GeekwithEnvy

Linux

How to install the KDE Desktop on CentOS 7

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CentOS Logo

If you have the Minimal Install of CentOS 7 and want to install the KDE Desktop, follow this guide and type in the commands below once you have CentOS 7 booted up and you’re logged in.

Enter in these commands to install the KDE Desktop from the Minimal Install:

Note: If you are not logged in as root, then you will need to use sudo. Also, you need to be connected to the internet for this to work, as you will need to download resources to your machine.

1. yum groupinstall “X Window System”
2. yum groupinstall “Fonts”
3. yum install kde-workspace
4. yum install gdm

Now to start the KDE desktop envirmonent you can type in:

startx

To have the system boot into the KDE Desktop follow steps 1-4 then :

1. unlink /etc/systemd/system/default.target
2. ln -sf /lib/systemd/system/graphical.target /etc/systemd/system/default.target
3. reboot OR (systemctl isolate graphical.target)

 

How To Make an LED Cube

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This is a great build video for an 8x8x8 LED cube by Kevin Darrah that I stumbled upon on the web. It goes over the basic build techniques  and shows you how to utilize a jig for assembling the LED arrays. As you watch the video you will quickly begin to realize that this project is not for the entry-level builder, clearly this is something that will consume a lot of your time and patience but the end result is awesome. Either way, it’s interesting to see how it all comes together.Blue LED in a cube

There are many Arduino builds out there that can be great for beginners. If you’re not familiar with Arduino then I highly recommend that you read this introduction to Arduino, it covers everything you will need to get up-to-speed on what it’s all about.

You can find many projects in the Arduino Playground, they include schematics and code to help you build cool stuff. If you want to make a much more novice-friendly 3×3 LED Cube you can use these schematics and code.

So what are you waiting for? Find a project and get building!

 

ASCII Art Generator

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ASCII stands for the American Standard Code for Information Interchange and it is a code that represents English characters as numbers in computers. There are a total 128 characters in standard ASCII and many of them can be used to create ASCII art, which is created by using the 95 printable characters out of the total 128.ASCIIHeart

You can easily piece together your own ASCII art by simply opening any text editing program but if you want a quick way to turn ordinary text strings into an ASCII art masterpiece, then check out this awesome Text to ASCII Art Generator by Patorjk.com.

Here’s an example of what one style of ASCII text art looks like. There are tons of different styles to choose from and there are even options to change format output.


 

/$$   /$$           /$$ /$$                 /$$      /$$                     /$$       /$$
| $$  | $$          | $$| $$                | $$  /$ | $$                    | $$      | $$
| $$  | $$  /$$$$$$ | $$| $$  /$$$$$$       | $$ /$$$| $$  /$$$$$$   /$$$$$$ | $$  /$$$$$$$
| $$$$$$$$ /$$__  $$| $$| $$ /$$__  $$      | $$/$$ $$ $$ /$$__  $$ /$$__  $$| $$ /$$__  $$
| $$__  $$| $$$$$$$$| $$| $$| $$  \ $$      | $$$$_  $$$$| $$  \ $$| $$  \__/| $$| $$  | $$
| $$  | $$| $$_____/| $$| $$| $$  | $$      | $$$/ \  $$$| $$  | $$| $$      | $$| $$  | $$
| $$  | $$|  $$$$$$$| $$| $$|  $$$$$$/      | $$/   \  $$|  $$$$$$/| $$      | $$|  $$$$$$$
|__/  |__/ \_______/|__/|__/ \______/       |__/     \__/ \______/ |__/      |__/ \_______/

You can also create images by using ASCII characters, you can use a picture to ASCII converter like Picascii. You can either enter a URL or upload an image to convert it to ASCII Art. There are even options for size and color plus an HTML formatter to ensure it looks correct when posting the art elsewhere.

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Cubemen 2 on the Way to Wii U

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An outstanding indie-game, Cubemen 2, is going to be making it’s way to the Wii U. The game is already available for PC, Linux, Mac and iOS and has be very successful. You can battle against up to six (6) others, regardless of platform, or against the AI in a RTS style action game that includes many modes like capture the flag and skirmish.

The game boasts over 4000 user created levels that you can download and play or even create your own. In Cubemen 2 you can also personalize your units the way you want for a truly customized experience. This will be a great addition to the Wii U which is a solid piece of hardware in need of great software titles like this.

“I’m really proud to be able to announce this,” said Nic Watt, Creative Director at Nnooo. “We’ve spent the last few months working with both Nintendo and 3 Sprockets, the game’s developer, to make this a reality. Cubemen 2 is an amazing game and a great fit for Nintendo players. We can’t wait to see how creative they are, whether in tactical multiplayer online or in the new levels they build.”

Cubemen 2 is expected to be released late 2013 / early 2014 as a downloadable title on the Wii U in the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Price to be announced.

Cubemen2SS

 

How To Set Up Hyper V in Windows 8

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Windows 8 Pro is filled with features that are somewhat hidden and Hyper-V, a virtualization technology, is no exception. This article will show you how to to get up and running with Hyper-V. It’s important to note that Hyper-V is currently only available on Windows 8 Pro and Enterprise editions on the x64 platform (64 bit).

So what does Hyper-V do?

Well, to essentially gloss over it, Hyper-V allows you to create a a virtual machine (PC). You can customize it any way you would like by assigning how much memory, hard-drive space and other hardware features you would like this PC within a PC to have.Once you customize your virtual hardware, you can install whatever operating system on it you prefer; even Windows 95 or earlier if you are so inclined.

This technology has been around for a while and continues to get better. It’s pretty powerful stuff especially when used in large scale corporations, it can save a lot of time, money, and headaches. For the home user it’s pretty much up to you what you want to do with it. Maybe you just want to mess around with it or maybe you have some old games that won’t run on newer versions of Windows, either way you should check it out.

Finding and Installing Hyper-V

Hyper-V is not installed by default in Windows 8 and if you’re not sure where to look, you may never find it. Fortunately, it’s not that hard to set-up.

  • Head to the Desktop in Windows 8.
  • Bring up the “Charms Bar” on the Right-Hand side of the screen.
  • Click “Settings”.
  • Click “Control Panel”.
  • Now Click “Programs”.
  • Click “Turn Windows features on or off”. Here you will find a list of the many features that Windows 8 offers, one of which is Hyper-V.
  • Place a check next to Hyper-V, Hyper-V Management Tools, and Hyper-V Platform then click “OK”.

Windows will now set-up Hyper-V for use. If you can’t seem to locate the application, you can find it quickly by typing Hyper-V into Windows 8 search and then you can make a shortcut.

* Alternatively, you can open up “Run” and type in “appwiz.cpl”, then follow the last two steps from above.

HyperV ScreenShot
Hyper-V Manager