Alright, you have a Linux server connected to your television. You don’t want to have to plug a keyboard into it to play movies, right? You most likely have some other computer on the network you would like to launch mplayer from and then have the output to the television. Well thanks to xservers we can take care of this. 
Log into your server and create a /usr/local/bin/mplaytv script like this:
#!/bin/bash
DISPLAY=:0.0 mplayer -fs -zoom "$1"
Make sure you make it executable.
chmod 755 /usr/local/bin/mplaytv
Now you can play something with the new script and the output will go to the xserver attached to the TV.
Make sure you run the mplaytv script as the user logged into the xsession on the server, or you will get xsession errors.
mplaytv Some_Video.avi
You should see some activity in your shell and mplayer controls are attached to that shell, So keyboard shortcuts also work remotely.
Linux Media, Done.
Simple ain’t it?
Posted in geek speak, instal notes | No Comments »
The Steamboat Ski Area has announced the lineup for 2009’s Bud Light Rocks the Boat free winter concert series. All concerts are free and are at the Gondola Square base area. Shows start at 3 p.m., except for a 7 p.m. performance by Citizen Cope.
■ March 7: Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band (funky dance music from Asheville, N.C.)
■ March 14: The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band (alternative blues from Indiana)
■ March 21: John Brown’s Body (reggae and electronica from Cambridge, Mass.)
■ March 26: Citizen Cope (a hip-hop-influenced pop and rock act from Brooklyn, N.Y.)
■ April 4: Ryan Shaw (a soul singer from Brooklyn, N.Y.)
■ April 12: Ozomatli (a hip-hop- and funk-influenced Latin dance band from Los Angeles)
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Went skiing today with haroldt. This is the gaper story for the day.We arrived late, but hey, at least we got up the mountain on a powder day.
Took off like storm troopers looking for freshies and did quite well on triangle and in the lolly-gag trees. Time was running out but we ended up at the south peak chair at 3:30. A great place to end up at that time because you are far away from the base area and have two chair rides to get you home. Still..
We rode up the south peak chair and then hit ROLEX. This kicked both of our asses good. Headed for the Elkhead chair with nothing left in our legs. It appeared there was no line at all and I was looking forward to having a place to sit down. (really I was)
This is when the gaper stuff begins.
I slide up to Elkhead ready to sit down and there is a couple in the lift line ahead of me, hey I’m chill. I have to wait a few seconds for harlodt to slide up behind, so I just stand there waiting. Then harlodt arrives. We are ready to sit down, but there is an obstruction. The couple (now know as the gaper couple) is asking the lift-op how to get off the mountain and he is more than happy to take time to explain the nuances of skiing the Elkhead saddle. “You go up this chair… then you have to take a left…(and so on and so on and so on)” By this time, it is quite noticeable that several chairs have gone by. And, ah, hey!, we are back here!, waiting! The kind gaper wife offers to scoot over to let us pass. She says, “Would you like to go around? Go around.” The magic words! We say thanks and all that to be polite and scoot on up to the red line, together with the gaper couple. The lift-op with his Elvis sunglasses on and not knowing WTF is happening hollers out, “FOLLOW THIS CHAIR!”
Push……………… I go.
Push……………… haroldt goes.
Push……………… gaper guy goes .
his wife………….. left behind.
Gaper guy starts talking to us for a moment thinking we were his wife, then caught himself.
Gaper guy: “Where’s Margie?”
phrog: “She decided to ride the next chair. See.. She is just back there don’t worry (pointing).
This chair goes to the same place as that one.” 
To Be Continued………?
Posted in day to day | 1 Comment »
