Jun 16 2017

Audacity and GCC – Mismatch between the program and library build versions

Recently, Gentoo Linux put GCC 6.3 (released in December 2016) into the testing branch. For a source-based distribution like Gentoo, GCC is a critical part of the toolchain, and sometimes can lead to packages failing to compile or run. I recently ran into just this problem with Audacity. The error that I hit was not during compilation, but during runtime:


$ audacity
Fatal Error: Mismatch between the program and library build versions detected.
The library used 3.0 (wchar_t,compiler with C++ ABI 1009,wx containers,compatible with 2.8),
and your program used 3.0 (wchar_t,compiler with C++ ABI 1010,wx containers,compatible with 2.8).
Aborted

The Gentoo Wiki has a nice, detailed page on Upgrading GCC, and explicitly calls out ABI changes. In this particular case of Audacity, the problematic library is referenced in the error above: “wx containers”. WX containers are handled by the wxGTK package. So, I simply needed to rebuild the currently-installed version of wxGTK to fix this particular problem.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Zach

May 02 2017

Aftermath album by Fever Fever

It’s been quite some time since I’ve reviewed an album here on the Z-Issue. That’s not because I haven’t discovered some excellent music out there. On the contrary, I’ve found a plethora of wonderful musicians, albums, and individual tracks. However, it’s more a matter of time (or lack thereof). I feel, though, that I have to review the album Aftermath by Fever Fever because I greatly appreciate those artists who really are at the top of their genre. I generally don’t care all that much for the pop side of rock, but this album is so captivating that I think it will appeal to just about any musical taste.

Fever Fever - Aftermath - album cover
click to enlarge

The title track Aftermath sets the stage for the indie-style rock infused with catchy hooks, melodies, vocals, and lyrics that’s to come. From there on, you’ll be wowed by the perky, unforgettable melody (in the vein of Pompeii by Bastille) of Hypnotized, the beautiful piano-backed track accented by wonderful pizzicato that is Hope is a Child’s Toy (which asserts the amazingly positive worldview of “If hope is a child’s toy, then I don’t ever want to grow old”), and the droning, drum-tap on the steering wheel rhythm of Madness.

So, if you’re looking for some fantastic music with uplifting and life-affirming lyrics, check out this record. If you like the first few tracks (or the ones that I referenced above), you won’t be disappointed by any of the other songs. Give it a listen, and buy a copy on Amazon Music or iTunes. You’ll not only have another great, repeat-worthy album in your collection, but you’ll help the artist keep on doing what they’re doing. 🙂

Cheers,
Zach

P.S. A big thank you to Wes for helping me get lossless copies of the tracks and appeasing this obnoxious audiophile. 🙂

Mar 02 2017

Swapping the side markers on a 2016+ Honda Civic

Overall, I’ve been quite happy with my 2017 Honda Civic EX-T. However, there are some cosmetic changes that I personally think make a world of difference. One of them is debadging it (or removing the “Civic” emblem from the back). Another area for improvement is to swap out the side markers, which by default (and according to law in most of the United States), is amber in colour. As it is the only area on the car that is that gross yellow/orange colour, I thought that it could be vastly improved by swapping it to either clear or some smoked black look. Initially, I ordered the ASEAN market OEM Honda clear side markers on eBay. However, I decided that on my White Orchid Pearl Civic, “smoked black” may look better, so I ordered them instead. Here’s a before-and-after of it:

2017 Honda Civic side marker changed to smoked or clear

Following the great instructions provided by a CivicX forum member, I got started. Though his instructions are spot-on, the procedure for swapping to the non-OEM smoked markers was actually a little easier. Basically, step 4 (cutting the tabs on the socket) was unnecessary. So, a simplified and concise list of the steps required for my particular swap is:

  • Turn the wheels inward to give you more room to access the wheel liner
  • Remove the three screws holding the wheel liner
  • Press on the side marker clip that holds it to the body, whilst simultaneously pushing the marker itself outward away from the body
  • Use a very small flat head screwdriver to depress the tab holding the bulb socket to the harness
  • Swap in a new bulb (if you have one, and I can recommend the Philips 194/T10 white LED bulbs, but realise that since they are white, they will not be “street legal” in many municipalities)
  • Test the polarity once you have inserted the bulb by simply turning on your headlights
  • Place the harness/new bulb/socket into the new side marker (noting that one notch is larger than the rest, which may require rotation of the side marker)
  • Align the new side marker accordingly, and make sure that it snaps into place

The only caveat I found is that the marker on the passenger’s side did not seem to want to snap into place as easily as did the one on the driver’s side. It took a little wiggling, and ultimately required me to press more firmly on the marker itself in order to get it to stay put.

For a process that only took approximately 30 minutes, though, I think that the swap made a world of difference to the overall appearance of the car. I also am happy with my choice to use the white LED bulb, as it shows quite nicely through the smoked lens:

2017 Honda Civic side marker changed to smoked or clear with white LED bulb

Cheers,
Zach