I have created a page about the Yaesu VX-6R USB Programming Interface that I have recently completed.

I have wireless broadband from Virgin Mobile Australia which came with a Huawei E169 USB modem. As Mac users of this modem will know, EVERY single time you plug the modem in a “CD disk” mounts on the desktop and if you are really unlikely the installer application starts running.

I have found a way to stop this happening by telling OS X (Leopard, Snow Leopard and Lion) to not automount the “CD disk”.

I have written a package installer which will set the configuration so this disk wont mount in future. The package can be downloaded from http://www.blendedcocoa.com/downloads/VirginInstallerDiskRemover.pkg.

Download and run the package installer. Follow the instructions to install the configuration change. If you get an error it is probably because the modem can’t be found, make sure it is plugged in and that the installer disc is mounted on your desktop.

How It Works

Basically, the package contains a script that adds a configuration line to the /etc/fstab file, if the file doesn’t exist (which is probably the case) it is created. The following line is added to the file:

UUID=A97C9EAF-E18F-3BE3-80CD-8A8C6FB6E8E7 none hfs ro,noauto

The A97C...E8E7 text is the universal unique identifier (UUID) of the “CD disk” image. I am fairly certain that this UUID will not change between different VBB E169′s but the script should determine the correct UUID using diskutil anyway.

If /etc/fstab exists the script will make a backup (/etc/fstab.previrgin.date) and then add the above configuration to the end of /etc/fstab. If /etc/fstab already has an entry for the UUID the script will do nothing.

The script isn’t particularly complicated and should work in most cases. However, USE THE SCRIPT AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

P.S. If you aren’t using the latest drivers from Virgin (particularly if you are using Snow Leopard) go and get them from http://virginmobile.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/175/p/132/r_id/100671.

Update – 4th Jan 2012: Added Lion to the list of tested versions of OS X that the fix works with.

I dropped my parents at the airport yesterday morning ready for their 8:40am flight to Singapore. This meant getting up at 5am and getting to the airport at about 6am. After they had checked in we had some over-priced coffee and orange juice before saying our goodbyes at the security checkpoint.

I got in to work at about 7:30am and by the time it got to 4pm I was stuffed so I went home early. The house felt different with only Zac and me.

Zac doesn’t seem to have taken it well. He is missing all the attention and as a consequence has only me to annoy. He was particularly grumpy this morning as I didn’t immediately get up and feed him in the way that he has become accustomed.

So, I’ve been home from Burning Man and the USA for over a month now but until now I haven’t gotten around to moving the Gone to Burning Man post from the top of my blog. I suspect this is probably because I’d still like to be at Burning Man.

Anyway, since getting back a few notable events have occurred.

• My parents have come over to stay for a couple of months .
• I went to Tambellup as part of the John Curtin Weekend of volunteering.
• We’ve been to Melbourne for a week, where I graduated from my Masters degree.
• I went to the weekend CampOut with a bunch of people from the Perth fire crew.
• I have finally made the switch to Mac OS X with a shiny new aluminium MacBook.
• I’ve started doing an online course to upgrade my radio license to the Advanced level.
• Watched the Red Bull Air Race yesterday afternoon.

I think those are the events of importance that have occurred in the last month or two. Hopefully I will get back to more regular posting now that I have shifted the Gone to BM image from the top of the blog.

Used without permission, original source unknown

Don’t forget to check the Burning Man blog

It is now just four short weeks until Rusty and I fly out to Dallas for Burning Man. I feel like there is lots of stuff that needs doing before we can go but I’m sure it’ll all get done in time.

If you are a regular visitor to this blog it is probably worth adding our Burning Man blog to your bookmarks and/or RSS reader. You can get to the Burning Man blog at http://www.zensunni.org/burningman or by clicking on the handy link on the right hand side of this page.

Hopefully, the Burning Man blog will start to get updated more regularly now that the trip approaches.

Now that I have free time, I’ve spent the odd minute here and there building a masterpiece.

Well, perhaps not a masterpiece…