If I could only choose one software tool for computer and operating system setup and repair, it would have to be Parted Magic 6.5. Parted Magic does about anything you’d want to do from clearing a Windows password, setting up a new hard drive or modifying your present hard drive to possibly recovering data from a failed hard drive and cloning a hard drive to a new one. And the best part is, Parted Magic is FREE! I somehow find it hard to believe that the folks at Parted Magic have been able to fit all the features they have into a 172 MiB ISO file that runs in approx. 140 MiB of RAM! Here are some of the main features of Parted Magic 6.5. Please keep in mind that Parted Magic or any other software I know of probably isn’t going to work if your hard drive has stopped turning, the actuator/stylus isn’t functioning right, the platter(s) is/are broken or you have a problem in the electronic circuitry associated with your hard drive(s) or your mother board. Sorry, if that is the case, you are probably out of luck!
For starters, Parted Magic 6.5 uses the LXDE(Lightweight X11(basically, X11 creates your graphical interface and desktop) Desktop Environment)desktop which is very similar to MS Windows, so if you are used to Windows, using this Linux version should be no problem. Version 6.5 also uses the latest Linux 3.0.0 kernel for efficient operation. Read more »
Well, after a couple of “false starts” Linus Torvalds finally released Linux kernel version 3.0. The first distro to use the 3.0 kernel is Ryan Finnie’s Finnix 102. Finnix 102 is a text only, no desktops included, tool geared to system administrators. I figured I’d download the ISO and give it a spin anyway. I was going to include a screenshot, but as you’ll see, no provisions for this are included in Finnix!
I’m not a great Linux Guru or a system administrator and I’m not the greatest when it comes to working from a command line, but I was able to accomplish a few things with Finnix.
I was able to list files and PCI devices, mount and unmount a couple of drives and copy a file from one drive to another. As I say, just a few basic commands. Everything worked the way it was supposed to, the CD loaded very quickly and I had no problems with it.
Ryan began Finnix(a play on his name, Finnie, sort of like Linus’s play on words with Linux) in 1999, when LiveCDs were almost unheard of. Finnix is now the longest, continually running LiveCD project. If you visit Ryan’s site for a download, take a moment to click on the “Project History” and read the full story!
Some of the things you can do with Finnix include mounting and manipulate hard drives and partitions, monitor networks, rebuild boot records, install other operating systems, and much more. Finnix includes LVM2 to handle large volume drives and is available for x86_AMD64 and PowerPCs as well.
So if you are a system administrator or a Linux Guru and could benefit from a good, lightweight yet powerful, text based toolbox, visit Ryan and Finnix and Download Finnix 102!
Retro soul singer Amy Winehouse died today at age 27. She now joins other musical greats Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and the Rolling Stone’s Brian Jones in “The 27 Club”. Musicians who have died at the age of 27.
While the police list Amy’s death as “unexplained”, pending an autopsy, it is said that like so many other “27 Club” members, Amy died of a drug overdose. Amy’s battle with drugs was well known and according to her father Amy had even Winehouse even developed early symptoms of emphysema as a result of smoking crack cocaine and countless cigarettes.
What is the gruesome draw of the age 27? Is it the point in these performer’s lives where they just can’t take any more? Is it because they are under such great pressure to travel on tour, constantly come up with hit songs, record albums, that they just naturally burn out at this age?
Most of us look at these musical stars like Amy and say to ourselves, “WOW! I wish I were them! How lucky they are to have fame, money luxury cars and mansions!” But something has to be missing in their lives. Maybe it’s love, maybe it’s honesty, maybe it’s just a longing to slow down and live their lives the way they really want to, I don’t know.
I hope Amy is the last member of “The 27 Club”. I hope she can break the cycle and that all musician’s will live long and productive lives. We have lost far too many musical greats at too young an age.
May you rest in peace, Amy. You’ll be missed by many.
35 years ago a Tampa, Florida man was convicted for raping a 9 year old boy. I’m not sure, but I believe he received a life sentence. In 2009 DNA evidence cleared him of the rape charge and he was set free. The state of Florida is now compensating him approximately $50,000 per year for each year he was wrongfully imprisoned, which will amount to about $1.7 million.
You know, I can understand anyone being angry for having been imprisoned for a crime they did not commit, but you have to remember, he was convicted by a jury of his peers using the evidence they had at the time. This was before DNA evidence was available. I also understand that this is 35 years of a person’s life they can never fully recover.
I guess the question I’d like answered is, is a state or for that matter, the Federal government responsible for carrying out the sentence when someone is found guilty by a legal trial and jury with the evidence on hand at the time? Does the government’s obligation really go any further than releasing the wrongfully convicted prisoner?
I can sympathize with the man, I feel sorry for him, but in my opinion the state was only acting as an agent of the court and jury. I feel the states obligation should end with his release. this isn’t anything new, it’s happened in the past, and none of those wrongly convicted people were compensated.
I’d really like to hear some comments on this issue.
Internet security and privacy is a ever increasing concern for many who use computers and surf the internet. With identity theft, viruses, malware and other risks sometimes you wonder if it is even safe to get online. This is a review of LPS v 1.2.2 high security Linux created by the Department Of Defense. As you can see from the background video, The Top Ten Signs Your Software Needs Better Protection! I think we can agree we need more internet security and protection. Read more »
Before you decide to move all your private documents or company documents to “the cloud” such as Google Docs., please take a few minutes to read the following article. You may change your mind!
GNU Foundation
Always remember, the minute information leaves your computer, your privacy is compromised! The safest way to secure information is to use a live CD of a Linux distro and save your work to a flash drive! There are plenty of free distros that offer this option. Just download the ISO file and burn it to a CD or DVD, reboot your computer and you’re in business! In fact, I’d even disconnect from any ethernet connections as well. People are so caught up in “The Cloud” they fail to realize that they are giving up their privacy. Your comments are welcome.