20080413
Linux to Blu-Ray: Get It Together!
Now that Blu-Ray has won the battle, it's time for the Blu-Ray Disc Association (BDA) to get with the program.While I admit Blu-Ray is the latest hardware that is on the market in terms of optical disc drives, and that the price is fair for what they are charging for the drives and discs right now, driver support is needed for Linux.
BDA has two options for resolving this issue the hard way or the right way.
While it will still be another years before the average Joe can afford Blu-Ray, there is still time for the BDA to pull its head out of the sand and see that DRM is bad and that there are other operating systems that can demonstrate the full potential of Blu-Ray technology.
BDA is not a corporation but a union between several hardware manufacturer, movie and video game studios, and video retailers. So why act like a monopoly? If they are sharing with other companies, why not with consumers? The only thing that we want is software support. BDA can still make money from hardware, movie sales, and retail revenue. But they can't make money if consumers can't afford to purchase it in the form of Blue-Ray players or video game systems because their members jack up the price for products.
If this is the purpose of the BDA, then the key code has reason to be found and distributed.
Labels: blu-ray, hack, hardware, linux, PS3
posted by Bushido Hacks 4/13/2008 07:36:00 PM (0) comments top
20071114
Graphic Processor Warming
My computer has worked hard since its launch in eariler this year, but now comes a new challenge: Keeping things cool and quiet. There is no argument that AMD's processors live up to their "Cool'n'quiet" standards, my problem is with the computer case, the power supply, and the graphics card.The case has poorly done it's job of keeping things cool. As I experimented with the cooling fans, I turned one of them the other direction. The sound was like having a vacuum cleaner sitting next to you. Secondly, if heat rises, why is there not a vent on top of the computer? In order to improve air flow, I need to replace the case. Preferibly one with a door in the side for quick access and a window to see inside. One of the flaws with the case was the punchout slots for peripherals. Once they came out, you could not put them back in. This is an open invite for dust.
The power supply as it turns out should have a fan on the bottom for what I'm needing. Just as a ceiling fan in a room recirculates cool air in the summer, so too must the power supply keep that 2'x8" cabnet well ventilated.
The biggest concern is the Graphics Card or GPU. I don't know why the people who make GPU's with fans that block all the other PCI ports. I mean, its not like I wanted to put something there. But seriously, GPUs are a joke right now. The high-end gaming GPUs look like they have a jet engine strapped to them. Is this thing suppost to cool down the GPU or heat it up? The GPU is nearly twice of not three times as hot as all the other components on the montherboard. A GPUs cooling system is so terrible, it's heat output is effecting the other devices, including the CPU. Currently, as I am writing this GKrellM reports that the GPU is at 168.8 degrees F. The heat is so bad, that one of the two cores on the CPU sometimes exceeds its thermal limit of 104 degrees, and I'm not running ANY high powered programs. The temperatures of the other core which is farter away from the GPU, is at about 78 degrees. It should be slightly cooler than that.
Therefore, I need to find a different GPU to reduce energy consuption so that it doesn't melt down the rest of the systems that were designed to stay cool.
Labels: diy, energy, environment, hardware
posted by Bushido Hacks 11/14/2007 03:59:00 PM (0) comments top
20070618
FUDBusters!
Today I want to start a new segment call FUDBusters. I decided if there was anything worth using the tags again for my blog it would be to dispell alot of these false complaints floating around the Internet which are nothing more than FUD.First item of business is this nVidia Drivers for Linux issue. The only thing people should be complaning about with the drivers is the nVidia logo screen that shows up on startup. It should be noted that you should know what kind of Graphics card your system uses before installing this software. Just to be on the safe side, if you have an nVidia graphics card on your system, the only nVidia Drivers you should install are the basic drivers. FreshRPMs has this problem covered. The have nVidia drivers available for Fedora Core 7. Despite the caveat emptor, it should be safe to install the drivers, just be sure to install FreshRPMs YUM configuration files and use the "Add/Remove Software" feature. You are probably going to want to use GNOME for the desktop interface.
Speaking of GNOME, I've decided to stick with it. KDE isn't as great as I remembered. Probably because KDE 4 hasn't come out yet. I'd like to give Beryl a try, but so far all I get is this white screen and nothing to do buy press CTRL+ALT+BACKSPACE. (This will end your session incase of emergency.) There was som instablity with KDE in terms of multimedia. I've been working on getting the HDTV card up and running. Hopefully, it picks up radio since my inital intention was to install a radio card to listen to some local radio stations. Thats another item on the todo list.
Linux 64-bit is great. AMD2 users who are complaning about why they can't install Fedora 7 probably haven't read some of the ariticles I wrote last month.
Java: Still haven't found how to get it running. Quite honestly: WHO NEEDS IT?! Flash is the New Java. Java loves to suck up memory. That's probably why I prefer programming in C++, PHP, Python, etc. over Java. The only thing for SUN Microsystems left to do is turn into a red giant, supernova, shrink into a white dwarf, and die. I just wish Yahoo! would make Literali run on Flash so I don't have to use Java. It turns out I'm not the only person to have problems with Java. The National Weather Service office here in St. Louis was reporting that they had problems with their animations lately because of a Java upgrade. Fortunately, the have KML files to dowload, which brings me ot my final point this afternoon.
YES! Google Earth DOES work on Fedora 7 Linux 64-bit with nVidia drivers. Again with the drivers. The only drivers computer geeks should be worried about are the nirods with a cell phone in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other on highway who don't use their blinkers.
chmod 744 GoogleEarthLinux.bin; ./GoogleEarthLinux.bin
Now, no more FUD!
Labels: fud, google, hardware, linux
posted by Bushido Hacks 6/18/2007 04:49:00 PM (0) comments top
20070424
GNU Radio - Click!
I really wanted to come up with a clever title that was a play on Wall of Voodoo's "Mexican Radio", but I just didn't have it in me.With 2007 nearing the midpoint, my self-made computer is nearly complete. All I need now is the memory, a backup power source, a little bit of thermal grease for the processor, and something to patch up that hole in the back where a TV or Graphics card goes.
But since I'm not interested in television, and because I don't play alot of video games to justify shelling $300 for a graphics card, I want to develop an interest in software defined radio (SDR).
It turns out this project will be more challenging that I thought, but I am still eager to find some way to do this project without breaking the budget.
I recently learned that many of the projects I want to do require an industrial level of supplies or components, be it a SDR or an electric generator. An eBay search does not return any results that satisfy my requests.
I spend alot of time working on my computer, but I also want to listen to the radio. Nearly every result returned some form of mediocre FM radio reciever that was part of a TV card. But I want something that listens to AM so I can hear Cardinal games and picks up the FM radio stations that don't play some rap station or top-40/emo crap on five other radio frequencies where my favorite stations are located. I want a radio card that can block out that crap and pick up my Red Birds and Industrial Rock as clear as a bell. Unfortunately, the consumer market appeals to the Lowest Common Denominator. So it looks like I will need to build what I want.
Despite the fact that I did not learn about things like Verlog when I took a computer logic course, I still have the textbook from that class and would like to put it to use. I may need to review my knowledge of assembly language which may be of no use since my new computer is a 64-bit dual-core machine. I'm starting to think that maybe I should have majored in computer engineering rather than computer science considering I have a very limited knowledge about programmable logic arrays (PLAs), but I am willing and open to learn.
Reading the requirement list provided by the GNU Radio website, I really did not want to pay $850 for a hardware device that with the right components can be made for far less. Who ever is running the GNU Radio project obviously is not thinking like a broke college student. Do I really need that many Logic Elements (LEs) for this project? A child can build a radio for a science fair project out of a couple of circuit and a paper clip. These guys are thinking in terms of the most expensive products out there. Altera does have some appealing products that are quite afordable and simple to program. But to place the project cost at $850?! Who's running this project? Kaz Hirai?!
As much as this is an important project, the requirements are full of oversight. I know I can do better at a fraction of the cost!
Labels: diy, hack, hardware, linux, mod, music, radio, science, SDR, software, tech
posted by Bushido Hacks 4/24/2007 09:49:00 PM (0) comments top
