[03:12] <TommyT> Greetings -- Anyone here for "Chat Night"?
[03:32] <TommyT> I guess not. :-(
[04:04] <TommyT> Greetings Num83rGuy!
[04:04] <TommyT> Not much "chat" on Chat Night!
[04:04] <Num83rGuy> Hello TommyT
[04:05] <Num83rGuy> It seems there rarely is.
[04:05] <TommyT> Yes I was just looking through the logs. We even had a job announcement back in October, which has been met with silence
[04:05] <TommyT> module000 announced an opening at his place in NLR
[04:06] <TommyT> a few days ago he said it was still open
[04:06] <Num83rGuy> Hmm, too bad I live nowhere near there
[04:07] <TommyT> I'm in Conway. What part of the state are you in?
[04:07] <Num83rGuy> Work would be the hight of great right now.
[04:07] <Num83rGuy> Near Batesville.
[04:08] <TommyT> I think we have kindof a cluster of Ubuntu folks in that direction.
[04:08] <TommyT> Back when we could post our location on launchpad, it seemed there were several active members around there.
[04:08] <Num83rGuy> Realy!? I wish i could find more than one person who knows how to turn one on much less use it.
[04:10] <TommyT> Of course, I'm drawing kind of a sweeping arm across a swath of the state. My geography stinks, too.
[04:10] <Num83rGuy> Ha!
[04:10] <TommyT> I just pulled up batesville on maps.google.com... I think the folks I'm thinking of are closer to Mountain Home. Or Mountain VIew.
[04:10] <Num83rGuy> Yeah That sounds about right.
[04:12] <TommyT> Over the years we have had less and less activity here in Conway, too.... our biggest activist moved off to Seattle.
[04:12] <TommyT> years ago
[04:12] <TommyT> I would like to get a LITTLE more activity going.
[04:13] <TommyT> Do you ever travel for computer-related events?
[04:13] <Num83rGuy> I seem to remember there was a LUG in Batesville some time ago.  If I recall there were nearly 50 in the state but, a few years ago it seems the tech and it followers flew the coop.
[04:14] <TommyT> I guess as we get more "connected" (virtually) we see less need to be connected in person
[04:16] <Num83rGuy> I have never been to a meeting, by the time I learned of them I was too busy with work and family. Now I am just too broke to get gas to go. :(
[04:16] <TommyT> Maybe linux / Ubuntu is too dull now ... I hardly have any trouble that I would head to a meeting to discuss
[04:17] <Num83rGuy> Ha, I agree.  I am having more trouble out of hardware than non-Windows software these days too.
[04:18] <TommyT> Do you drive as far as Newport or Heber Springs? Or is that too far (gas or time wise)?
[04:19] <TommyT> I'm just trying to get a sense of what seems far in that part of the state.
[04:19] <Num83rGuy> Blew two power supplies in a month and now having HDD problems.  I rarely go to Newport My car is literally falling apart.  I have hat to pick up parts off the road.
[04:20] <TommyT> I grew up in a little town in Texas and the nearest movie theater was 70 miles away (this was before VCRs or even cable TV)
[04:20] <Num83rGuy> Bates ville is about my limit for now.  ( ~30 miles )
[04:20] <Num83rGuy> I know that feel.
[04:21] <TommyT> Are you on DSL?
[04:22] <Num83rGuy> Yeah, 1.5Mib down 256Kib up $60 a month.
[04:23] <Num83rGuy> The fastest I can get.
[04:23] <TommyT> oof. $60/mo is pricey.
[04:23] <TommyT> but you probably don't have much choice
[04:24] <Num83rGuy> Yep, and the phone Co. cays be glad I have it.  They are the only provider other than Huges net. Same price but, with a cap. Blagh.
[04:25] <TommyT> My brother had Hughes for awhile. Terrible. They hit the cap as soon as any kid in the household loaded up their iPod
[04:25] <TommyT> Besides they were often losing signal due to weather or whatever.
[04:26] <TommyT> Fortunately a
[04:26] <Num83rGuy> Yeah, and the wife plays MMOs so that would be gon in a day or two.
[04:26] <TommyT> fortunately ATT decided DSL would reach his house from Conway
[04:26] <TommyT> and it did
[04:27] <Num83rGuy> The part that frustrates me is that there is a wireless provider just a half mile away.
[04:28] <TommyT> WiMax or WiFi?
[04:28] <Num83rGuy> Faster and cheaper. I'm just out of range.
[04:28] <Num83rGuy> I don't rember.
[04:28] <Num83rGuy> *Remember.
[04:28] <TommyT> Half a mile is theoretically doable with a directional antenna, if it's WiFi
[04:29] <Num83rGuy> Someday....
[04:29] <TommyT> WiMaxx or whatever they call it is supposed to go farther, but I know nothing about it.
[04:29] <TommyT> You could try building a Pringles can antenna.
[04:30] <TommyT> OR even a "fry basket" antenna
[04:31] <TommyT> I think some folks have even repurposed their satellite dishes.
[04:31] <Num83rGuy> I plan on it. Just too busy.  That and the wife gets nervious if I play with the net too much.
[04:31] <TommyT> Yeah, speaking of... I just got notice from my wife that it's almost bed time
[04:32] <Num83rGuy> LOL all right Nite.
[04:32] <TommyT> I should feel lucky, though. When I was young my bed time was 8 pm.
[04:32] <Num83rGuy> http://www.connect-arkansas.org/home
[04:33] <Num83rGuy> I have talked with a guy who works o this good info.
[04:33] <TommyT> cool -- I think I know some of the folks who started that years ago
[04:34] <TommyT> But Conway put in fiber all over town and the price is just low enough I got lazy.
[04:34] <Num83rGuy> Lucky.
[04:35] <TommyT> Yeah, it was a huge relief to give up the dialup... that was probably 1996 or 1997
[04:36] <TommyT> They also rolled out wireless around town
[04:36] <Num83rGuy> Let me see..., 4 years ago.
[04:37] <Num83rGuy> Ha I just looked at the map.  Wireless is at the end of my street.
[04:37] <Num83rGuy> I still can't get it , yet
[04:37] <TommyT> You could probably work with them to become a node on their network.
[04:38] <TommyT> Do you have any nearby neighbors who might share your bandwidth?
[04:38] <Num83rGuy> Well Later I gotta go as well Kids are getting too rowdy.  I think i will give them a call tomorrow.
[04:38] <TommyT> Good luck and good night!
[04:38] <Num83rGuy> Have a good night.