NoMachine – Improving Video Quality By Using the H264 Display Encoding

This basically involves two steps: Client-side support, aka adding the required decoding libraries on the local computer. See official documentation: Enabling the H.264 codec on the NoMachine client host. Here is an example of following the steps on my Macbook Air: brew update brew install ffmpeg && brew upgrade ffmpeg cd /usr/local/Cellar/ffmpeg/3.0.2/lib sudo cp libavcodec.dylibContinue reading NoMachine – Improving Video Quality By Using the H264 Display Encoding

All-in-One Messenger: WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, Skype, and more

There are a few multi-protocol chat clients — some common ones include Apple’s official Messages app and Adium for OS X, as well as the popular cross-platform Pidgin. I have opted out of using these multi-protocol chat clients for the most part: chat protocols often become outdated and re-implemented, and usually official dedicated clients thatContinue reading All-in-One Messenger: WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, Skype, and more

Organizing freedesktop Desktop Entries in Linux

This took me a while to get down — given the complexity introduced here in the number of possible locations for things to be configured at a user and global level — but I have been able to create desktop directory entries and have them appear in whiskermenu properly. I highly recommend not to useContinue reading Organizing freedesktop Desktop Entries in Linux

Marble: A cross-platform, multi-purpose Virtual Globe

Marble is a Virtual Globe app that started as part of the KDE desktop environment that is now currently available for Linux (all flavors), Mac OS X, Windows, and Android. It has tons of features and definitely worth checking out for map and geography lovers out there! Below we view the globe using a historicalContinue reading Marble: A cross-platform, multi-purpose Virtual Globe

Pulseaudio forwarding over NoMachine with Arch Linux Host

I have been unsuccessful in finding a permanent working solution for audio forwarding over NoMachine using an Arch Linux host. I had raised issues on both the Arch Linux Forums as well as the NoMachine Forums. A trouble report was created to track this issue. I have found a temporary workaround which results in pulseaudioContinue reading Pulseaudio forwarding over NoMachine with Arch Linux Host

AirDroid: Interface with your Android devices seamlessly from your computer

A while back I wrote a blog post about Mobizen — an app to access your Android device over USB or via a local or remote network connection. Another app that deserves attention in this space is Vysor, which has a similar feature set with a focus on screen mirroring/remote screen. After (re-)trying it outContinue reading AirDroid: Interface with your Android devices seamlessly from your computer

Population Density in west coast US Cities: A Comparison

Below are demographic maps of three West Coast US cities: These population density maps tell a story that is consistent with the overall CDP population density figures of each of these figures, but reveal much more than one figure can describe. Here are the overall population densities based on 2016 population estimates: City Density (/mi2)Continue reading Population Density in west coast US Cities: A Comparison

Maps: WaveG Buildings – Gigabit Ethernet in Seattle

I compiled this map using addresses from Wave G’s building list by fetching the list of apartment buildings and their addresses with a mini-project that I have started work on: https://github.com/nickmcummins/gpx-tools/tree/master/scrappers/wavegbuildings I then geo-coded the addresses into GPS coordinates, compiled a GPX file containing each location as a waypoint, and then imported the GPX intoContinue reading Maps: WaveG Buildings – Gigabit Ethernet in Seattle