My Zune Died today

So my Zune died today like many others of its origin and stripe.

First Microsoft denied the problem,

They then accepted that there is a problem after they were flooded with customers

They started investigating only to find that they forgot the concept of Leap Years. Somehow the zunes that we have don't know that some years are longer than others.

Finally they refused to fix it .. saying "The problem will fix itself tomorrow at noon". But drain your battery to trick your zune into restarting.

Now imagine this was your car! Or better yet a tanning bed.... You'd come out looking worse than some of us.

So for now my zune is up on craigslist or just hit me up.

Here is the post from Microscrew! http://forums.zune.net/412486/ShowPost.aspx

New maxim for 2009.

What have you changed today? (Dickens 2009)

Fresh thinking yields new ideas. (Dickens 2007)

any good system is free of surprises and delivers on expectations (Dickens 2008)

Simple scrolling dynamic text in flash

Just make sure you have a field named dynamicTextField;

var scrolling:Boolean = false;
var displayWidth:Number = 190;
var originalX:Number = nowPlaying.x;
var maxWidth:Number = dynamicTextField.textWidth;
var position:Number = dynamicTextField.x + maxWidth;
var moveLeft:Boolean = true;
var scrollTimer:uint;

//add event listeners to the text field
dynamicTextField.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_OVER, startScroll);
dynamicTextField.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_OUT, endScroll);

function startScroll(e:MouseEvent) : void {
if(!scrolling && maxWidth > displayWidth) {
scrolling = true;
moveLeft = true;
nowPlaying.x = originalX;
clearInterval(scrollTimer);
scrollTimer = setInterval(scrollNowPlaying, 50);
}
}

function scrollNowPlaying() : void {

if( moveLeft ) {
position = position - 2;
moveLeft = position > displayWidth - originalX;
} else {
position = position + 2;
moveLeft = position > originalX + maxWidth;
if( moveLeft ) {
clearInterval(scrollTimer);
scrolling = false;
position = nowPlaying.x + maxWidth;
}

}
dynamicTextField.x = position - maxWidth;

}

function endScroll(e:MouseEvent) : void {
moveLeft = false;
}


Android Streaming Live MP3 player

I've been trying to write an Android live stream player with the MediaPlayer object for the last day or so.

Well I do have a solution though it blips every now and then. I will post my solution early next week after cleaning up the code a bit.

I use two temp files to load up my buffer and pass those to the MediaPlayer. That simple!

And so it happened

That Obama became the 44th President Elect of the United states on the breezy night of November 5th 2008.

Thank you America!

Live Mesh

Ever wanted to access the same folder from work or home without the fuss of setting up some complex synchronization processes. Up until today, I've typically been emailing whatever I want to access from anywhere, sometimes I just set up a draft email which I never send. But there has been a service (Live Mesh) that has been out for a while (I signed up but never really go to use it). What it does is amazing.

You just install the live mesh on a computer that you would like to synchronize with your mesh, set up live mesh folders or documents and walla you have your documents everyone. Sounds "corny" but that is really all it takes. The items in the folders synchronize repeatedly pushing up any changes.

The live mesh team is promising to allow you to mesh with your mac and mobile device in the future. For now they give you 5gb of storage.

Do you use other services? I am thinking something like Amazon's S3 (but that is more geared towards developers).

Live Mesh

Zune.net | Zune Pass

I activated my 14 day trial for zune pass last night, set up a bunch of channels to download and clocked out for the day.

Unfortunately when I hooked up my zune to my car this morning to start playing the channels, none of them were there. I wonder what happened... Maybe they didn't sync up and I can come up with hundreds of reasons why this happened to help me think of myself as not being a fool.

The experience I was expecting with channels is more like what you get with Pandora (http://www.pandora.com), although with channels, the music is updated on a rather infrequent basis unlike Pandora where your channel is ( atleast viewed as instatenous ) updated quite often.

For now I went back to listening to my good old tunes (I chose the classical genre for some reason). I'll wait till tonight to try out the Zune channels again.

What has your experience been with the new Zune?


Zune.net Zune Pass

Attempt at reverse engineering jwplayer

I have attempted to reverse engineer the jwplayer. My first view of the architecture is available in this location: http://www.keraro.com/assets/jwplayer/

This could use some documenting which I intend to do later.

Objet Geometries Innovative Alaris 30 Desktop 3D Printer Unveiled [3D PolyJet Photopolymer Jetting Printer]

Objet Geometries Innovative Alaris 30 Desktop 3D Printer Unveiled [3D PolyJet Photopolymer Jetting Printer]

It sure is at its infancy but I bet you this is going to be the future of priting. Soon everyone will want an Object printer in their home office.

PHP + WSO2 = PHP SOA

I guess there is no reason not to start developing SOA architectures with a focus on PHP apps.

I've been interested in SOA for a while now and my appreciation for software architecture is ever growing. This is positive news for the PHP developer masses out there. I will try using this framework and report my findings later.

Here is a link: http://wso2.com/

T-Mobile G1 a.k.a First Google Android Phone

I have had some people ask for my opinion on the G1. Multiple time I've been prompted to order one though thus far I have managed to fend off the urge.

So is the G1 worth its salt? As is I'd say NO.

However it is a pretty decent device, with a decent API and of course it is backed by an 800 pound Gorilla. For developers looking into experimenting with the mobile platform and enjoy developing Java Apps, then this device is worth a look.

Out of the box this device lacks some basic functionality such as Exchange Sync capabilities, which the Android team says is worth a decent open project for some company.

Looking at the list of applications submitted thus far (http://code.google.com/android/adc_gallery/) I'd hold my money for something else. I mean it is only 179 (though after taxes and the price of internet connectivity) you won't have either your arm of  your leg.

IMHO wait on buying the Android app unless you want to get started writting java Apps. I've heard that Motorola is hiring Android developers. This is a good sign that another device manufacturer other than HTC has crawled into the Android bed.

Dealing with Legacy Code

I found this piece of advice on how to deal with legacy code on a slashdot post by eln.

1.) Spend 2 weeks looking at code you don't understand.
2.) Loudly complain about the poor quality of the code, particularly algorithms that you don't understand.
3.) Make derogatory comments about the previous developers. Be sure to paint them as monosyllabic imbeciles who probably got dropped on their heads multiple times as children.
4.) Make minor changes to the code. If they blow up in your face, blame the previous developers for their poor grasp of basic programming practices. Make references to the previous programmers' relationship with their mothers.
5.) Delete the whole thing and start from scratch.
6.) 18 months of fumbling around later, realize that the previous code may have been better than you gave it credit for.
7.) Deny this.
8.) Release cobbled-together mess that lacks half the features of the previous codebase and features twice the bugs.
9.) Get job elsewhere.
10.) Company hires new programmer who starts the process over at step 1.

Point taken! And seriously defining legacy code as code without tests is a pretty bold statement. This means that there are some developers out there who are literally writing legacy code. This fact begs colleges to consider teaching testing as part of a CS curriculum.

Fall is here or is it coming...

The US Presidential campaigns have each nominated their candidates and side kicks and of course through the conventions, we've heard from the doer and the dream killers. Well from the pundits and reporters, we are now informed that the fall campaign season has officially started. But for some of us winning an electoral office isn't the challenge that we are facing, we have other real challenges to go past.

Like the inevitable coloration of the leaves a signal of the fall, is the challenge to see another semester through. This usually starts with the struggle to have the funds necessary to register for classes, get the school supplies, budget for food and housing among other life's essentials. This is not differnt though, maybe it is differnt in the sense that the challenges are far greater. As of today, I don't know if I will be in class that I should have been registered for more than two weeks ago. I got hope though. At least that is what Obama asks of us.

The problem hasn't been that of waiting to the last minute, rather that of waiting till the line clears for us to have a chance at the window. However this time the line did not clear and the window closed. A lot of vendors have been closing shop, the problem is they never let you know where they get their money to loan you, when it dries up, they have all the rights on earth to tell you that we are done even if you have been waiting all day to talk to someone. The problem isn't that of not having enough credibility but that of surrounding yourself with people who are like you; struggling to get by. The problem isn't failing to plan for challenges but that of determining the changing rules of the game.

Even as the semester is set to start, a late start for me won't be as bad. If it doesn't happen this time, then the question to answer will be, What can one do with a full year? What hope does a new America under Obama have for the lowly? Lets move on!

Maxim

With the year just ended, it is time that I once again came up with a new maxim. This past year my maxim was "..Fresh thinking yields new ideas". I proudly put my name and year right after it. Now that the new year has started and already a week into it, I already have heard from friends asking me to update my maxim. I have been thinking hard about what I hold true this year. I could quote Mr. Obama, Mr. Raila or any of the other politicians given that this is a high political season. However in doing so I lack the ability to append my name right after it. It is for that reason that I have stired up the matter in my medulla to come up with this years maxim ..

".. any good system is free of surprises and delivers on expectations - Dickens 2008". For those who've been paying attention to the recent unfoldings in the programming world, this maxim does relate to Ruby. Yes it is a great system, especially paired up with rails. I hope I did not just waste a whole years worth of a maxim. I believe that even a good political system lacks surprises and delivers on expectations. That is why the voting public never expects people to change positions if a politician changes a position or appears to, they will try to spin it as an expectation on a delivery and not just another oops!