Thursday, September 29, 2011

Choking on Windows 8

I was sitting there doing what I normally do (driving a truck going down the road, talking to myself), and thought. Damn! Didn't Microsoft have some kind of anti-trust suit going against them some time back?  I know it was about browsers, but isn't this signed certificate for the firmware to allow the computer to boot even MORE intrusive?

Who in the world on the consumer side of things is asking for this kind of crap?
Who on the IT side?

This certainly seems to be more of Microsoft's line of thinking that if you're not paying them homage, tribute, or some portion of YOUR money, to run YOUR computer, with YOUR software, they have some right to your pocketbook, just because, they're Microsoft.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

XScreenSaver vs Gnome-Screensaver


I can see where XScreenSaver will be my Screensaver of choice from now on.  Not that Gnome-Screensaver didn't do it's job properly, it's just that it seems to be a dumbed down XScreenSaver.  Why would I want that?  Maybe, as time goes on, I'll see why there is a Gnome Version. But, really, I don't know why the Gnome team seems to have the habit of pulling the buttons off of things.

Also Elementary Nautilus seems to be more to my liking also...
 

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Linux Mint 11 and Getting Tomboy Notes To Sync with Ubuntu One

I've been playing around with an old laptop, due to the new laptop going to a shop for a keyboard... So, what do most of us Linux Nuts do when we drag up an old machine? We fiddle with it, right?  Yup, that's what I did. I had to put new distro on it.

Not being a big fan of Unity, But I DO love what Ubuntu has to offer and does. Really I do. I'm just not big on the interface's and some of the desktop environment changes right now. Maybe latter. So, for now, I'm sticking with the old Gnome 2 environment, and Linux Mint.  Oh, Right. I'm getting side tracked.

Old Laptop. (A Toshiba Satellite A45)
New Linux Mint 11.

I got Mint Installed, and then was syncing Google Chrome, etc, and thought that it would be nice to have access to some of those Tomboy Notes that I setup back from Linux Mint 9.  But, Ubuntu One info wasn't really "there".  I did a little Googling, and found this blog post*, that had the one secret line that I was craving...

https://one.ubuntu.com/notes/

I added that line to the server, see image below.. 

Got the "Syncing Dialog"

So, I kicked back and enjoyed the syncing...
And Viola! The notes magically appeared. :)

One could also use Last Pass to Sync notes, and Passwords too, if they wished.

*Credits: My Life, Art and FOSS: Tomboy notes sync in Linux Mint 11


Saturday, July 23, 2011

Free Podcast hosting = Blogger + Archive.org + Feedburner

This post is just supposed to be a quick overview on how to host and produce your own free podcast. I still prefer the term NetCast Ala Leo Laporte. As he was putting his stuff online to DL before the "Pod Boom".

So, How many of you want to have a podcast, or have had one? 
How many of you have gotten a  hosted WordPress site, only to have your shared hosted server to get bogged down? 

I've been there. So why not just use the power of Google?  I wish I had setup The Juiced Penguin with blogger before I gave it over to TerryF. It would have gone much more smoothly for us if I had. 

You'll need to have a Blogger Blog. 
(Register a domain name via your blogger blog for $10 bucks a year, and it'll look like gold)

You'll need to make sure that you allow the enclosures for your posts.

It's best to setup Feedburner for your site, it will make your Atom feed an RSS feed and make it more agile, if you want to move where you do host the site. So if you do move from Blogger to WP to Ddrupal, you'll be able to do so, but your feed to your subscribers will go on without a hitch. Feedburner also has a few nice features that aren't included with Blogger, but make the feed much more manageable, such as submissions to iTunes, Convert that Blogger Atom feed into a RSS feed for pod-catchers, Twitter integration, has Email subscription options, and more. 

You're going to have to upload your content to someplace.  I have used the Internet Archive for myself. It'll require you to have your own account, etc. But you can upload them there, and link to them. They even have a good little widget for you include on your blog for the posting so people can listen to your podcast on your blog.  Embedding the player might be a little tricky, as they make it about twice as wide then you might want for your blog post. 


If you want to see what one of these posts look like using the Internet Archive.org player widget, 

That's really it. If you have questions, please leave a comment.  Let me know if you'd like more details about a particular section on this, and I'll create another post. 



 




Saturday, June 25, 2011

Diggin' the Droid

I found a cool little app for the Android that's called Androidify. I got it, used it and then modified what they allow you to do with the Gimp. No need to be just like everyone else, eh?

This reminds me of another little "create a little icon of your self" site called FaceYourMagna. I had used it to create a little icon of my self a few times, and of some of my co workers. It's also a great little way to make a picture of yourself to share, without using a real photo. (hint hint to the camera shy)...

Of course, I modified it too... 


Thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog! :)

I'd like to see comments from anyone who has used these tools, and what they look like. :)

Thanks!
Randy

Sunday, May 15, 2011

QMLSaver Nice digital Clock Screensaver

This Clock ScreenSaver is something that was asked about on the Ubuntu Forums, back in 2007. And it didn't seem to have a good solution, They used gltext.  One would think that desktop Linux would have an easy and simple Clock Screensaver solution.

Enter in, QMLSaver, it fits the bill. It works great on my netbook on the nightstand.


It seems to me that anyone that can use apt-get should be able to install this handy Digital Clock Screensaver. I'm just making note of it here on my blog, as this is the second time I've looked for such a utility, for my netbook. - What I really want is a screensaver that has the time, and temp.  I suppose that I could setup a desktop for that, but, that doesn't hit the mark for what I'd like.


sudo add-apt-repository ppa:prodoomman/qmlsaver
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install libqt4-dev qmlsaver

QMLSaver - Clock Screensaver For Ubuntu ~ Web Upd8: Ubuntu / Linux blog
Another alternative is the Noflipqlo screensaver It's a bit more complicated to install, but looks like it might do the trick really well also.


Tuesday, April 05, 2011

But Why?

I could blog from the truck with my phone... But this would really wear out my thumbs. I just don't get it trying to do normal stuff with a phone. I can't even tell what picture I'm picking.
@thenose100

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Photo Harassment - Popey get's it this round...

I've had a couple of long 14hr + days, the world has it's problems with Japan, and Libya etc... So I like to find solace with my friend the GIMP. I like to explore what I can do, and figure things out with it. I still don't know what all of the filters mean, and what to expect from them. (Note to self, maybe I ought to make a chart for them, if one doesn't exist... Remind me, will ya? )

OK, on with the post...


For some reason his photo from identi.ca 

made me think of Elvis Presley... 


So, today, I'm harassing Popey from the Ubuntu UK Podcast.  

Popey IS the Crowned King of the Ubuntu UK podcast..... 
  • pope /pəʊp/ n 1 : a prelate who as bishop of Rome is the head of the Roman Catholic Church 2 : one that resembles a pope (as in authority)
  • popey /pəʊpi/n 1 : a blogger 2 : a prolific micro-blogger on Twitter 3 : a social animal 4 : an IT professional 5 : a strong advocate for Ubuntu 6 : a podcaster 7 : a geek through and through
  • popeye /pÉ’paɪ/ n 1 : A tattooed, corncob pipe–smoking comic strip character who eats spinach 2 : he is what he is and that's all what he is 3 : not popey




Now you can go back to the other things on the internets to entertain and learn you... 



Sunday, March 27, 2011

Favicon fun


The guys over at Meet The Gimp  did a nice little article [Episode 155:] Favicon] about how to create a Favicon image with the GIMP. - You might want to check it out, as it relates to my other post about FAVICON.ico files. :)

Blog on!
R_

PS. I hope everyone had fun at the Indiana Linux Fest this weekend...  I forgot to mention it in a recent episode of the Juiced Penguin... Doh! 

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Blogger vs WordPress? I'll take Blogger, you might not.

HA! Right there in the title, I give it away. There is no CLEAR winner with the WordPress vs Blogger debate.



Brad, AKA kPulsed has created a very nice Comparison chart that I'm tempted to steal and post here, but... Well,  someone already asked, and he didn't really say "OK".  I don't blame him. But it IS Really GOOD. It's got that Lovely "Long Tail" or is it Long Trail? That an excellent blob, er Blog Post should have.

Alright. Are you still here? You didn't get lost on that chart? Did you?  But there were a few other items or concerns that weren't listed or mentioned on his chart that I'd like to go over.  Mainly, what if you wanted to host your own blog, on a shared hosting site like GoDaddy or 1and1.com. His chart mainly goes over what you can expect for the free services of Blogger.com or Wordpress.Org.

If you haven't noticed. You're reading this on a Blogger Blog. With it's own glitzy domain name.  That Glitzy and handy, domain name cost me $10 bucks a year, and I registered it through the Blogger Dashboard.  It was pretty simple.  It also comes with it's own a handy Google Sites website, if one needs it. But you can get those for free anyway too.  The Google Site, Site (oh man, I'm going to get delirious if I have to keep saying Site, Site) fills the need hosting oddball files, like a handy Linux Reference Card.PDF Or simply a Picture.ZIP. Of course YouTube hosts its onw video files, and Archive.org can host other media files for you too, if you wish.

  • You don't have to FTP to the site with some kludgey FTP client.
  • You don't have to update your Blog or it's Widgets every other day
  • You don't have to worry if your Shared Hosting server neighbors are sucking up tons of bandwidth, and handing out 404 error's to your site's visitors. 
  • You've got the power of Google Servers.
  • You don't even have to purchase a domain to get all of these benefits. 
Blogger is getting a little more love from Google, and they're adding many more features as time moves along. 

Now from an open source point of view. WordPress IS Open Source, and Blogger is not. I doubt if it ever will be. But either platform will work well. It all depends on if one works better for you then the other.  But for me, I like the ease of use, and stability of Blogger. 



Thursday, March 17, 2011

Personalize Your Blogger.com Favicon

I was wondering the other day, if could change my Favicon on blogger. I was please to find out I could with a post over at Happy Blogging.  His Post was fairly clear, but thought that I'd do one with my spin on it.  As Intend to do a few Blogger related posts in the near future.

It's fairly simple if you know your way around in Blogger and HTML. If not, I hope this post helps.

First, you're going to want to have a favicon already posted somewhere on the web.  Preferably on a site that is yours. :)  You CAN easily upload the icon in .PNG format to a Blogger Post, as blogger won't allow you to upload a .ICO file, the Microsoft extension name for an icon. If you have a Google Sites account, you can upload your image there instead of Blogger. But for the sake of this post, lest say your image is located at:

http://linuxnuts.org/files/wanker.png

With your favorite text editor, well, ok, actually I don't care if its YOUR favorite text editor, but with a text editor that won't "hold" all the HTML code and formating, if you were to cut and paste to it. Replace the "real" place your image is where the {image url} is in the code below.  I find that the Find and Replace function comes in real handy at this point in my Text Editor. 

The HTML Link Code:

<link href='{image url}' rel='shortcut icon'/>
<link href='{image url}' rel='shortcut icon' type='image/vnd.microsoft.icon'/>
<link href='{image url}' rel='icon'/>
<link href='{image url}' rel='icon' type='image/vnd.microsoft.icon'/>

So this should give you something like this in your text editor:

<link href='http://linuxnuts.org/files/wanker.png' rel='shortcut icon'/>
<link href='http://linuxnuts.org/files/wanker.png' rel='shortcut icon' type='image/vnd.microsoft.icon'/>
<link href='http://linuxnuts.org/files/wanker.png' rel='icon'/>
<link href='http://linuxnuts.org/files/wanker.png' rel='icon' type='image/vnd.microsoft.icon'/>


Oh, and Happy Blogger also has a Favicon Link Generator that you can use.

Then, you'll want to go to your blogger dash board, such as the one displayed below. Dashboard > Design > Edit HTML 


I do a CTRL-F to search for the </head> tag  while I'm in Chrome and place the code 
directly above it. As in the example. 
And that will give the results like I've got here on Pimping the Penguin. No more Orange Blogger Icon for your Blog.  

If you Change your template, you stand a chance of loosing your modifications, so keep that in mind. 



Blog on....! 

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

From The Blender Guru | How to Make a Realistic Asteroid in Blender


How to Make a Realistic Asteroid in Blender


Hey FOSSY and FREE fans... Andrew Price has done an excellent job over at Blender Guru with a Tutorial ( That's another word for "How To"  for you people in Adobe Land" )

In his words "This tutorial will demonstrate the importance of the displacement
modifier and how using it can produce amazing results in just a few
clicks."

So grab a cup of coffee (using a Photoshop CD as a coaster, of course)  and watch this video, and maybe even fire up a copy of Blender!

And Keep Pimpin' that Blender FOSS Andrew!! 


Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Yugma = Linux Friendly Videoconferencing Software


Hey there. I keep hearing people talk about Go To Meeting, but Go To Meeting doesn't support Linux users. I figured that even though I haven't used Yugma (and don't ask me how you're supposed to say it, maybe it needs a little better branding, mabey?..)  I'd post a screen shot, and put it here, so I can easily find the link to them again.

I'm still trying to find the time to do the 100 things that I've got on my mental list to do for all my blogs. - One thing that I was thinking about for here, was to do some Blogger Tutorials, along with some Google Love...

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Panoramio - Photos by RandyNose

Panoramio - Photos by RandyNose No, no Photo's yet.

Hey, I just created a PanOramio account. I've got to check this out. And need to tell some of my local Photoblogger friends about it.. :)

Thursday, February 10, 2011

A Penguin to Pimp Linux Mint

Hey, I was browsing around and didn't find a quick link for a Linux Mint Tux, or Penguin. So I mashed up some images with GIMP and created the following image. One is a larger one, the second is more an icon sized image, such as making a Favicon.ico for your blog. - Notice that my Blogger Blog now has a Favicon that isn't just the plain old Orange icon... :)



And if you want to know how to change your Favicon for your Blogger Blog, 
go here:

"A step by step guide on how to change the default blogger favicon to your own 
favorite icon." 
http://hapiblogging.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-to-change-favicon-in-blogger-in-xml.html

[Whoop, note to self, put the LARGE image first for the feeds to find...]

Saturday, February 05, 2011

Google Analytics, and what good is it to you?


Why would you want to use Google Analytics? - I'm checking it out, and it proves that my sites are woefully lacking in outside interest. - Something I'm wondering on how to fix.  But one has to know what's broken before they fix it.  This is what this site can help you with, and they've got a few cool tools there to target what area's that you want to promote, or at the very least, it'll let you know what posts you've created that have brought traffic to your site.

This is what they say about their site.. 
"Google Analytics provides powerful tracking for anyone with a web presence, whether it be a small hobby website or a giant online enterprise. It's one of the most powerful web analytics solutions on the market - and it's free for anyone to use"
I can tell you from first hand experience, that just because you've gotten a URL that's been "Slash Dotted" it won't mean instant traffic.  First it's got to be a topic that captures a lot of people's interest, and brings them back. And it has to be well presented. 

So, if you're a blogger just trying to figure out what's going on with your site, these tools are great. Blogger has some built in features, that are quite useful,  this is more of those features but on steroids.   

Happy Blog, Navel gazing!

R_

Friday, January 21, 2011

Podcasting Woes, Friends and Foes..


Today on Facebook, one of my geeky cool friends Linc (of TLLTS.ORG fame) asked a simple question.. 

"Can someone please point me to a hosting provider that is not a dick?"

I too, had some hosting issues. GoDaddy, 1and1, etc...  These hosting companies make an offer that seems reasonable, and good, etc... and then... WHAM! You've got a podcast that's not getting out, people try to download it, and Phhttziled bandwidth happens.  Back before I gave The JuicedPenguin.com oggcast over to Terryf,  I had issues with 1and1.com I had also had issues with GoDaddy  prior to that with my RandomizedRadio.com Podcast. 

MY solution? Post your audio files on The Internet Archive. http://www.archive.org  It's not hard, they're not "assholes", and they'll host your show for you. I've yet to hear a bandwidth problem to be complained about by them, I've yet to see them shut someone off for "honest" content.  And when I say "honest" I'm talking about content that doesn't infringe on some copy write issue.  

 As for the Blog, I'm going to stick with Blogger for most of my blog stuff. Yea, its' not as powerfully configurable as WordPress, but then it's also not as cut down to the nubs as Posterous, and Posterous is nice and simple,  you just can't easily advertise or add AddSense, Adwords etc to it.  So, if you're just a casual blogger/podcaster I'd go with Blogger for your blog, setup your blog for enclosures, use the Flash Widget that Internet Archive gives you, edit the the width of the Flash Widget to something less then the 640 pixels that is in the code, (really not that hard to do, I set my to 440, you just replace the "6" twice in the code) and go on with your life...

Got Questions? Ask them here in the comments! :) 


Monday, January 17, 2011

Pimping: Motho ke motho ka botho


Install Neverwinter Nights in Ubuntu

I was checking out the above blog (Motho ke motho ka botho) this past weekend, and I find it to be a cool blog, much like my own, the owner writes about his experiences with Linux and his Computer. A Chronology of stuff that he's done and put on the blog so he can go back to and review it later. Being able to backtrack to what you do, is part of doing good documentation.  It's not something that I've done a good job at,  after all, it's just my computer, right?

True, it is just my computer, but also part of the geek element to Linux and other open source projects is to put down (via a blog, forum, or?)  how you did what you did not just for you, but because someone else might have the same problem and they might find your solution helpful.  You never know what you might blog about that will help some other person trying not to pull all their hair out.  

Currently in the Linux Desktop world, the distribution of Ubuntu is the most popular.  Even if I don't run or use a modified version of Ubuntu, it NEEDS to be there, and it NEEDS our support. Even if I don't agree with all of the modifications and changes that happen to it, I still need to be supportive of it.  Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu needs user support, and I don't mean just money, but support with their mission. I know I've not been the best example of this, and I'll make a conscious effort to be more supportive of the Ubuntu Team. 

Here's one definition of Ubuntu:
Ubuntu: "I am what I am because of who we all are." A translation offered by Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee. Similar to a saying: A single straw of a broom can be broken easily, but the straws together are not easily broken."

Open Source, and Linux need to be able to get along in a world where there are monetary Goliaths pounding away at the public with commercials.  Linux is not created by one person, one company or just one idea.  It's a compilation of many ideas, many desktops, and many ways to get the job done. 

I have to applaud anyone who hangs out in the Ubuntu forums and helps out. - I know they were there when I needed some help.  How about you? I guess now that I've been a Linux user for over 3 years,  and have had a few experiences I could help out a bit more.   The Ubuntu Forums are the most active, and probably where one could do the most good.  Linux Mint, also.  I'm currently using Linux Mint LTS, and plan on keeping it that way, as I don't like to change every 6 months.  I personally prefer to find my buttons and labels and widgets in the same place more or less.  But it doesn't mean that you or I couldn't help out. 

But back to the previously mentioned blog, and game.  It's just really cool that there's someone out there doing something like this, creating some well written blog posts that others can find and use for their personal enjoyment.  And he's helping his community out by giving away machines with Linux on them.

And for that, I'd like give a shout out, and...
Pimp His Penguin.... 

Monday, January 03, 2011

Dysart Unified School District saves more than $100,000 by switching computer operating systems

Dysart Unified School District saves more than $100,000 by switching computer operating systems

"It could lead to an "open-source revolution," said David Ligon, director of grants and technology for the Higley Unified School District. "In the current fiscally conservative climate, most schools cannot justify the significant expense it would take to upgrade to Windows 7."

What I find interesting is that they're still using Microsoft Office, and haven't move those machines over to Open Office, or Libre Office. From an IT standpoint, If I were doing things, I'd move the Window's machines to use as much Open Source as possible. I can understand why it would be a larger task to upgrade an OS on a network, but to add Open Office or Libre Office to the software used, the children could have the same version of the software at home to use, at no charge. Or move things to Google Docs or something of a "Cloud" nature.

Just my my thoughts... Yours?

Issues with Linux Mint (or Debian Linux) and Xsane

#notetoself So, today, I was playing around with a new PC setup. And of course there was an issue with the HP Scanner. - I generally use Xsa...