Author: tim

Raspberry PI 2 – Sails.js

Installing Sails.js required building and installing Node.js from source.

I let the source build overnight and then moments later ‘sails lift’ was functional.
https://github.com/tgraupmann/TAGENIGMA-Docs/blob/master/Sails.md

Also the reference guide is super helpful.
http://sailsjs.org/#!/documentation/reference/

Here is also a useful C# client:
https://github.com/Quobject/SocketIoClientDotNet

Raspberry PI 2 – VNC

I picked up a Raspberry PI 2 and it’s working super speedy. Quad-core 900 MHz, ARM, 4-usb, HDMI/audio out.
http://www.amazon.com/CanaKit-Raspberry-Ultimate-Starter-Components/dp/B00G1PNG54/

After settting up WIFI, installing VNC made connecting the display, mouse, and keyboard no longer necessary. The boot process can be altered to start VNC server automatically.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/remote-access/vnc/

IBUYPOWER Six Core

I ordered a second desktop from IBUYPOWER. A bunch of components were defective and replaced under warranty. (HD, Case Fan, Memory Sticks, Graphics Card)

Still running well after (5 years running 24/7).

1 x Case Thermaltake Armor Revo Full Tower Gaming Case – Snow Edition
1 x iBUYPOWER Labs – Noise Reduction Advanced – iBUYPOWER Harmony SRS Sound Reduction System
1 x iBUYPOWER Labs – Internal Expansion [6-Port] NZXT Internal USB Expansion System + Bluetooth & Wireless N Modules
1 x Processor Intel® Coreâ„¢ i7 3930K Processor (6x 3.20GHz/12MB L3 Cache) – Intel Core i7 3930K
1 x iBUYPOWER PowerDrive PowerDrive Level 2 – Up to 20% Overclocking
1 x Processor Cooling Asetek 550LC Liquid CPU Cooling System (Intel) – ARC Dual Silent High Perfornamce Fan Upgrade (Push-Pull Airflow)
1 x Memory 64 GB [8 GB x8] DDR3-1600 Memory Module – Corsair or Major Brand
1 x Video Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 – 2GB – SLI Mode (Dual Cards)
1 x Video Card Brand Major Brand Powered by AMD or NVIDIA
1 x Motherboard [3-Way SLI] ASUS Rampage IV Extreme
1 x Power Supply 1050 Watt – Thermaltake Toughpower Grand-1050M – Free Upgrade to 1200 Watt Toughpower Grand-1200M ($40 Savings)
1 x Primary Hard Drive 2 TB HARD DRIVE — 64M Cache, 7200rpm, 6.0Gb/s – Single Drive
1 x Optical Drive 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive – Black
1 x Flash Media Reader / Writer 12-In-1 External USB Flash Media Card Reader/Writer
1 x Meter Display NZXT Sentry 2 Touch Screen Fan Controller & Temperature Display
1 x Sound Card 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
1 x Network Card Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
1 x Operating System None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only
1 x Advanced Build Options Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower – Achieve exceptional airflow in your chassis
1 x Advanced Build Options Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower – Basic Pro Wiring

VirtualBox

[VirtualBox 4.0.4] adds some GUI enhancements to the virtualization software. Be sure to also install the “VirtualBox 4.0.4 Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack” to support USB 2.0.

I had some initial issues running a guest of Windows XP on Windows-7. The same guest worked on Linux and MacOS. It turned out to be necessary to disable the 3d acceleration in the VM settings to avoid a crash during start-up.

To install 3d-acceleration on a Windows-XP guest, you have to boot into safe-mode.

Developing Android Apps

  1. Eclipse makes developing apps for Android super easy with the [ADT] add-on. Download [Eclipse]. You need the [Android SDK] to develop and install your Android app over USB.
  2. After you launch Eclipse, install the [ADT] add-on and restart Eclipse.
  3. Setup the path to the Android SDK in the Eclipse preferences
  4. Download and setup the [AVD] Android SDK platforms to sync with a device or virtual device. Window->Android SDK and AVD Manager
  5. Now you can create an Android project. File->New->Other-> expand Android and select Android Project.
  6. [GrepCode] is a useful Eclipse plugin.

MacbookPro Upgrade 8GB RAM

So I learned a little thing about Macs. When you get a back, order the least amount of memory possible from the Apple store because they overcharge by a lot. So I overpaid, and then got a good price to max out at new egg.

When I installed the hardware, I dropped a couple of the laptop screws, which I spent 10 minutes looking for. These screws are literally the size of a spec of dirt.

After the RAM is installed, I booted from a Ununtu CD and ran the memory test.

The more RAM, the better everything works. TADA

MacBook Pro (Spring 2010) 15-inch with 2.66GHz Intel Core i7

My Macbook details:

2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRM-2x2GB
500GB Serial ATA Drive@5400rpm
SuperDrive 8X DL
MBP 15" Glossy WS Display.

It’s odd that the Apple store charges so much extra $600 for [Apple Memory Module 8GB 1066MHz DDR3 – 2x4GB SO-DIMMs].

NewEgg has compatible memory for $126.99 [Mushkin Enhanced 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Dual Channel Kit Memory for Apple Model 976644A] Just remember to run an extensive hardware test often in the first 60 days.

TAGCMA

My [TAGCMA] project was so old I couldn’t remember how to get the code. I finally figured it out. The entire site is readonly, so when I figure that out, I’ll be able to update the links. To get the code you do this (assume you have a CVS client).

cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@tagelflax.cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/tagelflax login

(no password just press enter)

cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@tagelflax.cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/tagelflax co -P tagml

Windows 7

Windows-7 is my preferred development OS. However, recently it has become unstable and I have the need to reinstall.

I typically install [My Preferred Development Environment].

In all cases, always make a backup before wiping the harddrive. Since I purchased Windows-7 PRO upgrade, the install is tedious. First I need to install Vista. However, if I’ve already installed Windows-7, I won’t be able to install Vista because it can’t read and format the partitions correctly. So first I install Windows 7-PRO and defer the activation. Next I install Vista over the Windows-7 PRO install which created a windows.old folder. I delete the windows.old folder and then tediously have to install the Vista SP1. After than I can run the Windows-7 upgrade and that runs for a long time. Then I delete the windows.old folder again and restore all the software to get back to my preferred development environment.

[MozBackup] restored my email profile for [Thunderbird] flawlessly. I did have to manually copy my signature file.

Might as well try [Visual Studio 2010].

Quick links to favorite apps:

[7-zip]

[Adobe Acrobat Reader]

[Audio4All]

[Chrome]

[Cygwin] – cvs – openssh – unzip – vim – wget – zip – subversion

[Firefox]

[Flash Player]

[Gimp]

[Google Talk]

[Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar]

[iTunes] – [OGG]

[Java]

[Jing]

[MagicDisk]

[Modo]

[NVIDIA 9800gts 7350le] drivers

[OpenDNS]

[OpenOffice]

[Picasa]

[Resharper]

[Safari]

[Skype]

[SpeedFan]

[Steam]

[Stripem]

Subversion client:

[SmartSVN] /

[TortoiseSVN] /

[Versions]

[Synergy]

[Textpad]

[Unity3d]

[VirtualBox]

[VirtualDub]

[VirtualDubMod]

[VMWare Player]

[WinMerge] – [7-zip plugin]

[WinRar]

[X-Chat]

[Yuuguu]

And [Firefox] add-ons:
– Chatzilla
– FireBug
– FireFTP
– FoxClocks
– XMarks [XMarks for Safari] [XMarks for IE]

Synergy doesn’t seem to work when Windows-7 UAC pops up.

Manual installs:
– Office 2007 Ultimate (with Groove 2007)
– [Silverlight Development Environment]

Mac can’t natively write to NTFS. There is a free solution, first install: [Macfuse] and then install [NTFS-3G].

Line6 [sound applications]: Line6 Monkey, POD Farm, GearBox

Propellerhead [Product Keys]

Yamaha [UX16 driver]

Sony [HDR-XR200V] HD video camera drivers.

X-Prize

The next [X-Prize] is worth $10M and will be awarded for building a brain-computer interface. It sounds similar to the [Emotiv] helmet. However, most of the posts are talking about surgery. It would be nice to develop a brain computer interface that could avoid the surgery part.