mentalNoise

Since I have a very old and outdated PC at home, it would be overkill to try and install the default Ubuntu setup in it. There are a lot of documentation online regarding installation in low memory systems. This particular one was what I followed to get my Ubuntu running. In doing just a server install, you will be greeted by the good old command line interface (CLI) each and every time you login. I don’t know about you but in today’s world of mouse clicks, it would be very convenient to have a GUI of some sort. I chose Fluxbox to be my window manager. This is what I did first.

$ sudo apt-get install fluxbox x-window-system-core xdm

The command above installs:

Fluxbox
In Unix (and others including GNU/Linux) computing, Fluxbox is a window manager for the X Window System based on Blackbox 0.61.1.

X Window System
In computing, the X Window System (commonly X11 or X) is a windowing system for bitmap displays.
…
X provides the basic framework for a GUI environment: drawing and moving windows on the screen and interacting with a mouse and keyboard.

XDM
(in full, the X Window Display Manager) is the default display manager for the X Window System. It is a bare-bones X display manager. It was introduced with X11 Release 3 in October 1988, to support the standalone X terminals that were just coming onto the market. It was written by Keith Packard.

All definitions taken from Wikipedia

It would be fine and dandy if you have a fast internet connection. Installation of these packages is easy.

“But what if I have no internet connection?”, you might ask.

Ahhh … that’s another story to be told! I will be posting it some time later because I am not feeling up to it right now. So just wait for it.

I ain’t talking about that stupid song. What I am talking about is that I have entered a whole new world in operating systems (OS): Ubuntu. What is it? Linux, well at least one of it’s many distros in existence. Yep, I have ventured into the unknown and now I am feeling like a student again. Back to square one as most would say.

It would be unfair for me to say that Ubuntu is the best distro of linux out there since it’s the only distro I have tried. What I do like about it is that it is oriented to be a home / desktop OS. It was easy to install and the default programs almost caters to the basic needs of an average computer user. It comes with the Gnome desktop environment by default. Of course, you can customize your window manager to your liking (ahh … the power of Linux!) or to use a different window manager available out there (that is if you know how and which is exactly what I am trying to learn).

The most recent release as of this writing is version 5.10 codenamed Breezy Badger. You can get copies of the installer (and live) CD from their website if you have a fast internet connection. Just download the appropriate .iso file and burn it into a CD with a CD burning tool of your choice. Or you can get free CDs (yep, free!!!) by ordering through Shipit - Free CDs.

That’s just about all I can say for now. I am still learning how to get Fluxbox to run as my default window manager for now and that’s another story. I will be posting my experience about it soon (hopefully).

The Exorcism of Emily Rose is about the demonic possession(s) of a 19-year old girl named Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter) who eventually died. In the duration of her demonic possessions, parish priest Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson) took her under his care and performed exorcism rites hoping to drive away whoever … whatever … it was causing the disturbance in Emily. Since Emily was under Father Moore’s care when she died, he was charged by the court with negligent homicide. Lawyer Erin Bruner (Laura Linney), a self-proclaimed agnostic, is tasked of defending Father Moore’s innocence. In the events of the trial, the story of Emily Rose is unfolded as told by those who witnessed her ordeal and the priest who tried to alleviate her from the evil.

Okay, that might qualify as the crappiest movie synopsis you have ever read but since I am not a professional movie analyst/critic it will have to suffice. Anyway, here is my take on the movie.

Having seen the well-known flick The Exorcist before, I couldn’t help but think that The Exorcism of Emily Rose would be of the same plot or another rip-off horror flick trying to make a quick buck. Much to my amusement (and amazement), I found myself drawn to the movie. Perhaps it was due to the intellectually spiritual way the story was portrayed. Intellectually spiritual because it made me think about my faith and the possibility that possessions are real. That perhaps not everything must be taken with logic and science. That sometimes we need to accept the possibility that there is more to life than scientific theories and explanations. I am a Catholic myself and most of the time I find it hard to fathom phenomenons like these. Imagine being possessed by 6 demons (the demons who possessed Cain, Judas and Nero and the demons Legion, Belial and Lucifer himself) all at the same time. Damn, I shudder at the thought of it.

This is definitely a movie to watch especially to all fellow Christians out there. Faith might just be the answer to salvation.