Month: June 2012

  • Dump effective Xorg.conf (note to self)

    sudo service lightdm stop
    sudo Xorg -configure :1
    sudo service lightdm start

  • Yourls, just Yourls

    This is a fork of YOURLS: WordPress to Twitter that does nothing but generate YOURLS for new posts (and new media if opted). I ripped out all the Twitter bits and other stuff I have no use for, because the original plugin kept annoying me by nagging about not having configured Twitter.

    Download: yourls-just-yourls-0.1.zip

    This was a quick afternoon hack and as usual, might murder your pets when used. I’m not even sure if it works yet, this post is the first real test.

  • PAN over Bluetooth in Ubuntu 12.04 w/Bluez 4 & Blueman

    I’m setting up a Bluetooth “Group ad-hoc Network” (GN) between my desktop (say, MAC 00:00:00:00:00:0A) and laptop (MAC 00:00:00:00:00:0B) just to see if I can. Existing documentation’s pretty sparse, so I’m documenting what I do as I go along, to be able to recreate it later if need be. This is not a proper how-to, it’s public just for myself; you’re free to apply it though (as you should).

    I installed bluez-tools.

    $ bt-adapter -i

    shows information about the local adapter.

    I set both adapters discoverable:

    $ bt-adapter –set Discoverable 1

    They already were pairable. If not, set them so:

    $ bt-adapter –set Pairable 1

    This enables me to query the other device:

    jani@A:~$ sudo hcitool info 00:00:00:00:00:0B

    jani@B:~$ hcitool scan
    Scanning …
    00:00:00:00:00:0A A-0

    And to pair them:

    jani@A:~$ bluez-simple-agent
    Agent registered

    jani@B:~$ bluez-simple-agent hci0 00:00:00:00:00:0A
    RequestPinCode (/org/bluez/1075/hci0/dev_00_00_00_00_00_0A)
    Enter PIN Code: 1234

    #(back at A)
    RequestPinCode (/org/bluez/1395/hci0/dev_00_1A_6B_28_21_1C)
    Enter PIN Code: 1234

    #(back at B)
    Release
    New device (/org/bluez/1075/hci0/dev_00_00_00_00_00_0A)

    I did this manually, because I was having trouble pairing the devices using GUIs. But once I had the two computers paired, I ran Blueman on both, added networking service on the desktop (all the default settings, using dnsmasq and Network Manager), created trust between the two (not sure if necessary) and connected the laptop to the desktop’s networking service. Oh, and patched Blueman on the laptop to be able to connect.

    After that I ran sudo dhclient bnep0 on the laptop. I think the DhcpClient plugin in Blueman is supposed to take care of this, but it doesn’t work for some reason, and Network Manager doesn’t see the interface (on either end) so it’s not configurable there either.

    At some point of the process I also added myself to the ‘bluetooth’ group on both setups, though I’m not sure if it’s necessary or even desirable. If things continue to work as they are, I’ll probably try removing myself from the group to see if it still works.

  • 2 gigabytes for Acer Aspire One A0A110?

    Finally got me the titanium drill bit I needed to remove the corroded-solid screw that held the last piece of +Acer #Aspire One’s PCB in place. Then spent better part of the day disassembling and reassembling the little One: I tried to get a 2 GB SO-DIMM in, because according to some sources (a dmidecode output for one) that’s the controller’s limit, in contrast to 1 GB as I thought it was.

    But it just wouldn’t boot with the 2 GB module in place. Not even after upgrading the BIOS. A 1 GB module, by contrast, worked just fine. There’s still a slim chance that the #A1 just can’t handle a PC6400 module (like the 2 GB one) and requires PC5300 max (like the 1 GB modules I have). If I get hold of a 2 GB PC5300 module I’ll sure give it a try, but for now I’m settling for the 1 GB addition.

    Next I’ll focus on solving the storage problem: substituting the worn-down P-SSD1800. Contemplating a hybrid solution with memory cards.