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Conversion of Video Files

To convert video files between formats I use Makefiles, this means I can run “make -j2” on my dual-core server to get both cores going at once. avconv uses 8 threads for it’s computation and I’ve seen it take up to 190% CPU time for brief periods of time, but overall it seems to average […]

Phone/Tablet Sizes

The above two pictures show me holding a Samsung Galaxy S3 which has a 4.8″ display in my left hand and a Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 which has a 4.0″ display in my right hand. I am holding both phones in a manner that allows me to touch the top opposite corner with my […]

Links February 2013

Aaron on Software wrote an interesting series of blog posts about psychology and personal development collectively Titled “Raw Nerve”, here’s a link to part 2 [1]. The best sections IMHO are 2, 3, and 7.

The Atlantic has an insightful article by Thomas E. Ricks about the failures in leadership in the US military that […]

Speaking Stacks

Brianna Laugher wrote a blog post about the speaking stack used in the free software activism BoF at LCA 2013 [1].

Occupy Wall St uses what they call a progressive speaking stack – this means that white men step back in the queue and people from marginalised groups step forward [2].

During the free software […]

SE Linux Things To Do

At the end of my talk on Monday about the status of SE Linux [1] I described some of the things that I want to do with SE Linux in Debian (and general SE Linux stuff). Here is a brief summary of some of them:

One thing I’ve wanted to do for years is to […]

My SE Linux Status Report – LCA 2013

This morning I gave a status report on SE Linux. The talk initially didn’t go too well, I wasn’t in the right mental state for it and I moved through the material too fast. Fortunately Casey Schaufler asked some really good questions which helped me to get back on track. The end result seemed reasonably […]

LCA 2012

LCA 2013 [1] is starting so it seems like time to finish my write-up of LCA 2012.

As usual it was a great conference, although I got sick immediately after getting there which reduced my ability to attend.

Android

A major unofficial theme of the conference was Android. Most delegates seemed to have Android phones, […]

Power Supplies and Wires

For some time I’ve been wondering how the wire size for power supplies limits the power. So I’ve done some quick calculations to determine if it’s a problem.

The first type that is of interest are the “Inverters” that are used to convert 12VDC to 240VAC (mains power) to allow electric devices to be operated […]

Phone Calls and Other Distractions

Harald Welte has written about the distraction of phone calls and how it impacts engineering work [1]. He asks why people feel that they are entitled to interrupt him given the cost to his work.

Some years ago while working as a programmer I was discussing such things with a colleague who worked for the […]

Promoting Enthusiasm

Rusty wrote an insightful post titled “What Can I Do To Help?” about reactions to new ideas [1]. He suggests that people make an effort to have a positive approach when someone talks about a new idea, it’s quite common for people to point out reasons why the new idea might not work out which […]