Organic Fire Ant Control – DirtDoctor.com – Howard Garrett – The Dirt Doctor
Gonna have to do something, cause the little suckers are over running us this year. Some of the stuff on this page sounds good, some not so good.
Have had success with pouring boiling water into the mounds before and that’s what I’m gonna do for right now at least around the immediate area. As soon as the Airsofters get the rest of their stuff gone I’ll work on those areas too. Got a couple of wash pots that I set over a fire, fill with creek water and boil, open the mounds up and pour it in. Never had to do it more than once to a mound to kill the queen and most of the workers and never had one come back either. 😈
: : G O G O L B O R D E L L O H O M E : :
Gypsy Punk band. Interesting music and the videos are wild stuff! Gonna have to see if I can find some of their cd’s.
Shedworking: Children Need Sheds Too – Rainmac
Rainmac is run by wife and husband team Raie Macdonnell and Colin who build child-friendly shepherds’ hut-like playhouses for children (although they also recognise the potential for small office use). Each measures 10’ by 5’ by 8’ high, is built of marine plywood and pine, has a roof light and two opening windows (with curtains and pelments) plus a seat/small pullout bed.
These are just too cool! 😎 And give me too many ideas… 🙄 😉
Viewfinder: tool for “Flickrizing” Google Earth – Boing Boing
Media artist Michael Naimark and his colleagues developed a system to “Flickrize” Google Earth. The Viewfinder tool not only enables photos to be placed in the right geolocation on a 3D model like Google Earth, but “poses” them at the correct angle.
This sounds like a seriously cool and useful tool! 😎
Writing this on the Linux machine running on the Kubuntu LiveCD with KDE 4 beta and so far I am impressed. It found all the bits and bobs and booted right up. Doesn’t have Firefox so went into Konqueror and then to Gmail and it loaded right in which I have had trouble with in the past (though haven’t tried recently). Opened a new tab and went to Technoprimitive.org (here) and everything looks just fine.
Plugged the Belkin Wifi adapter into the USB and it came right up. Didn’t connect but still found it with no trouble which PCLOS refuses to do for some reason. Unplugged the ethernet and clicked on the network icon in the toolbar at the bottom right of the screen (after not being able to find any network stuff in the start menu) and it brought up a window with tabs that allowed me to select the wirless and it connected right off with a good 54 mbps connection. reconnected the ethernet and disconnected the wireless and it switched right back over. Good enough! 😎
Lots of my usual apps missing but that looks like only a install away. Gonna get another machine from the Yard Sale Trailer and install it to the hard drive and give it a try. Looks like they have gotten the things that used to bug me worked out with this upcoming release.
GeekStuff, Kubuntu, Linux
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Belkin, ethernet, Firefox, Gmail, KDE, Konqueror, Kubuntu, LiveCD, PCLOS, Technoprimitive
Universal Music: it’s illegal to throw away the promo CD we sent you without your permission – Boing Boing
The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Fred von Lohmann sez, “In a brief filed in federal court yesterday, Universal Music Group (UMG) states that, when it comes to the millions of promotional CDs (‘promo CDs’) that it has sent out to music reviewers, radio stations, DJs, and other music industry insiders, throwing them away is ‘an unauthorized distribution’ that violates copyright law. Yes, you read that right — if you’ve ever received a promo CD from UMG, and you don’t still have it, UMG thinks you’re a pirate.”
Well I’ve read the Boing Boing piece, The EFF piece and the 24 page “brief” and it looks to me like UMG has been WAY out of line with this. They have violated the DCMA numerous times using takedown notices filed through the RIAA to EBay and caused this poor guy’s account to be frozen and his auctions removed just because he DARED to offer for resale promotional CD’s that he had purchased. I hope the judge throws the book at those arsehats! 👿
Made myself get out of the house a bit today. Walked over to the yard sale trailer to sort some more books out only to find that I had turned the power off last week for the storms adn had failed to turn it back on. So got the pickup (which I had also moved over there to prevent a tree from doing the nasty to it last Friday) and took a ride around the old Airsoft field. Still a big mess out there. The persons that are supposed to clear the mess up haven’t made much headway and today is one month to the day after the last game. Tired of waiting for them to get it in gear so I started cleaning up a bit. Loaded up the truck with bits and pieces in about an hour and called it a morning as I got pretty tired out.
Came back in and ate, then browsed a bit and mid afternoon went out and started a small fire and started burning some of the crap that I picked up. Unloaded most of the stuff in the truck and by supper time had the worst of it taken care of one way or another and was (and am) beat.
Came in and ate then got on the laptop and started downloading the latest Kubuntu beta with KDE 4 to try on the linux box. Decided to try Yellow Dog Linux on the iBook so went to the PCLOS machine and stated the download in there for it. Reason for the switch on downloading is the YDL disk is DVD and the iBook will only burn cd’s but the Linux box has a DVD burner in it. Anyway have got the Kubuntu disk done and am waiting for the YDL to finish downloading to burn it and try them both. Not gonna do any of it tonight though. Bed is calling. Will try to get another load of crap cleaned up tomorrow if I’m not to sore from todays bit. The morning will tell. Till then…
tecosystems » Ode to the Common Man
I forget just how close to the bleeding edge of computer tech I am till I read something like this. 🙄 😆
Ill. Rep. Monique Davis: it’s dangerous for children to know atheists exist, orders atheist to stop testifying – Boing Boing
Ill. Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) faced off against Rob Sherman of Buffalo Grove, who objected to the state of Illinois giving $1 million to the Pilgrim Baptist Church, excoriating him for not believing in God and for having the temerity to say that the Church and State should be separate. She told him that she believed it was dangerous for children to know that atheism exists. She ordered him to stop testifying and insisted that in the Land of Lincoln, “people believe in God!”
This is one psychotic B!#(H and has no place in a government office! I too feel that the government of any state has no place giving moneys to a church and that they should be separate entities. I suspect that her outburst will cost her her job and if it doesn’t, it should. 👿
The Museum of RetroTechnology
Not looked at this beyond the front page yet but looks decidedly interesting. 😎
Am feeling better but today was just not one of my productive ones. Did cook up a veggie, twice cooked pork and noodle dish for lunch and then made a chicken base soup with some of it for supper but that and some browsing was about the extent of my day. Hope to get out and do something tomorrow just not sure what direction I will be going in. Guess I’ll figure it out when I get to it. Am gonna finish my cup of Ovaltine and call it a night. Till tomorrow…
TidBITS Opinion: Instant Messaging for Introverts
So I’m not the only one that has trouble with IM’s. Most interesting article with MUCH that applies to me.
U.S. Health Agency Forbids Sensitive Data On Apple MacBooks — Security — InformationWeek
In the wake of a widely publicized security breach that left thousands of patient records exposed, the federal government’s National Institutes of Health is forbidding all employees who use Apple’s MacBook laptops from handling sensitive data as of Friday, InformationWeek has learned.
Employees at the health agency who store medical records and other personal information on laptops must use systems that run either on Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)’s Windows operating system or Linux, according to an agency memo.
This is beyond words. Go, read the article, especially the comments. Typical top management CYA BS.
Computer Hardware, GeekStuff, Here's your sign - STUPID, Linux, Mac, Micro$oft, Political
| CYA, health, InformationWeek, Linux, MacBook, management, Microsoft, Security, Sensitive, Windows
Broadband Network Management – CUSystems
New traffic shaping can disrupt a Comcast Internet connection
Recently, it has been observed that Comcast is disrupting TCP connections using forged TCP reset (RST) packets [1]. These reset packets were originally targeted at TCP connections associated with the BitTorrent file-sharing protocol. However, Comcast has stated that they are transitioning to a more “protocol neutral” traffic shaping approach [2]. We have recently observed this shift in policy, and have collected network traffic traces to demonstrate the behavior of their traffic shaping. In particular, we are able (during peak usage times) to synthetically generate a relatively large number of TCP reset packets aimed at any new TCP connection regardless of the application-level protocol. Surprisingly, this traffic shaping even disrupts normal web browsing and e-mail applications.
Well that just makes me want to go right out and get me a Comcast Internet connection, NOT! 👿
I’ve noticed several of the sites I check regularly have been having problems with dropped connections in the past few days. Guess either they are on Comcast or the connection is being routed through the Comcast net. Either way it’s a REAL pain in the arse and I’d thing that making folks reload time after time to finally get a connection would create MORE traffic than just letting it all through the first time. ArseHats! 👿
Been another less than productive day. Browsed a lot and posted a few more things to the blog. Mid-afternoon we went to the grocery store and then by my folks house where we got a bunch of clippings from the scuppernong vines, he has in the back yard, to try to root so we can start some over here. After sitting and talking a bit Cat remembered we had frozen stuff in the van so we came home and unloaded and that was about it activity wise for me for the day. Have been browsing a bit and made a few more posts this evening after eating supper but am about worn out so am gonna call it a night and hope for a bit more energy tomorrow. Till then…
*** esprit cabane, the magazine of crafty & green living ideas
A really neat French magazine (now in English too) that has all kinds of projects and craft ideas with a focus on homemade and non-toxic. From how-to’s on making wallpaper paste and rice glue to upholstering furniture and making your own paint they cover a wide range of projects for anyone interested in doing it yourself.
I was surprised to find that glazers putty was simply a mixture of chalk power and linseed oil. They give the proper mixture and explain how to use and the curing time.
Good stuff! 😎
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