Journal of Tormod Haugen

Today there were some handing out of new years gifts. First I went and got my children some new jigsaw puzzles, two with a hundred pieces and one with two hundred pieces. Then I also got my sister a I’m sorrypresent; she got a CD with Stevie Ray Vaughan for Christmas - but thought it to be too country-ish. Now she got some Beethoven to relax to. Lastly I got myself a blue Acer Aspire One, it being on sale and me needing a portable browser and notebook. Here’s to productivity, I hope.

As I came home with the loot, my sister dropped by to deliver a book she had borrowed, the charger for my DS and a new woollen hat my mother had knitted me. Now I got my Meathead hat (with pocket and a button) and this new Shedir hat (in the picture: Tesha © 2009 ). Both are probably uncommon enough; according to my mom (and Ravelry) the Shedir is one of just a few like it - world wide.

Or something like that. For once someone told me to look it up on Google. It was a Linux query, and since I’m not that knowledgeable on Linux, I deferred it to my brother. He asked me if he should shuffle me away from the computer, or if I would look it up on Google myself.

My error message was something in the neighbourhood of this (source):

* Starting System Tools Backends system-tools-backends invoke-rc.d: initscript system-tools-backends, action “start” failed.
dpkg: error processing system-tools-backends (–configure):
subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
system-tools-backends
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

and the fix is (source):

***TEMPORARY WORKAROUND***
After the upgrade has failed, you will get an error every time you run dpkg or apt-get saying that system-tools-backends is not configured. “sudo dpkg –configure -a” will not fix this. To recover, please perform the following 2 steps:

1) sudo invoke-rc.d system-tools-backends stop
2) sudo dpkg –configure -a

It seems like the problem is with installing while switching users. Now fixed. Yay!

It is soon 2009, and time keeps rushing by. I’ve already resolved to look forward in small steps, in order to keep from breaking down due to too many promises. To myself and others. In order to get set for this, I’ll try and blog a bit more regularly. Like multiple times a week. Perhaps even every weekday.

Now, forward isn’t the only direction to look in all the time, you should also keep in mind what has gone before. I’ve met up with friends and family this christmas. Not only those that I don’t see too often - but also those that I see all the time. In a shelving section in my parents’ house I found some tapes with games for my old Commodore 64. These gems kept me occupied for a while a long time ago, for example Spitfire and Saboteur II.

Saboteur II was kind of innovative; it contained platform game features - a 700 screen big level with multiple entrances. You played a female ninja - weak, and low on power. Ammo was found as wrenches, ninja stars and other miscellanea. Your best weapon was your brain, learning where to enter the level, noting where you could go safely, and where you needed weapons to enter. Failure meant just that. Try again, armed only with what you learned the last time around.

Now, to be honest, games like that exist today. They sometimes are high profile games too, though that seems to be more and more seldom. One game that reminded me of this style, somehow, was Portal. Not that it is alike, but the way you play a female protagonist. Unarmed and weak, with the power to move around - armed only with what is lying around. Not in boxes, but just the boxes. Learning all the way. Missteps means death - try again, armed with what knowledge you gained the last time around.

I’m not sure how much I like Christmas season. Other than a time of relaxation and reflection. For it works well like that. Sitting down and reflecting. For me this is a bit of how things should be, perhaps. Less stress, if you let it. More family, if you want it. I’ve kind of relaxed on my projects. I still sit here at the computer a bit. Thinking. But it doesn’t count. Does it?

I’m starting anew in a bit. I’m formatting a harddrive for backup purposes. I’ll clean out my computer. Reinstall, refresh, switch it out, perhaps? But formatting a 500 GB disk with NTFS is … slow. I should have thought about it before I stared. But it gives me time to reflect. And write this post.

I sure can use the practice…

Today is the last day in my vacation. I’ve spent the bigger part of the day watching children play in the daycare center where my three year old son will be going until he is ready to start school. During this time it struck me that being unemployed would be nice… apart from not paying much.

I guess this is a symptom many parents share. You really don’t get that much time off during vacation anyway.

I need to set up backup at home, play a bit more with this blog, code on a few private projects and a few more things. This is stuff I planned to do this summer, but time flies.

I’m happy about how this summer turned out anyhow.

I were traveling back north to Bergen today, and as I got on the bus in Haugesund, 06:15 local time, someone talked at me and pulled my arm. Aaand, I’d forgotten that he was going north for a quick trip today. We spent most of the 3.5 hour bus ride talking, and were relieved to find that the new LNG ferry were quite stable in the high seas. (There has been storm(s) hitting the area throughout the weekend.)

Still no strong mustard, though. We went for a pancake and a cup of coffee each.

Also: There was one interesting part from my trip south Friday. There are some new speed bumps through Sveio. Not I nor the driver had experienced them before. The driver was going just a bit too fast, and I - being positioned over the rear axle of the bus were lifted from my seat during the event. Guess he knows about it now.