Looking for a VPS near you!
I'm looking for a new VPS for this blog and some other stuff. I tested some offers but none of them could fit my needs.
These are the minimal specs I need:
- Monthly fee: 20 $
- CPU: 1 GHz
- RAM: 1 GB
- HDD: 10 GB
- Traffic: 1 TB
- IPv6
- KVM based hosting (own kernel)
- Location: USA (US IP)
The last point is the critical thing. There are simply no good VPS providers in the US. Most of them are hosting very limited servers for very high prices. I tested two european providers with servers in the US.
Server4you.com
The price is ok but these are no KVM or Xen VPS. You have no control of the kernel. Tun/Tap devices are only possible with plans with higher pricing. So this is no option for me.
EDIS.at
This VPS seems to be perfect. Here are the specs:
- Fee: ~13 €
- CPU: 2.5 GHz
- RAM: 1 GB
- HDD: 12 GB
- Traffic: 4 TB
- KVM based hosting
- Location: USA
But there are two things I dislike. First thing, you get no IPv6 block. That's a pitty but ok. Second thing is a bit heavy. I really feel ripped. As you read the server is located in Chicago, USA. That's right but it has an IP address from Switzerland.
So I'm trying to address you, the readers. Does anyone know where to get a VPS with my desired specs or maybe better? You would really help me and my wallet, because the root server I'm using atm is killing me.
Get Skype etc on a chinese Nokia N9
Because many of you have asked about getting Skype and all the other cool apps on a chinese branded Nokia N9 here is a guide how to convert your censored phone into a global one with all this cool stuff. This could also apply to peoply with phones not from China. The key part here is the lack of apps like Skype. So if you don't have these apps and want them, I highly recommend continue reading.
Reflash Nokia N9 firmware
My Nokia N9 had some issues after a few days of usage. At boot it displayed a warning screen that told me that is was malfunciotning and has no clue why. After thr PR1.1 update I still had this warning screen and my twitter and facebook app stopped working. So I decided to reflash my N9. But this isn't as easy as with the Nokia N900 because you don't find the firmware images on some Nokia hosted site.
So here is the guide to reflash your Nokia N9.
White Case for Nokia N900
Finally I got it. I received some cool new stuff this week. One of the packages was filled with this awesome thing.
It looks just awesome. The quality couldn't meet the one of the original cover and I had to use some black parts to get the best fit but it works. With a little bit of super glue the last parts were fixed and now it just looks like I wanted it.
If you want a white Nokia N900 too, just head over to ebay and search it. You will find many offers starting at 10 $. This one was 12 $ and is worth every cent.
Add image to the Nokia N9 standby screen
There are some secret things to discover on the Nokia N9. One thing I found today is that there is a place for a 120x120px operator logo on the standby screen below the clock. You can set a black/white PNG image for that and it looks very nice and unique.
There are two ways to do this, but first we need a nice image. I used this small tux:
The picture must have a maximum size of 120 x 120 pixel and can only consist of black and white.
GUI method
You can use an application called LPMCustomizer for this. Download it here: http://my-meego.com/software/applications.php?name=LPMCustomizer&faq=13&fldAuto=406
Just open the debian package with the N9 and it should install the application automatically. This app doesn't work for me so I tried the terminal way.
Terminal method
First copy the image to a folder you normally don't see so that you can't delete the image by accident. I copied it to "/home/user/" with this command:
cp /home/user/MyDocs/Pictures/tux_bw.png /home/user/standby.png |
Now you can just open the Terminal application and enter the following command
gconftool-2 -t string -s /desktop/meego/screen_lock/low_power_mode/operator_logo /home/user/standby.png |
When everything goes right your standby scren should look like this now:
Update:
Some other nice standby pictures for you:
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Tux |
 Debian Swirl |
 Rule #2 |
Opera Mobile for MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan
Dieses Tutorial auf Deutsch: meetmeego.org
I managed to get Opera Mobile 11 running on Nokia N950. This is no official way and you will "break" your package manager because you have to copy files directly to the rootfs but atm there is no official port so you have no other choice if you really want Opera Mobile 11.
I extracted the files from the official RPM package for MeeGo 1.2 N900 DE available here (http://labs.opera.com/news/2011/05/24/).
Just download the tar file at the bottom of this post.
Get root access by ssh to localhost with the following command. The passwort is "rootme" without quotes:
ssh root@localhost |
Then enter the following on the terminal to untar the archive and install:
tar xvf operamobile.tar ./install_operamobile.sh |
To start Opera Mobile 11 you have to enter this on a terminal:
/usr/bin/operamobile |
Download:
http://hotfile.com/dl/125265610/30d8d48/operamobile.tar.html
Important Note:
There is no way to uninstall Opera Mobile 11. You have to delete every single file by hand!
Update:
sandst1 managed to make a debian package out of the extracted RPM. See his blog posting here.
You can safely install the debian package over my release and if you uninstall the packaged version my files will get deleted too. So your package manager will be happy if you install that package. 
Display current status from dd with pv
Today I found a very nice way to display the current status when using the dd command. In case you don't know what dd is, it's a tool for byte copying things from a to b.
Small example, if you want to backup your harddrive to a file you could use:
dd if=/dev/sda of=/home/user/my_harddrive.img |
But dd doesn't show the current process. It only outputs it when it is finished. There is a solution to this but that needs a second terminal.
But here is a way that is really nice and works great. You can use a tool called pv, which measures the data which is piped to it. So if you want to backup your harddrive you could use:
dd if=/dev/sda | pv > /home/user/my_harddrive.img |
It will display how much data is copied, the time elapsed and the current speed. If it knows the size of the input file you will even get a progress bar. 
So another very nice tool I want to share with you.
Knight Rider loading bar for N900
I have made a shiny loading bar for my Nokia N900 and I want to share it with you.
It's based on the well known Knight Rider TV series. I'm sure you know what I mean.
Download it here: knight_rider-loading-bar.tar.gz
To the extent possible under law, I have waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to Knight Rider loading bar. This work is published from: Germany.
Ricardo
The hole Nokia, Maemo, MeeGo thing
So recently the Nokia N9 and N950 where made public and the hole world is talking about them. And the hole Nokia/MeeGo/Maemo thing.
So as I'm part of this world I will contribute to this sometimes very diffucult discussion. Please remember that all you will read here is my personal opinion, it could be completely rubbish for someone else. So let's start with this never ending story.
Angry Birds Highscore Uploader
I've started a new project which you might know because it's an old one.
Introduction
Long time ago in a community not so far away, ...