8-bit b.us
A formula, miss, for a love that'll stick: you eat like a bird and I'll drink like Moby Dick.
The garden shed is / missing a board, a promise / that I couldn't keep.
In the driveway was / always a gasoline pool, / waiting for a match.
Linux graphics drivers on a Thinkpad: pick your poison
My new Lenovo T500 has two graphics cards: an integrated Intel GM45 and an ATI Radeon 3650. Surely, with the myriad choices of card and driver, I could find one that gave me 3D performance, 2D compositing (true translucency), and good battery life, right? Wrong.
Here are my results after ~24h of futzing with drivers. The OS is Ubuntu Karmic. I believe the driver authors are all aware of the shortcomings, and all this garbage should be fixed someday. I didn't test out 3D acceleration, but you and I both know that ATI's better than Intel.
| ATI (Radeon) | ATI (Fglrx) | Intel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra CPU interrupts / second | 0 | 60 :( | 0 |
| Watts used (over Intel) | 16 :( | 2 | 0 |
| Max battery life on a full charge (approx) | 2.3 hours :( | 5 hours | 7.5 hours |
| 3D Acceleration | Good | Good | Poor :( |
| 2D compositing (translucency) | Yes | Not with 3D :( | Yes |
I decided to run with the Intel card and drivers - if I really need to game, I'll install Windows on another partition and reboot.
MUJI pen/pencil + Hi-Tec-C hack
Summary for the impatient: cut a bit off the end of a Hi-Tec-C Coleto multi-pen refill, and it may be used instead of the ballpoint pen in the MUJI Ballpoint Pen & Mechanical Pencil.
It's not an addiction - I just like nice pens. Not expensive pens - nice ones. Take the MUJI pen/pencil combo. It's less than $4 and with an X-ACTO knife, a Hi-Tec-C Coleto refill and 5 minutes, I made mine into one of my favorite pens.
Step 1. Order the parts. I got the pen(cil) from MUJI's US website, and the refill from Jetpens (be sure to get the Coleto multi-pen refill). The main draw of the MUJI pen was the lack of external plungers found on other inexpensive multi-pens. I'm a Serious Professional (TM), and multi-colored plungers make me feel like I'm in grade school. However, I didn't like the ballpoint component of the pen - I mean, it's OK, but it's just a boring ballpoint. Pilot's Hi-Tec-C pens are smudge-resistant gels available in thin widths and lots of colors. Read more about them at Jetpens or The Pen Addict.
Step 2. Unscrew the barrel of the MUJI pen and carefully pull out the ballpoint pen component - it'll probably resist a bit.
Step 3. Pull the plunger out of the Hi-Tec-C refill.
Step 4. Lay the Hi-Tec-C refill and ballpoint component next to each other, tips aligned. Cut off a bit from the butt end of the Hi-Tec-C refill so it's the same length as the ballpoint.
Step 5. Reassemble the MUJI pen, being sure to press the refill in all the way. Dance around the room, because you have a sweet pen/pencil combo that cost $5.50.
Grandpa's Combination Pencil and Tie Clip
As I was helping my grandpa move into his new apartment, buried
amongst the pink slacks and talking wristwatches was a tie clip. Like
a magpie, I swooped in and captured the shiny cylinder (the pater
familias gave me the OK, don't worry). But oh! It wasn't just a tie
clip - it was also an extensible pencil. The pencil telescopes from
2.25" to 4.13" and takes 1 mm lead. Twisting the tip advances the
lead. Of course, there's not much lead to advance.
tie clip, it adequately keeps one's ascot out of one's gazpacho.
Found the river. http://j.mp/6Wbb3X
“Bob Dylan actually wrote every popular song in the last 35 years, every single one.”
So good it made me cry
(twice)
