June 2005 – Neverness

Password protected PDF’s on Linux – part II

I’ve been attempting to read password-protected PDF’s on my new(ish) Linux laptop. I mentioned this a while ago, while still on my previous laptop, but yet again it’s the cause of fun and games. KGhostview is as hopeless as ever with password-protection, but things have moved along, so I tried KPDF again. Wonder of wonders,… Continue reading Password protected PDF’s on Linux – part II

The slaughter in the Congo and the progression of humanity

I’m reading a harrowing account of colonialism in the Congo called King Leopold’s Ghost. I seem to be enjoying genocidal histories right now, having recently read The Earth Shall Weep, about the genocide against the Native Americans in the United States, and Enemy at the Gates, about the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II.… Continue reading The slaughter in the Congo and the progression of humanity

A 5-day view of Johanesburg

Having just come back from a few days in Johanesburg, only the second substantial visit since 1992, I was once again struck by the differences with Cape Town. I like Joburg. It’s got a big city buzz, things are happening, it’s got an African feel to it. It gives me a perspective on Cape Town… Continue reading A 5-day view of Johanesburg

The curse of knowledge

Knowing too much can be a curse. In this case it’s the knowledge of good and evil. Of course I’m told there is no good and evil really, and sometimes I even think I manage to grasp it, but buying into my judgemental partitioning of the world for now, I sometimes hark back for the… Continue reading The curse of knowledge

My laptop has been taken over

My laptop is no longer my own. A nefarious intelligence has taken control, and there’s nothing I’ve been able to do. Linux has been no protection. Going offline has been no help. The sentience masterminding the takeover has been relentlous. So far I’ve not been stopped from working. It’s been a symbiotic relationship. I fear… Continue reading My laptop has been taken over