Category Archives: hardware

Keeping your fingers and toes warm in cold weather: a guide for endurance skiers with poor circulation

Posted on January 20, 2018 by cpbl

In recent years I have had severe trouble keeping my finger tips and toes warm while outside in winter. I blame it on too much cold-weather camping and letting my extremities get numb in my younger days, but it may … Continue reading →

Posted in Alpine, outdoors, Product review, skiing, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 27 Comments

Ubuntu on Lenovo Thinkpad T450s

Posted on June 23, 2016 by cpbl

Lenovo’s T450s is another piece of high-production-volume hardware from a vendor with a fairly good reputation for Linux support … but a host of serious problems under Ubuntu’s flagship “Long-term-support” operating system.  I’d love to be in touch with others … Continue reading →

Posted in GNU/linux, hardware, Product review, Ubuntu, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Review: System76 and their “Sable Touch” desktop computer

Posted on July 30, 2014 by cpbl

It’s still hard to buy a turn-key or supported GNU/Linux computer. I keep trying, and I especially prefer to avoid paying what’s called the Microsoft Tax, i.e. the hardware-bundled cost of Microsoft software, which is how they have built and … Continue reading →

Posted in GNU/linux, hardware, Product review, Ubuntu | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

My feather crock pot (how we will cook in the future)

Posted on October 25, 2013 by cpbl

This is an interlude from my normal blog themes.  Just a little bit of physics tells you, I think, how we will cook in a future in which energy is electric and a bit more precious. It seems in North … Continue reading →

Posted in Cooking, crock pot, Energy | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Ubuntu 13.04 and 13.10 (updated for 14.04 and 14.10) on Lenovo X230/X230-Tablet convertible tablet

Posted on October 24, 2013 by cpbl

If you consider yourself a user, not a tinkerer, the number one rule of running GNU/Linux is not even to try it except on hardware that others have already tried with complete success. (Do not buy a laptop, desktop, or server thinking … Continue reading →

Posted in GNU/linux, hardware, Lenovo X230 Tablet, McGill University, software, Ubuntu | 16 Comments

Asus Eee PC X101CH review: Very Poor

Posted on October 30, 2012 by cpbl

No matter what positive characteristics this netbook may have, the biggest negatives are sufficient for me to conclude: do not buy this machine. My point of comparison is just one machine, an HP Mini 1116NR from nearly three years ago. … Continue reading →

Posted in GNU/linux, hardware, Ubuntu | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Lenovo Thinkpad T410s and Ubuntu 10.10

Posted on October 29, 2010 by cpbl

This is a review, of sorts, though it will grow as I need/test features. I received my T410s and recorded a video of myself rejecting the Microsoft EULA, and erasing the harddrive. Good riddance, Windows 7. The keyboard feels really … Continue reading →

Posted in GNU/linux, hardware, Lenovo T410s, software, Ubuntu | Tagged | 8 Comments

Loose screws rattling in hinge/speaker of HP mini

Posted on June 20, 2010 by cpbl

After flinging my HP mini netbook onto the bed with the hinge open, a little too hard, a few too many times, I got a disconcerting rattling sound from the hinge, which also began to flex in a way it … Continue reading →

Posted in hardware, HP mini, HP Mini 1116NR | Tagged , , | 2 Comments