Installing MySQL for Python in Ubuntu

Whilst on the grind this evening, hacking on some Python code in a newly-installed Ubuntu virtual machine, I needed to install MySQL for Python. Building the package, pre-installation, requires mysql_config — which I had some difficulty locating in the repositories. After flailing about a bit, the solution is to install the libmysqlclient-dev package. $ sudo …

Installing RExcelXML from The Omega Project in R

A quick post to capture the resolution to the past 20 minutes I have spent in frustration trying to install RExcelXML from Omegahat (The Omega Project for Statistical Computing). As this is a source package, the dependencies need to be satisfied manually (which is a bit baffling, frankly — surely there is a workaround for …

Netflix "Error N8156-6013" Resolution

A seemingly pervasive problem purportedly caused by a recent update to Silverlight, the Netflix streaming player bombed-out on me this evening, whinging about “Error N8156-6013” and complaining that it had issues both with playing DRM content and — for reasons which transcend reason — the date on my (virtual) computer. The solution was simple enough. …

Virtualbox + XP + Firefox = Netflix in GNU/Linux

Having recently wrested control of my machine from Windows Vista, I’ve had to implement a workaround for Netflix streaming media. Netflix, unfortunately, has yet to see the mistake in building their streaming architecture on Microsoft’s near-dead Silverlight platform. Until they recognize the error of their ways, I need a workaround. I’ve settled on virtualizing XP, …

Superfluous fstab Entries After Upgrading to Lucid LTS

A quick post to outline a stupefying problem I encountered after upgrading one of my machines to Ubuntu Lucid (10.04) this weekend. By way of background, I am anything but an early-adopter of OS releases — especially on my production hardware. I haven’t the time to debug network-critical software on systems on which I rely …

Ubuntu in VirtualBox

I travel nearly every week to my clients’ offices. I have recently become quite keen on the idea of videoconferencing with my wife and children each night, as a means to span the miles between us. Skype is the software I’ve settled on, as the most promising open-source competitor (Wengo) didn’t instill much confidence. The …

DD-WRT on the WRT54G v8

DD-WRT is, by far, my favorite third-party firmware for the Linksys WRT54G wireless router. I, personally, have three of these on my network — one as the primary access point and router and two as bridged repeaters — on which I have used several versions of dd-wrt. (I’ve also used Sveasoft and Hyper-WRT on these …

Core Dumps in Ubuntu

I resolved this year that I would take time to pursue one of my passions — computer science. As such, I am learning how to write applications for Linux. I’ve just spent 30 frustrating minutes trying to figure out why on earth my deliberate segmentation fault in the small C program I have written is …

Addon Domains at HostGator

This site is, as I’ve mentioned previously, hosted on a Linux server I rent from HostGator. I ran into a bit of trouble when using “addon domains” with their service which I have meant to document for some time now. I read the knowledgebase article at HostGator Support on setting up addon domains which warns …

Repairing Scratched DVDs and CDs

This is a fairly useless piece of trivia, but it saved a recent movie rental experience for me so I figured I’d share it. I typically wash scratched or otherwise unreadable DVDs or CDs in warm, soapy water and then dry them with a soft, non-abrasive cloth. Discs which are not readable after this washing …