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I just read, on EcoGeek, about the I’m Initiative and the I’m Talkathon which is a donation promotion sponsored by Microsoft in which money will be donated to good social causes: American Red Cross, Boys & Girls Club of America, National Aids Fund, The Humane Society of the United States, UNHCR UN Refugee Agency, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Sierra Club, UNICEF, StopGlobalWarming.org, and Susan G. Komen. Money is donated based on the number of emails and instant messages that are sent using Microsoft services.

So, sponsored by Microsoft, hmmm. At first I found it very interesting then I noticed the Microsoft stamp and was concerned and trying to find the catch. I am not an anti-Microsoft bandwagoner that believes Microsoft is evil throughout, but their track record is not promising. There are sections of Microsoft that aim to participate in good causes. Unfortunately, the countless other sections manipulate all intentions for the worse.

What is the catch? Well here you go: “… Microsoft shares a portion of the program’s advertising revenue with an organization of your choice…” From what I see, it seems that the first clause is that only a portion (undefined) is shared and the second clause is that the program must first generate revenue in the form of advertising. It seems Microsoft would rather get people using their services by investing part of the advertising funds in charitable organizations rather than making a technologically superior service. Interesting…

I suppose if it’s on Microsoft’s dime and it supports good social causes, then I am a supporter, but only if their services are used for information that doesn’t need privacy and only for this promotion. Maybe we can help Microsoft pay back to the community a portion of what damages they have done through their crimes against humanity and capitalism.

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In our eagerness to get a blog section up on the site, we failed to notice the Wordpress setting that required site registration to blog… oops. We have now disabled that so anyone is able to comment without registration.

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Managing wireless and wired network on a laptop has always been a hassle in both Linux and Windows. I have used many of the managers, but now I have my hassle-free network manager. Its name is Wicd.

Many of the wireless and wired managers will handle profiles for different networks but many leave networks without DHCP in the cold. With Wicd, all those features are included. It conquers all of the tasks the Gnome network manager in Ubuntu has attempted for many versions.

A handy panel icon is included that shows wireless connection strength and activity (indicated by blinking screens). By hovering over the panel icon, it will display the wireless network connected to, the signal strength, and the IP address utilized.

The managers main window has a simple interface that is easy to use and understand. There are options to use global DNS addresses, choose your network devices, and option to always show the wired connection. Any wireless networks in your current area are shown and all are in a collapsed form. Advanced features can be accessed by clicking on the arrows to show more info. Static IP addresses and DNS addresses can be specified along with an option to auto-connect. Best of all, WEP, WPA, and WPA2 are all supported.

I have enjoyed having Wicd because I connect to one wireless network that doesn’t have DHCP and after I first set the options, I am able to automatically be on the network without any manual changes.

Wicd has finally given me all of the features I want from a network manager without the crashing of Gnome network manager or the lack of wired support from the Intel manager. Instructions for installation in Ubuntu can be found on the Wicd download page. Wicd is a replacement for the Gnome network manager, so it will force an uninstall of gnome-network-manager during install.

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Well, I guess that it is my week to blog. Mike and I seem to trade off and take turns. I’ve been thinking about posting this for awhile. This is a video I found on You-Tube that shows what can be done with a very small piece of land, I have found it very inspiring. I have been thinking about trying a more permaculture approach for my yard for several reasons. First, I don’t think overall it will take more time than it does to mow. Second, It would be a good way to augment our food supply. Third, the food would be better for us. Fourth, We would derive great satisfaction from doing it. Fifth, and not least it would be good for the environment and a positive model for our community. Please feel free to comment if you have anything to add or share.

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We have built a Moodle classroom for the GeeksOk community to share information and ideas. It is just getting started so check back often to see what you can learn. Oh did I tell you? For now it is FREE! We hope to give a lot of information on CNC machines, CNC software as well as step by step How-To’s on how to produce usable G-code.

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