http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu/910features/

I’ve been a full time Ubuntu user for almost two years now, and after upgrading all of my computers at home to 9.10 this past weekend I have to say that this is without a doubt the best release yet.  The new Software Center is a great redesign and should make it much easier for new users to find and install software.  Also, the Ubuntu One cloud storage seems like it could be a useful feature for sharing files and documents between computers, as well as providing a simple method for offsite backup of data (you get 2Gb for free).  There are other notable software updates in this release, including the latest versions of Gnome Desktop, Firefox, and OpenOffice.org.

If you have yet to try Ubuntu, I highly recommend that you give this release a shot.  It’s completely free to download, install, and share with your friends.  Try doing that with Windows 7 . 

Just wanted to pass this along. Hope everyone is doing well.

Benjamin Zander is a conductor for the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, teacher, and public speaker.  Earlier this year he gave a wonderfully inspiring talk at the TED conference speaking about classical music and attempting to open it up to the masses.  His energy and stage presence are invaluable in achieving this goal.  Check it out for yourself:

Mr. Lee recently gave a talk at the TED conference where he demonstrated a few of these Wii-mote hacks. Probably the most impressive is the use of IR goggles to allow the software to provide 3D feedback based on the user’s motion. This could have huge implications for the future of 3D gaming.

For more information on these projects, check out the following links:

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/projects/wii/

http://www.wiimoteproject.com/

If you’re not already familiar with TED, here is a description lifted from the About page:

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.

The annual conference now brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

I invite you to go to TED.com and find a talk that interests you. If you’re looking for a starting point, here are a few of my favorites:

• Vilayanur S. Ramachandran
  A journey to the center of your mind (2007)
• Raul Midon
  “All the Answers” and “Tembererana” (2007)
• Michael Shermer
  Why people believe strange things (2006)
• Jeff Han
  Unveiling the genius of multi-touch interface design (2006)
• Steven Pinker
  The stuff of thought (2005)
• Richard Dawkins
  The universe is queerer than we can suppose (2005)
• Dan Dennett
  Ants, terrorism, and the awesome power of memes (2002)

Edit: The video has since been removed. Oh well, just imagine a funny Daily Show clip.

The most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle. To sense that behind anything that can be experienced there is something that our minds cannot grasp, whose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly: this is religiousness. In this sense, and in this sense only, I am a devoutly religious man.

- Albert Einstein, What I Believe, 1930

I came across this quote in a TIME magazine article entitled “Einstein & Faith” in which the author explores Einstein’s personal views toward science and religion. This article is a great read for anyone who has heard mixed opinions on whether Einstein was a religious person.

http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/pave.htm

This guy has an amazing ability to capture a three-dimensional perspective and project it onto pavement. You can see that he is very creative with his applications as well. It seems a shame to think that many of these have washed away by now!

Here are some of my favorites:

This is the semi-official fan book of the movie The Big Lebowski written by the founding dudes of Lebowski Fest, Will Russell and Scott Shuffit (whom I have met personally), as well as Bill Green and Ben Peskoe who are also Lebowski Fest veterans and contributors.

While I was not privy to this new shit until it came to light in the bookstore today, I did at least manage to snatch up the last copy they had. So far it appears to be quite a comprehensive collection of Achiever fodder written by good men, and thorough.

I think the introduction on the book sleeve sums it up nicely:

To some, The Big Lebowski is just a movie. To others it is The Movie. When we decided to get some friends together at a tiny bowling alley in Kentucky to drink White Russians and celebrate our favorite movie, Lebowski Fest was born. We discovered we were not alone, and fellow fans from around the world, also known as the “Achievers,” started coming out of the woodwork.

We, the bums who started Lebowski Fest, have been given the modest task of assembling a fan book for what we feel is the greatest movie of all time (condolences, Citizen Kane). At times we felt we were out of our element, but we went out and achieved anyway.

I’m a Lebowski, You’re a Lebowski begins with a foreword by Jeff Bridges and includes behind the scenes photos taken by him on the set. To bring to light all we could about the making of this movie, we interviewed everyone from John Goodman, Julianne Moore and John Turturro, to the actors that played smaller roles like the Ralph’s Checkout Girl, Liam and yes, even Saddam.

We tracked down the inspirations for the story and its characters, including Jeff Dowd (The Dude), John Milius (Walter) and the man whose rug really tied the room together, Peter Exline. We even found the real Little Larry, a kid who, indeed, actually stonewalled two crazy men waving his homework around in a baggie.

The book is complete with trivia, interviews with fellow Achievers (Patton Oswalt, Tony Hawk, Powerpuff Girls creator Craig McCracken), tips on Dude-ifying your life, a Little Larry flipbook, a guide to the film’s locations, Lebowski Fest highlights, and a whole lot of what-have-you.

Well enjoy.

-The Bums

So if you’re a fan of the film, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy this book or order it online from Amazon. Achievers and Bums alike should enjoy this one.

Catch ya later on down the trail.