Scala

Tá Wombat ag foghlaim Scala anois. Sin teanga ríomhaire a thugann tacaíocht do ríomhchlárú feidhmeanna mar bharr ar ríomhchlárú OO. Bhí mé ag súgradh le Haskell, ach sílím go bhfuil Scala níos cóiriúla do mo chead tionscadal eile.

OpenDNS - Treoir Gearr do Usáideorí Gentoo

Nóta: Glacaim go bhaineann tú úsáid as dhcpcd. (Mura rinne tú rud speisialta nuair a shuiteáil tú Gentoo, is dócha go fíor sin. Le fanacht amach ón bhaoil, seiceáil é mar seo: ps -ef | grep dhcpcd. D'fheicfeá /sbin/dhcpcd sa liosta.)

ROGHNACH: Mura rinne tú é cheana féin, is fiú duit emerge-áil bind-tools dá bhrí dig agat. Níl sé de dhíth ort le húsáid OpenDNS, ach beidh sé níos éasca bheith cinnte go bhfuil DNS ag dul chuig na freastalaí ceart.

1. Socraigh é. Cuir /etc/conf.d/net in eagair agus ionsaigh/eagair an abairt seo:

dhcpcd_eth0="-R"

Beidh an mír i gceist mar seo:

config_eth0=( "dhcp" )
dhcp_eth0="nodns nontp nonis"
dhcpcd_eth0="-R"

Cuir /etc/resolv.conf in eagair agus ionsaigh/eagair na habairtí seo:

nameserver 208.67.222.222
nameserver 208.67.220.220

2. Tósaigh é. Mar root, cuir isteach an abairt seo:

/etc/init.d/net.eth0 restart

3. Scrúdaigh é. Seo an cúis a mhól mé suiteáil bind-tools. Thug an ordú dig níos mó eolais ná nslookup.

dig www.opendns.com

Beidh a toradh mar seo:

; <<>> DiG 9.4.2-P2 <<>> www.opendns.com
;; global options:  printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 7419 
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0  

;; QUESTION SECTION: 
;www.opendns.com.               IN      A  

;; ANSWER SECTION: 
www.opendns.com.        30      IN      A       208.67.219.101  

;; Query time: 927 msec 
;; SERVER: 208.67.220.220#53(208.67.220.220) <-- freastalaí OpenDNS 
;; WHEN: Sat Nov 15 18:46:44 2008 
;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 49  

4. (OPTIONAL) ROGHNACH. Is féidir leat teasc áitiúil a shocrú sa dóigh nár ar do ríomhaire dul ar ais chuig OpenDNS le athcheistiú. Bain mé úsáid as dnsmasq.

emerge dnsmasq

Cuir na sainroghanna seo i /etc/dnsmasq.conf (le caoinchead ó HostingFu)

domain-needed            # Never forward plain names
bogus-priv               # Never forward addresses in the non-routed address spaces
no-resolv                # Don't use /etc/resolv.conf
no-poll                  # Don't poll /etc/resolv.conf
server=208.67.222.222    # Forward to OpenDNS's servers
server=208.67.220.220
listen-address=127.0.0.1 # Listen and bind to only localhost
bind-interfaces

Mar root, cuir isteach na habairtí seo:

/etc/init.d/dnsmasq start
rc-update add dnsmasq default

Ná déan dearmad inis do dhcpcd an teasc áitiúil a úsáid:

echo nameserver 127.0.0.1 > /etc/resolv.conf

5. (OPTIONAL) Scrúdaigh arís é. Eisigh an ceist céanna dig (dig www.opendns.com) faoi dhó, agus breathnaigh ar an líne ;; Query time: . An darna uair ba cheart do beagnach ar an toirt mar tá an eolas sa taisc cheana féin.


OpenDNS - Quick Start for Gentoo Users

Note: I assume you're using dhcpcd. (If you didn't do anything fancy when you installed Gentoo, then you're probably using dhcpcd. To be on the safe side, check using ps -ef | grep dhcpcd. You should see /sbin/dhcpcd in the list.)

OPTIONAL: If you haven't already done so, you really should emerge bind-tools so that you will have dig. This isn't necessary for using OpenDNS, but it will make it easier to be certain that DNS is going to the correct servers.

1. Configure it. Edit /etc/conf.d/net and insert/edit the following line:

dhcpcd_eth0="-R"

The relevant section of will look something like this:

config_eth0=( "dhcp" )
dhcp_eth0="nodns nontp nonis"
dhcpcd_eth0="-R"

Edit /etc/resolv.conf and insert/edit the following lines:

nameserver 208.67.222.222
nameserver 208.67.220.220

2. Start it. As root, enter the following command:

/etc/init.d/net.eth0 restart

3. Test it. This is why I recommended emerging bind-tools. The dig command will give you a little more information than nslookup.

dig www.opendns.com

The result should look like this:

; <<>> DiG 9.4.2-P2 <<>> www.opendns.com
;; global options:  printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 7419 
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0  

;; QUESTION SECTION: 
;www.opendns.com.               IN      A  

;; ANSWER SECTION: 
www.opendns.com.        30      IN      A       208.67.219.101  

;; Query time: 927 msec 
;; SERVER: 208.67.220.220#53(208.67.220.220) <-- OpenDNS server
;; WHEN: Sat Nov 15 18:46:44 2008 
;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 49  

4. (OPTIONAL) Make it faster. You can set up a local cache so your computer doesn't have to go back to OpenDNS for subsequent queries. I used dnsmasq.

emerge dnsmasq

Use the following configuration in /etc/dnsmasq.conf (courtesy of HostingFu)

domain-needed            # Never forward plain names
bogus-priv               # Never forward addresses in the non-routed address spaces
no-resolv                # Don't use /etc/resolv.conf
no-poll                  # Don't poll /etc/resolv.conf
server=208.67.222.222    # Forward to OpenDNS's servers
server=208.67.220.220
listen-address=127.0.0.1 # Listen and bind to only localhost
bind-interfaces

As root, enter the following commands:

/etc/init.d/dnsmasq start
rc-update add dnsmasq default

Don't forget to tell dhcpcd to use the local cache:

echo nameserver 127.0.0.1 > /etc/resolv.conf

5. (OPTIONAL) Make sure it got faster. Run the same dig query (dig www.opendns.com) twice in a row, and look for the ;; Query time: line. The second time it should be nearly instantaneous because the information is already in the cache.

Gnome Do

Tá mé ag baint úsáid as Katapult feidhmchláir a thosú le tamall fada. Ach d'aimsigh mé clar gur níos fearr liom, Gnome Do. Tá sé ina cosúil le Quicksilver ar Mac.

Bíonn an cuid is mó de na lainseálaí tascanna faoi thiomáint roghchláir. Ní mór duit coinnigh do chuid roghchláir eagraithe, ach níl sin éasca má úsáideann tú a lán feidhmchláir agus tú i gcónaí suiteáil cinn nua. Is minic gur chuimhin liom an catagóir a chuir mé an feidhmchlár faoi.

Ach tá córas difriúil i nGnome Do. Is feidir leat clóscríobh cúpla carachtar, agus molfaidh Gnome Do an feidhmchlár a ba mhaith leat. (Tá Katapult ábalta é sin a dhéanamh, ach tá sé níos teorantaí ná Gnome Do.) Cuireann Gnome Do in oiriúint do do nósanna, agus éiríonn na tuairimí níos fearr.

Note: Tá an ebuild Gentoo do Gnome Do mascáilte faoi láthair. Seo an chaoi a shuiteáil mé Gnome Do:

flagedit gnome-extra/gnome-do -- +~x86
flagedit dev-dotnet/dbus-glib-sharp -- +~x86
flagedit dev-dotnet/dbus-sharp -- +~x86

I've been using Katapult as my application launcher for a while, but I've found something I prefer Gnome Do. It's inspired by Quicksilver on Mac.

Most app launchers are menu-driven. You have to keep your menus organised, which isn't easy if you have a lot of apps and you're always installing new ones. I often forget which category I put an app under.

But Gnome Do uses a different approach. You can type a couple of letters, and Gnome Do will suggest the application it thinks you want. (Katapult does this too, but in a more limited way.) Gnome do adapts to your habits, and gets better at guessing.

Note: The Gentoo ebuild for Gnome Do is currently masked. Here's how I installed it:

flagedit gnome-extra/gnome-do -- +~x86
flagedit dev-dotnet/dbus-glib-sharp -- +~x86
flagedit dev-dotnet/dbus-sharp -- +~x86

I know dozens of languages (of the computer variety), and I'm fluent in Java. But alas, my Irish is full of syntax errors and isn't Turing-complete. So don't model your Irish on mine.

spreagadh eacnamaíochta

Fuair mé seic spreagadh eacnamaíochta! Ní raibh mé ag súil leis mar níl mé i mo chónaí sa SAM le blianta. Hmmm... cad a cheanódh mé? Rud éigin ríomhaireachta, is dócha.

I got an economic stimulus cheque! I wasn't expecting one because I'm not resident in the US. Hmmm... what to buy? Perhaps something computer-y

An freagra

Cúpla lá ó shin, thaispeáin mé an scáilghraf seo daoibh, agus d'iarr mé oraibh buille faoi thuairim a thabhairt cad é an bainisteoir fuinneog ann. Anois, tá sé in am an rún a ligean le gach duine. Seo bainisteoir fuinneog réasúnta nua, darb ainm Openbox. Tá sé bunaithe ar Blackbox (Kevin, bhí tú beagnach ceart!), tá sé iontach sochumraithe fríd XML, agus tá sé gasta.

A few days ago, I showed you this screenshot and invited guesses as to what window manager is depicted. Now it's time to reveal the secret. This is a fairly new window manager called Openbox. It's based on Blackbox (Kevin, you were nearly right!), it's very easy to configure using XML, and it's fast.

I'm a learner and I make mistakes. My Irish is not for use in nuclear reactors.

Teicleid: aicearra cuardaigh

Agus mé ag úsáid Firefox, bíonn a lán cluaisín oscailte agam le foclóirí Ghaeilge de gnáth. An Foclóir Beag, Focal.ie, acmhainn.ie, Credo (sin suíomh rannpháirtí, ach is dócha go bhfuil ball ar fáil saor in aisce fríd do leabharlann aitiúil) agus mar sin de. Ach tá caoi níos fearr agam anois.


Mar shampla: Ma ba maith leat aicearra le Focal.ie, teigh chun an suíomh (http://www.focal.ie/home.aspx). Deaschliceáil ar an bocsa cuardaigh, agus roghnaigh "Cuir lorgfhocal leis an cuardach seo...". (Má tá tú ag úsáid Firefox as Béarla, ceapaim go bhfuil an roghnú "Add a keyword for this search..." nó rud mar sin.) Mar ainm, clóscríobh "Focal.ie". Mar lorgfhocal, úsáid rud gearr agus sochuimhnithe mar "fie". Cliceáil "Cuir leis" (nó "OK") agus sin a bhfuil. Ansin cuirfidh tú "fie focal" sa suíomhbharra (location bar) Focal.ie a chuardach.





When I use Firefox, I usually have a bunch of tabs open to Irish dictionaries. An Foclóir Beag, Focal.ie, acmhainn.ie, Credo (a subscriber site, but you may be able to get a free subscription through your local library) and the like. But now I have a better way.

For example, if you want to create a shortcut to Focal.ie, go to the site (http://www.focal.ie/home.aspx). Right-click on the search box and select "Cuir lorgfhocal leis an cuardach seo...". (If you use Firefox in English, I think the selection is "Add a keyword for this search..." or something like that.) For name, type "Focal.ie". For the keyword, type something short and memorable like "fie". Click "Cuir leis" (or "OK") and you're done. Then you can type "fie focal" in the location bar to search Focal.ie.

I'm a learner, and I make plenty of mistakes, so don't model your Irish on mine!

bainisteoirí fuinneog

Cuid de na fáthanna is maith liom Linux ná bheith ábalta roghnú idir a lán bainisteoirí fuinneog. Bainfidh mé triall as bainisteoir fuinneog eile gach cúpla mhí! Seo screenshot ar an ceann is fearr liom faoi láthair. (Níl feidhmchlár ar bith tosaithe agam.Sin an cúlra réamhshocrú.)

Leadránach, an dúirt tú? Bhuel, is úsáideoir neamhchoitianta mé. Is fearr liom gach feidhmchlár a bheith lánscáilean, agus mé Alt-Tabáil eatarthu. Ní fheicim an deasc ach nuair a thosaíonn an bainisteoir fuinneog. Ní tascbharraí de dhíth orm. Ní maith liom rud ar bith le feiceáil seachas an feidhmchlár atá mé ag úsáid ar an bhomaite. Shocraigh mé ceangail eochracha na feidhmchláranna is fearr liom a thosú, nó an roghchlár a tharraingt anuas. Is cóiriúil deasc íostach don intinn beothach.

Agus mar sin de, cad é an bainisteoir fuinneog atá mé ag úsáid faoi láthair? Féach ar an phictiúr arís agus tóg buille faoi thuairim sa mhír tráchta.


One of the things I like best about Linux is having a wide choice of window managers. I try a new one every few months! Here's a screenshot of my fave at the moment. (No apps have been started yet. This is the default background.)

Boring, I hear you say? Well, I'm an unusual user. I prefer to work with all my apps full-screen, Alt+Tabbing between them. I only see the desktop when I start the manager. I've no use for taskbars. I don't want to see anything except the app I'm using at that precise moment. I've set up key bindings to launch my favourite apps, or to raise the menu. A minimalist desktop suits a lively mind.

So, what window manager am I using at the moment? Look at the screenshot again and take a guess in the comment section.

I'm a learner, and I make plenty of mistakes, so don't model your Irish on mine!

Caisleán Óir

Ba mhaith liom scríobh ar an bhlog seo níos minice, ach is deacair an t-am a fháil teachtaireachtaí fada a scríobh. Mar sin de, bainfidh me triall as scéim nua: ag scríobh teachtaireachtaí bheag, ach níos minice.

Tá grúpa againn ag léamh Caisleán Óir le chéile. Tá muid ag cur Béarla ar cúpla alt, ag déanamh sealaíocht, agus pléann muid na píosaí deacra. Má tá suim agatsa, féach ar an nasc seo:

http://www.irishgaelictranslator.com/translation/viewtopic.68970.html

Wombat Éireannach

I 2004, rinne mé iarratas saoránacht Éireannach. Trí bhliana níos moile, fuair mé an deá-scéal: glacadh m'iarratas! Agus mar sin de, chuaigh mé chun na cúirt mo dhílse a dhéarbhú faoi mhionn.

Beagán ósreal a bhí an eachtra. Ba orm léigh amach an mionn dílse, os comhair daoine a bhí ansin fá as ucht ticéid pairceála, ASBOs, nó mionchoireanna. Ní raibh suim ar bith acu, agus bhí an breitheamh ag déanamh oibre pháipéir. Ba é mo lá mór, ach níor thug duine ar bith suntas orm. Seachas garda amháin; dúirt sé liom i gcogar, "congratulations" agus mé ag imeacht. Go raibh maith agat, a gharda!

Ar aon chaoi, is wombat Éireannach atá ionam anois.

In 2004 I applied for Irish citizenship. Three years later, I got the good news: my application was approved. So off I went to the court to take a loyalty oath.

The experience was a bit surreal. I had to read the oath out loud, in front of people who were there for parking tickets, ASBOs, or minor crimes. No one was interested, and the judge was doing paperwork. It was my big day, but no one noticed. Except one guard; he whispered "congratulations" to me as I left. Thank you, guard!

Anyway, I'm an Irish wombat now.


I'm a learner, and I make plenty of mistakes, so don't model your Irish on mine!

Tá 'n leon 'na chodladh 'nocht

D'aistrigh mé an amhrán seo (le cuidiú carad). Bain sult as.

Istigh sa dufair, sa dufair iontach
Tá 'n leon 'na chodladh 'nocht
Istigh sa dufair, sa dufair iontach
Tá 'n leon 'na chodladh 'nocht

I ngar don bhaile, don bhaile suaimhneach
Tá 'n leon 'na chodladh 'nocht
I ngar don bhaile, don bhaile suaimhneach
Tá 'n leon 'na chodladh 'nocht

Fuist, a thaisce, a thaisce thuirseach
Tá 'n leon 'na chodladh 'nocht
Fuist, a thaisce, a thaisce thuirseach
Tá 'n leon 'na chodladh 'nocht

Curfá: Is rí mór é, is rí mór é, is rí mór é, is rí mór é, srl

Drochscéal

Cúpla seachtain ó shin, chuaigh mé síos chun mo chuid alpacaí a sheoladh chun na páirce uachtaraí, agus bhí cuma shláintiúil is sásta orthu go léir. Bhí imní orm mar chaill Seacláid meáchan, ach taobh amuigh de sin, bhí cuma mhaith uirthi. Bhí a fhios agam go dóiche an cúram a bhí uirthi ag tógáil a cria. Dá bhrí sin, chinn mé go mbainfainn den bhainne é. Bá é seo fáth eile í a sheoladh chun an páirce uachtaraí, áit a mbeadh féar úr aici, agus bheinn ábalta súil a choinneáil uirthi.

Dá bhrí sin, chuir mé na hadhastair orthu, agus thosaigh mé á dtreorú, ach tar éis cúpla meadar shuigh Seacláid síos agus ní raibh sí sásta éirí suas. Tar éis tamaill a chaitheamh ag iarraidh í a chuir ina sheasamh, threoraigh mé na cinn eile beagán ní b'fháide, cheangail iad, agus chuaigh ar ais chun í a fháil. Sheas sí suas, agus bhí cuma shásúil uirthi. Shúil muid píosa, agus shuigh sí síos arís, agus ní bhogfadh rud ar bith í.

Chuir mé glaoch ar an tréidlia, thug sé vitimíní agus rudaí mar sin, agus rug muid í suas an cnoc agus isteach an beithíoch. Dúirt an tréidlia nuair a thosaíonn ainmhí ag cailleadh meáchán, ní raibh mórán seans aige, ach mar nach bhfuil cuma péine uirthi, ba choir dúinn fanacht cúpla lá.

Chuir mé plúideanna go leor agus buidéil uisce te uirthi,agus d'oscail mé mála úr "calf munchies" ar a son. (Tá boladh chomh deas as mála úr "calf munchies", iontach cosúil le cinnamon, thiocfaidh cathú ort féin é a bhlaiseadh. Ná bac leis; tá blas gairbhéal, maranáidithe i molás, air.) Thug mise agus Dougal cuairt uirthi gach cúpla uair ar feadh an lae. Thosaigh mé ag éirí dóchasach mar d'ith sí go cíocrach, ach lá go leith ina dhiaidh sin, thosaigh sí bia ag diúltú, agus bhí orm glacadh leis an chinniúint. Chuir mé glaoch ar an tréidlia í a chur síos, ach fuair sí bás tamall gairid sular tháinig sé. Dúirt sé nár fhulaing sí.

Tá bród orm as an gharcheangal le mo chuid ainmhithe. Tá aithne agam orthu mar ainmhí aonair agus tá muinín acu asam. Cén chaoi go mbeadh duine a léigh leabhartha James Herriot go léir dosaen uair ábalta lig rud chomh hinseachanta a hainmhithe a mharú? An fhadhb le halpacaí, agus ainmhithe tréada i gcoitinne, ná nach dtaispeánann siad aon chomharthaí go dtí go mbíonn siad ar bhruach an bháis. Chuala mé ráite á go mbíonn caora "subject to a wide variety of diseases, the first symptom of which is usually death".

Cé go raibh mé féin ciontach i mbás Seacláide, tá sólás le fáil sólás agam as an tuiscint go bhfuil mé ag foghlaim, agus ní dhéanfaidh mé an botún céanna arís. Is dócha go ndéanann feirmeoirí a bhfuil taithí acu botún anois is arís. Tá mé sásta go raibh a fhios agam gur chóir domh mo chuid ainmhithe a lomadh ní ba luaithe sa bliain, agus go seas mé lomadh a fhoghlaim mar nach bhfuil mé ábalta duine a fháil go dtí an mí Lúnasa. Dá mbeadh cóta iomlán ar Seacláid, b'fhéidir go gcuidigh sé léi.

Tá ná halpacaí eile maith go leor, agus tá sraith bhlonaige slánúil orthu. Beidh cúram éigin ó Foighid bocht, cria Seacláide, le cinntiú nach gcaillfidh sé meáchan dá bhrí scoitheadh. Ceapaim nach bhfuil rud ar bith le déanamh ar son Seacláide anois ach an aire is fearr a thabhairt dá mhac.


A couple of weeks ago I went down to shift my alpacas to the upper field, and they all looked happy and healthy. I was concerned because Seacláid had lost weight, but apart from that she seemed fine. I knew it was probably due to the extra burden of nursing a cria (baby alpaca), so decided I would wean him immediately. This was all the more reason to get her to the upper field where she could have fresh grass, and I could keep a closer eye on her.

So I put the halters on them, and started leading them, but after a few meters Seacláid sat down and wouldn't get up. After trying to get her up for a bit, I took the others a bit further along, tied them, and went back to get her. She got up, and seemed fine. We walked a bit, and she sat down again, and this time nothing would shift her.

I called the vet, he gave her some vitamins and stuff, and we moved her up the hill into the byre. The vet says that once they start losing weight they go down quickly, but since she didn't seem to be in any discomfort we should wait a day or two to see.

I bundled her up with lots of blankets and hot water bottles, and opened a fresh bag of calf munchies just for her. (A freshly opened bag of calf munchies smells so delicious, so cinnamon-y, that you'd be tempted to try it yourself. Don't bother; it tastes like gravel marinated in molasses.) Dougal and I visited her every few hours around the clock. I was beginning to have hope because she ate with gusto, but a day and a half later she started refusing food, and I had to accept the inevitable. I called the vet to put her down, but she died shortly before he arrived. He did say that she didn't suffer.

I pride myself on having a close relationship to my animals, knowing them as individuals and having earned their trust. How could someone who has read all of the James Herriot books a dozen times have let something so preventable kill one of her precious animals? The problem with alpacas, and I think herd animals in general, is that they don't show any symptoms until they're at death's door. I've heard it said of sheep that they "are subject to a wide variety of diseases, the first symptom of which is usually death".

Although Seacláid's situation was my own fault, I'm consoling myself with the fact that I am learning, and I won't make the same mistake again. Probably even experienced farmers make mistakes occasionally. And I give myself credit for recognising that my animals need to be sheared earlier in the year, and insisting on learning how to do it since I can't get anyone to come here to do it until August. If Seacláid had had a full coat, it might have helped.

The other alpacas are doing well, and have a healthy layer of fat. Poor little Foighid, Seacláid's cria, will need special looking after to make sure he doesn't lose any weight as a result of being weaned. I guess all I can do for Seacláid now is to take the best possible care of her son.

Comhairle

Ní itheann na Seapánaí mórán saille, agus faigheann siad níos lú teipeanna croí ná na Sasanaí nó na Meiriceánaí.

Ar an taobh eile, itheann na Fraincisí a lán saille, agus faigheann siad níos lú teipeanna croí ná na Sasanaí nó na Meiriceánaí, chomh maith.

Ní ólann na Seapánaí mórán fíon dearg, agus faigheann siad níos lú teipeanna croí ná na Sasanaí nó na Meiriceánaí.

Ach ólann na Iodálaí a lán fíon dearg agus faigheann siad níos lú teipeanna croí ná na Sasanaí nó na Meiriceánaí, chomh maith.

Mar chríoch: ith agus ól mar is mian leat. Is é labhairt an Béarla a mharaíonn tú.


The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or the Americans.

On the other hand, the French eat a lot of fat and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or the Americans.

The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or the Americans.

The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or the Americans.

Conclusion: Eat and drink whatever you like. It's speaking English that kills you.

Taibhse Cait

Tá Dougal iontach sásta lena phiscín nua. Bíonn an péire acu ina luí le chéile go minic. Is deacair an piscín dubh a fheiceáil in aghaidh fionnaidh dhuibh an mhadadh.

Nuair a bhí an piscín ní ba lú, bhí dlaoithe an-fháda ("guard hairs") anseo agus ansiúd uirthi, ina cosúil le cleití an torcáin (porcupine quills). Chuir sí an líne Shakespeare, "Like quills upon the fretful porpentine" i gcuimhne domh. Luaigh P. G. Wodehouse an líne i gcúpla úrscéal faoi Bertie agus Jeeves. Dá bhrí sin, thug mé an ainm "Porpentine" (nó "Porpentina" anois is arís) uirthi faoi dheireadh.

Tá súil agam go mbeidh saol fada le chéile ag an phéire acu. Tar éis bhás Cluasa Bándearga agus bhás Gealán, d'fhán mé tamall sula bhfuair mé cat eile. Bhí brón orm agus ar Dougal, ach ní raibh mé réidh le cat eile a fháil fós. Ach fuair mé sólás i sraith imeachtaí rúndiamhra.

Oíche amháin, nuair a chuaigh mé go dtí an leaba, agus Dougal ina chodladh ar an urlár, mhothaigh mé cat ag tuirlingt ar na plúideanna. Ní raibh ach mise agus Dougal sa teach, agus níl Dougal ábalta dul suas ar an leaba. Ní raibh ach aon léiriú amháin ann: bhí taibhse cait orainn.

Tháinig an taibhse cait ar ais anois is arís ar feadh cúpla mí. Ní fhaca mé é riamh, ach mhothaigh mé a láithreacht, ag tuirlingt ar an leaba nó ag súil trasna mo choirp. Ní raibh sé scanrúil ar scor ar bith. Bhí mé uaigneach gan chat, agus fuair mé sólás as an taibhse cait. Faoi dheireadh, stop teacht an taibhse cait, agus bhí sé in am agam cat eile a fháil.

Is duine ciallmhar mé, agus ní chreidim i dtaibhsí. Ach bhí áthas orm go mbeidh taibhse cait agam ar feadh tamall.



Dougal is very happy with his new kitten. The two of them often sleep together. It's difficult to see the black kitten against the black fur of the dog.

When the kitten was smaller, she had very long guard hairs that looked like porcupine quills. She reminded me of the Shakespeare line, "Like quills upon the fretful porpentine". P. G. Wodehouse referred to the line in some of his Bertie and Jeeves novels. So I finally named her "Porpentine" (or sometimes "Porpentina").

I hope they have a long life together. After the deaths of Cluasa Bándearga and Gealán, I waited a while before getting another cat. I was sad, as was Dougal, but I wasn't ready to get another cat yet. But I was comforted by a strange series of events.

One night, when I went to bed and Dougal was asleep on the floor, I felt a cat jump onto the bed. Only Dougal and I were in the house, and Dougal isn't able to get onto the bed. There was only one possible explanation: we had a ghost cat.

The ghost cat came back now and again for a few months. I never saw him, but I felt his presence, jumping onto the bed or walking across my body. It wasn't at all frightening. I was lonely for a cat, and I found comfort in a ghost cat. Finally, the ghost cat stopped coming, and it was time to get another cat.

I'm a sensible person, and I don't believe in ghosts. But I was happy to have a ghost cat for a while.

An Fhionnachtain

Tá eolas ag roinnt mhaith agaibh go bhfuil mé ag obair ar chluiche eachtra, as Gaeilge agus mionteangacha eile. Nuair a thosaigh mé an tionscadal seo, cheap mé go mbeinn ábalta an córas grafach a bhí le fáil le Java 2D a úsáid, ach ní raibh mé sásta go leor leis an toradh. Agus ní raibh mé sásta leis na hinnill ghrafach ("graphics engines") a bhí le fáil ach oiread. Ba mhaith liom rud níos sofaisticiúla ná Flash nó Shockwave, ach teastaíonn foireann ríomhchláraitheoirí agus ealaíontóirí ó grafach 3D. Ní ach duine aonair mé. Dá bhrí sin, chruthaigh mé inneall nua. Tá cuma cartún beo air, ach tá eolas 3D ann. Tá mé ag obair air le dhá bhliain anuas, agus tá sé beagnach críochnaithe anois.

Nuair a bhí mé ag obair ar an inneall, cheap mé saghas ailgéabar nua. Bhí eolas agam ar quaternions (4D veicteoirí), agus go raibh siad ábalta seasamh do rothlaithe thar trí haiseanna. Thánig an smaoineamh chugam: Cén fáth nach gcuirfidh mé dhá quaternions le chéile, ceann acu ag seasamh do rothlaithe agus an ceann eile don aistriúchán? Thosaigh mé ag obair ar an chaoi is fearr iad a chur le chéile, agus an ailgéabar nua a chur i m'inneall grafach nua.

Smaoineamh maith a bhí ann, gan dabht. Agus smaoineamh maith a bhí ann nuair a cheap Hamilton é, thart fa dhá chéad bliana ó shin i mBaile Átha Cliath. Ach ní raibh mé míshásta nuair a fuair mé é sin amach. Cheap muid an ailgéabar nua, ach rinne seisean é beagán ní ba luaithe!

Many of you know that I am working on an adventure game, in Irish and other minority languages. When I started this project, I thought I would be able to use the 2D graphics supported by Java, but I wasn't satisfied with the result. And I wasn't happy with the graphics engines that were available either. I wanted something more sophisticated than Flash or Shockwave. But 3D graphics requires teams of programmers and graphic artists. I'm only one person. So I created a new engine. It has the look of an animated cartoon, but internally it's 3D. I've been working on it for two years, and it's nearly finished now.

When I was working on the engine, I developed a new type of algebra. I was familiar with quaternions (4D vectors) and that they could represent rotations around 3 axes. The idea came to me: why not put two quaternions together, one to represent rotations and the other for translations? I began working on the best way to put them together, and I put the new algebra in my graphics engine.

It was a good idea, without doubt. And it was a good idea when Hamilton invented it in Dublin, about two hundred years ago.But I wasn't unhappy when I found that out. We both invented the new algebra, he just did it a bit earlier.



Clibeanna: Gaeilge, Muddle-headed Wombat

Shear Exhaustion

(Tharla na himeachtaí seo cúpla seachtain ó shin.)

Ní theastaíonn mórán cúraim ó na halpacaí, ach bíonn dhá bhuaireamh bheaga orm gach bliana: Cá bhfaighidh mé féar fá choinne an gheimhridh, agus cén chaoi mo chuid alpacaí a lomadh? Níl sé caoithiúil mo chuid ainmhíthe a thógáil chuig an lomaire; is turas seacht nó ocht n-uaire a' chloig é ann agus ar ais, agus mé ag tarraingt leantór. Ach níos tábhachtaí ná sin, bím buartha faoi stróc teasa mar ní bhíonn an lomaire le fáil go dtí deireadh mí Iúil ní mí Lunasa, tar éis lomadh na gcaorach. Agus ansin do réir mar a théan mo thréad i méid (tá súil agam), éirionn sé níos deacra bheith ag taisteal leo.

Bhí sé in am agam lomadh alpacaí a fhoghlaim. Léigh mé leathanaigh eolais go leor ar an idirlín faoi lomadh alpacaí, agus d'amharc mé ar DVD cúpla uair. Cheannaigh mé deimheas leictreach a bhfuil cuma uirlise céasta air, a chuirfeadh eagla ort súil a leagan orthu, gan teacht ar lámh. Agus fuair mé lomaire den chéad scoth ag teacht agus mé a thraenáil go pearsanta.

Ar bhealach amháin, bhí sé ní ba éascaí na mar a bhí mé ag súil leis, ar bhealach eile, ní ba dheacra. Rinne mé an-jab ag gearradh an lomra glhanbhearradh amháin, gan mórán athlomtha. (Tugann athlomadh píosaí bheaga lomra atá ró-ghearr le sníomh.) Ar an drochuair, ghearr mé craiceann Seacláide. Ní raibh an gearradh ró-dhóna, déarfá, ba dhóigh leat nár mhóthaigh sí í, ach bhain sé croitheadh asam. Dáiríre, theasaigh uaim stad ansin agus ligint do mo mhuinteoir an jab a chríochniú, ach bhí a fhios agam dá ndéanfáinn é sin, nach mbeadh an misneach agam an deimheas a thógáil i mo lámh arís. Dá bhrí sin, lean mé ar aghaidh, agus ní raibh gortaithe ar bith eile ann. Bhí an tasc maslach, ach níorbh í an obair í, ach gur chuir mé mo chroí amach leis.

Fríd is fríd, tá muinín agam go mbeidh mé ábalta é a dhéanamh arís an bhliain seo chugainn, gan aon mhúinteoir. Ní bheidh mé chomh neirbhiseach mar beidh a fhios caidé atá romham. Ach caithfidh mé fios a chur as na gardaí chun go mbeidh siad ábalta duine a chur ar fáil chun an trácht a stiúradh. Caithfidh sé go raibh deich gcarr, agus leathdosaen turasóirí ar chois, a stop, a d'amharc tamall agus a thóg pictiúirí. An rud ab fhearr ná nuair a stad bus lán de thurasóirí Seapánacha! Níl mé ag magadh, tharla sé i ndáiríre.


Alpacas are fairly low-maintenance, but I do have two minor worries each year: Where will I find hay for the winter, and how will I get my animals sheared?

It's inconvenient to take my animals to the shearer; it's a 7-8 hour round trip when I'm towing a trailer. But more importantly, I sometimes worry about heat stroke as the shearer isn't usually available until late July or August, after the sheep have been done. And finally, as my herd grows (I hope), travelling with them becomes more difficult.

It was time to learn to shear alpacas myself. I read pages and pages of information on the web about how to shear alpacas, and I watched a DVD several times. I bought some electric shears that look like an instrument of torture, scary even to look at, much less touch. And I had a top-notch shearer come to train me in person.

In some ways, it was easier than I expected, and in other ways, harder. I did fairly well at getting the fleece off in one smooth go, with few second cuts. (Second cuts yield little bits of fleece too short to spin). Unfortunately, I did cut Seacláid's skin. It's not a serious cut, and she didn't even seem to notice but it did unnerve me. I really wanted to stop right there and let my teacher finish the job, but I knew if I did that I would never have the nerve to pick up the shears again. So I persevered, and there were no other injuries. The whole thing was exhausting, not so much because of the physical labour as the wear and tear on my nerves.

All in all, I'm confident I can do it again next year, without a teacher. I won't be as nervous because I know what to expect. But I will have to alert the Guardaí when I shear, so they can send someone over to direct traffic. there must have been ten cars, plus a half dozen tourists on foot, that stopped, watched for a while and took photos. The high point was when a busload of Japanese tourists stopped to watch! I am not joking; it really happened.


Clibeanna: alpacaí, Gaeilge, Muddle-headed Wombat

Ag craoladh go dána ón áit nach ndeachaigh duine ar bith roimhe sin.

Beidh cuma nua ar RTÉ inniu. Ach nach n-aithním an cúlra? Nach Bac an Réaltra (Galactic Barrier) ón Star Trek é? Fágfaidh mé ar do bhreithiúnas féin é.



Clibeanna: Muddle-headed Wombat

Teicleid

Mura bhfuil a fhios agat An Gramadóir, ba ceart duit smaoineamh air. Tá sé saor in aisce, agus iontach áisiúil do foghlaimeoirí. Úsáidim é go rialta.

Is é Linux an córas oibriúcháin atá ar mo ríomhaire. Tá mo mheaisín cumraithe fá choinne UTF-8 a úsáid, ach tá An Gramadóir ag súil le ISO-8859-1 mar réamhshocrú. Tá lasc ordaithe ar fáil, "--ionchod", a stiúrann an iompraíocht sin. Mar shampla:

gram-ga.pl --ionchod="utf-8" myfile.txt

If you don't know about An Gramadóir, you should check it out. It's free, and very useful for learners. I use it regularly.

My OS is Linux. My system is configured to use UTF-8, but An Gramadóir expects ISO-8859-1 by default. There is a command switch, "--ionchod", which controls this behaviour. See the example above.

Clibeanna: teicleid, An Gramadóir, gramadach, Gaeilge, Muddle-headed Wombat

Bí ansin nó bí cearnógach!

Píosa craic ón http://www.says-it.com/concertticket/index.php.

Seans Eile, leagan 3.3.0

Tá Seans Eile, leagan 3.3.0 ar fáil anois ag http://nualeargais.ie. Má tá Seans Eile agat cheana féin, lainseáil é agus do ríomhaire ceangailte leis an idirlín. Uasghrádóidh an feidhmchlár é féin sa ghnáthchúrsa.

Seans Eile is a free software program to help you practise your Irish.

Clibeanna: Seans Eile, foghlaim, gramadach, Gaeilge, Muddle-headed Wombat

Piscín Nua

Cúpla lá ó shin, fuair mo mhadadh piscín nua.(Bhí a chroí bhriste tar éis bás Cluasa Bándearga.) Ceapaim go bhfeileann an aimn "Dlaíóg" di, ach fán go bhfeicfimid. Ar aon chaoi, seo pictiúir.