Getting VLC to play the AceStream links

Because AceStream is actually built on VLC code, therefore it can easily be play on VLC

How to do it

Install and run the AceStream Engine

The Ace Stream Engine will will open a local server on port 6878 and listen on 127.0.0.1:6878.

When you provide an acestream:// link, the Engine converts it into an HTTP stream.

VLC can then open that HTTP stream as if it were a normal video URL.

Open the VLC Media Player.

Get an Acestream Content ID, e.g., 8dbe2d515e9131fa311353537736f8c94be9b26d (Sky Sports Football [UK])

Go to Media --> Open Network Stream (or press Ctrl + N).

Enter the URL of your AceStream with this standard format (modified ID):

http://127.0.0.1:6878/ace/manifest.m3u8?content_id=8dbe2d515e9131fa311353537736f8c94be9b26d

The Acestream Engine will convert the Acestream ID into a HTTP URL so that it can be played by VLC

Click Play, and wait for a few seconds, Sky Sports Football TV will be broadcasted on VLC.

If you want to play another Acestream, say Eurosport 2 with Content ID:

6176281b9c46a5621a0e88524f8dc621f173b8e0

just repeat the above steps by replacing the Sky Sports Football link with the link (ID) of that Eurosport 2

http://127.0.0.1:6878/ace/manifest.m3u8?content_id=6176281b9c46a5621a0e88524f8dc621f173b8e0

The above method also works on Celluloid and Smplayer..


Explained:

http://127.0.0.1:6878/ace/manifest.m3u8?content_id=8dbe2d515e9131fa311353537736f8c94be9b26d

• This is the actual URL pointing to the stream.

• 127.0.0.1 is the local loopback address (your own machine).

• Port 6878 is typically used by Ace Stream, a peer-to-peer streaming application.

• manifest.m3u8 indicates the stream is delivered in HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) format.

• content_id=... is the unique identifier for the stream content.

Where to watch the English Premier League for free

There are two popular channels to watch the English Premier League:

1. Sky Sports Football (UK)

2. Sky Sports Main Event (UK)

Sky Sports Football is the UK’s dedicated channel for live football coverage, broadcasting Premier League. Apart from that it also broadcasts other events such as EFL, Scottish Premiership, Women’s Super League, and select international matches.

TV Guide for Sky Sports Football Channel:
https://www.tvguide.co.uk/channel/sky-sports-football-hd

Sky Sports Main Event is the UK’s flagship sports channel, showing the biggest live matches and events across football, cricket, rugby, golf, F1, NBA, and more. Its schedule includes Premier League, Scottish Premiership, and NBA playoff coverage. TVGuide.co.uk

TV Guide for Sky Sports Main Event Channel:

https://www.tvguide.co.uk/channel/sky-sports-main-event-hd

How to Watch for free

To watch these channels for free, we need to rely on acestreams. The acestream ID (sddress) of these channels are as follows:

Acestream ID of Sky Sports Football [UK]:

8dbe2d515e9131fa311353537736f8c94be9b26d

Acestream ID of Sky Sports Main Event [UK]:

eab7aeef0218ce8b0752e596e4792b69eda4df5e

With these addresses we still need the following applications:

1. acestream-engine
2. acestream-launcher
3. MPV player
4. a Terminal

To instal the acestream-engine, acestream-launcher, and the MPV player on an Archbased Distro on your PC, you simply enter this command line in the Terminal:

yay -S acestream-engine acestream-launcher mpv

and then press Enter. The applications will be installed.

Steps to watch for example the Sky Sports Football channel:

1. launch the acestream-engine

2. Open a Terminal, and enter this command line:

acestream-launcher acestream://8dbe2d515e9131fa311353537736f8c94be9b26d

Then press Enter and wait for a few seconds, Sky Sports Football channel will be broadcasted on your mpv player.

To watch the Sky Sports Main Event Channel, you simply change the command to:

acestream-launcher acestream://eab7aeef0218ce8b0752e596e4792b69eda4df5e

乒乓球团体世锦赛 (World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals)

乒乓球团体世锦赛 (World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals)

乒乓球团体世锦赛，是国际乒联（ITTF）所主办的最高级别乒乓球赛事，每两年才举办一次，分男子团体，与女子团体两个项目。

參賽團隊: 男女各 64 隊

賽事獎杯:

男子`團體冠軍: 斯韦思林杯（Swaythling Cup）

女子`團體冠軍:考比伦杯（Corbillon Cup）

 

锦标赛事會分兩個階段進行: Stage 1和Stage 2

Stage 1:

這個階段又分 Stage 1A 及 1B

Stage 1A  這階段主要是用來選出 8 個 種子隊伍。

ITTF會根據世界排名積分，選出前 7 名的队伍，再加上东道主队伍，組成共8支隊伍，然後將這 8 隊分為 A、B 兩组來作賽，最後根據賽果來定出種子名次。分組安排如下:

A 组：世界第 1名、第 3名、第 5名、东道主

B 组：世界第 2名、第 4名、第6名、第7名

比賽會采用单循环制，每队將有3 场团体赛事（一組4隊）。每場賽事，兩隊會派球只進行以下的比賽項目，顺序為:

单打
单打
双打
单打
单打

每场比賽會均用 5 局 3 胜制。第四、若前 3 個比賽項目已能分出胜负，則第四、第五场单打便不再进行。

每场 (單打、雙打) 的积分計法：胜 = 2 分，负 = 1 分。

每隊的總得分會用來計算出種子名次。

有一點要留意，無論各隊的成绩如何，都會自动晋级到 32 强的淘汰赛。1A 的比赛結果，只會是用來确定 Stage 2 (淘汰赛) 時的 签位和对阵安排。

淘汰赛种子是按 Stage 1A 成绩，這樣編排成的：

計算名次方法，顺序如下：

① 积分 → ② 胜场数 → ③ 净胜盘 → ④ 净胜局 → ⑤ 净胜分 → ⑥ 交手战绩。

Stage 1B：從 56 隊，透卜過分组循环比赛，選出 24 隊進入 Stage 2，32 強賽事階段。

這個階段會有56隊合资格的團隊參赛(男女一樣)，争夺24 个淘汰賽席位；与 Stage 1A 的 8 队组成淘汰赛的32 强。

56 隊會以抽簽方式分成 14 個小組，每組 4 隊，進行單循環比賽，賽制如下(同 1A):

单打
单打
双打
单打
单打

單打、雙打項目均採用 5 盤 3 胜制，先勝 3 項那隊便算勝出。
每個項目計分法：胜 = 2 分，负 = 1 分。

晋级 (32強) 规则（共 24 席）

1) 各小组的第一名：14 席
2) 將 14 个小组的第二名，按成績排名，選取前 6 名；6 席

排名方法包括: ① 积分 → ② 胜场 → ③ 净胜盘 → ④ 净胜局 → ⑤ 净胜分。
 

3) 未能獲選晋级的 8 个小组第二名，捉对厮杀（单场淘汰），勝者便可晉級: 4 席位。


Stage 2 淘汰赛
 

男女团各 32 队：8 队（Stage1A 种子）+ 24 队（Stage1B 晋级隊伍），按種子固定位置，及非種子抽簽安排，得出以下 32 强对阵表（固定种子位 + 非种子抽签）:

 

  

上半区（1–16 号位）

1.  1 号种子

2.  非种子（抽签）

3.  非种子（抽签）

4. 非种子（抽签）

5. 非种子（抽签）

6.  非种子（抽签）

7.  非种子（抽签）

8.  7  号种子

9.  3 号种子

10.  非种子（抽签）

11.  非种子（抽签）

12. 非种子（抽签）

13. 非种子（抽签）

14.  非种子（抽签）

15.  非种子（抽签）

16. 6  号种子

下半区（17–32 号位）

17.  4 号种子

18.  非种子（抽签）

19.  非种子（抽签）

20. 非种子（抽签）

21. 非种子（抽签）

22. 非种子（抽签）

23. 非种子（抽签）

24.  5  号种子

25.  8  号种子

26. 非种子（抽签）

27. 非种子（抽签）

28. 非种子（抽签）

29. 非种子（抽签）

30. 非种子（抽签）

31. 非种子（抽签）

32.  2  号种子

使用 efibootmgr 管理 UEFI 的启动项

 使用 efibootmgr 管理 UEFI 启动项

我比較喜歡在電腦上同時安裝多個作業系統來嘗試和比較各個作業系統不同之處。例如我現在就裝了４個作業系統在我的電腦上，計有 WIN 11, Arch Linux, KDE Neon 和 EndeavourOS。除了 WIN 11外，我是會不時更換那些 Linux OS。

當我經常更換那些 Linux 作業系統時，問題就出現了：當一個 Linux 業系統被更換／刪除後，它的引導程式（GRUB）仍會留在 UEFI Partition 上。UEFI Partition (只得 100 M) 很快就會用完，導致可能開不了機。

幸好，在 Linux 上有一個應用，efibootmgr，可以用來處理這方面的問題。

開啟 Terminal  (Ctl-Alt-T) ，輸入 efibootmgr，便會得出下圖:

這是我部電腦上的 UEFI 內容，每个系统都在 EFI 分區建立了自己的啟動文件。所有都是我現已安裝的，或是曾經安裝過的 OS 啟動文件，計有 MX Linux, KDE Neon, Arch Linux, Ubuntu, EndeavourOS, Garuda Linux。最離譜的是 EndeavourOS, 它每升級一次便制做另一個新的的啟動文件，所以便有 EndeavourOS-7279,  EndeavourOS-6250,  EndeavourOS-2473 等，要刪除時須要特別小心。

從上圖我們還可看到開機時的 Boot Order、次序首先是 Arch Linux (0005)，其次是 Windows Boot Manager (0000) ，如此類推。如果想將次序改變，我們輸入類似如下的命令

sudo efibootmgr -o 0000, 0005, 0003, 0004, ....

這樣便會將 Boot Order 改為 Windows Boot Manager (0000) 第一，其次才到 Arch Linux (0005)，.....。

​如想刪除 UEFI 多餘的啟動項，我們可以輸入類似如下的命令

sudo efibootmgr -b 000A -B        #刪除 Garuda (000A)

sudo efibootmgr -b 0008 -B        #刪除 endeavouros-6250 (0008)

-b: Specify boot number (hex).

-B: Delete that entry

刪除完了以上的啟動項後，再輸入命令 efibootmgr 便得下圖︓

註︓

如想參閱 efibootmgr 的詳細用法，我們只​要輸入以下命令：

 efibootmgr -h

刪除完啟動項後，其實還有很多相關而不再用的 folder 存在 EFI folder 里面，最好便是一併清除掉。以下是 ARCH LINUX 的做法。

我的 EFI FOLDER 是在  /dev/nvme0n1p1 ，於是我需要輸入以下命令:

sudo mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /mnt

dolphin --sudo mnt

以下視窗便會彈出:

Click  'Act as Administrator' --> 輸入密碼後:

 

開啟 EFI folder:

 便會看見所有我曾經安裝過的 OS 的 folder。刪除那些不再需要的 OS folder 便可。

如果以上方法行不通，我們可以利用 Command line 的方法:

因為 EFI FOLDER 是在  dev/nvme0n1p1 內 (我的 folder)，苜先將 dev/nvme0n1p1 mount 成 mnt

sudo mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /mnt 

再將 EFI FOLDER 的內容列出來:

sudo ls -l /mnt/efi  (or sudo ls /mnt/efi)

類似結果會如下: 

total 108
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Oct  2 22:04 AcreetionOS
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Sep  1 12:29 anduinos
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Jun 11 18:37 Arch
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Sep 20 17:44 archcraft
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Mar 18  2025 Artix
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Sep 14 20:47 BigLinux
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Jul 21 12:13 BlissOS
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Sep 23 21:40 boot
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 May 23 21:03 cachyos
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Aug 31 12:28 debian
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Feb  9  2025 endeavouros
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Sep  8 10:24 fedora
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Sep  8 09:58 Kamuriki
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Sep 23 21:40 Linux
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Jul 23 21:17 Mabox
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Aug 25 02:28 Manjaro
drwx------ 4 root root 4096 Feb 28  2025 Microsoft
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Sep  1 02:15 MX
drwx------ 3 root root 4096 Sep 23 21:40 nixos
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Sep 11 17:43 Parch
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Sep 12 01:22 parchlinux
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Sep 12 01:56 Q4OS_Aquarius
drwx------ 7 root root 4096 Oct 10 13:35 refind
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Sep 23 21:40 systemd
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Jul 15 12:11 tools
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Jul 17 10:07 ubuntu
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Sep  7 05:29 XIVAStudio

假如我想將 nixOS Folder 清除，我可輸入以下指令。

sudo rm -r /mnt/efi/nixos

再將 EFI FOLDER 的內容列出來， nixOS Folder 便再也不存在。其他的就如此類推。

 

 

 

  

銀河 PRO 01，一款性價比高的蝴蝶 Viscaria 替代品

蝴蝶 Viscaria 是一款深受乒乓球迷愛戴的球板，無論是專業球員還是業餘發燒友都愛使用。它的特点是出球速度快，借力好，手感清晰通透，指向性好，底劲充沛。适合快攻结合弧圈打法。

可惜的是它的價錢比較貴，在淘寶網上通常要1000+人民币。

在日本的亞馬遜(amazon.co.jp)網站上，它現在的售價如下:

 

以現在的兌換價，1日元等於0.055港元，用大約 900 多港元 (未計運費) 便可以買到。

蝴蝶 Viscaria 的结构屬 外置芳碳混编纤维（Arylate-Carbon Hybrid Fiber），共有7層:

第一層: Koto (寇头木) 0.5mm  
第二層: Arylate-Carbon（ALC） 0.2mm
第三層: Ayous（阿尤斯） 1.0mm
第四層: Kiri（桐木） 3.0mm
第五層: Ayous（阿尤斯） 1.0mm
第六層: Arylate-Carbon（ALC） 0.2mm
第七層: Limba（淋巴木） 0.5mm

特性:
- 外置芳碳（ALC）：纤维层靠近面材，出球速度快，适合中远台弧圈结合快攻。
- 桐木大芯：吸收多余震动，提升控制与连续进攻稳定性。

- 阿尤斯 : Viscaria 的 核心层, 提供柔韧和稳定的击球手感
- 寇头木：硬度较高，为底板提供清晰的击球手感和较快的出球初速，支撑力好
- 整体反馈：脆弹清晰，发力后形变大，弧线饱满，适合主动进攻型打法。

蝴蝶有多款底板采用类似结构，仅在面材或纤维层微调，同结构兄弟型号有：
- 张继科 ALC：与 Viscaria 结构相同。
- Innerforce Layer ALC：纤维层内置（靠近大芯），手感更柔和。
- Viscaria Super ALC：升级版，面材改用硬度更高的 寇头木 (koto)，速度提升。

银河Pro-01 也是一款结构仿照蝴蝶VIS 的底板，（Koto面材+蓝芳碳+阿尤斯力材+桐木大芯），但是價錢卻很平宜，在淘寶網上約賣 200 多元。

银河 Pro-01 的表現很接近 蝴蝶 Viscaria。

控制与防守: 小球出色：台内摆短、搓球控制稳定，不易冒高，优于VIS的硬弹手感。 防守借力一般：

旋转优于速度：一速中等，二跳下扎感不如VIS强烈，但旋转表现突出，适合连续拉冲。

退台底劲一般：中远台发力时支撑力稍弱，大力量下易发飘，更适合中近台作战。

 

 

 

 

Popcorn Time -- the best App for watching movies and TV series

PopcornTime App




Popcorn Time is an open-source streaming application that lets users watch movies and TV shows for free, using torrents as the source of content.

Instead of searching for torrent files on a website (e.g., Pirate Bay) and then opening them in a separate player (e.g., VLC), you just search for a movie or TV show within Popcorn Time and click "play".

Core Features

• BitTorrent Streaming: Streams movies and TV shows directly from torrents, allowing playback while downloading.

• Integrated Media Player: Built-in player for seamless viewing without needing external software.

• Cross-Platform Support: Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android.

• Multi-language Interface: Supports dozens of languages for global accessibility.

• Content Discovery: Browse trending, popular, or newly released titles in a Netflix-style interface.

• Instant Playback: Watch in HD or 4K without waiting for full downloads.

• Library Management: Organize and track your viewing history and favorites.

• Subtitles: Automatic subtitle support in multiple languages.

• Seedbox Tab: Lets you monitor torrent activity (downloads/uploads) inside the app.

• Open Source: Community-driven development with frequent forks and updates.

Example: To watch the Korean Series "Undercover Miss Hong"

Click 'Series' on the top bar

Use the magnifying glass to search for "Undercover Miss Hong", the following will appear

 On this page, we have the available Episodes on the left.

On the right we have the information about audio language (English)

Symbols ,   that provide a 'magnet link' and the 'health index' (no. of seeds and no. of peers available). The more seeds and the more peers are there the faster and better will be the streaming.

The magnet link lets you download the episode before watching.

The health index is a reference for the smoothness of the stream.

On the right hand bottom corner, there is a 'watch now'. Click on it then you can start watching. 

 

clicking on the small triangle next to 'watch now', you can select your preferred player (installed first).

On the left hand side of 'watch now', you have the download icon. Click on it to download the episode if you prefer.

Further to the left, you have the choice of resolutions for your episode.

 

Note:

As of 2026, the official Popcorn Time project has undergone a major transformation. The new version will no longer hosts or streams any video content.

If you do not find any movies or series appearing on the home page. Do this

Setting --> API Server(s) --> in the Blank Spaces of

Movies API Server(s), Series API Server(s), Anime API Server(s) ,

Fill in any one of the following:

    https://fusme.link/

    https://jfper.link/

    https://uxert.link/

    https://yrkde.link/ 

 

and test it until you have the movies and series appear on the Home page.

Commonly used “sudo pacman” commands on Arch Linux

  

Commonly used “sudo pacman” commands on Arch Linux

“sudo pacman” is the core command for managing software (installing, updating, removing packages) with administrative privileges.

What is sudo pacman?

• pacman = Arch Linux’s official package manager (stands for Package Archive Manager).

• sudo = Runs pacman with root/administrator permissions (required for system-wide changes like installing/removing software).

Core Functions of sudo pacman

1. Update the system (critical first step after installation!)

Syncs your local package database with remote servers and updates all installed packages to the latest versions:

sudo pacman -Syu

• -S: Sync (download/install packages)

• -y: Refresh the package database (yes to sync)

• -u: Upgrade all out-of-date packages (upgrade)

Always run this before installing new software to avoid dependency conflicts!

2. Install a package

Install one or more packages from Arch’s official repositories:

# Install a single package (e.g., VLC media player)

sudo pacman -S vlc

# Install multiple packages at once (e.g., VLC + GIMP)

sudo pacman -S vlc gimp

• -S: Stands for Sync (the main flag for installing from repos).

3. Remove a package

Delete a package (and optionally its unused dependencies):

# Basic remove (keeps dependencies)

sudo pacman -R vlc

# Remove package + unused dependencies (recommended)

sudo pacman -Rns vlc

• -R: Remove

• -n: Remove configuration files (nuke configs)

• -s: Remove unused dependencies (sweep)

4. Search for a package

Find packages in the official repos

# Search for a package by name/keyword (e.g., "firefox")

pacman -Ss firefox

# Search for already installed packages only

pacman -Qs firefox

• -Ss: Search sync database (remote repos)

• -Qs: Query search (local installed packages)

5. Check package details

See info about a package (version, description, dependencies):

# Info about a remote package (not installed yet)

pacman -Si vlc

# Info about an installed package

pacman -Qi vlc

• -Si: Sync info (remote)

• -Qi: Query info (local)

6. Clean up cached packages

Pacman stores downloaded package files (*.pkg.tar.zst) in /var/cache/pacman/pkg/—clean them to free space:

# Delete old cached packages (keep latest version)

sudo pacman -Sc

# Delete ALL cached packages (more aggressive)

sudo pacman -Scc

• -Sc: Sync clean (safe)

• -Scc: Sync clean completely (use if low on disk space)

7. Fix broken dependencies

If you get "dependency error" messages, repair the package database:

sudo pacman -Syyu --overwrite '*'

• -yy: Force refresh the package database (twice = full sync)

• --overwrite '*': Fixes issues where files are owned by multiple packages (use carefully!).

Notes for Beginners

• Never use pacman -Sy alone (it only syncs the database, not upgrades packages)—always use -Syu to update safely.

• Official repos vs AUR: pacman only works with Arch’s official repos (e.g., core, extra, community). For AUR packages (like Popcorn Time), use yay/pamac (which wrap pacman).

• No sudo for read-only actions: Commands like pacman -Ss, pacman -Qi don’t need sudo (they only read data, not modify the system).

Summary

1. sudo pacman -Syu: Update your entire system (most important command).

2. sudo pacman -S <package>: Install a package from official repos.

3. sudo pacman -Rns <package>: Uninstall a package + clean up dependencies/configs.

4. pacman -Ss <keyword>: Search for packages (no sudo needed).

5. sudo pacman -Sc: Clean cached packages to free space.