Winter’s Haven

I finally found a backup utility which meets my needs: Duplicity. It’s primarily intended for backing up data on a remote server, which is how I use it. Duplicity compresses and encrypts (using GnuPG) your data and uploads it using SSH/SCP (among other backend protocols), so it can backup data to any server you can [...]

My mobile phone has been having problems — I couldn’t call out or access voicemail. I now have a different service, and a new phone number. Email me for the new phone number; I’m not going to post it online.

Is there a cure for the condition where you are perpetually dissatisfied with your computer’s wallpaper image, no matter how many different images you try? Is there even a name for this condition?

How to install a 2.5-inch (laptop size) hard drive in a 3.5-inch (desktop size) drive bay:

Search locally or on the internet for an appropriate mounting bracket designed for mounting a 2.5-inch disk in a 3.5-inch bay. Buy it.
Shut down and unplug the computer into which the hard disk will be installed. Open up the computer’s [...]

My recent lack of blog activity owes partly to school, and partly to the fact the my laptop finally died (it had been on its last legs for a while). I replaced it with a desktop box from Dell; desktops are a lot cheaper, especially in light of the comparatively short life expectancy of laptops. [...]

I bought a Trek Madone 5.0 to replace my stolen road bike. It’s a 2007 Madone, not one of Trek’s newest-generation 2008 Madones; Trek’s fancy new design is the reason that this bike was marked down to a price I could afford. Regardless of the new 2008 Madone, this bike is still a wonderful [...]

My bicycle was stolen from the racks by the math department. Apparently, someone just walked up and cut the cable lock in broad daylight. I am not happy.

I spent yesterday driving from Ogden, Utah (just north of Salt Lake City) to Albuquerque. I drove past all sorts of things that I wanted to stop and see or explore, but I wanted to make this leg of the trip in one day instead of a couple weeks. I didn’t arrive in Albuquerque until [...]

That almost rhymes! Anyway, this update comes to you from Ogden, Utah. I’m told it’s pretty, but right now it’s just dark.
Yesterday I drove across Washington and Oregon, and saw my mom and brother on the way. Leaving Oregon today, I discovered that southwestern Idaho is completely blanketed in smoke from the Murphy complex fire. [...]

A couple days ago I left my crummy, utterly pointless job. I am now on my way to University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Very soon, I’ll be a math grad student, and my existence will be much less pointless than it has been lately. Yay for math!