Connecting a kindle to a linux machine

I have a 50mb pdf that I want to read on my kindle.  I cannot use the email to whispersync bridge that amazon provide as the 50mb attachment is too large.

I tried to connect the kindle to my linux laptop and apart from the kindle charging there was no recognition in KDE that I had plugged a device in.  A quick google later discovered that the kindle uses the MTP protocol rather than Mass Storage Device Class protocol like most other USB devices.  Installing MTP support is easy:

sudo apt-get install mtpfs

Plugging in the kindle now gets KDE all excited and allows me to view the content.

Except after unmounting the kindle I couldn't see the PDF on the menu screen.  I re-attached my kindle to the computer and could see the file still there, so why didn't the kindle like it.  The file I copied was called:

10_PRINT_121114.pdf

After renaming it to:

Print Code.pdf

It started to show on the kindle screen.  All I can think of is that the kindle doesn't like files that either start with a numeric or have a '_' character in their names.  After some more renaming I can conclude:
The kindle doesn't like underscore characters in file names.  I ended up just changing the "_" to a " " and everything works fine now.

For those interested the book I am copying to the kindle is called:

10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10

From 10print.org.  This book tells the story of computer code in society and culture through the lens of a single line of C64 basic code.

Writing my first program (Again)

The first program I ever wrote was on a commodore 64 computer.  Since my wonderful wife has managed to buy me one I decided to write my first program again.  Here is the source code:

I had no spare tapes to save my work so I had to take a picture!  The program started out in the usual style as a "Hello World" program.  I then hacked around and changed a few bits and eventually ended up with the above.
So what does it do? - well THIS:

Yes I know its simple, egotistic and self promoting, but I don't care.  The amount of enjoyment I got from doing that is huge.  20 years ago when I wrote a program for the first time I could save it on a cassette tape.  Where on earth am I going to find one of them in 2013???

I have found some good resources online that helped a lot when building this program.
A list of memory address that can POKEd
An e-book about an awesome line of code!
A wiki page detailing the VERBS in the version of basic installed on the commodore
An online version of the C64 Manual

Retro Geek

I am the luckiest man alive.  Not only does my wife acknowledge that I am a geek and have an unhealthy obsession with computers but she feeds this geek behaviour with some outstanding presents. However she has outdone herself this time as she has bought me a commodore 64.

It was meant to be a Christmas present for me.  However the guy that sent it didn't wrap it and as I answered the door when it arrived the cat prematurely escaped from the bag.  The commodore 64 was the first computer that I owned.  We did used to have a dragon as well, however that was more my dad's computer.  The commodore was just mine.  I learnt a lot about computers from that machine, from how a light gun worked through to how data was stored and some very basic programming.  That machine will always be special to me.  To have one now at the age of 30 is incredible.

I took it to the local maplins store, where a huddle of geeks clustered around me and the commodore, admiring it's good condition and asking to have their photo taken next to it.  The store manager even walked out of the store as I entered asking if the box truly contained that which was advertised on it.  We needed to go to maplins to purchase a RF cable to connect the Commodore to my LCD TV.  Naturally this being maplins they knew exactly what I needed and passed it to me.  We took it home and started the unboxing.

Like I said the box was not wrapped when it was sent so it was COVERED in parcel tape.  This is annoying.  The original box is part of the vintage retro feel.  5 minutes of painstaking picking and pulling and the unboxing could commence.

Once unboxed and all connected up the fun could start.  I found that my TV needed to be tuned to 590Mhz to pick up the output from the computer.

Amy graciously allowed me to then spend the whole evening playing vintage games.  Working out that a light gun will not work on a LCD screen (It uses cathode ray gun timings, which of course, are not available on a LCD screen), getting beaten by her on Mike Reids pop quiz etc etc and writing my first program (again)

Thank you to Amy for allowing me to geek out for the evening and re-live my childhood again.  It is a wonderful gift that I will never forget.