USB mounting a blackberry playbook in linux

Blackberry has decided that the playbook will not be visible as a mass storage device.  Lovely.  And, they only provide drivers for windows and mac.  Nice.  So, for us linux users?  There is a solution.  This has been blogged about by several people, but I'll summarize it here for at least my own purposes.

Basically, what we'll be doing here is having the playbook appear as a USB network card on linux and using a SMB mount.

1.  Settings -> Storage & Sharing:

• Change "USB Connections" to "Connect to Windows"

• Change "Network Identification" to give your playbook a network name, workgroup and a username.

• Set "File Sharing" to ON

• You can optionally turn ON Wi-Fi sharing so that you can use SMB mounts over Wi-Fi, but that is much slower than the USB mount we're about to cover.
• Set a password - again, this is optional.  I didn't bother because I intend to disable file sharing when I am done.

2.  Settings -> About -> Network

• With your playbook connected to your computer via the USB cable, the playbook should have an IPv4 address assigned to the USB NIC.  Take note of the address.  

3.  On your linux PC (one that uses gnome/nautilus in this case)

• Open Nautilus, and from the FILE menu, select "Connect to server..."  (sorry, no screenshot, but apparently one can't take screenshots when a menu is active)
• In the "Connect to server..." dialog:

              - select "windows share" for service type

              - enter the IP address you noted above into the "Server" field

              - set the "Share" field to "/media"

              - enter the playbook file sharing username that you set

•  Once you click "connect" the playbook should now be mounted and visible in nautilus.

IF you prefer to do things from the command line as I do, then replace step 4 with the following:

     smbmount //169.254.67.137/media /media -o leo 

Of course, replace the IP address, username and mount destination with your own.

One final point, if you would prefer to use Wi-Fi mounting, not much changes, just the IP address of the playbook, which is more likely on your local network rather than an 169.xxx.xxx.xxx (avahi?) network address that is used for the USB NIC.

Backyard Ice Rink - the tarp arrives!

The tarp has finally arrived!  20'x30' and white.  I've laid it out across the rink area, screwed in the four corners, and moved it so that it lays evenly across the area.  Here's what it looks like:

Along the boards, I simply used some extra drywall screws I had to fasten the tarp eyelets to the boards so that the wind doesn't blow it away while we wait for the deep freeze.  The screws had to be put in at an angle as shown below:

And finally, I added some extra illumination - the lighting might need to be adjusted, but here's what it looks like at night:

Backyard Ice Rink - attempt one.

Okay, so this year I've decided to attempt a backyard ice rink.  My boy has started hockey and hopefully a rink this close will spur some interest.  After a quick survey of the yard, I've determined that I can land a 20' x 30' pad that is "level enough".  (Actually, it's 28' x 18', the tarp is 30' x 20', need some extra to hold in the water). Beyond that, there's just too much slope.  So, up first is the bill of materials:

• 20' x 30' white 6mil tarp: $51.99 ($39.99, $12 shipping)
• boards - six  2"x10"x10': $53.34
• boards - four  2"x10"x8': $26.68
• stakes - four 2"x4"x8: $8.92
• four corner brackets: $11.96
• one box of 100x3" green deck screws: $11.49
• subtotal: $164.38, tax: $21.37, grand total: $185.75

STEP 1: string up the box
As you can see in the image below, I have marked the four corners with stakes and run twine between the posts.  This indicates where the stakes will go.

STEP 2: insert the stakes
Here I have my box of stakes.  Rather than paying the $0.99 each for 2"x2"x4' stakes, I simply bought 2"x4"x8' and cut them down to 6 stakes per.

Next, I have lined up the boards and started pounding in some stakes - two per board.  Note: when you have misplaced you sledge hammer, the backend of an axe will suffice.

STEP 3: install the boards
Yes, that's my wife's garden I'm trampling.  She wasn't too happy, but a rink for my boy trumps the garden.   The boards are now screwed into the stakes using the 3" deck screws.  I used the green screws in hopes that they won't rust.  Two screws per stake should be enough.

STEP 4: fasten the boards to each other:
Here cut a few leftover stakes in half and screwed the adjacent boards to each other.

In the corners I used metal brackets.

STEP 5: time for coffee
 This is the finished product.  Now I'm frozen, going in to get a coffee.  And wait for my tarp to arrive.  I'll lay down the tarp once the ground is near frozen so as to not damage the grass.  Once we get some sub-zero temperatures, I'll start the flooding.