Here are a few views of LC, gardens;

Here are a few more pics from Wawota;

LC on a small stone

A tad windy but a lot of fun!

I will go through the rest and see what else I can find including the famous “Paperclip House” until then smile and have a great day and better tomorrow.

Here are a few of the things that I noticed while on my roadtrip to Canada and some of the things that really made me sit up and take notice. I really enjoyed the trip and tried to show the folks up there that not all folks from the states are egotistical bastards adn that a few of us are real people and not the jerks that show up in the news all the time. So enought of this and on with the review of Canada as seen by me.

Being out on a farm in the middle of the flatlands, the first thing I notice is, darn it is really really flat, it really reminds me of Eastern Iowa or Kansas. The Weather is some what a surprise as it has been warmer and alot drier up here than at home, it seems they are in a drought up in this neck of the woods, but warmer and that is just so wrong. One thing is the wind I swear that the wind blows 24/7 here in Saskatchewan and it will drive your sinus nuts trust me on that one. And I am not talking a breeze, we are talking windy and then some. So windy that when you fly into the Regina airport the pilots all say the weather in Regina is normal it is blowing like heck. Not the word they use but hey kids read this once in a while. Not to mention that one of the most here statements is “Darn what a nice day it is , if it wasn’t for the wind”. And to quote Rick Mercer it is cold, it is wet, and it is windy, and it is dark sometimes all at the same time, this is Canada so go buy a toque and enjoy it. Oh and the peace and quiet is remarkable and that is the truth. Laying in bed at night with the windows open (yes I said the windows open in Canada for goodness sake) the only noise is the dogs barking at whatever is running around infringing on their territory, be it a skunk or deer or coyote even. But the quiet is grand and this coming from a guy that never noticed the noise back at home, until now.

One big thing is that everything comes with the front in English and the back in French, I guess it is the other way around in some parts of the country, and my french really bites as it has been years since I had to speak it and that was in a French restaurant in California for goodness sake. But I am getting real used to picking things up and turning them around to see what they are. Makes for a long time in the stores trust me.

Oh and some of the differences in terms that are used here. One big example is what is called a stocking cap in the States is called a toque.(two k’) is the pronuncation sort of. Oh and don’t forget eh! How you doing, eh? Nice day, eh! You even hear it in some commercials for goodness sake. And in case you are wondering eh is pronounced “A”. Tea Towels versa kitchen towels is another faux pax in the international speech war.

One of the things that really makes me sit up is their national pride. They love their country in a way that is really a great thing to observe, a way that years ago the folks in the states loved the USA, but that is another story.

Oh and TV now there is a subject that the states could learn a thing or two from, they have some of the funniest sit-coms I have ever seen, not to mention they have Rick Mercer and he is hilarious, with a no-holds barred attitude he takes satire to a entirely new level. Sure they borrow a lot of the USA’s programs but the original ones they have are head and shoulders above the ones in the US trust me. Oh and the nudity and swear words have not caused one kid to open fire with a Uzi any where in the country, get the hint USA?

And now for the meat of the article, the people. They are a proud group and without a doubt some of the most helpful yet stubborn folks I have ever met in my life. They hate any kind of change but want it to happen yesterday in most situations. They are more out spoken about politics than even the folks down in the states are if you can believe that. But they will give you the shirt off of their back if you need it or a meal if you are hungry. But just as fast they will whup you for disagreeing with some thing that was said. They are a hard working, hard playing people that love hockey as much as life it’s self, not to mention a beer once in a while too. I have met some of the friendliest folks in the world here in Saskatchewan and that is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Over all what can I say about Canada? It is a great place to live and work and to raise kids. Yes the bigger cities have the same crime that plagues all major cities, however the small towns more than make up for that and I can testify to that.

So in closing all I can say is thanks Wawota and thanks to all the fine folks that I met there. I hope to see you all again. And a very special thanks to LC the nicest lady in all of Canada and one of the true treasures that Canada can be very proud of.

I have been asked this over and again – which hardware should be avoided before installing Linux? The list is actually smaller than you might expect, but it is helpful if you would like to remain in a headache-free zone.

A good starter base of hardware to avoid for the new linux user, Baldy

Check on the List

Well I will be heading back to the states on Saturday after a very enjoyable stay here in the flatlands of Canada. I have a huge post of some of my observations of Canada and it’s people that I will be posting soon, along with some more pictures of the trip. I have gotten to see a moose, or that is what I was told it was it never moved and I was told not to get out of the car and take it’s picture as it would charge, ha I believe it was a stuffed moose that someone leaves in that field for the tourists, and that was the reason that I was told to stay back, but that is just my idea. One thing is a fact and that is the peace and quiet is one thing that I will miss, as the only noise at night has been the dogs chasing critters in the woods. So until later I have some packing to do and some good byes to say but I will post more soon.

Assuming you have managed to find a wireless card that is working well with your Linux distribution, or perhaps you just settled for a hack-n’-hope solution with NDISWrapper, you need to settle on an application that you can use to connect to your wireless network.

For vanilla GNOME and KDE-based installations, you are provided solutions out-of-the-box. The problem is – they do not always work for everyone. Because of this, I will be highlighting every option I can think of today.

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A recent statement from anti-malware and threat-detection software manufacturer PC Tools claims that Windows 2000 is a more secure operating system than Windows Vista. The company’s claims, as covered by Infoworld, have attracted a good deal of coverage—no one wants to miss out on a good Microsoft bashing—but an examination of the company’s methodology raises serious concerns about the validity of the conclusions.

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Microsoft is aggressively pushing a new low-cost version of its operating system intended for use with “ultra low cost PCs,” competing with Linux on machines like the Eee and the One Laptop Per Child XO. However, Microsoft isn’t willing to sell the low-cost license to any ULPC — rather, the company has set out onerous conditions governing the maximum spec of these machines: 10.2″ screens and no more than 80GB of storage, and no touch screens allowed.

More fun and games and control issues from Billyware, Baldy

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