But it was tough to figure it out initially. Maybe this is how computer scientists must feel when they are asked to understand and write about a cell-culture or mouse knock-out experiment.
Tinypliny's Journal
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09/20/2010 17:47 #52790
Drupal: Hooks, blocks, modules and nodesCategory: i-tech
I spent quite a chunk of time reading about it. I am hooked. I have to wonder about the people who actually designed all of this - they must have some of the most logical and organized minds around. It took my puny brain quite a while to understand how content management in Drupal actually works.
But it was tough to figure it out initially. Maybe this is how computer scientists must feel when they are asked to understand and write about a cell-culture or mouse knock-out experiment.
But it was tough to figure it out initially. Maybe this is how computer scientists must feel when they are asked to understand and write about a cell-culture or mouse knock-out experiment.
09/18/2010 23:18 #52781
The weekday consequences of a bald spot.Category: the odes
I have an almost bald patch from my most recent haircut. And no, I didn't do it myself. It's terribly amusing and I can't help laughing at how absolutely abysmal my head looks now.
I resemble him closely.
I guess I am going to repent all this laughing on Monday when people shoot me looks of embarrassment and try and feel bad for me. I will reciprocally try and look appropriately apologetic for having inflicted the bald spot on them.
But my evil twin will want to respond like this...
I resemble him closely.
I guess I am going to repent all this laughing on Monday when people shoot me looks of embarrassment and try and feel bad for me. I will reciprocally try and look appropriately apologetic for having inflicted the bald spot on them.
But my evil twin will want to respond like this...
09/18/2010 04:36 #52773
Print/Read only selections from a web pageCategory: i-tech
It always annoys me when articles I want to read on the web, specifically the ones that link out from aldaily.com are almost always embedded in webpages that additionally have unnecessary and distracting elements such as menus, ads etc.
Chrome came to my rescue. I simply right click over the content I want to read, click inspect element, find the element that houses the article (usually it is under some div id), right click on the appropriate div > copy as html > paste that entire thing on a text editor, say, notepad > save as html. Open the new html file in a browser. Et Voilà - just content, no fluff!
PS: I know you could just click-drag-copy the text you want to read, but I find this cumbersome for really long articles.
Chrome came to my rescue. I simply right click over the content I want to read, click inspect element, find the element that houses the article (usually it is under some div id), right click on the appropriate div > copy as html > paste that entire thing on a text editor, say, notepad > save as html. Open the new html file in a browser. Et Voilà - just content, no fluff!
PS: I know you could just click-drag-copy the text you want to read, but I find this cumbersome for really long articles.
tinypliny - 09/21/10 20:11
Ah! I knew about this before but somehow forgot about it because it has messed up pages in the past. Thanks for the reminder. I have dragged the bookmarklet to chrome.
Ah! I knew about this before but somehow forgot about it because it has messed up pages in the past. Thanks for the reminder. I have dragged the bookmarklet to chrome.
ajay - 09/21/10 20:04
There's a Javascript bookmarklet you can install, called "Readability". It does a phenomenal job of removing the clutter. :::link:::
There's a Javascript bookmarklet you can install, called "Readability". It does a phenomenal job of removing the clutter. :::link:::
paul - 09/18/10 10:22
On a mac, safari has that new reader mode. I wonder if chrome will follow suit.
On a mac, safari has that new reader mode. I wonder if chrome will follow suit.
09/17/2010 08:56 #52765
Fedora Switch and PDF alternativesCategory: i-tech
Massive thanks to (e:Paul) for helping me finally make the switch to Fedora on my laptop! So far, it's been running without a hitch. I have found some linux alternatives for my most heavily used programs. However, I am still missing some. I am hoping that all these missing alternatives don't break the switch... Any suggestions that you might have are more than welcome.
Web browsing
Chrome ---> Chrome
Media
VLC --> VLC --> Amarok (? I am not sure if it supports all the various formats FLAC, APE, Ogg, WMV etc like foobar2000 though. Any alternatives?)
Documents
LaTeX ---> LaTeX
PDFXChange Viewer with Wine --> ??????? I am completely stumped here.
MS Word --> MS Word using VMbox? (haven't installed this yet). Openoffice completely messes up formats between its odt format and the doc format so I'd rather not use it and spent time fixing ridiculous formatting conflicts.
Virtual PDF printer driver with a very small footprint that I use to print things to PDF. Again, not sure about alternatives.
Distraction-free black full-screen writing environment. Do you know of any fedora alternatives?
Analysis
R --> R
TinnR --> ???? I use this extensively for writing R code and push the code from TinnR to R for running. It highlights syntax and helps me keep track of coding rules. Any linux alternatives that will integrate with R and has colour coding?
Art
myPaint --> myPaint
Irfanview --> ????
Fotographix --> ????
I would love some suggestions for PDF annotation, highlighting and commenting. I used PDF XChange viewer for this with Wine but I can't find an equivalent piece of native software for Linux. PDFs form the backbone of what I read and use day in and day out and this could just be the deciding factor for me for staying on with the Fedora system or switching back to Ubuntu. Any input you can give me would be awesome! I really don't want to go back to Ubuntu - now that I have seen all the charms of Fedora.
Web browsing
Chrome ---> Chrome
Media
VLC --> VLC --> Amarok (? I am not sure if it supports all the various formats FLAC, APE, Ogg, WMV etc like foobar2000 though. Any alternatives?)
Documents
LaTeX ---> LaTeX
PDFXChange Viewer with Wine --> ??????? I am completely stumped here.
MS Word --> MS Word using VMbox? (haven't installed this yet). Openoffice completely messes up formats between its odt format and the doc format so I'd rather not use it and spent time fixing ridiculous formatting conflicts.
Virtual PDF printer driver with a very small footprint that I use to print things to PDF. Again, not sure about alternatives.
Distraction-free black full-screen writing environment. Do you know of any fedora alternatives?
Analysis
R --> R
TinnR --> ???? I use this extensively for writing R code and push the code from TinnR to R for running. It highlights syntax and helps me keep track of coding rules. Any linux alternatives that will integrate with R and has colour coding?
Art
myPaint --> myPaint
Irfanview --> ????
Fotographix --> ????
I would love some suggestions for PDF annotation, highlighting and commenting. I used PDF XChange viewer for this with Wine but I can't find an equivalent piece of native software for Linux. PDFs form the backbone of what I read and use day in and day out and this could just be the deciding factor for me for staying on with the Fedora system or switching back to Ubuntu. Any input you can give me would be awesome! I really don't want to go back to Ubuntu - now that I have seen all the charms of Fedora.
paul - 09/17/10 18:49
Check out pyroom (e:paul,52769). I can make it do the typewriter sounds if you want them. Its wonderfully open source.
Check out pyroom (e:paul,52769). I can make it do the typewriter sounds if you want them. Its wonderfully open source.
paul - 09/17/10 14:49
I would also look at open office again, in case it has changed at all since you last used it. They are constantly working on and updating it.
I would also look at open office again, in case it has changed at all since you last used it. They are constantly working on and updating it.
tinypliny - 09/17/10 11:01
This laptop that I have came with Vista - which was unbearable. So I had to switch to a very stripped down and modded version of WinXP, add SATA drivers that were not in WinXp and jump through other crazy hoops to make it all streamlined and minimal --> :::link:::
But this whole fedora switch required almost 90% less effort for 50% more performance. Pretty impressive! :-)
This laptop that I have came with Vista - which was unbearable. So I had to switch to a very stripped down and modded version of WinXP, add SATA drivers that were not in WinXp and jump through other crazy hoops to make it all streamlined and minimal --> :::link:::
But this whole fedora switch required almost 90% less effort for 50% more performance. Pretty impressive! :-)
tinypliny - 09/17/10 10:56
You know if this experiment runs successfully, I am going to be writing a LOT about this switch to encourage half the WinXP people hovering on the hedge to fall into Fedora. Who knows, it might just overtake all those google hits for the Penang sauce.
You know if this experiment runs successfully, I am going to be writing a LOT about this switch to encourage half the WinXP people hovering on the hedge to fall into Fedora. Who knows, it might just overtake all those google hits for the Penang sauce.
paul - 09/17/10 10:25
When saving files rom wine apps, make sure to choose Z: drive (which is your linux area) and then home, then you user, then documents or desktop or wherever you want. I love fedora even more today.
When saving files rom wine apps, make sure to choose Z: drive (which is your linux area) and then home, then you user, then documents or desktop or wherever you want. I love fedora even more today.
paul - 09/17/10 10:19
I got PDF-XChange to run in fedora natively with wine. you don't need to switch. I posted instructions at (e:paul,52766) in case anyone else needs them.
Same thing for Q10. I didn't try the others but I am sure you can either use or find alternatives.
For PDF printing, you do not need anything. It is built in by default. Just go to print anything with regular print dialogue, choose print to file option and select PDF. I think PS is the default.
I got PDF-XChange to run in fedora natively with wine. you don't need to switch. I posted instructions at (e:paul,52766) in case anyone else needs them.
Same thing for Q10. I didn't try the others but I am sure you can either use or find alternatives.
For PDF printing, you do not need anything. It is built in by default. Just go to print anything with regular print dialogue, choose print to file option and select PDF. I think PS is the default.
09/14/2010 22:20 #52734
Ink = Terrible FilmCategory: the odes
What a waste of a good 1 hour. I realized 10 minutes into the film that I would be fast-forwarding my way through it. What I didn't realize was that even with the fast-forwarding the "slowness" of the film remains with you and drags you slowly and painfully by the tip of your smashed nose.
Yuckety yuck. Life is too short to be wasting an hour on garbage that tries to pass off as an "Indie". I wish I had never found Gnod
Ink was such an AWFUL recommendation. I am never going back to Gnod. EVER
Yuckety yuck. Life is too short to be wasting an hour on garbage that tries to pass off as an "Indie". I wish I had never found Gnod
Ink was such an AWFUL recommendation. I am never going back to Gnod. EVER
Excellent idea except for a tiny hitch. Might attract even more attention if I suddenly start wearing them indoors.
id wear stylish hats until it grew back.
It was an accident. Her heel caught on the long sheet that they make you wear when they are cutting your hair and she twisted her ankle. It happened pretty fast. She was using the thinning shears and her wrist flicked briefly as a reaction. As a result, she cut off slightly more than she was intending too. It was not intentional. Besides, she was really sweet to me. I wouldn't blame her at all.
Where did you get your haircut!?