Just checking in

Dear blog, don't worry I haven't forgotten about you.  I'm not going to do a real post today because I'm working on Christmas shopping!  Yay!  I'm going to be so happy when I'm all done (which wont be today.) 

Noteworthy complaints: websites bugging out when I'm trying to buy stuff; outrageous shipping costs; still not having real present ideas for some people; still not being able to provide present ideas to some people.  I suck at wanting stuff I guess.  My Mom doesn't know it yet, but she's getting me a $70 hoodie that's being shipped from the UK.  Note: $25 of that $70 is shipping.  Frown.

Hopefully I'll post something in here worth reading sometime soon.  I'm currently in the middle of a week long vacation from work.  My attempts at productivity have so far been pretty pathetic.  I think I'm actually going to leave the house today.

-Colin

The Ultralinx

www.TheUltralinx.com is a site I stumbled upon a month or so ago while looking for wallpapers for my phone.  The site is pretty much a shrine to minimalism, which is what keeps me coming back.  Oliur Rahman (aka: Ultralinx) is the site owner and creator.  He's a 17 year old guy who lives in the UK and he has a keen business sense and a good eye for aesthetics.

A few nights ago I was asking him about something unrelated to this post and he actually asked me if I'd like to contribute to the site.  I accepted and have done so over the last few days.  Being part of somebody else's project has so far been interesting and fun.  Both of my posts received snide comments from some anonymous troll.  Ignorant motherfuckers abound.  Apparently the content I posted wasn't good enough for this guy so he decided to poo all over it.  E-thugs probably wouldn't be so flippant in person I'm guessing.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to putting more stuff up and hopefully getting some positive responses.

Colin 

Bookless

If anybody has been keeping track, over the last few weeks, I've been reading a book called The Passage, by Justin Cronin. Tonight I finished it up and I sit before you bookless as bookless can be.

The Passage is a sci-fi-esque, post-apocalyptic page turner. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire story. As a whole, it feels a lot like Stephen King's The Stand, but upon closer examination the story exhibits it's own distinct personality. It's not just another vampire book, even though the primary foe(s) is likened to a vampire. Cronin's writing style is straight forward, eliciting vivid imagery without excessive wording. After my Terry Goodkind marathon, JC's flavor of prose hit the spot. Apparently The Passage is part of a trilogy to come. I cant wait for the next book.

On a related side-note, I would like to take a moment to point out that this genre is probably my favorite. There's something about the prospect of a cataclysmic, sudden end (or near end) of civilization that has always captivated me. I keep mentioning The Stand because it was the first book of this type I ever read. It most surely stands near the top of my list of favorite reads. Prior to reading The Passage, the last book I sampled from this subject vein was called The World Without Us. I actually came away disappointed because it wasn't what I was expecting. Initially I thought it would be a story, but it was not. The author ends up presenting a perspective on what would happen to the planet if mankind simply vanished. It was an interesting book, but it ended up a tad preachy. Don't get me wrong, I love hugging trees as much as the next guy, but I was expecting a plague, or zombies, or something as a pretense for the book.

Anyway, what I cant decide is why I like stories where civilization is wiped out. My good friend Joe has labeled me a misanthropist on more than one occasion, which I think could be indicative of something. Maybe, despite all our progress, deep down I think people will inevitably find such an end. The idea that something so small, like a virus, could unwind the rich tapestry of humanity in the historical blink of an eye fascinates me. Maybe that's morbid, but whatever.

As a secondary side note, I've been considering writing a short story. Don't ask me what about, because I don't know. I've never been a strong fiction writer, but maybe that's because I don't try enough. Stick around, maybe I'll write something that isn't just aimless opinions. Maybe.

-Colin

Just an example of "complication."

Want to know how to root your android phone, install a custom ROM and a custom kernel? Read:

P.S. I wrote this from memory of doing this process myself.

***!!!THIS TUTORIAL IS ONLY FOR WINDOWS USERS!!!***

The List of Root and Rom:

Applications/Files Needed:

-su-2.3.6.1-ef-signed.zip (flashable root) from the bottom of: http://modadroid.com/showthread.php?t=43

-CWMRecovery.tar from: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=788099

-Odin3 v1.3.exe from: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=788099

-Samsung USB Drivers from the top of: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=779238

-Android SDK (Good to have, not necessary for these steps.)

-Rom Manager(download from market)

-Titanium Backup (download from market)

Process:

1. Install Samsung USB Drivers on your computer. Now is a good time to back up your contacts.

2. Install Odin on your PC, download the cwmrecovery.tar file. Open Odin, put the phone in download mode (battery pull, hold volume down while plugging in the USB cable. Should see a bright yellow display indicating DL mode.)

3. Odin will indicate device recognition by displaying a yellow bar with a com port. If this is the case, in the lower right quadrant of Odin, click "PDA" and locate the cwmrecovery.tar file you downloaded. DO NOT USE "PHONE," "CSC," OR "PIT" TO FLASH THIS FILE. Press start. The phone will reboot.

4. Place the su-2.3.6.1-ef-signed.zip on a folder somewhere on your sdcard.

5. Battery pull, reboot into normal recovery (hold the volume up AND down buttons while you power on.) In normal recovery, flash the update.zip. This will put you in CWM (Clockwork Mod Recovery.)

6. Now you need to flash the su-2.3.6.1-ef-signed.zip file in CWM. In the main menu, select "install zip from sdcard." Navigate the menu with the volume up and down. Make selections with the power button. From that menu, pick "choose zip from sdcard." Navigate to the folder where your su-2.3.6.1-ef-signed.zip is, select it, flash it. Use the "go back" option in the menu until you see the "reboot" option. Select it.

7. Download Rom Manager from the market.

8. Open Rom manager to verify root. A popup should appear, asking you to grant it "superuser privileges." If this happens, the root was successful. In Rom Manager, select "Flash ClockworkMod Recovery." Be sure to pick your phone from the list. After this, reboot to recovery. If you recieve an error, dont fret. applying the update.zip in normal recovery will send you to CWM.

9. Download and install Titanium Backup from the market. Open the app, hit the "problems" button (bottom, center) and do the Auto-upgrade for BusyBox. After that is complete, hit the menu button, select "Batch," hit "Run: backup all user apps."

10. Open Rom manager. Select "Download Rom." Download your rom of choice, preferably on Wifi. Check the options to backup the existing rom, and wipe data and cache.

11. Rom manager will reboot into recovery. You may need to select the "apply update.zip" to initiate the flash of the rom. Once it does this, let it do its thing, it will reboot when it's done.

12. The phone should reboot, looking totally stock. All user apps and data will have been wiped. Re-rooting isn't necessary. Install Rom Manager from the market again. Head to the Download rom menu again, select a kernel. Download and install it. Check the "backup existing rom" option again, but dont wipe data and cache. The phone will reboot to recovery again. You may need to apply update.zip again. Flashy flashy, then wait for a reboot.

13. Now you're running a custom rom and kernel. At this point you want to rebuild your system apps with titanium backup (TiB.) You'll need to download it from the market again. Run TiB (do the busybox part in step 9 again), hit the menu button and select "Batch" liike you did last time. Run: restore user apps. You'll have to babysit it if you're running the free version.

14. After this point, you should make a backup. Go into Rom Manager, hit the "backup existing rom" option, name it something WITH NO SPACES (example:SUPERCLEAN1111.) The phone will reboot to recovery. Again, you may need to apply the update.zip to initiate the backup. It'll reboot when done.

15. From here, rebuild your phone as you like, and enjoy.

Android update

Remember that long post about Android phones? The one that was basically an iPhone vs Android comparison? Well, this is an update to that.

Along the way to finishing that entry, I came to the conclusion that the Android phone lives and dies by the amount of freedom it grants the end user. That freedom comes at the cost of added complexity. I think the moral of my previous rant was that Android is an awesome and viable alternative to the iPhone, but it's far from perfect.

Well, I've had some time with this phone now, and I think I can really start to explain why I like Android better than iOS. In principal, both are solid operating systems. The difference is that the learning curve for Android isa little steep. This fact is probably a boon for cell carrier tech support gurus, as it keeps help-seeking customers in ample supply. Since Android is slightly less user friendly, people who are technologically impaired would be well advised to either stay away from the Google powered devices, OR be sure to have a techy friend/relative around to help you learn. That being said, what follows is why I think Android is pretty awesome.

As previously stated, Android's strength lies in its flexibility. Of important note to this attribute, a lot of that comes from the fact that Android is open source. If you remember, open source means that the code for the operating system, as well as the phones that are being produced, is available to the public. This one little fact, in my experience, is the salvation of the Samsung Fascinate.

Experiences like mine aren't limited to this one device, but I feel it's a pretty poignant example. Over the course of my ownership of this Android powered smartphone, I've experienced a wide range of emotions. Upon first playing with the phone, my mind was blown by how awesome it was to have portable internet, a music player, a phone, all wrapped up behind a gorgeous 4" screen. From there, i started to encounter quirks of the device. Samsung made a mistake, a lot of Android geeks say, with one of the technical details of the Fascinate. If you're familiar with what a file system is, in relation to a media storage device (i.e. hard drive, usb drive, sd card, internal cell phone storage, etc.,) Samsung goofed. Certain file systems are considered better than others in the world of smartphones. Think of the file system like a transmission. A lot of the transitions and actions taken in a smart phone involve different files in different locations. The way the file system is configured will affect everything from the smoothness of the device to the stability of the entire system. Going back to the transmission analogy, Samsung did the equivalent of putting a 4 speed automatic transmission from the 80's in a modern Ferrari.

This is the part where the awesomeness of open-source and the Android community came to save my phone from its maker. There are people, whom are referred to as "developers," who devote their time to the optimization of Android devices. Oh, here's a little detour...

Now, before I go on, I want to state clearly that any problems with the Samsung Fascinate are not because the phone is running an Android OS. My axe to grind is with Samsung. By gimping this device with a clumsy file system, and a far from optimized kernel (the set of instructions by which the operating system communicates with the hardware of the phone), Samsung messed up. Some might point out that were it not for the open source nature of Android development, Sammy wouldn't have had the opportunity to mess up the phone (let alone develop one,) and that wouldn't be completely unfair. Cell phone manufacturers and cell carriers hold sway over details in Android phones in a way that AT&T does not have with the iPhone. All I can say is that you have to take the bad with the good. Since every hero needs a dragon to slay, the developers of the Android community would be mighty bored without devices like the Fascinate to "fix."

Diving this deep into technical issues with the phone is warranty voiding. It's extremely risky and the learning curve for this stuff abruptly heads for the stratosphere. The reason tinkering on this level happens is two fold: first, it's because if you give a bunch of nerds the source code to a shiny gadget, they're going to mess with it; second, neither Samsung nor Verizon can help you with this kind of stuff. The support just doesn't exist for "my phone is laggy as shit and has poor battery life" type of problems.

Enter: the Android developers. My knights in shining armor. These individuals do a lot of this work for free. We're talking hours and hours of scouring code, doing experiments that destroy their devices (also called "bricking",) all just because they enjoy it. Read that again. There's a community of people working, for free, to make YOUR phone better. Faster. Stronger. Suck it Steve Jobs, that's the coolest part of Android and the main thing Apple can't touch with the iPhone. Sure, there's a community of devoted nerds standing behind the iPhone. Ask them to get you the source code files for iOS, or the kernel for the iPhone 4. The tweaking capability of Android devs is on a whole different plane of awesomeness. Below is a series of images representing a visual transformation my phone has undergone since the day it came out of the box.

These images represent a completely stock Samsung Fascinate. As it was, the phone ran decently. The thing I most wanted to improve upon was speed and stability. A stock Fascinate is, in my opinion, too laggy for a 1ghz pocket sized computer. That lead me to the Android community and the flock of developers eagerly tweaking this phone. My phone. They had the same gripes as me and more. In addition to finding hordes of people who wanted the phone to perform to its hardware potential, I found an endless supply of visual modifications to play with. The whole "when there's no limit to what Droid gets, there's no limit to what Droid does" thing, despite it being a chest-pounding-chevy commercial gone Android, is pretty apt. If the developers are the heart and soul of Android, the applications and widgets that make up the not insubstantial Android Marketplace are the personality and looks of the OS. Below is a pretty good representation of what is possible with some simple downloads, and a little trickery:

To put it simply, such a visual metamorphosis is completely impossible on an iPhone. This degree of customization definitely isn't played up enough in the current Android marketing scheme. Regardless, with the right resources and help, doing the above to your phone isn't really that difficult. If you run into problems, or run out of solutions, there's an army of people on the Internet that can and will help you make your phone as awesome as it should be.

Aside from the visual changes to my Fascinate (which I love,) I've also given those systematic shortcomings I mentioned earlier a kick in the pants. A single developer was able to conceive two creations (called a ROM and a kernel) to completely transform the performance of my phone. While the installation is complicated, instruction guides and helpful Android users abound. On more than one occasion, I had a complete stranger spend hours (hours!) of their own time helping me understand the right way to do some of this stuff. The abundance and eagerness of the available support is staggering.

I know what you're all probably thinking: spending hours doing "warranty voiding modifications" to a cell phone isn't something the average user will do. You're right. The basis of my iPhone vs Android is still validated, regardless of the amount of people who flash a custom ROM or try an optimized kernel. The community and it's creations validates Google's open source philosophy. It's both it's greatest strength and it's boldest act of defiance against Apple. You don't have to utilize this vast resource of creativity to enjoy your phone, but if you do, the ability to completely transform your device is there. iPhone users aren't so lucky. That is why I'm finally and truly glad that I went Android instead of iPhone.

I hope you enjoyed,

Colin

Another new look

Yeah, still trying to find something that fits. I think this one is pretty easy to read, which is nice. I also added a "now reading" area. So far The Passage feels a lot like The Stand, which is a compliment.

Sorting my photo library

Ugh. I wish I could hire robots to do this for me. For some reason Windows has made a collection of a bunch of picture files that I'm pretty sure I already have saved on a portable drive. I'm not positive, so I'm going through, making a collection of them to compare vs. what I've got on that drive.

After I've done that, then I have to go through hundreds of folders on that drive to weed out the shots I want to save and the ones that I don't really need to archive. Somewhere soon I'm possibly going to look into online photo archiving. The prospect of burning these files all to dvd's seems foolish in light of what you can do with cloud storage these days.

I think I just need to be better about organizing my pictures as I collect them. That will save me from having such a daunting task as this.

The end

Tonight I finished the 12th and final book of Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. I've got to say, I was afraid of being disappointed by his conclusion. A couple of books ago, my lovely girlfriend Lauren revealed to me that there were people that thought TG dropped the ball on the last two or three books. Up to that point, I had enjoyed the saga and upon hearing what she said I contemplated taking my own life. When somebody tells you the author apparently decided to shit all over the 8,000+ page series you're 80% done with, it sucks, trust me.

Confessor, the grand finale for the series, I think lived up to its potential. I think, aside from what Lauren told me, my fear of epic fail series conclusions was actually sired by Stephen King. Anybody who read the Gunslinger series knows what I'm talking about. SK did unthinkably ridiculous things throughout and at the end of that series. For anybody interested in reading the Gunslinger books, I won't reveal what the author did mostly because I still think of those seven books as -for lack of a better term- fucking awesome. Despite the fact that King punctuated what can arguably be summed up as his life's work with a gaffe of epic proportions, I earnestly recommend that anybody who enjoys western and/or fantasy novels should read it.

Back on topic. After overcoming the trust issues I have with the potential awesomeness of a long book series, I tore through the last 3 Sword of Truth books and stand before you a happy man. If anything, I feel the author may have rushed the conclusion. I felt the influence of the author seeking his conclusion present in shorter chapters and less drawn out conflicts. At the end of those 8,655 pages I find myself partially sympathetic. Apparently the guy was dyslexic (serious), so kudos to him for his success.

As a series, The Sword of Truth was pretty awesome. If you like fantasy and books that are around 700 pages long, Terry Goodkind made something worth your time here. Perhaps as a disclaimer, I should have pointed out that this is the only pure fantasy series I've read besides Lord of The Rings. I don't think Gunslinger counts because the main character, Roland, carries a six-shooter instead of a sword/wand/otherwise apparent magical powers. Fantasy genre leg-humpers have probably already stopped reading this by now because apparently TG stole ideas from Robert Jordan and made them shittier, but whatever. I can neither confirm nor deny since I've yet to read any RJ. Sword of Truth was entertaining and I'm glad I put my time into it.

-Colin

New blog name.

A while back I received an email from a very polite blogger. She was simply letting me know that her blog was also called "All your blogs are belong to us," and that I might consider changing mine. Since her blog is older than this one I've decided to grant said blogger her wish.

The name "Not Without Heart" doesn't have any particular significance, although it could if you like reading into things. For me it has a few potential meanings, but nothing worth taking up space here about. I once listened an interview with the lead singer from Radiohead, Thom Yourke, where he was talking with the interviewer about song lyrics. He made it clear that he included certain phrases in his writing simply because he liked the way they sound. The phrases otherwise held no significance in the greater context of the song. I like that sentiment, so that's what I'm going with regarding "Not Without Heart."

If you don't like it, or think it sounds emo/contrived/whatever, feel free to express your opinion on my wall. I may or may not care since this could be a temporary change. I've also spruced up the place a bit. I'll probably change it again, but I like this look for now.

-Colin

My first official goal of my fitness quest: stop groaning like an old man when i do stuff like bend over or get out of my car. I'm not fucking ninety.

My Take on Owning an Android Smartphone

I recently joined the modern age and acquired a smartphone with a data plan. Prior to this tech milestone, I had been using a very simple Nokia flip-phone on a plan with T-Mobile. Aside from having a phone that would sometimes make me sound like I was making calls while submerged, my experience was positive. T-Mobile always provided me with solid customer service, and as far as I can tell the coverage was decent.

Things changed when my lovely girlfriend, Lauren (see image,) became a Verizon employee. To make a long story short, she was able to give me the opportunity to have a phone plan with data for less money than T-Mobile was charging. I'd been feeling the bug to get a smartphone, so I jumped ship. The following is a summary of my initial impression of what it's like to be both a smartphone owner, and an Android user.

First, I'm not sure if a lot of people are aware of what it means when somebody says the word "droid." Android is an operating system (OS), just like Windows. In the general sense, it is considered a mobile phone OS, but it is also used in mobile GPS units and some other gadgets. The OS is actually owned and developed by Google.

The term "droid" gets thrown around a lot lately, and in fact can be used in a number of ways. Motorola has produced a line of phones that are actually called Droids (Droid, Droid 2, and the Droid X.) Most people use the term to refer to an Android based device. The iPhone, which runs an operating system called iOS doesn't have an analogous shorthand nickname. You also don't hear people calling their iPhone an "iOS" based device. This is because there is only one mobile device that uses iOS (shhhh about the iPad), while there are numerous that use Android. The range of devices that are available with Android is comparatively vast, and in a significant way that abundance of variety is a reflection of what Android users value.

While both the iPhone and Android communities are rife with, for lack of a better word, hackers, it is my opinion that Android users are cut of a much nerdier cloth. The biggest difference between the iPhone and the Android fleet is in uniformity. Apple is the only company that makes the iPhone. Every iPhone 4 that rolls off the assembly line is the same. Every single one comes with the same apps, interface, music player, screen, etc. They're all identical.

Android phones, while they all are based around the same OS, exhibit immense variation. Even my phone, which is made by Samsung, has different varieties. The one Verizon carries is branded the "Fascinate." Sprint has the same phone, except it's called the "Epic 4g." Even though it has the same internal hardware as the Fascinate, the Sprint model has a slide out keyboard and a front facing camera. The Galaxy-s, as the hardware is called, is also carried by At&t and T-mobile.

The differences go even deeper with Android phones. Imagine that the iPhone was produced by companies other than just Apple, for a variety of different service providers (gasp, imagine that.) Each of these providers is going to want to set their iPhone apart from the others by tweaking it. Sometimes the tweaks come in the form of the Epic 4g with its significant external modifications. Other changes are embedded in the way you interact with the device: the interface.

With Android, cell providers have the freedom to alter the user interface. This can help make the phone unique, offering little bits of usefulness that other Android phones might not have. For the average (non-hacking) user, these variations might be the difference between being on Sprint instead of Verizon. Specifically, these differences usually are widgets and the overall "feel" an interface provides. iPhone users know what I'm talking about. Although the basic layout between the latest Android phones and iPhones is similar, the two Operating systems offer very distinct experiences.

The variation and freedom of choice offered by the Android lineup is refreshing when compared to the single offering from Apple. Conversely, the uniformity found in the iPhone might be its biggest strength. At this point, I'll finally dive into my first impressions of owning a "droid."

People have been hacking iPhones for as long as they've existed. The process is called "jailbreaking," and it offers users the chance to utilize their device's full potential. The analogous process with an Android phone is called "Rooting." There are similarities between the two processes, but for all intensive purposes they're the same. I decided to get an Android phone because of a couple of things. First, I had a distinct impression that the community of users was huge, helpful, and mischievous. Jailbreaking is the only way to do certain things to an iPhone. With Android devices, not only do you have the option to root, but the OS its self offers the user a degree of non-warranty voiding hackery that the iPhone can only dream of. I like to customize things and Android gave me that in a way the iPhone never would. The second primary reason for wanting to go Android is because of the bullshit exclusivity Apple has with At&t. One of my goals in switching providers was to pay the same or less than what T-mobile charged. That just wouldn't have been possible with At&t.

Since I started using my Fascinate, just a handful of weeks ago, I've had a mixed experience. The degree of customization options available to these phones is mind blowing. Through the Android Market (read: like the App Store,) you have access to something like 70 or 80,000 apps. The world is your oyster with Android if you like to constantly be changing your phone. Have a Fascinate, but want to make your interface look like an HTC Incredible? You're only a few downloads away from throwing the UI Verizon wanted you to have right out the window.

The options are seemingly endless. Aside from all the apps you can download, the visual tweaks you can do to an Android phone is incredible. Live wallpapers, custom icons, mountains of widgets for almost anything you can imagine. While these elements are all there in the iPhone, the control over how you interact with them is much greater on a droid.

It is my opinion that this variety is Android's greatest asset, and its greatest curse. Android its self, which is actually based on a modified version of Linux, is (like Linux,) considered "open source." What that means is, for app developers and cell providers, all the code for the core of Android is there for anybody to have. This concept allows cell providers to alter the OS's code (as long as any changes are available to the public) to establish a distinct user interface for a device that might be available on three or four carriers. It also lets app developers accomplish degrees of integration with their software that wouldn't be possible in a closed source environment.

Open source promotes development by all. Have a knack for coding and want to provide a tweak to Android that you think would benefit others? The opportunity is yours. Want to make money while you do it? Android has software that can integrate adds into your app for you. What I've found though is that in this never ending list of variations and modifications that any Joe on the street can do to their phone, they aren't all stable.

It's taken a while to come to grips with the fact that apps aren't guaranteed to be stable. The reality of owning an Android phone is that sometimes there are too many choices available. Since you dont know which app is going to both fill your needs and run smoothly, sometimes it feels like a minefield. At times you'll find something you've been looking for, or even something that was recommended to you by many in the Android community, and after installing it you'll realize that it only works right some of the time.

On the whole, the learning curve with this phone has been steep. People say it a lot, but the iPhone is much more user friendly and a lot less buggy. Now, keep in mind that the variation of the Galaxy-s phone that I'm using is in essence brand new. Even the iPhone had its problems when it came out.

One thing that keeps me going with my hacking adventures is this: there's no way it's this rewarding to mod an iPhone. The added complication makes it feel so good when you figure out how to do something you've been struggling with. I just don't think a lot of users will see the beauty in that struggle. Lucky for Lauren I get to figure everything out on my phone before I share it with her.

Thanks for reading,

Colin

Tried to go to the cabin yesterday. We got all the way there and i realized i forgot the keys. We tried to break in, but it was all in vain. Fail.

This is a test post from my phone.

More blogs to come

There are some things to blog about, they will appear here soon.

Coming attractions:

My take on owning an Android smartphone.

New workout progress, complete with a disgusting "before" picture.

Possibly a few thoughts on World of Warcraft.

I'm not going to be working on any of that crap today because I've already spent enough time on my ass in front of this screen. I also am going to the cabin today and I have some things to do to get ready.

P.S. if Emily Moore wanders in here, yes I am a little jealous of your blog. I hope mine is as lovely as yours someday soon.



I'll be back soon,

Colin