rip and eject dvd - ubuntu

short script to rip and eject DVD.

requires HandBrake software. you can download from handbrake.fr

use 'mount' cmd to get the right device name for your dvd drive and replace in script below.

#! /bin//bash

#script to rip dvds

#use 'mount' cmd to get the right device name for your dvd drive

dvd=`mount | perl -ne 'm/.dev.sr2 on .media.(\w*)/; print $1'`;
echo $dvd
HandBrakeCLI -f avi -i /media/$dvd -o ${dvd}.avi
umount /media/${dvd}; eject /dev/sr2

More suggestions for working from home

I found this website by clicking on a banner ad (like all normal people, I don't normally do that). They have a list of typical tasks that can be performed by a virtual assistant. This is the kind of list that I was looking for to help my sister get started working. Also, through a podcast that I recently subscribed to, I was introduced to the concept of a virtual assistant. Soon after that I found more references to that idea, the earliest being a book written in 2003, for real estate agents. I guess this concept has been there for quite some time, and that a large part of the opportunity has already been explored. Given that we don't hear more about it, I expect that this method of working has some problems.

Link:
http://www.bpovia.com/bpovia-virtual-assistant-typical-tasks.html

Suggestions for work from home jobs

Over the last couple of years I have tried to find work for my sister. There are several constraints but the big one is that it will be better for her to work from home. I asked around a bit but people didn't have a clear set of suggestions for suitable jobs. I was happy to find a list in this book. Hope this saves you some time:

call centre agent

telemarketer

online tutor

Virtual assistant

medical transcriptionist

translator

Virtual concierge

online expert

home based mock juror

My personal suggestion: stock trading! manage someone else's money : )

reply header in Thunderbird

Thunderbird hides the e-mail address in the message pane and the reply header as much as possible. If Thunderbird thinks that you know the person it will only show the name. This is good for people who work with a small set of known users, but I am trying to sell something and exchange e-mails with many people I barely know. it was helped me a lot if I can see the e-mail address all the time.

Step 1: fixed the message pane
- use the Thunderbird configuration editor (tools->options->advanced->config Editor).
- search for 'condensed'
- toggle the setting for 'showCondensedAddresses' (set to false)

Step 2: modify the reply header
I was able to add the date to the reply error by making some changes to the Thunderbird configuration, but I didn't see any option to stop hiding the e-mail address. I found some good documentation at:
http://www.silverspider.com/2004/reply-header-in-thunderbird/
http://panicbook.blogspot.com/2006/10/modifying-thunderbirds-reply-header.html

but I got the complete solution at:
https://nic-nac-project.org/~kaosmos/changequote-en.html

don't know why this add-on is not on the Mozilla website. I had to download it from the Web site and manually install it. works great!

evolution and the attribution of purpose and direction

Rating 4/5

this is just an example of what I have seen at many many places in conversation and in literature, in one of his books Krishnamurthy says “from an evolutionary perspective, the number one job of the organism is to survive, reproduce, and assure survival of species.”

I believe this is a wrong attitude, it is a very pervasive attitude that in tears our analysis of other aspects of life. My recommended reformulation? “The organism that survives is usually the one that protects itself, reproduces and assurers survival of species.”

consumerism is good

I remember from long ago that some of us (more common in india) have an aversion to consumerism and a consumption based society, I carry some of that in me. But last night I found a very good description and justification for a consumption based society:
http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2009/01/fazzari_on_keyn.html

It seems from the comments left by the listeners that this is a part of a big ongoing debate within economics itself. but the above discussion makes a good argument against the paradox of thrift.

The main logic that got me excited is not directly spelled out in the podcast. What I learned from the discussion was:
- We agree that our goal is to alleviate poverty and to improve the quality of life.
- To do that we need to generate wealth.
- Wealth is generated by commerce.
- To boost commerce we need to boost consumption.