Core Memory

Conversation with Dan via IM:

Dan: Haha. "Save the Children" are against Internet filtering.

Ian: I wish somebody would think of the children.
Ian: No wait.
Ian: Isn't that the problem?

Dan: Ewww!

Encoding for iPod on my Athlon 64 3000+ ran at about 25 fps. On the new 3.0 GHz hackintosh, it is doing about 72 fps. Have to add an extra argument to use both cores though, "-threads 2". Also, they changed the name of the h264 vcodec, from "h264" to "libx264" (obviously!)

Current encoding line is:

ffmpeg -deinterlace -y -threads 2 -async 5000 -i input filename -cropleft 56 -cropright 56 -acodec libfaac -ab 128k -vcodec libx264 -crf 20 -flags +loop -cmp +chroma -me_range 16 -g 250 -partitions +parti4x4+partp8x8+partb8x8 -me hex -subq 5 -f mp4 -s 480x320 -r 25 -aspect 480:320 -level 30 -title "Title" output-filename.mp4

What do you say about something that "just works" ? That is what EFI-X does. I built a machine with components only from the (short) HCL, connected the EFI-X module to a spare motherboard USB header, switched on and then installed from a retail Mac OSX X 10.5 DVD.

Once past the EFI-X boot screen, it is just like using a real Mac. Compared to the Power Mac G5, it is very fast, and somewhat quieter. There's no hacking, disabling, fiddling, modifying or other faffing about required, even updates to OS X install from Software Update as they would on a real Mac.

No product is perfect, but the limitations are few and minor and include:

• The EFI-X booter is not Open Firmware, and therefore cannot boot from Firewire (yet.)
  
• Windows and OS X can't share a single drive due to the different partitioning schemes required (MBR vs GPT)
  
• Booting into the EFI-X environment adds about 10 seconds to the bootup process.
  
• Audio doesn't automatically switch between line-out and headphone out when you plug headphones in.
  
• Scraping the bottom of the barrel here .. System Profiler shows the graphics card as 256 Mb when it is actually 512 Mb ... cosmetic only.
  

So for $1000, you can have your very own yum cha brand Mac Pro.

So now Street View has been enabled for many Australian cities and suburbs. I have a suspicion that the Street View car might've been doing some wardriving at the same time, because my entirely GPS-less iPod Touch can now locate me when at home (in the suburbs) to a high degree of precision.

"Locate Me" on the Touch used to only work in the CBD, and not that accurately either.

Looks like JoikuSpot had a competitor already - WalkingHotSpot.

Remembers when I suggested a portable device that served a 3G connection over Wifi? Well turns out someone has already done it.

A company called Joiku (those clever Finns) have written an application that does just that, turns your Symbian Series 60 (and possibly Windows Mobile) 3G phone into a Wifi access point. It is called JoikuSpot, and there is both a free and a premium edition.

A significant number of mouth-breathers are incorrectly referring to this app as JaikuSpot, which is confusing all round.

Having recently sold the Audi, I am now able to calculate exactly what it cost me over the past couple of years.

Period of ownership: April 2006 - July 2008 (2 years 3 months, approximately 117 weeks)

If the Libs want to regain credibility on the climate change issue, they're going to need to front someone a lot more convincing than the nasal and repetitive Greg Hunt.

I can't believe Barrie let him get away not once, but several times lumping LPG, LNG and solar together as "Clean Energy!" Yes, they're all clean ... except that one has about 60% of the emissions of coal, and the other is ... 0%.

This is how I encode shows recorded by mythtv for viewing on the iPod Touch. (or iPhone. If I had an iPhone.)

ffmpeg -deinterlace -y -async 5000 -i inputfile -cropleft 56 -cropright 56 -acodec libfaac -ab 128k -vcodec h264 -crf 20 -flags +loop -cmp +chroma -me_range 16 -g 250 -partitions +parti4x4+partp8x8+partb8x8 -me hex -subq 5 -f mp4 -s 480x320 -r 25 -aspect 480:320 -level 30 -title "Title" output-filename.mp4

Explanation follows.

Swapping my iPod Touch with the dodgy screen protector for Dan's iPhone - 30 seconds of my life
Watching Dan's face as he examines his "iPhone" with the "cracked screen" - Priceless.

Once, great diagrams roamed the savannah, twining their axes under the boa trees or playfully extrapolating. Now, thanks to middle managers with short attention spans, diagrams have been hunted nearly to extinction. Many a promising young chart has come to a premature end, pinned to the page of some annual report, fenced in by grey prose on all sides. So before you demand visuals in your next presentation, please ... think of the diagrams.

The building where I work seems to have two rules (likely not unique) when it comes to getting out of the lift:

1. Closest to the door gets off first, and


2. Ladies first.

It is the dynamic interplay between these two rules that makes life so interesting.

Although some people (e.g. me) are lucky enough to own laptops with built in 3G, not everyone is so well endowed equipped. I was thinking that what the world needs is a small battery powered device with a 3G modem and a wifi access point that could provide you with a small personal wifi AP for your gadgets. Examples might include laptops, an iPod touch, your mate's laptop etc.

Then I realised that in terms of hardware, I'd just described modern "smart phone" such as a Nokia N95 or iPhone. So perhaps it is just a matter of some clever person writing the right software.

I think wifi would tend to chew up the juice, but if the power were turned right down, it might not be so bad. You probably don't need more than a couple of metres range for a personal AP. And wifi would sure beat Bluetooth for surfing the net.

Countdown timers on pedestrian crossings so you know how long you have to wait before you get a green man. Mount a little LED display where the button is.

I reckon people would be more patient if they know when they'll get their turn. Should cut down on jaywalking as well.

Some things just don't become clear until you actually try them. In our case, the car we thought would be sufficient to haul around a couple of kids has been barely up to the task of hauling one. Oddly, the problem is worse when the child is smallest. Small babies need travel basically lying down in their seat, and the safest configuration is rearward facing. So the space between the rear seat back and the seat in front is at a premium. Small babies also need bigger, heavier prams, unlike older babies who can travel in a lightweight stroller.

The problem with our A4 Avant is that it is too short. (Or possibly poorly packaged.) Also, the boot is nothing to write home about. If you were to write home about it, the letter would go something like, "Hey, this car has barely more boot space than a VW Golf."

So we're in the market for a new family load-lugger. We could just take the path of least resistance and get a Falcondore or (shudder) 4WD, but I do like to take the path less travelled from time to time. What better way to express your individuality than through the ultimate example of mass-production, the motor car?

So far, we've come up with three potential horseless carriages: