Linux on a JVC XP731 MiniNote laptop
The trials and tribulations of getting Mandriva Linux to
work on a MiniNote! Latest update: October 2007 - installing Mandriva 2008.0. Yes, it works fine. I've now completely got rid of Windows XP as the MiniNote's RAM just wasn't sufficient to support it. The minimal 256MB RAM meant that the Windows Kernel was being swapped, let alone any applications. It was so busy swapping that it made it FAR TOO SLOW DOING ANYTHING! If you have a MiniNote, dump Windows and put Linux on it. It will give it a new lease of life. I use it a lot more now - it's almost a constant companion and often take it to meetings to make notes and for carrying documentation. It's an almost practical replacement for my old Psion 5.
Other Hobbies
Over the years I've developed interests in many areas. Some of them have stuck enough for me to want to put something on here abut it. This is where it all goes:
- Amateur Radio
I've held a licence since the late 1970s. I don't do much "on the air" these days - I spent several years working at a monitring station with all the tools you could ever dream of at my fingertips. I sort-of had the fun in the hobby burned out of me. I still keep the licence going (it's free) and often listen in to the 6am and 10am nets on my local UHF Repeater, GB3OV (Ouse Valley). If I have time or can think of anything useful that I can contribute then I join in, but most of the time I prefer to listen.
- Archaeology
I was introduced to Archaeology in the mid 1970s by a neighbour. I think she thought it would give me something useful to do with my mind. I don't think it helped a lot, but after several years digging holes I was getting pretty proficient at scraping the ground. I don't think I fitted in too well with the other people there. I had no respect for the Romans, I considered them to be invaders/occupiers, and was generally irreverent. I'm still irreverant. I also had an early metal detector which would have been very useful (in my opinion) for pre-scanning the section prior to removing a layer. It would have indicated the possible locations of herths and metal objects before they were possibly damaged by the trowel (or mattock). At the time, they poo-pooed the idea and didn't allow it on site. Even now I only see detectors being used in the margins; scanning the waste heaps for missed coins and metal objects. It would be so much better if the sections were scanned before excavation and the finds were marked in context. Sign.
- Metal Detecting
Did I mention metal detecting? It's an extension of my interest in radio, I suppose. I've had a detector since the mid 1970s. I never used them much - it was more of a tool than a hobby, but I've now decided that I should "do" more with the thing. My original detector was (I think) a Coinshooter. I don't recall ever seeing anything written on the bright blue metalflake control box. There may have been a small black sticker on it and I have a suspicion that it was bought from Joan Allen, but I may be mistaken. It was a long time ago. I eventually lost it in a house move and bought a cheap Chinese "thing" that has sufficed as a tool for the last few years. It's pretty fiddly to set up but works rather well at detecting tools and other items I've lost in the grass. I've never found anything interesting with it. - Kayaking
I have a Perception Sierra (the touring version with a HUGE spraydeck). I tend to use it on the River Ouse around St. Neots, but I've taken it out to sea on the Scottish West Coast and it's not too bad. It can handle a moderately choppy sea, but I wouldn't like to take it away from sheltered water around the coast. I'm a member of the Peterborough and District Canoe and Kayak Club and also paddle with the St. Neots "Water Rats".
|
