Ubuntu Gutsy - Skype Microphone

Linux is awesome, everything is editable, everything is always under user control; however sometimes it takes sometime to figure out how to tweak certain application or fix something.

I just installed Ubuntu Gusty on my laptop and there are two major problems, the first was solved and I'm sharing the fix in this post which was related to Skype sound, specifically the capture, my second problem is with my internal card read which for some reason it wasn't recognized, will update you later with the fix *hopefully*


How to fix Skype sound

Run gnome-volume-control go to Edit -> Preferences and then tick the free tracks

Edit /etc/esound/esd.conf and make sure it look like this one

[esd]
auto_spawn=1
spawn_options=-terminate -nobeeps -as 1
spawn_wait_ms=100
# default options are used in spawned and non-spawned mode
default_options=

Restart the advance sound system ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture)

sudo /etc/init.d/alsa-utils restart

In my case, with my HDA Intel card my problem were solved with the above simple steps, if your didn't work try this one Debugging Sound Problems


[tags] sound architecture, advance sound, default options, hda, volume control, simple steps, gnome, laptop, intel[/tags]

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Amman Linux Installation Festival

Under the High Patronage of Mighty Penguin, Jordan Linux Users Group is pleased to invited you to Amman Linux Installation Festival 29th December 2007.



Time: 9:00 a.m - 9:00 p.m. on Saturday December 29th 2007.
Place : Azzahra' Hall - Jordan Engineers Association (Mojamma3 Elnaqabat) in Shemisani. Amman, Jordan.
What: Live installation of various Linux flavors. Bring your PC or laptop and get professional help in installing the latest and greatest GNU/Linux OS.
Who: Volunteers from Jolug members.
Duration: All day.


Free entry tickets
Free Linux DVDs & CDs
Free Linux Installation
Free presentation
Free soft drink.


Way to confirm

• Send email to festival [at] Jolug [dot] org


• Jolug.org event


• FaceBook event


• BE THERE

[tags] amman jordan, duration, gnu linux, jea, laptop, linux, linux flavors, linux os, linux users group, patronage, penguin, volunteers, linux users group, linux flavors, amman jordan, gnu linux, linux os, engineers association, patronage, penguin, duration, volunteers, laptop, linux [/tags]

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MommaBean's cookies party

Can't say much as we were forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement (WHERE IS THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS BLOGGERS!!)

However, I can give some highlights

1. We Enjoyed Hal's automatic shots


2. Cookies was great


3. We Enjoyed Hal's automatic shots


4. Mazen's creation were bit creative


5. We Enjoyed Hal's automatic shots


6. I ate all of my creation


7. We Enjoyed Hal's automatic shots


8. Manal's creation were the cutest


9. We Enjoyed Hal's automatic shots


10. I proved Wael's theory of being Visually blid with my weird looking cookies (and that's why I ate them all)


11. We Enjoyed Hal's automatic shots

Thank you MommaBean & Kinzi for the invitation, we enjoyed every Hal's automatic shot nano-second of the party.

Read others hightlight

1. MommaBean highlights

One more time of Happy Christmas & Merry Eid.

[tags] cookies party, non disclosure agreement, freedom of the press [/tags]

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Cheese = Jebnaaaa

Better larger

[tags] group, photograph, Canon, S3[/tags]

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Over half a million years

That's the amount of minutes people spent over the phone chatting in 2006 and that's only for International calls. more

[tags] voice over internet protocol, telecoms firms, making international calls, voice over internet, half a million, traditional networks, voice traffic, million years, slowdown, 1 billion [/tags]

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It takes six weeks to make an Optical Lens

If you want something more in depth then you have to watch Canon Virtual Lens Planet video.
Canon Virtual Lens Plant


[tags] photography, dslr, camera, optical, lens [/tags]

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Happy Christmas and Merry Eid

On the other side of news, read Kinzi's Galler Opening & Blogger Meet up, and yes I'm a sight for sore eyes. (Thanks 7ajeh Kinzi)


[tags] Eid, adha, Christmas, Galler, Chocolate, opening [/tags]

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Have terrorist bombs made people respect Islam more?

Economist.com - The persuasive powers of reformed jihadists are being used to “re-educate” terrorists.
MEETING Nasir Abas at one of Indonesia's trendiest hotels, it is hard to imagine that this polite man in casual Western clothes was once a leader of Jemaah Islamiah (JI), the region's most dangerous terrorist group. Now his job is to persuade his former comrades to give up the idea of perpetrating violence against the West in the name of Islam.

As he explains in his mild-mannered way, he uses two lines of argument. One is theological: he points out the verses in the Koran that forbid aggressive warfare, and which insist that the lives of non-combatants, especially women and children, must be protected. The other line is more strategic: to convince his listeners that not all Westerners are anti-Muslim, he stresses the fact that many Americans opposed the war in Iraq. And he challenges them: have terrorist bombs made people respect Islam more? Some prisoners angrily reject his arguments, he says—but as long as they are still prepared to listen to them, he thinks it worth continuing to try.
Continue reading at Economist

[tags] islamic clerics,street credibility,terrorist bombs,western clothes,indonesian authorities,terrorist violence,risky step,polite man,hearts and minds,islamiah,abas,jihadists,war in iraq,westerners,theologians,stooges,combatants,terrorist group,occ,comrades [/tags]

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Thumbs up - City mall & Carrefour security

Most of Jordanians are aware of the rudeness, randomness and the low level that Mecca mall security have, they would let a teenager get it but not a decent 35 years old man (whom wife is waiting for him inside) and many other stories ending up with the unreasonably big fight they made three months ago.


On the other side, Carrefour & City mall security are just awesome people, maybe because they have to deal with different class of people, at least teenagers wouldn't be interested in Virgins or the quite coffee shops at the mall nor they are responsible for family shopping but seriously their security folks are amazing.

Why City mall & Carrefour security are so amazing?

1. They always tend to smile


2. They are polite especially those who scan your car looking for cookies.


3. They have a uniform; you can tell if this person is a security and has the right to stop you or not unlike Mecca mall gangsters


4. They seems to be well trained, they know what they're doing and they know how to deal with people even with those 24hr angry people

I wish Mecca Mall could apply same approach, a trained security team with a smile not a gangster of fake body building team.



[tags] mall security,rudeness,randomness,mecca,35 years,three months,old man,teenager [/tags]

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Just came back from Umniah's office, their offer is promising and I can tell that I'm considering their Umax offer seriously.

Their 2Mbs offer has a bandwidth cap of 10Giga and you can pop-up cap by 1GB, 3GB or 7GB the 7GB is around 14 JOD which is NOT a reasonable price but yet the best available, at least this option is available unlike most of land line based ADSL in Jordan.

I went their specifically to see their WiMax modem and I can assure you that you might have seen it before in star wars or some documentary about UFO, the device is identical to almost all flying saucer that we have seen on TV documentary shows or movies.

It's not annoyingly big as I though but yet it's not as small as the one that Zain has in Kuwait nor like the one that Qtel has; however, the Hijabi sales chick advised me not to buy the device as the new small, USB devices are coming soon (as in three months), as for Cos (Quality of Service) she was honest enough to say that you wont feel the difference now as their service is new and aint jammed yet but later when they make more customers you will feel it of course.


Now, I'm tempting to go now to get Umnia's Umax but I first have to google if I could buy that small slim device myself and use it instead of renting or buying their flying-saucer device.

Also, there has been lots of solid that Zain & Orange might launch same service by the next year; which should decrease the price dramatically unless they achieved a deal of price freezing just like the one they have with Land-line based ADSL.

What I forgot to take note of is the device name so I could google for smaller ones but I'm sure Qwaider can help in this case unless he lives in the country side of AMIRIKA with some cows :p


They have nice offer for the first thousand customer which includes a free mobile line with 500 umnia-umnia free minutes + a wireless router if you subscribe for a year and 50% of the wireless router if you subscribe for six months.

One last thing, If you didn't like the service, or if the coverage was below your satisfaction you can get a refund by filling a compliant form and you will get your money back within 14 working days (at least according to Hijabi sales chick).

[tags] tv documentary,qtel,flying saucer,google,3gb,jod,usb devices,quality of service,chick,three months,ufo,adsl,bandwidth,kuwait,modem,star wars,jordan [/tags]

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Ok, No more ADSL for me using Tedata, Orange or any land-phone based Internet provider, I have 1Mbs account with Tedata and in the last 72 hours I had lots of speed drop especially on HTTP requests; I was able to download and hitchhike from server to another at 72Kbs but HTTP at 6.3 at max but my decision isn't because of this unexpected drop.


I made the decision to move into naked ADSL for many reasons, starting from the fact that land-line Internet customer services, are either trained to give lies or they think all of their customers cannot tell the difference between a laptop and a microwave.

I called Tedata three times complaining about the situation, the guy said go to my computer, right click on network icon ...I said wait, I don't have windows and I'm able to diagnose the problem and I can confirm that it's from your side NOT mine nor JTC.

again, he said I guess you have a virus that eating up your network and again I had to explain that I'm running a virus free operating system but because he never heard of it he kept blaming my network, JTC or my OS.


I'm not saying this wont happen with Umax, regardless if you go with Batelco Umax or Umnia Umax (they're the same, right?) but at least you will be pushing for new Internet generation in Jordan, although I understand that there is no advantage of going with Umax now because you are not getting a cheaper price or a cheaper setup, basically you pay the same amount of money you used to pay to your Internet service provider and to JTC but this time you pay it for a single company and if you are expecting a small Umax device then you are mistaken; in short your connection isn't that portable unless 4x4 cars fit in your definition of portable.


Still not sure with whom should I go, Umnia, Batelco or should I wait a month or two until they stabilise their service and hopefully provide a smaller WiMax devices just like those we see with Qtell and Zain Kuwait, or even wait until Zain launches their Umax (They have a 7.2Mbs in Kuwait)

The decision is hard and yet we haven't heard many feedback on Umax reliability but again, I'm going for Umax not sure if I'll directly switch on 20th Dec or wait until the new year or so, all we need is a decent (even if ripped) Internet connection, I don't mind paying for 1024 and receiving 750 but NOT 60 at all, eh Tedata.

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A free advertising that works

Your blogger business card, basically once you sign up you get a blogger business card, you drop it at other blogs and receive credit; you can also buy advertising on any blog on EntreCard network using credit you have earned by dropping your card or when someone drop his card on yours.
Simply amazing idea and it works.






[tags] advertising, entrecard, business, card, free [/tags]

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Ok, It's allowed to smoke

According to Amen FM radio, it's allowed to smoke in your private car but not in public cars such as taxies or bus.

However, that's not because they want to allow us to smoke but it seems to be a flow in the new proposed law.

HOAAAAAAAAARYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
That sounds like Christmas gift to me :-)


[tags] smoking, law, jordan, allow, radio, amen, FM[/tags]

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The newest weight-lose tactic is Photoshop?

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Goodbye Cruel World

[tags] photography, jordan, aqaba, red, sea, red sea, diving, diver, scuba [/tags]

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STOP!

View Large On Black

[tags] photography, girl, stop, sign, sky, mountain, Aqaba [/tags]

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