Jzoe Blog

I’m changing a few things on my website- you’ll see soon. First, i took away the shoutbox until I can figure out a way to stop spam posts. Next, I’m adding a dedicated book blog on my books page. You can see it at http://jzoe.com/books/books.php. I will be allowing other people to have accounts on that blog, and post about books on jzoe.com. If you’re reading something good and want to share, or you want to warn everyone not to read it- that’s the place. Email me for an account.

A new case for a new computer, $65

a new motherboard for $60,

Processor and RAM, just under $100, and we’re re-using a hard drive and a CD read/write drive. The motherboard includes audio, video, network interface, USB, etc, so we don’t need anything else.

Total cost will be under $300, and I would trust this computer (assuming the hard drive is good) to run at least another 5-7 years.

We discovered that the computer problems had nothing to do with Windows- it seems like it had more to do with the motherboard:

Kendra still wants to go for Linux, though, just to get away from all the virus and update crap. All we really need is a new motherboard… but I wish there was a place I could look that says “This motherboard works well with Linux. Here are the drivers”. I can’t seem to find that place. Is it out there? Are there reviews on how linuxy something is?

It looks like an Asus nForce board is a good bet; it has a lot of built-in features, and there are linux drivers on both the Nvidia and Asus websites. Anyway, I’m still looking.

Jzoe out.

So… we might go Linux.

Kendra’s computer (the only one I use at home, since my laptop broke) has been acting strangely lately, and when I installed a new antivirus program it found a lot of stuff. It seems like the best way to get away from all that garbage is to get off Windows. So, it’s Linux or Mac.

I’ve been reading this book on the BART-

It’s good, but kind of scary. One of the big things that the author seems to be pushing for is the new “hydrogen economy”, where we use renewable energy sources (wind, solar, geothermal, etc) to produce electricity to electrolyze water and produce hydrogen gas. The idea is to store the hydrogen for use in fuel cells in our homes and cars.

This sounds like a great idea, and I see many benefits to it- but the author started saying that we can use existing gas and oil pipelines to distribute the hydrogen. That got me worried about hydrogen embrittlement, something we had to learn about for our chemistry of materials class at RPI. Well, it seems that the pipes might need some special help to not break… but that’s why it’s going to be a challenge.

I might post more when I finish the book.

August is National Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is the #1 genetic killer of children under the age of 2.

1 in 40 people carry the SMA gene.

SMA has no age or ethnic preference. It can strike anyone of any race, age or gender.

SMA destroys the nerves controlling voluntary muscle movement.
THERE IS NO CURE OR TREATMENT,
BUT THERE IS HOPE!

Families of SMA has funded more than $20 million in research critical to the understanding & treatment of this disease.

Project Cure SMA is pursuing clinical trials to test potential treatments for SMA.

SMA and deCODE Genetics are pursuing new promising treatments through a drug development program.

Shop for a Cure! Purchase gift certificates through the FSMA website for nearly all of your shopping needs and a percentage of your purchases will be donated to SMA research!

WE ARE THE FACES OF SMA
WE ARE THE FAMILIES OF SMATOGETHER WE WILL FIND A CURE
For more information on Spinal Muscular Atrophy, FSMA or how you can become involved, please contact:Families of SMA
P.O. BOX 196
LIBERTYVILLE IL 60048
1-800-886-1762
www.curesma.com or www.fsma.orgFSMA is a volunteer driven organization. Your donation is tax-deductible.