You need to install http://gnome-gmail.sourceforge.net/ if  you want to use Googlemail as your preferred email application.

After the installation of the .deb file, go to "System -> Preferences -> Preferred Applications" and select Gmail. That’s it.

Ubuntu Preferred Applications for Gmail

I had to set up a source code repository for my personal coding projects. In the recent years I had some very good experiences with subversion. While in use I never saw any big trouble and it worked like charme. But the time is right to jump on the hype and use one of the distributed version control systems now.

My decision was to use git this time and give it a try. I don’t know what to expect but let’s roll.
By the time this tutorial was written, gitosis was not in the ubuntu repositories, so I had to install it manually.
After the installation was done, I was stunned how fast it was over.

But see for yourself:

Step 1
First we need to get git on our machines.

sudo apt-get install git-core

You need to do this on every machine – client and server.
From now on we can start to use all git commands. But what we really want is a server installation, so it’s not over now.

Step 2
All following steps are done on the server.
Log into your server using ssh.
In the end we will have a service running git.So it is a good idea to create a system user for that task:

sudo adduser \
    --system \
    --home /home/git \
    --shell /bin/sh \
    --gecos 'git system user' \
    --group \
    --disabled-password \
    git

Step 3
Also install the python set up tools for the compilation and installation of gitosis.
Yet again, another call for apt:

sudo apt-get install python-setuptools

Step 4
Now we have everything together to install gitosis. For the installation we do our first clone of the sources and immediately install them:

mkdir ~/tmp
cd ~/tmp
git clone git://eagain.net/gitosis.git    #here we fetch the sources
cd gitosis
sudo python setup.py install

Now gitosis is installed.

Step 5
In the end you have two choices:
If you use ssh logins via keyfile, then you can use the following command to fire up gitosis:

sudo -H -u git gitosis-init < ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
sudo chmod 755 /home/git/repositories/gitosis-admin.git/hooks/post-update

if you don’t have ssh via keyfile use this:

sudo -H -u git gitosis-init
sudo chmod 755 /home/git/repositories/gitosis-admin.git/hooks/post-update

You’re done!

You can validate your installation if you run following command on your client:

cd ~/tmp
git clone git@YOUR_SERVER:gitosis-admin.git
cd gitosis-admin

I want my office chair powered with one of these…

Yet another very good idea how to secure traffic even more. I am looking forward to see this implemented in urban areas. Whit the low cost of WiFi and camera components it possible to build this into traffic lights or signs so your BMW cHUD can get these streaming life images.

This wouldn’t be my blog if I wouldn’t post a “scientific” video.
The video is from a high school physics project and demonstrates the calculations of velocity, force and acceleration of a pyrotechnic effect.

I’m off celebrating new year.
I hope to see you all in good health in the next decade.

I found this 20 minute video of a ISS fly around sight seeing tour with Astronaut Michael Barratt on youtube.
I had no idea how densely packed the whole station is with all the stuff brought up there. Space seems to be a serious issue up there.

Today I want to present a video about a different robotics concept: Softbody shape shifting though jamming. I haven’t heard about that before and personally think that it’s movement is creepy.

The video explains the concept and in the end you’ll see it move.
This is a very interesting concept if you think of bots on microscopic scale, lust like amoeba.
The less complex mechanical parts you have in a a machine, the less likely something will brake.

This video was taken from the worlds second largest fish tank.
From the youtube info, I know that the Song is “Please don’t go” from “Barcelona” and that it’s available on iTunes.

Be shure to watch this video in HD and full screen.

Even the biggest problems are microscopic if you see them in an astronomical context.