Install Offline English Dictionary

If you're looking for a free English dictionary to install onto your computer. But why do we need to install an offline-dictionary software if it's available online? Simple, if internet connection is not cheap to pay, then this is the solution. I recommend Stardict. It's a free-opensourced software with a lot of dictionary to choose.

"StarDict is a Cross-Platform and international dictionary Software. It has powerful features such as "Glob-style pattern matching", "Scan selection word," "Fuzzy query," etc. Stardict Version3.0 has developed a lot of new functions, such as Full-text translation, Net Dict.
Thousands of free dictionaries can be found on the internet. Choose your own favorites". (http://stardict.sourceforge.net/index.php)

Below is the steps to install it on Ubuntu (for other Operating Systems, do similarly):
1. Search and install Stardict (including the depencies) in your Snaptic Package Manager.
2. Download any dictionary you like from http://stardict.sourceforge.net/Dictionaries_dictd-www.dict.org.php
For example Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (Free to use, 6.4M, 43052 words)
3. Extract the downloaded file by

tar -xjvf filename.bz2

then move it to /usr/share/stardict/dic (use sudo mv if necessary)
4. Try to open it: Application>Accessories>Stardict
5. Enjoy

Tips:
If you want it to be interactive, check "scan" in the left bottom of its window (click the screenshot above to enlarge). If you are clicking any word in any window application, Stardict will search in its dictionary the definition of the clicked word.

Suspend problem fixed on Ubuntu

On my previous post regarding wireless problem on my Sony Vaio VGN-NR120E, the problem was fixed using madwifi-ng-r2756+ar5007.tar.gz driver version. Though, the driver conflicts with suspend ability so since then my laptop lost its ability to suspend.
Both of my wireless and suspend problem have been fixed after following this link
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=792158. (Thanks to bmartin who provides the detail guide).
Below is the steps:
1. If you installed another driver, please uninstall (make uninstall) it and clean (make clean) it.
2. Copy and paste these commands onto your terminal

sudo aptitude update && sudo aptitude -y install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r)
cd ~
wget -O driver.tar.gz http://snapshots.madwifi.org/madwifi-hal-0.10.5.6-current.tar.gz
tar xf driver.tar.gz
cd madwifi-*
make
sudo make install
echo ath_pci | sudo tee -a /etc/modules
sudo modprobe ath_pci

3. Restart you system
4. After that, you'll see your wireless connection (in my case, it did work). When I tried to suspend, wow, it worked, it really did.
Good luck!

Tarawih bersama

Assalamu'alaikum brothers and sisters,

Iftar dan Tarawih bersama pada tahun 1429H ini insya Allah akan diadakan di Community Centre (Wellington Woods #140). Ruangan sudah di booked mulai jam 19:30 hingga 23:00.

Jamaah diharapkan menyiapkan alas sholat dan potluck untuk Iftar.

Jadual sholat bisa lihat di sini dan tanggal/hari untuk Tarawih adalah sebagai berikut:

1. 31 Agustus 2008

2. 12 September 2008

3. 19 September 2008

4. 26 September 2008

5. 27 September 2008

Sedianya saya mau book ruangan untuk setiap malam Sabtu dan malam Minggu di tempat yang sama. Tapi karena tempat sudah di booked oleh pihak lain maka hanya pada tanggal-tanggal tersebut di atas Community Centre bisa kita gunakan.

Semoga Allah menguatkan iman, Islam dan kesehatan kita semua sehingga kita bisa menjumpai Ramadhan tahun ini dan mengisinya dengan amal sholeh yang lebih baik dari tahun-tahun lalu.

Semoga Allah menerima amal kita semua, amin.

Firefox won't load - easy solution

There are now many ads-on or extension offered for your Firefox web browser. After you installed one or two, suddenly your Firefox won't run normally, it keeps transferring data and never ends. Don't be scared, you'll be alright, I had this problem before and here is the solution. In my case, my Firefox misbehave after I installed ReminderFox. It's a handy event reminder but eventually I have to uninstalled it.
So here is the solution of the problem (I assume you use Ubuntu, similar procedure probably can be done too for other OS or Linux distro):
1. Run Firefox in safe mode, type in your terminal
firefox -safe-mode
2. You'll be prompted with several option to what state you will put your Firefox to, in my case, I disable the extension.
3. Then press OK.
That's it.

Event Reminder

If you ever need simple though handy event reminder on your computer, you may try ReminderFox. It's an add-ons for Firefox browser that's compatible with Firefox 1.0 to 3.0. You can install it from your Firefox by clicking Tools>Add-ons then find ReminderFox. It's easy to set your events. After install, by default it's going to appear on the status bar of yout Firefox (right buttom). By right clicking your mouse you will find some options. Good luck.

If you like Tomboy, you can add an addin to it to work as a reminder. Do these steps:
1. Download the addin from here http://flukkost.nu/blog/tomboy-reminder/ . It's easiest to work with the binary.
2. Move the binary to ~/.tomboy/addins
3. Enable the addin. Open Tomboy, click Edit>Preferences>Add-ins>Tools>Reminder>Enable. Please see the screenshot.

For Window Vista users, after you install Tomboy and download the addin (go to here http://flukkost.nu/blog/tomboy-reminder/), then you need to place the file (tomboy-reminder.dll) to this directory: %APPDATA%\Tomboy\config\addins
I tried to install Tomboy on my Vista and add the reminder addin; it works, it really does.
Good luck!

CD Burner Software for Linux

Which one is the best CD burner software for Linux or Ubuntu specifically? There are many softwares for doing the task if you search through Synaptic in Ubuntu such as Bresero, Gnomebaker, cdrdao, etc. But so far, the best program (according to my experience) is K3B which is developed for KDE desktop environment but also works on Gnome. It is easy to use because it is working under GUI. Though, I had few bad experiences when burning data to DVD using K3B. A few times I failed to use the program.

HowTo Uninstall Unwanted Program in Ubuntu

OK, so you want to uninstall unwanted program(s) in Ubuntu? After you try it from GUI ways (Application>Add/remove or System>Administration>Synaptic Package Manager) you failed (the program is not listed there).
Then you need to do it from command line (Terminal) at last:
sudo apt-get remove pdfcrack (uninstall program called pdfcrack)

or

sudo apt-get --purge remove motion (uninstall program called motion including the configuration files)

Happy uninstalling!

HowTo Fix Resolution Problem in Ubuntu

My widescreen has gone after updating kernel 2.6.24-19-generic. I don't know why. After trying to fix it by following some links, finally I made it back to the original screen resolution 1280x800.
My Sony Vaio VGN-NR120E comes with Intel Graphics. If you have similar problem, you can try this (it worked for me but not guarantee will solve your problem).

1. Open Up Your Terminal

2. Run this command: sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-video-intel

3. REBOOT your system

4. Edit the screen resolution: System>Preferences>Screen Resolution
In my case, after choosing the correct resolution, the screen still behave wierd. Then I reboot the second time. Tha dha, it's solved.

(The steps were taken from here : http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=455741 )

Undefined Video Mode Number

If you happen to have "Undefined Video Mode Number" error message when you login into your Ubuntu, here is the solution!
1. Open your menu.lst file
sudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst
2. Change statement that says vga=xxx (xxx is some numbers) with vga=normal
3. Reboot and tha dha.

HowTo install .deb package in Ubuntu

1. Download the file.deb
2. Go to the directory where you save the file.deb
3. Type the following command in your terminal
sudo dpkg -i file.deb

If you don't like typing, open your File Browser then double click on the file. Follow the instruction. Ubuntu is getting smarter, it makes you easy.

HowTo create permanent aliases in Ubuntu

When you frequently need to type the same long command on your terminal, you need to create aliases so you can save time. To create permanent aliases, follow this command:
1. Open your ~/.bash_aliases file with text editor you like then add the alias you want. (If you don't have .bash_aliases, create a new one on your home directory).
Example:
alias any_name='ssh user_id@any_address.ca'

2. Uncomment these 3 lines on your ~/.bashrc file

if [ -f ~/.bash_aliases ]; then
. ~/.bash_aliases
fi

3. Restart your terminal, if it doesn't take effect you need to reboot system. I only need to restart the terminal to make the aliases take effect (I'm running 8.04).

Configuring your Emacs

You may edit .emacs file in your home directory (/home/your_login_ID/.emacs) to satisfy your liking.
Some useful lines to add:
1. (transient-mark-mode t)
It will enable syntax highlighting when you select text(s).

2. (setq inhibit-splash-screen t)
It will ommit the emacs welcoming screen.

Re-enable lower panel in Ubuntu

If accidentally you delete your lower panel in Ubuntu and could not bring it back after attempting several trials, you can try this below:

gconftool-2 --shutdown
rm -rf ~/.gconf/apps/panel
pkill gnome-panel

I have tried this solution and it worked.
The commands are originally taken from here
http://lists.ethernal.org/oldarchives/cantlug-0610/msg00566.html

Wireless problem in vaio vgn-nr120e - S O L V E D

Wireless Problem on Sony Vaio VGN-NR120E - S O L V E D

Finally I can connect to Internet through my wireless on my Vaio laptops I bought on boxing day last year. After googling and following some guides in Ubuntu forum http://ubuntuforums.org/, the problem has been solved.
What I have done to make it work was actually following this link http://home.nyc.rr.com/computertaijutsu/rhwireless.html#5007 suggested by somebody in the forum (check the forum if you encounter any problem). Here is the summary:
1. Download the madwifi from the link above

2. Install this tool to compile the source code:
sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-`uname -r`

3. Uninstall ndiswrapper or madwifi (if you have installed one of them before). Go to the directory and then do:
sudo make uninstall
sudo make clean

4. Untar the downloaded madwifi file
sudo tar zxvf madwifi-ng-r2756+ar5007.tar.gz
cd madwifi-ng-r2756+ar5007
sudo make
sudo make install
blacklist the restricted driver by System>Administration>Restricted Drivers Manager
sudo modprobe ath_pci (you may need to reboot you system if it gives you error)

5. Configure your wireless connection. I use Wicd to do it (get it from synaptic).
You may need to reboot the system after done.

That's all. Thanks to all contributed members of the forum.

Gusanto
April 09, 2008

HowTo Create List of Tables with Hyperlink in OpenOffice

Don't strugle to search help on how to create List of Tables with Hyperlink in OpenOffice (or maybe Microsoft Office), you won't find it. There is a workaround though, juts follow this link:
http://www.oooforum.org/forum/viewtopic.phtml?t=69516&highlight=

HowTo Insert different formats of page number in OpenOffice

The scenario of this exercise is this:
You want to create a text document which is divided into 3 sections: cover page without page number, table of content with i, ii, etc style of page number, and main body with 1, 2, etc style of page number.
Below are the steps how to insert different formats of page numbers:
1. Open a new empty document
2. Open "Styles and Formatting" dialog by Format>Styles and Formatting or F11
3. Click on "Page Styles" (the 4th box from the left)
4. Right click on the empty space, click "New"
4. Give for example "Cover" for the name
5. Create a new style again (step 4), give the name "table of content"
6. Click "Footer", check "Footer on"
7. Click "Page", and choose i, ii, iii as Format
8. Repeat step 5,6,7 with different name, for example "main body", then choose 1, 2, 3 as format
9. Now it's time to apply the styles we made
10.Create 3 sections by inserting page break. Insert>Manual Break>Choose "table of content" for the style, change "page number" to 1 (or as you like). Do it again, Insert>Manual Break>Choose "main body" for the style, change "page number" to 1 (or as you like).
11. Put click on the footer, Insert>Field>Page Numbers

That's all what you need.

HowTo Convert CHM file into different formats in Linux

CHM file format is designed for Windows only. You can open the file in for example Linux (if you use Firefox for your internet browser) by installing an extention called CHM Reader. Once it's installed, you can open your CHM file and read the CHM file normally. If you want to convert it into PDF or HTML format, follow this link:

http://www.ubuntugeek.com/how-to-convert-chm-files-to-html-or-pdf-files.html

Thanks to the owner of the site.

HowTo Combine PDF Files in Ubuntu Linux

Have you ever wondered how to combine multiple PDF files into one file? Sometimes you download several pdf files of the same topics and want to combine them into one file. In Ubuntu you can do it like the link below:
http://www.ubuntugeek.com/combine-multiple-pdfs-into-one-file-in-ubuntu-linux.html

Thanks to the owner of that site.

Free Office Software

I still don't understand why people like spending their money to buy expensive Microsoft Office software? For sure the products offer a lot of feature, but are you gonna use all of those features? Also, do you know the free similar software for doing your office activities? Try the free software and if don't like it, uninstall it from your computer and then buy the nonfree one and compare them (but you cann't get your money back for your purchased software because you already open the seal).
Try OpenOffice software or free version of Star Office from Sun Microsystem.
You can download OpenOffice from here http://www.openoffice.org/
or Star Office from here http://pack.google.com/intl/en/pack_installer.html?hl=en&gl=ca
Hope will be usefull.

Table of Content on OpenOffice

Below are the easy way to create TOC on OpenOffice, thanks to the members of OOo forum.

For indented TOC, please refer to this link:
http://www.oooforum.org/forum/viewtopic.phtml?t=69516&highlight=

If you further need to make a hanging indent TOC because the heading is toooooo long to fit it one line, you can follow this link:
http://www.oooforum.org/forum/viewtopic.phtml?t=68115

How to download youtube video and convert it to mpeg

Sometime we need to watch some videos we found on youtube, which is usually in flash video file format (.flv). We don't have to be connected to internet all the time any time we want to watch it again. Once we have donwloaded the video from youtube, save it in our hard drive, then just play with the software we already installed on our computer.
Below the steps we need to follow in order to do that:
1. I assume you have Firefox internet browser installed on your computer (if you use other browser, you need to figure out the similar way).
2. Install DownloadHelper extension for the Firefox.
3. Go to www. youtube.com and open the video you want to watch.
4. Download the *.flv file by clicking Tools>DownloadHelper>(filename)
5. Change file name extention to flv.
6. Run VLC media player (a free multi platform video player software). If you don't have it on your computer, you need to download and then install it.
5. Open your video fiel (*.flv) you download from youtube and then play it.
6. Enjoy you vide0.

If you need to convert your flv video files into other formats such mpg so you can play it on your DVD player, you need to use for example Riva Encoder to do that job for you. If you use Riva Encoder to convert from flv format into mpeg format, don't close the program when nothing seems to happen during conversion. In my experience, during conversion, Riva does not show anything indicating the progress of conversion, even the window is greyed out. Just wait and it will be back to normal appearance when it's done. Good luck.
Hopefully this will hel you.

Positive comment of Linksys router support

Recently I have a problem of keep loosing of internet connection from Linksys router after I switched into different internet provider. I bought a new router from different brand. You know what, before I installed the new router, I tried to get support from http://www.linksys.com/. The response was positive. With a patiance step by step, a technical support staff guided me to upgrade the firmware because the firmware was obsolete and needs to be upgraded. After guiding me about more than 30 minutes, the problem of keep loosing connection was solved. I put on double thumbs up for the support that Linksys gave.
So if you have problem with Linksys product, don't hesitate to contact them to get support. They'll be so helpful.
Thanks Linksys.

Installing Ubuntu Gutsy on Sony Vaio VGN-NR120E

After playing around with Ubuntu Gutsy liveCD for about one week, I decided to install this distro onto the hard drive permanently. The goal is to use the perinstalled Windows Vista Home Premium OS plus use the free OS, Ubuntu 7.10 (code name Gutsy Gibbon). I run this linux distro for a while on my Dell Inpiron GX260 desktop. I also dual boots the OS with Windows XP (posted on previously). This time is dual booting Ubuntu and Windows Vista on a laptop. I am a bit nervous before really doing it. I read some posting that we cannot really expect for the distro on laptop (many brands) to work 100 percent. Almost always something missing to work. The biggest problem (at least to my knowledge) of linux in general on laptops is the wireless card, which is sometimes is not supported by the kernel.

Dual booting Ubuntu and Windows Vista (coming)
(still to come)

After installation is complete:
If advance desktop effect cannot be enabled/activated, from synaptic or terminal, install xserver-xgl . In my case it solved the problem. If not, consult google.

Ubuntu 7.10 Live CD on Sony Vaio VGN-NR120E laptops

I failed to boot when trying ro run Ubuntu 7.10 live CD on my laptop Sony Vaio VGN-NR120E. I did googling and found a hint and it worked.
The hint is below:
1. Insert the Ubuntu 7.10 live CD
2. Press F6 (Option) when you are asked to choose some options
3. Type "noapic nolapic" (without quotes) before --
4. Enter and you are in Ubuntu live CD.

On my case: screen was correctly display, Fn keys for volume work normal, Fn keys for brightness not working.
Hope this will help.