Following an earlier post on using GPS under Ubuntu, I have been trying to get PolarNavy working under Ubuntu 12.10. Polar Navy is the only Linux chart navigation software available for Linux. I know people will correct me by quoting OpenCPN, but there are no charts currently legally available for the UK, at least that I could find.
I was a bit surprised to be asked if my prop was left or right-handed. Turns out that my boat is unusual in being left-handed, as the prop spins anti-clockwise. This means that the prop-wash will make it easier to moor starboard side-to, which is important when choosing a berth.
This Christmas my wife bought me a Kindle Fire. Originally I wanted a Nexus 7, but was tempted by a Black Monday offer of £99 for the basic Fire (normally £129). There is also a more expensive HD version, which also has Dolby sound, for £159; but in my opinion you are getting dangerously close to Nexus 7 pricing at that point.
It is commonly said, at least in Microsoft circles, that Linux is free if you do not value your time. But is that really true, given the ease of installing and updating software under Linux?
Today I needed to install a Windows-only budgeting program called Profitplanner on our Windows 2003 server. This process was straightforward enough, just a ZIP download which needed extracting and installing.
It astonishes me that so many people are prepared to go along with the “convenience” of accepting limited access to the content that they purchase. This Open Letter to E-Book Retailers explains the issues with great clarity.
“A computer without a 3D printer, is like a shark without a frikkin’ laser.”
I have bought myself a GPS Receiver BU-353. Having plugged in the device into my Debian Wheezy workstation, I wanted to test that it was working.
I was delighted to read this morning that Wine 1.4 stable had been released, a
quick dpkg -l wine revealed that my Debian Wheezy install was running version 1.0.1,
several significant versions old. There may be good stability reasons
for that decision, but I can afford to be a little more adventurous on
my desktop PC.
I was scraping the ice off my car yesterday and thought to myself that an ice-scraper was just the sort of thing that you ought to be able to print using a 3D printer. Surprisingly though, I could not find a single ice-scraper on Thingiverse.
Having mounted my LED television on the wall I have a 80mm hole behind the TV, through which all the cables arrive. No-one can see it of course, but I know it’s there and it needs finishing, otherwise I might start muttering incoherently.
