WOW, Cool - MIT Unveils Prototype for $100 Linux Laptop

This is a great idea... I especially like the hand crank for power! I want one, anyone have one to sell on eBay yet? -Aaron

'MIT is showing off a prototype of a $100 laptop. It uses a 500MHz AMD processor, stores everything on flash memory, and runs Linux. The AC adapter acts as the carrying strap, and there is a hand crank so if you can't find a source of electricity you can charge it kinetically. The prototype laptop is also much more flexible and durable than your average notebook. In addition the unit has a screen that has a special daylight-friendly black & white mode that makes a great ebook.' From the article: 'Nicholas Negroponte, the co-founder of the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, detailed specifications for a $100 windup-powered laptop targeted at children in developing nations. Negroponte, who laid out his original proposal at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January, said MIT and his nonprofit group, called One Laptop Per Child, is in discussions with five countries--Brazil, China, Thailand, Egypt and South Africa--to distribute up to 15 million test systems to children.' More coverage of this story available from ITWorld, InformationWeek, BBC, ZDNet, and the Associated Press."

WHAT! did you say?

This is my response to the last post about scripting...

Scripting SUCKS! (kids, that's not a nice word)

I'm in a class called UNIX Administration. The UNIX part I get pretty well. It's the shell and perl scripting that is driving me crazy!

I just spent 5 HOURS writting a script to search a file and display how many times the word "aaron" appears - or what ever string you want to search in whatever file. Here it is in all of its glory:

[aaron@server99]$ ./search asdf bob.txt
___________________________________________
This is your filename: bob.txt
This is your search string: asdf
___________________________________________
asdf appears: 39 times in bob.txt

Here is the actual script for those of you who may attempt to spend 5 hours, just copy mine~
#!/bin/bash
filename=$2
string=$1

if test ! -f $filename;
then
echo "There is no file: $filename"
exit
else
echo "___________________________________________"
echo "This is your filename: $filename"
echo "This is your search string: $string"
echo "___________________________________________"
fi
echo "$string appears:`grep $string $filename | "wc" -w` times in $filename"

It was the ` (backtic) that did it! - YEAH!

I HATE PROGRAMMING!!!!!

Here's the PowerPoint that helped me: Click Here 182 KB (186,880 bytes) [source: www.franklin.edu]

Bus fire kills 20 evacuating from Hurricane Rita

"Deadly bus fire mars Rita evacuation"

WOW, 20 elderly people that were being 'freed' from Hurricane Rita's path on Friday, September 23, 2005 were burned to death!

Talk about SUCKS!
Help, save us from the deadly hurricane...
Here, get on this 'Bus of Death' we'll pull into the largest traffic jam in history (100 miles long)...
Oh, no, "Save yourselfs, the bus is on FIRE!"

Just when you thought you would be safe from a natural disaster, then an unatural one kills you while you are trying to escape! Click the link above to read more about the story as reported by Reuters.com.

US does not deserve Katrina aid: Iran cleric says...

TEHRAN (Reuters) - The United States does not deserve foreign aid in the wake of hurricane Katrina given the amount of money it spends on military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, a senior Iranian cleric said on Friday.

'Those who spent millions of dollars to kill the people of Afghanistan and Iraq are now asking the people of the world to assist them in providing relief for their storm-hit people,' Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati told worshippers at Friday prayers."

HMMMM... Interesting views (I seem to agree) - READ MORE!

Scores killed in Baghdad attacks | BBC NEWS | Middle East

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Scores killed in Baghdad attacks - "one of the deadliest days in Iraq since the US-led invasion in March 2003!": "Scores killed in Baghdad attacks"

It's a sad thing... they are damned if they do and they are damned if they don't. The US led invasion on Iraq is a sad, sad thing. I have no idea what would help this situation. There will only be more bloodshed to come and they may be no end in site! The Middle-East is doomed for war - they have always had war and always will. The "insurgents" will NEVER go away - they are the rebels who see things differently than the majority. Rebels will always exist in ANY society, they are just fighting against a force (the US lead force) that has invaded their country...

If the US led forces leave Iraq, it will be a messy, messy situation and will lead to mass chaos! BUT... It will even its self out, even if the leaders aren't who the US wants to be in power in Iraq. The US needs to let the strings of their dependency for oil go!

We (the US) need to focus on what's going on in the US with the BIG oil companies and their tight grip they have on the politics that are supposed to guide the US into a brighter future without dependency on foreign oil!

Anyway, read the article... it's sad!

What not to do with a whirlpool tub!

Spencer and Madisun wanted bubbles while they took a bath. They pressed the jets button and they got BUBBLES! Lot's of bubbles in less than a minute they were overflowing with bubbles! Can you remember bath-time as a kid?

CompTIA OOPS! (Network+)

I teach a week long course (bootcamp) on CompTIA's Network+ certification. I average about 95% of the students passing, getting certified. This year (summer 2005) all of my student's who received their certificates in the mail received them like this...
Where's the quality control? I wonder if they would lower the score so people who take their certification test could pass with a little mistake like this too!

CNN.com - Clinton: Government 'failed' people - Sep 5, 2005

CNN.com - Clinton: Government 'failed' people - Sep 5, 2005: "Clinton: Government 'failed' people

Monday, September 5, 2005; Posted: 9:49 p.m. EDT (01:49 GMT)
Former President Bill Clinton spoke to CNN on Monday.

HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- Former President Bill Clinton on Monday said the government 'failed' the thousands of people who lived in coastal communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and said a federal investigation was warranted in due time.

'Our government failed those people in the beginning, and I take it now there is no dispute about it,' Clinton told CNN. 'One hundred percent of the people recognize that -- that it was a failure.' (See interview -- 2:32 )

He and former President George H. W. Bush have launched the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund to help raise money for those left homeless by the storm. (Full story)

Clinton is just the latest in a long line of critics who have blasted the federal government for not moving fast enough to help people in the immediate aftermath of Katrina, which slammed into the Gulf Coast one week ago as a Category 4 hurric"

[Aaron Holverson's Comments:]
What a shitty, crappy thing to have lived in a country that would do such a thing... If terrorists would have blown those levys, I'll bet the government would have been there within hours after the destruction. BUT NO!!!! it was a natural disaster, which has been the largest disaster in history for the US! The government wven won't allow a convoy of 100 doctors & surgens with a mobile 113 bed, hospital to enter the disater zone to help. They claim "red tape" prevents this million dollar, Homeland Security, 9-11 unit will only be used for terrorist disasters, not natural ones! Click here for a full story from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Spencer & Nick Hamming it up!

Spencer and Nick waiting to play games at the Hillsboro Fair. Jill organizes games and has over $2,000 of toys to give away after the games.

Dede's Umbrella ride

Dede loves the umbrella ride, she took Spencer on the ride because Aaron wouldn't go... he gets sick! Madisun & Beth went as well.

Beth, Madisun & Matt

Beth, Madisun & Matt having a good time at the Hillsboro Fair. (Looks like trouble!)

Hillsboro Fireman's Labor Celebration

Madisun, Spencer & Beth at the Hillsboro Fireman's Labor Celebration.

End of Summer Picnic

Madisun insisted on having a picnic for lunch this day. So she made the entire lunch for Spencer and herself. They pitched the picnic under a tree next to our garden. Aren't they SOOO cute?

HOUSE FOR SALE

Our house is NOW on the market... come get it while it's hot, right here folks, ready to buy, get your fresh hot house, get it while it's hot! Our house is located in the cozy little town of Fennimore, WI. It's a 4 bedroom with 2 FULL baths. The upstairs is a master suite with office and den. The main floor has the original wood floors and tiled kitchen & bath. There's an un-attached, two car garage with a new door and automatic opener. Click on the link below to find out more information!

CLICK HERE! (www.holverson.org/house)

We have to move closer to Dede's work. She's got a little over an hour drive every morning and afternoon. It only took her two days to be sick of it! She's teaching at Wisconsin Hieghts High School at the Freshman and Sophmore English Teacher. I only work about 4 days a week and have a very flexible schedule - so I'll drive the distance.

If you know of anyone who wants to move to Fennimore, I know a great house they can buy!

First Day of Thrid Grade

Madisun's first day of THIRD grade! Doesn't she look so grown-up? She's in Mrs. Kephart's room this year. She heard rumors of her new teacher being the meanest teachers in 3rd grade. After two days with her, she said that Mrs. Kephart isn't mean. We've heard she's strick, which should create good structure for Madisun this year... They will learn a lot of new responsibilities this year too!