Well, I installed Linux Mint KDE 18.3 yesterday but nothing was booting.

Well, I installed Linux Mint KDE 18.3 yesterday but nothing was booting. And then I had three very long telephone conversations in the afternoon and just let it go from that (I'd just lost focus). Today I was catching up from yesterday, and was about to tackle the mbr and boot - when I got another long telephone call.

However, once that was over I'd though things over and burnt a copy of this utility. I booted up, did a bog standard repair with it, and am now able to boot to Mint. Once I got to Mint I manually installed Grub Customer (see http://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2016/04/install-grub-customizer-ubuntu-16-04-lts/) and was able to set things the way I like them, with a simple 640x480 screen, and booting to the last booted choice unless I chose something different. And, I was able to boot once again to Windows 7!

Sheesh, all this to keep a dual boot system. However, there ARE advantages in that. I use a LOT of Win only apps and am keen to still use them. Mint KDE 18.3 looks VERY SLICK, and I might spend some time playing around with that.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/boot-repair-cd/

More weirdness on the Thunderbird front. I had a profile that I used that looked like this in the profiles.ini file:

More weirdness on the Thunderbird front. I had a profile that I used that looked like this in the profiles.ini file:

Name=[Default MEDIA]
IsRelative=0
Path=N:\(Thunderbird)\networked.default
Default=1

Now N: was a Networked drive, pointing to X:\NETWORKED\ on the Media PC, and up until a week ago this worked fine. Then I had lots of weirdness with my Home Network and all of a sudden the profile couldn't be read and one PC just stopped booting. But I could, and did before then run that Thunderbird profile from the RecRoom PC (and the Studio PC when it was booting), but only from one PC at a time.

In the process of restoring the home network I deleted the old one, and created a new one. Now, the above wont work properly on the Media PC. whereas if I use Path=X:\NETWORKED\(Thunderbird)\networked.default, it will. If I use Path="X:\NETWORKED\(Thunderbird)\networked.default", it refuses to move any messages or allow me to make sub folders!

Something odd here.

UPDATE: Have had some success using \\Media-win7\networked\(Thunderbird)\ instead.

Gah, sometimes you have to work one step at a time.

Gah, sometimes you have to work one step at a time. I was trying to read data files with no extension under Windows 7. Because I'd installed a free 3D editor called Form Z 8 Free a while ago (can be found at http://www.formz.com/products/formzfree.html), that program for some reason was assigned as the DEFAULT for any file with no extension!!! Argh, very annoying. Any way I found this page was useful in fixing that. I ran the code (with my local info) under ConEmu and fixed this stupid thing! Actually I associated them with the free version a utility called Universal Viewer - see http://www.uvviewsoft.com/uviewer/. Much more what I'd prefer.
https://superuser.com/questions/13653/how-to-set-the-default-program-for-opening-files-without-an-extension-in-windows

I restored Firefox on my RecRoom computer this morning by simply copying the profile directory of the version on the...

I restored Firefox on my RecRoom computer this morning by simply copying the profile directory of the version on the Media PC, and replacing the one on the RecRoom PC. What I'd done in the last few years was to create a central profile on one PC for Firefox, and for Thunderbird, and access that via a virtual drive. That worked, mostly, but it also meant that I couldn't run more than one of those at a time, and there were "hiccups" in accessing the profile which slowed everything down. Just using copies is much faster.

With a virtual profile for Thunderbird that wasn't an issue and it worked well, because I wasn't constantly accessing the net . But now the global local files have been messed up, and I need to make sure that I have copied any incoming ones under C:\User \somewhere or another before I fix it. That's why I haven't been using Thunderbird for the last week, because it's been just one job of many around the house. Today I'll make a concerted effort to do just that.

My Studio PC remains offline for now. I think fixing Thunderbird has priority. I have a couple of emails that just seemed to disappear and I suspect that the senders will think that I've just ignored them. Fun and Games!

I've shared this before, and it's worth sharing again.

I've shared this before, and it's worth sharing again. I donated and got the PDF version of this, which I then printed at A3 and had laminated. Very handy!
#blender
https://www.giudansky.com/design/51-blender-map

An Animated Guide to Never Getting Lost

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/wayfinding-tips-tristan-gooley-animation?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=atlas-page

5 Excellent eBook Reader Apps for Ubuntu (and most other Linux distros)

Originally shared by Danie van der Merwe

5 Excellent eBook Reader Apps for Ubuntu (and most other Linux distros)

Five good choices that should work fine on most Linux distros.

See http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2017/07/best-ebook-reader-app-ubuntu
http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2017/07/best-ebook-reader-app-ubuntu

I looked at this and immediately thought of the original JUDGE DREDD film.

I looked at this and immediately thought of the original JUDGE DREDD film. Also, I think this would get stolen for a chop shop fairly quickly.

Originally shared by Panah Rad

robots now deliver your dinner
http://bit.ly/2vGfy12

almost there
http://bit.ly/2vGfy12

quite so

quite so

Originally shared by Tim Schermerhorn

The Math That Predicted the Arab Spring

https://video.vice.com/en_us/video/motherboard-math-physics-predicted-arab-spring/58ffac792539226a16ed65a6?ref=motherboard

Melbourne woman escapes serious injury after laptop explodes

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-24/melbourne-woman-escapes-serious-injury-after-laptop-explodes/8738358?smid=Page:+ABC+News-Facebook_Organic&WT.tsrc=Facebook_Organic&sf100440953=1

When I worked as a "Regional Hardware Controller" in the Department of Social Security in the last century (seems...

When I worked as a "Regional Hardware Controller" in the Department of Social Security in the last century (seems like yesterday but receding fast), the DSS used WANG terminals which pretended to be IBM ones, attached to a WANG mini computer pretending to be an Amdahl one, which connected to a mainframe that also pretended to be an IBM mainframe. Astonishingly it all worked, most of the time!

There was a service contract for each regional office the company in charge of maintenance was only paid each month if the service was up at least 95% of the time. That must have been difficult at times, as my office was in Albany, and the nearest repair person was based in Bunbury (a few hundred km away)!!!
https://nosher.net/archives/computers/pcw_1985-04-00_001_wang

Downloading a new install of Linux Mint.

Downloading a new install of Linux Mint. My Studio PC seems to have no net access, so I'll see if a live boot makes a difference.
https://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=244

Looks like I'm spending the morning sorting this out on the studio PC.

Looks like I'm spending the morning sorting this out on the studio PC. So far however, it won't boot to Windows 7, but does to Linux Mint. And checking the drives on that PC using Dolphin only brought up errors on what is a DATA drive! This is the same PC in which my drive with my graphic novel on it - fried. Urgh!

This is a cool series of podcasts.

This is a cool series of podcasts.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwQ3nN4hcsSZal7GBpd7hjhaIvBkoxoFx

I've created a mock-up of the photos for my pet wall in SweetHome 3D.

I've created a mock-up of the photos for my pet wall in SweetHome 3D. Tomorrow I'll play around with this until I get a pleasing arrangement, then start mounting them on the wall. Basically I made the wall the floorand the door and the frames furniture on that.
#pets #memorial #sweethome3d

As explained in Face value: Neuroscience shows how first impressions work at...

As explained in Face value: Neuroscience shows how first impressions work at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-23/face-value-neuroscience-shows-how-first-impressions-work/8693308?smid=Page:%20ABC%20News-Facebook_Organic&WT.tsrc=Facebook_Organic&sf100066248=1.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-21/dog-who-looks-like-owner/8730876

Cool

Cool
http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/nasa-uploads-hundreds-of-rare-aircraft-films-to-youtube-1797119276?IR=T

Heh.

Heh. I just unplugged everything in the lounge room - PC, monitor, Wii, PVR, signal splitter, amplifier, DVD player, and TV - and replaced the three power boards that were there with new ones. They each have surge protectors, lights, and individual switches. And before i re-plugged everything back in, I put labels at the end of the power cords telling me what the cord goes to. Should be a safer and saner setup, instead of odd cables going into really old powerboards!

Mathematical modeling uncovers mysteries of HIV infection in the brain

Mathematical modeling uncovers mysteries of HIV infection in the brain

Er, um. More understandable than the abstract at https://arxiv.org/abs/1707.04283
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170619144823.htm

Neato

Neato
http://www.popsci.com.au/science/light-photographed-as-a-wave-and-a-particle-for-the-first-time,401135

Spectacular, especially considering it's about 1.3 times the diameter of planet Earth!

Spectacular, especially considering it's about 1.3 times the diameter of planet Earth!
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170715.html

Inventing the Recording

http://publicdomainreview.org/2017/07/12/inventing-the-recording/?utm_content=bufferf9d30&utm_medium=social&utm_source=plus.google.com&utm_campaign=buffer

I have yet to see a drone in real life in action.

I have yet to see a drone in real life in action. Of course where I live, on the edge of a regional city, they are probably less frequent out here. Anyway, this development seems well overdue, and probably help prevent illicit drops, and drones veering into flight paths.
https://www.wired.com/story/nasa-tech-kills-trespassing-drones/

Meet the Artist Using Ritual Magic to Trap Self-Driving Cars

https://creators.vice.com/en_us/article/qkmeyd/meet-the-artist-using-ritual-magic-to-trap-self-driving-cars

Why you should ignore Facebook messages warning about 'hacker' Jayden K Smith

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-11/facebook-jayden-k-smith-friend-request-message-warning-a-hoax/8696320

I bet they play tick-tac-toe on it.

I bet they play tick-tac-toe on it.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-10/meet-raijin-the-supercomputer-punching-out-data-for-researchers/8687104

My preferred file manager on my home PCs.

My preferred file manager on my home PCs. Dual pane based, with a Tree list for each pane, favourites, heaps of tools, and so on.

#windows
http://freecommander.com/en/screenshots/

I prefer to use Free Commander (see next post), so much in fact I paid to register my copy.

I prefer to use Free Commander (see next post), so much in fact I paid to register my copy. But THIS might work as well. Especially if you used it way back when.
#windows
http://people.ee.ethz.ch/~davidsch/vistafm/

Good heavens! A windows version of an old DOS file manager.

Good heavens! A windows version of an old DOS file manager.
http://www.ztree.com/html/ztreewin.htm

Simply stated, retrocausality assumes that influences can travel backwards in time.

Simply stated, retrocausality assumes that influences can travel backwards in time. When an experimenter decides how to measure a particle, that choice can influence the properties of that particle — or, an entangled particle in the past. This, therefore, makes the “action at a distance” part of Einstein’s definition unnecessary. Instead, the entanglement effect becomes retrocausal influence. That being said, it’s not the same thing as sending signals back in time.

An interesting idea, but consider the implications for "free will".

Originally shared by Rob Jongschaap

Physicists May Have Discovered One of the Missing Pieces of Quantum Theory

'The quantum world is full of phenomena scientists are still largely grappling with on a theoretical level. One such quantum theory is quantum entanglement. Although there are a number of tests that demonstrate what Einstein called “spooky action at a distance,” — many merely assume that it happens, without being able to explain how. At least not yet. But two physicists have proposed an alternative that might just be able to explain this quantum effect.Essentially, quantum entanglement assumes that measurements of quantum properties within the state of one entangled particle occurs simultaneously with its entangled pair, regardless of how far apart they are. There isn’t any known mechanism that would explain that kind of influence, though, which is why physicists Matthew S. Leifer at Chapman University and Matthew F. Pusey at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics have offered an alternative: the team has asserted the idea of “retrocausality” as a possible explanation for this “spooky action.” Their findings were published in the journal Proceedings of The Royal Society A in June.
...'

https://futurism.com/physicists-may-have-discovered-one-of-the-missing-pieces-of-quantum-theory/
https://futurism.com/physicists-may-have-discovered-one-of-the-missing-pieces-of-quantum-theory/

Notice the would-be Jedi with the hockey stick. No wonder the robot left the building!

Notice the would-be Jedi with the hockey stick. No wonder the robot left the building!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8877lOMPSY&feature=share

Assuming that this technology actually worked, I can see two major issues.

Assuming that this technology actually worked, I can see two major issues. Firstly the main misuse of this would be as a "Mind Reading" device. You'd interrogate someone by saying "Don't think of [insert secret here]" and they'd think of it. Also, at what level would thoughts be transmitted, and how would the traffic of those be controlled? Too likely to be more like Twitter gone mad. Also, if you thought someone hacking your social media was bad, think about them hacking you mind!
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/07/this-inventor-is-developing-technology-that-could-enable-telepathy.html

Cool overview of this.

Cool overview of this.

Originally shared by Danie van der Merwe

A History of Open Source GIS, from Humble Beginnings to World-Changing Applications

The advent of digital mapping and geospatial information systems (GIS) has completely changed the way humans think about and interact with the world around them. The concept of overlapping discrete layers of location information for decision-making was first introduced by Ian McHarg, a landscape architect, in the 1960s. Around the same time, Roger Tomlinson — known universally as the “Father of GIS” — completed his doctoral thesis focused on the use of computing methods for the overlay of geospatial information. Roger then worked to create the first computerized GIS, the Canada Geographic Information System, which was used primarily for surveying.

The roots of open source GIS can be traced back to the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1978. Since then, open source GIS has permeated many industries, both government, and commercial, and has naturally had a different trajectory and impact than its proprietary, license-based counterpart. The U.S. Department of Labor named geospatial technology as one of the top three most important high-growth industries in the 21st century. The evolution of open source GIS over the past four decades has lead to its many groundbreaking and impactful applications today.

See https://thenewstack.io/humble-beginnings-world-changing-applications-history-open-source-gis/
https://thenewstack.io/humble-beginnings-world-changing-applications-history-open-source-gis/

25 Websites Other Than Social Media To Upgrade Your Life

http://www.lifehack.org/318009/25-websites-other-than-social-media-upgrade-your-life

A landmark work.

A landmark work. You can read a facsimile of this online at https://ceb.nlm.nih.gov/proj/ttp/flash/hooke/hooke.html and download a copy at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15491/15491-h/15491-h.htm 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micrographia

Gosh, some of these are useful!

Gosh, some of these are useful!
https://brightside.me/inspiration-tips-and-tricks/12-simple-yet-unexpected-ways-to-rescue-spoiled-things-325160/

How to create a Comic Book Template in Clip Studio Paint

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idJgZVnooLc&feature=share

I have waited for a long time for a "Styles" type feature in Inkscape - where you can save a particular set of text...

I have waited for a long time for a "Styles" type feature in Inkscape - where you can save a particular set of text and fill and effect settings for later use (similar to what could be done in Fireworks and Illustrator) - but this seems like the closest they'll get. This is why I went on to use Illustrator instead.
http://www.linuxformat.com/wiki/index.php/Inkscape_-_cloning_and_tiling

Apart from tutorials on web design, this site also has reviews and suggestions for alternatives to Adobe programs,...

Apart from tutorials on web design, this site also has reviews and suggestions for alternatives to Adobe programs, for Vector, Painting, and Photo editing. I find it interesting that Krita's at the top of teh Painting list, and GIMP is mixed in with the Photo editing reviews.

I have old versions of Photoshop, Illustrator and other Adobe apps from the CS5 and CS6 packages, but others may not. Here's some alternatives.
https://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/adobe-alternatives-broadening-our-horizons--cms-28912

I - might - even - beat - you!

I - might - even - beat - you!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-YPq2PqeT0&feature=share

Afghan all-girl robotics team denied entry to US for competition

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/07/02/afghan-all-girl-robotics-team-denied-entry-us-competition

GOSH

GOSH
http://nautil.us/issue/49/the-absurd/chaos-makes-the-multiverse-unnecessary?utm_content=buffer0e0fe&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer