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Archive for October, 2006

What is really needed these days for a computer?

October 14th, 2006 Lloyd Leung No comments

Seems like everything I do these on the computer requires only the following:

  • Open Office .org – for writing documents/spreadsheets etc…
  • Thunderbird – for email
  • Firefox – web browsing

For IRC, I’m using MIRC, as that works under wine.

I also now have discovered bluefish. Which is a graphical text editor with syntax highlighting. Excellent application in my opionion.

Eagle layout program is a good PCB design application, however, it’s crashing on me recently… who knows why. I’ll compare version numbers, and upgrade if need be.

Categories: General Tags:

Gnome – multiple monitor taskbar window listing

October 14th, 2006 Lloyd Leung 34 comments

How to/howto get gnome to show what’s running on a given monitor. After having linux installed for a while, leaving pretty much the default install running. I decided to venture out and find how to tweak some usability settings.

There is a program called utlramon for windows that already does this [mentioned above]. A Linux ultramon doesn’t exist, well not as a separate program, as the functionality already exists in gnome.

Just add a panel to each monitor you want, and add to that panel a window list. That’s it.

Instructions:
1.) Right click on anywhere on the launchbar, click “New Panel”

[UPDATE: 2010/05/02 added ALT]
2.) hold down ALT + Drag the new panel to any monitor/location.
3.) Right click on that panel, and click “Add to Panel”
4.) Select “Window List” under Desktop and Windows
5.) Click Add.
6.) Click Close, and you’re done.

Now I don’t have a cluster of ALL windows on my three head setup on one taskbar.

If this helps, please drop a line in the comments.

Organization and getting things done, a combination of systems.

October 11th, 2006 Lloyd Leung 2 comments

I’m trying out the 43 folders system. Plenty of websites out there that show you how to use this system.

Along with this other system, which prioritizes tasks into priorities.

  1. Important and Urgent.
  2. Urgent
  3. Important
  4. Other Tasks

definition of Important

  • of great significance or value; “important people”; “the important questions of the day”
  • significant: important in effect or meaning; “a significant change in tax laws”; “a significant change in the Constitution”; “a significant contribution”; “significant details”; “statistically significant”
  • crucial: of extreme importance; vital to the resolution of a crisis; “a crucial moment in his career”; “a crucial election”; “a crucial issue for women”

definition of Urgent

  • pressing: compelling immediate action; “too pressing to permit of longer delay”; “the urgent words `Hurry! Hurry!’”; “bridges in urgent need of repair”

I define the above to terms to show the difference. Important is of value and significance. Urgency has a time associated with the given task. Think of this as a two by two matrix.

(1) Important + Urgent (2)Urgent
(3) Important (4)Other Tasks

Immediate and Urgent
- Stuff that must get gone ASAP, such as bills, immediate projects, etc.
- If you don’t get it done by the given time, there’s negative consequences.

Urgent
- Tasks that needs to get done by a given time.

Important
- Stuff that needs to get done, but with no time line or time due is in the future.

Other Tasks
- Tasks that are neither important or urgent.

You must prioritize tasks.

Something else I’m trying out.
- Write out 5 tasks that I must to get done for that day.
- Keep at those tasks till I’m done them. If I complete them all early for the day, create 5 more. If I do not get these new tasks done for the same day, no worries.
- Repeat.

Tips to accomplish this.
Keep that list with you at all times… have it in front of you… it must be a constant reminder.

Don’t go making a super long list, and trying to get them all done, it just doesn’t happen. I would group errands together like post office, banking and grocery shopping all in one go.

Categories: General Tags:

howto: Getting EMC LiveCD. Ubuntu dapper drake

October 9th, 2006 Lloyd Leung No comments

Windows to EMC Live

First, download the iso image. source, alternatively the mirror.

1.) unzip/copy md5sum.exe into the same folder/directory as emc2-ubuntu6.06-desktop-i386.iso
2.) in a dos window… type “md5sum emc2-ubuntu6.06-desktop-i386.iso” without quotes. This may take a few minutes.
3.) Compare the result to this “6ee5048eb9cb424aa030dfedccc5386b” without quotes.
4.) if they match, burn the image (google, howto burn an ISO image), and do verification at the end. If the numbers don’t match, you’ll have to redownload the image.
5.) Open the newly created CD, and you should see multiple files, and folders. If not, please see #4 and google.
6.) Boot off this CD. Make sure your bios looks at this CDrom as one of the boot devices.

Places to download md5sum.
http://etree.org/cgi-bin/counter.cgi/software/md5sum.exe
http://theopencd.sunsite.dk/md5sum.exe
http://www.fourmilab.ch/md5/md5.zip
http://downloads.activestate.com/contrib/md5sum/Windows/md5sum.exe

short explaination of md5sum.

Categories: Machining, Technology, Workshop Tags: