Art.Net: Lile's ArtBlog

10.25.2007 - Thursday (early morning - 5amish):

With the help of an artist friend and hacker, we installed a new operating system on babe, my new work station that we recently put together. I am now running the just released Ubuntu 7.10 which is one of the many distributions of Gnu Linux. I previously had tried to use FreeBSD 6.2 as a desktop system but was having major problems with pluggins that are now needed to see the Web of the 21st century.
I have to say, it was one of the easiest OS installs that I have ever witnessed! And Ubuntu is geared towards being a desktop OS. I love FreeBSD which is great for servers but have to say Ubuntu is winning my heart on the desktop. :)
Now I can see videos, hear sound, edit and create image files, and can even scan art on my scanner! I can also see sites that were not accessable before (due to networking issues) like tribe.net and deviantART.com. I am really impressed and happy with this upgrade.
I am also so happy not to be using Microsoft Windows 98 (which is a proprietary software system) for my desktop OS. Ubuntu is totally Free Software and I much prefer using and supporting software that is truly free (Free as in Freedom and not as in "free beer" (as my friend Richard Stallman (also know as rms) would say).
I know that having an updated system will really help me in getting more things done. Am so looking forward to continuing the work on Art.Net that was started so long ago.
Babe is a great system and I so love having her on my desktop (which is really an art desk by the way :).
Wish us luck and hope that good things come our way.
thanks,
-lile
Lile Elam
Webmaster of Art.Net

9.22.2007 - Saturday 11:48pm:

So I have been working on my new system (babe is her name) and it's amazing how fast she is. It's wonderful to be able to surf the web with lightspeed. I have been viewing the art I have in my studio here on Art.Net and it inspires me to paint again. Thats a good feeling.
Seeing the ocean also reminds me how much I love the ocean and that I really need to get there again sometime in the near future. I live so close yet it's been way too long since I have walked on a beach.
I am also looking forward to getting some work done for Art.Net. Things have piled up for awhile and it will be good to get moving on this site. Thank goodness for Art.Net. It really is a great site and I am just so glad that she's here.
My eyes are not what they used to be... so having a better monitor to see with really makes a difference.
-lile
Lile Elam
Webmaster of Art.Net

9.20.2007 - Thursday 2:15am:

I am pretty excited... I have a new home system for my desktop. A fellow artist helped me build this PC... and it's fast and quiet! Am hoping that it will help inspire me to get more work done.
I called my new system babe. :) She definately is one... has a really fast AMD cpu, 2 gig of ram, and a 300 gig disk. I also got a cd/dvd drive that can read and write cd's. And finally I also have a new 22 inch flat screen Samsung monitor which is just wonderful. It's alot easier on my aging eyes!
We installed FreeBSD 6.2 on this system and I am enjoying gnome, a free windowing system that has almost anything you could need, built in (including the FireFox web browser).
With this newer system, I should be able to see and do more things on the Internet and the Web than ever before.
And I was able to build this system for just under $400... minus the monitor which was $310 itself.
It's good to be back in the virtual 21st century! :)
-lile
Lile Elam
Webmaster of Art.Net

9.16.2006 - Saturday Early Morning 2:16am:

Well I have not forgotton my new blog... well maybe just abit, so I thought that I should post something here to let the world know that I am indeed still here. :)
Today has been busy for me... life is like that. Apart from taking care of my own personal tasks, I was working on making sure that Art.Net came back online today. For the first time our colo-location site was dealing with power issues and many of the machines were powered down while work was being done. After much concern, trace routing and pinging on my part, Art.Net finally came back up on the net. It's good to be live again.
During the downtime, I spent alot of time reading about the arts and artists of old on the Internet (mostly via en.wikipedia.org). It's interesting to read how new art trends have started in the past... most were inspired by artists taking ideas from what has been done and adding their own insights and ideas to what they created. I spent alot of time reading about the impressionists and their movement. Really interesting... especially how artists shared their works in salons and places that were not recognized as places where art that mattered would be shown.
Artists are really the visionaries of our tomorrows.
For now, I will sign off. Will try and add more entries as the days go by.
-lile
Lile Elam
Webmaster of Art.Net

8.6.2006 - Sunday Afternoon 3:20pm:

First entry to this blog...
Today I have been working on getting our site, Art.Net, added to Art Directories on the Web.
While searching for sites that might link to us, I have been amazed by the number of art sites I am finding on the web. It's like there has been an art explosion that has been happening over the past few years. Prehaps I have had my head in the sand for awhile and have just not noticed the growth...
I have been working as the webmaster of our site since it came into being in June of 1994. When Art.Net came online, it seemed that there were very few living artists showing their works on the web. As I worked with artists to help them come online, I found that many were very timid and concerned about showing their art on the Internet and web... thinking that they would loose control of it's distribution.
Now today it's like all the artists are taking to the waters like native fish! :)
It's good to see really even though it may be overwhelming.
Well better get back to work..
-lile
Lile Elam
Webmaster of Art.Net