Ubuntu natty with xbmc dharma won't shut down from menu

Solved this by editing /var/lib/polkit-1/localauthority/50-local.d/custom-actions.pkla

and replacing it with the following. Just make sure "xbmc", marked red, is the correct user...

[Actions for xbmc user]
Identity=unix-user:xbmc
Action=org.freedesktop.upower.*;org.freedesktop.consolekit.system.*;org.freedesktop.udisks.*
ResultAny=yes
ResultInactive=no
ResultActive=yes

Thanks to
http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Ubuntu_Suspend_/_Wake

Saved radio presets disappears on car stereo

Solution: You have probably just installed your car stereo wrong. Take a look at the wiring where you will have one red and one yellow cable. It should be possible to switch these around. Do that, and it should work.

Happened and solved with my Pioneer car stereo..

Mediakeys for spotify in Linux

There is two ways of doing this.

1.) Native Spotify player for Linux (requires Unlimited or Premium)
Create spotify-control containing this (credits go to this allenap):

#!/usr/bin/env python

import dbus
import sys

if __name__ == '__main__':
    session = dbus.SessionBus.get_session()
    spotify = session.get_object(
        "org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify",
        "/org/mpris/MediaPlayer2")
    for command in sys.argv[1:]:
        getattr(spotify, command)()

su
chmod 755 spotify-control

Next, put the file into i.e. /usr/bin/
Now you got a cmd way of controling your spotify player.. spotify-control Previous, spotify-control Next and spotify-control PlayPause...

If you are using fluxbox as I am, add the following to your ~/.fluxbox/keys

# Spotify
Mod4 Right :Exec $(spotify-control Next)
Mod4 Left :Exec $(spotify-control Previous)
Mod4 space :Exec $(spotify-control PlayPause)

Save, "reconfigure" (or restart fluxbox), and you are done..

Now you can use your windows button + Right/Left for Next/Previous or Space to pause :)

2.) If you are using spotify via wine..
This way is a bit more "unslick" and nasty.. But it works..
You do it the same way, except you use the following script located here..

Add temperature to conky

After some recent debian updates, the proc files which conky got it's temperatures from disappeared. I found a way though to work around this, and get the temp into conky.

1.) First, open your console.
2.) Type acpi -t. This way you will see which sensors you can grab the temperatures from. You will get an output looking something like this:
Thermal 0: ok, 55.0 degrees C
Thermal 1: ok, 35.4 degrees C
Thermal 2: ok, 50.0 degrees C
Thermal 3: ok, 58.0 degrees C
Thermal 4: active, 60.0 degrees C
3.) Decide which thermal sensor you want the temperature from. In my case I found out the cpu was "Thermal 3". Now we are gonna sort out this line.
4.) Type: acpi -t | grep "Thermal 3". You should now get only the Thermal 3 line. So far so good. Now we need to sort out only the temperature, using "cut".
5.) Type: acpi -t | grep "Thermal 3" | cut -c16-19. The -c- might be different from you. Adjust it so you now get an output displaying ONLY the temperature.
6.) When you've made the correct command line, add it to your conkyrc like this:

${execi 1 acpi -t | grep "Thermal 3" | cut -c16-19}C

Laptop running warm and noisy fans

After some years of use my laptop started getting really warm when the work load increased. As a result of the heat, the fans also started making a lot of noise. This problem did not exist when I got it, or the first years..

The cause was pretty obvious. Dust and dirt had piled up inside my laptop, and especially on the fan(s). My laptop only have 1 fan, so I went straight for it. Following the service manual for my computer (hp nx7400) I removed the keyboard, and the fan came to sight.

Next I got the vacuum cleaner. Yep, that's right, the good ol' vacuum cleaner. It might be an idea to add a thinner tip on it while doing this. I didn't though. Next, the clue is to hold the fan so it wont spin when vacuum cleaning it. If you dont the fan might ending up spinning backwards, which could break it. While holding the fan, clean it thoroughly until it's dust free.. Next clean any heatsinks and other visible dust.

Now reassemble, and hopefully it should not run warm that easy, and the fans shouldn't spin up all the time! At least it worked great for me!

Import old GED 5.0 file from family tree maker to new version

This is a quick hotfix for this. If you exported your old family tree maker file to a GED file version 5.0, you can't open it again in newer versions. But it's actually saved in 5.3, which is pretty similar to 5.5. Simply open the GED file in notepad, find the line which specifies the version (5.3), rename it to 5.5, save, and open it in family tree maker 2011 or whatever you are running ;)

PS... Scrapbook elements gets lost in the GED format..

Remove whitelist in NX7400 bios

Yes, it's possible! As well as you will get SLIC tables. This should remove any 104 or 105 errors on NX7400. There is also available bioses for other HP models for this...

First of all, I take no responsibility in case you brick/ruin your bios :P

Now to it...
1.) Download this toolkit to make a bootable USB key with rompaq which is the flashing tool. Follow the readme, and everything will start automaticly when booting up... http://www.sendspace.com/file/rip4sc
2.) Boot up with this, make a backup of your current bios. If you have a nx7400 you will get a file named: 68YGU.BAK
3.) Download your new bios from here (NX7300/NX7400).
4.) Open the file, and extract the .bin file to the usb key, and rename it to 68YGU.BIN.
5.) Reboot, and chose to upgrade bios.
6.) You are done :-)

For more info, and complete list of bios'es available check here.

Update 30. March 2012:
Installed a newest generation Intel 5300 wifi card which handles up to 450mbps without a problem on my hp nx7400. As this card has three antenna plugs, and the nx7400 only contains two I just connected wire 1 to connector 1, and wire 2 to connector 2 (they are marked on the wifi card) and let the connector 3 stay unconnected. Great signal as is to my old router. You can buy extra cables on ebay for a couple of dollars if you want.

The wifi card I installed is the following: INTEL WLAN 5300 533AN_MMWG. This is the FULL HEIGHT version.