Navigating to a USB Drive that is Plugged into a Ubuntu/Linux OS PC

I use Beyond Compare daily and when they published their version for Linux I immediately bought it. (It is that awesome!).

Problem:

• I had a rather difficult time trying to figure out how [where] to select the file system on a USB drive that I plugged into my Ubuntu PC.

Steps I Took to Solve It:

• I started a new folder compare session. 
• I could navigate to the local hard drive 
• But when I select "Browse for Folder" I did not see a place to select the USB drive.
• I was expecting the USB drive to appear in the same way that the Windows file system presents them.
• I tried the BC help and online FAQ but there was no mention of how to do this. 
• I have requested that they include this tip in their help system and on-line FAQ.

• Knowing a little UNIX I looked in the /dev folder but found nothing there that mapped to the USB drive.
• Seeing that the USB drive did appear as an icon on my desktop, I knew that the drive was accessible.
• Furthermore and I could use the Ubuntu file browser/explorer to view files on the USB drive.
• I double-clicked the desktop icon that represents the USB drive
• This opens the Ubuntu file system browser/explorer.
• I right-clicked on the name of the USB drive volume
• Selected "Properties" 
• I discovered that the 'Location' property lists /media.

Solution:

• Instead of looking in /dev  look in /media

Synapsis:

• Using Beyond Compare you must navigate to the /media folder and then you have access to the USB drive's file system.

• This may seem like common sense but this information is not listed in the BC help should help the new Ubuntu user navigate devices and file systems.

Android Gallery Won't Display Updated Pictures

When I edit pictures from my Droid on my PC and add them back into the Gallery, the updated pictures do not show up, instead I get this icon of gray mountains backed by a film strip.

I can see the pictures in thumbnail view but the main picture view only shows the gray mountain icon.
It doesn't happen on every picture I edited, but it does on most of them.
 
The followng procedure definitely fixes the problem for me:

1. Connect droid to computer using USB cable. (This un-mounts the SD card).
2. Run the SDRescan app (From the Android Market, by Benjamin Rosseaux, suggested above.)  Note: Running the sdRescan app while the droid is hooked up to the computer via USB takes a little while to complete. Also, it doesn't make sense to run this app at this time because the SD card is un-mounted, but it does seem to work...
3. Disconnect droid from computer/USB cable. 
4. Open the Gallery.
5. It will take some time while the gallery is rescanned. 

Google needs to write a real gallery rescan program.
It seems like the gallery cache is not being updated very frequently.
Is there a straightforward way to clear the gallery cache?

(Droid X with OS 2.3 installed)

NFJS Update

First of all I can't believe it's been that long since my last blog... last November??? Wow!

K, so I just returned from a @NFJS weekend-long conference. Most awesome of all conferences for calibrating your 'Technology Radar' (as Neal Ford * ThoughtWorks puts it).

Of course the cat wants to type now... and it's late ...and it's been a long week that will now stretch into another.

JRuby