Karaoke Software for Linux

Asians, especially Filipinos, really love to sing. I can easily say this because in our country, it’s normal to see karaoke machines at the malls, restaurants, bus stations, prisons, mental institutions, and even on the streets. Also, a lot of people here have their own karaoke players at home.

I’m not really a hardcore karaoke singer, but before, I have karaoke software installed on my PC just in case I can’t hold my urge to sing.

Lately, I’ve been looking for a karaoke program that I can use on my Linux box. That’s why I bumped into this open source Python-powered karaoke software appropriately called PyKaraoke.

PyKaraoke is written in Python programming language with features such as:

* CDG (MP3+G, OGG+G, WAV+G), MIDI (.MID/.KAR), MPEG playback
* Ability to Queue up songs
* Searchable song database
* Search inside ZIP files - Play MP3+G/MIDI files wrapped in ZIP files
* Mini Frontend - Additional mini-frontend for low-resolution displays and handhelds
* Export to MPEG - Convert CDG and KAR files to MPG files (command line only)

PyKaraoke, originally made for Linux, is also available on other operating systems like Windows and Mac OS X. If you are using Ubuntu, you can install it (minus the hassles) via Synaptic Package Manager.

And so I installed PyKaraoke on Ubuntu and tested playing a CDG file. Here are a few screenshots:

Not really my kind-of-song, but I can sing it if you want me to (hehe).

PyKaraoke still lacks the features particularly when you compare it to great karaoke software like KaraFun. However, it's really easy to use, and I think it’s capable enough to get you singing in no time. All you need is some good selection of karaoke song files, decent desktop speakers, and a microphone.

By the way, if you know of other karaoke software for Linux, please share it with us via comment.

How to Use BitTorrent in Linux

Though file sharing is extremely widespread nowadays, it amazes me that lot of people still don't know how to use a BitTorrent client or perhaps don't know what to do with a ‘.torrent’ file. Just take a look at this data (Google Trends):

Because of this, I decided to make a quick and easy tutorial on how to start downloading files via BitTorrent in Linux. Windows and Mac users can also learn from this, as the concept is basically the same on any platform. But before that, I would like to give you a brief intro about BitTorrent taken from Wikipedia:

BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer file sharing protocol used to distribute large amounts of data. BitTorrent is one of the most common protocols for transferring large files, and by some estimates it accounts for about 35% of all traffic on the entire Internet. The initial distributor of the complete file or collection acts as the first seed. Each peer who downloads the data also uploads it to other peers, even after they have dismounted the original seed. Because of this, BitTorrent is extremely efficient. One seed is needed to begin spreading files between many users (peers). The addition of more seeds increases the likelihood of a successful connection exponentially.

Now that you have learned a little about BitTorrent, let’s get down to business.

The first thing that you have to do is download a BitTorrent client. If you are using Linux, there are tons of free and open source BitTorrent clients to choose from. And, if you are using the latest versions of popular distributions like Fedora or Ubuntu, a BitTorrent client is already included out-of-the-box. For this tutorial, let’s use Transmission on Ubuntu.

Now that you have a BitTorrent client, it’s time to get a ‘.torrent’ file. We can use popular BitTorrent search engines (a.k.a. tracker) like isoHunt to get what we want. As an example, let’s go to isoHunt and download the free and open source short movie Elephants Dream. Note: We do not encourage downloading copyrighted materials.

Suppose you like to get the first search result, just click on it to go to its download page.

Click on 'Download .torrent' then open it with Transmission.

You can set the destination folder or just use the default and click on ‘Add’. After that, the download will start…

The more peers or seeders you have, the faster the download. If the download is interrupted, it can be resumed anytime.

I guess those are the basics to get you started downloading files via BitTorrent.

Tuxmachines.org Unusually Down

Tuxmachines.org has been unusually down for more than a day now. I've been wanting to contact 'srlinuxx' to express my concern on what’s happening. Several people have already emailed me and wanted to know why the site is still offline so I expect there are plenty of you out there who are also looking for answers.

To give everyone a little peace of mind, here is what I know:

I've read a post at PCLinuxOS-Forums from 'Linuxera' (forum administrator) that she has sent a message to srlinuxx and got a reply.

Quote from Linuxera:

I pm'd srlinuxx late yesterday and had a response waiting for me in my inbox this morning... Seems like her IP Host is playing games.. She should be back on line in a few days. In the meantime http://67.33.45.3/ should work for ya... :-)

Did she just say in a few days? I hope srlinuxx can clarify that for us. I know a lot of people can't live without a daily dose of Tuxmachines so I hope the downtime will not be that long.

For now, let’s wait and be patient. Anyway, as what Linuxera has posted at PCLinuxOS-Forums, you can still visit Tuxmachines.org via here: http://67.33.45.3/.

Healthy Goals for 2009 + Must-have Geeky Exercise Machines

Coding, web browsing, and writing tech stuff all day sure is fun, but knowing that your health is slowly but surely deteriorating isn't. A common problem in people with tech jobs is the lack of exercise and the total absence of consciousness to stay fit.

Sure you can accomplish plenty of tasks if you spend most of your time in front of the computer and never ever care to have some physical workout. However, if you keep on doing this, you will become less and less productive and may end up being dumb and lazy. Believe me because this is happening to me right now.

Last year was my unhealthiest year ever. I gained 30+ pounds of 100% juicy fat, and right now I feel like sh%#t. I know my weight-gain may not sound much to some of you, but I've been fairly fit all my life so this washed out feeling is new to me.

Because I value my health a lot, I have a goal to make 2009 my healthiest year ever. Who knows that by December, I will end up having a body like that of Manny Pacquiao :-)

I hope some of our readers here and fellow geeks can join me in this quest to stay in good shape all this year and perhaps throughout our lives. We can start by taking a few baby steps like following some of these tips that I once wrote:

*12 Essential Exercises for Geeks
*15 Healthy Snacks for Linux Gurus

And if you are really really ready to be healthy, get up, hit the gym, run, swim, or simply play your favorite sports. Of course you have to eat well and as much as possible stay away from fatty foods to keep the balance.

Right now, I feel comfortable working out at home since I have some dumbbells, jumping rope, and a few fitness CDs. But what I really like to have are these geeky exercise equipments that I’m about to show you. I'm sure others with very limited free time will also love these:

The Geekcycle...


The Treadputer:


We can also improvise and do what Bo Sanchez did here:

If your goal is to achieve overall wellness and if you need some inspiration, I recommend reading ZenHabits. If you are still hesitating to start living a healthy life, I have three words for you: Just do it!

Linux Keyboard Shortcuts: Safe Way to Exit During System Freezes

In Windows, when your system hangs, you can always press Ctrl-Alt-Delete, wait for the Task Manager to open, and kill the process that doesn’t respond. However, Ctrl-Alt-Delete don’t always work the way you want it to leaving you no other option but to do a hard-reset, and perhaps as a result corrupt your data kissing your important files goodbye.

In Linux, when your entire system freezes, there are plenty of safe ways to exit and get back on track immediately. Alt + SysRq + (a selection of other keys) will do the magic trick. Note: 'SysRq' key is equivalent to the 'Print Screen' key.

Alt + SysR + K
Kill all processes (including X), which are running on the currently active virtual console.

Alt + SysRq + E
Send the TERM signal to all running processes except init, asking them to exit.

Alt + SysRq + I
Send the KILL signal to all running processes except init.

Alt + SysRq + L
Send the KILL signal to all processes, including init.

Alt + SysRq + S
Run an emergency sync (cache write) on all mounted filesystems. This can prevent data loss.

Alt + SysRq + U
Remount all mounted filesystems as read-only. This has the same effect as the sync combination above, but with one important benefit: if the operation is successful, fsck won't have to check all filesystems after a computer hardware reset.

Alt + SysRq + R
Turn off keyboard raw mode. This can be useful when your X session hangs. After issueing this command you may be able to use .

Alt + SysRq + B
Reboot immediately without syncing or unmounting your disks. Using this, you will likely end up with filesystem errors, so this is not highly recommended.

Alt + SysRq + O
Shut the system off right away.

If all these ‘Alt + SysRq’ keyboard combo are hard to remember, you can press Alt + SysRq + H to display a helpful list of the shortcuts above.

The Way of the Hacker

If you are aspiring to be a hacker or a Unix/Linux guru, then you have probably read some of Eric S. Raymond's writings like 'The New Hacker's Dictionary' and 'The Art of Unix Programming'. You may have also visited his website and read some of his articles there.

If you haven’t been to ESR’s site, there are interesting pages there that contain some ‘koans’.

From Wikipedia:

A kōan (公案; Chinese: gōng-àn, Korean: gong'an, Vietnamese: công án) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement in the history and lore of Chán (Zen) Buddhism, generally containing aspects that are inaccessible to rational understanding, yet may be accessible to intuition. A famous kōan is: "Two hands clap and there is a sound; what is the sound of one hand?"

Raymond’s own version of koans entitled, ‘The Unix Koans of Master Foo’ is filled with humor and wisdom that every wannabe hacker should enjoy. Here are a couple of Unix koans that I took from ESR’s website:

Master Foo and the Unix Zealot

A Unix zealot, having heard that Master Foo was wise in the Great Way, came to him for instruction. Master Foo said to him:

“When the Patriarch Thompson invented Unix, he did not understand it. Then he gained in understanding, and no longer invented it.”

“When the Patriarch McIlroy invented the pipe, he knew that it would transform software, but did not know that it would transform mind.”

“When the Patriarch Ritchie invented C, he condemned programmers to a thousand hells of buffer overruns, heap corruption, and stale-pointer bugs.”

“Truly, the Patriarchs were blind and foolish!”

The zealot was greatly angered by the Master's words.

“These enlightened ones,” he protested. “gave us the Great Way of Unix. Surely, if we mock them we will lose merit and be reborn as beasts or MCSEs.”

“Is your code ever completely without stain and flaw?” demanded Master Foo.

“No,” admitted the zealot, “no man's is.”

“The wisdom of the Patriarchs” said Master Foo, “was that they knew they were fools.”

Upon hearing this, the zealot was enlightened.


Master Foo and the Script Kiddie

A stranger from the land of Woot came to Master Foo as he was eating the morning meal with his students.

“I hear y00 are very l33t,” he said. “Pl33z teach m3 all y00 know.”

Master Foo's students looked at each other, confused by the stranger's barbarous language. Master Foo just smiled and replied: “You wish to learn the Way of Unix?”

“I want to b3 a wizard hax0r,” the stranger replied, “and 0wn ever3one's b0xen.”

“I do not teach that Way,” replied Master Foo.

The stranger grew agitated. “D00d, y00 r nothing but a p0ser,” he said. “If y00 n00 anything, y00 wud t33ch m3.”

“There is a path,” said Master Foo, “that might bring you to wisdom.” The master scribbled an IP address on a piece of paper. “Cracking this box should pose you little difficulty, as its guardians are incompetent. Return and tell me what you find.”

The stranger bowed and left. Master Foo finished his meal.

Days passed, then months. The stranger was forgotten.

Years later, the stranger from the land of Woot returned.

“Damn you!” he said, “I cracked that box, and it was easy like you said. But I got busted by the FBI and thrown in jail.”

“Good,” said Master Foo. “You are ready for the next lesson.” He scribbled an IP address on another piece of paper and handed it to the stranger.

“Are you crazy?” the stranger yelled. “After what I've been through, I'm never going to break into a computer again!”

Master Foo smiled. “Here,” he said, “is the beginning of wisdom.”

On hearing this, the stranger was enlightened.

More Unix koans can be found HERE. Hope you will be enlightened.

Watch the Obama Inauguration Live on Linux with Moonlight

Linux users rejoice. It is now possible to watch the Barack Obama Official Inauguration live via video stream. Thanks to Moonlight, the open source implementation of Microsoft Silverlight, we will finally be able to see the much-awaited presidential inauguration from the comfort of our own Linux desktop.

As reported earlier by OSNews, Linux and open source supporters were quite upset that the Presidential Inaugural Committee chose to utilize Silverlight. At the time of the report, Moonlight, which is still in beta stage, is far from finished.

However, Migel De Icaza confirmed through his blog that Moonlight is now ready to handle the video stream. Hats off to Microsoft for giving Moonlight developers access to the code that will be used during the Obama inauguration.

To download Moonlight and for installation instructions, you can go HERE. You can then go HERE to watch the Obama Official Inauguration video stream live as it happens.

Since the event is still a few ours away, you can read some technology quotes by Barack Obama to learn more about his plans on technology related matters.

Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) Windows 7 Edition

Windows 7, the much-hyped upcoming version of Windows operating system is now in Beta. And though it’s kind of promising based on reading some of the positive reviews, one thing is for sure; it will never become the 'awesomest' operating system that everyone will love.

To our readers, I know you all love seeing the infamous Blue Screen of Death. So I present to you some videos of Window 7’s own version of BSOD:

BSOD at start-up:



BSOD after logging in:



BSOD while looking at themes:

So there you go. Nothing much has changed really, and even the error message is presented the same way as some of the previous versions of Windows. Still counting on Windows 7?

You may also want to check out our “Screens of Death Humor” article that takes a look at the funny side of various error screen messages.

Resetting Windows Administrator Password Using Linux

Resetting Windows Administrator Password Using Linux: In case you or a friend of yours has forgotten his/her Windows administrator password, or in rare case your password management software screws up, there’s no need to panic as you can easily reset the password provided you have the right tools. One way to do this is to use Linux as your knight in shining armor.

I’m going to show you how you can smoothly reset a Windows Administrator password using Linux. You will only need a Live CD, and for this example, we will utilize Ubuntu. Also, I assume that you have the basic knowledge on using the Linux command line.

Now let’s get started:

The first thing you have to do is of course load your Ubuntu Live CD. You don’t have to install it, just boot straight into the desktop. Then, install a program called ‘chntpw’:

$ sudo apt-get install chntpw

After successfully installing ‘chntpw’, you have to access the Windows NTFS partition by mounting it and allowing read/write support. A good tutorial on how to do this can be found HERE.

After that, use your command line skills by navigating to ‘WINDOWS/system32/config’.

Once inside the ‘config’ directory, issue this command:

$ sudo chntpw SAM

A long display of information will follow. Just ignore them.

Once you are prompted to reset the password, it is recommended to leave the password blank with an asterisk *. Reboot, and you can now login to freakin’ Windows.

Free Software Song Rocks!

I still find the Free Software Song inspiring in some way although I know it will never ever win a Grammy Award or whatever. So, I thought I would share this to all of you especially those who are starting to lose faith in free software. Also, to all FOSS developers and advocates who are looking for some motivation, perhaps this will help.

No less than Richard M. Stallman wrote the “Free Software Song”. Here’s an interesting and rather funny story on how it was written:

I wrote the free software song at a filksinging session at a science fiction convention. It was a "bardic circle" session, which means each person in turn around the hall had the chance to either sing or ask someone else to sing. I had just had my turn, and there were 20 or more people there, so I knew it would be a long time before I had another turn. I decided to pass the time writing a filksong. This meant I was not starting with any particular inspiration in mind. I had to look for what to write about and how.

So first I asked myself, what topic should it be about? I realized I had never written a filksong relating to free software, so I figured it was time I did.

Then I asked myself, what tune should I use? I realized I had never written a filksong using Bulgarian dance music, so I figured that would be a good thing to do for once. I chose Sadi Moma because it is not too fast or complicated, and is easy to sing.

By the time it was my turn again, the song was ready. After I sang it, someone else in the room said, "That has an anthem-like quality. You should show it to Richard Stallman." (That year was the time I was a little famous and I was a guest at the convention.)

I said, "I am Richard Stallman."

She said, "Oh, I'm sorry!"

I responded, "Don't be sorry, it's fun when that happens."


Now, here’s the lyric:

Free Software Song
by RMS

Join us now and share the software;
You'll be free, hackers, you'll be free.
x2

Hoarders may get piles of money,
That is true, hackers, that is true.
But they cannot help their neighbors;
That's not good, hackers, that's not good.

When we have enough free software
At our call, hackers, at our call,
We'll throw out those dirty licenses
Ever more, hackers, ever more.

Join us now and share the software;
You'll be free, hackers, you'll be free.
x2

You can listen to a recording of Richard M. Stallman singing the Free Software Song HERE. You can also download it in Ogg Vorbis format HERE.

A cool rhythmic version of the song can be found HERE, or download it in Ogg Vorbis format HERE.

Jono Bacon recorded a heavy metal version of the song but I can’t seem to find it now. So if you know where it is, please drop us a comment.

UPDATE:
Here’s a video of RMS singing the song...

7 Great Free/Open-source Platform Games for Linux

A platform game (also known as platformer) is a video game genre distinguished by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles. A very famous example of a platform game is the best selling video game of all time, which is the Super Mario Bros.

If you are exhausted from playing your favorite FPS games like Urban Terror or Alien Arena, how about you relax a little and play some good old "platform games" on your Linux box.

I have here a list of some great free and open source platform games that you may enjoy.

SuperTux
SuperTux needs no further introduction, as it is definitely one of the most famous games for Linux. However, if you want to know more about SuperTux, perhaps you should just read my quick review of the game HERE.


Blob Wars: Metal Blob Solid
Blob Wars: Metal Blob Solid is an open source 2D arcade platform game developed by Parallel Realities. The aim of the game is to rescue Blob MIAs lost while fighting a battle against alien invaders led by their leader, Galdov (the Metal Blob). Metal Blob Solid features numerous different weapons, locations, boss battles and around 9 hours total gameplay.


Secret Maryo Chronicles
Secret Maryo Chronicles is yet another 2D jump-and-run game that’s based on Nintendo’s Super Mario Series. The game is a SourceForge project that began in 2003. Until now, it is still actively developed and maintained by the Secret Maryo Chronicles development team, led by Florian Richter ("FluXy").


Yo Frankie!
Yo Frankie! is the famous 3D game created by the Blender Institute. The universe and the characters of the game are based on the open source animated short film entitled Big Buck Bunny. Yo Frankie! was recently released this November of 2008 and is currently available for download.


X-Moto
X-Moto is a 2D motocross platform game where physics play an all-important role in the gameplay. Although the game is completely 2D, it uses 3D hardware acceleration (OpenGL) for faster rendering. The game also utilizes the Open Dynamics Engine for a realistic-feel physical simulation. X-Moto is extensible with user-created custom levels that can be automatically downloaded.


Neverball
Neverball is a 3D platform game similar to Super Monkey Ball. Its main gameplay is based on moving a ball using gravity by tilting the game world, not directly controlling the ball. The mouse (or a similar pointing device), keyboard, or joystick tilt the level to help guide the ball to a goal, via an obstacle course, with a set time limit. Moving platforms and other crazy objects get in the way, making levels progressively harder.


XEvil
XEvil is considered as one of the most graphically violent games ever made. Before you play or let your kids touch this game, read this disclaimer first (taken from its website):

"O.K., kids... let's get this straight. XEvil is not for meek, peace-loving, "I love you, you love me..." types of people. The fans of XEvil enjoy it because of its shameless displays of blood and violence, of people getting lit on fire, getting shot, being ripped up by chainsaws, getting high on drugs, and burst open by aliens."

“World's Lightest” 8-inch Netbook is embedded with Linux

Weighing in at exactly 1.4 pounds, there's no doubt that the Sony VAIO P is currently the lightest 8-inch notebook computer on the planet. However, its Windows Vista operating system can be anything but light. Thankfully, the Sony VAIO P also comes with a super-fast Linux-based environment called Xross.

Xross (pronounced "cross") reportedly loads in about 20 seconds and will allow users quick access to web browsing, email, music playback, IM, and VoIP client. With these capabilities, I don’t think there will ever be a need to boot into Vista.

Sony has not published Xross’ source code yet since the VAIO P is still not available to consumers. Although, it could be identical to the InstantMode 1.22 Linux stack utilized in VGN-TX VAIO devices.

Freshly launched at this years CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, the Sony VAIO P has 1.33GHz Atom processor, 2GB of DDR2 (non-expandable) RAM, 60GB HDD, 64GB SSD, or 128GB SSD of storage, and an 8-inch, 1,600-by-768-pixel display. Other features include a high-speed cellular (3G) modem, 802.11b/g/n WLAN, Bluetooth, and GPS.

Artistic Representation of Linux Distributions

If you sometimes wish that your favorite Linux distro should have a mascot, then you may like what I’m about to show you. But before that, let me give you a short intro.

Some of you may have heard of the "OS-tan". To those who haven’t, here’s a description taken from its wiki page:

The OS-tans are an Internet phenomenon that started on Futaba Channel. The OS-tan or simply OS Girls are the personification of several operating systems by various amateur Japanese artists. Although a pure fan creation, the appearance of each OS Girl is generally consistent across artists. The OS Girls are typically depicted as women and usually depicted as sisters of varying ages.

Here are some examples:

Windows Vista (Vista-tan):


Mac OS X Leopard (Leopard-tan):


Linux (Linux-tan):

An Italian graphic artist named Francesca Poppi (also known as juzo-kun) created some amazing OS-tans that portrayed various Linux distributions including Fedora, Ubuntu, and Gentoo among others.

From juzo-kun’s Deviantart page, I took some of her distro OS-tans so that I could show them here.

Ubuntu-tan:

Slackware-tan:


Fedora-tan:


Gentoo-tan:


Mandriva-tan:


For more distro OS-tans, you can visit juzo-kun’s Deviantart page HERE.

P.S. juzo-kun also created this:


Who do you think will win?

20 “Really Cool” Netbook-optimized Linux Wallpapers

If you want some high-quality Linux wallpapers for your large monitors, you can visit my collection of “25 Coolest Linux Wallpapers”. However, if you happen to own a netbook, it is best to use medium-sized wallpapers that are optimized for small display. Because of that, I decided to collect and share to you all some really fresh, cool, and cute Linux wallpapers that will surely look good on any netbook monitor. --No more resizing hassles. So without delay, here they are:

1. Bottled Tux's


2. Use the source Dude!


3. Linux Big Smiley


4. Free As In Freedom


5. Get Your Fix


6. Linux Inside


7. Powered by Debian


8. I'm Free!


9. Linux Crystal


10. A New Age


11. Lonely Tux


12. Ubuntu Studio Art


13. Powered by Fedora Linux


14. World Domination


15. Big Tux



16. KDE Box


17. Sleek Ubuntu Studio


18. Got Linux?


19. Tux Art


20. Ubuntu-free



You may also want to check out our other wallpaper collections:

* 25 Coolest and Funniest Tux Wallpapers
* 20 Coolest Linux Distro-themed Wallpapers

I also recommend that you read our list of 10 Linux distributions for netbooks.