Tales from the Car #1

Tales from the Car #1

Not Yoshi

Not Yoshi

Unlucky

Ubuntu 12.04 Unity Background Slideshow

This is how I created my own desktop background slideshow for Unity in Ubuntu 12.04, without overwriting or modifying the system defaults.

First, you'll need to generate a slideshow file.  An example can be found at /usr/share/backgrounds/contest/precise.xml .  I created ~/desktopbackgrounds/ and copied the example file there:

> mkdir ~/desktopbackgrounds/

> cp /usr/share/backgrounds/contest/precise.xml \

~/desktopbackgrounds/slideshow.xml

I then modified it to suit my needs. Alternatively, you can use the script from http://nmlaxaman.blogspot.com/2012/07/generate-wallpaper-slideshow-xml-for.html . You may want to change the duration first. You'll also need to save the images you want in the slideshow to ~/desktopbackgrounds/

> cd ~/desktopbackgrounds/

> ./makebackgroundfile.sh > slideshow.xml

Finally, we need to provide a user-specific version of /usr/share/gnome-background-properties/precise-wallpapers.xml by creating ~/.local/share/gnome-background-properties/ and copying precise-wallpapers.xml there:

> mkdir -p ~/.local/share/gnome-background-properties/

> cp /usr/share/gnome-background-properties/precise-wallpapers.xml \
~/.local/share/gnome-background-properties/

Finally, we need to modify that file to point to our new slideshow. Add or modify an entry as follows:

<wallpaper>

  <name>Custom Slideshow</name>

  <filename>/home/<username>/desktopbackgrounds/slideshow.xml</filename> 

  <options>zoom</options>

</wallpaper>

N.B. that you need to change <username> to your username.

Then, you should be able to edit the background and select your new slideshow!

One-up-a-pede

"Beware the 1up-apede"

Walk like a Pedegyptian

LightDM fails to start

Had a quite annoying experience with my new linux laptop yesterday, after a routine update, it failed to start into X. In brief, LightDM has to wait until the nvidia kernel module is loaded. Originally, the /etc/init/lightdm.conf file had a `sleep 2` command in it, before it attempted to run `exec lightdm`. The upgrade changed the file, removing the sleep line, so that when I rebooted, X would fail, saying that it couldn't load the nvidia driver.

The fix for now, hack though it is, is to add the `sleep 2` line before the `exec lightdm` line. Boot is slower, but at least it works.

This was on Ubuntu 11.10. There is a bug here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/lightdm/+bug/873495

Short update

Quick update here so I have it for reference.  Saturday evening I resigned from the Denver Pops orchestra, after about 8 seasons. That is all.

Penta-pepper-pede

And hot on the granite heels of the rockapede, the penta-pepper-pede!

I presume it's readying "cancer venom" in order to help eradicate cancer!

Rockapede - Monster Manual Rejects

From the Monster Manual Rejects pile... it's the Rockapede!

Hang Ten