"Adventures in Linux" is a series of Linux articles written from the stand point of a
novice detailing various experiences with this potential alternative operating system.
All of these articles appeared in Computer Buyer Magazine from 1998-2002. The
project has run its course and the articles will no longer be published.

During the Linux run in Computer Buyer Magazine I had the opportunity to be part of a radio talk show where, among other things, the discussion was about Linux. Click the "Play" button to hear a short excerpt from the show.

Linux proved to be a very interesting adventure for me - there were just so many opportunities to explore the computer, so many different ways around Microsoft's hold on everyone, and just as many frustrations in terms of limitations. What did I use Linux for? My original Linux system was set up primarily as a server that handled all networking/firewall/internet connections. Topics included setting up two modems to double the connection speed to using GIMP to process webcam astrophotos.

I still have my Linux server, though since I switched over to a dedicated router it hasn't had much business lately. Now my goal is to reduce power, noise, and heat.

"Choices" was borne from another story, but it is a stand alone story. A relationship
once filled with love has deteriorated into a simple coexistence between the two.
One of them seeks to distance himself from the other by taking on a mundane
assignment out on the far reaches of friendly space. Turned down for active combat
duty, he nonetheless has stolen enough time in the simulator to make the
difference between life and death.

"To Paint a Mountain Black" is set in the not too distant future. Some calamity has
changed the face of the earth, making the United States mostly a desert. The
closest point of relief is Tropical Canada, but times are desperate. An old man, a
dinosaur and legend in his own right, has an idea. If rain could only be made to fall
in this once prosporous region.

"Black Gold" - What would happen if all the efforts to fight global warming actually caused the planet to spiral into a new ice age? The year is 2079 and the world is in the grips of a winter storm that has now lasted just shy of a decade. What once was the United States is now a desolate, frozen waste land. Most of the major cities in Europe are entombed in ice. The collapse of the world economies as a result of rapid-fire environmental agreements has all but sealed mankind's fate. And yet one man with an idea might just be able to make a difference.

"The Grapes of Wrath". Earth is besieged by two galatic powers bent on making her
their last battle ground. In a desperate attempt to defend herself with the only
weapon left to her, she offers a summit to bring about peace and harmony. But,
what happens when aliens can't eat earth food?

"An Eye for an Eye" is about an upstanding man of the community who falls prey to
the pitfalls of a traffic accident. In his comatose state has dreams, or nightmares,
that center around a little girl. Who is she, he doesn't know. But he finds out...

"The Garden of Eden" is a story centered on the misfortune of a wayward space
travellor who, after a long and harsh battle, is forced to land on an unknown planet.
Not only is he completely exhausted, but so is his fuel and he feels he is stranded
on this planet forever and must now struggle to deal with his situation as well as the
longing to be able to go back and change the way he's approached some things in
life. I'll not say anymore since I have not included most of the text.

"High Society" is a short story that evolved from what is probably a well known Irish
joke. My father told the joke at my wedding some years ago and when I was in a
rut, unable to break through the empty feeling of writer's block, this story came to
mind. What you are seeing is really a first draft since I have not worked on it since
about Christmas.

Molly is actually a story first written by my mother but adapted and finalized in this
present form by me. I'm including it here because I think it's important. Sometimes
when I am looking for that edge that makes some writing more interesting than
others, I look to this story for guidance and reassurance. I like it a whole lot and I
hope you will too.