Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on November 28th, 2015 in Raspberry PiI’ve been a fan of the Raspberry Pi computer for some time now, although to be honest, I’m as big of a fan of the concept as I am of the actual computer itself. The Raspberry Pi is a small computer designed to run Linux that costs $35. On top of that price you’ll have to provide your own keyboard, mouse, and monitor, but chances are if you’re the type of person who is interested in a $35 computer that runs Linux, you probably have at least one spare keyboard, mouse, and monitor somewhere out in the garage. The original… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on November 25th, 2015 in MainEvery year for the past five years or so, I’ve posted open Thanksgiving invitations to our home. Literally, I’ve publicly stated that if “anyone reading this” doesn’t have anyone to spend Thanksgiving with, they could spend it with us. I’ve had a few friends say this is very kind and generous. My wife says this is very crazy and stressful. Then again, I’m simply the one that unleashes this madness upon the world. Susan is the one that has to worry if we’ll have enough mashed potatoes to go around if two hundred people were to show up. As a… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on November 24th, 2015 in AdventuresSunday afternoon, Mason and Morgan went outside to play around 5:30 p.m. The sun was still out, it wasn’t too windy, birds were chirping… good times, all around. When the two of them decided to play basketball, Morgan set her phone down on the bumper of Susan’s car. A few minutes later, now dusk, Susan left to go pick up stuff for dinner. Five to ten minutes later, Morgan remembered her phone was still sitting on Susan’s bumper, and panic ensued. By the time I was drawn into this, it was dark. The kids and I retraced Susan’s path through… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on November 18th, 2015 in Star Wars, Star WednesdayMy Star Wars collection can be divided into three categories: things I owned as a child (and still own today), things I used to own as a child (and replaced over time), and new toys and collectibles I’ve bought as an adult. This die-cast X-Wing Fighter falls into the first category. This is the same one I owned back in the late 1970s. Everybody is familiar with Kenner’s original line of 3 3/4″ action figures and their accompanying ships and play sets, but not everyone remembers all the other toys Kenner also released in 1979. Along with a few board… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on November 17th, 2015 in MainI’ve been taking a lot of photos for my Star Wednesday posts, and decided the other day that I would like to set up a clutter-free area where I could take those pictures. It wouldn’t have to be large or permanent — just a small place where I could take clear pictures of my Star Wars items. On the backs of the early vintage action figure cards, each figure appeared in their own little colored box. I decided that this was the look I wanted to emulate. I can’t remember if I read about it, saw it, or just figured… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on November 16th, 2015 in MainFriday evening I was in the middle of writing a blog post about photography when my social media feeds began to fill with posts about an active shooting incident in Paris. As the situation escalated, I lost all interest in writing. Instead I spent the next several hours glued to the television, flipping between CNN and MSNBC to follow breaking news updates as the carnage unfolded. To me, the difference between warfare and terrorism is the difference between a scheduled boxing match and randomly walking up to an old lady at the mall and punching her in the face when… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on November 9th, 2015 in WritingFor me, the hardest thing about learning how to type properly was unlearning how I used to type. I began typing in 1980 when we got our first computer. My original technique involved poking at keys one at a time starting with only a single finger, and quickly graduated to two and then four before eventually unleashing all of my digits on the machine’s expensive keyboard. It wasn’t until I took a computer class my senior year that I heard that phrase so common in today’s online society: despite being able to deliver 90-100 words per minute, I was told… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on November 4th, 2015 in Star Wars, Star WednesdayI don’t remember when or where I got this 8-Track. In a way, it seems like I’ve always had it, and yet I’ve never listened to it. I’ve never owned an 8-Track player — I was raised on vinyl, followed by cassettes. I don’t even know if this 8-Track tape actually works. The tape contains the original soundtrack, as composed and conducted by John Williams as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra (I read the label). The tape is a “twin pack.” I originally thought this meant that the original package contained two packs, but from what I now understand,… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on November 4th, 2015 in MainMore than the average person, I think about what will happen to my stuff after I die. Not the mundane everyday stuff I own like clothes or furniture, but the stuff I really care about — like, the stuff I had sentimental attachments to when I was alive. For example, in my backpack right now I have a “Bend ‘Em” Darth Vader action figure. New, it cost only a couple of bucks. It’s been on every flight I’ve been on over the past 20 years. It means the world to me. When I die, best case scenario, it’ll end up… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on November 2nd, 2015 in MainAfter trick-or-treating with the kids Saturday night, I turned on the television and attempted to stream some Halloween specials for the kids to watch (Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror specials, Scooby-Doo and the Headless Horseman of Halloween, Disney’s Halloween Treat — you know, the classics). But my server wasn’t responding, so I walked upstairs to investigate and found the machine in an unresponsive state. It had most certainly been tricked; there would be no treat for me. I rebooted the server and was greeted by a screen asking me what default language I preferred. Any time you turn on your computer… (read more)
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