This is a followup to my previous post on DVD Authoring with tovid on Linux. One thing I really don't like is that after one video is played, it always jump back to the menu. My desired behavior is playing the next video instead unless it is the last one. (Here is one example: I create DVD for videos taken at classes. Each sub-menu on my DVD corresponds to a lesson and contains all videos from that lesson. )
To achieve the desired behavior, I have two choices:
1) group videos from a lesson together so that they will be played one after another but I lose the chapter markers.
2) edit the XML. Each of my video (the proper term is PGC) has a post-action, which is written as "call menu;" by tovid. I simply need to change them to "jump title X;" where X refers to the number of the next video.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
My Ubuntu Experience: VCD/DVD Authoring
At first I thought about trying DeVeDe but I read that DeVeDe is incompatible with the MPlayer shipped with Ubuntu Feisty Fawn so I tried tovid instead.
I) Installation: follow the instructions from here.
II) Start the App: simply type tovidgui under any writable directory (e.g. your home)
[1. Layout]: you add videos here. The simplest VCD or DVD requires 1 menu and all videos could go under the menu. Name your source and destination files without spaces and underscores if you can.
[2. Encode]: just hit "Start encoding" and let it finish.
[3. Burn]: this is where I ran into trouble. If I simply hit "Start", both VCD and DVD failed.
VCD trouble: the cue and bin files were created successfully. However, when it tried burning them using cdrdao, nothing happened. I had to kill that process and repeat the cdrdao command in Terminal. Then it burned the VCD. However, I could only play the resulting disc on computer but not my VCD player. Your mileage may vary.
DVD trouble: again, the files were created successfully. However, when it executed dvdauthor, it does not like the titleset with -noask in the XML. So the solution is re-run the last command right after [2. Encode]: i.e., the makexml command, but take out the -noask option. This will generate a good XML. Then I could hit "Start" under [3. Burn] without problem.
(Link to the official Tovid GUI guide .)
I) Installation: follow the instructions from here.
II) Start the App: simply type tovidgui under any writable directory (e.g. your home)
[1. Layout]: you add videos here. The simplest VCD or DVD requires 1 menu and all videos could go under the menu. Name your source and destination files without spaces and underscores if you can.
[2. Encode]: just hit "Start encoding" and let it finish.
[3. Burn]: this is where I ran into trouble. If I simply hit "Start", both VCD and DVD failed.
VCD trouble: the cue and bin files were created successfully. However, when it tried burning them using cdrdao, nothing happened. I had to kill that process and repeat the cdrdao command in Terminal. Then it burned the VCD. However, I could only play the resulting disc on computer but not my VCD player. Your mileage may vary.
DVD trouble: again, the files were created successfully. However, when it executed dvdauthor, it does not like the titleset with -noask in the XML. So the solution is re-run the last command right after [2. Encode]: i.e., the makexml command, but take out the -noask option. This will generate a good XML. Then I could hit "Start" under [3. Burn] without problem.
(Link to the official Tovid GUI guide .)
My Ubuntu Experience: 1 Month Anniversary
I have been using Ubuntu on my desktop workstation for one monthly already! I still can't kick the habit of booting to Windows from time to time (See reasons mentioned later) but that's something I'm determine to avoid doing (Ever since I got Frethog and removed it, my anti-virus keeps finding worms, e.g. Winko/auto.exe, which seems to come from the usual suspect, judging by the fact that a number of posts analyzing these worms were written by Chinese experts. Anyway, I digressed)
Let me summarize a few more things I was able to do on Ubuntu successfully since last time:
1) Burn music CD from MP3: simply use Applications -> Sound & Video -> Serpentine. Works like a charm.
2) Remote Login to Windows. Yes I know there is RDP for Linux but my remote server runs TightVNC. There is no native TightVNC client on Linux but the Java Applet TightVNC Viewer does the job.
3) Mount Windows NTFS directories in Read/Write mode: they are mounted as Read-only by default. The easiest way to mount them as Read/Write is using NTFS Configuration Tool.
4) Mount remote directories in Read/Write mode: if you setup Windows to share a directory on the network, it is accessible using SMB on Linux. These are the steps to mount them permanently and read/writable (Note: VLC could only play remote files on the LAN this way)
Not so successful:
1) SlingPlayer on Wine (link to WineHQ): the sound gets choppy when I work on other windows and the video is grainy as the video tuning wizard refuse to run.
2) VMWare: I ran the free VMWare Converter to create an image of my existing Windows installation but VMWare Server had problem running this image (got a black screen after starting momentarily and then it just quit)
In any case, for day to day web browsing/blogging/e-mail/office app, Ubuntu has done a pretty good job. I heard some people commented that Ubuntu's "budding" relationship with Dell is not very dissimilar to that of Microsoft and IBM and other early PC clone manufacturer! I am not sure if that is a positive comment.
[Update: I ran into this bug (and the solution provided in the same link worked for me) for my SMB mount. An example of STOP_SERVICE line looks like this:
STOP_SERVICES="mysql samba-shares "
(modified from the mysql only line)
]
Let me summarize a few more things I was able to do on Ubuntu successfully since last time:
1) Burn music CD from MP3: simply use Applications -> Sound & Video -> Serpentine. Works like a charm.
2) Remote Login to Windows. Yes I know there is RDP for Linux but my remote server runs TightVNC. There is no native TightVNC client on Linux but the Java Applet TightVNC Viewer does the job.
3) Mount Windows NTFS directories in Read/Write mode: they are mounted as Read-only by default. The easiest way to mount them as Read/Write is using NTFS Configuration Tool.
4) Mount remote directories in Read/Write mode: if you setup Windows to share a directory on the network, it is accessible using SMB on Linux. These are the steps to mount them permanently and read/writable (Note: VLC could only play remote files on the LAN this way)
Not so successful:
1) SlingPlayer on Wine (link to WineHQ): the sound gets choppy when I work on other windows and the video is grainy as the video tuning wizard refuse to run.
2) VMWare: I ran the free VMWare Converter to create an image of my existing Windows installation but VMWare Server had problem running this image (got a black screen after starting momentarily and then it just quit)
In any case, for day to day web browsing/blogging/e-mail/office app, Ubuntu has done a pretty good job. I heard some people commented that Ubuntu's "budding" relationship with Dell is not very dissimilar to that of Microsoft and IBM and other early PC clone manufacturer! I am not sure if that is a positive comment.
[Update: I ran into this bug (and the solution provided in the same link worked for me) for my SMB mount. An example of STOP_SERVICE line looks like this:
STOP_SERVICES="mysql samba-shares "
(modified from the mysql only line)
]
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Baseball All Star Week in SF Part III: The Game
The MVP of the game, Ichiro Suzuki, led off.
Two local All Star, Barry Bonds and Dan Haren, faced off.
Ken Griffey Jr was about to drive Jose Reyes home from 2nd base to score the 1st run of the game.
Baseball All Star Week in SF Part II: Home Run Derby
Vladimir Guerrero, before hitting his winning home run in the final round.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Watch DVD on portable device
I just found another use of my Pocket PC: watch DVD. I got my instructions from the always helpful VideoHelp.com. Of course the ripped AVI will work on any computer. You could download AutoGK from here.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
My Ubuntu Experience: Day 2
More items accomplished from my list:
4) I've finally got Chinese input working! Again, I did everything from the menu system (i.e, no command line :D ) Here are the steps (courtesy of this instruction):
i) Choose System->Administration->Language Support. It will automatically download some packages. Check the Chinese checkbox. It will install Chinese. Close it when it's done.
ii) Again, Choose System->Administration->Language Support. The previously checked "Enable Support to input Complex character" will become unchecked. Check it again.
iii) Log out and log back in.
我現在可以打中文了！
Also, contrary to what some people said, I was actually able to type Chinese in Open Office as well.
5) Watch Real Media encoded video:
Download the installer from http://www.real.com/linux . Change permission to executable and execute it. I chose to install to /usr/local/RealPlayer and the symlink dir option is the default (/usr) which symlink it as /usr/bin/realplay
Since I use SCIM, I got core dump when executing realplay, the workaround is do first:
export GTK_IM_MODULE=xim
Then execute "realplay &" from the same shell.
(Link to Detailed Instructions)
[Update: To associate the .rmvb file extension with Real Player, try this]
4) I've finally got Chinese input working! Again, I did everything from the menu system (i.e, no command line :D ) Here are the steps (courtesy of this instruction):
i) Choose System->Administration->Language Support. It will automatically download some packages. Check the Chinese checkbox. It will install Chinese. Close it when it's done.
ii) Again, Choose System->Administration->Language Support. The previously checked "Enable Support to input Complex character" will become unchecked. Check it again.
iii) Log out and log back in.
我現在可以打中文了！
Also, contrary to what some people said, I was actually able to type Chinese in Open Office as well.
5) Watch Real Media encoded video:
Download the installer from http://www.real.com/linux . Change permission to executable and execute it. I chose to install to /usr/local/RealPlayer and the symlink dir option is the default (/usr) which symlink it as /usr/bin/realplay
Since I use SCIM, I got core dump when executing realplay, the workaround is do first:
export GTK_IM_MODULE=xim
Then execute "realplay &" from the same shell.
(Link to Detailed Instructions)
[Update: To associate the .rmvb file extension with Real Player, try this]
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
My Ubuntu Experience: Day 1
That Frethog!generic episode motivated me to switch to Linux for my primary workstation, finally. And Ubuntu has the biggest buzz/hype in the Linux world these days so I went with it. (I know mainsteam is not my thing but with limited Linux experience for personal usage, I'd rather go with the mass since more info/help/how-to will be available and I'm sure I need a lot of them)
Let me briefly go over my installation: I downloaded the iso from here. Burned a CD. Went to BIOS and move my CD-ROM up in the order of boot device. Then boot the computer with the CD. Chose the first option on the menu, which start Ubuntu from the CD (that's why it's called a Live CD) Once I'm in it. I clicked the Install icon on the Desktop and the installer asked a series of questions, which I picked the default for most of them. The only tricky question was about partitioning: I had 5 partitions on my first hard drive: 1) Windows (NTFS), 2) Swap, 3) a /boot (ext3), 4) a root (ext3) and 5) a FAT16 partition. (2)-(4) were there because I had previously installed RedHat and I want to replace RedHat with Ubuntu, i.e., use the same partitions but don't care about keeping the content. So I picked "Manual" when the Installer asked about partitioning and edit the old RedHat parititions to indicate they will be used as /boot, root(/) and so on. Finally, the default location for the "Dual Boot loader" (which allows me to run multiple OS as I'm still keeping XP) was (hda0) and I was a bit skeptical at first since I recall going through a few extra steps to take care of that for RedHat (put GRUB on /boot instead of MBR) but it turns out fine.
Now, actually using it was when the fun began. I have a habit of making a list of things I want to try with any new toy before it arrive. So I did the same for Ubuntu. More things work out of the box then expected!
1) Browsing Chinese websites: I didn't need to install any extra font. It just worked!
2) Change monitor resolution to 1920x1200: this requires some work, non-trivial but manageable:
- Install Restricted driver
- Run the Autodetect Script Again (follow the section with the same name)
3) Watch videos: I tried a few of my favourite videos and the included Totem player can't play any of them but I knew a simple solution:
- Install VLC (Application->Add/Remove, choose All available applications and look for VLC)
I have been using VLC on Windows anyway.
Stay tuned for more of my Ubuntu Experience!
Let me briefly go over my installation: I downloaded the iso from here. Burned a CD. Went to BIOS and move my CD-ROM up in the order of boot device. Then boot the computer with the CD. Chose the first option on the menu, which start Ubuntu from the CD (that's why it's called a Live CD) Once I'm in it. I clicked the Install icon on the Desktop and the installer asked a series of questions, which I picked the default for most of them. The only tricky question was about partitioning: I had 5 partitions on my first hard drive: 1) Windows (NTFS), 2) Swap, 3) a /boot (ext3), 4) a root (ext3) and 5) a FAT16 partition. (2)-(4) were there because I had previously installed RedHat and I want to replace RedHat with Ubuntu, i.e., use the same partitions but don't care about keeping the content. So I picked "Manual" when the Installer asked about partitioning and edit the old RedHat parititions to indicate they will be used as /boot, root(/) and so on. Finally, the default location for the "Dual Boot loader" (which allows me to run multiple OS as I'm still keeping XP) was (hda0) and I was a bit skeptical at first since I recall going through a few extra steps to take care of that for RedHat (put GRUB on /boot instead of MBR) but it turns out fine.
Now, actually using it was when the fun began. I have a habit of making a list of things I want to try with any new toy before it arrive. So I did the same for Ubuntu. More things work out of the box then expected!
1) Browsing Chinese websites: I didn't need to install any extra font. It just worked!
2) Change monitor resolution to 1920x1200: this requires some work, non-trivial but manageable:
- Install Restricted driver
- Run the Autodetect Script Again (follow the section with the same name)
3) Watch videos: I tried a few of my favourite videos and the included Totem player can't play any of them but I knew a simple solution:
- Install VLC (Application->Add/Remove, choose All available applications and look for VLC)
I have been using VLC on Windows anyway.
Stay tuned for more of my Ubuntu Experience!
Monday, June 25, 2007
How I got rid of Frethog!generic
My computer was infected by the trojan Frethog!generic when I accidentally clicked on an unknown Chinese website last week. My CA Anti-virus (got it free from SBC Yahoo as a DSL customer) discovered it very quickly. Unfortunately, it was only able to remove copies of the virus but not the "original." I googled it immediately but couldn't find much info at first. The first thing I found out was that it was a password stealer. And that's enough to make me lose sleep. Since I was not able to find a quick solution, the next best thing I did was turn off the computer and unplug it from the network.
Fortunately I found a solution from Google later:
1) download a program called ComboFix from here or here.
2) reboot your PC, hit F8 before Windows started and start Windows in "Safe mode"
3) execute ComboFix.exe. It will start a "Text" window and scan your system for "bad stuff." This may take a long time (~10 min for me) After it removed the bad files, it will ask you to reboot. The program resumes after reboot and finally generate a report which includes all files created on your system recently. So in case it cannot find the offender, you still get a clue on what files could possibly be infecting your system.
Even though I dodged a bullet this time, I think it's a sign that I should finally seriously consider to switch OS on my primary workstation. Please read my next post!
Fortunately I found a solution from Google later:
1) download a program called ComboFix from here or here.
2) reboot your PC, hit F8 before Windows started and start Windows in "Safe mode"
3) execute ComboFix.exe. It will start a "Text" window and scan your system for "bad stuff." This may take a long time (~10 min for me) After it removed the bad files, it will ask you to reboot. The program resumes after reboot and finally generate a report which includes all files created on your system recently. So in case it cannot find the offender, you still get a clue on what files could possibly be infecting your system.
Even though I dodged a bullet this time, I think it's a sign that I should finally seriously consider to switch OS on my primary workstation. Please read my next post!
Monday, June 04, 2007
Free RSS Reader for Pocket PC/Windows Mobile
My Dell Axim X30 is getting even more useful these days thanks to the free RSS Reader pRSSReader
When I had my Palm, I used to sync RSS feeds to using Sunrise (on Desktop) and Plucker (on Palm) However, now pRSSReader allows me to take advantage of the built-in Wifi on X30 to download directly to the PDA.
Two useful tips:
1) To download the web page linked to the news item for offline viewing, simple choose your feed from Site Manager, then choose File->Properties. Choose the "Caching" tab and check "Cache content for offline browsing" box.
2) To download podcast, again, choose your feed from Site Manager, then choose File->Properties. Choose the "Caching" tab and check "Automatically cache enclosures" box
When I had my Palm, I used to sync RSS feeds to using Sunrise (on Desktop) and Plucker (on Palm) However, now pRSSReader allows me to take advantage of the built-in Wifi on X30 to download directly to the PDA.
Two useful tips:
1) To download the web page linked to the news item for offline viewing, simple choose your feed from Site Manager, then choose File->Properties. Choose the "Caching" tab and check "Cache content for offline browsing" box.
2) To download podcast, again, choose your feed from Site Manager, then choose File->Properties. Choose the "Caching" tab and check "Automatically cache enclosures" box
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
The Conservatives (Hong Kong edition)
If you're tried of the Christian Right in the States, I would like to introduce you to their Hong Kong equivalent. Check out 3 videos about Society of Truth and Light*:
Part I
Part II
Part III
*This is a group that is against legislation of anti-discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Part I
Part II
Part III
*This is a group that is against legislation of anti-discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Monday, April 30, 2007
RC Sailing
RC stands for radio controlled. This is my newest hobby. I've always loved boats, especially sail boats. In fact, I have taken 2 sailing lessons! However, given my current schedule, it will be quite difficult for me to sail "the real thing" So I went for the RC version. Although the size is very different, the principles are the same. (I was also inspired by the character who owns a lot of RC toys from one of the cartoons my daughter watches. You know which one, right?)
After sailing for a few times, I'd like to share some of my thoughts:
1) This is a kinda messy hobby. It is not normally the type of things I like to play with. (You might say playing with computer is messy though but that's another story) For example, I don't like getting my hands wet. There were very few exceptions, and this has become one of them. Actually, my feet got wet when launching and retrieving the boat too. And of course, the boat needs to be cleaned after I sail every time.
2) This is a kinda niche hobby. Fortunately, there are several clubs in my area:
- North Bay R/C Sailing Association: sails at Marin County Civic Center Lagoon in San Rafael
- Shoreline Model Yacht Club: sails at Shoreline Park in Mountain View
- South Bay Model Yacht Club: sails at Lake Cunningham in San Jose. Also Sandy Wool Lake at Ed Levin County Park in Milpitas.
Other than these lakes, it is not allowed in most others, especially those in the East Bay Regional Park system (only one near Quarry Lake in Fremont allows model yacht and it seems to be for power boats rather than sail boats) Also, looks like the One Metre class is the most popular in this area. The folks at Shoreline sail CR914 but they are kind enough to allow me sailing my Nirvana II with them. I hope Nirvana catches on in my area soon. (If you sail one, please comment!)
3) I think a typical beginner like me go through these stages:
Stage 1: Happy as long as it comes back in one piece.
Stage 2: Happy as long as I could control it to sail in whichever direction I want.
Stage 3: Happy as long as it is moving at the best possible speed allowed by the wind condition.
My biggest fear so far is not being able to get my boat back. Touch wood it hasn't happened yet. I think it helps when:
- I sailed in a relatively small area
- I turned the rudder so that the boat sail in roughly the direction of where I was
- I used fresh battery and kept track of the time.
- I practiced using this simulator.
Here are some videos I took. (Just like my Go Motorboard 2000X, I bought my Nirvana II sight unseen. I hope my videos would help potential buyers)
Maiden Sail
In control (sort of)
After sailing for a few times, I'd like to share some of my thoughts:
1) This is a kinda messy hobby. It is not normally the type of things I like to play with. (You might say playing with computer is messy though but that's another story) For example, I don't like getting my hands wet. There were very few exceptions, and this has become one of them. Actually, my feet got wet when launching and retrieving the boat too. And of course, the boat needs to be cleaned after I sail every time.
2) This is a kinda niche hobby. Fortunately, there are several clubs in my area:
- North Bay R/C Sailing Association: sails at Marin County Civic Center Lagoon in San Rafael
- Shoreline Model Yacht Club: sails at Shoreline Park in Mountain View
- South Bay Model Yacht Club: sails at Lake Cunningham in San Jose. Also Sandy Wool Lake at Ed Levin County Park in Milpitas.
Other than these lakes, it is not allowed in most others, especially those in the East Bay Regional Park system (only one near Quarry Lake in Fremont allows model yacht and it seems to be for power boats rather than sail boats) Also, looks like the One Metre class is the most popular in this area. The folks at Shoreline sail CR914 but they are kind enough to allow me sailing my Nirvana II with them. I hope Nirvana catches on in my area soon. (If you sail one, please comment!)
3) I think a typical beginner like me go through these stages:
Stage 1: Happy as long as it comes back in one piece.
Stage 2: Happy as long as I could control it to sail in whichever direction I want.
Stage 3: Happy as long as it is moving at the best possible speed allowed by the wind condition.
My biggest fear so far is not being able to get my boat back. Touch wood it hasn't happened yet. I think it helps when:
- I sailed in a relatively small area
- I turned the rudder so that the boat sail in roughly the direction of where I was
- I used fresh battery and kept track of the time.
- I practiced using this simulator.
Here are some videos I took. (Just like my Go Motorboard 2000X, I bought my Nirvana II sight unseen. I hope my videos would help potential buyers)
Maiden Sail
In control (sort of)
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Review: Nintendo Wii Part 3 (Madden 07)
Perhaps I'm in the minority, but this is the first game I ran out and buy after getting a Wii. Game critics pointed out that Wii's version is not much different from those on other consoles except that it is taking advantage of Wii's motion sensing controller for passing, tackling and certain running moves. For a football fanatic who has never been good at playing games using traditional controller, i.e. yours truly, the last aspect became the biggest selling point. Football video games have always been complicated because of its nature: there are so many players on the field, so many formation to choose, and then so many different moves you could make. I have played football games from several different eras, from DOS and keyboard based to PlayStation's (not old enough to play character mode on PDP8 though) I felt that game makers put in great effort to make them easier and easier for casual gamers. And Madden 07 on Wii is the most fun so far.
Madden 07 made it easier not only to control the players but also to pick a play to run. Under "Easy Mode", plays are grouped into run, pass and deep pass, with only a few key plays in each group. Intermediate players could choose plays "by type" under normal mode, with more groups (e.g Play Action or Screen) and more plays. Finally, advanced players could choose plays the traditional way, "by formation" (e.g. I-formation, single back, shot gun...)
In addition to playing single "standalone" games, I've also played the "franchise mode" (draft my own franchise and play multiple seasons. My Cowboy team has drafted Vince Young, Cedric Benson and Roy Williams, unintentionally!) and "Hall of fame mode" (created my own player, a QB that has been drafted by the Texans and started in place of David Carr!) Looks like I'll still be playing this game in 08!
Madden 07 made it easier not only to control the players but also to pick a play to run. Under "Easy Mode", plays are grouped into run, pass and deep pass, with only a few key plays in each group. Intermediate players could choose plays "by type" under normal mode, with more groups (e.g Play Action or Screen) and more plays. Finally, advanced players could choose plays the traditional way, "by formation" (e.g. I-formation, single back, shot gun...)
In addition to playing single "standalone" games, I've also played the "franchise mode" (draft my own franchise and play multiple seasons. My Cowboy team has drafted Vince Young, Cedric Benson and Roy Williams, unintentionally!) and "Hall of fame mode" (created my own player, a QB that has been drafted by the Texans and started in place of David Carr!) Looks like I'll still be playing this game in 08!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
My first Giants game of the 2007 season
The game sucked (lost to LA 4-10) but the seat was awesome (real close to Barry!)
Barry! Barry!
The Other Barry
Monday, April 09, 2007
Review: Nintendo Wii Part 2 (Wii Play)
Wii Play could be the second most owned game on Wii (I don't have the official stat) since it is bundled with a Wiimote. (The Wii console included 1 Wiimote. Most Wii owner would need at least one more to play with friend.) Wii Play is a collection of minigames, including table tennis, air hockey, pool, fishing and a few more non-sport games. I call them minigames because they are more like demo that showcase the potential of how future games will utilize Wii's unique motion sensing controller. To me these games feel even less complete and more barebone than those in Wii Sport. The replay values are not as high, especially in single player mode. However, it will serve as very decent party game.
[Update: I googled and confirmed Wii Play is indeed the 2nd most popular Wii game behind Wii Sports. And I found a pretty positive review here]
[Update: I googled and confirmed Wii Play is indeed the 2nd most popular Wii game behind Wii Sports. And I found a pretty positive review here]
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Review: Nintendo Wii Part 1 (Wii Sports)
By now you have probably read a review of this video game console somewhere or even watched one on your local news as it is widely covered by the media (not just the hardcore gaming publications) I'll try to provide a different point of view, as a gamer more experienced than a newbie but far from hardcore. I plan to share some of my thoughts after spending some time playing 3 games on it:
1) Wii Sports
This is the game that puts Wii on the map, so to speak. It includes 5 sport games (baseball, bowling, golf, boxing and tennis) that showcases the strength of Wii: the motion sensing controller. It is so much easier to play video games by waving a "magic wand" then pressing buttons and pushing joystick, which has been the staples in gaming since Day 1. This innovative user interface single handedly turned a lot of non-gamer into Wii players. They would not have play video game if they have to use a joystick! Nintendo was brilliant in making Wii Sports simple yet addictive. Analyzing closely though, the games are not actually that realistic. For example, you can't full swing in the golf game or you will overshoot the ball. Also, motion sensing can only be precise to a certain degree. So you might miss some balls you though you didn't when playing tennis. Same for boxing. Finally, most of the games are rather primitive: No base-stealing in baseball. Only 9 holes in golf. The one that I feel most complete is bowling. And I could understand that Nintendo would want people to buy more sophisticated games, not just playing Wii Sports all the time! Still, Wii Sports will be the most played game in my home in the near future. Wii fitness has become my previously non-existent workout routine. One guy claimed that he lost 9 lbs after playing Wii Sports 30 min per day for 6 weeks!
Another thing unexpected that I got out of this game is more appreciation and understanding of baseball! I've been a big fan for a long long time, but I've never played real baseball. Even though this baseball game is far from realistic, it is still miles ahead of those uses joystick and buttons. With this game I could feel the frustration of a batter being fooled by the pitcher's speed or location, as well as the pressure on a pitcher who is unable to get anybody out no matter what type of ball he throws. A slight difference between swings or speed of pitches turns a strikeout to a homerun. Subtleties like these are what makes baseball the great game it is. Ironically, these are also the Achilles' heel of the sport because appreciation of subtleties has been lost in this generation.
Part 2 of this series will be about Wii Play. Stay tuned.
1) Wii Sports
This is the game that puts Wii on the map, so to speak. It includes 5 sport games (baseball, bowling, golf, boxing and tennis) that showcases the strength of Wii: the motion sensing controller. It is so much easier to play video games by waving a "magic wand" then pressing buttons and pushing joystick, which has been the staples in gaming since Day 1. This innovative user interface single handedly turned a lot of non-gamer into Wii players. They would not have play video game if they have to use a joystick! Nintendo was brilliant in making Wii Sports simple yet addictive. Analyzing closely though, the games are not actually that realistic. For example, you can't full swing in the golf game or you will overshoot the ball. Also, motion sensing can only be precise to a certain degree. So you might miss some balls you though you didn't when playing tennis. Same for boxing. Finally, most of the games are rather primitive: No base-stealing in baseball. Only 9 holes in golf. The one that I feel most complete is bowling. And I could understand that Nintendo would want people to buy more sophisticated games, not just playing Wii Sports all the time! Still, Wii Sports will be the most played game in my home in the near future. Wii fitness has become my previously non-existent workout routine. One guy claimed that he lost 9 lbs after playing Wii Sports 30 min per day for 6 weeks!
Another thing unexpected that I got out of this game is more appreciation and understanding of baseball! I've been a big fan for a long long time, but I've never played real baseball. Even though this baseball game is far from realistic, it is still miles ahead of those uses joystick and buttons. With this game I could feel the frustration of a batter being fooled by the pitcher's speed or location, as well as the pressure on a pitcher who is unable to get anybody out no matter what type of ball he throws. A slight difference between swings or speed of pitches turns a strikeout to a homerun. Subtleties like these are what makes baseball the great game it is. Ironically, these are also the Achilles' heel of the sport because appreciation of subtleties has been lost in this generation.
Part 2 of this series will be about Wii Play. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Review: Dell Axim X30 Pocket PC PDA
I've been pushing the limit of my PDAs since the early days of Win CE with a Cassiopeia and Palm OS with a Handspring Visor. However, the last "advanced" PDA I used was Zire 72 (built-in 1.3 MP video camera and bluetooth for mobile e-mail and web browsing) After switching to an Abacus WristPDA, the only functions I really used are address book and reading novel. Basically I've given up on using PDA as a PC replacement.
What got me curious about the current state of PDA again was Nokia's new PDA-like Internet Tablet N800. Based on open source OS (linux) and platform (Maemo), it has got quite a few positive reviews. However, the high price tag ($399) made me look for a cheaper alternative on eBay and I bought this Dell Axim X30.
So, what functionality am I looking for this time around and how well does it perform?
1) Watch live TV: X30 is one of the supported (and cheapest) device for Sling Player, the client for watching TV streamed from Slingbox through internet/intranet, and in my case, mostly 802.11b Wifi. I can't expect great quality on such a small screen and relatively slow connection. To me, it is good enough and I'm willing to sacrifice quality for portability. The Pocket PC version of Sling Player costs me $30 though.
2) Watch downloaded video: The free software TCPMP does a pretty good job. It handles most popular formats except RMVB. I wish it won't pause when I touch the screen accidentally but I work around it with a hard case.
3) Read downloaded website: I simple use HTTrack on my PC to download websites to my SD card and use Pocket Internet Explorer on the Axim to read them. It would have been more convienient if I could mount the Pocket PC to Windows as a letter drive but I could live with this.
4) Read downloaded website in Chinese: what good does a PDA do if I can't read Chinese newspaper with it? Even my WristPDA could do that! So I installed CEStar on the Axim. So far so good. I have seen lots of recommendation of Monster Chinese over CEStar but I haven't tried it.
5) Read e-book: I have some Chinese (Big5) e-books in Palm's .prc format. CEBook is the only one that works with them.
6) Internet access: I'm happy with its versatility. I used these 3 modes extensively:
- Wifi (802.11b),
- Bluetooth-enabled cellphone as dial-up modem
- when you maintain an ActiveSync connnection (thru Bluetooth or USB) between a Pocket PC and a PC that is connected to the internet, the Pocket PC could access internet as well.
Surfing the web is not that fast. Pocket Internet Explorer might have something to do with it but my expectation is low to begin with. Also, I found a bug with surfing thru Bluetooth ActiveSync on PIE, it is unable to load pages after a while. I had to disconnect and reconnect. This is rather annoying.
7) E-mail: a client is built-in. It supports the popular protocols like POP3 and IMAP4. I found out Yahoo serves @yahoo.com e-mail thru IMAP4 for free. Simply install Yahoo Go and it will configure for you. It has been working fine for 2 weeks but incoming traffic has stopped for 3 days for some unknown reason. Maybe I've jinxed it :(
8) Note taking: I hand-write notes using the "Writing" view in Pocket Word. I've also tried the highly praised notetaking software PhatPad (costs ~$30-40) but I ended up not buying it. The problem is not with the software though. The screen is just so small that even PhatPad couldn't improve the notetaking experience much.
9) VOIP/IM: Skype is supported on this version of Pocket PC (2003). The voice quality is not bad.
[Extra credit] Listen to music through Bluetooth A2DP: It is not officially supported by Dell but HP iPAQ's driver is supposed to work. I'm able to listen through my Plantronics 590 headphone but the video played by TCPMP became choppy in this mode. I suspect the A2DP code eats up too much resource. So I ended up not using it.
Accessories
- PDAir Aluminum Case: I want a hard case with belt clip. The first one I found was from Innopocket and the reviews at Aximsite are not great. This PDAir case is recommended over it. I don't think it is that great either:
1) when I closed the case, the cover (or the top piece?) got "stucked" in the side of the bottom piece and it is hard to get it out. To make it worse, I lose some of the Neoprene lining in the process of getting the cover out.
2) The belt clip is attached to the case thru a screw and relies on friction to keep it attached. It came loose and dropped my Axim to the floor twice in 2 weeks already.
3) the PDA gets in the way often when it is clipped to the belt. It's not the fault of the case though. That's the nature of belt clip.
- Energy Leaf Extended Battery (1800mAh): the original battery won't last more than 2 hours with Sling Player on non-stop. This extended battery came in a combo deal with the PDAir case and it stole the show.
- St. Tropez Petite: a nice looking stylus pen combo
Alternatives
Would I be better off buying a Nokia N800 instead? I'm not sure. On one hand, it has lots of free (as in speech and beer) software and an enthusiastic community behind it. For example, the note taking software Xournal is available on N800 (BTW, before I bought the Axim, Xournal wasn't compatible with N800. Looks like it has been patched and hopefully the bugs were fixed) The larger screen (800 x 480) should help too. On the other hand, it is still Linux. Things like enabling Chinese is still harder than it should be. Also, I doubt Sling Player will be ported to it ever. So your best bet for live TV would be encoding and streaming from a PC thru other Open Source server/client combo.
Final words
Was it a good buy? Well, I bought it second hand so it costed less than my Zire 72. It does a somewhat better job with web browsing and multimedia than the Zire, thanks to the built-in Wifi and a faster processor. The bottom line is: I had enough prior experience with Pocket PC/Windows Mobile so my expectation is quite low. The Axim is on par.
What got me curious about the current state of PDA again was Nokia's new PDA-like Internet Tablet N800. Based on open source OS (linux) and platform (Maemo), it has got quite a few positive reviews. However, the high price tag ($399) made me look for a cheaper alternative on eBay and I bought this Dell Axim X30.
So, what functionality am I looking for this time around and how well does it perform?
1) Watch live TV: X30 is one of the supported (and cheapest) device for Sling Player, the client for watching TV streamed from Slingbox through internet/intranet, and in my case, mostly 802.11b Wifi. I can't expect great quality on such a small screen and relatively slow connection. To me, it is good enough and I'm willing to sacrifice quality for portability. The Pocket PC version of Sling Player costs me $30 though.
2) Watch downloaded video: The free software TCPMP does a pretty good job. It handles most popular formats except RMVB. I wish it won't pause when I touch the screen accidentally but I work around it with a hard case.
3) Read downloaded website: I simple use HTTrack on my PC to download websites to my SD card and use Pocket Internet Explorer on the Axim to read them. It would have been more convienient if I could mount the Pocket PC to Windows as a letter drive but I could live with this.
4) Read downloaded website in Chinese: what good does a PDA do if I can't read Chinese newspaper with it? Even my WristPDA could do that! So I installed CEStar on the Axim. So far so good. I have seen lots of recommendation of Monster Chinese over CEStar but I haven't tried it.
5) Read e-book: I have some Chinese (Big5) e-books in Palm's .prc format. CEBook is the only one that works with them.
6) Internet access: I'm happy with its versatility. I used these 3 modes extensively:
- Wifi (802.11b),
- Bluetooth-enabled cellphone as dial-up modem
- when you maintain an ActiveSync connnection (thru Bluetooth or USB) between a Pocket PC and a PC that is connected to the internet, the Pocket PC could access internet as well.
Surfing the web is not that fast. Pocket Internet Explorer might have something to do with it but my expectation is low to begin with. Also, I found a bug with surfing thru Bluetooth ActiveSync on PIE, it is unable to load pages after a while. I had to disconnect and reconnect. This is rather annoying.
7) E-mail: a client is built-in. It supports the popular protocols like POP3 and IMAP4. I found out Yahoo serves @yahoo.com e-mail thru IMAP4 for free. Simply install Yahoo Go and it will configure for you. It has been working fine for 2 weeks but incoming traffic has stopped for 3 days for some unknown reason. Maybe I've jinxed it :(
8) Note taking: I hand-write notes using the "Writing" view in Pocket Word. I've also tried the highly praised notetaking software PhatPad (costs ~$30-40) but I ended up not buying it. The problem is not with the software though. The screen is just so small that even PhatPad couldn't improve the notetaking experience much.
9) VOIP/IM: Skype is supported on this version of Pocket PC (2003). The voice quality is not bad.
[Extra credit] Listen to music through Bluetooth A2DP: It is not officially supported by Dell but HP iPAQ's driver is supposed to work. I'm able to listen through my Plantronics 590 headphone but the video played by TCPMP became choppy in this mode. I suspect the A2DP code eats up too much resource. So I ended up not using it.
Accessories
- PDAir Aluminum Case: I want a hard case with belt clip. The first one I found was from Innopocket and the reviews at Aximsite are not great. This PDAir case is recommended over it. I don't think it is that great either:
1) when I closed the case, the cover (or the top piece?) got "stucked" in the side of the bottom piece and it is hard to get it out. To make it worse, I lose some of the Neoprene lining in the process of getting the cover out.
2) The belt clip is attached to the case thru a screw and relies on friction to keep it attached. It came loose and dropped my Axim to the floor twice in 2 weeks already.
3) the PDA gets in the way often when it is clipped to the belt. It's not the fault of the case though. That's the nature of belt clip.
- Energy Leaf Extended Battery (1800mAh): the original battery won't last more than 2 hours with Sling Player on non-stop. This extended battery came in a combo deal with the PDAir case and it stole the show.
- St. Tropez Petite: a nice looking stylus pen combo
Alternatives
Would I be better off buying a Nokia N800 instead? I'm not sure. On one hand, it has lots of free (as in speech and beer) software and an enthusiastic community behind it. For example, the note taking software Xournal is available on N800 (BTW, before I bought the Axim, Xournal wasn't compatible with N800. Looks like it has been patched and hopefully the bugs were fixed) The larger screen (800 x 480) should help too. On the other hand, it is still Linux. Things like enabling Chinese is still harder than it should be. Also, I doubt Sling Player will be ported to it ever. So your best bet for live TV would be encoding and streaming from a PC thru other Open Source server/client combo.
Final words
Was it a good buy? Well, I bought it second hand so it costed less than my Zire 72. It does a somewhat better job with web browsing and multimedia than the Zire, thanks to the built-in Wifi and a faster processor. The bottom line is: I had enough prior experience with Pocket PC/Windows Mobile so my expectation is quite low. The Axim is on par.
Friday, March 09, 2007
More on Go Motorboard 2000X
Accessory
The Go Sporting Goods' blog recommended to use a baseball bat bag to carry it. I'm using a Easton Neo Classic Tote Bag ($29.99 @ Sports Authority). I think this bag looks pretty cool. More importantly it's large enough to fit the scooter without having to stretch it. In fact, it has enough room for my helmet, charger and lunch box too. The included shoulder strap is a nice touch too. Anything that makes it easier to carry 20lb is welcome. If you're buying a baseball bat bag too, make sure it's large enough (mine fits 4 bats) Those < $20 usually aren't.
Service
Remember I mentioned that brake handle problem in my previous post? I wanted to call Go Sporting Goods but they don't have any contact number on their website! So the only option I have was to send them an e-mail. And it took them 4 days to reply. The reply was polite and the instruction to fix it myself was clear but I wish it showed some willingness for them to fix it. I sent a 2nd e-mail about battery life and range and got no reply. So it sounds like I'm on my own. I can't say I could recommend dealing with a company that is so hard to contact.
Alternatives
I looked into foldable bikes before buying this. They are small enough to carry on a train. I had 2 concerns though:
1) price:
there're a few no name brand priced under $200 but I was skeptical. The most affordable brand name is Dahon and their bikes start at $350. Those from Bike Friday cost over $1k. Brompton starts at ~$800. You could find Strika on EBay for ~$500.
2) weight:
The no name ones are over 30lb. Dahons are around 25lb. The one that looks most promising to me is Strida at 20lb.
And I felt that 20lb is too much already.
However, you could buy one designed to roll on the wheels so that you could pull along, like a roller luggage bag. I've seen people do that with Dahon and Strida.
3) size:
Foldables take up so much space that you can only take a seat with a lot of space around it. No more sitting in the middle rows on a train. Strika seems to be the most compact one. It's easy to unfold too. Check out this video of Strida:
[Update: I ran into a fellow electric scooter rider on my train ride. He rode a Go-Ped ESR 750 Sports (the version with "solid" tire) and liked its power and durability. He also recommended Downtube foldable bike. Both the spec and price look pretty good.]
The Go Sporting Goods' blog recommended to use a baseball bat bag to carry it. I'm using a Easton Neo Classic Tote Bag ($29.99 @ Sports Authority). I think this bag looks pretty cool. More importantly it's large enough to fit the scooter without having to stretch it. In fact, it has enough room for my helmet, charger and lunch box too. The included shoulder strap is a nice touch too. Anything that makes it easier to carry 20lb is welcome. If you're buying a baseball bat bag too, make sure it's large enough (mine fits 4 bats) Those < $20 usually aren't.
Service
Remember I mentioned that brake handle problem in my previous post? I wanted to call Go Sporting Goods but they don't have any contact number on their website! So the only option I have was to send them an e-mail. And it took them 4 days to reply. The reply was polite and the instruction to fix it myself was clear but I wish it showed some willingness for them to fix it. I sent a 2nd e-mail about battery life and range and got no reply. So it sounds like I'm on my own. I can't say I could recommend dealing with a company that is so hard to contact.
Alternatives
I looked into foldable bikes before buying this. They are small enough to carry on a train. I had 2 concerns though:
1) price:
there're a few no name brand priced under $200 but I was skeptical. The most affordable brand name is Dahon and their bikes start at $350. Those from Bike Friday cost over $1k. Brompton starts at ~$800. You could find Strika on EBay for ~$500.
2) weight:
The no name ones are over 30lb. Dahons are around 25lb. The one that looks most promising to me is Strida at 20lb.
And I felt that 20lb is too much already.
However, you could buy one designed to roll on the wheels so that you could pull along, like a roller luggage bag. I've seen people do that with Dahon and Strida.
3) size:
Foldables take up so much space that you can only take a seat with a lot of space around it. No more sitting in the middle rows on a train. Strika seems to be the most compact one. It's easy to unfold too. Check out this video of Strida:
[Update: I ran into a fellow electric scooter rider on my train ride. He rode a Go-Ped ESR 750 Sports (the version with "solid" tire) and liked its power and durability. He also recommended Downtube foldable bike. Both the spec and price look pretty good.]
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