Opensource Writing Tool
by | posted in: The Tools | 1

In honor of the first Friday of NaNoWriMo, I’m bringing you a free writing tool and not from my usual main site.

This week, I’m originating my regular Friday Fun Post from JKHoffman.com, where I hope to move most of my more creative work, instead of my regular Diary of a Network Geek.
If you’ve given serious thought to writing, you have probably heard of both National Novel Writing Month, AKA NaNoWriMo, and a writer’s program called Scrivener.  Personally, I’ve done most of my writing in pretty basic tools, like text editors, or the opensource program Libre Office Writer, but I have to admit, I’ve been reading about Scrivener and I’m intrigued, to say the least.  The thing is, I know a lot of struggling authors can’t afford to buy a program like this and, frankly, I’m disinclined to experiment with non-free software.  So, when Linux Journal wrote about a recent opensource project called “Plume” that had most of the features of Scrivener, but was free, I was pretty excited.  And, after downloading it and installing it, I have to admit, it really does feel like a pretty robust writing platform!

Now, I have to admit, I don’t have time this year to attempt NaNoWriMo, and I’ve never written an entire novel in any tool, much less either of these, but I’m much more likely to try the free one which runs on Microsoft Windows, Apple OS X, and Linux!  I mean, these guys really have all the bases covered on any possible kind of workstation you might use to write!  And, as a guy who’s spent a lot of time in technology as a professional, well, that’s really exciting.
So, if you haven’t gotten too far into your NaNoWriMo novel and want to try something new, why not give Plume a try?  It is, after all a FREE download!

Last Minute Costume
by | posted in: Marginalia and Notes from the Editor, Red Herrings | 0

So, here it is, almost time for Halloween Party weekend and you don’t have a costume?

What to do, what to do, eh?  Well, if  you have a t-shirt that you’re willing to sacrifice and a modicum of creative ability, and an iPhone or iPad or Android device, then you may be in luck.  Gizmodo covered a buy last year who used a pair of iPads to make a costume which seemed like he had a hole in his chest.  That…
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Under Costumes
by | posted in: Marginalia and Notes from the Editor, Red Herrings | 0

What do  you wear under your Halloween costumes?

So, yeah, Halloween is just around the corner and that has me thinking about costumes.  Well, to be honest, costumes for adults, because, let’s face it, in all our repressed, Puritanical, American, adult bodies, live crazy hedonists that just want to dress up in silly, or sexy, costumes and parade around like the goofballs we all pretend we are NOT.  And, maybe because I have a girlfriend for the first time in ages,…
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Book, with occasional music
by | posted in: Marginalia and Notes from the Editor, Red Herrings | 0

Do you hear music when you read?

No, I don’t mean, “Do play music while you read?”, but, rather, do you hear music, like a movie soundtrack while you read a book?  I know for awhile, I was so immersed in movies and the movie experience that I couldn’t help hearing certain kinds of background noise and sound effects when I read certain kinds of books.  But, what if that happened on purpose?  What if you had a way to synchronize…
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Factory Reset
by | posted in: Marginalia and Notes from the Editor, Red Herrings | 0

Have you ever wanted a “do over”?

Remember when we were kids and we’d be out playing and something crazy would happen that totally messed up someone’s game?  We’d more often than not give them a “do over”.  We’d let them reset and try again.  Wouldn’t that be nice to have in every aspect of life?
Well, speaking as a professional network geek, sometimes there is, at least on some network equipment.  We call it a “factory refresh” or, as the title…
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TOOOL
by | posted in: Marginalia and Notes from the Editor, Red Herrings | 0

No, that’s not spelled incorrectly.

So, back in July, I had the amazing opportunity to go to DEFCON 20 in Las Vegas.  It was quite a historic event; the twentieth anniversary of the biggest, baddest, most talked about computer security convention ever.  Though, of course, I’m using that term somewhat euphemistically.  I heard about DEFCON shortly after getting started in the IT industry and have wanted to go ever since.  Like I mentioned last week, I’m a pretty big fan of…
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Cards as Weapons
by | posted in: Marginalia and Notes from the Editor, Red Herrings | 0

Pretty much anything can be turned into a weapon.

Regular readers here will know that I’m not only security and safety conscious, but into, well, some of the stranger aspects of culture.  If there’s an obscure method of self-defense, or a strange sub-culture, I probably know about it.  I tend to be that way with obscure and rare books, too.  But, when all three of these things overlap?  It’s like nerdvana for me!
And such a confluence of material and subjects exist:…
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Vanishing Book
by | posted in: Marginalia and Notes from the Editor, Red Herrings | 0

What if a book slowly faded away as you read it?

I like to read.  No, really, I do.  Sure the last couple years I’ve been pretty busy and I haven’t read nearly as much as I used to read in the “old days”, but I do still love to read.  Most of the time, I grind right through a book at a pretty steady pace, never really stopping until I finish it.  Every once in awhile, though, I do get…
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Glass Hermits
by | posted in: Marginalia and Notes from the Editor, Red Herrings | 0

I’ve always wanted a post-modern, surrealist pet.

Hermit crabs have always kind of fascinated me.  I’ve had one or two over the years, mostly as a kid.  They’re pretty fascinating at first.  Think about it for a minute.  A terrestrial crab that uses the discarded shells of other creatures for a home.  Pretty weird, right?  Well, ever since I first saw these crazy, little creatures, I’ve thought it would be cool to put them into clear shells so you could see…
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Own Your Own Mecha
by | posted in: Marginalia and Notes from the Editor, Red Herrings | 0

A “mecha” or “mech” is a high-tech, man-shaped killer robot suit, popular in science-fiction.

In fact, you may be more familiar with them as “robot armor” or “robot tanks” even, depending on your particular flavor of sci-fi.  For those of us who are, or have been, hardcore Japanese animation junkies, however, they will always be mecha.  And, believe you me, many of the faithful fanboys have dreamed of owning a mecha like this and doing battle with giant, alien invaders just…
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