LugRadio, Season 5 Episode 2
In the latest episode of LugRadio, “Lock, Stock, and One Smoking Barrel”, the team talk to Greg Kroah-Hartman from the Linux Driver Project, explore the potential of Open Source online office suites, discuss how the Free Software community approaches criticism and takes another mystery tour to find a long-lost free software project, all presented with the usual humor, colour and flourish that you have come to expect from the LugRadio team.
[Download](https://www.lugradio.org/episodes/85) – [Digg It](https://digg.com/linux_unix/LugRadio_Season_5_Episode_2_Lock_Stock_and_One_Smoking_Barrel)
Hitting The Big Time
Wow, today I got an email from Don Marti, legendary writer that he is:
> Congratulations — based on links from bloggers who get syndicated on Linux-related Planet sites, you’re
at the top of the Linux blog A-list.
> [https://www.linuxworld.com/community/?q=node/1447](https://www.linuxworld.com/community/?q=node/1447)
Good grief. 🙂
Also, Langridge is at #6. Good stuff. 🙂
Does this mean that while backstage I can now finally demand a medium white Casablanca lily arrangement with weeping eucalyptus, white doves, a motorised golf cart and a bowl of M&Ms with the green ones removed? Maybe not.
Memory Lane…the metal version
Back in May 2002, my band Seraphidian went into the studio for the first time. We went to Magic Garden Studios in Wolverhampton and worked with Gavin Monahan, our producer to record our first EP. It was called *Silent Aggression*, had three tracks plus a bonus radio interview and it was recorded and mixed within the space of a (very, very long) weekend. We subsequently went in and recorded two follow up records over the next few years – *Relentless* and *Caged*, but unfortunately I lost my copy of Silent Aggression.
Well, while tidying this weekend, I found a framed copy of Silent Aggression, and lo and behold, the disc inside it actually had music on it. This is how it looks:
[large version](https://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1468701098&size=l) – *Front cover and disc.*
[large version](https://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1468701112&size=l) – *Lyrics and band photos, how metal we all look.* 😛
When I found it I rushed downstairs, put the CD in my CD player and the memories came flooding back. The CD has a nice warm feel to it, with a rustic thick drum sound and a bite to it. Very Overkill sounding in nature. At the time it was notably better in production quality than most bands on the scene, and this was because we worked to get in at Magic Garden; a studio that only recorded bands that Gavin, the producer (a) liked and (b) felt would reflect his studio well enough.
Anyway, I have ripped a bunch of songs and put them online for the curious and the bored. The songs I am most proud of are Act Of War and The Curse. Give Act Of War a listen for sure.
* [Skull](https://www.recreantview.org/songs/Seraphidian-Skull.mp3) – One of the first songs we ever wrote, called Skull because we thought it was similar to Skull Crusher by Overkill, one of our main influences.
* [The Curse](https://www.recreantview.org/songs/Seraphidian-The_Curse.mp3) – I watched a documentary about the curse of Tutankhamun, and this was the inspiration for this song, utilising a few unusual scales to give it a slightly exotic feel.
* [Act Of War](https://www.recreantview.org/songs/Seraphidian-Act_Of_War.mp3) – On 9/11, that evening I had one of my regular jams with Steve in the band. We were shocked and disgusted by the events of that day that we wanted to write a song to reflect the many different emotions going on – shock, sadness, anger, hatred, loss etc. As I mentioned on another post recently, we actually re-mixed this song to censor it slightly. On the original version in the studio we included some audio clips from the news reports on the day, but when playing the song to friends and family before we released the EP, a number of people found it quite upsetting. With 9/11 so devastatingly new and fresh in peoples minds, we felt it best to remove the clips, and this is the version without the clips. Unfortunately, I don’t have a copy of the version with the original clips in it. I am really proud of this song. It is a long song, but is diverse and I feel was one of our most creative songs at the time. It is also notably slow and lethargic to get across the right mood. See what you think.
Slight trivia fact – the face on the front is my friend [Lee Jordan](https://www.flickr.com/photos/prlewis/394332830/), photographed by Soraya Nasrat and subsequently poked with in photo editing application.
All Good
I bloody love the Open Source community. Thats all. 🙂
Memory Lane
The last house I used to live in was the first house since being a student. As such, that whole freedom of doing what you want with your house and making it you own resulted in a place that can only be described as…unique. As an avid gig-goer, I used to pick up all kinds of bits and pieces from gigs, and in many cases would hang out with the band and get some stuff signed and get photos taken. This material was all mounted in frames and hung on the wall. Before long the house resembled something like a Hard Rock cafe – stuff hanging on every wall, be it gig memorabilia, movie posters and props, action figures and other stuff.
My house today is very different, much less on the walls. Well, as I was tidying up today, I found some old gig memorabilia bits and pieces, so I figured I would take some pictures of them before they go into a drawer somewhere. I figured I would shove a few pics online.
*Some random gig tickets.*
*Signed Stratovarious and Halford tour programmes.*
*Plectrums from Testament, Yngwie Malmsteen, Hammerfall, Sepultura, Billy Sheehan and more.*
*Blaze and Overkill signed bits.*
*Signed Yngwie Malmsteen album inlay and Annihilator guest pass.*
*Signed Peter Weller photo.*
Most of the other stuff that used to be hung up got binned, including various movie props, drums sticks, plecs, tickets, programmes etc. Its a shame in many ways, but life is so much nicer without the walls being covered in this stuff. 🙂
Gutsy Beta Testers, come on in
Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls, Cats and Dogs, Sheep and Goats, Ace Of Bass, Boys 2 Men…erm…, anyway, I am pleased to point your already curious noses in the direction of the [Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon Beta Release](https://www.ubuntu.com/testing/gutsybeta). It is out, and it needs testing. And, guess what? This is where you ‘orrible lot come in.
You see, I know that my blog is read by a certain demographic that broadly splits in two – geeks and metallers, and a possible third demographic of bemused onlookers, looking for [Jono Coleman](https://www.jonocoleman.co.uk/) instead. Yes, he is the somewhat rotund Australian DJ from many moons ago, and regular sports-fans may remember a [mis-interpreted email](https://archivedblog.jonobacon.com/?p=576) I once sent him. People here for Coleman or Metal can move on, for this post is for all of my socks and sandals friends…
We need your help in getting Gutsy tested – we need everyone to upgrade and give it a good run for its money so we can fix bugs. If you are a Feisty user, head over to [this page](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GutsyUpgrades) to learn how to upgrade. If you are a new user, grab it from [this page](https://www.ubuntu.com/testing/gutsybeta). Install or upgrade and if you notice anything amiss, or any oddities, head over and [report your bugs](https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/). The beta is a pretty solid release and the team are only focusing on bug-fixing, so you can be pretty confident it should work fine, but the usual caveat with betas applies.
I did the upgrade yesterday, and everything is running pretty damn smoothly. It is a nice release, feels pretty solid, and I am particularly digging the desktop search and desktop effects integration. All good stuff. Lets make it even more rock solid by everyone making Gutsy jump through hoops and reporting bugs.
Have fun!
Dylan + LugRadio
Very cool (thanks to haakin):
*(if you can’t see the vid, visit this blog entry on jonobacon.com)*
New Ubuntu Team Reports
I am pleased to announce the availability of the very first [Ubuntu Project Team Report](https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TeamReports/September2007) – this is for September 2007. This report provides a summary of work for the following teams:
* Desktop Team
* Kernel Team
* Kubuntu
* MOTU
* Mythbuntu
* Screencast Team
* Server Team
* Ubuntu-IRC
* Ubuntu Women
* US LoCo Teams Project
The report provides a nice chunk of information about what the different teams have been working on and provides a one-stop-shop to see what the project as a whole is working on. This will help the project improve communication and make a better Ubuntu. This is a great way to show off what your team is working on.
You can always read the monthly reports [here](https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TeamReports) on the 24th of every month.
The plan is to get every team to provide a summary of their work each month. To make this as easy as possible, each team can [follow these instructions](https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BuildingCommunity/TeamReporting). Thanks so much to the teams who kicked off this new reporting infrastructure. I look forward to seeing more and more teams getting involved with the new reports.
LugRadio Returns With Season 5
Today the LugRadio team are proud to announce opening of Season 5 with the very first episode entitled [All Things Happen In Fives](https://www.lugradio.org/episodes/84). This is not just any old season though, we have [two new presenters](https://www.lugradio.org/presenters/), Adam Sweet and Chris Procter, a [brand new website](https://www.lugradio.org/), some [new promotional photography](https://www.lugradio.org/gallery/) and we are also going to be doing more live shows with Season 5. If you want to book LugRadio for a live performance, and to see other scheduled performances, [see here](https://www.lugradio.org/performance/). In addition to this, we have a new [LugRadio MySpace](https://www.myspace.com/lugradio) and if you search for *lugradio* on Facebook, you can find a community of LugRadio fans there too. And, lets not forget our stunning community on #lugradio on Freenode, on the [lugradio forums](https://forums.lugradio.org/), on [Planet #lugradio](https://planet.lugradio.org/) and [Clan LugRadio](https://clan.lugradio.org/).
But its not just the pretty face of LugRadio that is changing. After some planning sprints with the team, we have over 70 new ideas, wacky schemes and other surprises in store for Season 5. This is going to be a fresh approach on the traditional formula – expect more fierce debate, more comedy and more controversy. We are all primed and ready to kick arse after three years in the job, and are chomping at the bit with our big pile of ideas and our incredibly community of listeners who contribute so much to the show.
Another great new surprise for Season 5 is that we are announcing the dates of the very first LugRadio Live USA. It will take place on the 22nd and 23rd March 2008 at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco. It is going to be a hell of a show, and we look forward to meeting LugRadio fans over on the other side of the pond.
Finally, the community is what makes LugRadio, and we need all of you to help publicise the very first show of Season 5. So, fire up a web browser and go and pimp the show to every site you can muster. Lets spread the word and have a great time in Season 5. 🙂
Mystery Beard
When I got back from London earlier this week I had a few nice presents put through my door for my birthday. Thanks to whoever it was who sent me Hot Fuzz, thanks to Ilan and Maru for Robocop Trilogy, and then there is an oddity. I received this:
The package was addresses to *Jono Ali Babacon*.
Thing is, I have no idea who sent it. I do have a suspicion it may be a certain [spikey haired friend of mine](https://reverendted.wordpress.com/).
This refers to a joke at GUADEC in Spain when I was referred to as Ali Baba by random street seller selling pegs or something (due to my beard at the time), to the great amusement of my peers, specifically [my large ginger pal](https://www.kryogenix.org/). When we recorded LR on Wednesday night he swears blind it was him though.
The mystery continues…