I just found this site Free Online Linux Training Videos by Lancom Technologies. The videos play in your web browser you can’t download them. I watched the “Using Vi To Create And Save Text Files” one and it was very good. It didn’t make a lot of assumptions other than assuming that you already know what vi is which you would if you were choosing to watch that video. Of course they’re trying to sell their book and more of the videos but I liked the videos they’ve got for free.

You’ll probably only want to try these if you’ve got adsl.

I haven’t heard yet if I’m going to speak at the next Linux.conf.au in Dunedin, New Zealand. I was supposed to hear by 30th Sept. but that was changed to yesterday 2 Oct. I’ve been checking my emails and checking my isp’s spam filtered messages like crazy. I’m going to have to do something else today to keep my mind off it. I’ve done some gardening this morning, think I’ll write my speech for Wednesday. I’m speaking to one of our local Rotary groups and I’ll need some notes for that. I’ve also got a couple of newsletter articles to write too so that should keep me occupied.

Jessica’s been away at a St John Cadet’s camp for the weekend so it’s been quiet. She’s due back this afternoon so I should get my writing done before then 🙂 I’m sorta avoiding housework too but I’ll have to do some of that some time or else I’ll be overtaken by dirty dishes, unwashed clothes and dust and fur tribbles on the floors. I’ve got a beautiful fluffy white dog called Ezri, she’s moulting because it’s spring thus the tribbles are her contribution to the household. It’s a contribution I think I could do without though.

But I could never do without her.

A friend posted this to the LinuxSA mailing list today. LinuxSA is my local Linux User Group. SA is South Australia.

This one minute animation was created to help people understand Internet Explorer’s security levels. IE Security It’s funny.

Bettong.org is a new group I’m involved with in South Australia. This is from our website-
“As a community organisation, BETTONG.org is an acronym for Bettong Environment Technology and Training Open Network Group. Bettong.org is a group of people creating, developing and running community based projects (usually with a heavy tech flavour).
We chose Bettong in the hope it simultaneously
* Reflects an Australian heritage
* .org represents the community nature of the organisation and it’s technology bias
* highlights the need for this marsupial’s conservation.
* its a neat recursive acronym too :)”

It’s a sort of geeks without borders type of thing. We’re also donating funds to help the endangered Bettong species of Australian marsupial too.

Well I guess this is a bit of a new dilemma for me. I’ve got so much work at the moment that I can’t do it all. My main priority is homeschooling Jess and I have to watch that I don’t take on too many things as I have a tendency to do that. Living in a rural community there aren’t many technically savvy people who are willing to give their time voluntarily so I’m getting quite a few people being referred to me.

I love the work that I do. I receive so much more than money doing voluntary work. I know that Teen Challenge is where I’m meant to be and that what I’m doing there is what I’m meant to be doing. Working with people, having input into their lives has eternal consequences!

Just recently I was asked what ‘real’ work I was doing. The person meant ‘real’ as in paid. I nicely explained that I don’t view work in that way. I do paid work as well as voluntary but I don’t necessarily choose paid work over unpaid and each form of work is equally valid and ‘real’.

I would ideally like to be able to train more people to do the sorts of things that I’m doing. At the moment the University Of The Third Age would like me to teach basic computing and also the basics of system building, if I could hand this over to someone else it would be good. (I’d give them training notes, backup and support etc)

At my church I’m training more people for operating the data projector and lyrics software, audio recording and editing and burning cds. There are many talented young people who I’m building into a very good team.

The head of Teen Challenge (for the whole state) asked me today if I could work on the website as well as teaching computing to the drug rehabilitation students…….

I said yes.

Jessica and I started a new vegie garden bed last week. We mowed the grass and weeds, put down a layer of flattened cardboard boxes and newspaper and put compost and mulch on top. We’ve planted corn, sunflowers and pumpkins. Then we got polystyrene boxes put holes in the bottom filled them up with compost and planted one box of herbs, a couple of boxes of lettuce, beans and more pumpkins.

In our winter garden bed we’ve got broccoli, cauliflower, garlic and some flowers. There is a tiny broccoli head forming, it’s so tempting to pick it!!! but I will wait 🙂

This is the kind of school work I love doing with Jess. Now that the weather is warming up we will be out in the backyard a lot more taking care of our animals and tending our garden. Not that the garden needs a lot done to it. Being a ‘no dig’ garden it doesn’t. I also don’t pull weeds out I cover them with mulch.

My Dad gave me a pot of roma tomato seedlings which are already flowering so he said I should have tomatoes by Christmas!! yum!!

I’ve put fine wire mesh over the polystyrene boxes to keep birds out but i’ll have to find a way to keep my dog out of the main garden bed because she loves to dig and it’s right in the middle of one of her favourite running around areas too. She’s had free reign in the backyard up until now so she’s not used to being told off for running in certain places. We might be able to put up some sort of fence.