If you’re here because you got a Raspberry Pi for Christmas, then Happy Christmas – and welcome to the Raspberry Pi family! If you’re just here for fun, then Happy Christmas too!

The Raspberry Pi is a computer that you can use for all sort of brilliant and useful things, from learning to program, to making robots, to Tweeting when birds visit a nesting box, to taking pictures from the stratosphere.

Here are some tips on setting up and using your Raspberry Pi.

1. Make sure your software is up to date

The most important thing is to make sure that you have the latest version of our New Out Of Box Software (NOOBS). You can check this by starting your Raspberry Pi – here’s Carrie Anne to tell you more.

If you don’t have the latest version (1.3.3) we recommend that you go here to get the latest version and follow the instructions (it’s really easy – just download & unzip it and then drag and drop onto a formatted SD card).

2. Setting up

Full set up instructions are in the quick start guide. If you have any issues setting up your Raspberry Pi set up then please visit our forums. Our forum members are a very friendly bunch and will help you with any problems. The FAQ also has lots of tips and useful information

Power

Do make sure that you have a good quality power supply. Some cheaper supplies do not output the power that they claim!

Logging in

When you finally boot up you will be asked to log in. The login is ‘pi’ and the password is ‘raspberry’. Note that nothing appears when you type the password, so tpye caerfuly!

Command line and windows

The Pi boots into a command line where you type instructions to the computer. To start a windows-style graphical user interface, first log in, and then type startx and press enter.

Brain on a stick warning: The Raspberry Pi is special. We built this little computer so that you have to tell it what to do, not the other way round. You’re in charge. It’s a very different experience to unboxing a tablet or laptop—deliberately so!—but because of this it has so much more potential. We accept full responsibility for any learning, thinking or fun that may occur whilst using our product.

3. What can you do with your Raspberry Pi?

Because it’s a general purpose computer, you can do loads of stuff. But because it’s also small and light and doesn’t use much power, you can do even more amazing things. And if you just want to use it as a media player then that’s cool with us too.

Want to know more? If you’re under 15, we recommend Carrie Anne Philbin’s Adventures in Raspberry Pi, which will get you set up and hacking away in an afternoon. For anyone over that age, we recommend the official User Guide, co-authored by our very own Eben Upton, which will take you from raw beginnings to automating your whole house.

Merry Christmas! We’ll be back in a few days – we’re taking a little while out to spend time with our families.

—

Additional resources and projects

The MagPi magazine is full of help, tutorials, projects and ideas. It’s free and quite excellent. The Computing at School Educational manual is also a free download and covers Scratch, Python, Linux and beyond.

Did we mention that we have a free version of Minecraft for the Pi? It’s great fun to play, but even better to program and there are some excellent resources to show you how.

Lastly, here are a few of our favourite blog posts of the last year. It’s a mixed bag, from beginners’ tutorials to professional  projects and we hope that they give you some inspiration and a flavour of what you can do with the Raspberry Pi.

Lincoln Heard, age 3, and his Raspberry Pi

Guest post #5: Raspberry Pi tutorials for complete beginners

Amy’s Game of Life

Oliver and Amelia make a bee box

Google Coder: a simple way to make web stuff on Raspberry Pi

Sonic Pi – a free music and computing resource for teachers, and for the rest of us

Zoological Society of London: saving rhinos with the Pi

BBC Springwatch – and a Pi

Bringing computing to rural Cameroon

Rapiro – the cutest robot you’ll ever meet, now on Kickstarter

High Altitude Ballooning, sixth-form style

Ted Bull Stratos: Babbage’s leap of faith

AirPi – the next step

Radio Lollipop – children’s hospital radio

Lincoln Heard, Minibeasts and Raspberry Pi

Pi 3D scanner: a DIY body scanner

Little Box of Geek from Geek Gurl Diaries

Kegerface – for all your beer stocking needs

The trick or treat greeter

The Wolfram Language and Mathematica on Raspberry Pi, for free

Mom is the most catholic 

magicalnaturetour:

Two adorable small pandas playing in the snow. Photographer Josef Gelernter

paperbeatsscissors:

a true hero.

There’s really only one rule for community as far as I’m concerned, and it’s this – in order to call some gathering of people a “community”, it is a requirement that if you’re a member of the community, and one day you stop showing up, people will come looking for you to see where you went.

Like the deadly pufferfish, wild mushrooms are for culinary daredevils. Care to play Russian roulette with your dinner?

Lately, it seems like every story has to be massive, or nobody cares. Every Doctor Who story is about saving the entire universe. The latest Hobbit movie seemed to be trying to be a Lord of the Rings-style saga. Every action movie needs global stakes. Can we talk about our epic epidemic?

Read more...

furtherchroniclesofacrash:

70sscifiart:

Ron Walotsky (via Cadwalader Ringgold)

gloriovs

my people

From Icon to Exile: The Price of a Nude Photo in Egypt:

Article by Takis Würger.

For the last two years, 22-year-old Egyptian Aliaa Magda al-Elmahdy has been a hunted woman because she used the delayed-action shutter release of her digital camera to take a photo of herself, which she then posted online.

Photo by Jonas Bendiksen, for Der Spiegel

Caption: Living in exile in Sweden has been lonely for Elmahdy. She lives a withdrawn life, with no friends and much fear. She has joined the feminist group Femen and also waged nude protests of her own in support of a wide range of causes.

Scrooged (1988) // Richard Donner

Ho, ho, hold up, Mr. Kringle — do these reindeer have permits? U.S.D.A. clears Santa's reindeer to enter U.S. soil, but only for 12 hours, from 6 p.m. Christmas Eve until 6 a.m. Christmas morning. Better move fast, Santa.

What happens when a punter and a fake coach account lock horns? Internet magic, that's what.

If you don't know who Mike Sadler, you're probably not a Big Ten diehard; Sadler's one of the best punters in the Big Ten, representing the Rose Bowl-bound Michigan State Spartans. He's a three-time Academic All-American to boot.

If you don't know who @FauxPelini is, you're probably not on Twitter; @FauxPelini is one of the most popular parody accounts in all of college football, reducing Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini (it rhymes, you see) to an irritable, foul-mouthed, slightly daft growler. Which, uh... kinda spot-on.

At any rate, though the spheres of fake Twitter things and real athletes rarely collide in any meaningful way, one such happy intersection happened on Monday as the two had a conversation that—and forgive us if this seems like some sort of exaggeration—makes Twitter and yea, all life truly worth it.

@Sadler_3 hey I noticed you only had 81 punting yards against Youngstown State what happened were you sick

— Fake Bo Pelini (@FauxPelini) December 23, 2013

@FauxPelini I had a serious case of turf toe which severely limited my ability.

— Mike Sadler (@Sadler_3) December 23, 2013

@Sadler_3 OK this is weird but our #3 also had turf toe this year but I assumed it was a pretend injury and he just hated me

— Fake Bo Pelini (@FauxPelini) December 23, 2013

@FauxPelini I got mine amputated at halftime, slapped a bandaid on it, then rushed for 3 yards. Impossible is nothing. (See header photo)

— Mike Sadler (@Sadler_3) December 23, 2013

@Sadler_3 That play made me feel very frustrated inside, sorry for the hurtful names I yelled at you

— Fake Bo Pelini (@FauxPelini) December 23, 2013

@FauxPelini I was frustrated as well. Destroyed my rushing average and took me out of Heisman contention.

— Mike Sadler (@Sadler_3) December 23, 2013

.@Sadler_3 By the way I coach our kickers to imagine the ball is their enemy's lunchbox, you can use that too if you want

— Fake Bo Pelini (@FauxPelini) December 23, 2013

@FauxPelini I always pretend I'm Luigi kicking a koopa shell but I will definitely have to try out the lunchbox.

— Mike Sadler (@Sadler_3) December 23, 2013

@Sadler_3 When MSU goes for it on 4th down and fails are you secretly happy be honest

— Fake Bo Pelini (@FauxPelini) December 23, 2013

@FauxPelini no bc then everyone is in a bad mood and they take out their feelings on the kickers *cue Sarah McLachlan animal shelter music*

— Mike Sadler (@Sadler_3) December 23, 2013

@Sadler_3 Hey our players are bad at catching punts do you have any tips, like is there a spinning trick punters do to the ball or what

— Fake Bo Pelini (@FauxPelini) December 23, 2013

@FauxPelini catching punts requires a combination of fearlessness and insanity. This is my recommendation: pic.twitter.com/nZbaYy2a0L

— Mike Sadler (@Sadler_3) December 23, 2013

Will you buy me this for Christmas @FauxPelini or is it too soon? pic.twitter.com/6cHtHohRGF

— Mike Sadler (@Sadler_3) December 23, 2013

@Sadler_3 ok that is WAY too soon

— Fake Bo Pelini (@FauxPelini) December 23, 2013

@Sadler_3 BTW you beat us by 13 so you would have won even without that fake so I guess the joke is on you #burn

— Fake Bo Pelini (@FauxPelini) December 23, 2013

@FauxPelini but cake is so much better with frosting on it!

— Mike Sadler (@Sadler_3) December 24, 2013

@Sadler_3 not pancakes #syrup #burnedagain

— Fake Bo Pelini (@FauxPelini) December 24, 2013

@FauxPelini funfetti cake is and that is the only cake that matters. #BoomRoasted #jk #BoomBakedat325 #Corn

— Mike Sadler (@Sadler_3) December 24, 2013

@Sadler_3 I had to look up funfetti cake and that doesn't look like something I would eat

— Fake Bo Pelini (@FauxPelini) December 24, 2013

@FauxPelini it's like confetti but more fun. It's pretty much an edible arrangement made out of flour, sugar, red 7 and joy.

— Mike Sadler (@Sadler_3) December 24, 2013

So that all made a ton of sense. Bravo, gents. Bravo.

More from SB Nation college football:

Follow @SBNationCFBFollow @SBNRecruiting

• Bowl season TV schedule, with scores and recaps along the way

• Modern Hate: Four huge, behind-the-scenes stories on college football rivalries

• The big, beautiful SB Nation All-America Team

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• Long CFB reads | The death of a college football player

As a special holiday gift, Pee-wee Herman just announced that his 1988 “Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special” is now free to view on YouTube through January 12, 2014.

Pee Wee’s Christmas Special, with Guest Stars:

Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon
Magic Johnson
Dinah Shore
Joan Rivers
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Oprah Winfrey
Whoopi Goldberg
Little Richard
Charo
K.D. Lang
The Del Rubio triplets
and Grace Jones.

via Pee-wee Herman

I am very upset that a tweet I sent out last week has been interpreted by some to be insulting to African Americans. By now media coverage of the unfortunate tweet has only added to this perception. To those who were offended, again, I offer a deep, sincere, and humble apology without reservation.

I don't know if anyone else has been watching Fall Out Boy's recent music videos — but their decision to do a video for every song on their latest album, all linked together as a supernatural horror story, is full on BONKERS. And today's features Tommy Lee as Satan. Merry Christmas?

Read more...

Check out this eye-popping behind-the-scenes making of Alfonso Cuarón's space spectacle Gravity. It's almost unbelievable how all this CG and motion capture transformed into that nail-bitingly realistic film. WARNING there are some major spoilers for the ending.

Read more...

With Tony Romo's status in doubt, the Dallas Cowboys pulled Jon Kitna out of retirement.

The Dallas Cowboys surprised the football world on Tuesday by pulling Jon Kitna out of retirement. Dallas was in the market for a quarterback with Tony Romo's status is doubt and opted to sign Kitna, according to Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram.

The 41-year-old Kitna retired from the NFL following the 2011 season and has been teaching math and coaching football at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, WA. Kitna spent 15 seasons in the NFL, but hasn't thrown a regular-season pass since September 18, 2011. He played three seasons with Dallas and started nine games in 2010 when Romo missed time due to injury.

Dallas worked out several quarterbacks this week, including John Skelton, Tyler Thigpen and Richard Bartel, before opting to sign Kitna. According to Hill, the decision to go with Kitna was largely due to his knowledge of the Cowboys' offense.

Romo is dealing with a back injury and his status remains in doubt. If he's unable to play on Sunday, Kyle Orton will start with Kitna serving as the No. 2 quarterback.

More from SB Nation NFL

• NFL Mock Draft: The silver lining to your team's misery

• NFL Week 16: Scores, news and GIFs | Playoff picture | Draft order

• Peyton Manning breaks single-season TD record | GIF: Tom Brady's left hanging

• Pride of Detroit: Fire Jim Schwartz | Schwartz isn't a fan of his fans

• Death of a football player: Helmet-to-helmet hit killed Derek Sheely

oddyellowmonkey:

Den Julbocken. The Yule Goat by John Bauer. The mighty Thor rode the sky in his chariot drawn by goats. #nakikiViking #scandinavia #winter #wish #vikingheart #viking #julbocken #yuletide

It's been done for Batman and Superman so now it's the Doctor's turn. Psychologists at the University of Aberdeen Face Lab have revealed a composite face of all the actors who have played the Time Lord. See the image after the jump.

Read more...

Los Santos is supposed to be a criminals' paradise, a place where the right crew, the right weapons and the right vehicles let you unlock as much money as you can earn. But a plague of hacking is clogging GTA Online's in-game economy with billions—maybe even trillions—of dirty dollars.

Read more...

UPS: Many packages will be delivered the day after Christmas al.com (blog) UPS_Truck.jpg UPS is experiencing delays on Christmas Eve due to an overwhelming volume of packages. They may not be delivered until the day after Christmas. Photo via Wiki Commons. UPS is overwhelmed, and packages may not make it in time for ... and more »

Iron Maiden hired a BitTorrent analytics company called Musicmetric to determine where piracy of their music was highest, then scheduled tours of those countries. They made millions touring Central and South America. Iron Maiden LLP has outperformed the UK music sector as a whole and was named one of the "1000 Companies That Inspire Britain" by the London Stock Exchange.

"Having an accurate real time snapshop of key data streams is all about helping inform people's decision making. If you know what drives engagement you can maximize the value of your fan base. Artists could say ‘we're getting pirated here, let's do something about it’, or ‘we're popular here, let's play a show’," said Gregory Mead, CEO and co-founder of the London-based firm.

In the case of Iron Maiden, still a top-drawing band in the U.S. and Europe after thirty years, it noted a surge in traffic in South America. Also, it saw that Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, Columbia, and Chile were among the top 10 countries with the most Iron Maiden Twitter followers. There was also a huge amount of BitTorrent traffic in South America, particularly in Brazil.

Rather than send in the lawyers, Maiden sent itself in. The band has focused extensively on South American tours in recent years, one of which was filmed for the documentary "Flight 666." After all, fans can't download a concert or t-shirts. The result was massive sellouts. The São Paolo show alone grossed £1.58 million (US$2.58 million) alone.

How Iron Maiden found its worst music pirates -- then went and played for them [Andy Patrizio/Cite World]

(Image: Estadio Saprissa Iron Maiden, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from adels's photostream)

goldenwolf:

foie:

Wu-tang horse capturing my philosophy

word