Workaround Syncing Android with Banshee Media Player

In the Linux world, it's great to have the Windows equivalent of "Windows Media Player" to organize, sync and maintain your music, movies, videos, audiobooks and podcasts across your mobile and desktop devices. On Ubuntu and Linux Mint, the default media program that comes pre-installed with these two distros is "Banshee Media Player".

Using it is about as intuitive as using "Windows Media Player" so it works pretty well. However, you may run into situations where it may not work with some mobile devices as I found out recently with my Samsung Stellar smartphone. So to relieve the frustration of some users using Android devices, I came up with a workaround which will allow you to sync your Android device with Banshee Media Player.

1.  Install Android ADB File Manager. The instructions are here.

2.  Plug your Android smartphone into the USB slot of your PC.

3.  Create a new folder called "Android Music" on your Linux PC.

4.  Drag and drop the music files stored in your Android sdcard directory labeled "Music" to the "Android Music" folder on your Linux PC.  (To drag and drop more than one file simultaneously, select your first file and hold down the <CTRL> button.  Then select every file with your mouse that you want to move and let go of the <CTRL> button.  Drag one of the files to your new folder "Android Music".  All the other files you selected should transfer to "Android Music".)

5.  Open Banshee Media Player on your Linux PC.

6.  Select the "Music" section of the Banshee Library.

7.  Right click on "Music" and then select "Import Media" from the drop down menu that pops up.

8.  Click on the "Choose Folders..." button.

9.  Navigate to the "Android Music" folder you created.

10.  Click on the "Import" button.

You can then repeat the above steps for your other media folders such as Movies, Playlists, Podcasts, Audiobooks, Sound, etc.

Here's the video I made which accompanies the above instructions:

Scan and Crop Old Photos from Albums using Linux Tools

We now live in this world of instant socializing by sharing our photos and tweets on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  Sometimes, you want to relive your past memories from long ago (before the age of smartphones) and share these treasured photos on Facebook, Instagram or Flickr.  I've got great news if you're Linux user.  It's possible.  Just follow my instructions and you'll be on your way to digitizing photos from your old albums back when Kodak was the main player in capturing and processing photos.

1.  Hook up your scanner to your Linux PC.  (I'm using Linux Mint 14.)

2.  Scan the photos with Simple Scan.



3.  Save and rename the scanned image.





4.  Open Gimp Editor.



5.  Open the scanned image.



6.  Go to Tools and choose Select | Rectangular Select.



7.  Move the mouse pointer to upper left corner of scanned image and hold down left mouse button



and drag the pointer to the lower right hand corner of scanned image until it is completely outlined.  Release left mouse button.



8.  Go to Edit | Cut.



9.  Go to File | Close.  (Closes new Gimp session.)







10.  Go to Edit | Paste.  (Saves scanned image over first Gimp session.)



11.  Go to File | Export.



12.  Type name of file



13.  Select PNG format.



14.  Click on Export.





15.  After you close out of Gimp, the finished product looks like this!



Here's a video tutorial I did on this topic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linux Programs for Artists

If you are Graphic Designer or an Artist, here are some highly recommended programs if you are on a budget:

Gimp
Gimp is raster editing program, which is an alternative to Adobe Photoshop. You use it to edit photos or create artwork. Raster graphics are based around pixels, which means you can only add a layer on top of the image or crop it out.  You can also make logos with Gimp.  Check out this tutorial to help you edit photos.

Inkscape
Inkscape is a 2D vector graphics program, which is an alternative to Adobe Illustrator. Vector graphics enable you to scale artwork without distorting it. Programs like Inkscape are used to make logos and illustrations.  I detailed my experiences working with Inkscape here.

Blender
Blender is a 3D modeling program, which is an alternative to CAD/CAM programs. This program is used to create 3D artwork or scenes.  Here's a tutorial to help you start using it.

All of these programs can be obtained using the Software Manager for Linux Mint or the Ubuntu Software Center for Ubuntu users.