1. Plug in USB modem
2. Look for /dev/ttyHS0 to appear in the filesystem (takes a few seconds).  This is basically the control channel that accepts Hayes-style modem commands.
3. Look for the hso0 network interface to appear by running ‘/sbin/ifconfig hso0′.  This is the point-to-point network interface that will eventually send and receive your packets.
4. Launch minicom, point it at /dev/ttyHS0
5. Type :
   ATZ
   to res et the Hayes compatible modem interface (modem should respond with ‘OK’)
6. Type:
   AT+CGDCONT?
   to list the available configurations.  This listed three entries on the modem here; only one of which turned out to be useful (more on this later):
   +CGDCONT: 1,”IP”,”orange.ie”,”",0,0
   +CGDCONT: 2,”IP”,”orange”,”",0,0
   +CGDCONT: 3,”IP”,”orangeinternet”,”",0,0
   The second quoted string above is apparently the APN.
7. The first number in each of the above output lines is the channel configuration ID.  To ask the modem to try to connect to configuration 1, with connection progress messages enabled, use:
   AT_OWANCALL=1,1,1
   The general format of this command is apparently:
   AT_OWANCALL=<configuration ID>,<operation>,<display connection progress messages?>
   where <operation> can be either 0 (to disconnect) or 1 (to connect), and <display connection progress messages?> can be either 0 for ‘no’ or 1 for ‘yes’.
8. The modem should respond with “OK”, then some call status lines after a few seconds:_OWANCALL: 1,2

   _OWANCALL: 1,3
   The first line indicates that the modem is attempting to connect.  The ’3′ in the second line indicates that the connection failed.  In my case, configuration 2 was the only one that worked: after I entered:
   AT_OWANCALL=2,1,1
   the modem returned:

   _OWANCALL: 2,2

   _OWANCALL: 2,1
   (The final 1 meaning ‘connected’).

9. Now you need to figure out what IP address to use to configure the hso0 network interface.  Type:
   AT_OWANDATA?
   This should return a line like:
   _OWANDATA: 2, 10.99.101.63, 0.0.0.0, 192.168.10.110, 0.0.0.0, 0.0.0.0, 0.0.0.0, 102000
   The important dotted quad is the first one, 10.99.101.63 in this case.  I think the third dotted quad is the DNS server address, but am not really sure.
10. Exit minicom and configure your hso0 network interface as root or via sudo:
    ifconfig hso0 10.99.101.63 netmask 255.255.255.255 up
    route add default dev hso0
11. That should do it. You might also have to edit your /etc/resolv.conf file to configure your DNS server, if you use a different configuration than I do.

Here are some other links that you might find useful:

Etna – Supported AT Commands (external use), Rev. V2.04

These packages may also be helpful for you, although they were not helpful here:

PHARScape Option USB modem control programs

I’m trying to turn bare urls into links for our Twitter sidebar widget, and it almost works, except for the last crazy case below (query string + anchor):

#!/usr/bin/python
 
import re
 
def convertLinks(str):
    #crazy regex from Shag, based on http://flanders.co.nz/2009/11/08/a-good-url-regular-expression-repost/
 
    prog = re.compile(r'(?#FQURL)(?:(?#Protocol)(?:(?:ht|f)tp(?:s?)\:\/\/)(?#Username:Password)(?:\w+:\w+@)?(?#Subdomains)(?:(?:[-\w]+\.)*(?#TopLevel Domains)(?:[a-z]+\.?))(?#Port)(?::[\d]{1,5})?\.?(?#Directories)(?:(?:(?:\/(?:[-\w~!$+|.,=]|%[a-f\d]{2})+)+|\/|)+|\?|#)?(?#Query)(?:(?:\?(?:[-\w~!$+|.,*:]|%[a-f\d{2}])+=?(?:[-\w~!$+|.,*:=]|%[a-f\d]{2})*)(?:&(?:[-\w~!$+|.,*:]|%[a-f\d{2}])+=?(?:[-\w~!$+|.,*:=]|%[a-f\d]{2})*)*)*(?#Anchor)(?:#(?:[-\w~!$+|.,*:=]|%[a-f\d]{2})*)?|(?#BareURL)(?#Username:Password)(?:\w+:\w+@)?(?#Subdomains)(?:(?:[-\w]+\.)+(?#TopLevel Domains)(?:com|org|net|gov|mil|biz|info|mobi|name|aero|jobs|museum|travel|[a-z]{2}))(?#Port)(?::[\d]{1,5})?\.?(?#Directories)(?:(?:(?:\/(?:[-\w~!$+|.,=]|%[a-f\d]{2})+)+|\/|)+|\?|#)?(?#Query)(?:(?:\?(?:[-\w~!$+|.,*:]|%[a-f\d{2}])+=?(?:[-\w~!$+|.,*:=]|%[a-f\d]{2})*)(?:&(?:[-\w~!$+|.,*:]|%[a-f\d{2}])+=?(?:[-\w~!$+|.,*:=]|%[a-f\d]{2})*)*)*(?#Anchor)(?:#(?:[-\w~!$+|.,*:=]|%[a-f\d]{2})*)?)')
 
    return prog.sub(r'<a href="\g&lt;0&gt;">\g&lt;0&gt;</a>', str)
 
#single url
print convertLinks('http://tikirobot.net\n')
 
#string
print convertLinks('See http://tikirobot.net for more info.\n')
 
#string w/ anchor
print convertLinks('See http://tikirobot.net/#foo for more info.\n')
 
#two urls in a string
print convertLinks('See http://tikirobot.net or http://wikipedia.org for more info.\n')
 
#some test urls from flanders.co.nz
print convertLinks('This is a google search: http://www.google.com/search?q=good+url+regex&amp;rls=com.microsoft:*&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;oe=UTF-8&amp;startIndex=&amp;startPage=1\n')
 
print convertLinks('ftp://joe:password@ftp.filetransferprotocal.com is a ftp url\n')
 
print convertLinks('There is a bare url google.ru somewhere in this sentence\n')
 
#test cases from shag
print convertLinks('query string: https://some-url.com/?query=&amp;name=joe&amp;filter=*.*\n')
 
print convertLinks('both a query string and an anchor with no host name separator slash: https://some-url.com?query=&amp;name=joe?filter=*.*#some_anchor\n')
 
print convertLinks('both a query string and an anchor: https://some-url.com/?query=&amp;name=joe&amp;filter=*.*#some_anchor\n')
 
print convertLinks('DNS name with a concluding period: http://some-url.com./\n')
 
print convertLinks('DNS name with a concluding period and query string: http://some-url.com./?foo=bar\n')
 
print convertLinks('single-component DNS name plus root: http://to./\n')
 
print convertLinks('single-component DNS name: http://to/\n')
 
print convertLinks('words with slashes: unread/unregistered\n')

Also note my double-grouping on the regex.. There must be a better way!
Update, figured out that the group zero backreference is \g<0> (\0 doesn’t work, so I was double-grouping so that I could use \1).

Little help, regex ninjas? Update 2: Shag to the rescue!

Updates 3, 4, and 5: Shag has provided us with a even moar better regex in the comments.. Yay Shag!!!!!

One such application is Twinkle, a SIP phone for Linux.  Previously on Fedora 9, Twinkle worked okay.  It connected to ALSA directly, so I just needed to set up ALSA to handle software mixing.

However,  in Fedora 11, PulseAudio has been designated as the One True Intermediary between ALSA and the rest of userspace.  In the case of Twinkle, this resulted in no audio emissions from the computer.   Calls could be placed, and would appear to proceed normally, but nothing emerged from the speaker.   Running ‘pavucontrol’ during a call showed that PulseAudio’s ALSA emulation plugin had been started, but the VU meter associated with the Twinkle application was completely dead.

After struggling with a bunch of useless workarounds (padsp, pasuspender, asound.conf, killall pulseaudio DIE DIE DIE, etc); several other softphones, none of which worked, for completely distinct reasons;  and exploring half-heartedly what it would take to hack PulseAudio support into Twinkle, suddenly I accidentally got it “working.”

If, during the first call placed after Twinkle is launched, you send a DTMF digit (e.g., pressing one of the number keys), audio will unwedge for that call, and all subsequent calls.

I hope this saves someone some time and frustration.  It’s embarrassing how much time it took to figure this out!

To something like this…

Just a few font changes…it seem like a simple request, but alas, it’s not. Surely I can’t be the only one who wants this?

Raj finally has at it with my old PowerBook… Sniff…, originally uploaded by tiki.robot.

]]> http://www.tikirobot.net/wp/2009/04/24/raj-finally-has-at-it-with-my-old-powerbook-sniff/feed/ 5 http://www.tikirobot.net/wp/2009/03/28/how-to-run-lighttpd-under-upstart/ http://www.tikirobot.net/wp/2009/03/28/how-to-run-lighttpd-under-upstart/#comments Sun, 29 Mar 2009 04:23:51 +0000 rajbot http://www.tikirobot.net/wp/?p=2385 Upstart is Ubuntu’s init.d replacement. It greatly simplifies writing init.d scripts and has a great respawn feature similar to daemontool’s supervise or monit. And it comes with Ubuntu by default.

For some reason, almost no one uses upstart. Even Ubuntu’s services use traditional /etc/init.d scripts instead of upstart scripts. I think this might be due to upstart’s non-existent documentation. There is no man page for upstart, and multiple people I know who have read the online docs somehow missed the three important commands that control upstart jobs: /sbin/start, /sbin/stop, and /sbin/status!

Here is how it works: put an upstart script in /etc/event.d. Let’s call it /etc/event.d/foo. This script is now immediately available under upstart. Just type sudo start foo. That’s it.

I converted Ubuntu’s /etc/init.d/lighttpd script to a much shorter upstart script. The big advantage of this is upstart will restart lighttpd if it dies for some reason. This is what the upstart script looks like:

#this is an upstart script that  starts lighttpd
 
start on runlevel 2
start on runlevel 3
start on runlevel 4
start on runlevel 5
 
stop on runlevel 0
stop on runlevel 1
stop on runlevel 6
 
respawn
exec sudo -u www-data lighttpd -D -f /etc/lighttpd/lighttpd-infobase.conf

That’s it! Save this script as /etc/event.d/OL-lighttpd, and then type sudo start OL-lighttpd. You can kill off the lighttpd process and it will get restarted.

If you want to configure your lighttpd to write out a pid file, you can use pre-start and post-stop script to prepare and clean up the pid file:

#this is an upstart script that  starts lighttpd
 
start on runlevel 2
start on runlevel 3
start on runlevel 4
start on runlevel 5
 
stop on runlevel 0
stop on runlevel 1
stop on runlevel 6
 
 
pre-start script
    #make sure there is a place to write the pid file (optional):
    mkdir -p /var/run/lighttpd > /dev/null 2> /dev/null
    chown www-data:www-data /var/run/lighttpd
    chmod 0750 /var/run/lighttpd
end script
 
respawn
exec sudo -u www-data lighttpd -D -f /etc/lighttpd/lighttpd-infobase.conf
 
post-stop script
    #remove pid file (optional)
    #add server.pid-file = "/var/run/lighttpd/lighttpd.pid" to lighttpd.conf file to have it generate the pid file
    rm -f /var/run/lighttpd/lighttpd.pid
end script

If you want to stop lighttpd, just type sudo stop OL-lighttpd. You can also type sudo initctl list for a list of all jobs under upstart.

OK, here is how to get your mac to output 24p to your Samsung series 6 (or higher) TV:

1. Connect your mac to your tv with a DVI->HDMI cable
2. Install SwitchResX, which will let you customize display settings on your mac.
3. Launch SwitchResX and create a custom resolution, using the settings below.
4. Reboot your mac.
5. Launch SwitchResX again and confirm that the new 1080p24 setting is available.
6. Activate it and rejoice!
   

I’m mostly happy with my new TV (in true redneck fashion, I traded my pickup truck for it). I originally got a Series 5, but It could only do 1080p60, and I really wanted 1080p24, so I had to upgrade to the Series 6. Unfortunately, the Series 6 arrived with a dead pixel. I don’t know what to do about that..

Our Frigidaire dryer is model GLGQ332A, and is manufactured by Electrolux. The parts catalog shows where the solenoid valves are and which replacement coils to buy. Since the primary and secondary coils are sold together, I replaced them both without actually troubleshooting which part was bad. I needed parts 71 and 72 (part numbers 5303307291 and 5303307292). I got replacement kit 5303931775 (which contains both coils) from Reliable Parts in SF (on Howard and 12th) for $37. This same package is available for $10 online, but I paid extra so I could get the parts the same day.

OK. Let’s get started. First step is to UNPLUG YOUR DRYER.

Next, we are going to lift the top up. There are two clips in the front of the dryer holding the top on, and two hinges on the back. Use a putty knife to press the clips in so the top pops off. Here is how to detatch the clip on the left:

This is what the clip looks like when popped off:

Now lift the top up and look on the right side, near the timer. You should see a 9-pin molex connector, which you need to detatch. To make my life easier, I always use a sharpie to mark the connector direction. There is a zip tie holding the wires to the frame of the dryer. You are going to take the front of the dryer off, so you will have to cut this ziptie.

Now we are going to take the front of the dryer off. There is a screw on each side of the dryer holding the front on, and there also a few clips. This picture shows both a screw and a clip on the left side:

I think there were three clips on the left and two on the right. You can get them off by pushing up on them and pulling the front out. They are kind of a pain to get off. Since they are designed to snap under force, I think repair guys just yank the front off and then replace them with new ones.

Once all the screws and clips are out, you will be able to pull the front off. Pull the top part of the front towards you and the front will disengage from the tumbler. There are two clips on the bottom. Lift the front off of these clips:

Set the front aside. You can take this opportunity to clean out any lint stuck in the lint chute, seen here in the lower left:

This is what the inside of your dryer looks like:

The gas valves are on the lower left:

Unscrew and remove the metal cover holding the coils in place:

Now lift the coils off of the solenoid shafts, unclip the connectors, and put the new ones in place:

You are now ready put everything back together. Hopefully your dryer now has heat!

If you want to be more rigorous, here are some resistance measurements I made on the new coils. Supposedly you can tell which coil is bad if the resistance measurement is different, but my old, bad coils seemed to have similar resistance:

I usually get terrible customer service. Especially when I buy products from companies that I’ve worked at for 5+ years. Stupid Apple.

But lately we’ve had a couple really great customer service experiences. First, we broke our Wii playing too much Super Smash Brothers. Apparently, the GPU overheats(?) when you play too much, or when you play too much over wifi, or something. This caused our Wii to always show flickering black vertical lines. I called up Nintendo on a Sunday, explained the problem, and after 18.5 minutes on the phone, they said I would have to send it in for repair. They emailed me a FedEx ship label, which I printed out. I sent the Wii in on a Tuesday, and a fixed one arrived today, just three days later!

Even better was our experience with Philips. The charger to our awesome Sonicare toothbrush stopped working. Jess called up Philips, spent a couple minutes on the phone, and about a week later, an entire new toothbrush and charger arrived. YAY!

Anyway, the wiki page for The Soul of a New Machine talks about the Mushroom Theory of Management:

Tom West practices the “Mushroom Theory of Management” – “keeping them in the dark and feeding them shit.” That is, isolating the design team from outside influences and instead using the fear of the unknown to motivate the team.

I’ve encountered this a lot over the years, most notably at Apple, where Mushroom Management was one of my manager’s only motivational techniques.

CC by-nc-sa licensed photo by 23bit_grrrl

See also: Mikee’s awesome mushroom pictures