Owner: Jason Slater Weblog URL:http://www.jasonslater.co.uk Join Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2007 06:11:39 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: blogging about technology Site statistics:Click here
k800i Image Stabilisation 2007-06-06 09:39:00 I am a big fan of Sony Ericsson phones and I love my K800i especially for its 3MP camera. I noticed on the SE website[1] that there is a tip for reducing the amount of blur that sometimes happens through camera shake - this is through the Image
Stabilizer function. For it to work you need to switch the cameraphone into one of the landscape modes. (Settings->Scenes). Then you can switch on the Image Stabilizer (Settings->Turn On Image Stabilizer).References[1] Sony Ericsson Tips and Trickshttp://www.sonyericsson.com/spg.jsp?cc=gb&lc=en&ver=4000&template=ps1_1_5_4&zone=ps&lm=ps1_1&pid=10407
ActivIdentity Continued... 2007-06-06 05:23:00 The support guys came back and answered my concerns about the key tokens. Apparently, the small black stickers are there 'just in case' a user accidentally peels one off - typically the black labels are removed during programming.Also, the old adage of RTFM applied to the default PIN numbers on the tokens. Never being one for reaching for the documentation it turned out that the default PIN is indeed stated in the documentation but is buried inside the Admin Guide - the Quickstart Guide would be a better place especially as the Quick Start Guide has all the other defaults contained within.I still don't have a manual for the devices but I've found that they are in Asynchronous mode by default which is why they were sitting on a challenge/response screen prior to giving a password. Changing the device to Synchronous mode gave what I wanted - enter a PIN and get a password, easy.Accessing the menu on the device is simple when you know how. Enter your PIN and on the password return scr
Google Web Accelerator 2007-06-06 04:58:00 I am test running Google
Web Accelerator
[1], a plug-in for IE that is supposed to speed up my browsing experience. It's been running for about 15 minutes now and has already saved me a whopping 1.9 seconds ... what? ... oh well ... what was I expecting ?Installation was easy and quick. Essentially I think it makes use of Googles caching and prefetching facilities to serve up stored pages via its own servers, and compressing it on its way to my browser. I like the feature that allows me to specify pages not to use the accelerator as well as the option that highlights prefetched links.Obviously there are privacy concerns, only HTTP is accelerated not HTTPS, but I don't mind the risk of my surfing habits being collected by Google, after all if it helps improve my surfing then I'm up for it.References[1] Google Web Acceleratorhttp://webaccelerator.google.com/
Flash Rabbit 2007-03-01 10:26:00 Check out my article on Game Career Guide, all about my game programming project at Wolverhampton University.http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/345/features/345/student_postmortem_wolverhampton_.php Read more:Flash
, Rabbit
Convergence 2007-02-28 09:48:00 Did I fall asleep and awake in a strange parallel universe? When I went to bed all was fine but when I woke up I discovered we've got internet browsers in fridges, online washing machines, robotic dogs on skateboards, mobile phones that take pointless pictures, Satellite TV that plays crap eighties games and MP3 players in almost everything.I think they call it convergence. Don't get me wrong I'm all for invention and people around me refer to me as the gadget king but I have to ask ... are things going too far?I have a watch, it tells me the time. I'm happy with that ... really I am. It uses static electricity from my body to keep itself going and it doesnt need rebooting every five minutes.Want to buy a mobile phone? Oh, do you want music? The ability to take pictures? Web browsing? Email? Diary or To Do lists? Listen, I want a phone, I want to call people and have conversations. The shop assistant looks at me strange, but it is colour and polyphonic they assure me. I give up.Wha Read more:Convergence
What time is it? 2007-02-27 12:19:00 The alarm goes off at six thirty. My partner insists on putting the bedroom clock twenty minutes fast so that we wont be out of bed late. Does it work? In a word ... no. Instead I wake up slowly and become master mathematician every morning calculating the real time. I get in my car, its an hour out because I cant be bothered to do the one hour forward, one hour backward dance. I put the radio on, surely they know. Nope, another time altogether. I get to work and clock in, the clock machines a different time to my watch,. which incidentally is five minutes fast so I'm not late for appointments, I also have a PDA with a diary but I dont rely on it for the time because its flat whenever I reach for it. I get to my desk and my phone has a clock on it, oh its 3 minutes slow. I log into my computer, the clock keeps losing time but resyncs when the computer starts up, but whats this - its seven minutes out. I look up at the office clock, its one of those radio controlled rugby clocks but so
Microsoft Expression Web Designer 2007-02-26 10:46:00 I have been looking at Microsoft
Expression Web, the replacement for Frontpage. It seems to be geared more towards open standards, CSS, XHTML, and the like than the older way of working. This fits in well with my strategy so I may get hold of it in the next month or so to see if the proof is in the pudding so to speak. Read more:Designer
, Microsoft Expression
, Web Designer
Virtual Server 2007-02-25 11:21:00 I am considering Virtual Server. I have a DL380 G4 sitting here (64-bit) that was going to be RDP duty but the more I read about VS the more I can't help thinking the machine would be better served running 4 32-bit servers instead. Watch this space for more...
What exactly is a programmer? 2007-02-23 18:15:00 I’m entering a competition at University. Yes, I admit it – I go to University – and feel quite a bit out of place at that. Sometimes I think I’m the only one that’s actually interested in the subject that we’re being lectured at. I look around at the best and brightest around me in all their youthful splendour and realise that they can’t wait for the lecture to end so they can get out and do god only knows what it is they do. It kind of reminds of me twenty years ago, yep, that long when I was at College. Anyway, the competition is to write a game based applet that is educational, relative to the school of computing and that fits within a few technical issues such as small file size. I have about six weeks to submit my entry and I can’t believe that some students have submitted their entry already. I’m either getting slower these days or need time to think things through – it took me over a week to decide what sort of game to produce – during which time some stud
Email 2007-02-04 04:01:00 Have they lost the plot with email content filters?I remember, in a previous employment - the details of which shall remain anonymous , I used to send 100+ emails a day with attachments. It was my preference to using the phone (I was usually greeted by someones voicemail), or fax (have to join the queue at the sole fax machine in the office), or memo (don’t even start me with the photocopier).One day I got 52 emails returned, and why?“A Internal mail message has been blocked from being delivered as the e-mail contained inappropriate words which may be non-business related.”Excuse me? Well this was a new initiative whereby the 'Helpdesk' checked all emails automatically as they went out and arrived in to make sure they were ‘suitable for the business’.Of course all the emails were valid and were released some three hours later. Three hours you ask? Well, to get your email released you have to call the ‘helpdesk’ on some remote number and talk to some ‘customer service Read more:Email
A New Common Language 2007-02-02 10:40:00 It strikes me that there are too many programming languages out there. Too many indeed. Too many with too many updates. Just as you get used to one thing it changes, or evolves.What we need is a common language. A language that doesn't change.Most languages share common factors such as loops, declarations, processes, output (screen/printer/etc) and variables. So why not produce a language, the purpose of which is to pull out core business logic into its own definition area and pull out input and output into separate areas, such as the following example.DEFINE[BLANK]END[BLANK]DEFINE[BLOCK1]END[BLOCK1]DEFINE[BLOCK2]END[BLOCK2]PROCESS:STARTOUTPUT:SCREEN[BLANK]OUTPUT:SCREEN[BLOCK]LOOPINPUT:KEYBOARD[SPACE]UNTIL KEYBOARD[SPACE]OUTPUT:SCREEN[BLOCK2]PROCESS:EXITEVALUATE:[DECISION1] TRUE:[] FALSE:[]DEFINE[DECISION1]DEFAULT TRUEEND[DECISION1]This program could then be compiled into whatever language you like. Basic, C, Java, Cobol, etc. Read more:Common
The Software Crisis 2007-02-01 09:19:00 The software crisis is a term used, since the 1960s, to describe the increasingly complex task of developing software on ever evolving systems whilst ensuring it runs as intended and expected. Dijkstra in his 1972 lecture “The humble programmer” used the term to assert that as computers develop technologically so does the complexity of the software development process. In contrast, Royce in his 1991 paper “Current Problems” describes the software crisis as the difficulty in providing systems that both meet customer requirements and work without problems. The software crisis seems to consist of a number of issues:Not meeting customer requirementsLate delivery of projectRunning over budgetErrors in functionalityLack of quality standardsApplications that are difficult to useCode that is difficult to maintainCode that is difficult to enhanceThe problem with software development is that there is no particular way of achieving something and the code itself is often unseen and exists Read more:Software
, Crisis
Exchange and Virtual Server 2007-01-23 11:38:00 There is nothing better than seeing the face of an eager IT salesperson when you tell them you’re all thin client. There is either the look of sheer confusion from those who’ve never heard of it, followed by “I see, but how many PC’s have you got?” to the look of fear from those who have heard of it. Very rarely have I witnessed someone rub their hands together, give me a big smile and ask “Great, Is that RDP or ICA?” This is particularly satisfying when the salesperson is trying to sell you some software that needs a dongle. “Just plug this into the back of the client machine” they say. “You mean the Server” I respond. “Uh?” is the usual response. This extends into surveys, “Could you tell me how many PC’s in your company” I am asked, to which I reply “We’re thin client based,” to which I’m met with an uneasy pause then “So how many PC’s do you have?” Nowadays I’m even getting users, eager with their new USB memory sticks approaching me Read more:Exchange
http://www.jasonslater.co.uk 2006-08-31 13:26:00 Check out my new website at http://www.jasonslater.co.uk/. Feedback will be greatly welcomed.Jason.
We went to Monkey Forest recently at Trentham Gar... 2006-08-09 05:49:00 We went to Monkey Forestrecently
at Trentham Gardens. It was a great day out, including a boat ride !Jess loved the Monkeys, spotting them high up in the trees and you could get very close to them as well.
Welcome to the family Daniel 2006-06-15 04:24:00 It is my happiest pleasure to introduce you to the newest addition to our family. Daniel
Jason. Daniel was born on 13th June 2006 at 6:30am and weighed in at 7lbs 1/2 oz exactly. Read more:Welcome
Diet and Stuff 2006-04-03 05:31:00 First full week of Atkins is in the bag and I'm feeling a lot better already! My weigh in was 23st 6lb which is one pound less than I last weighed in at five weeks ago so I guess it's not a bad start. I'm still a long way away from that 19st 8lbs I was two christmas' ago.I have to give a half hour presentation this evening at Uni so I better crack on with finishing it. Bandwidth Measurement in IP Networks - fascinating stuff !?!
Epiphany 2006-03-29 04:30:00 It's official, I'm back on Atkins! I've been thinking about it for a while but couldn't build up the steam. As it was, I was sick for two days at the weekend and couldn't keep anything down. Maybe it was an epiphany! Whatever it was, its now either day 3 or day 5 ( if you include the weekend! ). I was feeling tired, lethargic, run down, got tired easily and my back ache had returned so lets see if it makes any difference.
Citroen Xsara Picasso 2006-03-27 03:32:00 The time has finally come to change our car.My current car has give me a good run (10 years+) but with the size of our family increasing we need something a little more spacey and a little more roadworthy.After some research (Google, etc) I have decided to buy car from the Internet. The care is a new Citroen Xsara Picasso
from a web company called UK Car Discount. I'm quite nervous about buying online so fingers crossed all works out well. Only 7 more weeks to find out!
Happy Birthday Jessica 2006-01-13 03:22:00 This is Jessie with Gramps shortly after her first birthday. I can't believe how quickly time has gone, everyone says it flies by quickly but it really really does!Jessie is toddling already and everything is Da or Ba, every now and then a Wa or Puh appear. She is addicted to watching Garfield the movie at the moment, night, day, afternoons, I know it line by line! Read more:Happy
, Birthday
, Jessica
, Happy Birthday
Open University 2005-07-28 05:28:00 Here I am, working on my last assignment for my Open University
studies and I'm struggling to maintain interest. Not sure if it's because it's the last assignment or because this assignment is particularly dull but I'm about half way through and am hoping to get it posted off this weekend.
Movie Stardom Beckons 2005-07-19 04:10:00 I was a legionnaire - were you ?It was going to be the future of British Science Fiction movies and it was jolly fun at the extras filming day, stuffing pizza down our throat while dressing up as guards and slaves (I was a guard!). Prancing around in front of a huge blue screen with the cameras rolling.Still, that was a good number of years ago but it still pops up in my head from time to time, and like the summer of '66 I can say I was there! (well, not at the summer of '66 because I wasn't born then - but you know what I mean!).
Exterminate! 2005-06-17 04:35:00 So, who or what is Bad Wolf? I guess we will find out in one day - I know where I'll be at 7pm on Saturday evening. EXTERMINAAAAAAATE !!!! CE has really injected a new life into DW and I can't believe all the weeks have flown by so quickly.Baby Jess is doing well, she is out of her harness now and keen to start getting around. She loves to stand up and her favourite pastime at the moment seems to be trying to climb out of her bouncer chair.
Media Players 2007-06-08 13:27:00 I think Monk got it right when he realised how flexible MP3 players are, to be able to carry all your favourite music with you wherever and whenever you go seems like a good idea to me. I used to have a generation 4 IPOD but sold it and have been thinking recently about getting one of these new video ones, the only trouble is there are so many different varieties out there it's a minefield deciding on what's best. The other option of course is to go for a PDA or to use my phone and get some more XD cards which adds even more complexity to the issue of choosing a music player. Read more:Players
Something to fill a quiet moment 2007-06-08 05:14:00 I don't talk about games very much on this blog but one I have followed for years now is well worth some time and consideration. That is Kyodai Mahjongg from Cyna Games which is currently up to version 2006 1.42. This is a great implementation of the game of Mahjongg with a number of sub-games including Clicks, Slider and Rivers. You can download a free one month trial of it here.
Geek Test 2007-06-08 05:00:00 Following a pointer from Feld Thoughts blog, I headed off to take the Geek
Test v3.1. After playing with it for a while I put my honest answers in, and it took some time believe me as there are a huge number of questions to answer, and scored a Geek Ranking of 48.5% which makes me a Super Geek which makes me quite happy. Give it a go and see how geeky you are!
Day 10 Low-Carb 2007-06-08 03:43:00 Hurrah - it's day 10 and I've reached double figures on low-carbing days. My initial target is 14 days so I still have four to go but I'm pleased to have been able to buckle down and get through to 10. Perhaps a treat? No! stop thinking that - they are not treats - must think of them as setbacks.I still have a BBQ to navigate the weekend which on the surface should be great for low-carbing but I need to factor in all that potato salad, coleslaw, jacket potatoes and desserts - as well as all the drink. I'm still not sure whether I'm just going to enjoy the do and eat what I like or to stick to my guns and be strong. It would be easy for me to sit here and say I'm going to be strong but on the day anything could happen.But for now I am going to concentrate on navigating today. I've ordered two sausages and two slices of bacon from the local cafe and they should be here shortly. I've taken my multivitamin and I'm currently 1/3 of the way through my 2-litre bottle of water. It's
Bedraggled with Straggles 2007-06-07 13:51:00 When trying to find a cable I often find the mantra "if you want something doing ... do it yourself" works as most of the time it's anyone's guess where a particular cable is and then it's a lifetime of unravelling it from the knotted mass its become. How does that happen?What to do with cables? I have umpteen cables for umpteen purposes. Different types including Patch Cables, Fly Cables, Clover Leaf Cables, Figure of Eight Cables, Kettle Cables, Null Modem Cables, Parallel Cables, Mini-Parallel Cables, Serial Cables, Straight-Through Cables, Phone Cables, as well as dozens of unique cables that come with various products. As a last resort I've taken to wrapping each one up in a small plastic bag - writing on it as to its purpose, boxing them up and putting them in the offsite store if they're not used very often - at least I know where they are and they can't get into too much trouble there.
Presenting data on a webpage 2007-06-07 09:50:00 I have been fussing for a few days over how best to present a set of data on a website. Basically I have about two dozen sheets of tabular data, all similar, and have been pondering how to make the most of them. I started out by copying the data into Excel with the hope of producing XML from it. My plan was then to use ASP to loop through the table and show the data I needed. The first problem seems to be there is no easy way of converting a simple Excel table to a basic XML file - and I've been getting more complex from there. Earlier I was fiddling around with XSLT, ASP and XML when the thought dawned on me -> Collapsible tables. Leave the data in the format it is, paste it together, slap some DIV's around it and use the display:show and display:hidden tags to give the impression of collapsible tables. Job done. The strange thing is I've used these kind of collapsible tables in a number of places on this new website and it just never dawned on me. Duh! Read more:webpage
Point to Point Wireless 2007-06-07 05:31:00 I had an application to connect two buildings together, the distance being around 400m, as usual with these things the caveats are that it needs to be done quickly, reliably and most of all cost effectively. The budget ruled out laser links and other such tech's and a broadband connection would take too long to install as well as introduce security concerns (and ongoing costs!). The solution was to implement a wireless solution by smartBridges[1], in particular the airPoint-ProTotal solution. These are 802.11b devices offering data rates of up to 11Mbps which is plenty enough for our thin-client applications, printing and VOIP telephone system. We have them configured in Client Bridge Mode using 128-bit WEP Encryption. The ProTotals have built-in high-gain antennas and link directly to the LAN.The devices were easy enough to configure, once fitted, taking around 20 minutes per device and they have worked seemlessly since. Occassionally one of them needs rebooting as it seems to lock u Read more:Wireless
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