10.15.2007
(off-site links open in new windows)
Don says:
My friend George Miller gave me some computers to give away. Of course I won't do that right away, because they don't have an Operating System on them right now. First, I'll install Debian stable (currently Debian Etch) and tweak them for desktop use. It's similar to setting up a new Windows computer but there are some differences; when I set up a new Windows computer I install AntiVirus software, a firewall, anti-malware software, my favorite text editor (NoteTab), Firefox, Irfanview, XnView, Open Office dot org, Abiword, and a dozen or two additional applications, each of which comes from a different place. It normally takes me two or three days to get a Windows computer set up and ready for every-day use. To do the same thing on a Debian Etch system I add a multimedia repository to the software sources list, open Synaptic, update its repository index and spend the next two or three hours downloading software, with Synaptic. I don't even have to open a browser and I don't have to worry about licensing. I know that my Debian Etch system is 100% legal and free. I love it.
Don Crowder and George Miller in Stephenville
I found a really awesome Linux software application called Digikam. With the plugins it's about half the size of the Gimp and functionally it's sort of like Irfanview on steroids. It's got some highly professional features normally found in expensive software and it's a lot more user friendly than the Gimp, or at least I found it easier to use. Linux users, look for Digikam, Digikam-plugins and documentation for the plugins in your software repository. Getting started with it isn't very intuitive so drop me a line if you need help. Here's a picture from Lisa's master gardener group:
Here's a photo of Alaskan tundra one of my cousins sent me. I used digikam (in Debian Etch) to add a border to it.
Some of the effects in Digikam are extremely sophisticated but the documentation is very well written so learning to use them is relatively easy. So far, I've only scratched the surface but I look forward to learning more about it. This is an awesome graphics tool.
Lisa says:
When I moved to Texas a little over 3 years ago, Don had planted a Habanero pepper plant the former spring and brought it inside to take better care of it. Mostly it was to remind him to water it. That fall she put on flowers and Don wondered if she would set fruit, so to be sure we took a soft brush and pollinated the flowers. She produced fruit in the house that winter and we decided that, since she was such a special plant she deserved a name of her own. We call her Carmen Habanero, and a hot little chili-pepper she is. It's wise to wear rubber gloves while picking the ripe peppers, they're believed by many to be the world's hottest peppers. Wearing gloves and washing the gloves thoroughly is mandatory while slicing them and handling the seeds. We're not quite sure why she's smaller than she used to be, but for an "annual" plant that has prospered for 4 years, we're not asking too many questions.
Carmen Habanero
If anyone would like some seeds from Carmen, just let us know on our Contact Us page and we'll send you a packet of seeds. Carmen did have a sister I propagated from a cutting but we gave Yolanda to a friend and she is no longer with us, the victim of a sudden cold-snap. It would please us no end to see Carmen's line continue on with friends who know the pleasure of a good Habenero bite.
This week I've been struggling to learn how to use a nice gallery script called Qdig. Trying to learn how to customize a PHP script when you're a beginner in HTML and CSS is a bit like trying to enter high school after successfully completing first grade. But I wanted it so I just bulldogged through it, bugging poor Don to help me and not taking 'I don't know' for an answer. Customizing it to match our site was fun and turned out pretty nice-looking, take a look for yourself and tell me what you think.
