Personal blog

A step-by-step guide to using the graphical desktop of a headless Linux server, such as a VPS, remotely over RDP. You install xrdp, the XFCE desktop, chosen over GNOME because it is lightweight and suited to a server without a graphics card, and the LightDM login manager; then you give xrdp access to the TLS certificate through the ssl-cert group, to avoid the black screen, and select XFCE as the session.

The heart of the guide is the clipboard shared in both directions: how the CLIPRDR channel and xrdp-chansrv work, which restrictions to lift in sesman.ini, how to get rid of the orphaned chansrv processes that make copy and paste intermittent, and how to paste images or share the client's folders. It closes with turning off compositing if GIMP misbehaves and the advice to expose RDP only through a VPN.

Compared with the first instalment it slows down and focuses on plot and dialogue, in a more Tarantino-esque style reminiscent of Reservoir Dogs. The price is a compromised pace, with scenes that are too slow and dissonant, a final scene that breaks the built-up tension and music largely reused from the previous chapter. My verdict is lukewarm: only Kill Bill fans will truly appreciate it.

Susumu Hirasawa's soundtrack, the drawings, despite a few too many 3D elements, and the narrative premise all work. The big flaw is its monotony, with the same scenes repeated and the main plot almost forgotten, to the point of risking all style and no substance. This time the characters' introspection falls short: even masters make mistakes.

Cel-shading, ironic dialogue and robot employees complaining about their shifts give it a cartoon tone. The level design is not always up to scratch and the same musical genre may get tiring in the long run, but the sound design is excellent. Light and fun, it is highly recommended for anyone who loves rock and wants to be carried along by the rhythm.

The Government is discussing very expensive compact nuclear power plants, but given Italy's financial constraints it remains unclear who will pay for them. An enabling law cannot print the funds that are missing, which raises the suspicion that its real purpose is simply to block the referendum.