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Morjens bara

Raiders of the lost box

The home entertainment network project has progressed with the box having been located.

After having waited nearly a week for the customs department to signal me that i can come and fetch my Asus, a colleague of mine suggested i’d give ‘em a ring. Unlike many other official instances here, the customs still live in the Soviet era when they were stiff and unfriendly and in such a monopolistic position that they didn’t have to care [0]. So i did call them.

I was a bit surprised when my call was answered nearly immediately. I told the receptionist that i had this EMS tracking number and i wanted to know where my box was. According to the tracking, it has been under their wings for a week now. But no, when it comes to EMS tracking numbers, i would have to call the postal services, Itella [1].

Which i did.

The AVR [2] at Itella calmly told me that i was in line, that the typical waiting time was eight minutes, that the call was being recorded and that queuing was going to cost me. Schweet. From there on, things took a turn for the better.

Seven and a half minutes later, a gentleman with butler-like qualities answered, clearly stating his full name and enquiring what i might be enquiring today. Upon telling him, he agreed that the package indeed should be at the customs but instead of asking me to call back, he double checked by recipient address and said he’d check with the customs.

One minute later, he confirmed that my computer indeed was where i had suspected but that he was not able to get its current status at this notice. Could he perhaps call me back after handling the issue with the customs?

Heck yeah!

He repeats his name (in case i want to call him back, i suppose?) and gets on the job.

Another ten minutes and my phone rings again. We now know that the computer is at the customs’ location by the airport and i should ring the customs tomorrow mid day to confirm i can pick it up. Incidentally i’m going for a customer meeting tomorrow just by the airport. How excellent!

I tell him what a hoopy frood he’s been and how much i appreciate his efforts. I give a pile of thanks over the wire and a happy so-long. He responds with a butler’s calmness, thank you and goodbye sir.

Respex and kudos to the Itella customer service. You rule.

I wish the coming weekend was longer, so that i could get down and do some serious tinkering. Thankfully, going to see Riverside (and hopefully interview/photograph) on Saturday is a valid reason not to be too buggered about it.

And there are other, more architectural problems, of which i’ll be writing shortly.

 

[0] Thinking of it, couldn’t there be competing customs?

[1] Long gone are the times when the post was called the post.

[2] automated voice recognition, which was able to tell my “no” apart from the other option (“yes”)

The call for a media centre

Two or three weeks ago, our digibox gave up. Over its last months, it got slower and slower. The boot-up times became increasingly sluggish, and eventually it became so laggy that it couldn’t even record stuff anymore.

Digibox?

For those outside Finland, a digibox is what we call the “set top box” (which, in these times of thin television sets, resides under the set, not on top of it) which allows our analogue TVs receive DVB television or, which is increasingly their job, record stuff. So in all essence, the modern day VCR.

I did two things. First, i backed up all essential stuff (mostly moomins [0]). Then i did a whole bunch of testing. Our digibox is a Linux appliance, a Maximum 8000 [1], so there were a few things i could figure out. I did a disk check, first on the device itself and then connected to my laptop. I tried running the box without an Ethernet connection. I formatted the disk’s partitions with the built in formatting tool and I re-installed the whole damn box with factory settings. Turned out that “formatting” it only removed the files, so using instructions on the Maximum discussion board, i really formatted the disk using a laptop. The box came back up but was just as sluggish. I even took it to a friend who has an identical box (sans problemos) and tried it there. But all to no avail.

Finally, i asked on Twitter what the best recording digibox out there would be. The answer was TVkaista.fi.

TVkaista is a service, basically “your VCR on the ‘net” with which you watch or download any program on the free-to-air stations in Finland. Legally [2]. A bit like the Hulus and BBC services that exist in the big world. All for a nice fee of 98 € a year. And with some reading of their news pages, i was able to subscribe to a free testing account. Not bad.

Turns out that there is hope for integration (ah! there’s that word again!) with TVkaista. On the pages for your recordings, you can “import to iTunes”. What happens is that iTunes connects to your recordings as a podcast. If you check out the properties of that podcast, there’s a regular URL to a regular RSS feed behind it. It just requires authentication, which wget can handle just fine.

The integration doesn’t stop there though. For a more hard core approach, i could apply some magick to the RSS feed and with that be able to download the full resolution shows instead of the iTunes-ely compressed ones. Or i could get the TVkaista-XBMC plugin and have the magick applied for me. Which would be nice. And if the plugin isn’t magick enough, i’ll just have to learn enough Python to improve it (oh the joys of open source :) ). Or – this just in — i could use the Boxee feed which uses Yahoo! Pipes magick. Whoa.

But i’m getting way ahead of me. Right now the Asus Revo i’ve ordered for the project is sitting in the customs, and have done so for nearly a week. Turns out you don’t have to pay customs for imported computers but you have to pay 22% VAT. I guess that’s what the customs are thinking about. Or then their department is just filled with imported computers waiting to become media centres.

If you’ve actually read this far, here’s an easter egg. Post a nice comment if you want a two weeks’ free TVkaista trial account from me!

More to follow.


[0] I never said they were essential to me :)

[1] the name, pretentious as a progressive concept double album

[2] OK, this has been disputed, but so far not actually deemed illegal.

Kvällens kalja: Olvi 130 täysmallasolut

Olvi soltserar som enda överlevande independent-bryggeri sedan 1800-talet i Finland med ett 130-års jubileumsöl. Står det på burken. Om själva ölet står det däremot ingenting, vilket kanske inte är speciellt överraskande för en finlänsk maltbrygd, där man å sin höjd drar romantiska paralleller till björnar, Fänrik Ståls sägner och legendariska vardagshistorier.

Olvis jubileumsbrygd är inte tokig, om än inte något som tävlar med de fyrakorkade brygderna jag inmundigat i denna gemytliga serie om kvällsöl. Smaken är frisk men mustig, ganska stor (börjar jag låta som en vinkännare redan? Pyöreähkö muttei pallomainen). Eftersmaken är ännu större men är stundvis lite unken, vilket går om efter ett tag, eller med nästa klunk. Lättdrucket är nämligen oxå detta öl.

Med tanke på att jag antagligen betalade klart mindre för denna burk än för de brittiska buteljerna så ska det här nog vara ett klart prisvärt kap. Tre burkar av fem.

Kvällens kalja: Lia Fail

Kvällens öl har det lite ödesdigra namnet Lia Fail, kommer frÃ¥n Skottland och bär orden “distinctively rich” pÃ¥ ettiketten. Namnet är inte (bara) ödesdigert för att det lÃ¥ter som ett misslyckande utan för att det betyder “Destiny stone” pÃ¥ gaeliska och är den stenen vid vilka Skottlands kungar historiskt har krönts. Titeln lovar mycket och det skotska landskapet pÃ¥ ettiketten är romantiskt.

Men.

Innehållet inlöser tyvärr inte förväntningarna. Och här vill jag understryka nåt som jag inte understrykit de senaste kvällens kalja-rapporterna: det här är alltså vad jag, en enkel öldrickare utan minsta tillstymmelse till expertis i mej, har att tycka. Det här är vad jag tycker, och jag har rätt till min felaktiga åsikt. Så det så.

Lia Fail möter min tunga som en lite halvsöt memma med smått jästig smak. Inte ens en vidare orginell sådan. Två horisontella streck i protokollet.  Trist.

Men ta en liten paus och det blir bättre. Eftersmaken är nämligen nog sÃ¥ hyfsad — tänk om bara resten av ölet skulle vara lika bra? Färgen är oxÃ¥ vacker och bubblorna är trevliga, men i övrigt är Lia Fail ett öl jag ska försöka komma ihÃ¥g att inte köpa igen. Eller sÃ¥ mÃ¥ste jag lära mej att tycka mer om lite sötare, jästigare öl.

Två korkar av fem.

Update: Efter sisådär 4/5 av flaskan så börjar jag tycka att den här kanske inte var så tokig ändå. Är det här som ett lite halvdåligt rövin (mindre dåliga röviner är rödvin), där det andra glaset smakar bättre än det första, och efter det är det inte så stor skillnad?

Kvällens kalja: Marston’s Single Malt

Morr. Safarin krashade medan jag skrev förra versionen av det här och oaktat vad WordPressen sade om att den sparat draften så fanns inget då jag kom tillbaka. Morr.

Men på tal om draft, här kommer en lite snabbare och mindre poetisk salva om kvällens jouröl (som inte i kväll intas för att frun jourar utan för att hon är på raj-raj med sina kolleger, men synd om mej är det ändå. Så det så).

Jag var inte riktigt säker om det var en marknadsföringspluj eller nåt autentiskt bra med att sälja en öl med epitetet som enbart ges de finaste av maltdrycker: Single Malt. Ölen vill varken kallas bitter eller lager eller pale ale eller nåt i den stilen, utan bara helt enkelt beer. Single malt beer. Kanske det är helt korrekt, men sådär som mindre proffessionell öldrickare så är det ju lite förvillande.

Om ölen ändå ska ha nån yttre kvalitet att bejubla så är det den underbart gyllengula färgen, som är nästintill identisk med den ädlare maltdrycken, den skotska single malt whiskyn. Och har ni hört (ja, eller odérat) på maken, den doftar faktiskt lite whisky den oxå!

Men Basemannens tips till trots (“Sniffa ölen sÃ¥ räcker den längre”) tar jag en djup provklunk.

Mmmm. Intressant. En lättdrucken men ändå sofistikerad kalja med mild smak och lång, nog så smaklig eftersmak. Torr som snus. Friskt bitter. Ingen jästighet. Kanske till och med lite, lite rökighet. Faktiskt en oväntat positiv upplevelse!

Ändå kanske jag inte riktigt kan associera denna bärs med mina favoritdrycker. Den känns lite som Katainen, som sin ålder till trots alltid kommer att kännas som en barnrumpa (eller modell för hudvårdsartiklar för män) i jämförselse med Riktiga, Garvade politiker (som tammifan inte använder nå mejk inte). Bubblorna är för små och många och rusar emot som tio tusen hundvalpar i stället för att bete sej som en sansad malt som legat på fat i åtminstone tolv år och bara lagrat.

Men som sagt, inte illa. Passar bra som kvällens andra öl. Dryga tre korkar av fem. Tre korkar och ett underlag säjer vi.

Peaceful coexistence

I just keep babbling about Tibet like i knew anything about the place or the situation. But you know what, that’s how i cope with the situation. Babbling and speculating.

I just watched this video on YouTube and in a way i understand the two points Dalai lama has tried to make a bit better. To give you a pretext, the video is (apparently) made by a Chinese person with a bunch of attitude and — admittedly — some good points (plus a bucketfull of less good ones, which i shall discuss shortly).

Here are a few of the points the video is making. Tibet has been “a part of China” for a thousand years or so. China spends much money on developing the country… sorry, the region. The protests are violent. And basically, let the country without sin cast the first stone. Oh that, and that we should all f**k off with our claims for Tibetan independence. The video also claims that Dalai lama is funded by the CIA. This may or may not be true — the US certainly wouldn’t want a country to be stronger than itself — but it all sounds a little too much like a conspiracy theory to me. Especially when the video also claims that Dalai lama basically had a terror regime, enslaving his people. Sorry, i don’t buy it.

Lately, the Dalai lama has basically said two things. One: make Tibet an autonomous region of China. And two: stop the violence (if you agree, sign here). While i fully support the second demand, i never understood the first. But that is just because his holiness is from Tibet and i am not. Also, he’s a hoopy frood with a quirky smile, has a plaque you can’t get on eBay, understands a bit about harmony (after all, that’s what Buddhism’s all about, innit?) and he has a cool robe.

There are 56 ethnic groups in China, all living under one (red) flag. Strength through diversity. I’m all for that. In Finland, as in USA, Canada, Indonesia, Australia and a bunch of other countries, there are (ab)original ethnic groups that we really don’t treat as well as we should. In all these countries, as well as in China, the question really is whether the “mother country” allows these groups of people to live the way they desire. So the aim is not to have 56 ethnicities live in diversity under one red flag, it’s more like having 56 ethnicities living under one red flag and shutting the hell up about their differences. I like to think we’re doing a decent though not a perfect job here, but that people are protesting for and in Tibet because China isn’t very allowing for the Tibetan way of life. Chairman Mao didn’t think too highly of religion (“Religion is poison”), but then again, Buddhism isn’t really a religion, it’s more a philosophy. The only way i understand that Buddhism can be taken as a threat to the Regime is that a follower of Buddhism probably won’t spend as much of their energy following the Regime. Think different… not.

Mind you, i don’t think that Britain is doing the right thing in Northern Ireland, or that the regimes in the US, Canada or Australia give enough freedom to their (ab)original populations (or that Israel is being particularly kind with the Palestinians, or that the Russians are very nice with the Chechenians… the list goes on), but as i said, i’m an easily agitated guy who’s had a strange fascination for Tibet for the last twenty years or so. That still doesn’t mean that i approve of what China is doing with Tibet right now, and have for the last 49 years… or judging from the video 49 and a thousand (or rather, between 750–821 AD; from the mid 1200′s to the late 1700′s Tibet was mostly under Mongolian rule — as was China — after which the Europeans came and made a big bloody mess until the early 1900′s. When the Brits left, the Chinese returned and stayed until the 1st world war. They returned in 1951, claiming that they never really left).

China is pouring money into developing Tibet. But are they developing Tibet into what the Tibetans like? One reason to build roads is so that the armed forces of the mother country can move about quickly. That’s what the Romans did when they invaded left and right in their time. That’s what the Indonesians did in Timor-Leste. Develop infrastructure to support the central administration. So when the old invaders wave their banners and say “well at least we brought you roads”, just go “yeah, so you could control us better”.

China isn’t only building roads for the thankless Tibetans. They are also building railways and a brand spanking International airport (with escalators and elevators from Finnish maker Kone — which just might be why the Finnish government isn’t any more vocal about this issue than with any other geopolitical situation which is fundamentally wrong). China is building infrastructure and housing. And why? Why build all this into an arid piece of desert badland? Well of course to bring in more Chinese. More non-Tibetan Chinese, i may add, effectively making the native Tibetan folks a minority and then it’s just a question of accepted democracy to vote the place into being anything the central administration wants.

But back to the question about history. The video argues that since Tibet “always” has been a part of China (ie. has always been invaded), that is how it should remain. I don’t think i can subscribe to that. Just because something “always” has been wrong doesn’t mean it should keep being so.

This is where i started to understand another bit. The slogan on the street goes “Free Tibet!”. The Dalai lama goes “Autonomy to Tibet”. No-where does it say “Independence to Tibet”, except maybe in a statement of rebuttal in the video. Is Dalai lama scared? Is he a sneaky politician not wanting to be labelled a stark raving idealist? I think not. I think DL is enlightened. But it took me a while to see.

You know what? Finland is in a way “an autonomous republic in the European Union”. And you know what? Most of us kind of like it like that. We’re allowed to live pretty much like we want, as long as there are common ground rules that don’t fundamentally trample the values we see important. So what i understand Dalai lama is talking about is a peaceful coexistence among China and Tibet. This suddenly makes a lot more sense than before to me. In a Free Tibet, the Tibetans are allowed to conduct their tibetainly lives, learn the teachings of Buddha, wear funky robes and seek enlightenment how they like. Doesn’t sound all unreasonable to me (at this point i must add that the above is written with a considerable scoop of irony — i do understand that not all Tibetans are monks and that there probably are a bunch of Tibetans who wouldn’t give a flying cack about Buddhism, who are not imported to the region specifically not to care — before i get hatemailed for showing the gross disrespect that may be interpreted from this write-up. So loosen up. That’s what DL would).

The Dalai lama also said “stop the violence”. No-where did he say that this is demanded exclusively from the Chinese. He demanded the people to stop beating the shit out of each other (okay, he didn’t put it in those exact words, but as i said, DL is a man of peace, enlightenment and a bunch of other good things and i’m just an easily wound-up blue eyed guy from the other part of the world). He didn’t even say that the Chinese should pack their stuff and leave (as is indirectly hinted in the video). He demanded autonomy. And in my book, that means peaceful coexistence. At least now it does.

End of article leeching

It was only towards the very end of my academic “career” that i discovered how fun technical articles are. Esteemed researchers — and wannabes — write the latest in technological innovation for the world to see. And since i had the “study right” at the school, i had free (gratis) access to these articles.

However, there are a few mighty organizations that make money on distributing these articles. And while there’s nothing immoral of making money (to a certain degree), from my perspective, this sucks. I’m not going to pay US$35 a pop.

I’ve got an account at the student union Teknologföreningen‘s machine mask. When making an ssh connection to mask, i was allowed to set up an ssh tunnel to the school’s web proxy, and through it, gain gratis access to ACM and IEEEexplore. However, due to how the school has decided that student unions and the like shall not be part of the school’s network, i now don’t have access to the proxy. And it bugs me to pieces.

Is the only way to regain article access to become a postgrad student?

Another red-shirt day

Buddhist monks amaze me. What is it that bring the mellow men in their crimson robes out on the streets to voice their opinions when nobody else does? In Burma, a few months back. Now in Tibet. It’s the protest of the monks. And after the monks, the students follow.

What makes the monks — and the students — determined to face the system and not be scared about the consequences?

I’m no buddhist and i’m certainly no monk but i am wearing a red shirt today. Keep up the voice.

Hang on!

I have discovered what may be My Instrument. The Hang. And i want to thank Tommy from Ageness for introducing me to this instrument by sending me a Youtube video of Manu Delago playing the instrument. What a treat!

The Hang looks very much like a wok pan. It works — and sounds — pretty much like a steel drum, except that you play it with your hands. You (usually) hold the Hang in your lap and you tap it to make some sweet noise. The Hang is tuned in a zig-zag fashion, so to play the scale, you tap back and forth all over the wok, sorry, the Hang cover.

The Hang was developed, and is built, by two Swiss, uh, Hangmen (except that the other hangman is a hangwoman) and to obtain one of these illustrious instruments, you will need to send the artists a letter stating that you want to buy one, and why you want to do so. I am hesitant but wistful.

HANArt – the makers of the Hang

The (Ghetto) Cord Trap

One nuisance of desk working are created by cords. Either there are too many of them or they have a life of their own. Two ways to tackle this are going wireless and using a docking station. My mouse, for instance, is wireless and i’m not going back. I don’t have a docking station, but my external screen acts as a USB hub so there are a few less thingies to connect in the morning.

Two things, however, continue to bug me. First, i tend to forget to connect the laptop power brick so when i’m off on an impromptu coffee meeting, my computer’s either out of power or taking a nap. And second — first really in terms of time — is that damn Ethernet cable that comes through a hole in the table and must be inserted through that very hole each bloody morning because it falls back trough it in the dark of the night when the laptop goes home.

Designers Ram-hae Keum & Jung-Jin So have come up with a rather nifty solution to that problem.

Here’s my ghetto equivalent. Not as pretty, but at least i had one available.

Ghetto Cord Trap

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