GTD implementations are far from single-app static systems. As I struggle to fine-tune my GTD focused methodology, my tools and processes keep evolving along with my ninja skills. In the last couple of years I’ve been taming my Mac based system, resulting in a three-fold workflow: Project and task keeping with Things, meetings and hard commitments on iCal, and a set of text/brainstorm tools for gathering and reviewing, especially Freemind (brainstorm, mind maps, life organization), Evernote (for all types of lists, reference and bookkeeping) and TextMate (for almighty text files that track my high level focus) stand out. But keep in mind: these are only small cogs in the wheel.
Lately I’ve been thinking about what communities are, and what roles do they play in our lives. Through a community we can share, interact, help, evolve and engage. These are just a few of the major roles the community plays in scientific research. However, the research community is failing. It’s failing to evolve and adjust to current times and the new ways people engage, and how information flows in the digital world. But, instead of relying on expensive printed publication, summits and conferences and journals, is there another way?
Ideas are the key drivers of knowledge work. In research or business, we need ideas to thrive, explore and tap into unforeseen wealth, financial or scientific. But, with all the interruptions around us, with all the triggers and creative outbreaks, we can barely afford the time to have ideas, or to properly focus on them. Our mind is so full of information that is seems hard to have more ideas. The only option is to clear your mind, and make space for ideas. Write down all that “stuff” running around in your head, and make some room for your true creative self. And see how one idea can turn into many. Specially if job description includes making stuff up. Continue Reading
In our connected life we’ve opened so many direct streams to our space that it feels we’ve bitten off more than we can chew. A couple of years ago someone would have to to call to get a hold of you. Now you can be reached through twitter, mail, MSN, Facebook, Google talk, blog and post comments or forums, just to name a few. And most of these have automatic alert systems. What happens? A little icon starts bouncing and your attention gripped. Well, you need to get offline to be connected. You need to focus to get stuff done. You need an offline project.
I’ve recently engaged in a privacy discussion about Google Analytics (GA). Coincidentally it also popped up on TechCruch, after an announcement from Google that they’re releasing a GA blocking addon that allows users to opt-out of being tracked.
But the question still stands: Is GA a privacy violation or not?
With the new decade upon us, it’s time for new year resolutions, and more importantly, a renewed call to action. With no posts in 2009, the crisis year, it was a dark time for my digital content output. But, after losing the fight against webdesign, I took the high road in the new year, and landed on a new theme called sevenfive, from press75. The old one never felt quite right, and actually prevented me from posting by feeding my procrastination critter. Continue Reading
Chroots is a collection of bash scripts to create, maintain, manage and use several chroot environments on debian based systems. It sports such features as privilege drop, multiple chroot maintenance and caching.
This is the first public release, under GPLv3. The software is now in a state where I can use it every day to maintain chroots. To download the source code, use the link below. There is also a git repository available for cloning. Chroots is developed under Ubuntu, and can build debian and Ubuntu chroots through deboostrap.
I was a part of GLUA, my university’s Linux User Group, for many years. But, I must confess that I’ve never been this excited about an event organised by the group like I am for this one. Not even when I was organising them. GLUA Tech Sessions promises to be entertaining, enjoyable and educative, covering topics which are dear to me. So here is the plug, if you are around Aveiro, Portugal next weekend, drop by:
I haven’t blogged for a while now, guess I need a new redesigned template, which seems to boost my blogging ability. But here is a simple and short guide to build ffmpeg with the appropriate codecs to encode stuff for the PSP or iPod. These codecs aren’t enabled by default to legal (patent) issues.
You should have the medibuntu repository enabled for this to work.
Get some tools to build tje package along with the ffmpeg source in Ubuntu Intrepid. Then get the appropriate packages to build ffmpeg, and satisfy the evil codec dependencies:
apt-get install dpkg-dev devscripts apt-get source ffmpeg apt-get build-dep ffmpeg apt-get install libmp3lame-dev libfaac-dev libxvidcore4-dev libx264-dev
To finished up, go into the sources directory, build the package with the external codecs and install everything after it finishes building the debian package. Note that the first command is optional, and is just to bump the package version so that is “newer” that the original repositories:
dch -i DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS=externalcodecs dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot -us -uc
dpkg -i *.deb
And that is it. Look for scripts that use ffmpeg to encode stuff for the PSP or iPod. There are plenty around. I’ll post my favourite at a later time.