I wanted to virtualise an Ubuntu 10.10 installation on a kvm VM on Fedora 13. To get kvm acceleration on qemu I had to enable virtualisation on the BIOS (there are 2-3 relevant options which are turned off by default) but I also had to leave trusted execution disabled. My desktop is a DeLL Optiplex 755 but I believe this setting is common on other DeLL machines.
The last step is vital; there is no clue in the BIOS parameter description why this would not allow kvm acceleration but it is mentioned in the Linux KVM project pages. Anyway, I putting this out there in case it saves anyone some time.
I just watched a session of an MMO game called EVE online , where a friend of mine tagged along 149 other people to launch a coordinated attack on an enemy faction. The team communicated via live-voice where a couple of commanders gave out instructions to the rest.
There were two things that struck me as particularly noteworthy. First, during the session there was a distinct two-layer chain of command which was respected by all – the commanders were the only ones doing the talking even though anyone could talk at any time. Second, I was very surprised by how exciting the whole thing was. At some point 150 ships were about to storm 90 others (all human-controlled) and the commanders were frantically giving instruction to everyone to get in formation or withdraw to some distance or what have you. Those moments offered me significant thrills even though I had no stake in the outcome (unlike my friend!).
I felt obliged to offer this commentary as my previous involvement with the incredibly boring WoW had left me disillusioned with MMOs. EVE has restored my faith in online gaming and I would urge you to check it out if you like that sort of thing.
I just got whiff of a the work of the Khan Academy. In spectacular fashion, its creator Salman Khan has created a series of online tutorials and lectures, which he publishes on youtube, on a range of topics including mathematics, finance and biology. I have watched a couple of them and I have to say that his lecturing style is great – he is easy to listen to and addresses the topic at hand with clarity and care.
The most incredible thing about this whole venture is that his videos are free and under a creative commons license – which means you can distribute them yourself provided you give credit to their author. This is something which I feel has been lacking on the Internet; an educator who addresses a series of topics and who makes the lessons available to all for free. A true modern hero if you ask me…
There is hope for all sissies out there! Be buff like this guy!
I run across this ad in a magazine from the 1950s… I will let you guess which one (hint: Mad Magazine issue 1 – Oct. 1952). Read the text out loud for maximum hilarity.
My blog posts should be automatically advertised on status.net now!
“Now, Sir, if this be so, let justice be done, cost what it may. I am not prepared, like my honourable and learned friend, to agree to a compromise between right and expediency, and to commit an injustice for the public convenience.”
…uttered by Thomas Babington Macaulay in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in 1841. It is well worth reading the whole speech and learn its context.
I am currently in Greece enjoying my easter vacation. I was travelling through downtown Athens and happened to come across Ermou Street, named after the ancient Greek god of commerce (Hermes). This, as I remember it from years past, used to be a street of great commercial activity, featuring a plethora of stores and a great number of customers. However, these days, although the stores are still there, there are also a multitude of illegal traders, setting up camp on the sidewalk and selling all sorts of illicit goods, from pirate dvds and cds to fake handbags, fake watches, toys of questionable origins, counterfeit eyewear and so on… I was absolutely shocked by their numbers and their audacity; nobody seemed to mind them and they were handling their counterfeits in plain sight!
I cannot and absolutely will not believe that the average citizen of Athens, and by that I mean the informed Athenian, wants to live in a society like this. I like to think that the Greeks will eventually rise up and replace their corrupt political “elite” and elect some leader worth following. Further, I also hope they will look inwards to shed off the long-ingrained bad traits of Greek culture (inability to declare real income, compulsively trying to cheat the state and so on). I really really hope that in the next few years Athens will transform itself to a modern city like all those marvellous places I have visited all over northern west Europe.
In recent news there has been significant hupla about Greece’s financial woes (and its incompetent, corrupt politicians as well as its culture of complacency and aversion to owning to mistakes). What I want to comment though on is the state of the online newspapers.
I read a lot of articles commenting on a recent statement by the European Council, announcing that EU countries will somewhat support Greece financially with the collaboration of the IMF (haha good luck with that!). What really surprised me though is that no article I read actually linked to the statement which is available online and even translated by the EU (as all major announcements are) in all EU languages.
Why oh why? Maybe because it took 2 minutes to search for this online and the commentators cannot spare the time to look it up. Thanks for having read this and yes the sarcasm above was provided free of charge. Enjoy responsibly 
To celebrate the release of Flightgear 2.0 here is a picture of a KLM Cityhoper at Landvetter airport in Gothenburg, Sweden. That plane took me to Amsterdam a week ago!
A KLM Cityhopper at Gothenburg Landvetter airport
I recently watched “12 Angry Men” and I can wholeheartedly recommend it. Absolutely thrilling…
