http://disqus.com/people/michaeltwofish/enThu, 29 Oct 2009 03:42:00 -0000http://blogtrevorbramblecom.disqus.com/why_i_left_habari/#comment-21246295You're completely right, and I appreciate you taking the time to say why you've decided Habari isn't right for you at the moment.<br><br>We are aware that the documentation is lacking at the moment, and there is work active to get the wiki more organised (see the <a href="http://wiki.habariproject.org/en/Wiki_Working_Group" rel="nofollow">wiki working group</a>). We're also working on better management of themes and plugins (see the <a href="http://wiki.habariproject.org/en/working_groups/addon_directory" rel="nofollow">addons directory working group</a>.<br><br>As with all open source projects (that don't have paid, full-time employees, thanks Andy :) the way that these things happen is that people step up and do them. Communities around projects take time to develop, and there's ebb and flow as people get busy in life and $work. Any time you'd like to come back and be part of that community, we'd love to have you!michaeltwofishThu, 29 Oct 2009 03:42:00 -0000http://andycowl.disqus.com/yak_shaving_blog_in_isolation/#comment-20174258I think I first heard it from Tim Bray. One day, I'd really like to find a yak to shave.michaeltwofishThu, 15 Oct 2009 22:20:37 -0000http://andycowl.disqus.com/how_i_ditched_windows_and_embraced_gloria_blog_in_isolation/#comment-20174193This is a great overview of the first few moments you get to spend alone with a distro. And an enjoyable read too.michaeltwofishThu, 15 Oct 2009 22:18:35 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/infotropism_standing_out_in_the_crowd_echo_ampquothey_it_worksampquot_ampgt_devnull/#comment-18461211Your involvement is a win for Habari, and shows even more strongly how important it is that open source projects are as inclusive and welcoming as possible. I think Habari does a pretty good job at that, but we can always improve.michaeltwofishSun, 04 Oct 2009 02:20:49 -0000http://heyraena.disqus.com/hey_raena_isnack_20_seriously/#comment-17633754I glimpsed the new iSnack on the telly and have to say I thought they were joking.michaeltwofishSun, 27 Sep 2009 07:30:32 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/the_nicaragua_incident_echo_ampquothey_it_worksampquot_ampgt_devnull/#comment-17027456I'm not going to completely discount the possibility of human goodness. Like I said in the post, I've had someone buy me a bus ticket before when things were difficult (I couldn't speak Farsi, so I couldn't tell them where I wanted to go). That was a very positive experience.<br><br>Besides, and more importantly, when you're travelling you _need_ to trust people to a certain extent, especially in places where you don't speak the language. The alternative is to have a very dull travel experience.michaeltwofishMon, 21 Sep 2009 03:16:56 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/the_nicaragua_incident_echo_ampquothey_it_worksampquot_ampgt_devnull/#comment-17027257Oops, I got that round the wrong way ... I was pretty sure they _weren't_ going to kill us. Fixed.michaeltwofishMon, 21 Sep 2009 03:03:04 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/thesixtyone_is_some_of_the_things_i_want_from_a_music_site_echo_ampquothey_it_worksampquot_gt_devnul/#comment-14535747I can't speak about Amazon since noone has ever bought my music through Amazon. I've got my music sold through iTunes. I can't recall on top of my head how much they take, but it's not big. There are currently bugs in the CD Baby accounting system, and I can't retrieve the figures of my earnings from iTunes, but from memory, of the three parties involved (CD Baby, Apple, and myself), I got the most (well, definitely not the least!).ade ishsMon, 10 Aug 2009 01:03:52 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/thesixtyone_is_some_of_the_things_i_want_from_a_music_site_echo_ampquothey_it_worksampquot_gt_devnul/#comment-14535457Thanks, an interesting list.<br><br>Surely iTunes or Amazon take a huge chunk of the purchase price ?michaeltwofishMon, 10 Aug 2009 00:42:04 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/thesixtyone_is_some_of_the_things_i_want_from_a_music_site_echo_ampquothey_it_worksampquot_gt_devnul/#comment-14535312Well, I guess most music is now on iTunes. Last time I heard from CD Baby, Apple made the most money among the digital distributors CD Baby delivered music to (probably that's still the case). Many independent music suppliers distribute to iTunes. As for how much a musician makes for every sale, that depends on how much their supplier takes the cut.<br><br>If you're looking for more digital shops, here's a (non-complete) list: <a href="https://members.cdbaby.com/partners.aspx" rel="nofollow">https://members.cdbaby.com/partners.aspx</a>ade ishsMon, 10 Aug 2009 00:30:14 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/thesixtyone_is_some_of_the_things_i_want_from_a_music_site_echo_ampquothey_it_worksampquot_gt_devnul/#comment-14534236It's really only been the last year and a half that I've started to seriously try to find music again, so I guess it's no surprise that I've missed those "many sites". Also, being an artist, you're probably more familiar with how the funding works from the artist's point of view.<br><br>Anyway, it seems I was wrong about what thesixtyone is; it's more a discovery tool (a competitor to last.fm) rather than for music purchase (though it is possible to download or purchase some music).michaeltwofishSun, 09 Aug 2009 23:23:33 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/17_reasons_i_hate_list_posts_echo_ampquothey_it_worksampquot_gt_devnull/#comment-14232227Massive difference. Well worth doing. Trebles your traffic. Mine leapt from 2 visits to 6.andycowlThu, 06 Aug 2009 05:34:35 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/disqus_blog_two_issues_worth_pointing_out_echo_ampquothey_it_worksampquot_gt_devnull/#comment-14198016What, you don't think it was them belated reading my post, and the messages I sent to them telling them of the issue ?michaeltwofishThu, 06 Aug 2009 05:04:58 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/17_reasons_i_hate_list_posts_echo_ampquothey_it_worksampquot_gt_devnull/#comment-14196736Back in the days when you cared about traffic, eh ? And the result of your experiment ?michaeltwofishThu, 06 Aug 2009 05:03:56 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/thread_320/#comment-12931263You're right, the mdash entity does map to #8212 in both HTML and XHTML, so is much easier to use.michaeltwofishSun, 19 Jul 2009 19:50:34 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/thread_320/#comment-12860708I'm flattered that you care :) My absence was caused by a stuff up by my hosting provider, and their subsequent ignoring of the ticket raised.michaeltwofishFri, 17 Jul 2009 23:47:56 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/colour_disability_echo_ampquothey_it_worksampquot_gt_devnull/#comment-11866523It's amazing how powerful our senses are, and how they can be tricked in so many ways. Even 'normal' functioning ones.michaeltwofishSun, 28 Jun 2009 21:33:51 -0000http://disqus.disqus.com/consolidating_threads_url_issues/#comment-11865874I remember the good old days when everything got a quick reply from Daniel.michaeltwofishSun, 28 Jun 2009 21:00:15 -0000http://disqus.disqus.com/consolidating_threads_url_issues/#comment-10642287I have the same issue. Is it possible to correct a thread's URL ?<br><br>Sames to be a similar issue (unanswered) here: <a href="http://disqus.disqus.com/disqus_comments_vary_by_url/" rel="nofollow">http://disqus.disqus.com/disqus_comments_vary_b...</a>michaeltwofishTue, 09 Jun 2009 00:43:50 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/emusic_how_to_piss_people_off_echo_ampquothey_it_worksampquot_gt_devnull_47/#comment-10512382So, I really like the subscription format as I find I download interesting stuff I probably wouldn't buy if I was paying per album or song. I had a look at Audio Lunchbox, but a US credit card is required. I had a quick look at Magnatune and Jamendo but they don't seem to have much music I want. Anything else ? Am I stuck because of my pride ?michaeltwofishFri, 05 Jun 2009 01:33:43 -0000http://andycowl.disqus.com/how_i_lost_my_linux_virginity_blog_in_isolation/#comment-10415345Read your post, chuckled.<br><br>I can't honestly remember when I first used Linux. It may have been in 1997 when I was running a Samba server at $work on Red Hat. Or it may have been slightly before that at home. I felt like I was on the verge of breaking stuff all the time.michaeltwofishWed, 03 Jun 2009 04:56:29 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/echo_quothey_it_worksquot_gt_devnull/#comment-9567794Comments should be closed on this thread.michaeltwofishWed, 20 May 2009 01:35:57 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/why_would_you_do_a_phd_echo_ampquothey_it_worksampquot_gt_devnull/#comment-9302500Thanks for taking the time to respond. We now have a comment thread an order of magnitude longer than the flippant first post :)<br><br>Your three points are all valid, though it's the personal satisfaction and sense of achievement that is the most compelling for me now.<br><br>I've heard the converse of the prestige argument from a number of friends and colleagues in a position to employ me; see AndyC's first comment above, for example. The second part of the objective argument is basically the "it might come in handy one day" answer given in the original post, and one I don't find compelling (especially since I'm older than it seems you think I am, though I guess I might be still working when I'm in my mid-70s :)<br><br>I think the valuative point is a strong one, and I've been trying to tell myself the same for a long time, but I do find it very difficult not to look back on the work I've done so far and wish I could go back and do it with more rigour. Nothing is perfect, of course, but some work is closer than others.<br><br>In the end though, the most important things I will get out of the whole process are personal; the development of technical, analytical, and writing skills, a better understanding of how to trick myself into working on hard things that I no longer find interesting, how to work through tasks that are ill-defined toward goals that are ill-defined. And ultimately, a sense of satisfaction for getting the bloody thing finished.michaeltwofishWed, 13 May 2009 20:25:14 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/why_would_you_do_a_phd_echo_ampquothey_it_worksampquot_gt_devnull/#comment-9276995There are three possible answers to this: objective, valuative, and personal.<br><br>Let's start by thinking about this objectively. Neither having the PhD itself not the technical skills you'll learn doing (or more to the point, completing) your PhD will be of much direct assistance to you in working on small-scale development projects. But don't underestimate the prestige that having a PhD can afford you with clients and colleagues -- particularly clients. And also remember that you have another 35 years to your working life. The older you get, the more you have to rely on track record and experience rather than native cunning. And having a PhD may be very useful to you in what you decide you want to do when you're 50, even if it's not useful to what you want to do now.<br><br>The second point is valuative. You may feel that the subject of your research is valuable in itself, that you want to make a contribution to the sum of human knowledge, and that completing the PhD is the best way of doing this. It is easy, when mired in the middle of your candidature, to feel quite the opposite. But don't be too self-critical. Even seemingly small contributions can push some direction of research along. We frequently come across papers of which we suspect even the authors themselves held very modest opinions when they were first published, but which have provided data for or provoked ideas in others.<br><br>And the third point is personal. If you are finding it difficult to finish this research project that you have started, then won't in fact finishing it be all the greater a personal achievement? It will give you the confidence to tackle equally difficult tasks in the future.William WebberWed, 13 May 2009 08:58:01 -0000http://michaeltwofish.disqus.com/why_would_you_do_a_phd_echo_ampquothey_it_worksampquot_gt_devnull/#comment-9269065Which, for me, is part of the point. Those aren't actually the jobs that I'm interested in doing, nor am I particularly interested in going back to work for a university. I'm more interested in working on small things. Well, if Google offered me a job, I'd consider it, but the odds of that are pretty damn slim :)michaeltwofishTue, 12 May 2009 23:45:25 -0000