How to Turn up Sound with AlsaMixer

Some distros have problems enabling sound on various equipments.  An old trick I learned recently is using AlsaMixer to check how the sound is handled.

To use AlsaMixer, you just have to open a terminal and type "alsamixer" (without the quotation marks.)

Then, you will see something like this:

That is AlsaMixer.  All you have to do is using the cursors to set the different bars!

A New Start for Jetpack 2

Adam Pedersen, creator of the original game Jetpack, had launched a Kickstarter project for the version 2 of that great game.

The project, however, was cancelled yesterday.  That was an unfortunate outcome, many of us would say.

The good news is that the developer relaunched the project.  The previous goal was maybe too high.  Now, he set a lower goal and added lower tiers for pledges, also extending the time limit.

You can find the link to the new Jetpack 2 Kickstarter project here.

Hopefully, we will be able to see this game become a reality!

Jetpack 2 in December 2012?

Adam Pedersen, creator of the cult game Jetpack, has announced Jetpack 2 to be out in December of this year, if everything goes well.

You can watch this video in which he talks about the project:

However, his project needs funding, so he joined Kickstarter and is asking for contributors (backers).

You can see the Jetpack 2 Kickstarter project here.  Hopefully, you'll join it, to.

The developer says Jetpack 2 will have Linux, Mac, and Windows support.  That's good news! 

Apparently, I'm not the only one who has been waiting for Jetpack 2 for about 10 years!  :P

Testing Linux in a Serious Environment: My Thesis Dissertation

Some people still believe that Linux and other Open Source software cannot be taken seriously because, in their view, "FOSS is unprofessional."

To find out if that was true, I have tested both Linux and Open Office in rather serious environments, basically placing my head as part of the bet. To finish my degree in Education, I depended solely on Mepis Linux 8.5 and Open Office, which ran on my far-from-powerful netbook Toshiba NB-100. You can find my review of that experience here.

Two days ago, I tested Mepis 11 and Libre Office in another environment that I think my readers will consider quite serious: my final dissertation for my Master's degree. Again, I entrusted my head to a Linux distribution and to a free/libre office suite. Why? Because I really wanted to see it for myself: Was Free Software up to the challenge?

Now, some of the variables of the experiment:

1. My Toshiba NB-100 did not come preloaded with Mepis 11. It was "designed for Windows XP" but I turned it into a 6-OS-booting monster.

2. My NB-100 barely has 1 GB of RAM.

3. Mechatotoro was controlling the presentation (he is not a regular Mepis user).

4. I made the Libre Office presentation on my desktop computer and loaded it to my netbook.

5. The presentation had plenty of 3-D transitions and KDE desktop effects were enabled.

My dissertation began.  Mepis did not have any obstacles to use the projector and I had no unnecessary delays or surprises.  It was as if my modest Toshiba NB-100 were actually designed for Linux!  Too bad that Surface, the new Microsoft tablet (designed for Windows 8) did not do as well during its introduction.  People are talking about that already!


LibreOffice handled the presentation flawlessly.  The effects were neat and did not cause my system to freeze:


  This is the effect "Rochade" in action:

Here you have "Turning Circles":

This one is "Turn":

Once again I exposed myself to public embarrassment if either Linux or Libre Office had failed but instead I got praised.  Someone told me later that the presentation was smooth and it helped my audience and committee follow my dissertation without any issues or interruptions.  That's the goal of using technology in these circumstances, right?

In conclusion, Linux and Open Source Software were used again in a serious, professional environment and their performance was excellent.  I've seen XP, Vista and 7 failing during presentations and thus embarrassing the speaker.  However, some still insist that it is Linux the one that is not professional.  What a paradox!  

Some Random Thoughts

I've been working quite hard lately. This semester is almost over... Still, I've been able to squeeze some free time for checking out what's going on out there. First, MEPIS users are eagerly waiting for the first alpha of MEPIS 12. What KDE will it include? How will it work with Grub 2? Will MEPIS follow Fedora and hand in $99 to Verizon in order to receive its own Microsoft key and boot along Windows 8 without any hassle? Speaking of which, I myself downloaded the Release Preview of Windows 8 and ran it on a virtual machine. I must confess I was deeply impressed by it. It made me remember so many nostalgic, forgotten memories. An image is worth a thousand words: Yes! Windows at its best! :P Now, seriously, I wonder how clueless people will react when they get Metro on their desktops. Will they like it? Microsoft will have to invest quite a few dollars to brainwash those who refused to adopt Vista/7 and still cling to XP... Now on a brighter note, Sony is apparently considering a revolutionary idea that, if materialized, will mean a significant leap forward in the field of video games: advertising that interrupts your games! You must admit it: that's genius at its best! And they still want to patent that?? Surely, they don't want anybody to steal their incredible idea. Can you imagine if Microsoft did it and included it into Windows 8? These are amazing times! We should be thankful for witnessing such marvelous advances!

Good News: Pardus Still Breathes!

I recently visited Pardus Life, a blog dedicated to the fine Linux distro called Pardus. There have been rumors of Pardus dying and some in Turkey have been hiding in the darkness and, acting as poachers, they have tried to kill this big cat. Fortunately its community is not letting the big cat/linux distro fade away into extinction. Apparently, the community has managed to keep a little Pardus cub alive. Its name is Anka, and this leopard cub is beginning to walk into its early testing process. People at Pardus Life are optimistic. Anka brings a ray of hope to users of a Linux distro that was always characterized by its elegance and great functionality. May you grow big and strong, little Anka!

Activity at MEPIS Home

MEPIS community members are excited lately. We are waiting for a surprise. Meanwhile, Danum, who has made very interesting MEPIS remixes (MEPIS Roadblock, for instance), is experimenting with Trinity DE (a fork of KDE 3.5) to put up a retro version of MEPIS 11. It still doesn't have a name, but the community is suggesting some possibilities. I use both MEPIS 11 and MEPIS 8. For some reason, I've been unable to abandon the KDE 3.5 edition of my favorite distro. In this light, Danum's offering of MEPIS 11 with Trinity sounds like a very interesting experiment. I'll be among the first to try it, for sure!