I decided to do one Christmas present this year after all. Here’s a sneak preview. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
This also marks the return of images to my blog. You may have noticed that there hasn’t been any images ever since I updated the blog theme over a year ago. I intend to include more photos next year.
It’s that time of the year when you should start wrapping up. Christmas presents, this year’s new year resolutions, personal development plans, and yourself. Okay, maybe not the last bit for those in the southern hemisphere.
I just wrapped up my personal development plan with my manager yesterday. It was another good year. Mostly positive feedbacks and a few suggestions on things to work on for next year. It was a much needed reassurance given the year that I’ve had. Hopefully things will be better next year.
As for Christmas presents, I don’t really do them. Love getting them though. Cards are appreciated, and chocolates, even more. Gadgets, I love. That ought to be enough hints.
Recently, I converted my desktop machine to a headless file server. I spent quite a bit of time choosing the perfect product for the job. I had a few choices:
So, the choice was made. It is going to run Ubuntu. After a bit of googling around, I discovered that there is not much difference between an Ubuntu server installation and an Ubuntu desktop installation. As I already have the Ubuntu desktop ISO image, I don’t feel like wasting bandwidth downloading another ISO image with an almost identical set of packages. Additionally, I think the server installation does not include an X server, which means no graphical user interface. I need a graphical user interface!
Armed with the Ubuntu desktop live cd, I deleted my Windows XP partition and whacked on Ubuntu. Everything installed nicely. However, the default install is not suitable for a headless file server. It is missing a few critical servers for headless operation.
Firstly, it needs an OpenSSH server for secure remote access. Fortunately, this is easily done:
sudo apt-get install openssh-server
Secondly, it needs a Samba service so that it can participate in Windows file sharing. This turned out to be more difficult than I first expected. The important thing is to get the Samba configuration file right. I’ll leave the details to another post but it’s fairly simple once you get the hang of it. The following instructions are incomplete and is meant only as a reference.
sudo apt-get install samba # Shut down the Samba service sudo /etc/init.d/samba stop # Set a password for the Samba user # Use the same username and password as your Ubuntu logon sudo smbpasswd -a <username> # Edit the Samba configuration file cd /etc/samba sudo mv smb.conf smb.conf.master sudo testparm -s smb.conf.master > smb.conf # Define the shares by editing smb.conf # Start up the Samba service sudo /etc/init.d/samba start
That should be enough for a basic headless file server operation. However, I also wanted a VNC server so that I can administer the machine remotely with the comfort of a graphical user interface. I cheated on this part. I enabled the remote desktop functionality in Ubuntu and set the machine to logon automatically on boot up. Then, I downloaded the free RealVNC viewer for Windows, which enables me to remote into my file server. It is not ideal security wise but it does the job.
In the process, I also came across GParted, a nifty utility for tweaking partitions:
sudo apt-get install gparted
For the final part, before you yank the keyboard and monitor, check the BIOS to make sure that it’s not set to halt on keyboard or VGA. This ensures that the machine can start up without a keyboard or monitor attached.
Here is some information that I came across on the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Petronas Twin Towers, part of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) stands majestically at 452 meters, visible for more than 20 km outside the city. The 88-stories Petronas Twin Towers had once been certified by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat as the tallest building in the world. To reflect on Malaysian identity the floor design plate is based on Islamic geometric principles. Besides that, the lobby core wall is light Malaysian wood and the lobby marble floor pattern is derived from pandan weaving and bertam palm wall matting patterns. Exterior portion of the towers is designed in horizontal ribbons of vision glass and stainless steel which glint and shimmer in the sun. A 58.4m Skybridge at levels 41 and 42 links the Twin Towers. Costing US $1.2 billion and designed by Cesar Pelli & Associates (U.S.).
WARNING: Handling this product may expose you to chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling.
Why on earth am I seeing this on a consumer product? And what is the chemical? From what I’ve found so far, it seems that the product may contain a small amount of lead. Apparently, the State of California requires clear and reasonable warnings on products containing chemicals that have been shown to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. Even if these products contain only trace levels of harmful chemicals, a warning is required by the State of California.
By the way, I found this warning all over the Creative USB Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1. I got it to hook up my laptop to my existing 5.1 speaker system. As always, I’m impressed with the sound quality of Creative products. However, I can’t say the same for their software. Let’s just say there’s definitely room for improvement.
Apple next? I was actually considering an Apple but the price is a bit out of my range. I guess I’ll have to stick to the red ones from the supermarket for now. In case you’re wondering, we’re on the topic of laptops.
A few weeks ago, I decided it’s time to retire my Acer TravelMate 4002WLMi. There is not much wrong with the laptop. It’s been reliable for the three years that I’ve had it. The main signs of wear and tear are two cracks on the LCD panel hinges. It doesn’t seem to compromise the stability of the panel but it does show the quality of the build. I can’t say I’m surprised as I have always considered Acer as value for money rather than quality. When I chose the TravelMate three years ago, while I was still a student, I had two things in mind. Reliable hardware and a cheap price tag. Acer was the perfect fit. If I ever find myself with a tight budget, I will not hesitate to choose Acer.
I had always been a bit anti-laptop. Laptops are a lot more expensive than desktops and they are not particularly upgradeable. However, ever since I got the laptop, my desktop has become somewhat of a file server. With my latest acquisition, the fate of the desktop seems to be sealed. A laptop just fits perfectly with my travel plans.
Choosing a laptop can be a daunting task. You have choice, choice, and more choice. Each a little bit different. Thankfully, my screen requirements helped narrow down the choices. I needed real estate without sacrificing portability. I also wanted a glossy screen as the colour looks much nicer. The Asus F8va has exactly that—14.1″ 1440×900 ColorShine.
I chose Asus, pronounced Ah-soos or Ay-sus depending on where you’re from, for its reliability and build quality. The standard two year warranty provided by Asus speaks for itself. I don’t fancy another laptop with broken hinges. So far, my experience with the Asus laptop has been good. The laptop feels pretty solid. However, I do wish Asus would provide more documentation with their products. I don’t quite know what some of the included accessories are.
If you’re purchasing a laptop online, make sure you know what you’re getting. The specifications provided by online retailers can be wildly inaccurate at times. Most laptops also have sub-models with different optional accessories that just adds to the confusion. I was a bit disappointed when I realised that my laptop did not have an s-video output. It does have an s-video to RCA cable though. Question for Asus, where am I supposed to plug that to?
This new laptop also happens to be my first experience with Windows Vista. One of the factors that prompted me to upgrade was security. Over the recent months, I’ve become somewhat anal about it. I will be posting more about this in the coming weeks.
This new toy should keep me entertained for at least the next two months. Boys and their toys. With the amount I’ve spent, I can’t afford to do anything else anyway. Did you notice how this post seems to drag on and on?
… last Sunday at the Da Vinci Machines exhibition. The exhibition is currently being held at the Canterbury Museum until the end of October.
I have to say, for someone who died almost half a century ago, he seemed to be in extremely good spirit. Rather than explaining his inventions, he talked more about his life and what inspired him. There seemed to be quite a bit of rivalry going on between him and Michelangelo.
It amazes me how Leonardo managed to come up with some of the things he did considering his disadvantaged background. His works covered a range of fields including flight, military, mechanics, hydraulics, optics, and art.
Also, do you realise that da Vinci simply means of Vinci? Vinci, a town in the Italian region of Tuscany, is where Leonardo was born. He did not have a surname in the modern sense. I now find it a bit strange when people refers to him as just da Vinci.
If you too would like to meet Leonardo da Vinci, you have one last opportunity this weekend. Check out the Canterbury Museum website for the exact time of the tours. The admission fee for the exhibition is NZD 12 per adult. There is no additional charge to meet Leonardo da Vinci.
I recently managed to get hold of two prepaid CafeNET tokens:
As I’m unlikely to be using them, the tokens are up for grabs. The tokens will be given to the first two readers who leave a comment on this post. Simply state the token you are interested in—GoAllDay, 70Mbytes, or Whatever if you don’t care which one you get. It’s that easy!
Heard this on TV the other day and it made me curious as to where this phrase came from. Turns out it’s a nursery rhyme—What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?
Snips and snails, and puppy dogs’ tails,
That’s what little boys are made of.What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice, and everything nice,
That’s what little girls are made of.
As to what it actually means, who knows? It is after all a nursery rhyme for little boys and girls. I’ve spent too much time on it already.
This post is for the little boy or girl in each and everyone of us.
Yes, I have finally gone back to Linux. Ah, the ever so powerful bash shell. Well… my primary reason for going to Ubuntu is to refamiliarise myself with the Linux environment in preparation for the upcoming Kiwicon.
I have always been a Fedora user ever since my uni days. It was Red Hat back then. I decided to try Ubuntu this time because it’s lightweight and easy to use. So far, the experience has been great. My biggest concern was the wireless driver but it just worked. Okay, maybe not entirely true but it is definitely much easier than what I had to go through the last time I setup a Linux environment. The try before you install feature is really handy; and the fact that the distribution fits nicely onto a CD is a bonus. I believe Fedora will almost fill up an entire DVD.
A few commands that every Linux users can’t live without, as I had discovered, are:
I’m surprised how everything just came back to me. I should probably call it quits at this point. Looks like I’ll be operating on 4 hours of sleep tomorrow for the second consecutive day.