RSS has changed the way I visit the Web

I've heard RSS for almost three years now. I tried reading feeds 2 years ago, but I was overwhelmed by the vast amount of information that I had stopped using it.

Then I discovered blogging: I read other's blogs. It's here that the interesting thing happens: I no longer get standard feeds from around the world which pour too much information that I don't read but I get friends' feeds and that keep me updated with what's happening at their blogs and which I'm interested to read!

As you can see, I'm using Google Reader. It's Web-based, meaning that I may bring my feeds on whatever computer I use: at home or at work.

Abortion should be legal

Nowadays there's a somewhat huge debate popping up again in Mauritius: should women (and girls, of course) be given the right to abort legally?

Christina has started a nice debate and it seems that in a modern society, it's the right of women and girls to abort. If they don't want to, they don't. And if they want to do it, they should be allowed legally.

This is a nice topic but as far as the discussion is concerned, people will always discuss. Now, it is high time that we take some serious action: legalise it! For God's sake! Let's not kill girls who have become pregnant, girls and women who've been raped, etc...

Discover Gaim: a multi-protocol Instant Messenger (IM) client

May I chat with friends who use Yahoo! IM or Windows Live IM on a Linux platform? That's the question I've been asking myself for the past few days. Luckily, there's some whole bunch of IM available to do this. I've been marvelled by Gaim: a multi-protocol IM client.

The main advantage as compared to other IM clients is that I may log on using the same client instance for accounts on Yahoo!, Windows Live and ICQ at the same time! Isn't that fantastic?! Gaim also supports other protocols as well.

I'm using version 2.0beta6 for Debian archives, the install package used by Kubuntu, from http://download.ubuntu.pl/_Edgy_Eft/gaim/2.0.0-beta-6/.

If you're using Gaim 1.5 for Windows, you might expect some problems: it would crash for Windows Live accounts. Just download an updated library dll at the project's bug tracker.

I've not yet tested if the problem persists for 2.0beta6 version for the Windows platform - a bit of laziness from me - yuk!

Happy chatting!

USB modem ZTE (ZXDSL) 852 install success on Linux

It's been a week now since I've successfully installed the modem's driver on my Kubuntu.

The tutorial at http://doc.ubuntu-fr.org/materiel/zxdsl852 has a good explanation.

Basically, you need to have the latest kernel - i.e. 2.6.19 or greater as stated. I downloaded kernel 2.6.20 from http://www.kernel.org. Else, you have to mess with codes to add vendor ID's.

The tutorial at http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=85064 helped me in downloading all necessary packages and steps to follow to install the new kernel.

Then as stated also in the tutorial, I downloaded the firmware at http://ftp.linux.it/pub/People/md/warez/cxacru-fw.bin.gz.

I untarred the firmware and placed it in /lib/firmware/$(uname -r) directory, e,g. /lib/firmware/2.6.20/ directory.

Then I disconnected my modem from the USB port and reconnected it. After a few seconds, orange lights flashed, stopped, flashed, stopped , flashed and lit on!

Bingo! Modem firmware loaded successfully.

Then I created a connection as stated in the tutorial from Ubuntu.

Now each time I start my PC on Kubuntu, my modem's firmware is loaded automatically. I only have to pppd call zxdsl to connect to the ISP.

Huh, I didn't find a way to disconnect other than shutting down...

And I'm having fun....

This article also appears at http://www.lugm.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5243#5243.

Beer testing

OK - here's something to cheer about, taken from Smile of the Day (Beer Testing, February 8):

Yesterday, scientists for the USDA suggested that men should take a look at their beer consumption,considering the results of a recent analysis that revealed the presence of female hormones in beer.

The theory is that drinking beer makes men turn into women. To test the finding, 100 men were fed 8 pints of beer each. It was then observed that 100% of the men gained weight, talked excessively without making sense, became overly emotional, could not drive, failed to think rationally, argued over nothing, and refused to apologise when wrong.

No further testing is planned.

Live CD saves my files

After having changed my mainboard due to a terrible thunderstorm (see previous post), my Windows and Ubuntu OS wouldn't boot. I had gigabytes of data-files to back up, including saved Need for Speed Carbon games and Half-Life 2 games (see post), personal files and music. That would have been impossible unless to transfer the hard disk to another computer as slave and then perform the operation.

However, thanks to Live CD technology from Linux, I was able to boot my computer and transfer my files via LAN to my old P3 for backup! Mounting the drives using Kubuntu Live CD was a breeze and a fun experience.

Unfornately, I couldn't test to see whether we can burn DVDs using Live CD in Kubuntu since I have only one DVD-drive on my P4 - that's why I had to make a LAN transfer!

Pain of a thunderstorm

Usually, people who use their desktop computers frequently know that having an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is important - it helps protect the computer from unexpected power disruption. So saying, it should supply some amount of power to allow us to shut down our computer, after having saved all our data, nicely when a power cut occurs. And it should also protect us against voltage spikes which may occur, especially during thunderstorms.

However, my UPS did not achieve the second goal three weeks ago during a thunderstorm. I should admit that it might have achieved it during the last three years since my dad bought it and that we had no problems at all, but not three weeks ago, despite the fact that it is labeled 'surge protection system'.

Consequence: the power supply and mainboard on my P4 burnt! However, my P3, which is also connected to the same UPS, was working fine!!

My dad and brother took the P4 to BBCWYSE Ltd which is found near where I live. The guy there told me later that the UPS does not protect against voltage spike! despite the fact that it is labeled 'surge protection'!!

So far, no huge pain - we only have to buy a new mainboard... But alas! When we bought the P4 three years ago from Leal Informatics Ltd, we had a Gigabyte socket 478 mainboard with 5 PCI slots and extension bracket for 5.1 surround sound. However, we couldn't find one which matches this criterion - socket 478 with 5 PCI slots! Why we're after this: because as the years passed by, we bought PCI modem, firewire (IEEE 1394) PCI card, PCI LAN card, etc...

After three weeks search at nearly all stores in Mauritius, we came to the conclusion that we couldn't replace our mainboard with an identical or near-identical one since the mainboard was no longer being manufactured. Huh, this is expected since in the IT world, everything changes fast.

But we were disappointed since we had to buy a cheap integrated MSI mainboard with no Game and MIDI ports, no 5.1 surround sound extension bracket, no serial port, etc... it provided only the basics!!

After passing three weeks without a good computer at home, I will now have to pass the next months thinking on what to invest money - a PCI 5.1 surround sound card or a MIDI PCI port... since I have only one PCI port left empty! I may get both on the same card at some store but that may be really expensive and rare... so I'm keeping my fingers crossed...