Debian 8.2

Mind You Debian 9.8.0 is out NOW but I am still happy with 8.2.

Debian 8.2

The Hard Drive of my old computer is about to pack up.

I just managed to finish my latest book and nothing else to do and happy that I finished my work before the impending catastrophe, decided to copy some of the work and Linux distributions to an old USB hard drive.

I booted it but could not remember the ROOT password.

I could remember the user password but it won't let me copy.

Then, I booted another USB hard drive which run a Live Session and transferred all the images.

I was not happy to transfer my work and went for a Debian Solution.

I booted up the Debian 8.2 Install DVD (I of 3 DVDs) and Installed the latest Debian.

It took one hour, simply because I installed all Desktops from Gnome, KDE, XFCE, MATE, Cinnamon and LXDE.

That is the high point.

I have six desktops Now, not one.

Secondly, I installed the GRUB in the USB hard drive.

So if my hard drive packs up, I can still try running other distributions I have in my old computer.

So if the GRUB in my SATA fails, NOW I can run with the GRUB from the USB.

I was lucky Debian could not configure my Network at installation since that would have taken another two hours with a SLOW Sri-Lankan Internet connection.

Now I am posting this from Debian and at run time Debian configured my network automatically.

“Ten Days in America”,

This is a little passage from my new book, soon be out on Amazon “Ten Days in America”, every American visitor should read.

It is not meant for long stay visitors.
 
Perhaps I may have to make a bigger edition.
 
Please do NOT mind my English

Objective
The objective is simple.
To have an open air station for tutorial in English to foreign students.
You may ask why in open air?
The answer is also very simple.
There is no place available for me in Sri-Lanka.
All taken up by Sri-Lankan prospective teachers (and British and American proxy teachers) who teach crash courses in ten minutes to all gullible Sri-Lankan poor students.
 
Besides, American and British agencies charge huge sums.
 
The idea is for it to be not detected by education or Sri-Lankan authorities. 
 
If Americans detect it, there is no problem locally or internationally, it is not under their jurisdiction.

If a Britisher (especially the holiday makers) detects it he or she may improve his or her English while looking for WiFi hot spot in Sri-Lanka.

My Wifi is both HOT on air and spices.
 
If Banki Moon detects it, there is no Human Rights violation. 

It actually empowers Human Rights of the migrants who want to become naturalized Americans.
 
All this is to reach my West Indian American in New York who needs some guiding to pass the English Test.

Besides, I need to send some videos of Sri-Lanka and he needs to reciprocate with his own video editions from America.

Besides we need to be in touch until we meet again.

Cloud Client and Cloud Computing

This another blog piece from my mobile,
I am physically (owning a mobile phone) late to mobile world.
But I was very much into mobile technology in spite of my Linux lineage.
When Google's Android came in I had been very critical of its commercial incline and intent since Google was essentially Linux base but a commercial enterprise.
I had been very explicit of my opinion in my book Cloud Computing.
In fact, I had said why Google will fail with Android and Chrome if it go solo.

Coming from Open Source Community going solo and making money and disregarding greater interest of the community especially in the third world where UNO has failed to protect and foresee the emerging trends in IT technology was my concern.

But Google had realized its implications and put the code open and in mobile world Androids rule.
A decade or so ago when O.L.P.C (one Lap Top per Child) was proposed it was killed in its inception by the corporate.
Unfortunate credit crunch also came at about the same time and it never took off the ground.
Then when tablets hit the market and Apple dished out iPads to schools in America in preparation for its exploits.
Kindle came in but only India in this region was interesetd.
Sri-Lanka under Single one sided Mahinda Chinthanaya failed to take note of application of tablets in Schools and the NaNa Sala was used for political propaganda rather than IT Technology and I gave up especially military type of training was introduced to university entrants.
Under Mahinda Chinthanaya we loss an enormous amount of Technology that could have been used in primary, secondary and higher education.
Instead of gunny load of books given FREE (30 years outdated) could have used a Pendrive to load all the e-books in English (Sinhala and Tamil if due recognition for e-bboks were instituted a decade ago under Chinthanaya) could have been dished out as in Singapore.
I think Singapore dishes out millions of books for their kids free in English and in Chinese.
We missed the bus under political megalomania.
The tablets could have been installed in schools and the kids have to carry a Pendrive only (cost is less than Rs.1000/= now).
We need to phase out free books as and when the digital content is increased to appropriate levels which is much much cheaper than printed books (heavy too).
I do not believe the UNPers will do anything since I know for sometime when copyright law was introduced by Ramil and the combo without debate (in 8 hours and even the JVP voted in support) in the parliament and few of the top UNP guys bought the franchise for Microsoft,  Design Studios and what not before passing the bill.
They are ministers in the current coalition government and they have not given up their vested interests.
I fought a lone battle to promote Linux in University (their are spoilers in the higher education too) and schools and miserably failed.
So I went out for the outside world and this blog site is a monument to that effort.
Even here only a few from Sri-Lanka visits (this site promoting Linux)  and the majority come from Russia, Ukraine and USA.
They have given the education ministry to a very young guy and I do not think he has a local or global vision.
Now I have almost stopped talking about Linux (it is too late to start) but very much interested in the smart-phone Androids and WiFi world.

In a nutshell what we have to invest is for few servers and an educational cloud with free WiFi access.

Can the UNP in power do it?
I do not think they will.

Butterflies and Wild Flowers

There were no butterflies but few birds in the locality few years ago.
Few years of sustained efforts and a neighbourhood friend's corporation are bearing fruits.
I was more interested in birds.
Growing few berry trees had done the trick.
But all the trees that were resting place for birds or perching sites are gone.

Under the previous regime felling a tree including jack trees and bread fruit trees was a norm rather than an exception.
 

My plan for videotaping for a week was never accomplished due to felling of these trees in front of our house (not belonging to us).
 

Now they spend few minutes and fly away moment a berry or two had been consumed.
Lately I had been interested in encouraging the butterflies.
There are plenty of them in my water garden.
But it was my friend who alerted me on the need for encouraging wild plants.
Each wild plant has several butterfly visitors.

Now even hummingbirds visit these flowers.
The hummingbirds are my favourite.

Watching them feeding honey on the flight is something nice to begin the day.

Wireless Router

It is early days of wireless IT communication in Sri Lanka.
Years ago I bought wireless router.
I had to go Singapore to get one.
Fortunately my visit there was on holiday.
I had enough time to study the trends.
I could not find a single guy using Linux there.

This was early days of Google's attempt at Android based on Linux.

 
I could never figure out the extent to which its influence will dominate, the.

Mobiles were controlled by parent companies, Nokia for example with different operating systems and the market was dominated by Apple and late Steve Job.

Windows had not entered the mobile world.

 
When I returned I found a simple USB battery charger with wireless router.
It is very useful both for charging my mobile when main electric outlet is not available and also looking for a wireless hot spot.
The old router I bought is in its package box, since years later Telecoms offered its own wireless router and  the old router with finicky software was not compatible.
So when you buy hardware one has to think few years ahead of your time.

Is it Possible to prevent Cyber-Crimes?

Is it Possible to prevent Cyber-Crimes?

The simple answer is NO.

But can you do something to minimize it?

YES one can do a lot.

1. Use Linux at home.

2. Use Windows at office only.

Let the office guys who were not prudent enough to use Linux as a base pay the price.

3. Do not use Flash Drives.

There are many good uses of Flash Drives for example Knoppix on a Stick.

4. Do not share Flash Drives.

5. Have at least three emails from different sources.

One I call the junk email.

The second I call the friendly email with minimal sharing.

The third I call the security email, no sharing.

6. Have a good password, longer the better.

7. Have a method to remember the password. 

I forget them often.

8. Use cloud as a storage media.

They are good at thier own security.

9. Use your mobile with care, only a cloud client.

10. The most reliable method is not to use the computer to communicate.

It is far better to give a call and visit the person in need, in person.

Few good friends are better than millions at the facebook.

I do not use facebook or any social media.

The blog post is my only entry point of distinction.

I do not care how many visit it but take a good note of what other people are interested in.

Keeping Pet Fish may not be fun

 This is another piece from mobile edited subsequently.

Even if you are not a novice keeping pet fish can be pain in the neck.
I keep fish as an accompaniment to nursing water plants of many species.
Some are like weeds and take over the territory by default making exotic varieties stunted.
Fish, the guppy I keep as the controller of mosquitoes.
I just had a nasty episode of guppy disease which luckily did not effect other species.
But my major problem is algae.

It never culminated in toxic algal bloom due to my vigilance, but nevertheless is a problem hard to overcome.
They take all the oxygen and make water cloudy with ugly green tinge.
I have to change the water frequently since global warming has taken effect even in the normally moderate cooler climate of the hill country.
I try to keep up with my challenges with the spirit of a basic scientist.
Today's message is different,

I met a father of a kid who had gone abroad leaving a exotic silver dish under his care.
He was asking the assistant of a fish vendor many questions.
I knew him over 20 years and when he was learning the trade.
He was a fast learner and I told him never to sell sick fish.

In those days vendor squeeses the belly of the fish so that the fish will die in 3 days of renal / kidney failure.

The vendor blames the poor customer!
This was a time very little was known about fish disease and I managed to diagnose fish tuberculosis in an ornamental fish imported form India.
I gave up fish keeping with that episode.
I overheard the entire conversation but resisted any intervention due to my close association with the vendor.
He ultimately decided to buy only the particular fish food which was almost ten rupee per gram and there was only 30 grams left in stock.
My bill was 600 hundred rupees but comparatively expensive gram per gram.

I do not buy fish food that are sold in super markets.

They are no good and some are contaminated with fish diseases.

 
I purchased them after him and both of us came out together making that little corridor of opportunity to lash out my wisdom thoughts uninhibited.

I told him keeping fish in our age is pain in the neck rather pain on my back after every water change.

I gave him two options.
1. Return the fish to the vendor at cut rate.

2. Do not change the tank for a bigger one.
The fish will never over grow the tank.

3. If he want to make money by selling it when gorgeously big go for an insurance cover, first.

The fish would die due to poor equality of water.

Either due to neglect or overzealous water changes.
It is all hard work.

 
I reminded him to let his son knows his plans before they is executed.

Boot Problems

Boot Problems

It is common for your Windows machine to stop booting.

It reads the boot sector and if it does not it hangs up.

I know very little about windows since I do not use it, even though I have a Win 7 in one of the partitions.

I use Linux Grub to boot windows, since windows never supported booting a Linux distribution.

In addition one need to boot windows first and thereafter Linux.

I have an old IBM, the last one out of the ten (rest dismantled and retired to junk) distributions.

Its SATA hard disk's boot sector is gone for good and I cannot boot it but I use a devious method to boot all my my Linux distributions (may be five).

Linux lets you boot off from a different partition and is not choosy of the first boot sector.

Each distribution has a copy of the Grub file for booting.

Today I downloaded Devil Linux and booted it to find it says no no Grub and goes to rescue mode (which I have forgotten now).

So I thought my hard disk finally succumbed to my perennial insults which include sudden power drops and outage.

So bit worried when through my devious routine but still the same result.

Why do I post this?

To report I have no computer to access the web.

No.

I did not do my routine right.

I had a USB hard disk attached to the system.

I am using it to copy all my valid data, in case my hard disk goes out.

It does not have a bootable Linux in it.

Now I have gone to the minimal MicroSD boot, using a MultiUSB port.

Mind you this solid state hard disks are killing the turntable disks and sending them to the junk yard prematurely.

So one cardinal rule nowadays is to have minimum of 4 GIB RAM and USB bootable boot menu.

I still use 1 GIB RAM.

I like the slow pace anyway since my physiology is gradually slowing down.

Good RAM and USB booting are the minimum one needs.

So if your USB does not have a bootable sector it won't boot up.

Nothing wrong with the hardware.

It is prudent to have a bootable USB with some of its extra data storage is reserved for saving data.

Linux can do all this especially the Knoppix.

Latest Knoppix is out but there is a fault in the torrent right now.

Fish with Scoliosis

Fish physiology is very complicated.
Even though the life started in water.
Unlike terrestrial organism they are at tremendous odds.
They never sleep.
They have to be under constant vigilance.
Lately, I had been witching deformed fish.
The first lot was blind.
Out of 11 four are still living.
Most of them died due to poor water quality.
Once I improved the water quality they adapted well.
Strangely, they instantly sense my presence near the tank.
How they do that I do not know.
Even in that set up the partially blind fish attacks the completely blind.
The blind one cannot survive outside, in the wild.
 

Coming back to the fish with scoliosis it makes a tremendous effort to swim if not float.

It is an ugly sight to see it swim but when tired rests on top of the air pump.
I put some floating plants so that it can rest and have the benefit of oxygen at day time.
Funny part is other fish also take advantage of the plant nest.

It is a cool resting place for them.