kNOw self Tsan-Kuang Lee's Blog 2026-08-24T00:00:00Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/ Tsan-Kuang "TK" Lee 李璨光 About 2026-08-24T07:48:15Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/0748-about-關於本站/

Welcome to Tsan-Kuang "TK" Lee's blog, kNOw self. You can read my other post about the site's namesake and history. This post is an overview of what this blog is about.

For the tutorial of this site's design, please see Help & Usage Guide.

Site Content

This is a repository of my writing since 1990. Each post is tagged according to its topics.

My main profession is software engineering; my side profession is music composition; I was immersed and trained in literature and linguistics in higher ed; later in my life I have also undergone profound transformation via meditation. Therefore, the topics I share the most are technology, music, cultural observations and commentary, and personal introspection.

In addition, years of writing and sharing have also prompted some meta-thinking regarding interactions across media, platforms, and communities.

Keeping Up with the Times

Early versions of the site reflected the internet ecology of their times, both in content and meta-content: what I wrote, what I wrote about, why I wrote, how I presented it, and how my writing interacted with the world—all of these have changed over time.

For example, in the infant era of the internet, much of what I wrote was to disseminate information that was not easily accessible to the general public. When the internet later became slightly more widespread, full-text search engines were still not yet mature, and online resources had to be manually compiled into directories. During this period, my content also included curation of useful web links.

While the web technology kept evolving, I also aspired to contribute to user education in those early days. For example , I wrote about blocking spam emails, solutions for specific computer viruses, my discussion on plagiarism issues with teachers, and my exchanges with students.

Once the full-text search engines became mature enough for the public to find raw information, the focus of my sharing shifted to more complex, integrated content that was harder to find online. For instance, solutions for early Chinese character encoding issues, a driver I wrote for multiple keyboards, how to allow two local users to use the same computer independently and simultaneously, or the sheet music preparation tips for composers.

Today, as AI can directly solve many problems, I am re-contemplating on what, how, and why I share.

Site Design Philosophy: Preserving History

These evolutions have been recorded by the site. It witnesses the changes of the world as well as records my personal growth.

This site preserves this history through a post-centric design—everything is a post with a date. For example, this "About" page you are reading is a dated post; if I write a new "About" page, the old post will still be preserved, and the menu will simply link to the new one. The "Contact" form is a post, and the "Help & Usage Guide" is also a post. Posts like these are mostly tagged with the Meta-Blog topic.

Realistically, my preservation efforts can only cover my own site; many external resources referenced in my posts have long been gone. Fortunately, Archive.org has preserved quite a lot (though not all) for nostalgic archaeologists to dig through.

Therefore, dead links are preserved as they are.

Older posts have gone through different editors, systems, platforms, and formats, so they inevitably suffer some loss of form; I am less insistent on preserving this aspect. I also try to correct typos in my own posts whenever possible.

However, the immature content and clumsy writing of my early days are preserved as part of my personal history.

The Completion Project

Over the past decade or so, social media has become the primary mode of public communication. I moved most of my intellectual exchanges to social media, resulting in a long hiatus on my own blog.

There are also some articles that I never published.

I intend to gradually migrate those, and keep their actual authoring dates. Such newly collected old articles will be marked "✨ Recently Added" and show up in a recent slot in the post list.

Interaction and Moderation

Early on, readers wrote directly to me, and I would re-post our exchanges. In later iterations of the site, readers could leave comments directly, which appeared instantly, making interaction much more convenient.

Over the years, however, this convenience was abused -- spams, scams, and malicious links for password theft filled my comment section. One countermeasure is to require readers to log in with real names before commenting, but such friction would discourage some readers from speaking freely.

Therefore, for this new generation of the system, I ask readers to use a contact form to leave comments. I will moderate the messages before making them public.

I hope such necessary evil is only needed in this transitinoal phase of human civilization when we are still learning to respect and care for one another.

]]> Site Help & Usage Guide 2026-08-22T22:12:09Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/2212-site-help-and-usage-guide-網站使用指南/ Welcome to my blog! Here are some tips for a better reading experience.

❓ Help Page

Clicking the question mark icon (?) in the upper-right corner of the page takes you to this help page. You can return to where you were using your browser's Back function.

🌐 Language Settings

Because I write in multiple languages, I ended up translating some of my own posts (they are marked "translated by author"), but often times I couldn't afford to do so. Now with modern technology, I don't have to.

Functionally, this blog is fully bilingual (English and Traditional Chinese), and supports real-time translation into many other languages. You can switch languages at any time using (the globe icon) at the top of the page. By the way, clicking on that icon will minimize the widget for a cleaner layout.

Your last choice of language will stick until you change again.

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The Unique Design of This Site

This site is a repository of my writing since 1990. In my post about the site, I explain its design philosophy, topics, history, and how outdated contents are handled.

]]> Contact or Comment 2026-08-22T18:30:00Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/1830-contact-comment-聯絡留言/ To respond to one of my posts, please leave your comments there. For generic communication, please use the form below.

]]> kNOw self 2026-08-17T23:07:00Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/2307-kNOw-self-識無吾/ Whether you have followed my writing since 1990 or are just finding it now, welcome to my blog kNOw self.

The name of this incarnation carries a threefold meaning that has anchored my life's journey. First, it is a nod to the ancient Greek philosophy to "know thyself." Second, it is an invitation for friends to know me better, so that we might build meaningful connections. Finally, it reflects the Buddhist concept of "no self" (anattā). This is a reminder to embrace the fluid nature of the self, reduce my own ego, and share my journey with interconnected beings everywhere.

The website's favicon represents the silent consonant 'k' in the site name (kNOw self). Furthermore, the 'k' can be broken down into the letter 'I' on the left and two reflecting beams on the right, together symbolizing self-reflection in silence.

In the past decade, my blogging became sporadic. The current of social media had pulled me away from a dedicated, self-managed space. The convenience of exchanging fleeting thoughts in crowded digital squares replaced my long-form reflection. But I now realize the necessity of returning to a self-owned platform. I want a quiet place for me (and readers) to focus on the signal rather than the noise.

This return is accompanied by a technical reset. I have been publishing my writing since 1990, witnessing the entire evolution of our communication mediums. My words have lived through traditional paper media, email lists, newsletters, and BBS, before I rode the wave of Web 1.0, carving out corners in academic mainframe user spaces, GeoCities, and pure hand-written HTML on self-hosted servers, eventually syndicating through RSS. Then came Web 2.0—the era of interactive CMS platforms and countless blogging engines—before social media swallowed the web whole.

After wandering through all those generations of platforms, I have finally settled on something refreshingly foundational: static files, powered by a custom rendering engine to cleanly separate the content from the presentation. It is a return to the roots of the web, but with the experience of decades of software engineering and sharing my writing behind it.

The medium isn't the only thing that has evolved; the landscape of global communication has completely transformed. When I began, navigating the web as a multi-lingual writer was a very different experience. Today, Unicode is standard, the internet has elevated global English literacy, and machine translation is instantly accessible. My own primary audience has shifted from Chinese to English readers over the years. And my own English proficiency and cultural awareness have also grown a bit.

At the same time, the fundamental utility of writing on the internet has shifted. We now have smart search and AI-driven solutions that can synthesize answers in seconds. Readers' attention spans have shortened drastically, and multimedia is rapidly replacing text consumption. Why write long-form text on a personal site when AI can answer questions and video dominates our screens?

Because the purpose of this space isn't merely to distribute data; it is to share my deeply personal journey of self-observation, self-correction, and ultimately, self-liberation.

This blog is a living record of my growth across all facets of my life: as a software professional and a technology tinkerer; as a composer and a music enthusiast; as a multi-lingual writer navigating nuance; and, most importantly, as a layperson who simply wishes to be a better being tomorrow than I am today.

kNOw self is a return to that core pursuit. I am glad to be back on track, and I am glad you are here with me.

]]> Copyright and Licensing Sun Aug 16 2026 22:34:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/2234-copyright-and-licensing/

This policy applies to all past, present, and future content published on this blog.

General Content (Text, Images, and Video)

This policy serves as the default license for any content on this blog where a specific copyright or license is not explicitly stated.

Unless otherwise noted, the text content, general photography and images, and original video content hosted on this blog are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). You are free to share, copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt this content, provided you attribute the work to Tsan-Kuang "TK" Lee, do not use it for commercial purposes, and distribute your contributions under the same license.

Third-Party Hosting: Any videos or media embedded from external sites (such as YouTube) are not covered by this default license and are instead governed by their own specific terms and licenses on those platforms.

Exception: Any content that contains, depicts, or encodes my musical works (e.g. plain-text music notation like ABCjs, screenshots of sheet music, video performances of my music, etc.) is exempt from this license. These materials are treated as the musical works themselves and all rights are reserved.

Code

Unless otherwise mentioned in their posts or respective source code repositories, all code snippets shared on this blog are released under the MIT License. You are free to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the code, provided that the original copyright notice and permission notice are included in all copies or substantial portions of the software. The code is provided "AS IS", without warranty of any kind.

Music, Notation, and Recording

Please note that the Creative Commons license does not apply to any musical works, compositions, sheet music, musical notation, or recordings hosted on this site.

All musical works by me remain the exclusive property of Tsan-Kuang "TK" Lee, and all rights are reserved. Unless you obtain explicit authorization, you may not reproduce, distribute, or perform these works.

]]> Enemy 2023-10-11T07:16:00.003Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/0716-敵人-enemy/

A friend lost one of her family members to the recent war bombing. Others had to leave that disabled member behind.

Taiwan experienced a devastating earthquake in 1999, during which a lot of people also had to leave their loved ones behind in their narrow escape. On top of the loss, they also have to carry the survivor guilt.

Facing natural disasters is part of life and we do not have other choices but to face them, but wars happen because somebody prioritizes their interest over other people's lives. The pain brought by the war is therefore on another level.

Many people's birthday wishes include world peace. Who are we hoping to grant these wishes? I am unaware of any deity who specializes in granting birthday wishes.

Perhaps birthday wishes should not be wishes asked of a genie, but rather, resolutions, like the New Year ones, which are more like goals that we work hard to achieve.

In hoping for the world peace, perhaps we should start from improving our own personal relationships, by at least reducing our hostility toward others, and ourselves.

Today I make a wish to honor that lost life by starting a new journey to reduce my negativity.

]]> Anything Goes 2020-10-11T20:31:56Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/2031-anything-goes/

Someone shared a black-and-white stones puzzle for elementary students on Facebook, inviting everyone to solve it. There was a lively discussion among my friends. I spent some time thinking about it and came to an interesting conclusion.

The Black and White Stones Puzzle

The puzzle consists of sixteen small squares, each with a different patterns of black and white stones. The question asks which of the four options on the right is the answer for the last square.

If you're interested, don't read ahead just yet—try to solve it yourself first.


Before solving this puzzle, let's look at another one.

The Kids and Apples Distribution Puzzle

This is a puzzle that has been circulating online recently: "There are seven children and three apples. Please make four cuts so that the children won't fight over the apples."

The standard answer is on the next page. If you're interested, you can try solving it first.

The "Standard Answer" to the Apples Puzzle

Three apples divided among seven children means each child should get 37\frac{3}{7} of an apple.

The first cut slices each apple in half horizontally, and then each half is cut at an angle of 17\frac{1}{7}.

The 37\frac{3}{7} portions are given to the first six children, and the remaining six small pieces add up to 37=114∗6\frac{3}{7} = \frac{1}{14} * 6.


Katana (The Samurai Sword)

Wait a minute, the puzzle didn't say we could slice multiple apples at once, nor were we told that we have access to high-precision tools. Most of us don't have that kind of cutting skills, like a Katana expert.
Katana
Well, with access to an Katana expert, we can have much a simpler solution.

The "Katana Solution" to the Apples Puzzle

Now that we have a Katana, we can cut beyond just apples.

Actually, if you "cut" the first child, I believe the remaining children won't dare to complain regardless of how you distribute the apples. Goal achieved, puzzle solved. :)

These types of "math" puzzles often suffer from loosely defined rules and conditions.


Back to the Stones Puzzle

For the sake of discussion, I've added red annotations.

Stones Puzzle Solution 1: The "Standard" Solution (Answer is x)

The standard answer is x. The logic is: after adding x, if we swap the colors of the black and white stones in each square, we can find a matching square elsewhere. For example, reading b2b2 clockwise from the top-left gives "empty, empty, white, black". If we swap the colors, it becomes "empty, empty, black, white", which matches d1d1.

Pairing them up:

(a1,a3),(a2,d3),(a4,c4),(b2,d1),(b3,c2),(b4,c1),(c3,d2)(a1, a3), (a2, d3), (a4, c4), (b2, d1), (b3, c2), (b4, c1), (c3, d2)

The only one left is b1b1, which is "white, empty, white, black". After swapping, it becomes "black, empty, black, white", which is exactly x.

But this is just one possible logic.


Solution 2: Equal Number of Go Stones (Answer can be x or y)

Let's change the logic: make the total number of black and white stones on the board equal. Currently, there are 23 black stones and 24 white stones on the board.

So we can add y, bringing both black and white stones to 24 each.

Or we can add x, bringing both black and white stones to 25 each.

Solution 3: Equal Weight (Answers w, x, y, z are all valid)

We can change the logic again to make any answer correct.

For example, let's set the rule: draw a diagonal line from top-right to bottom-left, such that the total weight of the black and white stones on both sides is equal.

The stones directly on the line are divided equally between both sides, so they can be ignored.

For the rest, the top-left triangle has 9 black stones and 12 white stones; the bottom-right triangle has 11 black stones and 8 white stones.

Answer is w

If we want the answer to be w, placing w makes the top-left triangle have 9 black stones and 12 white stones; the bottom-right triangle will have 13 black stones and 8 white stones.

Let each black stone weigh 4 grams and each white stone weigh 5 grams, and it balances: 9∗4+12∗5=13∗4+8∗59*4+12*5 = 13*4+8*5

So we can state: when every black stone on this board weighs 4 grams and every white stone weighs 5 grams, the last square must be w for the total weight of the stones on the top-left and bottom-right of the blue line to balance.

Answer is x

Similarly, if we want x, the top-left triangle has 9 black stones and 12 white stones; the bottom-right triangle will have 13 black stones and 9 white stones. If black stones weigh 3 grams and white stones weigh 4 grams, it balances: 9∗3+12∗4=13∗3+9∗49*3+12*4 = 13*3+9*4

Answer is y

For y, the top-left triangle has 9 black stones and 12 white stones; the bottom-right triangle will have 12 black stones and 8 white stones. If black stones weigh 4 grams and white stones weigh 3 grams, it balances: 9∗4+12∗3=12∗4+8∗39*4+12*3 = 12*4+8*3

Answer is z

For z, the top-left triangle has 9 black stones and 12 white stones; the bottom-right triangle will have 12 black stones and 10 white stones. If black stones weigh 2 grams and white stones weigh 3 grams, it balances: 9∗2+12∗3=12∗2+10∗39*2+12*3 = 12*2+10*3

Therefore, whatever answer you want, you just come up with a different weight ratio.


Solution 4: Leverage

If we want to factor in the leverage length based on the position of each stone, we can even balance it around the center point.

This solution is similar to the previous one, except each stone has a weighting coefficient (its perpendicular distance from the center line; the original squares can be subdivided into a 3x3 grid, calculate the center coordinates using trigonometry, and then use the Pythagorean theorem for the distance). In short, you just solve a two-variable equation to find the required weight ratio for the black and white stones. I will skip the details here.



Solution 5: Polynomial Solution (I must have had too much time on my hand)

This method uses a high-degree polynomial. Again, any answer can be achieved. However, for the brevity, we won't consider y, which is the only option with a dot in the center (if you wanted to consider it, you could treat the exact center of all other squares as empty, similar to the pip arrangement on a standard six-sided die).

Let's just pick z as the answer and see how the rules change.

Encoding

To use polynomials, we first need to convert each square into a numerical value. To ensure uniqueness, we encode all possibilities. Take b1 as an example; starting from the top left and reading clockwise, this square is "white, empty, white, black". We replace these with numbers: empty=0, white=1, black=2, giving us 1012. This is a base-3 number, which converts to 32 in decimal.

Index Square Content Base-3 Decimal
1 a1 black, white, black, black 2122 71
2 a2 empty, empty, white, white 0011 4
3 a3 white, black, white, white 1211 49
4 a4 white, black, empty, empty 1200 45
5 b1 white, empty, white, black 1012 32
6 b2 empty, empty, white, black 0012 5
7 b3 black, white, black, white 2121 70
8 b4 white, white, black, black 1122 44
9 c1 black, black, white, white 2211 76
10 c2 white, black, white, black 1212 50
11 c3 white, black, black, white 1221 52
12 c4 black, white, empty, empty 2100 63
13 d1 empty, empty, black, white 0021 7
14 d2 black, white, white, black 2112 68
15 d3 empty, empty, black, black 0022 8
16 d4 ???? ???? ?
w black, black, empty, empty 2200 72
x black, empty, black, white 2021 61
z empty, white, black, white 0121 16

Actually, any encoding method is fine, as long as there is a one-to-one mapping between the number and the square. You could list all possibilities and arbitrarily assign unique numbers.

Here, we're just taking advantage of the convenience of the Ternary numeral system.

Additionally, once encoded, you could actually use any machine learning (ML) method to solve it. However, while many ML methods can find a solution, the resulting models are not intuitive and their underlying principles are hard to explain. Therefore, we avoid probability-based ML models here (like neural networks).

The Crazy Polynomial

Okay, the solution is simple: just plug it into this polynomial:

−96419n15326918592000+367963n149686476800−83433193n1337362124800+76018199n12958003200−3905893151n112052864000+2834174039n1087091200−748402863991n91828915200+780710080883n8203212800−35360802693773n71306368000+6209534662753n643545600−56937672552137n5102643200+186397079118703n4119750400−4585643519077501n31513512000+289798498820219n275675600−125147426197n145045+857840\begin{aligned} & - \frac{96419 n^{15}}{326918592000} + \frac{367963 n^{14}}{9686476800} - \frac{83433193 n^{13}}{37362124800} + \frac{76018199 n^{12}}{958003200} \\ & - \frac{3905893151 n^{11}}{2052864000} + \frac{2834174039 n^{10}}{87091200} - \frac{748402863991 n^{9}}{1828915200} \\ & + \frac{780710080883 n^{8}}{203212800} - \frac{35360802693773 n^{7}}{1306368000} + \frac{6209534662753 n^{6}}{43545600} \\ & - \frac{56937672552137 n^{5}}{102643200} + \frac{186397079118703 n^{4}}{119750400} - \frac{4585643519077501 n^{3}}{1513512000} \\ & + \frac{289798498820219 n^{2}}{75675600} - \frac{125147426197 n^{1}}{45045} + 857840 \end{aligned}

Here, nn represents the position index, as shown in the image:

"Are You Kidding Me?"

Seriously, the polynomial above can accurately calculate the content of every square.

For example, take the 10th square, which is the original c2 (white, black, white, black, which is 1212 in base-3), and the resulting decimal value should be 50 (see the encoding table). Substitute n=10n=10 into the polynomial above, and the calculated result is exactly 50.

−96419∗1015326918592000+367963∗10149686476800−83433193∗101337362124800+76018199∗1012958003200−3905893151∗10112052864000+2834174039∗101087091200−748402863991∗1091828915200+780710080883∗108203212800−35360802693773∗1071306368000+6209534662753∗10643545600−56937672552137∗105102643200+186397079118703∗104119750400−4585643519077501∗1031513512000+289798498820219∗10275675600−125147426197∗10145045+857840\begin{aligned} & - \frac{96419 * 10^{15}}{326918592000} + \frac{367963 * 10^{14}}{9686476800} - \frac{83433193 * 10^{13}}{37362124800} \\ & + \frac{76018199 * 10^{12}}{958003200} - \frac{3905893151 * 10^{11}}{2052864000} + \frac{2834174039 * 10^{10}}{87091200} \\ & - \frac{748402863991 * 10^{9}}{1828915200} + \frac{780710080883 * 10^{8}}{203212800} \\ & - \frac{35360802693773 * 10^{7}}{1306368000} + \frac{6209534662753 * 10^{6}}{43545600} \\ & - \frac{56937672552137 * 10^{5}}{102643200} + \frac{186397079118703 * 10^{4}}{119750400} \\ & - \frac{4585643519077501 * 10^{3}}{1513512000} + \frac{289798498820219 * 10^{2}}{75675600} \\ & - \frac{125147426197 * 10^{1}}{45045} + 857840 \end{aligned}

Note: If you don't want to verify it by hand, you can paste the expression below into an online Full Precision Calculator.

-96419*10^15/326918592000+367963*10^14/9686476800-83433193*10^13/37362124800+76018199*10^12/958003200-3905893151*10^11/2052864000+2834174039*10^10/87091200-748402863991*10^9/1828915200+780710080883*10^8/203212800-35360802693773*10^7/1306368000+6209534662753*10^6/43545600-56937672552137*10^5/102643200+186397079118703*10^4/119750400-4585643519077501*10^3/1513512000+289798498820219*10^2/75675600-125147426197*10^1/45045+857840

Let's look at another example: square 2 (a2), substitute n=2n=2:

-96419*2^15/326918592000+367963*2^14/9686476800-83433193*2^13/37362124800+76018199*2^12/958003200-3905893151*2^11/2052864000+2834174039*2^10/87091200-748402863991*2^9/1828915200+780710080883*2^8/203212800-35360802693773*2^7/1306368000+6209534662753*2^6/43545600-56937672552137*2^5/102643200+186397079118703*2^4/119750400-4585643519077501*2^3/1513512000+289798498820219*2^2/75675600-125147426197*2^1/45045+857840

The calculated total is 4 in decimal. Converting this to base-3 yields 11, and padding it with leading zeros gives 0011, which translates to "empty, empty, white, white". This is indeed the content of a2.

Now, z

Lastly, let's calculate the 16th square. Substitute n=16n=16, and the result is the decimal value 16. Converting this to base-3 gives 121, padding it with a zero yields 0121, or "empty, white, black, white". This is exactly the content of z.

-96419*16^15/326918592000+367963*16^14/9686476800-83433193*16^13/37362124800+76018199*16^12/958003200-3905893151*16^11/2052864000+2834174039*16^10/87091200-748402863991*16^9/1828915200+780710080883*16^8/203212800-35360802693773*16^7/1306368000+6209534662753*16^6/43545600-56937672552137*16^5/102643200+186397079118703*16^4/119750400-4585643519077501*16^3/1513512000+289798498820219*16^2/75675600-125147426197*16^1/45045+857840

Where Did the Polynomial Come From?

Although the dimension and coefficients of the polynomial look intimidating, it's actually not that big of a deal. The entire solution is just solving the following system of equations:

f(n)=A∗n15+B∗n14+C∗n13+D∗n12+E∗n11+F∗n10+G∗n9+H∗n8+I∗n7+J∗n6+K∗n5+L∗n4+M∗n3+N∗n2+O∗n1+P∗n0f(n)=A*n^{15}+ B*n^{14}+ C*n^{13}+ D*n^{12}+ E*n^{11}+ F*n^{10}+ G*n^{9}+ H*n^{8}+ I*n^{7}+ J*n^{6}+ K*n^{5}+ L*n^{4}+ M*n^{3}+ N*n^{2}+ O*n^{1}+ P*n^{0}

Substitute n from 1 to 16 respectively, and according to the decimal values in the original encoding table, we get the following sixteen equations:

f(1)=71;f(2)=4;f(3)=49;… ;f(15)=8;f(16)=16f(1) = 71; f(2)=4; f(3)=49; \dots; f(15)=8; f(16)=16 (decimal value for z)

By solving this system of sixteen equations, we can calculate the sixteen coefficients A,B,C,…,PA, B, C, \dots, P.

The Matrix Method

We can rewrite the above system of equations into the following matrix format. Substitute XX for the desired answer (if the answer is z, plug in X=16X=16 calculated from the table), and we can solve for the coefficients A,B,C,…,PA, B, C, \dots, P.

[115114113112111110191817161514131211102152142132122112102928272625242322212031531431331231131039383736353433323130415414413412411410494847464544434241405155145135125115105958575655545352515061561461361261161069686766656463626160715714713712711710797877767574737271708158148138128118108988878685848382818091591491391291191099989796959493929190101510141013101210111010109108107106105104103102101100111511141113111211111110119118117116115114113112111110121512141213121212111210129128127126125124123122121120131513141313131213111310139138137136135134133132131130141514141413141214111410149148147146145144143142141140151515141513151215111510159158157156155154153152151150161516141613161216111610169168167166165164163162161160][ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP]=[71449453257044765052637688X]\begin{bmatrix} 1^{15} & 1^{14} & 1^{13} & 1^{12} & 1^{11} & 1^{10} & 1^{9} & 1^{8} & 1^{7} & 1^{6} & 1^{5} & 1^{4} & 1^{3} & 1^{2} & 1^{1} & 1^{0} \\ 2^{15} & 2^{14} & 2^{13} & 2^{12} & 2^{11} & 2^{10} & 2^{9} & 2^{8} & 2^{7} & 2^{6} & 2^{5} & 2^{4} & 2^{3} & 2^{2} & 2^{1} & 2^{0} \\ 3^{15} & 3^{14} & 3^{13} & 3^{12} & 3^{11} & 3^{10} & 3^{9} & 3^{8} & 3^{7} & 3^{6} & 3^{5} & 3^{4} & 3^{3} & 3^{2} & 3^{1} & 3^{0} \\ 4^{15} & 4^{14} & 4^{13} & 4^{12} & 4^{11} & 4^{10} & 4^{9} & 4^{8} & 4^{7} & 4^{6} & 4^{5} & 4^{4} & 4^{3} & 4^{2} & 4^{1} & 4^{0} \\ 5^{15} & 5^{14} & 5^{13} & 5^{12} & 5^{11} & 5^{10} & 5^{9} & 5^{8} & 5^{7} & 5^{6} & 5^{5} & 5^{4} & 5^{3} & 5^{2} & 5^{1} & 5^{0} \\ 6^{15} & 6^{14} & 6^{13} & 6^{12} & 6^{11} & 6^{10} & 6^{9} & 6^{8} & 6^{7} & 6^{6} & 6^{5} & 6^{4} & 6^{3} & 6^{2} & 6^{1} & 6^{0} \\ 7^{15} & 7^{14} & 7^{13} & 7^{12} & 7^{11} & 7^{10} & 7^{9} & 7^{8} & 7^{7} & 7^{6} & 7^{5} & 7^{4} & 7^{3} & 7^{2} & 7^{1} & 7^{0} \\ 8^{15} & 8^{14} & 8^{13} & 8^{12} & 8^{11} & 8^{10} & 8^{9} & 8^{8} & 8^{7} & 8^{6} & 8^{5} & 8^{4} & 8^{3} & 8^{2} & 8^{1} & 8^{0} \\ 9^{15} & 9^{14} & 9^{13} & 9^{12} & 9^{11} & 9^{10} & 9^{9} & 9^{8} & 9^{7} & 9^{6} & 9^{5} & 9^{4} & 9^{3} & 9^{2} & 9^{1} & 9^{0} \\ 10^{15} & 10^{14} & 10^{13} & 10^{12} & 10^{11} & 10^{10} & 10^{9} & 10^{8} & 10^{7} & 10^{6} & 10^{5} & 10^{4} & 10^{3} & 10^{2} & 10^{1} & 10^{0} \\ 11^{15} & 11^{14} & 11^{13} & 11^{12} & 11^{11} & 11^{10} & 11^{9} & 11^{8} & 11^{7} & 11^{6} & 11^{5} & 11^{4} & 11^{3} & 11^{2} & 11^{1} & 11^{0} \\ 12^{15} & 12^{14} & 12^{13} & 12^{12} & 12^{11} & 12^{10} & 12^{9} & 12^{8} & 12^{7} & 12^{6} & 12^{5} & 12^{4} & 12^{3} & 12^{2} & 12^{1} & 12^{0} \\ 13^{15} & 13^{14} & 13^{13} & 13^{12} & 13^{11} & 13^{10} & 13^{9} & 13^{8} & 13^{7} & 13^{6} & 13^{5} & 13^{4} & 13^{3} & 13^{2} & 13^{1} & 13^{0} \\ 14^{15} & 14^{14} & 14^{13} & 14^{12} & 14^{11} & 14^{10} & 14^{9} & 14^{8} & 14^{7} & 14^{6} & 14^{5} & 14^{4} & 14^{3} & 14^{2} & 14^{1} & 14^{0} \\ 15^{15} & 15^{14} & 15^{13} & 15^{12} & 15^{11} & 15^{10} & 15^{9} & 15^{8} & 15^{7} & 15^{6} & 15^{5} & 15^{4} & 15^{3} & 15^{2} & 15^{1} & 15^{0} \\ 16^{15} & 16^{14} & 16^{13} & 16^{12} & 16^{11} & 16^{10} & 16^{9} & 16^{8} & 16^{7} & 16^{6} & 16^{5} & 16^{4} & 16^{3} & 16^{2} & 16^{1} & 16^{0} \end{bmatrix} \begin{bmatrix} A \\ B \\ C \\ D \\ E \\ F \\ G \\ H \\ I \\ J \\ K \\ L \\ M \\ N \\ O \\ P \end{bmatrix} = \begin{bmatrix} 71 \\ 4 \\ 49 \\ 45 \\ 32 \\ 5 \\ 70 \\ 44 \\ 76 \\ 50 \\ 52 \\ 63 \\ 7 \\ 68 \\ 8 \\ X \end{bmatrix}

Using the matrix to solve the system, the resulting values for A,B,C,…,PA, B, C, \dots, P are the polynomial coefficients we listed earlier. A is the first term's coefficient −96419326918592000\frac{-96419}{326918592000}, P is the last term's coefficient 857840857840, and so on.

−96419n15326918592000+367963n149686476800−83433193n1337362124800+76018199n12958003200−3905893151n112052864000+2834174039n1087091200−748402863991n91828915200+780710080883n8203212800−35360802693773n71306368000+6209534662753n643545600−56937672552137n5102643200+186397079118703n4119750400−4585643519077501n31513512000+289798498820219n275675600−125147426197n145045+857840\begin{aligned} & - \frac{96419 n^{15}}{326918592000} + \frac{367963 n^{14}}{9686476800} - \frac{83433193 n^{13}}{37362124800} + \frac{76018199 n^{12}}{958003200} \\ & - \frac{3905893151 n^{11}}{2052864000} + \frac{2834174039 n^{10}}{87091200} - \frac{748402863991 n^{9}}{1828915200} \\ & + \frac{780710080883 n^{8}}{203212800} - \frac{35360802693773 n^{7}}{1306368000} + \frac{6209534662753 n^{6}}{43545600} \\ & - \frac{56937672552137 n^{5}}{102643200} + \frac{186397079118703 n^{4}}{119750400} - \frac{4585643519077501 n^{3}}{1513512000} \\ & + \frac{289798498820219 n^{2}}{75675600} - \frac{125147426197 n^{1}}{45045} + 857840 \end{aligned}

In summary, whatever answer you want for the final square, just encode it into a decimal representation, plug it into the matrix as XX, calculate the coefficients, and then you can use the resulting polynomial to calculate the content of any of the sixteen squares.

Epilogue

If a puzzle's conditions and rules are incompletely defined, the answer can be anything at all, even totally arbitrary without breaking any rules. Most puzzles found online, and even many exam questions in schools, suffer from this flaw. Asking people to guess which of the many possible solutions the author had in mind is quite meaningless. However, asking the solver to explain their thought process can be a good exercise for developing analytical skills, imagination, and rigorous execution.

Using a high-degree polynomial to capture the puzzle and its desired solution is actually a bit like cheating. Frankly, it's just encoding a massive amount of information into these coefficients. It offer a description for a phenomenon, not an explanation for it, and is likely against the Occam's razor principle.

By the way, in machine learning, this is called over-fitting; meaning the model perfectly captures observed phenomena, but will fail miserably when predicting unobserved ones. For example, using this polynomial, we can even calculate the base-3 value for the 100th square:

-221102221101221221122102022021222022122010021211

But it's meaningless, because our roots were only defined up to the 16th square, and we didn't specifically model relationships like sequence or adjacency between the squares. Therefore, any result after the 17th square has nothing to do with our puzzle.

Anything Goes

I wrote the original post in Chinese, and its title was simply "Any solution works". However, I use the famous musical number's title here because its melody does remind me of an intricate puzzle.

Its simple pentatonic notes (and the simple chords in this old recording) are paired with a highly syncopated rhythm, just as a simple puzzle can be approached by very complex solutions.

 ]]> Streaming Custom Videos in Google Hangouts 2019-04-30T06:35:00.002Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/0635-streaming-custom-videos-in-google-hangouts/ With this method, I was able to send Google Hangouts any video contents, such as me with a news broadcast background, while the small TV in that background is showing my desktop playing a live Youtube video.

OBS is a fine tool that enables us to overlay various visual/audio sources, on the fly, for streaming and/or recording. Unfortunately, it doesn't support a virtual cam under Linux (there is a plugin that only works under Windows), i.e. I can't send a complex composition of a live desktop screen, webcam, video, etc. to Google Hangouts.

Webcamoid is another fine tool that supports output to a virtual cam under Linux, which Google Hangouts can directly use.

Several attempts were made, but I wasn't able to get a result with low enough latency for video conferencing. The video latency caused an unacceptable out-of-sync problem with the audio.

I reached an easy workaround, which is resource heavy, but works quite well.

  1. Use OBS to construct the target scene, say, a chroma keyed webcam, with a video background, and a logo foreground, as well as a live chat overlay.
  2. In OBS, right click on the preview, and project it under a separate screen.
  3. In Webcamoid, choose that screen as the source.
  4. In Google Hangouts, choose Webcamoid's virtual cam instead of the real webcam.
  5. Voila! Now I have full control of what others see in my video conferencing.

This solution needs one whole screen just to link OBS and webcamoid. Any of the following improvement of either project will make this workflow even better:

Hopefully either will come soon.

Update: now there's an easier way: use OBS's v4l2sink plugin + v4l2loopback kernel module. See this article.

]]> uwsgi wrong python interpreter 2017-10-13T21:02:00Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/2102-uwsgi-wrong-python-interpreter/ In some projects, I use uwsgi behind nginx to drive Django. I also use virtualenv to manage my environments (by the way, Panda's introducing .ix and then deprecating it wasn't fun). In a recent update, I was pulling my hair out trying to figure out why I'm getting the following error message, and a wrong Python interpreter.

Could not find platform independent libraries 
  
Could not find platform dependent libraries 
  
Consider setting $PYTHONHOME to [:]
  
Python version: 3.5.4 |Continuum Analytics, Inc.| (default, Aug 14 2017, 13:26:58)  [GCC 4.4.7 20120313 (Red Hat 4.4.7-1)]
  
Set PythonHome to /opt/anaconda
  
Fatal Python error: Py_Initialize: Unable to get the locale encoding
  
ImportError: No module named 'encodings'

It turned out that the problem was in the binary code of uwsgi in my environment. It was compiled for another environment, with the environment path hard-coded in. Yes, in the binary. I had done that in another environment and the compiled package stayed in the pip cache, and the new environment just picked it up from the cache, causing inconsistency!

The solution:

pip install --no-cache uwsgi
]]> Ergodox EZ Configurator Layer Manipulation 2017-07-12T03:00:00Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/0300-ergodox-ez-configurator-layer-manipulation/ Ergodox EZ provides a great configurator; however, it doesn't provide all editing functions I need. Unfortunately, the source code disappeared from github (multiple unofficial documents have links to that repo so I assume the source was once available; this is rather disappointing, since the company made it look like that they are using all open source resources.)

One of the functions that I need the most is swapping the layers.

Here's what I did to achieve it:

Upon examining the minimized javascript, it was written against the React framework. Therefore, I installed the React debugger extension for chrome, in order to find and manipulate the variable that stores the layer information.

Once the extension is installed, reload the page, and open up the Developer Tools in Chrome.

Click on React to open the debugging panel.

Make sure the correct scope "App" is selected.

Now the variable $r will contain the React object, including the state, for editing.

The layers (including all key assignment) information is in the array: $r.state.layout.layers

Here's an example of swapping layer 3 and 4.

$r.state.layout.layers = [
  $r.state.layout.layers[0],
  $r.state.layout.layers[1],
  $r.state.layout.layers[2],
  $r.state.layout.layers[4],  // notice the swapping
  $r.state.layout.layers[3],  // notice the swapping
  $r.state.layout.layers[5],
  $r.state.layout.layers[6],
  $r.state.layout.layers[7],
]

Note that if there are layer switching keys, you'll also need to manually modify those from the GUI.

I also did some batch editing offline, and then re-assign the whole $r.state.layout.layers by first converting the variable to JSON and write it to a local file, with this snippet.

Also when you copy/create a layer, make sure to use the GUI to first allocate the variable $r.state.layout.layers[x].keyboard_layout_id on their server and then carefully copy those values.

Here's my current setup, if you are interested.

]]> [QA] Socio-economic class 2016-08-02T16:57:00Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/1657-socio-economic-class-社經地位/ A Taiwanese netizen asks about professions with lower socio-economic class (in Taiwan) but with stable income even higher than average people.
Quote from omare: Do you know if there are any professions with socio-economic class in the middle or lower, but with stable income even higher than average people? Any gossips?
Almost all the professions that our culture looks down upon can we find wealthy ones. Some examples around me are the funeral industry, resource recycling, fruit farmers, and dairy farmers.

Back then, all the people I knew started from the bottom, but each of them had an entrepreneurial talent. I believe that no matter which industry they were thrown into, they would be able to manage it well.

"Low socio-economic class" is an inaccurate term to use here, since it already implies a low income. However, the term itself ties social and economic status together, actually pointing out the blind spots of our culture, the narrowness of our values, and the contradictions in the ratio of effort and reward between managers and laborers under capitalism.

It is a pity that our culture rarely notices those who live truly peaceful and happy lives. Even if they occasionally make the news, the focus is on the contrast between their low social status, presenting a superficial attitude of "it is rare for someone with low social status to be content and happy." Unexpectedly, the quality of life of these people is actually beyond the reach of ordinary people.

]]> Por una Cabeza (arranged for guitar, viola, piano) (2016) 2016-06-17T22:53:13.000Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/2253-por-una-cabeza-arranged-for-guitar-viola-piano-2016/ My brother and I live on two different continents, so we don't see each other very often. For three decades, we had not been able to spend quality time together until the summer of 2016, when he finally managed to visit me for more than just a few days.

During his visit, we dug out a lot of childhood video games to play together and had a lot of fun and laughs.

Besides playing games, we decided to play music together. He picked Por una Cabeza.

We both took a few years of piano lessons when we were little. In adulthood, our musical paths diverged: he plays the guitar, and I mostly put my energy into composing and arranging. My wife is a professional violinist and violist. I quickly arranged the tune in the style of chamber music for guitar, viola, and piano. It was simple enough that we were able to record it during his visit.

Making music with family is such a special experience. We had so much fun that I decided to memorialize our time together with this video.

]]> Fixing Lenovo U31-70 Wi Fi Problem 2016-02-06T06:24:00Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/0624-fixing-lenovo-u31-70-wifi-problem/

Lenovo U31-70 is a lightweight laptop. Its Wi Fi performance has been a headache to many people. Most people report unstable signal dropping. For those who use Windows and are experiencing unstable Wi Fi problem, you just need to solve the hardware problem. I use Linux, so I had to go a different route to solve my driver problem.

The Hardware Problem

I opened up the laptop, and found that the two antenna cables were not properly attached to the card. There was a tape (not shown in the picture) trying to keep the two cables attached, but failed due to the tension from the bending; also, the screw to attach the card onto the main board is too close to one of the antenna contacts so it automatically grounds it, making that antenna useless. This is a design problem.

I first re-attached the two cables back to their contacts and re-tape them, and put some non-conductive material between the screw and the contact to prevent the grounding. It helped.

The Atheros 10K Driver Problem under Linux

I had used several Thinkpads since its IBM days, so I was quite surprised to have found that this Lenovo's Atheros 10K chip was not supported under Linux. People were reporting stable driver performance under Windows, and some efforts were made to bring the firmware from Windows driver to Linux. I waited a few months for Linux kernel to come to version 4.3 and spent a lot of time trying various hacks to get the driver working. I was never able to get stable performance.

I decided to replace the card with Intel Dual Band Wireless AC 3160, which is well supported by native Linux.

(I have no idea which antenna cable is intended for Wi Fi and which is for bluetooth, but this works for me; besides, tension-wise, this is the only way I could keep the contacts isolated.)

It has been working flawlessly.

Comments



Rui Ramos on Sunday, July 21, 2019 at 10:25:00 AM EDT


Hi there,

I am doing the same thing.
But I have found 2 models of 3160:

  • NGW
  • NGFF
    How can I know which is right for my u31-70?

Thank you.




TK on Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at 3:32:00 PM EDT


If you click on the photo that shows the new card, it's the NGW version. I have no idea what the differences are between the two models. I'm using the NGW and it works. Good luck.




Rui Ramos on Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at 5:04:00 PM EDT


Yup, I see it now.

I will test mine when it gets home.

Thank you!


]]> Coordinate Transformation Matrix for Touchscreen in multi-screen setup in X11 2016-01-30T08:31:00.002Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/0831-coordinate-transformation-matrix-for-touchscreen-in-multi-screen-setup-in-x11/ Currently I have a twin screen setup in Arch Linux, like this:

On the left, DELL 1901FP is turned 90 degree counter-clockwise in its portrait mode. On the right, DELL P2314T, a touch screen, is in its regular landscape orientation, with its bottom line aligning with the bottom of the rotated screen on the left.

Here's my xorg.conf for that. (Although one can also setup screen arrangement in KDE/Plasma/Gnome/etc., for KDM/SDDM/GDM/etc. to recognize it in the login screen, it's important to put this in xorg.conf)

# /etc/X11/xorg.conf
# relevant section of screen rotation
Section "Screen"
Identifier     "Screen0"
Device         "Device0"
Monitor        "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth    24
Option         "Stereo" "0"
Option         "nvidiaXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-2"
Option         "metamodes" "DVI-I-1: 1280x1024_75 +0+0 {rotation=right}, HDMI-0: nvidia-auto-select +1024+200"
Option         "SLI" "Off"
Option         "MultiGPU" "Off"
Option         "BaseMosaic" "off"
SubSection     "Display"
Depth       24
EndSubSection
EndSection

X11 sees a (1024+1920) wide×1280 high(1024+1920) \text{ wide} \times 1280 \text{ high} DISPLAY, with an upper-right corner being invisible.

Since the touchscreen is just a regular pointer device (through its driver), when I put my finger on the left border of the touchscreen on the right, the cursor goes all the way to the very left of the DISPLAY. Touchscreen is only useful if the cursor follows my finger. Therefore, we need to do some Input Coordinate Transformation.

Coordinate Transformation Matrix is precisely the needed configuration.

From the documentation above, our goal is to map the following coordinates (x,y)(x, y) on the left (X11's default behavior) to the ones on the right:

(0,0)⇒(1024,1280−1080)(1024+1920−1,1280−1)⇒(1024+1920−1,1280−1)(1024+1920−1,0)⇒(1024+1920−1,1280−1080)(0,1280−1)⇒(1024,1280−1)\begin{array}{r l c r l} (0, & 0) & \Rightarrow & (1024, & 1280-1080) \\ (1024+1920-1, & 1280-1) & \Rightarrow & (1024+1920-1, & 1280-1) \\ (1024+1920-1, & 0) & \Rightarrow & (1024+1920-1, & 1280-1080) \\ (0, & 1280-1) & \Rightarrow & (1024, & 1280-1) \end{array}

So that means we are solving the following system:

[a1b1c1a2b2c2a3b3c3][029432943001279012791111]=[1024294329431024200127920012791111]\begin{bmatrix} a_1 & b_1 & c_1 \\ a_2 & b_2 & c_2 \\ a_3 & b_3 & c_3 \end{bmatrix} \begin{bmatrix} 0 & 2943 & 2943 & 0 \\ 0 & 1279 & 0 & 1279 \\ 1 & 1 & 1 & 1 \end{bmatrix} = \begin{bmatrix} 1024 & 2943 & 2943 & 1024 \\ 200 & 1279 & 200 & 1279 \\ 1 & 1 & 1 & 1 \end{bmatrix}

Here's the solution and the approximate float values:

[a1b1c1a2b2c2a3b3c3]=[1919294301024010791279200001]≈[0.6520557254502210102400.843627834245504200001]\begin{aligned} \begin{bmatrix} a_1 & b_1 & c_1 \\ a_2 & b_2 & c_2 \\ a_3 & b_3 & c_3 \end{bmatrix} &= \begin{bmatrix} \frac{1919}{2943} & 0 & 1024 \\ 0 & \frac{1079}{1279} & 200 \\ 0 & 0 & 1 \end{bmatrix} \\ &\approx \begin{bmatrix} 0.652055725450221 & 0 & 1024 \\ 0 & 0.843627834245504 & 200 \\ 0 & 0 & 1 \end{bmatrix} \end{aligned}

Now we can put these numbers into the configuration, as the document instructed.

# This does NOT work
xinput set-prop "Advanced Silicon S.A CoolTouch(TM) System" --type=float "Coordinate Transformation Matrix" .652056 0 1024 0 .8436278 200 0 0 1

However, it doesn't work. The cursor stays on the lower right. After some debugging, I found the offsets 1024 and 200 were the culprit. They need to be a percentage, i.e. relative to the full width and height:

10241024+1920=0.34782612001280=0.15625\begin{aligned} \dfrac{1024}{1024+1920} &= 0.3478261 \\[1em] \dfrac{200}{1280} &= 0.15625 \end{aligned} 

# This works
xinput set-prop "Advanced Silicon S.A CoolTouch(TM) System" --type=float "Coordinate Transformation Matrix" .652056 0 .3478261 0 .8436278 .15625 0 0 1

I put it in /usr/share/sddm/scripts/Xsetup (or /usr/share/config/kdm/Xsetup if you haven't upgraded to plasma) as well as ~/.xprofile so it automatically runs every time.

Edit 2016-02-22: I ended up having 3 screens with two in the portrait orientation. SDDM correctly uses metamodes setting in xorg.conf, regardless of the screen power. However, KDE is more sensitive to that so sometimes the layout is messed up. Here's a script to quickly correct that.

#!/bin/sh
# my xorg.conf has this line:
# Option "metamodes" "DVI-I-1: 1280x1024_75 +0+0 {rotation=right}, HDMI-0: nvidia-auto-select +2944+0 {rotation=right}, DP-1: nvidia-auto-select +1024+200"

gksu "xrandr --output DP-1 --primary --auto --pos 1024x200 --output DVI-I-1 --auto --pos 0x0 --rotation right --output HDMI-0 --auto --pos 2944x0 --rotation right"
]]> Install Sibelius 8.0.1 on a non-C drive in Windows 2015-10-19T22:43:00.002Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/2243-install-sibelius-8-0-1-on-a-non-c-drive-in-windows/ Since Sibelius 8.0.0, Avid changed the installer, and it has a serious bug -- it assumes you have a C: drive before letting you choose the installation destination. I figured out a hack to install it. However, it doesn't work for Sibelius 8.0.1, so here's another way to approach it, before Avid's Sibelius team fixes the bug.

I don't have a C: drive, but Sibelius insists that I must do, so what we are trying to do here is to temporarily create a C: drive, and then create a link pointing crucial directories back to my system drive, K:. After Sibelius is successfully installed, we can then safely remove the temporary C: drive.

First, we need to create a Virtual Hard Drive (VHD) as our C:\ drive. I learned how to do this via this answer:

  • Start → run → diskmgmt.msc (accept all defaults... I'm not doing anything special below)
  • From the menu bar select Action → Create VHD
  • Choose the location and name the file (which will be the vhd) and specify the size and click OK. My file is K:\virtual_drive_c.vhd and the size is 1G, but I made it dynamic so it's actual size is around 16MB.
  • Right click on the Disk # (underneath will be Unknown and the size and "Not Initialized"). Select "Initialize Disk" and click OK
  • Right click on the black bar of the unallocated disk space and select "new simple volume". A wizard opens up an on the second page it lets you assign the drive letter. We want C: here. Complete the wizard and you're done!

Now that we have a C: drive, we can link the important folders. I learned how to do that from this post:

  • Start → run → cmd, then right click and choose "Run as Administrator".
  • In the prompt, type the following:
K:\>mklink /j "C:\Program Files" "K:\Program Files"
Junction created for C:\Program Files <<===>> K:\Program Files

K:\>mklink /j "C:\Program Files (x86)" "K:\Program Files (x86)"
Junction created for C:\Program Files (x86) <<===>> K:\Program Files (x86)

After that, Sibelius installation should run normally. In the installer, I still choose to install the program to K:, to avoid future problems running Sibelius, since the bug is on the installer, not Sibelius itself.

Afterwards, you can reboot, and safely delete the vhd file.

]]> 2015-09-24T05:19:00Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/0519-大易二十七年-行列二十七小時/ Cry Link (for Orchestra) (2015) 2015-08-19T08:49:09.000Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/0849-cry-link-soundtrack-for-xonotic/

This is an orchestral soundtrack I composed for one of my favorite video games, Xonotic (which I also contributed to its codebase).

The soundtrack

I composed this orchestral piece for Xonotic, in the summer of 2015, when the community held a soundtrack competition. The soundtracks of this game had been predominately electronic music, and I wanted to challenge myself to write one with all traditional orchestral instruments, and for this particular game play.

Music for video game play is a unique genre. In concert music, which I mostly write, music is the focal point. In film scores or video game cut scene soundtrack, all the highlight events (hit points) are spotted in advanced so music can easily match the visual and development of the story. However, music for a live game play has to be generic enough to cover unexpected events, yet interesting enough not to cause aural fatigue. This is indeed challenging for me.

The title Cry Link is a word play of the game's unique weapon "Crylink", in which "cry" is short for "crystal", a lasing medium in the game. Compare to other weapons, Crylink does not deal the most damage; instead, its reflective projectile and the special force can pull back the opponents, making it very difficult for them to escape from a slow death. Such sense of doom of a courageous warrior inspired me to write "Cry Link."

Instrumentation:

  • 2 flutes
  • 2 oboes
  • 2 Bb clarinets
  • 2 bassoons
  • 3-4 horns
  • 2 trumpets
  • 2 trombones
  • timpani
  • triangle
  • drum set
  • piano
  • full string sections (double-bass with C extension).

About the video

Although the main purpose of this video is to showcase the music, Xonotic players will enjoy watching these two virtuosi dueling in the video. This map just won a recent mapping contest so it's new to both players. Observe not only their incredible aiming and movement skills, but also how they quickly familiarize themselves with the map, identify the opponent's pattern, and develop strategies against each other. Also notice how one small wrong decision would lead to point loss much later on. Between two masters, there's little space for mistakes!

I chose Justin's map Erbium to showcase this piece because both our works blend opposite elements: nature growing in an industrial environment; traditional acoustic instruments for the futuristic action.

]]> Sibelius 8 Installation on Non-standard Windows System Drive 2015-08-05T23:59:00.001Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/2359-sibelius-8-installation-on-non-standard-windows-system-drive/ UPDATE: This doesn't work for Sibelius 8.0.1. See this post instead for that.

Over the years I have many generations of audio software and plugins installed on Windows, which itself has gone through many version upgrades. I can't remember why but one upgrade called for changing the system drive from C: to K: (probably for a backup reason), and ever since then K: has been my system drive.

Between projects, I decided to give Sibelius 8 a try. However, the installation file (Install_Sibelius.exe, unpacked from Sibelius_8.0.0_Win.zip) downloaded from Avid gave me this error:

Error 1327 invalid drive C:\.

By inspecting the log, I concluded that was hard-coded in the installer (FAIL! To tell the truth, it has been a familiar feeling ever since Avid acquired Sibelius).

I really don't want to change the system drive again, since it would involve the painful process of re-configuring a million things. It's also after their support hours so I did some research, and after some trial and error, this is what worked for me:

  1. run cmd.exe as Administrator.
  2. Change into the directory where Install_Sibelius.exe resides
  3. Run the following command

J:\Users\composer\Desktop>J:\Install_Sibelius.exe /s /v"/qn /l*v %temp%\AvidSibeliusx64.log"

  1. Follow the standard procedure to activate the software

That's it.

PS: I very much look forward to Daniel Spreadbury's new score writer.

Comments



Ralph on Monday, August 19, 2019 at 6:16:00 PM EDT


I'm still getting this error every time I need to update Sibelius. It doesn't like ANY of the windows locations (e.g. DOcuments, Photos, Music) being mapped to a NAS drive. It is massively frustrating and doesn't apply to any other piece of software I use!




TK on Tuesday, August 27, 2019 at 12:12:00 AM EDT


This seems to be such a common requirement and yet they still haven't fixed the installation process.

However, I do have my score files on a NAS over the years but haven't got problems accessing them. What error messages are you getting?


]]> X11 Multi-seat running KDE and GNOME 2015-05-07T02:43:00Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/0243-x11-multi-seat-running-kde-and-gnome/ I was archiving data on my old machine and decided to share my old multi-seat configurations (I don't need multi-seat anymore), in case somebody out there is trying to do the same thing.

It was a 7-year-old Dell PowerEdge server SC-1430 running dual Xeon (8 virtual cores), excellent for compiling, number crunching (machine learning), and video processing (Cinelerra), and on top of all that, it served as a file/media server running RAID 5 over RAID 0.

It was a power beast, in another sense, too, though -- it consumed a lot of power.

Since it was consuming power anyway, I decided to get rid of other computers and maximize its use, by setting up a multi-seat X11, so two users could use it at the same time. There were two sets of everything: two screens (on two NVIDIA cards), two keyboards, two mouses, and two USB sound cards. It worked just like two independent machines. In fact, one seat ran KDE and the other one ran GNOME. The login screen ran KDM, with two login boxes (default to the regular user login name) on respective screens and matching wallpapers. We were even able to play "networked" game against each other.

(Actually I had three sets of xorg.conf to support multi-seat, left-side dual screen, and right-side dual screen, and I used symlinks to dynamically switch to a different configuration. However, there's more info on dual screen setups out there so I skipped those here.)

For me, there were a few files to configure. These are the ones relevant to most people:

  • /etc/X11/xorg.conf
  • /etc/kde/kdm/kdmrc
  • /etc/kde/kdm/backgroundrc.seat0
  • /etc/kde/kdm/backgroundrc.seat1
  • /etc/udev/rules.d/60-dell-keyboards.rules (omit here; see my other post on udev for that)
  • /etc/udev/rules.d/90-creative-xmod.rules

For the sound cards, I just used the GUI setup in KDM and Gnome, respectively, to choose the right pulse audio sound device. I did use the udev to make the names easier to tell them apart.

I ran Arch Linux 64 on that one so the paths may be different if you use a different distro. I apologize in advance for not explaining the details here, many of which were specific to my system back then. I also wish I had time to dig out the document sources for these configs.

/etc/X11/xorg.conf 
# File: /etc/X11/xorg.conf

# nvidia-settings: X configuration file generated by nvidia-settings
# nvidia-settings:  version 280.11  (mockbuild@hephaestus.wilsonet.com)  Sun Jul 31 18:18:43 EDT 2011

#Section "ServerLayout"
#    Identifier     "Layout0"
#    Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
#    Screen      1  "Screen1" RightOf "Screen0"
#    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
#    InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
#    Option         "Xinerama" "0"
#EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier     "Seat0"
Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice    "Keyboard0.1"
InputDevice    "webcam_Button"
#InputDevice    "X10_Lola.keyboard"
InputDevice    "XmodControl.0"
InputDevice    "Mouse0.Naga" "CorePointer"
InputDevice    "MouseKeys0a.Naga"
InputDevice    "Mouse0.1"
#InputDevice    "MouseKeys0b.Naga"
Option         "Xinerama" "0"
Option         "AutoEnableDevices" "false"
Option         "AutoAddDevices"   "false"
Option         "AllowEmptyInput" "true"
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier     "Seat1"
Screen      0  "Screen1" 0 0
InputDevice    "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice    "XmodControl.1"
InputDevice    "Mouse1.Salmosa" "CorePointer"
Option         "Xinerama" "0"
Option         "AutoEnableDevices" "false"
Option         "AutoAddDevices"   "false"
Option         "AllowEmptyInput" "true"
EndSection

Section "Files"
FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/default/Type1"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier     "Mouse0.Naga"
Driver         "evdev"
Option         "GrabDevice" "true"
Option         "Protocol" "auto"
Option   "Device" "/dev/input/by-id/usb-Razer_Razer_Naga-event-mouse"
Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier     "MouseKeys0a.Naga"
Driver         "evdev"
Option     "Device" "/dev/input/by-id/usb-Razer_Razer_Naga-event-kbd"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier     "MouseKeys0b.Naga"
Driver         "evdev"
Option     "Device" "/dev/input/by-id/usb-Razer_Razer_Naga-if01-event-kbd"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier     "Mouse0.1"
Driver         "evdev"
Option     "Device" "/dev/input/by-id/usb-Logitech_USB_Receiver-event-mouse"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier     "Mouse1.Salmosa"
Driver         "evdev"
Option         "GrabDevice" "true"
Option         "Protocol" "auto"
Option   "Device" "/dev/input/by-id/usb-Razer_Razer_Salmosa-event-mouse"
Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

#Section "InputDevice"
#    # generated from data in "/etc/sysconfig/keyboard"
#    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
#    Driver         "keyboard"
#    Option         "XkbLayout" "us"
#    Option         "XkbModel" "pc105"
#EndSection


Section "InputDevice"
Identifier     "Keyboard0"
Driver         "evdev"
Option     "Device" "/dev/input/dell_keyboard_2003"
Option         "XkbLayout" "us"
Option         "XkbModel" "pc105"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier     "Keyboard0.1"
Driver         "evdev"
Option     "Device" "/dev/input/by-id/usb-Logitech_USB_Receiver-event-kbd"
Option         "XkbLayout" "us"
Option         "XkbModel" "pc105"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier     "Keyboard1"
Driver         "evdev"
Option     "Device" "/dev/input/dell_keyboard_2105"
Option         "XkbLayout" "us"
Option         "XkbModel" "pc105"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier     "webcam_Button"
Driver         "evdev"
Option     "Device" "/dev/input/by-id/usb-046d_0809_BD4BC0AA-event-if00"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier     "X10_Lola.keyboard"
Driver         "evdev"
Option     "Device" "/dev/input/x10_lola"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier     "XmodControl.0"
Driver         "evdev"
Option     "Device" "/dev/input/by-path/pci-0000:00:1d.2-usb-0:1.2:1.3-event"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier     "XmodControl.1"
Driver         "evdev"
Option     "Device" "/dev/input/by-path/pci-0000:00:1d.0-usb-0:1:1.3-event"
EndSection

#Section "Monitor"
#    # HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
#    Identifier     "Monitor0"
#    VendorName     "Unknown"
#    ModelName      "DELL 1907FP"
#    HorizSync       30.0 - 81.0
#    VertRefresh     56.0 - 76.0
#    Option         "DPMS"
#EndSection
Section "Monitor"
# HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
Identifier     "Monitor0"
VendorName     "Unknown"
ModelName      "ViewSonic VA2431 Series"
HorizSync       24.0 - 82.0
VertRefresh     50.0 - 75.0
Option         "DPMS"
#Option          "BlankTime"     "4"
#Option          "StandbyTime"   "1"
#Option          "SuspendTime"   "1"
#Option          "OffTime"       "5"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
# HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
Identifier     "Monitor1"
VendorName     "Unknown"
ModelName      "DELL 1901FP"
HorizSync       30.0 - 80.0
VertRefresh     56.0 - 76.0
Option         "DPMS"
Option          "BlankTime"     "4"
Option          "StandbyTime"   "1"
Option          "SuspendTime"   "1"
Option          "OffTime"       "5"

EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier     "Device0"
Driver         "nvidia"
VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName      "GeForce 8500 GT"
BusID          "PCI:4:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier     "Device1"
Driver         "nvidia"
VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName      "ION"
BusID          "PCI:7:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier     "Screen0"
Device         "Device0"
Monitor        "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth    24
Option         "TwinView" "0"
Option         "metamodes" "nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
SubSection     "Display"
Depth       24
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier     "Screen1"
Device         "Device1"
Monitor        "Monitor1"
DefaultDepth    24
Option         "TwinView" "0"
Option         "metamodes" "nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
SubSection     "Display"
Depth       24
EndSubSection
EndSection

#Section "ServerFlags"
# # Even if mouse detection fails, X will start
# Option "AllowMouseOpenFail" "yes"
#
# # VT switching is disabled
# Option "DontVTSwitch" "yes"
#
# # X restart (Ctrl+Alt+Backspace) is disabled
# # For some reason, this would cause Ctrl-C to terminate X
# #Option "DontZap" "yes"
#EndSection
/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc 
# File: /usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc
#
# KDM master configuration file
#
# Definition: the greeter is the login dialog, i.e., the part of KDM
# which the user sees.
#
# You can configure every X-display individually.
# Every display has a display name, which consists of a host name
# (which is empty for local displays specified in {Static|Reserve}Servers),
# a colon, and a display number. Additionally, a display belongs to a
# display class (which can be ignored in most cases; the control center
# does not support this feature at all).
# Sections with display-specific settings have the formal syntax
# "[X-" host [":" number [ "_" class ]] "-" sub-section "]"
# You can use the "*" wildcard for host, number, and class. You may omit
# trailing components; they are assumed to be "*" then.
# The host part may be a domain specification like ".inf.tu-dresden.de".
# It may also be "+", which means non-empty, i.e. remote displays only.
# From which section a setting is actually taken is determined by these
# rules:
# - an exact match takes precedence over a partial match (for the host part),
#   which in turn takes precedence over a wildcard ("+" taking precedence
#   over "*")
# - precedence decreases from left to right for equally exact matches
# Example: display name "myhost:0", class "dpy".
# [X-myhost:0_dpy] precedes
# [X-myhost:0_*] (same as [X-myhost:0]) precedes
# [X-myhost:*_dpy] precedes
# [X-myhost:*_*] (same as [X-myhost]) precedes
# [X-+:0_dpy] precedes
# [X-*:0_dpy] precedes
# [X-*:0_*] (same as [X-*:0]) precedes
# [X-*:*_*] (same as [X-*])
# These sections do NOT match this display:
# [X-hishost], [X-myhost:0_dec], [X-*:1], [X-:*]
# If a setting is not found in any matching section, the default is used.
#
# Every comment applies to the following section or key. Note that all
# comments will be lost if you change this file with the systemsettings frontend.
# The defaults refer to KDM's built-in values, not anything set in this file.
#
# Special characters need to be backslash-escaped (leading and trailing
# spaces (\s), tab (\t), linefeed (\n), carriage return (\r) and the
# backslash itself (\\)).
# In lists, fields are separated with commas without whitespace in between.
# Some command strings are subject to simplified sh-style word splitting:
# single quotes (') and double quotes (") have the usual meaning; the backslash
# quotes everything (not only special characters). Note that the backslashes
# need to be doubled because of the two levels of quoting.

[General]
# This option exists solely for the purpose of a clean automatic upgrade.
# Do not even think about changing it!
ConfigVersion=2.4
# List of permanent displays. Displays with a hostname are foreign. A display
# class may be specified separated by an underscore.
# Default is ":0"
StaticServers=:0,:1
# List of on-demand displays. See StaticServers for syntax.
# Default is ""
ReserveServers=:2,:3,:4
# VTs to allocate to X-servers. A negative number means that the VT will be
# used only if it is free. If all VTs in this list are used up, the next free
# one greater than the last one in this list will be allocated.
# Default is ""
ServerVTs=-1
# TTYs (without /dev/) to monitor for activity while in console mode.
# Default is ""
ConsoleTTYs=tty1,tty2,tty3,tty4,tty5,tty6
# Where KDM should store its PID (do not store if empty).
# Default is ""
PidFile=/var/run/kdm.pid
# Whether KDM should lock the PID file to prevent having multiple KDM
# instances running at once. Do not change unless you are brave.
# Default is true
#LockPidFile=false
# Where to store authorization files.
# Default is "/var/run/xauth"
#AuthDir=/tmp
# Whether KDM should automatically re-read configuration files, if it
# finds them having changed.
# Default is true
#AutoRescan=false
# Additional environment variables KDM should pass on to all programs it runs.
# LD_LIBRARY_PATH and XCURSOR_THEME are good candidates;
# otherwise, it should not be necessary very often.
# Default is ""
#ExportList=LD_LIBRARY_PATH,ANOTHER_IMPORTANT_VAR
# A character device KDM should read entropy from.
# Empty means use the system's preferred entropy device.
# Default is ""
#RandomDevice=/dev/altrandom
# Where the command sockets should be created; make it empty to disable
# them.
# Default is "/var/run/xdmctl"
#FifoDir=/tmp
# The group to which the global command socket should belong;
# can be either a name or a numerical ID.
# Default is 0
#FifoGroup=xdmctl
# The user the greeter should run as. Empty results in root.
# Consider the impact on LogSource when setting it.
# Default is ""
GreeterUID=kdm
# The directory in which KDM should store persistent working data.
# Default is "/var/lib/kdm"
#DataDir=
# The directory in which KDM should store users' .dmrc files. This is only
# needed if the home directories are not readable before actually logging in
# (like with AFS).
# Default is ""
#DmrcDir=/nfs-shared/var/dmrcs

[Xdmcp]
# Whether KDM should listen to incoming XDMCP requests.
# Default is true
Enable=false
# The UDP port on which KDM should listen for XDMCP requests. Do not change.
# Default is 177
#Port=177
# File with the private keys of X-terminals. Required for XDM authentication.
# Default is ""
#KeyFile=/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmkeys
# XDMCP access control file in the usual XDM-Xaccess format.
# Default is "/usr/share/config/kdm/Xaccess"
Xaccess=/usr/share/config/kdm/Xaccess
# Number of seconds to wait for display to respond after the user has
# selected a host from the chooser.
# Default is 15
#ChoiceTimeout=10
# Strip domain name from remote display names if it is equal to the local
# domain.
# Default is true
#RemoveDomainname=false
# Use the numeric IP address of the incoming connection on multihomed hosts
# instead of the host name.
# Default is false
#SourceAddress=true
# The program which is invoked to dynamically generate replies to XDMCP
# DirectQuery or BroadcastQuery requests.
# If empty, no program is invoked and "Willing to manage" is sent.
# Default is ""
Willing=/usr/share/config/kdm/Xwilling

[Shutdown]
# The command (subject to word splitting) to run to halt the system.
# Default is "/sbin/shutdown -h -P now"
HaltCmd=/sbin/poweroff
# The command (subject to word splitting) to run to reboot the system.
# Default is "/sbin/shutdown -r now"
RebootCmd=/sbin/shutdown -r now
# Whether it is allowed to shut down the system via the global command socket.
# Default is false
#AllowFifo=true
# Whether it is allowed to abort active sessions when shutting down the
# system via the global command socket.
# Default is true
#AllowFifoNow=false
# The boot manager KDM should use for offering boot options in the
# shutdown dialog.
# "None" - no boot manager
# "Grub" - Grub boot manager
# "Grub2" - Grub2 boot manager
# "Burg" - Burg boot manager
# "Lilo" - Lilo boot manager (Linux on i386 & x86-64 only)
# Default is None
#BootManager=Grub

# Rough estimations about how many seconds KDM will spend at most on
# - opening a connection to the X-server (OpenTime) if the attempt
#   - times out: OpenTimeout
#   - is refused: OpenRepeat * OpenDelay
# - starting a local X-server (ServerTime):
#   ServerAttempts * (ServerTimeout + OpenDelay)
# - starting a display:
#   - local display: ServerTime + OpenTime
#   - foreign display: StartAttempts * OpenTime
#   - XDMCP display: OpenTime (repeated indefinitely by client)

# Core config for all displays
[X-*-Core]
# How long to wait before retrying to connect a display.
# Default is 15
#OpenDelay=15
# How long to wait before timing out a display connection attempt.
# Default is 120
#OpenTimeout=120
# How many connection attempts to make during a start attempt. Note that
# a timeout aborts the entire start attempt.
# Default is 5
#OpenRepeat=5
# Try at most that many times to start a display. If this fails, the display
# is disabled.
# Default is 4
#StartAttempts=4
# Ping remote display every that many minutes.
# Default is 5
#PingInterval=5
# Wait for a Pong that many minutes.
# Default is 5
#PingTimeout=5
# The name of this X-server's Xauth file.
# If empty, a random name in the AuthDir directory will be used.
# Default is ""
#AuthFile=
# Specify a file with X-resources for the greeter, chooser and background.
# The KDE frontend does not use this file, so you do not need it unless you
# use another background generator than krootimage.
# Default is ""
#Resources=
# The xrdb program to use to read the above specified recources.
# Subject to word splitting.
# Default is "/usr/bin/xrdb"
#Xrdb=
# A program to run before the greeter is shown. Can be used to start an
# xconsole or an alternative background generator. Subject to word splitting.
# Default is ""
Setup=/usr/share/config/kdm/Xsetup
# A program to run before a user session starts. Subject to word splitting.
# Default is ""
Startup=/usr/share/config/kdm/Xstartup
# A program to run after a user session exits. Subject to word splitting.
# Default is ""
Reset=/usr/share/config/kdm/Xreset
# The program which is run as the user which logs in. It is supposed to
# interpret the session argument (see SessionsDirs) and start an appropriate
# session according to it. Subject to word splitting.
# Default is "/usr/bin/xterm -ls -T"
Session=/usr/share/config/kdm/Xsession
# The program to run if Session fails.
# Default is "/usr/bin/xterm"
#FailsafeClient=
# The PATH for the Session program.
# Default is "/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/games"
#UserPath=
# The PATH for Setup, Startup and Reset, etc.
# Default is "/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"
#SystemPath=
# The default system shell.
# Default is "/bin/sh"
#SystemShell=/bin/bash
# Where to put the user's X-server authorization file if ~/.Xauthority
# cannot be created.
# Default is "/tmp"
#UserAuthDir=
# If true, UserAuthDir will be used unconditionally.
# Default is false
#ForceUserAuthDir=true
# Whether to automatically restart sessions after X-server crashes.
# Note that enabling this makes circumventing screen lockers other than
# KDE's built-in one possible!
# Default is false
#AutoReLogin=true
# Allow root logins?
# Default is true
AllowRootLogin=false
# Allow to log in, when user has set an empty password?
# Default is true
AllowNullPasswd=false
# Who is allowed to shut down the system. This applies both to the
# greeter and to the command sockets.
# "None" - no "Shutdown..." menu entry is shown at all
# "Root" - the root password must be entered to shut down
# "All" - everybody can shut down the machine
# Default is All
AllowShutdown=Root
# Who is allowed to abort active sessions when shutting down.
# "None" - no forced shutdown is allowed at all
# "Root" - the root password must be entered to shut down forcibly
# "All" - everybody can shut down the machine forcibly
# Default is All
#AllowSdForceNow=Root
# The default choice for the shutdown condition/timing.
# "Schedule" - shut down after all active sessions exit (possibly at once)
# "TryNow" - shut down, if no active sessions are open; otherwise, do nothing
# "ForceNow" - shut down unconditionally
# Default is Schedule
#DefaultSdMode=ForceNow
# How to offer shutdown scheduling options:
# "Never" - not at all
# "Optional" - as a button in the simple shutdown dialogs
# "Always" - instead of the simple shutdown dialogs
# Default is Never
#ScheduledSd=Optional
# The directories containing session type definitions in .desktop format,
# ordered by falling priority.
# Default is "/usr/share/apps/kdm/sessions"
SessionsDirs=/usr/share/config/kdm/sessions,/usr/share/apps/kdm/sessions
# The file (relative to $HOME) to redirect the session output to. The
# following character pairs are replaced:
# - %d -> current display
# - %u -> current user
# - %r -> empty at first. See below.
# - %% -> a single %
# When the constructed filename cannot be used safely and the specification
# contains %<stuff>r, other names will be tried - this time expanding %<stuff>r
# to <stuff> followed by a random number.
# Default is ".xsession-errors"
ClientLogFile=.xsession-errors-%d
# Fallback when ClientLogFile cannot be used. The same expansions are
# supported. DO NOT use relative paths here.
# Default is "/tmp/xerr-%u-%d%-r"
#ClientLogFallback=/var/log/xsession-errors/%u-%d%-r
# Whether KDM's built-in utmp/wtmp/lastlog registration should be used.
# Default is true
#UseSessReg=false

# Greeter config for all displays
[X-*-Greeter]
# Specify the widget style for the greeter. Empty means to use the
# built-in default which currently is "Oxygen-air".
# Default is ""
#GUIStyle=Plastique
# Specify the widget color scheme for the greeter. Empty means to use the
# built-in default which currently is "Oxygen-air".
# Default is ""
#ColorScheme=MidnightMeadow
# What should be shown in the greeter's logo are:
# "None" - nothing
# "Logo" - the image specified by LogoPixmap
# "Clock" - a neat analog clock
# Default is Clock
LogoArea=Logo
# The image to show when LogoArea=Logo.
# Default is ""
LogoPixmap=/usr/share/apps/kdm/pics/kdelogo.png
# The relative coordinates (X,Y in percent) of the center of the greeter.
# Default is "50,50"
#GreeterPos=30,40
# The screen the greeter should be displayed on in multi-headed and Xinerama
# setups. The numbering starts with 0. For Xinerama, it corresponds to the
# listing order in the active ServerLayout section of XF86Config; -1 means
# to use the upper-left screen, -2 means to use the upper-right screen.
# Default is 0
#GreeterScreen=-1
# The headline in the greeter. The following character pairs are replaced:
# - %d -> current display
# - %h -> host name, possibly with domain name
# - %n -> node name, most probably the host name without domain name
# - %s -> the operating system
# - %r -> the operating system's version
# - %m -> the machine (hardware) type
# - %% -> a single %
# Default is "Welcome to %s at %n"
GreetString=Bending Fern Glade
# Whether the fonts used in the greeter should be antialiased.
# Default is false
AntiAliasing=true
# The font for the greeter headline. The value is encoded.
# Default is "Serif 20pt bold"
GreetFont=Serif,16,-1,5,50,0,0,0,0,0
# The normal font used in the greeter. The value is encoded.
# Default is "Sans Serif 10pt"
StdFont=Sans Serif,10,-1,5,50,0,0,0,0,0
# The font used for the "Login Failed" message. The value is encoded.
# Default is "Sans Serif 10pt bold"
FailFont=Sans Serif,10,-1,5,75,0,0,0,0,0
# What to do with the Num Lock modifier for the time the greeter is running:
# "Off" - turn off
# "On" - turn on
# "Keep" - do not change the state
# Default is Keep
#NumLock=Off
# Language and locale to use in the greeter, encoded like $LANGUAGE.
# If empty, the settings from the environment are used.
# Default is ""
#Language=de_DE
# Enable autocompletion in the username line edit.
# Default is false
UserCompletion=true
# Enable user list (names along with images) in the greeter.
# Default is true
#UserList=false
# User selection for UserCompletion and UserList:
# "NotHidden" - all users except those listed in HiddenUsers
# "Selected" - only the users listed in SelectedUsers
# Default is NotHidden
#ShowUsers=Selected
# For ShowUsers=Selected. @<group> means all users in that group.
# Default is ""
#SelectedUsers=root,johndoe
# For ShowUsers=NotHidden. @<group> means all users in that group.
# Default is ""
HiddenUsers=root
# Special case of HiddenUsers: users with a non-zero UID less than this number
# will not be shown as well.
# Default is 0
MinShowUID=1000
# Complement to MinShowUID: users with a UID greater than this number will
# not be shown as well.
# Default is 65535
MaxShowUID=65000
# If false, the users are listed in the order they appear in /etc/passwd.
# If true, they are sorted alphabetically.
# Default is true
#SortUsers=false
# Specify, where the users' pictures should be taken from.
# "AdminOnly" - from <facedir>/$USER.face[.icon]
# "PreferAdmin" - prefer <facedir>, fallback on $HOME
# "PreferUser" - ... and the other way round
# "UserOnly" - from the user's $HOME/.face[.icon]
# Default is AdminOnly
FaceSource=PreferUser
# The directory containing the user images if FaceSource is not UserOnly.
# Default is "/usr/share/apps/kdm/faces"
#FaceDir=/usr/share/faces
# Specify, if/which user should be preselected for log in.
# "None" - do not preselect any user
# "Previous" - the user which successfully logged in last time
# "Default" - the user specified in the DefaultUser option
# Default is None
#PreselectUser=Previous
# If this is true, the password input line is focused automatically if
# a user is preselected.
# Default is false
FocusPasswd=true
# If this is true, the entered password is echoed as bullets. Otherwise,
# no feedback is given at all.
# Default is true
#EchoPasswd=false
# If true, krootimage will be automatically started by KDM; otherwise, the
# Setup script should be used to setup the background.
# Default is true
#UseBackground=false
# The configuration file to be used by krootimage.
# Default is "/usr/share/config/kdm/backgroundrc"
BackgroundCfg=/usr/share/config/kdm/backgroundrc
# Whether to grab keyboard and mouse while the greeter is visible. Grabs
# may improve security, but make on-screen keyboards, etc. unusable.
# "Never" - never grab
# "IfNoAuth" - grab if the display requires no X authorization
# "Always" - always grab
# Default is IfNoAuth
#GrabInput=Always
# Hold the X-server grabbed the whole time the greeter is visible. This
# may be more secure, but it will disable any background and other
# X-clients started from the Setup script.
# Default is false
#GrabServer=true
# How many seconds to wait for grab to succeed.
# Default is 3
#GrabTimeout=3
# Warn, if display has no X-authorization (local auth cannot be created,
# XDMCP display wants no auth, or display is foreign from StaticServers).
# Default is true
#AuthComplain=false
# Random seed for forging saved session types, etc. of unknown users.
# This value should be random but constant across the login domain.
# Default is 0
ForgingSeed=1386325123
# Specify conversation plugins for the login dialog. Each plugin can be
# specified as a base name (which expands to $kde_modulesdir/kgreet_$base)
# or as a full pathname.
# Default is "classic"
#PluginsLogin=sign
# Same as PluginsLogin, but for the shutdown dialog.
# Default is "classic"
#PluginsShutdown=modern
# A list of options of the form Key=Value. The conversation plugins can query
# these settings; it is up to them what possible keys are.
# Default is ""
#PluginOptions=SomeKey=randomvalue,Foo=bar
# Show the "Console Login" action in the greeter (if ServerTTY/ConsoleTTYs
# is configured).
# Default is true
#AllowConsole=false
# A program to run while the greeter is visible. It is supposed to preload
# as much as possible of the session that is going to be started (most
# probably).
# Default is ""
Preloader=/usr/bin/preloadkde
# Whether the greeter should be themed.
# Default is false
UseTheme=true
# The theme to use for the greeter. Can point to either a directory or an XML
# file.
# Default is ""
Theme=/usr/share/apps/kdm/themes/elarun
# Enable the Alt-Ctrl-D shortcut to toggle greeter theme debugging.
# Default is false
#AllowThemeDebug=true

# Core config for local displays
[X-:*-Core]
# How often to try to run the X-server. Running includes executing it and
# waiting for it to come up.
# Default is 1
#ServerAttempts=1
# How long to wait for a local X-server to come up.
# Default is 30
#ServerTimeout=30
# The command line to start the X-server, without display number and VT spec.
# This string is subject to word splitting.
# Default is "/usr/bin/X"
ServerCmd=/usr/bin/X -br -novtswitch -quiet
# Additional arguments for the X-servers for local sessions.
# This string is subject to word splitting.
# Default is ""
ServerArgsLocal=-background none -nolisten tcp
# Additional arguments for the X-servers for remote sessions.
# This string is subject to word splitting.
# Default is ""
#ServerArgsRemote=
# The user the X-server should run as. Empty results in root.
# Default is ""
#ServerUID=_x11
# Restart instead of resetting the local X-server after session exit.
# Use it if the server leaks memory etc.
# Default is true
#TerminateServer=false
# Create X-authorizations for local displays.
# Default is true
#Authorize=false
# Which X-authorization mechanisms should be used.
# Default is "MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1"
#AuthNames=
# Need to reset the X-server to make it read initial Xauth file.
# Default is false
#ResetForAuth=true
# See above
AllowNullPasswd=false
# See above
AllowShutdown=All
# Enable password-less logins on this display. USE WITH EXTREME CARE!
# Default is false
#NoPassEnable=true
# The users that do not need to provide a password to log in. NEVER list root!
# "*" means all non-root users. @<group> means all users in that group.
# Default is ""
#NoPassUsers=fred,ethel

# Greeter config for local displays
[X-:*-Greeter]
# See above
PreselectUser=Previous
# See above
FocusPasswd=true
# Specify whether the greeter of local displays should start up in host chooser
# (remote) or login (local) mode and whether it is allowed to switch to the
# other mode.
# "LocalOnly" - only local login possible
# "DefaultLocal" - start up in local mode, but allow switching to remote mode
# "DefaultRemote" - ... and the other way round
# "RemoteOnly" - only choice of remote host possible
# Default is LocalOnly
LoginMode=DefaultLocal
# A list of hosts to be automatically added to the remote login menu. The
# special name "*" means broadcast.
# Default is "*"
#ChooserHosts=*,host1,host2,host3.local,login.domain.com
# Show the "Restart X Server"/"Close Connection" action in the greeter.
# Default is true
AllowClose=false

# Core config for 1st local display
[X-:0-Core]
# The VT the X-server should run on; auto-assign if zero, don't assign if -1.
# Better leave it zero and use ServerVTs.
# Default is 0
ServerVT=7
# Enable automatic login. USE WITH EXTREME CARE!
# Default is false
#AutoLoginEnable=true
# If true, auto-login after logout. If false, auto-login is performed only
# when a display session starts up.
# Default is false
#AutoLoginAgain=true
# The delay in seconds before automatic login kicks in.
# Default is 0
#AutoLoginDelay=10
# The user to log in automatically. NEVER specify root!
# Default is ""
#AutoLoginUser=fred
# The password for the user to log in automatically. This is NOT required
# unless the user is logged into a NIS or Kerberos domain. If you use this
# option, you should "chmod 600 kdmrc" for obvious reasons.
# Default is ""
#AutoLoginPass=secret!
# Immediately lock the automatically started session. This works only with
# KDE sessions.
# Default is false
#AutoLoginLocked=true
# See above
ClientLogFile=.xsession-errors
# See above
ServerArgsLocal=-nolisten tcp -novtswitch -keeptty -config xorg.conf -layout Seat0

# Greeter config for 1st local display
[X-:0-Greeter]
# See above
PreselectUser=Default
# The user to preselect if PreselectUser=Default.
# Default is ""
DefaultUser=user1
# See above
BackgroundCfg=/usr/share/config/kdm/backgroundrc.seat0
# See above
FocusPasswd=true
# See above
GreeterPos=0,100
# See above
LoginMode=DefaultLocal
# See above
LogoArea=None
# See above
UserCompletion=false
# See above
UserList=false
# See above
Preloader=/usr/bin/preloadkde

[X-:1-Greeter]
# See above
BackgroundCfg=/usr/share/config/kdm/backgroundrc.seat1
# See above
DefaultUser=user2
# See above
FocusPasswd=true
# See above
GreeterPos=100,100
# See above
LoginMode=DefaultLocal
# See above
LogoArea=None
# See above
PreselectUser=Default
# See above
UserCompletion=false
# See above
UserList=false

[X-:1-Core]
# See above
AutoLoginEnable=false
# See above
AutoLoginLocked=false
# See above
AutoLoginUser=
# See above
ServerArgsLocal=-nolisten tcp -sharevts -keeptty -config xorg.conf -layout Seat1
# See above
ServerVT=9
/usr/share/config/kdm/backgroundrc.seat0 
# File: /usr/share/config/kdm/backgroundrc.seat0

[Desktop0]
BackgroundMode=Flat
BlendBalance=100
BlendMode=NoBlending
ChangeInterval=60
Color1=0,0,200
Color2=192,192,0
CurrentWallpaper=/usr/share/config/kdm/20100519-190000.jpg
LastChange=0
MinOptimizationDepth=1
MultiWallpaperMode=NoMulti
Pattern=fish
Program=
ReverseBlending=false
UseSHM=false
Wallpaper=/usr/share/config/kdm/20100519-190000.jpg
WallpaperMode=ScaleAndCrop
/usr/share/config/kdm/backgroundrc.seat1 
# File: /usr/share/config/kdm/backgroundrc.seat1

[Desktop0]
BackgroundMode=Flat
BlendBalance=100
BlendMode=NoBlending
ChangeInterval=60
Color1=0,0,200
Color2=192,192,192
CurrentWallpaper=/usr/share/config/kdm/20100519-185835.jpg
LastChange=0
MinOptimizationDepth=1
MultiWallpaperMode=NoMulti
Pattern=fish
Program=
ReverseBlending=false
UseSHM=false
Wallpaper=/usr/share/config/kdm/20100519-185835.jpg
WallpaperMode=ScaleAndCrop
/etc/udev/rules.d/90-creative-xmod.rules 
# File: /etc/udev/rules.d/90-creative-xmod.rules

# udev rules to disginguish the two Creative usb sound cards that plug into the usb hub

#DEVPATH=="/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.7/usb1/1-6/1-6.7/1-6.7.1*", GOTO="CreativeXmodLEFT"
#DEVPATH=="/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.7/usb1/1-6/1-6.4*", GOTO="CreativeXmodRIGHT"

DEVPATH=="/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.7/usb*/*-6/*-6.7/*-6.7.1*", GOTO="CreativeXmodLEFT"
DEVPATH=="/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.7/usb*/*-6/*-6.4*", GOTO="CreativeXmodRIGHT"

GOTO="CreativeXmodEnd"

##### LEFT SEAT
LABEL="CreativeXmodLEFT"

ENV{ID_MODEL}="Creative_Xmod_LeftSeat", ENV{ID_MODEL_ENC}="Creative\x20Xmod\x20LeftSeat", ENV{ID_SERIAL}="Creative_Technology_Ltd_Creative_Xmod_LeftSeat", ENV{NAME}="Creative Xmod leftSeat"
SYMLINK=="input/by-path/pci-0000:00:1d.7-usb-0:6.7.1:1.3-event", SYMLINK+="input/by-id/CreativeXmod-Button-LeftSeat"
SYMLINK=="snd/by-path/pci-0000:00:1d.7-usb-0:6.7.1:1.0", SYMLINK+="snd/by-id/usb-Creative_Technology_Ltd_Creative_Xmod-LeftSeat"

#ENV{ID_MODEL}="Creative_Xmod", SYMLINK+="snd/by-id/usb-Creative_Technology_Ltd_Creative_Xmod-LeftSeat"

GOTO="CreativeXmodEnd"
### END LEFT ###

# RIGHT SEAT
LABEL="CreativeXmodRIGHT"

ENV{ID_MODEL}="Creative_Xmod_RightSeat", ENV{ID_MODEL_ENC}="Creative\x20Xmod\x20RightSeat", ENV{ID_SERIAL}="Creative_Technology_Ltd_Creative_Xmod_RightSeat", NAME="Creative Xmod RightSeat"
SYMLINK=="input/by-path/pci-0000:00:1d.7-usb-0:6.4:1.3-event", SYMLINK+="input/by-id/CreativeXmod-Button-RightSeat"
SYMLINK=="snd/by-path/pci-0000:00:1d.7-usb-0:6.4:1.0", SYMLINK+="snd/by-id/usb-Creative_Technology_Ltd_Creative_Xmod-RightSeat"

### END RIGHT ###

### common ened

LABEL="CreativeXmodEnd"
]]> 憶老方 2015-03-06T05:43:00.001Z https://blog.tklee.org/en/posts/0543-憶老方/ 老方是我師大附中三年的導師。年初他病逝，我們694班同學在臉書上私人社團裡，紛紛表達對他的懷念。我人在遠方，無法親自參加公祭，託同學把我對他的懷念和感謝帶上。

憶老方

老方是我師大附中三年的導師。年初他病逝，我們694班同學在臉書上私人社團裡，紛紛表達對他的懷念。我人在遠方，無法親自參加公祭，託同學把我對他的懷念和感謝帶上。

在那個時代，給老師取綽號算是不敬。老方知道我們在背後這麼叫他，卻一笑置之。回想起來，「老方」的暱稱，和益師益友的他其實很相襯。

老方教數學，扎實的數學底子，讓我一生受益無窮。但我特別欣賞的，是他在課堂上不做作的態度。有時候他導公式寫了滿黑板，最後發現結果不對，他會請同學幫忙一起看，然後發現之前錯了一步時，他會拍頭一笑，回過重來。這種和學生一起探索的態度，和我與國外博士班指導教授討論想法，竟有異曲同工之妙。後來在工作上，我也用一樣的態度來帶新進的人員。我帶出來的人，特別有實驗精神，敢於表達意見，也讓我的團隊贏得最有創意的名聲。

老方對同學們一視同仁，但我個人有個印象深刻的小故事。

社團是附中特色之一。學生們在社團裡學習經營，發揮創意，結交朋友。但不少社團幹部會因此而影響學業，所以如果成績太離譜，學校會發一張「紅單子」，讓學業成績太離譜的學生不得再擔任幹部。有趣的是，在社聯會（所有社團幹部的聯誼會）裡，「拿紅單子」有時候反而被視為努力經營社團的光榮象徵。

高二時我擔任社團社長，把大部分心力都用在社團經營上，成績一度跌落谷底。有一天，老方把我叫到他辦公室；我當然知道他要說什麼，但我覺得反正他不可能了解社團人的執著，準備好硬著頭皮聽訓，聽完就算了。

進到他辦公室，他看著我笑了笑，問我知不知道他為什麼叫我來。我點了點頭。沒想到他說，「那就好。沒其他事了。」

霎時間，所有我事前的心戰策略全無用武之地。他輕輕一點，讓簡單的真理乍現：你成績怎樣是你的事，你知道自己在幹什麼就好。

雖然這好像是廢話，但我之前在一個逼讀文化（不管是當面逼，還是用制度逼）下成長學習，這是第一次看到師長直接移步側站，讓我自己去面對問題、抉擇及後果。

老方那句話，是我這輩子最後一次讓別人來擔心我的學業。

傳道，授業，解惑，老方也。

(My high school homeroom teacher passed away, and this is my tribute and eulogy to him. There's no English translation from me, yet.)

]]>