— Abraham

1. sudo apt-get install vbetool
2. sudo vbetool dpms off
3. sudo vbetool dpms on
4. sudo vbetool dpms off

Originally found at: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1097503

I  decided to compile MySQL, PHP and Apache from Source.  Everything was installed in /usr/local/ I created sym links to the version directories to keep a copy of the programs just in case anything went wrong.

ln -s /usr/local/php-5.3.6 /usr/local/php
ln -s /usr/local/mysql-5.5.11 /usr/local/mysql
ln -s /usr/local/httpd-2.2.17 /usr/local/httpd

edited /etc/profile to have /usr/local/mysql/bin and /usr/local/php/bin in PATH variable. Below was added to the bottom of /etc/profile

PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/mysql/bin:/usr/local/php/bin
export PATH

Steps to Install MySQL Apache and PHP from source

1. Had to install and compile Cmake first for MySQL from source (cmake.org).  I installed it to /usr to keep things simple.

• cmake .
• make -j3
• make install
• created mysql user and group
• changed ownership of data dir to mysql
• run mysql_install_db from MYSQL_INSTALL_DIR/scripts/mysql_install_db –user=mysql

2. Apache was configured with:

./configure --prefix=/usr/local/httpd --enable-ssl --enable-so --enable-rewrite
3. yum install libicu-devel
4. yum install libmcrypt-devel
5. yum install aspell-devel

6. For PHP, I used the following configure options.  Notice this is for a 64 bit install.

./configure --prefix=/usr/local/php --with-libdir=lib64 --with-mysqli=mysqlnd --with-pdo-mysql=mysqlnd --enable-sqlite-utf8 --with-apxs2=/usr/local/httpd/bin/apxs --with-mcrypt=/usr/local/mcrypt --with-openssl --with-bz2 --with-curl --with-freetype-dir=/usr --with-png-dir=/usr --enable-gd-native-ttf --with-gettext --with-gmp --with-iconv --with-jpeg-dir=/usr --with-openssl --with-pspell --with-zlib --enable-exif --enable-ftp --enable-magic-quotes --enable-sockets --enable-zip --with-pear --enable-calendar --enable-mbstring --with-ldap=/usr --enable-soap --with-xmlrpc --with-gd --enable-intl

http://2bigblackmenandapancake.tumblr.com/post/2444023018/give-take

Before I switched from my beloved T-Mobile back in 2008 to get the iPhone from AT&T, I waited until the first Android phone was to be released.  I saw the FCC sketches and the prototypes of the G1 and I thought i was an ugly phone.   I didn’t like the “chin” and the sliding keyboard looked awkward.  I had the T-Mobile MDA so I was use to the sliding keyboard action.

I had been lusting after the iPhone since it came out in 2007.  I just didn’t have $600 to plunk down on a phone and I was still under contract with T-Mobile.  So when the iPhone 3G was released summer of 2008 I was excited, but not ready to part with T-Mobile just yet, I decided to wait to see what the G1 would be like.

Since I was disappointed in the design of the G1, I decided to make the switch to AT&T to get the iPhone.   I was sooo in love with the phone when I got it.  The day after, I couldn’t hardly get any work done.  There was some serious endorphins being kicked off owning the iPhone.  I never have felt so content in my life.  It was  weird feeling.  It was like the iPhone made my life complete.

In 2009, when the iPhone 3GS came out, I had new tech envy.  The 3GS proved to be a definite improvement over the previous generation in speed and memory.  I wouldn’t be eligible for an upgrade until March of 2010.  After agonizing over it a bit, I decided to just wait until the new iPhone would be release for 2010.

Forward to 2010

Back in December, the school board switch from Alltel to Verizon.  The Motorola Droid was the new hotness and I decided to get it as my work phone.  After using it for a couple of weeks, I hated it!  The screen was too narrow and the on screen keyboard was not very accurate.  Some parts of the UI were just awkward and inconsistent.  It just didn’t have that iPhone polish and granted, I was a little biased.  I passed it along to a coworker who is completely happy with it.  *kanye shrug*

Next I decided to try out the Palm Pre Plus.   The packaging of the Pre had the new car smell and inhaled the inside the box quite a bit.  It did smell good. *lol*  I thought the Pre was a nice compact phone but the keyboard was an issue for me.  The keys were just too small and I didn’t like having to slide open the phone every time I wanted to make a text entry.   I longed for an onscreen keyboard.  Voice recognition input would have been helpful.  The UI wasn’t too bad to navigate.  I found the notification system a little awkward; better than the iPhone’s but still awkward.  Still unsatisfied, I sent it back and opted for the Droid Eris.

I liked the Eris better than the Pre and Droid.  Even though the screen is smaller than the iPhone’s, but I got use to it.  The Eris, made by HTC, has the Sense UI “stuff” which adds some much needed polish to the Android interface.  It was alot better to use than the Droid to me, but it still had some UI issues.  The on screen keyboard wasn’t as much as a pain to type on as the Droid, but a pain nonetheless.  Adding shapewriter helped.  Overall, I think my Eris was a lemon.  Battery life was horrible (wouldn’t last a complete day, where as my coworker didn’t have any problems), and it didn’t like to hang on to the 3G signal when I was in Tuskegee.  In Auburn, it wasn’t much of a problem.  Also, the phone wouldn’t associate itself with a remembered wireless network automatically.

A month or so later, I discovered that Verizon would be releasing another Android phone called the Incredible which boasted some impressive specs.  It’s specs are very similar to the Nexus One and the Desire, which are considered to be the “best” Android phones out there.  I decided to give it a try.  I preordered the phone which arrived a day after the official release date.

So far, I’m really impressed with the phone.  It’s light, fast, and I really like the gorgeous OLED display.  Battery life is excellent even after heavy use.  Reception is pretty good as well.  The camera is light years better than the Eris or any mobile phone camera that I’ve seen so far.

Touch Decision

Lately, I’ve been debating whether I should stick with AT&T or not.  The only thing they really have going for them is the iPhone and their 3G speed.  I can consistently get 2MBps download speed in Atlanta and where I now live in Auburn.  I have the MyWi Wifi/USB tether app for the iPhone and it works really well as a hotspot for the iPad (drains the battery like crazy though).  My phone bill is $80+ a month and that’s with a discount I’m getting with my previous employer.  That $80+ is for the 450 anytime minutes, 1500 sms/mms for $15 and the mandatory $30 dataplan.  The $30 data plan is a rip off since I’m mostly on wifi when I’m at work or home and I don’t use anywhere near the 5GB cap each month;  I use less than 250MB per month on the data connection.  Since I have so very little daytime minutes, I use Skype alot during the week before 9pm and I’ve banked alot of daytime minutes in the process.  For a similar plan, I won’t get much of a deal with the other carriers.  Only Sprint and T-Mobile offer much better deals.  One issue with T-Mobile is that their 3G coverage isn’t as good as the others, but it’s no worse than AT&T’s in the area where I work and live.  My other issue I have with T-Mobile is the lack of any high end Android phones.

There is the rumor that the iPhone is coming to Verizon this year.  I don’t see that happening and this is why:  Apple and AT&T proudly shows that with the iPhone you can surf and talk at the same time over the 3G network.  Verizon or Sprint’s EV-DO network does not allow that and since that’s one of the marketing points of the iPhone, I doubt we’ll see a iPhone on Verizon’s 3G network.  That may be a different story when Verizon starts rolling out their LTE network and I can then see a Verizon branded iPhone perhaps next year.  And there’s also the issue of Apple’s supposedly 5 year exclusivity contract with AT&T.

Also, the HTC Incredible impressed me to take a second look at the Android phones.  The Nexus One looks bland to me and I don’t like the its stock Android UI.  I believe it has been rooted and it wouldn’t be a big issue to get Sense UI on it.   The Incredible and Nexus One’s sibling, the HTC Desire, should be coming to AT&T soon so says FCC approval on it’s 3G radio bands.

Sprint is coming out with with a high end Android phone called the HTC EVO 4G this summer.  As a carrier, Sprint probably has the best value in their plans.  Their 3G network is compatible with Verizon’s; so where ever big Red works, the Now Network should work as well.  I’m not currently covered by Sprint’s 4G network yet, but again, I’m mostly at home or at work where I have wifi access.  The EVO 4G boast some pretty impressive specs as well.  It doesn’t have an AMOLED display, so I’m not sure how well battery life will fair with it.

I’ve been thinking about going the prepaid route since I no longer have an interest in staying with AT&T and to ultimately save a few bucks.  I’m not that impressed with the iPhone 4.0 update coming out later this summer either.  There are some useful improvements, but not really enough for me to upgrade to the new iPhone.  I may try to cop a 3GS from eBay or Craigslist to get some extra speed.  The iPad pretty much satisfies my Apple gadget needs so I don’t feel compelled to stick out out with AT&T again for the new iPhone.

Last night I dreamed I was watching it.  Somehow a dead body ended up in Will Smith’s pool (yes the actor).  It was green from the algae.  I remember Dr. Brennan wanted to get some drudged from the bottom of the pool so that Dr. Hodges could examine it for particulates.  I also distinctly remember wanted to know what he found.  However, the dreamed ended before I could find out.

Before I moved back to Atlanta, I lived in a studio apartment in a duplex that was within walking distance of campus.  Work was 5 to 10 minutes away depending on how many slow cars I got behind or traffic lights I caught.  Often I would roll out of bed and head to work and would come home for lunch.  I really wanted that convenience again.

However, my main concern with living in Tuskegee was security.  My apartment in Tuskegee was broken into twice within six months (between October 2006 and February 2007).  I have an idea who it was.  Granted, it was probably my fault for letting strangers in my house and leaving the windows open all day some days.  I believe that reason Asia disappeared was because of the second break in.

I first looked at an apartment complex where a lot of college students lived.  It was decent by Tuskegee standards.  They had bars on the doors and windows.  However, the apartment manager had all of the leases expire at the same time and I was looking to be moved before that happened.   I also checked another apartment complex out in Tuskegee.  Single bedroom, rent was cheap too.  Perfect for a college student, or someone trying to save some money starting off.  There were no bars on the windows or doors and it look like an easy target for a determined thef.  Even though the units were wired for ADT, someone could still break in your apartment and steal something before the police came.  Plus you have the added emotional baggage of someone violating your stuff.    I figured I could live there for a year or so, save up a lot of cash and perhaps find something else decent in Tusekgee.   I checked out a couple of houses that were for rent, but i just didn’t like the neighborhood that they were in.

I started  to become tired and frustrated.  It looked as if I wasn’t going to find something I liked in Tuskegee in timely matter.

Auburn it is!

The biggest issue I had with living in Auburn is the football traffic.  Auburn University’s football team is doing very well and their home games are well attended by students, alumni and fans.  As if one didn’t see enough of the variety Auburn University decals affixed to vehicles in all kind of ways, home games added flags on cars and faux tiger tails attached to rear bumpers.

By the time I got to Auburn, it was lunch time and so most of the rental offices were closed.  I was able to check out one place that catered to a lot of college students.  What irked me about a lot of the apartments in Auburn is that they were rented by the rooms and not units.  College town business I guess.  This particular complex only had three bed rooms available, but they said I could rent it  for paying the price of two rooms which came about to be a little over $1100.  $1100 for an apartment in Auburn, Alabama!?!?  $1100 would get me a studio or one bedroom apartment in midtown Atlanta with a decent view.  I started to get a headache and even more frustrated than i was before I left Tuskegee.

After driving around Auburn looking at different places there, I decided to call a friend of mine and asked her where she lived.  I spoke with her before online a few days prior and she told me about the complex where she stayed.  It was a little more than what I really wanted to start paying for a place initially, but the rent was within my preliminary budget.  My other concern was that it was a little further from work which would increase my commute time.

I got the directions from my friend and decided to check the place out.  The complex is called Paces at the Estates and is currently the only apartment complex in the Estates subdivision. The Estates is a relatively new subdivision that have very nice homes from the upper 200s, town homes in the upper 100s and perhaps 2 to 3 bedroom homes in the upper 100s.  The subdivision is in close proximity of the mall, movie theater and a private school.  A Wal-Mart is less than 5 minutes away and Tiger Town (a shopping center) is about 10 minutes away.  It’s also not far from a main artery of the Auburn/Opelika area where a lot businesses are situated.

I had already seen pictures from the website my friend sent me and it seemed like a really nice place.  And it is.  They only had two one bedrooms available.  One of the first and one of the second floor.  The one on the second floor is cheaper than the top and bottom floor.  The top floor has vaulted ceilings and the bottom floor has a nice stained concrete floors.  I had opted for the cheaper option, but the tenet wasn’t scheduled to move for a few more weeks and I needed to be moved in right away.  So I decided to take the first floor apartment and I’m glad I did.  I like the floors anyway and I can stomp all I want to.  My apartment has a study which will be my office.  It’s currently full of junk right now from the move.  The kitchen has track lighting, and I also got a complementary washing machine.  It was left from the previous tenet and the landlord said I can keep it.  I’m currently renting a dryer.

About a month ago, I finally got some furniture and bought my first very first tv, a 50 inch Panasonic Plasma.

All in all, things are going pretty good so far.  The job is keeping me busy as expected, but at least they are paying me right this time.  Makes it all worth it.

I really enjoyed myself at Georgia Tech.  My coworkers were pretty cool and I got to work for one of the most internationally recognized universities in the world.  I learned alot more about admining linux servers thanks to my boss.

All in all, I’m enjoying being back.  The people are super nice and friendly as usual and most people (as I knew would be) were happy to see me come back.

Moving back  has put a new spin on things with my life and put some other things on hold.  I’m back to having no social life, but being an introvert, it’s the least of my worries.

When I finished with those shows, I once again starting perusing Hulu’s site to find something new to watch.  I tried a few; some didn’t appeal to me; some I couldn’t even finish watching one episode.

I found “Dead Like Me.”  I actually had the series in my Netflix queue, but I ended up taking it out because there was just too much stuff I wanted to watch in my queue.  I think I previously saw 2 or 3 episodes so when I started again, I tried to pick up where I left off.  Hulu currently has seasons 1 and 2 on there site.

I’ve been really enjoying the show.  I’m now in Season two and I’m halfway done.  The show is centered around a smart mouth 18 year old girl named “George,” short for Georgia.  After her unfortunately demise by a toilet seat from the International Space station, she is “turned” into a reaper.  She eventually joins up with other reapers were they meet in a diner (think Waffle House) everyday to receive their “reap” assignments from “Rube” (lets call him the chef reaper of this group).  We later find out that there are other reaper “groups” and different kinds of reapers.  Even pets have reapers.

These reapers receive their assignment on a post-it given to them by Rube.  The post-it only contains first initial, last name, date/time and place where the soul should be reaped.  The reapers have to show up in time, reap the soul (by touching them), and sometimes stand by and watch them die a traffic and often humorous death.  Normally after the person dies, they appear in the same form before death standing next to the reaper looking at their dead body confused.  Of course no one can see them but the reaper and they can pass through people and objects.  The reapers are then to guide the souls on to the next life.  What the souls see before they “pass on” is different for each one.  Often the souls asks the reapers what’s on the other side, but they don’t really have a clue themselves, but their job is to comfort the soul as much as possible and get them to “cross on over.”

Interesting enough, these reapers have physical needs and they have to have a place to stay and eat.  Since reaping doesn’t pay the bills, they have to get “real” jobs.  The main character so far is the only person we know with a real job, even though Rube assures everyone that reaping is serious business and it “has to be done.”  George works at a temp agency called Happy Times which is hilarious in and of itself.  I can see that becoming a spin off.  Anyway, when George looks in the mirror, she doesn’t see her self as she was when she was alive.  To me, the person in the mirror is a lot less attractive and I would assumed obviously so, but she is regarded as pretty throughout the show. *shrug*

Anyway, the writing is very interesting.  The deaths are pretty stupid and some even lame, but it’s not really about how they died, but who and what they did before they died.  There are some pretty deap episodes and there is some pretty good character development going on with some episodes half focusing on one character in a serious situation while the others are off being silly.  It’s really a riot.

Of course I don’t believe in reapers and the so called “after life.”

“For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.” – Ecclesiastes 9:5 KJV

But we have this comforting promise:

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.   For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. – 1st Thessalonians 13-17 KJV

And I’ve even considered I really shouldn’t be watching the show since it’s so biblically incorrect and what not.  But it’s just some mild entertainment.

One of the major changes I made to the gallery site is how the photos were stored.  Before, I had them all lumped into one folder which would make trying to backup and restore the photos somewhere else a nightmare.  Now, they are all stored in folders named after the album they were created for.  Also, I created some code to automatically create a smaller version of the original photo if it didn’t already exist.  This would save time uploading my album to another host if I needed to.

Last night, I started working on another WordPress theme I’d like to use.  I saw it on another site and I sort of copped it.    I like the color scheme and all, but I will add my own unique touches to it.

I’ve been tweeting alot lately, perhaps for the past month or so.  I guess I can “blame” a friend of mine for that.  He suggested I follow a couple of his Oakwood buddies and they ended up being a very chatty bunch.  It’s been fun.  Meet some really cool people.  I’ve only been on Twitter and year, but it feels like it’s been much longer.   I guess because everyone is talking about it and doing it.  It’s the thing to do thanks to Ashton Kutcher and Oprah.

My car turned 40K yesterday somewhere on I-20 on the way to work.  I’ve had it two years and less than 3 months.  The amount of miles I’ve been putting on it a month have slowed down since I’ve moved to Atlanta.   All that traveling between sites with the previous job racked up alot of miles.  But she’s still holding together.

My Mazda3