I've been wanting to dip my toes into programing for android and while I haven't made a full fledged app yet my efforts have produced some fruit.
I'm proud to introduce my latest free software project called Geostatus. It's a simple python script that runs in the Android Scripting Environment(ASE). It serves a very simple purpose in that it checks your current location based on the phones gps and compares that to a list of predetermined locations and updates your Google Talk status accordingly. I've created a git hub repository for it and have released it under the terms of the GPLv3.
You can check it out here
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Jack Supprort in Mumble
This is an appeal for help in solving the last great gap in the audio tool chain for podcasters. The Linux audio world now has a robust compliment of professional tools to record an independent radio show. We all know that the open source and free software community is under reported on in the media and the effort it takes to put out a show it greater than it should be. Recently on the show Shotofjaq they mentioned Mumble as a possible solution to voip woes that we currently have for podcasting with hosts in different locations. Currently the only solution we have been able to get to work with our Jack setup is an outdated version of Skype and compiling the alsa-utilities by hand to include jack support . That as well as some custom work in .asound to make something that is stable enough to get us through an hour long show without headaches and break downs.
We have tried going the SIP route as well and the issues are thus:
1. Asterisk is a pain in the butt to set up.
2. It's difficult to set up your firewall on the client side to get reliable connections.
3. There are no sip clients that support jack either and no other hacky work arounds have gotten us a reliable setup anyways.
We have filed a feature request for every SIP client we could think of and have been turned down by them all.
Mumble is quick and easy to set up on server and client end. All it is lacking is Jack support.
If it's a question of money or developers, then I would love help in identifying what hurdles need to be overcome. So please, if you have any incite into how we can get this accomplished let me know. I will not let this be the one thing preventing quality content about the floss world.
The new feature request is here.https://sourceforge.net/
please show your support in any way you can.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Get That Body Movin'!
Exercising is a place that stops a lot of people from beginning the get healthy. Where do you start? What exercises are best? These can all be things that prevent you from taking the first step to a healthy life. What do the experts say about it? I think the old saying "the best exercise is the one you do" sums it up best. My guiding philosophy is that I won't do any exercises I absolutely don't like. The funny thing is, at first, most exercises are the ones you don't want to do. However, as you get more in shape and able to do other exercises, you might find that all the things you though you hated you really just didn't like because they where too hard for your fitness level.
Everyone has some sort of sport or activity that they like doing. Your favorite exercise might be walking, running, biking, kayaking, hiking, rock climbing. The list goes on and on. So I would pick and exercise that you all ready enjoy and meets your current fitness level. Remember exercises that work out your cardiovascular system are much more important than weight training. Pick exercises that get your heart rate up.
For me, I've always liked riding a bike, so that's where I started. Since you can't ride a bike year-round in Colorado, when the weather turned cold I had to search out other things. I've found many different types of exercise that I enjoy and I refuse to do ones that not matter what I don't like. It's hard to stick with doing something if you don't enjoy it.
As a last reminder I want to encourage you to consult your doctor before taking on any sports or exercise, make sure you are picking exercises that are appropriate for your fitness level and a keep in mind any advice contained on this blog is used at your own risk. I don't need you hurting yourself and blaming me. Keep safe and keep healthy!
Everyone has some sort of sport or activity that they like doing. Your favorite exercise might be walking, running, biking, kayaking, hiking, rock climbing. The list goes on and on. So I would pick and exercise that you all ready enjoy and meets your current fitness level. Remember exercises that work out your cardiovascular system are much more important than weight training. Pick exercises that get your heart rate up.
For me, I've always liked riding a bike, so that's where I started. Since you can't ride a bike year-round in Colorado, when the weather turned cold I had to search out other things. I've found many different types of exercise that I enjoy and I refuse to do ones that not matter what I don't like. It's hard to stick with doing something if you don't enjoy it.
As a last reminder I want to encourage you to consult your doctor before taking on any sports or exercise, make sure you are picking exercises that are appropriate for your fitness level and a keep in mind any advice contained on this blog is used at your own risk. I don't need you hurting yourself and blaming me. Keep safe and keep healthy!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Motivations
This post is about the motivations to lose weight and live healthy. See, I had tried a few times to get in shape over the years. Some successful some not. In fact I had lost about twenty pounds at one point. The problem I was having (I think) was with my motivation.
Most of the other times I had attempted to lose weight I was motivated by things like looking sexy and not wanting other people to think I was a fat slob. I had it in my mind that I could do a lot of working out for six weeks and then go back to my life looking like Brad Pitt. I never considered diet an important factor except for trying to eat next to nothing.
See, the problem is we are bombarded with advertising telling us the wrong things. Some commercials tell us that we would be happy if we had a Coke or some Doritos. The next tells us we would be happy popping a pill so we can eat anything we want and still lose weight and look like super model. Throw onto that the video exercise programs that promise results in 9 week (implying you can go from 50 lbs over weight to a model in that time.) You have to start with not listing to all the stupid crap that is out there.
So, what I'm trying to get at is this. If your motivations are to just look good then you will fail, at least in the long run. If you really want to change your life it's about making the decision to live and eat healthy for the rest of your life. Not six-week, not a year, not ten but untill the day you die. It's not about what other people think. It's about setting an example in your family, breaking the cycle of obesity and showing that living healthy isn't miserable. This is about changing your way of life not about quick fixes or spending money. You don't need to spend any money on a plan or get a trainer or anything to get started. All you need is the motivation to do something. I set my first goals as this, first:stop smoking, second:get some form of exercise for 15 min five days a week. You don't have to start where I started you just have to do something. It gets addictive! Once you've started you won't want to stop. It's a process that comes in small steps and takes time. It isn't even about seeing results right away. The benefits might take time but will be so much better than any quick solution can offer.
When should you start? Right now! Don't sit around making excuses. The time is now. If the day isn't over you still have time to do some thing. You know as well as I do that this can't wait.
Most of the other times I had attempted to lose weight I was motivated by things like looking sexy and not wanting other people to think I was a fat slob. I had it in my mind that I could do a lot of working out for six weeks and then go back to my life looking like Brad Pitt. I never considered diet an important factor except for trying to eat next to nothing.
See, the problem is we are bombarded with advertising telling us the wrong things. Some commercials tell us that we would be happy if we had a Coke or some Doritos. The next tells us we would be happy popping a pill so we can eat anything we want and still lose weight and look like super model. Throw onto that the video exercise programs that promise results in 9 week (implying you can go from 50 lbs over weight to a model in that time.) You have to start with not listing to all the stupid crap that is out there.
So, what I'm trying to get at is this. If your motivations are to just look good then you will fail, at least in the long run. If you really want to change your life it's about making the decision to live and eat healthy for the rest of your life. Not six-week, not a year, not ten but untill the day you die. It's not about what other people think. It's about setting an example in your family, breaking the cycle of obesity and showing that living healthy isn't miserable. This is about changing your way of life not about quick fixes or spending money. You don't need to spend any money on a plan or get a trainer or anything to get started. All you need is the motivation to do something. I set my first goals as this, first:stop smoking, second:get some form of exercise for 15 min five days a week. You don't have to start where I started you just have to do something. It gets addictive! Once you've started you won't want to stop. It's a process that comes in small steps and takes time. It isn't even about seeing results right away. The benefits might take time but will be so much better than any quick solution can offer.
When should you start? Right now! Don't sit around making excuses. The time is now. If the day isn't over you still have time to do some thing. You know as well as I do that this can't wait.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Life Changes
It's been about a year and a half since I decided to change my lifestyle and be a more healthy person. In that time I've learned a lot and I though it would be nice to have a few posts about my story and what I've been doing to be a more healthy person.
My decision to change doesn't start with me but rather with some one I'm very close with. My brother had been telling me about his change to be more healthy and to start running. He has some blog posts about it on his blog. Here is the first post. This is all fine and well for him and didn't effect me until he came out to Colorado for a visit. When he got here, I noticed how much happier he was an was jealous. I have been working in an office for the last four years and at that point weighed in at about 248lbs. He inspired me to quit smoking an start changing my life style.
See, we all know what we are doing to be unhealthy but for some reason it's hard to figure out a way of doing things differently. With the diet and exercise industry making it seem like it should be easy and the fact that year after year the statistics show that it isn't getting better. In fact, the health of world is going down hill. It's so hard to find a place to start. That's why I wanted to have a few posts on what I've found out and what ever advice I can offer others.
Till the next post I urge you to check out the documentary "Food inc.", "Super Size Me" and "Water Wars" and this video from Ted. This should set you up with an idea how disassociated we've become with what we put in our bodies. Hopefully I can share some ways to help you change all that.
More to come, stay tuned!
My decision to change doesn't start with me but rather with some one I'm very close with. My brother had been telling me about his change to be more healthy and to start running. He has some blog posts about it on his blog. Here is the first post. This is all fine and well for him and didn't effect me until he came out to Colorado for a visit. When he got here, I noticed how much happier he was an was jealous. I have been working in an office for the last four years and at that point weighed in at about 248lbs. He inspired me to quit smoking an start changing my life style.
See, we all know what we are doing to be unhealthy but for some reason it's hard to figure out a way of doing things differently. With the diet and exercise industry making it seem like it should be easy and the fact that year after year the statistics show that it isn't getting better. In fact, the health of world is going down hill. It's so hard to find a place to start. That's why I wanted to have a few posts on what I've found out and what ever advice I can offer others.
Till the next post I urge you to check out the documentary "Food inc.", "Super Size Me" and "Water Wars" and this video from Ted. This should set you up with an idea how disassociated we've become with what we put in our bodies. Hopefully I can share some ways to help you change all that.
More to come, stay tuned!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
What's the Buzz on Buzz?
At first glances Google's new Buzz service might just seem like another "throw it on the pile network and, to be honest, it doesn't offer quantity of game changing new features that other Google producs have in the past, like Gmail and Google Voice. However, I can see at least one striking feature that sets Buzz apart.
If you are all ready using your mobile device for updating twitter more than you use a desktop client then Buzz adds an interesting social dynamic to certain events. All ready, some people have used the ability to see and respond to a Buzz in your area, such as during the recent "Snowpocalypse" where people where buzzing about what was going on right in their immediate area. This geographically links social networks to time and events. An ad-hock social network can pop up connecting people involved in an event at a specific time and place to share information and partake in conversations without having to search endless useless tags of mostly the same unverified information and without have to have prior knowledge as to who is there with them.
This gives a whole new spin on the usefulness of social networks. Imagine being at an event such as the Olympics. You can get real time updates of events from actual observers that are at the event with you. While no credentials come with the information the fact that you can see that they are at least at the event adds more weight the information's accuracy.
In times of crisis being able to get information from people near you can be a life saver. Imaging how different events like Columbine, 911 and Hurricane Katrina would have been if life saving information could have traveled to the people who need it in real time. Police could track suspects based on eye witness accounts. Information on road closures and medical supplies could be relayed. Lives will be saved! It could even make it less boring to sit in a traffic jam. This kind of spontaneous social interaction could have a profound impact on the outcome of events.
There, of course, will be a negative impact to all of this. Less privacy, people who take advantage and the ever present trolls of the internet but all and all I think that location information coupled with social networking could be an extremely powerful force.
If you are all ready using your mobile device for updating twitter more than you use a desktop client then Buzz adds an interesting social dynamic to certain events. All ready, some people have used the ability to see and respond to a Buzz in your area, such as during the recent "Snowpocalypse" where people where buzzing about what was going on right in their immediate area. This geographically links social networks to time and events. An ad-hock social network can pop up connecting people involved in an event at a specific time and place to share information and partake in conversations without having to search endless useless tags of mostly the same unverified information and without have to have prior knowledge as to who is there with them.
This gives a whole new spin on the usefulness of social networks. Imagine being at an event such as the Olympics. You can get real time updates of events from actual observers that are at the event with you. While no credentials come with the information the fact that you can see that they are at least at the event adds more weight the information's accuracy.
In times of crisis being able to get information from people near you can be a life saver. Imaging how different events like Columbine, 911 and Hurricane Katrina would have been if life saving information could have traveled to the people who need it in real time. Police could track suspects based on eye witness accounts. Information on road closures and medical supplies could be relayed. Lives will be saved! It could even make it less boring to sit in a traffic jam. This kind of spontaneous social interaction could have a profound impact on the outcome of events.
There, of course, will be a negative impact to all of this. Less privacy, people who take advantage and the ever present trolls of the internet but all and all I think that location information coupled with social networking could be an extremely powerful force.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Some strange happenings.....
Have you ever had one of those moments where you suddenly become an inadvertent listener to a conversation you shouldn't? So, I'm washing my hands in the bathroom at the gym when I hear a phone ring from a stall behind me. I chuckled a little to myself thinking "what a crappy time to get a phone call." Much to my surprise the gentleman actually answered the phone complete with a greeting involving a company name along with his. I gave another chuckle at the lack of professionalism. Then my ears where blessed with this conversation.
"Yes, I was at your restaurant last night with my girlfriend, who is Asian and pretty heavy, and I overheard the waiter say "she was the fastest person he'd ever seen there and that she had more chins than a Chinese phone book".....and I don't think that's very appropriate for your establishment......yeah I know your not laughing at me you're laughing with me."
At this point I had to leave the bathroom because you can only wash your hands for so long before you look crazy yourself.
Now, I could try to analyze all the things wrong with what transpired, but I think it might be too cruel. So, I'll leave by just saying I was probably the only person aware of how strange it all really was.
"Yes, I was at your restaurant last night with my girlfriend, who is Asian and pretty heavy, and I overheard the waiter say "she was the fastest person he'd ever seen there and that she had more chins than a Chinese phone book".....and I don't think that's very appropriate for your establishment......yeah I know your not laughing at me you're laughing with me."
At this point I had to leave the bathroom because you can only wash your hands for so long before you look crazy yourself.
Now, I could try to analyze all the things wrong with what transpired, but I think it might be too cruel. So, I'll leave by just saying I was probably the only person aware of how strange it all really was.
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