I had problems with USB devices not mounting correctly on Ubuntu Lucid until I disabled floppy support:
sudo modprobe -r floppy
Oh, and do not forget to restart your workstation.
USB devices do not mount in Lucid
How to install git on Ubuntu Lucid
It is time to go through our usual exercise of installing git on a bright and shiny new Ubuntu. Lucid it is this time around.
No surprises at all (see previously posted Karmic instructions) :
sudo aptitude install zlib1g-dev
cd ~/_tmp
wget http://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/git-1.7.1.tar.gz
tar xvfz git-1.7.1.tar.gz
cd git-1.7.1/
./configure
make
sudo make install
git
enjoy!
TODO Items after a fresh Ubuntu install
- upgrade Firefox and install an “add-on Collector” plugin
– navigate to the list of my plugins and install the ones I still think are needed
In terminal:
$ sudo aptitude install htop iftop gnomedo gThumb tilda vlc nautilus-open-terminal aptoncd hardinfo
“System” – “Administration” – “Software Sources” – tab “Other Software”, enable the ubuntu lucid partner repository (it’s not enabled by default).
In Synaptic -> mark”sun-java6-fonts” for install. this will automatically install jre, bin, etc.
Install Jin chess client : http://sourceforge.net/projects/jin/files/
How to rotate catalina.out logs on Linux systems
Tomcat is dumping everything printed out to console to catalina.out by default. And with good uptimes (Tomcat is great 
) the catalina.out log could get pretty big (in my case it grew to 8Gig).
What is my remedy? Short of messing with catalina’s start.sh – piping the output to some logrotating utility instead of straight to catalina.out – here is what I did:
We’ll leverage logrotate utility, which is most likely already installed if you are on RedHat or CentOS:
add “catalina” file to your /etc/logrotate.d directory
/...path-to-my-catalina.out... {
daily
rotate 7
copytruncate
compress
notifempty
missingok
}
the trick is in using copytrancate parameter as it allows to rotate files in use by other processes – as it is the case with Tomcat’s catalina.out.
What is the defference between MTA and MDA (email)?
MTA = Mail Transfer Agent
(sends and receives email between MTAs and among other elements of an email system)
MDA = Mail Delivery Agent
(receives email from an MTA for delivery to a mailbox)
MUA = Mail User Agent
(email client)
- Thunderbird
- elm
- mutt
Note: An overview of how these agents interact.
Quotes for 2010/03/17
A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don’t need it.
– Bob Hope
Finance is the art of passing money from hand to hand until it finally disappears.
– Robert W. Sarnoff
“Corporate Bingo” – the hottest game to play in staff meetings
Do you keep falling asleep in staff meetings? What about those long and boring conference calls?
Here’s a way to change all of that:
- Before (or during) your next meeting, seminar, or conference call, prepare your “Bullshit Bingo” card by drawing a square — I find that 5″ x 5″ is a good size — and dividing it into columns –five across and five down. That will give you 25 1-inch blocks.
- Write one of the following words/phrases in each block:
- Synergy
- Strategic fit
- Core competencies
- Out of the box
- Bottom line
- Revisit
- Take that off-line
- 24/7
- Out of the loop
- Benchmark
- Value-added
- Proactive
- Win-win
- Think outside the box
- Fast track
- Result-driven
- Empower (or empowerment)
- Knowledge base
- At the end of the day
- Touch base
- Mindset
- Client focus(ed)
- Ballpark
- Game plan
- Leverage
- Cascade
- Sequential or sequentially
- Check off the appropriate block when you hear one of those words/phrases.
- When you get five blocks horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, stand up and shout “BULLSHIT!”
Three Questions To Ask During an Interview
We’ve all seen variations on the list of common questions interviewers ask, but how much have you thought about what questions you should ask a potential employer?
The best interviews are really conversations, as well they should be. You want to know if the position is the right fit – just as much as the company does. After all, the work you do makes up a good portion of your waking hours, so the company, and the team, you may join has to meet some of your basic needs.
Here are a few seed questions that can reveal facets of the position and the company you might not get otherwise.
Why did the last person leave this position?
This will tell you a lot about the dynamics of the company. Is the job vacant due to a promotion? Great. That means there’s room for advancement. Did the person get fired? That calls for additional probing to figure out what caused the company to take such drastic action. Is this a new position? Great again. That means growth, but also calls for more probing to see if it’s smart growth, or the kind that will have you out of a job in three months.
Can you describe what my first day, week, and month look like?
This will tell you how far they’ve thought though your onboarding process. Is it sink of swim, or do they have a reasonable plan with some mentoring? It can also give you a clue as to what to expect at first, and what their expectations are for your coming up to speed. Also, phrasing the question as if you are already the selected candidate can’t hurt in the neuro linguistic programming department.
Can you describe the ideal candidate for this position?
This is a good one because rather than all the “who are you and what have you done” stuff of interviews, they’ll have to tell you exactly what they want. Then, in your closing statement, you can use the information to create the narrative of you as that exact person.
In addition to those three mainstays, make sure you hit the potential employer’s Web site before the interview. That research will usually help you come up with additional questions to ask.