Make Ubuntu distribution updates faster

Ubuntu 11.04 has just been released and if like me you're getting errors "Cannot download release notes" this is because the servers will be overloaded.
To make your download faster and put less pressure on the update servers open Update Manager, click "Settings", click the first tab "Ubuntu Software", select "Other" in the "Download From" box then click the "Best Server" button, this will choose the fastest server. The more users that do this the more the load is spread and quicker updates will be.

source : http://blog.rwky.net

Hex-a-hop

Hex-a-hop is a simple yet fun little puzzle game where you take a little girl hopping across tiles in efforts to destroy all the green tiles on the board. The beige tiles on the board are permanent and cannot be destroyed, but once you have stepped on a green tile, it will disintegrate as soon as you step on to another tile.
There are exactly 100 levels which obviously increase in difficulty as you progress through the game. After defeating a level, one or more levels are unlocked to allow you to progress on your tile smashing journey. If you are having particular difficulty on a certain level, you can usually choose a different path of progression, but if you want to beat the game, you’ll eventually have to return to face your nemesis again. There are no time limits or goals, so map things out, take your time, and dominate.

Hex-a-hop

It’s free; it’s simple; it’s fun. Download it now!

Brukkon

In keeping with the puzzle theme, I thought I’d offer a bonus Download of the Week for those of you who have 7 bones to burn. Similar to Hex-a-hop, Brukkon is a puzzle game where you must navigate a grid to reach the finish line, or in this case, finish tile.

Instead of a little girl hopping around though, you command a rolling robot across 35 unique levels including a bonus level exclusive to the Ubuntu Software Center which is featured in the screenshot below.
Unlike Hex-a-hop, Brukkon is more involved and provides features such as movable bridges, different weather conditions, and disappearing tiles.  The game also provides two different camera angles for you to view the entire board and map out your strategy.

 Brukkon and Ubuntu FTW!

Unfortunately, apt-urls are not available for paid items in the Ubuntu Software Center yet, so you’ll need to fire up Ubuntu Software Center manually to purchase and install it.  Brukkon is available on both Maverick and Natty.  For $7, it’s quite the steal.

all credit to Brian Thomason, Published May 2, 2011 OMG Ubuntu

The Clockwork Man

The Ubuntu Software Center has been filling up with new games recently, and I’d like to highlight another one of those this week.
Meet ‘The Clockwork Man’.
The Clockwork Man is an artistic, hidden object game set in the Victorian Era with a strong Steampunk vibe.

Hidden Object Game

In The Clockwork Man, you travel the world searching for the parts necessary to construct the world’s greatest invention.  To reach this goal, however, you must first find collections of items to gain information from in-game characters, fix devices, or solve puzzles to journey on.

If you run into trouble finding a particular piece of a collection, don’t worry, your faithful sidekick Sprocket will help.  Use him wisely though, as he must recharge from time to time.

The artwork in the game is amazing, and it is easy to get lost in it;  The game boast literally hundreds of hand-painted items.  The background music used is also soothing and very well done, which is a pleasant surprise not found in many Linux offerings.

The Clockwork Man is available in both Ubuntu Maverick and Natty for $14.99USD. For more information, you may visit the game’s official site. 

all credit to Brian Thomason, Published June 6, 2011 OMG Ubuntu

Trash Indicator for Ubuntu

Ever felt that emptying the trash can in Ubuntu required too many clicks or too much effort?
If so you might be lazy, but the following Trash Can indicator might just prove more in keeping with your workflow…

Trash indicator shows how many items are currently in the trash can, along with a menu item to quickly ‘empty’ the trash, too.
The developer of the applet, Michael J, told us: -
“I’ve never been fond of the big desktop trash icons or one taking up space in a dock, so I have tucked the trash into a nice and tidy indicator. Kind of surprised no-one else has done this already.”

Download

An easy-to-install .DEB package of Trash Indicator can be downloaded on the official project home @ code.google.com/p/trashindicator/

The applet works with Ubuntu 10.04, 10.10 and Ubuntu 11.04.

And all credit to Joey Sneddon, Published June 10, 2011 OMG Ubuntu

Enable DVD Playback in Ubuntu 11.04

Playback of DVDs in Ubuntu 11.04 is not enabled out of the box. Thankfully setting it up takes no time at all.
Have you enabled it? If not you can find out by inserting a DVD into your disc drive/slot and choosing to ‘Play’ it with Ubuntu’s default media player. The following error will greet you: -

Ways to enable DVD playback in Ubuntu

Fluendo

Enabling DVD playback in Ubuntu is simple enough, and there are various ways to do it. Some might say the easiest – as well as the most legally unquestionable- is to purchase the Fluendo DVD Playback software from the Ubuntu Software Centre.

Libdvdcss

If you’d prefer to spend the Fluendo costs on physical DVDs rather than DVD software, you can enable DVD playback in your faovurite application by installing a package called ‘libdvdcss’.

‘libdvdcss’ is a small library file that accesses DVDs “…like a block device, without having to bother about the decryption.”

Hit the buttons below to download a .DEB package of libdvdcss from the medibuntu repositories.

Once the .deb file has downloaded just double-click on it to begin installation.

After installation has finished you can open your favourite media player and DVD playback will be supported.


the credit goes to..

By Joey Sneddon, Published June 21, 2011 OMG Ubuntu