Toby Thinking

Cloud services for freelancers

2011-08-31T06:57:00.000-07:00

As a freelance developer in South Africa for about 2 years, I've signed on for a few online services that make my business life a whole lot easier. My business runs in the cloud!

I thought I'd run through the important online services I use, in case it will be of benefit to other freelancers. Note that many of these services aren't South African, and there may even be local alternatives, but these are the ones I found that work really well for me without costing me much (if anything).

GMail, Google Calendar

Won't dwell on these as they are well known, but these are the primary tools I use. The fact that they intergrate well with my Android phone makes them more useful that I can convey, e.g. I get a meeting request via email, I accept, my phone reminds me of the meeting, I click to navigate to the addess using Google Navigation and I get to my meeting on time.

Price: free
Site: http://gmail.com, http://calendar.google.com

Toodledo

I subscribe to David Allen's productivity methodology called Getting Things Done (GTD), and if you don't, you *really* should. Toodledo is a site that you can use to track all the things you need to do (organised by when they need to get done and in what context, e.g. home, work, errands, etc.) Reading David Allen's book will help you make the most of it (or read their guide). There are plenty of apps that will integrate with the site to allow you to quickly capture todo's from your phone or tablet, etc. I've linked this with my Google Calendar so that I get reminders on todo's that have a deadline.

Price: free (Pro version available, but not needed)
Site: http://toodledo.com

Evernote

This post was typed out on Evernote on my phone, at a coffee shop. BTW, I used a bluetooth keyboard, I'm not mad! Evernote is a free site that let's you capture notes such as blog posts, ideas, meeting notes, etc. These can be captured offline and then sync'd to the site when you get online again (which happens automatically). There are apps available for all platforms, and Evernote apps usually set the benchmark of what an app can be on each platform. I resisted Evernote for the longest time, believing that Toodledo and local text files are usually enough, but once I started using it, I immediately saw the benefit and ease-of-use.

Price: free (with premium version available)
Site: http://evernote.com

Dropbox

Files that clients send via email are safely stored away on Google's servers. However, files you create, for example signed agreements, invoices, etc. need to be backed up offsite. The important consideration is that if your laptop is stolen or your house burns down, you still have a copy of your important documents somewhere. For this, Dropbox is perfect (far better than e-mailing yourself a copy of the file). It is also incredibly easy to use - once installed, just copy files into the Dropbox folder on your machine, and everything is automatically backed up and versioned. This is another one of those services that is far more impressive in use, than in theory. It is also a fantastic collaboration tool, as folders can be shared with other users (something I use a lot). I only use it for documents, so the free 2gb of space will last me a long time. I back up large media files to local drives or DVD.

Price: free for 2gb, pay for more
Site: http://dropbox.com

ProjectLocker

If your work involves programming or producing small digital content like books, copy writing, graphics design, etc. then you should be using a source code version control system, like Subversion or Git. This is like a versioned backup of your source material, but is much more powerful. For example, it can let teams work on the same project in a coordinated way. This is very different to Dropbox, as it is used for source code control (with things like line-by-line difference viewing, checkin/checkout, branching and tagging, etc). I use ProjectLocker as my cloud-hosted version control system. This also protects me against laptop theft or hard drive crash, as the latest version (or very nearly the latest version) of my code will be just one checkout away. ProjectLocker also integrates to other services and provides a wiki, time line of your project (who changed what lines of which files today?), bug tracking, etc.

Price: free for 500mb
Site: http://projectlocker.com

Basecamp

Basecamp is a well-known and well-loved cloud service for simple project management. I use it to let clients provide trackable feedback on their project, exchange files relating to the project, and manage project milestones. While ProjectLocker provides a bug tracking system, it is too complicated for clients to use. Basecamp is dead simple and easy to use. Just create a todo list, type in the tasks, assign it to whoever, and comment or tick them off as appropriate.

Price: free for 1 project (so I get the clients to sign up and invite me ;)
Site: http://basecamphq.com

PayPal

In order to make payments possible for overseas clients, and to pay for some of the services I subscribe to, I use PayPal. If you have an FNB account, you can bring the money into the country. Links to your credit card.

Price: around 3.4% per transaction
Site: http://paypal.com

Freshbooks

I used to use OpenOffice to generate invoices from manually entered timesheet entries in a text file, which were then saved to Dropbox. As I started dealing with more clients, and invoiced more often, this quickly became a chore. I wasn't sure that paying for a timesheet and invoicing system would add much value, as I would still have to capture my timesheet, and generating an invoice didn't take a lot of time. After trying out Freshbooks, I was convinced and immediately paid upfront for a year. Apart from a simple and easy-to-use interface, it also tracks when clients view the invoice, integrates with PayPal, shows you unpaid invoices, allows clients to query invoices, allows you to generate recurring invoices, etc. I love it, and my clients love it.

Price: free for 3 active clients, premium options available
Site: http://freshbooks.com

Lessfuss

I believe an important part of the freelancer life is to outsource as much as possible. You should not get bogged down with admin work and other chores like getting stuff fixed around the house. Unfortunately it is not feasible to hire a personal assistant full-time, but luckily there's a great South African startup that will sort out any of your desk-based tasks for a mere R300 per month. Need to cancel your Telkom line or query your ADSL downtime? Need to find the nearest place to renew your car licence? Need to get quotes to fix your car? Need to arrange a birthday party? These guys will do it for you.

Price: R300 per month for 10 tasks, other options available
Site: http://www.lessfuss.co.za

MyVirtualWorker

I even outsource some of the more mundane aspects of my work, such as setting up Wordpress sites or doing SEO work, or even some coding. For all this, I use a company from India called MyVirtualWorker. Their rates are good and their terms are flexible. I haven't shopped around though, and there are plenty of other outsourcing options in India, Russia, China, etc.

Price: varies on type of task, but very reasonable.
Site: http://www.myvirtualworker.com

The above sites are pretty integral to my freelance business. I also use Skype where possible to communicate with clients, HostExcellence for hosting, Google Docs for document sharing, and Google AdWords to advertise my/clients services. Sites like Instapaper, Google Plus, LinkedIn, and Twitter are also handy for research and marketing.

While I haven't always hunted around for the best options, I love using the above-mentioned services and they make my life as a freelancer stress-free and secure. If you are a freelancer, what other services do you use, and which freelancer directories do you list yourself in?

Android apps for newbies

2011-06-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

I see a lot of people with new Android devices who simply play games on their shiny new devices, without knowing the power they wield in the palm of their hands. So here is a list of some of my favourite apps that should give newbies a fresh perpective on the capabilities of their new device.

Here we go:

Zinio - Local and international magazines, great interface, cheap mags. This has replaced printed mags for me.
MySubs - local magazines from mysubs.co.za
PressReader - latest newspapers from around the world. Interface as good as Zinio
Star chart - planetarium, better than Google Sky map.
Tweetdeck - facebook and twitter in one, with easy posting, url shortning, image uploading, etc.
Pulse - news reader app, beautiful interface
Kobo - nice book reader, like Kindle. Better interface for discovering and browsing new books
Imdb - movies and tv series guide
Xbmc remote - control your XBMC media PC from your phone, see calls and messages on your TV which will pause for you, etc.
Opera - fast and responsive web browser
Skype - audio chat
Qik - video chat
Layar - augmented reality browser, see info about stuff around you
Angry birds - most addictive game
Evernote - best note-taking app for meetings and such
Compass, Spirit level, Metal detector - turn your device into a useful tool
Sa events - my app for upcoming events in SA
Adobe reader - best pdf reader
Launcher pro - best homescreen replacement
Google docs - take a photo of a document and it scans it into a word doc
Thinkfree Office - one of many office suites
Fireflies live wallpaper - one of the best looking live wallpapers
Zedge - tons of ringtones and wallpapers
Sound hound - tells you what song is playing
Tune-in radio - listen to radio stations around the world,.including local ones

The above are just a small sample of what is available. Try them all out, even if their function doesn't really interest you, as you will still be amazed by the experience of it.

There are lots more apps, so try out the featured apps in the Market. Enjoy your new device!

SA Events Android application

2010-10-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

Introduction

SA Events is an Android app I wrote that lists the major South African events such as expo's, shows, festivals, concerts, carvinals, cultural events, etc. It is a great way to quickly browse upcoming events and then add them to your calendar with a reminder, so that you don't miss your favorite events. It is honeycomb-enabled, meaning that it has a tablet-specific interface if you install it on a honeycomb (or better) tablet.

Install it from the Android market by searching for "sa events", or scan the QR code above.

Features

View events by province
Add events to your calendar with optional reminders
Honeycomb interface with default reminders. Also remembers your last-selected province.

About

SA Events is powered by SA-Venues.com (although not affiliated in any way). If you'd like to list your event, please do so at http://www.sa-venues.com/events/suggest.php

Disclaimer

Event details may change, so please check with the organiser beforehand.

BatteryFu Android Application

2010-08-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

Introduction

BatteryFu is an Android application I wrote to save battery life (and data) on my HTC Dream (G1). After trying JuiceDefender from the market, I was quite disappointed at how bloated it was and how it actually ended up using memory and battery on my device which went against what it's supposed to accomplish.

So I wrote BatteryFu as a proof-of-concept to see if a lean and mean battery saver would work. And boy, does it work! I can get almost 4 days of battery life under normal usage (using conservative settings).

Features

Very lean app: It uses no memory or background services (unless you use the "Data while screen on" feature). This is important for my HTC Dream as I am running Froyo and it needs every byte of RAM it can get.
Night mode: This disables activating sync while you are asleep, hence extending your battery life even more and preventing e-mails from disturbing you at night. Also saves you data on your data plan. You can configure the night mode start and end time (by default it is 10pm to 6am).
Data when screen unlocked: allows you to continue to use your phone as normal by enabling data then you unlock the screen, although this will adversely affect battery life. Warning: task killers can stop this feature working.
Data while charging: allows you to plug in your phone to a charger and receive updates, tether, etc.
New modes: Travel mode, Offline mode, Online mode, etc.
Widget: a home screen widget that allows you to toggle BatteryFu by clicking the icon, or open the settings screen by clicking the text.
Very handy notification icon that allows you to toggle BatteryFu modes even while within another app.
APNdroid support for toggling mobile data. This is recommended for CDMA users on pre-gingerbread devices, or any users having an issue with mobile data toggling.

Installation and usage

Search the app market for "BatteryFu" to install it (or scan the QR code above). Do not install or move app to SD, as this may cause problems. Once installed, you will need to configure it (although default configuration is OK). Make sure that you leave the Android mobile data setting enabled (Settings > Wireless & Networks > Mobile Networks > Data enabled), otherwise BatteryFu will not be able to establish a mobile data connection.

Set the Sleep time (which is the time period it uses for activating your sync connection, i.e. check for e-mail every XXX mins/hours). I highly recommend using 30mins or more. Anything less and you might actually have more battery drain than usual. This may seem counter-intuitive, but consider that when not running BatteryFu the phone does not need to constantly initiate an auto-sync connection and re-sync all your content (unless you have poor cellphone reception).

Also set the Connect time which is the amount of time it keeps the data connection open during sync, before closing the connection again. Note that connect time does not affect sleep time, so if you use 15 min sleep time with 5 minute connect time (not recommended!) then your data connection will actually be on for 20 mins per hour.

You can also enable Night mode and set the start and end times. BatteryFu will not activate the data connections during night mode.

After you close the BatteryFu screen, if it has been enabled, it will close the configured data connections (mobile and/or Wifi), and then wait out the "sleep time" before re-enabling them. It then starts sync and waits for the "connect time", after which it disables the data connection(s) again.

Donation
If you would like to donate (any amount), you can do so using PayPal:

FAQ

Argh! My 3G settings are messed up! Please fix!

Yes, this is how BatteryFu works. It disables your 3G/GPRS APN by renaming the "APN Type" field to "batteryfu_disabled". It will revert the APN Type when connecting for data. Please disable BatteryFu before uninstalling it, as Android does not provide a way for the application to clean up after itself. If you uninstalled it without disabling it first, you can re-install it, disable it, then uninstall it again, or else edit Settings > Wireless & networks > Mobile networks > AccessPoint Names. Go through each APN and change APN Type to "default,supl" (or "Internet" if it is a selection list) instead of "batteryfu_disabled". Alternatively, when in the APN list, press menu button and select "Reset to default".

When I start BatteryFu, I get an "APN Error" message saying something about APN's and CDMA I don't understand. I never got this before! Please fix!

The error message is the result of an APN test that was added to BatteryFu v1.20, which attempts to detect phone settings that are incompatible with BatteryFu (which could also be something trivial like another app that has disabled your APN before BatteryFu was started). Previously, BatteryFu would look like it was working, but it wouldn't save you any battery because it was unable to disable your mobile data connection. This resulted in a lot of negative comments on my app. Now it lets you know that it won't work (which also means that it never actually worked before).

What can you do to fix this? My recommended way to get around the problem, is to install the APNdroid application from the market, and then tick the option to use APNdroid in BatteryFu (Mobile data options > Use APNdroid app).

Alternatively, if you understand the process, you can do this manually: If your phone has only one APN, and it's APN Type is set to "Internet + MMS" (or "default,supl,mms" or just "mms"), then BatteryFu will not disable it, since it is needed for MMS. In this case, change the type to "Internet" (or "default,supl"), then make a copy of the APN and set the copy to "MMS" so that you can still receive MMS. BatteryFu should now work (in theory, I have not been able to test this - please let me know if it works for you).

What if I want to surf the web? If I manually activate my wifi/3g won't BatteryFu close it?

Yes it will, when it begins it's next sleep cycle. So please disable BatteryFu (by using the toggle widget for example) when you want to use the web (or use the Data while screen on feature). When disabled, BatteryFu will automatically enable your data connections before exiting. You can then re-enable BatteryFu when you are done to get back into power saving mode.

Can you show some indication of how much battery was saved?

No this it actually impossible, because what would it compare the amount of battery saved to? Compared to a phone not running any software? Compared to the phone when it gets 10 calls at 2 mins per call, plus a weather widget updating every 15 mins? Instead, I will try to give an indication of expected battery life based on current usage, in a future version (e.g. you have 3 days and 2 hours of battery life left).

Hey, this thing isn't saving me any battery! Does it work?

Yes, it most certainly works, however constant use of your phone will obviously out-weigh the battery saving, i.e. it will not save you battery if you are a heavy user of the phone. If you use a battery widget that displays percentage battery remaining, you will see that while the phone is not in use (with BatteryFu enabled), battery use is minimal. So BatteryFu saves you battery while the phone is asleep.

If you get an APN error message when starting BatteryFu, then BatteryFu is incompatible with your network settings and is thus unable to disable your mobile data connection. In this case, you will see little-to-no battery saving. See the related FAQ on what you can do to fix this.

Moving BatteryFu (and other constant-use apps) to SD card can also cause extra battery drain, as the SD card must be switched on constantly. Keep BatteryFu in the internal memory.

Data while screen on isn't working (or only works sometimes), why?

You probably have a task killer (or your phone is low on memory) so the service is getting killed. This will stop the feature from working. You will need to open BatteryFu and close it again to get it to restart the service. If you don't have a lock screen, you will need to untick the "Wait till screen unlocked" option.

It is not recommended that you use this feature - rather use the widget or notification icon to toggle BatteryFu as-and-when you need to use the internet. You will see more battery saving this way.

What is this "DNS fix" and why does it require root?

The DNS fix is an experimental feature that is an attempt to fix Android bug #2207: 3G reconnection issue. See similar bug reports for APNDroid. It requires root access to your phone because it needs to set some system properties that are not possible to set otherwise. Note that if you are on Android 2.3.X or above, you will not need this feature and it will be disabled.

You must have a rooted phone to enable this feature. You should get a prompt asking for root access to the dnsfix.sh script after configuring BatteryFu. Please grant BatteryFu access and tick the "remember" checkbox, otherwise the prompt will popup during a sync and the phone screen might be off at the time.

For those without a rooted phone, I have found a work-around for Android 2.2: disable BatteryFu, toggle mobile data off and on (the data should then connect after a few seconds), then re-enable BatteryFu.

Why doesn't BatteryFu work reliably across all phones and networks?

The biggest problem for BatteryFu is that Android does not provide a method to switch off mobile data (this was finally added in Android 2.3.X so BatteryFu should work reliably on those devices). This means that it needs to resort to back-door methods, which in this case is to disable your internet APN (in a similar way to how APNDroid does it). This method works for some GSM network configurations, but not others (and reportedly not for CDMA), and is also prone to an Android bug (see DNS fix workaround).

I have added the option to use APNdroid to switch mobile data as it has alternative ways to switch data that will work for more networks and devices. If mobile toggling is not working on your phone, please try installing APNdroid. BatteryFu will then automatically use it.

What is the optimal configuration for BatteryFu?

There isn't an optimal configuration that suits everyone. I recommend the following for outstanding battery life for the average user though: enable toggling of mobile data, enable toggling of wifi, 1 hour sleep time, 3 minute connect time, disable "data while screen on", enable "night mode" from 10pm to 6am, and I also recommend setting your phone to use only 2G networks for additional battery saving. With moderate use and these settings, you should only need to charge your phone every 2 or 3 days.

Known issues (v1.37)

Bug: Widget becomes unresponsive on some devices. Only work-around is to remove and re-add the widget. Rather use the notification icon than the widget (it works better).
Moving BatteryFu to SD card can cause errors and extra battery drain (due to the SD card having to be switched on constantly).

SmsFu Android application

2010-06-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

I wrote an Android application called SmsFu and released it on the Android Market.

I've always wanted to get into mobile application development, and finally got down to writing my first Android application. It is called SmsFu. From my market blurb:

"SmsFu stops junk or spam SMS's from irritating you, without you blacklisting them first. How? It silences notifications when the SMS is from a long number (or optionally, not in your phonebook)."

I wrote this application mainly out of irritation with "Jimmy's Killer Prawns", "Coco Bongo", "Honda Midrand", and other spammers who somehow got hold of my phone number and then started arbitrarily spamming me. I decided that the real irritation was that it got me excited about receiving an SMS, thus leading me to drop what I was doing, only to find out that I've been spammed.

It started out with the idea that I could automagically filter out all spam by deleting any SMS that came from a long number (longer than 12 digits, which includes the country code and + prefix). This would work better than a blacklist, because those numbers are typically different each time they send a new SMS. After implementing it, I realised that I don't really need to delete the messages, since they don't irritate me anymore and I don't mind glancing at them when I have time to go through my inbox.

I also realised that some notifications, like those from a bank, sometimes use the long numbers. Typically, I am in front of my PC when waiting for the bank reference number to come through on my phone, so it was a bonus that it silenced those SMS's. However, important alerts seem to come from a normal number (at least from Standard Bank and First National Bank), so that worked out beautifully as I still get alerted to important transactions.

I decided to keep the inbox plain and simple. Rather evolve it over time, than trying to re-build functionality such as those in the excellent Handcent SMS application. This has a big advantage: the inbox can be kept simple, maximising the screen space for displaying full messages in chronological order. That way, the user can easily find and delete or action the new SMS(s). It also makes the inbox display much faster (I've limited it to the 10 most recent messages). When the user wants to browse through his/her messages, they can use their favourite messaging application.

I've thrown in a few bonus features into SmsFu. One is the ability to use any ringtone (not just the notification ringtones), as well as to specify an MP3 ringtone (which, out of my laziness, is hardcoded to look for an MP3 file called notification.mp3 on the root directory of the SD card). Another bonus is that you can send an SMS off as an e-mail, which is a handy way to back up reference numbers that have been SMS'd to you.

I've just released v0.5 of SmsFu which adds the ability to only sound an alert if the message is from a contact who is in your phonebook. Various other features have been added too, such as the ability to save the incoming number to your phonebook, and a highlight next to unread messages.

Check out the app in the Android App Market by searching for SmsFu, or view it's listing from AppBrain here: http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.tobykurien.smsfu

Update: I've now got over 1000 downloads!

The cumulative effect

2009-10-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

Small actions and choices have the power to destroy or save the planet

This is my post for Blog Action Day 2009 (http://www.blogactionday.org) regarding the topic of climate change. When I think of climate change, I think of energy utilisation and waste production, especially in my own household, as this is my direct contribution to climate change. As a thought experiment, I mutiplied this by the approximate amount of people on this planet that live similar or better lifestyles, and the sudden realisation of our effect on this planet had me reaching for the floor to pick up my jaw and return it to it's rightful position. Consumerism, you see, has seen such rampant growth lately that small actions by many individuals has resulted in large-scale damage to our environment.

I call this the cumulative effect, and while it is obvious to many, the real problem is that these small actions by themselves seem perfectly acceptable and reasonable. Take for instance garbage. I average about 2 black bin bags full of garbage a week. If that can be taken as an average for say 15 million households across South Africa, that's 30 million bags of garbage a week! What happens to all that garbage, and how much energy is used to move it around? What happens to 120 million bags of garbage every month? What's the total for the world? It's staggering!

Recently, I've been reading a book called Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. One particular conversation stood out for me. To paraphrase the book, one character defines evil in a novel way: by observing the world and the universe, and it's evolution from the big bang to what we have today, we can state that the universe is growing in complexity. In this way, it is heading towards a state we might think of as the Ultimate Complexity. Anything that hinders this progress towards this Ultimate Complexity could be considered evil. So the way to judge an act as evil or not, is to ask: if *everyone* did this action, would it help move us towards the Ultimate Complexity, or hinder it? If the latter, then the action is evil. So, for instance, killing is evil, as we would end up wiping each other and all life out. What I like about this definition of evil, is that it applies the cumulative effect without ambiguity and answers the question: is what I am doing evil or not?

Ask this question in your daily life. Is leaving a light on that doesn't need to be on evil? Is using a heater in a room when there is warm sunshine outside evil? Is buying packaged fruit when there is perfectly fresh unpackaged fruit available evil? Yes, yes, yes! The small actions that you do, or the choices that you make that even in the smallest way has a negative impact on our environment (whether directly or indirectly), are infact evil, because everyone else is making the same choices and performing the same actions. It is no longer alright to worry only about what comes into your life, and then stop worrying once it leaves - you need to concern yourself with how it got to you in the first place, and what happens to it once it leaves. The companies that bring the stuff to you, or take it away, do not necessarily concern themselves with the effect they have on the environment.

One of the truths that come from applying the cumulative effect is that you realise that you are either saving the planet, or destroying it. You cannot be neutral. It is the unfortunate truth that living the consumerist lifestyle means you are helping to destroy the planet. Even the food we eat is helping to destroy the planet. Meat consumption, for instance, has lead to large-scale farming to such an extent that even the methane gas emissions from the animals are having an effect on our climate. Let alone the way those animals are treated.

While I applaud the efforts of those who have forsaken meat for the cause, I believe in a more phased approach. For instance, have one vegetarian meal a day to reduce consumption of meat. The nice thing about the cumulative effect is that it can be made to work for the planet. If we all reduced our average garbage output to one bin bag or less per week, then we may well be reducing the country's average garbage output by 60 million bags per month. If we all replaced one 100watt light blub with a 11watt CFL blub, we'd be saving over 8000MWh (mega-watt hours) of electricity consumption (based on 6 hours a day usage for 15 million households). That is a LOT of energy that we don't need to be leeching off our planet. How many 50watt downlights (yes, those innocent looking 12V lifestyle items) do you have in your house? Evil.

In a way, I was quite glad about the positive side-effects of the global recession, load shedding, and the electricity price hikes. People have started to take interest in energy consumption, as it now directly affects their pockets. I still believe that electricity is too cheap: I worked out that to leave my pool pump on for 3 hours a day, every day, only costs me R30 per month at the current rates. That's too little to bother anyone. In 3 years' time, that will cost around R90, if Eskom have their way. That might be enough to switch off a few 50watt downlights!

Ultimately, I believe that it needs to start making business sense to save this planet, in order for the planet to survive. Maybe this means heavy taxes for companies contributing to climate change, or maybe it means a lifestyle attitude change to create high demand for companies producing environmentally friendly technologies (like efficient solar panels). Perhaps we could even on-sell excess capacity from our own solar projects back into the grid (like in some countries) to help us to make a living out of saving this planet. It all starts with everyone being aware of the fact that ignorance is not an excuse, that a 1000watts is a lot of power to be using, that every item thrown into the garbage bin is an item contributing to the demise of this planet. Then, maybe, there will come a time when consumerism and the cumulative effect will actually help save this planet, instead of helping to destroy it. Till then, we need causes like Blog Action Day to beat the reality into everyone's minds until it is glaringly obvious.

Misnumbers

2009-03-29T02:04:00.000-07:00

Kind of like a misnomer, but with numbers.

There are a bunch of numbers that people base decisions on (primarily purchasing decisions) that are misleading. Marketing people love these numbers, and engineers hate them, because they fool people into spending more money than they ought to. I call these numbers misleading numbers, or misnumbers.

My favourite misnumber is that of audio power ratings. You will see a hifi or amplifier rated at 80 watts per channel, another at 100W per channel, and yet a third for 120W per channel. There is usually at least a few thousand rand difference between them. Which should you buy, if you can afford all of them? The sales and marketing guy will tell you the 120W, but the engineer knows better. Much better. Without going into any technical detail, the difference in sound volume between them (assuming the same efficiency speakers) is almost imperceptible! The reason for this is that it takes double the power to get the sound to be "one notch" louder, and ten times the power to make it twice as loud. And what about those tiny computer speakers rated at 1000W? Complete marketing bull manure! The engineer looks for RMS rating, and knows that speaker efficiency is more important than amplifier power output rating. The engineer is a good friend to have, when shopping for tech!

What about car performance rating? Almost every car enthusiast I know bases their entire opinion of a car based purely on one number: how many kilowatts of power the engine puts out. In practise, I know that this number is highly overrated, and almost completely irrelevant on it's own. As an example, a Lotus Elise/Exige uses a Toyota RunX RSi engine, but significantly outperforms it. The reason is mainly because of it's lighter weight, but also because of it's better aerodynamics and suspension. My 17 year old Nissan 200SX with "only" 127kW can keep up with, if not outperform many of the "hot hatches" with significantly more power on a track or a drag strip because of a combination of several factors including weight, aerodynamics, engine power delivery, power distribution to the wheels, suspension, etc.

Another favourite car performance misnumber is top speed - practically, it is insignificant once it gets over 200km/h as even on many race tracks it's difficult to hit the top speed. The 0 to 100km/h time (or quarter mile time) is also a misnumber in that removes handling from the equation (a modified Uno beating a Ferrarri on a drag strip is not uncommon), but of all the automotive misnumbers, this is the least evil of them all. What does the engineer recommend for measuring car performance? A combination of 0 to 100km/h time and a lap time around a standard short track (like the Top Gear Test Track).

What is more important though, is that the performance differential out in the real world on a real road is almost negligible, because of speed limits, traffic, driver ability, driver sensibility, etc. If a modified sports car capable of producing 200kW opened full throttle in front of a similar unmodified 130kW car which responded in kind, the car in front would pull away at a rate significantly slower than what you would expect. Infact, for all practical purposes, up to the speed limit, any car with sufficient performance (e.g. a hot hatch or better) would be as fast as any other car on the road (including super cars). My advice is to forget trying to be faster than someone else - you are wasting your money. Instead focus on getting the most enjoyment out of your purchase. If the performance of the car you like puts a smile on your face when you test drive it, then that is all you need to know - forget the misnumbers!

I could go on and on about other misnumbers. I could talk about resolution, contrast ratio and response time of LCD TV's, gigabyte rating of MP3 players, or one of my other favourites - megahertz rating of computer processor chips. However, I want to touch on the greatest misnumber of them all - price, or more specifically, money!

Try this quick thought experiment: imagine a time when you had no idea how much houses cost, but you know you need to buy one. If you were asked how much you would pay for a 3 bedroom house in The Reeds in Centurion, what would you answer? R10,000? R100,000? R10? What if it was an auction with no reserve and no starting bid? What would your maximum bid be? No idea? So you do some research: look at the local classifieds, speak to estate agents, etc. Then you get an idea of what houses cost in different sizes and in different areas. At this point you have been conditioned into accepting the value of houses (as set by who? Estate agents? The market? The builders?) You then find something you can afford, negotiate a little, and buy. You have accepted the misnumber they call price. Why is this a misnumber? The idea that a house can have the same value to all people is rediculous - a family of four will value a bigger house more than a retired couple. "Fine", you say, "let the retired couple buy elsewhere!". Well, let's extend the thought experiment a little - imagine that money was taken out of the equation and everyone worked on a barter system. Your circumstances changed and you now have a bigger family and you want to move closer to work and schools. Similarily, a couple near the CBD have retired and want to move out into quieter, safer suburbs. So the two parties decide to swop houses, because they both value the other's property more than their own. Having taken money out of the equeation, the misnumber is gone, and both parties win.

It gets worse though. What money is doing is getting people to trade objects (or services) for an intermediate trading object (currency), then trade that into another object (or service). That would not be so bad, except that the intermediate trading object changes it's intrinsic value over time as well! Just how bad the monetary system is, is a topic for another blog post, but I'd like to mention Zeitgeist The Movie (and it's Addendum) as must-watch free movies, and there are some good online resources for learning about the monetary system, such as this crash course: http://www.chrismartenson.com/crashcourse

Recognising misnumbers is a truly empowering experience, as it fights that consumerism urge that is programmed into us from the day we are born. It helps to have technical knowledge in order to recognise some of these misnumbers, but in these days a Google search can be just as empowering.

Changed my routine, changed my life

2009-03-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what far-reaching implications a subtle change in my routine can have on my life...

I'm a routine-oriented guy. Any of my friends will attest to that. I like to have a set time for everything that needs to happen on a daily basis, such as meals, commuting to and from work, gym, shower, etc. I'm a follower of Zen Habits and the like, which encourages a routine to simplify life. Lately though, I've found that my routine has taken a toll on me, so I've decided to change it...

The thinking behind my previous routine was that I needed to avoid traffic. This meant getting up early in the morning (5h30), so that I could be at the office by around 6h15. I could then work my 8 hours and have a bit of web surfing time, leave the office at 15h00, get home by 15h30, and have most of the afternoon and evening for personal time (which includes gymming at home). Even this was tweaked over time as traffic patterns changed - I initially left home at about 6h45, and left the office at 16h00. Having found a good balance between commuting time, work hours, and personal time, I happily adopted this routine for the last 5 years.

Recently I realised that, despite the healthy amount of personal time in the work day, I felt like I had very little of what I like to call Personal Productivity Time (PPT). This is time I can use to do tasks that usually require me to be alone or have low SAF (Spouse Acceptance Factor), for example: read a book, practise guitar, play some heavy metal loudly on my hifi, meditate, etc. Having spent most of my single years living alone and hence having an abundance of PPT, changing to a routine that had almost no PPT was a pretty big problem for me, causing me stress that spilled through into my marriage.

Another big problem was that this routine is very inflexible - the times are fixed and cannot be changed, unless I fancied sitting in my car pumping the clutch pedal for an hour and a half non-stop. I *had* to leave work at 15h00, even if production servers were falling over. I *had* to be in bed by 21h30 or else getting up at 5h30 would be a problem. I *had* to leave home by 6h00 for fear of another marathon clutch-pumping session. My life was ruled by the clock.

It took me a really long time to realise this, but it was time for a change - something I am thankfully not resistant to. I found the solution in a simple yet profound change to my routine: work a later shift. Amazingly enough, the solution was found quite by accident: one day I got up a bit later and decided that I'd like to get up later every day. In order to facilitate traffic avoidance, I decided to get to work much later, and leave work much later. I hadn't considered this option before, due to it's low SAF, but since it became necessary for mental and marital health, SAF was vastly improved.

The consequences are quite unexpected. Suddenly I am far more flexible with time. If I get to work late because of traffic, I just work a bit later. If a meeting runs late, no problem - I have to wait for peak traffic to end anyway before I can go home. I have some PPT in the morning since I have to wait till after peak traffic to leave home. This also gives me a few hours of PPT after work, albeit not at home. This is a good thing, as it forces me to discover new things to do (such as joining a gym), and allows me to do things that I don't need to be at home for, such as writing this blog at Mugg & Bean over a bottomless coffee. So I still sleep for 8 hours, work for 8 hours, mostly avoid traffic, and yet I have a lot more PPT!

There are downsides to this, of course. Most obviously, I have less time at home, and less time with the wife (although this time is now better spent). I don't get to cook with my wife as I'm not home at that time. I also end up getting stuck in bad traffic more often than previously, as traffic is highly unpredictable and varies a lot on a daily basis. Luckily, MTN's JamCams help with monitoring traffic on the highways, and I can always throw in an early shift like before when I feel the need.

Change is often good, and sometimes it's worth just trying something different when you feel that things are boring, routine, or frustrating. Even the smallest of changes can have the biggest impact on your life. I am sure my new routine won't keep me happy forever, so the best I can do is to recognise when it stops working, and then try something different. For now though, I am enjoying the freedom from the shackles of the clock that I have endured for too long!

Switched on to digital TV

2008-11-06T01:11:00.000-08:00

South Africa officially switched on its digital TV signal on November 1 2008. Wanting to be a part of the revolution, I acquired a digital TV tuner so that I could play …

Read more at TechLeader

Netbooks have lost the plot

2008-09-25T05:16:00.000-07:00

First came the promise of the OLPC, then came the Asus Eee PC, and life got good. Now that Pandora’s box has been opened, a hell spawn of so-called netbooks are flooding the market creating confusion, and completely eroding the good work done by the original Eee PC.

Privacy in social networks

2008-08-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

They are in your Facebook, mining your data...

Read my take on privacy in social networks in my article on techleader.co.za

I am a productivity hobbyist and life hacker

2008-08-09T02:50:00.000-07:00

Joining the new geek subculture of getting things done and getting the most out of life

For the longest time, I've been obsessed with being productive in my spare time. By productive, I mean that whatever I did in my spare time should in some way contribute to making my life, or someone else's, better. This meant that things like reading novels or watching movies was unproductive. However, things like writing freeware software (like my own IRC client), designing and building circuits (like audio amplifiers and home automation kit), improving my guitar playing technique, gymming, or reading self-help books (on things like finance and meditation), was productive. There had to be some form of rolled-up progress. If the garden needed to be tended to every week just to maintain it in it's current state, then that was not productive. However, if I could paint one wall of the house once a month, then eventually my whole house would be repainted. Highly productive!

Over time I discovered that this obsession left me with a lot of productive "projects" to complete. The more projects I had, the less motivation I had to do any single one of them, because I couldn't decide which one to focus my energy on. This resulted in me wasting away my spare time with useless things like watching TV series or playing computer games.

A few months ago, I stumbled upon the GTD phenomenon. GTD is an abbreviation for "getting things done", which is a reference to the book "Getting Things Done" by David Allen. I was instantly hooked as I read about GTD, because as a geek, this appeals to my nature of hacking things to make them work better, or in ways they weren't intended to. Here was a book describing how to organise and focus your mind so that you can be productive, even when you feel like you have way to much to do, and way too little time. Even more profound was that it explained why I always felt stressed instead of motivated, when I thought about my projects. I went around telling everyone how busy I was and how little time I had for anything, even when I wasn't actually doing anything useful, simply because of the energy it took to organise my thoughts.

One of the first things I learned with GTD was to get things out of my head and into some written form. They suggest a pen and pocketable writing pad (in a form they call Hipster PDA). Imagine that! Suddenly geeks are excited about dumping their unwieldy electronic PDA's for a pen and piece of paper! We've known all along that despite the uber-coolness of an electronic diary/PDA, they are pretty useless when you need to jot down thoughts as you have them, wherever you may be. You tell yourself to remember to enter it in your PDA when you get a chance, then you forget, and then you feel stressed and can't figure out why. One of the best things about GTD is that you no longer rely on yourself or anyone else to remember anything. It gets written down, processed into a to-do list, and the GTD process makes sure you know about it when you need to.

Having a to-do list is all good an well, but completely useless and a waste of time if it is not organised correctly and used in a process that keeps it visible and manageable. I won't go into details here, as it's all explained very well in the book (and there's a nice summary here). I find that it is all too easy to ignore the to-do list (especially if it has too many items in it) and go back to the unfocussed, demotivated state, so I've made it a part of my routine, like with gymming. It's not easy to get myself into the gym when I don't really feel like it, but once I'm there, I enjoy it and start giving it my best (without fail). When I get myself started on a task in my to-do list, the satisfaction of having completed it motivates me to keep going, and soon I'm ticking off tasks like there's no tomorrow. Now that's rolled-up progress!

What works well for me is to use my cellphone to gather my thoughts, to-do's and information. Since it has a full keyboard on it, it's easy to enter information, and I always have it with me. If I can't type, I do a voice recording. When I am at home, I enter that information into my to-do list. I use toodledo.com (although there are tons of other good sites, such as rememberthemilk.com) to manage my to-do list, as it is accessible from my cellphone, pocket PC, iPod touch, EeePC netbook, or any internet-connected PC.

While researching GTD, I stumbled upon lifehacker.com and zenhabits.net. I am fascinated by the various ways in which you can hack your life to get more out of it. Lifehacker.com aggregates articles from around the web on mostly tech tips and tricks but also some life hacks, be it tips and tricks on using Outlook, tools to implement GTD, or even how to hack conversations you have with people! Zenhabits.net has amazing self-help articles on improving your life by simplifying it. It includes topics about health, wealth, relationships, work, etc. This site can change your life for the better, if you are receptive to it.

Hacking my mind is currently one of my biggest fascinations. By applying Buddhist meditation techniques, it's possible to hack my mind and change the way I feel and think! Feeling anger? A bit of mindfulness and centering will sort that out. Feeling frustrated with someone? Nothing that some loving kindness meditation can't solve. Infact, I have now changed my mind about some tasks I used to think were unproductive: ironing my clothes, swordsmanship (yes! with a katana sword!), and washing my cars offers me a great opportunity to meditate while still doing something useful. Chores have changed from being unproductive and frustrating, to tasks that allow me to meditate, do some cardio, and complete the task at hand, all in one go.

Hack my mind, my body, and be productive, all at the same time. Now that is the ultimate life hack.

Be safe in your home

2008-07-01T09:54:00.000-07:00

There maybe some things to cheer about in the latest crime statistics, but it's not all good news, sadly.

While most of the statistics show a slight downward trend, a few worrying stats remain. These are mainly the ATM bombings, house robberies, car hijacking, and business robberies. Residential robbery is of particular interest. To quote the article from iol.co.za:

According to the report, residential robberies are usually committed between 9pm and 3am (55 percent) by "small groups of unemployed youths" who, in almost 90 percent of cases, surprise their victims inside their homes.

This surprises me. How is it that so often, the victims literally wake up to a gun against their heads?

A few years ago, my house was burgled. Thankfully, it happened at a time when nobody was home. However, the incident got me thinking carefully about how the security at home was implemented. A year before, when I moved in, I had installed an electric fence and a house alarm system that was linked to a security company. None of my neighbours had an electric fence. I figured that if my house was harder to break into than my neighbours, I would be ok.

The problem with the system, however, was that it was focussed on detecting a break-in. It worked, mind you. After the gate was removed from it's rails and opened, the security gate on the front door was ripped open with a crowbar, and then the front door soon succumbed to the relentless tool-wielding thieves. Aha! The ever-alert security system sprang into action! It immediately responded to the "open" front door by beeping for 30 seconds. This, you see, gives the home owners a chance to run into the bedroom and enter the code to disarm the alarm system. However, since these weren't the home owners, it gave them plenty of time to spot the audio visual equipment and start relieving the house of their burden. The alarm system was not to be defeated though. Oh no, having not received it's disarming code, it promptly set the alarm off, thus alerting the armed response company. They, in turn, called the house to verify the validity of the alarm. After a few tries, they concluded that this may infact be an actual robbery in progress, so they called one of their patrol cars to go have a look-see. By the time that happened, the enriched burglars were probably having a shot of scotch at their local watering hole.

This is the reality of many of the house alarm systems that get installed these days. They have a special offer, where you sign up for a security company contract and in return they install a free alarm system with something like 2 sensors and a keypad. While this may lower your insurance premium somewhat, it does nothing for you and your family's personal safety. All it does, is make it easier for the guy pointing the gun at your head to wake you up.

I decided that I needed an alarm system that isn't focussed only on detecting break-ins, but rather one that is focussed on alerting me to any suspicious activity around my house, while I am in the house. Being the crafty engineer that I am, I immediately began designing a circuit that would hook up to the front gate, so that if the gate was opened forcefully, it would immediately set off the panic alarm. I built the circuit and it worked. I immediately felt safer, because I knew that even if I had not activated the alarm, any messing about with my front gate would set off the panic alarm, which in theory would yield a better response from the security company. However, several thunderstorms and two blown circuits later, I gave up. I decided to extend the idea using off-the-shelf parts.

The security system I designed is based on the simple idea that I want to be alerted of any suspicious activity in or around my property before any break-in happens. I don't need to know once my house has been broken into - that's already too late. This is very much what a dog would accomplish, except that I don't have a dog, and dogs also tend to bark too often to be taken seriously all the time. I went to some local security shops (Yale Security Point and Communica) to find out what sensors they sell, how much they cost, and how they work. Since I'm technically minded, I decided to design the security system myself, although any security consultant would be able to do the same. Firstly, I had to do away with those ridiculous 30 second timeouts on arming and disarming. This meant getting secure remote controls to activate/deactivate the alarm. I then used outside motion detectors at various points around the house, especially all the entrances and windows. I drew out a map of my house and property and then mapped out the "footprints" of the sensors (from their specifications sheets) to ensure adequate coverage. This would ensure that if anyone scaled the perimeter fence, they would set off chimes or the alarm if they so much as approach any part of the house. I took it once step further - if anyone even walks across my driveway outside my property, that will set off a loud chime inside the house alerting me to the fact. This way, I would know if anyone was tampering with my gate while I am in the house. It takes a bit of discipline to get out of bed at 2am and check what's happening in your driveway when the chimes go off, but the beauty of the system is that there are no false alarms. If I hear a chime, I give it due respect.

Does this make me less inclined to become a crime statistic? I think it helps. There's no guaranteed way to thwart crime, but I sure as hell feel a lot safer. It helps that I have a house on a cul-de-sac and a yard that's easily covered by motion sensors. If I was living in a second-floor apartment, things might be different, but my approach would be the same - add beams or motion sensors with chimes and cctv cameras so that I know what's going on around me.

How much does this all cost? Since I designed the system myself and sourced parts from the suppliers of the security shops, I got a good deal - roughly about R7000. The outside motion sensors don't come cheap - they are about R2000 each for the good ones (VX40). It's a worthwhile investment, in my opinion.

My next step is to know about a crime being planned, while it is being planned. While I'm at work, there may be people (for example the building contractors next door) checking out my house. By linking my driveway motion sensor to a night-vision camera, I can get a picture of whoever ventures near my gate anytime, day or night. If I then have this MMS'd to my cellphone, it will be pretty much like I'm sitting at my front door 24 hours a day, watching what's going on!

Of functionality and form factors - why I still need more than one mp3 player

2008-06-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

My recent gadget buying spree has left me with a gold mine of geeky gadgets. It suddenly hit me, as I made a list for insurance purposes, that I have several devices that can serve the same purpose, but I still use them all. This left me wondering: why do I have so many gadgets?

Read more at TechLeader...

Safety In South Africa

2008-04-07T10:33:00.000-07:00

Like "military intelligence", these are words that just don't go together. Right?

A few days ago, my brother got hijacked by a group of armed men, while he was transporting three women (his staff) to their home in Belville, Cape Town. He was parked in the driveway, waiting for the gate to close when he was attacked. He was incredibly brave and calm throughout the incident, and had the presence of mind to walk away from the car while the hijackers looked for keys, wallets, cellphones, and the like. In doing so, he drew attention away from himself, and the nervous hijackers sped off in his car. No one was injured in the incident.

Phew! Lucky! That's our first thought. We have come to expect a lot worse from these situations. Infact, my young brother-in-law was hijacked over a year ago. He was taken on a three hour hell drive through Joburg to Soweto (even past a police road block). He was dropped off near a vacant veld, fully expecting to be killed. He too was relatively calm and engaged the fuel cut-off switch as he was removed from the car. This prevented the hijackers from starting the car (which they spend 20 minutes trying to do) and eventually gave up and ran off with the car radio and cellphone when they sensed that police may be patrolling nearby. He was physically unhurt - just a few bruises. Phew! Lucky indeed!

Well South Africans are sick of it! It's bad enough to be hijacked or robbed, but all the senseless violence and killing with impunity is just too much to handle.

"Nothing is being done about!"
"It's just a matter of time before it happens to me!"
"Everywhere I look I see violent crime"

As if this wasn't enough, our rand is loosing value, the petrol price is going through the roof, interest rates are climbing, electricity is scarce, and our next president has a case pending against him for corruption, nevermind the shower stuff. Oh, and the one silver lining in the cloud - that booming property market we invested in - is now also sinking. Only one thing to do! Let's head for Australia! Hell, even the disbanded scorpions are packing for Perth!

I've been noticing this sentiment permeating the country. Tales of a mass exodus of skilled people out of this country. To be honest, that does sound like a wonderful proposition - to go to a place where we can walk outside without being paranoid about our safety. It's a big step to emigrate though, and most of us have ties here that keep us here. Infact, dammit, we WANT to stay here, if only the crime could be stopped!

So I've challenged myself to buck the trend. People WANT to believe things are so bad in this country that they HAVE to emigrate. That justifies their abandonment of their home country. It is as easy to read all the violent crime stories as it is to report on them - they are sensational! Do you actually hear the good news in amongst the bad?

Did you know that there are people fighting back? The e-blockwatch initiative, for example. Or even better, the Glenhazel Active Patrol in Glenhazel, that hires mercenaries from African countries armed with AK-47's to protect their community. This is so successful that other communities are looking to emulate it. Even the police, who we like to think are so useless, are making great strides in reducing violent crime, including cash-in-transit heists. They setup shop across the Mozambique border to catch those hijacked cars that leave our country. They have even apprehended terrorists operating in South Africa, a problem we don't even realise we have. Infact, one of the safest places in the world is right here in South Africa! I kid you not! Easier to move there than Australia, don't you think?

Pay attention to me!

2008-03-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

Every blog has to have an arb post elaborating on some personal affliction. Here's mine.

It seems human beings have a lot of self-defeating traits. I often wonder how we became a (mostly) civilised and advanced society with all these counter-productive traits. Like laziness, for example. We are naturally lazy, right? So how did we ever build cities? Or get to the moon?

Social phobia - I heard about this one recently. The third most common psychological problem, apparently. But many of us suffer from this to some degree. Me, for example. I'm shy and overly self-conscious. I may not seem like it now, but leave me alone in a crowd of strangers, and it rears it's ugly head. Like when I walk alone in a mall.

I spent much of my life alone, and those years of solo walking has conditioned me to extend my gait. I often get asked to slow down when walking in a group, and I end up almost tripping over myself at the pedestrian pace. When walking alone, I do not want to appear to be lost or walking around without purpose. Walking fast makes me look busy. So busy, infact, that I often walk right past the very place I am walking to. The realisation then sets in and I find myself needing to make an about-turn, which then completely undermines the "walking with purpose" image I'd put on.

Walking fast also keeps my hands busy. I can swing them from side to side in sync with my stride. Slowing down really throws my hands into a confused state. I then have to pull out my cellphone or hold something in my hands so they don't bother my brain with stupid questions like: "people are watching, what should we do now?"

Making myself look busy has a terrible side effect though. I actually do want to be stopped by someone I know. Infact, I'd love it if that happened. Unfortunately anyone I know would barely be able to finish their facial-recognition processing before I flash by. And my avoiding eye contact makes it doubly difficult. Short of violently yanking my hand as I race past, or screaming out my name, there's little chance of a chance meeting. Self-defeating.

Unfortunately, walking fast has become a habit. Habits, however, can be broken. So I now make a conscious effort to walk more casually. I just have to keep reminding myself that no one is actually watching me, and maybe if they are, I need to give them time to figure out it's *me*! Oh, and if you happen to see me, scream out my name :)

Two projectors are more than the sum of its parts

2008-03-13T06:33:00.000-07:00

If you´re thinking of buying a projector, think of buying two rather. Here´s why...

Long before Plasma and LCD TVs were around, the biggest picture I could have hoped for would have been from a 74cm TV. Pthewy. That kind of middling size didn´t catch my interest, never mind the fact that the monstrosity of a TV would have taken up way too much space in my single-room bachelor pad. So I bought a projector instead.

Lying on your back in your bed, and watching a movie on your ceiling is one of those rare pleasures you can only get from a portable projector. Bliss. Especially when all you have is a bedroom. But that kind of spoils you. Now you want a bigger picture...

Eventually, what I´d secretly hoped for happened. The lamp blew. When faced with such a calamity, there is only ONE solution - buy a bigger, better projector! And so I did. The new projector had a zoom lens and much higher resolution, allowing me to view movies on a 2 meter wide screen (actually a white wall). That´s plenty of inches for any man, right? Wrong!

There are several problems with such a setup. For one, you need to max out the zoom and distance of projector from the wall to get a big enough picture. This leads to the second problem: you need a big enough room. Not a heck of a lot you can do about that. Don´t get me wrong though, I am eternally grateful to the significant other for letting me have this room in the first place!

In your relentless pursuit of more inches, you will have diminished the picture quality in several ways: the larger picture leads to less densely packed pixels, meaning you could actually see individual pixels; the brightness of the picture diminishes with the larger size; and the colours wash out a bit more. And the final kick in the nuts: for all that screen space, your widescreen movie only uses a fraction of it, cropping the rest with black bars. Colour me disappointed.

Enter a second projector. Granted, the setup can be very tricky, especially if you don´t already have a home theater PC with a decent enough graphics card. Luckily, I have just such a thing. Okay, it didn´t magically appear in my home theater, I custom build it. I´m handy like that. After plugging in the second projector, and then spanning the desktop across both, I was able to play videos across both projectors. Luckily for me, both my projectors were of the same make, so I had one remote to rule them all. The trickiest part is to line up the projectors perfectly so that the picture is seamless. You also have to adjust colour and brightness on both projectors to get an even picture. It can be a bit unnerving to see Nicole Kidman take on a green hue as she walks across the screen. I didn't bother with these though - another problem for another time.

The difference that the second projector makes is huge, so to speak. In order to accommodate the gargantuan picture, you have to reduce the size of each screen by reducing the zoom on both projectors. Suddenly, those pixels get all warm and cozy. So much so that you can't distinguish individual pixels anymore, and all you see is glorious high resolution and sharp picture. The brightness also goes up, and the colour saturation improves. Since the screens are side-by-side, you have a nice wide screen that suits those 16:9 aspect ratios beautifully. No more black bars. Instead of the entire picture frame taking up a portion of one screen, it now spans two full screens. That's about a four-fold increase in effective picture size! The picture is now so big and wide that you have to pan your eyes and head around to take it all in. Orgasmic.

So surely, this is it? The ultimate home theater? Well, sadly, no. Technology progresses. Suddenly, that 480p DVD quality picture doesn't look quite so high res anymore. You can see more craters on the moon with your naked eye than on a close-up of Lawrence Fishburne's face. Enough to give you sleepless nights. Enter high definition video. And full high definition projectors with 1080p widescreen output. Now my setup looks inadequate. Projectors have become cheap though. I can now get a DLP projector for the price of the replacement bulb on my old projector. So I could get 3 projectors of 1024x768 resolution, and stand them on their side next to each other, giving me an output of 2304x1024. Not quite 1080p, but maybe this 3 projector setup can restore my manhood while I wait for prices on the full HD projectors to drop?

Toby's pearls of wisdom

2008-03-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

Things I wish I knew when I was 20, but if I did, I wouldn't have cared anyway. Pity.

Happiness is growth

You need to grow to be happy. Grow physically, mentally, spiritually, intellectually, socially, or in whatever other way that matters to you. But keep growing. Improve your environment. Improve your skills. Work on your talents. Help others grow. Read up on things you don´t understand, like politics, the middle east crisis, or how an automatic gearbox works. Learn, explore, discover, experience. Wikipedia is a great place to start. When you stop growing, you get bored.

Don't get bored

When you are bored, your mind wanders. To dark places. That leads to depression. Depression can kill you. Don't get bored. Grow.

Accept it and move on!

When things don't go as planned, accept the situation immediately. Then move on. The quicker you accept the situation, the better. Watch Prison Break to understand how powerful this can be. This is what got me through three engine rebuilds on my car, when most people would have sold it.

Shape up

It's easiest to shape up in your 20's. From 30 onwards, it's an uphill struggle. Your metabolism slows down, leading you into a viscious cycle of weight gain and bad eating habits. Accept it and move on. Learn how to increase your metabolism. Learn from body builders, they are the experts. Except without the steriods and other enhancers. Do anerobic excercises. All it takes is 3 hours a week and some healthy eating habits. Being in good shape boosts all aspects of your life.

Learn about cholesterol

Your body produces it's own, so you can have high cholesterol even if you don't eat any. Or vice versa. Eat cholesterol-reducing foods (good fats). Exercise. Get checked up.

Build your wealth

You are getting poorer. Unless you have investments that beat inflation. Inflation is higher than you think. It's more than the bank will give you on a savings account. Debts are also making you poorer. You could be financially independent (i.e. Retire) by the age of 40 just by investing R1000 per month from the age of 20 into an investment that gives you 15% return per annum. That kind of return doubles your money every 5 years. The stock exchange can give you that kind of return. Invest in the stock exchange. Learn how. Start with unit trusts.

First post!

2008-03-13T00:10:00.000-07:00

So, with a little encouragement from Meira, I've decided to start a blog. This is being typed out on my Nokia N800, something which I plan to talk about more in future blogs. I'll be emptying my thoughts from my head to this blog, so there's gonna be lots of techy, geeky stuff, and maybe some not so techy stuff. 'Cos I'm a well rounded individual like that. Now, if only I could stop myself from thinking in blogs the whole time. My mind thinks it's being read by the whole world, so it's being careful with word selection an punctuation. Aaargghh!