Grub Customizer
Updated 03-Aug-2025 This is a fantastic tool: sudo apt install grub-customizer grub-customizer A nice little GUI.
LMDE to Xfce desktop environment
Updated 03-Aug-2025 I've been having trouble with the sleep cycle of a new monitor, such that causes problems with the LXDE lxpanel app. Basically the panel unloads when the monitor sleeps (or awakes). Since lxpanel is more or less frozen, I've looked to other desktop distributions to remedy this. Though I am generally satisfied with ... Read more
Removable Disk Volume Name
Updated 03-Aug-2025 To change the volume name of a removable disk (USB / SD), in Debian (or other Linux): Open up > Accessories > Disks Click on device Click on gears icon (Additional partition options) Edit Filesystem Enter partition name
Homemade Yogurt
Updated 03-Aug-2025 Yogurt (Yoghurt) is a great food. Compared with cheese and milk, it is better in terms of a healthy body. It can be used in a variety of ways for cooking, not only a standard cup of yogurt with fruit. Here are some of the ways we use yogurt: Muesli, fruit, milk and ... Read more
Glycemic Index, Glycemic Load
Updated 03-Aug-2025 With the Life Diet Plan the idea is multifold, with the goals of: Prevent disease Increase metabolism and energy Control appetite Enhance natural hormone levels Diet is one part of a two-part plan, the other being exercise. Just as the diet is specific in numerous ways, so is the exercise. This then comes ... Read more
Climate Temperature Increase
Updated 03-Aug-2025 Wet bulb temperatures of 32c means that humans have to lie down and not take part in any activities, while 35c is lethal. Not only humans will suffer but all animals and plants. The potential for ecosystem failure and food insecurity is much higher than worrying about sea-level rise. Indeed, the collapse of ... Read more
Can I use PPAs on Debian?
Updated 03-Aug-2025 PPAs are personal package archives that allow people to distribute application packages to Ubuntu distributions. Since Ubuntu is based on Debian, and PPA packages are in the .deb format, they can theoretically be used in Debian. However, there are several complications that need to be understood: Why PPAs are not recommended for use ... Read more
Candyland for Education
Updated 03-Aug-2025 Candyland is a simple board game designed for 2-4 players ages 3+. It is a simple and quick game governed completely by luck, there is no skill involved. Candyland is a race game whose goal is to get from the starting to the finish line first. The game was first designed in 1949, ... Read more
Upgrade and Migrate Linode
Updated 03-Aug-2025 I've recently migrated between datacenters, but not using any data center tools. Rather this is specific recreation of systems and importing of data. Much cleaner, and it becomes clear that there are advantages to data center processors and database cleanliness. Clearly there are some changes using php-fpm8.2 vs. 7.4 and while the mariadb ... Read more
useradd vs. adduser on Debian
Updated 03-Aug-2025 adduser is a more friendly interactive tool that asks to create a password, while useradd simply adds a user with or without a password.
Subversion
Updated 03-Aug-2025 Subversion is a legacy source code control system. It is run by the Apache foundation. > Subversion exists to be universally recognized and adopted as an open-source, centralized version control system characterized by its reliability as a safe haven for valuable data; the simplicity of its model and usage; and its ability to ... Read more
Personal actions on anti-trust
Updated 03-Aug-2025 It is important, if one believes in anti-trust, to take whatever small personal actions one may take, as a consumer. For example, migrating off the large monopoly platforms when possible. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter -> Mastodon ($10/year donation) Gmail, etc., email -> Fastmail ($50/year fee) (referral code), may switch to mailbox.org, roughly the same ... Read more
Automaticity in language, math
Updated 03-Aug-2025 Fluency and automaticity Building fluency in math and language is significantly (though not exclusively) building automaticity in recognizing and recalling math facts, and the sounds, spelling, and meaning of words, respectively. Foundationally, building automaticity must in fact be based on tasks which do so. This seems obvious but isn't so, as an incisive ... Read more
Ketchup recipe
Updated 03-Aug-2025 Ketchup is a bit expensive and full of not-so-nice ingredients (or super expensive and organic). We make ours in about 10 minutes using tomato paste, water, salt, sugar, and vinegar. One can always add more ingredients (garlic, onion, etc.), but it is not necessary. Ingredients One small can tomato paste 1/2 cup water ... Read more
Roman Cement
Updated 03-Aug-2025 The main reason of my interest in Roman cement is the self-healing properties, especially in marine environments, and consequent waterproof ability, and adhesive strength. It seems to have many features which make it superior for stone pointing, stucco, tiling, and roofing uses, as well as for repair and restoration. > From a material ... Read more
Bookbindery at Home
Updated 03-Aug-2025 Printing is easy but making a nice binding is not as simple or easy. Many people use comb binding / spiral bound, which also make it easier to lay the book pages flat and to turn them. Useful when using the book as a reference, or simply having multiple readers. Lumbeck Bookbinding Lumbeck ... Read more
Science of Math
Updated 03-Aug-2025 Science of Math has taken cues from the Science of Reading. Though it is seen as lagging by a few years, there is already a solid body of research regarding how children learn math and how to best teach it. As with the Science of Reading, the focus is on proven explicit, direct, ... Read more
Collagen
Updated 03-Aug-2025 Collagen - Harvard school of public health I thought it was a scam -- can collagen really turn back the clock? - The Guardian 24-Week study on the use of collagen hydrolysate as a dietary supplement in athletes with activity-related joint pain
MuseScore
Updated 03-Aug-2025 MuseScore is a free and open source music notation application. Is MuseScore 4 a Sibelius killer? Installing MuseScore on Linux MuseScore 3 is available through standard software channels such as apt in Debian. MuseScore 4 (a substantial upgrade) is distributed as an appimage (as of March 2023, and may be available in Debian ... Read more
Learning the Piano
Updated 03-Aug-2025 Learning Piano app (Simply Piano) My seven year old started to learn the piano at age 6, at first it was messing around with an app (Simply Piano), though he committed to 15 minutes per day. We did that for about six months, but using an app has many drawbacks. My children like ... Read more