Within the world of Facebook, a person has the ability to “become a fan” (now “like”) of various pages containing certain likable themes, for example: procrastination. Read more…
For developers working with the Android Emulator on Windows, it can be quite tedious to interact with the “microSD card” (aka image) from outside the emulator in order to access files and folders within the image, and which certainly isn’t helped by the fact that Windows won’t natively mount images. As far as I’m aware as I am writing this, there are only two ways to grab and drop files to and from the image: through DDMS (the debugging tool for Android SDK) or through the command line.
However, there is a way which bypasses these two methods, is fast, uses free software and allows the image to be used like a physical disk. This tutorial would also be applicable for other files intended to be “virtual disks” as well, though this has been written for use with the Android Emulator SD card image. Read more…
I finally managed to figure out (and after burning through quite a lot of internet credit) how to get the Windows Android Emulator working (with Android Market). I wanted to do this so I can play around with Android before dropping a substantial amount of money on a Nexus One to replace my Nokia N78 when it dies. Installed the WordPress application just for kicks to see if it would work on my blog, and it did!
Extremely impressed.
Photography has slowly become one of my more favourite past-times as I have moved on from teenage life, as it seems to be more productive than programming ventures that I had and with less frustration than coding one thing which broke another then fixing it (and repeating this cycle). It certainly keeps my creative/constructive side happy. Read more…
I’d like to quickly draw your attention to this article. To summarise if you’re too pressed for time to check the link, or otherwise: this particular story tells of a ten and twelve year old who used Facebook to alert the world (or at least their friends, privacy settings permitting) that they were ‘caught’ in this storm water drain. One must ask: Why Facebook? Is this simply an issue of education (or fear: children being threatened with ‘death’ for misusing such a service) or were they bragging to their friends (and any other acquaintances).
What is concerning, is that if they were truely stuck down there (which is a very serious danger (think rain)) that the first port of call would be Triple-zero directly to the emergency services. If one can access Facebook from a mobile device, you would (efficiently) need either EDGE or 3G access. If either of these are available, a call to “000″1 or “112″1 will work.
Being not long graduated from childhood, I can understand the exploratory concept that these kids would have but I think that there should be a little more education concerning use of “000″. At least they were smart enough to take the device with them. Then again, echoing sentements from my first blog post here: such [expensive] toys are essentially sewn to the hip anyway.
On the lighter side of things: the telco that provided the service to these two individuals can now claim that they’re able to provide service to those who are underground (assuming they were in the depths of the storm water system).
Two very lucky individuals indeed.
1 For those who do not reside in Australia, 000 is our three digit emergency services access number like 911 in the US of A or 999 in the United Kingdom. 112 is the international wireless device equivalent which works regardless of whether the phone is PIN locked, IMEI barred, there is insufficient credit on prepay accounts, there is no SIM or USIM in the device or whether the operator of choice is out of service; providing the device works on a competing operators network frequency that is within range, 112 calls will piggyback on their network.
Thought I’d write a quick post to pass the time. I’m currently working on a little pet project that involves PHP, MySQL and is supposed to be a database of things that can be added dynamically. I did write it in a ‘procedural loop’ form but scrapped it due to its unmaintainability and the fact that object orientation is just so much better.
Those who know me and where I frequent online, will know what this project is; and will be released… Eventually. 
One thing I did need was a little section of code that would generate a ‘random’ (when it comes to computers, nothing can be truely random) value to use as a primary key in a database, therefore making the entry unique across the entire database. This was required to link information across tables and the values generated by this code snippet would form primary and foreign keys. MySQL doesn’t seem to have such random generation functionality (that I could find anyway) so PHP code was the next best thing.
I found a code snippet that was based around the same thing posted below, but was designed as a session key generator (and had quite a bit more code to it. When modified, however, met my needs more than adequately.
function guid()
{
$id = md5(microtime());
return $id;
}
Quick explanation: I’ve enclosed this as a function so that I can re-use it where-ever I need some sort of random value. microtime() is a PHP class that returns the time in seconds since the Unix Epoch, and md5() just puts whatever value that is enclosed as an MD5 hash, making it a consistent hexadecimal 32-character value. There are probably better ways of doing this, but this works; which works for me. The return statement you see allows me to write code not dissimilar to this (if the function is in the same script):
$this->guid()
to generate the random value, which is then posted to the database under the relevant record.
Someone may find this of use, so here it is. Object orientation is difficult in PHP but once you get the hang of it, it’s quite intuitive; if a little confusing at times.
I can’t sleep. Mind still violently active from finishing my Public order policing/Human rights presentation. I have to present it at 1000. 
Warning: this introductory post is a combination of amateur philosophy, introducing one self and complaining.
Over the years I have tried many times to create an online blog to share my thoughts (and to look back on them in X amount of time) and did: I got the server up and running, installed X version of WordPress and wrote one or two posts… Then somehow (ahem!) it just died..!
No, it didn’t. I was just too lazy to maintain it with anything half intelligent. Well, whenever I have spare time now I’ll post up things that are happening and my reflections on them, some of which may actually be handy for assignments that I have this semester (*cough*). I guess I have no excuse now, with a phone that has much more bells and whistles (like email facilities to send updates/thoughts/rants/’opinions’ to this blog). My parents don’t understand why I thought “I must have it”.
I quote from Wikipedia (revision: 2009-08-05 00:48):
Generation Y [born in 1989], like other generations, has been shaped by the events, leaders, developments and trends of its time.[16] The rise of instant communication technologies made possible through use of the internet, such as email, texting, and IM and new media used through websites like YouTube and social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter, may explain Generation Y’s reputation for being peer-oriented and for seeking instant gratification. This trend of communication is continuing into Generation Z.
My phone (a Nokia N78) can pretty much interact with all of the quoted social networking sites. So things like Facebook, online blogs and so on and so forth are just Gen Y’s version of that dusty old journal the old folks had back in the day. Same thing, different way of doing it; and having said that, with many more benefits like keeping your friends and family around you updated. So devices that have this capability are 21st century diaries, highly integrated.
While in the Philippines, I was wandering around CyberZone in SM Megamall and came across the Apple shop (or authorised dealer), that doesn’t matter. They had the iPhone 3G on display. Me being usually an anti-Apple fanboi had a little toy… That lasted for a good half hour – 45 minutes (I’m not even sure). I’ll make this quick: For all of the things that Apple could have done to make the iPhone better, they did a pretty bloody good job of the iPhone 3G. I remember commenting to my step-mum just how intriguing it was. I can’t afford one though and my N78 does the job.
Anyway, enough of my rambings about creating a blog and justifying Gen Y’s use of technology…
I’m a second year university student, with a very technically oriented mind (at least I think, no pun intended) dreaming of doing something like engineering or computer programming, stuck in a Criminal Justice students body. Meh, I’m having fun and is something that I have been aspiring to for quite some time, old habits (like computers, die hard). I can’t wait to start police training (!) and wear that blue uniform with pride.
Time to work on a presentation about public order policing and human rights, due Wednesday. Fun! 
Out and about via Twitter