Junk Food for the Brain

Open Source and Awesomesauce :)

How to Program Better in Python

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If you have learnt Python to a certain degree, and can whip up quite a few scripts with it, you will be wondering where to go next.

You have this feeling that yeah, you can program, but you may be doing things the wrong way. Scouring through the Web for Python Tips & Tricks might do, but after haphazardly learning the language, you’re finally ready for a more structured approach.

That’s how I am currently feeling, which is when I found this book: Pro Python

It starts off at Advanced Basics in Chapter 2 and progresses on. I just got this book, and am slowly progressing through Chapter 2.

How to Use a Different SSH Key for a Host

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There are times when you need to use just one different SSH Key for a particular host. And you’re not allowed to add your own public key into the host’s authorized_keys file due to system limitations / policies etc.

This is where the ssh config file comes in handy.

How to Change Passwords in Linux Using a Shell Script

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There are times when you would need to change the local user password for a whole bunch of Linux machines at one go. If they weren’t using the a directory service like NIS or LDAP, you’d be in for a lot of pain.

Fortunately, the passwd command comes with a handy option that allows this relatively insecure method.

Migrated to Webfaction

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FInally migrated to Webfaction. Whoa, for a static HTML only blog, load times have finally decreased dramatically.

Check out the difference in load times, based on Google Analytics’ site speed. I migrated to Octopress on the 19th of December, shaving load times from a peak of 16 seconds!! to 2 seconds. Moving to Webfaction made it 0.9 seconds :)