Curtis Bridges

GnomeShell/CheatSheet - GNOME Live! I found this link to be helpful explaining many features of gnome-shell that aren't immediately apparent when you start using it. Side note: I don't believe Ubuntu supports screencast recording as mentioned in the feature as " this functionality is currently missing in some distribution packages. " I really should get Arch up and running on a machine, I've been on Debian/Ubuntu for a long time (RedHat before that) and it would be good to know a different distribution than those two families. Plus, I'd rather be on a rolling release distribution... Update: It works, it just works silently. Where the docs say it places a red icon on the screen to let you know it is currently recording doesn't work, at least in my case. Additionally, the file created is a .webm. I can understand why in an open source tool but I still wish it did h.264. Oh well, easily solved.

Dell XPS 13 I'm currently trying to decide what my next computer purchase will be, and I am leaning towards some sort of laptop or ultraportable. My last purchase was a 2009 17" MacBook Pro (MBP) and it is by far the best quality laptop I've ever owned. That said, I'm really open to the idea of moving back to Linux (with Gnome-shell) full time and installing that setup on an Apple device just feels a little like blasphemy to me. Recently, PC manufacturers have been trying their hand at " Ultrabooks " and this one from Dell debuted today (2012-02-28). I really like the look; very understated. The materials look exceptional: carbon fiber base, Gorilla glass screen, aluminum shell, glass touchpad. This all sounds great -- the innards seem just as good with an i7 option, 256GB ssd and even a mini-Displayport for video out, the same as my MBP. The sad part is, my biggest complaint to date with Dell laptops (and all other PC manufacturers) is the power...

Gnome 3 Core Application Mockups Despite all these shots being interface "mockups", I really like the direction the Gnome Foundation is taking with the built-in apps. I love how integrated everything feels. Gnome is crying for a truly simple (but functional) standalone email client and Thunderbird or Evolution aren't the solution, at least in their current form. I find Nautilus very functional as is, but there are some interesting shots for it here; Boxes (virtualization software interface) seems fairly niche at this point but for those of us in that niche, it looks good. I don't see a lot of use in the Clock app but I'm sure others would. Getting chat right is my favorite, although Gnome-shell's integration right now is my favorite on any platform -- I'm looking at you, iChat/Messages!

MyUnity 3.0 Released With New GUI, Quicklist Editor [Unity Configuration Tool] ~ Web Upd8: Ubuntu / Linux blog Definitely worth an install, regardless of whether you enjoy Unity (or not). Hopefully it becomes part of the standard repositories soon, for everyone to use. Personally, I still prefer Gnome-shell .

This is a well thought out defense of Episode 1 -- really just comparing it the the rest of the franchise. I like the author's take on it. Jedi vs. Sith This was very apropos to my life, as my son is 5 1/2 and just now getting into Star Wars. Over the last month, I've been showing the movies to him. The real question in my mind (as a thoughtful, Star Wars loving Dad) was which movie to start him on. On the one hand, there is only one true order; theatrical release order. The risk in showing them in this order is not capturing his attention immediately due to the somewhat dated look of the original trilogy, whereas the new trilogy not only looks up-to-date, it has some very kid friendly themes (Boy-aged Anakin, and yes, Jar-Jar). The risk in showing them in chronological order is missing out on some of the big reveals. "Luke, I am your faaaather." Ultimately, I took a chance and played the movies in their natural order and I am glad I did. He really ide...

One of my favorite hobbies in life, not only do I like using the my computer, but also find it important to setup a nice overall workspace. SimpleDesks is a nice site for inspiration for your work area and often reminds me to keep it simple. I love this post as it captures some of my favorite workspaces I've seen in a long while.