Spring equinox

The early spring rains have passed. Temperatures are in their teens. Had a good run around the estate this evening.

Spring is here and hope no one gets a bad case of hay fever.

Bak Chor Mee recipe

Trying to replicate the taste of the Singaporean staple was quite an experiment. Haven't managed that yet but here's the closest I got:

1. Sauce for noodles:
a. Shallot oil
b. Sesame oil
c. Light soy sauce
d. Chinese black vinegar
e. Ketchup
f. Soup stock



This is for the non-spicy version. I've yet to figure out the recipe for the chilli sauce. More updates in the future...

2. Soup stock:
a. Pork bones
b. Ikan bilis
c. Dried sole fish <-- this is the key to achieving that tasty soup we all love.



Good luck in your attempts! And let me know once you figure out the recipe for the chilli sauce.

Why I love digital...

Back in the bad old days of film, I would have wasted a whole roll...

OK, so how do I get this self-timer function to...oops..that's NOT it...



Dad: Joy! Look at the camera!
Joy: Dad! Stop messing with my hair!


*thump*
Wifey: Stop pulling me! And lose some weight so you won't fall over every time you try to squat.


Finally....
And Baby Peace has lost her patience...

Ubuntu usability log

Installation issues:

1. Installs from Live CD with no problems.

2. Dual boot options working, with default to Ubuntu. Default changable to Windows partition with edit of GRUB loader.

3. Did not attempt booting from USB thumb drive.

HDD partitioning and recovery to Windows:

1. Ubuntu OS may be deleted without affecting Windows

2. Deleted partition may be recovered
 a. Boot from Windows CD
 b. Format Ubuntu partition to NTFS --> this gets rid of Ubuntu and GRUB boot loader so that HDD boots from Windows MBR.
 c. If Ubuntu partiton is deleted directly from within Windows, without NTFS formating, then GRUB boot loader still exists, albeit in a corrupted form, rendering HDD unbootable.
 d. To merge partitions (Windows + deleted Ubuntu partition), use third-party software. Windows does not have ability to merge system partition with other partitions. Recommend EASEUS Partition, as it can merge partitions formatted with NTFS on the fly, and it's freeware.

Network issues:

1. Works out-of-the-box with Intel 2915ABG.

2. WEP, WPA, WPA2 security options available.

3. VPN connections available, with some changes to default settings
 a. need VPN server address
 b. disable <to update> setting
 c. enable <to update> setting

__________

Wiping USB flash drives with DBAN

This is so obvious I missed it completely.

To wipe a USB flash drive, the only option is to use the 'autonuke' function. However, using this function means that the hard drive is also wiped. You can't customize DBAN to only wipe the flash drive.

John Greth has an excellent write up about how to wipe the flash drive only. It involves running a virtual machine to simulate a boot up within the running OS.

I'm using a method that doesn't require running a virtual machine:

1. Disconnect the HDD.
2. Attach the flash drive you're wiping.
3. Boot up with the DBAN CD.
4. Select 'autonuke' and DBAN will detect only the the flash drive.
5. Power down system after wipe and re-connect the HDD.

It's so obvious I missed it...