If you’re someone with limited internet access and you need packages, you could try this script called “Sushi Huh?” It’s written in Python and you don’t have to install it or anything. Just run it from the command line. When you download it, you need to extract it first and then look at the src directory for all the scripts. If you’re running Windows, you have the sushi_huh.bat and for Linux users, you could use the sushi_huh.py instead. Sushi Huh? a screenshot What does Sushi Huh do for you? Users have varying needs and there are times when you can’t find the applications you need by default. And some times you have little or maybe even no access to internet either. What Sushi Huh? does is that... [Read more]

Last night we had a screening of “10 Tactics” for information activism. Some folks from Tactical Tech, namely Cheekay Cinco and Bobby Soriano and bloggers from the Blog and Soul movement made it happen. : ) The film documents how advocates use technology in their advocacy work. The film was inspiring to us who went there and watched it because there are times when people do feel helpless. Sometimes there are already cases of violence against civilians and how do we go about making these cases known to the public so that we could see justice? We have to find ways to empower ourselves not just with principles but with the know-how as well. For us FOSS and Linux advocates and users we could help bring about the change. How?... [Read more]

Blogging does not come easy to everyone but I want to encourage other people to write about their experiences using Linux. It’s one of the things that keeps me going when it comes to using Linux. Each Linux blog reminds me that I am not alone in my experiences. Sometimes I get ideas from other Linux bloggers to try out other applications. That’s why there are times that I have a series of guides on using certain applications. Those are usually the applications that fit my needs. But each of us have different needs. I definitely can’t help some of my friends in the academe and research fields who use specific tools because I can only touch the surface of their fields and the FOSS tools I could find might not suit them.... [Read more]

How does one build communities? I haven’t had the chance to really start a community with a group of people but I’ve tried to observe some groups who have done so. By the time I know about a community, it’s been quite a while already so I didn’t see the beginnings or birthing pains. But I’ve seen some growing pains. Anyway, out of the several years of observing here are some thoughts: It’s the common interest that drives people to go together. Sometimes just having a common interest drives people together. It could be that they meet each other online and then start talking more often. And from that they get an idea if they could get a community going. Sometimes it could be that they want to achieve... [Read more]

Relatively new to using iPods, I basically just decided to use GtkPod with it when I got it and I haven’t really looked at other options. I knew others existed but I think that GtkPod was convenient enough for me. BrightHub’s guide on how to use your iPod with KDE4 gives you a better idea if you are a KDE user. And this is through the use of Amarok, a media player for KDE. Amarok not only lets you play music but it also lets you synchronize your music to your media devices. Now that sounds cool, right? Basic tips from the guide: Start Amarok then connect your iPod. And you’d have to explicitly make Amarok remember your iPod. Select songs on your collection list then right click on them and select the option to transfer... [Read more]