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You may remember my post re: exporting the native X :0 display via VNC. Well, I’ve discovered a better solution than the one I’d found previously.

I had no idea, but there is a Xorg vnc module available, vnc4server on Debian and Ubuntu. Pull this package down, make a couple minor xorg.conf edits, restart gdm, et voila, we’re in business!

This makes my MythTV frontend, built on a repurposed Akimbo 1st generation set-top box, that much more bad-ass. Now if only I could get the infrared remote to work.

The full instructions appear below, recorded for my forgetful self, ripped from the Highland Lakes LUG site in case they disappear (thanks guys!)…….

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I realize I commented on this once before, but the sheer magnitude of the number below almost knocked me out of my chair! Microsoft made almost 5 billion dollars in the first three months of the year.

The world’s largest software maker said net profit in the three months to 31 March was $4.93bn (£2.47bn) or 50 cents per share, up from $2.98bn last year.

That’s profit, folks, not revenue. I checked Wikipedia for the accounting definition of “profit” because I was fairly certain I had a basic misunderstanding of the word. It turns out there are various forms of profit and this figure (Gross profit, maybe?) likely represents something other than what they deposited at the bank, which would be “Net Profit after Tax”…..I think.

I tried to find a more definitive statement of what they took to the bank last quarter. I ran across this and this. I’m more confused than ever!

How much did they make?! An assload of money, that’s how much!

Those bastards have the audacity to put out a sub-standard product and rake in tens of billions of dollars a year??

Some of you are going to think: “If they’re making that much money, they must have the best product. They deserve it.” Well, I challenge you to buy a PC without some form of MS Windows installed. Believe me, I’ve tried. (Sidenote: Some have succeeded in getting a credit for the OS since they installed Linux instead, as stipulated in the MS license, but not me.) This is known to geeks as the MS tax.

And before you think to yourselves about how highly you regard the technical marvel of an operating system MS is making so much money off of, remember the last time your machine succumbed to a virus, a trojan, some piece of malware. Think back to the last time your machine slowed to a crawl and you weren’t able to figure out why. Think about the wasted time, whether it was yours or that of the family geek who came to your house to “clean it up”. How many times has that happened?

It doesn’t have to be that way. (Hint: it’s free.)

I’m in Va Beach for a firewall project which necessitated my staying here over the weekend. I’m so very bored that I decided to come to Panera to mooch their free refills and their free wifi.

I thought this might actually be a relaxing way to spend the morning. Until I was joined by a couple who are apparently headed for a crash landing. Well, they’re at the next table, but it sounds like they’re sitting with me. She’s crying now….great.

I don’t mean to make fun, but damn! Find a table in a corner or something!

OH! They’re done, I think. Have a good life, MFer!

(I’m a bastard, I know)

UPDATE: Ok, so today is going to be “Observe and bitch about those around you” day.

Several women and a pile of kids walked in a few minutes ago. As they all sat down (right near me of course), I couldn’t help but notice the moms all doing that really annoying ‘cater to your childs every wish, no matter how inconvenient or inappropriate’ thing. I thought to myself, “Oh boy, they’re creating little monsters, before my very eyes.”.

Almost immediately, I realized I was being a judgemental jerk and kinda sorta felt bad about it.

Imagine my sweet surprise, when just a few minutes later, I watched one kid try SEVERAL TIMES to slap his mother in the face! She was absorbed in conversation and didn’t even notice his flailing little arms until the third attempt or so. Feisty little bugger!

Do you think the kid was put in his place? No, of course he wasn’t, because if he had ever been disciplined in his short little life, he would probably not be trying to slap mommy for the entertainment of the viewing public. Instead, she turns to the little bastard and says “I’m going to take all your cars away!”.

Oh no, not the cars!

Now, if the cars meant the world to the kid and she’d followed through on the threat, then maybe this would be an appropriate punishment, but I heard the way she said it. It came out of her mouth for the millionth time and her tiny little assailant wasn’t buying it. He went back to the cars, ignoring her meek objections to the (near) bitch slaps.

The Daddys have shown up now. Ike’s father has about as much control over him as momma does. This kid has bigger balls than any man at that table!

Don’t tell my mom, but sometimes I miss the days of good old fashioned beat-downs….

Wow, this video makes the geek in me positively giddy. The coolest bit is when they do a search for Gaudi (about the 1:25 mark) and then begin manipulating the retrieved photos.

UPDATE: Those sneaky bastards snuck ads into the video after I posted it here! I’ve redirected the link to YouTube. That ought to show them….

Ronaldo is continuing to kick ass for Manchester United. He has reportedly voiced his desire to leave England for Spain, but Man U. says they won’t be entertaining any offers, no matter what the amount. If they stick to their word, he’s stuck there until June 2010, at which point he’ll be 25 years old. Assuming he keeps playing as well as he has, this kid is going to be a ridiculously rich man in a few years.

Jen tries to get Paulolo to run down the beach, as we had been doing for 10 minutes already. As soon as the camera was turned on, he refused.

Paulolo has eaten enough and decides to show me what he’s made of!!

my Costa Rican horse, Paulolo, didn’t like me very much!

Some of you may remember when I was sent to Madrid by my old employer. I had already planned a trip to Portugal with my father-in-law and his brother when I was informed that a customer needed an engineer in Spain. The dates coincided with my time in Portugal. I not only saved the frequent-flier miles I’d planned on using, but I earned many more! I felt like I’d won the lottery.

I ran across the pic above today at notesfrommadrid.com. It shows Madrid’s skyline as viewed from El Escorial, a town northwest of the city. While I was there, I worked in the Torre Picasso for a couple days, overlooking Real Madrid’s Bernabeu stadium. It was a ridiculously easy job, too. Ah, the memories!