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12:38 AM
anybody here?
I have a PDF file which is a 10-page document of hand-written notes by a proffesor of an university
He scanned the notes but the text is very light , so it is hard to read it
Is there a way to make the text darker?
 
Heavy photo manipulation program (e.g. GIMP, photoshop) etc probably can do that. No idea how though
 
but GIMP can't work with PDF files
or can it?
 
@EinsteinsGrandson Extract all the images using pdfimages. Then use imagemagick to adjust them. If desired, combine them back into a new PDF.
 
OK thank you Mechanical
This is the craziest question ever but could you not do it for me?
I need to study for that exam and don't have much time left
;o)
 
If the prof scanned it it will have turned into pictures.
Pictures embedded in a PDF, but still pictures
A PDF stores pictures in two formats. One of those is a jpg
Which means you probably can extract the pictures and edit them
And if your profs handwriting is neat enough then you might be able to OCR it.
 
12:54 AM
How can I extract them, Hennes?
the pictures
 
@EinsteinsGrandson pdfimages -j -p input.pdf out
Imagemagick can probably also extract them directly.
pdfimages is an open source command-line utility for extracting images from PDF files. It is freely available as part of poppler-utils and xpdf-utils, and included by default with many Linux distributions. $ pdfimages file.pdf foo This usage produces a series of numbered images with "foo" as the prefix. pdfimages originates from xpdf. But Poppler (which is derived from xpdf) also includes an implementation of pdfimages. References * [http://cgit.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/tree/utils pdfimages and related files] in the poppler source code repository See also * List of PDF sof...
 
Pdfimages also exist for Windows or only for Linux?
 
@EinsteinsGrandson Should be cross-platform, but you might have to compile it yourself. If you're on Windows, it's simpler to skip it and try ImageMagick. Lower quality though, since it has to convert the images rather than just extracting them.
 
ok
I will try ImageMagick
I have adobe acrobat
Adobe Acrobat can't extract the images?
Btw, you are saying pdfimages is better than ImageMagick?
Should I use that one?
 
@EinsteinsGrandson ImageMagick will work by rendering the PDF and converting that to raster. That's basically like viewing the PDF and taking a screenshot. pdfimages will actually extract the images that are stored in the PDF, at their original resolution.
 
1:05 AM
ok
I have them extracted
What next?
Using ImageMagick to make the text in the pictures darker right?
 
1:35 AM
@EinsteinsGrandson Yes.
See if it has some sort of auto-contrast feature.
 
ok
Don't you know how I can run ImageMagick?
I downloaded the zip version for Windows and unzipped it
But don't know how to run it now
Do I have to build it now?
Compile it?
 
No idea about imageMagic and friends.
 
haha
OK
I will try to download a normal installing file
for Windows
 
1:53 AM
Awww
Description: An exception occurred while processing your request. Additionally, another exception occurred while executing the custom error page for the first exception. The request has been terminated.
The request was the first against the wall when the revolution came
 
2:26 AM
I used MS Office 2010 Picture Manager to adjust Contrast and Brightness
It worked great
 
3:06 AM
blah
two coursera courses I'm taking started, and they seem to be the only site that's massively slow on my cousin's internet connection
 
3:23 AM
hm, not working over opera either
 
 
2 hours later…
5:03 AM
going to be a long ass day.. 3/4th my office is empty, and I'm sleepy as hell thanks to the cough/cold meds
 
5:43 AM
@Sathya didn't get any sweets ? I am stuffed with sugar :)
 
@HackToHell we don't celebrate Pongal.. as for Sankranti, well I stay alone away from family thanks to work
 
too bad :(
 
 
1 hour later…
7:11 AM
Hello, mine turtle!
 
Bob
7:56 AM
@allquixotic people are supposed to say that to you
hm
I have a cable here labelled cat 6e
does that even exist?!
 
apparently
seen it tossed about here and there
 
Bob
bleh.. apparently cheap dodgy cables mislabelled
 
8:22 AM
@Sathya you there ?
 
@LittleChild yes
 
8:54 AM
Any potter heads here ? :P
 
9:15 AM
Anyone has idea why my once known wireless connection calles "Unavailable" is now shown as "Unavailable 2" and "Unavailable 3"? And why while it says connected to 2, it shows 3 above?
 
9:29 AM
There's probably a simple answer to this bountied question, but my first edition wasn't great. Hopefully this second edition, with a new title, is more attractive:
0
Q: scripting to allow for white space (in the name of a ZFS dataset)

Graham PerrinThis question was originally entitled: collect a range of ZFS-related information (zfs get all for all found file systems, and so on) Scripting help please I'd like to take output from two commands – zpool list zfs list … and for each found pool: zpool get all nameofpool … and for eac...

 
@GrahamPerrin I think your question is to be asked in Programming section:
 
9:46 AM
@Boris_yo No, that's offtopic. Please don't suggest sites if you're not active there.
it's Not "programming" section, Programmers is for "onceptual questions about software development"
 
10:39 AM
Like!
 
nice
 
And now we have the awesome new selector view in stable \o/
 
?
 
It now shows the a in bold because that's the part of the CSS selector that matched the selected element.
 
ah
 
10:44 AM
I really want the Canary menus, the look so slick :D
 
@OliverSalzburg screenshot?
 
@OliverSalzburg nice
 
11:26 AM
@Sathya HP Support assistant says my battery needs calibration. Howwver can I do it later ?
like after a few days ?
 
Is this bash script work on MAC? ubuntuone.com/4QdiyiGmYm308gVuprWr3T
 
@LittleChild you can, I guess. No idea tbh
 
12:14 PM
@DanialJose OS X is based on Unix and runs Bash, so it should run
 
Bob
@slhck Not necessarily - IIRC, the BSD based tools on OS X are not always compatible with the GNU versions often used in Linux (Ubuntu, in this case?)
 
@Bob True, good examples are find and sed, but this script doesn't use any of these
BSD find doesn't have a printf option, and BSD sed works a little different with option parsing IIRC
 
What is this garbage?
I hate these pages...
 
Bob
12:32 PM
@OliverSalzburg Ah, those.
 
Bob
Almost guaranteed to flood the first page of a Google search for any executable file
 
I don't get where this is coming from
 
Bob
And almost always utterly useless.
 
The only installed application on this server is Foxit Reader
Maybe it's some sort of crapware that came with it?
 
Bob
12:33 PM
@OliverSalzburg Crapware that comes with a server?
Where did the server come from?
Did you install the OS?
did anyone else get near it? :P
 
@Bob It wasn't on the server when I set it up :P
Yeah, the local admin has access to it
 
Bob
...ask what has been installed?
 
He installed FoxIt Reader and the application the server was commissioned for
At least, from what I can tell
 
Bob
wait, why would he install a PDF viewer on a server?
Do people not have laptops any more?
Or tablets?
Or desktops and printers?
 
I'm just glad it's not Adobe Reader to be honest
 
Bob
12:35 PM
:P
@OliverSalzburg Could that application be using dodgy third party libraries?
file creation/modification date?
 
@Bob Foxit Reader and NewTabs were installed on the same date
Let me check the file times
 
@Bob Only reason I ever installed a PDF reader on a server was to get the IFilter for indexing...
 
Bob
Actually, looks like one of those generic mess-around-with-browsers malware
 
Yeah, it came with FoxIt
Foxit was installed on 08:44, NewTabs at 08:50
 
Bob
12:40 PM
probably one of those toolbars promoted in installers
 
Yeah
That's a little very scary
 
Bob
Get a new admin.
 
@Bob I'm just doing consulting for them
 
Bob
Not only did he install a PDF viewer on a server, but apparently he didn't even read the options in the setup :\
@GrahamWager Special case? :P
 
I've done that (not on a server). Next > Next > Next > Next > Instal-OSHI just saw the toolbar installer.
 
Bob
12:42 PM
@tombull89 Did that once with Bablyon (fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-). Never again. Ever.
I ended up restoring a backup (thank god I had just taken a system image) - that thing is nearly impossible to remove :\
Oh yea, our office gives everyone admin access to the machines. Half of them have Ask toolbar installed...
I've seen a couple with multiple toolbars, too
 
@Bob Fairly, internal server (no internet) so couldn't be bothered to try and get a copy of the IFilter download as the Reader download was sitting on disk :P
 
Hello guys :)
 
1:33 PM
@avirk Cheers :)
 
@OliverSalzburg Hallo :)
@OliverSalzburg What's going on?
 
@avirk Setting up git on one of our servers
 
@OliverSalzburg so busy as usual :P
 
43
Q: gitosis vs gitolite?

greydetI am looking for installing a git server to share projects with my team. I don't want to create a user account on the server with SSH access for each developer that needs a git access. It seems there is two concurrent solutions that cover this issue : gitosis & gitolite. I could not find any...

Very useful post!
 
@OliverSalzburg I never gonna mess up with it :)
 
1:39 PM
hey guys , anybody here?
What can I do with it?
 
@EinsteinsGrandson with what?
 
@allquixotic You've got an EX4 root server from Hetzner, right?
 
My power supply is roaring
 
@EinsteinsGrandson then just feed it milk :P
 
it won't help
 
1:43 PM
Just kidding :P
 
@EinsteinsGrandson Replace the fan
 
what can i do with it?
so it's the fan that is creating this crazy sound?
 
@EinsteinsGrandson most of the time, in these cases.
 
ok
a friend of mine told me that the bearing is worn out
It is a 7-year-old power supply
So he can be right
;o)
 
1:48 PM
Stick a pencil in the fan blades, if the roaring stops, it was the fan
But there shouldn't be any other moving parts in it, so, it's most likely the fan
 
can I buy just a fan?
and replace it?
or I can only buy a new power supply?
 
Bob
@EinsteinsGrandson The general rule is to never open (or stick anything into) a PSU.
Just buy a new one.
I think @OliverSalzburg is referring to a case fan :P
At least, I hope so.
 
@OliverSalzburg remember sometime fan roar due to dust as of my laptop's did :P
 
It's a PC , not a laptop
 
Bob
@EinsteinsGrandson They have similar dust issues. You could try vacuuming. But at the end of the day, if it's seven years old it should probably be replaced.
 
1:52 PM
@Bob I'm just reckless like that :D
 
Bob
PSU capacitors degrade over time, too.
Therefore, maximum load decreases. And a PSU that old likely had a low max anyway.
In other words, just get a new one :P
 
@EinsteinsGrandson but it has a fan, or not?
 
Yes it does
I am planing to throw this PC away soon and get a new one
in 3 months
maybe sooner than that
 
Bob
@EinsteinsGrandson If you don't particularly care about the components or lifetime, you could just go buy a cheap PSU
 
@EinsteinsGrandson then use earphone to listen music than its roar ;)
 
1:54 PM
;o)
It does it like for 30 minutes each day
;o)
and you can't guess when exactly it does it
;o)
 
@EinsteinsGrandson then its not hard to use earphone for 30 min for a day :)
 
Hehe
Yes, that's true
 
Bob
I could buy a cheap 250W PSU for under $15 :\
unless you're planning to upgrade piecemeal, like @JourneymanGeek
 
Yes, it's around 25 bucks , the new one that I would need to buy...
 
As I told you this is not what you are looking for, and AFAIK there is no solution for single extension yet. If someone would know will come and help you. I'm also curious to see it if its possible. The best way to sync the extension manually make a bookmarked folder and just put the bookmark of your favorite extensions their. — avirk Jan 9 at 16:22
Is not that easy than edit the dll file all the time.
Why don't you edit the files once and copy the whole extension folder per FTP, USB Stick, Dropbox or whatever over to every PC and laptop? Are there more than your 2 laptops and 2 PCs from the question? The .DLL is a file which you have to copy into that extension folder. After that you have to edit 2 files. Thats it in theory. — nixda Jan 9 at 22:51
5
Q: Chrome plugin sync across multiple devices: Any way to disable a plugin on a particular device without disabling globally?

growseI use chrome across about 4 different workstations (2 laptops, 2 desktops) and I have my plugins / extensions synced across all of these. The problem I have is that one of the plugins (Gestures for Chrome) works great if you've got an actual mouse, but on a trackpad on Ubuntu, it just gets in th...

 
2:08 PM
Okay, this is weird. I just created an AWS account and realized that my Amazon account still uses @googlemail.com. So I change to @gmail.com
Now I wanted to double-check in the AWS profile, it still says @googlemail.com
And it won't let me change the address to @gmail.com because it says "it's already in use"...
 
@OliverSalzburg I'm looking for used SGS2 but not succeeded yet :(
 
@avirk Shouldn't there be a ton on ebay?
 
@OliverSalzburg not checked there yet :P
@OliverSalzburg and my preferences are for Lucknow which is near to me :P
 
2:33 PM
@OliverSalzburg EX4S :)
 
@allquixotic Awesome. What does the S stand for?
I didn't quite catch that while flying over the site :D
 
@OliverSalzburg exStra RAM?
it basically means double RAM (higher monthly fee)
 
Oh, now I find the product matrix
3TB storage, sweet O__O
Want!
 
you can technically get up to 12TB of storage if you go RAID-0 or JBOD
I'm using it in 3TB Hardware RAID-1
need the redundancy more than the space
 
3TB would be heaven compared to what I have to deal with right now
Filesystem            Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda3              18G  8.5G  8.1G  52% /
 
2:35 PM
my problem is cutting out a lot of old cruft that I don't need when migrating from my EQ10 to my EX4S
I need to hurry up and do it before I have to pay another month on the EQ10
which is a much older and slower and less capable server, also more expensive
 
Oh, EQ were the previous line, right?
 
yeah, Nehalem
probably the day I migrate they'll come out with Ivy Bridge based servers >_< they always do that to me
 
I don't understand why I can't just get a tiny VM and mount loads of storage into it :(
 
oh, you're referring to the fact that most hosting providers that offer VMs give anemically small disk space?
 
@allquixotic Exactly!
 
2:37 PM
it's basically because they like to give out resources "in proportion" to make it easier to manage -- they give you 25% of a machine, and that includes 25% of its RAM, 25% of its cores, 25% of its disk, etc.
 
I can get a bigger package with a million cores and terrabytes of RAM, but I don't need those.
 
and big hdds are expensive so they get little ones (500GB - 1TB) and divy them up around many customers
 
@allquixotic I see, makes sense
I really liked Azure in that regard :\
 
Amazon EC2 will let you get perfect flexibility and only pay for what you need, but storage gets expensive
 
I really liked Azure in many regards actually...
@allquixotic Yeah, I looked into AWS earlier. But it was a bit overwhelming
 
2:39 PM
the problem is most hobbyists aren't prepared to pay at a linear scale for resources
50GB shouldn't be twice as much as 25GB
you can actually get an economy of scale at Hetzner, where twice as much resources aren't twice as expensive
 
I was also briefly considering using something like Google Drive for extra storage :D
 
and even the base level server is insane compared to what most VPSes give
 
But I don't know how that would work...
@allquixotic Yeah, I'm seriously considering upgrading to an actual machine again. But I'm not sure if I want to shell out 600EUR a year for it :\
 
@OliverSalzburg if you can mount it as a filesystem (using FUSE or a kernel driver) and do basic POSIX file ops on it, and if you can afford your calculated worst-case capacity consumption, you should probably use something like that, yes -- for example Amazon S3
Amazon S3 has several different-behaving filesystem drivers and the prices are reasonable for small gigs... if you're talking 1TB+ it gets expensive
 
@allquixotic Especially given that I'm primarily concerned with storage since I've started putting git repos on this server
We could also just shell out 10USD a month for GitHub
 
2:44 PM
personally I wouldn't store code on a server, I've been burned by that before... too unreliable
code is sufficiently small and sufficiently valuable that storing it anywhere less reliable than GitHub or Gitorious or Launchpad would be... suicide
I just don't think it's worth having it on my server, after trying that for a number of years... it can get lost, your server can crash
big enterprises like GitHub keep amazing backup plans
 
@allquixotic It's not for code, it's to keep "web directories" in sync
 
ack... images? audio? video?
 
@allquixotic All kinds of garbage, yeah. Basically, we usually use the same old CMS for all web projects we implement. So the folders consist of the CMS code and "the data"
The data is what I'm trying to properly sync between a project server, my desktop and the production system
 
version control systems are not very efficient in general at doing binary diffs, and GitHub might get up in arms if you're doing big data in what's supposed to be a code repository -- they even did a thing lately to prevent even open source projects from hosting big data drops with their code by eliminating the downloads section
the entropy is so high in most compressed images/audio/video/binaries that the binary diff algorithm will probably determine that it's cheaper to do a raw store of the new version (a "rewrite" of the file) rather than trying to diff out the changes, no matter how minor they may seem from an end user perspective
 
We'll see how well this works out once the first project is uploaded...
Maybe I'll just use my Raspberry Pi with a WD MyBook attached to it :P
I wonder how collocation prices would be for a setup like that ;P
 
2:53 PM
probably a lot for being an unusual setup
unless you can turn a Mybook on its side and fit in in a 1U slot
that's a silly idea though; RPi has terrible I/O throughput
as does USB 2.0
@OliverSalzburg btw, if you decide to go with Hetzner, let me know ;) I've heard from Martin Hetzner (head of the company) that they might be able to arrange some kind of credit for successful customer referrals
 
@allquixotic Well, I'm already a customer :D
 
@OliverSalzburg d'oh
 
guys I need a lil bit of help here!
@allquixotic can u help me with a battery issue ?
?????
any one ?
@r.tanner.f hello :)
 
3:09 PM
@LittleChild please just state what your issue/question is, and anyone who is able to help, will help
 
erm so I ran a battery test using my HP Support Assistant
it said that battery is fine and will need to be calibrated
so I did as the instructions said
would you like to have a look at the instructions
 
Sure, if you have some easy way of providing them.
 
hang on!
 
@LittleChild how goes?
 
not good
 
3:11 PM
@LittleChild I sense a case of computer
Hypochondriasis or hypochondria (sometimes referred to as health phobia or health anxiety) refers to excessive preoccupancy or worry about having a serious illness. This debilitating condition is the result of an inaccurate perception of the body’s condition despite the absence of an actual medical condition. An individual suffering from hypochondriasis is known as a hypochondriac. Hypochondriacs become unduly alarmed about any physical symptoms they detect, no matter how minor the symptom may be. They are convinced that they have or are about to be diagnosed with a serious illness. Even...
 
erm... ???
ahahaha!! no not at all, not me!
 
there's probably nothing to worry about; unless you are experiencing specific symptoms, don't waste your time trying to see if diagnostic programs are telling you there's a problem -- they're designed to complain even if there aren't real problems just to get people in the shop to pay money
 
battery calibration is just so that the percentage battery remaining in the system tray will be more accurate, it doesn't affect the performance of the battery at all
 
it increased the wear% of the battery
 
3:14 PM
@LittleChild well of course it did -- lithium ions really don't like to be fully discharged
 
well so why wont it charge now
it says 0% plugged in, not charging
 
it should be charging, but it may be slow since you have the computer on at the same time
how long have you had it plugged in?
 
10mins
 
okay, it'll need a little longer than that
 
but previously when I plugged it in, it was plugged in, not charging
I gave it a hard reset and it came back to order
I am hypochondriac I guess :D
 
3:16 PM
@allquixotic No, a full discharge before you start using a battery is important.
 
hmm... might also be a heat issue... it can't charge if it's running too hot... maybe shutdown your PC in the evening when you go to sleep and leave it plugged in
the battery should be cold when the system is off so it'll be able to charge and should be 100% when you wake up
 
can battery firmware create an issue
It came with an 8% wear and now it is 19%
 
@TomWijsman it's not a new battery for him; he's been using it a while... and besides, the discharge is just to calibrate the software sensor saying what the charge level is... which really isn't all that useful...
 
@LittleChild The hard drive test in that is worthless though, could as well use the BIOS for that.
 
They didnt have any option to recalibrate the battery
like Samsung does
 
3:18 PM
I'm kind of surprised that the wear level increased so much by a single full discharge though
that part doesn't seem quite right
 
I can get the battery replaced because it is IN WARRANTY
 
but only if it is defective :P
 
@allquixotic The other thing is the every 30 days rule, but well, less useful rule than the other one.
 
yeah, TOM is right. every 30 day you should re calibrate
alright, I will turn off the computer and let it charge
 
that sounds like black magic; I've never heard any manufacturer of any Li-Ion powered device ever tell me to re-calibrate it every 30 days, or ever, really
I'm leaning towards placebo. I never recalibrate in the first place (even on a brand new device) and don't have battery issues at all
 
3:21 PM
I will let it charge for an hour
and then report back.
if that is fine with yu guys
 
the chat isn't going anywhere
 
people in the chat are
One last thing
 
there will probably be more people here in an hour than there are now
it'll be almost lunchtime
 
After it was totally discharged in the BIOS
and the PC shut down
 
are there many other PST people here? I know nhinkle is. most of us are still strolling in to work at this hour.
 
3:23 PM
@r.tanner.f heh, nice... EST here
 
Nevermind. IST here
it is charging
PTL
@allquixotic do you buy the original batteries of the replicas that come for cheap ?
and the same question is out for everyone
 
@LittleChild I typically don't use a device long enough to even need a replacement battery -- but, in the rare cases that I do, I just buy the OEM (original) battery
 
well I live on my laptop :D
 
I don't trust the safety or longevity of aftermarket batteries
 
why is that ?
I agree on the longevity part, byt safety ?
 
3:29 PM
because they cut corners, and there are numerous complaints every time about the safety and longevity of them. I thought it was pretty obvious. -- regarding safety, lithium ion batteries can catch on fire or explode if improperly designed; sometimes OEM batteries do this, so when a big industrial manufacturer who doesn't care about the customer makes them, I can only conclude it'll be even less safe
 
thats a point there...
 
at least most OEM batteries are carefully tested, but aftermarket crap is just that -- crap. you get what you pay for.
 
@allquixotic I had two batteries blow up, I could've been dead by now. :D
So, running this beast without a battery!
 
batteries blow up ?
 
@TomWijsman nice... don't blame you for running without a battery
 
3:30 PM
@TomWijsman please tell me more
well I plan to run it without a battery but the power in my country is erratic
comes adn goes
so you never know!!!
 
batteries are full of nasty, corrosive, reactive chemicals. they're walled off by sections designed to prevent them from reacting uncontrollably, but if those seals fail, boom/fire ensues
 
Well, batteries can blow up. I guess there's something wrong with my laptop's power circuit but haven't cared so far to inspect it in low level details.
 
ok..
 
They first bulge (grow a bit) to a point they no longer fit properly into the laptop, and from there on... :D
So yeah, exploded away from the laptop, luckily.
Not really explode, but more like fire and smell.
I can't seem to buy a laptop that just works. :D
 
@TomWijsman I know the feeling, there's always something
 
3:34 PM
I will use it for like a few weeks, if it lasts that long and then claim warranty :D
computers are so sinister!
@TomWijsman and allquixotic, I was wondering that could it be that the battery firm ware developed an issue ?
 
@LittleChild yes, of course it's possible -- though firmware doesn't "develop" anything; if a flaw existed, it's been there since the beginning (a design flaw)... most batteries don't even support firmware updates
 
and you had said that heat could cause the power to the battery to be cut off, is that right ?
 
many batteries will detect an overheat condition and stop charging, yes
 

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