talk derby 2 me: 2010.01

December 16, 2010

October 16, 2010

I recently acquired a new computer graphics card: EVGA GeForce GTX460 768MB.
The 64 bit NVIDIA drivers for both Linux Mint and Windows 7 are excellent and allows everything to run smoothly. Overall, and I am very happy with the graphics card. I did have to purchase a new power supply unit to support, but it was worth it. I can run games with in the maximum resolution with all the settings on high. This helps for games like Final Fantasy XIV and Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Another interesting note, the graphics card is very quiet and runs at about 40 C (cold for a computer part).

My Computer Specs:
ASUS M2A-VM
AMD Sempron 140, Socket AM3, 2.7 GHz
G.Skill Memory - 4 GB : 2 x 2 GB (plus 2 x 1GB)
EVGA GeForce GTX460 768MB
Western Digital Caviar 500 GB
ASUS S/PDIF OUT
Pioneer DVR-218L 22x DVD±RW
Corsair CMPSU-650TX

The EVGA GeForce GTX460 768MB graphics card is the center of attention. I strongly recommend these products.

Thanks for reading.

September 13, 2010

mp3 player in blogger

I really enjoy the 1pixelout player. It's pretty and intuitive.

To accomplish this inside blogger, you need to download 1pixelout zip file, and use an external host for the player and javascript file and the mp3 files.

Place this code inside your template before the last head tag </head>. Make sure to replace 1 URL to your javascript file.



<script language="JavaScript" src="http://www.yourexternalhost.com/audio/audio-player.js"></script>

For each post use this object code to load the player. Make sure to replace the 3 URLs: 2 for the player and 1 for the mp3 file.



<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.yourexternalhost.com/audio/player.swf" id="audioplayer1" height="24" width="290">
 
    <param name="movie" value="http://www.yourexternalhost.com/audio/player.swf">
 
    <param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=audioplayer1&soundFile=http://www.yourexternalhost.com/audio/music.mp3">
 
    <param name="quality" value="high">
 
    <param name="menu" value="false">
 
    <param name="wmode" value="transparent">
 
    </object>

Reference:
http://www.macloo.com/examples/audio_player/

September 02, 2010

Linux rdesktop & local file transfer

As an rdesktop front end, I am using Gnome RDP. A missing option is a remote to local disk connection. However, I found this nice tip/trick:

rdesktop -u user -r disk:yourlocalpathname=/home/username/tmp remoteIP

Where '/home/username/tmp' is the local directory you want access to from the rdesktop session.

Inside your Remote Desktop Session use '\\tsclient\yourlocalpathname' to access your local Linux disk.

http://old.nabble.com/Remote-Desktop-File-Transfer-td20430681.html

September 01, 2010

Linux Mint

Linux is on again and off again relationship. Currently I am using a fairly new distribution called Linux Mint. It's based on Ubuntu which is based on Debian, but it's considered a complete separate distribution (from Ubuntu).

The team at Linux Mint did a great job with basic interface design and drivers. When I plug in devices or load a CD/DVD, the system responds appropriately. The default Gnome 2 theme is very pleasing. This goes a long way to make applications easy to find and settings easy to configure.

I would recommend Linux Mint to others. In fact, I am sending the install disc and printed user guide to a 65 year old relative.

Please remember the best Linux Distribution is the one you're using!

August 19, 2010

Kiss The Old Method of Retirement Planning and Saving Goodbye!

The Federal Reserve is once again raising the possibility of implementing further quantitative easing measures, which basically means they foresee very difficult times in the very near future for the U.S. economy. The Fed recently downgraded U.S. growth prospects for 2010, and they have communicated to the American public that they believe it may take 4-6 years to fully recover from the current recession. That means that economic growth will continue, but it will be very sluggish, unemployment will be stubbornly high, and general economic conditions will be less than optimal.

August 18, 2010

This is why I love spinach

Medical Daily: New research: Children's vegetable intake linked to Popeye cartoons: "Popeye cartoons, tasting parties and junior cooking classes can help increase vegetable intake in kindergarten children, according to new research published in the journal Nutrition & Dietetics.

Researchers at Mahidol University in Bangkok found the type and amount of vegetables children ate improved after they took part in a program using multimedia and role models to promote healthy food.

Twenty six kindergarten children aged four to five participated in the eight week study. The researchers recorded the kinds and amounts of fruit and vegetables eaten by the children before and after the program.

Lead researcher Professor Chutima Sirikulchayanonta said: 'We got the children planting vegetable seeds, taking part in fruit and vegetable tasting parties, cooking vegetable soup, and watching Popeye cartoons. We also sent letters to parents with tips on encouraging their kids to eat fruit and vegetables, and teachers sat with children at lunch to role model healthy eating.'"

Nearly one million children in U.S. potentially misdiagnosed with ADHD, study finds

Nearly one million children in U.S. potentially misdiagnosed with ADHD, study finds: "Nearly 1 million children in the United States are potentially misdiagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder simply because they are the youngest -- and most immature -- in their kindergarten class, according to new research by a Michigan State University economist."

About - Linux Mint

About - Linux Mint: "Linux Mint is one of the surprise packages of the past year. Originally launched as a variant of Ubuntu with integrated media codecs, it has now developed into one of the most user-friendly distributions on the market - complete with a custom desktop and menus, several unique configuration tools, a web-based package installation interface, and a number of different editions. Perhaps most importantly, this is one project where the developers and users are in constant interaction, resulting in dramatic, user-driven improvements with every new release. DistroWatch has spoken to the founder and lead developer of Linux Mint, Clement Lefebvre, about the history of the distribution."