Home Early
I got back from the R4nger5 meet yesterday. The weather was utter crap so I decided to bail, along with APIPA and Geddonia. Had wind, hail and rain, the ground was a bog and the whole thing was generally unplesant. Not to say that I didn’t have fun, enjoyed meeting new folks but the weather ruined the meet in my opinion.
Put my Caldera Cone though its paces and it performed really well. Managed to heat up my food with no difficulty (burned my macaroni cheese though) and used very little fuel (Especially considering I use too much).
Bought a stick of Swedish firesteel from Sloe which seems to work well. Gonna need to get a better knife for sparking with though, something with a high carbon content. Preferably a fixed blade suitable for bushcraft etc.
The first night I used my foam camp mat which is utter crap. coupled with a lack of pillow made for a very poor nights sleep. The next day I got a couple of pillows from Tesco and sold one to Jason as well as used the inflatable mattress I keep in my car. Made for a much better sleep. I now have a Gelert self inflating mattress suitable for camping with but have not tested it properly. It is quite comfy to lie on the floor though.
My experimental modular system wasn’t tested properly either but I’m thinking of abandoning it. The camp mat is getting chucked and the new mattress is too big. My tent is also too big and bulky (not to mention heavy, canvas is a bitch). Wanting to get a Kifaru ParaTipi but I need some serious cash for that ($507 USD is about £354). Anyone want to donate to the “Buy Kevin a decent light tent” fund?
Summary: cool people, shit weather, some shit kit. There is hopefully gonna be another one around easter weekend when the weather is better.
Going to Leeds, BRB
I’m off for the R4nger5 meet. Will be back at some point on Sunday.
Might post updates depending on battery/bandwidth. Call/text me if you need anything. Those without my number, try emailing me for it.
MP3FS
MP3FS is a read-only FUSE filesystem which transcodes audio formats (currently FLAC) to MP3 on the fly when opened and read. This was written to enable me to use my FLAC collection with software and/or hardware which only understands MP3. e.g. gmediaserver to a netgear MP101 mp3 player.
It is also a novel alternative to traditional mp3 encoder applications. Just use your favorite file browser to select the files you want encoded and copy them somewhere!
Maxpedition RollyPoly dump pouch improvements
by Kevin on March 22, 2009
in Random Knowlege
Just a couple of tidbits on how to improve the aforementioned pouch.
Use paracord instead of the shock cord as a drawstring. Shouldn’t need explanation.
The next one was inspired by Peekok’s idea to have another attachment point at the bottom (if I recall it correctly).
Make a loop of paracord
Push loop through the drainage hole at the bottom
Attach to a mounting point somehow (MALICE clip, carabiner, tie it whatever)
Ventrilo in Wine
by Kevin on March 19, 2009
in Random Knowlege
No, not a recepie. Ventrilo is a VoIP application of sorts that allows folk to set up private servers for friends to connect to. Mostly used for gaming but the R4nger5 use it for recording the show. I have successfully got it running through the Wine compatibility doodad.
First, run the wine config program which you can access through your menu or by running winecfg at the command line. Select the audio tab and then tick the box that says OSS. Exit that.
Once Wine is installed, it should mostly work. Have Push To Talk checked and choose what key you want. Also have both directsound boxes checked.
Get a good knife
This is the reason I carry a knife. To all the folk that say that knives are implements of death, have you ever thought about the good a knife can do? Opening packaging, cutting food, a whole myriad of other things. In this case, a knife could have saved this woman’s life.
Moncrieff Island and more kit
I decided to visit the local army surplus store today. I was planning on pricing an LBE (load bearing equipment) system but unfortunatly they lack that sort of thing. The only thing they have similar is waistcoats with pockets all over. I already have one and it has fallen out of favour. They did have a PLCE system the previous time I was there but that is not suitable as well.
I was originally going to visit and go straight home but they were shut. I decided to make a jaunt over to Moncrieff island and take a few photos to kill the time. The island would be a good bug out location if there wasn’t regular human activity. Lots of garbage and signs of fires.
I did get a small amount of stuff. Picked up some paracord (said it before and I’ll say it again, can never have enough) and a handful of boot bands (aka trouser twists/those elastic things with hooks on that scratch you if you let go accidently) as well as a pair of desert DPM trousers. Nothing special about the trousers though they do fit me very well. The seat is reinforced as well as the knees. Pockets are decent. Nothing else of note. I would like to get my hands on a few high speed pairs but I lack the funds.
It’s alive!
by Kevin on March 9, 2009
in Robot Army
Just got the motor shield today, soldered it up and wired it into the chassis. A couple tweaks to the code and I have USB control.
Now, to strap my airsoft gun to it and go into mass production.
R4nger5 invasion of London EDIT: dates changed
Just received word that my good friend Avagdu is gonna be in London on the 17th of July and the 2nd of August. I have tentative plans to meet up and do stuff, all who wish to come are more than welcome.
The idea is to find out where he is staying and book a couple nights in a cheap hotel nearby for each day he is in London. Alternativly, if there are folk willing to put up with us, we could crash somewhere.
Plans are subject to change and are pre-alpha at best.
Reset MySQL Root Password
by Kevin on March 6, 2009
in Random Knowlege
If for some reason the root account your MySQL install is locked out, follow this procedure to reset it.
First, stop the MySQL server, this is dependant on how your system operates. For a Debian based box (Ubuntu, Knoppix et al):
sudo /etc/init.d/mysql stop
Next, start up MySQL and tell it to bypass the authentication tables (the & is to background the process):
mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables &
Launch the MySQL client:
mysql -u root mysql
and finally change the root password:
update user set Password=PASSWORD('new-password') where user='root';
flush privileges;
exit;
Kill the running MySQL server and start it again as per usual.
Content copied from http://www.howtoforge.com/reset-forgotten-mysql-root-password