I finally installed the Google talk plugin on Fedora 15 last night. I used the official x86_64 rpm package on the Google talk page. It pulled in a ton of dependencies. When I checked later, it had updated/installed all of these:

Oct 22 23:41:03 Installed: libgcc-4.6.1-9.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:04 Installed: nss-softokn-freebl-3.12.10-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:05 Installed: glibc-2.14-5.i686
Oct 22 23:41:06 Updated: audit-libs-2.1.3-1.fc15.x86_64
Oct 22 23:41:07 Updated: glib2-2.28.8-1.fc15.x86_64
Oct 22 23:41:07 Installed: zlib-1.2.5-3.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:08 Installed: libjpeg-turbo-1.1.1-1.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:09 Installed: freetype-2.4.4-5.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:09 Installed: libstdc++-4.6.1-9.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:10 Updated: libuuid-2.19.1-1.4.fc15.x86_64
Oct 22 23:41:10 Updated: libblkid-2.19.1-1.4.fc15.x86_64
Oct 22 23:41:11 Updated: libjpeg-turbo-1.1.1-1.fc15.x86_64
Oct 22 23:41:11 Updated: krb5-libs-1.9.1-5.fc15.x86_64
Oct 22 23:41:12 Installed: libtiff-3.9.5-1.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:12 Installed: 2:libpng-1.2.46-1.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:13 Installed: libgpg-error-1.9-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:14 Installed: libselinux-2.0.99-4.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:14 Installed: gamin-0.1.10-9.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:15 Installed: glib2-2.28.8-1.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:16 Installed: 2:libogg-1.2.2-3.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:16 Updated: 1:cups-libs-1.4.8-5.fc15.x86_64
Oct 22 23:41:17 Installed: atk-2.0.0-1.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:17 Installed: libgcrypt-1.4.6-1.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:18 Installed: libICE-1.0.6-3.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:18 Installed: libcom_err-1.41.14-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:19 Installed: 1:dbus-libs-1.4.6-5.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:19 Updated: libmount-2.19.1-1.4.fc15.x86_64
Oct 22 23:41:20 Updated: libXi-1.4.3-2.fc15.x86_64
Oct 22 23:41:20 Installed: avahi-libs-0.6.30-3.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:20 Installed: 1:libvorbis-1.3.2-1.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:21 Installed: flac-1.2.1-6.fc12.i686
Oct 22 23:41:21 Installed: libsndfile-1.0.25-1.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:22 Installed: jasper-libs-1.900.1-17.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:23 Installed: libv4l-0.8.5-1.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:23 Installed: pixman-0.20.2-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:23 Installed: libXau-1.0.6-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:24 Installed: libxcb-1.7-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:24 Installed: libX11-1.4.3-1.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:25 Installed: libXrender-0.9.6-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:25 Installed: libXext-1.2.0-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:26 Installed: libXfixes-5.0-1.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:27 Installed: libXrandr-1.3.1-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:27 Installed: libXi-1.4.3-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:27 Installed: libXcomposite-0.4.3-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:28 Installed: gdk-pixbuf2-2.23.3-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:29 Installed: libXtst-1.2.0-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:30 Installed: libXdamage-1.1.3-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:31 Installed: libXcursor-1.1.11-3.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:32 Installed: libXinerama-1.1.1-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:33 Installed: xcb-util-0.3.6-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:34 Installed: expat-2.0.1-11.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:39 Installed: fontconfig-2.8.0-3.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:39 Installed: cairo-1.10.2-3.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:40 Installed: libXft-2.2.0-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:40 Installed: tcp_wrappers-libs-7.6-60.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:41 Installed: libuuid-2.19.1-1.4.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:42 Installed: libSM-1.2.0-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:43 Installed: alsa-lib-1.0.24-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:43 Installed: audit-libs-2.1.3-1.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:44 Installed: keyutils-libs-1.2-7.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:44 Installed: krb5-libs-1.9.1-5.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:45 Installed: libtasn1-2.7-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:45 Installed: gnutls-2.10.5-1.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:46 Installed: 1:cups-libs-1.4.8-5.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:47 Installed: libasyncns-0.8-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:47 Installed: pulseaudio-libs-0.9.22-5.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:48 Installed: libthai-0.1.14-4.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:49 Updated: util-linux-2.19.1-1.4.fc15.x86_64
Oct 22 23:41:51 Updated: 1:cups-1.4.8-5.fc15.x86_64
Oct 22 23:41:52 Updated: libv4l-0.8.5-1.fc15.x86_64
Oct 22 23:41:52 Updated: audit-libs-python-2.1.3-1.fc15.x86_64
Oct 22 23:41:53 Updated: audit-2.1.3-1.fc15.x86_64
Oct 22 23:41:54 Installed: pango-1.28.4-1.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:56 Updated: gtk2-2.24.4-2.fc15.x86_64
Oct 22 23:41:58 Installed: gtk2-2.24.4-2.fc15.i686
Oct 22 23:41:58 Updated: gtk2-immodule-xim-2.24.4-2.fc15.x86_64
Oct 22 23:42:00 Installed: google-talkplugin-2.3.2.0-1.x86_64

Notice how it has installed a ton of i686 libraries. Why? Is it a wrapper-based solution of some kind? Does that mean that there is really no native 64bit Google talk application for linux but only one that is wrapped and served on 64bit systems using i686 libraries?

Found an answer to this on... google forums.

Video Chat Eng. Blue, Google Employee said on 7/6/11:
The x86_64 google-talkplugin package currently contains one file which has not yet been fully ported to 64-bit. That file is 32-bit even in the x86_64 package, and as a result the package has some i686 dependencies. We are working toward a fully 64-bit version of google-talkplugin but in the meantime we recommend users to simply allow the package to install all of its dependencies.

Some? That looks like a tonload of i686 dependencies.

For some hideous reason Fedora 15 still has a release from 2007 cluttering its repositories. But it's thankfully pretty easy to install and get a recent TEX environment up and running in Fedora 15.

All instructions are from here:

First, in a terminal, do

# rpm -i

This adds the yum repository for the TEX LIVE system to the package managment system on linux.

Follow this step by:

yum clean all
yum install texlive

Individual packages can also be installed commandline. For eg.

yum install 'tex(epsfig.sty)'

I currently need:

latin1.sty
fullpage.sty
color.sty
array.sty
longtable.sty
calc.sty
multirow.sty
hhline.sty
ifthen.sty

About Sewing Machines!



Yeah! Those links are SO impressive they need a post of their own.

The articles are worth their alphabets in super-nova explosions for anyone who wants a carefully written investigative review about ALL the sewing machines and brands in the market.

It reads like a soap opera of who's sleeping with who in the sewing machine industry. Basically, this is the summary of that article:

1. Bernina -- the royalty of sewing machines. If you have $8K, then get this. Else move along to the next

2. Viking | Pfaff -- similar but Pfaffs are Vikings manufactured in Eastern Europe. Vikings are manufactured in Sweden. Vikings preferable. Still expensive but you will make up the expense in smooth running and headache-freedom,

3. Janome | “Upper End” Brother | Baby Lock | Kenmore -- similar budget inconsistency, May or may not work for you.

4. Elna | “Big Box Mart” Brother | Singer | White -- Worst. Avoid if serious.

I am leaning towards a Viking.

.

With mascarpone, blueberry and lingonberry preserves, a huge fresh ginger root, cloves, nutmeg, almonds, whole wheat flour, flax seed, applesauce, milk and baking soda for the leavening.



Even though I added a good sized ginger root chunk, it's not spicy. Next time, I will probably add even more. I purposefully mixed the doughly roughly so that I would get the hard crusty exterior and the bread would be slightly crispy. I don't particularly like moist bread. They don't toast too well. Unfortunately, it wasn't dry enough because in spite of all these precautions it's rather moist. Maybe I should have waited for it to cool down instead of slicing through it like the hungry, impatient and greedy person that I totally am.

I finally found it. I don't know what took me so long. But this is amazingly effective.


Baking Soda
(1 pinch/sprinkle)

+

Coconut oil
(to dissolve/make a paste from the baking soda)


You can substitute the coconut oil with vaseline intensive care or perfume-free vaseline. It will work just as well. Apply liberally on odor-prone underarm areas. That's it. No more chemicals or plastic packaging waste or even dehydrating alcohol derivatives ever.

I just sprinkle some baking soda on my palm, mix with a spot of coconut oil and apply immediately after showering. It works so well that I now have trouble finding out what clothes I have worn and what clothes I haven't if I don't consciously toss them in the laundry bag. I would say it has eliminated around 99.8% odor.

Try it out, if you haven't already.