1275: Arduino IDE on amd64

The compiled packages available at arduino.cc works out of the box only for 32-bit architecture. For 64 bit you have two options

1. Download the normal package and do a small tweaking
       Instructions for the same are available here. The explanation is for Gutsy, Hardy etc. (So they obviously work for the true-blooded Debian systems) Effectively just a simple modification to use system library version of librxtx rather than the packaged one. I am not repeating the steps in the hope that the site would be up for a long time to come (technology has a short shelf life anyway)

2. Check out the trunk from svn and build
      I prefer this solution, not only due to my great love for svn trunks, but also due to the fact that you are more upto date in terms of developments, and it somehow feels like a purer way of doing things. The building instructions are here.

sudo aptitude install sun-java5-jre sun-java5-jdk sun-java5-bin unzip zip gcc-avr avr-libc (install the necessary packages)

svn co svn://svn.berlios.de/arduino/trunk (check out the trunk.. not a small download ..really)

and then simply build.

Once you have the ide up and running things are relatively simple.  Read about the already intuitive ide elements if you want,  Blink a few times ( Arduino Hello World) and go on to further adventures (ok. guided tours).

blah-008

But all who are not fishes are soon tired of water;
And they who lack their daily bread find the day very long;
So the "Raw" comprehend not the state of the "Ripe"¹;
Therefore it behoves me to shorten my discourse.

Maulana Jalalu'ddin Muhammad I Rumi, Masnavi i Ma'navi

Drink wine This is life eternal
This is all that youth will give you
It is the season for wine, roses and drunken friends
Be happy for this moment This moment is your life.

Khayyam,?

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it. ²

Khayyam, Rubaiyat

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1. Raw and ripe are terms for Men of externals and Men of heart for the Mystics.
2. Pretty much why I am so apprehensive about writing a paper :P

blah-007 Limits

We are.. in search of our limits. We start with a single step, but, none of us stops there. With determination, a step becomes a stride, and a stride becomes a leap. With discipline and desire, we push ourselves to new heights. When we rise to the challenge we discover new strengths, our muscles grow stronger, our minds more agile. The body responds performing its marvelous inner dance of life.  We share a design so magnificient, we can delight in movement itself. To find joy in the struggle to be our best - this is the adventure that defines the human spirit that drives us to the limit.

Jon Boorstin, To The Limit¹

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1. A truly amazing documentary, which I guess I found all the more interesting , since it probably gives me some reason( or excuse?) for all the crap I try to do.