The HP Mini 110 Netbook: Almost One Year Later

Last October, after my third Sylvania netbook failed, I took the refund I had received and bought an HP Mini 110 netbook as a replacement. I ordered directly from HP and customized the little machine to my needs, choosing a 16GB SSD over the 160GB conventional hard drive. I also chose to upgrade the machine to 2GB RAM but did it myself with after market RAM rather than pay HP's rather inflated price for memory. My system came preloaded with Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) and HP's now defunct Mi interface. I've now had the machine for just short of 11 months and I am still completely pleased with it.

In my various articles about since late 2008 I've had numerous comments about how netbooks are really toys, how they are underpowered, how they can't do real work, and so on. I have a one word reply: nonsense! Oh, perhaps they are underpowered when running Windows, a bloated and overly resource hungry operating system. Running Linux, as in any of a variety of distributions, there is nothing I can do with my desktop that I can't do with my HP Mini 110. Video editing? No problem. Compiling software? Yep, just fine. Writing with the little, built-in keyboard? I do it all the time. The netbook isn't as fast as the desktop when I use resource intensive applications, of course, but the portability has made it a constant companion for me.

I also write Linux distribution reviews now and again for either O'Reilly or DistroWatch. The net result is that I have installed and tried probably far too many distributions on the little machine. All of them except for openSUSE 11.2 worked well. (I have not tried a newer openSUSE version yet.) I did find some distros require that a parameter be passed to the kernel in order for the installer to boot properly.

The most frequent complaint I've read online from folks who install Linux on the HP Mini 110 is that some have problems getting Broadcom 4312 wireless to work with some distributions. I've found that Ubuntu works out of the proverbial box and on others I need to add the proprietary Broadcom STA (wl) driver. Some distributions package the driver (i.e.: Pardus) but most do not. If you are relatively new to Linux you probably want to stick to Ubuntu or one of the derivatives that use the Ubuntu repositories. The Pardus wiki also has good instructions for getting wireless and the 3G modem going. If those instructions are clear to you then Pardus is another distro that is quite easy to use on the Mini 110. A more advanced user who is comfortable at the command line, with editing configuration files, and with compiling software should be able to make almost any Linux distribution work well with this system. I am currently using SalixOS 13.1 as my primary Linux distribution on the netbook. That is, as always, subject to change.

It did take me a little while to get used to the keyboard but the small size was not the issue. I don't mind a small keyboard. This netbook actually has larger keys than my old full size Toshiba laptop did but the keys aren't beveled: they are completely flat. Until I got used to typing on the HP I made more errors with this keyboard than I did with the smaller Sylvania netbook. Now that I've had the HP Mini 110 for 11 months I can type at full speed on the keyboard and it seems perfectly natural to do so to me.

The screen on the Mini 110 is bright and easy to read even without my reading glasses. Battery life is OK, at something under three hours, but I have not upgraded to the long life battery pack. I am still using just the stock pack that came with it. The Sylvania was better in this respect.

In summary: everything just works for me and works well. The HP Mini 110 is rugged enough to go anywhere and it has been 100% reliable for me. I like the SSD because the system is all but silent and the performance seems to be every bit as good if not better than a conventional hard drive.

Why write about a discontinued netbook now? Well, for one HP has a very similar model (the Mini 210) for sale. Second, there is always the used market. Finally, I've actually used the thing long enough to write in an informed way. It's a pity HP no longer offers Linux preloaded. If they did I would recommend their netbooks to anyone.

Shana Tovah

This evening at sundown is the start of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. It is also the beginning of the High Holy Days for Jewish people, 10 days of reflection and penitence. It is the start of the year 5177, a year that is shaping up to be interesting to say the least.

I would like to take a moment to wish everyone Shana Tovah. May the coming year be happy, healthy, prosperous and sweet for you.

Ground Zero Mosque? What Ground Zero Mosque?

As the debate about the building of a mosque and Muslim community center in lower Manhattan rages on I have to wonder how much of this has been deliberately fueled by the media for their own profit. I can understand why ideologically driven opponents of the project would falsely label it a "ground zero mosque" to prey on the emotions surrounding the attack on 9/11/2001. The problem is that much of the press, both on the left and right, are willing accomplices who sensationalize the story to sell papers or boost ratings.

The fact is that there is no mosque proposed for the site where the World Trade Center stood, or ground zero. There is no Muslim community center proposed across the street or around the corner, either. It's two blocks away. That isn't "in the shadow of ground zero." (A hole in the ground doesn't cast a shadow, does it?) The project, when completed, won't be visible from ground zero. If and when the Freedom Tower is finally built if you go way up on a nice, high floor then you will certainly see the new Park51 community center among the many other buildings in lower Manhattan.

The Associated Press, to it's credit, sent out a memo instructing staff not to use the phrase "ground zero mosque". Some other news organizations, including The New York Times and MS-NBC have scrupulously avoided misleading people about the location as well.

Well-intentioned people of good faith can disagree on this issue. There are arguments that can be made on both sides that are not representative of bigotry or intolerance. I have my own opinions which I will be sharing at length. Before I do that, though, let's at least agree to stick to facts and not allow hype and hyperbole to inflame what is, by nature, a heated discussion.

Secretary Kathleen Sebelius On Healthcare Reform

On tonight's PBS Newshour Judy Woodruff interviewed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius regarding the status of the healthcare reform law which passed earlier this year. They discussed both the court challenges and what the new law means for Americans. I thought Secretary Sebelius did a good job presenting how the law will benefit most of us.

There was one part of the interview, about the misinformation spread by reform opponents (read: mainly Republicans) that I found both a bit surprising and more than a little disheartening. From the transcript:

KATHLEEN SEBELIUS: Well, when you think about what happened to seniors during the course of this debate, it borders on outrageous.

Seniors, I would say, were really targeted with a whole series of misinformed statements that were designed to scare them about the law, to get them to actually call on their members of Congress and Senate to stop it, starting with everything from death panels, which still most seniors think are part of the Affordable Care Act.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Is that right? Most seniors still think that?

KATHLEEN SEBELIUS: Absolutely. The recent polling says that seniors think this actually was passed into law. Seniors think that there is a change in their guaranteed benefits under Medicare.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The guaranteed benefits are not only stronger than ever. We're going after fraud and abuse in a way that has never been focused on. And the Medicare solvency is much stronger than it was before the law was passed.

More than half of seniors still believe there are "death panels"? Amazing and truly sad.

Folks, find out the truth for yourself. Visit www.healthcare.gov and find out what is really in the law.

The full transcript and video of the interview with Secretary Sebelius is available on the PBS Newshour webpage.

Congressman Bob Etheridge on Health Care Reform

One thing I have repeatedly said about the Health Care Reform bill that passed this year is that if people really knew what is in it the vast majority would be all for it. The one thing President Obama failed to do was to explain the law in clear terms. Perhaps a month ago Congressman Bob Etheridge (D-NC) did precisely that on an oversized postcard sent to constituents. I live in Mr. Etheridge's district so I received the mailing. I've decided I should share it.

For the skeptics out there: yes, this is campaign literature. Having said that, fact check the statements Congressman Etheridge made and you will see that everything he says is true. Here is the text:

WHAT DOES HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM MEAN FOR FAMILIES?
Better plans at lower costs.
Brings down costs. Limits premiums, reduces out of pocket costs, and bands caps on benefits. In North Carolina, family premiums will be $1,570 - $2,240* less than without health reform.

Takes care of children. All insurance will cover maternity benefits, eliminate pre-existing condition exemptions for children, and allow young adults to stay on their parent's plans until 26.

Ends discrimination. Currently, women and minorities pay as much as 50% more for coverage. Reform makes it illegal to charge more for some groups than others, and expands access to preventative care.

WHAT DOES HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM MEAN FOR SENIORS?
Lower out of pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries.
No Co-Pays For Checkups. Covers 100% of the cost of preventative care to keep you healthier.

Makes Medicine Affordable. Immediate 50% discount on brand name drugs and a $250 rebate if you enter the "donut hole." Over time it totally eliminates the coverage gap.

Strengthens Medicare. Reduces average cost for Medicare beneficiaries by $400 and extends the life of the trust fund by a decade so beneficiaries get the benefits they were promised.

*Senate Finance Committee estimate based on CBO, 11/30/09

There it is in simple terms. There is no government take over of healthcare. There are no "death panels" and it won't kill granny. It does NOT increase the deficit. It is simply much needed regulatory reform.

Please, don't believe Fox News or right wing talking heads. Look into it for yourself. You'll see that Congressman Etheridge is doing what the President should have done all along: laying out the facts.

Finally... The President Speaks Out About the Failure to Extend Unemployment Insurance

Yesterday President Obama finally spoke out about how all but two Republicans have been blocking the attempt to extend unemployment insurance in the U.S. Senate. I wrote about this two months ago, but... hey, better late than never. It takes less courage and less in the way of leadership skills when you probably finally have the votes to end the filibuster. Mr. President, is that the reason for the delay?

I'm still glad President Obama spoke out and did so forcefully. Perhaps even more important was that the President finally called the Republicans out on their rank hypocrisy.

The reason this has been held up, according to Congressman John Boehner, not because Republicans oppose extending unemployment, but rather because the measure wasn't paid for and would add to the deficit. Funny, Republicans are all for extending the Bush tax cuts to the wealthy, which will add $685 billion to the deficit, but are against spending $33 billion to help middle and working class Americans who can't find jobs. If you take away the Bush tax cuts and the cost of the two wars President Bush got us into we'd have still been running a surplus until 2008. We would have had seven more years with no deficits at all.

Oh, and while the Republicans have been playing politics with people's rent and mortgage payments and other essentials over 2.5 million people have lost their unemployment benefits. Nearly one third of American families now include someone who is unemployed, and a frighteningly large number have been unemployed for a long time.

Let's also be very clear about something: most people who are unemployed long term right now really do want to work. In most cases it's through no fault of their own. Here are three articles which explain why:

• 80% of those unemployed last summer were still unemployed this spring according to a Rutgers University study. The situation is worse for workers over 50, where only 12% have been able to find new jobs.
  
• CNN reports that many companies will not hire unemployed workers and will only consider those presently working.
  
• The longer people are out of work, the harder it is to land a new job according to a June 16 report in the (Raleigh, NC) News & Observer.

We have millions of people who now face a truly daunting task when it comes to finding work. Surely in the richest country in the world we can help these people get by until the do land on their feet. We also, in time of high debt and deficits, do not need to maintain tax breaks for the wealthy. It seems like affluent Americans did just fine in the 1990s under Clinton era tax rates.

I hope people are taking note of which party is looking out for working people who have been hit hard by the recession and which is looking out for the wealthy and will vote accordingly in November.

Happy 4th of July!

To anyone here in the U.S. who reads my blog: a very Happy Fourth! It's Independence Day and I would like to encourage and challenge everyone to do more independent thinking. Look at what the media presents or what politicians say to you with an oh-so-critical eye.

Again, a very Happy Fourth!