[Ryedale] For Al: Juggling, Algernon and Linux

[Paul]

Hi Al,

> I don't think you need to change your name on our account, though with
> the number of Pauls we seem to be attracting a certain Pythonesk 'so
> your name's Algernon.  That's goin' ta cause a little confusion!  Mind
> if we call you Paul?' did cross my mind. ;)


Lol....that occured to me too. And the sketch from Blackadder where everyone's called Ploppy apart from Baldrick, who offers to change his name to suit.
 
> While on the subject of names.  Melchizedek is a goodun.  Is that an Old
> Testament reference, Drunvalo Melchizedek, The Alchemist or simply your
> real name?

Yep, king and high priest of Salem melchizedek (OT). When I first started using the internet I was paranoid about security and never used my real name, 
instead using the moniker of melchizedek (nicked from a documentary I was watching on TV at the time). After all these years I simply can't be arsed to 
change it. In fact, some people who I originally met on the net still call me mel in real life. I don't even bother correcting them now...lol.
 
> Well done.  I suspect much of that is down to careful updates etc.

Either that or I've been lucky with software compatability.

> ...and nothing wrong with that either.  Alison became dissolusioned
> with the introduction of Win95 and has only really shown any interest
> since XP came along.  She certainly misses being able to head for the CL
> and whip up a batch file or other wise do things that now involves
> inordinate amounts of mouse clicking.

Yeah, I used to like the batch files days and doing bits and pieces from the command line in DOS. Although they were easy to cobble together, you actually 
felt like you'd done something clever when your batch files worked.

> While I tried to encourage her to look at FOSS I think she's lost the
> will through dealing with helldesk requests of a 'the worlds going to
> end my icons have moved three inches across the screen' nature.

Wow...I didn't know icons moving was such a pivotal event in apocalyptic history. Perhaps I don't know as much about computers or eschatology as I thought ;-)

> I took the opposite approach.  I too have bugger all money, so when my
> trusty old P166 became less than trusty and time to get another machine
> loomed I thought I'd go with best CPU/MB I could afford and upgrade
> other bits as and when.  Debian offers a 64bit OS and I use a chroot to
> run those apps not yet available as native 64bit.  Works pretty
> seamlessly, although there are some annoying things such as Firefox
> works but there's no Flash for 64bit.  Well, not the last time I looked
> anyway.

Yeah, this was the lack of software support I'd heard about, so perhaps I'll wait a few months before making the upgrade. Providing my computer 
doesn't melt in the meantime, forcing me to act.

> Perhaps you'd like to start a thread giving the details of your sound
> problem and the specifics of your card model.

Yes, I'd like that very much. I'll do it when I get a moment.

>Nick names are popular in the juggling world.  many Robs too - Hairy
>Rob, Firey Rob, four Fish and a Unicycle Rob etc. ;)

Really? Well I didn't know that. Are these names self imposed or are they designated by your fellow jugglers? And may I venture as to whether you have 
a crazy juggling nickname yourself?
 
<Basically balls and clubs.  Been trying to nail five balls for er..

>mumble years.  Only three clubs ATM but have passed seven with people
>who can return all my crap throws.  Also been known to hoon about on a
>Snakeboard at conventions.
 
I've just managed a modicum of success with four balls...albeit with not much consistency, and the odd broken ornament. Three balls I'm comfortable with. 
For some odd reason I managed over a thousand consecutive throws during one particularly tedious episode of Emmerdale...but the balls I used were heavier 
than I'm used to and my arms were knackered for days afterwards.

How we suffer for out art eh ;-)
 

Kind regards....Paul

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