欧州自転車レース追っかけ日記

It has been a while (since version 3.16.**.23) since the kernel on MSI MegaBook M670 stopped updating itself. the latest version has '26' in the end. Other Lubuntu systems have been using the latest kernel for some time.

Today, I took the matter in my hand and took the bull by the horns (not so brave but just I had time to look for the possible causes).

I update the update status daily (after booting the system) but MegaBook has not been in the mood for updating the kernel. It updates others flawlessly but not the kernel.

First thing you can do it to boot up "Synaptic Package Manager" under System Tools. Either search for "kernel" or just look down the "installed" status software or "not installed" status or "all" and see what is happening with kernels (various version will be there.

I found something very unnatural. The system is running on kernel version with the last digits '23' but the 'linux-image-***' are not checked. It is like the kernel image were not installed. It is.

OK, this is the cause. The installation status is somehow contaminated and the 'apt-get' does not see any kernel images installed and as it is "not installed", it does not see the need for updating (naturally of course!).

So I checked the latest kernel (headers and images) to be installed. Then I clicked "apply". I think this time the problem has been solved. I will see the next time the kernel gets updated.



It seems that this MegaBook was released sometime either late 2006 or early 2007. Wow! It is old.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Lubuntu 14.10 on MSI MegaBook M670 stopped updating itself (the kernel)]の続きを読む

テーマ:Linux - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/30(日) 16:19:01|
2. Linux
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Customs clearance processing complete
Nov-27-14, 10:12 AM

Yay! It is complete! The circle is now complete! (by Lord Darth Vader)

Actually this quote, "The circle is now complete" is one of my favorite quotes all time. To be sure that I quoted it correctly, I quickly googled for Lord Darth Vader (you know, one of the Star Wars characters, if you don't recognize the name) and found this site (http://www.totallytop10.com/comedy/top-10-darth-vader-quotes).

This quote was listed as part of the top 3 quote. And of course that, "I am your father" was part of the top 1 quote. "What else?" (by George Clooney)

I sent the email to the person in charge (to whom I sent the email about the MacBook Pro on which I am writing this last February for the same procedure) clarifying the price I paid for the incoming MacBook (Late 2009) yesterday (in the afternoon of November 26).

"Customs clearance processing complete" means that VAT or duties I owe to the state have been calculated and the invoice has been attached to the parcel and been on the way to the local Post Office from which the parcel will be delivered to me. I think I may receive it Friday. If I fail to receive it on Friday, I will pick it up on Monday.


I am now connected to the net with a USB Wi-Fi adapter with a Ralink 3070 chip. I installed the new driver from BearExtender. It had 13.2 MB in size. The installation process is as usual; you have to first untinstall the already installed driver and then freshly install the new one. This time the process was more than two steps. But the details are for those who install it so I dispense with the details.

Now the software is an app. It does not reside in the System Preferences anymore. It seems to work well so far.


Those five dots are the indicator of the signal strength (I guess). The 'slice of a pizza with not toppings' shape icon signifies the 'turned off' Wi-Fi interface of the indigenous Wi-Fi interface inside MacBook Pro.




I guess that OS X's native DVD Player only works with Apple-shipped DVD drives when they (DVD drives) are installed inside the Mac. I took DVD drive out of its native optical drive bay and hooked it up to the USB port (by using an external case). The DVD Player complains that it could not successfully initialize the drive. I will try to see if it is really so.

Update: This Matsushita DVD drive (taken out of MacBook Pro Mid-2010, originally sold in the USA) is, I think, Region Code 1 (USA) locked. I can not play any DVDs I have (RC2=Europe, Japan and etc) which have RC2 written over them. I can not play those movies even with VLC player.

I can play region-free DVDs with the VLC player.

OS X native DVD player refuses to boot up because it can not find an Apple-shipped DVD drive on its internal SATA line. Come to think of it, I never played any DVD movies on my MacBook Pro when the optical drive was still inside.

I think the previous owner has already changed its RC settings several times to its maximum allowed counts. Now it is locked to, presumably 1 (USA), something other than 2.

Conclusion: If you take the DVD drive out, you have to use VLC or other third party player to watch DVD movies.



I will test this tentative theory again with my new "second hand" MacBook, which I will pick up Monday, December 1st when the local post office opens. I guess the RC lock on that drive is already locked.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [BearExtender's new driver software and the MacBook tracking info]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/27(木) 14:31:04|
2. MacBooks and Macs
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Customs Clearance
Nov-25-14, 10:30 AM, LU

Customs Clearance
Nov-24-14, 20:52 PM

Processed Through Sort Facility
Nov-24-14, 20:52 PM

Departed
Nov-22-14, 20:02 PM, Luxembourg

I know you are not interested in this topic anymore but this is my DIARY and nobody can stop me. My MacBook's tracking information has been updated and it is now as indicated as above.

"Customs Clearance" means, I think, that they started the process of collecting the applicable VAT. I will receive a letter from the customs office (the post office).

And by now you may be aware that the time above could be NOT the time of the time zone to which Luxembourg belongs to. It could all be one of the US time zones (New York or Illinois?)

Other topics:
1) BearExtender's site has a piece of news to tell us (who are using Ralink chip Wi-Fi adapters) about the progress on the development of the driver software for OS X Yosemite. Mediatek Taiwan (http://www.mediateck.com) has released an update software. I will have to wait for another week or two before I see the new driver software. And Today (November 26) I downloaded the driver. I will test it later.

On November 26, the letter arrived. It is the letter notifying me that I should agree to pay the VAT or duties related to the package that had arrived outside EU (the USA). I promptly replied by email saying that I was willing to pay anything and also attached some files that would clarify the transaction (the price that I paid for it).

It will be delivered soon, I hope.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Customs Clearance]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/26(水) 16:34:04|
2. MacBooks and Macs
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HP (I don't remember when exactly but Campaq and HP were united) recently sent me an email saying that the power adapter cord of my ENVY could be faulty and subject to a recall. I checked it on their site (asked to provide some serial numbers and other information) and turned out it was faulty one (not necessarily faulty but some faulty cords were found in the same lot).

A couple days ago I received an email again saying that the shipment was ready and they were going to send it immediately.

I received the cord today on my way to work. The post man recognized me standing at the bus stop and hailed me from the other side of the road. I got two packages. One has been already described here. The other one was a re-sent items that I had not received for some reason from China.

I liked (and like) Compaq. I used own a notebook PC long time ago (Pentium MMX 133 MHz or something I don't recall anymore). They (Compaq) had a site that provided drivers and software for their products and the support system was really impressive. They provided support for old PCs that had been discontinued for ages.

HP, too, does the same. This time I had a (possibly) faulty power cord and they were willing to replace it for free. This is the way we (consumers) should be handled. I like HP, too. I just want to say (write about) it here.

Compaq and HP are one of the PC makers who offer a symmetrical touchpad design. I hate those notebooks whose touchpad is not placed in the center. I always (if I have a choice) look for this specific design feature. Is it only me? MSI MegaBook is unfortunately not the one whose touch pad is placed in the center. I did not have a choice back then. All other notebooks (including the HP notebook which had been stolen) I have ever owned have (or had) this symmetrical touchpad design. Mactintosh Portable, Powerbooks and etc.

I am waiting for my MacBook that had arrived in Luxembourg (and had been kept at the central despot). The tracking information has been "Departed" for the last one day. It means that it had left the airport facility and brought to the next destination (logically it should be the despot facility where customs proceedings will take place).

I have been looking at item on ebay related to the MacBook or MacBook Pro. I sometimes come across seemingly typo (?) or something that I don't understand. Like this:



These are the tiny screws that go on the sides of a HDD and used to secure its position inside the chassis. I guess they are made of stainless steel or steel and chrome or nickel plated. They are, I believe, not made of platinum or gold. Are they still so expensive?

On the other hand, some items are very expensive but can be explained or justified. I saw brand-new MacBooks A1342 (Late 2009 and Mid 2010) which had been sold at more around 3,000 to 4,000 US dollars. They have not been opened out of the original box. A pristine conditions (just like the bullet that had been found in the hospital where JFK was first treated after the assassination and was believed to have zigzagged between the governor and the President)!

The original prices for those were around 1,000 US dollars, I think. Anybody up for them?

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Two packages arrived this morning]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/25(火) 01:13:10|
2. Diary
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Here is what I learned about the way Mac OS X Yosemite handles a USB Bluetooth dongle (broadcom BCM20702) by GMYLE.

Background:
I recently acquired two sets of these USB Bluetooth 4.0 LE dongles (by GMYLE featuring broadcom's chip BCM20702). It is said that the chips inside recent MacBook Pro (since 2012) are the same chips as those inside these dongles.

In fact, peeking into the kext files shows that IOGEAR's and GMYLE's names appear in the very file that describes the driver compatibility of the chips inside the Macs.

I wanted to test these dongles if they could be used right out of the box (without installing the driver or doing anthing at all).

I did not expect at all that using these dongles would enable my MacBook Pro or MacBook to handle Continuity or Handoff under Yosemite. I don't own any iOS devices that can handle iOS 8 anyway.



They arrived. The package did not include any driver CD's at all, which was expected already. On the package it says that it supports Windows XP, Vista and 7. These description really does not bother me at all. I could not care less.

I plugged it into the USB port of my MacBook Pro, turned the Bluetooth on and then expected to see something but nothing happened. I opened the System Preferences or Bluetooth setup but saw nothing special. The Bluetooth is functioning on my MacBook Pro and that was it.

I wondered. Is this dongle working or the Bluetooth chip inside the MacBook Pro working? Which? Or both??


I had already read some articles about using these USB dongles (with BCM20702 chip) on OS X (Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks) on the net. I re-read those articles and I realized that I am missing something, namely a program called "Bluetooth Explorer" included in "Hardware IO Tools" from Apple. It was also marked that you need to be a registered Apple Developer to download it.

What should I do and what do you think I did? Yes, I registered myself as a developer to download that thing.



Conclusion: Here is what I learned by utilizing the "Bluetooth Explorer."

When the dongle is plugged in, the Bluetooth functionality is provided by the USB dongle (4.0 LE) and when it is not plugged the Bluetooth chip (2.0) is activated. One or the other but not both at the same time. I don't have to worry about which is working; OS X Yosemite automatically handles the situation. Clever, isn't it?

OK. That is what I learned.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ
[Mac OS X Yosemite and USB Bluetooth dongle (broadcom chip 4.0 LE) GMYLE]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/24(月) 15:52:35|
2. MacBooks and Macs
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It has been a while since Garmin BaseCamp was updated to 4.4.3, which I totally ignored. I have still version 4.3.4, which is considered to be the last working version as far as I know.

The versions 4.4.0 to 4.4.1 were only beta versions and were available to those who were brave and bold enough to be the test lab mice. Garmin released 4.4.2, which was a major snafu and in a matter of weeks got updated to 4.4.3, which did not impress those who were dissatisfied with 4.4.2.

Now after almost two months of silence, Garmin released 4.4.4, which I am not sure if I should update to. First I have to peek into the Garmin Forum to see if users are happy with it.

There is not much traffic going on with 4.4.4 release fro Mac. It is still buggy and some cold and nippy (mocking) comments about this release are made. 4.3.4 seems to be the last known "working" release.

OK, the bugs that the users are reporting don't concern me so I will give it a try. I will use 4.4.4 and continue plotting the Tour de France 2015 locations.

4.4.4 has a new feature in addition to bug fixes. That is the Yosemite support.

The application icon seems to be changed, either. It seems to be (only) inverted. The yellow part got blue and the blue part got yellow.


So far I am not eligible for the beta update of 10.10.2, which has been released to the developers.

According to a Macrumors forum post, 10.10.2 beta has bee updated to 14C68m from 14C68k. That means that I, justone of the general public beta test qualifiers, won't see the 10.10.2 beta for a while. It is still too primitive to release to the general public.

On a side note, I erased the content of the 250 GB HDD (which came with the MacBook Pro I bought back in February) and installed OS X Yosemite on it. This HDD will go in the MacBook Late 2009, which is arriving next week. I think and I hope that this will just boot up right out of the box in the MacBook.


Apple MacBook Pro (Mid 2010) A1278 MacBook Pro 7.1
Apple MacBook (Late 2009) A1324 MacBook 6.1

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Garmin BaseCamp updated to 4.4.4 (as expected)]の続きを読む

テーマ:Linux - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/23(日) 22:16:34|
2. GPS Navigation
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Christmas Market (Weinachtsmarkt in German) has kicked off in Luxembourg today (November 22nd). I am not interested at all and I won't spend a second bothering what is going on with them.

The date is very memorable, November 22, 1963. I have already written about it here days ago. I won't repeat it but the date is in my mind till the day I die.


Oh, my MacBook has landed in Switzerland. The tracking information indicates that it was flown from Chicago and landed in Zurich, Switzerland. From there I think it will be flown directly to Luxembourg. And there it is! It is in Luxembourg now.

Departed
2014-11-22, 20:02:00, Luxembourg

Departed
2014-11-22, 17:25:00, Zurich

Departed
2014-11-21, 19:15:00, Chicago

Arrived
2014-11-21, 14:28:00, Chicago

I think by Monday afternoon, the customs proceedings will begin. They will send me a letter by Tuesday afternoon. I will receive a letter probably on Wednesday morning. I will reply the letter by email by saying, "Yes, I will agree to pay the VAT and the purchase price for that item is indicated in the attached documents."

Hopefully, by Friday it will be with me.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Christmas Market in Luxembourg has kicked off today (22nd November)]の続きを読む

1. 2014/11/23(日) 00:29:06|
2. Info Luxembourg
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I don't remember exactly why and how I got to know that these products could be used for repairing plastic material breakage. I think I was reading someones's blog and the author (an automobile fanatic since he is not auto mechanic but he can rebuild the engine, transmission and anything on his BMW) repaired a hard-to-obtain plastic parts of his old BMW with a product from the USA, Plastex (?? called something like that).

Then some googling led me to other numerous sites that had stories to tell about this product.

One or two intriguing sites told me that I did not have to buy this particular product but that cheaper acrylic powder and its solution sold as nail artists's supply would do the job.


I am getting a second hand (or could be third or fourth hand) MacBook and its chassis is made of poly-carbonate (generally associated with plastic material). They (white Unibody A1342 models) are known to develop hair line cracks on the hinge area. They are inevitable. Many pictures on ebay site showed other cracks on other A1342 models and some were almost identical.

I believe the big openings of power port and Ethernet port make that corner area susceptible to easier cracks and breaks.

I am buying plastic (unknown material) hard case to protect my investment but I will be prepared when the part of the chassis breaks or those cracks grow.

The Yosemite (Apple OS X 10.10.**) has been in trouble since its release (or before its release actually). People are complaining. Many of them having issues with their Wi-Fi connections. Apple has just released to the developers a new version, 10.10.2. As I was a general public beta tester for Yosemite, I am registered to be a beta tester for the future updates. I think I am also getting the same update before the general public get it.

I was reading the guides to installing Kali Linux on my MacBook (not yet arrived yet) and the following passage got my attention. It reads:

"The next step is to disable the nouveau driver. Nouveau is a open source NVIDIA driver project, however it lacks the 3D graphics acceleration needed to run Cuda pentest tools."



By the way, the tracking information has been updated and now I know that my MacBook is now at "ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS)". ISC means US customs. It seems that it is going to be flown from Chicago, Illinois after all.





I have installed Lubuntu 14.10 on my MacBook Pro (Mid 2010) and using it on a daily basis. My environment is now very stable but it had issues, namely having a bit of fuss setting the LED-backlight (automatically) to a desirable level of brightness.

Errors and trials led me to believe the Nvidia video driver was not so complete (not the quality of the driver software itself but its inclusion setup into Lubuntu distribution). In the end, I decided that I should use Nouveau driver from X.org on my MacBook Pro and now I can set the backlight automatically set by modifying the file (/etc/rc.local).

If I was going to follow the instructions in the guide above and use the Nvidia driver on my MacBook, which uses a different video chip from Nvidia, I would be not to sure if I am happy with it.

But what are "Cuda pentest tools", anyway? I have absolutely no idea.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Acrylic powder and the solution to be used as a mending material]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/21(金) 15:17:58|
2. Diary
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This white Unibody MacBook is arriving and as of now (of writing) it seems it is in New York (somewhere close to JFK Airport, where it is likely to fly to Europe or Laguardia?), USA. The tracking information did not mention the word Jamaica so it could be flying from other places. It is going to be flown to Europe and then will be transported to Luxembourg where some customs proceedings will take place.

Or is my MacBook flying over the Atlantic Ocean now?

How should I set it up? It does not come with any HDD inside it so I have to provide something. It comes with only 1 GB of memory and I will put my 2 pieces of 2 GB modules inside it. I have a 250 GB HDD (both of them, memory modules and HDD, are leftovers from my MacBook Pro), too.

And then what? I am planning to buy some protective hard cases. I am planning to buy a replacement battery (higher capacity one for MacBook A1342 2010 models). I am planning to install OS X Yosemite on it.

A 64 GB SSD (PCI-E interface) is on my way from China. In a separate package drifting somewhere between China and Luxembourg there is an adapter (PCI-E to SATA). I have to wait for them to arrive for another week or two weeks.

It that it? Am I going to install just Yosemite on it and happy about it?


No! I have a special plan for this MacBook. I am thinking of installing Kali Linux on it. Why? Because I have already multiple Lubuntu (Debian based Linux distribution) on my notebooks. I have to try something new.

What is Kali Linux? What makes it different from the rest of the pack?

If you are interested, you should google it and see it for yourself.

I may buy an optical drive bay adapter for 2.5 inch SATA HDD to accommodate a HDD (OS X) and an SSD (Linux). Or vice versa? Or should I partition the HDD for OS X and Linux?


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ
[Kali Linux on (soon coming) the MacBook A1342 Late 2009?]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/21(金) 01:13:54|
2. Linux
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I have been living in Luxembourg since January 1st, 2009. I moved from Germany because cycling sport was getting less and less popular in Germany and I liked Schleck brothers, who were (and to the present day, have been) living in Luxembourg. I found a job so I moved.

I like Luxembourg. I prefer living here than living in Germany. There are reasons but simply put, I can speak English almost everywhere and they (people in Luxembourg) don't mind.

At city halls, government offices, the Police, banks and other places I can speak English and they don't seem to be bothered. The only time I had to speak (almost nothing really but) German (or French) was at the car inspection (registration purposes) facility near the airport. At that time I chose German since my French is very primitive and I could understand German words for lights, right and left, on and off and other words relating to passing the automobile check lane at the facility.

Anyway, the downside of living in Luxembourg is that things are very expensive here. House / apartment rents are, people say, as high as in Paris, France. Here I mean "real" Paris with the postal code beginning with 75. I don't mean the outskirts of Paris, which is not Paris by address. Real Paris is a just small part of land surrounding the Tower of Eiffel or the Arc de Triomph. You can walk across Paris in a matter of very short time.


Some things are cheaper than in surrounding countries (Germany, Belgium and France), namely tax rates in general and consequently the prices of tobacco products, alcohol products and gas products. As you can see, the prices of these products are controlled by the state because the majority of the prices is the state tax.


The paragraphs above are just the preface of what I am going to write about here.

The article that showed up in the "Luxembourger Wort" clearly illustrates the situation. French protesters occupied the border gas station where "cheap(er)" tobacco products are offered to passing motorists. They are not happy that Luxembourg stores selling the same products as they sell (protesters are tobacco products retailers) at much lower prices. French government is planning to raise the tax rate on the tobacco products and they fear that their customers are getting more and more likely to make a journey to Luxembourg for the product.

Do you know that the world biggest retailing gas station is in Luxembourg? It is one of the gas stations bordering with the surrounding countries. You can visit one of those three gas station on the highway (on German border, French border and Belgium border) and see a herd of diesel guzzlers any time of the day, night and day.

The link is here (http://www.wort.lu/en/luxembourg/aire-de-berchem-french-tobacconists-demonstrate-against-luxembourg-s-cheap-cigarettes-546b82020c88b46a8ce3ea7d).


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Handful of things you can buy cheap in Luxembourg and ...]の続きを読む

1. 2014/11/19(水) 17:17:07|
2. Info Luxembourg
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What I had been looking for a while before I finally decided to buy and bought was a MacBook.


I already own a MacBook Pro (Mid 2010) US keyboard system since last February (2014). This purchase was prompted by this bitter experience I had in the summer of 2013. I followed the Tour of France all the way (Corsica = the Grand Départ to Paris = Champs Elysées finish) when I had an HP ENVY with me. This notebook had (and has) a faulty logic board and lost the battery charge in a couple of days. No matter how I frequently charged it, I could not use it for a sustained period of time during my travel.

I needed a notebook (not a tablet since I have to use it as a mother ship for my iPhone and Garmin nüvi) that had a longer battery operation time. I concluded that I would buy a second hand MacBook (or Pro).

I patiently looked for it on ebay (mainly from sellers in the USA) and found one. This is my MacBook Pro and I took it with me during the Tour de France 2014 and found it very useful. I purchased (before leaving for Yorkshire UK = the Grand Départ) a car 12 V DC to magsafe adapter from a seller in UK.

Now my MacBook Pro has two SSDs on board. One 128 GB Toshiba SSD is in the main HDD's place and has Yosemite on it. One 32 GB SSD is in the optical drive's place and has Lubuntu on it. The battery has been changed.

With an SSD, the system operates very snappily quickly. It takes just only 9 seconds or so before I can log in the Yosemite system. I am very happy with it (with a 255 GB HDD and Mavericks, it took almost 2 minutes? before I could log in. What a big difference an SSD makes!).



Why do I need (want) a second MacBook? Well, because it is fun to have an OS X / Linux dual boot system nearby.

I wanted to have something very reasonably priced. In other words, cheap. It has to have a US keyboard (as it is easier to blind type on a US keyboard).

It has to be really cheap. It took me while before I decided which model to buy. My budget was around 300 euros including the shipping fees (but excluding the obligatory Luxembourg VAT). Normally you buy a PC from outside EU area, the post office will send you a notice letter stating that you should agree to pay the VAT (Value Added Tax). It happened when I bought my MacBook Pro back in February 2014.


My purchase this time will cost me well under 300 euros even after including the VAT. My choice was MacBook Late 2009 from the USA. It does not have a lot of memory on it (only 1 GB) but it does not matter since I have 2 x 2 GB modules at hand. It does not come with a HDD in it but it does not matter at all. I will use the HDD that was originally inside my MacBook Pro (250 GB). I might even put a SSD (64 GB, PCI-E interface) with an additional adapter, both of which are arriving soon.

This poly-carbonate white Unibody notebook has some scratches here and there and also those obligatory hairline cracks on the hinge area. Otherwise the condition of this MacBook will be fine.

I long considered buying MacBook 2010 but they are a bit expensive than a MacBook Late 2009. They are almost (or exactly) identical from outside but different inside. I did some research and learned the differences. For my use, I reasoned that the differences do not matter.

MacBook Late 2009 has weaker points:
Battery operation time:
When I buy a new battery (intended for MacBook 2010), the battery operating time would be close to 10 hours (Late 2009 A1342 models are rated at up to 7 hours with a battery somewhat less capacity whereas 2010 models are rated at up to 10 hours of battery operation time with a high capacity battery. They have the same size and said to be compatible = interchangeable).

Ohers:
The touchpad is a bit less features (not inertial ...) and its mini DVI port does not transmit audio signals. The video chip Nvidia M9400 is weaker than M320 and so on. The maximum memory expansion is 8 GB as opposed to 16 GB of 2010 model.

I don't need these extra features anyway.

I am looking forward to receiving this Christmas present.

By the way, I mentioned "acrylic power and its solution (to make it harden)" a short while ago. It was meant to be the mending material for this Macbook. Acrylic material can be used for repairing the poly-carbonate.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [My Christmas present for myself is ...]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/19(水) 01:52:14|
2. Diary
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He was assassinated on November 22nd, 1963 in Dallas, Texas.


(From Google's site)

I first got to know his name when I was much grown up as he was assassinated before I was even born.

I think that his assassination (and the legacy he had left) story was mentioned in a book written in Japanese I read. Then I got into it. I purchased a set of cassette tapes (Wow, long time ago and CDs and cassette tapes were still common means of carrying audio and video) that had that heated televised debates between two candidates for the US Presidency, namely John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. It was part of learning English as I was back then still living in Japan but was set to go to live in the States soon.

When I was in the States, the movie 'JFK' came out. It was a long movie but I went to see the movie in the local theater twice. When the VHS (Wow!) cassettes came out I bought them and watched them repeatedly. I also bought the book by Jim Garrison (who prosecuted the suspected assassination participants) and the audio cassettes (ditto!) of tits narrated version (later I learned that it was an abbreviated version read by Ed Asner, who played Guy Bannister in the movie).

I can not stress the fact that I watched the movie repeatedly and also listened to those cassette tapes repeatedly.

I also bought other books related to the 'so-called' assassination conspiracy theories.



In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ

[John Fitzgerald Kennedy and his legacy]の続きを読む

1. 2014/11/18(火) 16:36:56|
2. John F. Kennedy
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It is that time of the year. I am buying myself some presents!

I bought something or things and they will be arriving in a week or weeks.

The weather in Luxembourg for the moment is grimly miserable. Wet and chilly. It is not cold yet but the rainy. The day time high is around 7 to 10 degrees Celsius and the night time low is around 2 to 4 (ditto), which is not freezing (0 = zero Celsius is the freezing point).

Apple has released the Yosemite update 10.10.1 to the general public. I don't know yet (as I am writing this on a PC with Lubuntu) if the 10.10.1 (14B23) that I have on my MacBook Pro is same as the one aforementioned. I have to boot up my MacBook Pro to check it out.

(It turned out that the beta version of 14B23 was not the final and so I was prompted to download the final public version of 10.10.1)

I just let an ebay seller know that some items they sent to me toward the end of September had not arrived as the estimated delivery date had passed a week ago. I am willing to wait for another week to make sure they have been lost or not but I want them.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Christmas Presents and New Year's ...]の続きを読む

1. 2014/11/17(月) 00:40:18|
2. Diary
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I have been looking for USB TV (DVB-T/DVB-C) tuners for a while. I found one a short while ago on ebay. It was an Elgato eyeTV Hybrid (analog/DVB-T/DVB-C). It was a second hand item and I got it reasonably inexpensively.

I had not expected that it would work under Linux (Lubuntu) and it turned out it did not. I was OK with this fact.

I am still looking for cheap USB TV tuners for my MacBook pro (OS X and Linux) and other notebooks. Compact USB tuners often have "mcx" connector interface for the antennas (or antennae). My Elgato eyeTV Mobile and Elgato eyeTV W both came with neat section (stretchable) antennas. They look like this.


It has four (4) sections and expands up to about 18 cm and shrinks to 4 cm. It is light and compact.

I was trying to buy more of these antennae on the net. I found one on Amazon.de (German division because Luxembourg is close to Germany). It is branded as equinux. Equinux (www.equinux.com) sells some TV tuners like tizi series tuners. They also sell those mini antennae separately. I was trying to buy it cheaper probably from China. I found these but not the section antennae. I don't know why I could not find the antennae.


The connector is fragile and could be broken easily. I will buy bunch of these connectors just in case. That way, I can be sure I always have working antennae.


I am going to buy some powder and liquid. In English they are acrylic power and liquid. I am going to buy them from Germany and they are called Acrylpulver and Acryl Liquid there. In German, normal nouns are spelled with initial capital letters.

Why do I need these? They are used by nail artists (as by nail salon workers). They can be used as a very strong plastic welding material.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [TV antennas (or should I say, antennae) and acrylic powder/liquid]の続きを読む

テーマ:Linux - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/14(金) 01:49:07|
2. Linux
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I just received an email from HP's customer service that my ENVY's charger cord could be affected by the recall that they initiated. If LS-15 is molded on the end of the cord, it is the one they want to replace. So says the email content.


Tada! I am qualified to receive a new cord from HP with no cost. Do I want it? Actually no but I will kindly reply to their request.

I learned a long time ago that an English noun mail normally did not count. You can not say "mails" but you have to say a piece of mail. On the other hand, you can say an email or emails. An email = a piece of massage by means of electric mail delivery system.

So Today (1 day after I received the email from HP) I completed the questionnaire that HP provided (providing the serial numbers of the PC's I bought and the power charger's that came with the PC) and in the end they said I was eligible for receiving a new cord. It will arrive maybe next week. A happy end!


My MacBook Pro's Yosemite is now 10.10.1 (14B23). It is the second pre-release update. The previous pre-release update was 14B17. There is no visible difference at all.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [HP ENVY's charger cord is recalled and mine is affected]の続きを読む

テーマ:Linux - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/12(水) 02:32:04|
2. Linux
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So the results are in.

The internal battery that had been taken out of the notebook was put back again. I booted it up and saw the battery status. 98 % of the charge was still there. 98 % means 100 %. The temperature could take a couple of percent off or add to the actual charge so the battery had held the full charge after days when left along (outside the notebook).

The battery is good. The mysterious loss of the battery charge comes from the mainboard. I won't buy a new battery.

There is something on the logic board that is eating the juice out of the battery even when the computer is totally shut down. Sorry to have found it out. I had hoped that the battery had been faulty.

End of story.



In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [HP ENVY 4 and its ailing? battery Part III]の続きを読む

テーマ:Linux - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/09(日) 14:31:07|
2. Linux
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App Store (Apple's Mac application on-line shop) suggested that I might consider applying this update (about 310 MB in size). It suggest that I should not update it with this if I am scared of losing some important data on the system. I participated the Yosemite Public Beta Program (I don't remember the exact name for it but, ) and that is why I am eligible for this pre-release update. Basically I volunteered to be a lab test mouse.

Well, I had a short moment of reflection and applied the update. Now my MacBook Pro is on OS X Yosemite 10.10.1.

I did not have any issues with the Wi-Fi connection except that sometimes the WLAN network name that I am connected to appears twice on the list. I can fix this by going to the Preferences and etc.

(up to here, it was written on November 5th)


After this update, I had a (minor) problem with accessing the App Store and Today, (November 6th) it turned out that Apple was updating the App Store at that particular time. Now Apple is introducing a different look for us (Yosemite users).


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ


[OS X Yosemite 10.10.1 update and ]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/06(木) 01:13:25|
2. MacBooks and Macs
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So Yesterday I unscrewed the numerous screws on the back of HP ENVY and after opening the back lid, I further unscrewed three screws to remove the battery inside. Of course I made it sure that the battery was fully charged just before I shut it down.

Now the battery stays outside its natural habitat and stays there for a week or so. I will see if the battery loses its charge rapidly after putting it back in the original place.

This battery was fully charged (at least the indicator said it was) before this operation.

Two day before the operation, I put this notebook shut off without the charger plugged in for one day. I booted the notebook up and hooked up the charger plug to see how much charge was left. It had only 52 % left in the bag.

Only one day without doing anything and completely shutdown without anything attached (USB ports, External monitor port or every other holes) and the charge was lost to its half content. What is wrong? Sometime this loss is this big (half) and other times the loss is 20 percent or less. I don't now what is going on with this notebook or its battery.

What's eating the juice? I hope this operation (taking out the battery for while) will give me the answer.



In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [HP ENVY 4 and its ailing? battery Part II]の続きを読む

テーマ:Linux - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/04(火) 16:11:16|
2. Linux
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I had to re-install Lubuntu 14.10 on my HP ENVY and MacBook Pro.

It is my fault. I use Synaptic Package Manager regularly to install or remove packages. And I removed what was needed and that caused the some problems.

I re-installed Lubuntu on HP ENVY more than a week ago. It is now back to it was before the accident.

It is wise not to fool with Synaptic Package Manager but it is the only way to do something that is so elemetary.

For example, I use Japanese language. Reading Japanese language on web pages won't require any additional programs. If, however, you want to write in Japanese, you have to install at least one Input Method of your choice.

I choose 'mozc' and it works well. In 'Lubuntu Software Center', you can find the mozc package. It looks and sounds simple, right? Installing the mozc package won't do anything at all (although it should).

You HAVE TO open Synaptic Package Manager and search for 'mozc'. Then you have to check 'ibus-mozc' to install. After installation, you restart 'IBUS' or simply restart the system. Then open 'Preferences' 'Keyboard Input Method' to add mozc in Japanese input method. After that you can write in Japanese.

Nobody told me how to set up the Japanese Input Method. I found it out by clicking around.

I am writing this on MacBook Pro (Lubuntu 14.10). I just finished re-installing the system yesterday. It is not yet up to date. I have to update the system.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Lubuntu 14.10 on MacBook Pro / HP ENVY re-installation]の続きを読む

テーマ:Linux - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/03(月) 23:34:00|
2. Linux
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Elgato eyeTV Hybrid (2008 version) that I bought (via ebay auction) arrived this morning. I had brief time to test it out to see if it was not broken.

This Elgato eyeTV Hybrid is an older version (same name but different version with a different form) that was launched 2008. The newer (and the latest) version was launched 2010. The seller kept the original box and everything that came with the product.

I am guessing that the description of the product at www.elgato.com, for example, eyeTV Hybrid (08) as opposed eyeTV Hybrid (10) suggests if different versions with the same name exist, they put the products launch year (last two digits) in the parentheses following the names.

This older version has a threaded aerial connector sticking out of the body as shown in the image here.

(This is the one I own now)

The newer version has non-threaded aerial connector inside the body as shown in the image here.

(non-threaded interface)

I also learned that there is an earlier (the first model?) version (probably launched in 2008). This product has a slightly different form than my model. The package of this seemingly earlier model says it supports PowerPC Macs.


I have to guess again that mine was launched probably in 2009 before the newer model came out in 2010. Or mine is 2010 model and the latest one is a yet another model with the same name but a different plug?

The problem is that a 'normal' DVB-T (digital terrestrial) antenna has a different (non-threaded) plug. I can not plug an antenna into this USB stick tuner for the moment. I already ordered an adapter for it (a lot of 10 pieces). They will arrive in the end of November or so. I have to wait.


I don't know know the exact name for the threaded or non-threaded connector interfaces but I could find these with relative ease. They came in a lot of 10 pieces but still were relatively cheap.


Meanwhile I will test the tuner with DVB-C (cable TV) connection. I have a cable TV connection at home (free of charge). And the cable connection cable does have that threaded plug.

The initial test on Linux failed. On Linux (Lubuntu) I tried 'w_scan' to see if I can use the stick. 'w_scan' command replied that it did not find any device. It was expected.

Elgato eyeTV 3 supports a variety of hareware from various makers. This screenshot was taken by iPhone.


The latest version of eyeTV 3 is 3.6.6. It is downloadable but it is 159 MB in size.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [EyeTV 3 (3.6.5) and eyeTV Hybrid (2008 version?)]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/03(月) 22:18:28|
2. MacBooks and Macs
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My MacBook Pro (purchased from the United States of America via ebay as second hand) is equipped with a bluetooth (BT) function. I don't use it. It has been turned off since the beginning (of my posesion).

Its revision is 2.0. It is rather an old revision. It is good for connecting external mice (plural of mouse, of course), keyboards, phones or audio devices.

The latest revision of BT is called 4.0 LE.

There is quite a lot of discussion going on on the topic (about BT 4.0 LE) when Apple introduced iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite (or AirPlay, AirDrop). In essence, Apple want Mac/iDevice users to upgrade their hardware to newer ones.

MacBooks (MacBook Pro) 2012 and newer can use the full function of Yosemite/iOS 8 Continuity or Handoff because they are equipped with BT 4.0 LE.

There is a way to activate this functionality on older MacBooks with a hardware upgrade and software modification. To do this you have to purchase a BT module that was meant for MacBook Pro 2012 or newer. Additionally you have to modify some files (Kext). The details are well documented on the forum hosted by MacRumors (www.macrumors.com).

Anyway, many Mac owners hoped that Apple would make it possible to explore the full functionality of above-mentioned tech if they purchased an external USB BT module. It did not materialize, at least to date.

Maybe some hackers make it possible soon. It is unlikely, though.


(IOGear's GBU521: Amazon.fr showed me this. You can cheaper ones on ebay or so.)


(GMYLE's module: ebay showed me this and it was cheap.)


I decided to buy a USB BT module for myself. This is the one. It is equipped with Broadcom's chip that is also used in the above-mentioned BT LE modules for newer Macs. I am not expecting to use Continuity or Handoff on my MacBook Pro.

The module is from GMYLE. This module is recognized by OS X (Montain Lion and on). I don't have to install a driver for it. I found it out on the net. Just for curiosity, I looked into the 'Kernel Extension' files for the Bluetooth drivers in the Yosemite system.

I could recognize GMYLE's name (and its ID vendor and so) along with IOGear's name. IOGear GBU521 is well known to Mac users and long since Mac users choice of the USB module for BT 4.0 LE.

GMYLE is less known, I think. I chose GMYLE's product since it was way cheaper than IOGear's. It is also supported by Linux. I am not sure at this moment if the Linux driver for the chip is of Open Source or proprietary. It does not matter at all.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [MacBook Pro (Mid 2010) and its bluetooth revision]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/03(月) 03:13:28|
2. MacBooks and Macs
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Part I (One) of the entry:

(image of a ticket validating machine working)

This device that you find on the public buses in Luxembourg is on Linux. I did not know this tiny well hidden secret until a couple days ago I witnessed that penguin logo on the terminal. That device had some kind of error and the raw terminal screen (letters giving up some error messages?) was up with a proud penguin icon on the left corner (a different monitor orientation). I did not take time to take a photo of it as I was already in the act of getting off the bus.

Good to know that Linux is being used around me.


Part II (Two) of the entry:

(image of iPhone 4 screenshot)

I love crosswords. I started solving and enjoying crossword puzzles back in the time when I lived in the United States of America. I was at then at a private English school (to attain a student visa, it was the easiest way). One or two of the teachers liked them and I soon fell in love with the puzzles.

Sometimes I find some clues that are easily solved because of my particular knowledge gained by my particular interest. For example, it was really easy to get the solution to this clue.


Part III (Three) of the entry:
I love Lancia Stratos (HF). It is one of my dream cars along with Porshce Spyder. Both of them have been out of production for a long long time. It is very difficult and almost impossible to get the original cars because they are extremely rare and I am not a billionaire. Yeah, baby! I am NOT a billionaire, not even a close to millionaire, in fact, I'm not rich at all.

I knew that replicas of Porsche Spyder existed. They were built by several small businesses. They stopped producing new models. By the way, Porsche Spyder is the car that iconic actor James Dean was driving when he had that fatal accident.

I just learned that replicas of Lancia Stratos exist. And surprisingly they, Lister Bell Automobile (http://www.listerbell.com/) actively produce them now. I also learned about another replica manufacturer, Hauk (http://www.hawkcars.co.uk). Wow! There is hope that one day before I die that I can own one of those and drive them.


Part IV (Four) of the entry:
I opened up the HDD compartment lid on the back side of MSI MegaBook M670 to find that its HDD interface was an Serial ATA (SATA 7 + 15 pin) interface. I thought it had an IDE 44 pin interface. I was wrong.

I was thinking about the scenario that one day soon I have to replace the HDD inside it. I thought of preparing for the doomsday by purchasing an adapter that will host a mini SSD. I wanted to be sure that I was buying the right adapter.

I was shopping for possible MegaBook M670's spare parts. It already had a new LCD screen that I bought as a part and replaced with a broken one. Candidates for purchase will be the battery (two versions exist 4400 mAh and 6600 mAh capacity), US keyboard, cooling fan or ?

Will it pay off to invest some money on this ageing notebook?



(a screenshot clip of MacBook Pro boot menu when pressing down the 'option key')

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Lancia Stratos HF (and its replicas), SSD and MSI MegaBook]の続きを読む

テーマ:Linux - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2014/11/03(月) 00:02:52|
2. Linux
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