Debian Etch – ATI flgrx 8.42.3

I am working on a functional dual-monitor setup for when I drop my Lenovo T60 (2613-EAU – Radeon Mobility X1400 128M) into it’s dock while at work, and I am partially there.. The first thing I needed to work out the fact that Debian Etch comes with a version of the proprietary ATI flgrx driver/module (8.28.8) which has a broken xv implementation, so multimedia software like mplayer cannot use XVideo – this has been an annoyance to me since Etch released, so I started my adventure by grabbing the latest version from ATI and building my own packages:

(check http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/linux/linux-radeon.html for the latest version, and adjust URL – as of writing, the latest is 8.42.3)

$ wget https://_path.to.download.url_/ati-driver-installer-8.42.3-x86.x86_64.run

Now let’s make sure we have all the bits in place to build our .deb’s (as root, if you do not use sudo..):

$ sudo aptitude install module-assistant build-essential dh-make debhelper debconf libstdc++5 linux-headers-$(uname -r)

Build the fglrx-driver/driver-dev/kernel-src/amdcccle .deb’s, install ’em, then go build/install the fglrx-kernel module package (in my case, the new .deb’s handled upgrade/removal of old packages perfectly – ymmv, I suppose):

$ sh ati-driver-installer-8.42.3-x86.x86_64.run --buildpkg Debian/etch
$ sudo dpkg -i fglrx*.deb
$ cd /usr/src/
$ sudo module-assistant prepare
$ sudo module-assistant a-i fglrx

The simplest thing to do is to reboot, at this point, or you can go to single-user mode unload/load fglrx, etc.. My existing, relatively stock xorg.conf worked fine for the new version, with the exception of totally jacked up tiny fonts in XFCE upon login. I started fiddling with font sizes in the settings, then logged out of XFCE to check that the changes stuck – only to find jacked up huge fonts.. Resetting them back to where they were (and have been for many moons..) and another reboot for good measure, I am back to my normal-looking, productive self 🙂

I still need to dig through various and wildly varying xorg.conf examples and dual-head configs out there, and work out a decent configuration for what I might want to accomplish. From some limited reading thus far, I may just set up the external VGA port on the T60 to mirror onto the second monitor so I can shut the lappy and save LCD wear and tear, then use the Catalyst Control Center to enable “Big Desktop” mode when I feel the need. Once I have a good xorg.conf, I will update this post.

Update: here is that xorg.conf 🙂

Fear and Parenting

Eric posted about his daughter’s Child Development class this semester, and how the old egg “baby” the student cared for back in our days, has been replaced by a highly realistic electronic doll. The doll keeps track of feeding, diaper changing, rocking, head support, etc., and the statistics are downloaded from the doll by the teacher for grading.

As I was reading, I found myself wondering if a little “wired” onesie with data recording/download capabilities would be possible for paranoid parent baby-sitting sessions. Heck, you could easily tie it into a home wireless network with monitoring software running on a workstation, which would send an SMS message to said paranoid parent’s Crackberry, if the baby was not burped to their satisfaction. Percentages of the hourly rate could be deducted based on the baby-sitter’s grade… Or the county Child Protective Services department could require such an outfit full time in questionable parental situations…

We have a few more years than Eric, until we get to the “worrying about being a grandparent” stage – I feel for you, my friend, but I sometimes fear where technology will be taken to Big Brother extremes… Someone may stumble upon my meandering thoughts, patent the idea, and we end up seeing technology used in invasive monitoring of human imperfections.

I say run with scissors – regardless if you have a GPS tracking device is your jammies. 😉

Career Cruising

Thanks to: darrell, heather, anton, and mark for an interesting quiz to cruise. Seems I have a bit of creative mad scientist in me 😉

1. Explosives Specialist
2. Camera Operator
3. Industrial-Organizational Psychologist
4. Multimedia Developer
5. Electrical Engineering Tech
6. Electronics Engineering Tech
7. Geologist
8. Avionics Tech
9. Nuclear Medicine Technologist
10. Optical / Ophthalmic Lab Technician

Give it a whirl:
1.) Go to Career Cruising
2.) login nycareers; password landmark
3.) Take the career match maker quiz and list the top 10 responses