Welcome to another Weekly Rewind. It’s been a little quieter for me in the last 7 days, but only marginally. This update finds me sat at home in the kitchen, contemplating what to make for dinner. Fried rice is looking favourite right now, but I’m sure this sort of riveting information is not what you’re hear to read. So let’s get on with it.

On Monday we did a Linux Outlaws live show as usual, streaming video and audio as we went. There was some confusion when someone in the IRC channel told us Max Spevak (Fedora Community Manager) had left his post. It turned out they were “thinking of someone else”, but I guess the lesson is don’t always trust the wisdom of IRC, especially on a live show. They’re generally right on most things though to be fair, and having the stream has actually cut down the amount of email corrections we get. If we say something outrageously wrong someone will usually pick us up on it and we can fix it immediately. It’s nicer than getting 20 emails telling you the same thing for the next week. Somehow we ended up doing some pretty poor impressions of Shabba Ranks at the end of the show. Quite how these things occur I’m never sure, but if you want to find out you should join us live on Monday nights at 7pm GMT. I processed the audio from the show the next day and Fab released it as episode 133 “Shabba!” on Thursday. I also released a new Rathole Radio on Monday afternoon. It featured an interview with Creative Commons metaller Jono Bacon and it’s been pretty well received. A few people only tuned into the show because of Jono’s presenc,e but said they liked it and would come back in future which is nice. I need to build up the listenership a bit. Moving to Libsyn has meant I get far more accurate stats, and they don’t make as pleasant reading as I’d hoped. Perhaps it’s because of my very eclectic music taste that a lot of people don’t “get” the show, I don’t know. But I shall persevere and win them round eventually. Speaking of which, I received a very nice review for Rathole Radio from Peter Cannon. He’s not a man to mince his words and despite only catching the show by accident I think I may have won him over. If I can manage that then I’m sure more will follow. If you listen to Rathole Radio and enjoy it please help spread the word to other music fans you know. Go on, I’ll be your best mate. Read the rest of this entry »

Nokia N900

It’s been a while since my last substantial review but I’m back with something a little different for you today. I’d like to talk about the Nokia N900 Linux-based phone I’ve been testing for the past 6 weeks. It’s the first Maemo powered device to feature phone functions. Does this move signal a new direction for Nokia? Nobody seems quite sure just yet, but the hardware and software are causing a lot of interest in the Linux community. Here’s my thoughts on the experience so far.

Vital Stats:

• Processor: ARM Cortex-A8 600mhz, PowerVR SGX graphics
• RAM: 256mb
• Storage: 32gb internal memory, 16gb MicroSD slot for expansion
• Camera: Carl Zeiss, Tessar 2.8/5.2, AF 5MP
• Operating System: Maemo 5 (based on Debian)
• Kernel: 2.6.28-omap1
• Connectivity: GRPS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, DLNA, Infra red, microUSB v2.0
• Other Features: FM Radio transmitter, GPS, TV-out

Introduction:

Back of Device

In the interests of full disclosure I should start off by pointing out a couple of quick things. Firstly this handset was sent to me for trial by Nokia, I didn’t buy it and it has to be returned at some point. I’ve had it 6 weeks at the time of this writing. Secondly I’m no phone expert. I haven’t used a lot of smartphones, so I can’t compare this directly to Android devices or others. I’ve only used them in passing. I do know a thing or two about Linux though and hopefully that will balance this out. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s another Sunday afternoon and that means I’m sat with my laptop typing away as usual. Not what most people would call a relaxing Sunday, but it seems to work for me. I’m preparing for another Rathole Radio tonight and doing a few other things. Allow me to update you with recent events in my life. Here comes Weekly Rewind number 48.

It began as weeks often do for me with a live Linux Outlaws show on Monday. Much fun was had, much geeky talking was done and I’m pleased to say many people joined in. I also did more ringing around and emailing as Oggcamp organization carried on apace. I’ve been doing a lot of Drupal hacking and coding for a website project this week too. I finally got past chapter 2 of my Drupal Pro Development book after about a year, and I’m starting to understand writing your own modules as well. I’ll try to write more about that as time goes on. On Tuesday I processed the audio from Linux Outlaws and sent it back to Fab for editing. He released that as episode 132 “The Denty Dent Client” on Thursday. I also sorted out my vote for the Open Rights Group board elections and posted that off. Any other members should have a read through the candidates information and get their ballot papers in before February 15th. Read the rest of this entry »

In my last Weekly Rewind I alluded to a dramatic episode I suffered with the Nokia N900 at the weekend. I wanted to tell that story in full and I figured it deserved it’s own post. I’ll also try to offer a little advice about flashing Maemo devices from a Linux desktop, based on my relatively limited but successful experience. There are already very good guides for this around though, so I don’t want to just duplicate them.

N900 - Keyboard Open

I was lucky enough to be sent an N900 for testing and review purposes by Nokia before Christmas, a lot of you reading this will know that already. Lately some software updates to Maemo 5 (the N900 operating system) have been rolled out, and of course I wanted the latest greatest versions. I received one update about a week ago over the air, which means there was no need to do anything more complex than press “yes” on the phone and let it do it’s thing. It all worked beautifully and I was very impressed. However, when I was prompted about another available update later in the week the process was anything but smooth. Little did I know it but my problems were just beginning. I tried to apply the second update on the phone in the same way but was told I needed to connect the “Nokia Software Updater” tool via a PC. It seems this happens if you have certain testing repositories enabled on your Maemo device like I did, it can cause package conflicts. I’m not averse to using the official software to perform an update if needed, but what I am averse to is the fact that this software is only available for Windows. I’m a full time Linux user as most of you will know and considering the the N900 is a Linux device you’d think they’d have a Linux updater too. Read the rest of this entry »

As a great rapper (Rakim) once said “It’s been a long time, I shouldn’t ‘ve left you…”, ok so it hasn’t been that long but I did miss my last Weekly Rewind. Things have been pretty hectic lately and something had to give. It’s not a great a start to the New Year, but it is only the 2nd week I’ve missed in almost a year now. So I’m not doing too bad. Anyway, I should get on with telling you what’s actually been happening since last we met. Let’s do this.

On Monday we recorded and streamed another Linux Outlaws as usual. It was a really long show in the end but we had fun and hopefully everyone listening did too. Fab gave his thoughts on the Motorola Milestone, which he’s been sent for review. It sounds cool and I’ve had my own phone drama this week. More on that in a future post, it’s too big a story to fit in here. I was also busy making phone calls and talking to people about planning for OggCamp10 on Monday. We officially announced the date and location on the microblogs and caused something of a storm. If you didn’t see the blog announcement I also slipped out on Tuesday here’s the low down. May 1st-2nd 2010 at The Black-E in Liverpool there’ll be a weekend festival of Free Software, Free Culture and fun. There’s also the Rathole Roadshow gig that I’m planning on the Friday night (April 30th) to kick the whole thing off in style. It’s going to be epic and you shouldn’t miss this weekend if you’re within travelling distance. I know some overseas readers obviously can’t make it, I’ll try not to bore you with endless OggCamp news in the coming months. Read the rest of this entry »

Something awesome this was comes…. yes that’s right we’re going to do another OggCamp this year. The first one was such a success and we all enjoyed it so much that we just had to really. It’s a bit earlier in the year this time and it’ll be in Liverpool rather than Wolverhampton, but we sincerely hope you’ll come and join us. I’ve been very busy since the New Year putting all this in place. I’ve braved the ice for meetings at various venues, set the phone alight with negotiations and I’m pleased to say things are really coming together. We announced the dates and other details on Linux Outlaws last night. They’re also all over the microblogs, but for anyone who missed it here goes…

Date - 1st and 2nd of May 2010.

Venue – The Black-E, Liverpool, L1 5EW.

Website - OggCamp.org

Free Software, Free Culture, Free Thinking!

Don’t forget to get here on Friday the 30th and attend my Rathole Roadshow gig to kick the weekend off in style. It’s a Free Culture music gig featuring David Rovics, Attila The Stockbroker and myself, all playing live along with other guests to be announced. I’m working with the hotel arrangements with Liverpool Tourist Board right now. More details to come very soon. It’s a popular weekend being a Bank Holiday though and a popular destination, so book early! Keep an eye on the website of follow us on Twitter and Identi.ca for updates. For those who might be curious about the name, Ogg is a free and open media container format, it’s a barcamp style event and the 10 has a double meaning, it’s the year 2010 and also it’s a binary joke for all the geeks.

The venue is massive and the building is incredible, it’s going to be an epic weekend and it’s in one of the best cities in the world. Ok so I’m biased, but trust me. We need as many people to fill up this place as possible. Come and see us!!! …or I’ll come and find you

You can also sign up on Facebook if you’re a Facebook user.

Regular readers will notice I missed my Weekly Rewind this week but I’m afraid I’ve been so busy I can’t fit it in. I’ll do one next week when things calm down a bit I promise. Thanks for reading.

Dan