Lloyd Leung

Blog

  • Gnome – multiple monitor taskbar window listing

    How to/howto get gnome to show what’s running on a given monitor. After having linux installed for a while, leaving pretty much the default install running. I decided to venture out and find how to tweak some usability settings.
    There is a program called utlramon for windows that already does this [mentioned above]. A Linux ultramon doesn’t exist, well not as a separate program, as the functionality already exists in gnome.
    Just add a panel to each monitor you want, and add to that panel a window list. That’s it.
    Instructions:
    1.) Right click on anywhere on the launchbar, click “New Panel”
    [UPDATE: 2010/05/02 added ALT]
    2.) hold down ALT + Drag the new panel to any monitor/location.
    3.) Right click on that panel, and click “Add to Panel”
    4.) Select “Window List” under Desktop and Windows
    5.) Click Add.
    6.) Click Close, and you’re done.
    Now I don’t have a cluster of ALL windows on my three head setup on one taskbar.
    If this helps, please drop a line in the comments.

  • Organization and getting things done, a combination of systems.

    I’m trying out the 43 folders system. Plenty of websites out there that show you how to use this system.
    Along with this other system, which prioritizes tasks into priorities.

    1. Important and Urgent.
    2. Urgent
    3. Important
    4. Other Tasks

    definition of Important

    • of great significance or value; “important people”; “the important questions of the day”
    • significant: important in effect or meaning; “a significant change in tax laws”; “a significant change in the Constitution”; “a significant contribution”; “significant details”; “statistically significant”
    • crucial: of extreme importance; vital to the resolution of a crisis; “a crucial moment in his career”; “a crucial election”; “a crucial issue for women”

    definition of Urgent

    • pressing: compelling immediate action; “too pressing to permit of longer delay”; “the urgent words `Hurry! Hurry!’”; “bridges in urgent need of repair”

    I define the above to terms to show the difference. Important is of value and significance. Urgency has a time associated with the given task. Think of this as a two by two matrix.

    (1) Important + Urgent (2)Urgent
    (3) Important (4)Other Tasks

    Immediate and Urgent
    – Stuff that must get gone ASAP, such as bills, immediate projects, etc.
    – If you don’t get it done by the given time, there’s negative consequences.
    Urgent
    – Tasks that needs to get done by a given time.
    Important
    – Stuff that needs to get done, but with no time line or time due is in the future.
    Other Tasks
    – Tasks that are neither important or urgent.
    You must prioritize tasks.
    Something else I’m trying out.
    – Write out 5 tasks that I must to get done for that day.
    – Keep at those tasks till I’m done them. If I complete them all early for the day, create 5 more. If I do not get these new tasks done for the same day, no worries.
    – Repeat.
    Tips to accomplish this.
    Keep that list with you at all times… have it in front of you… it must be a constant reminder.
    Don’t go making a super long list, and trying to get them all done, it just doesn’t happen. I would group errands together like post office, banking and grocery shopping all in one go.

  • howto: Getting EMC LiveCD. Ubuntu dapper drake

    Windows to EMC Live
    First, download the iso image. source, alternatively the mirror.
    1.) unzip/copy md5sum.exe into the same folder/directory as emc2-ubuntu6.06-desktop-i386.iso
    2.) in a dos window… type “md5sum emc2-ubuntu6.06-desktop-i386.iso” without quotes. This may take a few minutes.
    3.) Compare the result to this “6ee5048eb9cb424aa030dfedccc5386b” without quotes.
    4.) if they match, burn the image (google, howto burn an ISO image), and do verification at the end. If the numbers don’t match, you’ll have to redownload the image.
    5.) Open the newly created CD, and you should see multiple files, and folders. If not, please see #4 and google.
    6.) Boot off this CD. Make sure your bios looks at this CDrom as one of the boot devices.
    Places to download md5sum.
    http://etree.org/cgi-bin/counter.cgi/software/md5sum.exe
    http://theopencd.sunsite.dk/md5sum.exe
    http://www.fourmilab.ch/md5/md5.zip
    http://downloads.activestate.com/contrib/md5sum/Windows/md5sum.exe
    short explaination of md5sum.

  • How to sync google calendar and motorola razr v3c

    How to synchronize the google calendar and motorola razr v3c
    Make sure the drivers for your motorola razr v3c are installed properly.
    Install bitpim and make sure it detects your phone. Get the latest version, I’m using at the moment version BitPim version 0.9.0.6.
    Within bitpim, file -> import -> google calendar

    1. Click “Browse …”
    2. Click new, the URL is for the iCal link to your google calendar. [See in google calendar, sharing the calander, and there should be an iCal link in the first tab.]
    3. Give it a name, and click “OK”
    4. Select the desired calendar
    5. click “OK”
    6. click “Import”
    7. click “Add”

    That should now be in BitPim’s memory. You will have to upload the new data to the phone.
    Becareful of overwriting manual phone entries.

  • Parody At Its Best

    Mac commercials annoy, but this parody of the mac commercials is just hysterical
    (more…)

  • WAMP – apache 2.2+ – mysql – php 5.2.0+

    Requirements:
    Windows (win32 – windows 2000, windows XP, windows 2003 server etc).
    Apache 2.2.x (I’m using mysql 2.2.3)
    Mysql 5.0.+ (I’m using mysql 5.0.22)
    Php 5.2+ (I’m using 5.2.0 RC2) – Note, that only 5.2.0+ supporteds apache 2.2.x.  Previous versions have to go hunting for files, so I suggest using 5.2.0+.  And at the time of writing, this is in “release candidate 2”.
    Installation of the above programs should be straight forward.  However, the setup of the applications afterwards may not be.
    I’m here to just talk about the configuration files of php.ini, and apache 2.2.3 (httpd.conf)
    I’m going to assume you installed php to “c:/php/”
    add at the end of the apache httpf.conf file:
    #—
    LoadModule php5_module c:/php/php5apache2_2.dll
    AddType application/x-httpd-php .php
    AddType application/x-httpd-php .php-source .phps
    # configure the path to php.ini
    PHPIniDir “c:/php”
    #—
    in the c:/php/php.ini-recommended file modify the following lines and SAVE AS php.ini
    find the extension_dir definition and change to:
    extension_dir = “c:/php/ext/”
    search for “extension=php_mysql.dll” and uncommend that line.
    or alternatively, “mysqli.dll”
    uncomment any other extentions you want turned on.
    That’s pretty much it.

  • Bunch of useful links

    Links update
    Games

    Utilities

    • Open Office . Org – Greate free functional office suite, able to export PDFs, and open MS Office documents, among others.
    • Free zip/rar tool
      Supported formats:

      • Packing / unpacking: 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR
      • Unpacking only: RAR, CAB, ISO, ARJ, LZH, CHM, Z, CPIO, RPM, DEB and NSIS
    • vlc – nice little application to play videos.
    • editplus – great text editor with syntax highlighting and all

    Security

    Patches

    • apatch – patch Windows Live Messenger
    • msg live plus – adds functionality to Windows Live Messenger [READ the install prompts carefully!]

  • Silly games.

    Logic game have always entertained me.
    However, I find myself being consumed by the fact that YC can kick my butt at sudoku. Seems like I can only win one out of every 5-6 games… where as other people I seem to consistently win against.
    Maybe I’m a masocist to want to play her. I just somehow play worse when it’s against her.
    Who knows why…

  • Ubuntu on Compaq Evo N800c

    I took the leap and installed ubuntu dapper 6.06 on the laptop.
    I’m quiet impressed with the speed, and everything.
    I had some issues with getting the wireless network card to work properly. I’ve got it working, but I still have to do something manual with it, “sudo ipdown ath0” “sudo ipup ath0” before I get an IP that I can use.
    The ATI Radeon mobile 7500 works well… with some 2d glitches… but nothing major. Just some buttons in gnome get artifacts… like snow or static over buttons.
    Automatix broke my first install, so I just trashed the install, and used easyubuntu instead.  Automatix wasn’t a bad thing, probably that I asked it to install the ATI drivers, which weren’t compatible with my card.  I probably should give Automatic another try, but easyubuntu has everything I need essentially.
    Overall, very stable, battery check feature works, hibernates well, automounts my usb key… any quirks I find, I’ll comment about it later

  • UK wants power to demand encryption keys

    This article “UK wants power to demand encryption keys” reports that Great Britain is daft.
    What’s going on in the minds of legislators in GB.  Seems like the fancy with 1984 is running a muck in the queens parliament.
    I mean, where’s my privacy, when I want it?  Why would I want to turn over evidence to the crown?  I guess the reverse argument is, “why do you need to hide this – if you don’t have anything to hide, why not show us”.  That reverse argument is ludicrous, as it’s an invasion of privacy.  I should not need to justify myself to anyone.  If you have something to accuse me of, do so in the proper channels.
    The article I linked too, has a good argument as well.  What happens if one is on the receiving end of an encrypted communication, and does not have the key.  How does one prove a negative, being the argument – “how do I prove I don’t have something?”
    I’m amazed at the incredible stupidity of some lawmakers.