De Deorum Natura
That's what the gods are! An answer that will do! Because there's food to be caught and babies to be born and a life to be lived and so there is no time for big, complicated, and worrying answers! Please give us a simple answer, so that we don't have to think, because if we think, we might find answers that don't fit the way we want the world to be.
--Mau, in Terry Pratchett's Nation
Time MachinesWe all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're running Ubuntu. Some take us forward, they're running OpenSolaris.
Sorry Jeremy, I couldn't resist. And my apologies to you as well, gentle reader, if you came here looking for the current state of affairs on OpenSolaris vs Ubuntu. One of these days I should write up my personal perspective on where things stand. Unless, of course, I can convince some folks to do an "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC"-style smackdown, which would be infinitely more entertaining. Assuming that will not come to pass.... For now suffice it to say that while we're not quite "there yet" with OpenSolaris, every day brings me a bit closer to concluding that my bastardized quotation ain't so far from being the truth.
But that's not what this entry is about. It's about time, plain and simple. Or, rather, not so simple as I discovered.... With a hat tip to Rich who always concludes each of his technical exercises in frustration by sharing what he's learned for the next poor soul who floats in on the same boat, I present to you what I've worked out thus far about time in a dual-boot Ubuntu/OpenSolaris environment:
- Ubuntu insists on setting your hardware clock to UTC. It doesn't matter if you didn't want your hardware clock set to UTC. Nor are you asked if you might want to switch away from the local time in favor of UTC -- unless, you happen to be using the alternative installer. Sadly, odds are that you are not: If you're using the user-friendly, graphical, "live CD," you are NOT using the alternative installer.
- Theoretically, the Ubuntu installer looks to see if you're in a dual-boot environment. If it concludes that you are, it is designed to not engage in its default time "correcting" behavior. This would suggest that installing OpenSolaris prior to Ubuntu would solve the problem. Alas, it does not. Trust me.
- I have been informed that "UTC=yes is the correct and sane default" If you're wondering what the advantage of it defaulting to yes happens to be, as I was/am, I'm afraid I couldn't tell you. (UPDATE, see below.) I truly believe that there is indeed a good reason -- feel free to add it in the comments for my edification -- but the fiat was all I got. Well, that and the fact that Ubuntu detects dual-boot installations ("albeit not always quite as often as you'd want." Indeed. See previous item.). Oh, and the suggestion that I "can always change it." Which brings me to:
How DO you change whether or not the hardware clock is set to UTC or the local time post-installation? You'd think (or at least I thought) you would be able to do so through the Time and Date Settings dialog, part of gnome-system-tools. Were that the case, there'd be a uniform (and hence more user-friendly) way to adjust this option in Ubuntu and OpenSolaris because both use the GNOME desktop and, therefore, both include g-s-t's Time and Date Settings dialog.
Of course, you could bypass the whole UTC vs. local timezone issue and use g-s-t to set up synchronization with an NTP server in both Ubuntu and OpenSolaris.... That's actually what I wound up doing last week. BUT what if you don't have a network connection at the moment? Besides I wanted an answer; not a workaround.
I was going to open an RFE against g-s-t -- I'm envisioning a "My clock is set to UTC" checkbox -- but someone beat me to it. Two years ago. It hasn't been closed as WONTFIX, but no action seems to have been taken either.  - So how do you change it in Ubuntu then? Well, some googling led me to the answer: Edit /etc/default/rcS. Just set UTC=no. Once you know this magical tidbit, it's all good: A few seconds' worth of editing and Ubuntu stops stomping on the time, OpenSolaris doesn't keep having the time changed on it, and you cease to send email to folks from four hours into the future.
 In other words, if all you want to do is cause your blessed environments to stop waging war over what time it is, this is all you need to do. And there was much rejoicing. Yea.
But what if you want to change it in OpenSolaris instead? At this point answering this question was/is admittedly merely an exercise to satisfy my curiosity. That said.... After some more googling.... It seems that you can use rtc for this purpose: pfexec /usr/sbin/rtc -z UTC is all you need. Once again, Ubuntu is happy (this time because it can continue stomping along on its "correct and sane" path  ), OpenSolaris is happy (because its time now jives with the hardware clock), and your friends no longer have any reason to suspect you've mastered time travel. At least not until you adjust the timezone via g-s-t. Doing so causes /etc/rtc_config -- the file you corrected via rtc -- to be updated and you're back to Ubuntu and OpenSolaris fighting again.
Should g-s-t be modifying /etc/rtc_config?? I honestly don't know, but life seems like it might be easier if it didn't, so I filed a bug against OpenSolaris. *shrugs*
Now if you would be so kind, answer me this: Why is it so much work to (figure out how to) configure something as simple and trivial as the time in a dual-boot environment? Shouldn't it JustWork™?
UPDATE: This morning Colin Watson began addressing the bug I filed regarding the Ubuntu Live CD's installer failing to set UTC=no in a dual-boot Ubuntu/OpenSolaris environment. He even took the time to provide me with a useful reference/link:
If you're unfamiliar with the reasons why keeping the hardware clock in local time is a bad idea, please read:
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/mswish/ut-rtc.html
Thanks Colin! Coincidence or Portent?Taken one month (almost to the day) before the start of what we may come to think of as the "Great Depression - Take 2":
Note to self: In the future, when giant red warning signs present themselves, don't laugh; pay attention.
What's Wrong With This Picture?There are oh so many things. How many can you find?
Those of you who can find several, please also find the opportunity to remind the "average users" in your life to think before they click. Claws Mail and Users Who Are Blind
A year ago, almost to the day, several users of Orca screen reader had expressed an interest in using Claws Mail instead of Evolution (currently the default mail client of the GNOME desktop) or Thunderbird. The Orca team is very small, but we do our best to implement the features and support requested by our users -- in addition to working on those critical features that any screen reader should have and fixing the bugs which, alas, exist. So I took a look at Claws Mail from an accessibility point of view. After all, if Claws Mail uses standard Gtk, it shouldn't be too hard to implement support in Orca.
The good news: Claws mail is (as I recall) mostly standard Gtk. Yea!
The bad news: There are a few custom widgets which are not accessible, and there is no caret navigation implemented when reading messages. These two issues prevent us from being able to implement support. Had I more time in the day, I might be able to at least generate a proof-of-concept patch for the first issue, but my current skill level is not likely such that I could implement caret navigation. So, as is custom in the open source world, I opened a couple of bugs:
And, as is sadly too often custom in the accessibility world, they languished. Until today:
It looks like nobody has been interested in implementing this feature since the
end of 2007; in order to clean up the bugzilla, I'm marking this WONTFIX.
Features in Claws Mail get implemented on a developer-interest basis: if one of
the core developers codes a feature, or if an external contributor provides a
good patch, the feature gets added. If the feature interests nobody with coding
abilities, although it seems nicer to leave old requests lingering in Bugzilla
and let the submitter hope the feature will be added someday, it's more honest
(and cleaner) to close them as WONTFIX.
Fail.
I suppose I should at least give the Claws Mail guys credit for being honest and stating that they're not interested in accessibility, but it is a shame for the end user.
Now back to focusing on implementing support in Orca where it belongs: on those applications whose developers ARE interested....
On the issue of retroactive immunity
From today's "Hodes Hotline Update":
I opposed the FISA legislation because I believe it does not strike the proper balance between protecting civil liberty and security as it undermines essential rights of US citizens to be free from warrantless government surveillance. We must not compromise the fundamental constitutional rights of our citizens.
It is never acceptable to violate our Bill of Rights. It is my top priority to protect our country and keep us safeand our intelligence services have the tools to do that right now. At the same time, I have consistently opposed any legislation that grants retroactive immunity for telecommunication companies that cooperated with the Bush administrations apparently illegal warrantless wiretapping program. This legislation provides de facto immunity without real accountability.
If we give a free pass to the government to invade our privacy outside the boundaries of the Constitution, we give up the freedom for which so many Americans have fought and died.
(emphasis added by me)
Thank you Congressman Hodes for your efforts! It's almost summer.......And those of you who know me know what that means: the frighteningly rapid approach of the course which shan't be named.
Given the lack of public transportation in New Hampshire and my rather ADHD personality, waiting around for a bus to fling myself in front of doesn't seem like a viable option. Do you think it's possible that the Maya sucked at math?? I mean it's almost 2012, and they didn't have calculators back then....
Words - Missing Persons
Do you hear me
Do you care
Do you hear me
Do you care
My lips are moving and the sound's coming out
The words are audible but I have my doubts
That you realize what has been said
You look at me as if you're in a daze
It's like the feeling at the end of the page
when you realize you don't know what you just read
What are words for when no one listens anymore
What are words for when no one listens
What are words for when no one listens it's no use talkin at all
I might as well go up and talk to a wall
'cause all the words are having no effect at all
It's a funny thing am I all alone
Something has to happen to change the direction
What little filters through is giving you the wrong impression
It's a sorry state I say to myself
What are words for when no one listens anymore
What are words for when no one listens
What are words for when no one listens it's no use talkin at all
Do you hear me
Do you care
Do you hear me
Do you care
Let me get by
Over your dead body
Hope to see you soon
When will I know
Doors three feet wide with no locks open
Walking always backwards in the faces of strangers
Time could be my friend
But it's less than nowhere now
less than nowhere now
less than nowhere now
now
ow ow ow
Pursue it further and another thing you'll find
Not only are they deaf and dumb they could be going blind and no one notices
I think I'll dye my hair blue
Media overload bombarding you with action
It's getting near impossible to cause distraction
Someone answer me before I pull out the plug
What are words for when no one listens anymore
What are words for when no one listens
What are words for when no one listens it's no use talkin at all
What are words for when no one listens anymore
What are words for when no one listens
What are words for when no one listens it's no use talkin at all
Do you hear me
Do you care
Do you hear me
Do you care
tell me what are words for
Do you hear me
tell me what are words for
Do you care
tell me what are words for
Do you hear me
so tell me what are words for
Do you care
so tell me what are words for
Do you hear me
tell me what are words for
so tell me what are words for
Do you care
so tell me what are words for
Do you hear me
tell me what are words for
so tell me what are words for
Do you care
so tell me what are words for
(Lyrics provided by leoslyrics.com via Rhythmbox)
Dave Winer on health careDave Winer says:
We all hope our houses don't catch fire, but when they do, we're damned happy we don't get an argument when we call 911. Why should cancer, diabetes and heart disease be any different? I don't get it.
Indeed. And I don't get it either.
Dave said a bunch more than that though (read his full entry). GNOME Foundation Announces Program to Sponsor Accessibility Projects
BOSTON, MassFebruary 27, 2008 The GNOME Foundation is running an
accessibility outreach program, offering USD$50,000 to be split among
individuals. This program will promote software accessibility awareness
among the GNOME community as well as harden and improve the overall
quality of the GNOME accessibility offering.
The program is sponsored by GNOME Foundation, Mozilla Foundation,
Google™'s Open Source Program Office, Canonical, and Novell. This is the
second in a series of outreach programs coordinated and run by the GNOME
Foundation.
"I'm excited about the GNOME accessibility outreach program because it
continues the promotion of compelling accessible design as part of the
mainstream developer culture. We believe the set of tangible and
achievable tasks outlined will help improve the already good
accessibility offering of the GNOME desktop," said Willie Walker, Senior
Staff Engineer of Sun Microsystems, Inc.
GNOME Outreach Program: Accessibility starts accepting applications on
March 1st and will run towards the end of the year. There will be two
tracks to the program: In the first track accepted individuals will work
towards accomplishing one of the major projects nominated for the
program, earning US$6,000 and can take up to six months to complete the
task. The second track will reward contributors US$1,000 for fixing five
bugs out of a pool of accessibility bugs nominated by the program
judges.
Individuals interested in participating in the program should check out
www.gnome.org/projects/outreach/a11y.
More information about the program may be found at the same location.
Read the full announcement at:
http://www.gnome.org/press/releases/gop-a11y.html
Website AccessibilityWill thinks that if we write the developers of websites whose content is inaccessible (or a challenge to access), those developers will fix their problems. I used to believe that as well. It may take a village to raise a child, but unfortunately it seems to take lawsuit in federal court to raise awareness. But seeing as how Will is Orca project lead whereas I am a humble community contributor, and seeing as how I have taken to mumbling the words "crappy markup" in Will's general direction as I continue my work on Orca's support for Firefox, I suppose the very least I can do is give his idea a shot.
Today's note went to Safeway.com via their online suggestion form:
Dear Safeway.com:
I'd like to bring to your attention the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative. There you will find a number of resources which you can take advantage of when evaluating your site's content for accessibility. In particular, please see Guideline 1 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines: Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content.
1.1 Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content). This includes: images, graphical representations of text (including symbols), image map regions, animations (e.g., animated GIFs), applets and programmatic objects, ascii art, frames, scripts, images used as list bullets, spacers, graphical buttons, sounds (played with or without user interaction), stand-alone audio files, audio tracks of video, and video. [Priority 1]
For example, in HTML:
- Use "alt" for the IMG, INPUT, and APPLET elements, or provide a text equivalent in the content of the OBJECT and APPLET elements.
- For complex content (e.g., a chart) where the "alt" text does not provide a complete text equivalent, provide an additional description using, for example, "longdesc" with IMG or FRAME, a link inside an OBJECT element, or a description link.
- For image maps, either use the "alt" attribute with AREA, or use the MAP element with A elements (and other text) as content.
At the bottom of your site you have an imagemap:
<map name="links">
<area alt="" coords="0,0,48,28"
href="javascript:loadframesetpages('','http://www.vons.com','0','','')">
<area alt="" coords="48,30,124,0"
href="javascript:loadframesetpages('','http://www.dominicks.com','0','','')">
<area alt="" coords="193,0,124,33"
href="javascript:loadframesetpages('','http://www.randalls.com','0','','')">
read more..
</map>
Because your alternative text is an empty string, the items within your imagemap are inaccessible to users who are blind. Providing the name of the store (alt="Vons") should resolve this problem.
Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter!
Here's to hoping... Things that are just plain wrongWhat not to send to members whom you wish to keep
I've been an on-again/off-again member of AER (Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired) for a decade or so. The reason for my fickle membership has been that I just don't see much benefit from being a member, especially now that my focus is 100% on assistive technology -- an area which should be much more of a focus in AER given that AER is basically THE organization of the profession and that one's ability to live and work independently as a person who is blind depends significantly on having access to and skills in the use of AT.
As a result, I tend to renew my membership when doing so will get me discounts on conferences I need to attend or a reduction in fees when I'm applying for re-certification. At least that was before I received this "AER-GRAM":
***URGENT! CANCELLATION NOTICE!***
***IMMEDIATE REPLY REQUESTED!***
THE AER BOARD OF DIRECTORS, IN COMPLIANCE WITH OUR ORGANIZATIONAL BYLAWS, MUST TAKE FINAL ACTION CANCELLING YOUR MEMBERSHIP UNLESS THE MEMBERSHIP DUES BALANCE SHOWN BELOW IS RECEIVED PRIOR TO JANUARY 31, 2008. FAILURE TO MAKE PAYMENT OF YOUR AER MEMBERSHIP DUES WILL PROMPT US TO REMOVE YOU FROM AER'S MEMBERSHIP ROSTER.
WE URGE YOU TO GIVE THIS MATTER YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. PLEASE REMIT THE ENTIRE BALANCE DUE IN THE ENVELOPE PROVIDED. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS LETTER, PLEASE CONTACT AER AT (877) 492-2708, EXT. 202.
Any lingering questions I did have about the value of being a member were just answered. Snow!
I've been Wikipedized!Or rather my photo of the Nansen-Ski-Jump has been. That is soooo cool. Thanks to Danlev for the heads up!
Vegetarian Comfort FoodA very wise man once said that "it is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes." 'Tis true, 'tis true: You also need gravy.
The problem with gravy is that it's not vegetarian. The possibility of a vegetarian gravy that tastes like gravy has periodically crossed my mind, but I've always immediately dismissed it. Some things are inherently "meaty," and gravy is one of those things. As a result, I don't believe I've had mashed potatoes in over twelve years.
I am an idiot.
If you're looking for a vegetarian gravy, give this recipe a try. For the "2 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth," go with the vegetable broth. I used the Better Than Bouillon Organic Vegetable Base, adding a little extra for good measure. I also left out the balsamic vinegar and mushrooms, and used red wine rather than red wine vinegar. The end result sure tasted like honest-to-goodness gravy to me. It looked like honest-to-goodness gravy too.
If you're not vegan, pour your gravy atop some blue cheese mashed potatoes. They are simply fabulous. And if you're looking for a blue cheese that does not contain animal rennet, try Maytag's.
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