How to Get Ubuntu Virtual Desktops on Windows 7
While Ubuntu runs on my laptop, my desktop system will remain a Windows machine for the foreseeable future.
For a while I had both systems running Ubuntu. As a long time Windows user, this was a pretty big nerd step for me. Booting up everyday for work into Linux instead of Windows took some getting used too. Of course, I still had Windows 7 within quick reach via a virtual machine. That allowed me to jump in and out of Windows when needed - particularly for the use of Adobe Creative Suite.
Yet, as I found out, given my time on the PC is spent mostly within Creative Suite there was not enough justification to deal with the performance hit when working through a VM. Though it was actually very snappy, for graphics design work you need perfection. So before long I was booting into Windows again.
Pomodoro technique is lame, but here’s a cool app
A friend recently gave me the headsup on the Pomodoro technique. It's a time management strategy. As you may know, I've been evolving a time management strategy of my own for some time now. So by the time I learned of Pomodoro - I had already been practicing the main gist of it. Which is that, our days should be broken down into small chunks to maximize focus. But other than that, my technique is quite different.
Though one thing I did find really useful from Pomodoro was the use of a timer. In fact, I'm now using the app below to help track time in my day - and it was designed specifically for Pomodoro technique.
Focus Booster v1.2 (Mac, Windows, Linux via Adobe AIR)
If you're going to use it the right way (my way) here is what to do. Download the app. And set the timer to 90 minutes. Not 25, as suggested by the Pomodoro technique.
Learn programming using wire, light bulbs, a battery, and telegraph relay
I'm currently reading quite possibly the coolest programming book ever written. The book is not teaching Python, nor C, and not even Assembly. Rather, the book is teaching Morse code. And electricity. And how these two concepts can be brought together to make anything from telegraphs to modern day computers.
If you're like me and are trying to take your programming skill to the next level, this might be exactly the kind of foundational knowledge you need.
The book is called CODE. I first got wind about it last week, after reading The Book That Every Programmer Should Read on Grigory' blog. Indeed, Grigory recommended every programmer read it - not because of what kind of new techniques you can learn, but rather, because of the broader understanding you will gain from this truly fundamental lesson on how computers work.
Why Directory Opus 10 is the king of file browsers
It is Directory Opus. It is the KING of file browsers. And in this review, I will show you why.
Truth be told, I'm trying to be less Windows-centric on my blog. To be a better Linux advocate (and occasionally share some love for Mac). But this I cannot resist. Not even the best file browser on Linux, Nautilus Elementary, can come close to the sheer awesomeness of the premium Windows file browser known as Directory Opus.
But wait! It's not just for Windows. That's right, if you have an Amiga you are in luck!
Above: Old school Directory Opus 4 for Amiga
The first iterations of Directory Opus were kick-started all the way back in the 1980s. Originally developed for the Amiga, Australian programmer Jonathan Potter would later rewrite his unique dual pane file browser for Windows in the early 2000s.
Learn Python The Hard Way - Udemy Review
It is the most popular Python programming book in the world. And now, thanks to Udemy - it's on video. So if you're looking to learn Python - should you download the book or watch it on Udemy? Well, you're asking the right guy: I just finished this excellent course. Here is the full review.
Programming is hard. Reading books can help. But having an expert narrate, share insights, and talk with you about techniques & concepts: that is going to make the learning process even easier (and a lot more fun).
And indeed, it's a big advantage to to hear the creator, Zed Shaw, talk about Python. This is the closest thing you'll get to having him mentor you in-person.
A Million in the bank. What's next for DuckDuckGo?
While we don't know if the figure is exactly $1 million we do know that DuckDuckGo has raised a substantial sum of money in its first round of financing UPDATE: the grand total was $3 million. So now that DDG has raised VC money... what's next? Will the Duck continue its champion message of privacy or have the ‘seeds of evil' been planted?
The fact is, DDG success to date is largely based on privacy - so there's no reason to assume the roots of this operation will go evil. In fact, if you know just one thing about founder Gabriel Weinberg you should know this: he is perhaps the most principled, friendly, fast thinking entrepreneur in tech today.
Top 6 advantages Ubuntu has over OS X & Windows
Ubuntu 11.10 is out today! Go download it. OR if you're still on the fence; pondering whether or not you should try dual booting it on your Mac or Windows system - read on.
Virtual Desktops are insanely cool
Out of the box, Virtual Desktops are perhaps the most impressive ‘wow' feature of Ubuntu. And not only do they look cool, but they‘re a tremendous boost for productivity. Its like having an array of dual, triple, or quad monitors (or as many monitors as you want) on a single screen. It exponentially increases the amount of program windows you can comfortably have open at a single time. And once you start using them - you won't ever want to go back to the single desktop paradigm of Mac or Windows.
Above: 6x6 virtual desktops. CTRL + Super key zooms out to this ‘macro view' where you can click and drag any window to different desktops. Or simply use CTRL + arrow keys to cycle one at a time.
Steve Jobs' most powerful quote
Steve Jobs is gone, but long will his legend live on. Throughout his tech superstar career he occasionally shared some incredibly powerful insights on business, product design, and life. Today I was going to post a compilation of several of them here, but found one so powerful that it deserves a post of its' own.
Follow your heart
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."
Stanford commencement speech, 2005
An improved GTD strategy for freedom and focus
Recently I tweaked my personal getting-things-done strategy. And the results have been quite satisfying. So I wanted to share the technique for those of you determined to churn out maximum yield on daily productivity.
The main objective of course, of any GTD strategy, is to genuinely feel good at the end of the day. To feel good that you've made the most of your time. That you've made a contribution. And that you have made progress towards reaching your goals & dreams.
The harsh reality of Windows 8 is a bright future for Linux
The biggest development with Windows 8 is not the new Metro UI, but in how Microsoft is taking over the primary method of software distribution on their OS.
In Windows 8, Microsoft will be adopting Apple's App Store model. Serving as sole gatekeepers - and taking a cut of every app sold.
Not just apps
Since the new Store is apart of Metro UI - which will be the default interface on all hardware platforms, including tablets AND desktops - the the way in which people download, try, and buy software on the world's most most popular PC platform is going to be changing significantly.
Of course, for traditional PCs the transition is not happening overnight. For now, Microsoft is making it easy to switch away from Metro UI back to the more familiar desktop style environment. And long term, surely they would never prevent companies from distributing desktop software via their own website. But nonetheless, the precedent is set - and it's no stretch to assume that in the not-so-distant future this is how Microsoft would like all Windows software to be distributed.
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