I shall call this “The Triple Threat”
This is Unix! I Know This!
Linux Systems Update
Done, done, and done. All systems go.
I dropped Ubuntu 10.04 LTS on the 17″ Dell, via an old image-having CD I had in the man-lab. Updated via the manager to 10.10, on my makeshift table:
No problem what-so-ever. Works like a champ.
I snagged the 10.10 image from Ubuntu, and created a bootable USB. I backed up my photos on said drive…so that sucker is one sweet USB. I have been packing it in my pocket, in case anyone needs some Linux on the fly…not holding my breath however.
Anyhow, my wireless card needed some update action…had to go manual on the little guy:
So the secret is out…I keep my modem and router in a wire-jumble behind the TV. It works. As does Meerkat on my Mini 9…with which I’m posting this tale at this moment.
So, I have a Ubuntu trifecta going on right now. Seems like they should have me on the payroll or something. Free shirt, or something. Not having Windows is prize enough.
State of Affairs
I’ve been busy. General business…not so much free time business. Here is a brief run-down of what is in the works:
Item: Environment updates
I am in the middle of re-purposing my computers. I have three flavors of Linux that I use on a regular basis. Gone will be that setup, along with all dual-boot machines. I am going to dedicate my Mini9 netbook as my ‘work at work’ machine…my old 17″ Dell will become my bench computer for my electronics projects…and my slick 15′-er will be my couch computer slash backup unit. All will run Ubuntu 10.10 with Gnome for the time being. I am toying with online storage options, so that I can drop files to and from my Droid without using swantron.com’s server space. More to come on that.
Action shot…updating the Mini 9 from Ubuntu 10.4 Netbook to Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop…
Bonus from above…real time apt-get Arduino V0022 action
Item: PIR sensor work on the Arduino
I actually had a little POC put together last week, before the system reboot. I made a generic little alarm, using the passive infrared module and a piezo. Once I can get the Arduino IDE up and running on all three boxes, I’ll snap some pics, clean stuff up, and let it rip. Stay tuned.
Item: General EE work.
I’ve been tearing apart all sorts of stuff. Two CRT TVs, some media players, etc. I didn’t document much, but managed to keep from discharging some big ass capacitors. For the win. The goal is to locate points of failure, and swap out components on the board level. This all stems from the flat-iron failure…for which I’m searching for a replacement switch and diode. Pretty cool.
That is about it. It looks like my wireless on the Mini is non-functional. Great. I’m off to track down an ethernet cord.
State of Affairs
I’ve been busy. General business…not so much free time business. Here is a brief run-down of what is in the works:
Item: Environment updates
I am in the middle of re-purposing my computers. I have three flavors of Linux that I use on a regular basis. Gone will be that setup, along with all dual-boot machines. I am going to dedicate my Mini9 netbook as my ‘work at work’ machine…my old 17″ Dell will become my bench computer for my electronics projects…and my slick 15′-er will be my couch computer slash backup unit. All will run Ubuntu 10.10 with Gnome for the time being. I am toying with online storage options, so that I can drop files to and from my Droid without using swantron.com’s server space. More to come on that.
Action shot…updating the Mini 9 from Ubuntu 10.4 Netbook to Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop…
Bonus from above…real time apt-get Arduino V0022 action
Item: PIR sensor work on the Arduino
I actually had a little POC put together last week, before the system reboot. I made a generic little alarm, using the passive infrared module and a piezo. Once I can get the Arduino IDE up and running on all three boxes, I’ll snap some pics, clean stuff up, and let it rip. Stay tuned.
Item: General EE work.
I’ve been tearing apart all sorts of stuff. Two CRT TVs, some media players, etc. I didn’t document much, but managed to keep from discharging some big ass capacitors. For the win. The goal is to locate points of failure, and swap out components on the board level. This all stems from the flat-iron failure…for which I’m searching for a replacement switch and diode. Pretty cool.
That is about it. It looks like my wireless on the Mini is non-functional. Great. I’m off to track down an ethernet cord.
Awesome Droid Apps Redux
Guess what? I’m posting this via my Droid 2, since Verizon’s 3G is faster than my Bresnan high-speed. Maybe one of their sys admins knocked some servers offline…I bet it is really hard to get around those racks with GIGANTIC CLOWN SHOES. Fuck Bresnan…whatever.
Here is a pic of an angry bird:
I feel your pain, angry bird. I’m picking up what you are angrily putting down. Now to the point of the post. I’m bringin Droid Apps back. You Apple fanboiz don’t know how to act.
Back in the day, I posted a little gem about the Android apps that I deemed must haves. Well, as fate would have it, my title brought me a bit of traffic. SEO FTW. Here is another (hopefully) perfectly titled post, that is dually of value for my fellow Android users.
Here we go…my top 5 Droid apps as of right now.
1) ATK, again. Battery life is still a perpetual issue. Blast your junk processes, and blast them often.
2) Angry Birds. Those birds are angrier than I. Best game I have seen on this damn thing. Bar none.
Tie, 3/4) Nesoid/GameBoid. Emultating the crap out of NES and GBA games. I found a bunch of stuff I used to play when I was a youngster. +1 usage of younster.
5) WiimoteControl. You know what…this will assuredly jump to the number two spot, once I can chop up the code and figure out the motion control aspect. Perhaps number one…who needs a ton of battery life when you can map the crap out of motions and use that as your input scheme I bet ten minutes with that interface combo will sufficiently blow your mind.
Grab one of these phones, root it, and grab those ^ apps. Good times will ensue.
I Love Newegg, You Should Too
You know that part of your brain that makes you do stuff unconsciously, but slowly enough that you have to wonder if it was deliberate?
Case in point…
You are watching TV, and some botox-faced newscaster mentions something about a stolen wallet. Your find your hand checking the contours of your pockets, making sure that your wallet is still where it should be, by your junk. You feel yourself reaching for it, and try to take control from the brain stem…take charge…you got it. Nope. That was impulse, dog.
Well, I don’t rock a wallet in the traditional sense. I use a binder clip to keep my credit cards from migrating to the floor. I also have the same knee jerk reaction to computer part prices as most would have with the wallet example. Hear of a computer type product…look on Newegg.
Remember that HP touchscreen tablet I was pining about a few days ago… check this out:
That is 20 USD cheaper than I saw on HP’s website, and that is without a NewEgg promo code. Get a promo code and we make that twenty dollar savings from the HP site looks small. Small, like my wallet, which once again, is a binder clip.
Even writing about my binder clip makes me check my pocket for my binder clip. I feel for you wallet folk. Check out Newegg…it’ll work itself out. If you feel really bad, check out Savings.com on the regular. The Newegg promo codes are just one of many that those guys toss out there.
FWIW, I want that HP even more. Gutted with Ubuntu Unity…that’s the stuff dreams are made of. Nerd dreams are dreams too…nerd dreams are dreams.
Motor Shield Assembly Steps
Good news…you don’t have to listen to me blather on. At least blather on too much…there will be some blathering.
I mentioned a few posts ago that I was feeling lousy about failing to post some junk. Junk and stuff…electronics…programming is uber-super…blathering again…et…cet…etcetera.
Motor Shield Assembly Steps
Good news…you don’t have to listen to me blather on. At least blather on too much…there will be some blathering.
I mentioned a few posts ago that I was feeling lousy about failing to post some junk. Junk and stuff…electronics…programming is uber-super…blathering again…et…cet…etcetera.
WeReward Review
Tending bar was easy money. Hang on for a sec…I’ll get to it, via a roundabout, Android laden path.
As a new Droid 2 owner, I’m all about my apps. You know what? There are a lot of awful apps floating around the market place and or webs. There are some incredibly useful apps, both free and for purchase. I have purchased but one Android app so far…and I’m not embarrassed in the least to say that it is the paid version of Robo Defence. It both kicks ass at home, and at the job. In fact, I can barely make it through a meeting, that is, if I drop the ball and leave GPS rolling and nuke my battery, rendering my phone useless for a half-hour-turned-into-seventy-horrible-minutes-of-repeating-the-same-crap-from-the-last-twelve-emails. I mean meetings. I mean, I wish I could use my phone at work. But, I digress. I like apps.
Wouldn’t it be great, if there was some sort of app out there, that would pay you. Sit down, y’all…there is. Mobile plus marketing equals mobile marketing. Getting paid to play, in a nutshell.
This has been an incredibly long-winded intro to an easily summed-up moral of the story. I really think that WeReward has hit the nail on the head, and created the easiest means of making money I have ever encountered. Granted, I have tended a lot of bar, which is both easy and simultaneously a giant pain in the ass. How about getting paid to check into an advertiser’s place of business? Sounds okay…right? Hear an ad, respond to add, do nothing more, get some loot. Not too shabby.
I caught a video on a Fox affiliate about these guys and an iPhone app. Basically, they were pulling fifty bucks a month for taking pictures from some places that popped up on their phones. They have the same stuff for we Android users, and will have you RIM suckers covered in no time.
Hit that link above for some more info…it is pretty slick.
Droid 2 Must Have Apps
One week into my tenure as a happy Droid user, I have some insight into what an Android user must toss on his or her unit. This is a running list, of course, but solid enough for a post. Post and a pic…
I’ll keep it simple at this point. Top five apps I have encountered, as far as usefulness and coolness are concerned.
1) Advanced Task Killer. No questions asked…get this app first and foremost. The battery life on these suckers is awful at best. Multitasking is great, but murder on batteries. Nuke your background crap, and nuke it often.
Nuke it from orbit, if in orbit.
2) Google Sky Map. So awesome it hurts. Bonus: your non-Android-having buddies will bow to your phone’s awesomeness.
3) Google Translate. Como se dice ‘awesome’ en Espanol? Un momento…Impresionante. Get this app, amigos.
4) Robo Defence. Awesome game; good graphics. Perfect for meetings; free version for those non-committal types.
5) Google Goggles. Take pictures of junk, see search results. This is another deal-breaker when it comes to the new tech that you can pull out on these phones. Maybe I’ll post a few result sets of this guy in action…sort of like looking into the future with this guy.
As the forewarning stated, this is far from a static list…merely a snapshot of the stuff I am currently digging with a spoon. I’ll try to keep some updates on the site, when my knowledge and tastes mature.
FWIW, get one of these bad boys. You will most surely not regret it in the least. To the max.