Ok, so really, why have a clock that is in binary. I can't read it any faster. In fact there are enough timepieces around me that I really don't need another clock at all. The only reason that I like to have it is because it is fun to brag to my friends and co-workers "hey, I can read the binary clock".

Really though, there are some practical uses. I do have it in a dvtm session so I can see the current time at a glance. I also am getting way better at reading binary.

Install was fairly easy. I downloaded the tar from here and untared. Then run the binclock.py and you have the clock. A couple of side notes. I did have to edit binclock.py so that the begining read: #! /usr/bin/python. Prior to doing that I got an error. Also, so that I would not have to type the full path to the py file I did a symlink to it from /usr/local/bin and now I just have to run binclock.

I picked this binclock over the one in the ubuntu repos for one simple reason. Looks. Really, if you are going to have a binary clock so that you look cool to those that don't read binary why not have one that looks good? I would even contend that it must look good lest you look like a dork. Gotta protect your image here.

At the Utah Open Source Conference I heard Jared
Bernards presentation on using the command line to do anything that you could
want to do. I found this intriguing and he showed how to even watch movies
using just a commandline system. Very cool.

One of the systems that he said to use was dvtm. dvtm is a 'window
manager' that allows you to view multiple 'windows' at once. It also gives you
a 'maximize' and 'minimize' ability.

The good:
* Gives you verticle and horizantol split unlike screen
* Captures mouse inputs to change 'windows'

The bummer:
* Caputers mouse inputs. If you have a ncurses program that can use the
mouse you are SOL because you can't use it. dvtm catches the mouse prior
to the underlying program. Got really agrivating when I couldn't scroll.
* No easy way to kill a 'window' once you have made it.

So far dvtm doesn't annoy me to the point that I stop using it. I don't think
it is in my arsinal of must have programs though.