Half-Life 2 For Steam on Linux
The first-person shooter Half-Life 2 released for Steam on Linux. I truly enjoyed Counter Strike, and I am going to install Half-Life 2 this weekend. From the release notes:
Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, Half-Life 2: Episode 2 and Half-Life 2: LostCoast are now available as a Beta. This beta adds Linux support and converts the game to the new Steam Content delivery system.
Linux users can simply install the games access the beta. For Windows and OS X users right click the game in your Library, choose properties and then go to the Beta tab. Select the SteamPipe beta to start testing. Under Windows and OS X to opt out of testing simply deselect the beta option on this same page.
I think Valve has done a good job, and I’m hoping more game developers will release popular games on Linux.
Related articles
- Half-Life 2 and Episode One & Two Launched on Linux (news.softpedia.com)
- Half-Life 2 Games Available For Linux (Steam) (webupd8.org)
- ‘Half-Life 2′ Hits Linux, Available on Steam (omgubuntu.co.uk)
- Half-Life 2 Games Released For Linux On Steam (phoronix.com)
- Half-Life 2 Linux vs. Windows Screenshot Comparison Tour (news.softpedia.com)
The Little Prince – A photo series by Matej Peljhan
Muscular dystrophy is a disorder that weakens a person’s muscles over time. Those who have the disease gradually lose the ability to do things people normally take for granted—such as walking, playing basketball, dancing and even swimming.
A photographer based in Slovenia named Matej Peljhan took photos of a 12-year-named Luka who suffers from muscular dystrophy depicting the child doing things he’s unable to because of his condition. After talking to Luka about his wish to do activities boys his age enjoy like skateboarding and swimming, the photographer created the non-digitally manipulated series which both show sense of humor and an undying spirit. Rather than use some type of digital trickery to make this dream a reality, Peljhan decided to simply use a different perspective.
Created by laying cloth and everyday objects on the ground, and photography trickery, Peljhan helped Luka turn his dreams (and drawings from a notebook) into reality.
These poignant pictures also send a message about the disorder, and remind viewers to appreciate life and live it to the fullest.
You can find larger versions of these photographs in this online gallery.
How to check if a directory exists in a shell script
To check if a directory exists and is a directory use the following syntax:
[ -d "/path/to/dir" ] && echo "Directory /path/to/dir exits." || echo "Error: Directory /path/to/dir does not exits."
The following version also check for symbolic link:
[ -d "/path/to/dir" && ! -L "/path/to/dir" ] && echo "Directory /path/to/dir exits." || echo "Error: Directory /path/to/dir exits but point to $(readlink -f /path/to/dir)."
OR
[ -d "/path/to/dir" && ! -h "/path/to/dir" ] && echo "Directory /path/to/dir exits." || echo "Error: Directory /path/to/dir exits but point to $(readlink -f /path/to/dir)."
Finally, you can use the traditional if..else..fi:
if [ -d "/path/to/dir" ]
then
echo "Directory /path/to/dir exits."
else
echo "Error: Directory /path/to/dir does not exits."
fi
Shell script examples to see if a ${directory} exists or not
#!/bin/bash
dir="$1"
[ $# -eq 0 ] && { echo "Usage: $0 dir-name"; exit 1; }
if [ -d "$dir" -a ! -h "$dir" ]
then
echo "$dir found and setting up new Apache/Lighttpd/Nginx jail, please wait..."
# __WWWJailSetup "cyberciti.biz" "setup"
else
echo "Error: $dir not found or is symlink to $(readlink -f ${dir})."
fi
In this example, create directories if does not exits:
# Purpose: Setup jail and copy files
# Category : Core
# Override : No
# Parameter(s) : d => domain name
# action => setup or update
__WWWJailSetup(){
local d="$1"
local action="${2:setup}" # setup or update???
local index="$d
$d
" # default index.html
local J="$(_getJailRoot $d)/$d" # our sweet home
local _i=""
[ "$action" == "setup" ] && echo "* Init jail config at $J..." || echo "* Updating jail init config at $J..."
__init_domain_config "$d"
[ "$action" == "setup" ] && echo "* Setting up jail at $J..." || echo "* Updating jail at $J..."
[ ! -d "$J" ] && $_mkdir -p "$J"
for _i in $J/{etc,tmp,usr,var,home,dev,bin,lib64}
do
[ ! -d "$_i" ] && $_mkdir -p "$_i"
done
for _i in $_lighttpd_webalizer_base/$d/stats/{dump,out}
do
[ ! -d "$_i" ] && $_mkdir -p "$_i"
done
for _i in $_lighttpd_webalizer_prepost_base/$d/{pre.d,post.d}
do
[ ! -d "$_i" ] && $_mkdir -p "$_i"
done
## truncated
}
Summary
Use the following to check file/directory types and compare values:
- -L "FILE" : FILE exists and is a symbolic link (same as -h)
- -h "FILE" : FILE exists and is a symbolic link (same as -L)
- -d "FILE" : FILE exists and is a directory
- -w "FILE" : FILE exists and write permission is granted
Liberty University Chancellor: ‘We’re Trying To Create Tens of Thousands of Kirk Camerons’
Kirk Cameron partnering with Liberty University for film about human suffering.
(To read the story, click image or here; For a related video, click herehttp://christiannightmares.tumblr.com/post/41804738378/an-awesomely-awful-christian-pro-abstinence-sex)
Related articles
- Film Partnership Between Liberty University and Kirk Cameron Announced (prweb.com)
- Kirk Cameron Returns to Liberty University Campus, Offers Advice to Film Students (virtual-strategy.com)
- Former child star Kirk Cameron tells Piers Morgan that homosexuality is ‘destructive … to civilization’ (miamiherald.typepad.com)
Configure sudo To Send E-mail
sudo sandwich (Photo credit: Dan Harrelson)
Sudo can be configured to send e-mail when the sudo command is used. Open /etc/sudoers file, enter:
# vi /etc/sudoers
Configure alter email id:
mailto "admin@staff.example.com" mail_always on
Where,
- mailto “admin@staff.example.com” : Your email id.
- mail_always : Send mail to the mailto user every time a users runs sudo. This flag is off by default.
Additional options:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| mail_badpass | Send mail to the mailto user if the user running sudo does not enter the correct password. This flag is off by default. |
| mail_no_host | If set, mail will be sent to the mailto user if the invoking user exists in the sudoers file, but is not allowed to run commands on the current host. This flag is off by default. |
| mail_no_perms | If set, mail will be sent to the mailto user if the invoking user is allowed to use sudo but the command they are trying is not listed in their sudoers file entry or is explicitly denied. This flag is off by default. |
| mail_no_user | If set, mail will be sent to the mailto user if the invoking user is not in the sudoers file. This flag is on by default. |
Sudo Logfile
By default, sudo logs vis syslog. You can see sudo log in /var/log/auth.log (Debian / Ubuntu) or /var/log/secure (Redhat and friends). However, you can set the path to the sudo log file (not the syslog log file). Setting a path turns on logging to a file; negating this option turns it off. Type the following command to edit the file:
# sudoedit /etc/sudoers
Set path to log file:
Defaults !lecture,tty_tickets,!fqdn,!syslog Defaults logfile=/var/log/sudo.log
Save and close the file. To see logs type:
# tail -f /var/log/sudo.log
# egrep -i 'foo' /var/log/sudo.log
# egrep -i 'user1|user2|cmd2' /var/log/sudo.log
Sample Outputs:
Jul 1 12:30:13 : vivek : TTY=pts/3 ; PWD=/home/vivek ; USER=root ; COMMAND=/bin/bash
Jul 1 12:34:02 : vivek : TTY=pts/0 ; PWD=/home/vivek ; USER=root ;
COMMAND=sudoedit /etc/sudoers
Get only the latest version of a file from across mutiple directories
bash$ find . -name custlist\* | perl -ne '$path = $_; s?.*/??; $name = $_; $map{$name} = $path; ++$c; END { print $map{(sort(keys(%map)))[$c-1]} }'
Explanation
The purpose of this is to find the the “latest” version of the custlist_*.xls file from among multiple versions in directories and sub-directories, for example:
./c/custlist_v1.003.xls
./c/custlist_v2.001.xls
./d/b/custlist_v1.001.xls
./d/custlist_v1.002.xls
Let’s decompose the one-liner to the big steps:
find . -name custlist\*– find the files matching the target pattern... | perl -ne '...'– run perl, with the input wrapped around in awhileloop so that each line in the input is set in the variable$_$path = $_; s?.*/??; $name = $_;– save the full path in$path, and cut off the subdirectory part to get to the base name of the file and save it in$name$map{$name} = $path;– build a mapping of$nameto$path++$c;– we count the elements, to use it later(sort(keys(%map)))[$c-1]– sort the keys of the map, and get the last element, which iscustlist_v2.001.xlsin this exampleEND { print $map{$last} }'– at the end of all input data, print the path of the latest version of the file
Limitations
Even if the latest version of the file appears multiple times in the directories, the one-liner will print only one of the paths. This could be fixed though if needed.
Super Bowl Movie Trailers: Oz, Iron Man 3, Star Trek: Into Darkness
There isn’t much more added to this new trailer than other trailers you’ve seen, but it still looks like fun.
Iron Man 3
The Super Bowl trailer was just kind of a teaser, but here’s the full 1:30 spot, which gives you an extra 20 seconds or so of Tony Stark looking confused.
Star Trek: Into Darkness
Ooooh, Benedict Cumberbatch better deliver on the evilness or I’m gonna be disappointed.
[Via]
Fedora Linux 18 (Spherical Cow)
Fedora Linux version 18 has been released and available for download. Fedora Linux is a community based Linux distribution. Fedora Linux is considered as the third most popular Linux distribution, behind Ubuntu and Mint for desktop usage. The new version comes with several new features such as – an installer that is rewritten and redesigned from the ground up, GNOME v3.6, KDE v4.9, Xfce v4.10, better network security with firewalld, Linux kernel v3.6, Python v3.3, Ruby on Rails v3.0, and much more.
What’s New In Fedora 18
- Updated installer : The anaconda installer has been totally redesigned for Fedora 18. Users will now have more flexibility in how they configure their installation. Some tasks will run in the background to speed the installation process.
- 256 color terminals - Many terminal programs (like vim and ls) can take advantage of 256 color terminals, and all xterms I know of support at least 256 colors and sometimes more.
- Fedup tool - It is a new tool for upgrading Fedora installations that is replacing preupgrade and the DVD methods of upgrading that have been used in earlier Fedora releases. It uses systemd for much of the upgrade functionality and will eventually be able to source packages from a DVD and use the standard repository instead of an upgrade specific side repo. In other words, it is possible to install fedup on an Fedora 17 system using yum (yum install fedup). Finally run the fedup-cli command to prepare the upgrade using fedup-cli --network 18 --debuglog fedupdebug.log command.
- UEFI Secure Boot - This will allow Fedora to boot on systems that have Secure Boot enabled. Tools are available for administrators to create custom certificates to sign local changes to GRUB or the kernel.
- Secure Containers (LXC Container) - Using SELinux and virt-sandbox, services can be run in secure sandboxes, even as root. The virt-sandbox-service package will create mount points and a libvirt container.
- Samba 4 - It is a combined set of daemons, client utilities, and Python bindings that allow communicating using SMB1, SMB2, and soon SMB3 protocols. It also implements Active Directory domain controller (DC) functionality as an integrated Kerberos DC, LDAP server, DNS server, and SMB/CIFS server.
- /tmp on tmpfs - This is a security and power saving feature. By default, /tmp on Fedora 18 will be on a tmpfs. Storage of large temporary files should be done in /var/tmp. This will reduce the I/O generated on disks, increase SSD lifetime, save power, and improve performance of the /tmp filesystem.
- Syscall filters - Syscall filtering is a security mechanism that allows applications to define which syscalls they should be allowed to execute.
- Perl v5.16 - Upgrade to Perl 5.16 as brings a lot of changes.
- OpenStack - This is an open source cloud computing platform. It lets you set up your own cloud infrastructure, similar to public clouds like Amazon EC2, Azure, etc. Fedora 18 comes with OpenStack “Folsom”.
- Eucalyptus - It is a cloud computing software platform for on-premise (private) Infrastructure as a Service clouds. It uses existing infrastructure to create scalable and secure AWS-compatible cloud resources for compute, network and storage.
- Web Servers - The Apache httpd package has been upgraded to version 2.4.3-1, which has many security and performance fixes. The lighttpd package has been upgraded to version 1.4.32-2.
- Cinnamon - Fedora users now have the option of using Cinnamon, an advanced desktop environment based on GNOME3.
- MATE desktop - This destop brings back a classic, intuitive, and easy to use desktop that users have been long requesting.
- NetworkManager now supports an enhanced Hotspot - This allows Internet connection sharing mode for Wi-Fi, which enables a much smoother connection sharing experience and is better supported by hardware. This mode is automatically enabled only for new connections to make sure existing configurations are unchanged.
- And much more. See Fedora 18 release note for more information.
Fedora 18 Screenshots
Control Panel
Fedora Gnome Applications
Fedora Linux 18 Default Desktop
Fedora 18 DVD ISO download
You can download Fedora Linux 18 via the web/ftp server or via BitTorrent (recommended). The following DVD iso images are in live media format:
Download Fedora 18 GNOME live desktop dvd iso version
Download Fedora 18 KDE live desktop dvd iso version
Download Fedora 18 LXDE version
Download Fedora 18 Xfce version
See the release page and installation notes page for further information.
Related articles
- Fedora 18 Spherical Cow brings Linux fans a taste of Cinnamon, new installer (engadget.com)
- Fedora 18 Officially Released for IBM System z 64-bit (news.softpedia.com)
- Fedora 18 Spherical Cow released (liliputing.com)
- Alan Cox – Fedora 18 seems to be the worst Red Hat distro I’ve ever seen (plus.google.com)
The U.S. Military Takes a Step Forward - Women are Now Allowed in Combat Roles
The U.S. military is now ending its ban on women in combat positions. Did you have to read that sentence again? I still do, and I just typed it ...and heard it on NPR this morning, and I heard it on the television last night. I still feel like it's not something I should be hearing in 2013. No, I'm not talking about the lifting the ban part, I'm talking about the ban to begin with.
Hey Cancer…
So, been kinda quiet about this, but here’s some good news. I don’t have cancer.
For the past 2 months the Dr. was 95% sure I had a rather aggressive form of cancer, but the biopsy came back yesterday, and I’m cancer free !
Still gotta have my thyroid out, but who cares?
Fuck you cancer. Fuck you.
Related articles
- Thyroid Cancer – The “Good Cancer” (mlsswhte72.wordpress.com)
- Thyroid Cancer: The Top Dangers You Need To Know (blackdoctor.org)
Panda!
Panda… Panda… Panda… Car.
![willy[1]](http://robdurdle.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/willy1.jpg?w=590&h=322)
2012 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 11,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 18 years to get that many views.
Click here to see the complete report.
David's Tea Advent Calendar - Day 23 - Vanilla Oolong
Today's tea is Vanilla Oolong, a nice, mild tea. It smells wonderful, and tastes the same. The vanilla is delicious.
I give Vanilla Oolong a 4 out of 5.
David's Tea Advent Calendar - Day 22 - The Skinny
Today's tea is a part of my collection at home, and from what I understand, it must be one of David's best sellers, as they have a hard time keeping it in stock in store. The Skinny is an oolong tea, and contains ginseng, which is supposed to aid digestion and help stop fat absorption in the body.
I'm not too sure about its weight loss claims, as I don't drink this tea regularly, but it is a nice finish to a heavy meal.
David's Tea Advent Calendar - Day 21 - Sweet Dreams
Today's tea is Sweet Dreams, a nice hopped-up chamomile tea. It tastes like chamomile, but with hints of citrus and rose. It's nice and relaxing, and I'm hoping it gives me a good nights sleep. :)
I give Sweet Dreams a 3.5 out of 5.
David's Tea Advent Calendar - Day 20 - Kiwi's Big Adventure
Sorry for missing my post yesterday. I went to bed as soon as I got home after work yesterday, and didn't get up until this morning. So, I had two teas this morning.
Yesterday's tea was Kiwi's Big Adventure. I have to say, this tea was pretty good for a green tea. The kiwi fruitiness really takes Ll but. Bit of the green tea taste out of it.
