A bad day at counter strike -- A nice idea

It was a pretty bad day at CS, I was relly playing like a noob , Well Still i got a nice idea The latency we were getting was nearly 120 and the game was nearly playable, Reasons ??

The data that was being transferred was first going to the proxy server from F hostel and then to the D hostel , so we were traversing two different nw for data transfer.

Solution : if we manage to get a dedicated counter strike server installed and preferably on the proxy server that could solve the problem.

Advantages: The server is up 24*7 (atleast when we are connected to proxy)
The hostel guys can login with the local ip that is 192.168.0.254
and the guys living outside can play with a real ip , so what we have is a real dedicated counter strike server.

Sound easy isn`t it , :) , well it is , But the problem is it`s really difficult to make it official and Convincing strategy would work untill i am in this college , Still i would be giving a try to that , sounds a real great idea and if i want to play with my college guys after my college ends, this is the only way

so let`s pray this happens

Open Moko

http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/FAQ

Q: What is OpenMoko and Neo1973?

A: OpenMoko is a software platform, an attempt to create the world's
first completely open mobile phone software stack. The FIC Neo1973 is
the first fully supported OpenMoko phone.
[edit]
Q: When can I buy a Neo1973?

A: Mid to late April for developers, September for mass market - See
Neo1973 for most up to date information. Neo1973 will be shipped
worldwide. There also will be shipping from EU. To be informed when it
is available, subscribe to the mailing list announce.
[edit]
Q: How much?

A: $350 for the Developer's Kit - Phase 1. Includes:

* Neo1973 phone
* Battery
* Headset
* Compact charger
* Carrying case
* Stylus
* Lanyard
* 512 MB MicroSD card
* USB connectivity cable
* Instruction manual and warranty

$75 for the Car Kit. Includes:

* Windshield mount and device holder
* Car charger
* External antenna

$200 for the Hacker's Lunchbox. Includes:

* Development/Debug Board
* Battery
* Compact charger for development board
* FPC (to connect to the jtag port)
* Shoulder strap
* Debug cable (USB)

[edit]
Q: What will it do?

A: The Phase 1 phone available in early April is for developers only.
It is not suitable for end users, it will have basic functionality as
a touchscreen phone. Little else will work, software development will
continue till mass market release.

Those interested should:

* Know that there will be a device with faster cpu, gsm system
etc. 6 months later
* Have fun hacking devices.
* Be able to find their way through prototype software and
hardware without much documentation.
* Share the dream of a device powered by free software.
* Not expect a consumer-level device.
* Come up with new ideas for exploring the age of mobile computing.
* Have $350.

Ideally they also:

* Can spot bugs and submit patches.
* Love to cooperate with a community improving the software.

Linux as a multimedia station

In this article i am going to describe how can u use ur own Linux box to convert any format audio to mp3, and that too without violating any copyright laws!!!

what u need?
mplayer //as usual, i always play with it!
lame (lame ain't an mp3 encoder) // but it is
bas!!!
mplayer, i have already described how to get it, and for lame get it from lame.sourceforge.net, it has no dependency.

Now,
The process is divided into 2 stages.
1. Converting ur music to wave. say u have a file called music.wma, let us convert this...
mplayer -ao pcm music.wma
This will produce an output file named audiodump.wav in the same dir

2. Convert this audiodump.wav to mp3, say at bitrate=128
lame -V2 -b 128 audiodump.wav music.mp3

Finished in 30secs approx................
Now the fun part........... Automate the process. I have done that already...

Here is the script..........

> #!/bin/bash
> # call this file convert2mp3
> if [ $# -lt 3 ]
> then
> echo Usage: $0 bitrate input output
> exit
> fi
>
> if [ -f audiodump.wav ]
> then
> echo -n "File named audiodump.wav exists. Remove? (y/n): "
> read x
> if [ $x = "n" ]
> then
> exit
> fi
> fi
>
>
> if [ `mplayer > /dev/null` ]
> then
> echo "Needs mplayer and lame to execute!"
> fi
>
> if [ `lame --help > /dev/null` ]
> then
> echo "Needs lame and mplayer to execute!"
> fi
>
> mplayer $2 -ao pcm
> lame -V2 -b $1 audiodump.wav $3
>
> if [ $? = 0 ]
> then
> echo "Finished Sucessfully!!!"
> fi
>
> rm audiodump.wav -f

InstallJammer, a self-executing installer for Linux

In the crowded Linux packaging landscape, it would be easy to overlook
Damon Courtney's InstallJammer. However, InstallJammer, which provides
self-executing installers for Linux and other operating systems is
well worth a look. Version 1.1 was released recently with a number of
new features, including support for RPM and Debian package databases,
console-based installs, new platforms, and much more.

InstallJammer creates either GUI or command line installers, and also offers the inclusion of an uninstaller wizard that will be installed aside the program files to allow users to remove the software easily. InstallJammer even supports unattended installation and removal of software.