Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category

Bits and Bobs

Posted April 10, 2012 under Books, Entertainment, General, Technology | No Comments Yet

I’ve been really pathetic about blogging lately, so have some linkspams and random thoughts. :)

  • As you can see, I’ve returned to the old Super Catherine layout idea, although with some tweaks – mainly to make it a two-column one.
  • I’ve also been working on a brand new novel (the first part of a planned trilogy) in the vein of shows like Roswell and The Vampire Diaries. However the comparison to the former – especially when combined with the main couple being compared to Michael and Maria – often leaves people a bit confused. As such I have been introducing many people to the show and being antsy while I wait for DVDs. I have had to make do with music videos.
  • While on my Roswell kick, I discovered this thing where people make credits for shows in the styles of others. For example, here’s the Roswell opening in the styles of Charmed, Alias, Stargate SG1 and The OC. And in the style of Roswell we have Buffy, Doctor Who and Charmed. And last but not least, we have Supernatural in the styles of Charmed and Friends. I don’t know about you, but I’d watch that second show.
  • I am about half-way through A Game of Thrones. I have yet to watch the show and will do so once I’m through the books (I have the box set which is up until A Feast for Crows) but I am happy to say that I am now able to understand at least a few of the references people have been making.
  • I found this post by Giraffe Days which showcases YA cover trends. So many solemn white girls in prom dresses – it’s no wonder I keep forgetting what book it is I’m meant to be looking for, as it gets lost in a sea of similar covers.
  • I am wishing I had a tablet and have been drooling over the Samsung Galaxy Tab in particular. Maybe if I save up a lot I’ll be able to get myself one before NaNo.
  • Speaking of NaNo, I haven’t made my decision of what story to write. So far there are two main contenders: a witch story vs an aliens story.

And that’s pretty much it, I’m afraid. Until next time!

Opening the Windows

Posted January 13, 2012 under Technology | Tagged: | No Comments Yet

When my laptop died just over a year and a half ago, I made a plan: when I built my desktop I would use Linux until the new version of Windows came out (and I had saved up for it). But since I liked Ubuntu so much, I felt no need to do the whole dual-booting thing.

But given the recent-ish changes in Ubuntu (which I wasn’t exactly a fan of) plus the fact that I wanted to play games properly1 on my computer (which was why I built it so souped up in the first place!) I decided to give in and get Windows 7.

The install process went very smoothly and so far I really like what I am seeing. It’s taking a while to get used to things since I’ve never used 7 before (I went XP to several Ubuntu releases to 7) but it’s quite intuitive, for me anyway. It’s very nice to have programs back that I gave up when I stuck with Linux, although of course the trade-off is that I have lost programs that I grew to love on Linux.

But the big upside is I no longer have to whip out my netbook whenever I need to do something like download ebooks from the library or get files from the external harddrive. That got annoying real fast.

I haven’t made the decision of whether to dual-boot Ubuntu back onto Epic Comp. I’ll give Windows 7 a few more days just on its own to force me to get used to it and then decide. I’ve been iffy on Ubuntu ever since Natty/Oneiric went off in its new direction so I’m really going to give it a good hard think.

In the meantime, Windows users, would you like to educate me on some of your favourite programs/7 features and addons? It’s been a long time since I’ve looked for new Windows programs.

  1. Seriously. I skipped and jumped and juddered my way through the first two acts of Dead Island via Wine and that was enough to break me [↩]

Last Minute Preparations: Software

Posted October 31, 2011 under Technology, Writing | Tagged: , | 2 Comments

So. NaNoWriMo begins in less than 24 hours – for me, anyway. I am both terrified and excited about it all. And as part of my last-minute preparations I am cleaning making sure I have all my software on my comp installed and set up the way I like it, as I have recently done a fresh install of Ubuntu to upgrade to 11.04.

Anyway, here’s a brief list of all the software things I will be using this coming month, for various reasons.

  • Scrivener: Since it’s now available for Linux this’ll be my first year using Scrivener for NaNo. I like it though.
  • Write or Die: Because sometimes you just need a major push to get those words out.
  • NovProg2: As this is a word counter that stays on my comp, it means I don’t have to run to the NaNo site every time to check how I have been doing, and risk getting distracted by the rest of the internet.
  • Songbird: Because I need music, goshdarnit! This is also why I will have my iPod ready to go at all times.
  • Pidgin: For the few times I will venture online to chat with writer friends and keep in touch with the #nznano IRC channel.
  • The GIMP: For getting distracted making pretty things like book covers and playlist covers.

And, of course, there is always the classic pen and paper – I especially like stuff from Smiggle. I have a long calendar on my wall that I think I shall put a sticker on for each day I meet the target. Because everyone likes stickers.

Content and design © Catherine Haines. Powered by Wordpress and hosted by Site5. ↑