For those of you who are regular readers, and listeners to the GGP have probably noticed that I’ve missed out on my show notes posting for the last three shows (GGP #85, #86 & #87).
What I’m wondering is if you folks find any value in me re-posting this stuff on the blog? Shoot me a note in the comments. 
→ No CommentsTags: Blogging · Global Geek Podcast · Mac Lab Rat
One of the projects that’s kept me busy for the past couple of months (30 minutes at a time…) has been the realization of my home server strategy. I’ve decided to start a multi-part series on both the hardware and software setup that I’ve chosen and will link to some key resources for anyone who might want to take on a similar project.
In the house, we’ve got four computers running various editions of OS X and Windows. What I’ve been looking for is a solution which would serve all these platforms seamlessly.
The first part of the project was to sift through the guts of all the computers that I had in my house and see if I could get something put together which would serve the duty of the home server. The server needed to perform a few specific functions:
In addition, I may extend the capabilities of the server to include:
With those requirements in mind I set about scrounging through the working, and not-so working hulks that I had laying around the basement. I was able to come up with the following configuration:
The first priority is to get some backups going for the house and get some of our data copied. There were two priorities for the backup: seamless and automatic. This last item is particularly important because as many experts have noted a backup is useless unless it will happen automatically for you. If you have to think about it, you won’t do it.
After looking at the hardware configuration it was obvious I was going to need some additional storage. 2 80GB drives would hardly do to backup data from four separate computers. So I picked up a 500GB Western Digital MyBook.
And with that the gear was complete. Now all I had to do was image the franken-box with a copy of Hardy Heron and actually put it to use.
→ No CommentsTags: Gadgets · Geeky · Hardware · Open Source · Tech Tips · Technology · Ubuntu
I realize that I’ve been rather delinquent in my blogging recently, and to be honest, that may continue in the coming weeks. That said, I needed to get this out and spread the word, if a little late, that Firefox 3 has been released.
Go download it! I’ll wait….
There now… doesn’t that feel better?
Many of the extensions have already been upgraded to work with the new version, and others are sure to follow soon. I’ll keep an eye on things and try to let you know when PortableApps releases Firefox3.
Also, if you download today (or by 10:00am PT tomorrow), you can be among those participating in Mozilla’s Guinness World-Record attempt.
→ 3 CommentsTags: Downloads · Geeky · Internet · News · Open Source · Security · Tech News · Tech Tips
When I checked into the hotel tonight, I fired up my macbook on the provided (hardwired! gah!) Internet connection and went about my evening routine (blogs, pocasts, email, twitter… you know the deal). When I popped open my iTunes to crank on some tunes something came to my attention: There was a remote library showing in my iTunes.
At first, I gave “John’s Music” very little thought, I was listening to a podcast at the moment and wasn’t interested in investigating. However soon after, when the show ended, my curiosity got the better of me and I went for a peek. The music itself wasn’t all that amazing, but upon closer inspection I noticed something else. I realized that I now knew far more about John than I thought I would and just from looking at iTunes.
Based on primarily his playlist names, and to a lesser degree the content, I was able to deduce:
Those are some pretty crazy personal details… and they were all there for the taking right out of a publicly shared iTunes folder.
How do I Un-Share?
It’s actually ridiculously easy…
First, go to your iTunes Preference Panel…
Second, unselect the “Share my library on my local network” checkbox.
Now I realize that this may seem a drastic step for those who only ever use their iTunes at home. But if you travel, or make use of open public wi-fi hotspots (or poached ones) your iTunes library could be giving away personal information without you even knowing it. It also illistrates the point that not all Apple products ship in a “secure” mode as often touted. It’s not out-of-the-box functionality, but it isn’t difficult to poach files out of someone’s iTunes folder if they’re DRM free…
→ No CommentsTags: Apple · Internet · Security · Soapbox · Tech Tips
I did this post up on the GGP blog a few minutes ago, but I wanted to pass it along to everyone here too in case (gasp!) you’re not a GGP subscriber [rss]. A guy put together a six-node render farm using nothing but raw components and a special diy case using… wait for it… wait for it… an Ikea cabinet.
This thing is a beast. 24 CPU Cores and 48GB of memory sure beats the hell out of the server I was planning to put in my basement. I ran the numbers on the components he used and it looks like it would cost about C$6500.00. Of that the funky Ikea case is less than 1% of the total. Pretty spanky!
→ 4 CommentsTags: Gadgets · Geeky · Guest Blog
This week CityTV was cited by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council for failing to uphold the copyright of a man who published photos on Flickr under a Creative Commons license. Though the ruling doesn’t actually compel CityTV to atone for their actions by crediting the photographer (Joel Charlebois, aka uwajedi).
When CityTV arrived on the scene to do a story about the burglary, Charlebois says that he “refused [a reporter's] request for an interview….[and] asked him to leave.” Charlebois did, however, say that he “had taken pictures of the perpetrator and was looking forward to posting them on [his] Flickr site”; the reporter “was interested in seeing them,” so Charlebois gave him his card, but, he says, not permission to use the shots in any way. [torontoist]
The photos are of a man who allegedly tried to break into the photographer’s home. After posting the Creative Commons licensed photos to a couple of groups on Flickr, they were run by CityTV on their newscast without providing any attribution despite the fact that they were aware the Charlebois had taken the photos.
It took nearly nine months for the CBSC to make its ruling. In my opinion, the fact that it doesn’t actually compel CityTV to fix their mistake but merely acknowledge it fails to uphold the spirit of the CC license. As Duane Storey observed:
If I were to use CityTV footage on my blog without attribution, I would bet I would get a nice cease and desist letter forcing me to take it down in no time. That they think the laws should be different in each direction seems characteristic of most large media conglomerates these days. [duanestorey.com]
This sentiment seems to be shared by a number of individuals including Charlebois himself. Must it be up to independent media such as bloggers and podcasters to show the “professionals” how to properly attribute work? Was this simply a case of laziness on CityTV’s part or is it a symptom of a deeper disdain for those who don’t actually get to carry a press credential?
→ 1 CommentTags: Blogging · Flickr · News
This week’s episode of the GGP was so jam-packed with geeky goodness, Dave had to split the show into two chunks. You can find both Chunk A and Chunk B on the GGP blog.
To help keep the show length reasonable, the Mac Lab report for this show is a quick one. The inspiration comes from a post by Tim Cox over at MacApper. This is a collection of Automator scripts which will help to keep your downloads directory clean.
These scripts provide methods for managing your Internet downloads for everything from music files (Tunes to Trash), disk images (Perfect Dismount) and zip archives (The Zipper).
Overall the tools do a decent job of keeping things tidy and are a great example of a practical use for Automator for the everyday user.
→ No CommentsTags: Downloads · Global Geek Podcast · Mac Lab Rat · Podcasting · Tech Tips
This Saturday marks a major milestone for the city of Vancouver. Well, perhaps not for the city, but definitely for the mac-geeks in the region. This Saturday is the long-awaited opening of an Apple store west of Toronto.
Photo Credit: xtianyves on Flickr
I’m not the only excited local blogger. See some posts today from DuaneStory and Miss604 (via the twittersphere of course).
The Apple Store announcement on the Apple website provides all the necessary details for the grand opening and even provides links to start booking your “genius bar” appointments. Time to get my MacBook case fixed again, the timing is wonderful.
→ 3 CommentsTags: Apple · Community · Gadgets · News · Tech News
On my recent trip to Boston I had a day all to myself thanks to my lovely wife being stuck in a conference (which was the catalyst for the trip in the first place). I took the opportunity to do a bit of a Geek’s Tour of the area, some of which I’ve already blogged about.
The day started off in the hotel room poaching free wi-fii off a local hospital. It’s damn decent of them to offer a wi-fi hotspot free to patients and their families (and geeks who are willing to sit at an odd angle near the hotel window). I was completing a draft of an email that I was planning to send to the mayors of Burnaby and Vancouver on the topic of municipally supported wi-fi. The email got written up, I checked the twitter feeds (fired off a tweet or two I think) and then headed to my first destination.
I hopped on the “T” as they call it in Boston and took the Green line all into the heart of the city and Government Center. This is the central government complex and one end of the area served by Boston’s open wi-fi pilot that they’re conducting with ISP Galaxy Internet. I headed across the street to the Faneuil marketplace and parked myself on a bench. I wasn’t gonna hang around very long because it was bloody cold and windy, but I stuck it out long enough to fire off the email and quickly blog the experience. As much as I was enjoying the free signal and 5-bar signal strength (over 90%) it was time for me to g as there were three more stops on this tour and it was already approaching 11:00am.
I re-boarded the “T” and headed out towards Cambridge. My first stop was the MIT museum. I got off the train and walked through the streets of Cambridge past several campus buildings. The architecture on some was quite unique, and there were a great deal fewer old buildings in and around the area. Much of it appeared to be mid-20th century construction or newer. The walk from the “T” station to the museum was longer than I had anticipated but provided me a look at a side of Cambridge I wouldn’t have otherwise had the chance to see.
When I arrived at the museum the first thing that struck me was the austere, spartan look of the main floor. It was very functionally laid out, with lots of “white space”. The most interesting exhibit on the main floor was that of the CityCar. This is a project being proposed by MIT professors and graduate students to create a pool of electrically powered cars for use in urban settings, much the same way bicycle pools exist in major European cities today.
On the upper floor was an extensive robotics exhibit and though much of the material was dated (mid-late 1990s) it gave great insight into the directions of artificial intelligence research and robotics. I got a chance to see the original “Kismet” robot which was neat after having seen so many Discovery channel programs about it. There was also some DNA and genetics research on display, and through I read and was able to understand the words, much of the significance escaped me this time around.
After MIT’s museum, I re-boarded the “T” and headed for Harvard Square. Once I arrived, the only thing I could contemplate was lunch, it was nearly 2:00pm after all, On the recommendation of Miss604 via the Twtittersphere I was able to find a great place for a pint and a quick meal. I stopped in at John Harvard’s Brew House. The atmosphere was a bit dead in the lull between lunchtime and happy hour, but I was able to get my geek on by getting some writing done on the Technological Dependence post, and it was in fact my lack of a paper map and an attempt to Google-search my way to directions (instead of asking for directions or a map) which inspired that post. (Sidenote: I did eventually FAIL with the digital maps and find my way to one of the paper variety.) The food was pretty good. I followed the aforementioned recommendation and tried out the Meatloaf (in sandwich form at lunchtime) and with it a pint of the Sam Adams Nut-brown ale (they were out of the porter). I don’t know if there’s enough for a Ho Yummy.com review but it was certainly a decent pub lunch.
After lunch was the final stop for the afternoon, a trip to the Harvard Museum of Natural History, and the Peabody Museum. This was geekery of a different kind. I’ve always been a fan of history, and this gave me a chance to explore some great exhibits on geology, archaeology and to a lesser degree, palaeontology. There wasn’t a whole lot to differentiate this museum from other similar ones I’ve visited in the past. In fact it was relatively small when compared to the Field museum in Chicago or even the Royal BC Museum in Victoria; however for a school museum it was very well maintained and they allowed flash photography.
All in all it was a very enjoyable day. I took a few dozen shots, some of which I’ve featured here, the rest of which are in the Flickr set for the trip. If you’re ever in Boston, take a day trip out to Cambridge and check out the sights. They’re wonderful cities, full of history, and a great place for a little geeky adventure.
Image Credit: carolclarinet on Flickr
→ 2 CommentsTags: Geeky · General · Internet · Soapbox · iPod Touch
Recently I had the experience of changing the battery on a [second-generation iPod mini -- link it somewhere]. This isn’t a difficult task in and of itself and though it may scratch the unit is something which can give you a renewed music-listening experience for a fraction of the cost of getting a “professional” to do it.
DISCLAIMER: As with all of its brethren, the iPod mini does not ship with a “user-servicable” battery (or anything else for that matter). This means that if you run into any trouble with the unit, you need to take it to an Apple-authorized service centre. Opening the unit yourself WILL void the warranty. Unless of course your warranty has already run out, in which case: fill yer boots!
Alright, with that out of the way, on to the deed at hand.
As my guide to the process I used this guide from CNET. It was extremely helpful and provides detailed instructions as well as a tour of the inside of your mini. For that reason I’ll link to their guide and only provide a “Coles notes” version here. (For those of you outside Canada, Coles is a book supplier that produces a guide series similar to Cliffs Notes.)
Step 1 - Get yourself a replacement battery
Chances are when you get the new battery it will ship with some sort of tool. For this process you need a flat screwdriver (primarily for use as a pry-bar), and a small [Phillips screwdriver -- wiki]. If you have a small jewellers set you can use that, though you may suffer some minor damage to the flat-head if it’s not very strong.
Step 2 - Remove the covers
Use the flat-head screwdriver to pry off the top and bottom covers. Keep in mind that the lock switch will come off with the top cover. Both covers were originally secured with glue, so place them sticky-side up to not mess with it too much.
Step 3 - Remove the bottom spring-plate
Use the flat-head screwdriver again to remove the spring-plate from the bottom side. This is holding the unit in place.
Step 4 - Remove the screws
Using the small Phillips screwdriver remove all the small screws. I realize I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but DON’T LOSE THEM!. You will need them later.
Step 5 - Remove the command-interface jumper
If you look at the bottom of the unit, you’ll see a small plastic connector on one side. Carefully remove this (this is the interface to the command buttons on the front of the casing). Once it is removed, the guts of the iPod should be unencumbered. Slide the whole unit out the top.
Step 6 - Replace the battery
The battery will be stuck to the unit with a small piece of adhesive which is sticking it to one of the chips on the iPod’s mainboard. Slowly peel off the battery and hold it perpendicular to the board. Take note of the placement of the different coloured wires then remove the jumper. Place the new battery on the device and reverse the process, taking special care to ensure the wires are on the correct pins. This is pretty much the easiest part of the whole process.
Step 7 - Charge and Test (technically optional)
I highly recommend doing a full charge-and-test while the unit is disassembled. This will ensure that if anything isn’t hooked up correctly, it can be corrected without having to re-dissecting the iPod.
Step 8 - Re-assemble
Follow Steps five through one to re-assemble that mini. Take care to smooth out the top and bottom casings, and to place them back sticky side down. That’s all she wrote.
Overall the experience for me went pretty well. The article CNET article was very helpful in getting this completed quickly and with a minimum of fuss. Admittedly I didn’t read through the whole article, and had a touch of difficulty as a result. Follow Step 7… for the love of God.
Once I got the unit reassembled, it ran into exactly the same problem as with the original unit. It didn’t want to retain a charge. Since the new battery was still, well, new I decided to swap in the original again to make sure its behaviour hand not changed. They were both the same. This leads be to believe that there are is a problem with the charging circuit and not with the battery. Oh well… win some and lose some I guess.
→ 2 CommentsTags: Apple · Gadgets · Geeky · Tech Tips