How to make a DIY Dvorak keyboard

Ever since learning that the QWERTY layout was invented by some clown to stop mega fast typing, I have been angered by said layout.

The Dvorak layout was invented to lessen typing fatigue as it is optimised for the English language.  

I decided to hack a USB QWERTY keyboard and make it Dvorak, it's easy!

First get a USB keyboard, you may want to try a used cheap one to practice on.

Then using a screwdriver, lever out all the letter keys, and some of the symbol keys as shown in the picture.

Next, plug in the naked keyboard and change the keyboard layout in your operating system to Dvorak.  For Ubuntu it is in system>preferences>keyboard.

I used a pencil to press each key switch to verify which letter went where.  This was easier than transposing the layout from a picture.

All done and ready to go.

Typing the first sentence too like 10 minutes, it felt so different.

Typing in the Dvorak layout is a bit different, all the keys for most words feel closer together, i.e the fingers don't have to travel as far to write most words.  This means more efficient typing in the long run.

 
I may try the One Handed Dvorak layout next, optimised for eating a sandwich while typing.

MSI L1350D Netbook Wireless Lan Chipset

I have been thinking avbout buying the MSI L1350D Netbook. The price at Officeworks in Australia is $249, which is a reasonable price in my opinion.

I went to a store to check it out and on initial imression it looks great.  The keyboard has nice raised keys, the hinges are good, it has becent ventilation and the DC power plug looks meaty (unlike some eeepc's).

The wireless chipset on this one is a Ralink RT2860, i could see it though the ventilation slots.

It has Realtek sound card as well.

Should be good with Aircrack-ng, rf mon seems to work with what I have seen on the net.

The only thing that looks yuck on it is the VGA connector, would be nice if it was a HDMI.

DVD case anti theft protection pics

Here are some pics of the anti theft protection used on retail DVD's.  Research from google shows that the system is called Alpha locking system and uses external magnets to move the locking tangs so it can become unlocked.  The sliver bits on the lock are made from steel, not magnets.

MD5 vs SHA sums

I just downloaded the latest Ubuntu, it is a reasonable download ~700Mb.  Before I burn it to disk it is a good practice to verify the copy by checking the SHASUM.

Usually the publisher of a file supplies the sum when it is released.  In my case it was in the ftp download directory.

In the past I have been using MD5 sums to check the files, but there have been talk the possibility of these being hacked.  SHA sums are much more complex than MD5's as shown below.

The usage of MD5SUM is very simple as shown in the help text.  This is exactly the same for SHA256SUM.

ubuntu-11.04-desktop-i386.iso:  OK

ubuntu-11.04-desktop-i386.iso:  OK

Inside the Netgear WG602 v2 Access Point DDWRT

Here are some pics of the insides of a Netgear WG602 v2 Wireless Access Point.

It has a internal and a external antenna, the external antenna has a reverse SMA male connection which allows a much better antenna to be installed.

Also there is a 4 pin header on the board.  From this source it seems that the header is a TTL RS-232 signal.

There is plenty of discussion online that this AP is capable of running DD-WRT Open firmware, which is great!

Enjoy the pics.