I have some old systems and other random tech stuff sitting around my old house. I have been stalling for some time on getting rid of them. This has been for several reasons. First of all, I have not had the time to prepare them (wiping the hard drives and such). Secondly, I keep telling myself that I will use them for something some day (will never happen). Time to start letting go.

These items are all in working condition as of the last time I checked them. I would like to see these go to loving homes so I am giving you all first dibs:

• I have two Bondi Blue original iMacs. These have G3 processors but I had 10.2.8 running fairly well on one of them for a while. I think one of them may have an upgraded drive (20 gig) but and not sure which.
• I have a Grape second generation iMac G3 as well. Same story.
• I have a 900MHz PIII Dell. It has 512megs RAM and an 80 Gig HDD. It is in a slim form factor case that stands upright – therefore, any add on cards need to be halt height. Even so, this would be a perfect machine for a linux based server. It is also pretty quiet so with a USB TV tuner/converter it could act as a Myth box.

I have some other items too. A couple of monitors (One 1st Gen Apple Studio Display in Graphite, One Dell 17inch CRT), a little outboard sound enhancer for computer speakers (hard to explain what it does exactly – makes cheap speakers sound amazing), I probably have more stuff I could get rid of too but have not gotten that far yet…

In any case, if any of this stuff sounds of interest to you shoot me an e-mail. No reasonable offer will be refused.

Let’s call it bookworking, like networking, but with books. Sign up and invite me (tim [at] filn [dot] net) to be your friend so you can see what I’ve been reading.

goodreads

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Get rid of multiple external drives. Avoid the complexity of RAID. Attach a Drobo storage robot to your system and let it manage your storage so you don’t have to.

So, at the last Geek Gather I was struggling to remember the code name of the next Ubuntu release after the one due out later this month. It is…

Gutsy Gibbon

Click the link for all of the info and release dates (the final release should happen about a week or two after Micheal has decided to upgrade to Feisty Fawn).

I would like to start an open thread on the design of the web site. We have been rocking this theme for a while but it is getting a little bit old on the eyes to me. Also, I think a site refresh will drive us to post here more. Kind of the idea that if it is a nice tool you will be inclined to use it more.

Towards that end, I would like to improve the look and feel of the back end. I have always found WordPress to be a bit “clunky looking” on the back end. I would like to change it to this.

Are there any objections to that?

Anyone have any suggestions for a new theme?

Post all of your ideas in the comments.

Another fun Gather was had last night. Here are some related info and links to items discussed:

Linksys NSLU2 – This little Linux based device is what is powering the backup system Michael and I set up at my place. It has two USB 2.0 ports and an ethernet jack. Thus allowing one to share out USB drives to the network. Because it is Linux based, the code is open source and several replacement firmware projects exist. Highly hackable server the size of an iPod.

Zimbra – We are switching out groupware package here at Carleton. Here is what we are switching to. It managed to beat out Novell Groupwise and M$ Exchange. It is really coming around fast and there is an open source version.

Ubuntu – Linux that just plain works. I am a big fan and have converted Michael.

Schtickers – Once Michael finally breaks down and gets a MacBook Pro, maybe he can use these to keep anyone from knowing he is using a Mac.

New Uses for Old Macs – Tim Eian has an old Bondi G3 tower he is looking to get some use from. Here are some ideas. My favorite, especially for his ultra modern home, is to use it for home automation.

Quicksilver – I tried to get Rodney to drink the Quicksilver kool-aid by showing him these cool videos about al the things it can do.

Thanks to everyone who came. If I missed something feel free to edit this post.

link

I have a friend (home user) who is in need of a PC Consultant to help her with some issues she is having with her PC. I suspect it could be spyware/malware related but she can’t even get that far. I, as usual, am up to my elbows with stuff and can’t take a look myself in a timely manner.

Therefore, anyone want to make a few bucks or know someone who does.  I basically would like to keep her from having to go to the Geek Squad and get bent over and mugged by those goons but if I can’t find anyone else she may not have a choice.

Please e-mail me at patrick -ampersand- patrickrhone.com

It’s that time again! Time for another joyous gathering in celebration of our geekness. Once again, the ever comforting Chatterbox Cafe in the Highlands of Saint Paul has been chosen for this momentous occasion. “Why is this?” you might ask… They have food. They have beer. They have outlets. They have wi-fi. Those reasons alone make it worthy of our continued patronage. But it is the service, the wonderful service, that keeps us coming back month after month. Where else will they allow you to plug in a power strip as if it was your own home and still offer to refill your Strawberry Lemonade? Nowhere but the Chatterbox I say.

Prepare to meet at 6:30 PM or as soon as your time permits thereafter. We shall laugh, we shall cry, we shall share tales of magic (mine and Michael’s backup project) and wonderment (DRM free music on iTunes).

As always, be there or be opposingly right angled.