All-Encompassing Trip, by Guillermo Esteves

How to import the Tumblr blogs you follow into Google Reader

What I did, basically, was use Tumblr’s template engine to generate an OPML file that can be imported into Google Reader or any other RSS reader. What you have to do is:

  1. Go to the Customize screen. You’re going to change your theme. If you’re using a custom theme, make a backup. Copy the theme code into a text file and save it somewhere safe, or use Marco’s backup app to back up your entire Tumblr.
  2. Did you make a backup? Good. Replace your custom theme with this: 
    <html>
<body>
<textarea rows=24 cols=80>
&lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;UTF-8&quot;?&gt;
&lt;opml version=&quot;1.0&quot;&gt;
&lt;head&gt;
&lt;title&gt;Blogs you follow on Tumblr&lt;/title&gt;
&lt;/head&gt;
&lt;body&gt;
{block:Following}
&lt;outline title=&quot;Tumblr&quot; text=&quot;Tumblr&quot;&gt;
{block:Followed}
&lt;outline text=&quot;{FollowedName}&quot;
title=&quot;{FollowedName}&quot; type=&quot;rss&quot;
xmlUrl=&quot;{FollowedURL}rss&quot; htmlUrl=&quot;{FollowedURL}&quot;/&gt;
{/block:Followed}
&lt;/outline&gt;
{/block:Following}
&lt;/body&gt;
&lt;/opml&gt;
</textarea>
</body>
</html>
  3. Save your changes, then go to the front page of your Tumblr blog. You’ll see a text box with a bunch of XML crap in it. Select all of it, copy it to Notepad, TextEdit, or your favorite plain text editor, and save it as tumblr.xml or whatever. This is your OPML file.
  4. Go back to the Customize screen, and change your theme back to what it was. If for some reason you can’t, try using the new theme recovery feature to go back to the previous version.
  5. Go to Google Reader and select Settings > Reader Settings in the top right corner. Go to the Import/Export tab, and upload the OPML file you saved before.
  6. All your Tumblr blogs are in a Tumblr folder in Google Reader, so you can now go to the Subscriptions tab in Settings, type “tumblr” in the “filter by…” textbox, and delete any blogs you don’t want to follow in Google Reader.

That’s it. Like I said, it’s not the best way to read Tumblr, and you can’t heart or reblog posts, but if you have a few blogs you definitely don’t want to miss, this is a good way to get them into Google Reader.

Start BitTorrent downloads remotely with Dropbox

Here’s a quick way to start BitTorrent downloads remotely, if you’re using Dropbox. First, make sure Dropbox is installed in the computer where you regularly download your torrents, probably your main computer at home. For those not using Dropbox, you can get an account here. You’ll have to download a small application, which creates a “Dropbox” folder in your “My Documents” folder in Windows or in your “Home” folder in OS X. Dropbox keeps that folder synchronized across all the computers where you have installed it, so that if you move a file into that folder, it will show up on all the other computers. You can also access and upload files via Dropbox’s web interface.

Now, most BitTorrent clients have an option to automatically add torrents copied on a certain folder. In Transmission, it’s in preferences, in the “transfers” tab. Check the Watch for torrent files in option. Optionally, check the Trash original torrent files so your folder doesn’t fill up with old .torrent files.

Transmission preferences

In µTorrent, the option is in the preferences (the cog icon in the toolbar), under “directories.” Check Automatically load .torrents from and optionally, Delete loaded .torrents.

Transmission preferences

What you want to do is set those options to watch your Dropbox folder (or a folder inside your Dropbox, if you want to keep things tidy) for new .torrents, so they’ll start downloading automatically when a new file appears. Do not, however, set your client to save the resulting download into your Dropbox folder. Save them elsewhere.

Now as long as you keep Dropbox and BitTorrent running, you can start torrents remotely. All you have to do is upload .torrent files to the Dropbox folder from wherever you are, using the web interface, and it should start downloading almost immediately on the other computer. I started doing this at the office, because for some reason I can’t use Transmission’s web UI from there, and it’s worked for me without a hitch; by the time I get home, my downloads are usually ready. Give it a shot, and let me know what you think.

Help me troubleshoot this: The trash bin in my Mac (early ’08 MacBook Pro, OS X 10.5.5) always has this weird file. If I empty the trash or drag the file out so I can open it, it goes away, until I open the trash again. It started happening last week, and doesn’t seem to be doing any harm besides annoying me. Any ideas about what it is and how to get rid of it?(15 minutes of googling later) Turns out it’s a problem in the Windows partition. The solution: boot up Windows (either in Fusion or Boot Camp), go to My PC, right-click on the C: drive and select “Properties”. Go to the “Tools” tab and press the “Check now…” button to check the volume for errors. Tick the “Automatically fix file system errors” box and press “Start”. It’ll tell you that it will check for errors on the next reboot. Reboot, and it should find and repair an error in the .Trashes/501 folder. The weird file in the OS X trash bin should be gone for good.

Help me troubleshoot this: The trash bin in my Mac (early ’08 MacBook Pro, OS X 10.5.5) always has this weird file. If I empty the trash or drag the file out so I can open it, it goes away, until I open the trash again. It started happening last week, and doesn’t seem to be doing any harm besides annoying me. Any ideas about what it is and how to get rid of it?

(15 minutes of googling later) Turns out it’s a problem in the Windows partition. The solution: boot up Windows (either in Fusion or Boot Camp), go to My PC, right-click on the C: drive and select “Properties”. Go to the “Tools” tab and press the “Check now…” button to check the volume for errors. Tick the “Automatically fix file system errors” box and press “Start”. It’ll tell you that it will check for errors on the next reboot. Reboot, and it should find and repair an error in the .Trashes/501 folder. The weird file in the OS X trash bin should be gone for good.

How to get a D-Link DWL-G650+ Wi-Fi adapter to work in Ubuntu Linux 6.06

A few days ago I installed the latest version of Ubuntu Linux (version 6.06, Dapper Drake) on my old Compaq Presario 1200 laptop. The installation went smoothly, and Ubuntu runs beautifully, considering it’s an old 800MHz Celeron. Except for one small issue: My D-Link DWL-G650+ 802.11g cardbus adapter wouldn’t work. The status LEDs would come on, and the adapter was properly detected by the OS, but I couldn’t manage to get an IP from the router. After looking around in Google for a few minutes, I found this website, which explained that:

As in the summary, acx111-based d-link dwl-g650+ does not work with the default firmware. It works with 1.2.1.34 (tiacx111c16) - this is the firmware recommended (as the better of the only two working) on acx100 development website - see http://acx100.sourceforge.net/wiki/Firmware

According to the comments section in that page, there are a few ways to fix this, and I’m going to describe two of them. I’m writing this mostly as a reminder for myself since I’ll probably have to do it again next week after I replace the 10GB hard drive in the Compaq with a new 60GB one, but I thought this might be useful to somebody else.

Solution 1

This first solution involves deleting tiacx111c16 from /lib/firmware/[kernel version]/acx/default, which links to /lib/firmware/[kernel version]/acx/2.3.1.31/tiacx111c16 (the broken firmware), and replace it with a link to /lib/firmware/[kernel version]/acx/1.2.1.34/tiacx111c16 (the working one). To do this open a terminal window and type:

sudo rm /lib/firmware/[kernel version]/acx/default/tiacx111c16

Replace [kernel version] with your kernel version, obviously. The system will ask you for your password. Enter it. Now type:

sudo ln -s /lib/firmware/[kernel version]/acx/1.2.1.34/tiacx111c16 /lib/firmware/[kernel version]/acx/default/tiacx111c16

Eject the card, reinsert it, and that’s it. It should be working properly now.

Note: To find out your kernel version, type echo `uname -r` at the terminal.

Solution 2

I think this solution is easier, but you’ll have to reboot your PC. Again, open a terminal, and type:

sudo pico /etc/modprobe.d/options

Your system will ask your password; provide it. Now add the following line to the file you’re editing:

options acx firmware_ver=1.2.1.34

Press Control+x to exit, and press Y to save the changes. Reboot the computer, and you’re done.

I think that’s it. Feel free to comment if you have any observations or corrections to make.