Showering and Acne

(oh no that's not me).

Before I ponder on the bigger mysteries of life, allow me to dwell on the more mundane. Question in mind: can too much showering cause acne? This popped up unsolicited while I was enjoying an extra-tall glass of triple chocolate milkshake (which I think is also implicated in the acne debacle...more on that later). Being the geek that I am, tried it out myself - took daily nighttime showers for a week and noted the appearance of new pus-filled little red bumps. The result? One angry little red bump. On the crease right between my brows. Being the non-girly-girl I aspire to be, I just shrugged it off. Maybe it timed with my menstrual cycle (I had to admit in a not so not-girly-girl kind of way I really couldn't help). Of course, there are external other factors to look into (tall glass of triple chocolate milkshake included). Anyway, here's a more decent article explaining showering and its effects on pimples.

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Setting Up Apt-Mirror to Download Ubuntu Repositories and Create Local Repositories for Use in a Local Network

Yeah, I'm getting my Ubuntu geek on now.

(Methinks I like the meerkat/timon better. But I'm partial to mammals. I loove the karmic koala the best! But i'm digressing..)

On to the tutorial-slash-note-to-myself:


Open Terminal, type:

sudo apt-get update
(this I think updates packages already installed on the system)

Type:
sudo apt-get install apt-mirror
(downloads and installs the apt-mirror package)

Type:
sudo apt-get install apache2
(downlaods and installs the apache2 package you need to serve as local server)

Type:
sudo nano /etc/apt/mirror.list

This opens the mirror.list file in a text editor called Nano right in the Terminal console. You can edit the mirror.list according to your needs. Note: You will need to uncomment (remove the #) on the lines you are going to edit, otherwise nothing will happen.

I've set up mine as the ff:

############# config ##################
#
set base_path    /MYDIR
set mirror_path  $base_path/mirror
set skel_path    $base_path/skel
set var_path     $base_path/var
set cleanscript $var_path/clean.sh
set defaultarch  i386
set postmirror_script $var_path/postmirror.sh
set run_postmirror 0
set nthreads     20
set _tilde 0
#set limit_rate 2.5k
#
############# end config ##############

deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu natty main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu natty-security main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu natty-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu natty partner
deb http://extras.ubuntu.com/ubuntu natty main
#deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu natty-proposed main restricted universe multiverse
#deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu natty-backports main restricted universe multiverse

clean http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu
clean http://archive.canonical.com
clean http://extras.ubuntu.com

NOTE:
 mirror://mirrors.ubuntu.com/mirrors.txt ---> use this to identify closest mirror

Some parameters:

    base_path: The place where are the downloaded packages go. NOTE: make sure you have write permissions to this directory
    mirror_path,skel_path,var_path,cleanscript,postmirror_script,run_postmirror,_tilde: Better leave them as they are.
    defaultarch: When you specify "deb <deb-url>" it'll fetch the URL of this type, or you can explicitly specify which architecture packages to pick up by specifying it as "deb-i386 <deb-url>"
    nthreads: The number of threads of wget that have to be launched for fetching the mirror contents
    limit_rate: This variable can be set to limit the download rate of the wget but this is per thread. So it boils down to (20 Threads)*2.5KBps = 50 KBps (Notice the 'B' it's for bytes).
    I just picked up the deb URL's from my file "/etc/apt/sources.list".
    I skipped the "deb-src" url's because I wouldn't be needing the sources and it'll just eat up my space. It all depends on the need of  the mirror if you need 'em just include them in the package.
    deb-urls: These are of the form "deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu maverick-updates main restricted universe multiverse". Replace maverick with the codename that you want to mirror, maverick is the codename for Ubuntu 10.10. You can find out which version you are using by the command "lsb_release -a". If you just need the codename use "lsb_release -c". You can mirror any number of archives.

After souping up the mirror.list file, type:

^X

You will be prompted to save the file, click Yes, and further prompted where to save the new file, just hit [Enter] to overwrite the existing file.

If you've changed the base directory, type:

Having changed the base_directory, I need to create some directories under /spare like so:

sudo mkdir /MYDIR/mirror
sudo mkdir /MYDIR/skel
sudo mkdir /MYDIR/var

You're ready to mirror! Type

sudo apt-mirror & /etc/apt/mirror.list

Note the "&" is so that I can run apt-mirror detached from the terminal.

Be ready to devote time - hours, or even several days, depending on your internet connection. In case you want to stop it and restart it from there the is no problem as it continues from there. So you can just run it when no one is using the connection.

If you're done - congratulations! You're halfway through. To clean up unwanted files, open Terminal and Type:
sudo /var/spool/apt-mirror/var/clean.sh

If you want all your packages to be updated everyday you will need to edit the cron file of the apt-mirror package:

gksudo gedit /etc/cron.d/apt-mirror
*or* sudo nano /etc/cron.d/apt-mirror

just uncomment the # from the last line and it will be updated every day at 4:00 AM you can edit and also change the timing and interval.

Useful sources:

http://www.danbishop.org/2011/03/11/create-your-own-local-mirror-of-the-ubuntu-repositories/
http://www.developerstation.org/2011/05/creating-local-ubuntu-mirror-using-apt.html
http://www.ajatus.in/2011/02/set-up-your-own-ubuntu-repository-using-apt-mirror/
http://nwlinux.com/configure-an-ubuntu-repo-mirror/
https://apps.education.ucsb.edu/wiki/Set_up_apt-mirror

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Face Spa Treat...Right from the Kitchen

I love experimenting in the kitchen. Whipping up a good meal from scratch gives a certain satisfaction, especially if you have no idea what you're making in the first place. From testing on edible treats I've moved on to sampling different kinds of kitchen ingredients I can use to make my own facial masks at home. Face masks, especially the natural, so-called organic ones, cost quite a lot and can be quite disappointing once they come out of the pot. Since I believe Mother Nature provides us with just the right ingredients for everything, I've compiled a list of the best natural, homemade ingredients for face masks and tested mixing and matching them. Read more about the best recipes for homemade facials.

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Learning a New Language via Firefox

The internet can be a lot of things to a lot of people. But have you ever tried learning a new language just by surfing through sites from all over the world? Apparently you can. By using language learning plugins in the Firefox web browser, you can go to any site in any language and have it instantly translated for you. Not all plugins are perfect though, so you'll find some that simply suck at translation. Here's a list of the five best learning language Firefox plugins to date.

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The Benefits of Being Pear-Shaped

Apparently, having a pear-shaped body isn't as bad as most women see it is. Aside from the obviously wider pelvic canal that makes giving birth easier (hence, the term "birthing hips"), men are more attracted to bigger bottoms than they are to bigger breasts. Of course, the evolutionary instinct to propagate the species (wider hips = higher fertility) may play a bigger role here.

More interestingly, wider hips - or rather, a bigger waist-to-hip ratio, turns out to be an indicator of better health as well. This goes both for men and women. You can read more about the benefits of pear shapes and the waist-to-hip ratio here.

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Everyone's a Critic...

...so why can't everybody accept criticism graciously? When it comes down to it, it's all a matter of pride. And learning to look at things beyond yourself. But if you're in one of those glum, depressing days when you feel like you're perpetually at the receiving end of the critique's parade, here's a handy guide to graciously surviving criticism. If that's not enough, maybe a day or two in a safe, secret, warm fuzzy hideaway will do...

But really, handling criticism is all a matter diplomacy...just as dishing out criticisms and compliments in the right manner and delivery is a technique in subtlety (or brazenness, if done poorly). You have to learn to be your own king, concierge and ambassador too. Yes, and when the going gets rough, learn to do a self-deprecating cartwheel and somersault like a cheerleader-slash-comedienne will do.

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Seeing Cellulite

Cellulite can be such a nasty thing. Hearing and seeing it on TV and the internet makes you feel like it's such an ugly, ugly disease. Truth is, it is just one of the female body's natural phenomena - just like monthly periods and mood swings are part and parcel of being a woman. Not convinced? Read more about the facts, causes and treatments (or non-existence of such) for cellulite here.

Oh, and BTW, said article on cellulite made it to the Factoidz Article Spotlight some time this week! It's been getting steady hits lately so I'm so happy :)

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