more linux madness

this is for my own benefit more than anything else, to save hours of googling around when I next need to solve this problem: to force Ubuntu to rescan for new hardware and update its config automatically (eg. when adding a new USB keyboard), you need to do this:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Nice. Shiny new keyboard working now. Hulk happy.

"Wock Woll can Wescue the Wold"

I was worried that music might have lost its way recently... then I realised that I just haven't been listening to enough Japanese heavy metallers playing flying Vs with nude drummers.

Oh yes. It's all here. And here.

london licensing mayhem

So.. I find myself sat at home in front of the computer at 12am on a Saturday night after trying to go out for 'big drinks in town' with an old friend. Unfortunately, it turned out that the pub we were in shut its doors at 11, sharp, and so did every other hostelry within walking distance. So I reluctantly came home, since the only other options were clubs with entry fees, 'bangin' tunes, and no decent beer.

This doesn't feel unfamiliar at all. In fact, it was exactly what it was like to go out drinking on a Saturday night in Aylesbury in 1997. The question is, why is it that an 11pm closing time for pubs is still more-or-less universal in central London, but you can easily drink until 2 or 3 in pubs in supposedly 'residential' areas like East Dulwich ('home' for me), and even in other cities (Oxford)?

I'm not convinced that the opening hours revolution is being implemented consistently, is all.

Mind you, if I hadn't come home early, I wouldn't have got to listen to this.

My guitar has holes in it

...mostly in the places I intended to put them, but in some other embarrassing places as well.

The idea of getting a scratchplate to cover up all the damage I've done is looking increasingly appealing. For now, I've just filled up all the unintended holes with plastic wood. Maybe that'll do the job.

urgh.

R Kelly is Trapped in the Closet

It's true. R Kelly's Hiphopera is the best thing I've seen in music for a while.

'Oh God I'm trapped in the closet!'

Check it out here

Did I really have to do this?

Emails are cheap, and someone had to keep Radio 4 on its toes. I quote their response in full:

"Thank you for your e-mail regarding 'Redonda - the Island with Too Many Kings'.

I understand that you found it unacceptable for a BBC continuity announcer to
use the word 'Less' when the word 'Fewer' should have correctly been used.

I can inform you that our staff newsreaders and announcers, over whose speech we
have direct jurisdiction, undergo a period of extensive training and are only
confirmed in their appointments if the required standard has been reached.

Your comments have been fully registered on our daily audience log. This
internal document will be made available to Senior BBC Management.

Thank you once again for taking the time to contact us.

Regards

Marie Therese Gibson
BBC Information"

Nailed it!

Nice. Was on the point of switching to a different Linux distribution when I got down to some serious searching on the Ubuntu forums, and have now fixed the 'flash no sound' problem I was moaning about.

For those who care, the solution was to edit some config files to force ALSA to recognize the USB sound card as default. Code and comments are here

Brilliant. Now I can rock out with John Scofield videos all night long.