documentation required

an old point this, but worthwhile repeating. Keeping notes is important. You may be the one that comes back years afterwards trying to make sense of the material. The notes that you made at the time may save much time later on. That goes whether you are writing a computer program, running tests on computer programs, or just (as I have recently been doing) going through lots of old photographs. Actually there are over 1500 slides that I am digitising - and the notes I kept (each slide is numbered) are proving invaluable.

My aim is a comprehensive family archive on the one hand, and a new, updated set of slide shows (now called 'presentations') for the Baha'i Faith. Years ago I travelled the country, and across America, Canada and Europe, giving talks on the Baha'i Faith and carrying sets of slides to be shown at the meetings.

Headphones and Acer Aspire with Linux

Finally I have a working set of headphones on my Laptop! I have been trying to sort the problem out for some time, and have scanned many (hundreds?) of messages trying to get to the solution of my problem - why is there no sound from my headphones.

I have discovered that it is nothing to do with the version of Alsa that I am using, and nothing to do with the version of Linux or the kernel drivers. My problem is now solved.

It all comes down to the fact that in the sound chip used in the Acer there are several channels, and thus about a dozen volume controls in the mixer. Well, the control that deals with the output to the headphones is the one marked "surround sound". I just would never have guessed. Having unmuted the surround channel, I can now get sound in the headphones.

Where are you, or why are you not online?

I had an email from a friend recently. He thought that just because I had not been regularly posting on my blog, that maybe something had happened to me again. Well, I have news for you, dear friend. I am alive and kicking. Just because I do not feel the need to get a daily dose of electronic life, does not mean that I have ceased to exist.

There are many, many people who happily go about their daily life totally untouched by email, mobile phones, or any other online activity. (Several members of my own family for starters.) My activities over the last few months have kept me very busy both daytime and evenings, and I will admit that I have then been too tired to go online for weeks at a time. Attending charity meetings, regaining my fitness (cycling, swimming and this last few weeks even skiing!), and that usual one of "spending more time with my family" as well as my full-time employment and going to Baha'i prayer meetings and such.

I am online now because of the snow having stopped our plans to go out, and because I have been looking up information to help sort out getting sound on my Acer laptop running Linux.