Burma - Before and After

By Martin English | May 16, 2008

At the moment there doesn’t seem to be a lot we can do, until the local rulers decide to allow aid in, without stealing it and without using it for propaganda purposes.  However, once NGO’s and other agencies are allowed to operate fully in the areas affected by Cyclone Nargis, they will need all the help they can get.  The best place to donate depends on where you live;

USA -  UNICEF or Direct Relief International via google - Google will match donations up to $US1 Million

Australia - Save the Children Fund

 

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In-Windows Linux Installation, with No Virtualisation

By Martin English | May 16, 2008

Wubi, which stands for Windows Ubuntu Installer, was designed to make dual-booting as easy as possible.  The project hasn’t been around very long, but it has already gotten to the point that it will be included on the Live CD (”desktop cd”) for Ubuntu 8.04 LTS, the Hardy Heron.

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Wubi installs Ubuntu on a drive embedded inside an *.ISO disk image that sits right on your Windows NTFS partition, and then it convinces Windows’ bootloader to boot Linux at your request.  If it didn’t make sense, don’t worry about it. You can use it without understanding it. Assume it’s magic if you like.

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Using Wubi, the installation takes as much as it can from your Windows installation (timezone etc).  Unless, you want to just run the default applications, you will need more than 5GB.  Unless you’re pushed for space, give 20GB or more. Once you hit the install button, Windows will ask you to reboot. The first thing you should notice is that your computer now asks if you want to run Windows or Ubuntu.

There are some caveats; for example, suspend and hibernate are tricky on some hardware on Linux in general, and are impossible if you’re using this method to install an OS.

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Unreleased Sequel to Hitchhiker’s (playable samples included!)

By Martin English | May 16, 2008

A very interesting discussion, started by the discovery of an Infocom Network backup:

From an anonymous source close to the company, I’ve found myself in possession of the “Infocom Drive” — a complete backup of Infocom’s shared network drive from 1989. This is one of the most amazing archives I’ve ever seen, a treasure chest documenting the rise and fall of the legendary interactive fiction game company. Among the assets included: design documents, private emails, employee phone numbers, sales figures, internal meeting notes, corporate newsletters, and the source code and game files for every released and unreleased game Infocom made.

For obvious reasons, I can’t share the whole Infocom Drive. But I have to share some of the best parts. It’s just too good.

So let’s start with the most notorious — Milliways: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, the unreleased sequel to Infocom’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. For the first time, here’s the full story: with never-before-seen design documents, internal emails, and two playable prototypes.

There’s lots of comments by people who wrote and are mentioned in some the documents of the drive, as well.  These go close to heart of the history of Infocom, and why the sequel to the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy game did not get published, despite some (very sparse) playable demos being written.  Based on what little I do know about Douglas Adams, this may have had a lot to do with him (see this comment from Graham Nelson):

The real reason “Restaurant” never happened was the same as the reason that Douglas Adams’s “Doctor Who” TV scripts weren’t novelised (the only ones out of 150 which weren’t) - he would get just enthusiastic enough to want to be personally involved, then never have enough time to follow through. He didn’t remotely need the money, and he liked speculatively changing things. If he had been willing to sign a contract allowing Steve Meretzky to write “Restaurant” on his own, it might all have been a different story.

The killer find (for me anyway) was a playable version of the game - Milliways (Release 15, Serial 880512) - (requires Java 5).  Alternatively, you can download the original source files (release 15 and release 184), but you’ll need an interpreter that supports Z-Machine version 4 and version 6 story files. The author recommends Windows Frotz 2002 for Windows or Spatterlight for Mac.  Again, check the comments for advice on getting these to run.

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Twitter Updates for 2008-05-15

By Martin English | May 15, 2008

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Twitter Updates for 2008-05-14

By Martin English | May 14, 2008

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Twitter Updates for 2008-05-13

By Martin English | May 13, 2008

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Twitter Updates for 2008-05-12

By Martin English | May 12, 2008

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Twitter Updates for 2008-05-11

By Martin English | May 11, 2008

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Twitter Updates for 2008-05-10

By Martin English | May 10, 2008

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