10 Cool Unix/Linux Personalized License Plates

Some people have taken their love for Unix and Linux on the streets literally by displaying their Unix/Linux-related personalized license plates. Though I haven't actually seen one in real life yet, I have collected several photos that will show some of these cool custom license plates in action, which I'm going to share with all of you.

1. UID 0

Credit: meanasspenguin.org

2. Got Unix

Credit: stickman.org

3. GNU linux

Credit: LarryTheOpenSourceGuy

4. I Do Unix

Credit: gelkote.net

5. Ubuntu

Credit: graysky

6. su root

Credit: Tony Webster

7. Linuks

Credit: P0z3r

8. Linux Geek

Credit: AdamVandenberg

9. Sendmail

Credit: blmurch

10. rm -rf *

Credit: stealthsettings.com

Bonus: Do you recognize this old guy?

If you've seen other Unix/Linux-related custom license plates that I failed to include here, please share the links to us via comment.

Play Classic Super Nintendo (SNES) Games on Ubuntu Linux

Perhaps most of our readers are old enough to have experienced playing some of the popular video games of the 80's and the early 90's on Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Although the visual graphics looked pretty much garbage when compared to today's games, I know how enjoyable those classic games were and still think about the countless hours that I've spent just to get to the highest level and ultimately kill the evil boss. So if you are like me who wants to relive the good old days of gaming, you don't have to purchase an old NES or SNES console to do it. Because if you have a Linux box, or in this case Ubuntu, then you are good to go.

Here's a step-by-step instruction on how you can easily play classic SNES games on Ubuntu:

1. First, you will have to install an SNES emulator. There are actually several SNES emulators that are available for Linux, but I would recommend you use the popular ZSNES. To get the ZSNES package on Ubuntu, just open Synaptic Package Manager, look for "zsnes" and install it. Or you can do it quick and dirty via the Linux terminal with this command:

sudo apt-get install zsnes

2. Now that you have ZSNES installed, you will need to get some games by downloading SNES ROMs. --Search for them on Google or on Bit Torrent sites. They say that it is illegal to download ROMs so it's up to you to take the risk. The downloaded games will be in .zip format but there's no need to extract them.

3. It's time to open the ZSNES emulator, and on Ubuntu it should be at Applications --> Games.

4. From the ZSNES "GAME" menu, load the SNES ROM by navigating to where you saved it.



5. After loading the SNES ROM, you can now start playing. While the game is running, you can press ESC to access the menu bar. Feel free to explore other options and configure ZSNES to your own liking.


Have fun!

Weekly Ten (7-27-2009)

10 Latest News, Blogs, Tips, and Reviews that I find Interesting and Useful:

1. Bacteria make computers look like pocket calculators
Computers are evolving – literally. While the tech world argues netbooks vs notebooks, synthetic biologists are leaving traditional computers behind altogether. A team of US scientists have engineered bacteria that can solve complex mathematical problems faster than anything made from silicon.
More @ Guardian.co.uk

2. OSCON: The saga of MySQL
At OSCON in 2006, I followed sessions that discussed how open source companies would fare when big corporations come in. Back then there were only a handful of examples of big companies purchasing small open source companies. Three years later, we've witnessed MySQL AB get swallowed by Sun, only to have Sun be swallowed by Oracle. Now there are more open questions than ever and at least three versions of MySQL that are jockeying to continue the MySQL blood-line.
More @ OreillyRadar

3. Digital activism on YouTube
Activism today isn't limited to picket lines and marches on the Mall — people have taken their movements to the web, and YouTube has become an important platform for exposure. Every day, people use YouTube to fight for causes, whether they're hunger-striking celebrities like Mia Farrow, or 9-year-olds trying to save the neighborhood kickball lot from destruction.
More @ Googleblog

4. Gentle safe cracker

More @ HackaDay

5. Apple's much-anticipated tablet device coming early next year
After four years of meticulous developmental riddled with setbacks, Apple is now racing toward an early 2010 launch of a device that may see the electronics maker redefine the portable computing market for the second time in twice as many years.
More @ AppleInsider

6. A Summer of Linux Delights
For FOSS devotees who'd like a sprinkling of Linux refreshment this summer, there's a wide assortment of good Linux news -- and a little Linux nonsense -- to choose from. Among other things, bask in the knowledge that Red Hat has become the first Linux company to join the Fortune 500. Also, MontaVista has clocked a one-second boot time for embedded industrial apps.
More @ LinuxInsider

7. Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man
A robot that can open doors and find electrical outlets to recharge itself. Computer viruses that no one can stop. Predator drones, which, though still controlled remotely by humans, come close to a machine that can kill autonomously.
More @ NYTimes.com

8. Custom-made Luke Skywalker USB drive is impressive. Most impressive.

More @ Engadget

9. Palm Pre Is the Most Open Mobile Platform on the Market
Analysis: But why did Palm want to keep the SDK out of power users' and developers' hands when the WebOS platform was all about the ease with which new apps could be created in JavaScript?
More @ PCWorld.com

10. 10 Recently Extinct Animals
Mankind has the honor of quite possibly being the most destructive force to ever hit mother nature. This list looks at some of the more recent, probably lesser known extinctions that humans have lent a helping hand to. Whether by over hunting or over population, driving a species to extinction is nothing to be proud of and it’s certainly not slowing down.
More @ Listverse

20 “Really Cool” Tux Icons for Sports Enthusiasts

Before, we've posted here several cool and funny tux icons and some scary ones too. This time, we will showcase some of the finest tux icons that sports fans/Linux-users may love. So without further delay, in no particular order, here they are:

1. Yankees Tux By pusio


2. Tux Juventus By pit-tux

3. Lakers Tux By piesto


4. Tux martial arts By hardwiigamer


5. Manchester United By mainmukit


6. Ottavima Volley By Solo


7. Boxe Tux By haks00


8. Philly Tux By Xanderrun


9. Big Basket Tux By manuoceane


10. Bettux By joesboxd3b


11. Snow boy v2 By Santang


12. Tux Brazil By pinguinito


13. Buffalo SabreTux By Zsnipe


14. Pescatux By PLR


15. Real Sporting de Gijón By pablooku


16. England rugby By moma3001


17. Tux Barcelona By Dirpok


18. Brice De Nice Tux By Dobaz604


19. Chelsea FC By Brunocb


20. PunchOuTux By ZeNDaMs


A special thanks to CrystalXP.net for sharing with us these wonderful tux icons.

5 Best Palm Pre Features That iPhone Can’t Beat

The Palm Pre is considered by many as the most potent iPhone-killer. It has a sleek design, a powerful OS, and a great numer of supported 3rd party applications.

Even though the iPhone is the most popular smartphone around and I'm quite impressed by some of its features, I still believe that Palm Pre beats the iPhone in certain important areas:

1. Linux-based webOS

With webOS, the Palm Pre offers true multitasking capabilities that will enable users to run multiple applications at the same time. You can easily and fluidly switch between running applications (just like swapping cards) on Palm Pre's touchscreen display. Meanwhile, the latest iPhone OS 3.0 still has a very limited multitasking feature.



2. Easily-replaceable battery

I strongly believe that every mobile phone should have a battery that can be easily replaced or swapped because we use our cellphone all the time and we all know that batteries don’t last that long. Unlike the iPhone, Palm Pre's battery door can be effortlessly opened, and without breaking the warranty.



3. A 3 megapixel camera with LED flash

Despite the fact that the newest iPhone (3G S) model also has a 3 megapixel built-in camera, it doesn't come with a LED flash. There’s no doubt that Palm Pre's camera has the advantage because you can take quality pictures even at night.


4. Sliding QWERTY keyboard

Even though I'm getting used to typing via the iPhone's multi-touch screen, I still prefer the physical keyboard of Palm Pre. It makes typing a lot faster and it saves the screen real estate, so it is a big plus for productivity.



5. Wireless Charging

Palm Pre can be charged in several ways. But one innovative method will let you charge it wirelessly using electromagnetic induction. Palm Pre comes with an optional wireless charging dock that is called "Touchstone". Now that's cool, isn't it?



It's no secret that the Palm Pre's main purpose is to revitalize Palm Inc's dying business and in effect bring down the iPhone Empire. But will it succeed? Only time will tell.

Two Different Ways of Installing Firefox 3.5 on Ubuntu 9.04

Firefox 3.5 has been released several weeks ago, but some Ubuntu 9.04 users out there may still be using the older 3.0 version. They should not expect that they will get an automatic update since this latest Firefox release will not be officially included in Ubuntu until 9.10 "Karmic Koala". But no worries because it is very much possible to install Firefox 3.5 on Ubuntu 9.04, and in fact I'm using it right now.

I will be showing you the two different and very easy ways on how to do this. However, you may ask: what will I get from upgrading to 3.5? Well, aside from the features that were highlighted on this post, I've noticed improvements in speed, user experience, and page rendering. Is the upgrade worth it? I refrained from writing this tutorial immediately after I've installed Firefox 3.5 because I wanted to know first if it will work well on Ubuntu 9.04. And since it has no major issues what so ever and it's running really great right now, I highly recommend that you should also upgrade.

I know you can't wait already, so let's get down to business...

Installing Firefox 3.5 on Ubuntu 9.04 using Ubuntuzilla:

Ubuntuzilla is a Python script that will let you easily install and update Mozilla applications that are not yet available on the Ubuntu repository.

1. Download your appropriate .deb package of Ubuntuzilla from HERE. Install it.

2. Close Firefox.

3. Open your Linux terminal and run this command:

ubuntuzilla.py -a install -p firefox

Ubuntuzilla will guide you through the installation process, and you should be able to install Firefox successfully.

4. You can now run Firefox 3.5 via "firefox" command, or simply click on Firefox from the “Applications Menu”.

Installing Firefox 3.5 on Ubuntu 9.04 with one command:

1. Back-up your Firefox 3.0.11 profile via Linux terminal with this command:

cp -r ~/.mozilla/firefox/ ~/firefox_backup

The “firefox_backup” file will be found inside your "/home" directory.

2. Proceed by installing Firefox 3.5 with this command:

wget -O - http://releases.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/3.5/linux-i686/en-US/firefox-3.5.tar.bz2 | tar xj -C ~

3. Firefox 3.5 is now saved in your "Home" folder. Before running Firefox 3.5, be sure to close the older version. You can start the latest version with this command:

~/firefox/firefox

You can also add Firefox 3.5 to your “Applications Menu” by navigating to:

System-->Preferences-->Main Menu

From the list of menus, select "Internet". You can now add a new item or simply replace the older version of Firefox. The command field should be:

/home/your_username/firefox/firefox

The first time you run Firefox 3.5, it will start updating your Extensions and will check for compatibility among other things. By now, a lot of popular extensions are updated to support version 3.5.

Enjoy!

SliTaz 2.0: Simple, Speedy, and Secure

It has been more than a year since my last look at SliTaz (Simple Light Incredible Temporary Autonomous Zone) GNU/Linux so I kind of miss it already. That's why I decided to grab its second distribution release.

At 29.7MB, SliTaz 2.0 is slightly bigger than its previous version but is packed with new features. Some of the highlights of this latest edition include:

* Window manager is changed from JWM to Openbox
* Improved hardware support
* Easier customization for creating own distro
* Overall desktop and system improvements

Since I don't have a spare hardware at the moment to install SliTaz on, I decided to run it via VirtualBox inside my Ubuntu desktop. SLiTaz by the way is a LiveCD that can also be installed on the hard drive. It's good to know that its installer will allow you to easily upgrade from version 1.0 to 2.0.

The minimum recommended requirement in order to use the main LiveCD is 256MB. However, you will only need 16MB for the "slitaz-loram-cdrom" flavor.

After I've configured and loaded the ISO image of SliTaz 2.0 LiveCD on VirtuaBox, I was greeted with the usual boot menu screen and was presented with several options. I just pressed ENTER and went on. I then picked the language and configured the keymap and X display resolution. In the blink of an eye, I'm inside SliTaz's fully loaded desktop.



As said earlier, SliTaz 2.0 now uses the very lightweight Openbox window manager instead of JWM. I think this is a good move since Openbox is highly customizable and it can be easily tweaked using the ObConf utility GUI (Openbox Configuration Manager).


I really like the default look of SliTaz 2.0 and I'm sure most of you will do. --It's simple and very easy on the eyes:


The applications found on the main menu and inside the panel is well arranged and exactly where I want them to be placed. But to those who want to make some changes, you can always create/remove panels and add/remove panel items very easily just like using GNOME.

SliTaz 2.0 is filled with handy desktop applications and utilities that will make you forget about its minute size. It has PDF viewer, web browser, BitTorrent client, mail client, FTP client, image viewer, image editor, audio player, CD ripper, DVD burner, IDE, text editor, and a whole lot more. Plus you can easily and instantly install new packages from the fast-growing SliTaz repository using Tazpkg.


Installing Python via SliTaz Package Manager (GUI) failed...


Using tazpkg shell failed...


I have no success when installing a package via GUI and shell console. The installation was interrupted and I was back at the login screen. After I logged back in, the panel and desktop icons are all gone. I still don't know what's causing this glitch.


I'm quite disappointed that SliTaz 2.0 has been rather prematurely released as some of the problems that I've encountered on the previous version have not been ironed out. Although there are several areas that SliTaz has matured and improvements are noticeable. Despite the few issues that I've encountered, I still consider SliTaz GNU/Linux as one of the elite fast and lightweight distros because it has maintained its speed and simplicity while continuously enhancing its many useful features. I'm still looking forward to its future releases and hoping for the best.

If you want to download SliTaz 2.0, you can get it HERE. Then, you can always share with us your views via comment later on.

Weekly Ten (7-20-2009)

10 Latest News, Blogs, Tips, and Reviews that I find Interesting and Useful:

1. DRM is Dead, RIAA Says
For years the RIAA has defended the use of DRM, much to the dislike of millions of honest customers who actually paid for their music. Now, in a shocking turnaround, the outfit seems to have come to the realization that DRM does more harm than good and has officially declared its death.
More @ TorrentFreak

2. How to Go to Mars--Right Now!
Many people believe that a manned mission to Mars is a venture best left to the next generation. They’re wrong. We have in hand all the required technologies; we don’t need to build giant spaceships, a lunar base, or a space station grander than the one we have. Instead, we can go straight to Mars in relatively small spacecraft powered by boosters like those that carried Apollo astronauts to the moon 40 years ago.
More @ IEEESpectrum

3. Migrating to Linux, Part 1: Sharing a Room With Windows
Going from Windows to Linux need not be done all at once. You don't need to throw yourself into the deep end of the pool in order to learn how to swim. For those with a Microsoft habit they want to kick but don't want to go cold turkey, here are some ways to ease into Linux without giving up Windows -- well, not immediately, anyway.
More @ LinuxInsider

4. $15 HDR camera

More @ HackaDay

5. The Anatomy Of The Twitter Attack
The Twitter document leak fiasco started with a simple story that personal accounts of Twitter employees were hacked. Twitter CEO Evan Williams commented on that story, saying that Twitter itself was mostly unaffected. No personal accounts were compromised, and “most of the sensitive information was personal rather than company-related,” he said. The individual behind the attacks, known as Hacker Croll, wasn’t happy with that response. Lots of Twitter corporate information was compromised, and he wanted the world to know about it.
More @ TechCrunch

6. Google Frenzy and Mono Mania
Just when I was getting thoroughly bored with Mono news, which is the same arguments recycled over and over, and little of anything more definitive from the Mono camp than "Same to you!", along came a tidal wave of Google Chrome OS news.
More @ LinuxToday

7. Microsoft's Empty Promise
Last week, Microsoft extended the terms of their Community Promise to implementations of the ECMA 334 and 335 standards. You might think this means it's safe to write your software in C#. However, this promise is full of loopholes, and it's nowhere near enough to make C# safe.
More @ FSF.org

8. Parajet SkyCar flying vehicle evolves, now ready for pre-orders

More @ Engadget

9. Steve Ballmer laughs off Google's Chrome OS threat
Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer ridiculed Google's browser-based PC operating system which is slated for shipment next year, using a tone remarkably similar to that used to blow off the potential of the iPhone two years ago.
More @ AppleInsider

10. Top 10 DIY Projects that Harness the Power of the Sun
Cheap, powerful, and available almost everywhere—solar energy is a truly great thing. With these 10 sun-powered projects, you can turn a sunny day off into some brag-worthy, possibly money-saving backyard tech.
More @ Lifehacker

10 Great Neil Armstrong Quotes

Neil Alden Armstrong will forever be remembered as the first person to set foot on the surface of the Moon. His one small step indeed became a giant symbol of one of mankind's greatest achievements. To honor the 40th anniversary of that amazing feat, I'll share to you some of the most memorable and interesting quotes made by Neil Armstrong:

1. "It's a brilliant surface in that sunlight. The horizon seems quite close to you because the curvature is so much more pronounced than here on earth. It's an interesting place to be. I recommend it."

2. "It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small."

3. "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon. July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind."

4. "Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand."

5. "Science has not yet mastered prophecy. We predict too much for the next year and yet far too little for the next 10."

6. "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The eagle has landed."

7. "I believe that the Good Lord gave us a finite number of heartbeats and I'm damned if I'm going to use up mine running up and down a street."

8. "I was elated, ecstatic and extremely surprised that we were successful."

9. "The important achievement of Apollo was demonstrating that humanity is not forever chained to this planet and our visions go rather further than that and our opportunities are unlimited."

10. And perhaps the most famous quote ever made:

"That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."

If you happen to know other great Neil Armstrong quotes, feel free to share them with us.

Free "Really Cool" Stickers About Linux/FOSS

Do you want to remove that Windows or Apple logo from your Linux-powered netbook or laptop? If you do then you may as well replace it with some cool graphics that would stand out. To spare you from the hassles of creating you own or searching the web, I recommend that you download the Free Software Sticker Book first. There you will find tons of ready-made stickers (in ODG format) that is related to Linux and Free and Open Source software. But before I'll give you the download link, here are some teasers:

Some distro-specific stickers...

You can't go wrong with GNU...

How about showing some love to FOSS heroes...

BSD ready...

Linux inside...

Tux colors...

Pythonic sticker...

You will find these stickers and a lot more if you download the Free Software Sticker Book at openstickers.com.

Special thanks to Dannybuntu for the link and info to that useful site.

How to Display Twitter Statuses/Updates on Conky

Do you want to display your friends' Twitter statuses/updates on your conky desktop system monitor? If you want to then I'll show the way to easily do it without having to install additional modules. Here's how:

1. The first thing that you need to do is of course install/set-up conky.

2. Next up, edit your conky config file with your favorite text editor:

gedit ~/.conkyrc

3. From the config file, find the 'TEXT' section and under it you can add the following:

${rss http://your_twitter_username:your_twitter_password@twitter.com/statuses/friends_timeline/your_number.rss 20 item_titles 5}

But before that, let me explain it to you:

As indicated above, you should provide your own Twitter username, password, and that number before “.rss”. Now where do we find that number?

Easy, just go to your Twitter homepage (mine is at http://twitter.com/junauza) and click on your RSS feed link that can be found at the lower portion of the sidebar:


From your RSS feeds page, locate that number from your web browser's URL/Address Bar, then copy and paste it:


Let me show you my configuration:

${rss http://junauza:mypasswrd@twitter.com/statuses/friends_timeline/14349540.rss 20 item_titles 8}

4. Don't forget to save, restart conky, and see the result.

You can provide the number of statuses that you want to display by editing item_titles. Like I changed mine to 8.

The number 20 indicates that the RSS feed will update at 20 minute intervals. I would suggest that you keep it above 20 minutes especially if you are using other Twitter desktop clients in order to avoid reaching the API limits and to stay away from congestion.

Enjoy!

Turn Ordinary Webcam into a Security Spy Camera on Ubuntu Linux

Do you want to turn your ordinary webcam into a motion-detecting security spy camera? Do you want to automatically upload the captured images or videos from your webcam to a remote server? Do you want to know who has been stealing your chickens? If you answered yes to any of the questions above, then you should read on.

But first, you will need these: a Linux box; a supported webcam; and a few free and open source software packages that I'm going to specify later on.

Now it's time to walk you through the process of installing your very own homemade security spy camera on Ubuntu. Take note that this can be done using other Linux distros as well. But before going on, I'm assuming that your webcam has the right driver and is fully working already.

So let's get down to business:

Step-1: Install the motion detector software that's appropriately called "Motion".

You can install it via Synaptic Package Manager GUI or via the terminal:

sudo apt-get install motion Step-2: After installation, you have officially converted your ordinary webcam into a motion-detecting camera. The only thing that you need to do now is to start tracking movement and capture images by running "Motion" from the terminal:

sudo motion


Saving captured images...


You can stop "Motion" by pressing CTRL+C.

The captured time stamped images are saved at "/tmp/motion" by default. However, you can configure and change the default settings by navigating to "/etc/motion" and editing "motion.conf". Like if you want to change the directory where the captured images are saved, just find and edit this line: "target_dir /tmp/motion"

You can go HERE to know about several “Motion” config file options.

Step-3: Actually we can stop at "Step 2" because we already have a reliable camera that can be used for security purposes. But that may sound boring to some of our adventure seeking advanced users. So let's go on and set-up "Motion" to send and save the captured images to a remote FTP server.

First, let's install "wput". --It's a command line FTP client:

sudo apt-get install wput

After it, edit “motion.conf” with your favorite text editor, and then add the following line at the end section:

on_picture_save wput ftp://username:password@yourserver %f

If you want to start Motion automatically with your server, just add Motion to your "Startup Programs".

Step-4: You will now be able to open the Motion web interface by typing in localhost:8000 from the server itself or XXX.XXX.X.XXX:8000 from a remote computer's web browser. To view a live stream of your webcam type localhost:8001 from the server or XXX.XXX.X.XXX:8001 from a web browser.

Let me add that it's possible to connect and use multiple webcams. You can go HERE for set-up instructions.

That's about it. Enjoy your new motion-detecting spy camera. Now it's your job to put that webcam on the right spot and perhaps apply a camouflage to hide it.

Always remember to be responsible and use that homemade spy camera for good things only. Like maybe catching that fried-chicken-eating thief :-)

Weekly Ten (7-13-2009)

10 Latest News, Blogs, Tips, and Reviews that I find Interesting and Useful:

1. Polish teen derails tram after hacking train network
A Polish teenager allegedly turned the tram system in the city of Lodz into his own personal train set, triggering chaos and derailing four vehicles in the process. Twelve people were injured in one of the incidents.
More @ TheRegister

2. How to use electrical outlets and cheap lasers to steal data
The only thing you need for successful attacks are either the electrical grid or a distant line of sight, no expensive piece of equipment is required,” Barisani and Bianco say in a paper describing the hacks.
More @ NetworkWorld

3. Netbooks Are Little Notebooks, and Linux on Netbooks Rocks
This newfangled netbook phenomenon has brought with it a bit of confusion, which is understandable since it is so new. The EeePC 701 launched the modern netbook craze, a tiny little low-powered thing with a 7" screen, 512MB RAM, WiFi, and 4BG of storage. It ran a stripped-down Linux, and at two pounds and $399, it quickly won many hearts.
More @ LinuxToday

4. Robots learning facial expressions

More @ HackaDay

5. Open Source is Infiltrating the Enterprise
There's a persistent perception that open source software is being ignored in the enterprise, that IT management fears it and it ends up being more costly to deploy than proprietary solutions. That's certainly the perception that some major software vendors would like you to have. But it's Jeffrey Hammond's job to dispel those perceptions, at least when they aren't accurate.
More @ OreillyRadar

6. Windows 7 Forecast to Squash Vista Quickly
Just more than a year after it launches, Windows 7 will account for nearly half of all the client operating systems Microsoft ships to corporate users, according to forecasts by IDC.
More @ PCWorld

7. Apple nears wireless license for iPhone in China
Apple may have finally cleared a hurdle in bringing the iPhone to China as it has reportedly applied for a Network Access License in the Asian country, putting a release just a few months away -- albeit without Wi-Fi.
More @ AppleInsider

8. Video: Life-sized Gundam's back, looking deadlier than ever

More @ Engadget

9. How to Debug PHP Using Firefox with FirePHP
Typically, there are two main ways of debugging server-side code: you can utilize an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) with a built-in debugger or log and perform your debugging processes in a web browser.
More @ SixRevisions

10. The Healthy and Fit Algorithm
Remember: Getting in shape is about 3 things. Eating right. Exercising. And doing those two things consistently! Of course, that’s easier said than done but it’s the truth. Getting into shape is not rocket science!
More @ ZenHabits

5 Fast and Lightweight Linux Distros that Chrome OS Should Beat

After Google Chrome OS was announced and with the promises or goal of making it fast and lightweight, I know it will someday be compared with some of the fastest and lightest Linux distributions that are currently available. So I’m thinking I may never be impressed with Chrome OS if it can't beat or at least be at par with any of these distros:

antiX
I once dubbed antiX as "The Fat-free Mepis" because it is indeed the lighter and faster version of SimplyMEPIS. It runs really quick even on my ancient laptop since it is designed to work on computers with as little as 64 MB RAM and Pentium II or equivalent AMD processors. antiX uses IceWM and Fluxbox as its window managers and it is loaded with handy software packages.



SliTaz
SliTaz is considered by many as the world’s smallest 'complete' desktop distro. Despite its miniscule size, it comes with several useful applications out-of-the-box like text editor, audio player, pdf viewer, web browser, image editor, DVD/CD ISO Burner, and a lot more. The latest version now uses Openbox instead of JWM as its window manager. I've used SliTaz GNU/Linux 1.0 before and I must say that its speed is awesome.



Puppy Linux
Puppy Linux is one of the top Linux distros in terms of popularity. Although it has quite a small footprint, it is loaded with great features. You can boot it as a Live-CD needing only a few MB of RAM, install it on a USB Flash drive, and even set it up on a hard drive. You can read some of my reviews of Puppy HERE and HERE.



SLAX
SLAX is another distro to beat in terms of speed. Though it utilizes KDE desktop environment, it's still faster than most distributions with lightweight DE. And don't be fooled by its size because it has good amount of pre-installed software applications making it ideal for day to day desktop use. If you want to know more about SLAX, you can read my review HERE.



Damn Small Linux
Damn Small Linux (DSL) is damn small indeed. Still 50MB in size, it remains one of the most well-known Linux distro. They said that DSL is light enough to power a 486DX with 16MB of RAM so imagine it running on your quad core computer with 2GB of RAM. I've tried and tested DSL before, and view it as a good thing that comes in small package because I'm very happy with its overall features despite its tiny size.



If Chrome OS can't top or equal any of the distributions mentioned above in terms of speed and simplicity, then I have a reason to be disappointed since I don’t see the point of Google creating a whole new Linux distro when they can just improve on what's already available.

What do you think?

BIG NEWS: Google Announced Chrome Operating System

While the entertainment industry is still talking about Michael Jackson's memorial, the tech world is rocked with the latest announcement made by Google:

"...today, we're announcing a new project that's a natural extension of Google Chrome — the Google Chrome Operating System. It's our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be."

Google Chrome OS is aimed at people who spend most of their time on the web and will initially be targeted at netbooks. They said that it will be extremely lightweight and fast just like the Chrome web browser, and it will be very secure.

As expected, Google Chrome OS will utilize the Linux kernel with a new windowing system on top of it. But like probably most you, I was wrong when I anticipated that Google will develop Android into a Linux-based desktop OS.

With Google's plan to release Chrome OS as open source software, should we be happy or sad?

I've got mixed feelings right now especially after I've read this post: No thanks Google, we've got Ubuntu.

However, I'm not yet ready to give a concrete reaction on this one since Google and Ubuntu are both important to me and each has done a lot in promoting FOSSS.

How about you our dear readers? Share with us your thoughts via comment.

By the way, you can read the full release announcement HERE.

5 Reasons Why Microsoft is Afraid of Linux

Apple (Mac OS X) has a relatively larger number of desktop computer users compared to Linux, and Windows virtually dominated the overall market share. But have you ever wondered why people at Microsoft and even Bill Gates himself are bothered by Linux more than anything else? I think here are the main reasons why:

1. Portability

There's no doubt that Linux is a highly flexible operating system that can be easily modified to run on just about any electronic device. Meanwhile, Apple's Mac OS X is tightly locked on its own hardware so I don't see its growth as long-term. I believe there will come a time that a Linux-powered computer or gadget becomes immensely popular, and Microsoft's dominance will be endangered.

2. Cost

I know it's hard to promote a product that costs nothing. But in these difficult times people have learned to value their money more than ever by spending it wisely. Linux sure is free but its capability is valuable.

3. Security

Windows is still the most insecure OS and it is possible that another devastating virus will strike and harm computers running with it. With Linux getting better like becoming user-friendlier and more secure than ever, people have a savior.

4. Firefox

Since Firefox has been rapidly eating Internet Explorer's web browser market share, the free and open source software community is more positive than ever that Linux can be as successful on the desktop. Microsofties are aware of this and are doing everything they can to stop the growth of Firefox and in effect Linux.

5. Applications, applications, applications

The number of great FOSS applications that support Linux are increasing. In terms of quality, they can rival any proprietary software made for Windows. Nowadays, it’s like if you can do it on Windows, you can do it on Linux too.

The year of the Linux desktop is unknown, but the future is bright. Indeed the good people at Microsoft have reasons to be afraid, or shall I say be very afraid of Linux :-)

Weekly Ten (7-06-2009)

10 Latest News, Blogs, Tips, and Reviews that I find Interesting and Useful:



1. For Firefox, a Challenging Future Awaits
For much of this decade, Mozilla and its Firefox browser were the upstarts, out to beat the big, bad Microsoft and its Internet Explorer browser. Firefox, the descendant of Netscape, the browser that helped jump-start the web revolution, was nimble and it was secure — something Microsoft’s IE wasn’t.
More @ GigaOM

2. Planck achieves ultra-cold state
Europe's Planck observatory has reached its operating temperature, making it the coldest object in space.
More @ BBC.co.uk

3. The evolution of Gmail labels
I love labels in Gmail. Most email programs use folders, which only let me put mail in one place at a time. With labels, I can organize mail in multiple ways. Combined with filters to automatically label incoming messages, Gmail offers powerful ways to organize email.
More @ Googleblog

4. Self-portrait machine

More @ HackaDay

5. Changing the World, One Penguin at a Time
Ken Starks is a testament to the power of single individual, and to the power of the distributed, community Free/Open Source model. He shows that the most effective advocacy is one-on-one, up close and personal. And that one person can multiply himself by inspiring many others. Does the idea of "advocacy" make you nervous?
More @ LinuxToday

6. Why Intel’s Processors Aren’t Big on Cellphones
Under the hood of most netbooks lies a tiny Intel Atom chip. Intel’s low-power processor has fast become the silicon of choice for tiny computers — but not cellphone makers. Until last week’s Nokia-Intel partnership, most handset makers showed almost no interest in the world’s biggest maker of PC processors.
More @ Wired.com

7. CentOS 5.3 Samba Standalone Server With tdbsam Backend
This tutorial explains the installation of a Samba fileserver on CentOS 5.3 and how to configure it to share files over the SMB protocol as well as how to add users. Samba is configured as a standalone server, not as a domain controller. In the resulting setup, every user has his own home directory accessible via the SMB protocol and all users have a shared directory with read-/write access.
More @ HowtoForge

8. Ben Heck's latest portable Xbox 360 adds sleek white finish, Jasper motherboard

More @ Engadget

9. Will Your ID Soon Be a Microchip Under Your Skin?
The VeriChip is the first radio-frequency identification (RFID) microchip that’s been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in humans. The chip is the size of a long grain of rice, and can be implanted pretty much anywhere in the body (most commonly along the tricep).
More @ SingularityHub

10. 10 More Mysteries That Remain Unsolved
The Shag Harbour UFO Incident was the documented impact of an unknown large object into Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia, in October 1967. The crash was investigated by various Canadian government agencies, and at least one underwater search was launched to recover remains of the object.
More @ Listverse

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Simply Awesome

It has been a long time since I wrote something about a movie so I'm not going to let this day pass without sharing to you the one that I've just watched several hours ago.

Because I'm located at this kind of remote part of Bohol, the nearest cinema is more than a hundred kilometers away. But it was not a hindrance for me to see the sequel of the blockbuster film adaptation of Transformers.

If you have seen the previous Transformers movie and liked it, then wait till you see the second installment. In my opinion, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is one of the most action packed films of all time. --It's two and a half hours of never-ending explosions, fight-scenes, and total chaos.

The storyline is as engaging as the stunning lead actress visual effects that can get you glued to your seats. It has humor, suspense, drama, and romance (between robot and human included).

Talking about visual effects, I think the sequel has significantly improved since Transformers 1. The robots are looking more realistic with plenty of close-up shots and the animated scenes are a lot smoother. This is a fact: while the animation studio ILM needed 15 terabytes to store data for the 2007 film, on Revenge of the Fallen they used about 140 terabytes. Amazing, isn't it? This is not a joke: I also noticed that the robots could now spit and even sweat a little.

The setting or the different locations used for the film are equally impressive. You will see the breathtaking view of Egypt and witness a pyramid being literally crushed; watch a chase scene inside the busy streets of Shanghai, China; and a few more.

I'm not going to give further information about Transformers "Revenge of the Fallen" because I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet. One thing is for sure though, the 2-hour drive (4 hours including the drive back home) that I took just to see the film on the big screen was extremely worth it.

Download + Convert YouTube Videos the Easiest Way Possible

A few months ago, I posted here a tutorial on downloading or saving Flash/YouTube Videos on Linux the easy way. If the previous instruction is really difficult for you to grasp, then you should read this latest entry very carefully :-) Because now I'm going to show you how in the simplest way possible you can download a YouTube video plus convert it at the same time. --So easy that the only requirement is a web browser (no need for add-ons) and probably .01% of your brain.

So let's get down to business:

Step 1: Visit YouTube and select a video to watch.

Step 2: In the URL address box, type pwn before "youtube", and press enter:


Step 3: You will then be redirected to deturl.com where you will be presented with two download links. One is an FLV file and the other one is an MP4 file for the happy iPod/iPhone owners.


Step 4: Click on the link of your choice and save the file.

Step 5: There's no more step five. Enjoy! :-)

5 Top of the Line Twitter Desktop Clients for Linux

If you've been using Twitter through its website, I recommend that you use a desktop client instead to further enhance your tweeting experience. Since Twitter has become immensely popular, there are tons and tons of available desktop applications that support this great micro-blogging service. So I'm here to assist you on narrowing down the choices, and hope to somehow give you an idea on picking the one that suits you best.

For Linux users, here's my list of top of the line Twitter desktop clients that can surely help you better organize your friends, followers, and tweets, and overall make tweeting a lot more fun:

TweetDeck
TweetDeck is my preferred Twitter desktop client right now because of its rich features and well thought out interface. It is ideal for those who have lots of friends and followers (I don't have much so follow me HERE :-) since you can split the application into columns making it possible for you to group things up. TweetDeck can be easily installed using Adobe Air.



twirl
I used twirl for quite some time before, and until now I can still say that it's one of the best Twitter clients out there. It has a great number of features like image posting, tweet search, changeable theme, spell-checker, ability to record videos on Seesmic, and plenty more. Like TweetDeck, twirl also runs on Adobe Air.



Gwibber
Gwibber is an open source Twitter client for GNOME desktop environment. It is developed with Python and GTK and supports other social networking services like Jaiku, Identi.ca, Facebook, Flickr, and Digg. To Ubuntu or other GNOME-based distro user who wants a lightweight Twitter client with basic functionality, then Gwibber is for you.



Choqok
For KDE users, Choqok is the one Twitter client I can highly recommend. I know the name is hard to pronounce, but don't get discouraged as it has good amount of features like Twitpic.com integration, ability to notify user about new statuses via KNotification or Libnotify, KWallet integration, and more.



Spaz
Spaz is an open source Twitter client with cool looks and features. What I like most about Spaz is its support for user-created themes and it's built-in global search function. Spaz is also dependent on Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR).

I hope you have made your choice already. If you have time for a little adventure, why not also try tweeting via the Linux command line (terminal).

UPDATE: I forgot to mention that you can also use Twitter via Pidgin.