A Small Download
Here's an ultra alpha version of my todo app mentioned in the previous post. It's incredibly usable, I think, but I know there are a few issues. Nothing the user should encounter (unclosed cursors, for example), but definitely high on my todo list.
I've not had much time to work on this recently since I'm in between apartments at the moment.
But yeah, try it out, leave a comment.
Download
Posted from WordPress for Android
A small project
For the past month or two, I've been working on a little todo app for Android in my free time. I didn't like any of the apps on the market, mostly because they lacked a minimilistic widget (or in some cases, lacked an entire widget), so I decided to build my own.
I did the same thing in perl quite a while ago to learn how to manipulate XML from within perl. The android version uses sqlite, since it's built into the system, basically.
It doesn't do anything fancy, nor does the date really matter yet (it is a secondary sort term, but that's it for now), but I'm already finding it pretty handy, and I think I'm getting comfortable with the idea of releasing it.
I think it would be really cool to do some sort of cloud storage thing so that I could link it with my perl script and have the same list on all of my devices, but that'll be way down the line.
NOTE: I apologize for the size of the images, I'm doing this from my phone, so making thumbnails and linking to the full-size image is pretty tough. If I remember to, I'll fix this later.
Posting From My Android
With WordPress' neat little Android app.
This probably won't help me write more.
Rooting the phone was ridiculously easy and flashing a custom rom was pretty easy once I read a few things and fixed my phone after a bad backup.
The Samsung Captivate runs 2.1, and it's pretty snappy. But a flashed 2.2 rom? Oh man, it's a brand new phone.
I love this thing.
Some Software I Found
Luakit
Luakit is a really light weight browser built upon the webkit engine. All user configuration is done via lua files (samples are provided). It is another of those "micro-browsers" that has popped up recently, with a twist: It's designed to more of a framework for a micro-browser than a browser itself. The entire interface is created by the user. It claims to be similar to other micro-browsers like jumanji, uzbl, and surf.
Using the browser will feel a bit like using vim, with both buffer commands and a full command mode. To fill out forms on a webpage one must enter insert mode. It is extremely keyboard centric. Because of this and how light weight the browser is, it has become the default browser on my netbook. Opera has been my default browser since version 8.5 released ad-free in 2005. I am even using it right now on my desktop along side Opera.
It does have a few problems: Downloading files is a little wonky because it simply executes wget. It may be that I've messed with some of the configs, but I don't get any download notifications. The files do download to the directory defined in my globals.lua, but the browser does not indicate this. The javascript engine is also really slow. Sites like netflix will crawl to a halt in luakit. Other webkit browsers like Arora and Chromium/Chrome behave just fine on this and other sites with lots of javascript. Of course I am spoiled when it comes to Javascript experience, using Opera as my main browser and all. This issue has been brought up and is hopefully being looked into.
Redshift
Redshift is a great little tool that will change the color temperature of your monitor based on time of day. The reason for this is that daylight tends to be blue and monitors generally display at a very blue color. But at night, when you're using lights, the color temperature of these lights tend to be more in the red range. Another tool called f.lux exists, and I would recommend this one for OSX and Windows users (Redshift's Windows version is "highly experimental"). The Linux version of f.lux, however, lacks a GUI and seems to eat a ton of CPU (at least for me) when it's actually transitioning from day to night. Redshift does not chew through cycles during the transition (it is, in fact, very smooth and pretty) and does have a fairly competent graphical interface (it just wraps around the CLI version, in usual Unix/Linux style). I used to use f.lux and it worked wonders for my eyes at night. Redshift provides the same benefits for reducing eyestrain, I just feel it is a nicer program to work with for Linux users.
NX
Here's a nice program for everyone who needs a remote desktop connection. NX is a relatively new method of remote access. What sets it apart from VNC or X over SSH is that it is far, far faster. In various spots around campus, the wireless network is incredibly slow due to the volume of users. In these locations, xpra, VNC, and X over SSH performed quite poorly. NX, on the other hand, was quite usable. When I am at work on an ethernet connection, the responsiveness of the NX server nears local speeds. It is quite an impressive tool. It allows for desktop virtualization, akin to VNC as well as blending the applications in with your current display ala X over SSH or xpra. Either style of session can be disconnected and reconnected anywhere. The Free server exists for Linux and Solaris with clients for Windows, Linux, OSX, and Solaris. One can even install the "Web Companion" that provides a java applet that behaves as a client.
xchainkeys
Xchainkeys replicates behavior found in various window managers. It basically provides keyboard shortcuts to launch programs and run commands. It also allows for one to set up a chain of commands. For example, if I press Windows+Q, I enter a chain I set up for browsers. If I press Q again, Opera launches. A launches luakit, W chromium, and S firefox. All of this can be done in, for example, Openbox. It has native support for these key chains. On my desktop, however, I run Compiz as a window manager, and it provides only 11 commands, one of which had to be used for the desktop menu (compiz-deskmenu). It also has no support for key chains. This means I am very limited in the number of commands I can bind to keyboard shortcuts. I now have 15 different commands being executed via keyboard shortcuts, with twelve of them being under various chains. An incredibly useful program for those that desire a little more flexibility out of their keyboard shortcuts and are limited by their current window manager. My config.
Doing what now?
I finally beat Penumbra: Overture within the past week or so. Took me long enough, I've had the game since last summer, when I got Overture, Black Plague, and Requiem for $5.
Started Black Plague pretty shortly afterwards and it is easily surpassing its predecessor in how engaging it is. The first game starts off kinda slow, you're in an old mining cave for most of the game and your major enemies are various creatures. There's a lot of awesome puzzle elements throughout both games, and the atmosphere is amazing, but the game does start relatively slow. It ends on a cliffhanger, though, that ties directly into Black Plague. Because of all the work the first game did in building up the atmosphere and situation, the second is far easier to get into for people continuing from the first.
Though the game does take a wildly different term in what's going on. There are clues and hints throughout the first game about what's really going on, but you don't really get a good idea of it until you get a little bit into the second.
And then shit gets weird.
I'm loving it a lot right now.
Owning a cat is totally different than living with a cat. I merely lived with Orangey, who belonged to Nicole. She was a great cat, I loved her, great personality. A total bitch. A really loving cat who, if you showed her she could trust you, was all over you. It wasn't out of the ordinary to have her spend the night in my bed, stomach exposed. She was my buddy that summer.
On Janaury 6th (happy birthday, Brian!), Sarah and I adopted our cats. Hers is a small tuxedo named Pinto. He appears to be part oriental based on his face and love of jumping. Duster is my dude, a blue cat with very light tabby markings that appears to be at least part Chartreux based on a wide variety of characteristics (communicates mostly by chirping; when he does meow, it is high-pitched; dainty feet; hair on and near his spine is water-resistant and more wiry than the rest of his hair, eventually becoming almost fleece-like on his underside; green eyes (he has some green, but they're mostly yellow.. so that's why we suspect he's either an undesired Chartreux (only solid green eyes are allowed in competitions) or part Chartreux); kitten like until 3 years of age (usually that behavior dies out around 1 year, he's about two months beyond that point as just as childlike as ever); full of energy; and many others).
These guys are a part of the family. I'm usually greeted by Pinto when I get home from work and then Duster usually won't leave me alone once he wakes up. Orangey would rub the hell out of me, very forcefully, but she was... a pet. Nicole's pet. Duster and Pinto? They just seem like more than that for some reason. It's weird. It's really freaking cool, though.
The best part is that they freaking love each other. They've been having a few dominance fights lately, which causes Duster to emit this really pitiful sounding cry (we suspect that, because he's older than Pinto by four months, it's meant to be intimidating in some way; Pinto just ends up hopping on him), but when those are done they're grooming each other and playing with each other and having a good time. I'm really glad that Pinto is challenging Duster, now that he's old enough to understand dominance. Duster used to push him around and sit on him and Pinto usually just let him. Pinto is small, fast, and muscular. Duster is bigger, still pretty fast, and not as muscular. Duster doesn't have a hope of winning until he begins to use his weight, but that might take a bit more intelligence... Chartreuxs are supposed to be pretty intelligent, but Duster? Sometimes we question him... I think he might have some form of ADHD, the way he'll sit there and "watch" nothing, then run around and get distract by... nothing.. and just play with... nothing... It's cute as all get out. Both of them are.
Man, if I've already written about these guys I'm going to feel like such a dick.
Work flew by today. I don't get it.
My Chicago Card Plus finally came in today. Put the wrong zipcode on the mailing address, so that delayed it nearly a week beyond Sarah's. I can't wait to use it.