The Skull Cinema

Now my computer is set up to run virtual machines (VMs) I should be able to load up a virtual Raspberry Pi and install Home Assistant on that. Correct? Well…hmm, it will be instructive to go through the process, I hope, even if the initial outcome was not was intended. On opening, right at the top of the VirtualBox (VB) window, there is a large blue starburst symbol with the word New underneath (circled in red above). Clicking this will start a wizard that will help you to create a VM. The fields of the first dialogue box are pretty self-explanatory; the Name of the VM can be anything you want; the Folder is simply the location where the VM's files will sit; and the ISO Image is the installation disc (or the file version thereof) from which you will boot the operating system. As you can see, I've chosen a Raspberry Pi OS ISO, which is a Linux Type operating system that is actually based on Debian ( Version ),  obtained from the Raspberry Pi website . At this point e...

What follows is how I solved the following error message from VirtualBox. Not in a hypervisor partition (HVP=0) (VERR_NEM_NOT_AVAILABLE). AMD-V is disabled in the BIOS (or by the host OS) (VERR_SVM_DISABLED). Result Code: E_FAIL (0X80004005) Component: ConsoleWrap Interface: IConsole {6ac83d89-6ee7-4e33-8ae6-b257b2e81be8} VERR_SVM_DISABLED error message from VirtualBox What am I messing around with hypervisors and virtual machines for? And for that matter, what's a virtual machine anyway? Answers to these questions are here ; but back to the matter at hand. Fortunately the error message is actually quite helpful and gives us the answer to solving the problem. SVM is disabled in the BIOS. SVM is the TLA for Secure Virtual Machine (see this article for more information) and the BIOS on motherboards is normally shipped with this option disabled, because the majority of users never need to use it and having it e...

Prior to the trip to buy groceries each week, the tedious chore of wandering round the house checking how much of all the consumables that a household requires is actually present must be completed. Everywhere there is a stash; upstairs, downstairs, all the cupboards, the fridge, the freezer, etc ., etc . I could try to do it from memory, but who has the available headspace to remember how many tins of beans you have at any particular moment and, even if you do try to use this method, how many extra tins of corned beef or jars of mustard is it reasonable to have to buy just to save yourself from the weekly traipse around the house doing a stock-check? What I need is a Bean Counter. I want to be able to scan in the barcode on a tin of beans when I buy it and when I use it scan it out again and have the stock level reflect that fact. Then, on shopping day, I can just look at the stock levels from my desk. Or even better it could just tell me when I need to buy more beans again. Of cou...

A few years ago I set up a new company in the UK. The government here has invested quite heavily in digital services so this can be almost entirely completed on-line. You begin the process by notifying Companies House , the venerable UK registrar for companies (for 180 years this year), that you have set up a company. In order for you to do that on-line the Government needs to have some sort of user registration system and one that is a bit more secure than your regular website. Enter the Government Gateway , a government-wide ID system launched in 2001. It was initially designed to be a one-stop-shop that would provide a log-on solution for all of the UK government's on-line services. Whether you were a business/organisation or an individual citizen, with security credentials backed up by GCHQ no less. The Companies House process was exceptionally straightforward and a Government Gateway ID (GG ID) was set up by Companies House for the business. No problems. Another early task...

As described earlier , here are the instructions from HMRC on how to delete a Government Gateway ID (GG ID), should you choose to do so. 1. Login to your account with the GG ID you wish to delete. You'll need your GG user ID and password. This will also require access to your second factor authorisation device. 2. Once logged on, select the ‘ Manage account ’ option at the top of your homepage. 3. On the next page choose the ‘ View or change your business tax account details ’ link under the ‘ Account details ’ heading. 4. On the following page select the ‘ Manage your Government Gateway details ’ link at the right-hand side of the page. 5. On the page after, choose the ‘ Your Government Gateway profile ’ option under the ' Your profile and settings ' heading at the right of the page. 6. Finally, on the next page choose the ‘ Delete my Government Gateway user ID ’ option at the bottom of the page. 7. Confirm that you want to delete your user ID ...

You have to wonder why Hermes went through the hassle of rebranding themselves to Evri, then you get a parcel delivered by them. Only a year ago in a desperate, and cynical, attempt to shed their woeful reputation as the worst parcel delivery company in the UK Hermes rebranded themselves as Evri. On the 14 th March 2022 they rolled out their corporate PR machine and made promises . "The new brand will also see a significant investment in its customer service as part of its commitment to ensuring that its customer service remains responsive, knowledgeable and helpful. This will include Evri opening a fully UK-based customer service team and adding 200 experts who will be based in local depots, closer to where potential issues are. It will also be upgrading its chatbot and releasing more phone lines for those who prefer to speak directly to someone." So was it a surprise when I got an e-mail about a parcel I was expecting? Well, most other couriers don't do this an...

A good article this time, which entails a slightly different approach to editing than that taken for stub and start class articles. Less than 0.5% of articles are rated as Good or above on Wikipedia. As there is much more content than a random page usually throws up I may or may not edit the whole article. If I choose not to, I will often take the lead or last section and edit that before moving on (or sometimes a section at random if it looks interesting). Also, rather than making all the edits in one or two sessions, I will try to break down the edits so that reasoning can be given for each group and also so that another editor can revert something that they don't like (or is wrong) without having to trash all of the edits. Often if you are going to get feedback from another editor articles like this will be where it happens, so it is reasonable to be on your best (editing) behaviour. With all that in mind let's get to Jack Warhop's article . Warhop was an early 20 th...