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Force the script to be started as root
Place this code at the beginning of your script to ensure that it can only be executed by the root.

Upgrade all perl modules via CPAN

Set laptop display brightness
Run as root. Path may vary depending on laptop model and video card (this was tested on an Acer laptop with ATI HD3200 video). $ cat /proc/acpi/video/VGA/LCD/brightness to discover the possible values for your display.

Add a line to a file using sudo
This is the solution to the common mistake made by sudo newbies, since $ sudo echo "foo bar" >> /path/to/some/file does NOT add to the file as root. Alternatively, $ sudo echo "foo bar" > /path/to/some/file should be replaced by $ echo "foo bar" | sudo tee /path/to/some/file And you can add a >/dev/null in the end if you're not interested in the tee stdout : $ echo "foo bar" | sudo tee -a /path/to/some/file >/dev/null

creeate file named after actual date
Create a file with actual date as filename

Find last reboot time
Displays time of last system boot

Find the package that installed a command

List by size all of the directories in a given tree.

Remove apps with style: nuke it from orbit
You can't stand programs x, y, and z. Remove all trace of their existence by adding this function to your config. It will remove the cruft, the settings, and such and such. This function doesn't even give a damn about you trying to remove programs that don't exist: it'll just for loop to the next one on your hit list.

list block devices
Shows all block devices in a tree with descruptions of what they are.


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