From itz at buug.org  Thu Jun 11 07:54:59 2009
From: itz at buug.org (Ian Zimmerman)
Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:54:59 -0700
Subject: [buug] Split PDF file?
Message-ID: <8763f2u8fw.fsf@matica.localdomain>


I have a large PDF file, basically a large image.  If I print it
unscaled I get a single page with a tiny upper left part of it.  What is
the best way to cut it up into multiple pages so I can print it all at
the original level of detail?

-- 
Ian Zimmerman <itz at buug.org>
gpg public key: 1024D/C6FF61AD 
fingerprint: 66DC D68F 5C1B 4D71 2EE5  BD03 8A00 786C C6FF 61AD
Ham is for reading, not for eating.


From rick at linuxmafia.com  Thu Jun 11 12:12:10 2009
From: rick at linuxmafia.com (Rick Moen)
Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:12:10 -0700
Subject: [buug] Split PDF file?
In-Reply-To: <8763f2u8fw.fsf@matica.localdomain>
References: <8763f2u8fw.fsf@matica.localdomain>
Message-ID: <20090611191210.GA26092@linuxmafia.com>

Quoting Ian Zimmerman (itz at buug.org):

> I have a large PDF file, basically a large image.  If I print it
> unscaled I get a single page with a tiny upper left part of it.  What is
> the best way to cut it up into multiple pages so I can print it all at
> the original level of detail?

I have no experience at the problem, but you might try some of the tools
listed here:  "PDF Editors" on http://linuxmafia.com/kb/Apps .

PDFedit, in particular, comes widely recommended.

-- 
Cheers,                      Notice:  The value of your Hofstadter's Constant 
Rick Moen                    (the average amount of time you spend each month 
rick at linuxmafia.com          thinking about Hofstadter's Constant) has just 
McQ!  (4x80)                 been adjusted upwards.


From bill.honeycutt at gmail.com  Thu Jun 11 13:45:19 2009
From: bill.honeycutt at gmail.com (Wm. F. Honeycutt)
Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:45:19 -0700
Subject: [buug] Split PDF file?
In-Reply-To: <20090611191210.GA26092@linuxmafia.com>
References: <8763f2u8fw.fsf@matica.localdomain>
	<20090611191210.GA26092@linuxmafia.com>
Message-ID: <87acd5770906111345q345cbd23m6835d8b42da31dea@mail.gmail.com>

The package "pdfedit" has a graphical editor, however I found doing
all but the most trivial changes daunting.  That is probably because
of a tenuous understand of the structure of pdf documents.

On Thu, Jun 11, 2009 at 12:12 PM, Rick Moen<rick at linuxmafia.com> wrote:
> Quoting Ian Zimmerman (itz at buug.org):
>
>> I have a large PDF file, basically a large image. ?If I print it
>> unscaled I get a single page with a tiny upper left part of it. ?What is
>> the best way to cut it up into multiple pages so I can print it all at
>> the original level of detail?
>
> I have no experience at the problem, but you might try some of the tools
> listed here: ?"PDF Editors" on http://linuxmafia.com/kb/Apps .
>
> PDFedit, in particular, comes widely recommended.
>
> --
> Cheers, ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Notice: ?The value of your Hofstadter's Constant
> Rick Moen ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?(the average amount of time you spend each month
> rick at linuxmafia.com ? ? ? ? ?thinking about Hofstadter's Constant) has just
> McQ! ?(4x80) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? been adjusted upwards.
> _______________________________________________
> Buug mailing list
> Buug at weak.org
> http://www.weak.org/mailman/listinfo/buug
>



From Michael.Paoli at cal.berkeley.edu  Thu Jun 11 21:37:01 2009
From: Michael.Paoli at cal.berkeley.edu (Michael Paoli)
Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:37:01 -0700
Subject: [buug] BALUG: Tu 2009-06-16 Kyle Rankin on forensics
Message-ID: <20090611213701.20693j9m9w6ir1q8@webmail.rawbw.com>

BALUG: Tu 2009-06-16 Kyle Rankin on forensics

Bay Area Linux User Group (BALUG)
Tuesday 6:30 P.M. 2009-06-16

Please RSVP if you're planning to come (see further below).

For our 2009-06-16 BALUG meeting, we're excited to have Kyle Rankin[1]
on forensics.

In this talk Kyle Rankin will provide an introduction to performing
forensics analysis on Linux machines using the popular Sleuth Kit[2]
tools with their easy-to-use Autopsy[3] web-based front-end.  The talk
will cover initial installation and configuration of Sleuthkit and
Autopsy, basic concepts and considerations for a forensics
investigation, and at the end there will be a demo with a real,
compromised Linux image.

Kyle Rankin is a systems architect for Quinstreet, Inc.[4], the current
president of the North Bay Linux Users Group[5], the author of Knoppix
Hacks[6], Knoppix Pocket Reference[7], Linux Multimedia Hacks[8], and
Ubuntu Hacks[9] and has contributed to a number of other O'Reilly[10]
books. Kyle is also a columnist for Linux Journal[11] and has had
articles featured in PC Magazine[12], TechTarget[13] and other
publications.

  1. http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/au/1849
  2. http://www.sleuthkit.org/sleuthkit/
  3. http://www.sleuthkit.org/autopsy/
  4. http://www.quinstreet.com/
  5. http://www.nblug.org/
  6. http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596007874/
  7. http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596100759/
  8. http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596100766/
  9. http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596527204/
10. http://oreilly.com/
11. http://www.linuxjournal.com/
12. http://www.pcmag.com/
13. http://www.techtarget.com/

So, if you'd like to join us please RSVP:

        rsvp at balug.org

**Why RSVP??**

Well, don't worry we won't turn you away, but the RSVPs really help the
Four Seas Restaurant plan the meal and they help ensure that we'll be
able to eat upstairs in the private banquet room.

Meeting Details...

        6:30pm
        Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 2009-06-16

        Four Seas Restaurant
        731 Grant Ave.
        San Francisco, CA 94108
        Easy $5 PARKING:  Portsmouth Square Garage at 733 Kearny

Cost: The meetings are always free, but dinner is $13

Feedback on our publicity/announcements (e.g. contacts or lists where we
should get our information out that we're not presently reaching, or
things we should do differently): publicity-feedback at balug.org

http://www.balug.org/




From itz at buug.org  Fri Jun 12 23:33:08 2009
From: itz at buug.org (Ian Zimmerman)
Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:33:08 -0700
Subject: [buug] Split PDF file?
In-Reply-To: <96d2e7a90906111018s4d9c86bx8a3fcb4afd78878f@mail.gmail.com>
	(Anton Geraschenko's message of "Thu\,
	11 Jun 2009 10\:18\:49 -0700")
References: <8763f2u8fw.fsf@matica.localdomain>
	<96d2e7a90906111018s4d9c86bx8a3fcb4afd78878f@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <877hzgmymz.fsf@matica.localdomain>


Anton> I believe this is exactly the purpose of the poster command. I
Anton> haven't used it much, so it's probably best I just direct you to
Anton> the man page.  Good luck, Anton Geraschenko

Yes, that works, after converting with pdftops.  Thanks.

-- 
Ian Zimmerman <itz at buug.org>
gpg public key: 1024D/C6FF61AD 
fingerprint: 66DC D68F 5C1B 4D71 2EE5  BD03 8A00 786C C6FF 61AD
Ham is for reading, not for eating.


From prof.araujo at unidavi.edu.br  Sat Jun 13 08:22:32 2009
From: prof.araujo at unidavi.edu.br (Thiago Souza Araujo)
Date: Sat, 13 Jun 2009 12:22:32 -0300
Subject: [buug] MBR Crash
Message-ID: <c6c5fc570906130822g27284aebg52c23a67877628a@mail.gmail.com>

Hello to you all,

I work with 2 laptops, one with the old and good linux and other with
winVista, for profissionals reasons I have to work with both simultaneosly.

Yesterday I saw a link "compiz for windows vista" and tried to install it on
my winvista notebook. An openSuSE installation poped up with graphics
elements only...
I clicked to proceed without think and... Nothing happenned.

At least till I re-started. Then Grub was there (it shouldnt be... I was
using only winVista on that notebook), incapable to boot both windows or
openSUSE.

I tried to recover using the recover dvd, and with command line with the
command fix Mbr and chkdsk. Nothing. Dell support couldnt help me and the
same with microsoft. So, how it is not a matter of windows but a matter of
MBR recover.

I thought someone around here could help me...

I am quite sure the problem beyond Grub, there is no way to pass the command
to winvista, I believe this joke crashed the Bcdsect ... system of Win
boot..

I recovered data using the command "force" to mount the HD with a Linux live
cd, but... there are some digital certificates I would not like to loose....

Thank you in advance,

Araujo

-- 
Prof. Araujo
_________________________
Thiago Souza Ara?jo

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/prof_Araujo

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=677281884
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From rick at linuxmafia.com  Sun Jun 14 20:27:07 2009
From: rick at linuxmafia.com (Rick Moen)
Date: Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:27:07 -0700
Subject: [buug] MBR Crash
In-Reply-To: <c6c5fc570906130822g27284aebg52c23a67877628a@mail.gmail.com>
References: <c6c5fc570906130822g27284aebg52c23a67877628a@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <20090615032707.GK26092@linuxmafia.com>

Quoting Thiago Souza Araujo (prof.araujo at unidavi.edu.br):

> Yesterday I saw a link "compiz for windows vista" and tried to install it on
> my winvista notebook. An openSuSE installation poped up with graphics
> elements only...

You might want to devote some hard thinking towards determining what
was happening, at this point.  I mean, why on earth would attempting to
follow a "Compiz for Windows Vista" hyperlink in an MS-Windows Web
browser cause any sort of installer for openSUSE to start?  And how?

One reason you should devote some time to pondering that question is
that, otherwise, you risk attempting to solve the wrong problem.  Hold
that thought for a minute:

> I clicked to proceed without think and... Nothing happenned.
> 
> At least till I re-started. Then Grub was there (it shouldnt be... I was
> using only winVista on that notebook), incapable to boot both windows or
> openSUSE.
> 
> I tried to recover using the recover dvd, and with command line with the
> command fix Mbr and chkdsk. Nothing. Dell support couldnt help me and the
> same with microsoft. So, how it is not a matter of windows but a matter of
> MBR recover.

Getting back to the point, you've defined the problem as "something
overwrote the MBR" -- but (it sounds like) you're not sure what happened, 
exactly, so I'm not sure how you know that's what happened.  Further,
I'm not sure you know that's _only_ what happened, i.e., how you're sure
that the damage is confined to the MBR.

In any event, one possibly relevant tool is gpart, the "guess
partitions" utility, which examines a hard drive for filesystems
directly, and attempts to construct an appropriate MBR for them (which
includes the partition table).  Article:
http://www.linux.com/archive/feature/57748

However, beware of solving the wrong problem!  For example, have you
attempted booting a Linux live CD, and then seeing whether the partition
table is intact?  If not, then your problem might be limited to the
bootloader, which is a considerably easier problem to fix.



From pewterbot9 at gmail.com  Mon Jun 15 11:15:19 2009
From: pewterbot9 at gmail.com (Pewter Bot)
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:15:19 -0700
Subject: [buug] WordPress's Dirty Little Secret
Message-ID: <a86954420906151115x7f14b819k5ad4e99b387a4b94@mail.gmail.com>

The last thing I ever anticipate from a blog service, is that it does
not allow image mapping whatsoever. A month into using Wordpress for
my new blog, I discover, after much fussing and figuring out what's
wrong 'cause my first entry w/image mapping 19 homemade videos...I
finally discover that WordPress does not permit image maps!

And it was quite difficult tracking down the image map issue via their
search engine. It seems that if anyone brings this up, the thread is
immediately removed, or at best, closed. I found two brief threads on
this, where users were confused why they couldn't do image mapping.
WordPress never responded, instead locked the thread from any further
comments. These threads are:

http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/image-mapsmore-advanced-html?replies=4

http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/image-maps?replies=5

I'm really PO'd at WP for luring me into their service and wasting my
time. When I published my image-mapped entry, there was no alert that
image maps are not acceptable. This just confused me, thinking
something was wrong with my coding, thus I wasted over three hours
before finding out the real lowdown.

AFAIC, Wordpress can go down in flames. Anyone who recommends their
service, should include the fact that image mapping is verboten. I
prefer open source on everything I do, but in all honesty, Wordpress
is not a service I would recommend.

Now, I'm back on a new search for a decent blog service that
definitely allows image mapping...and what blog service doesn't other
than WordPress?


-- 
Ezekiel J. Krahlin
"A government is only as good as its operating system."


From rick at linuxmafia.com  Mon Jun 15 12:02:28 2009
From: rick at linuxmafia.com (Rick Moen)
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:02:28 -0700
Subject: [buug] WordPress's Dirty Little Secret
In-Reply-To: <a86954420906151115x7f14b819k5ad4e99b387a4b94@mail.gmail.com>
References: <a86954420906151115x7f14b819k5ad4e99b387a4b94@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <20090615190228.GO26092@linuxmafia.com>

Quoting Zeke Krahlin (pewterbot9 at gmail.com):

> And it was quite difficult tracking down the image map issue via their
> search engine. It seems that if anyone brings this up, the thread is
> immediately removed, or at best, closed.

One of several reasons why I almost never participate in Web forums is 
the high degree of oppressive administration that seems endemic on them, 
including "locking" and removing of inconvenient threads.[1]

The same is true of corporate feedback forums and blogs.  I've seen a
ZDnet columnist, Matt Asay, retroactively re-edit one of his posted
stories about how great badgeware licensing is, after I pointed out in a
comment that his entire story was based on a fundamental factual error.
It turns out that manipulation of posted contents and public comments is 
something of a growth field, in corporate PR.  (Asay was, and I believe
still is, an executive of a badgeware software firm.)

[1] There's also the fact that one cannot very easily keep an archive
copy of one's own posts, unlike with mailing lists and newgroups, the 
incredibly sucky threading model, the lack of killfiles, the
extremely poor presence those forums generally have in Google caches and
in the Internet Archive, and the fact that they have a high statistical
probability of suddenly getting wiped or collapsing.



From pewterbot9 at gmail.com  Mon Jun 15 12:17:17 2009
From: pewterbot9 at gmail.com (Pewter Bot)
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:17:17 -0700
Subject: [buug] WordPress's Dirty Little Secret
In-Reply-To: <4A369439.8020200@berkeley.edu>
References: <a86954420906151115x7f14b819k5ad4e99b387a4b94@mail.gmail.com>
	<4A369439.8020200@berkeley.edu>
Message-ID: <a86954420906151217i15d3486bn5de602d960d1e9fa@mail.gmail.com>

On 6/15/09, Jack Deslippe <jdeslip at berkeley.edu> wrote:
> I don't know about a blog wordpress.com, but it is certainly possible to
> do image maps with Wordpress' software on your own server (something
> like the setup berkeleylug.com has).

Thanks, Jack. I do not want to go the server way. I'll just find
another blog service. Meanwhile I posted the blog entry in question to
my older blog service, for the nonce:

Twilight On Shattuck
http://ezekielk.tblog.com/post/1970072932

(Why don't I stay with tblog? No one's been managing it for over four
years, so it's bound to shut down some time soon. No spam filter, no
traffic features. Tblog's not even listed in any web log reviews!)


From pewterbot9 at gmail.com  Tue Jun 16 15:54:24 2009
From: pewterbot9 at gmail.com (Pewter Bot)
Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:54:24 -0700
Subject: [buug] WordPress's Dirty Little Secret
Message-ID: <a86954420906161554p41941a4dh794fdd338f55265a@mail.gmail.com>

{{ One of several reasons why I almost never participate in Web forums is
the high degree of oppressive administration that seems endemic on them }}

Well, that's very true. I unexpectedly ran into a wall, on what I consider a
non-issue (image mapping). I had just spent a lot of concentration on
getting my first video series up and running. The representative was very
nice, however, there will not be any image mapping on Wordpress...she only
said she'd put in that request.

And to go via the server method, seems to me a waste of resources, when my
blog/vlog demands are rather simple. I don't want kind of interactive
database, just the ability to link to my photos/videos, text (of course) and
a simple comments section.

I actually couldn't find an image map editor for Linux, except for KDE
(which I'm not interested in using), but I finally tracked down an online
service for that:

On-line Image Map Tool - HTML & CSS
http://www.image-maps.com/

(In case this would be of help to anyone else.) I don't care to hand-code,
because a simple editor will avoid that tedium. However, it was tedious
enough, popping in all the data...only to discover that the 4-column image
was too wide for WordPress, which does *not* provide a horizontal slide in
such circumstances. So I had to go back, edit the image to 3-column  width,
than recreate the whole image map from scratch. Very pl.eased with the
results, I finally uploaded it to my blog, only to be confounded by the
resulting output not providing any links on the image whatsoever.

No alert, no error to warn me that the code was removed...and in such a smal
editing window, that was not obvious...it looked like everything was
copasetic. Took me about an hour of fiddling to finally understand what's
happened. Thus my infuriated remark!

Now that I've calmed down, I'll say that WordPress is an excellent blog
service in many cases...except if you require image mapping,  a popular and
basic feature these days...and absurd for them to leave this out.

Of course, like you said, web forums can be most frustrating. My criticism
here, is that open source services promote themselves as a sane alternative
to bureaucratic corporate layering and lack of attentiveness to subscribers.
I wouldn't have felt as outraged, had I the same situation from a service
run by, say, Micro$oft or Oracle.

I gave serious thought to using tables in lieu of image mapping...but that
would only add an additional layer of tedium...absurd for my simple needs,
and dangerous for my RSI (focal dystonia in both hands). And this is also
why I am looking for more GUI and less text commands: to spare futher injury
to my widdle fingers.

So, it's back to my tried but true tblog, which is destined to disappear
some time in the near future...but I might be able to squeeze a few more
months out of it...plenty of time to search for a new blog service. And the
only reason I just don't  build a blog on my own web site, is because a blog
service offers traffic features. Now, I'm not so concerned in that matter,
considering what I just went through w/wordPress.

{{ It turns out that manipulation of posted contents and public comments is
something of a growth field, in corporate PR. }}

What a world we live in! Thanks for bringing this up...something which I
focus on from time to time in my activist essays: use of memes, and
manipulation of the media, particularly in cyberspace. We all know about
animals/plants using camouflage to seduce their prey...yet most people don't
realize humans also use camouflage to lure and deceive. In the topic at
hand, this camouflage would be those forums that *appear* to be democratic,
but really are not.

{{ There's also the fact that one cannot very easily keep an archive
copy of one's own posts, unlike with mailing lists and newgroups }}

That's another demand I have of blogs...that I can archive all my articles
onto my hard drive...whether or not they provide their own archiving tool. I
can do that in tblog, as well as in wordpress.

{{ the incredibly sucky threading model, the lack of killfiles, the
extremely poor presence those forums generally have in Google caches and
in the Internet Archive, and the fact that they have a high statistical
probability of suddenly getting wiped or collapsing. }}

!!! You are so right, Rick. Even w/broadband, many web forums are very
*slow* in clicking on each reply to the original post. Why can't they use a
flat database option, where one can view the entire thread on the same page?


Remember Dejanews (bought out by Google years ago)? I like to "harvest"
threads of interest to whatever topic I'm presenting on my web site or blog.
But their web format offered no option to download an entire thread...which
was so easily done in the old days of text-based newsreaders. Sometimes,
after an exciting discussion on a newsgroup I'd realize "Hey, I wrote some
pretty  good stuff worth extracting into an article, let me go back and
download it." Instead of being able to download the whole thread, I had to
click through each one of my posts, then paste each post into a text file.
Tedious.

Anywayz, thanks for your remarks, always informative. Someone posted me in
private regarding this WordPress issue, 'cause he figured it wasn't on topic
for this group. I think that's because we have mostly technical discussions
and event announcements.  But I think the social aspect of open source is
quite relevant to the unix world...plus having some non-technical threads
will encourage newbies to participate whereas tech-talk-only may discourage
them.

However, I am  not the moderator for these threads, and I will abide by
whatever he or she decides in this matter. Of course, it may be a non-issue,
not even required a response. But I thought it would be good to take the
time to mention this, in the case that some may hesitate to bring up a topic
of great interest and relevance to the geek community, albeit non-techie.

Cheers! Oh, and thanks for showing up at Jack's new Linux group....thanks
also to the other wizards who likewise attended (Carl, et al. It was a great
get together.) I'm very impresse w/how Jack has managed to achieve such a
successful turnout right from the start...both online and off.

-- 
Zeke Krahlin
"A government is only as good as its operating system."
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From rick at linuxmafia.com  Tue Jun 16 16:23:53 2009
From: rick at linuxmafia.com (Rick Moen)
Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:23:53 -0700
Subject: [buug] WordPress's Dirty Little Secret
In-Reply-To: <a86954420906161554p41941a4dh794fdd338f55265a@mail.gmail.com>
References: <a86954420906161554p41941a4dh794fdd338f55265a@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <20090616232353.GL26092@linuxmafia.com>

Quoting Zeke Krahlin (pewterbot9 at gmail.com):

> And to go via the server method, seems to me a waste of resources, when my
> blog/vlog demands are rather simple. 

To you, a waste.  To me, a way of life.  (Current server is a
eight-year-old VA Linux Systems model 2230 acquired for zero dollars,
running on the house aDSL.)

Among the advantages:  I don't have to deal with The Man's policies,
because I _am_ The Man.

Among the disadvantages:  I have to deal with The Man's policies anyway,
because I _am_ The Man.

It's a koan.  ;->


> So, it's back to my tried but true tblog....

"Services" (other people's) are uninteresting.  (My opinion; yours for a
small fee and waiver of reverse-engineering rights.)

If I wanted to have a blog (which I very much do not), I might look
first at running Joey Hess's ikiwiki, which does blog stuff well.

Do I even want to know what a "tblog" is?  Another damned hosted
service, right?

> Remember Dejanews (bought out by Google years ago)? I like to "harvest"
> threads of interest to whatever topic I'm presenting on my web site or blog.
> But their web format offered no option to download an entire thread...which
> was so easily done in the old days of text-based newsreaders.

tin still works.  ;->  (slrn works too, if you refuse to use God's Own
Newsreader.  And there are rumours of GNUS being used among the the
emacs tribe.)



From pewterbot9 at gmail.com  Thu Jun 18 00:36:12 2009
From: pewterbot9 at gmail.com (Pewter Bot)
Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:36:12 -0700
Subject: [buug] WordPress's Dirty Little Secret
Message-ID: <a86954420906180036r35e84652q5f59746da8259909@mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, 16 Jun 2009 Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com> posted:

{{ To you, a waste.  To me, a way of life.  (Current server is a
eight-year-old VA Linux Systems model 2230 acquired for zero dollars,
running on the house aDSL.) }}

Nice! I meant "a waste" in the sense of taking gluttonous advantage of
valuable resources by free services that already are generous. In my
case, that would be Online Policy Group, which provides free web
hosting to non-profits and low-income activists like myself. In no way
do I perceive *your* fantistic ventures with computers a waste...in
fact, I'm envious!

I do not (nor cannot) afford the resources that would allow me to have
my own 24/7 server. But there are so many free services out there, I
find it a challenging game to seek out the best ones.

{{ Among the advantages:  I don't have to deal with The Man's policies,
because I _am_ The Man. }}

Sure, that's good. But working within my limited resources gives me an
edge on learning little "tricks" that I wouldn't learn otherwise. Such
as relying on public wifi to perform online chores that are much
simpler on your own dedicated line. Plus, I am not technically
oriented as you are...my focus w/computers is the social impact and
the politics. So in a way, my limitations actually keep me in touch
with such issues...as opposed to working in my own separate island of
wire, chips and screens. I am also in a better position to assist
newbies weaning themselves off Windoze, who would never devote
themselves to under-the-hood intrigue as you do so well!

{{ It's a koan.  ;-> }}

I like.

{{ "Services" (other people's) are uninteresting.  (My opinion; yours for a
small fee and waiver of reverse-engineering rights.) }}

No argument here. But my goal is not to become a wizard, instead it's
to become a savvy advocate and guide for the average PC/Internet
user...helping him/her in selecting the best deals around, and
preventing rip-offs. (As well as to further my activist and fiction
writing.) Also, to show then how utterly captivating and brilliant is
the world of geeks...how they can be an important part of this
community by switching to Linux and joining a user group.

{{ If I wanted to have a blog (which I very much do not), I might look
first at running Joey Hess's ikiwiki, which does blog stuff well. }}

Now you've given me something new to play with...synaptics is
downloading it right now! Logged onto http://ikiwiki.info/, will
enjoying perusing the site. Thanks!

{{ Do I even want to know what a "tblog" is?  Another damned hosted
service, right? }}

Yes sir!  :D  It has a clean, easy-to-customize design. I am often
complemented on what a "smart" blog I have. But I can do that on any
server, including my own web page. The only real reason I have for
using a blog service, is for the built-in traffic generator. Others
with common interests are more likely to read one's blog, than if it
were free floating in cyberspace.

{{ tin still works.  ;->  (slrn works too, if you refuse to use God's Own
Newsreader.  And there are rumours of GNUS being used among the the
emacs tribe.) }}

Understood. Let me clarify: many interesting forums are now on web
pages, not in usenet. And I was simply agreeing w/you about how
burdensome their format is...trying to cull important articles and
threads from them is a nightmare. Why on earth they don't have the
good sense to provide a link whereby you can download the entire
thread in a text base, is beyond me!

-- 
Ezekiel J. Krahlin
"A government is only as good as its operating system."


From john_re at fastmail.us  Fri Jun 19 22:52:21 2009
From: john_re at fastmail.us (john_re)
Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:52:21 -0700
Subject: [buug] Join Unix Global Meeting Sunday June 21 using VOIP -
	BerkeleyTIP
Message-ID: <1245477141.10485.1321301399@webmail.messagingengine.com>

Join the friendly Unix Global [& ALL FREE SW HW & CULTURE]
community Meeting:
this Sunday, June 21, using VOIP,
10A - 6P Pacific USA time [GMT - 8? 7? hours] =
 1P - 9P Eastern USA = 
 6P - 2A??? GMT  - Daylight savings correction? +7 hours?

at the BerkeleyTIP Global Free SW HW & Culture meeting
http://sites.google.com/site/berkeleytip/

CONNECT VIA VOIP (& IRC):
Join IRC channel #berkeleytip on freenode.net,
& we'll help get you connected on VOIP.
Have a VOIP headset.
http://sites.google.com/site/berkeleytip/remote-attendance

LOCAL MEETING NEW LOCATION:
Free speech cafe closed Sundays in summer.  Watch the BTIP local list for final in person UCB meeting location details:
http://groups.google.com/group/BerkTIP

GENERIC HOURLY SCHEDULE, &
MARK YOUR CALENDAR - NEXT 3 MEETINGS:
Sun June 21, Sat July 4, Sun July 19
http://sites.google.com/site/berkeleytip/schedule

Join the mailing list, introduce yourself, tell us what projects you are interested in, invite others to join your project:
BTIP-Global
http://groups.google.com/group/BerkTIPGlobal

=====
HOT TOPICs:
Oracle owns OpenOffice & MySQL - What help is needed?
KDE 4 aps need work - especially Calendar?!
Open Hardware - Robotics?
POLL:  ** How about 2x per month Weekday Evening BTIP-Global Meetings? **
  1) The Wednesday & Thursday _after_ the BTIP weekend meetings?
  2) The Monday & Tuesday _before_ the BTIP weekend meetings?
  3) Other? Your suggestions? 
 - Join the mailing list & send in your opinions/thoughts/suggestions.

GROUP PROJECT - Asterisk VOIP conference server:
We've now got our own Asterisk VOIP conference server. 
[Thanks, Windsor & Jack!  :)  ]
Help:
 - get a user channel members status page working
 - get SIP & Skype ability?
http://sites.google.com/site/berkeleytip/remote-attendance


YOUR PROJECT - LET US KNOW, GET SOME VOLUNTEER HELP:
http://groups.google.com/group/BerkTIPGlobal


VIDEOS - OPPORTUNITY - FINDER VOLUNTEER NEEDED
No videos this month, cause David & I are too busy.  Do you want to find some for us all to watch?  Check out this link, email the list & let us know you'd like to volunteer. :)
http://sites.google.com/site/berkeleytip/talk-videos

See the mailing lists for the latest info/changes:
http://sites.google.com/site/berkeleytip/mailing-lists

JOIN THE ANNOUNCEMENT LIST - 1 or 2 announcements per month:
http://groups.google.com/group/BerkTIPAnc


FOR FORWARDING:
You are invited to forward this message to anywhere appropriate.


From jim at well.com  Mon Jun 22 14:46:01 2009
From: jim at well.com (jim)
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:46:01 -0700
Subject: [buug] BayPIGgies meeting Thursday June 25, 2009: Abstraction
Message-ID: <1245707161.6649.599.camel@jim-laptop>


BayPIGgies meeting Thursday June 25, 2009: Abstraction    

NOTE BayPIGgies meets at the Symantec Vcafe, 
at Symantec's location at 350 Ellis Street in Mountain View. 
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&fb=1&split=1&gl=us&ei=w6i_Sfr6MZmQsQOzlv0v&hl=en&t=h&msa=0&msid=116202735295394761637.00046550c09ff3d96bff1&ll=37.397693,-122.053707&spn=0.002902,0.004828&z=18

Tonight's talk is 
* Abstraction 
by Alex Martelli  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Martelli 


Meetings start with a Newbie Nugget, a short discussion of an 
essential Python feature, specially for those new to Python. 
Tonight's Newbie Nugget: None 


LOCATION 
Symantec Corporation
Symantec Vcafe
350 Ellis Street
Mountain View, CA 94043

BayPIGgies meeting information is available at 
http://baypiggies.net/new/plone



------------------------ Agenda ------------------------
 
..... 7:30 PM ...........................
General hubbub, inventory end-of-meeting announcements, 
any first-minute announcements. 


..... 7:35 PM to 7:35 PM ................

Newbie Nugget: none  


..... 7:35 PM to 8:55 PM ................

Abstraction 
by Alex Martelli 

Abstraction is a powerful servant, but a dangerous master. We code,
design, think, debug ... on a tower of abstractions. Spolsky's Law
tells us that "All abstractions leak". This talk explores why they
leak, why that's often a problem, what to do about it; I also cover
why sometimes abstractions SHOULD "leak", and how best to produce 
and consume abstraction layers.


..... 8:55 PM to 9:20 PM  ................
Mapping and Random Access

Mapping is a rapid-fire audience announcement of topics 
the announcers are interested in. 

Random Access follows immediately to allow follow up 
individually on the announcements and other topics of 
interest.




From john_re at fastmail.us  Tue Jun 23 00:00:45 2009
From: john_re at fastmail.us (john_re)
Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:45 -0700
Subject: [buug] July 4 - VOLUNTEERS FOR Berkeley MARINA FAIR GNU(Linux)
 BerkeleyTIP BOOTH? RSVP %!
Message-ID: <1245740445.21066.1321704355@webmail.messagingengine.com>

This is an announcement, & request for RSVP, about a possible "sponsored by BerkeleyTIP" Free SW HW or Culture or GNU(Linux) event.  :)

==
Hi Everyone - Would you be interested in helping out for an hour at a booth to demo any Free SW HW or Culture or GNU(Linux) at the July 4 fair at the Berkeley Marina?  Free, fun for the whole family, & fireworks included.  :)

Below is the message I just sent to the BTIP list to gauge interest & volunteer level.  If you'd be interested, please probabilistic RSVP (explained below) to either me or one of the BTIP lists.  You can email the BTIP lists directly even if you aren't subscribed, & we'll forward the message through.  You can also subscribe to the lists.  :)

Maybe you can reply on this list, & people can get a carpool together to drive to Berkeley. :)  Prepend "Carpool" to the subject line.

Global mailing list - for everyone interested in BTIP
http://groups.google.com/group/BerkTIPGlobal
  BerkTIPGlobal at googlegroups.com

Local list - pertaining to "in Berkeley" info
http://groups.google.com/group/BerkTIP
  BerkTIP at googlegroups.com

Website:
http://sites.google.com/site/berkeleytip/

=====================================================================
=====  Message sent to the BTIP list:

July 4 is next meeting. No holiday for BTIP on the US holiday!  :)

How about having the July 4 BTIP meeting & a booth at the "4TH OF JULY @ Berkeley Marina"?  See below for the details.

=====  First, the message as I started out writing it:

So, I'm wondering about particulars for the meeting, both locally & globally (or at least USA nationally).

David said he thought attendance might be very small due to the holiday.  Perhaps.  But, it could conceivably be the same or larger.

BTIP could use the occasion to have our first potluck party.  We could invite people from all over to come by for a special event, ala the Linux Picnic, held annually at Sunnyvale Baylands park (IIRC) in August.

We could even hold the event not on the campus, but at the Berkeley Marina.  The Marina (boats & fishing off the pier) has a big (5-50 acres?) grassy park, where kite flying is a big activity (& a guy has a business selling all kinds of kites there.  In fact, later in july is the International Kite Flying Competition at the marina).  I think sailboarders start out from there too.

For a number of years, the city of Berkeley has held a kinda free fair there on July 4, with booths for food, & displays, & rides, & all that fair kind of stuff, & fireworks in the evening.

I just realized, perhaps BTIP could make a booth there (if it's not too late to register for one) & do GNU(Linux) demos for the community.

The event/marina is right near the Berkeley Caltrain station, & BART & Buses & Cars & Bikes are all ways to get there.


===== OK, I checked it out, & it might be possible to have a booth there.
http://www.anotherbullwinkelshow.com/4th-of-july/4th-of-july.html

http://www.anotherbullwinkelshow.com/4th-of-july/press-4th/PR-4th-Free-NP-Booth.html
Re: 4th of July @ the Berkeley Marina 2009
PRESS RELEASE
FREE BOOTH SPACE FOR ORGANIZATIONS
AT 4TH OF JULY @ THE BERKELEY MARINA

A free 10x10 booth space for non-profit organizations distributing information only is available at the 4th of July celebration at the Berkeley Marina. Please send an email to moose1 (at) anotherbullwinkelshow.com for an application or call 510.548.5335.

Attendance estimate from 5000 at Noon to 120,000 at 930 PM  (john_re comment: I'm doubting 100K people show up!  Maybe that many do???  I'd guess 10-30K?)


===== So, this seems like it might be an interesting/fun/educational/productive idea.

So, we've got 11 days  -
CAN WE GET SOME VOLUNTEERS TO DO GNU(LINUX) OR BSD DEMOS AT A BOOTH?

Once again, my almost favorite thing about BTIP:
  - PROBABILISTIC RSVP's!!! :)


=====  PLEASE PROBABILISTIC RSVP % IF YOU CAN VOLUNTEER JULY 4

Please REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE RIGHT NOW with a probabilistic RSVP to me, or this list, if there is a 50% or greater chance you think you'll attend this meeting physically at the Berkeley Marina, & help volunteer for 1 hour (or more) at a BTIP booth there.  Thanks.  :)

Probabilistic RSVP concept / percent correspondence:
 50% = Possibly
 75% = Likely
100% = Definitely

Please prepend your probability # to the Subject line. Ex:
"75% RSVP July 4 - VOLUNTEERS FOR Berkeley MARINA FAIR GNU(Linux) BTIP BOOTH?"

Note: RSVPing isn't _necessary_ for you to attend - it _is_ _very_helpful_ for planning.  :)   If you haven't RSVP'd by the event, please _do_ come.  Thanks. :)


=====  If I get a few high probabilities quickly I'll make it the official meeting, & we can make a signup sheet for 1's or more hours at the table, as a web page on the BTIP site.


=====  Here's a pdf about tables at the event.  It is for nonprofit "vendors".  We have nothing to sell, so the vending aspect (such as fee) doesn't apply to us, but it has useful info such as about the tables, stuff to bring, etc.

Non-profit vendor application (pdf)
http://www.anotherbullwinkelshow.com/4th-of-july/4th-vendor/App-Non-Profit.pdf
http://www.anotherbullwinkelshow.com/vendors.html


======  Berkeley 4th of July Free Fair at Marina
http://www.anotherbullwinkelshow.com/4th-of-july/4th-of-july.html

The 4th of July is a great day to have a lot of fun. The biggest party is on the South Shore of the Berkeley Marina from noon-10PM. There?s music, dancers, jugglers all for free! Adventure Playground, always a favorite, is open 11am-8pm. Sign up for an old-fashioned sack race, create a nature sculpture with environmental artist Zach Pine, or get your face painted. Try the giant slide or splash in the water at the beach!

There?s live entertainment from noon until 9PM on the main stage including MotorDude Zydeco, Suhaila Bellydance Company, Mo?Fone, and guitarist Steven Gary. Other entertainers around the marina include Tropical Sounds Steel Drums, UCA Capoeira, Failure to Disperse, Afro Cuban Rumba Drumming, Fred Anderson Comedy Explosion, and Coventry & Kaluza Clowns. There?s art & craft booths, massages, free sailboat rides from 1-4pm, dragon boat rides from 2-6pm, and muchmore including the grand fireworks off the end of the Berkeley Pier at 9:30pm.

Let?s hear it for the red, white, and blue
but keep it green, too. The party shouldn?t leave the environment trashed. If you can, bring your own dishes ? Frisbees double as plates! A bandana is your cloth napkin to use at all of the international food booths. With water stations located around the event, you can refill your own reusable bottle and keep a lot of plastic out of the landfill. Be sure to use the recycling stations located throughout the marina for your disposables.

Ride your bike over the Berkeley Bicycle Overpass and park for free near Adventure Playground, courtesy of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition. Or take Caltrain, or take AC Transit from the Downtown Berkeley BART station. To leave on AC Transit, walk out over the freeway overpass after the fireworks to University and 5th St.

Free admission. Alcohol-free event. Free valet bicycle parking. No cars after 7pm.

Sponsored by the City of Berkeley. City of Berkeley
Produced by Another Bullwinkel Show


=====  SOME ACTIVITIES TO DO IN BERKELEY:
http://www.anotherbullwinkelshow.com/4th-of-july/4th-entertainment.html

http://www.visitberkeley.com/
http://www.visitberkeley.com/calendar.cfm#July%202009
http://www.visitberkeley.com/things_to_do.cfm


=====
http://www.anotherbullwinkelshow.com/about.html
Another Bullwinkel Show :: Events Management :: East Bay
About Another Bullwinkel Show

We put on real Badenov events, business socials, theme parties, picnics, parades, and even street festivals. We?ve got the scoop on the local scene, where to go and what to do -- real Mr. Know-It-Alls. We promise to Do-Right by you!

Yes, my real last name is Bullwinkel! It?s been a ton of fun my whole life and I bring that along to any event that I produce. I?ve been throwing parties since I was a kid ? ours was the house where all of the parties happened in town, until our pool caved in from too many people doing cannonballs off the side one night!

It is not a fractured fairy tale that I was a professional ballerina for many years. So I bring an artistic sensibility to every event I produce. My biggest thrill is providing a format so your guests can be creative in a way they never thought possible. This makes my events a big hit! And memorable!

I can help you market your business district, even if it is in Moosylvania! I have a background in community and economic development from my time as the Executive Director of a large merchant association in Berkeley and Albany, CA. There, I installed a Business Improvement District and built the Solano Avenue Stroll, the East Bay?s largest street festival. The Stroll was designated a National Local Legacy and is housed in the Library of Congress. I've produced lots of other events, including the 4th of July for the City of Berkeley complete with fireworks.

If you?re a non-profit organization, I can pull a rabbit out of my hat to help you fundraise. I even have mailing labels for sale with over 900 local businesses and restaurants plus museums and attractions statewide, or lists of local VIPS to invite to your events, or press lists for your media needs.

So even if your name isn?t Rocky, give a call
 make that a moose call so we can really hear it!
Lisa Bullwinkel
Hoopla Coordinator
Another Bullwinkel Show


=====  Comments, questions, RSVPs?
Please reply to me, john_re at the sending email for this announcement, or to the BTIP lists.  Thanks. :)