4 posts tagged “it”

Blogs, Tux the penguin, shells and 64 bit comps.

Apr 30, 2008
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I am really no good at keeping this blog up to date! In fact, I fail. My neighbours create such great blog entries, keep up the good work!

I have been busy revising again for another exam next month. I may have a work experience placement at an IT firm in Leeds next month. This would help me greatly in my hunt for a career! Thanks to my brother in law and sister =) Again, its often not what you know, but who you know!

In my last entry I posted (quite literally) how to post a computer. I messed around with knoppix a few times. If you get chance, burn yourself a copy of this live bootable CD. You can use knoppix to help rescue a windows install and get a feel for GNU/Open Source.

Knoppix Boot

Download the iso image from one of the many mirrors, then burn to disk. Once burned restart your computer. Make sure the BIOS is set to boot from cd drive and you will get the splash image shown on the left.

If you get into a spot of bother with windows try to recover using Knoppix and one of the many guides available.

Knoppix Hardware Test

Knoppix boot detects hardware. It has support for many graphics cards, sound cards, SCSI and USB devices and other peripherals.

I decided to install the new version of Ubuntu, Hardy Heron. Since I have a 64 bit AMD processor I decided to install the 64 bit version. My test rig has two hard drives, and I want to set up Ubuntu on a RAID 0 array (two hard drives working together striping data across the disks) However, upon reading I discovered Ubuntu (and Debian) do not have support for the SATA RAID (also called FakeRAID) The only distros to support this currently are Gentoo and Fedora Core 5. Not to be hindered I discovered a way to install upon a raid array via the most excellent versatile powerful linux shell. Yes, the shell is that good, im addicted! This would also be an excellent way for me to practice and understand shell commands, and get under the hood of the system and understand what the operating system consists of (debian core, ubuntu-base, linux kernel, dmraid, grub, and ubuntu-desktop) The tutorial I followed HERE was for version 7.04, Feisty Fawn. I had to improvise in certain areas and learn more about each process via various websites till I got it right. But how much fun I had! I can see why so many people prefer Linux over Windows.

Here is a vid of my new freshly installed 64 Bit Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron Linux distro on a RAID array:

Ubuntu Vid

POSTing a new system. In 8 steps.

Apr 18, 2008
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Spent a few hours last night rigging the new test system together.
Here is my progress in the form of a step by step guide:

1. The Casing

First thing first, check out the casing and wiring. Familiarise yourself with the case construction. Have a suitable workspace available free from clutter. Do not use the floor, as carpet gives off a whack of ESD that will damage electrical components.

2. ESD Precautions

Here I have covered my small worktop with aluminium foil. Great to keep the static at bay. The rubber glove is for artificial insemination. Erm, ok, not really! Good for ESD prevention though!
Better to be safe than have a wonky computer.

3. Mobo

Put your casing somewhere save for the time being and carefully take out the motherboard from its protective wrapping. Place it on the work surface. Do the same with your processor, heatsink, memory and thermal compound.
Lift up the processor slot arm on the motherboard, align the processor and slot in. Push the arm back down. Apply some thermal compound to the top of the processor to keep it nice and cool. Clip the heaksink on top of the processor. Make sure it is on properly. Don't want it falling off now do we! Make sure the heatsink fan cable is connected to the motherboard
Insert your memory into the appropriate slots.

4. Attach Motherboard

Align the motherboard to the screw holes on the case chassis. Some cases have a pull out chassis like this one. Others don't. Use the right screws provided by the case to attach the motherboard.

5. Cables

Attach all the case cables (i.e.. ATX power, CPU Power, case leads) to the correct pins on the motherboard following the pin layout in your motherboard manual.
Get your cables sorted!

6. BOOT!

We have not inserted any expansion cards yet. Don't bother. If you have any problems it will just make it worse to troubleshoot. Attach your monitor VGA cable to the motherboard VGA output. Don't worry about putting the housing back on the chassis of the case just yet. Plug in the power to the case power supply. Oh yes, my case came with a power supply attached to housing so I did not have to insert a power supply into case. Otherwise that would have been done between step 2 & 3.
Turn it on baby! One beep.. Voila Monsieur!

7. CMOS

Enter CMOS via boot (Hit delete key usually) and enter correct time. Check out the system.
Grab a beer.

8. Done

Once you have finished messing with cmos, save and exit, then power off your creation.
Finish by putting in expansion cards and hard drives.
Make sure everything is working properly in stages.

Tomorrow, time to play with Knoppix!

nano-good or nano-evil?

Feb 22, 2008
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Is turns out that most Americans find nanotechnology unacceptable, only 29.5% find it morally acceptable. While reading this article this morning I felt the need to share my views on what I think will be a major argument in the progression of humanity in the next 20 years.

We are reaching a point now where computers are getting small, real small. Moore's law states that that the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits had doubled every year since the integrated circuit was invented. Most experts, including Moore himself, expect Moore's Law to hold for at least another two decades. A futurist called Ray Kurzweil, argues that an extension to Moore's Law will be the technological singularity, a hypothesised point in the future of the creation of self-improving intelligence, unprecedented rapid technological progress, or a combination of the two. I read another article the other day on BBC news website that puts this around 2029. 'The singularity is near' movie is also going to be released this year adding more awareness to the public sphere of our possible advances in technology and AI.

Will this singularity occur? That is the question... Is it possible? What are the biblical basis for such technology coming from a Christian point of view?

For the Christian the place to look is Scripture. What does it say about technology? Well I am sorry, but there is nothing in there that states that nanotechnology is morally unacceptable. The Apostle Paul in Romans 1:30 points out that fallen humanity are 'inventors of evil things'. Of course, we have to look at this in context. Paul was talking about humanity not worshipping their creator, and because of this God has given them over to their own devices. Intellectual arrogance has resulted in a reversed set of values, the worship of the living God is exchanged for the devotion and worship of man made idols. This is the biblical argument over AI. Humanity creating something in its image. And the danger comes if we were to start worshipping such.

Progression in nanotechnology means advances in molecular biology and possible cures for cancer and other illnesses. This is worth the research, but the arguments involved, which we are likely to see happen over the next decade or so may stop this advance.

Technology has benefited mankind in many ways positive and negative, and as always I think we need to find balance. We need to hold onto all the good and take out all the bad. I'm all for using technology to the advancement of mankind, for good purposes. As long as we do not blow ourselves up with it, or kill each other with it which is what we tend to do. And this is where the real problem lies, in the human heart. And what we intend to do with the technology we create by the greatest gift given to us, intelligence.