Mac OS X: How to change user short name or home directory name

Mac OS X: How to change user short name or home directory name

1. Enable the root user.
2. Log in as root.
3. Navigate to the /Users folder.
4. Select the Home folder with the short name you want to change, and rename it just like you would rename any folder. Keep in mind that the shortname must be all lowercase, with no spaces, and only contain letters.
5. Use the Accounts pane in System Preferences to create a new user with the short name that you used in the previous step.
6. Click OK when "A folder in the Users folder already has the name 'short name'. Would you like to use that folder as the Home folder for this user account?" Note: This will correct the ownership of all files in the Home folder, and avoid permissions issues with the contents.
7. Choose Log Out from the Apple menu.
8. Log in as the newly created user. You should be able to access all of your original files (on the desktop, in Documents, and in the other folders of this Home).
9. After verifying that your data is as expected, you can delete the original user account via the Accounts pane of System Preferences.
10. Disable the root user.

UK Info Commish Greenlights Google Street View

Following up on my recent posts about Google Street View invading personal space in the UK--where narrow streets mean the Google camera may be just a few feet from living room windows and capturin the inside of the house--it seems the UK's the Information Commission has no problem with this.

The commission's senior data protection practice manager,   David Evans, compared being captured by the service to passers-by filmed on TV news camera. "In the same way, there is no law against anyone taking pictures of people in the street as long as the person using the camera is not harassing people," he said. BBC NEWS | Technology | All clear for Google Street View: 

Hmmm, methinks that the taking of the photos is not the issue. It's the publishing of the photos, like for profit, in a way that makes them accessible to everyone in the world. And unless I'm mistaken there are laws regulating taking pictures of people in the street and publishing them without their permission. Here's a handy link to the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Many countries recognize that individuals have a right of publicity. The right of publicity is the direct opposite of the right of privacy. It recognizes that a person’s image has economic value that is presumed to be the result of the person’s own effort and it gives to each person the right to exploit their own image. Under this right, you could be liable if you use a photograph of someone without their consent to gain some commercial benefit.

So the Information Commission might want to have a chat with the Intellectual Property Commission. And make no mistake, commercial gain is the reason Google is going to all the trouble of creating Street View. 

Links for Making An RSS Feed

Making An RSS Feed - Search Engine Watch (SEW) Pretty good instructions.

Still like How to Create an RSS Feed With Notepad, a Web Server, and a Beer by Stephen Downes as a starting point.

Paroxysmal (Lone) Atrial Fibrillation - FAQs

Paroxysmal (Lone) Atrial Fibrillation - FAQs

A rare peek at Homeland Security's files on travelers

A rare peek at Homeland Security's files on travelers - Newsweek:

"Inside, I found 20 photocopies of the government's records on my international travels. Every overseas trip I've taken since 2001 was noted."

HOWTO: Setup Private DNS Nameservers for Your Domain

HOWTO: Setup Private DNS Nameservers for Your Domain:

"In order to setup a nameserver you have to edit the file and specify zone information in your /etc/named.conf

Zone files are placed on /var/named with usually with file name domain.com.db"

Rove's [Deceased] IT Guru Warned He Might Be Killed

t r u t h o u t: "A top Republican internet strategist who was set to testify in a case alleging election tampering in 2004 in Ohio has died in a plane crash."

Velvet Revolution, a non-profit investigating Connell's activities, revealed this weekend that Connell had recently said he was afraid George Bush and Dick Cheney would "throw [him] under the bus." Cliff Arnebeck had also previously alerted Attorney General Michael Mukasey to alleged threats from Karl Rove to Connell if he refused to "take the fall."

How Much Money Do Bloggers Make Blogging?

How Much Money Do Bloggers Make Blogging?:

"Once again these figures hammer home to anyone wanting to get into blogging for money that it is not a foregone conclusion that you’ll make a lot of money from the medium. It is possible to make at least a part time income from blogging and for some to make quite a bit of money from it - but over half are earning less than $3 a day (or $100 a month)."

Kalimba Magic Buyer's Guide » Kalimbas with electric pickups

Kalimba Magic Buyer's Guide » Kalimbas with electric pickups