2005年5月30日

Finally, Hibernation.

- Fedora core 3 with latest kernel rpm. (2.6.11-1.27_FC3 now)
- My Protégé 2000 laptop.

FC3 does not enable the experimental "software suspend (swsusp)" feature for kernel 2.6.x. So I decided to take it into my own hands.
  1. Download the latest kernel source rpm from fedora updates.

  2. Install the kernel source rpm. (into /usr/src/redhat, usually.)

  3. Modify SOURCES/kernel-(whatever)-i686.config, add the following:

    CONFIG_SOFTWARE_SUSPEND=y
    CONFIG_PM_STD_PARTITION=(your swap partition. /dev/hda3 in my case)

  4. Modify SPECS/kernel-2.6.spec, modify %define buildsmp 1 to %define buildsmp 0 to save some time.

  5. $ rpmbuild --target=i686-pc-linux -bb SPECS/kernel-2.6.spec

  6. Install the new rpm.

How to hibernate:

$ echo -n "shutdown" > /sys/power/disk
$ echo -n "disk" > /sys/power/state

If your swap partition is in different place with the one compiled into kernel, append resume=/dev/xxx to kernel paramters.

2005年5月24日

Fedora Core 3 on Portégé 2000

header-fedora_logoInstalling Fedora Core 3 on Portégé 2000 is really straight-forward. With an external cdrom plugged in USB slot, I successfully want through the whole setup process without problem. Just remember to load usb mass storage driver to let the install program find the USB CDROM.

The only tricky thing is that the suspend function won't work in the beginning. Yes, it will go to suspend with no trouble, but after I pressed the power button to wake it up, it will perform a clean shutdown immediately. I had been digging about this problem on the Internet for quite a few days without any luck. Finally I found a post today indicates that the "sample.conf" under /etc/acpi/events might be the cause. I suddenly recalled that sample.conf tells the system to shutdown when someone pressed the power button, and that's why my system keeps halt itself after resume. Quite a simple and stupid answer, just like must of the bugs in software.

So just edit /etc/acpi/events/sample.conf, mark the power button event as comments, then the suspend function will work just fine.

Toshiba provides a fn-key to perform some quick adjustments like LCD brightness, system suspend, hibernate, etc. It'll be nice to have this feature under Linux environment, so I grabbed and installed the fnfx rpm from its project website. It proves to be quite handy.

The only problem now is that FC3 does not support hibernation. Perhaps I'll find a solution later.

2005年5月23日

Intel 2011B under Linux

*** Caution: extremely boring technical stuff below. Don't mess with your eyes unless you're familiar with Linux & programming stuff.


By Intel 2011B, I suggest my Intel® PRO/Wireless 2011B LAN PC Card, which is a PCMCIA wireless card that supports 802.11b. I use it on my laptop (Toshiba Portégé 2000) to access the wireless network.

prod_portR100_300x300The Portégé 2000 is an ultra slim, ultra light notebook, even with nowadays standard. However, it sacrifice speed for its size, so the performance of the factory-installed Windows XP on it is not very satisfying. After I installed Fedora Core 3 (FC3), the whole system runs smoothly, but the wireless card isn't working anymore, and the ACPI does not work very well either.

This article tries to explain the procedure to make 2011b works under FC3.

Description:

The orinoco driver provides a good solution to wireless NICs based on this chip-set. However, this driver will not work properly with Intel 2011B by a simple compile-and-install action. This is because Intel does not have the firmware embedded on card, instead they store it in their windows driver, and upload it onto the NIC when it's inserted into the PCMCIA slot. There's nothing wrong with this method, since it could save the extra cost of EPROM. The real problem is: Intel DOES NOT provide driver of 2011b for Linux. SHAME ON THEM.

HOW-TO:
  1. Get Orinoco wireless driver first. I used orinoco-0.15rc2.

  2. If it does not compile successfully with your kernel 2.6.x, try this patch.

    Download the patch, and then save it under the orinoco-0.15rc2 source directory.

    Under orinoco-0.15rc2 directory, type the following command:

    patch -p0 < orinoco-0.15rc2-2.6.patch

  3. Get get_symbol_fw & parse_symbol_fw. Execute them. Now we have spectrum_fw.h. Move it into the source directory.
    (I may not put it on the Internet directly because of legal issues.)

  4. Edit spectrum_cs.c, unmark #define SPECTRUM_FW_INCLUDED 1 on line #58.

  5. make.make install as root. Done.

  6. Insert 2011b. Use dmesg to see if it works.

2005年5月15日

再談藝術與裸露

下段引自東森新聞報

世新畢展「睡美人」三點全露~ 女學生:這是藝術電影
2005/05/14 15:44 Video

世新大學廣電系13日晚間在台北新光影城(原獅子林戲院)舉辦畢展開幕式,其中開幕劇「睡美人」4位女主角全裸上陣,女主角阿雅表示,三點全露演出,家人都知情,希望外界不要戴上有色眼鏡。
記者韓佩穎、林加發/台北報導

世新大學廣電系13日晚間在台北新光影城(原獅子林戲院)舉辦畢展開幕式,其中開幕劇「睡美人」因劇情需要,4位目前仍是大學生的女主角全裸上陣,三點全露,引起外界一陣爭議。東森新聞獨家專訪到其中的一位演員女學生阿雅,她說這是藝術電影,要請大家不要用有色眼鏡看待。

畢展影像開幕片改編自川端康成的短篇小說「睡美人」,內容敘述喪偶的老人來到一間秘密的旅店,此處提供熟睡少女一起過夜。這裡的老人不會因為自身的衰老而感到自悲,進而獲得心理的補償,試圖麻痺喪偶悲傷的老人,藉由少女裸睡相陪,得到某種程度上的滿足,明知危險仍數度經不起誘惑的驅使前往此地,熟睡的少女們讓老人的慾望全告復甦,但也引來了意想不到的結果。

一臉素淨,穿著保守,她就是為了畢業作品,全裸演出、三點全露的女主角,阿雅,問她演出尺度超大膽的電影,會不會尷尬,她說專業的表演勝過一切。阿雅一再強調,這部作品是改編自日本小說。雖然劇中有許多裸露的鏡頭,或是和老演員袒裎相見的對手戲,尺度超大膽,演出時也沒有作任何的防護措施,就三點全裸上陣。

現在還是大學生的阿雅,以前就當過畫室的人體模特兒,有過專業的表演經驗,雖然劇中有許多裸露的鏡頭,或是和老演員袒裎相見的對手戲,甚至是演出時沒有任何的防護措施,她說她不在乎為戲裸露,而對於有人用有色眼光看待這部電影,她覺得很可笑。

阿雅說,父母親都知道她是全裸拍攝這部影片,也了解裸露是演出的一部份,她希望大家看到的是,新新人類在藝術電影上的付出,以後才會有更多有創意的作品,呈現在大家的眼前,也希望外界要用健康的心態去看待。


在之前「兔子與雲的情色聯想」之後,這篇新聞又引起我一些雜七雜八的思考。不知道有沒有人也認為,大膽寬衣演出,對藝術而言,實在是太過「方便」了。

對於想表達的意念而言,裸露是不是「唯一」的表達方式,「必得如此」?

還是要捫心自問,選擇此法,其實是連帶看中了裸露所引起的廣告效果、引起話題、媒體盲目追訪?總之,「能吸引注意力,就是好的」?反正一旦引起質疑,只需鼻孔朝天,鄙夷的一哼,斥道「此等藝術,俗人如何能懂」,乾淨俐落。

裸露若是可以正確傳達意念,那麼一脫又何妨。但如果此一方便,卻影響更深層、更困難的思考,那麼這樣的方便卻反而有害。好的作品,經常是在諸多框架,諸多限制之下,才出得來。

更別提台灣最擅長的一窩蜂。更別提垃圾導演們居心不良的「藝術,一切都是為了藝術啊」。女演員們,可不見得都能正確分辨「藝術」的。

2005年5月3日

Downfall - 帝國毀滅

poster1
很好的電影,說的是希特勒在第三帝國崩解前最後12天的記錄,主要改編自其女秘書瓊格的回憶錄,真人真事。值得說好的地方,大概以下幾點:

一是,以人性的角度來看希特勒。這也是此片備受爭議的原因之一,有人說這是美化了希特勒,我期期以為不然。人常常有種抗拒的心理,對於無法理解的事情,就歸於非我族類。所以希特勒常被視為惡魔,又有種種罹病、性變態等等揣測,總之他越不正常,離正常人的距離越遠,正常人們就感到越安全。

然而這部片中的希特勒,雖然不脫酷虐本性,卻也傳達出梟雄末路的無奈,更多時候,看起來甚至只是個偏激的老頭。如此拉近的距離,才更能讓人察覺到冰冷的事實:

納粹的暴行,也是由有血有肉的人做出的。只要情況允許,同樣的事情,仍然可以再度發生。

以這樣的角度,對於過往的歷史才更能正視,有了理解與正視,要如何避免再度發生,才有了著力點。

二,觀影角度為女性視野,對於女秘書與伊娃兩角多有著墨。這兩位女性在戰爭中是善良的,他們敬愛著希特勒,並堅強的面對種種磨難,以女性的堅韌去克服。伊娃面對著苦難仍然歡笑以對,堅守自己所愛直到最後,無論對錯,只有愛或不愛。而女秘書瓊格 (Junge) 的求生意志,與驚人的心理素質,都很了不起。這樣的人在戰亂中,可以毫不猶豫的活到最後。

所以由微觀來看,他們對於周遭世界的反應,都是正常而善良的。但由巨觀來看,他們卻是希特勒的幫凶。瓊格在最後現身說法的一段話,非常動人。他說他直到戰後才知道希特勒屠殺了六百萬猶太人,然而「年輕並不是無知的藉口」。以無知為名,憑藉著情感與良知做事,並不就能合理化自身的行為。

冷漠亦是。自命清高的對濁世的腐敗置之不理,滌吾足而不願髒了衣服,這樣的人不過是幫凶罷了。我引一段別人寫的話:

第二次世界大戰以後,德國牧師「馬丁‧尼莫拉(Martin Niemoller)」為了讓世人記住納粹屠殺猶太人這一血腥恥辱,在波士頓樹起了一塊紀念碑上,碑上銘刻了這樣一段話:「當初他們(法西斯德國納粹黨)殺共產黨,我沒有作聲,因為我不是共產黨;後來他們殺猶太人,我沒有作聲,因為我不是猶太人;再接下來他們殺天主教徒,我仍然保持沈默,因為我不是天主教徒;最後,當他們開始對付我時,已經沒有人為我講話了…」
(來自羅郁棠﹕欣賞電影《帝國毀滅》有感

台灣的現況,很該看看這樣的電影。