Building a backyard rink
This is a great essay on how to buid a backyard rink (liner style). What's just as interesting is that Google was useless in finding it. Teoma's initial results were just as poor, but the Teoma sidebar picked out a few key links.
Google results nowadays are drowning in retail links, and are vulnerable to ploys designed to alter Google rankings. Teoma is to new and smalltime to game, so its results are often better. Well worth looking at.
Saturday, January 24, 2004
Thursday, January 22, 2004
Power cellphone via laptop using USB charger - extend speak time
Belkin Universal USB/VPA Charger
The other day I paid about $20 for a widget that allegedly charges my cellphone via my laptop USB port. This is part of a logical trend to using the USB port on a laptop (or a powered USB hub) as a universal slow speed charger for PDAs, iPods (mini only), digital cameras, cellphones, etc [1]. The idea is that you carry a charger for the laptop, or you carry a powered USB hub, and no other chargers.
In practice charging the cellphone via the USB widget is very slow. I'm not sure overnight is long enough! HOWEVER, it does enable one to extend cell phone talk life while traveling. I discovered this while traveling with an almost discharged cellphone. I set my laptop power profile [2] appropriately and plugged the USB adapter into my cellphone. I continued to talk for another 1-2 hours. The cellphone power level stayed flat or increased slightly, so the power input was about equal to digital communications demand.
Caveat! Most cellphones were not designed to charge off a USB port. I've no idea what using one of these devices does to the cellphone LiOn battery. I suspect there's no overcharge protection, so if you left your cellphone plugged in for a few days the battery would probably be damaged. I also suspect, however, that it's probably harmless to use to power a working cellphone as described here.
Belkin sells one of these. I've seen it sold online for about $15.00:
http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Product_Id=132105
meta: jfaughnan, jgfaughnan, charger, adaptor, adapter, power adaptor,
power adapter, converter, convertor, USB, mini-B, USB sync,
synchronization, HotSync, laptop, portability, travel, cellular,
mobile phone, sprint, Samsung, portability, efficiency, convergence,
transformer, AC/DC, wall wart
[1]http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=5c0dbfb4.0312121044.6d00220%40posting.google.com
and
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=5c0dbfb4.0401161137.3f143a2c%40posting.google.com]
[2] In XP use a custom power profile for this -- never sleep but do blank screen and spin down drive -- I called my power profile "Cellphone Charger". Similar setup for OS X.
The other day I paid about $20 for a widget that allegedly charges my cellphone via my laptop USB port. This is part of a logical trend to using the USB port on a laptop (or a powered USB hub) as a universal slow speed charger for PDAs, iPods (mini only), digital cameras, cellphones, etc [1]. The idea is that you carry a charger for the laptop, or you carry a powered USB hub, and no other chargers.
In practice charging the cellphone via the USB widget is very slow. I'm not sure overnight is long enough! HOWEVER, it does enable one to extend cell phone talk life while traveling. I discovered this while traveling with an almost discharged cellphone. I set my laptop power profile [2] appropriately and plugged the USB adapter into my cellphone. I continued to talk for another 1-2 hours. The cellphone power level stayed flat or increased slightly, so the power input was about equal to digital communications demand.
Caveat! Most cellphones were not designed to charge off a USB port. I've no idea what using one of these devices does to the cellphone LiOn battery. I suspect there's no overcharge protection, so if you left your cellphone plugged in for a few days the battery would probably be damaged. I also suspect, however, that it's probably harmless to use to power a working cellphone as described here.
Belkin sells one of these. I've seen it sold online for about $15.00:
http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Product_Id=132105
meta: jfaughnan, jgfaughnan, charger, adaptor, adapter, power adaptor,
power adapter, converter, convertor, USB, mini-B, USB sync,
synchronization, HotSync, laptop, portability, travel, cellular,
mobile phone, sprint, Samsung, portability, efficiency, convergence,
transformer, AC/DC, wall wart
[1]http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=5c0dbfb4.0312121044.6d00220%40posting.google.com
and
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=5c0dbfb4.0401161137.3f143a2c%40posting.google.com]
[2] In XP use a custom power profile for this -- never sleep but do blank screen and spin down drive -- I called my power profile "Cellphone Charger". Similar setup for OS X.
KODAK: Labeling CD-R Media - Don't use Labels
KODAK: Labeling CD-R Media
Ideally use a water based cd safe permanent marker to label discs. Sharpies and other solvent based markers are probably OK. Don't use any labels of any kind, some may be safe, most result in data loss within two years.
Ideally use a water based cd safe permanent marker to label discs. Sharpies and other solvent based markers are probably OK. Don't use any labels of any kind, some may be safe, most result in data loss within two years.
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Shuttle'XPC ST62K and other systems - the $300 2nd/3rd home computer
The Tech Report - Shuttle's Zen XPC ST62K small form factor system - Page 13
These are quite amazing. Expected to fall below $300 US for the empty box. With a bit of memory, some drives lying around the house, a low end CPU and an educational copy of XP Home one can assemble a reasonably reliable, compact and client system for grandparents, children, children's games, etc.
These are quite amazing. Expected to fall below $300 US for the empty box. With a bit of memory, some drives lying around the house, a low end CPU and an educational copy of XP Home one can assemble a reasonably reliable, compact and client system for grandparents, children, children's games, etc.
Posthorn | Stabilant 22 - gas additive equivalent?
Posthorn | Stabilant 22
supposed to reduce dram failures. Don't know if it's real or silicon snake oil.
supposed to reduce dram failures. Don't know if it's real or silicon snake oil.
Sunday, January 18, 2004
The Plone content management system
plone.org - Welcome to plone.org
Runs over Zope. Looks like another one to experiment with! OpenSource. Used by Mars Rover site. O'Reilly likes it.
Runs over Zope. Looks like another one to experiment with! OpenSource. Used by Mars Rover site. O'Reilly likes it.
How to create iPhoto Disc images with a CD or DVD burner, particularly for Library Importing and Merging
Update 1/14/06: See my digital photography page for a much improved version of this technique.
--
I figured out how to create a sparseimage version that will grow when you dump your iPhoto Library in it. Then you create a read-only version as below when you're done and iPhoto will work as below.
At the moment the sparseimage is too big (12MB compressed) to put online. I won't be able to work on this for at least 4 days so someone else will have to do it sooner.
You create a sparseimage from the read/write version I reference below using the hdiutil convert command. Note that the help version is incorrect. Sorry, I don't even have time to write this out! More later...
This technique is very useful when you want to merge iPhoto Libraries, such as merging iPhoto 2 libraries into a combined iPhoto 4 library. It uses the CD/DVD merge techniques without first burning a CD/DVD. Indeed, if you can get hold of the appropriate disc image you don't need a CD or DVD burner to do the imports/merges. I'll eventually post an empty compressed image on my web site for people to use. I am sure there are shortcuts that will replace this technique, I'll revise this post as they are discovered.
1. You need to start with a physical CD or DVD burned by iPhoto (version 2 or 4 work equally well). Preferably from a large library so it will be big enough to work with.
2. Using Disk Utility create a disk image of the CD or DVD (select item in the Disk Utility image list, the choose New Image from Device. YOU MUST SELECT THE "TOP" ITEM IN THE HIERARCHY, USUALLY IT'S A DEVICE DESCRIPTION.
3. Mount the image. Start iPhoto. Confirm it now displays as though the physical CD/DVD were inserted.
4. Restart Disk Utility. Choose Images New - Image from Folder. Navigate to the mounted disk image and select it. CREATE AS A READ/WRITE IMAGE.
5. Mount the new image you created. Empty it out -- throw away the iPhoto Library folder and empty the trash. KEEP THIS IMAGE, IT'S NOW WHAT YOU USE TO DO EDITING WITH. IT WILL COMPRESS WELL WITH STUFFIT.
From now on, if you want to merge a library, copy it to this editable image. Rename it iPhoto Library. THEN YOU MUST CREATE A READ-ONLY IMAGE FROM THIS ITEM.
1. Using Disk Utility create Images - New Image from Folder. Select the read/write image you just mounted. Save as read only.
2. Launch iPhoto. See the disc mount. Now merge
(see http://googlefaughnan.blogspot.com/2004_01_01_googlefaughnan_archive.html#107435546730163006 to learn how to merge libraries.)
--
I'm sure there are slightly quicker approaches and better approaches. As I learn them I'll revise this blog and eventually this will go into its own web page, along with a compressed disk image to use as a starter image.
Update 12/11/05: In sorting through backlogged email, I came across a message from 9/05 suggesting an extension to this method. I've not tested it yet, but I will! Alex figured out that the disk image that iPhoto needs doesn't have to actually contain the images to be merged; instead one can put a path in the XML and put the Library you want to merge in that path. This saves a LOT of hassles, time and space.
As long as I'm updating here, I'd like to mention that the latest version of iPhoto Library Manager will merge Libraries, and I think it preserves keywords better than the disk image method described here.
Emphases mine.
--
I figured out how to create a sparseimage version that will grow when you dump your iPhoto Library in it. Then you create a read-only version as below when you're done and iPhoto will work as below.
At the moment the sparseimage is too big (12MB compressed) to put online. I won't be able to work on this for at least 4 days so someone else will have to do it sooner.
You create a sparseimage from the read/write version I reference below using the hdiutil convert command. Note that the help version is incorrect. Sorry, I don't even have time to write this out! More later...
This technique is very useful when you want to merge iPhoto Libraries, such as merging iPhoto 2 libraries into a combined iPhoto 4 library. It uses the CD/DVD merge techniques without first burning a CD/DVD. Indeed, if you can get hold of the appropriate disc image you don't need a CD or DVD burner to do the imports/merges. I'll eventually post an empty compressed image on my web site for people to use. I am sure there are shortcuts that will replace this technique, I'll revise this post as they are discovered.
1. You need to start with a physical CD or DVD burned by iPhoto (version 2 or 4 work equally well). Preferably from a large library so it will be big enough to work with.
2. Using Disk Utility create a disk image of the CD or DVD (select item in the Disk Utility image list, the choose New Image from Device. YOU MUST SELECT THE "TOP" ITEM IN THE HIERARCHY, USUALLY IT'S A DEVICE DESCRIPTION.
3. Mount the image. Start iPhoto. Confirm it now displays as though the physical CD/DVD were inserted.
4. Restart Disk Utility. Choose Images New - Image from Folder. Navigate to the mounted disk image and select it. CREATE AS A READ/WRITE IMAGE.
5. Mount the new image you created. Empty it out -- throw away the iPhoto Library folder and empty the trash. KEEP THIS IMAGE, IT'S NOW WHAT YOU USE TO DO EDITING WITH. IT WILL COMPRESS WELL WITH STUFFIT.
From now on, if you want to merge a library, copy it to this editable image. Rename it iPhoto Library. THEN YOU MUST CREATE A READ-ONLY IMAGE FROM THIS ITEM.
1. Using Disk Utility create Images - New Image from Folder. Select the read/write image you just mounted. Save as read only.
2. Launch iPhoto. See the disc mount. Now merge
(see http://googlefaughnan.blogspot.com/2004_01_01_googlefaughnan_archive.html#107435546730163006 to learn how to merge libraries.)
--
I'm sure there are slightly quicker approaches and better approaches. As I learn them I'll revise this blog and eventually this will go into its own web page, along with a compressed disk image to use as a starter image.
Update 12/11/05: In sorting through backlogged email, I came across a message from 9/05 suggesting an extension to this method. I've not tested it yet, but I will! Alex figured out that the disk image that iPhoto needs doesn't have to actually contain the images to be merged; instead one can put a path in the XML and put the Library you want to merge in that path. This saves a LOT of hassles, time and space.
As long as I'm updating here, I'd like to mention that the latest version of iPhoto Library Manager will merge Libraries, and I think it preserves keywords better than the disk image method described here.
Emphases mine.
From: Alex N...
Subject: iPhoto merging
Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2005 10:49:51 -0400I was looking into how to merge iPhoto libraries from a recent trip (on my wife's iBook) into my main library and came across your page.
I wanted to add that making a simple disk image with a hardcoded path to /Users//Desktop/Pictures/iPhoto Library allows you to just drag the pictures folder from the other computer onto your desktop, then load the disk image (which contains ONLY the XML file and is therefore tiny) to access the other photos.
In this way one disk image can be re-used multiple times ...
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