Category: Main

Posted on

Radio Hanukkah == Radio Not-Christmas

The other day I heard an ad (yes, an ad) on XM for Radio Hanukkah. Cool, I thought, and tried to tune it in. After a few false starts (I kept getting a message that I wasn’t authorized to play the stream and then online streaming stopped completely), I was able to tune it in. We started listening to it while lighting the candles and thought it was cool to have Hanukkah tunes, but unfortunately there isn’t enough Hanukkah music to fill a full station. XM Radio has decided to play all music that is Jewish, like “Going to Israel”, “Eliyahu Hanavi”, etc.

There are some pretty funny songs like a Hanukkah song to the tune of an Outkast song. I haven’t heard Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah songs, yet; they’re always a crack up.

Oh well, at least I don’t have to listen to endless repeats of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Posted on

Installing SlimServer on an AppleTV

One of the services I needed to move off my server before shutting it down was SlimServer which runs my Squeezeboxes. I had looked at a few small PCs that were ultra quiet and as I was looking at the Shuttle website, it compared one of their boxes to a Mac Mini. Hmmm, I have an extra one of those lying around that I could use and then remembered I have an AppleTV that I’m not using. So, I decided to see if I could install SlimServer on the AppleTV as it is fanless and super quiet. Here’s what I did:

  1. Download Patchstick
  2. Follow the procedure and install Patchstick from a USB thumb drive
  3. Download the Mac OS X version of SlimServer
  4. Download the XMRadio plugin
  5. Edit XROAPI.pm in the plugin by commenting out 
    	if ( defined( $self->{activeClient} ) ) {		return [			$client->string('PLUGIN_XMRADIO_ERROR_HEADER'),			$client->string('PLUGIN_XMRADIO_IN_USE') . ' ' . $client->name()		];	}

    So that I can have more than 1 Squeezebox talking to XM at the same time.

  6. From the AppleTV, enable AFP in the awakwardTV menu
  7. Mount the SlimServer dmg file that was downloaded above
  8. From the image, copy Install Files/SlimServer.prefPane/Resources/server to your desktop
  9. Place the modified XMRadio plugin in ~/Destkop/server/Plugins
  10. Mount the AppleTV volume via AFP
  11. Modify ~/Desktop/server/Slim Launcher.app/Contents/Resources/Start Slim Server.sh to add 
    HOME=/Users/frontrow; export HOME

    before the ./slimserver.pl line

  12. Copy ~/Desktop/server to the AppleTV’s AFP volume
  13. Create a folder on the Desktop called SlimServer
  14. In that folder create 2 files. The first is called StartupParameters.plist and it contains: 
    {  Description     = "SlimServer";  Provides        = ("SlimServer");  Requires        = ("Disks");    Uses		= ("mDNSResponder", "Resolver", "DirectoryServices", "NFS", "Network Time");    OrderPreference	= "Last";    Messages =    {	start = "Starting SlimServer";	stop = "Stopping SlimServer";    };}

    The second is called SlimServer and it contains:

    #!/bin/sh. /etc/rc.commonSERVER_RUNNING=`ps -axww | grep "slimp3.pl|slimp3d|slimserver.pl|slimserver" | grep -v grep | cat`StartService() {ConsoleMessage "Starting SlimServer"if [ z"$SERVER_RUNNING" = z ] ; then	pushd "/Users/frontrow/server"    sudo -u frontrow "Slim Launcher.app/Contents/Resources/Start Slim Server.sh"    popdfiif [ z"$#" != z"0" ] ; then    ConsoleMessage -Sfi}StopService() {if [ z"$SERVER_RUNNING" != z ] ; then    kill `echo $SERVER_RUNNING | sed -n 's/^[ ]*([0-9]*)[ ]*.*$/1/p'`fi}RunService "$1"
  15. Copy the SlimServer folder to the AppleTV’s AFP volume
  16. Login via ssh using 
    ssh -1 frontrow@appletv.local

    password is frontrow

  17. Change the root file system to read/write using 
    sudo mount -uw /
  18. Move the SlimServer folder using 
    sudo mv /Users/frontrow/SlimServer /Library/StartupItems/
    

    19. 

  19. Make the SlimServer file executable

    sudo chmod +x /Library/StartupItems/SlimServer/SlimServer
    

    20. 

  20. Change the owner

    sudo chown -R root:wheel /Library/StartupItems/SlimServer
    

    21. 

  21. Disable auto updating

    sudo bash -c 'echo "127.0.0.1       mesu.apple.com" >> /etc/hosts'
    

    22. 

  22. Restart the AppleTV

    sudo reboot
    

    23. 

  23. From Safari goto: http://appletv.local:9000/
    24. 

  24. Change the music directory in the SlimServer prefs to /mnt/Media/Media Files
    25. 



The only problem so far is that it creates multiple Albums for each album due to how the AppleTV stores the music.

	


	





		

		
Posted on 
Charging a Motorola RAZR over USB
	


	
	

		
The Motorola RAZR has a mini USB plug on it for charging and hooking to a computer which is great as I have lots of those cables lying around. Unfortunately it won’t charge over USB from a Mac out of the box. Luckily, I know some tricks and someone told me the magic to get it to charge. I whipped up a little program that tells the RAZR (or any other Motorola cell phone) to charge over USB. My app is free to download. If you like it, please take a look at my ReceiptWallet program and consider purchasing it. The app is pretty simple; place it in your applications folder, launch it and set it as a login item. Whenever you plug in your phone, it should start charging. If your machine goes to sleep, it will stop charging. (For those curious, all the program does is open and close the USB interface on the phone.)


If you can’t get the program to work, unfortunately there is nothing I can do about it other that to suggest to Motorola to fix their phone so that it charges automatically when plugged in via USB.


Update, there are “sync only” USB cables that allow you to charge Motorola phones without MotoCharger; I have one and it works quite well. I’ve also decided to post the source code. You can grab it here. There are no restrictions on the source, just please don’t claim it for your own. If you like it or use it, please use my Amazon link to buy something. 

	


	





		

		
Posted on 
Reliving my childhood
	


	
	

		
As part of reliving my childhood, I’ve started to collect Legos as I had to give mine up in one of our moves. The Lego sets these days seem so much more sophisticated than what I remember. The Lego City series look neat (OK, maybe I never grew up), so I’ve bought a few of the pieces. During the assembly process (it is so much easier to put these together after going through high school and college :-)), I’ve noticed a number of things about Legos that most people probably wouldn’t notice. For instance, the scale of some of the pieces is totally out of whack. One of the pieces I have is a police dog that is about half the size of the police officer (this is the dog’s body, not head), so that’s a pretty big dog. In the rescue helicopter I put together, it has wheels. I’ve been on a rescue helicopter; it has skids. Maybe some helicopters have wheels, but I don’t think it is common. I know I’m over analyzing things, but I can’t help myself.I also noticed that the rescue collection uses the Star of Life logo which is a registered trademark of the US Department of Transportation. Do I think that Lego has permission to use this logo? I really don’t think so. The trademark for the symbol says: THE CERTIFICATION MARK IS USED BY PERSONS AUTHORIZED BY APPLICANT TO CERTIFY THAT EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE VEHICLES MEET U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION STANDARDS (CLASS A), THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE PERSONNEL OPERATING THE VEHICLE HAVE BEEN TRAINED TO MEET U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION STANDARDS (CLASS B), OR BOTH. Do the Lego toys meet this requirement? Are the little EMTs in the set well trained? Does the ambulance meet the DOT standards? It doesn’t make any noise (unless I try to sound like an ambulance), so I know it doesn’t have a siren. In any case, I’m having a good time assembling my kits. I just need to find a place to put my new toy collection.


Lego Helicopter

	


	





		

		
Posted on 
Mini Review of Garmin Forerunner 305
	


	
	

		
Forerunner 305I’ve had my Garmin Forerunner 305 for 2 weeks now and have been quite pleased with it. A few people have asked me for a review of the unit, so I’ll do the best I can.When I first opened the box, I put it on the docking station plugged it into my DC inverter in my car so that it could charge on the way home from REI as I wanted to use it that day and it was supposed to charge for a few hours. After I got home, I plugged it in and it was ready to go in no time. I turned it on, took it outside and it acquired a signal pretty quickly. I browsed the instructions while waiting for it to charge, but didn’t thoroughly go through them.There was no configuration required and I started my first run by strapping on the heart rate monitor (I read a tip that said to put water on the monitor before putting it on), putting the monitor on my watch and I was off. There really was no configuration needed to get it going. It seemed to keep a signal and gives me the data I need to train (current pace and heart rate are about it).I’ve read some complaints about the unit from others in that it doesn’t keep a signal, the heart rate monitor doesn’t work, etc. My unit has performed flawlessly and keeps the signal all the time; I don’t run in wooded areas and there is pretty much a clear view of the sky. Also, the heart rate monitor works fine; another complaint I’ve read has to do with the heart rate monitor not registering when the GPS unit is placed on bicycle handlebars or on a crossbar on a boat. Since I run with it and it was designed for running, it works well. My only problem with the monitor was that I didn’t wet it down one day so it didn’t start registering until I had worked up a good sweat. Continue reading “Mini Review of Garmin Forerunner 305”

	


	





		

		
Posted on 
Fry’s – The good, the bad, and the ugly
	


	
	

		
As I had some time to kill today, I decided to go ahead and get a new hard drive for my PowerBook and replace it without waiting until tomorrow. The choices on a Sunday for getting a laptop hard drive are pretty limited, basically only Fry’s Electronics. Fry’s is not my favorite store as their service is not great, return lines are long, and sometimes they try to pass returns off as new (I had bought a monitor from them that turns out had been used and when it broke, it was out of warranty even though it was less than 1 year since I had bought it). However, on the plus side, Fry’s has decent store hours, good selection, OK prices, and carries parts others don’t (where can you find a #6 Torx screwdriver locally?). While I try to avoid shopping at Fry’s, sometimes it is unavoidable.

	


	





		

		
Posted on 
CERT Helicopter Training
	


	
	

		
Last winter I took training to become a member of CERT which is Community Emergency Response Team. I figured maybe someday I can put my EMT skills to use (I’ve been an EMT for 12 years, but never worked as one). Today was the second part of training for an add on module where we were able to learn about the San Diego Fire Rescue department Air (helicopter) Operations. It was pretty neat learning about the helicopter and how to work around it. I took a bunch of pictures and we even got to spend taxpayer dollars by flying all of us around for a few minutes (there were about 30 of us, so we had to fly in shifts).

	


	





		

		
Posted on 
Deterioration of language in our society
	


	
	

		
I’ve been noticing more and more how the English language is deteriorating into slang, misused words, improper abbreviations, and mistakes ranging from television to print media, to the web and most disturbing, everyday language. It has become so bad, that the English language has changed to “accept” this. For instance, anyways is often used for anyway. This really disturbs me as it just doesn’t sound right and makes people who use it seem uneducated to me. I hear this used on television and in everyday conversations all the time. The problem is that no one corrects the mistakes. Is this a breakdown of our educational system or does no one care anymore?Related to vocabulary issues and slang, the use of email, instant messaging, and text messaging has caused people to become very sloppy in their writing and many people just don’t care what they write. I find myself trying to proofread everything I write as it is a reflection on me and every communication can affect my work. I wish this was imparted on kids and teenagers as the more they neglect their writing, the bigger problem society will have later.It really only takes a few good influences to change someone’s language skills. It starts in the classroom, but extends beyond that. My wife is a science teacher and for the last few years, she’s been hanging out with English teachers. A few weeks ago, I commented to her that her vocabulary has increased just by being around people that use more sophisticated words. My wife is very smart, but has said that she was never good at the SAT words. Well, I think that has changed just by her friends’ use of new words.When is society going to start caring?(I’m sure someone will find grammatical errors with this entry, but at least I tried to get everything right.)

	


	





		

		
Posted on 
The fix to a broken heater
	


	
	

		
In one room of our house, which was an addition to the main house, we have an electric, in-wall heater. We never really cared about using it as we haven’t had guests in the winter. Well this morning I turned it on to see what would happen as my in-laws are coming for Thanksgiving. The heater turned on for about 30 seconds and then shut off. I fiddled with the knob and it worked for another 30 seconds. So, being the good engineer I am, I shut off the circuit breaker, and disassembled it so that I can get the parts tomorrow. I had the main piece (the thermostat) on the counter (it’s a 30 year old heater, so it is pretty simple) and explained to my wife how it works. See tells me to try moving the thermocouple away from the heater (it was sitting in front of the heating element). I didn’t really think it would make a difference, but said OK, put it back together, moved the thermocouple, turned on the circuit breaker and gave it a whirl. Well, it worked and the room started heating up (slowly, but surely). I’m not sure why I didn’t think of that “fix” as I’m an engineer and knew exactly how the system worked. So simple and my wife proved that it doesn’t take an engineer to solve a problem.

	


	



	
		

	

	





		


		

			

				

	

	

		
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