Running SQL from the command line

I run a family Minecraft server. I use Craftbukkit for the server as it allows adding plugins without the need to unzip jars, etc.
One of the plugins called Savage Death Chest automatically put your items into chests so they are not lost upon death. This is great however finding the chest can be a pain.
I discovered the plugin uses a small sqllite database (deathchests.db) file for storing deaths including X, Y, Z coordinates. Eureka!
I wrote an SH script file to interrogate the file for the latest coordinates and display them in the terminal.
Then it's simply a case of executing the Minecraft TPC command for teleporting to the spot:
/tpc X Y Z
Note: Be careful with the Y coordinate as you may teleport into a rock or into water. It may be worth adding 10 to the Y coordinate to be sure you above the chest.

The SH file is quite simple:
sqlite3 /Minecraft/CraftBukkit\ Server/plugins/SavageDeathChest/deathchests.db 'select x, y, z from blocks where blockid = (select max(blockid) from blocks)'

Note: You may need to install sqllite to get this to work

Easily reinstalling Linux (Mint)

I switched all our home PCs to Linux Mint a few years ago, as I was sick of the unreliability of MS Windows. Near weekly reinstalls of Windows pushed me over the edge. Suffice to say kids and Windows don't mix. Lol.
Since then I have only had to reinstall Linux once and that was a dream effort.

How?
The trick is when reinstalling, choose exactly the same partition where the existing (broken) Linux is, to install the new Linux.
The install process will complain that files exist and will be overwritten. That's what we want! The beautiful thing is you will end up with a working Linux AND by creating new users with the same names as the previous users, the previous users will have all the same files available to them. No mucking about with Windows GUIDs, hidden folders or other rubbish.

Windows can't do that and you'll end up with old user Home folders and new user Home folders. Then you need to try and work out what to move from old to new. This may not be so hard for yourself but trying to decide what another person wants moved and doesn't care about is a pain and a potential heartache.

Note: You will still need reinstall your applications in either operating system but at least under Linux your users don't lose irreplaceable personal data.

Awesome animated wallpaper for Linux

After sprucing up my GUI with Compiz, I thought I'd see if there was a way to animate my wallpaper.

This led me to find the awesome Komorebi. It's freeware and hosted on Github.
This tool adds animated wallpapers to your desktop and so far it seems quite compatible with Compiz, woohoo. It also comes with a tool for creating your own animated video wallpapers. The interfaces for these tools are very slick and modern.

The only negative I have found so far is that it does increase CPU usage to around 15% - 25%. This is not bad considering my Linux box is a few years old, so it should be less on newer hardware.

Enjoy :-)

The best desktop experience, bar none.

I'd played with Compiz in the past. I was very impressed with the desktop effects it provided, such as Wobbly Windows (like windows made of Jelly), workspaces/desktops mapped to a cube and random menu effects. I found playing games would cause issues, so it slipped from use as a buggy GUI is not wanted.

Imagine my surprise when I re-tried Compiz and discovered it fast, bug free and that it played nicely with fullscreen games. Woohoo. Now I finally have a desktop that IMHO puts Windows and Macs to shame.

Installation:
Under Linux Mint it was as simple as installing the Mate desktop (if using Cinnamon) and then enabling Compiz, rather than the standard Marco Composite desktop.
Initially I discovered no "Wobbly Windows", so a quick install of "compiz plugins" fixed that and also added many other features. So much to customise now, wow, just wow.

How to change the lockscreen wallpaper in Linux Mint.

Find the JPG file you want to use and copy it over the top of the existing default file /usr/share/backgrounds/linuxmint/linuxmint.jpg
$> sudo cp -f <your JPG file> /usr/share/backgrounds/linuxmint/linuxmint.jpg

Update:
Use this command to set any wallpaper to your lockscreen when using Cinnamon.
gsettings set org.cinnamon.desktop.background picture-uri 'file:///home/username/Pictures/your-wallpaper.jpg'

Tips:
* Check your desktop environment: Run echo $XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP to confirm if you're using Cinnamon, MATE, or Xfce
* Default locations: System wallpapers are usually in /usr/share/backgrounds/
* Permissions: Make sure the wallpaper file has appropriate read permissions