Ubuntu is a good starting point as, well, most of them are based off it or it's base - Debian. It's pretty trivial to install Cinnamon on Ubuntu (did it recently), or any other of the numerous variants (lubuntu, xubuntu, kubuntu, etc).

Not at all! That's the new Otterbox Reflex which is frankly pretty fantastic. I didn't have a case the first month I had it because, well, I'm a sucker who got it on release day. The Reflex is a fantastic mix between being super light and super durable. I love it.

I used to have a gigant wallet with everything I'd ever need in it. Now I have this (top right) with only the stuff I truly need. It has been absolutely liberating.

I've got one of these, in black, which I got for next to nothing on clearance from Cabela's. It's fantastic and durable/beat-up-able as hell. I have a ton of packs (no, seriously, I'm kind of weird like that) and this one is by far my favorite. Thick as heck fabric, big awesome zippers - yeah - it's a beast.

Whoa, sweet! I'll have to pick up a couple of those. This one really hasn't been bad, I've abused it for over a year now and it's still working. Granted I don't use it that much, but when I need it - it seems like I NEED it.

Yeah it both made me laugh and homesick when I saw it. I had no idea he had snuck it into my luggage last year until I was at the hotel unpacking, and it made me laugh and smile at the same time. He had been helping me pack and was kinda bummed about it, so yeah - it's definitely a staple now.

Hah yup, but oddly enough, the thing has survived my pocket for over a year without it. It has nothing vital on it - just the latest malware "triage" and some rescue utilities - but when I absolutely need to transfer a file it's really come in handy more than once.

iPhone 4S is for work, and the iPhone 5 is for personal and side work. I tried going with just one phone for a long time but it's really nice to be able to sometimes just put the work phone on the charger and disconnect. My 5/personal device just has my personal Gmail account on it, and only 5 select folks from work…

In my backpack that I absolutely love is this, five pounds of the stuff I can't live without. Yes it's a Mac. It's a base model current-gen Air which generally goes everywhere with me, or you can see the corner of a previous generation absolutely loaded 15in Pro if I need power. Other notable items:

Here's the boring part - what's in my pocket. Check the comments for the cool part, which is the backpack stuff that's always with me. In my pocket are keys (with USB drive I never use except when I absolutely need it), Moleskine I beat the hell out of and use constantly, iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S (latter is about to…

Thirded. Even the most troublesome end users I deal with can't get a machine with NOD32 infected, and one is even XP!

Yep, MSE has tanked as far as reliability goes. We even moved to Forefront (the paid version of MSE) at work as we started loving MSE so much, but it's just gone to crap - or rather everyone has found ways around it. Ironically I personally had gone from avast, and recommending avast, to MSE. It was just so much…

Agreed. I was an Airbus hater for many a years, then finally last year switched from Continental for everything to a mix of Frontier and Delta. I frankly look forward to flying on the A32x series now and cringe at the thought of a 737. I truly had no idea what I was missing, Airbus makes on comfortable and quiet…

Personal home desktop is the oldest, AMD Phenom 9850 Black with 4GB of RAM and a 500GB WD Black Drive. It's got like a GTX 660Ti or something I bought a couple months ago when the Radeon 47xx walked the PC plank, and I'm not sure why. It's also got a gigantic but silent CoolerMaster radiator cooler I just put on it,…

I just googled it and recoiled in horror. I'll be watching it pretty damn closely, which is another good protip. Don't avoid the doctor, make it a point to have a yearly physical. Most insurance plans pay for one in full, and it's a great way to keep up on your vitals.

Artificial oils, sweeteners, and additives are killing us slowly. It's really just scary on how badly they affect the human body, I can even still see it myself. I still to this day crave the terrible stuff, but have found just how bad it is for the body when the body hasn't had it for a long time. Just last month…

Right on, nice work! One thing to keep in mind - that neither Honey nor Agave Nectar are perfect, but they also are not refined sugars. What's getting us as a society right now are the refined sugars, our bodies just don't know how to process them. Our bulk sugar intake are of the refined sort, and it just messes…

Right, caught my spelling mistake (whoops). Actually.. no you don't. A lot of that stuff is myth, and caused by the food industry. As long as you're eating a variety of whole vegetables, fruits, and specifically animal protein you won't be at risk.

Pro tip: the right fats are good for you, and you need them. I think I can speak to this one pretty effectively as I spent a number of years (too many) well over 400 pounds, and as high as 571 in 2005 and even ballooned back up to 471 last year thanks to some horrible, horrible advice and not watching myself.

I absolutely love the Skullcandy Titans I picked up in a rush on the way to the airport a couple years back. They just plain rock, and keep getting better with age. For the sake of argument I also have: