Records of my tumblings through the intarwebs
You might have noticed that setarch blocks util-linux on a recent “emerge -uD world” update.
[blocks B ] sys-apps/setarch (is blocking sys-apps/util-linux-2.13-r2)
!!! Error: The above package list contains packages which cannot be installed
!!! at the same time on the same system.
util-linux-2.13 now includes setarch, so setarch is redundant and can be safely unmerged.
emerge -Cav setarch emerge -uDav world
See this forum thread and this bug for more information.
“Sorry, your password is too secure. Please try again with a password no longer than 6 characters, containing lowercase alphabets only.”
I am tired of being told by a website that my password is too long, or contains non-alphanumeric characters which aren’t allowed. I am bewildered that most websites balking at long and complex passwords are financial sites, like bank and credit card sites.
Continue reading ‘Sorry, your password is too strong, says financial sites. Why?!’
Are you tired of digging out your game CDs and sitting through long installation processes with multiple disc swaps? I am. Luckily, when I went to install WoW again a few days ago (I quit last summer), I discovered that my WoW CDs can now be tossed in the garbage. It is a little-known fact that one can download the full World of Warcraft Classic (non-expansion) installer officially from Blizzard. For some reason Blizzard does not publicize this download option and hides it away on their support site.
Download World of Warcraft - Classic:
PC
Mac
More people are aware of the download for the Burning Crusade expansion as it is shown in the WoW Account Manager and publicized on the WoW homepage.
Download World of Warcraft - The Burning Crusade:
PC & Mac
Although Blizzard allows the full WoW installers to be downloaded (thanks <3), Blizzard apparently does not provide the option to simply upgrade from a trial to full account on worldofwarcraft.com. I was under the distinct impression that one could download a trial installer, sign-up for a trial account, and simply pay to upgrade the trial account to a full account online, instantaneously. Luke of Terminally Incoherent pointed out that Blizzard actually forces gamers to purchase the game from a retailer after the trial period. I agree with Luke’s observation that allowing instantaneous upgrading of a trial account would lower the barrier of entry and attract more World of Warcrack addicts.
It is possible to purchase WoW online and receive the authentication key without waiting for the physical media. Direct2Drive allows WoW to be downloaded after purchase (which is no big deal since Blizzard is providing that option as well, as mentioned above), and provides the authentication key online. However, Direct2Drive isn’t promoted or mentioned by Blizzard. There are also many retailers, including eBay merchants, who will sell you un-used authentication keys online, but most seem unofficial and unsanctioned by Blizzard.
Perhaps Blizzard is pressured by brick and mortar retailers to encourage users to purchase the game from them. Just as retailers are worried about movie and music sales going online, they must also be worried about video game sales going online. As a pioneer of efficient online content distribution using P2P technology, I hope Blizzard will fight the pressure from backwards retailers and offer more convenient and sensible distribution options, for the benefit of consumers as well as their own bottom line.
I, and many Gentoo users and fans, have just found out that the Gentoo Foundation ceased to exist a few weeks ago because the current trustees failed to renew and file mundane NPO paperwork in New Mexico. See this discussion on the Gentoo mailing lists and this blog post by Gentoo Founder and ex-Chief Architect Daniel Robbins (drobbins). Even more shocking is the fact that no hint of this monumental bungle is mentioned on gentoo.org.
And so, the non-profit foundation behind one of the most innovative and well-respected Linux distributions is dead because the leadership went MIA and neglected to file a few pieces of paper.
Fortunately, Gentoo Linux will outlive the Gentoo Foundation as long as the developers and users will it so. Many have cited the fact that Gentoo only made one official release in 2007 as a sign of impending doom. Some do not realize that Gentoo uses a rolling update system. Updates and improvements were made to Gentoo without pause throughout 2007. One “emerge -u world” updates a Gentoo installation to the most current version. Whereas most distributions like Ubuntu need new releases to implement drastic improvements, and encourage users to perform clean installs of new releases, Gentoo users never need an official release aside from saving time on fresh installations on new computers. Gentoo Linux might have slowed down and made mistakes that prevented a flashy 2007.1 release, but it is far from dead.
Gentoo Founder Daniel Robbins has offered to return and serve as President, a part-time leader of the Gentoo Foundation. There is no question that Gentoo Linux has suffered in terms of popularity and public opinion since Daniel Robbin’s resignation as Chief Architect. Perhaps Gentoo would be in better shape now if Daniel Robbins had remained the leader of the project. Perhaps Robbins’ strong guiding hand is just what Gentoo needs now. However, I’m worried:
Nevertheless, I do hope drobbins’ offer is accepted. Call me a fanboy, but I believe drastic measures are needed to rescue the project quickly, and drobbins is best suited to serve as Gentoo Dictator (temporarily?).
Whether drobbins returns or not, reports of Gentoo’s demise are very much premature.
Good luck, Gentoo! You truly stand out in the crowded field of copycat Linux distributions. You captured my heart and that of countless others.
I’ve always wondered whether speaker “break in” or “burn in” actually improves the performance of speakers and/or headphones, or whether it is just another myth perpetuated by elitist yet ignorant audiophiles and commercial entities that take advantage of such individuals.
From the little that I understand, speaker break in should not be necessary for properly designed and constructed speakers. The effects of speaker break in, if they exist at all, are often transient and will disappear within minutes or even seconds after the break in process. Nevertheless, there are supporters of speaker break in, and the speaker break in process should be completely safe.
No single instance of performance deterioration, by a correctly functioning driver, owing to break in, was found.
In other words, if you think speaker break in is a real phenomenon, go ahead and knock yourself out. 
Your speakers should not be any worse off from the break in treatment.
I found these 4 audio files (zipped for your convenience here) that supposedly help break in your speakers when played together, at a moderately loud volume level, for a day or so. Use a media player that supports multiple instances in order to play the files at the same time. Media Player Classic can be set to “Open a new player for each media file played” in Options/Player and “Repeat forever” in Options/Playback.
Download speaker break in audio files:
speaker_breakin.zip (mirror)
Read the following articles on speaker break in and pass your own judgments:
Speaker Break In: Fact or Fiction?
Speakers Burn In
Audax 3-way break-in test
Driver burn in facts
Break-in
The Break-In Process
Speaker break in should not be confused with audio cable break in, which does seem to be an industry perpetuated myth:
Audio Cable “Break In” Science or Psychological?
If you are interested in other audiophile myths, check out this article:
Flushing Out Myths In Consumer Audio
Is it just me or is “voodoo science” extremely wide-spread in the audiophile industry?
