pBooting and administering a computer over a network remotely isn’t that big of an art form, nor is it new. From ever since I was in elementary school and even before that, there have been systems that could power on, pull the software needed from another system and boot into a working system. While it’s not new, the way I had to go about booting the workstation over the network from an installation image hosted on my MacBook *was* new to me. I intended to use the Preboot Execution Environmenta href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preboot_Execution_Environmentor”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preboot_Execution_Environmentor/a PXE to boot the work station over the network. PXE is best introduced in this wiki article a href=”http://pxe.dev.aboveaverageurl.com/index.php/PXE_Bootingfrom”http://pxe.dev.aboveaverageurl.com/index.php/PXE_Bootingfrom/a this wiki a href=”http://pxe.dev.aboveaverageurl.com/index.php/Main_Page.”http://pxe.dev.aboveaverageurl.com/index.php/Main_Page./a The systems that I’ll be setting up for PXE booting have the following specs: Workstation: – ASUS A7V8X-X – AMD Athlon 2500+ @ 2.1 GHz – 512 MB RAM – 60 GB HDD – ATI Radeon 7000 64 MB – 500 W PSU MacBook: – Intel Core2Duo T7200 @ 2 GHz – 1.5 GB RAM – 80 GB HDD – Intel GMA950 – 60 W PSU (battery is physically dead) The first thing I did was configure the workstation’s bios to boot over the network. The option to actually enable PXE in the Boot Options menu tab was hidden in the I/O Chip Configuration menu under the Advanced menu tab. After toggling that setting and setting PXE first in boot priority, I then setup the MacBook to host the installation image for the workstation. This ended up being quite a challenge, as it seemed that not many people who did computer networking used Mac OS X as their OS of choice on their Mac systems. I needed to at the time, so after looking around for a time, I found this wonderful nugget of informationa href=”http://www.aidanfindlater.com/debian-netinst-using-pxe-mac-os-x-and-tomato.”http://www.aidanfindlater.com/debian-netinst-using-pxe-mac-os-x-and-tomato./a While it goes over the instructions for working with Debian, I took the info I needed and combined it with the archboot imagea href=”ftp://ftp.archlinux.org/iso/archboot/latest/and”ftp://ftp.archlinux.org/iso/archboot/latest/and/a the info I neededa href=”https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Install_Arch_from_network_%28via_PXE%29#Starting_the_Installfrom”https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Install_Arch_from_network_%28via_PXE%29#Starting_the_Installfrom/a the wiki article for installing Arch over the networka href=”https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Install_Arch_from_network_%28via_PXE%29.”https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Install_Arch_from_network_%28via_PXE%29./a After all that, I had to download the appropriate filesa href=”ftp://ftp.archlinux.org/iso/archboot/latest/boot/from”ftp://ftp.archlinux.org/iso/archboot/latest/boot/from/a here to replace the ones in the /private/tftpboot/boot directory, as the ones that came in the original image kept causing a kernel panic. /p
While looking over the drive I discovered two things: How much of a fingerprint magnet this is going to be…
and that the port on the drive looked familiar.
It was only after inspecting the cable that I realized that it was merely a Micro-USB B plug with the extra five pins required for USB 3.0 operation. This meant I could simply use one of my other devices USB to Micro-USB B cables for USB 2.0 operation.
There was however, one glaring problem:
I intended to setup the harddrive as a monolithic storage medium that would be accessible from any OS and had large file support as I intended to deal with files in excess of 2 GB (large file support).
That set off a search almost immediately after I finished registering the drive for its warranty. I decided to try Disk Utility first and see what filesystems I could format the drive with. To my surprise (I know I’m late), I could format the drive using exFAT. I remembered something about it being used for SDXC cards now tha Microsoft somehow got the SD Card Association to adopt it. When I looked it up , I found a couple articles; both of them from Linux Today (the answers post from 2009 and the post on Tuxera’s exFAT efforts) which did not paint a pretty picture as to its support on operating systems (especially open source OSes) that haven’t licensed the technology. I did see in the comments the mention of using UDF by Epicanis which I found interesting but irrelavant at the time.
My next option was to use another Microsoft creation: the New Technology FileSystem or NTFS. NTFS while a very promising filesystem is unfortunately not supported well on OpenBSD. Every other OS that I needed to support the filesystem supported both read and write capabilities using Tuxera’s NTFS-3G. The downside? The solution however would prove to be much slower than I would like. There was also the need to compile the driver and utilities myself just so that I could get support for POSIX ACLs. The last and final problem I had was that I could run into interoperatibility issues later on and I just can’t have that happening.
After all of this, I looked into ext2 which is fairly well supported on Windows and Mac OS X through to the use of either Ext2IFS or Ext2Fsd or macfuse and fuse-ext2 respectively. This also holds true for just about every other Linux, UNIX or BSD OS I’m intent on using in the future. It had the large file support and the filesystem drivers for Linux, Windows and Mac OS X performed better but it requires installing and configuring software on just about every Windows or Mac OS X powered machine that I may use in the future before I can actually mount the drive.
The final filesystem on the list and the one that I’ll be going with is the Universal Disk Format or UDF. It was originally created specifically for optical discs of a high data density such as DVDs. I had dismissed Ephicanis’ idea on using it earlier as I figured that the filesystem could only be used for optical discs. Boy, was I wrong. Every OS that I intended to use could read from and write to a UDF formatted partition but what I didn’t know was that one could create a UDF filesystem on any partition on a harddrive or solid-state drive and have it accessible to all OSes. What surprised me even more was that I could create a UDF filesystem via the commandline in (thank you skolima for the first two) Linux with mkudffs, Windows with format and Mac OS X with newfs_udf. The only problem is what version of UDF to use and what OSes will support it. The answer to that question will come in another post.
There are many uses for Evernote including everything from collaboration within a startup to keeping authors, bloggers, fashion designers and others stay organized and become more productive. I have been using it over the past three years but have only really begun to realize the benefits of using it recently. I used to use Evernote for taking notes on the go but the phones that I had used the mobile client on in the past have, for lack of a better term, sucked. Even when I had the right phone to use Evernote on, the client wasn't up to snuff at the time.
For the past month, I had been working on controlling a good part of my online presence through email. I wanted to be able to work on the email anywhere is was as long as I could access an email client. I have yet to get any drafts that I created in K-9 Mail on my phone to sync back to Google's servers so I looked around for another way to post to my blog, twitter, facebook, flickr and more through email. Evernote fits the bill perfectly as I can sim…
There are many uses for Evernote including everything from collaboration within a startup to keeping authors, bloggers, fashion designers and others organized and more productive. I have been using it over the past three years but have only recently begun to realize the benefits. I used to use Evernote for taking notes on the go but the phones that I have used the mobile client on in the past have, for lack of a better term, sucked. Even when I had the right phone to use Evernote on, the client wasn’t up to snuff at the time.
For the past month, I have been working on controlling a good part of my online presence through email. I wanted to be able to work on the email anywhere is was as long as I could access an email client. I have yet to get any drafts that I created in K-9 Mail on my phone to sync back to Google’s servers so I looked around for another way to post to my blog, twitter, facebook, flickr and more through email. Evernote fits the bill perfectly as I can sim…
Earlier this morning, Sonos added two more audio services to their home music system: Stitcher Smart Radio and the AUPEO! Personal Radio. These two services make a great addition to the several audio services that Sonos music system owners already have to choose from. Stitcher allows you to gather, organize and “stitch” together content relevant to you from the premier content providers of the media industry. AUPEO! allows you to listen to free music via the Web, various applications and on Internet ready devices legally. You can also create your own “station” via their advanced software through the basic concept of personal music DNA as you “love” or “ban” songs as they play.
Both Stitcher and AUPEO! can now be accessed on Sonos via the Music Services tab in the Music Library in the Sonos Desktop Controller application and via the Music menu on the Controller 200 and iOS and Android applications.
For more information please read the following Press Release:
SONOS ADDS TWO FREE GLOBAL RADIO SERVICES TO THE HOME LISTENING EXPERIENCE
AUPEO! And Stitcher SmartRadio Now Playing on Sonos
SANTA BARBARA, Calif – June 01, 2011 – Sonos, the leading developer of wireless music systems for the home, today took another step in streaming all the music, radio, news and podcasts on the planet by adding two innovative and global radio services to the Sonos experience – AUPEO! Personal Radio and Stitcher SmartRadio™.
Beginning today, all Sonos customers around the world can tune in to these services for free by simply registering at www.AUPEO.com/Sonos or www.stitcher.com. After registering, go to the Music Menu on any Sonos Controller, touch More Music and add the service to Sonos.
“Our goal at Sonos is to continuously connect our customers with all the music and radio on the planet,” said John MacFarlane, CEO, Sonos, Inc. “Providing them with two free, innovative radio services like AUPEO! and Stitcher enhances their listening experience and increases their entertainment choices at home.”
AUPEO! Personal Radio
AUPEO! Personal Radio, now free with every Sonos system, is an Internet radio platform that lets you stream music for free and offers an excellent music discovery experience. Build your personal radio station starting with a music genre and influence it with “Love” and “Ban” buttons – you´ll only get music you really like! Choose from 100+ expertly crafted Genre Stations, search for a specific artist on Artist Radio or tune your Personal Radio with the one-of-a-kind Mood Selector to match your mood. Plus, AUPEO! is offering all Sonos customers a free 14-day trial of AUPEO! Premium, which features ad-free listening and higher streaming audio quality.
Stitcher SmartRadio
Stitcher SmartRadio, now free with every Sonos system, is a podcast and Internet radio service that streams all of your favorite podcasts and radio shows, on-demand with no need for downloading or syncing. Choose from more than 5,000 shows in news, comedy, sports, talk, and entertainment from brands as diverse as NPR, CNN, Fox, BBC World Service, TechCrunch headlines, Adam Carolla and more. You can even personalize your listening experience by “stitching” together your favorite shows to create your own customized playlist and also discover new shows based on your past listening preferences.
For more information about Sonos or to locate an authorized Sonos dealer in your area, please visit www.sonos.com or call 877.80.SONOS.
About Sonos, Inc.
Sonos® is the leading developer of wireless multi-room music systems for the home. The Sonos Multi-Room Music System is the first, wireless multi-room music system that lets you play all the music you want all over your house – and control it all from the palm of your hand. Sonos liberates the music stored on a computer so it can be enjoyed all over the house. In addition, by partnering with audio services like AUPEO, Deezer, iheartradio, Last.fm, MOG, Napster®, Pandora®, Rdio®, Rhapsody®, SiriusXM Internet Radio, Spotify, Stitcher SmartRadio™, TuneIn, Wolfgang’s Vault, and more, Sonos gives music lovers instant, computer-free access to millions of songs, thousands of radio stations, audiobooks, and more. The award-winning Sonos Multi-Room Music System is available at more than 6200 retailers in over 65 countries worldwide; or direct from Sonos at www.sonos.com. Sonos is a privately-held company, headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA with offices in Cambridge, MA, Hilversum, Netherlands, Shenzen, China, and Penang, Malaysia.
About AUPEO!
AUPEO! was founded in 2008 and is the leading provider of personalized music streams for the web and for Internet connected devices. It offers high quality content radio stations, which offer the user an individual music program suited to their tastes, and recommends new music to them. The recommendation technology is based on an algorithm from the Fraunhofer Institute, the inventors of MP3. AUPEO! works with many leading manufacturers of connected devices and is available on the website www.aupeo.com as well as coming pre-installed on Netbooks, connected TVs, all web-radio devices, and on many smartphones. Main partners, among others, are Loewe, Philips, ASUS, Acer, MINI and Terratec. For more information visit www.aupeo.com.
About Stitcher SmartRadio
Stitcher SmartRadio™ delivers personalized audio programming, on-demand, directly to mobile devices. Stitcher lets listeners stream the latest in news, sports, talk, entertainment, and more anytime, anywhere without having to download or synchronize content from the web. It’s the easiest way to stay connected to the content listeners love while on-the-go. Users can download Stitcher SmartRadio™ at www.stitcher.com or at the iTunes, Android, Palm & BlackBerry app stores. For more information visit www.stitcher.com.
Seemingly out of the shadows, WIND Mobile released the Huawei E583C under their WINDspeed brand as the Pocket Hotspot. While their previous offerings, the WINDspeed data stick E1691 and WINDspeed data stick E181 are smaller and lighter, they have three major drawbacks. Due to being constructed of plastic, the data sticks are very susceptible to breakage. This has happened to Mirandra twice within a one month period. The data sticks also require special software to be installed and configured on the computers that they are plugged into. This is especially true when dealing with a computer running Linux as Sakis3G or USB_ModeSwitch were often needed to handle their modem/storage nature. Lastly, the data sticks could only be used on a single computer at a time unless you got the expensive dock which allowed the them to be connected to your existing home network solely via ethernet. The Pocket Hotspot overcomes all of these problems while adding some notable features of its own. The Pocket Hotspot is actually quite small for what it does, even smaller than the first mainstream 3G modem: the Novatel MiFi 2372. Weighing in at 90 g and measuring a scant 96.0 mm × 57.0 mm × 11.5 mm, it is a little heavier than the MiFi but also smaller in volume than either the MiFi or a deck of playing cards. The WINDspeed Pocket Hotspot comes in only one colour though: Pewter with a small band of chrome separating the back cover from the rest of the device’s body.
The front of the Pocket Hotspot has a small 1″ OLED display, a power button and a button for activating the WiFi Protected Setup process.
The left side of the Pocket Hotspot has a covered external antenna port…
while the bottom has a Micro USB port for charging and connecting the Pocket Hotspot to a computer either as a USB modem or a mass storage device. After sliding down and removing the back cover (which has the SSID and password for the network on its underside)…
You’ll find the SIM card slot, a Micro SD card slot (which can accept up to a 32 GB Micro SD card) and battery bay for its 1400 mAh battery. The modem despite the size still quite capable of HSDPA and HSUPA speeds at 7.2 Mbps and 5.76 Mbps respectively and supports up to five clients with 802.11b/g radios. Like a low power smartphone, the Pocket Hotspot has 128 MB of ROM and 64 MB of RAM with a 1400 mAh battery powering the entire kit. The downside to that is that the Pocket Hotspot has a maximum operating time of four hours. Its standby time however is 25 times that, coming in at 100 hours. If you plan to use the Pocket Hotspot as you main connection while on the move, you will either have to minimize your use of instant messaging programs and configure the applications that require an internet connect to only connect when needed or get a mobile power back to bring with you. As capable and connected as the Pocket Hotspot is, it will all fall apart if the speed and everyday battery life don’t hold up. The Pocket Hotspot does hold it’s own when it’s comes to speed with the highest speeds returned by the unit shown below.
With the highest download and upload speeds achieved being 2.57 Mbps and 0.32 Mbps, the WINDspeed Pocket Hotspot could be used as a replacement for your home internet connection especially if your on WIND Mobile’s Infinite Laptop data plan (which is also now on sale). While those speeds are very usable (between midnight and 7 AM) and might not be a big step down, the speed that you may get normally during the day is this:
The 1.70 Mbps download and 0.09 Mbps upload speeds are much lower than the off-peak speeds. These also fluctuate during the day but will require you to change the you use or make a few changes to the software you use (such as using Opera with Opera Turbo enabled). Everyday battery life isn’t something that is easily measured. With my smartphone only having two IMAP-IDLE connections up most of the time and in an area off low signal penetration, the Pocket Hotspot will last far beyond its rated four hours operating time. At times however, the device did freeze requiring a reboot but this never happened more than once this week. The maximum range of the WLAN that the Pocket Hotspot created (when measured with a computer on line of sight) ended up being beyond 40 meters which is great given how small its antennas are.
Despite the fact that the WINDspeed Pocket Hotspot is supposedly just a 3G hotspot for up to five devices, the software installed on it is similar to what you would get with a dedicated wireless router.
The web interface for the Pocket Hotspot is simple and easy to navigate with the device’s status being displayed in numerical form and pictorial form (which remains present even after signing in) on the homepage along with a link to the contents of the Micro SD card (provided that you turned on the Web Sharing feature).
Upon signing in, you are greeted with the main settings page with almost every setting you would ever need (and many you won’t). The largest surprise for me was seeing that it allows you to host your own server behind the WINDspeed Pocket Hotspot which considering the speeds, wouldn’t be such a good idea. One omission that I found odd was the lack of setting up your own Quality of Service rules which would really help should someone decide to try and hog all of the bandwidth. Under the WLAN menu item, you can change the SSID, password, authentication method and encryption algorithm used away from the defaults which are actually relatively secure (surprisingly) except for using TKIP for encryption. Despite those surprises, the WINDspeed Pocket Hotspot has frozen on occasion, even to the point of shutting down its WLAN or rebooting altogether.
As mentioned earlier, you can also insert a Micro SD card into the WINDspeed Pocket Hotspot and share its contents with others. Under the SD Card you will first be presented with the root directory of the card. Clicking on the link to the settings screen presents you with this screen:
You also have the ability to create, send and receive SMS messages which can really help in a pinch.
The final tab is the Connection tab which shows you the status of the Pocket Hotspot’s connection to WIND Mobile’s network and the status of the WLAN.
Should you ever find yourself in need of help you can select the Help link to access the same manual that is hosted on WIND Mobile’s website here. In addition to the desktop version of the settings pages, there is also a mobile oriented set that you can access from your phone:
With the exception of most of the Main Settings tab and the entire SD Card tab, you do still have access to the Quick Setup, SMS and the Device Status.
The WINDspeed Pocket Hotspot is an excellent for device for connecting multiple devices to WIND Mobile’s network for internet access as long as you take into account that the speeds will fluctuate through out the day and night, that its battery will only provide four straight hours of data flow, has no Quality of Service features and like many dedicated wireless routers, will freeze or reboot on occasion.
Ready to design your dream Android smartphone with an excellent screen, large camera sensor, powerful hardware, plenty of RAM and internal storage, a great keyboard (optional) and a body that fits well in your hand? AutoDesk’s AutoCAD WS for Android gives you the freedom to do so right on your current Android 2.1 (or higher) powered device. It might get a little jealous though.
For more information, read the post from the AutoCAD WS Blog. You can get the application for free in the Android Market by scanning or tapping on the QR-code below.
Having had its debut at the Mobile World Congress and making another appearance on YouTube, Sonos Inc. has released their controller application on the Android Market. The controller allows one with a Sonos music system to create, modify and delete various ZonePlayers from Zone Groups within the system as well as control the music playback across them. The Sonos controller application also allows one to stream music from various online services which makes the Android device a fully integrated controller just like the Sonos Controller 200 as the video shows below.
As with the Sonos controller application for iOS devices, the Sonos controller application for Android is completely free. The application will only run on devices running Android 2.1 and higher with a screen resolution of 320 x 480 (HVGA), 480 x 800 (WVGA) or 480 x 854 (WVGA). Be sure to read the press release below for more information and visit the Android Market to get the application.
SONOS CONTROLLER FOR ANDROID NOW AVAILABLE ON ANDROID MARKET Sonos Gives Android Fans Amazing Sound, Unlimited Music and Incredible Wireless Control in Every Room of the Home
SANTA BARBARA, CA – April 19, 2011 – Sonos, the leading developer of wireless multi-room music systems for the home, today announced that the Sonos Controller for Android™ is now available for download as a free app on Android Market™. Sonos Controller for Android transforms most Android™ smartphones into a wireless music controller for the award-winning Sonos Multi-Room Music System. To see a video of how you can use an Android smartphone to control music all over the home with Sonos, please visit www.sonos.com/android.
“We’re pleased to deliver a great new way for music lovers to tap into all the music on earth,” said John MacFarlane, founder and CEO, Sonos, Inc. “Now Android owners can pull out their phones and bring music home with Sonos.”
With the award-winning Sonos S5 in any room and an Android smartphone in hand, music fans can now enjoy an unmatched wireless music experience in the home. Access and play all the music on earth—from the Internet and your personal music library—throughout the home, wirelessly. Play the same song in every room of the house – perfectly synchronized. Or mix it up and play different songs in different rooms. Use the free Sonos Controller for Android to control all your music and rooms, all from the palm of your hand.
Search for songs and stations by typing or speaking, thanks to the new Sonos music voice search feature. Also, turn the hard buttons on your Android smartphone into volume control. And because your Android phone is controlling the music–not the source of it–when a text comes in or you need to make a phone call, the music doesn’t stop.
The Sonos Controller for Android works on any Android smartphone running Android 2.1+ with a screen size of HVGA 320 x 480, WVGA 480 x 800 or WVGA 480 x 854. Sonos Controller for Android joins the family of Sonos Controllers which includes free apps for iPhone and iPad, a dedicated touchscreen controller, the Sonos Controller 200, and free software for your Mac or PC, which is included with every ZonePlayer. All controllers work together seamlessly.
In conjunction with today’s Sonos Controller for Android availability, Sonos has released Sonos System Software v3.4 which features support for Apple AirPlay music sources, iOS multi-tasking and more. For more details, see additional press release or visit http://sonos.com/support/software_update.aspx
For high resolution photography and additional media information, please visit http://pr.sonos.com. For more information about Sonos or to locate an authorized Sonos dealer in your area, please visit www.sonos.com or call 877.80.SONOS.
As I’ve worked over three years in the Home Electronics department of a my current employer, Zellers Canada, I’ve sold many a digital camera and digital camcorder. One of the pieces of advice that I have always told the customers that I served was not to become overly concerned with the digital size of the sensor. Yes, that number does matter but things need to be put into perspective. For any digital camera, digital size of the sensor (in megapixels) is only one part of the whole picture with the physical size of the sensor (1/n inches) also playing a key part in whether the camera will even perform well. Other parts, such as the camera’s physical and software ergonomics (UX) will play a essential role in determining whether the camera is any good compared to the others in its league.
Why did I go through the above explanation in the first place you ask?
I did so because it’s one of those issues that many of us will face when it comes to selecting any smartphone. Most phones will have at least a 5 MP sensor on board with many mid-range and high-end phones sporting 8 MP or 12 MP sensors. My personal phone contains an 8 MP sensor which serves up some very useful pictures IF I do a good job of composing the shot. However, there is always room for improvement especially since not all of the those 8 megapixels will be put to good use by me anyway. Lets do the math on megapixels, shall we? (Resolutions taken from the stock camera application included in CyanogenMod 7)
8 MP (5:4) = 3264 x 2448
6 MP (WS) = 3264 x 1952
5 MP (5:4) = 2592 x 1952
4 MP (WS) = 2592 x 1552
3.2 MP (5:4) = 2048 x 1536
Be sure to take note of a few key pieces of data that this list presents us:
The 6 MP setting is only a reduction in height compared to the 8 MP setting instead of an all-round size shrink
Same goes for the 4 MP setting compared to the 5 MP setting
At the 5 MP setting, every eight pixels on the sensor supports five pixels in software
At the 4 MP setting, every six pixels on the sensor supports four pixels in software
At the 3.2 MP setting, every forty pixels on the sensor supports nineteen pixels in software
Confused?
When the camera application is set to take pictures at 5 MP compared to 8 MP, each and every pixel in software is effectively 1.6 times larger when compared to number physical pixels that make on the camera sensor. This ratio grows to 2.5 when the camera application is set to shoot pictures 3.2 MP in size. With the widescreen images sizes, when the camera application is set to take pictures at 4 MP as compared to 6 MP, each pixel is effectively 1.2 times larger when compared to the physical pixels.
What does this mean essentially?
Since the camera application would be dealing with larger pixels, it would have a much clearer understanding of the information of the scene you shot to work with when processing and saving the image. This should lead to clearer images to share or do any manipulation on when you are ready to do so.
The last thing that is left then is the UX. With this in mind you only really have two options for the camera software: the stock camera software and third party applications such as lgCameraPro on Android and Camera+ on iOS. All of the camera applications, be they stock or third party in origin, have beautiful UIs and produce excellent pictures when set to a picture size of 5 MP and under (depending on the smartphone’s camera sensor). The only thing left then is the hardware side of UX which isn’t as easy to improve as the software side, although it is very much doable.
I’ve worked on this over the last three days, taking numerous pictures and conducting first hand experimentation and research. This article is all that I can provide as proof of what today’s mid-range to high-end smartphones are capable of even if they aren’t yet capable of replacing an entry-level Point and Shoot camera. The only exception that I have found to this so far is the Nokia N8 (12 MP, 1/1.83″ sensor size, physical shutter and xenon flash), although at the moment, it is quite the outlier.
I will be posting a few more articles dealing this interesting topic in the near future. I hope you all enjoy them.
I’ve struggled a lot in the last month trying to get my life in order. After the failed mobile blogging attempt at the 2011 Canadian International Auto Show, I wanted to completely destroy my Motorola Milestone. It was an excellent phone for typing out notes, emails, articles, etc., but the Linux kernels that Motorola released for the phone were always lackluster. They were the cause of the phone overheating (which caused damage to the phone’s keyboard), poor WiFi performance, poor battery life, and a sluggish overall user experience. Motorola couldn’t care less for their real customers, so when I saw that I could get the HTC Desire HD for only $149.99 plus tax, I jumped at the opportunity. So far, I’m loving it, especially running CyanogenMod 7 along with all of the tools, games and other miscellaneous software I have installed. The only problem I have is with the camera’s picture quality, which I intend to work on in the near future (the article for that idea will be up later this week) as well as the GPS (which is quite easy to fix).
As for my workflow, I’m doing my best to stay frugal. On my MacBook, I only ever use Twitter, Firefox, Preview, Terminal (with MPD and ncmpcpp running), and Evernote on a regular basis. While I haven’t started using QuickSilver to speed things up and prevent me from using the touchpad, I do enjoy using MacPorts to get me the extra software that I otherwise couldn’t acquire through default means. My HTC Desire HD meanwhile is setup to be my digital assistant although it is still a bit hands-on which would require the use of Tasker (the swiss army knife of automatization) to help me handle things along with the use of software to help me with business cards and Google Docs (I don’t like Microsoft Office). I’m still trying to figure out the best way to handle the amount of paper I still have coming across my desk. I would just scan everything but doing that requires the right scanner (expensive), and a lot of disc space (just as expensive). Right now, I need to organize my copious amounts of paper (notes mostly) into an proper reference; a tome of knowledge that I can turn to when I lose my way or find myself in over my head on certain projects. There are a few things that I’ll need to purchase in the near future to truly improve my productivity: a 71.1 cm – 76.2 cm high and 160 – 166 cm wide Credenza style desk along with a few storage and filing cabinets, two LCD monitors, a mechanical keyboard, a R.A.T. 7 wired mouse and a stiff mousepad. One last thing that I require to stay proper focused is audiophile quality hardware: DAC, amp, headphones, monitors and in-ear monitors. Without those items (especially the desk), I won’t have an ergonomic, stress-free workspace within which to work which makes simple tasks, like typing up this post, kind of uncomfortable.
Later this year, I will be transitioning over to a new job. I don’t know what job I’ll get but I will be sure that will be one that I truly enjoy and can stay with for at least three years. I’ve already applied to FutureShop, BestBuy, and Sony but with no avail. I shall try Lenovo, HP and HTC next provided that there are open positions that match my qualifications.
Whatever may come about from this new beginning, I know one thing is for sure, I have begun and I will Keep Moving Forward.
