Apache Server - new virtual host or site

In order to ease development of many PHP projects simultanious and let the PHP IDE's I am testing update the source automatically I use the following to create new virtual hosts:


sudo cp /etc/apache2/sites-available/default /etc/apache2/sites-available/mynewsite


Edit the new file  to configure the new site, I am using ~/Development/project as the web folder.

sudo a2dissite default
sudo a2ensite mynewsite
sudo service apache2 reload

to activate the new site and reload apache2

iPad Aplications that makes my tablet a productivity tool

After some time I decided to post the applications I use to make my tablet a productivity tool. After all it is the apps that make the tablet and not the other way around.

I divided my apps into 4 catagories

• Productivity
• Utilities
• Social
• Entertainment

And yes productivity in my case can be enhanced by entertainment (imagine a noisy open plan office whilst trying to do some decent low level architecture analysis) Nothing better than in-ear headphones and my favourite radio station or music collection ...

Productivity:

• iThoughtsHD - it will import and export mindmaps to and from many of the most popular desktop mindmap applications and used daily by myself.
• TouchDraw - Vector drawing and diagramming with useful Libraries and great support (had some queries around connector types)
• SharePlus - Used to access content on SharePoint sites
• Quickoffice HD - office editing suite for iPad (including Office 2010)
• GoodReader - A auper-robust reader for iPad (great at PDF & Office docs with great file management & multitude of connections e.g. Dropbox, Skydrive, Google Drive, SMB servers, etc.)

Other used as well

 

• UPAD Lite - great for quick freehand notes or freehand schetching
• Evernote - The best note taking application and cross OS (from my PC to my Android phone and my iPad)
• DropBox - cloud sync for non sensitive data (I use a private cloud for sensitive data)
• OneNote - used to sync notes from Microsoft Notes (for a spesific customer in a pure Microsoft environment)
• AceProject - Keeping track of project tasks & collaborate with other teams

Most of these are used on a daily basis by myself with iThoughtsHD used for mind mapping as well as note keeping per project and assigning tasks to myself and others. GoodReader is in my mind the swiss army knive of IOS and enabled me to read most things on the iPad from local, private- or public cloud. All of them was carefully picked to enhance my productivity and still keep the data-overload era we live in catagorized and not to duplicate wherever possible.

Following posts will look into the other catagories of applications I use.

Playing Bluray in Ubuntu 12.10

AACS DRM is preventing native playback of Bluray discs on Ubuntu, to reslve this a few steps needs to be followed.

Obtain a copy of a Keys database (KEYDB.CFG)

Created ~/.config/aacs/ folder

Copied KEYDB.cfg (updated 20/04/2012) into this folder

Install the AACS Dynamic library, two methods available

1. download libaacs.so.0 and copy it into /usr/lib/ or /usr/lib64/ alternatively
2. Install it from the repository: apt-get install libaacs0

Option 2 was the prefered option for me.

Afterwards open VideoLAN (VLC) and playback your commercial Bluray on your Ubuntu platform.

VideoLAN 2.0.4 was used for the test.

How to install Skype on Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal

Type the following in a terminal

sudo add-apt-repository "deb http://archive.canonical.com/ $(lsb_release -sc) partner"

to add the correct repository and then to install skype

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install skype

Pioneer VSX MCACC Flashing

My Pioneer VSX-921 had the flashing MCACC light after a suspected power dip through the night.
Nor could I turn the amp on at all.

After reading multiple posts and trying multiple combinations pressing the "down arrow" and "multi zone off" together for 2 seconds reset the amp to a workable state.

Apple dependancy on iTunes

One thing that is very clear is the inherent behaviour and dependancy of Apple iOS products on iTunes.

This has led to myself wondering how many iPod & iPad users need Microsoft in there life / a dependancy (excluding the pure Apple eco-system users with a MAC) ?!?

Also the transfer of applications within the Apple eco-system that rely on iTunes to perform the transfer role.

Im my opinion this is not a very good strategy in this era where people want to move to thin clients, tablets and smart phones as personal and/or business tools.

L

Right way to insert iPod earbuds

After struggeling to get the iPod earbuds to stay in my ears I decided to research this topic.. is it my ears or what ... it quickly became aparant online that it is not only me but lots of people struggeling with the same issue.



they are really umcomfortable and they leak sound like an old church roof leaks rainwater.

The normal way of wearing them: 

Some people suggested : 

Griffin Technology 4039-EJAM EarJam Earbud Sound Enhancing Covers

But I think rather than trying to modify the earbuds into something acceptable to just use my old in-ear headphones.

Those Apple earphones are not well designed and I would personally rank it as a failure, anyone with appreciation for good quality music will have to agree with me.

Some people suggested the following will increase bass and mid-range whilst sitting better in the ear



But to be honest I can't see anyone walking around like that.

So the bottom line: there is no right or good way to insert them and investing in a proper set of earphones is the right way to go.

 

Wheres My Droid

http://wheresmydroid.com/

When you lose your phone while the ringer is turned off it can be impossible to find it. Where's My Droid fixes that problem. After texting your phone a custom attention word the app turns the ringer volume up and makes your phone ring. It's also possible to get the GPS location of your phone in latitude and longitude and a link to Google maps.

Streaming MKV from TwonkyMedia on ARM (QNAP QPKG) to Samsung TV

 



With the default configuration in TwonkyServer; streaming MKV content to a Samsung TV will not work as TwonkyServer detect the TV as a "Generic Media Receiver" and will give an on screen message "format not supported" as reported in various forums and blogs.

To fix this I did  the following:

Upgrade to latest TwonkyMedia 6 version (6.0.34) via QPKG

Let TwonkyServer build the database

Enable sharing for new media receivers automatically

Connect with your TV to TwonkyMedia

Under "TwonkyServer/Advanced Settings/Media Receivers"

locate the Samsung TV in the list from the MAC address or IP Address and change the device type from "Generic Media Receiver" to "Samsung TV"

retried playing MKV (720p) on the NAS to the Samsung TV via TwonkyServer worked as suspected now.

The next step would be to test it with various video- and sound formats as well as MKV containers with header compression.

How to make songs part of one album in iTunes

To have this showing correctly in the albums do the following from iTunes:Select all the files that is part of the album, Right click, get info, select this album is part of a compilation.Right click on the selection again, get info, add "Various Artists" to the Album Artist.This will fix your library. As an alternative this can be done via an mp3 tagging by setting the following extended tag information

ALBUMARTIST "Various Artists" COMPILATION "1"

In ID3v2.3 and ID3v2.4 COMPILATION set the TCMP Field.

The eyeD3 CLI application can be used to confirm this as well

eyeD3 -v [name].mp3

Or else Puddletag aplication with a custome column added 

Title : Compilation
Field: itunescompilationflag

or edit > extended tags

YAMJ Settings

The easiest way to change the artwork/Poster for a file in YAMJ is to copy the new artwork into the directory and rename the file with the same name. else have a look at the wiki

For the default skin the Language art  is located at

\YAMJ\skins\default\resources\languages

and will relate to the       <language>af</language> in the Jukebox XML file.

So in the above example adding a af.png file will overlay the image af.png onto the poster art.

But easier said than done. To get YAMJ to recognise the language and apply the changes was a bit more difficult.

The most important thing is to set <id>-1</id> in the movie XML file for the spesific movie and change the language.

After that rerun My_YAMJ.cmd

This will not scrape the internet but rather use the settings in the XML file.

How do I access files on a NAS from my iPad

FileBrowser by stratospherix does a brilliant job of file share access for the iOS devices.

Canon MX420 - how to transfer scanned documents from the memcard

Although this printer does not have AirPrint support it had a feature to "scan to pdf" without using a pc (just to USB or Memory card )

So I insterted a fast memory card into the printer with adequite space and it works perfect.

My next step is to create a cron job on my NAS to periodically sync all files on the printer memory card to a folder on the NAS.

Following is the technical discovery / how I did it.

First was to discover if the memory card is exposed to the network & then the file sharing type (assuming it will be a windows share) ;

It was indeed on:

\\PRINTER_IP\canon_memory\CANON_SC\DOCUMENT\0001
Was two test PDF's I scanned.

most people will only need this to copy the files to a PC, however as stated I want it automated to my NAS.

I created a temporary folder on my NAS and created a sync job on the QNAP NAS that monitor the memory card and once a file change is detected it copies the files to the temp folder; from there I rename and or sort it into the correct directories.

Drive mapped from QNap to the printer with:

mount.cifs //PRINTER_IP/canon_memory/CANON_SC/DOCUMENT/0001 /share/somewhere/Printer

Apple lesson 2 - AirPrint

Apple support on a printer does not guarantee Airprint support
The printer has to explicitely support the AirPrint feature to enable the ipad2 to automatically detect and use the printer.

 

The Canon printer MX420 does not support Airprint, however there is a application in the App Store (Canon Easy-PhotoPrint) that allows you to easily print photos and scan via wifi.

Hotpoint WDL540G - Most disappointing purchase in years

For anyone that thought of investing in this washer dryer ... don't 

It was the worste investment I made in a few years.

The build quality was average but at the price (only thing that was fair) it was acceptable.

This appliance is extremely noisy !

This appliance has extremely slow washing & drying cycles.

Further to this I had to replace the doorseal after 4 months, and the main pcb started with random error codes after the first few as well.

The final straw was when it decided half way through a cycle that the programming is not valid anymore and started with the "all lights flashing" and not pumping the water out.

I will be replaceing this appliance immediately with another brand.

Space Station captures the lights of Belgium and Holland from 250 miles up

A night-time view of a western European panorama from the International Space Station reveals city lights from Belgium and the Netherlands



 

iTunes MAC & iTunes PC not equal to iTunes iPad

So the wonderfull world of "comliant to this & that" on the spec sheet vs. reality set in again. Now this might be down to lack of product knowledge as well but so you learn.

From the little Apple experience I gained so far I could really say in a "pure" Apple eco-system everything works brilliant and as planned, but trying to add 3rd party or other service to this ecosystem seem to be problematic.

iTunes for PC & MAC have a feature for "Shared" resources



 

whereas iPad/iPhone itunes does not let you choose your itunes library. You always need to connect to your Mac/PC (remote) itunes and sync with your ipad.

So the feature called iTunes Server does not mean you can assume it can stream to all Apple type devices.

So in my instance where I enabled the iTunes server on a QNAP NAS the Workaround:

Use the QMobile application provided by QNAP to remotely play the music library on the iPad.

QNAP iTunes Server dying

Testing a few mp3's on the NAS to iTunes PC worked 100%, after transferring my complete collection the iTunes server kept on dying via the web interface. So it was back to the old trusted CLI via ssh and fault finding:

Firstly to check if the iTunes server process is running or not:

ps | grep mt-daapd

And to find the command options:

mt-daapd --help

To start the process manually:

mt-daapd -d 9 -c /etc/mt-daapd.conf -f 

with

-d 9 setting the debug level to 9

-c to use a spesific configuration file

-f to run it in teh foreground allowing you to see the debug messages in real time.

running this will halt on the reason for the iTunes server to fail.

if the error is with .m3u files

this can be fixed by changing a line the qnaps /etc/mt-daapd.conf

turing: process_m3u 1 => process_m3u 0

In my instance a single mp3 file caused the process to stop, I corrected the mp3 id tag 

Restarted the service and everything worked like a charm

Open Source speech recognition - help needed

Most acoustic models used by 'Open Source' speech recognition (or Speech-to-Text) engines are 'Closed Source'.  They do not give you access to the speech audio and transcriptions (i.e. the speech corpus) used to create the acoustic model.

The reason for this is that Free and Open Source ('FOSS') projects are required to purchase large speech corpora with restrictive licensing.  Although there are a few instances of small FOSS speech corpora that could be used to create acoustic models, the vast majority of corpora (especially large corpora best suited to building good acoustic models) must be purchased under restrictive licenses.

How can you help ?

Record yourself reading some text, and upload your recordings to VoxForge using: http://www.voxforge.org/home/read

 

QNAP NAS

So I took the plunge and migrated from an pc based NAS device (OpenFiler)  to a QNAP NAS TS-412.

I am very impressed with the device build, really a solid design and after upgrading to the latest firmware it detected a 3TB Western Digital drive without any problems.

The device is extremely silent - to compare: the DVD player playing a DVD is making more noise than the NAS :-)

So I guess the next few blog postings will have something to do with services and applications on the NAS as and when I enable them.

Current firmware version: 3.5.2 Build 1126T