Piratebox: edit lighttpd directory listing

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There is a work around to allow you to customize the shared folder directory listing by editing /opt/piratebox/conf/lighttpd/lighttpd.conf

Add the following lines so lighttpd reads a HEADER.txt file.
dir-listing.auto-layout = "disable"
dir-listing.show-header = "enable"
dir-listing.hide-header-file = "enable"
dir-listing.encode-header = "disable"

Then create a HEADER.txt file under /opt/piratebox/www/Shared/ and enter a style sheet.
<style type="text/css">
.body {}
</style>
I used a style sheet from http://redmine.lighttpd.net/boards/3/topics/5418 as a proof of concept. You will have to copy the HEADER.txt to subdirectories too so that they match.
Restart lighttpd.
/etc/init.d/piratebox stop
/etc/init.d/piratebox start



my Piratebox project

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The PirateBox project has been on my radar for sometime now. I like the idea of a unique wireless network sharing data to anyone in range. Think pirate radio but with a server. Don't know what I'm talking about? see the wiki wiki.daviddarts.com/PirateBox_DIY. Having dabbled with it on a Debian  I wanted dedicated hardware.

On the technical side of things: my PirateBox is a simple TP-Link MR3020 router flashed with OpenWrt. It's portable, lightweight, and low powered; above all cheap. Everything works smooth, even the forum and shoutbox. You can download the custom OpenWrt image from David Darts website daviddarts.com/piratebox-diy-openwrt. 


When the install was finished I was left with wondering what to share. Books are the main media I share with friends, so I bundled a few books like A Brief History Of Time and The Hobbit.

Socially though, my project/experiment is a failure. I left the PirateBox running several days at home with not one upload from anybody. I think the problem is that my home is located in a ordinary town, in an ordinary suburban cul-de-sac. Tech savvy geeks don't exist here and the ipad kids and smartphone addicts will run away from anything labelled "Pirate". In the end I got bored, I changed the SSID name from 'share box' to 'starbucks wifi' in the spirit of gizmodo.com/5984909/whats-the-best-wi+fi-network-name-youve-ever-seen.

Tricks and tips I found.
Change the SSID via SSH terminal.
uci set "wireless.@wifi-iface[0].ssid=<enter your ssid here>"
uci commit
You can also edit the landing page via /opt/piratebox/www/. I slimmed mine down and tweaked it here and there. 

 Things to do:

  • Make it portable and take it to a busy public place.
  • Try out repeaters.


Traveling Hammock Village

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Weekend camping with my explorer scout group is like a travelling hammock cirrus.

No sound on ATI Radeon HDMI in Debian/Ubuntu

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Debian based distribution users- Getting no sound through your ATI radeon hdmi?

I had this problem with the latest ubuntu/mint. Make sure xserver-xorg-video-ati package is installed properly and check sound settings output.

My only fix is to edit grub and add a kernel flag. Use your favourite editor and edit /etc/default/grub.

# sudo nano /etc/default/grub 

Tweak the 11th line.
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"

To this:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash radeon.audio=1"

Save an exit (ctrl + x for nano.) Reboot and try. Good luck.

You can also try installing the awful FGLRX package. I wouldn't bother though. Nasty stuff.

Installed Auxo

It's very pleasing to the eye. Way better then the normal multitask bar.

I have a broken volume ribbon so I can't mute the iPhone without going into assistance. Auxo solves this with a mute toggle. All I have to do is slide the bar across and use the many toggles it comes with. Useful.





Transfer files over SSH on Ubuntu

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If you are looking for a GUI tool to transfer files to your Raspberry Pi, iphone, SSH account (remember them?) or another box, have a look at FileZilla.


It supports FTP, FTP over SSL/TLS (FTPS) and SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). To be honest I only use SFTP -I don't have to install and set up an FTP so long as SSH is available. Just make sure to port to 22. It's so easy! Raspberry Pi owners should definitely have a look.

You can install it on debian/ubuntu/mint via the filezilla package.

# sudo apt-get install filezilla

Checkout filezilla-project.org. There is even a server.

iOS6 tweaks - TorchNC

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TorchNC (cydia) places a light/torch switch in the notification area.

This is so much easier than messing around in the dark looking for a torch app.

Reasons to start blogging here again

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Number one. My beloved posterous was eaten by Twitter.


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