Tinkerings of Terry Wehunt

Tinkerings

Homepage

August 16, 2010
PCLinuxOS has done so well on the netbook that my home desktop PC is now dual-bootable with XP Professional and PCLinuxOS. While I hold a bunch of Microsoft certifications and instruct on their operating systems, at heart and philosophically I really like Linux.

If you are interested in viewing some eye opening videos about the American economic situation, look no further than the National Inflation Association.

July 16, 2010
Since finishing my doctorate a couple of years ago, I returned to the issue of technology. I have spent a good deal of time with the works of Heidegger, Borgmann, Ellul and others. I have also found post apocalyptic fiction to be a very interesting setting where many of the issues concerning technology are addressed in very concrete terms. IMHO, American Apocalypse I and II are the cream of the crop of modern post apocalyptic fiction.

This morning I finished reading American Apocalypse II: Refuge and exchanged emails with the author concerning Freya. Freya is a character introduced in the later part of the book.

American Apocalypse II: Refuge is a fun read. Indeed, it is one of those books I did not want to put down. The character "Freya" sent me off to do some brief research. While I understand some are disappointed by her introduction, I see the character as a way of introducing a number of important issues. Regardless of anybody's take on Freya, the book is fast paced and well written. Certainly, I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

June 28, 2010
My girlfriend and I stayed in Blue Ridge for a few days. Goodness it was nice to get away to the mountains. We took a hike to a waterfall, rode the train to Cooperhill, and ate lots of good food. One of the other joys of the vacation was seeing a black bear come by the cabin.

June 18, 2010
The spring college term has ended and graduation exercises were held last Friday. It is always a good feeling to see students who attended my classes receive their diplomas. Indeed, this year several of those students graduated with honors.

While spring terms have always seemed to be the longest terms, I suspect that my feelings about them will become altered when we convert to the semester system. After the conversation, I suspect that the spring terms will be remembered as being very short.

I had almost finished Landon Winner's Autonomous Technology: Technics-out-of-Control as a Theme in Political Thought when Bret Davis' translation of Country Path Conversations by Heidegger arrived. So, I took a break from Winner's book to read the translator's notes on Heidegger's works. I will say that Winner's book will forever be on my list of best books.