Word of the Day

enraged - angered, infuriated, with regard to horses this word describes an upright leaping posture, as in saliant for a lion or a tiger

I'm having some trouble with the Pandora application. I can't say why exactly, but for some reason my Windows 2003 server is lagging the hell out, and it can't get through an entire song without the audio cutting out completely. This is especially infuriating because I have been using this server as my work radio while I work in the kitchen in the next room. My Linux workstation is chugging along, playing music from Pandora without skipping a beat, so I think it must not be a problem with the wireless network. The two machines are on different wired subnets, so more investigation is necessary to prove that conclusively; it's still a mystery to me.

Unfortunately the Bluetooth dongle doesn't work so easily in Linux. In Windows Server 2003, I installed the Belkin drivers and paired my Bluetooth headset, and the audio gateway service registered a new sound device. Heading into the audio preferences, it was a simple matter to select a new Default Audio Device, and immediately I noticed that all of my sound events were routed to the Bluetooth headset. In Linux, it has not been such a simple matter. Pairing the device did not require a separate driver installation; I was immediately impressed by this! Unfortunately, neither Skype nor the Sound Preferences panel applet make any reference to a Bluetooth device in the interface elements.

What does this mean? We need a new arrangement. The Linux machine should become the #1 internet radio in our home, and Blackruby, the Windows Server, is in charge of vidi-telefax services. The Linux machine still works as a standard audio-only Skype phone, and the built in speaker in the monitor is sufficient for that purpose, so long as an external microphone is connected. Moving the Klipsch 5.1 speaker set from my apartment will upgrade that box to a pretty sweet entertainment machine, and the Windows 2003 Server will continue to serve as the chief Video Telephone and Fax Machine. All of this will move upstairs to Joe's old room and we can call this the guest office for as long as it takes to find a new tenant here at 149.

As for the Macintosh, I guess it is still a pretty good word processing machine.