Linux Media Server

So I'm attempting to build a linux media server and so far it's been pretty painful. The goals are to have it able to stream media to a variety of clients, including Pc's and hopefully my xbox  360, share files securely, and be accesible from outside the LAN. To expand this I would like to at the very least password protect everything as  it's getting dumped into a University LAN environment.

Share Folder from Windows 7 to Ubuntu 10.04 Guest with Virtual Box

This is how I shared a folder from a Windows 7 host to a Ubuntu 10.04 guest. This is great for my overall goal of running a Virtual Ubuntu Server on my Windows desktop for FTP, DLNA, HTTP, and whatever else I find handy.

Wind Mobile/Telus/Bell/Rogers Phone support

With Wind Mobile now available and covering some of the Vancouver area I'm looking for an awesome android phone to work with their network(1700mhz), however I also need it to work on Telus/Bell/Rogers
(850/900/1900/2100mhz I believe)as during summer semester I will be out of their coverage and need to swap sims. So far the uberphones to contend with seem to be a Motorola Droid X, Motorola Droid 2, or a Samsung Galaxy S. Hopefully there will be a few more phones out by the time September rolls around and I can choose from. The other thing to contend with is making sure the phones support all the carrier frequencies.

1996 BMW 328i E36 Rear Wheel Bearing How to

So I just replaced the wheel bearing on the driver side of my car, having replaced the passenger side about a month ago, and the road noise I had before is completely gone. I figured if one was worn out they both would be, especially considering the mileage. So this is how everything kinda went, and apologies for lack of pictures, didn't have a memory card but I'll try to get some from the internet to illustrate along the way, but this isn't an easy repair. Also everything here is referencing from the driver side so if you doing the passenger side some things will have to be reversed, and there may be other slight variations.

1996 BMW 328i E36 Sunroof repair

So after buying a used BMW 328i, I have at this point replaced the automatic transmission (Bavarian Auto Recylcing), a wheel bearing (Pelican Parts), a few odds and ends, and now it's onto the sunroof repair. Luckily for me their is a great guide at BimmerDIY.Com. Once I get the rest of the pieces from Pelican Parts I will take photos and make a new guide up as I noticed a few things along the way that might help a less technical person or on the diagnosis side of things.

Java Vs. Python. Which to learn?

After spending a lot of time repeatedly trying to pick up C++ I'm changing gears in favor of a more user friendly programming language. I also wanted something that worked extremely well cross-platform. These two languages came highly recommended. I like how little code needs to be written for python and the "weak typing," although I do appreciate that Java is a bit faster and the structure is more similar to C++ to which I'm already familiar. It also does garbage collection so hopefully it should help take the pain out of what I felt trying to learn C++. Although I think the big push is going to be that Java can also be used programming for mobiles and that could be the breaking point over Python. For the time being I'm going to be trying out Java and eventually QT, and if there's a compelling reason to switch to Python I just may. Although If I were to start everything over, Python definitely seems to top the list for a great language for beginners to learn.

Fixing Ubuntu 9.1 MBR GRUB 2 after Backtrack 4 Install

After installing Backtrack 4 Final on my laptop I realized the grub it installed wasn't compatible with Ubuntu 9.1's ext4 filesystem that was in use.

Virtualization with Oracle (Formerly Sun) VirtualBox

 

About VirtualBox:

VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL). - VirtualBox Official Website
 

Blog Update: New Look and Feel

I finally got around to sprucing up the blog. I got a new template and did a little HTML coding and everything seems to be running along smoothly. If your looking for a new template check out BTemplates. Although you should definitely back up your existing one first and make sure you try out a few pages once a new template is loaded to make sure things are working alright. It also helps to go for Templates that have a lot downloads as they tend to be tried and trued in a working as expected regard. Other than the new look, I've embedded a Google Search and also added ShareThis buttons to the pages so if you like something feel free to share it.

Fireworks Replacement for Linux

Having used Adobe Fireworks at school I got quite used to the simple interface and ease of use. However trying to run it under Linux isn't an easy venture, usually involving WINE and copying from an installed source. Plus there is the cost of buying the license to use it which is none to appealing for the home user, or even small business.

Program for Atmegas using Arudino IDE

So after slaving away for days and giving up on multiple occasions I discovered that you can write programs in the Arduino IDE and simply take the .hex file produced and burn it to my plain old atmega8 micro controllers. How awesome is that? This allows the amateur to use all the easy built in libraries of the Arduino software, without springing for full Arduino platforms and having a lot less circuitry so one can use this to go right from prototyping to finished model. Just remember to wire the pins according to this image

Google Apps

Lately I have been using a lot of Google Apps at work, the concept behind it is brilliant. Everything is cloud based and functionality is reaching above general usability across the board on all of the non-beta services. Responsiveness is quick, customization is good, and the apps are improving everyday. To date I could easily use Google for all my Docs, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Email, Blogging. Chrome is nice, and I use it when interacting with any Google services but still hasn't beat out Firefox as my primary browser. Google Sites is a wonderful tool but due to the lack of customization that I can get out of it compared to their other services like Blogger, it will be a while before I use it exclusively over some custom designed sites. That said i doubt it will be long before they catch up in that regard either.