Lucasfilm open-sources MaterialX, Bacon seeks unity, encrypting drives with LUKS, and steampunk theremins. All this plus your feedback!
Colour key – Venn Pedro Mathieu Jordan
Jono Bacon wants to consolidate the Linux Desktop
http://www.jonobacon.com/2017/07/13/consolidating-linux-desktop-app-story-idea/
- “What I want to see is that the various distributions put at the core of their platform a central app repository that is based on Flatpak”
- Oh, SNAP!
- Ah, yes! The old Linux unicorn of unification. Standardization. Whatever you want to call it.
- Those suggestions Jono provides are good. He was also clever enough to not actively recommend a desktop environment and rile up a bunch of his readers.
- Though, I’m sure he rustle some feathers at his former employer’s with the flatpak suggestions.
- Unfortunately this is in no way an original idea.
- This is just the updated version for 2017.
- That said, I agree with the Bacon but attempts at unification have been going on for at least two decades.
Beelink launches an affordable x68 mini PC
https://liliputing.com/2017/07/beelink-launches-ap34-mini-pc-8gb-ram-64gb-storage-apollo-lake-cpu.html
- At $167 that would have been an impulse buy.
- Though seeing as how the price is now over $210 in an actual store listing, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
- Have to agree.
- Soon as the price starts with a 2 I lose interest.
- But hey, it’s fanless… like a $30 RasPi that can do most of the same things.
Cleaning your Linux box for fun and profit
http://www.2daygeek.com/bleachbit-system-cleaner-junk-files-ubuntu-debian-fedora-opensuse-arch-linux-mint/
- I have started using Ubuntu cleaner to nope old kernels.
- Oh, the OG way people kept breaking their boxes back before 2010.
- I admit, I too b0rked my system with bleachbit back then. Because I was under the assumption that I needed something like CCleaner for Linux, like I used to for Windows.
- I don’t see how this could bork a box and if you are low on the disk space it will at least tell you where to look.
Handy guide for encrypting your drives with luks
https://kushaldas.in/posts/encrypting-drives-with-luks.html
- As the guide says Be very careful when copying commands to your terminal.
- Chances are, your drive names won’t match up.
- And he starts with a wipefs, too. That’s about as good a stupid person magnet as it gets.
- At least he gets it #XKCD
- I don’t encrypt anything that doesn’t leave the house because wrench.
- That said I do encrypt the FS on my Nexus 10.
NetRoller
http://www.netrunner.com/netrunner-rolling-2017-07-released/
- The July roll-up ISO for netrunner is now available.
- (if we have too many stories, this one can go)
- “While it would be possible to simply update a previously installed system due to its continuously rolling nature, we recommend a fresh install.”
- WAT?
Linux Laptop Maker Stationx Preloads 20 Different Distros (including ARRRRCH!!!11!)
http://stationx.rocks/
- That guy looks like a budget Lunduke.
- They ship to the UK, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and The Netherlands.
- Pick from 7 ARCH distros.
- I would never want to be responsible for supporting ARCH.
- *Show of price of configured system.
- They even address the AAAARCH!!1! thing in the FAQ.
- Namely, if you pick one of the AAAARCH!!1! flavors and a hybrid graphics system, you’re going to have to put in legwork yourself.
The other Linux store
https://starlabs.systems/
- It’s a thing, don’t know anything about the company just wanted to give them a mention.
- If anyone has one of their machines let us know what you think.
Lucasfilm open sources a tool used in The Force Awakens
https://www.awn.com/news/lucasfilm-ilm-announce-open-source-release-materialx-library
https://github.com/materialx/MaterialX
- MaterialX allows the exchanging of rich material content between different software packages / rendering systems.
- It will maintain the complete look of a model from one application or rendering platform to another.
Slice of Pi
Turn your Pi into an always-on listening device.
https://blog.pi-top.com/category/latest-greatest/
- We’ve covered the hard-mode version of this.
- Build fun STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) projects with music, lights and sound.
- It has full Amazon Alexa integration, the cloud-based voice service.
Make your RasPi scream like a banshee
http://www.instructables.com/id/Ultrasonic-Pi-Piano-With-Gesture-Controls/
- Goodby sonic screwdriver hello steampunk theremin.
Tracking airplanes #HiNSA
https://blog.alexellis.io/track-flights-with-rpi/
- You can keep the signals you pick up to yourself or contribute them to a real-time tracking site like FlightAware.com, FlightRadar24 and PlaneFinder.net – in return you get detailed metrics – RADAR readouts and other rewards such as
- Free NSA watchlist membership.
- Mandatory enhanced screening from the TSA
- FBI Surveillance Van 37 listed on your available networks.
Feedback
Le Show
http://linuxgamecast.com/bradley/?4GlWHpt
- Worse, he got a jerb.
- Like Python, Strider is single threaded.