Gadgets, web and miscellany
Technology & Gadgets
Stuff about technology, and gadgets.
Setting up wview (5.5.4) on Ubuntu (9.0.4)
Sep 10th
This is an update to a previous post covering the new process for setting up a dedicated server running Ubuntu server edition connected to a Davis Vantage Pro2 weather station console via a serial port. There are a few changes because of the architecture of the wview program changing databases from MySQL to SQLite. The machine was an IBM Aptiva 2198 (PIII) with 512MB of RAM, an upgraded Ethernet card and 250G internal hard disk. More >
Firefox deletes cookies every time I exit
Jun 13th
Well, I figured I’d put in a helpfully named post to solve the problem that other folks have reported. Mahalo incorrectly lists only the obvious solution (make sure these settings are true before you implement the solution below)
It is NOT a settings issue, it is a bug in Firefox (I’m using various versions of 3.x, currently 3.0.11).
Symptoms: Regardless of your security settings, all cookies get deleted every time Firefox is closed.
Cause: The cookies.sqlite database has become corrupted. (older versions of FF use a cookies.txt file)
Solution: Close Firefox, find cookies.sqlite and delete it (in my case, in C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\[some obscure name]\cookies.sqlite under Windows Vista x64, SP2).
That’s it.
Making stuff work in Vista x64
Feb 3rd
I recently converted my Dell XPS 420 from Vista x32 Ultimate to Vista x64 Ultimate SP1 (Dell shipped me the correct DVD when I asked for the 4th time). Obviously, a lot of stuff doesn’t work out-of-the box, but a little research did wonders:
Alternatives:
- Cisco VPN -> Shrew Soft VPN (64 bit optimized)
- CanoScan Toolbox & Drivers -> VueScan
Optimized for 64 bit:
- 7-Zip
- Firefox (called Minefield)
- Internet Explorer (installed with OS)
- MediaCoder
- Adobe Illustrator CS4, Acrobat 9, Photoshop CS4,
- K-Lite CODEC Pack
- NVIDIA drivers
- iTunes
- Paint.NET
- Logitech SetPoint
Doesn’t work in 64 bit:
- Flash on 64 bit browser (you need to use the 32 bit browser)
- Plugins for 64 bit FireFox (IE Tab)
- Cisco VPN
- Dell drivers that make icons look like the flash drive they represent (i.e., they all appear as Removable Disk, versus SD-card, etc.)
Gigapan imaging
Jan 29th
Well, there seem to be a number of ways of creating gigapixel panoramas. Possibly the easiest to use is the GigaPan robotic mount ($379), which was used to create the tremendous image of the Barack Obama inauguration, along with a Canon G10 (it doesn’t fit larger cameras).
Another way is to hack up a Orion TeleTrack Altazimuth ($249) astronomic mount with a serial port ($15), bluetooth ($35) and use Papywizard software (free) running on a Nokia N800 ($135). You’ll still need Autopano or similar stiching software to put the whole thing together.
I’m tempted to try both!
Cancelling my PC Magazine subscription
Dec 26th
PC Magazine’s latest issue (January 2009) contained the following interesting tidbit:
An Open letter to PC Magazine (Print) Readers,
The January 2009 issue (Volume 28, Issue 1) of PC Magazine will mark a monumental transition for the publication. It is the last printed edition of this venerable publication. Of course, as with any technology-related enterprise, this is not the end, but the beginning of something exciting and new.
Starting in February 2009, PC Magazine will become a 100-percent digital publication.
Well, that’s all nice and fun, except I read my magazines where and when I don’t want a computer. So this new distribution DOESN’T WORK FOR ME. Also, I have print publications (magazines) and online magazines. They each serve different purposes.
So, long and short, I’ll be calling them to cancel my subscription shortly and get a refund…. My subscription would have run out in September 2009.
Best WordPress plugins, ever
Dec 12th
Until someone figures out that this wants to be part of the core functionality, I highly recommend the excellent plugin, InstantUpgrade, by Alex Günsche. It rules. One click upgrades to your WordPress installation to the latest version. How easy is that? In case you’re wondering, yes, I did donate, as it’s an excellent, well-written, well-supported plugin that actually saves me from the laborious upgrade process for Wordpress every time a new version comes out (once every two months!).
While I’m at it, I need to shout out the folks who wrote WPG2, the Gallery2 embedding plugin for WordPress. Not only has this been consistently upgraded to support both the latest WordPress and latest Gallery2, questions on the forum typically don’t go more than one day before the authors (ozgreg and capt_kirk) or some other helpful person answers them. Moreover, the answers are relevant without trying to be controlling (not the same experience as I’ve had asking questions of the Drupal G2 integration team, but that’s a story for another day). WPG2 happily and efficiently supports hybrid configurations like one G2 multisite installations, excellent rewrite support (really nice URLs!), and an awesome user interface that is integrated well with Wordpress.
So with these extensions and plugins, I have InstantUpgrade for Wordpress, self-upgrade for plugins to Wordpress, and a fairly simple upgrade process for Gallery2. What more could I want? The same for Drupal (again, for another time, they could improve!).
Ubuntu install error
Sep 13th
I’ve found a number of references to the obscure error on the web:
Failure trying to run: chroot /target mount -t proc proc /proc
After careful diagnosis, I have come to the conclusion that this error has three causes (at least for me):
- A bad CD drive. [replace it]
- Bad CD-media or a badly written CD. [slow down the write, or change media]
- CD drive incorrectly connected (Cable Select, Master, Slave: incorrectly set) [check that cable and setting match, and that you have at least 1 Master connected, with the drive either set to CS or Master on a proper cable]
I hope posting this helps other people, as this problem took quite a while to diagnose, and much hair-pulling was involved. In my case, it was a “gradually” degrading CD drive (1), although I’ve also experienced (2).
Review requests
Jul 6th
Well, I’ve purchased/borrowed a number of gadgets and toys in the last year or so that I HAVEN’T reviewed, so I thought I’d list them, and see if anyone wanted me to review any specific items (comment below with which item you want reviewed): More >
Forgotten passwords…
Jun 19th
A buddy of mine in the fire department forgot his password on Windows XP. Turns out he mistyped it twice when he changed passwords. Since I need to fix this type of problem reasonably infrequently, I thought I’d put in a blog post so that I could remember the program I used for the password recovery, ophcrack. This could even be run off a memory stick!
Setting up wview (3.9.0) on Ubuntu (8.04)
Jun 10th
I decided to document my setup of Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron running with a weather station, the inexpensive WS-2310. I built this computer setup for a buddy who wanted to run a weather station, but didn’t want to buy a Davis Vantage Pro2. The machine is a Pentium 4 2.8GHz, 80G HDD, 1 GB of RAM. More >
