Dear loobles,
The following is a list of the Top 7 free open source software downloads you might be interested in using.
All of these powerful software products are absolutely free.
OUYA is Worth 99$ as a Living Room Solution to XBMC
… but that’s not why I’m going to buy OUYA.
I’m going to buy OUYA for one main reason – I’m getting OUYA strickly for XBMC
All the other stuff OUYA can do is a bonus
Raspberry PI is the only other device that could challenge the OUYA in this area
OUYA has always sounded like an interesting project, but I wasn’t sold on the idea of playing Android games on my television. Android games on my TV might be fun once in a while, but it sounds more like something that will gather dust after the novelty wears off.
What has me convinced to purchase OUYA is definitely XBMC
Watching movies and television is something I do all the time. I don’t pay for cable TV, I stream from the internet using Netflix or Hulu. When I want to watch on the television, I need to plug my laptop into the TV. It works, but it’s not the most convenient solution and it’s not using HDMI.
Once I get OUYA, I’ll have a tiny little box dedicated to playing all my media in 1080p HD
If you’ve never tried XBMC, you should. XBMC is the best media center solution in existence. The only reason I’m buying OUYA is because it’s the cheapest way to bring XBMC to my TV.
… and if I do get bored, well I guess all those free-to-try games will be there 🙂
7 Reasons you Should Buy an OUYA Gaming Console
Need more storage? No problem. Just plug in an external hard drive into the USB 2.0 port. Like to hardwire your Internet? That’s cool. Jack into OUYA’s
OUYA
OUYA
- OUYA game console
- OUYA wireless controller with removable faceplates
- HDMI cable
- Two AA batteries
- Power adapter
Here are some more detailed OUYA specifications:
- Includes: 1 OUYA wireless controller/Case: Sand-blasted Aluminum and Plastic
- CPU: nVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-Core / Memory: 1GB RAM
- Dimensions: 75mm x 75mm x 82mm (2.9in x 2.9in x 3.2in) / Weight: 300g (10.5 oz)
- Storage: 8GB Internal Flash Storage (expandable via USB Port) / USB: One USB 2.0 port, One Micro USB port
- Connectivity: WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), Ethernet port, and Bluetooth / Output: HDMI (up to 1080p HD)
A Controller That’s Hard to Put Down
Connect up to four (4) controllers to any OUYA and play with your friends, or those randoms who keep coming over, from the comfort of your couch.
- Connectivity: Bluetooth
- Case: Sand-blasted Aluminum and Plastic
- Dimensions: 163mm x 109mm x 53.5mm (6.4in x 4.2in x 2.1in)
- Weight: 275g (9.7 oz)
Here are 7 Reasons you should buy an OUYA:
1. Every game is free to try.
Yes, you heard right.OUYA
2. Your OUYA console is your dev kit—no license, fees or expensive SDK required.
OUYA
Create a boundless 3D universe with the UNITY engine or scale things back to the turn-based RPG—you’re in control.
3. A lot of games. Like, a lot.
Boasting both award-winning developers and up-and-comers, you’ll always be on the cutting edge of game releases, as OUYA
4. Every hero needs a sidekick.
Conquer worlds and high scores with OUYA’s
5. Much more than just gaming.
All that 1080p goodness isn’t just for gaming. OUYA
6. It’s what’s inside that matters.
We’ve outfitted OUYA
7. Start coding. Get famous.
If you’re the kind of person that has that killer game locked inside you, you can build games for OUYA
If you love playing games on the TV, OUYA wants to bring the most creative, innovative and engaging games back to the TV by allowing any developer—big or small, experienced or new, paparazzi-famous or up-and-coming—to easily build games for the big screen. Your favorite and soon-to-be-favorite games in 1080p—what’s not to love?
Want to read some more reviews?
Play Battle City Tank Wars Online
Battle City is a free open source action and strategy online tank wars game. Players build, defend and attack cities in an endless quest for control and dominance. The main objective is to keep your city alive while destroying as many others as you can. The more you destroy, the more points you earn!
Battle City is a game requiring a great deal of strategy. To win you must drop the Orb item on the enemy cities Command Center. The Command Center is always heavily guarded so teamwork will be essential. You will need to bomb buildings and destroy defensive infrastructure using the weapons produced by the factories in your city.
You begin ranked as a Private and earn promotions based on how many points you gain. Work your way up to the rank of General by Orbing cities and blowing up tanks!
Another aspect of Battle City which makes the game very interesting is that you can play as either a Mayor or a Commando. If you are the Mayor, it is your job to build the city and hire Commandos. If you are a Commando, it is your job to defend your Mayors city and to attack enemy cities! A city can have only one mayor, so if parts of the base are destroyed in battle, only the mayor can make repairs. Each city can have a maximum of three commandos! As you can imagine, teamwork is an incredibly important aspect of Battle City!
To download and play Battle City for free, visit:
Top 5 Things to Put on Your USB Stick
Congratulations, you’ve just bought a new 32 GB USB stick
What do you actually do with your USB stick?
There are many different things to do with a USB stick. Be creative! Below is a list of the top 5 things your USB stick must have:
#1 – RETURN IF FOUND.txt
If your USB stick has important documents, pictures or playlists then a RETURN IF FOUND.txt file is a must have. Use BIG CAPITAL LETTERS so the file name stands out.
What should you write in the text document? That’s up to you. Some people write their mailing address, others leave a phone number, some offer a reward. Mine says:
“If found please contact me via http://twitter.com/deceth to arrange return. I’ll gladly buy you a brand new USB stick as a thank you! Thanks. I really appreciate it!”
#2 – Install Portable OpenOffice (or any other portable application!)
Portable applications are great because they allow you to take the software you need anywhere you go. If you’re working on different computers such as at home, at work, at university, at a library, at a cafĂ©, or at a friends house, then a portable application will save you the hassle of downloading software the computer you are using is missing.
Other times, you won’t even be permitted to install software on the computer you are using! Having a portable application on your USB stick is a good way around that problem. I have OpenOffice installed as a portable application on my USB stick and love it. I’ve never been unable to open a document I wanted to work on.
Visit PortableApps.com for a whole list of applications you can install on your USB stick. With Portable Firefox your bookmarks and settings will follow you anywhere you go. With Portable Linux, you can take your whole desktop with you! Visit http://portableapps.com/
#3 – Install True Crypt for encryption
Not everyone will return your lost USB stick, especially not if they stole it. If you have important private information on your USB stick, True Crypt will allow you to encrypt it. True Crypt is open source and can be used as a portable application, meaning you can decrypt and access your files all from your USB stick, no need to install any software on the computer. Get True Crypt at http://www.truecrypt.org/
#4 – Get TiddlyWiki, a portable wiki all in a single file
TiddlyWiki is a single html file which acts and behaves like a wiki. You can add content, edit, save, tag and search very easily. It is the perfect portable tool for taking notes and organizing information. If you’re taking notes during class or during a meeting, TiddlyWiki is the perfect tool for scribbling down that first draft. Get it at http://www.tiddlywiki.com/
#5 – Install a game… like Battle City!
It’s great to work hard, but even better to procrastinate! Keeping a game saved on your USB stick ensures entertainment is always right at your fingertips. Battle City is the perfect game to save on your USB stick because its open source! If caught playing a game in class, just let the professor know you are actually performing quality assurance testing. Get Battle City at http://battlecity.org
Oracle has Declared War on Humanity
Dear loobles,
Dark times are ahead… In fact, according to a recent Slashdot reporting, Oracle is bringing upon the demise of humanity.
You heard right, the demise of humanity!
How can this be? Does Oracle have an army of gargoyles?!
Oracle has something far worse than gargoyles… Oracle has Java.
Don’t get me wrong, Java and I go way back… But if Java were a sword, it was better stuck in stone than in the hands of Oracle. With Oracle now wielding the power of Java, several be-heading’s may be imminent including Android, Apache, Open Office and even Java itself…
How to Create Free Animated Favicons with GIMP
First things first, what is a favicon you ask? A favicon is the small icon you see in the URL field of your browser when visiting a website. If you bookmark a website, you’ll also see the favicon when looking through your bookmarks. If you look up into your URL field right now, you’ll see that the favicon for Looble is Tux the penguin!
So how do you create your own favicon? Keep reading…
How to Format Text in WordPress
Ever wonder how to include HTML or other code in WordPress posts? For example, if you want to make a word bold, you type <strong>bold</strong>. So the question is, how then did I write <strong>bold</strong> without the word becoming bold? The other question I’m often asked is, “How the heck did you do that indentation?!”, or “How do you show blocks of code in a post?!”
How to Sync Your USB Stick with an SVN Repository
Syncing your USB stick with an SVN repository is a smart thing to do if you work on a project from multiple computers. It’s even smarter if you occasionally work on a public computer such as at a cafĂ©, library or university. By syncing your USB stick with an SVN repository you’re creating your own personal mobile development studio.
It’s brilliant. An evil overlord must always be ready to flee the scene quickly…
Why sync with SVN?
If you carry the latest version of your files on a USB stick, the day will come when you lose all your files. USB sticks are small and portable which makes them prone to loss or theft. What you should carry on your USB stick is the ability to access the latest version of your files. FTP or VPN are two ways to access your files, but SVN has many advantages over them if you’re working with and changing files frequently (read/write!).
What are the advantages of SVN over FTP and VPN?
FTP, VPN and SVN all have different purposes. If you’re working on the development of software, SVN is the clear winner because it will track changes made to your files and allow you to revert to an earlier version if necessary. If you work on the same files from a few locations or if you are part of a team of developers, SVN will also make merging the files together extremely easy.
If everything you have read so far makes sense, then you might be interested in another debate, Git vs SVN – Which is Better? Otherwise, just keep reading.
Why use a USB stick? Can’t I just download an SVN client, get my files and start working?
If you lose your USB stick, then yes, you can use an SVN client to get your files and begin working. This however is unnecessary overhead. By using your USB stick you can sit down at any computer and immediately begin working. If the computer has network access you can first get the latest version of any changed files. If the computer doesn’t have network access, you can still work on the version saved on the USB stick and then merge this with the latest version the next time you do have network access.
Time is money. How do you expect to finance your evil operations if you splurge your time? Carbon-14 isn’t about to stop decaying every-time you twiddle your thumbs.
Are there other advantages to using a USB stick for development?
Another advantage to using a USB stick for development is that you don’t need to save any files on the computer you’re using. If you’re working on private documents or proprietary software it is especially important not to leave behind source code! Working from the USB stick is much more convenient because you don’t have to constantly delete all your files when you’re done. Just take them with you. (If you’re forgetful and your project is private you should also consider encrypting the data on your USB stick…! Read my Top 5 Things to Put on Your USB Stick)
Getting started: Install Rapid SVN on your USB stick
Put a copy of Rapid SVN (http://rapidsvn.tigris.org/) on your USB stick so that you can connect to your SVN repository and access the latest version of your files. When you’re ready to work, checkout the latest version of your files into a folder on the USB stick.
When you’re done working on a file, add the latest version back into the repository. Your USB stick and the repository will now both have the latest version of the file. If you lose the USB stick, your files are safe. If you move between computers, your privacy is safe. If you go offline, you can still work.
It’s the perfect mobile development solution.
This is all great information assuming I have an SVN repository. How do I create an SVN repository?
First you need to decide if your project is open source or private… If your project is open source, there are many free SVN hosting providers available. I use Google Code for my Looble Labs projects (http://code.google.com/p/looble/) and GitHub for Battle City. Below are some free SVN hosting providers for open source projects:
- http://code.google.com/
- http://www.assembla.com/
- http://github.com/ (Not SVN… Read more about git http://git-scm.com/)
What if my project is Private? Can I still use SVN? .
If your project is private (not open source) there are still a few free options available. Below are some free private SVN hosting providers:
Can I host my own SVN repository on my computer?
Yes!
Subversion is an open source version control system. You can download the latest version at http://subversion.tigris.org/. You can find installation instructions at http://svnbook.red-bean.com/en/1.5/svn.intro.install.html
Git is also a free open source version control system. You can download the latest version at http://git-scm.com/. You can find installation instructions at http://book.git-scm.com/
Should I use SVN or Git?
In my opinion, SVN and Git are both excellent options. I use SVN for my Looble Labs projects and Git for Battle City. For more information read Git vs SVN – Which is Better?
Firebug for Firefox Rocks Your Firesocks
Firefox is a good boy. Like a dog fetching the newspaper, Firefox is always happy to fetch a website. Even better, Firefox never drools on the pages! So, whens the last time you did something nice for Firefox, something to show your appreciation for all it’s hard work and efforts? Offer your Firefox the perfect gift this Valentines, offer Firefox a Firebug!
What the heck is a Firebug?
Firebug is a plugin for Firefox, a must-have tool for any web-developer. With Firebug you can edit and debug HTML, CSS and JavaScript while visiting any website. If you aren’t a web developer, it doesn’t matter. Firefox needs a friend and who better than Firebug! Consider it an investment for the future. Eventually artificial intelligence will experience feelings and emotions – do you really want two fiery creatures mad at you? I don’t think so!
Say I’m a developer, why is Firebug useful?
If you’re not convinced by the cute Firebug name or the bug-like icon, consider this: live editing. As a developer you likely modify your pages, upload them, visit and test your site, find bugs, modify code, upload, lather, rinse and repeat. But why? Why what? Why upload over and over again! Firebug lets you modify the site live until you are completely satisfied. Then upload once. You don’t even need to test, you’ve already done so!
Maybe I like repetitive uploading…
If you are resistant to change, that’s ok. Firebug gives you some other very powerful functions which you don’t already have. Are elements on your page not lining up? CSS problem perhaps? Firebug will visually show you all offsets, margins, borders, etc, so you can easily identify the source of any problems. Find a bug, burn it!
What if I always write perfect CSS? Do I still need Firebug?
Even if you are a CSS guru, you still need Firebug because Firebug has a network activity monitor. Firebug will not only tell you how long your pages take to load, but will break this down between the elements on the page. Can you say super-cool?! Firebug lets you find bottlenecks slowing down your site so that you can optimize, optimize, optimize! Faster is better, Firebug for Firefox rocks.
Is that all Firebug can do?
Firebug is a master of many skills. For example, Firebug also has a debugger which will let you pause Javascript at any-time in order to check variables and state. Do you know any other bugs that can pause Javascript besides exceptions?
Ok, I concede. Firebug is awesome. Where do I download?
Visit http://www.getfirebug.com/ to download Firebug. Do it before Skynet takes over, or your Firefox will soon be setting your socks on fire.
