Just tried to mount a bunch of .iso images I'd made from backup cds so I could hunt for a missing photograph without needing to continually swap cds. I ran out of loop devices, that is I got this error:
mount: could not find any free loop device
Here's how I fixed it thanks to this article.
Creating extra loop device entries
Also make sure you have enough devices available. You can
check how many you have by doing:
ls -d /dev/loop*
An easy way to create more, is by doing:
for i in $(seq 0 255); do
mknod -m0660 /dev/loop$i b 7 $i
chown root.disk /dev/loop$i
done
You can have up to 256 loop devices mounted.
Friday, 3 April 2009
xserver-xorg-video-intel independent destops
I'm running Ubuntu 8.10 - Intrepid Ibex. I moved from Gutsy where I was running the i810 driver which allowed me to have independent desktops so I could have a number of independent workspaces on each of my two monitors.
The i810 driver has been removed and is now considered depreciated.
The intel driver does not support two independent desktops. The XStrikeForce page on RandR states that: "[there are] [n]o more multiple independent desktop[s]". There is a whole discussion about the intel driver and RandR.
Meanwhile, I hit on the idea of opening up a virtual screen on the second monitor.
Using tsclient, I can connect to the localhost using XDMP, and as long as I've allowed local connections and multiple logins, I can connect. However this only works with Xnest, not Xephyr.
I wrote a tiny wrapper script that substitutes the geometry call with screen and it magically works.
The i810 driver has been removed and is now considered depreciated.
The intel driver does not support two independent desktops. The XStrikeForce page on RandR states that: "[there are] [n]o more multiple independent desktop[s]". There is a whole discussion about the intel driver and RandR.
Meanwhile, I hit on the idea of opening up a virtual screen on the second monitor.
Using tsclient, I can connect to the localhost using XDMP, and as long as I've allowed local connections and multiple logins, I can connect. However this only works with Xnest, not Xephyr.
I wrote a tiny wrapper script that substitutes the geometry call with screen and it magically works.
Monday, 30 March 2009
Shared MYOB installation
According to MYOB support you cannot run a shared installation of MYOB, that is you cannot run it from a server.
I beg to differ.
This is what I did to make MYOB Premier v12 work on a shared drive:
All users need full read/write permission to the drive.
I beg to differ.
This is what I did to make MYOB Premier v12 work on a shared drive:
- Install MYOB on each workstation - this is so that the various bits and pieces that MYOB installs into the Windows directory are there. This step may well prove to be optional, but I didn't want to tempt fate.
- Copy the C:\MYOB folder to a server drive.
- Map the folder on the server to a drive for each workstation.
- Update the short-cuts in the Start Menu to use that drive and to start in that drive and to point at the application on that drive. (I updated one, then copied the whole shortcuts folder to the server and replaced all the workstation copies with that folder.)
All users need full read/write permission to the drive.
Sunday, 15 March 2009
Thunderbird, Google Calendar under Ubuntu Intrepid 8.10
To make Google Calendars visible and editable under Ubuntu Intrepid, you need to install three things:
- sudo apt-get install libstdc++5
- Download Lightning (v0.9)
- Download Provider for Google Calendar (v0.5.1)
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Satellite Internet Suspended
Hard to believe but today I've officially suspended my Satellite Internet connection, packed up the dish and am now connected to the 'net with a Telstra (Netcomm) Bigpond Home Gateway (3G9WB).
My costs stayed roughly the same ($130p/m), but instead of a 1024/256 kbit link and 10Gb of data, I now have a 7/2 mbit link with 10Gb of data.
I've got a high-gain antenna attached to my gateway and set-up is now a case of plugging in the modem to 240 volt power and waiting 30 seconds for the modem to boot - beats the hell out of unpacking and building a mount, pointing a dish and setting up the electronics.
It's the end of an era. The Gilat gear has stood me in good stead for many years, been stable and reliable and despite Optus' best efforts at poor customer support, their technicians in the BOC still have my full respect.
My costs stayed roughly the same ($130p/m), but instead of a 1024/256 kbit link and 10Gb of data, I now have a 7/2 mbit link with 10Gb of data.
I've got a high-gain antenna attached to my gateway and set-up is now a case of plugging in the modem to 240 volt power and waiting 30 seconds for the modem to boot - beats the hell out of unpacking and building a mount, pointing a dish and setting up the electronics.
It's the end of an era. The Gilat gear has stood me in good stead for many years, been stable and reliable and despite Optus' best efforts at poor customer support, their technicians in the BOC still have my full respect.
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
The Information Deluge
Today I realised why I'm feeling buried by the various companies that supply me with products and services – it's because I am.
Case in point.
Last week I received five letters from my bank. Most of the content was not applicable to me, was of no interest and hid the real information in between all the other paper.
Here's what I got – all on the same day:
So, in among this wad of paper – I've not gone to the trouble of actually counting pages, but there are many – there lurked some actual things that required action. I won't go into detail about what needed doing, suffice to say that some records needed updating.
Now, this is just one service provider, my bank, on one day. It's true that I don't receive that much postal deluge from my bank each day, but the important information was hidden among all the other things I don't care about and seem to have little control over.
Multiply this little experience with the same deluge from my telecommunications provider, my superannuation fund, the taxation department, my frequent flier membership, etc. You get the picture.
I also run a business and get all manner of “information” sent to me from “suppliers” and other sundry sources. It's a veritable forest just arriving at my door.
There's the additional 300 or so emails a day, but strangely enough, I seem to be able to wade through those a whole lot quicker than I can through the marketing muck that arrives in the post.
Enough whining already. What can be done about this feast?
Well, my idea is this. Perhaps my service providers could have a think about what they're sending out and find ways of actually managing the information flow. Huh?
Ok, what if the bank were to take note of how many letters it sent me in any given period, let's say a month. During that month, there are going to be things that have different levels of importance, both to me and my bank. At the level of where the information gets transmitted into the postal system, the bank needs to put in place a means to throttle the information flow.
The result of this is that I can have a better chance to absorb the information sent to me. Think of it as the way that teachers disseminate information, one chunk at a time.
In addition to this management of the actual flood to my door – remembering that my bank is only one of those, there are other things the service provider could do to help me manage the flow.
Why are all my statements not sent in the same envelope?
I have several accounts with the bank. I get an envelope with a statement for each account – even if the accounts are linked. This is ludicrous.
Why are pages and pages wasted with duplicate advertising?
If you give me some information – in the form of advertising on one of my accounts, then it is silly to say the least to print out the same information for each account.
Why is advertising and information on the same statement at all?
I store all my statements, each comes with a helpful “page 1 of x”, and if I were to just throw out the advertising, then the statement would be missing a page and I wouldn't know if it was an actual statement page, or just advertising – so I store this rubbish – for seven years.
Why is a product advisory shipped with all the things I need if I were interested?
I am bombarded with fliers, forms, disclosure statements and other rubbish when that information could be simply referred to in the cover letter and provided on-line with no need to cut down trees to send it to me and for me to throw it in the bin, mostly sight unseen.
True to form I contacted my bank and attempted to impart my insight – with mixed success. The initial response was “I'll remove you from the direct marketing list” – while kind, it wasn't really what I was hoping to achieve. I then was told that the bank understood what I meant and that they would use the feedback to improve their services. In the mean-time I was directed to their web-site to do my research there. Ah well.
Perhaps other service providers will take this on-board and perhaps the world might see flying pigs one day too.
Case in point.
Last week I received five letters from my bank. Most of the content was not applicable to me, was of no interest and hid the real information in between all the other paper.
Here's what I got – all on the same day:
- Direct marketing material about an insurance product. It came in an envelope on its own with a cover letter, an application form, a deduction authority form, a return envelope, a financial services guide and a 20 page product disclosure statement.
- A credit card statement which contained a cover letter, the actual statement, an advertisement for a service that I already have enabled and a flier attempting to entice me to make me a fashion princess – never mind that I'm a bloke, have been all my life – no intention to change either.
- An account statement, consisting of several pages of transactions, a warning notice on the second-last page and an advertisement for a good cause that the bank would like me to be interested in.
- Another account statement, very brief, single page, but the back has the same advertisement for the same good cause that I am still not interested in.
- And finally, an actual letter from my bank advising me that a service I requested has now been activated – never mind that the lead time is two months, but that's not really what this is all about.
So, in among this wad of paper – I've not gone to the trouble of actually counting pages, but there are many – there lurked some actual things that required action. I won't go into detail about what needed doing, suffice to say that some records needed updating.
Now, this is just one service provider, my bank, on one day. It's true that I don't receive that much postal deluge from my bank each day, but the important information was hidden among all the other things I don't care about and seem to have little control over.
Multiply this little experience with the same deluge from my telecommunications provider, my superannuation fund, the taxation department, my frequent flier membership, etc. You get the picture.
I also run a business and get all manner of “information” sent to me from “suppliers” and other sundry sources. It's a veritable forest just arriving at my door.
There's the additional 300 or so emails a day, but strangely enough, I seem to be able to wade through those a whole lot quicker than I can through the marketing muck that arrives in the post.
Enough whining already. What can be done about this feast?
Well, my idea is this. Perhaps my service providers could have a think about what they're sending out and find ways of actually managing the information flow. Huh?
Ok, what if the bank were to take note of how many letters it sent me in any given period, let's say a month. During that month, there are going to be things that have different levels of importance, both to me and my bank. At the level of where the information gets transmitted into the postal system, the bank needs to put in place a means to throttle the information flow.
The result of this is that I can have a better chance to absorb the information sent to me. Think of it as the way that teachers disseminate information, one chunk at a time.
In addition to this management of the actual flood to my door – remembering that my bank is only one of those, there are other things the service provider could do to help me manage the flow.
Why are all my statements not sent in the same envelope?
I have several accounts with the bank. I get an envelope with a statement for each account – even if the accounts are linked. This is ludicrous.
Why are pages and pages wasted with duplicate advertising?
If you give me some information – in the form of advertising on one of my accounts, then it is silly to say the least to print out the same information for each account.
Why is advertising and information on the same statement at all?
I store all my statements, each comes with a helpful “page 1 of x”, and if I were to just throw out the advertising, then the statement would be missing a page and I wouldn't know if it was an actual statement page, or just advertising – so I store this rubbish – for seven years.
Why is a product advisory shipped with all the things I need if I were interested?
I am bombarded with fliers, forms, disclosure statements and other rubbish when that information could be simply referred to in the cover letter and provided on-line with no need to cut down trees to send it to me and for me to throw it in the bin, mostly sight unseen.
True to form I contacted my bank and attempted to impart my insight – with mixed success. The initial response was “I'll remove you from the direct marketing list” – while kind, it wasn't really what I was hoping to achieve. I then was told that the bank understood what I meant and that they would use the feedback to improve their services. In the mean-time I was directed to their web-site to do my research there. Ah well.
Perhaps other service providers will take this on-board and perhaps the world might see flying pigs one day too.
Friday, 19 September 2008
ThinkPad R52 - Firmware Update
Using Ubuntu Gutsy, updating the firmware is:
The instructions on the IBM site say, update the BIOS before updating the Embedded Controller.
Useful links:
- Download the DVD firmware - the .iso
- Download the HDD firmware - the .iso
- Download the BIOS firmware - the non disk version
- Download the Embedded Controller firmware - the non disk version
- cabextract {filename}
- mkiso -b {filename.IMG} -o isoName.iso {filename.IMG}
The instructions on the IBM site say, update the BIOS before updating the Embedded Controller.
Useful links:
- http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-58931#bios
- http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/BIOS_Upgrade_Downloads
- http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-62282.html
- http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-63596
- Lenovo Support & downloads - BIOS Update (Non-Diskette) - ThinkPad R52 (1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1958), T43 (1871, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1876)
- Lenovo Support & downloads - Embedded Controller Program (Non-Diskette) - ThinkPad R52 (1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1958), T43 (1871, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1876)
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