Rianne Schestowitz's blog
Kangaroo on protest
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Thursday 30th of July 2020 05:50:59 PM Filed under
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Message From the Editors
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Saturday 27th of June 2020 08:48:19 PM Filed under
Summary: We're still running the site 24/7 every day/week of the year; we're managing to cope with slower news cycles
WE RECENTLY passed the sixteenth anniversary of this site, which is peaking in terms of traffic (record levels and all-time highs for several consecutive weeks). This weekend is very, very slow for news. Very.
We're typically managing to cope with the decline of journalism by digging deeper, finding lesser known sites such as blogs. We're hoping to reach the twentieth anniversary of the site. That's 2024.
For those who don't follow over RSS feeds (default and recommended as there are no middlemen; access is direct) there are also Twitter (proprietary) and the following accounts in Free software-based networks. Diaspora:
Mastodon:
Pleroma (Fediverse like Mastodon):
Thanks for choosing Tux Machines for news. █
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In the face of an Orangutan
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Tuesday 14th of January 2020 06:14:54 PM Filed under
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The camels' outcry
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Wednesday 8th of January 2020 09:37:47 AM Filed under
When a human doesn't know what to do and people don't know how to tackle the real issue, the animals are becoming the sacrifice. Billion of animals were lost to bushfires alone and millions are slaughtered every day, yet the audacity to kill the camels is astonishing. I wonder what would be the humans' reaction if the animals called for human culling. Think about it. █
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Koalas Need Our Help
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Thursday 21st of November 2019 12:44:53 AM Filed under
Watching videos/photos of Koalas being rescued from a charred/burning forests in Australia is heart-breaking and devastating. More than 350 Koalas are reported being dead and these numbers are growing. Those who live far from Australia (just like me) can't help physically rescue them, but a small amount of money/donation to sustain the hospital/facilities, volunteers and rescuers is of great help. Koala is just one of the many species that perish from the bushfire and they need our help, so please donate through the GoFundMe page and through other legitimate websites. Help those who support animal welfare. █
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130,000!
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Friday 1st of November 2019 06:17:40 PM Filed under
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Twins for Meng Meng and Jiao Qing
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Monday 2nd of September 2019 07:49:41 PM Filed under
About 8 months ago we had the chance to meet Meng Meng (above) and Jiao Qing, the female and male pandas on loan to Berlin Zoo in Germany. I took lots of photos with them and we stayed in their Pagoda sanctuary a little longer. Seeing them eating, napping and wandering inside their secured place brings joy to my heart. I don't really like seeing animals in the zoo, but if this is the only way to keep and protect them from any harm or from becoming extinct, then so be it. Today, in the news (video) the two adorable pandas became parents as they were having twins; this is good news and I'm so happy for them both. To Meng Meng and Jiao Qing (and also to Berlin Zoo), congratulations! █
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Microsoft's Deadly Touch
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Thursday 29th of August 2019 09:47:29 AM Filed under
Everything Microsoft touched has died. Remember Nokia, Yahoo and Novell? What happened to these companies and where are they now? This is exactly what Microsoft wants to do to Linux because they don't innovate and they can't compete; so they infiltrate. Sooner or later Linux will be part of those latter companies. Something to watch out for. █
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Photos: 15-Year Anniversary Party
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Saturday 6th of July 2019 06:24:17 PM Filed under
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Happy 15th Anniversary to Tux Machines
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Monday 10th of June 2019 03:22:20 PM Filed under
Summary: Anniversary of Tux Machines is today, a special anniversary too
Today Tux Machines is celebrating its 15th year of existing. When we bought the website it was about 10 years old, so kudos to Susan Linton who devoted time to make and keep the site on pace. We promise to keep the website up to date with lots of insightful OSS/FOSS/Linux/Android-related articles. We hope to continue the job well into the distant future. █
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Unixstickers
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Tuesday 19th of June 2018 10:47:18 AM Filed under
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Orangutans are some of the most solitary animals critically endangered as human consumption grows; Ban Palm oil Industry.
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Thursday 7th of December 2017 06:46:07 PM Filed under
Orangutans are some of the most solitary animals critically endangered as human consumption grows.
Orangutans are currently only found in the rainforest of Borneo and Sumatra where both species are endangered. The orangutans' habitat has decreased and is rapidly being devastated by loggers, palm oil plantations, gold miners, and unnatural forest fires.
Watching videos of orangutans over hundreds of times is nerve-wracking, seeing them in distress and in great trauma as babies watch their mothers hacked and killed by poachers. They are using their machete which is so inhumane, as many of these infants die without the help of their mother and some other infants are sold as pets, ending in the hands of their 'owner', maltreated and malnourished, making their situation even worse. This happened because of the humongous demand and consumption of humans. Guilt is creeping on me; while enjoying my food and applying all the cosmetics for vanity it is like slaughtering an innocent and beautiful primate slowly and accurately. I wasn't thinking at all; I'm closely blinded of my needs, having never bothered to think that somewhere out there someone is tormented. I can't let this happen any longer. I must act and make a stand and be the voice of orangutans. I'm calling for everyone to ban and stop buying palm oil products. We must stop deforestation and the palm oil industry, strongly and swiftly before orangutans and all other animals sail into extinction. █
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Beijing Zoo is No Place for Pandas
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Sunday 23rd of April 2017 07:59:48 PM Filed under
Photo credit: Nick Hopkins
I am a Panda lover. I work as a support engineer in an I.T company here in the United Kingdom. Most of my spare time is spent watching different Panda videos -- both old and new videos. Basically, it is my therapy; a 'stress release' for me. I find them to be adorable and precious creatures. As a matter of fact, I would like to volunteer to come to Sichuan. I want to experience and feel what it's like to be a Panda keeper, to be able to interact with them for real. The Panda is China's National Treasure, so it's a shame to watch the Panda videos from Beijing zoo, as the place is disgusting and not ideal for Pandas to live in (and for sure for all the rest of the animals who unfortunately got stuck in this prison cell).
The place looks like a ghost town. Lifeless and languished. Knowing that Pandas wear a thick fur on their body, can you imagine what it feels for them in 30C or 35C (summer temperature)? What it probably feels like all the time? Come on, if you really care, you must do something now, otherwise these Pandas will die. Please bring them back to their sanctuary where they really belong. █
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Winner: Triathlon in The Spa At The Midland
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Monday 10th of October 2016 09:02:59 PM Filed under
I never thought I could win in a challenge of 3 events.
I guess age is not an excuse for giving up... more so in physical fitness; as the saying goes, health is wealth.... consequently, I'll keep doing my routine and even yoga. It is extremely relaxing!
Motivation, hard work, discipline. By-product is triumph...
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Acer Chromebook 15 for Linux and Wimbledon
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Friday 17th of July 2015 09:18:09 PM Filed under
Earlier this month my husband and I needed a replacement for the Chromebook that I had installed Linux on after Christmas because the keyboard developed a fault. This was a good opportunity to get an upgrade and to connect the 28-inch monitor to it, allowing us to watch Wimbledon over the Internet (we don't watch TV).
Unboxing photos:
Setting up the machine:
It comes with Chrome OS, but I don't want that:
Switch to developer mode:
Setting it up to not be so locked down:
With Roy's help, installing Ubuntu LTS:
Nearly done:
Running KDE/Plasma (my favourite):
Running XFCE:
Running Unity (which I still try to use on a daily basis after using KDE for years):
We have since then bought a cabinet for the external screen and Roy finished building it 2 days ago, so now we can watch shows while we work (4 screen combined using Synergy). █
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Spring in Tux Machines
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Thursday 23rd of April 2015 08:45:57 PM Filed under
Tux Machines traffic has been increasing during spring. The DDOS attacks are behind us thankfully, the latest problem is just a lot of spam, which we are deleting as soon as we can. █
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Happy Easter and Remarkable Spring
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Saturday 4th of April 2015 07:37:07 PM Filed under
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My Chromebook with KDE
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Wednesday 31st of December 2014 08:02:25 PM Filed under
I got my new Chromebook... Yes, you've heard me right, but wait before you raise your eyebrows...
I installed Ubuntu on it as my default OS, though I can go back to Chrome OS any time I want. I don't see any point in doing it.
Roy helped me do the partitioning, configuration and tweaking. We configure it in a way so that I can use it in my work, not just for Facebooking, tweeting and chatting's sake.
I am still exploring the machine, basically familiarising with the keyboard and all the function settings on it. The Kubuntu environment which I chose will need some adjustments; also the applications which I downloaded are a bit different from the other laptop's (which I used to work on).
Change is good, but it requires a lot of patience and adaptation to the new environment.
I like my Chromebook very much. It is one of the best gifts I have received from my husband. It is more practical, it gives me more confidence to learn and to develop more of my computer skills. Innovation is fast-moving and technology is progressing, so you definitely need to catch up with it. Unless you want to be left behind by choice... █
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Vacation Photos
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Friday 14th of November 2014 05:38:41 AM Filed under
Last week we did not post as much news as usual because we went to the south of England with Roy's sister. We did take some photos. █
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How my uncle became a Linux user
Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Thursday 16th of October 2014 07:51:18 PM Filed under
It has been a month since my relatives from Bradford visited us here in Manchester. Our usual routine if they come to spend the holidays with us is to go to the gym to work out, to run on the treadmill and play pingpong. The best part of the workout, which we enjoy the most, is swimming afterwards. We get relaxed at the jacuzzi and then get hot and sweaty inside the sauna. It is a good exercise and offers relaxation after a stressful day of work. We have so much fun in the gym.
We arrived home around 8:00 pm after having a good round of walk in Manchester City Stadium. We were lucky to see the Manchester City football team; they had a match against Roma, so crowds were flooding in the streets. There were about a thousand spectators coming to watch the game who walked past us.
At home I prepared the meal. We had candlelights and red wine to enjoy while having our soup, vegetable salad and chicken for dinner; mango smoothies were the final dessert.
After the meal we chatted about the economy, healthcare, jobs, business, and technology in the U.K. I have learned a lot from Albert, my aunt's husband. He is an economist.
Albert explained to me that he was struggling with his PC. It was a brand new PC. It had a touchscreen and the laptop was thin and powerful. Albert's problem was not the laptop. As it turns out, his problem was Windows. The computer came with Windows 8. He already wasted a lot of money because shops exploited him. He did not even have an office suite installed. The computer was useless. He hardly used it. He hardly even had any files on it.
I then explained to Albert about GNU/Linux. I told him about Stallman and GNU. I also told him about the dirty tricks of Microsoft and about the true Bill Gates, including his involvement in GMO. Albert listened to me and he wanted to know more. I hope he learned something from me, just as I had learned from him.
The following morning I asked my husband for help. He was working all night and in the morning he was available to help Albert. Based on Roy's analysis, the machine was full of malware or some other mess. It was almost impossible to do anything with it. Windows 8 was hard to work with and it was hardly even possible to download and install a program like LibreOffice. The interface was confusing. It took ages to do very simple things.
Albert insisted that we should install GNU/Linux, but we didn't have a recent version of a distro at that time. Either way, Albert was so frustrated with Windows that he was willing to throw it all down the drain, along with his files.
This was my first time seeing Windows 8. I usually use Android or KDE. Microsoft Windows has become full of pop-ups, spam, marketing and other garbage. I am glad to use GNU/Linux and Albert will soon join us. By all means, Albert now wants to use Open Source and he already learns how to use LibreOffice. █
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