JDPFu.com 2025

Got a Google Chromecast for Xmas. Played with it for about 2 hrs, then unplugged it. Seems the things I wanted to use it for … youtube streaming … isn’t supported.

Update Feb 2014: In the last few days, the Chromecast has become useful to some level here. It is still mainly useful to people with Netflix and HuluPlus Paid subscriptions, but there is hope.

Let me explain.

I must be stupid. At least that is how I felt trying to play local music on my Nexus4.
I listen to books-on-tape all the time … walking, in the car, road trips … I’m listening to a book almost always. At home, my stereos have links to a CD collection that took me 6 months to rip doing 2-10 CDs a day. The CDs are safely stored in a box somewhere, but the ripped files are on the network and I copy over Best of to portable devices as desired.

For the last … 7+ yrs, I’ve been paying about $10/yr for a cell phone plan.
Just added my annual $10 to the pre-paid account a few minutes ago to keep all the minutes alive for another 365 days.

Also, if it isn’t clear, I’ve had a smartphone for the last 2 yrs and only a voice plan. No data. Data works great from wifi. GPS also works if you cache the maps or if you use an offline map program like NAVFree. No Data Required Apps

I’ve described this $10/yr Cell Phone Plan before for anyone new to my blog.

• It might not work for many people, but it does work for many more than who are using it.
• If you are into minimizing, it could be for you.
• If you have a home phone AND a work phone, it could be for you.
• If you avoid talking when driving, it could be for you.
• If you don’t chat on your cell phone, it could be for you. Mainly emergency use and a few out-plans-have-changed calls every week.
• If you don’t need a data plan to earn a living, it could be for you.

There have been times when not having a data plan has been bad, but that happens only when I’m overseas and unlikely to have a data plan for the limited time there anyway.

Between dumping CableTV and not having a monthly cell bill, I’m easily saving $2000/yr.
Our electrical bill is in the lowest 1% for similar homes, so saving much there probably isn’t possible. Ceiling fans.
Our water and gas bills are routinely at the monthly minimal charge just to have service, so saving much there probably isn’t possible.
We could cut back on expensive foods and alcohol. Perhaps not.

Any other ideas for saving money from monthly expenses?

BTW, the pre-paid plan balance is $79+ after adding the $10 more today.

As usual, security and convenience ride a fulcrum. As things are easier to use, security usually suffers. That applies to full disk encryption too.

What?

I was reviewing a B-sides talk by Tom Kopchak on defeating full-disk encryption. Tom was able to gain administrative access to a Windows laptop with full-disk encryption enabled. We aren’t always safe.

Organizing a LUG and being active on Linux forums, I find that the same questions get asked over and over. Here are the most common questions that I’ve answered.

• Why Linux?
• Troubleshooting
• Booting
• Best Practices
• Security
• Privacy

Turns out that nobody is paranoid enough when it comes to their internet use.

Even the most paranoid people, who use TOR have discovered that TOR isn’t enough.

I’ve been paranoid for years and years, not because I have anything to hide, my life is relatively boring. Mostly it is because I believe in the US Constitution and the right to privacy that is included by the 4th Amendment therein. Without a judge signing a warrant based on probable cause, what I do is nobody’s business.

If you haven’t read the full Constitution since High School – take 5 minutes and read the main part again now. It is a simple outline for governments written in plain English. I dare say – genius.
It isn’t perfect. I’d change the election laws by forcing term limits, prohibit campaign contributions except from 1 human individual to another human individual, prohibit contributions unless the person contributing can legally vote in THAT elections, and I’d add clearer privacy rights across all forms of communications taken place in private. I’d add that government employees can be recorded in any way while they are working, except where safety is a concern.

So it turns out that I was paranoid about the wrong things, at least if you read my blog articles. I’ve been paranoid about the US Government for years, just didn’t think it was a good idea to post those thoughts to the internet. We will see if there is any impact to my international travel based on this.

Amazon Prime Streaming is a service similar to Netflix and HuluPlus. It includes free 2-day shipping from Amazon and free streaming of selected TV and Movies over the internet to select devices. Over the years, Amazon Prime distinguished itself from Netflix by working with stock Linux desktop installs. Sure, from time-to-time, Amazon has broken that capability, but it was usually corrected and Linux users, including XBMC users, were happy again.

Sometime in April or May of 2013, Amazon changed something in their streaming and broke the ability for Linux users to access the content – free or paid. A number of friends have complained to Amazon. One relative requested and received a 100% refund from Amazon on the Game of Thrones streaming that he’d purchased due to this screw-up. That person has purchased an Apple-TV device now.

For a few months, Linux users tried to find a work-around, then streaming started working again for some Linux users, but not all. Here is what I know ….

There are many Metro Atlanta Linux Groups.

• Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts – ALE – be certain to sign up for the “ALE Mailing Lists” to stay informed. Emory area.
• Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts-Northwest – ALE-NW and http://tomshiro.org/twiki/view/ALE/AleNwOrg As a sub-group to ALE, be certain to sign up for the “ALE Mailing Lists” to stay informed. This is my home LUG near SPSU in Marietta and Kennesaw
• Northeast Georgia Linux User Group – NEGALUG and their own redirect page
• GA-400 Linux Group – meets near I-285 and Powers Ferry Rd SE.
• Georgia Tech LUG
• Newnan Linux User’s Group
• Classic Hackers UGA Linux User Group – CHUGALUG – Gussing this is Athens
• Middle Georgia Linux Users Group – Macon

Other Georiga LUGs are listed here

Drop me a comment if you’d like your LUG added.

Do not assume a meeting location based on the LUG name!

• ALE Central tends to meet at Emory Law School.
• ALE-NW tends to meet at SPSU (South Loop 120 exit in Marietta)
• GA-400 LUG has meetings at a few different locations – near the top I-285 perimeter at Powers Ferry.
• NE-GA LUG meets at different locations and is experimenting with Google Hangouts.

A few of these were new to me – I just googled and looked that they had recent meetings. One even meets nearby, but the name threw me off their true location. You can google too.

Seems that we can all work together to have an organized installFest Saturday every quarter. Just a thought.

Ubuntu, Redhat, CentOS, Arch, Slackware, Debian, SUSE are the most popular distros used in these groups.

Using FreeNAV on Android is mostly good, but it lacks a few capabilities that would be really nice for any GPS user.

• Add POI data
• Import POI files
• Export Favorites
• Transfer Favorites
  The POI DB is definitely missing many, many, many POIs. Looking for a specific pizza place found 6, but none of them are the two within 3 miles of home that have been there longer than I’ve lived here. It seems to list places 100+ miles away.

You will need to be in Marietta, Georgia, USA next week for this to be useful.

• Event: ALE and ALE-NW : GPG Keysigning Party
• When: Thursday, December 13th at 7:30pm
• Where: SPSU Campus, Atrium “J” Bldg. rm J266

Visit http://ale.org/ for more information.

Advanced prep is required so be certain to visit the link ASAP to get your keys setup and added to the list. Do this at least 2 days prior to the meeting to allow time for the organizers to complete their preparation.

GPG is useful if you want to send secure email like General Petraeus should have.. Having signed keys is not strictly required for gpg to be used, but it does increase the trust similar to how the W-O-T does for internet websites.

Other articles here about using GPG.