OK, so I’ve got this new GUI in Fedora 15 (haven’t played much with it yet, because it’s on my laptop, and haven’t been traveling). What does it mean when there is nothing on the screen except the time in the top center, and my name in the upper right corner with a lock icon? I can move the cursor around, but I can’t unlock it. The only way out I’ve found is to ctrl-function to a terminal, log in as root, and reboot. What am I missing here?
Category Archives: Technology and Society
An Earthscraper
A plan for an inside-out upside-down skyscraper in Mexico City.
Facebook Is Tracking Your Every Move On The Web
Here’s how to stop it.
The End Of The Future
I missed this earlier, but last week Peter Thiel had a long and pessimistic essay on the stalling of American innovation.
Skills That Recent IT Grads Are Lacking
Seven of them. It’s probably a problem with technical degrees in general, not just IT.
It’s The Space Settlement, Stupid
I have some Columbus Day thoughts this morning over at Pajamas Media.
“The Other Man In My Marriage”
…was Steve Jobs.
I remember that Popular Electronics cover well. I was a subscriber, and I wanted one to play with, but couldn’t justify the money for it at the time (I had just been laid off from my job as a VW mechanic in the 1973 recession, and had decided to go back to school). I remember wondering what I would actually do with something that could only be programmed by toggle switches from a front panel in assemblermachine language.
The EPA
Why it’s rational for Republicans to oppose it. It’s good policy and good politics.
A cleanAn ultra-clean environment is a luxury good. We’re broke.
Is Wireless Internet Intrinsically Unreliable?
Or is it just me?
[Saturday morning update]
To answer questions in comments, I have a Linksys and my Verizon FIOS modem/router. Both connections can be flaky, though the Verizon is usually a stronger signal. They’re both on a different floor (below) than the Roku, and almost opposite corners of the house. I could run ethernet, but it would be a pain.
Haptic Exoskeletons
…that allow the paralyzed to walk. Not a flying car, but it seems pretty twenty-first century.