Random Reference Tool - Zamzar

The other night while at the ref desk, one of my regular YA patrons ran into a little snag; he was meeting with his tutor, and he needed to print out a couple of essays. Problem was, he composed the essays using MS Works (which comes free with most Windows computers), and he couldn't open it on our computers, which run Word. Now, you should be able to convert the file using Word and its conversion setting, but for reasons unknown (security? converter not loaded/accessible?), this didn't work for us (and he didn't have time for me to screw around trying to figure it out).

After a quick search I found, and decided to try, Zamzar, an online file conversion tool. And although there's an "email step" that the service could well do without, the files were converted without too much fuss. Crisis averted.

Zamzar covers a wide variety of file formats, and since it's free and operates online and doesn't interfere with your hardward/software/security config, you might want to keep it in mind for patrons using your public access machines.

It's not dead!

A while back I wrote about my trials trying to install Ubuntu on my old, crappy lappy, and I reported that I had killed the machine. So, for the past few months I have been drooling over various and sundry new laptops, knowing full well that I cannot afford chalk, never mind a new laptop, on what I make.

So, last night I pulled out the hulking monster and fired it up. Last time I did this, the display was all eff'd up, I had no drivers, and it just shut down randomly. Last night, stupid thing booted up fine. I still had no drivers, and after screwing with it for A LONG TIME, I finally figured out what I was doing wrong (duh, those check marks don't mean the driver is installed, they mean that THAT driver SHOULD be installed), I used the disk my good buddy sent me (thanks, buddy!), and voila - it's running fine. It still won't load Ubuntu or Freespire, but, whatever, it works.

I still hope to be able to in stall Linux on it at some point, but in the meantime I am going to set it up with Open Source and free software. This is a step I have not yet taken with my desktop (mostly because it's my main machine, and I NEED it to do what I need it to do, and I'm terrified I'll break the damn thing). But, if things go the way I hope, I will probably spend the next rainy day loading Ubuntu or Freespire (Freespire is pretty cool) on the main computer and creating a double-boot configuration. Yeah, wish me luck with that!

Hey, anyone out there have a junky Dell Inspiron 1100 (no laughing! I'm poor!) that has bit the dust? Can I have the RAM out of it?


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Now playing: Duran Duran - Come Undone
via FoxyTunes

Ubumtu

No, that's not a typo.

I have been trying for hours, unsuccessfully, to install Ubuntu onto the laptop. First, I tried xubuntu because I thought that might be a better fit for the laptop (which has never quite performed up to snuff), but I abandoned that thinking that perhaps I had a bad download. I then downloaded the regular version, and did what they suggested and ran the hash utility - evrything checked out OK. I burned the disk and fired up the computer.

Basically, the installation just seems to hang every time. It goes and goes (but never gives me any prompts or anything to actually install, and not just run the the live disk) and then just stops.

My laptop is a Dell Inspiron 1100, and has the necessary disk space and RAM to run the software - I have no idea what the deal is.

Any ideas out there?

It's not a huge deal if I can't get this going - my laptop is not my main computer, but I thought it might be fun to try ubuntu and that maybe it would solve the laptop's slow performance issues. I uninstalled MS Office and most of my other programs, ran a reg cleaner, spyware cleaner, and antivirus before beginning. I figured that if I could get Ubuntu going, I would be in a better position to talk to people about Linux and other FLOSS applications.... If Ubuntu doesn't end up working for me, I will download Open Office on the Windows OS. But, if anyone out there might be able to help, feel free to Meebo me, and if you Skype, maybe we can chat.

Josh, are you out there? I seem to remember you saying you installed Ubuntu on your lappy.

Help! I need a tester.

This is a repeat of the post over at Library Talk. Please excuse the dupe if you subscribe to both.

If anyone out there uses TypePad and was thinking of adding the Library Links blogroll to their blog, please let me know if you run into problems working with the code. At least one person can't get it to work in their sidebar - apparently it messes up the other stuff in the sidebar. And since TypePad is one blogging platform I have not yet played with, I am at a loss in how to help.
The code on the page is javascript - and perhaps this is the problem. If it is, I can supply different code.

Thanks!