Cows and Chickens

I just found a few dozen old blog posts from 2003 and 2004 in an old MySQL database. I imported them into WordPress for continuity’s sake. Lots of fun!

Here’s an example: October 2003.

Andrew and I developed our second-generation door access control system for our workplace, to replace our (failed) previous 1-Wire based system. Andrew did the hardware and firmware, and I did the Java-based server software.

We’ve been allowed to release the project under an open-source license, so if you feel like getting your soldering iron out and buying a few card readers on eBay, you can use the system too!

The project is hosted on Google Code and you can check it out by visiting the link below:

Cerberus-Prox

Let me know if you have any questions or comments… feedback on projects like this is very important.

I’ve converted a few books for the Sony Reader now, and each time I’ve had great success with a free (donations requested) tool called Calibre by Kovid Goyal. It’s an easy GUI tool that works on both OS X and Windows.

It lets you manage (non-DRM) content on your reader, and can convert many alien file formats (other e-book formats, HTML, text files, etc) to display nicely on the Reader.

If you have a Sony Reader you should definately give Calibre a try!

I maintain over 100 Linux computers every day at work from my Windows Vista desktop. I run a NetBSD machine as my personal mail and web server (you just loaded this page from it) and I run an OS X laptop at home. I’m familiar with the pros and cons of each, and choose the system that’s best fit for the task at hand.

A friend on IRC recommended this blog, so I gave it a read…

Linux Hater’s Blog

At first I was annoyed… I don’t like to see negative content posted about Linux! But as I read further, and read a bit more between the lines, I can see that this guy really does care about Linux. He’s just being brutally honest about its flaws, and baiting the often annoying orthodox Linux user community for fun.

The Linux Hater’s Blog makes me laugh out loud when I read it, and it is constantly making valid points. I hope the developers of the systems and applications being panned are actually taking an interest in what this guy has to say!

OpenOffice.org is NOT better than Microsoft Office, and Gnome is NOT a better desktop UI than Vista’s Explorer. So there.

Tonight, on a whim, I took the 2GB m2 memory card out of my cellphone, put it in a Memory Stick Duo adapter I had kicking around, and put it in my Sony Reader. It had a whole bunch of random files on it, from Java midlets to video files. Would it crash? Would it work?

It worked. I got the spinning arrow “wait” indicator for about a minute, and then the menu on the Reader returned, showing that I had about 150 new images and about 30 new audio files. I browed the pictures on the Reader and played a few of the audio files with no problem at all.

I have crashed the reader once so far, in the process of converting the Subversion book. Calibre made a bad LRF file and I had to use the reset button on the back of the reader. Everything came back to life without any issue, though.

Cocorosie totally rule. It’s too bad their last tour in Canada didn’t work out. Also, Tez is quite the beatboxer… Not sure about the glasses though.

I intend to regularly convert content for my new Sony Reader, so I’ve created a new page on my site where I will provide that content for download.

eBooks I’ve Made

Enjoy!

Yesterday I downloaded and installed the Sony Library software for my Sony Reader (I never install software from included CD-ROMs, it’s almost out of date). Until now I’ve been using the device exclusively through USB Mass Storage on my Mac. This is the first time it has been connected to the PC. The software worked with no issues, immediately recognized the Reader device and showed me a list of its contentsi, ncluding the books I loaded on manually.

I registered for Sony’s online bookstore, and went through the process of DRM authorization for my computer and my Reader. This was a painless series of entering my credit card information and about 6 other mouse clicks. The site notified me that I was eligible to download 100 “Sony Classics” titles (which are basically just Project Gutenberg e-texts formatted for Sony Reader) for free. I bought a book that I’ve been meaning to read, Iron Council by China Mieville. It was $8.95. The book downloaded automatically to my computer, I dragged it onto the Reader, and it opened just fine. No issues at all!

The Sony software seems reasonably competent, but it is far from pretty and doesn’t have the nice UI design of iTunes, despite the fact that it is a pretty close copy. Sony has never been known for making good computer software, but at least this one gets the job done.

Still happy with the device!

I’ve been playing with the Sony Reader for a few hours now, and I must say that it is a very nice device. When I first saw material on the screen, I thought it looked very fake… it looked like one of those demo stickers you see on LCD screens. But it was real computer generated text!

I downloaded a couple .lrf books and dropped them onto the reader using USB mass storage from the Mac. I haven’t installed the Sony software onto my PC yet… so I haven’t been able to use the online bookstore.

I spent a few hours reading a novel on the device last night after messing around with all of the features. It is actually quite nice to read on. It’s a comfortable size and weight, the buttons are in the right place, and the screen is easy on the eyes, even in a dark room lit by a basic bedside lamp.

The processor in the unit feels a bit under-powered when dealing with PDF files, but when working with optimised lrf/bbeb content the page turns are very fast. This is a good device for reading novels, but it is a bit too slow for paging through thick manuals.

I still haven’t made the battery meter say anything other than “full”.

Well! I got my new Sony Reader today. It’s just charging now. I haven’t actually turned it on yet, but I’ve been reading a lot about it and I’m quite excited. I’m going to post any interesting things I find or produce for it to this blog, under the prs505 category.

So keep watching for more details!