MYD

Connecting to UBC myVPN using openconnect on Ubuntu Oneric 64-bit

2011-11-14T13:45:00.001-08:00

UBC VPN is a pain in the ass to setup on a 64-bit Ubuntu install. Luckily you can bypass the Cisco Anyconnect utility and connect to UBC vpn using openconnect:

1. Install openconnect
In order to install openconnect simply run the following command in terminal:

sudo apt-get install network-manager-openconnect

It will prompt you to install related packages, hit yes and let it finish. Many people recommend restarting once the install is finished (due to a bug in network manager) but I didn't and it worked fine.

2. Setup openconnect
Click on network manager (you can access this by hitting the applet located near your clock in the upper right of your system taskbar) and navigate to VPN Connection --> Configure VPN.

Hit the 'Add' button and select 'Cisco AnyConnect Compatible VPN (openconnect)'.

The VPN Connection type selection dialogue

Hit the 'Create...' button

Give your connection an a name (I called mine 'UBC VPN'), set the 'Gateway' field to 'myvpn.ubc.ca' and set the CA Certificate to the 'Thawte_Premium_Server_CA.pem' certificate. This certificate can be found in '/etc/ssl/certs/'

VPN Settings

/etc/ssl/certs

Hit 'Save...' button once you're done/

3. Connect
Click on network manager and select your newly created vpn connection. When prompted for username/password enter in your CWL credentials.

Connecting to UBC VPN

4. Enjoy

Biking - Brain Dump

2011-11-10T15:21:00.001-08:00

So I haven't posted in awhile. Here's a brain dump of my biking hobby. Enjoy.

My bikes:
Trek Madone 3.1
Rocky Mountain CX

The Madone

Madone - Drive Side

Madone - Drive Train

The CX

The CX - Drive Side

The CX - Drive Train

My Babies!

My Babies!
(Zoomed out)

My approximate daily route:
http://g.co/maps/3ht6y
(Note this will be changing to something completely different (more distance) starting January)

Things I've learned:

Equipment:
(Note: you don't need the best equipment or anything very special at all to bike. Simply jump on and start pedaling)

Clothing:

more padding on shorts does not mean more comfort. The most comfortable pair of bike shorts/tights I own have the least amount of padding
Bike jerseys are nice but more of a luxury than anything
I find I have to keep my neck covered or I end up getting a sore throat/sick

Lights (Information and Review):

I'm a bit crazy for lights so I'll just go through the ones I have:

Deal extreme setup (I needed a bright light but didn't want to spend much)

light - $30.50USD
mount - $2.39USD
batteries - $9.90USD
battery case - $2.10USD
battery charger - $10.90USD

Total: $55.80 (Includes shipping)

If you are on a budget and need a light to do some night riding, this is definately worth it.
Not 900 lumens, more like 400
Having spare batteries you can swap out is a huge plus
No strobe mode.
VERDICT: Worth it

PDW Danger zone - $37USD

this is my main tail light.
unique strobe mode
It's pretty big for a tail light
MEC has this light for $19.75CAD
VERDICT: Worth it

Turbo superflash - $33.99USD

This light keeps turning off (due to road vibration), I emailed planet bike and I've apparently been put on the waiting list for a new version of the light (this is a known issue)
It's bright and visible, I have a friend that uses this (his isn't defective) and he loves it
Same size/weight as the superflash (light/smallish)
MEC has this light for $18.75CAD
VERDICT: Reserving my judgement till the replacement comes

Planet Bike blaze 2W - $59.99USD

It's bright, but not as bright as I want it to be
MEC has this light for $34.00CAD
Love the way this looks on my bike
VERDICT: Nice light, would rather get something else.

Light & Motion urban 300 - $130.00USD

this light is bright, light and awesome
Charging port is sometimes a bit hard to access
No replaceable battery
No way to see battery indicator without turning on the light
The mount is nice (also comes with an included helmet mount) but the light cannot be detached from the mount
VERDICT: LOVE!

Bike Glow Safety light - $25USD

cool concept
not particularly bright (will stand out at night)
emits a 'whining sound' when turned on (You ignore it after awhile/the wind is waaay louder)
makes people look twice (or so I've been told)
VERDICT: Not a necessity but totally worth it

Nite Ize SpokeLit LED wheel light - $8USD

looks cool
uses weird batteries (harder to find replacements)
not sure if this is particularly good for my wheel/spokes
VERDICT: meh

Other lights (I don't own these...yet):

radbot 1000 - $32USD

Saw this in store, it's bright
Ordered, currently being shipped :D
MEC has this for $16USD

Cosmic Dreadnought - $65USD

MEC has this light for $35CAD
My friend has this light, if you're on a budget get this.

Tools:

Filzer Mini‑Zee Pump w/pressure gauge ()

MEC sells this for $27CAD
Easier to pump to high PSI then most hand pumps (although it's slightly larger than most hand pumps too)
Pressure gauge is a bit awkward to read
VERDICT: Worth it

Filzer I‑Tool Grande

MEC sells this for $15.75CAD
The seperate piece (I think this is the chain tool) slides off if you're not careful
The allen keys/screwdrivers twist out of the way when one tries to use them
VERDICT: good for emergencies/occasional tightening

Filzer chain cleaner

Seems flimsy
Cleans waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than a rag (what I was prev using)
Replacement parts are available
VERDICT: not bad, I really don't have anything to compare it to.

Other:

rack + panniers make commuting so much better, that said backpacks are usable.

Rack - Axiom Phoenix Rear - $69.99CAD

looks nice, heavy
blocks dirt/mud (like a fender)
pain to get mounted on bike (rubbed wheel), fell off once because screws were not tightened (my fault)
Nasbar sells this rack for $19.99USD
Verdict: Worth it for 20 bucks not 70

Panniers - Axiom Typhoon LX - $140CAD

Waterproof (I've never gotten anything wet)
wish they fit more (but this is something I wish for every bag I own, even the bigger ones)
the bungee cord used for mounting unknots and is a @#@#$@ to get back in (If you buy these make sure the knots are not gonna come apart/use tape)
There are screws on the inside covered with rubber caps, the caps fall off and the screws scratch your stuff
The axiom logo is reflective (and functions very well as a reflector)
Verdict: Functional, I'm sure there is better out there

fenders are nice, but I detest them on my 'nice' bike. My 'winter' bike currently has no fenders. I find that the rack I have blocks almost all the crap from the back wheel.

Crud Roadracers

I had these on my nice bike for a bit, they look good but are finicky
great if you don't have fender mounts
take forever to install (properly)

Zefal Swan road fender

got this for 30 bucks at LBS
worth it although I had to tighten the screw to keep the fender from lowering itself from road vibrations/bumps

I have a contour HD helmet cam. Love this thing, although for most people completely unnessary.
Clipless pedal/shoes are awesome, but not necessary.
airzound horn - some people claim this is overkill, its prevented 2 serious accidents to date (So totally worth it)

Louis Garneau Slick shoe cover

these are lightweight and do what they are supposed to do
in hindsight I wish I'd gotten something that was more insulated

Wool socks - must have
Cycling computers - I wish I got one with a backlight

Lessons learned/Regrets:

Probably shouldn't have bought the Madone as my first bike. I went in for a trek 1.1 and ended up more than doubling my budget to get the bike. Ended up having to get the cheapest shoes possible and used pedals (that squeak if not lubed often). Also initially skimped on things like lights (bad idea).
Bike accessories are expensive, make sure you factor this into the purchase of your bike

Why I quit Foursquare.

2011-01-10T20:27:00.000-08:00

Location, location, location. The latest craze in social networking. With the rise of smartphones and data plans 'checking in' has become somewhat of a craze (or so various tech sites/blogs will lead you to believe). Me not wanting to be left out gave it a shot (for quite awhile!):

Yes, that's almost 2000 check-ins.

Yes, that's commercial-broadway the skytrain station, one of the busiest stations in Vancouver.

First the good things about Foursquare:
- Awesome apps for the Android, BB, iPhone platforms
All the apps work, have decent UI and are easy if not enjoyable to use.
- Deals offered by businesses

Saving money is always awesome!
- Ability to decide when to check-in and whether to check-in anonymously (allows one to check-in but does not reveal location).

Great idea! (Although kinda useless, this pretty much voids the entire idea of a check-in)
- Mayorships (fun competition)

I won't lie, I was addicted to this. Now though it seems like such a waste of time.

The bad:
- no iPad app

Seriously, even Gowalla (one of your competitors) has an iPad app. A 'company' as big as Foursquare needs to have apps for all platforms, especially if they want/need more users (see below).
- Few deals in Canada

So there's this awesomeish deal at Starbucks. If you're the mayor you get $ off! (Try getting a mayorship at Starbucks, most of them are held by employees). Besides that there are only a few deals around (all within the city Vancouver...or at least the ones I found)

- Cheats

They've greatly improved, one can no longer check-in from miles away. However, this is still a bit of a problem.
- No friends use this thing.
This is the main reason I'm quitting. (Foursquare NEEDS more users.) At the end of the day Foursquare is supposed to be a social thing...and it isn't. So I'm sorry, I gave it my best shot, let me know when you come up with a foolproof way to attract users.

TL;DR Foursquare doesn't have enough users.

New posts

2010-09-02T00:30:00.000-07:00

Well....its been ages since I posted...and I realized I hate writing long articles (I usually finish half then give up). I'm going back to school in September and probably won't have time to write anyway so in the meantime I still want to post something. So starting next week (or maybe earlier) I'm going to post a picture that I took with a short blurb. I figure if I have a camera that isn't being used so might as well.

If this post doesn't make sense it's because its late and I'm not exactly 'here'...or 'there' or whatever... Hopefully I read this sometime when I'm in it and make good on my commitment

Ninjavideo on Ubuntu Lucid

2010-06-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

So after much troubleshooting I've finally upgraded to Lucid. (I hate empathy but combined with the applets its actually kinda nice).

After upgrading though I realized that I could no longer watch ninjavideo. So, in order to get it working again (steps have changed again):

1) Uninstall totem-mozilla

To do this the simply open up terminal (Hit Alt+F2 and type in 'gnome-terminal', then hit enter)

In terminal run the command 'sudo apt-get remove totem-mozilla'. Then type in your password when prompted (note: you won't see stars to indicate letters in your password, this is normal)

2) Install java (Note: I'm no longer using sun-java. Using the opensource version)

The easiest way to do this is to install ubuntu-restricted-extras

In terminal run the command 'sudo apt-get ubuntu-restricted-extras'

3) Install gecko-mediaplayer

In terminal run the command 'sudo apt-get install gecko-mediaplayer'

4) Install greasemonkey

Open up firefox and install greasemonkey from here

5) Install 'Fix Ninjavideo for Linux' script from here.

And thats it. Now simply navigate to ninjavideo, open up the applet (let it run when the security dialogue pops up) and navigate to any video. :D

emmwhydee.com

2010-06-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

I like my initials. Unfortunately, getting a 3 letter domain without a billion dollars is virtually impossible. So starting today this blog will be accessible at:

http://www.emmwhydee.com

emm = M why = Y dee = D

See what I did there ;-P

New posts coming soon!

I'll be back soon

2010-06-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

SO, its been an eternity since I've posted. But, since I have a blog so I figure I should use it.

Coming Soon:

- Ninjavideo on Ubuntu Lucid 10.04

- My review on Ubuntu Lucid 10.04

- Installing Ubuntu Lucid 10.04 on the new Dell Studio 14 w/ Intel i7-720QM (not fun but doable)

- Ipad Review

- Rant on canadian data costs (maybe)

- Android stuff

- general tech stuff

If anyone stumbles across this post and wants me to write about anything, simply comment...that'll motivate me :D

UBC wireless (ubc, ubcsecure) on HTC dream (android) workaround

2009-12-04T10:20:00.000-08:00

So, wireless doesn't work on your new smartphone. Your friends with iphones are laughing their asses off. Apple fanboys....

Workaround: (btw... its a workaround not a fix...cuz its a hassle... and it kinda sucks...but its better then nothing...so don't complain to me...go complain to UBC)

Workaround for connecting HTC Magic to ubc wireless running android. (currently running myHero 2.0.5).

Basically the problem has been narrowed down to the DHCP server not assigning the device a proper IP address. The workaround involves setting a static ip address (or assigning it yourself).

Requirements:

Android Phone

Connected computer (via wireless) [NOTE: if comp is connected to UBC, connect to UBC on the phone. If connected to UBCSECURE, connect to UBCSECURE on phone.)

Step 1: Turn wifi off

Step 2: Get info

You will need the following:

Your computer IP - to guesstimate a valid IP address

Gateway address

Subnet mask (Netmask)

DNS server(s)

On Windows:

open up a command prompt (Type cmd into run or search under the start menu)

Type in ipconfig -all

Under Wireless Lan adapter:

IPv4 Address = Your IP

Subnet Mask = Netmask

Default Gateway = Gateway

DNS servers = DNS servers (use any 2)

On Linux:

To get the DNS server(s) --> cat /etc/resolv.conf

To get the Gateway --> route -n

To get IP + Netmask --> ifconfig

Step 3: Assign IP

To set a static IP address just navigate to the the wireless settings. Then hit the menu key and click advanced. Scroll down to the static IP

Fill in the info using the gathered info from Step 2. CHANGE the IP address by a digit or 2. (We want a different IP for our android device).

Step 4: Make sacrifice

Black coffee with no sugar is acceptable. Goats and moose sacrifices are too. Roadkill may work.

Step 5: Connect

Turn on your wifi and try connecting to UBC or UBCSECURE (depending on which network you got your info from). After connection (this almost always works) open up your browser and see if you can access the internet. If you can you're done. If you can't, simply turn off wifi and change the static IP a bit. Then turn on and try again.

Notes:

This worked for me in different areas of campus on both the UBC and UBCSECURE networks. It's a really crappy workaround because you basically need another connected device. Also, static IP assignment shouldn't technically work on the UBC wireless (as confirmed by the help desk). This workaround basically confirms that the problem is with the IP assignment and DHCP (either on the android or UBC end). Also, this should technically work on any ROM. And finally, make sure you disable the static IP when connecting to other networks...

Notice

2009-09-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

This blog won't be updated again till January. Sorry guys, but there's waaay to much on my plate right now....See you in Jan.

Emesene with Webcam!!!

2009-08-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

My favourite MSN/WindowsLive client for ubuntu finally got webcam support and has a 'reject' button for new contacts, making this client officially the only MSN client I'll be using from now on.

Instructions for install on jaunty can be found here.

However the first command seems to be missing a space. So just break it up into the following:

sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 0x0cc1223ee2314809

sudo echo "deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/bjfs/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list

And then follow the rest of the instructions to either upgrade or install.

ENJOY!

An apology to readers

2009-06-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

I owe everyone who commented on the blog an apology. I never really thought people would comment so I basically never checked the comments. I sincerely apologize and promise to do my best to get back to commenters asap.

Getting The Pavilion 2708ca to sleep w/ OSX

2009-06-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

I had another dream.

Fix found here.

--> I used the download link someone provided but I'm sure a search of the KEXT will work too!

Simply download the kexts and install them by opening up KEXT helper from applications--> Ideneb apps and then drag the files in... restart..and viola sleep works

Note: I still have to test this... haven't slept the lappy for a significant amount of time...will update on success/failure...

Taking a break

2009-06-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

Once again school is getting too busy. Most of my friends are calling me crazy for attempting to do 12 credits in one summer term but I don't really have a choice. Anyway, right now my schedule is packed from 9am to 8pm not including homework so unfortunately I need to prioritize and focus on school. Back to blogging end of August... probably after the 20th.

Making your desktop look better on ubuntu

2009-06-12T15:37:00.001-07:00

Lets face it...the default look is crap. carp. crpa. crap. It stinks. I spent a couple of weeks using the darkroom theme and it was livable. It grew on me. But it was still brown...and it was still ugly. The last straw was installing windows 7 on my desktop. It looked so good that I began to wish everything including my brown laptop looked that good. And so began the hunt for a new look. And this is the treasure I found:

FUTURELOOKS

Just download the 2.0 or 1.0 version and extract. How to instructions are inside the text file. Note: I'm using 1.0, haven't tried 2.0 because I'm happy with what I have. I'll try the 2.0 pack on my desktop and post screenshots :D

NOTE: This isn't the exact same as the how to's. I used the emerald theme and the gnome bar. The dock is gnome-do and the wallpaper is from deviantart.

Getting google chrome on ubuntu

2009-06-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

1)Visit this link.

2)Scroll down to Subscribing to a Channel --> for linux

3)install the deb for 32bit (if you have 32 bit linux...if you don't know..this is what you probably have) or 64bit if you have the 64-bit version of the OS

And here it is:

UBC VPN on windows 7

2009-06-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

Since you might be running the Windows 7 RC or getting windows 7 soon (it comes out Oct 22) Here's a short tutorial on how to get UBC vpn setup and running.

1) Open up Control Panel (Start Menu --> control Panel)

2) Select 'Network and Internet' (The green lettering --> not the sub-menus)

3) Click on the 'Network and Sharing' option

4) Select 'Set up a new connection or network'

5) Select 'connect to Workplace'. (and hit next)

6) If you have connections setup already ignore them and hit 'no, create a new connection'. (don't worry if this doesn't come up just skip this step)

7) Choose the 'Use my Internet Connection (VPN)' option

8) For the Internet address type in the 'vpn.ubc.ca'. Also, choose any destination name such as UBC VPN.

10) For user name and password use your CWL login.

11) Hit connect and let it authenticate (note: the first time I connected it took awhile so be patient)

12) To connect and disconnect the VPN select the network manager from your task bar (near the time).

Installing Virtualbox 2.2 in Ubuntu Jaunty

2009-05-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

This is basically a direct rip from the virtualbox site minus all the other stuff they have on the download page:

1) Open up terminal --> "sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list"
2)Add "

deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian jaunty non-free

" and save + close
3)Back in terminal:

wget -q http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/sun_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

and

sudo apt-get install virtualbox-2.2

4) done (installed under "system tools")

Edit: you need to add yourself to the 'vboxusers' group. (under administration select user and groups..unlock...manage groups...scroll down and select the virtualbox group ...ensure your username is checked off.)

Accessing UBC home folder/ lab files from anywhere else:

2009-05-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

This ones for ubc students only although many might be able to use the programs/instructions for other purposes. Anyway, this is for ubc students in the computer science department:

If any of you are wondering how to access your lab files from home here are some instructions. There are many ways of doing this these are just a couple that I have used and verified:

Instructions for mac
1) Download cyberduck from cyberduck.ch
2) After download drag the duck icon from the downloaded file to your applications folder to install.
3) Launch the application . Press the open connection button in the top left corner.
4) Select SFTP from the top pull down menu.
5) for the server type in “remote.ugrad.cs.ubc.ca”
6)under “username” put in the username and you use to login to the computers in the lab. LEAVE THE PASSWORD BLANK. Its more secure to type it in every time and for some reason I seem to have problems connecting if I try to keep the password saved.
7) Click connect. Put in your password at the prompt.
8)Drag/Drop/Copy/Paste/Read/Write/Edit/Delete etc...

Instructions for Windows:
1)download winSCP from here: http://winscp.net/eng/download.php
2)After downloading Install (if you downloaded the installation package)
3)Open up winscp
4)under host name type in "remote.ugrad.cs.ubc.ca"
5)under “username” put in the username and you use to login to the computers in the lab. LEAVE THE PASSWORD BLANK. Its more secure to type it in every time and for some reason I seem to have problems connecting if I try to keep the password saved.
6)Ensure the pulldown dialogue titled "File protocol" is set to SFTP. (Also I left the "Allow SCP fallback" check box checked)
7)Hit login. Input Password.
8)On the left you will see the files on your computer. On the right you have your "z" drive or home folder.
9)Drag/Drop/Copy/Paste/Read/Write/Edit/Delete etc...

Instructions for Ubuntu linux

OPTION 1:
1)Download and install wine (from add/remove)
2)Download winscp (see windows instructions for download link)
3)right click the file and run it with wine...install...
4)Open up winscp from Applications--> wine--> programs-->winSCP
5)Follow windows instructions from step 4

OPTION 2:
1)From the menu bar select Places--> Connect to server
2) Under service type select "SSH"
3)under server type in "remote.ugrad.cs.ubc.ca"
4)under folder type in "/home/(letter your username starts with)/(your username)" (This is your lab user name)
5)under username input your username (This is your lab user name)
6)OPTIONAL: select add bookmark...give it a name... this share can now be accessed under the places menu (no more typing)
7)Hit connect. Input password (You can get it to save your password if you wish)
8)Drag/Drop/Copy/Paste/Read/Write/Edit/Delete etc...

Setting up Eclipse on Ubuntu using Java 6

2009-05-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

This has been bugging me awhile. The open source version of java was running way too slow on my computer (Hello World took 25sec to compile!). Anyway click here for a great tutorial.

Getting the old update manager (without under window popups)

2009-05-16T12:32:00.000-07:00

Read title.
Execute:

gconftool -s --type bool /apps/update-notifier/auto_launch false

Done!!!

Running Dr. Java on ubuntu with Compiz enabled

2009-05-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

So you tried to get Dr. Java runnning in Ubuntu...and you ended up back at the login screen. WTF?!?!
Well if you need it here's how:

1)Start of by downloading this version.
2)Right click the file and select "open with Sun Java 6 runtime".
This only works if you have java installed. I suggest "sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jdk"
3)When prompted for the tools.jar file the path is:

"/usr/lib/jvm/java-6-sun-1.6.0.13/lib/tools.jar"

(on ubuntu jaunty)
4) start coding!!!

(for any problems/help feel free to leave a comment)

Crazy tweakage...buddy ur nuts!

2009-05-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

Ok, got this email a couple weeks ago from a friend of mine outlining a ton of tweaks...so seeing as how bogged down I am cramming for summer midterms I'm taking the easy way out and publishing it (I think I have his permission...if not he can sue me for the dollar in my wallet)..anyway:

-Firestarter slows boot, learn iptables and remove firestarter: http://tinyurl.com/cu4b6c (just a start, it'll take a lot more than this one site)
-Create a private encrypted folder: http://tinyurl.com/8zdlxk
-Lock CD tray when laptop lid down: http://tinyurl.com/bqdous
-Program voice commands: http://tinyurl.com/5fezf3
-Analyze & reduce power consumption: http://tinyurl.com/dxndn3
-Replace "win key" with "ubu key": http://tinyurl.com/6ysqgh
-2 Lists of security programs (Kismet, Nessus, Rkhunter and tiger sound interesting): http://tinyurl.com/667zxb, http://tinyurl.com/5nvmf2
-Encrypt entire Ubuntu drive: http://tinyurl.com/4t89xm
-Skype for Pidgin: http://tinyurl.com/6ht23m
-List of programs to securely delete files: http://tinyurl.com/7wgowy
-Make GIMP more like Photoshop: http://tinyurl.com/c4bdz7
-Switch out Nautilus for an alternate filesystem:
-Thunar: http://tinyurl.com/4k8omb
-PCManFM: http://tinyurl.com/4k8omb
-Firefox extension: Platypus
-Put an OS on a USB drive with UNetbootin: http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/
-Get rid of Vista partition and use VirtualBox instead
-Move from ext3 to ext4: http://tinyurl.com/c3vcaf
-Stream audio across LAN: http://tinyurl.com/dea7cl
-html Conky replacement: http://tinyurl.com/ce74cz
-Move /tmp to RAM for speed: http://tinyurl.com/d9v92t

And... if you like his blog can be found at:

http://themodlist.blogspot.com/

Check it out!!!

closing windows on gnome-do (docky mode)

2009-05-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

I love gnome-do. It's awesome. But for the longest time I had one big problem with it. I couldn't close windows by right clicking the icon. Now I really feel stupid. To enable this feature just right-click the gnome-do icon and select preferences. Go to the plugins tab and search for "window manager". Enable + enjoy... (wow I feel stupid).

Ninjavideo.net on Ubuntu Jaunty (and Karmic too!!!!)

2009-04-25T16:21:00.000-07:00

These instructions were taken from this thread. (then modified a bit)

Basically we start off by uninstalling the totem-mozilla plugin. Fire up a terminal and type in "sudo apt-get remove totem-mozilla" If you're using the vlc plugin uninstall that too (sudo apt-get remove mozilla-plugin-vlc). If you're not sure run it anyway.

Moving on. To get ninjavideo to work you need 2 things, Java and mplayer. Fire up add-remove and install mplayer, mplayer plugin for mozilla, Sun Java 6 runtime and Sun Java 6.0 plugin. Make sure you restart firefox once you're done uninstalling/installing.

There you have it. Fire up ninjavideo and open the applet. Pick a video and stream away!

EDIT: The ninjavideo helper applet got updated. This method no longer works for me.
EDIT: After doing the above steps install 'greasemonkey' and then install this script and you have video!!!!!!

EDIT: This is depracated. Please use this post.

Jaunty upgrade

2009-04-23T22:59:00.000-07:00

I'm back! Exams are over and I just finished upgrading to Jaunty. I'm a big fan of the clean install so I went ahead and backed up my data and then reformatted to ext4 (yes I know it may have bugs but it works fine on my other computer for the last 3 weeks including power outages and I like to live on the edge.. ). Anyway, first impressions. Not a fan of the wallpaper but I hated the last one too and grew to like it. Kinda growing to like this one too. The biggest difference was the fonts which actually look really nice. In intrepid I put the dpi down to 80 and then used mac fonts as my default. This time I could have lived with the default settings but I ended up still putting the dpi down to 80 but I think I'll keep the default fonts. Everything works great except compiz...

Compiz:

Well after a bit of research, my cards been BLACKLISTED AGAIN!#@$@#$@$@#
It was originally blacklisted for gutsy..or at least something relating to compiz was but I don't really remember what because it was a long time ago. Anyway the card I have is:
Intel Corporation Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 0c)

And the fix is the following. Create a text file called compiz-manager in your home folder under .config/compiz and type in "SKIP_CHECKS=yes" ... tada everything works. Apparently the bug causes freeze ups (which would explain my freezups with intrepid...they only happened when switched windows using alt/super + tab or the scale plugin). Anyway the other fix was to re-enable my 3 finger kill salute (ctrl+alt+backspace). To do this I simply executed the following 2 commands:

sudo apt-get install dontzap
sudo dontzap --disable

You may have to login/logout for the changes to take effect. Anyway, coming soon--> how to get ninjavideo working on ubuntu. (for purely educational purposes)

Edit: Now using parcellite instead of glipper (sudo apt-get install parcellite .. the rest is self explanatory)

no more posts for now...exam time..

2009-03-31T19:55:00.000-07:00

hi,

i know i havent posted in awhile...but for now I'm gonna take a break..have exams... Back in 2 weeks :D

How to triple boot hp pavilion dv2700 series laptop (vista/osx/ubuntu)

2009-03-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

Ok so this is gonna be a long post. Currently I have a hp pavilion dv2708ca laptop with the following specs:

General:
Core duo @ 1.6ghz
250 gb harddrive
14inch lcd
2gb ram

Specifics (selected lspci output):
Intel Corporation Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 0c)
Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) HD Audio Controller (rev 03)
Marvell Technology Group Ltd. 88E8039 PCI-E Fast Ethernet Controller (rev 14)
Broadcom Corporation BCM4312 802.11b/g (rev 01)

Edit: I have a ricoh sd/mms/firewire controller. Anyone have kexts? or fixes?

So anyway, this post will show you how to clean install vista (which came preinstalled + loaded with bloat/crapware), Install OSX, install ubuntu and configure grub to boot all 3 operating systems. IF you wish to install just OSX or just clean install vista the same setting could probably be used.

***Disclaimer*** Seeing as hackintosh's are of questionable legality I by no means endorse the installing of OSX of unapproved hardware and for the record it can be assumed I installed it on my dream laptop, in my dreams, not in reality and therefore since this act of installing/using osx on so called unapproved hardware was merely a figment of my imagination it can be assumed that it never occured... In blunt terms don't sue me cuz it never happened and you have no proof... any screenshots are merely doctored images and therefore irrelevant as evidence... (yes I'm paranoid)

anyway moving on:

Things you will need:

- hp pavilion dv2708ca laptop
-vista install cd/anytime upgrade cd (I used 32bit)
- iDeneb 10.5.5 or 10.5.6 ( I don't remember which one I used but both should work)
-Ubuntu live cd/usb
-stuff to punch if something screws up

1) Make sure you have a lifeline
I deleted my recovery partition because frankly I think its a waste of space. Either way make sure you have recovery discs made before you attempt any of this. Its the easiest thing to do because when you open the computer (new) theres a whole pamphlet dedicated to telling you to do this. IF you threw it away remember, google is your friend.

2) Partition
You have a choice here. You can either get a gparted disc (search google), or you can use the ubuntu live environment. You basically want to do the following:

NTFS partition for vista (PRIMARY) - I gave it 40gb
FAT32 partition for OSX (PRIMARY) - the installer formats this...you could format it to hfs+ from now but It gave me errors...again I gave it 40gb
EXT3 partition for ubuntu (can be EXTENDED OR PRIMARY) - i did extended, 40gb
SWAP (EXTENDED/PRIMARY) - I did extended - 2gb
FAT32 data partition (mine ended up being a 100gb and extended)

(If you are only building a hackintosh I recommend keeping the recovery partition and leaving the rest for OSX or if dualbooting splitting NTFS/FAT32 anyway you want...)

3)Clean reinstall vista (optional - If you didn't format and just shrunk the partition like this)

- see this for directions (yes I know I'm an ahole... you gotta click twice..tell someone who cares)

4)Install OSX
- pop in the ideneb dvd (...torrent...) and restart/startup - hit f9 to choose boot medium
- let the cd load...hit english for the language
-Once you get to the welcome screen go up to the taskbar and select utilities. Choose Disk utility. It's pretty straight forward to use. Anyway, select the FAT32 partition we set aside and format it to Mac OS Extended Journaled.

Once your done close the disk utility and click through the prompts. On the select a destination screen click the partition you just formatted. Click through until you hit the INSTALL SUMMARY screen.

STOP! at the INSTALL SUMMARY SCREEN YOU MUST CLICK CUSTOMIZE!

Sorry, I messed up here more then once. That's what happens when you try to mess around with your comp at 2 in the morning. Anyway if you have the same hardware as me you need to select the following:

Under Alternate Essentials Patch --> everything
Under Audio --> All the analog options
Under networking For etehrnet Suge Marvell, For wireless Broadcom (but it doesnt work...more on that later)
Under Fix --> Firewire Remove
And finally Battery Manager

(Disclaimer: I'm reading these options off of a piece of scrap paper...with messy writing... so feel free to experiment...if the install doesn't work just do it again...guess and test)

Anyway...hit install. Let it finish and boot into your new system.

At this point you could try to run the bcm43xx_enabler.sh script by opening up terminal and issuing the command "sudo ./bcm43xx_enabler.sh"

This didn't work for me but I managed to find a different script that works great. I uploaded it here. (If the link expires let me know.. I'll gladly re-upload it.)

Anyway, at this point I now have the everything working except the following:

- sleep mode
- webcam (light turns on but no image)
- headphone jacks/mic inputs (if anyone finds a fix PLEEEEEZE msg me)
- sd card reader
- scroll on the touchpad + tapping (search ffscrollx on google for fix)

Not tested:

-Ethernet (although something is recognized)
-Modem
-Video out

5) Install ubuntu

So now that you have a dual booting hackintosh go ahead and install ubuntu. When you hit the partition screen be sure you select manual and set the already created ext3 file to "/". The swap will automatically be utilized.

Once you reboot you'll see only windows and ubuntu show up in grub. Don't worry we'll fix that in the final step

6) Configure grub.

Okay first things first make a backup for the menu.lst file. (located in /boot/grub/menu.lst)

now go to this page. And complete the PCI_EFI method. And you are set.

This is what my OSX entry in menu.lst looks like:

#Hackintosh Entry
title OSX_86
kernel /boot/boot_v8

AND thats it congrats..you now have a triboot computer and are officially a nerd. Try not to get your ass beaten up... WOOOT!!!

If you have any probs/need help leave a comment.. I'll do my best although I ain't even close to being an expert by any means.

UPDATE: Sleep fix for OSX found here.

Running Office 2007 on ubuntu

2009-03-17T18:22:00.001-07:00

office 2007 on linux...now super easy :D ...follow these.

Enabling 2 finger scroll in ubuntu interpid

2009-03-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

This has been a dream come true. Ever since I 'hypothetically' tri-booted my system and got 2 finger scroll on a hackintosh I've been wanting to get the same functionality in ubuntu. The biggest problem though was my lack of understanding how it's accomplished. Apparently instead of stuff being configured in xorg now you have to use hal. (use ubuntu documentation for further explanation).

Anyway, fixes for pretty much any synaptic/alps can be found here.

How to setup pptp VPN in ubuntu (for UBC)

2009-03-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

I attend the University of British Columbia which subscribes to many online services for its students and faculty. For me to access these services from home I have to setup a vpn. It's actually very easy and since UBC doesn't have and ubuntu specific tutorial (just a very confusing linux one) I decided to write my own. So anyway here goes.

1) Open up add/remove, search vpn, install pptp vpn.

2) Right Click Network manager in the notifications area and select edit connections.
OR
Left click network manager go down to vpn connections and hit configure vpn.

3) Hit Add. Input your login (CWL) details. For gateway input vpn.ubc.ca
(You may also call it anything you want)
4) Hit the Advance button. Check off everything except PPP echo packets. Hit OK for all the dialogues.
5) Left click the network manager (notification area) scroll down to vpn connections and connect to your newly formed vpn.. tada !!!

IF you have any problems feel free to leave a comment..I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

EDIT: You may have to restart. Restarting seemed to fix not being able to connect (I don't think its the actual restart of the system but the restart of the network manager that makes a difference)

EDIT: DEPRACATED - DO NOT USE - click here for new instructions

(I haven't tested this though)

White Noise

2009-03-09T18:47:00.001-07:00

I find that I constantly get distracted while studying at the library. I usually compensate for the noise around me by listening to music. However, I have recently realized that this doesn't really work. Instead I am now distracted by my own music's lyrics. Recently I came across simplynoise.com. After trying it out I believe I've finally been able to concentrate to my fullest potential. As an added bonus it may even be a way to get a cheap/free high.

Making Fonts look better in Ubuntu

2009-03-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest complaints I've heard (and have personally had) after a fresh install of ubuntu is that it doesn't look right. After a bit of personal contemplation (me staring at screen intently scratching my head) I realized the fonts didn't look right. It's actually a very easy fix. Simply right click the desktop and hit desktop background. Navigate to the fonts tab:

Here you can change the font itself as well as select a couple of rendering profiles. Now here's the part most people miss. Hit the details button in the bottom right hand corner (above the close button). Up pops this window:

Here you have a bit more control over the settings. In particular I set my dpi to 80 as opposed to the default 96 (or 92 I'm not really sure). This in my opinion makes everything look a lot more 'slick', however if you have bad eyesight you will probably benefit by raising this number higher.

Finally, for the best fonts overall have a look at this link.

Tilda - the pull down terminal

2009-03-09T18:08:00.000-07:00

There was a time when I hated using the terminal. I was so into gui's that if anything involved any type of terminal commands I steered as far away from it as I could. However, over time I have grown to love using the terminal and can't live without it. Anyway, recently my friend noticed how often I use the terminal and introduced me to 'tilda'. This is basically a pull down terminal which gives one quick access to a terminal at any time:

Installation is simple, either install tilda through add/remove or use a terminal and type in 'sudo apt-get install tilda'. Configuration generally takes place on first run when a nifty little gui pops up. If you wish to change your settings later on just open up a terminal (not tilda) and run 'tilda -C'. Also in order to start this program up on login you can visit System --> preferences-->session. Hit add and type in tilda as the command. The other entries are up to whatever you feel like putting in.

As a side note the sessions menu show some of the programs such as bluetooth managment booting up by default. If you don't have bluetooth like me it doesn't make much sense running this. By going through the list and unchecking items I don't use I've managed to speed up my boot time by a couple seconds.

Statement of Intent

2009-03-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

So, just to clarify this blog is about my setting up my ubuntu laptop. In general I'll focus on desktop config etc. However, I can't do this forever. So to keep myself focused I'm going to commit to reviewing one new ubuntu application a week. Also, maybe I'll install ubuntu jaunty on a seperate partition and post how that went..

Fixing the Speaker Beep

2009-03-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

So on my laptop every time a key repeats or backspace is held down there's this shrill beep. Apparently its a fairly easy fix. Just follow the instuctions here.

MY Desktop

2009-03-07T22:46:00.000-08:00

So time to customize the panels. I don't really like the default setup so this is what I ended up with:

So my gnome panel on the top from left to right:

- Default menu (more compact then the applications/places/system menu bar)
- workspace switcher
- firfox launcher
- brightness applet
- window selector (in case my dock crashes)
- eyes
- cpu frequency scaling monitor
- clipboard manager
- network monitor
-system monitor
-force quit (very handy)
-notification area
-clock
-user switcher (i might be getting rid of this)

On the bottom I have gnome-do configured in docky mode. (installed using ubuntu tweak)

2009-03-07T21:31:00.001-08:00

this is a test to see if i can get a content specific feed going

Fixing copy-paste in ubuntu.

2009-03-07T18:29:00.000-08:00

So now you've installed ubuntu. Everythings going great and all of a sudden you cant copy-paste?!?! What happened? Well in ubuntu if you try to copy and paste from one program to another but close the first program before you paste your entry is lost and you can't copy paste. To fix this minor annoyance we simply open terminal from applications-->accessories-->terminal and type in the following:

sudo apt-get install glipper

You will get a password prompt and when you type nothing will appear on the screen (this is normal). Press Y if a Y/N dialog shows up. What you have just done is install a clipboard manager. This will keep track of what you copy and paste and nullify our previous problem.

To enable our newly installed clipboard manager simply right click any of the panels on the desktop:

and press "add to panel"

Select clipboard manager and you're done! You'll see an image of a clipboard on your panel. This can be right clicked and configured to your tastes. Explore away!!

Edit: In response to oliver:

you could setup a seperate panel to autohide by right clicking your existing panel..adding a new panel...then right clicking that and selecting properties (i find the show hide buttons work the best) ...

You could also install parcellite via terminal (sudo apt-get install parcellite) .. but this shows up in your notification area...and I couldn't figure out how to make it disappear)

The amazing cube

2009-03-07T18:14:00.000-08:00

Ok...this is what a lot of people love...the amazing cube. To start you need to make sure you can enable desktop effects. Right click the desktop and select change desktop background. Click the visual effects tab and hit extra. If you succeed in enabling the extra effects (See if you can wobble your windows) then you are good to go. There are a lot of different ways to set up the compiz configuration settings manager. I chose to use ubuntu tweak. Simply open up ubuntu tweak and click the desktop-->compiz fusion icon in the left taskbar. Install the manager. Once complete ubuntu tweak will present you with the following screen:

If you wish you can install the simple manager as well which will add a 'custom' entry under visual effects (the menu we accessed by right clicking the desktop).

At this point close all windows. Hit System-->Preferences-->CompizConfig Settings Manager:

In order to enable the cube you must do the following:
- under general options-->desktop size -->Horizontal Virtual Size set the value to 4
-enable the following plugins:
-Desktop cube
-Rotate cube
-viewport switcher

and thats it you're done.

Try some of the other plugins, they're lots of fun!!!

Emesene - msn for ubuntu

2009-03-07T17:49:00.000-08:00

I tried pidgin. I tried to like it. I tried it over and over again. But I have to admit I'm in love with Windows Live messenger. The problem, I like the windows live messenger interface but I can't mimic it easily in pidgin. So we have emesene:

This program pretty much looks and functions like your average msn messenger program. Here is what it looks like once logged in (default settings):

I don't know about you but I'm not a big fan of huge icons/avatars so here are a couple to tweaks I recommend:

1. make the icons smaller by hitting options-->preferences-->use small icons
2.under the view tab show contact number and offline contacts (So you can message them offline)

Also, I recommend the following plugins (under options --> plugins):
-libnotify (for popups - can be configured to disable when status set to busy)
-sounds (duh)
-CurrentSong (duh)
-personal message (only if you want one)

Of course there a lot of other plugins that you may like and more available at the emesene website. The biggest downside to emesene is not having support for video chat. For that use amsn (available from add/remove programs).

Other notable replacements include amsn and kmess. Both clients imitate msn messenger quite well although in my opinion amsn looks horrible and even after theming I didn't like its non-native behavior.

Ubuntu Tweak

2009-03-07T15:47:00.000-08:00

Next I installed ubuntu tweak. Instructions on installation can be found here. Once installed, ubuntu tweak can be found under applications-->system tools-->ubuntu tweak. Its pretty self explanatory once installed:

Anyway, the first thing I usually do is hit the applications entry and add 3rd party sources so that I can get the latest software available. I selected the openoffice, opera, gnome-do, google, wine, shutter and medibuntu repositories.

Openoffice is included by default in ubuntu but is not at the latest 3.0 version. After enabling these sources you can visit the update manager again to upgrade openoffice.

The next thing I did was to visit the add/remove section of ubuntu tweak:

Here I selected deluge (for bittorrent - I love this program, it's really fast), Emesene (For msn - better then pidgin in my opinion if msn is the only service you use), gnome-do (more on this later), ubuntu restricted extras (enables flash, java etc), vlc media player (this plays everything) and wine (lets you run select windows programs).

Other tweaks include deciding which programs startup (under Startup--> autostart), desktop tweaks, compiz install etc...feel free to explore.

UPDATE!!!

2009-03-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

Ok..next step is to update everything.. simply hit System (on the taskbar) and navigate to software sources. Hit the updates tab and check everything off as shown below:

Once thats done its a matter of hitting close, reloading and then updating. To update you can either click the icon in your notification area (top right corner of desktop) or you can hit system-->administrtion-->update manager.

Ubuntu Installed - Change the theme!!!

2009-03-07T14:50:00.001-08:00

I am proud to say I am now typing this from a fresh install of ubuntu. Wireless is working out of the box although I did get a pop up to enable proprietary drivers which I declined. Anyway, the first thing I did was change the theme because In my opinion the default theme for ubuntu is disgusting. I don't like dark themes much but darkroom was the only decent theme available on default. It can be accessed by right clicking the desktop, clicking change desktop background on the ensuing dialogue, clicking on the theme tab and finally clicking darkroom. See below for screenshots:

Darkroom VS Default:

2009-03-07T13:51:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

My name is MYD and this blog is about me messing around with my computer. Today I got completely fed up of vista and decided to do a clean install using this guide. Needless to say it went well but took something like 7 hours. (Including updates etc.. ) Anyway, now that I have a working vista install I'm going to install ubuntu and invite anyone that wants to along for the ride. Seeing as there are a million+ tutorials on dual booting ubuntu and installing ubuntu I'm going to go ahead and install it then take you through my setup/customization process step by step. Anyway, I'm writing this from the live cd getting ready to install...I'll be back once I'm up and running.

PS. I have a hp pavilion dv2000 series laptop (the exact model is dv2708ca)