Well

Now that I have ADSL I will probably be doing more blogging and might actually get around to changing the decor in here.

Saturday I got my ADSL router, set it up Sat arvo, wouldn’t work. DSL light flashing, no sync. Contacted ISP, said they’d log a fault report with Telstra. Rang them Monday, they checked a few things I took the router to them to be checked and they said the router was fine. Telstra tech, nice bloke, came out Tuesday arvo checked the line and everything else and said it’s definitely not the line it’s the router 🙂 I raced back to my ISP before closing time and they gave me a temporary replacement router which is working beautifully!!!!! It has been so tantilising to have a router sitting there and yet not be able to use it. I’m glad it’s all working now, the ISP has been fine about it all, I’m definetely not whinging just telling what happened 🙂

I’ve almost got my submission to speak at the next linux.conf.au all ready. I’ve got several people reading it for me at the moment to see what needs changing for fixing. It’s getting exciting!

I was amazed to receive an email from Jonathan Oxer the president of Linux Australia asking me if he could talk about the work that I do at Teen Challenge at a conference in Sydney next week. I said yes of course. WOW someone wants to talk about me and the work I’m doing…………

I’ve decided I’m going to submit a paper to speak at the main Linux.conf.au not just at the Education Miniconference.

I’m going to make my paper a type of ‘Report From A Past Regional Delegate’. As I won the opportunity to go to this year’s Linux Conf in Canberra (look at previous posts) as part of the Regional Delegates Program I would like to report on what has happened since then.

I’m hoping it will make an interesting enough paper to be chosen. It may also start a new precedent that some of the previous years delegates go to the next conference to talk about what they’re doing now.

Linux.Conf.Au in Dunedin

This is my no dig garden with the cherry tomatoes. I’ve posted this pic in reply to Kate’s request in the comments. So here you are Kate.

I made this garden bed using hay bales as the sides and filling in the centre with flattened cardboard boxes and then a shallow layer of potting mix. I put a sheet of lattice over the top to stop my dog getting into it. I left it on there and it was fine it didn’t cause any problems and definitely kept the dog out!

I was feeling quite pleased with myself that I’d found a problem with Kubuntu, in using the gui to set up the network, and found a way to get around it by myself and then this morning I found out that it’s already been documented on
kudos.berlios.de I could’ve fixed the problem a lot quicker if I’d gone there. Oh well I learnt more working it out for myself this time.

So for anyone else who might be trying to set up a network check out the above link before you do it.

Home Education
We have a Home Education review coming up. I was stressing a bit about filling out the paperwork – paperwork is not my favourite thing. So I rang the Home Ed office and they said I can fill out the paperwork with the review officer when they come for the interview, that was a load off my mind!

I’ve been looking for online collaborative learning projects my daughter can get involved in but I haven’t been able to find any. I don’t know if I just haven’t been able to find any or they just aren’t there. In the open source software world just about everything is online and collaborative, I’d love for her to be able to get involved in a project. She designed and created her own CD which has open source and shareware software on it for Windows. She called it the Helping & Learning CD. It has educational, games and production software on it. She’s going to sell (for cost of cd) it to other home ed-ers, family and friends in our area. For a 12 year old I think she’s done well.

My Garden
I got two chooks so I’ve got chook poo for the garden and they’ve started laying already so fresh eggs too. Last year I made a no dig garden bed out of old boxes squashed flat and hay bales as the sides and filled it up with potting mix. Last year we grew cherry tomatoes and the birds ate the parsley. Now we’ve got broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, beans and some flowers. We’ve got strawberry plants in a tub and will be getting some more soon. I also want to plant herbs in tubs too. I will be gradually making more no dig garden beds as I have time and the inclination. Will post some photos some time 🙂

Mum & Crafts
My Mum is coming for a visit today so we will be doing craft, talking and eating! Mmmm cauliflower soup. I can’t wait til I’m using my home grown caulis!!!!!

We will also talk tech as Mum is a retired computer tech! It’s in the family, my sister is an excellent tech and teacher too.

Music
I play the flute and tin whistle and sing. I love to improvise on the flute and tin whistle! I play at my church as well as at home I’ll just pick up either instrument and play, sometimes while I’m waiting for something to print or reboot 🙂

Newbie And Not So Newbie
No more tech sagas at the moment 🙂 tho they will come again.

These came from a recent discussion on LinuxChix of good Linux books for beginners-
http://www.linuxchix.org/content/recommends/books/beginner_list
Carla Schroder’s Linux Cookbook

This was a good idea posted to the list too-
You might also consider a subscription to O’Reilly’s Safari Online, http://safari.oreilly.com/. For $19.99/mo you get online access to 10 books; there are other subscription
levels as well. You get all kinds of publishers, not just O’Reilly, and there
is a 14-day free trial.

And a useful website – linuxcommand.org

I’ve also come across – Dr Bob’s Low Fat Linux for newbie help

I’m thinking of making a website with my teaching materials, newbie help links, tips etc. I’m not sure whether to keep it as my own personal site or put it with the Teen Challenge site….

I’d better go back and put in the html for all these links. bye bye…………

This is one of my cats, I think she looks like a goa’uld. All you Stargate SG1 fans will know what I mean. 🙂