Couchsurfing, crash on a stranger's couch.

"We envision a world made better by travel and travel made richer by connection. Couchsurfers share their lives with the people they encounter, fostering cultural exchange and mutual respect." -https://www.couchsurfing.org/n/about

How would you feel if I, a complete stranger asked to sleep on your couch for a day or two?

Well apparently 7 million people feel it would be just fine and dandy. (Another number on the site suggests 9 million)

I have to admit there is a part of me that loves this idea. I don't suggest it simply because this world is filled with people who could take advantage of you in this situation, or could be taken advantage of...

However the romantic in me, and the explorer love this idea.

I give them credit for seeing the world in a better light than I. Or perhaps, in a less sarcastic one.

Couchsurfing.org has a safety team available in case there is an issue, and also some safety tips here: https://www.couchsurfing.org/n/safety

I don't want to impress my feelings on you though, so make up your own mind on the subject.

Here is some more interesting information from couchsurfing.org:

Travel the World

With Couchsurfing, you can stay with locals in every country on earth. Travel like a local, stay in someone’s home and experience the world in a way money can’t buy.

Rediscover Your City

There’s a community of Couchsurfers near you. Many cities have weekly language exchanges, dance classes, hikes and dinners. Make new friends.

Become a Host

Give back and open your home to travelers. Learn about a new culture first-hand or practice a language. Make the world a little smaller; a little friendlier.

Read About Our Values

Couchsurfing is a global community of 9 million people in more than 120,000 cities who share their life, their world, their journey. Couchsurfing connects travelers with a global network of people willing to share in profound and meaningful ways, making travel a truly social experience.

Our Story

Couchsurfing began in 2004 as a small passion project by founders Casey Fenton, Daniel Hoffer, Sebastian Le Tuan and Leonardo Bassani da Silveira. An email to a group of students in Iceland gave birth to the idea that people anywhere would want to share their homes with strangers (or, as we like to call them, friends you haven’t met yet ).

How Couchsurfing Works

You have friends all over the world, you just haven’t met them yet.

Couchsurfing is a service that connects members to a global community of travelers. Use Couchsurfing to find a place to stay or share your home and hometown with travelers.

Couchsurfers organize regular events in 120,000 cities around the world. There’s always something to do and new friends to meet.

Read about how it works or watch an introductory video series.
Create a profile

First step? Completely fill out your Couchsurfing profile! This will be your home base and is a reflection of you: your lifestyle, your mission and what’s important to you. Having a complete profile is the best way to connect with people – whether it’s going to your city’s weekly event or hosting a guest. Here you can tell people if you’re traveling or would like to host. Be sure to include photos.

Don’t have a profile yet? Sign Up Now
Explore your city

Next up, explore your city! Getting in touch with experienced Couchsurfers in your area is the best way to get a feel for how Couchsurfing works. Most cities have a weekly event that is usually held at a bar or coffee shop. Just head to your city’s Place Page and look at the Events happening near you. Click “Join,” show up and you’re on your way!
Surf the world

If you’re ready to embark on an adventure, search for the city (or cities!) you plan to visit and browse locals with couches available. Look through profiles and references to find people you might want to stay with. When you find a few interesting potential hosts, carefully review their profile and send a Couchrequest for the dates you’ll be there. We usually recommend sending about five Couchrequests. Make sure to personalize your messages and tell your host why you want to meet!
List your couch

Once you’ve explored the site and have been to an event or two, consider making your couch, spare room or air mattress available to travelers. Set your couch status under Couch Information. You can set it to “Not Right Now (but I can hang out)” if you want to be available as a city resource for travelers but are unable to host. You can set it to “No” if you’re not available or don’t have any extra space, or “Maybe/Yes” to show up in search results for travelers who are planning a trip to your area.

*Note: Yes I usually like to write about Linux and open source... just consider this open source couching. :)

New Linux Certification Program Announced

Yesterday at LINUXCON in Chicago Ill, The Linux Foundation announced a new Linux Foundation Certification Program for both early-career and engineer-level systems administrators.

They will offer increased Linux training offerings and a free "Introduction to Linux" Massive Open Online Course, or MOOC.

The two new certifications are "Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator", or LFCS, and Linux Foundation Certified Engineer, or LFCE.

These certifications will be available through a performance based exam that is available online.

Here is a list of the key features of the certifications, thanks to LinuxFoundation.com.

"Key features of the Linux Foundation Certifications include:

    Virtual, available anytime, anywhere in the world: The Linux Foundation has designed a secure, performance-based exam that can be taken with a web browser, microphone, Internet connection and web cam from anywhere in the world, including the student’s own desktop at their convenience. After years of design and development, this cutting-edge exam now opens testing opportunities to people who previously were not able to access testing centers with exams available as early as the next day after registration.

    Performance-based exams: Exam takers will be tested on their ability to solve real problems in the command line rather than be tested on theory or be given multiple choice questions. These new certifications reflect what has become the consensus in the technology industry: what matters most is whether or not the candidate can demonstrate the required skills in a real-world environment while the clock is ticking. The Linux Foundation Certification Exams are designed to confirm this critical requirement. 

    Distribution-flexible: The Linux ecosystem is defined by choice, so exam takers will be able to choose to take their tests with one of three Linux distributions: CentOS, openSUSE or Ubuntu. This will also allow employers to hire professionals who have proven competence in the distributions and technologies most important to their businesses. The Linux Foundation tests will provide an option for distributions not well covered in the certification market today and also augment existing certification programs focused on one distribution by demonstrating distribution flexibility and knowledge for those companies with heterogeneous Linux environments.

These unique features are designed to ensure that anyone in the world with the latest, most relevant Linux skills can access the program and become certified regardless of distribution. By demonstrating their ongoing commitment to keeping up with the dynamic Linux environment through ongoing professional education, Linux Foundation Certificate holders will be distinguished in the marketplace."

 And here is their mission statement:

“Our mission is to address the demand for Linux that the industry is currently experiencing. We are making our training program and Linux certification more accessible to users worldwide, since talent isn’t confined to one geography or one distribution,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. “Our new Certification Program will enable employers to easily identify Linux talent when hiring and uncover the best of the best. We think Linux professionals worldwide will want to proudly showcase their skills through these certifications and that these certificates will become a hallmark of quality throughout our industry.”

I also wanted to add these comments from many big names in the Linux world:

Canonical/Ubuntu

“The Linux Foundation’s certification program will open new doors for Linux professionals who need a way to demonstrate their know-how and put them ahead of the rest,” said Mark Shuttleworth, founder, Ubuntu. “The timing is perfect for this, as demand for Linux talent is on the rise and we need ways to expand the pool of qualified candidates to support Linux.”

Dell

“Linux certification that is based on performance and is easily accessible will be key to increasing the number of qualified Linux professionals,” said Mark Cathcart, Senior Distinguished Engineer, Dell. “The Linux Foundation’s approach to this market need is smart and thoughtful and they have the proven ability to deliver.”

Dice

“Certifications inspire employer confidence that professionals who are willing to invest the time and effort are passionate about their craft,” said Shravan Goli, President, Dice. “With the focus on performance and accessibility, the new program will advance the art of Linux learning and help build a talented pool of Linux professionals.”

HP

“There is a need for a truly global Linux certification program that can enable Linux professionals anywhere to demonstrate their know-how,” said Eileen Evans, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Cloud Computing and Open Source, HP. “The Linux Foundation Certification Program promises to deliver on this need, and we look forward to reaping the benefits of an increase in qualified Linux professionals in the market.”

Huawei

“The new Linux Foundation Certification Program is truly innovative. With attention to performance and accessibility, this program should have a huge impact on the number of skilled professionals supporting Linux,” said Dr. Peixin Hou, Chief Architect on Open Software and System, Huawei.

IBM
“The Linux Foundation Certification Program will help prepare Linux system administrators to have the technical depth of expertise required today in the enterprise.  This approach to training and certification will give professionals the skills needed by employers like us and our many clients who rely on Linux,” said Jim Wasko, Director, IBM Linux Technology Center.

Insight Global

“Linux professionals with a strong certification are often more likely to be considered for open positions than their non-certified counterparts,” said Brantley Smith, Account Manager, Insight Global. “The Linux Foundation’s convenient, distribution-neutral certification program will bring more Linux talent into the marketplace and make it easier for employers to assess the skill level of those in the market.”

“In fact, I have used The Linux Foundation to validate the skills of our internal IT team, ensuring that we have the capabilities we need to drive our business-critical applications,” said Christopher Vogel, COO/CIO, Insight Global.

openSUSE

“The Linux Foundation is helping expand the talent pool of Linux professionals in a variety of ways. The Linux Foundation Certification Program adds to existing programs to ensure we as a community can meet this rising demand,” said Andy Wafaa, openSUSE Board Member.

Oracle

“As Linux continues to be a driving force for supporting applications across the data center and into the cloud, the need for Linux professionals continues to grow,” said Wim Coekaerts, senior vice president, Linux and Virtualization Engineering, Oracle. “The Linux Foundation Certification Program can provide an easy entry point for IT professionals who need to learn how to manage Linux systems.”

RightScale

"Linux is among the key building blocks of the cloud," said Tim Miller, vice president of engineering at RightScale. "We think it is great that the Linux Foundation is helping ensure that people working with Linux in the cloud have the background and skill sets to continue to drive cloud adoption."

ROSA

“The Linux Foundation’s Certification will be accessible to a global community of Linux professionals and can become the common standard for "Linux expertise" like The Linux Foundation’s LSB does for the common Linux interfaces,” said Vladimir Rubanov, President and CTO, ROSA.

Samsung

“Linux professionals are in high demand across multiple areas of technology,” said Ibrahim Haddad, Head of Open Source Innovation Group at Samsung Research America, Samsung. “The Linux Foundation’s smart, in-depth approach to the providing Linux certification will help meet this demand with qualified programmers and engineers.”

SUSE

"The need for trained and experienced Linux engineers and administrators affects every Linux enterprise user and distributor," said Alan Clark, Director, SUSE. "The introduction of additional quality training and certification will only enhance the growth, development and adoption of Linux and the ability of enterprises to take advantage of its many and varied features and strengths."

Yahoo!

“Linux provides a stable foundation for Yahoo's systems, helping us run one of the largest cloud infrastructures in the world. Skilled Linux professionals are key to our success,” said Sven Dummer, Director OS & UNIX System Infrastructure, Yahoo. “The Linux Foundation Certification Program focuses on the latest technologies. The annual requirements to maintain certification will help bring more qualified talent into the marketplace, and support Linux professionals in keeping their expertise up to date.”

Debian might dump XFCE for Gnome

While I agree with some of the reasons the Debian community is up in arms about the possible slyly forced change to XFCE, I do not agree with the assessment in the article I quote below that XFCE is "rough around the edges".

XFCE is a nimble, simple and yet a beautiful desktop environment.

XFCE can do anything and everything Unity, Gnome and KDE can do, and with speed and grace.

If you check out the Xubuntu distribution I think you will agree with me. Xubuntu is a XFCE based distro that looks amazing and simultaneously runs reliably and very fast.

Proof is in the pudding, so to speak. So here are some screenshots from my favorite XFCE based distro, Xubuntu:

Here is the article I refer to above, thanks to the people at Softpedia.

"Debian developers have been discussing about the replacement of the default GNOME desktop with Xfce for a few months now, but not everyone agrees with this decision. A Debian maintainer has tried to explain why this move to another desktop environment should not happen.

The decision to adopt Xfce instead of GNOME was made back November 2013 and it felt like it was a done deal. One of the major reasons for this switch was the lack of space for the CD image, if you can imagine such a thing.

Debian developers are still trying to fit everything on a CD and the latest GNOME stack is actually too big for a 700 MB image, so a plan was devised to fix this. Even with numerous improvements to various packages and even after developers tried to archive some of the apps as .xz archives, it still wasn't enough.

Some might think that trying to get everything packed on a CD is no longer an issue and that everyone must certainly have DVD units, but that might not be the case. There still are parts of the world that have very old computers and only CD-ROMs. You can't ignore all those users and this puts Debian developers in a tough spot, but a well-known Debian maintainer has a different opinion.

“The Debian GNOME team rebuilt some key packages so they would be compressed using xz instead of gzip, saving the few megabytes that were needed to squeeze everything in the first CD. In parallel, the tasksel maintainer decided switching to Xfce as default desktop was another obvious fix. This change, unannounced and two days before the freeze, was very contested and spurred the usual massive debian-devel threads.”

“Suffice to say that the Debian GNOME team participants have never been thrilled about how the whole issue is being handled, and we’ve been wondering if we should be doing anything about it, or just move along and enjoy the smaller amount of bug reports against GNOME packages that this change would bring us, if it finally made it through to the final release,” says Debian maintainer Jordi Mallach.

He makes the case for a GNOME desktop and explains point by point why Debian should actually use this desktop instead of anything else. His last remarks are also quite interesting. He says that shipping Debian with Xfce will never be on par with Debian quality standards for a stable release, and that the Xfce desktop still has some rough edges.

Jordi Mallach also says that it's not really OK to announce changes of this magnitude in a Git commit log, which is a very superficial way of treating the developer community." -Softpedia

Thanks again to the great folks at

for another great article! 

And thanks to the fine people at

for an excellent, beautiful and rock solid Linux distro!

Quick & inexpensive domed houses made of inflated concrete

While I usually write about things more electrical and computer technology based, I was so enamored by these "Binishells" which are inflated partial or full domed structures, that I wanted to bring it to the attention of my readers.

What's so impressive about them besides their blinding fast construction speeds and cheap price tag?

They are also very "green" environmentally speaking, and in my opinion beautiful.

I also find Binishells intent to use the technology to help the poor and those who have been misplaced by natural disasters and other more malevolent reasons very heart warming.

I know at first glance of this picture it looks like a toy play set or a hollywood movie shoot location, but this is real.

Above is a better look at what the house looks like in reality. (You can click on these images to enlarge them).

Here's what Joseph Flaherty of Wired.com had to say about the humanitarian side of Binishells:

""Called "Binishells," each building starts as a two-dimensional shape on the ground, ringed by a wooden form into which an air bladder, reinforcing steel rebar, and a load of concrete is placed. As the concrete sets, an air pump fills the bladder and a concrete dome begins to rise from the Earth." -NICOLÓ BINI

Covering a balloon with papier-mâché, letting it harden, and popping it to leave behind a delicate empty shell is a grade school arts and crafts tradition. For architect Nicoló Bini it’s a technique that’s become a guiding obsession, and which he believes could transform architecture in the developing world. His “Binishells” combine concrete and heavy-duty balloons to create visually stunning, structurally sound, domed domiciles.

Each Binishell starts as a two-dimensional shape on the ground, ringed by a wooden form into which an air bladder, reinforcing steel rebar, and a load of concrete is placed. As the concrete sets, an air pump fills the bladder and a concrete dome begins to rise from the Earth. An hour later, the concrete has hardened, the bladder is deflated, removed for reuse, and the building’s soaring shell is ready for inspection and interior construction. The concept is bizarre, combining a building material from the time of Julius Caesar with a Jetsons aesthetic, but the approach has already worked before.

Binishells were pioneered by Dr. Dante Bini, Nicoló’s father, and the first Binishell, which popped up in 1964, is still standing. All told, over 1,600 Binishells have been built in 23 countries across the globe, including gymnasium-sized shells 120 feet in diameter and tiny bubble-shaped bungalows in the developing world. “Binishells have survived even extreme environments—such as the lava, ash and constant earthquakes on Mount Etna—for almost 50 years,” says Nicoló. The younger Bini is reviving the technique as a way to provide low-cost housing for refugees and displaced people, but believes Binishells could be used and to fabricate schools, military bases, sports stadiums and generally provide architects with a cost-effective way to explore convex construction.

Unlike traditional low-cost, temporary disaster relief shelters, Binishells are intended to be permanent fixtures. The technique is speedy and, according to Bini, costs start at just $3,500. A cluster of Binishells might look like a sci-fi film set, but the materials to build one could be found on any job site. “Aside from some special additives, our concrete mix can be sourced locally almost anywhere,” says Bini. “Similarly our reinforcement is the same rebar you find sitting on the shelf of supply stores around the world.”

Binishells could be a compelling alternative to current disaster relief housing which is usually intended to be temporary, often end up as shanty ghettos. Concrete fabrication makes passive solar heating an easy option, reducing drain on strained infrastructure. The domed shape is naturally aerodynamic providing some protection from hurricanes. A gentle curvature and low roof height allow green roofs to be planted and easily tended. “With 25% of the world’s population living in sub-standard shelters, this is where we feel we can have the most impact,” says Nicoló."

Personally I would love one of those small homes. I have always wanted a small "cozy" home, and I love the open feeling of the bench in the front and an option for a grass roof.

I'd love a blue one.

But Binishells does more than just these types of structures.

Here's some pictures from their website, http://www.binishells.com/:

I personally believe this is a brilliant idea. And using these natural bubble type shapes and concrete brings many great structural values as well.

For more information, check out http://www.binishells.com/.

Elon Musk of SpaceX to build spaceport

You got to love larger than life characters, and Elon Musk definitely fits in the "Larger than life" category.

Elon's company, SpaceX states this in their about page at http://www.spacex.com/about:

"SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 to revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets."

SpaceX isn't just boasting. There have been news headlines such as:

July 14, 2014

Falcon 9 Launches ORBCOMM OG2 Satellites to Orbit

Today, SpaceX executed a successful launch of the Falcon 9 rocket. This is the tenth consecutive successful launch of the Falcon 9.


July 11, 2014

Air Force Certifies Falcon 9 Flights

The Air Force has certified SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch system as having conducted three successful flights, a prerequisite for companies seeking to win business from the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Program.

May 18, 2014

CRS-3 Mission Overview

On April 18, 2014, Falcon 9 and Dragon began the CRS-3 resupply mission to the International Space Station. This mission marked Dragon’s fourth visit to the space station and third official cargo resupply mission for NASA.

 Many More can be found at http://www.spacex.com/news.

All this activity, and the new news that SpaceX has been cleared to create their own space port in Texas prompted The Register to write an article aptly named "Mwa-ha-ha-ha! Eccentric billionaire Musk gets his PRIVATE SPACEPORT".

Here's the enlightening article thanks to Richard Chirgwin writer for The Register.

"Elon Musk has taken another step in his transformation into James Bond supervillain, with the FAA granting SpaceX approval to start building its own spaceport in Texas.

The FAA has issued a “Record of Decision” (PDF here) stating its support for the issuing of licenses to SpaceX.

The facility, to be built near Brownsville, Texas, will mean that SpaceX will one day be able to conduct launches without relying on Cape Canaveral in Florida.

As the Orlando Business Journal notes, while some SpaceX launches will remain at Cape Canaveral even after the new spaceport is built, the move will slow down “the Space Coast's transition to be the hub for all commercial space activity”.

The news comes as SpaceX celebrates a nearly-successful launch: a Falcon 9 rocket delivered Orbcomm six satellites to orbit, but the company was unable to recover the booster as it had intended.

Musk maintained a metaphorical wry grin at the failure, Tweeting:



The launch had been delayed by two months. The Orbcomm satellites will be part of an eventual 17-bird constellation." -The Register

Thanks again goes to The Register and her staff for being informative and simultaneously entertaining.

Within a year we will have seen Pluto close up. Now I am wondering if in ten years I will be able to book a vacation to Mars on hotwire or expedia.

That might all be wishful thinking, but if Elon gets his way, it will happen.
-Denny

LG's new flexible see through display

"Not content with making the world’s biggest bendy OLED TV, LG has thrown a different curve entirely with its roll-up OLED display.

The 18-inch flexible panel has a 1280 x 810 resolution and uses a film of high-performance plastic called polyimide to give it its flexibility.

The screen can be rolled up to a curvature radius of around 3cm without loss of function – needless to say, the idea of a digital roll-up newspaper hasn’t been lost on the designers. But whether you’d be carrying the 60-inch version to the bog in 2017 – when the company suggests the kit could be on sale – is another matter.

Yet with the new roll-up, LG Display full color panel, one of its unique benefits is you can see through it when it's not being used. Thanks to its transparent pixel technology, it delivers 30 per cent transmittance, which the company expects to increase to 40 per cent when its larger panels are rolled out.

Besides flexibility, transparency is set to be a major selling point." -The Register

While I think the technology is impressive, why would I want a TV, monitor or tablet I can see through?

Personally I don't see why that's such a big selling point.
-Denny

Amazon seeks permission to fly drones

Amazon sent a letter to the FAA recently requesting permission to start flying drones for the purpose of testing.

The FAA isn't prepared for Amazon to use the drones for the delivery of packages yet, but the FAA has been directed to allow drones to be flown for testing purposes.

Amazon's "Vice President of global public policy" Paul Misener, stated that they are already on their eighth and ninth generation drones.

Amazon has been researching drone use in Seattle but it needs special permission to start testing the drones for outdoor use.

Amazon hopes it's "Amazon Prime Air" program, will be able to deliver items to customers "in 30 minutes or less".

Amazon's drones will be able to carry 5 pound packages at 50 miles an hour.

Five pounds doesn't sound all that impressive, however Amazon says that 5 pound packages cover 86% of all the items they ship.

"Many were originally skeptical of Bezos' drone plan, since the announcement first came just before the 2013 holiday season, leading many to think Bezos was just trying to put Amazon in people's heads." -Jill Scharr for Tom's Guide

But as Jill states in her article, Amazon has made great strides and they are quite serious about having drones deliver packages.

So what do you think? As interesting as this all is, it does pose questions.

1) is this just another way to offer less jobs for humans, as robotics and computers take over even more paying jobs?

2) how safe will air travel be if thousands or millions of drones fill the air?