Linux OS, in your Pocket?

My First Flash Drive was 128 Meg for $35.00.

Today's Fry's AD has a 2 Gig Flash Drive for $22.00 minus a $10.00 mail-in Rebate, making it $12.00.

Since today's modern computers can be told to Boot from a Flash Drive, a pretty sophisticated Linux Distro can be installed on that Flash Drive.

Meaning, Yeah, you CAN take it with you.

Years ago Klaus Knopper invented Knoppix as a rescue disk for problem-booting operating systems, like windows. From that the Live Distro was born. Live Distro CD's could boot a new OS without having to write the data to the hard drive. In the early days of Live Distros on CD, only so much real estate was available and only a limited number of programs could fit on roughly 640 meg of storage.

Then DVD's entered the picture, and even Klaus himself said: "You could put in everything AND the kitchen sink...on a DVD Live Distro."

The main Linux players saw the advantage of putting out a Live Distro DVD of their latest offerings.

You see what worked for AOL Online on CD's worked for Linux Live Distros on DVD.

You could buy a $15.00 magazine fron England called LINUX FORMAT and you get a free DVD.

One such DVD is TRIPLE BOOTING with SimplyMepis 3.4, Gentoo 2006.0 and even OpenSolaris BELENIX, another had FreeBSD 6.0, NETBSD 3.0 and OpenBSD 3.8. (Pictured above)

So what needed a DVD for storage, can now go on a $12.00 Flash Drive.

Yep, you can take your FAV Distro with you, on a Flash Drive.

1839 Patch Drive

There are many ways to install software in Ubuntu. Probably the best known is apt-get which has its roots in Debian (the same as Ubuntu).

Apt-get is console based and fairly easy to use, if the software repositories are set up right.

You use apt-get install Filename, and apt-get searches the repositories for a match and rpm address and it fetches and installs the program.

If you are skiddish about console commands, Ubuntu has a couple of Gui-based front end for apt-get. The first is under Applications/Add/Remove on the toolbar.

My favorite is under System/Administration/Synaptic Package Manager.

Synaptic is what I used to patch/install 1839 programs.

I wouldn't want to try that on a Windows machine.

A new Toy (Joy) DVD (Divx) Player

Having been "Under the Weather" (Sick) lately, I just opened my Father's Day Gift, (pictured left), a DVD Philips 5140 Player that plays, well, just about everything..

An online comparison of this Joy-Toy and a previous model by Philips shows the new model shines in almost every feature.

The reviewer seemed to really like it, and in my limited testing, so do I.

Test Lighting Video

Animation Lighting Test:

Silly Photo adder

A Great Weekend for iPhone

Engadget tells us 500,000 iPhone sold in 3 days.

That IS a pretty good start for a new product. Other sites tell us less than 3% had problems with authentication issues.

A good recap of what a handful of knowledgeable New Users thought can be heard on Leo Laporte's TWiT Podcast of July 1, 2007.

My conclusions from various readings tells me the following:

1. Not anything really new is used in the hardware side of this wonder. But the implementation is what makes Apple APPLE.

2. The Cell Phone Bar has been reset by the iPhone, telling us that not very many people have been happy with the same-old same-old.

3. It's not just the technology, but how you FEEL about a product that can change everything.

iPhone: Browsing, An order of a magnitude SLOWER...

What happens when you hitch up the latest Gee-Wizardly Goodies to a horse and "Buggy" carriage?

You get web surfing on the wheels of a turtle-with-bad-knees.

The honest truth is: The IPhone is a bonafide thing of technological beauty.

The At&t network it has to work on for the next-two-years is worst than dial-up.

What was Apple thinking?

Hard to figure.

Harder still, to find a compelling reason to go out and buy this not-quite-finished product from Apple.

Surface ...Surfaces, from Microsoft

Now I know the reason for the TV series "Surface" being cancelled.

It was the name of a new Touchscreen "GIZMO" from Microsoft. Here's a link to Demo on Popular Mechanics Website.

(http://news.filefront.com/microsofts-surface-changes-the-way-we-use-computers/)

Link to Jeff Han of Perceptive Pixel Remapping the Universe Demo



The Surface from Microsoft (codenamed: "milan") was demoed for Popular Mechanics (link above). It's touch screen "surface' can pick up multiple touch points and interact to items placed on the surface. Wireless devices can also 'communicate' with the "Surface" interface.

Kind of nifty, but at $10,000 a "Desktop" pop, rather put that into 5 state-of-the-art Linux boxes (3 Dual-Core, 64 bit Desktops running Fedora, Ubuntu and Open SUSE, and 2 similar spec'd laptops, running Ubuntu and Fedora).

Getting to look more like
Philip K. Dick's Minority Report all the time.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181689/

memorial day weekend:

In honor of Memorial Day I had planned to read an article in Wired Magazine, the one with Heroes' Masi Oka on the cover. The article: "Escape from Iran: Inside a CIA Covert Op."

But as you know, the Best Laid Plans...

Instead, I read about a Green City/Urban Development project near Shanghai, on the island Dongtan, by ARUP's Chilean architech and Urban Designer Alejandro Gutierrez.

Like a PBS show about a subject you know little about, it open my eyes to the problems of Urban Planning. A good Article, from one of "My Favorites" magazine.

I also did a bit of Online Programming Study on Python's number and list handling ideas.

And speaking about numbers, Jack Sparrow (aka Johnny Depp) took care of business on the holiday weekend with these numbers:

The Top Five

#1 "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" ($142 million)
#2 "Shrek the Third" ($69 million)
#3 "Spider-Man 3" ($18 million)
#4 "Bug" ($4.2 million)
#5 "Waitress" ($4 million)

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A handful of Heroes against Jack Bauer...

2007, the year when comic book heroes was King. The Big Screen is Boasting it's Best Summer EVER with back-to-back boxoffice megahits for Spiderman 3, Shrek, the Third, and the upcoming Johnny Depp and Pirates of the Carribean's THIRD installment.

Well, the Little screen has it's Heroes Too.

Two of which go head-to-head in season finales tonight.

Agent Jack Bauer gets sent off into summer hiatus with a two-hour cliff-hanger to end its award-winning sixth season tonight starting at 8:00 on Fox channel 11.

On NBC, channel 4, Heroes ends part 2 of it's first year with Sylar's explosion destroying half of New York, and band of fledgling heroes trying to stop it.

How to stop and exploding man on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0988307/

The Hit series on NBC is set to spin-off a sequel about the histories of individual heroes next fall.

Comic books are alive and well on the big screen and the small.


Tune In to the FUN...
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Old FUD's Ugly Head

Microsoft showed it's Ugly FUD Head again this week with an attempt to intimidate Open Source and Linux with allegations of Intelleectual Property Rights violation.

Now remember, I really hate the PC - Apple commercials that the Mac has been rubbing in our windows-faces lately.

Particularly since I remember, not that long ago, Microsoft helped Apple out with some loose change when the Mac seemed on the brink of extinction, again.

That Was nice of Microsoft.

This meaning, that I'm not an Mac or Windows Basher by preference. Only when then continue to "Do Stupid Things". But I guess, old bad habits die Very Hard.

For the uninitiated, the NEW tactics of FUD (Fear,Uncertainty and Doubt) is so interwoven into the fabric of Microsoft that I must refer you the Wikipedia entry on the subject.

This seems to be Microsoft's modus operandi of late, when they feel they're losing mind-share.

These Peckinpah-Matrix slow-motion ambush shots hide the the Facts that if you can't compete technologically (vista), sick the lawyers on them.

FUD can obscure a multitude of innovation shortcomings.

This is not what someone who wants to be remembered as a humanitarian should be doing.

Stop it Bill.

It's not Open Source or Linux's fault it took five (5) years to push Vista out the door.

Belly Up On Fedora Core 6

Yeah, I know it's my fault for not backing up my data. And No the FC6 OS is Not completely gone. I still have Console access.

But timing couldn't be worse, after a hard week of fighting a MacNasty Cold (pun intended) and the Lakers almost being blown out of the First Round in the Playoffs against the Suns.

Thank goodness for stuff being available ONLINE. (I'll have blog about THAT as soon as I Feel Better)

I found out that a good part of my computing environment is Network centric, and that, I afraid can be done from anywhere...

Even ON my shiny new ACER that may have bad Sony batteries.

Yep, that"s the way the week has been.

(Hey, that might be a good title for Leo Laporte's TWiT's, That Was The Way The Week Was TWTWTWW....I must be really sick...sorry.)

In between coughs and sneezes, I Post.

Done on the new shiny ACER (which is working just fine).

Wingman out.

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PDF Slides for the PSP??

This link (in PDF Format) gives a Slide-Show history of HACKING THE PSP.


Lots of Food for Thought here.

World's smallest fully functioning PC runs VISTA?

Seen on Channel 7's Tech Bytes this morning check out the Website at: www.oqo.com

Tuesday Updates: April 3, 2007

Introducing a new feature on Media Circus 2,

the Tuesday Updates.

----------------------------------------------------
On Podcasts:

Since I've gotten into the habit of listening to Leo Laporte's TWIT podcast on Tuesday Mornings (roughly 4:00 to 5:00 a.m.), I'll present a review of the podcast (with Full-Links) that same day.

The TU's will also cover what I've been gleaning from the Linux Magazines and what I have just installed and what I'm testing on my Linux Box.
----------------------------------------------------
TWit 93: GMT

Hosts: Leo Laporte, David Prager, Robert Heron, Roger Chang, Veronica Belmont, Patrick Norton, and John C. Dvorak

The old gang reunites for a live appearance at the Gear*Media*Tech seminar. Look for video in the next day or so.

----------------------------------------------------
Dvorak pans the Apple iPhone as the wrong business to be in. Too many deep pocket competitors.

Anniversary of first email virus: Melissa (named after a Florida Stripper by the teen that created it.)

This is the heading of the article by CNET on that day in 1999.

=====================================================

Email virus spreading rapidly
W97M_Melissa exploits Microsoft Outlook's address book to send a list of porn sites to people who are likely to be familiar contacts.
By Stephen Shankland
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: March 26, 1999, 5:20 PM PST
Tell us what you think about this storyTalkBack E-mail this story to a friendE-mail View this story formatted for printingPrint Add to your del.icio.usdel.icio.us Digg this storyDigg this

A new virus is actively spreading itself across the Internet, taking advantage of users' email address books to replicate "extremely quickly," according to one expert.

The virus, W97M_Melissa, uses a combination of Microsoft Word macros and Microsoft Outlook to send a list of 80 pornographic Web sites. It works with either Word 97 or Word 2000, according to antivirus companies TrendMicro, Symantec, and Network Associates.

Link Location:

http://news.com.com/Email+virus+spreading+rapidly/2100-1023_3-223602.html

=====================================================
On Security (readings)
Port Knocking and Single Packet Authorization.
(Article comng)

On Database Comparisons (readings)
MySQL vs PostgreSQL.

(Article coming)
======================================================
Installing MONO on my Redhat CORE 6.

(Article coming)
===========================================================================
Links:

TWiT Website is here:

http://www.twit.tv/TWiT

Complete MP3 TWiT Podcast is here:

http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3?http://twit.cachefly.net/TWiT0093M.mp3

John C. Dvorak's Blog (be warned!)

http://www.dvorak.org/blog/


Want to find out where to put all your iProducts from Apple?

Check out this mock suggestion from MadTV VidCast which I found on Dvorak's blog.

The iRACK from Apple.


===========================================================================

Web Site of The Day (from RefDesk.com)

Today's (3/21/2007) Site Of The Day from RefDesk.com is just So Great I have to Put a Link to it Here:

GovStandard.com
Subtitled: (Your Legal Systems Resource)

Information on the legal system which includes legal history, systems, law practice, jurists, and advocates. Includes discussions of Roman, Greek, and Babylonian law.

Happy reading.

Refdesk.com (my PSP homepage) was one of my Baker's Dozen Picks for Best Of The WEB on my KOOLHUNTER2 blog. Yes, Koolhunter WEBSITE is Still being worked on.

Wingman out.

Dad's Birthday

That's Dad, reading a book from Robert. His birthday is today March 18th.
Glad I got to see and talk with him yesterday. Louie too!

Too much distance for a family that was so much closer before the "rock", Mom passed away.

As the saying goes: It's not the years it's the mileage.

I've been thinking of posting these special images online. Either Flickr or Google Album, two good online Photo Hosting sites.

Digital cameras, even cell-phone cameras (with resolutions constantly getting better) make it easy to catch a special shot like this one.

But still don't compare to having the full size photograph.

We snap more and develop less. Of course, most of my photographs are in a suitcase someplace.

The book (by the way) is about Superstition Mountain and the Lost Dutchman's mine and gold. I'll put a link to the backstory about that below. Everything has a backstory, spoken and unspoken.

Happy Birthday Dad. I love you.


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Apache Junction Public Library webpage.

Kool Hunting

One man's Kool is another man's Booor-ring!

Kinda Kool is Wesley Crusher's (Wil Wheaton, the Geek), reviews of STTNG which is funny and found Here.

These sites are also KOOL:

Leo Laporte of TechTV days, is Now Podcasting like cRaZy.

Check Out the TWITs (which is a weekly TECH podcast), where he's joined by John C. Dvorak, Patrick Norton, Kevin Rose (Mr. DIGG, to you), and even Spin-Rite's Steve Gibson.

Korean Zombies with German Accents!!!

Last Tuesday, 3 of the Top 13 DNS (Domain Name Servers) were attacked by Korean Zombies (DoS) Denial of Service robots (unmanned--code devices, also known as: Zombies). The Zombies were traced back to Germany (but they probably came from somewhere else--maybe China. Who Knows?). One of the three DNS sites attacked was almost completely shut down, but as far as the WEB was concerned, nobody noticed.

That was the scary part.

No payoff. No notoriety. So what was the point?

My thinking is: Proof of Concept. Testing the delivery system.

The Real Site will be Elsewhere.

Call me paranoid, but when some experts tell us that 1/3 of the web is infested with robots/spiders or zombies following orders, it's time to worry...

Particularly when Other Experts tell us, That 1/3 number IS TOO LOW.

Pipes, ANS Network and Bernice

Yahoo Pipes:
Yahoo came out swinging a big "pipe" last week to snag back some respectability from Search Leader Rival: Google.

Yahoo Pipes is a Web-based RSS "mash-up" tool that lets you graphically connect Source Information (from one or many rss-feed places), and add a bit of logic or filters and create a "New View" of the RSS data.

They say it's a tip-of-the-hat to Unix Pipes Tools, which for anyone running any recent distro of Linux knows, is alive and well in the Linux OS.

Scripting languages can do pretty much what Yahoo Pipes does, but the Web based GUI is a pretty big deal. It was supposedly developed by Yahoo In-House, and beats Google to a pretty nice New Tool.

REAL Competition IS Good.

==========================================================================
The BOOBs at Network News:

When oh when did they become PEOPLE Magazine?

CNN is now the ANS Channel.

You know what the letters stand for.

One of the cool and needed things you can do with Yahoo Pipes is grab the News RSS feeds and Filter-Out any mention of ANS.

Hopefully the "NETWORKS GONE WILD!" mentality will be over real-soon-now, before any more attention-starved nymphets shave their heads in protest.
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Bernice and Hair Bobbing:

"Huh! she giggled wildly. "Scalp the selfish thing!"

Quoted from Bernice Bobs Her Hair from the book Flappers and Philosophers.
New York:Scribners.1922.

A title of a short story from high school was "Bernice Bobs Her Hair", and it was mentioned at work recently. And Not having heard that title before I decided to "Look it up".

Wikipedia has become a very good place to start, and was so in this case too. I was surprised to find that it was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the same writer that gave us the "The Great Gatsby".

Sidenote: (also found on Wikipedia).

Louise Brooks of the film silent era became synoymous with the bobbed or flapper look of the twenties.

New MC2 BLOG: "Thursdays, we saved the World." Check it out.