Ubuntu server install woes

This weekend I made a second attempt installing the Ubuntu server.

Unsuccessful

But after some tinkering and some diagnostics I found that the ISO that I burned / used in the install was not to problem. It was hard drive. The hard drive that I am trying to install Ubuntu on is dying. It has enough life in it to partition properly but try and store anything on it and you start getting I/O errors.

Now that I know the cause of the problem, I'm going to move a lot of data to my external hard drive. This will free up one of my hard drives so I can successfully install Ubuntu.

LAMP and Samba Server here I come!

CRON Jobs

What are Cron jobs?
What can Cron jobs do?
What are the benefits of Cron jobs?
How can I set up a Cron job?

The answers to all these questions and more in the Newbi: Intro to cron.

My PVR Project - The Beginning

Roger's Cable TV and Bell Satellite TV both offer PVR units with their digital television service. Their packages are price competitively and the promotional deals have almost swayed me to buy a PVR unit.

As I considering these promotional deals I was curious to see if there were any other PVR options available. To my surprise there are plenty of options available. One of the options that I found I really liked because I can use my old PC, which is sitting in storage collecting dust, as the PVR unit.

Using Ubuntu, MythTV and a video capture card I can turn my PC into a PVR.

Here is where my project begins. I'm creating the plan to execute this project and successfully start PVR-ing all the television shows I want to watch.

My PVR Project plan:

1. Buy a video capture card that has a TV port and drivers that support Ubuntu and MythTV


2. Install the new video card


3. Install Ubuntu


4. Install MythTV


5. Start recording TV with my new PVR

I'm sure executing the plan will be a lot more complicated that actually planning out the steps that are required to setup a PVR.

Be sure to watch for the next "My PVR Project" entry. I'll have pictures and a lot more information to share.

Web 2.0 and Business.

Some of you my be into the hype of Web 2.0 and some of you may not. Personally I believe that as long as technology helps to enhance our lives the hype surrounding said technology doesn't really matter.

Take a look at the business point of view and how Web 2.0 will enhance business.


Perspective: Web 2.0 and the CEO.

But there's always a flip side so check out this article.

Attacking Web 2.0 at LinuxWorld.

Mozilla Closing in on Firefox 3

This article from internetnews.com is talking about the release of FireFox 3 alpha release 6.

It seems like just last week I was talking about the release of FireFox 2.

Anyway, Be sure to read up on the new features that will be in the public release. If you're feeling brave then maybe you want to try the alpha release here.

Web Tech Talk

Every web designer, web developer and web monkey needs to keep their skill updated. Some of us are lucky enough to have a good job that pay for classes, courses and seminars that will improve our skill or better yet teach us new skills. Others have to try and keep themselves a float by teaching themselves the new tricks of the trade.

Here are a few resource that may help you when you're building a new web site or add some extra functionality to your web applications.

Google Code.

I'll be completely honest with you and say that I integrate almost all of the sites I create with the Google Search API. It's fast, effective and Google has been doing this for years so you might as well use their technology. Also, the APIs they have up there are fun to play with and can be very useful.

Yahoo! User Interface Library.

I haven't used any of these libraries yet. So I can't give you much input. But I'm sure Yahoo! has plenty of tricks to show you. Plus I hear the AutoComplete is really cool.

Dr Web's Web 2.0 Webdesign - Tutorials

These tutorials are a great resource if you're trying to achieve an updated look. It has many tutorials on the new Web 2.0 design techniques.

AJAX - Asynchronous JavaScript and XML

For all of those trying to get a handle on Ajax be sure to check out W3C School - Ajax Tutorial, Dojo - The Javascript Toolkit, ASP.Net AJAX, AJAX - MDC and AJAX Design Patterns

CSS - Cascading Style Sheets

CSS has come a long way. In my opinion CSS is the best way to design and construcht your web site. The control you have over each element on the page is amazing and designers have the ability to specify different style sheets for different browsers to increase the sites usability. Be sure to check out W3C Cascading Style Sheets
home page, W3C School - CSS Tutorials, CSS Zen Garden, Smashing Magazine - CSS Category

Hopefully these resources will help some you. They were pretty useful to me.

WiMAX the new wireless standard.

A new wireless standard is coming to your wireless devices.

WiMAX is going to compete heavily with Wi-Fi. Considering the fact that WiMAX has increased bandwidth and can broadcast signals for miles instead of just feet.

Be sure to check out WiMAX forum for more information.

Microsoft Surface

Microsoft always seems to have away of transforming our technology. Or at least bring some of your tech dreams come to life. Anyone that has seen the movie Minority Report and has an interest in technology would have amazed by the interactive touch screen system they had in this movie.

Well Microsoft has made reality out of fantasy and it's going to shape the world of computers. Microsoft Surface is simply amazing. Take a look at this great piece of technology. I'm sure you'll like just as much as I did.


Check out http://www.microsoft.com/surface/ to see the product demo and get more information.