"Energy and Advertisments" written by Paul on estrip.org

Category: web

04/02/11 02:56 - ID#53963

Energy and Advertisments

It seems like there is this never ending race for more bandwidth. Some of it is necessary to facilitate things like HD video, immersion gaming technology, etc. At the same time so much of it is totally wasted on web ads. Think about all of the news sites you visit. How much of the downloaded data is actually content and how much is simply bandwidth wasted, click the dancing monkey, buy this new software bullshit.

I feel like they are getting so much worse. What starts out generally as a header or footer ad, slowly turns into a third column of ads, then ads between each article and worst of all, ads that float down on top of the content and force you to close them in order to read the actual content.

Its not just bandwidth, it is energy being wasted. Its sick when you consider how much of it is not ever recognized by the user and then how much energy it takes. I would love to see a study of the energy used to produce web ads seen by a user for a year in terms of coal usage, etc. Not only is it bad for the environment and its very bad for your laptops battery life.

Having a browser with a flash blocking plugin helps, but with the move to HTML5 this is going to be increasingly difficult to block.

tinypliny writes at 06:38:34 04/03/11 - Comment #61617: Nevermind. Seems to be some other problem. As soon as I removed firefox, chrome has started dragging as well.

tinypliny writes at 06:19:19 04/03/11 - Comment #61615: Yes, FF04. I installed it using this ppa ppa:mozillateam/firefox-stable
Its not on my fastest laptop. This laptop has just 512 megs ram and is from 2005 and is running WattOS (with LXDE).

paul writes at 05:38:25 04/03/11 - Comment #61614: Firefox 4? I don't believe you. It loads for me in under 1 second.

tinypliny writes at 05:24:49 04/03/11 - Comment #61613: I just ran it head to head with chrome loading (e:strip). Sorry to say, it took a whole 46 seconds more to load (e:strip). I went a brewed a cup of tea and it was still loading.

sudo aptitude purge firefox it is.

tinypliny writes at 04:04:46 04/03/11 - Comment #61609: Trying it out now... (you have great persuasive powers ;-)

paul writes at 02:10:57 04/03/11 - Comment #61608: Firefox 4 is awesome. You should trying it again.

metalpeter writes at 01:52:12 04/03/11 - Comment #61607: Firefox used to be awesome and then at some point not sure why it seems to take forever on everything..........

tinypliny writes at 01:16:55 04/03/11 - Comment #61605: Sadly I do. Chrome is a resource-hogger. I prefer Opera 11.01 on Windows platforms and Chrome on linux. Somewhere around firefox's 2.0 release it started taking AGES to startup and I hated it and never got back to it.

paul writes at 01:13:49 04/03/11 - Comment #61604: Did you know IE9 and Firefox 4 are more efficient than chrome/safari.

tinypliny writes at 01:05:15 04/03/11 - Comment #61602: You need Chromelite!! :::link:::

tinypliny writes at 03:40:28 04/02/11 - Comment #61595: I hate those ads that keep coming on top of everything else. I use readability to cut down on junk a lot, but sometimes readability does not function well. Stripping down to text is another way to get rid of these annoyances. Some browsers like Opera allow you to script your own CSS and apply it on top of every webpage. It makes all uniqueness and colour go away but I am more productive and able to learn about things and read things much more quickly than without a readability or CSS filter.

Permalink: Energy_and_Advertisments.html
Words: 234
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 04/02/11 02:58

Category: linux

04/01/11 07:14 - ID#53958

Gnome-shell minus black panel

I like that the new gnome-shell is created with js and css. It means a lot more people will be able to play with and add stuff to the desktop once its released. It just makes it way easy to tweak the interface.

Here I took the panel and made it tiny font size and transparent, giving me almost my entire screen as screen real estate with barely any UI until I am in the activity screen.

Normal

Activity Panel

paul writes at 08:16:49 04/02/11 - Comment #61596: (e:tinypliny) - you might get is faster than I thought, the delay really was an April Fools joke, so Fedora 15 is still on schedule for May. :::link:::

I am so glad because I was really starting to finally enjoy gnome-shell.

paul writes at 03:04:22 04/02/11 - Comment #61594: I can't decide if the delay is an april fools joke or not :::link:::

uncutsaniflush writes at 10:20:39 04/01/11 - Comment #61566: I can see how using CSS would be an advantage. I think of the strengths and weaknesses of e17 is that uses efl. Using EFL isn't particularly complicated (at least to my eyes), works on just about any device (including toasters) and it works across platforms but CSS is much more universal.

paul writes at 10:08:58 04/01/11 - Comment #61565: You can do that in gnome 2 already. The difference with new gnome shell is the styling is all done with CSS, the same style markup language used for web sites.

tinypliny writes at 08:53:54 04/01/11 - Comment #61563: I think you can make the panel transparent even now in gnome....

uncutsaniflush writes at 08:52:40 04/01/11 - Comment #61562: Is it configurable at a gui userland level?

Or like all sorts of other gnome2 stuffs that I've experienced in Ubuntu, did you have to edit conf files and/or write scripts? One of the things that annoys the hell out of me that gnomescreensaver doesn't have a gui for setting even though it is based on xscreensaver (which does have a settings gui).

I like the ability to resize a panel and to make it "invisible". Since I've been able to do both in KDE and e17, I would have thought you would have been able to do that in gnome as well.

tinypliny writes at 07:41:50 04/01/11 - Comment #61559: Oh well, it's pretty. :)

paul writes at 07:32:26 04/01/11 - Comment #61547: It make me question how the Fedora team thought they were 99% done and ready for release :::link:::

"Targeted release: Fedora 15
Last updated: 2010-03-25
Percentage of completion: 99%"

Under contingency plan they have "If gnome-shell is not complete or stable enough, keep it experimental and use the 'fallback mode'. If there are problems with certain combinations of graphics hardware and drivers, use gnome-shell only on known good combinations, and use fallback mode everywhere else." Maybe they will do just that.

paul writes at 07:29:09 04/01/11 - Comment #61542: Unfortunately, I can't easily share it with you as there was a lot of compiling involved to get this to work and gnome-shell is not ready for prime time yet. Gnome-shell and Gnome 3 were slated for Fedora 15 in May but today the Gnome release team met in Bangalore and pushed Gnome 3 back to September - so I don't know what that means for Fedora 15 :::link:::

tinypliny writes at 07:20:01 04/01/11 - Comment #61536: OOOHHH... Can you share this configuration maybe? What is that floaty search you are using?

Permalink: Gnome_shell_minus_black_panel.html
Words: 92
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 04/01/11 07:15

Category: buffalo

04/01/11 01:30 - ID#53954

Downtown Buffalo is So Foggy

It looks so grey. I am ready for the sun.

Permalink: Downtown_Buffalo_is_So_Foggy.html
Words: 16
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 04/01/11 04:47

Category: body

03/31/11 05:00 - ID#53950

Orange Tongue

My tongue drama continues. Ever since I got this new fake tooth ny ears have been ringing, my nose has been burning, my throat is sore and my tongue turned orange.

You can see that the porcelain tooth replacement is really just a cheap nickel tooth covered in porcelain and not covered very well.

Its hard to tell just how orange it is based on the pic with flash.

I guess other people have had similar issues.

I am so tired of this tongue freakshow in my mouth. I wonder what causes it. Do I have some underlying fungal infection.? Am I allergic to the cheap metal in my tooth?

I wish I could just start my life over and ate no candy from the beginning.

JakeBoston writes at 09:04:25 06/29/13 - Comment #70088: I know this post is a couple of years old LoL I'm not sure if you ever solved your "orange tongue" problem, but I felt I should share my advice... This is actually Xerostomia, or severe dry mouth. I have the same problem from a medication I take so I never sweat. If you had your tooth replaced rather recently from this photo then it is more than likely caused from the procedure and since the metal is more exposed it has drying properties. The location of the tooth can't be replaced with only a porcelain tooth because it would break too easily since you always would chew with it. I do not think it to be a good job of the dentist having the metal center exposed, this seems to only be a fitting issue though, so it could be easily remedied with one return visit that should be free. If the Xerostomia continues then your solution would be drinking more water, sugar free hard candy or gum, or what I use and is a Godsend is a product that the company Biotene makes called Dry Mouth Gel. It is a minty gel you place on your tongue and apply to your gums evenly. It is amazing. Also, never use any mouth wash with alcohol and use a fluoride rinse such as Act. And buy a tongue scrapper. All of these can be found at any drugstore or grocery shop and are all less than $5. Hope you solved this issue already man I know how terrible it can be.

flacidness writes at 02:34:14 04/02/11 - Comment #61585: My goodness paul. Can you feel it on your tounge?

tinypliny writes at 07:25:30 04/01/11 - Comment #61539: What were you eating? Maybe its not fungal infection... maybe its cheetos...

tinypliny writes at 07:24:53 04/01/11 - Comment #61538: Maybe it's an allergy to the metal. It looks like allergy compounded by a fungal infection. Fungi are usually vivid crazy shades... but I am stumped on why you are getting the infection in the first place. Maybe it's an allergy -> inflammation -> loss of function -> infection -> orange tongue cycle.

Have you ever had this orange tongue or geographic tongue symptoms BEFORE you got that nickel plated tooth?

paul writes at 01:38:52 04/01/11 - Comment #61533: I had all the metal ones removed in 1998. There were 11 of them. I had them replaced with the resin. They lasted a good 10+ years and some need to be refilled. Our insurance only covers metal fillings in back teeth according the my dentist. I said I would just pay the $300 to get the resin ones. Anyways, this was a different problem. I was told the cavity could not be filled and the tooth needed to be sawn off and replaced by a porcelain crown. What I thought was a porcelain crown turned out to be filled with metal. I can see the nickel colored metal at the gumline and it has a nasty metal taste. I think at this point it might be impossible to remove it without loosing the roots.

fing writes at 12:04:55 04/01/11 - Comment #61532: Did you get the poly-resin filling? I had several cavities as a kid and sometimes they get bad again. I have them filled with poly-resin which takes a while to harden but I don't think it uses any metal. From what I understand it bonds better with your tooth too.

uncutsaniflush writes at 05:49:53 03/31/11 - Comment #61530: I hope your mouth/tongue/teeth get better fast. Stuff that would drive me crazy.

Permalink: Orange_Tongue.html
Words: 138
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 04/01/11 01:51

Category: linwood

03/31/11 04:54 - ID#53949

Broken Tree On Linwood

Its been several weeks since the tree fell down on the property down the street from us. The property is the back of the fairfaxes parking lot. Its annoying because no one ever shovels it, or cleans the garbage piles from it and now the tree. I wonder how long it will take.

Permalink: Broken_Tree_On_Linwood.html
Words: 55
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 03/31/11 04:54

Category: food

03/29/11 10:37 - ID#53944

My Latest Flavor Bowl - Rare Tuna Style

I was at premier on Delaware picking up more Bubbies mochi ice cream treats when I saw they had sashimi grade tuna on sale at a great price. I got this very filling portion at the very reasonable price for $5.48. It was a little more than 1/2lb.

I paired it with mung bean noodles cooked with chopped mushrooms and seasoned with sesame oil on the bottom.

Then a layer of chopped celery, grated carrot, steamed escarole, asparagus, and sauteed shallots.

I cooked the thick tuna in long blocks real quick on each side and then sliced those blocks up further after cooking.

Here is the final product

As for the bubbies mochi icecream, this time I got tiramisu and chocolate peanut butter.

Permalink: My_Latest_Flavor_Bowl_Rare_Tuna_Style.html
Words: 136
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 03/29/11 10:41

Category: web

03/29/11 10:17 - ID#53943

Japanese Tsunami Footage Comments

I saw a link to this video posted by Casey on (e:terry)'s facebook wall. It seems so scary watching it rush in. I think I would have had a heart attack viewing it from the filming perspective. I wonder if those people got down safely or not? The real crazy part is the comments.

You're a muslim whichï»¿ means you're a dirty brown person who needs to be washed away like half of Japan!! -- jesuswashere0000 7 minutes ago

@NobleSquad 9/11 was worse because it was an act of hatred from one groupï»¿ of people to another. this was an avoidable act of nature.

goaliemanshubi 16 minutes ago

It saddens me when God takes action against the non believers but who am I to try and comprehend and judge his will. It is a shame but theï»¿ japs did had it coming.

jesuswashere0000 42 minutes ago

Permalink: Japanese_Tsunami_Footage_Comments.html
Words: 157
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 03/29/11 10:19

Category: buffalo

03/29/11 09:57 - ID#53942

Forced to Watch at the Holding Center

Everyone knows how much I hate advertising but this is really taking it over the top. I guess these people are prisoners for a reason but it seems like the beginning of something bad.

Starting next week, advertisements will begin to run at the Erie County Holding Center in Buffalo. Interspersed will be some "need-to-know" information, in case this is your first time in lock-up.

The screens will run relevant information, such as the rules and regulations of the holding centre, while also airing public-service announcements for â€œsocially responsible issues and county servicesâ€ such as addiction rehabilitation.

It will also air advertisements, most notably for defence attorneys and bail bondsmen. since the audience will likely be looking for some help in that field....

However, the ads will not be limited to just services targeted to those in jail, Diina said.

â€œEventually, most of these people get out. So they do represent the future of the marketplace,â€ he said.

The crazy part is the payoff is so litte.

The advertising at Erie County Holding Center could bring in more than $10,000 a year. Half of the spots already have been sold.

I guess any profit made is good in Buffalo desperate financial situation but it seems like such an insignificant amount in the budget of Erie County. Like that could have saved that much not running generators 24/7 for like 5 months on my corner when they were doing road construction.

Permalink: Forced_to_Watch_at_the_Holding_Center.html
Words: 247
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 03/30/11 12:32

Category: vacation

03/28/11 10:04 - ID#53937

The worst vacation ever - rant

So my final two vacation days to burn up. Just before I took them I got a huge project to deal with at work for thursday. I am beyond capacity at this point and it doesn't seem to get any better.

I worked on it a bunch this weekend and then last night:
a. The windows XP machine I needed for testing had some sort of disk failure.
b. I decided to compile gnome-shell from scratch to see the latest version - which ended up taking forever.
c. I got a freakin cold. I can't believe I am sick now.

So today I spent the whole day with full-on cold, mostly napping. I am convinced it has to do with my new tooth crown - which I hate as it tastes like metal. If I realized porcelain meant, porcelain fused to cheap metal like nickel - I would have just gotten a gold tooth. Now its kind of too late. To get it off would probably make me lose my whole tooth and a good chunk of change.

Permalink: The_worst_vacation_ever_rant.html
Words: 178
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 03/28/11 10:15

Category: pets

03/27/11 06:21 - ID#53926

Monster Basra Vs Prickly Pear

He really goes nuts for prickly pears. I hate them because they have those prickly splinters all over the outside. I started burning then off over a gas flame but now I invariably burn myself in additional to still getting the splinters.