Scenario 

You are habitually late meeting your deadlines at work.  Your boss asks for April’s TPS report and demands that it be completed and in his inbox by Friday, 05/04/12.  Friday has come and gone, though luckily your boss was out of town that day.  You know that he is still expecting to see a PDF in his inbox, so you use imagemagick to make a phony, 3-page PDF.

Imagemagick has a great tool built into it called convert.  We can use that to generate a 3 page PDF easily.

First, install imagemagick, though you probably already have it installed.

Ubuntu/Mint/Debian

sudo apt-get install imagemagick

Now, let’s make the phony document.  We will start out by making 3 blank images.  In order to elicit the right response from the recipient and pull this off proper, it has to be believable.  This command will produce 3 jpegs in portrait mode, with 8×10 dimensions at 300 dpi

convert -size 2550x3300 -density 300 xc:white apriltpsreport1.png

convert -size 2550x3300 -density 300 xc:white apriltpsreport2.png

convert -size 2550x3300 -density 300 xc:white apriltpsreport3.png

If you wants the pages to be in landscape, just reverse the dimensions.

convert -size 3300x2550 -density 300 xc:white apriltpsreport1.png

Next, we can use convert to combine all of these images into a PDF.

convert apriltpsreport* apriltpsreport.pdf

NOTE:  If you’ve actually put the hard work into making a real report, and you need to combine all of those elements into a multipage PDF, don’t use the wildcard (*) like I have above.  List each image successively in the order you would want it to appear in the document.

Now, here is the full command that will create all of the images, combine them into a PDF, and clean up the mess that it wants to leave behind.

convert -size 2550x3300 -density 300 xc:white apriltpsreport1.png && convert -size 2550x3300 -density 300 xc:white apriltpsreport2.png && convert -size 2550x3300 -density 300 xc:white apriltpsreport3.png && convert apriltpsreport* apriltpsreport.pdf && rm apriltpsreport*.png

The Setup

Now, we’re not ready to send this file just yet.  You see, the boss man is not the sharpest tool in the shed, but at the same time he is desperate to catch you in a surreptitious act.  He might have the notion to check the file creation date.  If that time is just a minute or two before you sent the email to his inbox, you are toast.  This is your chance to make yourself look good.  The project was due on the 4th, but as far as he can be concerned, you finished it on the 1st!

touch -d '1 May 2012' apriltpsreport.pdf

Great!  Now you’ve successfully modified the file.  It will now show that you created it on May the 1st, but since we are playing psychological warfare, we need to consider all things.  What does your boss really expect?  Well, for starters, he doesn’t expect you to finish things on time.  That’s what we are here to overcome- and we did- so what else?  If you do finish a project on time, it’s at the last minute.  So, this is the command we really should be running…

touch -d '1 May 2012 16:49' apriltpsreport.pdf

There, that’s better.  Now he can see that the project was completed at 4:49pm, right before you walked out the door.  Though, that might not be enough.  What about the last accessed time.  You don’t want him to think that you’ve been fooling with it since the first.  Let’s fix that.

touch -amt 201205011649 apriltpsreport.pdf

…Continued

While this guide was written for the newest release (as of this writing, version 1.1), the process should be the same for future system updates as well.

Warning

Upgrading the Pwn Plug’s hardware involves manually erasing and writing to its internal flash storage. This will require you to enter commands exactly as they are written, and to make vitally sure that the device is not disturbed while it is performing these tasks. Removing power from the Pwn Plug or breaking its serial connection to your computer while it’s performing the upgrade could lead to unexpected results.

Getting the Update

To get the actual update file for your Pwn Plug, you need to go on the Pwnie Express website to register your hardware:

http://pwnieexpress.com/commercialregistration.html

Once you have registered your hardware, you should get an email with the unique login credentials required to download the update file itself. For the purposes of this guide, we will assume you have downloaded the update file (pwnplug_1.1_Elite_5-3-2012.tar.gz) to the “~/Downloads” directory.

Upgrade Preparation

The official Pwn Plug documentation shows you how to update your hardware using a TFTP server over the network. This is a perfectly valid method, but personally I found it more convenient to upgrade my hardware with a USB flash drive. This method has fewer steps and therefore less prone to errors if you are not accustomed to this type of operation.

For this method, you’ll need a USB flash drive that you don’t mind formatting, your Pwn Plug, and a computer. The operating system on the computer is not important, so long as you are able to format the USB drive and establish a serial connection with the Pwn Plug. That said, this guide will assume you are running some version of Linux.

To begin, insert your USB flash drive, and format it with the following command:

bash$ mkfs.vfat -F 16 /dev/sdX

Where “sdX” is the device node for your flash drive. This will reformat the drive to FAT16, which seems to work better with the Pwn Plug’s bootloader. I tried using a drive formatted to FAT32, but found there were problems reliably reading the files it contained.

Once the flash drive is formatted, you can mount it and extract the Pwn Plug update file to it:

bash$ mkdir /mnt/pwndrive
bash$ cd /mnt/pwndrive
bash$ tar xvf ~/Downloads/pwnplug_1.1_Elite_5-3-2012.tar.gz
./
./u-boot.kwb
./sheeva-2.6.37-uImage
./pwnplug_1.1_Elite_ubinized_5-3-2012.img

With your update drive now ready, you need to boot your Pwn Plug up into bootloader mode to perform the upgrade process.

Pwn Plug Bootloader Mode

To put your Pwn Plug into its bootloader mode, first start with the device completely powered off. Then connect the USB cable between your computer and the Pwn Plugs mini USB port. Enter the following command into the terminal, but don’t hit Enter:

bash$ screen /dev/ttyUSB0 115200

Now, with the devices connected and this command waiting in the terminal, power up the Pwn Plug. As the Pwn Plug has no power switch, I find the easiest way to do this is by using a standard power strip that has a switch on it.

Regardless of how you do it, after the Pwn Plug has had power for a second or so (don’t wait too long), hit Enter in the terminal to connect over the USB serial link. Once the command has run and the screen has turned black, hit Enter a few times until you see the bootloader prompt:

Marvell>>

All of the commands in this guide, unless noted otherwise, are to be run at this bootloader prompt.

Checking Bootloader Version

Depending on when you purchased your Pwn Plug, you may need to upload the bootloader before continuing with the installation. To check your current bootloader, enter the command “version” into the bootloader prompt:

Marvell>> version

U-Boot 2011.12 (Jan 08 2012 - 21:53:47)
Marvell-Sheevaplug - eSATA - SD/MMC
gcc (Debian 4.6.2-9) 4.6.2
GNU ld (GNU Binutils for Debian) 2.22

This output shows your Pwn Plug is running the latest version of the bootloader software, and you can skip ahead to the kernel upgrade step. If you see anything else, you will need to continue on with the bootloader update.

Update Bootloader

To upgrade your Pwn Plug’s bootloader, enter in the following commands (in bold) exactly as they are written:

Marvell>> usb start
(Re)start USB...
USB:   Register 10011 NbrPorts 1
USB EHCI 1.00
scanning bus for devices... 2 USB Device(s) found
       scanning bus for storage devices... 1 Storage Device(s) found
Marvell>> fatload usb 0:1 0x0800000 u-boot.kwb
reading u-boot.kwb

372512 bytes read
Marvell>> nand erase 0x0 0x60000

NAND erase: device 0 offset 0x0, size 0x60000
Erasing at 0x40000 -- 100% complete.
OK
Marvell>> nand write 0x0800000 0x0 0x60000

NAND write: device 0 offset 0x0, size 0x60000
 393216 bytes written: OK

These commands start up USB on the Pwn Plug, load the file “u-boot.kwb” file from it, erase the devices internal flash, and finally write the file to flash. This output shows a successful installation, any deviation from this output could indicate a very serious problem. If you get any errors while reading or writing to flash, make sure you have entered in the commands exactly. If necessary, copy and paste the bold commands directly into the terminal to prevent any possible mistakes.

With the bootloader written, you will now need to reset the Pwn Plug by entering in “reset”, waiting a few seconds until the bootloader has restarted (you will see information about the version and hardware) and then hitting “Enter” again to get back to the prompt:

Marvell>> reset
resetting ...

U-Boot 2011.12 (Jan 08 2012 - 21:53:47)
Marvell-Sheevaplug - eSATA - SD/MMC

SoC:   Kirkwood 88F6281_A1
DRAM:  512 MiB
WARNING: Caches not enabled
NAND:  512 MiB
In:    serial
Out:   serial
Err:   serial
Net:   egiga0
88E1116 Initialized on egiga0
Hit any key to stop autoboot:  0
Marvell>>

The bootloader upgrade will clear out some environment variables which are required for the Pwn Plug to properly function. Specifically, you will need to restore the hardware MAC address. To do this, first verify the devices MAC (located on the Pwn Plug’s sticker), then write it to the bootloaders storage with the following commands (entering your MAC for XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX):

Marvell>> set ethaddr XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
Marvell>> saveenv
Saving Environment to NAND...
Erasing Nand...
Erasing at 0x60000 -- 100% complete.
Writing to Nand... done

Pwn Plug MAC and serial number label

With this step complete, your Pwn Plug is now running the latest bootloader and you are ready to move on to the next step.

This update addresses many of the issues with the existing software, such as the outdated release of Ubuntu it was based on and the lack of latest security tools. It also adds some very unique new features like the ability to wardial via GSM modem and control the Pwn Plug device with nothing more than SMS messages from any cell phone.

In the next few days we will be publishing a full review of the 1.1 update, as well as a walkthrough for those looking to upgrade their own Pwn Plug or SheevaPlug devices to the latest and greatest build. In the meantime, users can download the latest release directly from the Pwnie Express site.

Changelog

OS & performance improvements!

• OS upgraded to Debian 6 (Squeeze)
• 20-second boot up
• Faster file-system (UBIFS)

New tunneling features!

• SSH Egress Buster
• OpenVPN & SSH-VPN support
• New covert channels (udptunnel, iodine, etc)
• Support for authenticating HTTP proxies
• More resilient tunnels (thanks Lance Honer!)

New Plug UI features!

• Point-and-click SSH receiver (Backtrack) setup
• One-click NAC Bypass (Elite models)
• One-click Passive Recon
• One-click Stealth Mode
• One-click History Wipe

New wireless features!

• Support for 802.11n and hundreds of new wireless devices
• JP Ronin’s Bluetooth pentesting suite
• Kismet new-core with Ubertooth support
• Zigbee support (thanks Travis Goodspeed!)
• 4G cell network support (Elite models)
• War dialing via GSM modem (Elite models)
• SMS text-to-bash (Elite models)

..and of course, more tools!

• Over 50 new pentesting tools!
• Web app testing tools, including w3af
• Database/SQL testing tools
• THC IPv6 toolkit
• VoIP testing tools

Click Below To Install

Click Below To Install

Close, but not really…

Unfortunately the additions are bittersweet…

Both of these titles are from EA’s Play For Free series, which is  acollection of HTML5 games available to anyone with an Internet connection and a modern browser.  The installer from the Ubuntu Software center simply places a shortcut for the game on your system.  Once you’ve launched Lords Of Ultima, it will open a new browser tab where you can, if you’ve not done so before, sign up for a free account and start your campaign.

Essentially, with this confusing delivery method, both of these software’s existence in the Ubuntu Software Center serve only as advertisements for EA’s Play For Free series/service.  Moreover, extra effort could easily have been put into these titles to give the idea that they are truly integrated and installed on a users system.  For instance, why can’t the game launch in it’s own window and separate itself from your browsing workflow?  A little isolation here could go a long way and at least give the impression that EA is actually developing software for this burgeoning platform.

The application is clearly very early on in development and there isn’t much to see as far as content is concerned.  You’ll see a content library of books that are, presumably, of the public domain.  Also is a small catalog of wallpapers.  Though the demonstration doesn’t give a clear indication as to what sort of content might be forth-coming, it does do a great job demonstrating interactivity.  What we should be most excited for from this video is a very blunt and vocal hint that there is now a working eReader suitable for the platform.  If you like books, freedom, and you own a Zenithink C71 like I do, then you might be equally tickled.

What else is unclear is how the store will be monetized.  The video depicts Aaron as having 640 points, which is not unlike content delivery on game consoles.  Of course this could all just be for show.  Why show dollar signs if they’ve yet to be implemented?  I would surmise, given the goals of the platform and the free and open-source nature of Linux that this will not be the walled-garden that many users are used to on other platforms.

Opentablets.org is the official Vivaldi tablet community, having received blessings from Aaron Siego himself.  It’s a bit of a ghost-town over there right now, but we’re sure that their community will grow right alongside Plasma-Active.  In a few months, it will probably be a very rich and vibrant community.  So, what are you waiting for?  Head on over there and join the discussion!

What is FLIRC?

Remote controls intended for computer use, on the whole, include a cheap IR remote and a USB receiver which interprets button presses from the remote into input events the operating system can use. These products are fairly cheap, and more or less get the job done, but they aren’t perfect.

For one, you are left with yet another remote in your surely growing collection, made even worse by the fact that this one is probably of significantly lower quality than whatever came with your TV or audio receiver. The other, more practical, problem is how you utilize the remote itself. When you buy a remote and receiver combination, the functions of all the buttons on the remote are predetermined and generally can’t be changed. If you wanted to do something special, like assign a particular button on the remote to an Alt+ key combination, you would need third party software that could translate whatever static event the receiver spits out for that button into a keyboard event.

Enter FLIRC, a product designed to change the way people use IR remotes to control their computers. FLIRC doesn’t include a remote control, instead, it uses whatever remotes you already have. This immediately remedies the first problem, as you can simply program FLIRC against whatever remote you are already using to control the existing A/V equipment. But even better than that, FLIRC gives you incredible control over what happens on specific button presses. This is really the greatest strength of FLIRC, as it allows the user to create advanced control layouts that would not otherwise be possible.

For example, in my home theater the surround sound receiver’s remote includes a full number pad, even though in my particular setup it is non functional. With FLIRC, I can program these otherwise useless buttons to command various functions on my HTPC, turning what was once a half useless remote into something I can use for two separate devices without them interfering with each other.

How FLIRC Works

FLIRC is fundamentally different than other products on the market, as the mapping of IR input to keypresses is not static, but user programmable. While it is possible to get this type of functionality with standard USB IR receivers, it requires intermediary software to be constantly running: adding another layer of complication and potential failure. By saving configuration on the FLIRC device itself, the user no longer has to constantly keep software running to interpret remote commands into their desired keypresses. What’s more, since FLIRC stores its configuration internally rather than on the computer, you can move FLIRC between computers and devices without having to reconfigure it.

The key is that FLIRC reports itself to the operating system as a standard USB Human Interface Device (HID), so any modern OS will be able to read it as if it was a keyboard. Even if the device or OS you want to use FLIRC on has no included support for remote controls, you can program FLIRC to “press” keys that the system will understand. For example, I was able to program FLIRC to interpret the directional pad on my remote to standard keyboard arrow keys; I then plugged FLIRC into my Android device and was able to navigate through the applications with my remote.

This allows for incredible flexibility. Being able to program FLIRC from a different device than what you end up using it on and the fact that it emulates a USB keyboard means you can use FLIRC where other products would be useless.

FLIRC Hardware

The FLIRC hardware is a small and unassuming little clear box that plugs into your USB port, about half the length of your average USB flash drive. The clear casing is pretty cool as you can see the internal workings of the device, though I was somewhat surprised there were no LEDs to indicate IR activity like in the other IR receivers I’ve used. It seems logical enough to have a little SMD LED on the PCB if the case is going to be clear, but on the other hand, a random blinking LED might look a little odd in your home theater setup. Still, it would be handy to have a visual verification that the FLIRC dongle is receiving the IR signals from your remote, especially since the nature of FLIRC means you will be throwing random remotes at it and hoping FLIRC is able to understand them.

Of course, that being said, I had no problem programming FLIRC against any IR remote I threw at it. The FLIRC documentation suggests some remotes may not be compatible, but I certainly couldn’t find any that didn’t work exactly as expected.

Build quality feels very good on the FLIRC; the plastic case is made thick enough that you’re not going to break it under normal use, and there is no wiggle at all where the PCB lays into it. I also liked the new packaging, which is simple to open and doesn’t waste a lot of materials. It’s interesting to note that the packaging isn’t strictly necessary at this point in FLIRC’s development (as there are no retail stores that sell it yet), but is included simply to make the product look more professional.

Between the construction and presentation, it’s clear that the FLIRC team is committed to delivering a polished and professional device, which is definitely something to be commended for such a small group. It would be easier and cheaper to have made the FLIRC out of cheaper materials and ship it to you in a plastic bag, but they’ve clearly taken the high road throughout the production of the physical device.

Hardware Gallery

I’ve been using Google Chrome for Linux since it was first made available.  I use Gmail, Google Docs (now Drive), Google Plus, Google Adsense, Google Analytics, Google Music, and many more.  I am the original owner of an original CR-48 Chromebook, having received mine way back in Dec. 2010.  I promote Google services at work and have worked hard to point my business’ compass towards their entire suite of offerings.  I use a Samsung Nexus S with an official build of Android 4.04 and I’m only interested in official devices moving forward.

At the same time, I have been gently treading a fine line between complete faith and trust in Google and fear of the Orwellian future they are capable of realizing for us all.

What did you find?

I recently switched from Kubuntu 12.04 to Ubuntu 12.04 for production.  I had planned on doing so as soon as The Gimp 2.8 was released.  Well, it’s here and I’m happy.  After freshly installing 12.04 4 days ago, I decided that I would try to use Firefox for a change and see what it has to offer.  I haven’t used it actively since the early 3.x era and I was sure that I’d find something to like about it.  Things have been working out great when I’m accessing a non-Google page.  Very early on, I started seeing a lot of this…

The connection was reset.  The connection to the server was reset while the page was loading.

OK, let’s refresh the page.  I would get this message an average of 3 to 4 times before my Gmail would load.  If I wasn’t seeing that error, I was getting just a plain white screen.  Firefox seemed pretty confident that there was nothing to load yet there was just a white void for me to stare into.  If it wasn’t that, it was this…

It wasn’t long until I started to see the trend.  I never had any errors loading Slashdot or OMG Ubuntu.  Hacker News, Reddit and all the other sites that I frequent all loaded fine, %100 of the time.  Of course Google Plus, Adsense, Analytics and Google Drive all gave me “Connection Reset”.  So today, while running errands, a really nasty notion came to me.  Is Google using user agent strings to create a poor experience in Firefox?

I decided to test this theory.

Let’s test it

First, I installed Google Chrome.  Here is my user agent string.

Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64) AppleWebKit/535.19 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/18.0.1025.168 Safari/535.19

I installed the User-Agent-Switcher add-on for Firefox.  Then I manually added the string to the add-on and activated it.  I wanted to be certain the the strong was really reporting, so I pointed Firefox at whatsmyuseragent.com.  Yep, look’s like it works.

You can remedy this easily with the world famous Faenza iconset.  If you’re using KDE or Kubuntu 12.04, click here.  If you’re using Ubuntu 11.10, click here.  If you’ve joined the droves of people who are now riding the 12.04 Unity yacht, stick around.  It’s as easy as pie.

First, let’s add the PPA that holds these icons.

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:tiheum/equinox

Now, let’s update your apt database.

sudo apt-get update

Now, install the icons!

sudo apt-get install faenza-icon-theme

It’s a big icon theme so it may take a while to download it, but once you do, it will be worth it.  Of course now that it’s downloaded and installed, you have no way to apply it!  There are a couple of different tools that can be used to apply these icons, and we’ll cover the easiest and most straight-forward of them.  Gnome Tweak Tool.  First, let’s install it.

sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool

Setting the icon theme with Gnome Tweak Tool is super easy.  Just select “theme” from the left pane, then from the right pane, select “Faenza” from the icons drop-down.  That’s it!  The change should happen immediately.

What is Faenza?

Faenza is a tremendous iconset by Deviantart user Tehium.  It is easily the most detailed and complete set of asset replacements for Gnome and is continually updated.  The last time we reported on Faenza, we were discussing version 1.1 and since then the set has been updated to include new icons and new sizes for each icon.  Here is the changelog for version 1.2.

== 1.2 ==
* New apps: Desura, Gajim, Google Music Frame, Mail notification
* New icons sizes: 64×64 and 96×96
* Fixes the specific folders icons replaced by the standard one
* Fixes some missing links

For general information on the set, visit the project’s landing page on Deviantart.  Also be sure to check out Tehium’s Ice Cream Sandwich look-a-like theme for Gnome Shell.

While HBO subscribers with ICS devices will no doubt be happy about this bit of news, it does highlight a serious problem within the Android ecosystem. Problems linked to Android’s fragmentation are often blown out of proportion, but when it directly effects users of Google’s flagship devices like the Galaxy Nexus, it’s easy to see how the vast array of different Android versions and devices can make using the platform more confusing for consumers. Imagine a user who upgraded his phone to a Galaxy Nexus, only to find he was unable to use the HBO GO app he was just previously enjoying on his two year old device.

As if to further confound users, this update manages to skip over ICS powered tablets entirely. So users of ICS powered phones will be able to stream the latest episode of Game of Thrones, but tablet owners (arguably where people are more likely to watch a full episode or movie) are left out in the cold. For them, winter is still coming.

The HBO GO App

If you subscribe to HBO through your cable provider (unfortunately, there is no way to access HBO GO without an active cable subscription), you can download the app from the Play Store and get access to not only the movies and documentaries in HBO’s current rotation, but every episode of their most popular series.

"The Sopranos" via HBO Go

While this represents a considerable amount of content, there are some logistical issues with the service. Older series which proved very popular like The Larry Sanders Show and Six Feet Under don’t appear, and the rotation of HBO’s movies is so rapid that users have very little time to watch them before they have been replaced with a new group.

Still, there is no additional cost to use HBO GO for existing HBO subscribers, so it’s worth taking a look now that it’s device support has been expanded to cover the latest and greatest Android handsets.

"Star Trek: First Contact" via HBO GO

We’d reported a couple of months ago on the impending release and how close we were getting to an official build.  Our report was met with a lot of doubt from readers, and rightly so.  GIMP 2.8 seemed to be baking in an oven that was not on.  Well, regardless of that doubt, we are proud to announce that this actual release comes in front of our own reported forecast.  Thank you GIMP team!

Features

Single-window mode

The single most requested feature of GIMP 2.8 is in the mix.  Single-window mode aims to simplify an artist’s workflow within a modern window-manager, such as Gnome 3 or Unity.  In GIMP 2.6, working with multiple images in either of those desktops is a real challenge.  This feature will allow users to run with the application maximized, working on images within that virtual environment without having to deal with the awkward, “modern” idioms of today’s popular desktop environments.

From OMG!Ubuntu

On Canvas Text Editing

Another trial in patience with GIMP 2.6 was having to edit text in yet another separate window.  As much as I love the GIMP, this has always been an absolute, workflow impacting nightmare.  Also available in this on canvas toolbox are obvious and usable buttons for setting your typeface, traditionally.  Three cheers for this!

Layer Groups

If you do a lot of complicated image manipulation in the GIMP and suddenly find yourself with 20+ layers (happens to me all the time), you might have found yourself trying to come up with all sorts of elaborate naming schemes to keep them organized.  No more!  With GIMP 2.8, you can now organize your layers into group, and those groups can be raised or lowered together, giving you the ability to move several layers in one click-drag.

Get it!

GIMP 2.8 is what dreams are made of.  But unlike real life where you might pursue the ability to put yourself into a Lucid state of mind so that you can capture their essence, with GIMP 2.8 you can simply add this PPA to your system!

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:otto-kesselgulasch/gimp

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gimp

 Source | Gimp Users