Big Brother Watching? To much info, or a cool program?

Posted on October 28, 2012May 3, 2022 by GeorgeK

This entry is part 1 of 4 in the series Real Time GPS Tracker

I have been searching off and on for a way to let people know:

a) Where I might be running when I am traveling, and if I am out in the hills somewhere maybe an idea of where I could be found if I don’t get back within a reasonable time.

b) During a race where I might be at on the course so people know when I may be at a chosen location.

I tried a number of different ways, none seemed to be what I wanted.. there are programs that let you send the current location via email or SMS, but they did not do what I wanted. Some only have “fences” that can be programmed to let someone know when you get to a certain place, which is nice, but by the time I get to the end it is to late to let the person know.

Finally I came across “Real Time Tracker”, by Greenalp. This does what I have been looking for!

a) it is free!

b) it sends constant position updates, directly to a map, not just the link to a map.

c) it can be put right here on Kazology.

d) it can send text msg if you want it to.

e) it is very configurable as to frequency of recording way points, and also when it transmit the data to the server.

f) it WORKS! which at least one program I tried did not… I had to pull the battery to get it to stop.

g) it also can do overlays, which I have not done yet, but sounds pretty cool, especially for races. I believe you can add a KML file of a route previously run and recorded, or for some bigger races a downloaded map of the course. Then when the Android is transmitting it shows not only the current location and track taken, but where on the course you actually are at any given time.

h) it saves the last recorded route until a new one is started. The duration is configurable.

i) it allows tracking of multiple phones. Maybe 3-5 standard, more as a paid service.

j) you can create friends to share with, or wide open.

Check out the last, or current run!

Show your location live on Google Maps. Free real-time GPS tracker for Android.

This is particularly useful for runs when I am away from home so people can track if I am running or in a ditch. It can also be used during races to see where I am on the course… or pretending to run while I am sitting in a bar somewhere.

Recommended!

Until Real Time GPS is false,
George

Strike Two!

Posted on May 1, 2012May 3, 2022 by GeorgeK

Well, I would like to run the New York Marathon. Problem is, I am not anywhere close to being fast enough to get a guaranteed entry based on time. So… I have to enter the open lottery and hope for the best. This is okay, but does present a couple of issues every year.

Once you sign up you do not know results until the end of April. This means if you want to do another fall race you either have to sign up for it or take a chance the race is not closed by the end of April. Or, if you sign up, then get accepted into New York you have to decide to try and run both, or forfeit one of the races. Such a dilema.

So I took the safe course and signed up for the NYRR lottery, (Race on November 4) and also signed up for the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. (October 14)

The results are in and (drum roll) I did not get into NY via the lottery this year. (Nor did I last year.)

NYRR Not Accepted (again) in 2012

On the good side, I am now two years into the three year guaranteed entry system. I signed up in 2011, which is the last year you could start this program.

NYRR Guaranteed 2014

So, if I sign up againg next year, 2013, and do not get in I can make definate plans for 2014. That works for me!

See you in Toronto!

Until the lottery is guaranteed,

George

An Amazing Time at Marvins Marvelous Mechanical Museum!

Posted on April 22, 2012May 3, 2022 by GeorgeK

We had seen an article about “Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum” in a “Things to Do” book. It sounded interesting, but we never got around to visiting it.
Well, we finally did, and the panel of experts all agree, it was worth the time!

It is not a far drive up to Farmington Hills from Ann Arbor, so we left about noon, stopped for some lunch and got to the museum about 2 pm.

I was surprised, there was no entry fee. I expected to pay a few bucks just to get inside.
When you open the door and walk it, it is a smorgasbord of sights and sounds for the senses to feed on!

I suggest you use one of the picture links to view the entire photo album so you can see what I mean!

Towards the end of the visit a nice person was standing between some machines just sort of watching. I realized this was Marvin in person. I said “Hello” and he immediately struck up a conversation. He wanted to show us the “Tic-Tac-Toe” playing chicken, which I think is one of his favorites from the literature and advertising I have seen.

Marvins favorite Arcade item?

At the end the chicken will reward you with a nice post card

I can only still imagine what this did… I did not try a quarter to see it in action.

Some things are just better left to the imagination.

We spent several hours roaming around the place. It is not huge, but it is packed, and I do mean packed, with interesting articles from the rafters to the floor, and every nook and cranny in between.

If you are in the Detroit area, and Farmington Hills with a few extra hours take time to stop by and see this place!

Until the final quarter is played,

George

2011 Running in Review

Posted on January 1, 2012May 3, 2022 by GeorgeK

A brief summary of what happened in 2011, and earlier in some cases.

If it had not been for the very cold and snowy January and March in 2011, I think I would have put in the most miles for any year so far. Nevertheless, it was close.

The miles put in for the long runs in preparation for the Marine Corps Marathon on October 31, add the miles up in June, July, August, September and October!
Running Stats 01

In December we joined Anytime Fitness and even with the December chills got in some decent mileage on the treadmill. Starting to do more cross training not also, which I hope will pay off in 2012.

Overall mileage by years since I started in 2008.
Running Stats 01

Since I began walking/running I have worn a pedometer. It downloads to the PC so it is easy to track totals over the years.

So… it’s a lot of steps to get to 8 million plus! Note that I do NOT wear the pedometer during normal daily activities, only when I exercise. If I work it all day, including work, I am sure the daily total would be significantly higher.

Running Stats 01

Will continue to track just to see how it goes. Maybe make a goal of 1,500 miles in 2012. Need to get what, 125 per month then, doable, but not without some real work, especially when you look and see I only hit that number four months in 2011!

On the plus side, the lower miles means the knees won’t wear out quit so quickly!

Until all the fallen arches rise again,

George

Using Internet Explorer as the FTP Client for iPod Touch and FileApp

Posted on January 8, 2011December 4, 2022 by GeorgeK

This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series FTP to iPod Touch

In the previous post I said I was able to get Internet Explorer working as the FTP client for the file transfer method for the iPod Touch and FileApp program. This is true, but I have elected not to use the method, but you may wish to if you have no other FTP client or do not want to learn how to use one. (Even though some good ones are available for free, and are not that hard to use… try it!)

If you open Internet Explorer, and add the “FTP Url” the way the FileApp program shows, you get something like this:

This opens just fine for me, but try as I might, I could not get it to transfer any files to the iPod Touch this way. It just opens them up, but does not move them. I “think” the way it is supposed to work is to open both Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer at the same time. Then you should just be able to “Drag and Drop” files from one to the other.
Not for me though. I did a little searching and found a Microsoft web site that referred to my problem based on this error message.

Here are the basic steps to make it work once you get the FTP URL in IE, and see the directories as shown above. Go to “Page” then “Open FTP Site in Windows Explorer”.

Follow these steps to change the “Proxy” as required above. Please read the entire post *before* changing anything.

These are the two main items to change. “Uncheck” the Automatic detection, and “Check” the Use a proxy server. Add the information from your iPod Touch FileApp DNS address.

Save everything, close the windows, now open both Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer.

If everything goes according to plan you should be able to drag and drop now! At least it worked fine for me….

Go to this Microsoft Windows web site for full directions.
https://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Change-proxy-settings-in-Internet-Explorer

Now, why did I elect NOT to use this method. Well… if you now go back to Internet Explorer, and try to go to some other web page, see what happens. If your PC acts like mine, you will get a “Not Found” error, meaning you cannot connect to the “outside” internet”… not such a cool thing. Maybe it can be made to work so it can see both the iPod Touch and “the internet” but I am not going to spend much time on trying. I am happy to just use my FTP client to transfer the files. One way MAY be to have two browsers, configure one to use a proxy and one not to. This is not the same as opening two windows, or even two instances of Internet Explorer since they both would use the same settings. But maybe Firefox for one and IE for the other… but hey, I am NOT even sure that would work. If you are technically inclined and know the way to do this and fell like sending the method to do it, please do, and I will post it here. Otherwise, that’s it for me!

George

Adding Files to iPod Touch or iPad – Part Three

Posted on January 1, 2011May 7, 2022 by GeorgeK

This entry is part 3 of 4 in the series FTP to iPod Touch

In the last post I finished up by adding the entire Second Site HTML folder over to the “root” on the iPod Touch.

Now we are ready to begin using the files.

Open FileApp on the iPod Touch.

When it opens click on the “WIFI” button. Then the “Done” button at top right.

You should be seeing a list of files and directories at this point!
You can also explore the options. (The little “Gear” icon.) I changed the “Show File Extension” to on, just so I know what I am about to open from the file list. If you add new files it will automatically update when you enter the screen, or you can force the update using the “Circle / Refresh” icon.

Opening the “Kasdorf Genealogy” folder shows all the Second Site created files. Scroll down the list to “index.htm” (No extension shown in the photo… that’s why I turned on extensions in the setting later!

clicking on the index.htm file should open the main page of the SS web page! You can rotate the iPod to see it landscape.

All the links should work, you can open most all of the files for viewing. The FileApp is what is actually opening and showing the documents.

What I have NOT figured out at this point is where to put related documents. In the program I link to a lot of PDF’s and photo albums. The photo albums work just fine, but the linked PDF documents not so… giving me something to play around with.

Update: December 21, 2010.

Okay to see all the related documents you put them (I suggest a COPY of them.) in the Second Site “-i” folder. Rebuild the web site. Now you should be able to see any content you linked to within Second Site. This surprised me. Since I use absolute links in the Second Site pages ie: “https://myweb/myfolder/second site/document.pdf” it still knew to link to these documents. One of the folder for an old newsletter which was a series of 900 scans ran the size of the Second Site project up to 134 megabytes! It still transferred this in just at ten minutes. Pretty impressive. All the links work on the iPod Touch…. now if I wanted to splurge I think the DiskAid app lets you edit the documents (?). Very handy for recording new information on the spot… especially with the camera on the iPod Touch!

Now you can experiment with it.

If you like this, and use it a lot you may want to try out the full “Pro” version. It might be fun to try the “DiskAid” program also. It has some other interesting features like transferring your photos (if you have the newer iPod Touch with camera, or iPhone.)

. . . if you did this before you deleted all the files on the iPod Touch you may have an issue getting those files out of there!

Important Note: The “Pro” version was on sale for the holidays. I bought it… for $0.99 great! Anyway, I installed it and noticed the files I had put there with the “Non-Pro” version were not shown… interesting. I added some files using “Pro”, then closed the program. I then opened the old version (Non-Pro) and looked… there were all my original files. It seems that the two FileApp programs put the files in different places, but both are called “Start Here”… This does not seem to be a huge problem… unless you think “I have the better “Pro” version so I am going to remove the old app…. I think if you did this before you deleted all the files on the iPod Touch you may have an issue getting those files out of there! So I guess I would suggest you use the original “Non Pro” version to remove any files you added using it before you would remove it!

Important Note 2: Make the web site using Second Site. Another post I read discussed the difference between a “regular” web page and once created for use with a CD/DVD. When SS creates a structure for a CD/DVD it makes a subfolder with most of the files. In the root it only puts the autorun files and the Index.html file. I created a web page this way, and then deleted the autorun files. When I moved these to the iPod Touch it made it very easy to launch the web page since there was only the one file in the “Genealogy” root folder. Try it!

Compare this to the iPod Touch screen in previous post where you have to scroll through hundreds of files to find the “Index.html” file to launch the web site.

Okay, think that is is for this post. I am going to create another on using Internet Explorer as the FTP client, which I did get to work.

George