Monday, May 30, 2011

Being an Ubuntu 10.10 Noob Again

It's fun to be a newbie again, and again, and again.
After several Windows Vista mess ups, I guess it's time to switch back to an Ubuntu 10.10 install.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

How to Install Proprietary Drivers in Ubuntu 10.10 - Guest Post

By Dr. Muhammad Saleem, PhD


Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Engineering

With past versions of Linux, it was relatively difficult to work with third-party hardware. The era has changed now and, like many other Linux distributions, UBUNTU has made it easy to use any kind of proprietary hardware with your computer.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

How to Migrate to Ubuntu 10.10 from a Windows Environment

By Dr. Muhammad Saleem, PhD

Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Engineering

Lest it become a nightmare, migrating from Windows to Linux/Ubuntu needs a systematic and well-defined plan. You can be sure that there’s a solution for almost every compatibility issue you’ll encounter – direct solution or a workaround. 


Being unfamiliar with the new operating system, at times, could make you feel uncomfortable, but if you are 

My Love and Hate Relationship with Trees

I was a sub-urban Filipino kid, then I loved trees.

And I think I am a member of Greenpeace, or was - I don't actually pay the dues anymore.

But when I moved here, my perspectives changed a bit.

I don't love them when the storm makes them sway like angry giants. Or when they fall during a storm and almost crush our house and greenhouse.

I hate them when their leaves cause more than 2 weeks of sweeping.

Yet, there's still a small glimmer of love that I know is here somewhere.

I love them because a large blue bird sometimes lives on them.



I love them because they provide us with shade and coolness whenever it gets too sunny.

I love watching them grow.

But despite that love, I know that I have to cut some of them someday. If you ever saw a large tree branch falling randomly anywhere, then you'd know that they can be really dangerous.

The "ana-e" tree has beautiful flowers that make it look like a firetree during December. But their branches are so heavy that they can crush cement when they fall. Cleaning them up is also difficult, because the large tree branches have spines that are so small yet so painful when you touch them.

I suddenly thought about this post, because of a recent video I saw on TV, or rather on my computer:

Sorry, there was no embed code, they really want you to visit their site.

Click here: Alleged illegal logger throws stones at news team

What do I think about illegal logging?

I think it's a blatant crime against nature. But that it's also a touchy socio-political  issue. Livelihoods, lack of education and more. If you have ever seen the family of an illegal logger, then you'd have to try and balance that with what is more valuable - livelihood or nature?

Before I write too long, I'll write about this soon in my other politically themed blog.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Blog Monetization Strategies of the Top Blogs - Mashable.com

As a blog owner myself, one of my routines is to look into the monetization strategies of the top blogs. Of course, none of these strategies would work if the traffic to their site is not substantial enough. Assuming that you're a blog owner and the traffic going to your site is large enough (5 figures daily) to be monetized, you might be looking into increasing your revenue by learning from these successful ones.

Note 1. Act Like Big Media

Monday, May 23, 2011

How to Share Files and Folders in Ubuntu 10.10 [GUEST POST]


By Dr. Muhammad Saleem, PhD

Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Engineering

Sharing files and folders in Ubuntu is pretty simple. You not only can share the local folders with other Ubuntu machines but also the PCs running Windows OS.

1.            Sharing folders with Ubuntu & Windows Machines

·         Right click on the folder which you want to share and choose Sharing Options and then Share This Folder. In case, you are informed that the sharing services are not installed on your system, choose Install Service and let it finish.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

How to Customize Desktop in Ubuntu 10.10: Guest Post

By Dr. Muhammad Saleem, PhD
Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Engineering

There are variety of desktops available in Ubuntu; GNOME, KDE, Xfce. In this article, we primarily focus on the GNOME desktop. However, once you are familiar with GNOME, it would be easy for you to tackle other desktop environments.

1.            Changing the position of windows control-buttons

ASUS Eee PC 1015PX-PU17-BK 10.1-Inch Netbook (Black)In Ubuntu 10.10, the windows control button - minimize, maximize and close – appear on the top left of the screen by default. If you don’t feel comfortable with this setting, you can switch them to the top right – their old position. Here are the steps:

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Guest Post: How to Keep Your Ubuntu Computer Safe


By Dr. Muhammad Saleem, PhD


There are few tips which can make your Ubuntu experience pleasant and safe. Here is a list of recommended precautions and instructions to remain safe.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Guest Post: How to Install or Uninstall Applications in Ubuntu 10.10


By Dr. Muhammad Saleem


There are three different ways of installing / removing applications in Ubuntu. We describe one of these techniques in the following paragraphs. We assume that you have a working Internet connection unless specified otherwise.

Monday, May 09, 2011

Bamboos Philippines

Bamboos are a tropical favorite when it comes to fencing here in the Philippines. However, untreated, they succumb to the vagaries of the soil which include the onslaught of insects such as termites.

One of the foremost problems here in the province of Batangas, at least here in the extreme fringes, is that most people do not have any conception of privacy.

The really rich can afford to avoid that by living inside walled subdivisions and compounds.



However, if you happen to be placed in the middle of a moderately populated zone with a high level of unemployment, you can expect a lot of intrusion on your grounds.

This could include anywhere from children to grown men.

Their methodology would include coming up with many excuses including, gathering grass to feed their horses, their sandals fell inside the compound while climbing a nearby tree which are of course deliberately thrown inside, their kite went inside or something similar.

There is no such thing as illegal trespassing. Not unless you want to hire armed security guards and pay off the Barangay officials to scare of would be trespassers.

Anyway, before I drone on, here's what I really wanted to talk about: Bamboos.

I was thinking of using bamboos as fences but changed my mind. This is what happens to bamboos when subjected to extreme hot and moist weather:

Large bamboos are also susceptible to the same problems: termites and bukbok (Sorry, I don't know the translation for bukbok.)

The solutions I had in mind are:

1. To plant Mexican vines that could climb the frame and fill it.

2. To plant live bamboo trees along the periphery of the wall.

3. To plant bougainvilleas alternately with the bamboos.

Now the space that I have to work is only 1 meter from the private road so I am still contemplating on whether this is a good idea at all.

Sourcing the Bamboos

1. I could source the bamboo's from inside our garden.

2. I could buy from Carolina Bamboo Garden which is the most prominent bamboo nursery in the Philippines.

As added reference, I am including links pertinent to the cultivation, propagation and other bamboo matters.

For Bamboo Propagation - Click Here
For Bamboo Pictures - Click Here

Going back, here are some pictures of our fences which have been ravaged by both nature and humans:



Nature and Humanity

Yes, the neighbors used our fence to support their roofing.

The frames are shown prominently here.

Children climb this spot to get in.

They used it to put their antennas on.

EventId's in Nostr - from CGPT4

The mathematical operation used to derive the event.id in your getSignedEvent function is the SHA-256 hash function, applied to a string rep...