chuma.org

Author: chuma

  • Hacking Pepper’s Linux (setting up SSH)

    Yes, it’s here.

    And since there’s virtually zero third-party information about this thing on the net, expect this category of my site to get very busy, very soon.

    I got the Pepper Pad for two reasons:

    • Easy-to-use , portable web browsing throughout my home
    • Makes a decent portable video player too
    • Has full Linux distro, meaning can be hacked to your heart’s content, which for me means run lots of emulators

    So after about 15 minutes, I’ve got sshd running so I can at least login to it remotely and not have to use the xterm with the thumb-board.

    Here’s how to do it:

    • Open the xterm – press Ctrl-Shift-1.
    • Edit the /etc/sshdconfig file to allow remote root logins: vi /etc/ssh/sshdconfig
    • Find the line that says PermitRootLogin, and uncomment it (remove the # from the beginning of the line, put the cursor on it and hit x), then save (ZZ)
    • Assign a root password. Run ‘passwd’. SSH clients don’t seem to want to let me login as root with no password, for good reason 🙂
    • Start the ssh server: /etc/rc.d/init.d/ssh start
    • If you want the ssh server to start on every cold boot: ln -s /etc/rc.d/init.d/ssh /etc/rc.d/rc3.d/S89ssh
    • Now you can login remotely, run ‘ifconfig’ on the Pepper to find your IP address, then ssh to it as root from the other machine.

  • It’s here! It’s here!

    I knew it wasn’t vapourware. Shame on you, Jon!

  • GBA games to check out

    • Karnaaj Rally
    • Dr. Mario & Panel de Pon
    • Shifting Gears – Road Trip
    • Penny Racers
    • Guru Logic Champ

  • Where’s my Pepper?

    It’s officially been two months since I pre-ordered my Pepper Pad, and it’s supposed to ship any day now. Still no joy. I hate waiting for stuff to ship, especially when it’s really expensive and I’ve saved up for it for months and I really really want it to get here but it isn’t here and I get sick of griping about it and e-mailing customer support departments and argh.

    I wonder how the desktop syncing works… hrm, it seems to listen on UDP port 2112.

  • ’nuff said

    FEMA Called...

  • Movies Watched:

    • The Transporter 2 — I’m so glad I sat down expecting absolutely nothing from this movie, because all I got was a 90 minute gunfight and car chase. Wheee! Lots of comments along the lines of “geez, is she ever going to put some clothes on?” abounded. They actually put pants on the woman on the poster, but she doesn’t actualy wear pants, in the entire movie.

    • Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride — It is a beautiful film. It’s playing at the Paramount in Toronto this week only, and when it goes into general release this Friday you should see it! We were hoping that it would be a musical and though there are 4 or 5 musical numbers, there’s a good deal without. Definately a cut above even Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas. This time around there is a lot more fancy camera work and shots being done – 360° rotations, “crane” style shots, as well as interesting contrasts and perspective being used very well.

    Still have quite a few things in the movie queue to watch, including Hooligans and March of the Penguins.

    New Franz Ferdinand — well, you know, it’s not exactly released yet, but, you know, I have obtained it. And just like their first album, we both had to listen to it through about three or four times before finally getting it. It will probably be permanently installed in the car for a while.

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  • Gas: expensive, yet still cheap

    Gasoline prices are up about 50% since last year. While that seems like a lot, it’s still the cheapest mode of transportation, in a lot of ways. For example, it would be entirely within the realm of possibility for my wife to take the commuter train to and from her work: both our house and her job are within walking distance of the stations. But at $1.30/L and with a car that gets a modest 8.5L/100km (that’s around 28 mpg), it’s still cheaper to drive compared to the train fare. And, of course, as fuel prices go up, the trains run on diesel engines so fares are raised. Hrm. Does anyone else see a problem here?

    It’s facts like this that make me think that even facing these rising costs, we are not yet at the point where people are going to drastically reduce their use of cars. I walk to the train every morning, and at the same time only two or three other people walk from my subdivision at the same time. This number hasn’t gone up. (There’s also bus service, which is only $0.50 to the station, perhaps more people are taking it?) Meanwhile, on the northern part of our street alone, I know five people who each drive their cars to the same station that I walk to, at the same time. I really wish I could talk some sense into these people… it’s only 1.3km to the station for crying out loud! Walk, lazy bones!

  • Kitten War! May The Cutest Kitten Win!

    Kitten War! May The Cutest Kitten Win! – from the people who brought you Cats in Sinks

  • I must be mellowing out in my old age

    Lately, Coldplay has been playing a lot in the car. They’re not my choice, but they’re alright. I will listen if they’re playing but I wouldn’t actually put them in my playlist or CD player. But now I discovered another group who is even /more/ mellow and I like them. It’s Saint Etienne.