/M2Bg3 #
• @jasonhiner I'd go further and say it actually reinforces MSFT's point, in that most buyers *do* need to compromise #
• Oh dear god–SCO gets to keep going. Can't someone just put them out of their misery already? http://bit.ly/yHeWM #
• Ah, Westchester… http://bit.ly/Y9f2V #
• Via BoingBoing, Piranha in Indiana! http://bit.ly/e4lsk #
• I really wish fullscreen Flash video on Linux didn't totally suck #
• I am glad that we have TechCrunch to let us know every single time Twitter has an error message #
• Why the hell does Twitter even bother w/the "Remember me" checkbox? #

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It’s coming up on one month since my HP Mini 110 arrived. Since I’ve had a few questions now about whether or not I like it, I figured I should spend a bit of time and space here to discuss my thoughts.

First, a word or two on what I got. It’s an HP Mini 110 with an Atom N280 (1.66GHz, 512KB L2, 667Mhz FSB) processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 16GB SSD drive. The GPU is an Intel 950, and I got the 10.1″ (1366 x 768) display. The Mini comes with either HP’s custom Linux distro or Windows XP installed. I got the XP version, as Linux version only comes with a 1024 x 576 display. Annoying, but one gets used to this sort of crap when one is a Linux user.

Upon receiving the Mini, I immediately reformatted the drive and installed Crunchbang Linux, a relatively lightweight distro that is based on Ubuntu and uses an OpenBox front end. Aside from a minor (and quickly resolved) sound driver issue, it works like a charm on the Mini. So far as I can tell, other than the higher resolution display available on the XP model, there is no hardware difference between it and the model that comes with Linux preinstalled.

In terms of performance, the Mini has been pretty much what I expected—fine for day to day browsing activities, not so great for any processor-intensive stuff. Compiling even simple stuff is a lengthy process, and playback of high definition (>480p) video is hopeless. Standard xvid-encoded .avi playback is fine, though, as is online video like Hulu.

I really like the keyboard on the Mini. For the first day or two, I was mashing some keys together, but I quickly got used to it. Given the overall compactness of the machine, they’ve done a great job of squeezing in an almost-regulation-size keyboard. The trackpad buttons have taken a bit more getting used to. Having them to either side of the trackpad (as opposed to above) makes for some awkward thumb motion. However, it’s a worthwhile space-saving compromise.

My one gripe so far is battery life. I got the standard 3-cell battery, and get 1.5-2 hours of life out of it. If I’m watching video, it’s less. I suspect that has more to do with poor power management by the Linux distro I’m using than with the Mini itself, but it’s still annoying.

• It's Monday again? Ugh–how does this keep happening? #
• xkcd's "Tech Support Cheat Sheet" http://bit.ly/13jDrC #
• Some times I grow tired of reading the news #

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• Heh. "1 Million Strong Against our SOCIALIST Fire Departments" http://bit.ly/aTNiI #
• I still say textbooks need to go away, but this would be an improvement over the current situation http://bit.ly/3sAc2r #
• Finally got around to upgrading WordPress on my site. Yes, I realize I should have done that a while ago. #
• Following thousands + single/double-digit updates consisting of nothing but self-promotion = me block you #
• Glenzilla opens industrial-sized bottle of whup-ass on Joe Klein & Chuck Todd http://bit.ly/vWlCp #
• Go read Matt Yglesias on the problems w/incremental healthcare reform http://bit.ly/3pQNe6 #
• Apparently a monsoon has moved into western Mass #
• People screaming about Obama losing the healthcare debate should remember last year when they were screaming about him losing the election #
• @ronsome /me picturing the steam shooting out of @stuntbox's ears in reply to ronsome #

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• The Avatar trailer doesn’t look any different than all the cgi crap in the last 3 Star Wars movies #
• It’s kind of depressing how much cardboard one accumulates from doing all one’s shopping online #
• It’s bottling day for the IPA. High-pressure cleaner and drying rack make the process much easier. #
• It would seem that a storm is approaching #
• I think my bottle capper may have seen a better day #

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Via ThinkProgress, I was just watching a clip from this morning’s Chris Matthews Show in which Matthews and his panel of establishment journalists decry the lack of fact-checking “on the blogs”:

Given the mainstream media’s disturbing habit of regurgitating talking points and political propaganda, I find this claim to be pretty laughable. The linked post does a good job of taking it apart, so I won’t bother duplicating their work.

Early in the clip, though, Matthews and Time’s Joe Klein briefly raise the point that without large, traditional news organizations like newspapers and national magazines, there wouldn’t be journalists at foreign desks to covers events in other countries. This argument is one that critics of new media tend to make quite a bit when arguing for stuff like paywalls , monopoly exemptions, and prohibitions against linking: If we don’t preserve the existing business models of big media companies like the NYT and the Associated Press, then who will cover stuff that happens in other countries?

Here’s a suggestion: how about the people who live in other countries?

I’m no media expert, but it seems like the need for journalistic entities such as “the foreign desk” and “the Baghdad bureau” made sense when someone writing about what was going on in some far-away country had no means of getting her/his work out to the public. Now, though? Not so much.

Why does Time need to pay for Joe Klein to spend a year overseas uploading blog posts, when there are a whole bunch of people who live there doing the same thing?

At its core, this argument largely seems to be about American journalists who don’t think anyone else can cover the news like they can, and who are looking to preserve the business model that has been sending them around the world.

In case you missed it, the first trailer for James Cameron’s Avatar was released late this past week:

Obviously, this is just the trailer, and not the full film. Maybe it will look a whole hell of a lot cooler in 3D, although, frankly, I’m highly skeptical of the whole “3D will be THE NEXT BIG THING!” argument.

So yeah, maybe this movie will be super-awesome. Based on the trailer, though, I’m fairly unimpressed. It looks pretty much like all the other movies that throw hundreds of flying, running, and exploding characters and vehicles in your face for two straight hours.

I have to wonder whether I’d be feeling this general sense of “Meh” had I not been hearing for the last two years how incredibly awesome James Cameron’s Avatar was going to be, how it was going to revolutionize film, how WE’VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE, blah blah blah. While I’m happy to see any big-budget sci-fi film make to theaters without being a sequel, a remake, or based on a book, this one just doesn’t look like it merits all the hyperbolic buzz it’s been getting.

• Listening to Iggy & the Stooges #
• 6am, it’s 76 degrees, and humidity is 88%. Awesome! #
• Annoyed that the local theater still isn’t showing District 9 #
• I’m really glad I’m indoors right now #
• This is extremely good to know: “How to Fix Annoying YouTube Jumpiness in Firefox” http://bit.ly/xercv #
• Busy night at the Peoples Pint #

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• NUMBERS #
• It’s Thursday, right? #

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• Any chance today was declared a holiday while I was sleeping? #
• Mr. Yuk is mean, Mr. Yuk is GREEN. #
• @dangillmor @jeffjarvis You both make good points, but let’s not forget: they exist to sell advertising #
• Lies, and the Lying Liars, etc. http://bit.ly/HOF56 #
• Coyotes are busy tonight #

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