I'm glad you are here. Some of these things might make your life easier. Go ahead and request something, using the comment item on the gameplayer menu. While you are on the gameplayer menu, you might notice that I wrote the hangman, dangerstep and maze scripts, or at least most of the code for the mazes. Now, this first one is for timing things, so you don't forget about your clothes in the dryer or something on the stove. This timer can handle them both at once. You need to have spd-say installed. On Ubuntu linux it is installed by default. ########################################### #!/bin/bash get_time () { read -p "How long? Enter minutes: " the_time } get_time #don't enter a non-number or a negative number while ! [ "$the_time" -ge 0 ] 2> /dev/null # must use single brackets do if [ "$the_time" -ge 0 ] 2> /dev/null # must use single brackets then true # perhaps not needed... else echo "There is something wrong with your input. Enter a positive number of minutes." get_time fi done the_time=$((the_time*60)) # a custom message is useful when running more than one timer: "Check the BBQ" "The laundry is done" "Jane should be home soon" "Put on your pants" etc. read -p "Custom message? The default message is 'Time's up!' Press enter for the default or enter a custom message: " the_message echo "Timer started at $(date)." if [[ $the_message == "" ]] then the_message="Time's up." fi (sleep $the_time && spd-say -r -40 -p -80 -t female3 "$the_message")& # see the spd-say man page for voice and speed options ########################################### I'm just getting started. More to come, as I look at my collection of scripts. Now, this next one will answer any question with utter reliability. ########################################### #!/bin/bash answers=( "It is certain" "It is decidedly so" "Without a doubt" "Yes – definitely" "You may rely on it" "As I see it, yes" "Most likely" "Outlook good" "Yes" "Signs point to yes" "Reply hazy, try again" "Ask again later" "Better not tell you now" "Cannot predict now" "Concentrate and ask again" "Don't count on it" "My reply is no" "My sources say no" "Outlook not so good" "Very doubtful" ) num=$((RANDOM%20)) echo ${answers[$num]} ########################################### Biscuits 2 cups of cake flour* 1 cup of heavy whipping cream (a little more if needed) 1 teaspoon sugar (to counteract bitter taste of baking powder and for browning) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda* 1 teaspoon baking powder* * These ingredients are in place of White Lily self-rising flour which will work. A low-gluten flour is essential. Preheat oven to 400F. In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients until well mixed. Add the heavy cream and mix with a spoon or your fingers. A whisk is not recommended because the mixture gets sticky. You can't get it off the whisk. You need to get a mix that is not too wet (but it should be a bit sticky) and not too dry (won't hold together). Add more cream if it's dry and and crumbly, not sticky, 1 teaspoon at a time. * Change to the recipe. Crumbly biscuits are OK but not good for breakfast sandwiches. Put some flour on a surface and put the dough on it. Spread the dough out with your fingers, then fold it over. Repeat several times. Folding the dough over puts air between layers which contributes to rising. Don't use a roller because the air pockets will be squeezed out. Then spread it out about 3/4 to 1 inch thick. You can't really use pizza-making technique. This dough doesn't stretch. You have to patch holes. Cut out circles, 2 1/2 to 3 inches, or larger (4") for breakfast sandwiches, using a drinking glass or whatever is handy. Spread out what's left and repeat. You might have to form the last biscuit by hand. Makes 8 or fewer biscuits, depending on diameter. If you have 10 or 12 they will be too short or too small. Put on ungreased baking sheet and into the oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. They should rise to 1 1/2 or 2 inches at least and turn golden brown. ######################################## Pizza Dough 1 1/2 cups flour + 1 tablespoon 1 tsp salt -- can be omitted 1/2 cup water + 2 tbsps warm water (100F -- 28C) 1 package yeast (1 teaspoon) Put the yeast in the warm water in a small bowl with 1 tbsp. flour. Mix it up. Wait 10, 15 to 30 minutes to see if the yeast activates ("proofs"). Some people say there is no need to do this. But the yeast must pass this test. If you start making dough with bad yeast, you have to throw it away... Or you can run to the store, get yeast and try to mix it in and start over. Either way, your plans are ruined. The pizza is late or you have to make something else. If it doesn't start to bubble up and expand, throw it away (your yeast is dead or mostly inactive). Otherwise, proceed. Mix flour and salt together in a bowl. You can oil the bowl with a little olive oil. Add the "proofed" yeast mixture and mix well. Add 1/2 cup of water and mix again. Knead together until the dough forms into a ball. You can do this in the bowl. If it's too sticky to knead, add flour, 1 tsp. at a time. A little makes a big difference. Continue until it's barely not sticky. Cover and let stand for an hour or more until the mixture at least doubles in size. Letting it rise overnight might not make it much bigger but will add flavor. The longer you let it rise, the easier the dough will stretch into a pizza. Heat the oven to the hottest possible temperature. Put the dough on a pizza pan. Olive oil on the pizza pan is a good idea. Spread it out with your fingers. Tossing it to make it round is not recommended unless you know what you are doing. Do not roll. You want to keep the air bubbles. Some pizza makers have a method of turning the dough and slapping it on the workbench to spread it out. Or putting it on an inverted bowl to spread it. Try it. Add toppings. Don't forget salt and pepper and a herb. Put in oven for 10 or 12 to 15 minutes. The crust should be a beautiful brown. Cooked Green Salsa This is just a small amount, suitable for two servings or less. It is sweet and spicy. Double or triple as needed. About 1/4 white or yellow onion, sliced and chopped well 2 tomatillos, chopped well 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped well 1 small clove of garlic, peeled and smashed Butter Salt and Pepper Cumin and other spices as desired Melt a tbsp of butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add a little salt. Add onion and cook over low heat until it starts to brown (15 minutes or more). Stir occasionally. Add jalapeno. Cook for another few minutes to mellow out jalapeno hotness. Stir occasionally. Add tomatillos, salt and pepper, cumin, etc. Stir. Cover and cook until you get a salsa-like consistency, about 5 or 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Adjust seasonings if needed. Serve as a relish with any kind of food: eggs, tamales, etc.