LHS Episode #094: Arsenic and Old Pi

by Black Sparrow Media Episode #94 Duration: 01:02:18
LHS Episode #094: Arsenic and Old Pi

The latest episode of LHS is upon you! Prepare to be astounded, mesmerized, blown away and flabbergasted. If none of that happens, perhaps you'll be entertained and informed. In a music-less episode, we somehow manage to get through without stumbling--more or less. Our foray begins in the world of Linux and computing with some tips on how to make your desktop and your blog look better, at only the cost of your immortal soul. In the middle we touch on Hurricane Sandy and emcomm and follow that up with some Echolink: native on Linux Echolink, yeah! Feedback winds up the episode and then we go back to our respective holes in the wall. Send us feedback, if you get a chance. We'd like to hear from you.

Download MP3 (28MB)

Introduction:

  • No music this episode.

  • It’s the night before Halloween and we’re off to another spooky episode of LHS with our hosts starting with a ramble about horror movies. It’s a trick AND a treat!

Announcements:

  • Please consider donating to the podcast or subscribing for #20/year. Also, the free Black Sparrow Media app is at risk of disappearing unless our listeners are willing to provide $15/month to keep the download site alive. Please contact us if you can help.

Topics:

  • Creating a desktop wallpaper slideshow in GNOME:

It’s actually a built-in feature of GNOME. Briefly, here are the steps:

  • As root, create a new directory in /usr/share/backgrounds (any name you want).

  • In that directory, place your desired background images (or links to them).

  • There’s already a directory in /usr/share/backgrounds called cosmos which you can use as a guide.

  • Copy background-1.xml from the cosmos directory into your new directory and edit it to specify your images.

More information can be found in this askubuntu thread. Be sure to read through all the comments.

  • Richard points us to one of many articles about ham radio operators helping out during and after Hurricane Sandy. Our sympathies to the victims of hurricane.

  • More about EchoLink and Linux: Richard found the CQiNet project, which includes two applications, Echolinux (an EchoLink client for Linux) and The Bridge, an iLink/EchoLink compatable conference bridge. Of course, there is still the svxlink package, which includes the Qtel Echolink client.

  • C’mon, people, where are my Raspberry Pi suggestions? Russ is still looking for good uses for his Raspberry Pis. Send your suggestions!

  • Google Webfonts are open source fonts that can be embedded in Joomla, WordPress and others, embedded in CSS, or with Javascript. Visit Russ’ blog page for an example of Google Webfonts in action.

Feedback:

  • David, KE0AZ, sent an email about our discussion of antennas in Episode #091. He’s opting for a used 4BTV vertical.

  • Tim, KI6BGE, in response to Richard’s computer power supply repair in Episode #092, shares his success story involving a printer repair he attempted.

  • Scott, N8VSI, sent this audio report on his experience as the LHS ambassador at the Ohio Linux Fest. (We talked to Scott in Episode 93.)

  • Harrison, VE2HKW, made a donation to the Black Sparrow Media app server fund. Thanks, Harrison!

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