Happy First Birthday HTML5

It was October 2014 when the W3C approved the final recommendation for HTML5.  Now it's one of the most popular buzz words in 2015.  A quick Google search will turn up plenty of tutorials on how to better utilize the latest version of HTML.  I personal like the courses being offered on EdX - but there are plenty to choose from.  Happy coding!

My First #Windows10 #Review

Glancing back, I've posted a few things about Windows Vista. Haven't said much about Windows 7 (which was an awesome OS, still using it at work).  Now here comes Windows 10.

First impressions:
1) Takes an outrageous amount of time to upgrade 8.1 to 10 (both with access to high speed WiFi connection).  Tablet took around 4 hours.  Brand new laptop, only 10 minutes out of the box took most of 6 hours (and a dozen reboots, but I sort of quit counting).

2) Upgrade breaks stuff, even though both devices were OK's for an upgrade. On the tablet it took another 30 minutes to get the Mail, Start menu and desktop back to an usable state.  The laptop's touch pad stopped working and had to download a new drive from the Toshiba web site.

Not "deal breakers" but more an annoyance. I was reminded that the times involved were much better than previous Microsoft upgrade experiences (Win 3.1 to Win 95, Win 95 or 98 to Windows ME, etc). Point taken.

Internet Culture, Bullying and #DoNotFeedTheTrolls

It was not quite a year ago when I posted about the seemingly downward spiral that post-modern online culture is taking (Has Gamer Culture Gone Out of Control?) and linked to Why the Trolls Will Always Win on Wired.com.

Now, following a very controversial run as interim CEO of Reddit, Ellen Pao has published an opinion piece on the Washington Post: The trolls are winning the battle for the Internet

Perhaps the Internet is not the Great Equalizer (Business Week circa 1996), as earlier speculated, but rather anonymity has brought out the worse of humanity to the online world?

Mac G5 PowerPC Update

Here's the specs on this project:
Mac G5 Tower, Dual PowerPC 2.7 GHz, 4.5 GB RAM, original 250 GB HD (vintage late 2005). Purchase price was $100 + shipping. Not bad, all things considered. The case was in good shape with very little signs of wear and just a bit of cleaning up to do inside to chase out the 10 years of dust bunnies. Since extra SATA II hard drives are so inexpensive on eBay, went with a second drive for installing the new OS. 

After much consideration, decided to proceed with installing the latest stable release of Debian "Jessie" (see previous post of the distributions in the running). Downloaded the ISO, burned to a DVD-R and read through the installation guide on PPC Luddite for some tips. 

First item to note, the resulting DVD was not a "Live" disc like what's popular now.  Booting from the DVD went right to business going through the steps for installation. Since this was a blank hard drive, selected the options to use the entire partition. Another option was which display manager to use (opted for kdm), and selected the Debian default, KDE and MATE desktops, just to have some variety. Other choices was lightdm for the display manager and GNOME, Xfce and LXDE for desktops - plenty to read up on and consider at the Debian Desktop HowTo page.

Second note, you'll be prompted to set the root password and then create an user account.  Remember those passwords! The user account does not automatically belong to the "sudo" group, so that's one of your first tasks after the installation. Read up on that here.

The results? A pretty sweet, massively powerful and elegant system! Seems to be some issues with the sound over the built-in speaker that needs additional research. More comments to come soon!

Bring a Mac PowerPC Back to Life

It's hard to believe that well over 10 years has past since the Power Mac G5, touted by Apple as the fastest personal computer ever built, was the hottest desktop PC around. In it's prime, the Mac G5 tower sold for $2,500 - 3,000 new.

Now these beautiful works of computer art are selling on eBay for $100 - 200. And it's because nobody is producing new software that runs on the PowerPC platform.  Or is that entirely true?

Good things comes to those that wait ... so it's been said. I've recently acquired one for a tiny fraction of that. Doing a little research, it's entirely possible to run this beast with a nice selection of current operating systems:

Linux MintPPC

Debian for PowerPC

Lubuntu or Kubuntu (flavors of Ubuntu)

 So, we'll see how this goes. Might be a wonderful adventure or a disaster. Stay tuned!

“He that can have patience can have what he will.”
― Benjamin Franklin

PS - I could always run the G5 with the last version of OS X that supported PPC, Leopard 10.5.6, but what fun would that be?

Linux Based PC for Under $100

On a budget? Need a basic workstation and prefer to use Linux/Open Source software? Want to have a planet-friendly alternative for computing?

SymplePC.com has introduced a re-manufactured workstation running Ubuntu Linux. See the press release for more details.

Introducing Route 85 - iOS Developer Training

Tip of the Day: Keep those WordPress Sites Updated

As posted in the past few days on several blogs and Twitter, there is a WordPress plugin specific malware out in the wild. Thousands of WordPress sites are being blacklisted.

See the details on the Securi blog site.

Happy Holidays!

Has Gamer Culture Gone Out of Control? #StopGamerGate2014

It's been simmering under the radar for quite some time, but now it's hitting the front pages of major news outlets: #GamerGate, online mobs and harassment of women (and anyone expressing critical opinion).

Here's the path that lead me down the rabbit hole:

Why the Trolls Will Always Win

Doesn't take much searching to then find:

5 Things I Learned as the Internet's Most Hated Person

Another Woman In Gaming Flees Home Following Death Threats

Searching on names that keep coming up in these articles:

Anita Sarkeesian shares the most radical thing you can do to support women online

And now the New York Times:

Feminist Critics of Video Games Facing Threats in ‘GamerGate’ Campaign

Has this reached critical mass where leaders in the multi-billion dollar industry of gaming need to step up and take a stand against harassment? Check out the new hashtag on Twitter that is getting attention: #StopGamerGate2014 - can real change start to take hold?

You Mad Bro' ... Does everything have to be controversial?

I was actually surprised to read that the giveaway of the new U2 album by Apple has managed to upset lots of people:

Free U2 album: How the most generous giveaway in music history turned PR disaster

To be honest, I think the headline is feeding the flames a bit by calling it a PR disaster. But the question is this: has the Internet community been overwhelmed by whiners, complainers and trolls?   

Perhaps there's just as many or more people that are happy about getting some free music in their iTunes account. Those stories don't get such clickable* headlines as the one above.

On the other hand, maybe it was just a bad choice of delivery:

Why the Free U2 Album is Pissing Off Apple Users

So, just dropping the free album into everyone's iTunes account is a bad way to do it.  Next time (if there is one), just give everyone the option to accept the offer?  Anyway, now there's a nifty tool from Apple to remove the offending album.  Isn't technology fun???

* The spell checker doesn't like this word ... is it legit or did I just make up a new word?

Is there a "Next Big Thing" on the horizon?

Lots of chatter going on about Ello - the tantalizing new social network startup. Could it be the next big thing?  Let's look at some of the comments:

No, I am not interested in joining your proprietary social network - In a nutshell, it all comes down to the money and no matter what you are told, it's eventually going to $ell out.

What The Ell Is Ello? The Ad-Free Social Network Everyone's Talking About - It's all about the timing and Facebook is just messing things up now.

Actually, I'm more intrigued with diaspora, which at first glance seems to be a failed "Facebook alternative" but yet it's a different idea altogether. And it's Open Source and part of the Free Software movement.

So, I'll probably try both, maybe start my own diaspora pod, and watch the excitement unfold.

Minecraft is now part of Microsoft

News flash: Mojang, parent company of Minecraft, has been sold to Microsoft for $2.5 billion.  Take a deep breath. Yes, it's official.

Not completely sure how I feel about this. Even though I've made a living in IT using and managing Micro$oft products, they're still the necessary evil. Now something as cool, open and free as Minecraft is part of that evil empire.

Links to the announcement and related posts:

Mojang.com - Yes, we're being bought by Microsoft

Notch.net - I'm leaving Mojang

Transferring files to an Android Tablet

This post could also be titled, "Things You Can Not Do with an Android Tablet" - which is what I'm basically finding out.  Sure, I'll admit, this particular tablet is at the lower end of the market (HP 7 Plus, on sale direct from HP for less than $90), but it does function just fine as my mobile device at the office (email and web-based apps).

The goal was (supposedly) simple - load a few of my favorite songs on the tablet so I could listen to music when not connected to Wi-Fi. From previous posts one knows that my new platform of choice is Linux.  I was naive in thinking that it would be easy. After all, Android is based on Linux, right? Well, it doesn't work out that way.

If I was trying to connect to a Windows machine (Win 7 or newer, don't expect any support for XP) or a Mac, there's a chance you can get it to work.  Nothing I found for Linux worked.  Just for reference, I'll include the links of things that I tried.

First on the list, this method at least did connect to the tablet, although it is extremely slow.  Getting inside a folder on the tablet never happened (or maybe I just didn't wait long enough?): How to Transfer Files from Ubuntu to Android

These methods either didn't work  or were too risky or complicated to even try:

How To Properly Mount Android 4.0+ Devices In Ubuntu Using Go-mtpfs

Transfer Files from Android and Linux with ADB and AAFM

How to Transfer Files Between Android and a Linux Mint PC

I also went into the Software Manager (isn't that where you supposed to look first?) and installed mtpfs, which runs from the command line. There's a lack of documentation for this on the web, but there is a man file.  I was able to mount the tablet as root, but not able to enter or list the directory.  Maybe I just missed some important step or was too impatient.

So, the moral of the story is ... If you want to use an Android tablet, iPad or iPod with Linux, you're going to have to wait a little bit longer for that to happen.

PS - I was able to finally get Windows XP to connect to the tablet from the instructions provided by HP Support.  However, it still failed to allow me to copy mp3 files to the tablet.

Ubuntu 14.04 Upgrade Bug

I upgraded one laptop with Ubuntu 12.04 LTS to 14.04 LTS. Most of the process went pretty smoothly.  However, every software update after the upgrade complains about a failed install:
Calculating upgrade... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
38 not fully installed or removed.

For the sake of brevity, I won't post the entire string of error messages, but it boils down to errors encountered while processing: tex-common

Researching a bit leads me to this bug report - "package tex-common 4.04 failed to install/upgrade" - which proves to be interesting reading.  The issue is also listed on the TrustyTahr Release Notes under Known Issues.

Towards the bottom of the bug report a fix has been suggested (post #12). Also for users that know they have the tex-common package installed (appears to be pretty common), it is suggested to purge the package before the upgrade and then re-install (post #13).

Ah, the joys of upgrades!

Favorite Quote of the Day

"Joining a Facebook group about creative productivity is like buying a chair about jogging." 

Merlin Mann @hotdogsladies via Twitter

While you're on break (and not supposed to be working), go on over and visit Merlin Mann's web site: 43 Folders

Web 2.0 Relics

Just when you think you understand something, then it goes and changes. So true with technology and the web.

Not so long ago (although some would say otherwise), just being able to create your own web page with Notepad or vi was cool (really, it was!). Then the web became more dynamic with HTML 4 and Javascript. Cue up the browser wars next and then - Web 2.0 - the social web!  All along the way great debates about usability and design would sprout up.  Good design always plays an important role.

Where are we now and is design moving forward into Web 2.1?  Sam Solomon blogs about Why I'm Done with Social Media Buttons and gives some insight about where things should be going next.

Meanwhile, the rest of us that are not on the cutting edge just muddle along.

P.S. Not to forget, the concept of the semantic web still exists, it's just not the same buzzword it used to be.

P.S.S. Still might be ahead of it's time, but also check out the Friend of a Friend (FOAF) project.

Microsoft Backpedals

In the aftermath of the NSA scandal, several large IT companies are trying to minimize the consumer backlash, so it seems.  In this article about Microsoft's latest attempts to tighten security, they ramp up encryption of popular services.

As quoted from this blog: "Our goal is to provide even greater protection for data across all the great Microsoft services you use and depend on every day." Signs of Microsoft addressing customer issues, perhaps?

Even back in December, 2013 Microsoft began the damage control on the official TechNet blog - "Many of our customers have serious concerns about government surveillance of the Internet. We share their concerns."

Is this Microsoft "doing the right thing" or damage control?

---

Helps if I could spell "backpedals" correctly too!

[cloud] Storage Wars

Over the past few months, I've been trying out several different cloud storage providers. Actually, I've been using Amazon Cloud for a couple of years with my Kindle and it's still a favorite.  Since the price war broke out between Google and Amazon, I benefit from a much lower price per GB.

In this post I'll give some of my impressions of each service along with some of the pros and cons.

Amazon Cloud

• Low price plans for budget-minded folks
• Excellent support for music storage and MP3 Cloud Player
• Integrated seamlessly with the Kindle for music and photos

- No Linux support (browser only, single file uploads)
- No Blackberry support

Dropbox

• Great integration for eBooks (O'Reilly, Smashwords, others)
• Productivity integration (Nozbe, IFTTT)
• Support for every platform that I have: Linux, Mac, Windows, Android, Blackberry and Kindle
• Mailbox and Carousel apps for Android and iOS gives you extra free storage
• Has a Python tool for running on a headless Linux installation, great for moving files up to the server

- High price per GB

Box

• Better suited for business with integrated apps
• Support for Blackberry

- No client for Linux
- Highest price of all services reviewed

Copy

• Support for Linux, but the client seems to be buggy
• Developed a client for the Raspberry Pi
• Can split the cost of a shared account between users
• Mid-priced, could be better

- Finally had to give up on the Linux client since it caused the system to lag so badly

iCloud

• Windows, iOS and Android clients

- Pretty much geared for Apple devices

Google Drive

• Native integration on Android devices and Chrome OS
• Lowest price of all services I reviewed
• Works best with Google+ accounts, photos, Google Docs

- No Linux support (browser only)

OneDrive

• Native support for Windows 8, Windows Phone, good for Win 7
• Supported clients for iOS, OS X and Android work well
• Mid-price, can earn free storage using Bing as your search engine

- No Linux support
- No Blackberry or other support

 So, the bottom line is that I'll eventually consolidate everything on Dropbox. The biggest selling point was the available clients for all the devices that I use.  Works fine on Linux, Kindle and Blackberry, which were the hardest to find support for.  Will probably keep the Amazon Cloud since it's dirt cheap and still enjoy using the MP3 music streaming on the Kindle.

Chrome 35 on Linux Breaks Java

Java Doesn't Work on Linux Google Chrome 35, Downgrade Recommended.


If Google's Chrome is your browser of choice and you use a web site on regular basis that relies on the Java plugin, then the newest version is not going to be very useful.

As reported on Softpedia today, users are finding that Java just doesn't work with Chrome 35. Posted a few days earlier on AskUbuntu, the issue has been confirmed and recommended for users that must have Java functionality to roll back to Chrome version 34.

Get Things Done Mashup

I've been reading "Getting Things Done" by David Allen and as a result been spending some time putting together a system to help get organized and more productive.  Previously, I had blogged a comparison between OneNote and Evernote and the latter has won for gathering memos, emails, etc. that need to be acted on (trash anything else).  Also found some good references on how to utilize Evernote (tags, notebooks), like The Secret Weapon.  It's a good start, but still looking for more of a system to put notes, tasks and projects together.

Turns out that there are lots of different GTD systems out there, but I only looked at ZenDone and Nozbe in depth.  Both integrate with Evernote, but in different ways.  The difference was why I choose Nozbe for my Task/Project manager.

So, two pieces of the puzzle ... then I added in If This Then That to funnel things to Evernote by doing one of these:

• Star an email in Gmail
• Label an email in Gmail
• Favorite a Tweet

Next step was to get actionable items from Evernote over into Nozbe.  That's where another part of the integration came into play.  One thing I could do was set a reminder on the note and that would get it over to the Nozbe inbox. From there I could assign it to a project or make it a next action.  Then I discovered TaskClone which allows me to create a note with multiple check boxes, add a specific tag and presto ... each check box item shows up in Nozbe as a separate task.

So, there it is, my GTD system to gather up everything important that needs to remembered and tasks that need to be done.  All that from reading one book (and surfing around the net quite a bit).