Mounting the Drobo NAS in my mythbuntu system
This one was a bit of a struggle and I'm yet to figure out how to mount the Drobo without relying on the IP rather than using it's name.
So started out having to install the smbclient
sudo install apt-get install smbclient
Not really sure that I needed a guide, but used this one (because I'm slack and I forget how to add to the fstab).
try to mount using
sudomount-t cifs -o username=,password= //drobo-fs/sharename /mnt/drobo
but got an error indicating that "wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock".
So to get rid of the "mount: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock" issue, performed (as from here)
sudo apt-get install nfs-common
But I allready had it... erm... so after a little bit more searching found some more information (from here).
On that basis:
sudo apt-get install smbfs
Aha! That should fix... oh drat. Now it can't find drobo-fs
could not resolve address for drobo-fs: Name or service not known
Doh. So at this point I'm going to give up and just assign my drobo a fixed IP (which let's be honest should have done in the first place). But if anyone can suggest a way around doing this would be glad to hear it....
Oh I should have done that years ago
Usually I use these posts as a "here's what I need to remember to do if I ever rebuild that computer", but perhaps you might enjoy the hassle of this one, or learn something about why I should really update my BIOSs.
So I've decided that I should try out Myth as a Media Center again. I remember back in the day when Myth was a right royal pain in the butt to install and the devs seemed to enjoy this fact. It was that "if you can't figure out how to use it given the guide that we provided then that's your fault not ours" culture that can become entrenched in some open source projects. It's the logic that if you can't figure out how to use it then you shouldn't be using it.
Thankfully it appears that this is no longer the case. I grabbed Mythbuntu (as I've found that the Ubuntu server I've been using has been working pretty nicely). The most recent version seemed to have some sort of issue where it wouldn't download correctly, but the earlier version seemed to come down OK.
Had a few issues trying to create a partition in Windows (had initially planned on filling an entire disk with Linux, but as Windows had put it's boot sector on one and all it's important information on the other, couldn't really do this without reinstalling Windows).The install was fairly simple.
But then I discovered that my Compro tuner wasn't compatible with linux. Doh. So I decided to get the Hauppage HVR 2200. Seemed to be quality and the instructions are pretty good.
So I set it up for Windows, no real major problem. Seemed to be very crisp and quick while watching TV. Rebooted into Linux, followed the setup instructions on Linux TV but nada. Read somewhere that S1/S3 in the BIOS could affect it, so messed with that a bit. Gave up, rebooted back into Windows. Suddenly the card doesn't appear anymore. Mess around a bit and then give up in a huff, switch the machine off, take out the card, put it back in. Switch machine back on, what do you know it works!
Reboot back into Linux still can't find it.
So tried
$ /sbin/lspci -vnn
to see what the machine could find in the PCI/PCI-E slots. Can't find anything resembling the card listed.
After a bit more hunting around turned up this (from Geekzone.nz):
It couldn't be found by the Device Manager, PowerCinema or MediaPortal. Even with a restart (start menu - restart) it still wasn't there. However when I did a cold reboot, i.e. powered the PC off completely and then started it, the HVR2200 reappeared (in all the above places). So I tested it with a soft restart and the 2200 disappeared, cold reboot brought it back. Don't know why, just means I don't use the soft restart on my PC now.
The HTPC still successfully enters and recovers from S3 with all the tuners present.
Ah! That's why it magically reappeared, but then even better I get the answer in the next post years later.
Doesn't seem like over 2 years that I have been using the above work-around to stop my HVR-2200 disappearing by doing only cold reboots. However, just an update that may assist fellow GZers that have had the same problem.
I have finally taken the plunge and updated the BIOS on the ASUS M2A-VM HDMI (from ver1501 to ver2302). And the soft reboot problem with the HVR-2200 disappearing has gone!
That means I am now able to schedule a daily reboot in the middle of the night that also stops the problem with the HTPC not resuming from hibernation as this only seems to occur after multiple days of sleep and wake cycles.
It would appear through further searching that there are lots of ASUS MBs that don't play nice with the HVR-2200, even some i3 and i5 boards.
I am kicking myself for not manning up and updating the BIOS earlier, cest la vie.
Ah! I have a M2A-VM HDMI. This is probably my magical fix! Reboot to check my BIOS and find that my current ROM is version 1001. Oops. Probably should update that...
Anyway so now for all the fun of updating BIOS. Hopefully this fixes it up and I can go on my merry way. As a sidenote, Mythbuntu boots really fast compared to Windows (the HTPC uses Vista Media Center at the moment). I'm still not clear if it'll do everything that we currently use Boxee for, but I may just end up installing Boxee on Mythbuntu as well.
The 100m house move
And once again, it's time for the great move. And it's never fun. This time we're moving 100m down the street to get a little bit more space for the extra member of our family that should be joining us in Feb.
The fact that it's such a short distance is a bit of a blessing and a bit of a curse. Because we are so close, it means that we can do a lot of smaller trips using the handcart and we can sort of live in two houses at once. As both now have power, it's perfectly reasonable to eat at one and sleep at the other. There's about three weeks overlap, so we might as well enjoy the luxury of all the space.
But at the same time it hardly seemed worth paying someone to help us move. In the past we've always rented a van (or on the last occasion a ute) and moved ourselves, but with my lovely wife in the family way, it's not really reasonable to ask her to move furniture (and slightly dangerous if I attempt it alone). So we've paid for some movers to just move the furniture, which hopefully won't take very long (as we're paying by the half hour).
So we'll see how that goes. And of course, as this site is hosted at home, expect a little down time.
Adwatch: Applause – AAMI Safe Driver rewards
She's driving in the middle of the road. Why is it that AAMI ads always seem to say that they reward people who are safe, but the people they claim are being safe are always doing something illegal?
About Glitch
I've been a little taken in by Glitch since I started playing a few days ago. What is Glitch? Well
Glitch is a web-based massively-multiplayer game which takes place inside the minds of eleven peculiarly imaginative Giants. You choose how to grow and shape the world: building and developing, learning new skills, collaborating or competing with everyone else in one enormous, ever-changing, persistent world.
It's a free to play flash game that's a little quirky... just see this trailer.
There's a fairly constant list of things to do and achievements to get, but it's kind of interesting working out how to create stuff and what you need to do so. The game guides you along, so it's not obtuse. Sometimes you'll be wondering why you need an item and it won't occur to you until you learn a certain skill why that item is needed.
The free to play aspect is fine, subscribing gives you benefits or you can by credits that allow you to by more costumes, so forking out cash doesn't massively interfere with the game itself.
But the games offbeat humour is what really makes it good. It's still in beta, but you can get an invite (which is pretty quick at the moment) at http://www.glitch.com/join/
Piraten Partei be plunderin Berlin
The pirate party (originating in Sweden and supported by the Pirate Bay to some degree) have managed to take 8.9 percent of the vote in the Berlin state elections, reports Speigel Online.
In fact thier success almost caused them problems
Not only will the Pirate Party enter a regional government for the first time, but its results far outpaced the five percent hurdle needed for parliamentary representation. The success was so unexpected that the party only put 15 candidates on its list of nominations. Had their support been just a little higher, some of their seats would have remained empty as post-election nomination of candidates isn't allowed.
Their main goal is to "make public all data, all administrative procedures" of government.
According to The Local, Freie Presse considers this victory could lead to bigger things
"The election success in Berlin will give the Pirates a powerful tailwind," commented the Freie Presse daily.
"If the political rising stars manage to sail nicely with the wind and get competent people at the wheel, then (Sunday's) victory may be more than just a warning shot," the paper added.
Oh... it also be talk like a pirate day. Arrr... I be a bilge rat what ortin' t' be keel hauled! I coulda be havin' posted this entire post talkin' like a seafarin' hearty, but the thought dun dropped to the bottom of Davy Jones' locker. Eh, be away with ya now 'for I do somethin' 'orrible wid yer gizzards...
The 10 month stack
The Stack, my minifig shakes with Fear... Itself
I'm a slacker as far as comics go.
I'm not a massive comic geek, but I once lived with one. I used to go into comic shops randomly and pick up comics off the rack. Once I moved into a shared house that contained a comic geek in it, I just added my comics to his pull list. He used to go in and pick up his comics and sort my comics out of his stack and I'd pay him cash.
With one thing or another, he didn't pick up his comics for 10 months. He went in and picked them up last week, so in a flash I've suddenly got a massive stack (actually it's grown a little since that photo). I'm a little behind... and with such a small pull list it's not something I'm used to. What was in my pull list? Let me tell you...
Marvel
- New Avengers
- Spider-Girl (started Jan 2011)
- Invincible Iron Man
Image
- Mice Templar (very sporadic, last issue was May but it's still going)
Icon Comics (Marvel)
- Powers (very sporadic, last issue was February... and it's the only one that was released in the 10 months!)
- Casanova (very sporadic, last issue April)
DC
- Batman streets of Gotham (finished)
- Gotham city sirens (finished)
Vertigo (DC)
- Northlanders (ending May 2012)
Team Australia heading to the Roller Derby World Cup
Coach Mark Madden (SSRG) has announced the line up for Team Australia, the team heading from our shores to the Roller Derby World Cup, to be held in Toronto in December.
The skaters heading over there are:
- Amykazee - CRDL
- Bambi von Smash'er - CRDL
- Blockodile Dundee - SSRG
- Cookie Cutter - SSRG
- Fang Fiend - BCR
- Dodge & Bolt - CARD
- Haterade - SRDL
- Juke Nukem - BCR
- King Cam - CRDL
- Ladykiller - SSRG
- Muzzarati - SSRG
- Rose Ruin - SSRG
- Ruby Rib Crusher - VRDL
- Scully - SSRG
- Short stop - CRDL
- Slawat dawta - SSRG
- U Sooze U Lose - VRDL
- Susy Pow - NRDL
- Tricksey Beltem - ADRD
- XL - SSRG
It's a bit SSRG heavy, but perhaps this has a lot to do with the cost of getting over to Toronto...
You can support the team and help them get to Toronto at http://www.gofundme.com/teamaustraliarollerderby apparantly you'll get one billion e-hugs from each member of Team Australia if you help them out.
Vote for the VRDL before 18 Sep 2011
Hey, don't forget to vote for the VRDL in Women's Health's I Support Women in Sport Awards 2011.
Just head to the voting page, they're under A-team of the Year. You don't need to vote in any other category (although you can).
Don't forget that this is Australia's rollerderby chaps after they took out the the Great Southern Slam, so get over there and support them.
Voting ends on the 18th of this month, so hurry up!
You can also win a car or something. I don't really have enough focus at the moment to pay attention to what model
When I got hit by a Mink Car
On September 11 2001 four co-ordinated suicide attacks on the United States which were later known as the September 11 attacks. You may also know that the greatest They Might Be Giants album Mink Car was released on the same morning (TMBG released the album at midnight at Manhattan Tower Records). I never knew and it's my favourite TMBG album. I must have picked it up at some later stage.
So for the ten year anniversary of the album and attacks, a group of nerdy/geeky musicians have released a cover album of Mink Car with proceeds going FDNY Foundation. The FDNY Foundation:
The FDNY Foundation is the official not-for-profit of the FDNY established to promote Fire Safety in New York City and the professional development, training, and education of members of the FDNY
I already know some of the artists Molly Lewis (who does Hopeless Bleak Despair) and MC Frontalot (who does Another First Kiss). But there's a lot I don't know, but who do some interesting covers of the songs. And there's just an amazing variety from The Doubleclicks very sweet Wicked Little Critta to Randy Garcia's She Thinks She's Edith Head.
You can pick the album and learn more about it over at http://www.minkcarcover.com/ for $10 digital/$15 hard copy (though you don't seem to be able to get the hard copy outside of the US?).
And Jonathon Coulton, currently supporting TMBG, has released his new album, Artificial Heart. I've yet to hear it, but I assume it's JoCo's first album with a band. Again $10 digital/$15 hard copy, but if you want to lash out you can get some special editions with bonus merch! Check it out over at https://secure.jonathancoulton.com/ArtificialHeart
Anyway, so here's my September 11, 2001 story, that seems like a strange coincidence now that I know when Mink Car was released...
After attending my grand father's 80th birthday a few days before (I point this out to celebrate the fact that he's now 90 and still pretty awesome), was a bit groggy and as was the fashion for me at the time, was woken up by the TV. I was working a stupidly early morning shift that required me to catch a train at 5:30am. The TV showed some kind of diasaster movie and I blearily switched it off and got ready for work. I was walking to the station in my just dry cleaned suit. I whistled happily as I walked down Clayton Rd. As I crossed Murray Road I was suddenly up in the air.
"Look", I thought, "it's the sky". Then I noticed that my back had metal under it. Then I loose the next second or so and I'm floating in the air (time was really slow). Then I'm on the road.
"Oh no! I'm lying on the road," I thought, "That's not a safe place to be... better crawl to the nature strip". By the time I got to the nature strip I realised that I'd been hit by a car, mainly because there was a car that had stopped and a man apologising. The car was on the wrong side of the road, so this guy has clearly come around off Clayton Road too wide and gone into the other lane.
"I'm so sorry! Are you OK?" he cried.
"I think I got hit by a car."
"Yes that was me. Sorry I'm just very emotionally hurt"
"I'm physically hurt"
"Yes, I'm sorry, can I drive you to hospital?"
By this point I've gotten to my knees. I'm winded, but all my arms and legs are still attached. I seem to have some scratches but don't feel too bad.
"Aww... I just had this suit dry cleaned" I sulk, clearly aware of what's important.
"Again, I'm sorry, did you want me to drive you to the hospital"
"No, no." My rationale here is that this guy clearly can't drive well enough (I mean he's hit at least one person).
Somehow we conclude this conversation, but I don't get any details from him. I've decided that I need to go to hospital (because if I don't then people will tell me that I should have), that I can walk the 400m there (see map), but that I need a cigarette to do so. I don't know what it is about smoker brain, but if you're winded you think that smoking can help this.
I get to the hospital and it's now about 6:30 and the stupid movie is still on. Wah? Where's the news?
I talk to the triage, fill in some forms, call work to tell them that I won't be coming in and sit down to wait and with the help of some of the other people realise that this isn't a movie that's on TV. It is the news. I'm glued to the screen until I see the doctor who tells me I'm fine. I walk home. It's now 7pm, I wake up the entire household and tell them that I got hit by a car, I'm OK, turn on the TV.
This was when we had Foxtel and we had access to far too many news channels. We flipped between Australian Free to air and the US/International news services. I think we watched all day. I still remember when they started talking about attacking Iraq and just being bowled over that news networks made that leap.
But I remember watching the madness of the attacks all day and just not knowing what I could do to help from half way across the globe.
So help out those people who knew what could be done to help that day and did: http://www.minkcarcover.com/