Unix Tutorials

Apple is built on Unix which is a form of Linux. I felt much better when I found terminal on my MacBook and could play around with a bit of code. It made me feel more at home. This site is very helpful and was the first site I came across when I wanted to learn more about Linux. it is very straight forward. It demystifies and gently takes you through some processes so by the time you practise a few of the things you actually feel like you can understand Linux/Unix. Like a lot of people though who are familiar with Linux code, it tends to move too fast for a newbie. You realise you are dealing with people whose brains are really fired up and who are so enthusiastic about what they are trying to teach you. I followed what I could and practised it. I used this site while I was on a computer and just typed in what was said. I skipped the bits I didn’t get…and some I have understood a bit later after I looked at another couple of sites. The main tenet of this site is not to be afraid to experiment. This is fundamental to learning. Just get in there and start doing. Some things you’ll be prepared to work at and other things will be above your head…for now. Don’t worry. Just do what you can, puzzle what you can and come back on another day to what you cannot do. I think the subconscious works some things out for you while you work on other stuff. I certainly don’t believe in getting bogged down in what I can’t so, which is why I liked this site. It helped me to do and understand more than I ever thought I would be able to.

Addicted to games

“Nearly one in 10 American children who play computer games are pathologically addicted, according to new research. “

This article is well worth the read and it’s good to see it out there in public because I have had friends who have been through misery with their children because they tried to break the addiction cycle. One teenage boy became quite violent for a while because he just couldn’t see how much he had changed. In my experience the parents have really had to trade on the close relationships they had built with their child as a littlie so they could use that closeness and trust to eventually win through. One boy got really hooked when his Mum was diagnosed and treated with cancer. He told me he meant to do his homework and then he just ended up on the gaming sites and then was too tired to do his homework. His grades went down. He looked ill. This is where we , as adults, can all play a part. If the problem is out there, if we are given good advice,then there is some way of helping the gaming addicts. Even if you set clear ground rules while children are young, they can become a law unto themselves in their teenage years and that is a very tricky patch to negotiate. I think we can all play a helpful part in that.