How can I help you?

[archerships]

It gives me pleasure when I can help other people. Sometimes it’s obvious what others need or want, but I’m sure that there are many desires that go unfilled simply because I’m unaware of them. Often, people feel shy about asking because they don’t want to impose. Therefore, please consider this an open invitation to tell me your desires. I make no guarantees that I will be able or willing to help, but if I can help consistent with those constraints, I will.

Original: craschworks - comments

Comments

[flw.livejournal.com]

I just built a computer and I don't know if it is running optimally. So much has changed over the last ten years, and so much is changing constantly, I don't even know how to know if my system is working as it should.

Like, I don't even know how to know if my "drivers" are optimized. I don't even know what uses "drivers" anymore. I don't know what I need to update, or how to find out. I don't know who to trust. Because I tell people I have "such and such" a setup and they say, "Oh, no, you need 'this and that', Bingety-blank won't even work on a such and such..." But I have Blingety Blank working perfectly, it's Whippity whop that's the problem...

It's just an unfathomable black box sitting there...

It's like an angry animal.

[crasch.livejournal.com]

Heh. Well, how do you define "working as it should"? Myself, I define it as being able to run the software that you want to run with speed, accuracy, and few or no crashes. What do you want to run? What symptoms are you having?

If the machine is failing to meet expectations, then you will need to run some diagnostics to find out where the problem may lie. Which diagnostic to try depends on the symptom. For example, if sluggishness is the problem, you could try running "top" to see what processes are consuming excessive memory and processing resources. Then you can narrow your focus to the most likely software culprits. ("top" is a Unix command line program, but I'm sure a Windows analogue exists).

If no software culprit is apparent, your problem might be hardware related. Macs come with a hardware diagnostics disc which you can use to check the hardware. Since you built your machine yourself, you probably don't have that. However, I'm sure that there are commercial and open source diagnostic suites that perform a similar service.

As for sources of good information, O'Reilly's publications are generally pretty good. For specific questions, I've found the mailing lists devoted to specific software/languages to be the best source of information.

If you're building your own computers, I'm probably not telling you anything you don't already know. However, without more details, it's hard to give you anything other than generic advice.

[flw.livejournal.com]

This is all excellent generic advice...

Really, the "problem" is the "grass is greener" problem. The thing that causes all the Mac people to think that a constantly crashing iBook (or whatever) is SUPERIOR to a cheap fast little WIndows laptop. Whatever goes wrong they can claim that that "never" happens on their magical Mac.

I am running ubuntu on an AMD dual-processor on a ASUS board with the onboard video. Now, I used to have a Windows XP Pentium 4 that was eight years old, and ten times slower with 512 MB, and it ran fullscreen video fine... I figured full screen video would be a cakewalk for this one, but it's all choppy.

Basically, the "problem" is that everything sort of "half-ass" works, and I know that if I bought the new Microsoft Windows, everything would be perfect... but I want to live in the future with Linux... maybe if I ran the K desktop environment... maybe if I did this that or the other thing.

And little things go wrong all the time...

I want a machine to do these things:

1) Intenet... full use... video, audio, flash, all that crap.
2) audio.
Record and multitrack (Audacity)
3) Video
Make crappy DVDs so my girlfriend can watch "The Daily Show".

Word Processing, spreadsheets, programming, etc... basic stuff.

So, what I wanted to do was get the basic machine up and running optimally before I started adding stuff on.

I keep getting close with certain programs, but they are problematic in some way, buggy, crashy, etc...

It's just a big hornet's nest of problems. And I know it will work in Windows, but I don't want to give up on Linux, I just don't know what anything means. I can run "top", I can read the man pages for top, I can use all sorts of things, but... nothing ever seems to be optimal.

So like...

I don't even have a clear problem! Sorry to burden there's really not a solution. I don't even know where to start... that's the problem.

I run top... it just gives me a screen full of stuff I can't interpret or even understand... Xorg, firefox, pulseaudio, meta-city, gnomepanel, etc...

I have no idea what any of it means.

[crasch.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I will do as you suggest. :>

[pasquin.livejournal.com]

I got an itch, right between my shoulder blades. Just. Can't. reach.

[crasch.livejournal.com]

I thought you had minions. This sounds like a minions task.

[pixiecup.livejournal.com]

i would like to be smashed.

not alcohol-related.

smashed as in "someone's full body weight upon me."

can you help with this?

[integreillumine.livejournal.com]

:) Like, back-walking? I <3 good back-walking.

[pixiecup.livejournal.com]

not so much.
just lying down, facing up or down.
maybe a weighted vest would feel good!

but probably not as good as a friendly body. :)

[integreillumine.livejournal.com]

:)

[madbard.livejournal.com]

You could recommend me to any filmmakers or game producers you know. Any resulting engagement earns you a free (literal not proverbial) lunch. :)

[crasch.livejournal.com]

Okay, I will!

[madbard.livejournal.com]

Keith Ferrazzi and I both thank you.

[nder.livejournal.com]

help me find a way to get trees and flowers to increase their numbers via eggs/descolada virus, instead of that evil pollen.

[crasch.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...that I don't think I can help much with that. However, if I come across anything that might help, I'll pass it along.

[sicarii.livejournal.com]

I've lived in Northern California for almost two years now, and I don't know anyone outside of work. Any suggestions? Perhaps, would you be up for lunch?

[crasch.livejournal.com]

Sure! I'm in San Mateo. Where are you?

[sicarii.livejournal.com]

I live in San Mateo and work in San Francisco.

[crasch.livejournal.com]

Wow, you're really close. Maybe we could have lunch on Saturday? What do you like to eat?

[sicarii.livejournal.com]

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. It has been an unexpectedly hectic week (see recent post). I'm usually available on the weekends. I like almost anything; I don't eat pork or shellfish though.

[crasch.livejournal.com]

No worries--sounds like you have had a lot to deal with recently. Perhaps we could meet for lunch this Saturday at 1:00 p.m.?

A friend of mine recommend these two:

B Street and Vine
http://www.yelp.com/biz/b-street-and-vine-san-mateo

Gators Neo Soul Cafe
http://www.yelp.com/biz/gators-neo-soul-cafe-san-mateo

Either look good to you? If not, let me know what you'd like to try. I'm not overly fond of sushi or lamb, but otherwise, I like most foods.

[sicarii.livejournal.com]

If your schedule is still open, Gator's Neo Soul Cafe looks good to me.

[crasch.livejournal.com]

I'm not free on Saturday anymore, but I'm free on Sunday. Would 1:00 p.m. on Sunday at Gators work for you?

[sicarii.livejournal.com]

Sorry about that. Sunday doesn't work for me this week. We'll have to sync up after I return from Hawaii. Is that okay?

[crasch.livejournal.com]

Sure! See you when you get back. Have fun in Hawaii!

[sicarii.livejournal.com]

Oh! Are you going to Maker Faire? Maybe we could meet up then?

[crasch.livejournal.com]

Sorry for not getting back to you earlier. You still down for meeting for lunch at the Maker Faire?

[sicarii.livejournal.com]

I have my last Community Emergency Response Team class on Saturday, but I'll be at Maker Faire on Sunday.

[crasch.livejournal.com]

What time are you planning on going to the fair? Perhaps we could meet for lunch/dinner before/afterward?

[spoonless.livejournal.com]

Let me know if you run across anyone looking to hire quants, or any kind of prediction, simulation, or modelling.

[crasch.livejournal.com]

Okay, I will.

[tinymammoth.livejournal.com]

Oh hey me too. My boyfriend needs a UNIX sysadmin job in the Bay Area, if you know anything.

[crasch.livejournal.com]

If I run accross anything, I will let you know.

[tinymammoth.livejournal.com]

Thank you! That's very nice of you!