# find . -name foo
Finds files in the current dir+subdir named foo
# find . -name \*foo
Finds files in the current dir+subdir ending in foo
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Pharmacy price gouging
Giant pharmacy got me good last month. I had to pay out of pocket for some medication for my cat and they charged me $91. When I refilled it, I decided to go to Target pharmacy instead... the cost? $5
It definitely pays to shop around! Since it looked like we needed more refills and because the cost was so high, we almost decided to put the cat down. Good thing we didn't trust the pharmacist when he said it's just an expensive medication.
It definitely pays to shop around! Since it looked like we needed more refills and because the cost was so high, we almost decided to put the cat down. Good thing we didn't trust the pharmacist when he said it's just an expensive medication.
Pentium 4 Architecture Becoming Obsolete for Modern Games
A friend of mine recently got me "Left 4 Dead" for my birthday which did a great job of demonstrating how slow my older system really was. After some tweaks the game is running fast enough to be playable, but I found some interesting things out along the way.
System specs:
Pentium 4 Northwood 2.8Ghz (533mhz FSB)
Gigabyte Motherboard
Nvidia 6600GT
1GB Patriot PC3200 RAM
Timedemo commands:
HL2 and L4D have similar commands as they use the same engine. I made my own demos for each game to make sure they were compatible with the version I had.
All games were run 1024 x 768 with everything set to low or off.
1. Start a game
2. Enable the console from the keyboard setup
3. record
4. stop
5. timedemo
Nvidia driver:
I started my testing in Half Life 2. I was surprised that a driver upgrade was able to get me about 16FPS. (v6.14.10.8185 -> v6.14.11.7824)
Testing:
Nvidia now offers some free system monitoring tools (and overclocking tools) that allowed me to track system metrics like CPU utilization, GPU utilization and Memory utilization while the demos were running. The GPU was often running 80-90%, Memory pegged at 98%, and the CPU pegged at 100%. Given the high GPU and CPU utilization, I thought some overclocking would help. The results show that overclocking didn't help that much. I also tried bumping the res down to 800x600 on L4D and found that didn't help much either.
CPU overclock: 3.23Ghz (154mhz FSB, no voltage changes)
GPU overclock: Core 560mhz, Memory1070mhz
HL2 Baseline: 23.80 FPS
HL2 Driver Upgrade: 39.26 FPS
HL2 GPU Overclock: 41.00 FPS
L4D Baseline: 30.46 FPS
L4D CPU Overclock: 33.16 FPS
Heat:
I got a new power supply a few weeks ago and didn't pay attention to the fact that it had a fan on the inside that my old power supply didn't have. This fan sits very close to the CPU fan, and spins in the opposite direction. I checked the Gigabyte health monitors and it showed the CPU idling at around 56 deg C and the fan was spinning at 1700RPM. Luckily the heatsink allowed me to easily unscrew the fan and put it on backwards to reverse the flow. Now the CPU idles at about 32 deg C, and the fan spins at 4000RPM.
While I had my PC open, I decided to do some other heat management mods. I drilled some larger holes in the front near the front fan to let it breath easier and I sealed all the random air holes with clear packaging tape. Now air can only enter through the front of the case and can only exit through the power supply (back of the case) or through some holes near the processor (back of the case).
Now even while overclocking the CPU rarely gets above 52 deg C. In fact, the whole system runs cooler, even the disk drives. The only thing that still ran hot was the GPU at 70 deg C. It seems the pretty copper heatsink with fan looks nicer than it performs.
The future:
I suppose I could max the system out with 2GB of RAM and an ATi 3850 AGP video card, but the most cost effective long-term solution in my opinion would be to save my money and get a newer multi-core system with PCI Express. This is because the Pentium 4 architecture with AGP has pretty much retired and will no longer be able to receive upgrades to support newer games.
I'll be re-using my case though.. :-)
Updates:
1. I thought L4D was missing the ability to find specific games and choose a server with the lowest ping, but it's actually just hidden. To use the HL2-like game finding tool, open the console and type: openserverbrowser
2. You can change the language to German from the steam games menu by right clicking the game and choosing properties.
3. bind k "vocalize PlayerLaugh" ;-)
System specs:
Pentium 4 Northwood 2.8Ghz (533mhz FSB)
Gigabyte Motherboard
Nvidia 6600GT
1GB Patriot PC3200 RAM
Timedemo commands:
HL2 and L4D have similar commands as they use the same engine. I made my own demos for each game to make sure they were compatible with the version I had.
All games were run 1024 x 768 with everything set to low or off.
1. Start a game
2. Enable the console from the keyboard setup
3. record
4. stop
5. timedemo
Nvidia driver:
I started my testing in Half Life 2. I was surprised that a driver upgrade was able to get me about 16FPS. (v6.14.10.8185 -> v6.14.11.7824)
Testing:
Nvidia now offers some free system monitoring tools (and overclocking tools) that allowed me to track system metrics like CPU utilization, GPU utilization and Memory utilization while the demos were running. The GPU was often running 80-90%, Memory pegged at 98%, and the CPU pegged at 100%. Given the high GPU and CPU utilization, I thought some overclocking would help. The results show that overclocking didn't help that much. I also tried bumping the res down to 800x600 on L4D and found that didn't help much either.
CPU overclock: 3.23Ghz (154mhz FSB, no voltage changes)
GPU overclock: Core 560mhz, Memory1070mhz
HL2 Baseline: 23.80 FPS
HL2 Driver Upgrade: 39.26 FPS
HL2 GPU Overclock: 41.00 FPS
L4D Baseline: 30.46 FPS
L4D CPU Overclock: 33.16 FPS
Heat:
I got a new power supply a few weeks ago and didn't pay attention to the fact that it had a fan on the inside that my old power supply didn't have. This fan sits very close to the CPU fan, and spins in the opposite direction. I checked the Gigabyte health monitors and it showed the CPU idling at around 56 deg C and the fan was spinning at 1700RPM. Luckily the heatsink allowed me to easily unscrew the fan and put it on backwards to reverse the flow. Now the CPU idles at about 32 deg C, and the fan spins at 4000RPM.
While I had my PC open, I decided to do some other heat management mods. I drilled some larger holes in the front near the front fan to let it breath easier and I sealed all the random air holes with clear packaging tape. Now air can only enter through the front of the case and can only exit through the power supply (back of the case) or through some holes near the processor (back of the case).
Now even while overclocking the CPU rarely gets above 52 deg C. In fact, the whole system runs cooler, even the disk drives. The only thing that still ran hot was the GPU at 70 deg C. It seems the pretty copper heatsink with fan looks nicer than it performs.
The future:
I suppose I could max the system out with 2GB of RAM and an ATi 3850 AGP video card, but the most cost effective long-term solution in my opinion would be to save my money and get a newer multi-core system with PCI Express. This is because the Pentium 4 architecture with AGP has pretty much retired and will no longer be able to receive upgrades to support newer games.
I'll be re-using my case though.. :-)
Updates:
1. I thought L4D was missing the ability to find specific games and choose a server with the lowest ping, but it's actually just hidden. To use the HL2-like game finding tool, open the console and type: openserverbrowser
2. You can change the language to German from the steam games menu by right clicking the game and choosing properties.
3. bind k "vocalize PlayerLaugh" ;-)
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
2008 Nissan Rogue
I recently bought a 2008 Rogue SL AWD, and traded in a 2006 Nissan Altima. The Rogue has less cargo space and interior room. I also can't sit in the passenger seat without hitting my head on the ceiling since I'm about 6 feet tall and have a child seat behind me.
On the plus side, the MP3 stereo, bluetooth integration, window tint, and HID headlights are all nicely done. Also, it's comfortable (except for the passenger seat if you're tall) and drives just like a car.
The paddle shifters are a joke on a underpowered engine w/ CVT, but at least it's still a bit faster than a 1.8l Civic.
On the plus side, the MP3 stereo, bluetooth integration, window tint, and HID headlights are all nicely done. Also, it's comfortable (except for the passenger seat if you're tall) and drives just like a car.
The paddle shifters are a joke on a underpowered engine w/ CVT, but at least it's still a bit faster than a 1.8l Civic.
Updates: I moved the rear-facing child seat to behind the driver which helps the headroom problem alot. This also seems to make it easier to fold the seat down for extra cargo space.
I found there are some decent roof and trailer hitch storage options available that fit the Rogue.
Found dealer stabbed screws into the front bumper for lic plate, but read that's a common practice.
Still getting 20mpg after our 2nd fillup. For a recent long highway trip we got 24.5MPG.
We also found that the hatch will dump water into the cabin if you're not careful when opening it. And when driving over 62MPH, the front end make a whistling/honking noise when it's a windy day.
The rear wiper stopped working a few weeks ago. The car has 9400miles on it! Actually it has a mind of it's own now and will turn itself on and off regardless of what position the switch is in..
I found there are some decent roof and trailer hitch storage options available that fit the Rogue.
Found dealer stabbed screws into the front bumper for lic plate, but read that's a common practice.
Still getting 20mpg after our 2nd fillup. For a recent long highway trip we got 24.5MPG.
We also found that the hatch will dump water into the cabin if you're not careful when opening it. And when driving over 62MPH, the front end make a whistling/honking noise when it's a windy day.
The rear wiper stopped working a few weeks ago. The car has 9400miles on it! Actually it has a mind of it's own now and will turn itself on and off regardless of what position the switch is in..
Sunday, December 7, 2008
How to pay a credit card with ING Direct
It took some searching to find directions on how to use an electric orange checking account from ING Direct to pay an online bill. I tested the instructions below using several different accounts.
1. First login to your ing direct account at http://www.ingdirect.com
2. Click on "My Accounts"
3. Write down the number listed under the "Account #" column
4. Combine this number with the Routing Transit Number "031176110", and you should have all the information most credit cards and other online bill services require to pay your bill.
1. First login to your ing direct account at http://www.ingdirect.com
2. Click on "My Accounts"
3. Write down the number listed under the "Account #" column
4. Combine this number with the Routing Transit Number "031176110", and you should have all the information most credit cards and other online bill services require to pay your bill.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
My Workout Routine and Results
This is just an entry to mark my progress, and maybe help others through example. I currently workout twice a week for about 1.5 hours each session.
Routine:
I manage to work all major muscle groups in two days. The exercises are complementary in that the movements designed to work one muscle group also use the other muscle groups that are worked the same day. For example when you bench press, although it is pec focused, you are also using your delts and triceps.
Supplements:
I had alot of new supplements recently donated to me, so I mixed 3 different canisters together which consisted of the following:
Baseline:
I used a tape measure to get my initial measurements. These can be used to track my progress. I was measured with a caliper in 2007 at 184lbs to have 17% body fat, but the accuracy of these tests vary.
9/14/08
Weight 179lbs
Right Arm 14.75" (Flexed)
Left Arm 14.00" (Flexed)
Waist 34.00" (After breakfast)
2 month check:
I really need to be more strict about when I weigh and measure myself. First thing in the morning before eating and after visiting the bathroom would be the ideal time. Still, I think I have made some actual progress.
11/23/08
Weight 180lbs
Right Arm 15.00" (Flexed)
Left Arm 14.50" (Flexed)
Waist 34.25" (After breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Targets:
16" arms, maintain 180lbs, bench 300lbs
Update - 09/03/09:
Right Arm 15.50" (Flexed)
Left Arm 15.00" (Flexed)
Weight 176lbs
My wide grip pulldown weight went up to 220lbs.
After much soul searching, I've decided to give up on my 300lb bench. As I make attempts for 280lbs, my lower back hurts for several days after. I can also feel aches and pains that I never felt before as I continue ageing into my 30's.
I also remember pressing over 1100lbs on the leg press at age 29 and breaking a rib and ripping my groin. I really don't need another experience like that..
For me, my long term health is more important than being able to say I could move a certain amount of weight. So my new plan is to get my weight down between 170-175, and keep my arms between 15-16". Then just maintain that for as long as I can.
Routine:
I manage to work all major muscle groups in two days. The exercises are complementary in that the movements designed to work one muscle group also use the other muscle groups that are worked the same day. For example when you bench press, although it is pec focused, you are also using your delts and triceps.
- Day 1 is pecs, deltoids, triceps
- Bench press sets
- 12 reps @ 135lbs
- 8 reps @ 185lbs
- 5 reps @ 225lbs (3 sets)
- 20 reps @ 135lbs
- Seated shoulder press sets
- 8 reps @ 135lbs (3 sets)
- Forward dumbbell raises (alternating arms during set)
- 16 reps @ 35lbs (3 sets)
- Side dumbbell raises (weight in each hand)
- 16 reps @ 35lbs (3 sets)
- Fixed bar pulley skull crushers
- 12 reps @ 150lbs (3 sets)
- 12 reps @ 150lbs (3 sets)
- Bench press sets
- Day 2 is biceps, lats, traps, quads, hams, glutes, calfs
- Pullups
- 10 pullups (2 sets)
- Standing dumbbell curls (alternating arms during set)
- 16 reps @ 40lbs (4 sets)
- Standing one handed preacher curls (alternating arms during set)
- 16 reps @ 30lbs (1 set)
- Shrugs (dumbbell in each hand so divide total weight by 2)
- 24 reps @ 150 lbs (4 sets)
- Wide grip pull down
- 8 reps @ 200 lbs (2 sets)
- 16 reps @ 140lbs (1 set)
- Machine assisted hack squat (Squating low)
- 12 reps @ 400lbs (1 set)
- Cardio (Treadmill, Alternating Intervals)
- 3 min @ speed 3.4, elev 0
- 3 min @ speed 7.0, elev 1
- 3 min @ speed 3.4, elev 0
- 3 min @ speed 7.0, elev 1
- 3 min @ speed 3.4, elev 0
- Pullups
Supplements:
I had alot of new supplements recently donated to me, so I mixed 3 different canisters together which consisted of the following:
- GNC Soy Protien 95
- GNC Distance
- American Whey
Baseline:
I used a tape measure to get my initial measurements. These can be used to track my progress. I was measured with a caliper in 2007 at 184lbs to have 17% body fat, but the accuracy of these tests vary.
9/14/08
Weight 179lbs
Right Arm 14.75" (Flexed)
Left Arm 14.00" (Flexed)
Waist 34.00" (After breakfast)
2 month check:
I really need to be more strict about when I weigh and measure myself. First thing in the morning before eating and after visiting the bathroom would be the ideal time. Still, I think I have made some actual progress.
11/23/08
Weight 180lbs
Right Arm 15.00" (Flexed)
Left Arm 14.50" (Flexed)
Waist 34.25" (After breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Targets:
16" arms, maintain 180lbs, bench 300lbs
Update - 09/03/09:
Right Arm 15.50" (Flexed)
Left Arm 15.00" (Flexed)
Weight 176lbs
My wide grip pulldown weight went up to 220lbs.
After much soul searching, I've decided to give up on my 300lb bench. As I make attempts for 280lbs, my lower back hurts for several days after. I can also feel aches and pains that I never felt before as I continue ageing into my 30's.
I also remember pressing over 1100lbs on the leg press at age 29 and breaking a rib and ripping my groin. I really don't need another experience like that..
For me, my long term health is more important than being able to say I could move a certain amount of weight. So my new plan is to get my weight down between 170-175, and keep my arms between 15-16". Then just maintain that for as long as I can.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Reinhardt Family Research
-This article is still under development. Please check back for updates-
Introduction:
This is the start of an article I'm writing about one of my forefathers that was fairly easy to track. He's one of the reasons I decided to learn German. While I was trying to decide which 2nd language I wanted to learn, I found all this historical information about my family (I have many Germanic ancestors on both sides). With old letters available to translate, and needing archive searches overseas, picking German was an easy choice to make. Now I have two hobbies: learning German, and researching history.
(He's the one with the mustache - circa 1908)It's all centered around Herr Carl FW Reinhard. I find that ancestry research is the easiest if you simply research a single person until you encounter too many dead leads to move on. At time of writing I still haven't run out of leads to pursue for him.
- German name was Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Reinhard - Ref: Marienkirche in Hanau
- American alias was Charles "Chas" FW Reinhardt - Ref: US Naturalization Papers
- Born: 1/16/1858 – Ref: US Naturalization Papers, Marienkirche in Hanau
- Born in Hanau Germany – Ref: 1920 US Census
- 5' 4" tall - Ref: 1908 US Dept of State document
- Mother and father born in Hanau Germany – Ref: 1920 US Census
- Died: 10/17/1937 in his home on 18 Bayside Ave, Pawtuxet Warwick RI - Ref: Providence Journal Death Notice
- Arrived in US: 10/4/1881 through New York– Ref: 1920 US Census
- Naturalized: 5/14/1890 at Providence district court – Ref: US Naturalization Papers
- Occupation in the US: Jewelry manufacturer (Goldschmied?) (Reinhardt manufacturing, woven wire chains) – Ref: Toy
- Occupation in Germany: Goldarbeiter (Goldworker) - Ref: Meldebüchern
- From a RIGS researcher:
"a city directory from 1912 shows that Reinhardt Mfg was located at 167 Dorrance Street and that Charles H. and William O. Reinhardt also worked there. What was 167 Dorrance Street in the early 1900s is now the site of the Garrahy Judicial Complex, home to Rhode Island District, Family and Workers Compensation Courts. It is on the edge of the city's Jewelry District. In the late 1700s, Nehemiah Dodge of Providence figured out a way to bond a thin layer of gold to less expensive metals, giving rise to the costume jewelry industry. For all but a decade or two of the last 200 years, Rhode Island has been the world capital of the costume jewelry industry. While I can't say what prompted FW to migrate to Providence, it was a logical place for a goldsmith to be."
- Starting in 4/11/1864 he attended the Hanauer Knabenfreischule (Hanau Public School for Boys, sometimes freischule was a school for poor children). The school was renamed 10/1/1864 to Knabenbürgerschule II (State School for Boys, the rename to include the word "bürger" indicates a focus on prepping the pupils for a trade rather than college). In August 1866 he left the school for reasons unknown and went to Dettingen (Baden-Wuerttemberg). In 3/8/1870 he returned to the Knabenbürgerschule.
- His mother died in her home at 25 Schützenstraße. His father died in the Landkrankenhaus (Rural Hospital). The cause of death was not recorded for either parent, and there are no known plagues or disasters in 1871 that were suspected of killing them.
- In 1871, the grandparents were already dead. According to a local historian in Hanau, the children most likely lived with their Uncle Kaspar Reinhard (Born 3/30/1828 in Hanau and
died 12/7/1877 in Hanau). He was a Goldarbeiter or Bronceur and lived at 39 Steinheimer Straße und at 10 Kölnischen Straße among others. - Around 1877, FW lived with Daniel Seitz (Gärtner/Gardener) at 19 Hospitalstraße in Hanau. On 2/16/1877 he announced moving to Frankfurt. Later he lived with his brother Heinrich at 13 Lothringer Gasse in Hanau and then on 11/24/1879 he again announced moving to Frankfurt. After that he lived again with Heinrich at the Hanauer Vorstadt Nr. 3 and announced leaving for Frankfurt on 3/23/1880. Hanau had no other records of his location past 1880.
- Heinrich Reinhard was a Diamantschleifer (Diamond polisher) and Goldarbeiter (Gold worker). He married on 3/11/1877 (evangelisch-reformiert) in Hanau to Susanne
Elisabeth Simon. She was born on 3/9/1855 in Mittelbuchen and was
the daughter of the Ackermanns Johann Michael Simon and Anna Margarethe
(Schmidt). Mittelbuchen has been since 1974 a district of Hanau.
Heinrich and Susanne Elisabeth Reinhard had 2 children:
Marie Luise Mathilde * 7/23/1877
Karl Friedrich Wilhelm * 4/29/1879
The godfather of Karl Friedrich Wilhelm was his uncle Karl Friedrich
Wilhelm Reinhard.
Heinrich Reinhard lived at Vorstadt Nr. 15. On 3/14/1892 he was registered as moving his entire family to Frankfurt. The Meldebücher after 1894 were burned in the war, und thereby it cannot be known if they ever returned to Hanau.
- Ludwig Heinrich Friedrich - 5/28/1863 (Survived WWII living in Germany)
- Mathilde Henriette Maria - 5/16/1854 (His only living sister)
- Heinrich - 3/29/1856
- Johann Karl August Simon - 1/15/1861
- Caroline Christine Leopoldine - 5/25/1865 to 8/5/1865 (Died as an infant)
- Karl Otto - 6/21/1866
- His Parents were married on 3/13/1854.
- Father: Johann(es) Heinrich Reinhard born 11/27/1819 and died 10/3/1871 - Ref: Marienkirche in Hanau
- He was a Zigarrenmacher (Cigar maker) and Aufseher (Supervisor) in der Zigarrenfabrik F.L. Vollbracht.
- His parents Caspar Reinhard and Susanne Schäfer married on 9/25/1815.
- Mother: Maria Amalie Baacke born 4/25/1830 and died 4/16/1871 - Ref: Marienkirche in Hanau
- Her parents Heinrich Baacke and Maria Amalie Heiderich married on 7/9/1813.
- Grandfather (Paternal): Caspar Reinhard
- He was a Seidenstrumpfweber (Silkweaver?).
- Grandmother (Paternal): Susanne Schäfer
- She was the daughter of Ludwig Schäfer from Niederrodenbach.
- She was the daughter of Ludwig Schäfer from Niederrodenbach.
- Grandfather (Maternal): Heinrich Baacke
- He was a Schneidermeister (Master tailor)
- Son of Bernhard Ludwig Baacke from Niederrodenbach.
- He was a Schneidermeister (Master tailor)
- Grandmother (Maternal): Maria Amalie Heiderich
- She was the daughter of the Caffamachers (Coffee Roasters?) Johann Heiderich aus Hanau.
(Niederrodenbach is about 10km east of Hanau.)
(Pedigree Chart)Wife and her Family:
Anna Hermina (Lippold)
Born: Feb 1867 in Connecticut – Ref: 1900 US Census
Died: 1952– Need Ref
Married: August 8th 1884 – Need Ref
Father: Henry Lippold - 1826 - born in Germany (Saxony)
Occupation: Blacksmith - Ref: 1880 US Census
He could read but could not write - Ref: 1880 US Census
Mother: Louisa W. Rumph – Jan 1833 - born in Germany (HessenDarmstadt)
Filed as head of household in 1900 without Henry
Occupation: "Keeping house" (Homemaker?)
Children:
- William Otto (5/19/1885)
- Charles Herbert (1/16/1887 - 1969) (Same birthday as FW!)
- Annie Louise (10/18/1888 - 4/6/1965)
- Theresa Selma (8/1890)
- Emma Alma (3/1892 - 1963) (Went blind?)
- Ernest Edward (11/21/1893 - 1976) (Emmett's father)
- Louisa Freida (2/1895 - 1994)
- Otto Arthur (1/1899 - 1952)
- Henry George (1902 - 1985) (American WWI veteran?)
- Walter Raymond (1906 - 1975)
Other info: (Ref: Toy and Unverified Documents)
- He went deaf in his later years
- He was known to be cold and aristocratic
- There may have been Reinhardts that owned a pub in Frankfurt.
- Anna and FW conversed in German
- He liked automobiles (Cadillacs and DeSotos)
- He had one sister in Cranston/Providence (Hermina/Mina?)
- Mina had a daughter named Clara
- He may have had a brother named Frederick who may have lived in New England
- He had 3 other brothers in Germany named Fritz (born 1863), Heinrich (had a grandson and a grand daughter that were siblings), and Otto
- Heinrich had a grandson that served in WWII (I'm assuming Heinrich's children all lived in Germany)
- Clothes were sent to the surviving Reinhardt’s after WWII (According to a 1948 letter)
- His brother Fritz called him "Wilhelm" (According to a 1948 letter)
- He raised his children episcopalian, but he had church records at Marienkirche Hanau
- Married Anna Hermina Lippold August 8th 1884 (A first gen American, although parents were both German)
- American civil war (1861-1865)
- Germany controlled by William I + Otto Von Bismarck (1862-1888)
- Prussia annexes Kurhessen (1866)
- Germany unites as a country (1871)
- Germany annexes France and demands indemnity payments, ending the Franco-Prussian war (1871)
- Bismarck fights against Catholic political resistance (1871-1876)
- Germany’s 2nd Reich (1871-1918)
- German economic crash - gruenderzeit bubble burst (1873-1896)
- The Goldmark (officially: just Mark) became the new currency of Germany (1873 - 1914)
- Bismarck bans socialist activities following two attempts on the life of emperor William I(1878)
- Tariffs and an increase in indirect taxes were introduced in Germany to favor protectionism (1879)
- Edison’s first public display of incandescent lighting in America (Dec 31st 1879)
- America controlled by president Rutherford B. Hayes and briefly in 1881 by James Garfield (1877-1881)
- America controlled by president Chester Arther (1881-1885)
- Benz designs and builds the world's first automobile in Germany (1885)
- Ellis Island immigration station opened in America (Jan 2nd 1892)
- US declares war on Germany (April 1917)
- Males born 1872-1900 were registered for the WWI draft
- Males born 1872-1900 were registered for the WWI draft
- Armistice signed between Germany and allies (Nov 1918)
- In 1880-1890 most workers in MA worked 10h per day and made $3 or less per day. (Closest state to RI I could find data for) - Ref: Wholesale Prices, Wages, and Transportation - By United States Congress
- A decent loaf of bread cost about 5 cents in the early 1890s
- The 1880's - The "new immigration" period brought many people from Germany and other parts of Europe to the U.S. to escape from a devastating economic situation. The rise of steamships and ocean liners made this possible. A record 250,000 Germans came to the states in 1882 alone. - Ref: German National Tourist Office
A. His family wrote him a letter in 1909 from Frankfurt am Main
- The letter appears to have been written by the daughter of his sister Mathilde, who was also named Mathilde? (signed Mathilde Rias ..... you can try to read the last name in the image below)
- FW had requested that his sister Mathilde come to live with him in America, but this letter is a reply stating that they prefer she stay where she is at age 55. "In the end we three persons had the opinion that she should stay here, because it’s a big and onerous journey for her"
- The letter states there was a horrible flood in Frankfurt, and they included some pictures
- The letter states Mathilde's husband "August" died in January
(Envelope front)
(Envelope back)
(The part of the letter describing the flood)
(A pic of the flood)
(The author's signature)
(Frankfurt am Main is about 20km west of Hanau. The letter also mentions meeting people in Sachsenhausen.)
(The letter mentions that Mathilde had business dealings on Hedderichstrasse)B. He took a trip to Germany and back with his wife Anna in 1908.
- Cruise vessel “Königin Luise” took Charles and his wife Anna from the US to Germany in March 1908.
- Cruise vessel “Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse” took Charles and his wife Anna from Bremen Germany to NY in May 1908
(A menu from the return to America)
(A menu from the trip to Germany)
(The actual ship manifest for the return to America)
(A pic of Kaiser Wilhelm Der Grosse)C. His petition for citizenship (heard and granted in 1890)
(Reproduced from NARA Boston - District court of Rhode Island)
(Reproduced from NARA Boston - District court of Rhode Island)D. The 1920 census
(Town of Warwick, Kent County, Rhode Island, Enum Dist 19, Sheet 16)
(Town of Warwick, Kent County, Rhode Island, Enum Dist 19, Sheet 16)E. A 1948 coin from Hessen, which was recently donated to me by my mother. It was most likely passed down from one of FW's children. This was probably what FW's father used in Hanau as currency.
Here's some info on the coin which I haven't fully translated or validated yet:
"Das 3-Heller-Stück kommt, wie es ja auch draufsteht aus Kurhessen, das mit Darmstadt rein gar nichts zu tun hatte. Kurhessen war das Kurfürstentum Hessen-Kassel, Residenz war logischerweise Kassel und sein damaliger Landesherr war Kurfürst Wilhelm II. und sein Sohn Friedrich Wilhelm. Kurhessen wurde nach dem Krieg 1866 von Preußen annektiert. Das Land hatte drei Prägestätten: Kassel, Clausthal und Lippoldsberg. Da auf dem 3-Heller-Stück aber kein Prägebuchstabe zu sehen ist, kann man auch nicht feststellen, in welcher der drei Prägestätten das Stück gefertigt wurde. Auflagezahlen sind nicht bekannt, dürften aber erfahrungsgemäß in die Hunderttausende gehen. Darmstadt hingegen war die Residenzstadt des Großherzogtums Hessen, auch Hessen-Darmstadt bezeichnet. Dort regierte zum selben Zeitpunkt Großherzog Ludwig II."
"The Thaler was the currency of the Landgravate, then Electorate of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) until 1858. Until 1807, the Thaler was subdivided into 32 Albus, each of 12 Heller. It was worth three quarters of a Conventionsthaler.Between 1807 and 1813, the Westphalian Thaler and Westphalian Frank circulated in Hesse-Kassel. The Thaler and Heller were reintroduced in 1813, but without the Albus (the last coins denominated in Albus were issued in 1782). Thus, 384 Heller = 1 Thaler. In 1819, the Thaler was set equal to the Prussian Thaler. In 1841, a new currency system was introduced, dividing the Thaler into 30 Silbergroschen, each of 12 Heller. The Thaler was replaced at par by the Vereinsthaler."
(This picture shows an identical coin from a different year in much better shape)
F. FW's birth record from the Taufbuch Marienkirche (evangelisch - reformiert) Hanau
Ort and Tag der Taufe = Place and day of baptism/christening.
(The script is really hard to read, but I had an expert verify it. I'm still analyzing the record for other clues)
G. A 1909 newspaper article containing information about some property FW owned.
(Indicates he retired in 1924)
Here's some info on the coin which I haven't fully translated or validated yet:
"Das 3-Heller-Stück kommt, wie es ja auch draufsteht aus Kurhessen, das mit Darmstadt rein gar nichts zu tun hatte. Kurhessen war das Kurfürstentum Hessen-Kassel, Residenz war logischerweise Kassel und sein damaliger Landesherr war Kurfürst Wilhelm II. und sein Sohn Friedrich Wilhelm. Kurhessen wurde nach dem Krieg 1866 von Preußen annektiert. Das Land hatte drei Prägestätten: Kassel, Clausthal und Lippoldsberg. Da auf dem 3-Heller-Stück aber kein Prägebuchstabe zu sehen ist, kann man auch nicht feststellen, in welcher der drei Prägestätten das Stück gefertigt wurde. Auflagezahlen sind nicht bekannt, dürften aber erfahrungsgemäß in die Hunderttausende gehen. Darmstadt hingegen war die Residenzstadt des Großherzogtums Hessen, auch Hessen-Darmstadt bezeichnet. Dort regierte zum selben Zeitpunkt Großherzog Ludwig II."
"The Thaler was the currency of the Landgravate, then Electorate of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) until 1858. Until 1807, the Thaler was subdivided into 32 Albus, each of 12 Heller. It was worth three quarters of a Conventionsthaler.Between 1807 and 1813, the Westphalian Thaler and Westphalian Frank circulated in Hesse-Kassel. The Thaler and Heller were reintroduced in 1813, but without the Albus (the last coins denominated in Albus were issued in 1782). Thus, 384 Heller = 1 Thaler. In 1819, the Thaler was set equal to the Prussian Thaler. In 1841, a new currency system was introduced, dividing the Thaler into 30 Silbergroschen, each of 12 Heller. The Thaler was replaced at par by the Vereinsthaler."
(This picture shows an identical coin from a different year in much better shape)F. FW's birth record from the Taufbuch Marienkirche (evangelisch - reformiert) Hanau
Ort and Tag der Taufe = Place and day of baptism/christening.
(The script is really hard to read, but I had an expert verify it. I'm still analyzing the record for other clues)G. A 1909 newspaper article containing information about some property FW owned.
"New Park Commission Purchase" (Newport Daily News – Wed July 21 1909)
*Did the newspaper make an error here and actually meant to print Thoeme?
H. FW's death certificate
(Indicates he retired in 1924)Resources:
Book plans
I'd like to eventually put all this loose data into a book of some kind as a keepsake for my family. I'll use this section to jot down my ideas.
-This article is still under development. Please check back for updates-
- NARA Waltham, MA - Good for finding citizenship papers and other info
- The Ellis Island Foundation - Has searchable ship manifests
- The church of LDS - Their libraries have a wealth of information, and also offer things like free ancestry.com census searches
- Ancestry dot com - If you have the money, this is the quickest way to find good data fast!
- Google Earth - Lets you find almost any place on the planet, even in other languages.
- Google Translate - Not perfect, but very useful for both cut and paste translation along with full web page translation.
- GenealogyJ - A free GED viewer. (family trees, timelines, etc)
Book plans
I'd like to eventually put all this loose data into a book of some kind as a keepsake for my family. I'll use this section to jot down my ideas.
- Use google book search to help reinforce my reference section (niche history sometimes requires rare books)
- Put all the artifacts in the appendix section as complete as possible (meaning the full raw text)
- Use the cafepress self-publish service?
- http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/sell/books.aspx
- 7.5 x 9.25 Technical Manual, Perfect Bound, Color Cover/BW Pages
- The book cover can be a collage of family photos, state seals, and location photos
- Time period will cover 1858-1937 as it follows FW
- Remember to thank those that helped from NARA and the Hanau Archives.
- Include digital version of the book with the book on CD/Flash drive? Include URL to blog version of book?
- Kurz Selbstbiografie
- List the age of the characters for reference as events are explained.
- Include pedigree chart
- Find out how long it took to travel from Bremen to NY by steamship. How long between Hanau and Frankfurt by train.
- Make selbstbiografie more of a foward and explain all the nationalities in me
- Have appendix of addresses mentioned
- Include other appendices and think of other useful ways to chop up the data
- Include emails and letters from all German archiv in the appendix
- Resize all photos 7.5 x 9.25
- What happened to the Reinhardt children living in Germany? Can the family tree be traced forward to find living relatives that might have more information? (I'm hoping to find a great-grand-child between 80-95 years old) Heinrich had a son that may have lived in Bad-Nauheim 7/8/1948.
- Who else lived in Frankfurt related to Mathilde and where did they live? Who signed the 1909 letter? (Can we find records of the January 1909 death of Mathilde's husband August?)
- What did FW take for money in 1881 and how did he convert it to US currency?
- Did the Reinhard family speak Hessisch? (In addition to Hochdeutsch?)
- What was FW doing in Frankfurt 1877-1880? Who did he know that lived there? (The Hanau archive speculates that he might have moved around because of joining the military or perhaps for his occupation)
- What became of Heinrich's life in Frankfurt? Is there information about his marriage, children, and death? (Born 3/29/1856)
- Did his brother Friedrich have a daughter named Mina?
- Was Mina (Thieme) really FW's sister? (Born 1859, and ran bathhouses at Edgewood beach.)
- Which other Reinhardt's other than FW came to live in America?
- How did FW amass his wealth? Did he inherit money from his parents/uncle?
- Are there any living Reinhardts in the US that might be able to help with research?
- Is there any evidence to support that FW killed Mr. Taylor in Slocum with his car? Rumor says he then put his car in the barn and never drove it again.
- Are we connected to the Reinhards that built the Reinhardskirche (Hanau Grafschaft)?
Some searching can be done here:
http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/index.php/Datenbanken
- Find info about the Reinhardts in Frankfurt 1877-1910
- Information about their business?
- Historical photos?
- Reference 1909 address, Heinrich's move to Frankfurt with his family(3/14/1892), August's 1909 death.
- Get economic information for the timeperiod 1877-1892 (Frankfurt, Hanau, and Rhode Island)
- More clues of photos in the "Henry A.L. Brown" collection? (Henry might still be alive, but how do I contact him?)
http://mygfna.com/History.html - FW's son William Reinhardt (JR) took over the American jewelry business (Any records with clues?) (Peerless Margarine)
- Get original 1948 letter from Heinrich's grandchild.
- Did FW buy a farm in 1927 in North Kingstown (Kingston?)
- What was the Reinhardt family connection with the Herkimil diamond?
- Check for google earth photos for any of the historic streets mentioned in the Hanau documents.
- He probably needed some horse drawn transportation in 1877-1880 for all his moving around, but was rail also available?
- From the mitgliederliste des ADAV: Johann and Otto Reinhard were both a Zigarrenarbeiter at age 13 and 8 respectively?
- Did his family send him away in 1866 due to Prussia's annexation of Kurhessen?
- Need more info about the history of his brothers Johann and Karl.
- What did toys look like and what did people eat in Hanau 1855-1865?
- What did toys look like and what did people eat in Rhode Island 1885-1905?
- Find other historical facts (Telephone, Film, Prohibition, Female voting)
- Research the Reinhardt kids in the US. (Otto Arthur, etc)
Monday, November 10, 2008
Transition from mental translation to instant comprehension
Something interesting happened today, I was listening to a German talk show when suddenly I realized that I wasn't translating it to english in my mind before understanding it. It took 3 years of moderate immersion in the language for this to happen, and a lot of practice went into it, but things finally just clicked into place.
I look forward to breakthroughs like these because they always make me feel like all the work I've put in was well worth it. :-)
I look forward to breakthroughs like these because they always make me feel like all the work I've put in was well worth it. :-)
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Learning German - tips and shortcuts
After 3 years of teaching myself German, I've decided to publish some shortcuts and tips that I've learned along the way.
1. Adjectives and Grammar - There are obviously a lot of rules in German grammar that intimidate many of the people attempting to learn the language. In English you would say "I would like the red apple", but it German it would be "Ich moechte den roten Apfel". In this example der becomes den and rot becomes roten. However, what I have found is that you can usually skip it and the audience will still understand what you're writing/saying. For example, you could simply say "Ich moechte der rote Apfel" and most would understand you. I've found that simply adding an "e" to the end of any adjective seems to work, but remember that there is no ending if the adjective is used at the end of the sentence ie: "Der Apfel ist rot".
One thing to keep in mind on this trick is that even though they understand you, adding an"e" to every adjective often results in a sentence that can be understood but still sounds wrong. However I think this shortcut is valuable because it leaves me free to learn more important things like how to properly construct a sentence, when to use du, dich, or dir and how to conjugate my verbs. One example of proper sentence construction is the translation of "I remember", which in German it would be "ich erinnere mich". There are countless examples like this where unless you know which words need to accompany the verb, your listener will be left hanging waiting for you to complete the sentence.
2. Word Gender - This is a new concept for English speakers. How can a objects like tables (in this case male - der tisch) have a sex? In English we simply use "the" for everything. The answer is, there is no logical way to do it so you have to memorize the sex (male-der, female-die, neuter-das) that goes with the word. However, every plural word I've seen uses "die". This means you could in theory always use the plural form of what you're trying to say and then in turn could always use "die". Even better, the plural form of a noun in German often doesn't even use "die" in the sentence ie: "Ich mag Aepfel". This is exactly how plural nouns function in English ie: "I eat apples."
3. Word pronunciation - My best tip here is to immerse yourself in listening to native speakers everyday. Watch TV and movies in German, listen to music in German, and try to repeat back what you hear. At first all the words will seem to run together and sound like gibberish, but eventually you'll be able to hear and separate each word. You won't understand everything right away and that is ok! After 3 years, I can listen to something and write down what was said even if I didn't already know all the words that were used. I feel that German spelling rules were easier to learn than English because they seem to have less exceptions.
4. Verbs - Verb tables are your friend! There's really no way around memorizing a lot of verbs. Fortunately most past tense forms end in "t" or "en" and most future tense forms end in "en", but there are exceptions. There's quite a few different tenses for each verb, but I've found just using the past, present and future tenses are enough. If you memorize nothing else, make sure you learn all the forms of "haben" and "werden"!
5. Ob and Wenn - They seem similar to an english speaker that's used to having only one word for "if". Here's some examples to help clarify when to use which one.
If it is going to rain by tomorrow, (I don't know yet.), i will stay at home.
(Wenn es morgen regnet (Ich weiß aber nicht, ob es morgen regnen wird), dann bleibe ich zuhause.)
By a rule of thumb i'd say, whenever you can construct a sentence by using "whether" in English, it is safe to use "ob" in German.
I don't know, whether you (will) understand this.
Ich weiß nicht, ob Du das verstehst.
6. Don't be scared to try! - Of course you'll sound horrible the first few years, but you'll NEVER improve unless you practice. Most of the German people I've met had a lot of patience and were very kind to me as I struggled to speak and understand what was said.
That's it for now, I'll post more as I think of it. :-)
1. Adjectives and Grammar - There are obviously a lot of rules in German grammar that intimidate many of the people attempting to learn the language. In English you would say "I would like the red apple", but it German it would be "Ich moechte den roten Apfel". In this example der becomes den and rot becomes roten. However, what I have found is that you can usually skip it and the audience will still understand what you're writing/saying. For example, you could simply say "Ich moechte der rote Apfel" and most would understand you. I've found that simply adding an "e" to the end of any adjective seems to work, but remember that there is no ending if the adjective is used at the end of the sentence ie: "Der Apfel ist rot".
One thing to keep in mind on this trick is that even though they understand you, adding an"e" to every adjective often results in a sentence that can be understood but still sounds wrong. However I think this shortcut is valuable because it leaves me free to learn more important things like how to properly construct a sentence, when to use du, dich, or dir and how to conjugate my verbs. One example of proper sentence construction is the translation of "I remember", which in German it would be "ich erinnere mich". There are countless examples like this where unless you know which words need to accompany the verb, your listener will be left hanging waiting for you to complete the sentence.
2. Word Gender - This is a new concept for English speakers. How can a objects like tables (in this case male - der tisch) have a sex? In English we simply use "the" for everything. The answer is, there is no logical way to do it so you have to memorize the sex (male-der, female-die, neuter-das) that goes with the word. However, every plural word I've seen uses "die". This means you could in theory always use the plural form of what you're trying to say and then in turn could always use "die". Even better, the plural form of a noun in German often doesn't even use "die" in the sentence ie: "Ich mag Aepfel". This is exactly how plural nouns function in English ie: "I eat apples."
3. Word pronunciation - My best tip here is to immerse yourself in listening to native speakers everyday. Watch TV and movies in German, listen to music in German, and try to repeat back what you hear. At first all the words will seem to run together and sound like gibberish, but eventually you'll be able to hear and separate each word. You won't understand everything right away and that is ok! After 3 years, I can listen to something and write down what was said even if I didn't already know all the words that were used. I feel that German spelling rules were easier to learn than English because they seem to have less exceptions.
4. Verbs - Verb tables are your friend! There's really no way around memorizing a lot of verbs. Fortunately most past tense forms end in "t" or "en" and most future tense forms end in "en", but there are exceptions. There's quite a few different tenses for each verb, but I've found just using the past, present and future tenses are enough. If you memorize nothing else, make sure you learn all the forms of "haben" and "werden"!
5. Ob and Wenn - They seem similar to an english speaker that's used to having only one word for "if". Here's some examples to help clarify when to use which one.
If it is going to rain by tomorrow, (I don't know yet.), i will stay at home.
(Wenn es morgen regnet (Ich weiß aber nicht, ob es morgen regnen wird), dann bleibe ich zuhause.)
By a rule of thumb i'd say, whenever you can construct a sentence by using "whether" in English, it is safe to use "ob" in German.
I don't know, whether you (will) understand this.
Ich weiß nicht, ob Du das verstehst.
6. Don't be scared to try! - Of course you'll sound horrible the first few years, but you'll NEVER improve unless you practice. Most of the German people I've met had a lot of patience and were very kind to me as I struggled to speak and understand what was said.
That's it for now, I'll post more as I think of it. :-)
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Silbermond - In zeiten wie diesen (translation)
Here's a translation I did for Silbermond's song "In zeiten wie diesen". You've probably figured out by now that I'm a big Silbermond fan.. ;-)
Please comment if you find any mistakes please!
German to English translation (Deutsch nach Englisch)
Warum sind wir hier
*Why are we here
Sind wir hier um Egoist zu sein
*Are we here to be egoist
Bis der Neid eskaliert
*Until the envy escalates
Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that
Ich frag mich, ist es wahr
*I ask myself, is it true
Sind wir hier um uns abzuknalln
*Are we here to blow ourselves away
Um uns mit Blut zu beschmiern
*in order to smear ourselves with blood
Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that
In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
Ist es Zeit neu anzufangen
*It's time to begin anew
Denn aus Zeiten wie diesen
*Because from times like these
Gibt es keinen Notausgang
*There is no emergency exit
Wir haben längst schon bewiesen
*We've long since proven
Dass wir die Kraft haben
*That we have the power
Mauern zu Fall zu bring´
*to bring down walls
Lasst es uns beschließen
*Let's conclude
In Zeiten wie diesen...
*In times like these...
Warum sind wir hier
*Why are we here
Sind wir hier um Nazi zu sein
*Are we here to be Nazis
und nicht aus Fehlern zu lernen
*and not to learn from mistakes
Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that
Es ist mir nicht klar
*it's not clear to me
Sind wir hier um zu zerstören
*are we here to destroy
Dich mich und den rest der Welt
*you, me, and the rest of the world
Nein dafür sind wie nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that
In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
Ist es Zeit neu anzufangen
*It's time to begin anew
Denn aus Zeiten wie diesen
*Because from times like these
Gibt es keinen Notausgang
*There is no emergency exit
Wir haben längst schon bewiesen
*We've long since proven
Dass wir die Kraft haben
*That we have the power
Mauern zu Fall zu bring´
*to bring down walls
Lasst es uns beschließen
*Let's conclude
In Zeiten wie diesen...
*In times like these...
Sind wir hier um unsere Seelen gegen geld zu taschen
*Are we here to exchange our souls for money
und um Gott zu spieln
*and to play god
Wir erschießen uns für schwarzes Gold
*We shoot ourselves for black gold
Sind Kamikazeflieger, sind wir dafür hier
*are kamikaze pilots, are we here for that
Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that
Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that
Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that
Wir sind hier um Mensch zu sein
*we're here to be human beings
In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
Ist es Zeit neu anzufangen
*It's time to begin anew
Denn aus Zeiten wie diesen
*Because from times like these
Gibt es keinen Notausgang
*There is no emergency exit
In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
halten wir uns fest
*we hold ourselves tight
In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
stirbt die Hoffnung zuletzt
*hope is the last to die
dass auch Zeiten wie diese
*that even times like these
irgendwann zu Ende sind
*are to end sometime
In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
Gibt es keinen Notausgang
*There is no emergency exit
In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
fängt alles bei mir an
*everything begins with me
Please comment if you find any mistakes please!
German to English translation (Deutsch nach Englisch)
Warum sind wir hier
*Why are we here
Sind wir hier um Egoist zu sein
*Are we here to be egoist
Bis der Neid eskaliert
*Until the envy escalates
Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that
Ich frag mich, ist es wahr
*I ask myself, is it true
Sind wir hier um uns abzuknalln
*Are we here to blow ourselves away
Um uns mit Blut zu beschmiern
*in order to smear ourselves with blood
Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that
In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
Ist es Zeit neu anzufangen
*It's time to begin anew
Denn aus Zeiten wie diesen
*Because from times like these
Gibt es keinen Notausgang
*There is no emergency exit
Wir haben längst schon bewiesen
*We've long since proven
Dass wir die Kraft haben
*That we have the power
Mauern zu Fall zu bring´
*to bring down walls
Lasst es uns beschließen
*Let's conclude
In Zeiten wie diesen...
*In times like these...
Warum sind wir hier
*Why are we here
Sind wir hier um Nazi zu sein
*Are we here to be Nazis
und nicht aus Fehlern zu lernen
*and not to learn from mistakes
Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that
Es ist mir nicht klar
*it's not clear to me
Sind wir hier um zu zerstören
*are we here to destroy
Dich mich und den rest der Welt
*you, me, and the rest of the world
Nein dafür sind wie nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that
In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
Ist es Zeit neu anzufangen
*It's time to begin anew
Denn aus Zeiten wie diesen
*Because from times like these
Gibt es keinen Notausgang
*There is no emergency exit
Wir haben längst schon bewiesen
*We've long since proven
Dass wir die Kraft haben
*That we have the power
Mauern zu Fall zu bring´
*to bring down walls
Lasst es uns beschließen
*Let's conclude
In Zeiten wie diesen...
*In times like these...
Sind wir hier um unsere Seelen gegen geld zu taschen
*Are we here to exchange our souls for money
und um Gott zu spieln
*and to play god
Wir erschießen uns für schwarzes Gold
*We shoot ourselves for black gold
Sind Kamikazeflieger, sind wir dafür hier
*are kamikaze pilots, are we here for that
Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that
Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that
Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that
Wir sind hier um Mensch zu sein
*we're here to be human beings
In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
Ist es Zeit neu anzufangen
*It's time to begin anew
Denn aus Zeiten wie diesen
*Because from times like these
Gibt es keinen Notausgang
*There is no emergency exit
In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
halten wir uns fest
*we hold ourselves tight
In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
stirbt die Hoffnung zuletzt
*hope is the last to die
dass auch Zeiten wie diese
*that even times like these
irgendwann zu Ende sind
*are to end sometime
In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
Gibt es keinen Notausgang
*There is no emergency exit
In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
fängt alles bei mir an
*everything begins with me
Friday, November 7, 2008
Silbermond - An Dich (translation)
Here's a translation I did for Silbermond's song "An Dich".
German to English translation (Deutsch nach Englisch)
An dich, ging jede Zeile, die ich jemals schrieb
*To you, went every line that I ever wrote
Und um dich, dreht sich mein Gesicht
*And my face turns around you
Schweissueberstroemt lieg ich im bett und kann nicht mehr
*dripping with sweat I lie in bed and can't anymore
Dich nicht mehr sehen, verstehen, wie es so weit kam
*can't see you anymore, understand, how it came so far
Doch nun bin ich bereit fuer ne neue Zeit
*Yes now I'm ready for a new time
Vergiss mich, dreh dich nicht um
*Forget me, don't turn around
lass mich hier stehen
*leave me here standing
Du wirst sehen es wird gehen auch ohne dich
*You will see, it will work, even without you
Vermiss mich, lass mich hier stehen und ich sag dir nie
*miss me, leave me here standing and I say to you never
niemals wirst du mich wiedersehen, hey.
*never ever, will you see me again, hey.
An dich werd ich noch denken wenn ich nicht mehr hier bin
*Will I still think about you if I'm no longer here
Niemals vergessen, dass es mir mit dir immer gut ging
*Never ever forget, that it always went good for me with you
Verdammt beschissen steh ich da, hin und her gerissen
*It's damn crappy how I stand there, torn back and forth
Und eins ist klar, es war
*and one thing is clear, it was
Doch nun bin ich bereit fuer ne neue Zeit
*Yes now I'm ready for a new time
Vergiss mich, dreh dich nicht um
*Forget me, don't turn around
lass mich hier stehen
*leave me here standing
Du wirst sehen es wird gehen auch ohne dich
*You will see, it will work, even without you
Vermiss mich, lass mich hier stehen und ich sag dir nie
*miss me, leave me here standing and I say to you never
niemals wirst du mich wiedersehen, hey.
*never ever, will you see me again, hey.
Es ist an dich, denn um dich dreht sich´s,
*It's about you, because it revolves around you
um dich dreht sich´s, um dich dreht sich´s
*it revolves around you, it revolves around you.
German to English translation (Deutsch nach Englisch)
An dich, ging jede Zeile, die ich jemals schrieb
*To you, went every line that I ever wrote
Und um dich, dreht sich mein Gesicht
*And my face turns around you
Schweissueberstroemt lieg ich im bett und kann nicht mehr
*dripping with sweat I lie in bed and can't anymore
Dich nicht mehr sehen, verstehen, wie es so weit kam
*can't see you anymore, understand, how it came so far
Doch nun bin ich bereit fuer ne neue Zeit
*Yes now I'm ready for a new time
Vergiss mich, dreh dich nicht um
*Forget me, don't turn around
lass mich hier stehen
*leave me here standing
Du wirst sehen es wird gehen auch ohne dich
*You will see, it will work, even without you
Vermiss mich, lass mich hier stehen und ich sag dir nie
*miss me, leave me here standing and I say to you never
niemals wirst du mich wiedersehen, hey.
*never ever, will you see me again, hey.
An dich werd ich noch denken wenn ich nicht mehr hier bin
*Will I still think about you if I'm no longer here
Niemals vergessen, dass es mir mit dir immer gut ging
*Never ever forget, that it always went good for me with you
Verdammt beschissen steh ich da, hin und her gerissen
*It's damn crappy how I stand there, torn back and forth
Und eins ist klar, es war
*and one thing is clear, it was
Doch nun bin ich bereit fuer ne neue Zeit
*Yes now I'm ready for a new time
Vergiss mich, dreh dich nicht um
*Forget me, don't turn around
lass mich hier stehen
*leave me here standing
Du wirst sehen es wird gehen auch ohne dich
*You will see, it will work, even without you
Vermiss mich, lass mich hier stehen und ich sag dir nie
*miss me, leave me here standing and I say to you never
niemals wirst du mich wiedersehen, hey.
*never ever, will you see me again, hey.
Es ist an dich, denn um dich dreht sich´s,
*It's about you, because it revolves around you
um dich dreht sich´s, um dich dreht sich´s
*it revolves around you, it revolves around you.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Adding a Linux swap partition
I'm putting this howto in my blog to make it easier to find later when I need it again. I typically use it to resize swap partitions. I tested these instructions with RHEL 4.
To add a swap partition (assuming /dev/hdb2 is the swap partition you want to add):
Turn off all the swap space on the hard drive with the swapoff command.
Create the swap partition using parted or fdisk. Using parted is easier than fdisk; thus, only parted will be explained. To create a swap partition with parted:
At a shell prompt as root, type the command parted /dev/hdb, where /dev/hdb is the device name for the hard drive with free space.
At the (parted) prompt, type print to view the existing partitions and the amount of free space. The start and end values are in megabytes. Determine how much free space is on the hard drive and how much you want to allocate for a new swap partition.
At the (parted) prompt, type mkpartfs part-type linux-swap start end, where part-type is one of primary, extended, or logical, start is the starting point of the partition, and end is the end point of the partition.
Warning Changes take place immediately; be careful when you type.
Exit parted by typing quit.
Now that you have the swap partition, use the command mkswap to setup the swap partition. At a shell prompt as root, type the following:
mkswap /dev/hdb2
To enable the swap partition immediately, type the following command:
swapon /dev/hdb2
To enable it at boot time, edit /etc/fstab to include:
/dev/hdb2 swap swap defaults 0 0
The next time the system boots, it will enable the new swap partition.
After adding the new swap partition and enabling it, make sure it is enabled using the free command.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
German Learning Resources
To help fellow english speakers learning german, I've compiled a list of learning resources. I'll update and maintain it as I have time.
1. http://www.byki.com/ - $40 German practice drill software. Free version lets you see how it works.
2. http://www.verbix.com/languages/german.shtml - Free online verb conjugator
3. http://www.muenchen-tv.de/ - News and streaming TV from Munich
4. http://www.dradio.de/dlf/ - Streaming german radio. Great way to practice your listening skills. Can be ripped into mp3/ogg to listen later or grab the shows you want to hear.
5.http://www.amazon.com/Collins-Concise-Dictionary-HarperCollins-Dictionaries/dp/0062760580/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218166183&sr=8-9
One of the better paper dictionaries in my opinion.
6.http://www.amazon.com/German-Idioms-Barrons-Henry-Strutz/dp/0812090101/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218166327&sr=1-1
A bit more advanced, but entertaining to read at any level. Helps you translate sayings like "having a skeleton in the closet"
7. http://www.dict.cc - the online dictionary I use the most
8. http://www.amazon.de/Glaubeliebetod-Premium-Oomph/dp/B000ELL1KI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1218166457&sr=8-4 - One of my fav German bands (you can listen to samples for free)
1. http://www.byki.com/ - $40 German practice drill software. Free version lets you see how it works.
2. http://www.verbix.com/languages/german.shtml - Free online verb conjugator
3. http://www.muenchen-tv.de/ - News and streaming TV from Munich
4. http://www.dradio.de/dlf/ - Streaming german radio. Great way to practice your listening skills. Can be ripped into mp3/ogg to listen later or grab the shows you want to hear.
5.http://www.amazon.com/Collins-Concise-Dictionary-HarperCollins-Dictionaries/dp/0062760580/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218166183&sr=8-9
One of the better paper dictionaries in my opinion.
6.http://www.amazon.com/German-Idioms-Barrons-Henry-Strutz/dp/0812090101/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218166327&sr=1-1
A bit more advanced, but entertaining to read at any level. Helps you translate sayings like "having a skeleton in the closet"
7. http://www.dict.cc - the online dictionary I use the most
8. http://www.amazon.de/Glaubeliebetod-Premium-Oomph/dp/B000ELL1KI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1218166457&sr=8-4 - One of my fav German bands (you can listen to samples for free)
Friday, October 31, 2008
Making Linux a Router or Gateway
Here's an example of how to set up simple routing on a Linux box.
Setup:
A Linux box with two NICs
Two network switches
Two or more additional computers
1. Add this line to your /etc/sysctl.conf file and comment everything else out
net.ipv4.ip_forward = 1
2. Modify the following files in /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts
ifcfg-eth0
DEVICE=eth0
IPADDR=192.168.80.138
NETMASK=255.255.255.0
GATEWAY=192.168.80.1
ifcfg-eth1
DEVICE=eth1
IPADDR=192.168.49.132
NETMASK=255.255.255.0
GATEWAY=192.168.49.2
route-eth0
GATEWAY0=192.168.49.132
NETMASK0=255.255.255.0
ADDRESS0=192.168.49.0
route-eth1
GATEWAY0=192.168.80.138
NETMASK0=255.255.255.0
ADDRESS0=192.168.80.0
3. Setup your other machines so that their gateway is 192.168.49.132 or 192.168.80.138
Use the GUI in Windows or use the following command in Linux:
route add default gw 192.168.80.138
Test from windows client:
>ipconfig
Windows IP Configuration
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.80.142
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.80.138
>tracert 192.168.49.130
Tracing route to 192.168.49.130 over a maximum of 30 hops
1 1 ms <1 style="font-weight: bold;">
Setup:
A Linux box with two NICs
Two network switches
Two or more additional computers
1. Add this line to your /etc/sysctl.conf file and comment everything else out
net.ipv4.ip_forward = 1
2. Modify the following files in /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts
ifcfg-eth0
DEVICE=eth0
IPADDR=192.168.80.138
NETMASK=255.255.255.0
GATEWAY=192.168.80.1
ifcfg-eth1
DEVICE=eth1
IPADDR=192.168.49.132
NETMASK=255.255.255.0
GATEWAY=192.168.49.2
route-eth0
GATEWAY0=192.168.49.132
NETMASK0=255.255.255.0
ADDRESS0=192.168.49.0
route-eth1
GATEWAY0=192.168.80.138
NETMASK0=255.255.255.0
ADDRESS0=192.168.80.0
3. Setup your other machines so that their gateway is 192.168.49.132 or 192.168.80.138
Use the GUI in Windows or use the following command in Linux:
route add default gw 192.168.80.138
Test from windows client:
>ipconfig
Windows IP Configuration
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.80.142
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.80.138
>tracert 192.168.49.130
Tracing route to 192.168.49.130 over a maximum of 30 hops
1 1 ms <1 style="font-weight: bold;">
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Cold air intake experiment
How much difference in temperature is there between the following locations?
1. Short Ram Filter Location
2. Cold Air Filter Location
3. Open Air Filter Location
I decided to test this out for myself with a GE temp monitor with external probe. I currently have a cold air intake on my 96 Civic LX which positions the filter under the passenger side headlamp, behind the front bumper. I was considering cutting a hole in the front bumper to cool down the air where the filter was sucking, and I wanted to know if there was a large enough difference between the outside temp and the inside bumper temp to be worth it. While I was at it, I decided to test if the Cold Air system was even worth it. The answers are, the Cold Air System is worth it, cutting up the front bumper to cool down the air to the Cold Air System is not.
Here's why:
*All stop temp's were recorded after 5 minutes of parking.
*All moving temps were recorded after 10 minutes of 40mph cruising.
Outside Stop Temp - 92 deg F
Outside Moving Temp - 85 deg F
CAI Stop Temp - 101 deg F
CAI Moving Temp - 87 deg F
Short Ram Stop Temp - 138 deg F
Short Ram Moving Temp - 89 deg F
There is something very important to note about the measurements above. I only had to drive about 700 feet before the CAI temp reached it's lowest point of 87 deg, I had to drive 4 miles for the Short Ram temp to reach it's lowest point.
The short ram filter location takes a very long time to cool down while driving, and it heats up very quickly when you stop. In contrast the cold air system (CAI) filter location cooled down quickly while moving, and was slower to heat up.
If I was pushing the engine, I bet the short ram location would have been even hotter, even while moving.
Therefore the cold air system is worth it, but cutting a hole in your bumper for it is not. Unless you build a ram air chamber, but that is a different story. ;-)
1. Short Ram Filter Location
2. Cold Air Filter Location
3. Open Air Filter Location
I decided to test this out for myself with a GE temp monitor with external probe. I currently have a cold air intake on my 96 Civic LX which positions the filter under the passenger side headlamp, behind the front bumper. I was considering cutting a hole in the front bumper to cool down the air where the filter was sucking, and I wanted to know if there was a large enough difference between the outside temp and the inside bumper temp to be worth it. While I was at it, I decided to test if the Cold Air system was even worth it. The answers are, the Cold Air System is worth it, cutting up the front bumper to cool down the air to the Cold Air System is not.
Here's why:
*All stop temp's were recorded after 5 minutes of parking.
*All moving temps were recorded after 10 minutes of 40mph cruising.
Outside Stop Temp - 92 deg F
Outside Moving Temp - 85 deg F
CAI Stop Temp - 101 deg F
CAI Moving Temp - 87 deg F
Short Ram Stop Temp - 138 deg F
Short Ram Moving Temp - 89 deg F
There is something very important to note about the measurements above. I only had to drive about 700 feet before the CAI temp reached it's lowest point of 87 deg, I had to drive 4 miles for the Short Ram temp to reach it's lowest point.
The short ram filter location takes a very long time to cool down while driving, and it heats up very quickly when you stop. In contrast the cold air system (CAI) filter location cooled down quickly while moving, and was slower to heat up.
If I was pushing the engine, I bet the short ram location would have been even hotter, even while moving.
Therefore the cold air system is worth it, but cutting a hole in your bumper for it is not. Unless you build a ram air chamber, but that is a different story. ;-)
Civic 96-98 M3 Mirror Install
NOPI Part numbers:
875+1073 = 3 Wire M3 Power Mirrors
892+0034 = Mirror bracket Civic 4dr 96-00
875+1073 = 3 Wire M3 Power Mirrors
892+0034 = Mirror bracket Civic 4dr 96-00
First off let me say that if I wouldn't buy these again because:
1. They didn't even come close to fitting the car correctly out of the box
2. One of the mirrors was internally wired in reverse so U=D and D=U
3. The screws they included were so cheap they actually broke off when I tried to UNSCREW it from the plastic..
Ok, so now on to the install. I only had time to list the modification steps, so you'll have to fill in the blanks to figure out all the steps.
1. Remove your old factory mirrors and cut the white connector off leaving as much wiring hanging off as possible. Make sure you unscrew the connector from the old mirror first. You may also need to adjust the wire inside the housing with a long thin screw driver to get more slack.
2. drill the 3 mount holes a bit in your car door to make the holes more oblong shaped.
3. Trim the 3 pegs in the mirror bracket to make the 2 lower pegs about 1.6cm and the top peg about 1.3cm. You may need to carefully drill into the hole to get some extra depth.
4. Cut the lower ridge off one side of the triangular seal that came off the factory mirror. This will help it fit the new mirror bracket.
5. Using the 3 bolts from the old mirror, screw them into the 3 pegs in the new mounting bracket. Screw the new mirrors into their mounting brackets and test fit the entire assembly on the car including the triangular seal.
6. If you're satisfied with the fitment, fill the mounting pegs with epoxy and screw the bolts into the holes. Make sure you put them in all the way, but don't overtighten.
7. Take a multimeter with a DC voltage settting and figure out which wires control the U+D and L+R on your car. The ground wires were grey on the drivers side and pink on the passengers side for me. You should see +12 or -12 on the mutlimeter when you have it hooked up correctly while moving the mirror control pad in the car. Make sure you solder these wires together correctly with the new mirror according to the instructions that came with the mirror. (using the white connector, don't just solder them right to the car wiring...) I also recommend using electrical tape to keep everything insulated from each other.
8. After the epoxy has set, assemble all the pieces and attach it to the car.
Expect your new mirrors to vibrate much more than the OEM mirrors and also give you a much narrower field of vision.
Bosch spark plugs for Del Sol Si
I recently installed some new Bosch spark plugs in my D16Z6 (part #4030)
http://www.boschautoparts.com/Products/SparkPlugs/Platinum.htm
They replaced some NGK V-power plugs that became fouled with a rich fuel mixture. The NGK plugs had a v-shaped center electrode with a flat ground electrode, while the Bosch plugs have a small flat center electrode with a v-shaped ground electrode (which is hard to see in most of the pics Bosch published for this plug).
I wanted some NGK G-power or laser platinum plugs for the D16Z6 like I use in my B16A but none were available according to the application list from NGK.
For now I'm very pleased with how the Bosch plugs perform, and the small center electrode should resist fouling better than the previous plugs.
http://www.boschautoparts.com/Products/SparkPlugs/Platinum.htm
They replaced some NGK V-power plugs that became fouled with a rich fuel mixture. The NGK plugs had a v-shaped center electrode with a flat ground electrode, while the Bosch plugs have a small flat center electrode with a v-shaped ground electrode (which is hard to see in most of the pics Bosch published for this plug).
I wanted some NGK G-power or laser platinum plugs for the D16Z6 like I use in my B16A but none were available according to the application list from NGK.
For now I'm very pleased with how the Bosch plugs perform, and the small center electrode should resist fouling better than the previous plugs.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Using SSH without a password
Here's the quick and dirty way to login to ssh without a password (tested on Redhat Linux)
1. user@client$ ssh-keygen -t rsa
(hit enter for blank password and take all defaults)
2. user@server$ mkdir ~/home/user/.ssh
3. user@client$ cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub | ssh user@server "cat >> .ssh/authorized_keys"
4. root@server$ vi /etc/ssh/sshd_config
change PermitEmptyPasswords to "yes"
root@server$ service sshd restart
If you run into problems, make sure the permissions for the .ssh directories and all files beneath it are set to 700 (ie: chmod -R 700 /home/user/.ssh)
There are obviously some security implications here. Use at your own risk!
1. user@client$ ssh-keygen -t rsa
(hit enter for blank password and take all defaults)
2. user@server$ mkdir ~/home/user/.ssh
3. user@client$ cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub | ssh user@server "cat >> .ssh/authorized_keys"
4. root@server$ vi /etc/ssh/sshd_config
change PermitEmptyPasswords to "yes"
root@server$ service sshd restart
If you run into problems, make sure the permissions for the .ssh directories and all files beneath it are set to 700 (ie: chmod -R 700 /home/user/.ssh)
There are obviously some security implications here. Use at your own risk!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Setting the date in Linux
For handy reference I decided to post this tiny bit of syntax in my blog. This was tested in Redhat Linux. (The date command as part of coreutils)
date -s "09/16/2008 11:52:00"
date -s "09/16/2008 11:52:00"
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Dish Network DVR Upgrade
I recently got a Dish Network VIP612 DVR to replace my old 510 DVR. Unlike the 510, the 612 can record two shows at once (which is nice). The HD programs look as good as they do off my old antenna depending on what the program is.
However, I've had several problems with the unit. Sometimes playback is choppy when playing a recorded show, viewing photos makes the box reboot, and the over-the-air antenna hookup reads low signal even though there is actually more than enough.
I've already replaced the unit once and the second unit behaves the same way which makes me think that these are engineering flaws and not manufacturing flaws.
Update:
I recently connected the 612 to an LCD monitor using a HDMI cable with a DVI (DVI-D) adapter, and it looks great!
However, I've had several problems with the unit. Sometimes playback is choppy when playing a recorded show, viewing photos makes the box reboot, and the over-the-air antenna hookup reads low signal even though there is actually more than enough.
I've already replaced the unit once and the second unit behaves the same way which makes me think that these are engineering flaws and not manufacturing flaws.
Update:
I recently connected the 612 to an LCD monitor using a HDMI cable with a DVI (DVI-D) adapter, and it looks great!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Gun Safety
I looked into buying a pistol for home defense this week, and I was a little disturbed by the gun safety products available. I'm not an expert on firearms by any means, but I feel my observations are those anyone could make and validate if they noticed the same things I did.
The first thing I noticed was that many of the trigger locks are barely better than nothing at all as they can be unscrewed or twisted apart with pliers. I also found some of the lockable cases out there can be forced open without tools or much physical effort.
Some of the best safety products are built into the gun itself. For instance this Charter Undercover .38 special has a special hammer setup that prevents it from hitting the firing pin unless the trigger is pulled back. That means it shouldn't go off if you drop it, and you shouldn't be able to fire it with a good trigger lock on it.
For ammo, I liked the Speer hollowpoints. They had a higher mass than the others on the shelf, and the design should stop them from traveling through the target or through walls.
http://www.speer-ammo.com/ballistics/detail.aspx?loadNo=23720
Master lock had some decent trigger locks that actually used a key and had a full metal design.
http://www.masterlock.com/cgi-bin/product_detail.pl?dir=/cgi-bin/style_search.pl?style_id=A5&sub_style_id=B53&displaynav=&sub_cat_id=D90&template=style
A good case was hard to find at the local stores. Most of the good metal ones started at $150. Some of the cheaper cases at around $50 had a solid construction, but the built in lock had the same key as every other case of that type.
The underlying theme throughout my shopping experience was that you can't really rely on the store clerks opinion, you need to check out each component for yourself, and you get what you pay for.
The first thing I noticed was that many of the trigger locks are barely better than nothing at all as they can be unscrewed or twisted apart with pliers. I also found some of the lockable cases out there can be forced open without tools or much physical effort.
Some of the best safety products are built into the gun itself. For instance this Charter Undercover .38 special has a special hammer setup that prevents it from hitting the firing pin unless the trigger is pulled back. That means it shouldn't go off if you drop it, and you shouldn't be able to fire it with a good trigger lock on it.
For ammo, I liked the Speer hollowpoints. They had a higher mass than the others on the shelf, and the design should stop them from traveling through the target or through walls.
http://www.speer-ammo.com/ballistics/detail.aspx?loadNo=23720
Master lock had some decent trigger locks that actually used a key and had a full metal design.
http://www.masterlock.com/cgi-bin/product_detail.pl?dir=/cgi-bin/style_search.pl?style_id=A5&sub_style_id=B53&displaynav=&sub_cat_id=D90&template=style
A good case was hard to find at the local stores. Most of the good metal ones started at $150. Some of the cheaper cases at around $50 had a solid construction, but the built in lock had the same key as every other case of that type.
The underlying theme throughout my shopping experience was that you can't really rely on the store clerks opinion, you need to check out each component for yourself, and you get what you pay for.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Civic Brake Pad Replacement
I recently bought some AEM / Nissin pads for the rear (part 26-200 ) and Hawk HPS for the front (part HB218F.583 ). I was planning to put them on after autocrossing this spring but I needed to replace the rear pads due to uneven wear. So rather than slap on a $50 set of pads, I decided to put on some cheap wearever pads from advance auto for $15 (part HBD564 ).
So far the cheap pads are working well on my badly rusted and gauged up rotors, even with high speed stopping. Although the Hawk pads I have up front are probably handling most of the stopping. I was sad they discontinued the axxis metalmaster pads I used to use, but the Hawk HPS have been a good alternative so far. After autoX, I'll get some new powerslot rear rotors and put on the new rear pads.
So far the cheap pads are working well on my badly rusted and gauged up rotors, even with high speed stopping. Although the Hawk pads I have up front are probably handling most of the stopping. I was sad they discontinued the axxis metalmaster pads I used to use, but the Hawk HPS have been a good alternative so far. After autoX, I'll get some new powerslot rear rotors and put on the new rear pads.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Wir Sind Helden - So und So (translation)
I don't fully understand this song, but I'll post what I got so far anyway. "So und So" seems to mean "this and that", but in certain contexts it also means that someone doesn't stand by their convictions (according to someone I met from Muenchen).
german to english translation (Deutsch nach Englisch)
Wir sind helden - Soundso
*We are heroes - This and that
Sie wissen genau, wer du bist - Du bist uns so einer
*They know exactly who you are - You are one of us
Sie sagen es so, wie es ist - So gut kennt dich keiner
*They say it's so, like it is - You are not well known
Und zwar bist du vom Wesen so und so - So und so! So irgendwie!
*And indeed are you of the essence, this and that - this and that - so anyhow!
- verstehen sie dich, dass macht sie froh - So einer ändert sich nie
*Do you understand that makes them happy? - So never change it
Aber nichts davon bestimmt dich, weißt du
*But nothing thereof you certainly, you know
nichts davon verglimmt nicht mit der Zeit
*nothing thereof fades not with the time
nur du bestimmt nicht, weißt du
*only certainly not you, you know
nichts davon ist wirklich
*nothing thereof is really
nichts davon
*nothing thereof
So und so
*This and that
Und sowieso bleibt nichts davon
*and in any case remains nothing thereof
So und so
*this and that
Und sowieso ist nichts davon
*and anyway ist nothing thereof
So und so
*this and that
Glaub mir nichts davon
*believe me nothing thereof
bist du
*are you
So und so warst du schon immer - Genau so, nur kleiner
*This and that were you as early as always - Exactly so, only less
Im Alter wird so was nur schlimmer - Genau so, nur alleiner
*In aging so became only something worse - Exactly so, only more alone
Wie gut, wenn man geliebt wird, wie man ist – So und so, und so allein!
*How good, when someone will be beloved, how someone is, this and that, and so alone!
So wie du warst, so wie du bist – Bist das du, musst du das sein?
*So like du were, so like you are, are you that, must you be that?
Aber nichts davon bestimmt dich, weißt du
*But nothing thereof you certainly, you know
nichts davon verglimmt nicht mit der Zeit
*nothing thereof fades not with the time
nur du bestimmt nicht, weißt du
*only certainly not you, you know
nichts davon ist wirklich
*nothing thereof is really
nichts davon
*nothing thereof
So und so
*This and that
Und sowieso bleibt nichts davon
*and in any case remains nothing thereof
So und so
*this and that
Und sowieso ist nichts davon
*and anyway ist nothing thereof
So und so
*this and that
Glaub mir nichts davon
*believe me nothing thereof
bist du
*are you
Dein Vater ist froh, weil er weiß, du bist so und so
*Your father is happy, because he knows, you are this and that
Und Mutter ist froh, weil sie weiß, du bist so und so
*and mother is happy, because she knows, you are this and that
Dein Haustier ist froh, weil es weiß, du bist so und so,
*Your pet is happy, because it knows, you are this and that
Dein Lehrer ist froh, weil er weiß, du bist so und so
*Your teacher is happy, because he knows, you are this and that
Die Freunde sind froh, alles klar, du bist so und so
*Your friends are happy, everything is good, you are this and that
Auf Arbeit: alle froh, alles klar, du bist so und so
*To work: all happy, all good, you are this and that
Zuhause: alle froh, alles klar, du bist so und so
*Going home: all happy, all good, you are this and that
Und du gehst k.o, weil du weißt du bist so und so
*and you go k.o, because you know you are this and that
du gehst k.o, weil du weißt du bist so und so
*you go k.o, because you know you are this and that
german to english translation (Deutsch nach Englisch)
Wir sind helden - Soundso
*We are heroes - This and that
Sie wissen genau, wer du bist - Du bist uns so einer
*They know exactly who you are - You are one of us
Sie sagen es so, wie es ist - So gut kennt dich keiner
*They say it's so, like it is - You are not well known
Und zwar bist du vom Wesen so und so - So und so! So irgendwie!
*And indeed are you of the essence, this and that - this and that - so anyhow!
- verstehen sie dich, dass macht sie froh - So einer ändert sich nie
*Do you understand that makes them happy? - So never change it
Aber nichts davon bestimmt dich, weißt du
*But nothing thereof you certainly, you know
nichts davon verglimmt nicht mit der Zeit
*nothing thereof fades not with the time
nur du bestimmt nicht, weißt du
*only certainly not you, you know
nichts davon ist wirklich
*nothing thereof is really
nichts davon
*nothing thereof
So und so
*This and that
Und sowieso bleibt nichts davon
*and in any case remains nothing thereof
So und so
*this and that
Und sowieso ist nichts davon
*and anyway ist nothing thereof
So und so
*this and that
Glaub mir nichts davon
*believe me nothing thereof
bist du
*are you
So und so warst du schon immer - Genau so, nur kleiner
*This and that were you as early as always - Exactly so, only less
Im Alter wird so was nur schlimmer - Genau so, nur alleiner
*In aging so became only something worse - Exactly so, only more alone
Wie gut, wenn man geliebt wird, wie man ist – So und so, und so allein!
*How good, when someone will be beloved, how someone is, this and that, and so alone!
So wie du warst, so wie du bist – Bist das du, musst du das sein?
*So like du were, so like you are, are you that, must you be that?
Aber nichts davon bestimmt dich, weißt du
*But nothing thereof you certainly, you know
nichts davon verglimmt nicht mit der Zeit
*nothing thereof fades not with the time
nur du bestimmt nicht, weißt du
*only certainly not you, you know
nichts davon ist wirklich
*nothing thereof is really
nichts davon
*nothing thereof
So und so
*This and that
Und sowieso bleibt nichts davon
*and in any case remains nothing thereof
So und so
*this and that
Und sowieso ist nichts davon
*and anyway ist nothing thereof
So und so
*this and that
Glaub mir nichts davon
*believe me nothing thereof
bist du
*are you
Dein Vater ist froh, weil er weiß, du bist so und so
*Your father is happy, because he knows, you are this and that
Und Mutter ist froh, weil sie weiß, du bist so und so
*and mother is happy, because she knows, you are this and that
Dein Haustier ist froh, weil es weiß, du bist so und so,
*Your pet is happy, because it knows, you are this and that
Dein Lehrer ist froh, weil er weiß, du bist so und so
*Your teacher is happy, because he knows, you are this and that
Die Freunde sind froh, alles klar, du bist so und so
*Your friends are happy, everything is good, you are this and that
Auf Arbeit: alle froh, alles klar, du bist so und so
*To work: all happy, all good, you are this and that
Zuhause: alle froh, alles klar, du bist so und so
*Going home: all happy, all good, you are this and that
Und du gehst k.o, weil du weißt du bist so und so
*and you go k.o, because you know you are this and that
du gehst k.o, weil du weißt du bist so und so
*you go k.o, because you know you are this and that
Civic driveaxle Replacement
The inboard CV joint lost it's bearing grease and started to grind itself apart. I went to Napa instead of Advance Auto this time, and was happy with the replacement drive axle. I remember the last axle I got from Advance needed the splines to be recut... What a pain.
I've got a B16A in my 6th gen Civic so I needed a 94 Integra LS axle to fit the y21 / s4c transmission. It was hard to reconnect the damper fork, so I had to disconnect the upper and lower ball joint and loosen the swaybar endlink. The new Napa axle ( part 94-6009 ) went in so smoothly I didn't even need to drain the tranny oil.
I've got a B16A in my 6th gen Civic so I needed a 94 Integra LS axle to fit the y21 / s4c transmission. It was hard to reconnect the damper fork, so I had to disconnect the upper and lower ball joint and loosen the swaybar endlink. The new Napa axle ( part 94-6009 ) went in so smoothly I didn't even need to drain the tranny oil.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Wir Sind Helden - The Geek (Translation)
Wir sind Helden - The Geek (Shall Inherit)
(German to English) (Deutsch nach Englisch)
Auf Deutsch
Auf Englisch
> Are you too clever, in order to not trip and fall
> and not attractive enough to get away with it?
>
> Do you know exactly how it is to always fall down
> only not far enough to arrive somewhere else?
>
> It hurts to be like you should
> It hurts to be like you are - but if the
> quarterback comes, to take your glasses say:
> "thank you, they'll stay where they are."
> I already know
>
> The injured should be the doctors
> the last should be first
> look at it this way: The meek shall inherit the earth
> The injured should be the doctors
> the last should be first
> The first see as the last
> The geek shall inherit the earth
>
> not your time, not your feet
> not your beat, not your people
> not your world, and not once your pain
> You dont have to belong here, but seek what belongs to you
> You dont have to dance, but move your heart
>
> It hurts to be like you should
> It hurts to be like you are - but if the
> homecoming queen comes, to kiss you awake
> Say: thank you, I didn't miss a thing
> I already know
>
> The injured should be the doctors
> the last should be first
> look at it this way: The meek shall inherit the earth
> The injured should be the doctors
> the last should be first
> The first see as the last
> The geek shall inherit the earth
>
> It hurts to be like you think that you should be
> if your teacher asks you should we not meet more often
> It does good to be like you think that you wish
> if you say: Lord, let these jerks pass me by.
(German to English) (Deutsch nach Englisch)
Auf Deutsch
Bist du zu schlau, um nicht unangenehm aufzufallen
und nicht schön genug, um damit durchzukommen?
Weißt du genau, wie es ist, immer raus zu fallen
nur nicht weit genug, um woanders anzukommen?
Es tut weh, so zu sein, wie du solltest
Es tut weh, zu sein, wie du bist - Aber wenn der
Quarterback kommt, um dir die Brille abzunehmen Sag ihm:
Danke, die bleibt wo sie ist
Ich weiß doch:
Die Verletzten sollen die Ärzte sein
Die Letzten sollen die Ersten sein
Sieh es ein: The Meek shall inherit the earth
Die Verletzten sollen die Ärzte sein
Die Letzten sollen die Ersten sein
Die Ersten sehen als Letzte ein:
The Geek shall inherit the earth
Nicht deine Zeit, nicht deine Füße,
nicht dein Beat, nicht deine Leute,
deine Welt nicht, und nicht mal dein Schmerz
Du musst hier nicht dazugehören, aber such dir, was zu dir gehört
Du musst nicht tanzen, aber beweg dein Herz
Es tut weh, so zu sein, wie du denkst, dass du solltest
Es tut weh, so zu sein, wie du denkst, dass du bist - Aber wenn die
Homecoming Queen kommt, um dich wach zu küssen
Sag ihr Danke, ich hab nichts vermisst
Ich weiß doch:
Die Verletzten sollen die Ärzte sein
Die Letzten sollen die Ersten sein ...
Es tut weh, so zu sein, wie du denkst, dass du solltest
wenn dein Lehrer dich fragt, sollen wir uns nicht öfter sehen
Es tut gut, so zu sein, wie du denkst, dass du möchtest
wenn du sagst: Herr, lass diesen Knilch an mir vorübergehen
Auf Englisch
> Are you too clever, in order to not trip and fall
> and not attractive enough to get away with it?
>
> Do you know exactly how it is to always fall down
> only not far enough to arrive somewhere else?
>
> It hurts to be like you should
> It hurts to be like you are - but if the
> quarterback comes, to take your glasses say:
> "thank you, they'll stay where they are."
> I already know
>
> The injured should be the doctors
> the last should be first
> look at it this way: The meek shall inherit the earth
> The injured should be the doctors
> the last should be first
> The first see as the last
> The geek shall inherit the earth
>
> not your time, not your feet
> not your beat, not your people
> not your world, and not once your pain
> You dont have to belong here, but seek what belongs to you
> You dont have to dance, but move your heart
>
> It hurts to be like you should
> It hurts to be like you are - but if the
> homecoming queen comes, to kiss you awake
> Say: thank you, I didn't miss a thing
> I already know
>
> The injured should be the doctors
> the last should be first
> look at it this way: The meek shall inherit the earth
> The injured should be the doctors
> the last should be first
> The first see as the last
> The geek shall inherit the earth
>
> It hurts to be like you think that you should be
> if your teacher asks you should we not meet more often
> It does good to be like you think that you wish
> if you say: Lord, let these jerks pass me by.
Silbermond - Endlich (translation)
This is one of my favorite German songs, but I couldn't find any translations of the lyrics so I translated it myself.
(German to English) (Deutsch nach Englisch)
Silbermond - Endlich
wir tragen alle zeit in unseren händen
*We carry all time in our hands*
sei unbesorgt denn ich beschütze dich
*Be unconcerned because I protect you*
doch die angst um dich sie wächst mit jeder stunde
*Yet the fear around you grows with every hour*
weil alle zeit der welt vergänglich ist
*Because all the time in the world is fleeting*
egal ob es dir gefällt oder ob es dich umbringt
*It doesn't matter if it appreciates you or if it kills you*
es wird alles irgendwann zu ende sein
*it will be the end of everything someday*
die einsicht bleibt dagegen sind wir machtlos
*the realization remains, we are powerless against it*
lass es für immer sein komm her und frier es ein
*allow it to be forever, come here and freeze it*
ich weiß dass alles mal zu ende ist
*i know that everything ends*
weil nichts für immer ist
*because nothing is forever*
doch es ist zeit die nicht verschwendet ist
*it is not a waste of time*
weil du sie nicht vergisst
*because you don't forget it*
ich weiß dass alles irgendwann zerbricht
*i know that everything crashes eventually*
doch im moment ist das so unwichtig
*at the moment that is so very unimportant*
weil du es nie vergisst
*because you never forget it*
weil der moment es ist
*because it is the moment*
der unsterblich ist
*that is immortal*
wir können nicht ändern was zu ändern nicht gemacht ist
*We can not change what is not meant to be be changed*
denn auch du und ich, wir sind nicht mehr
*Because you and I, we are nothing more*
als freischwimmer im fluss der zeit
*than uncontrolled swimmers in the river of time*
also lebe jeden tag als wärs dein erster
*so live every day as if it were your best*
leb jeden tag als wärs das letzte was du tust
*live every day as if it were the last thing you do*
wir wissen beide dass es endlich ist
*We both know that it is finite*
weil nichts unendlich ist
*because nothing is infinite*
doch solange du hier bei mir bist
*as long as you are with me*
interessiert das nicht
*I don't care*
ich weiß dass alles irgendwann zerbricht
*i know that everything crashes eventually*
doch im moment ist das so unwichtig
*at the moment that is so very unimportant*
weil du es nie vergisst
*because you never forget it*
weil der moment es ist
*because it is the moment*
der unsterblich ist
*that is immortal*
für immer
*forever*
für immer ist es nicht
*it is not forever*
nichts ist für immer
*nothing is forever*
für immer
*forever*
leb jeden tag als wärs das letzte was du tust
*live every day as if it were the last thing you do*
(German to English) (Deutsch nach Englisch)
Silbermond - Endlich
wir tragen alle zeit in unseren händen
*We carry all time in our hands*
sei unbesorgt denn ich beschütze dich
*Be unconcerned because I protect you*
doch die angst um dich sie wächst mit jeder stunde
*Yet the fear around you grows with every hour*
weil alle zeit der welt vergänglich ist
*Because all the time in the world is fleeting*
egal ob es dir gefällt oder ob es dich umbringt
*It doesn't matter if it appreciates you or if it kills you*
es wird alles irgendwann zu ende sein
*it will be the end of everything someday*
die einsicht bleibt dagegen sind wir machtlos
*the realization remains, we are powerless against it*
lass es für immer sein komm her und frier es ein
*allow it to be forever, come here and freeze it*
ich weiß dass alles mal zu ende ist
*i know that everything ends*
weil nichts für immer ist
*because nothing is forever*
doch es ist zeit die nicht verschwendet ist
*it is not a waste of time*
weil du sie nicht vergisst
*because you don't forget it*
ich weiß dass alles irgendwann zerbricht
*i know that everything crashes eventually*
doch im moment ist das so unwichtig
*at the moment that is so very unimportant*
weil du es nie vergisst
*because you never forget it*
weil der moment es ist
*because it is the moment*
der unsterblich ist
*that is immortal*
wir können nicht ändern was zu ändern nicht gemacht ist
*We can not change what is not meant to be be changed*
denn auch du und ich, wir sind nicht mehr
*Because you and I, we are nothing more*
als freischwimmer im fluss der zeit
*than uncontrolled swimmers in the river of time*
also lebe jeden tag als wärs dein erster
*so live every day as if it were your best*
leb jeden tag als wärs das letzte was du tust
*live every day as if it were the last thing you do*
wir wissen beide dass es endlich ist
*We both know that it is finite*
weil nichts unendlich ist
*because nothing is infinite*
doch solange du hier bei mir bist
*as long as you are with me*
interessiert das nicht
*I don't care*
ich weiß dass alles irgendwann zerbricht
*i know that everything crashes eventually*
doch im moment ist das so unwichtig
*at the moment that is so very unimportant*
weil du es nie vergisst
*because you never forget it*
weil der moment es ist
*because it is the moment*
der unsterblich ist
*that is immortal*
für immer
*forever*
für immer ist es nicht
*it is not forever*
nichts ist für immer
*nothing is forever*
für immer
*forever*
leb jeden tag als wärs das letzte was du tust
*live every day as if it were the last thing you do*
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Tips for the HTC Excalibur / T-Mobile Dash
After years of waiting for a portable computer that can connect to cellular networks, I finally got something close in the form of a T-Mobile Dash / HTC Excalibur.
I was trying to hold out for something that ran a Linux operating system with PC like capabilities, but that never seemed to materialize. So I had to settle for Windoh's. The deal was too good to pass up. The phone was 116USD after rebates, and I get unlimited access to a limited number of sites with T-Zones for 6USD extra a month (on top of my 39.99 voice plan).
I eventually needed to connect to an IMAP email server, which the T-Zones proxy doesn't support, so I upgraded my data plan to the 20USD full internet plan. Surfing without the T-Zones proxy isn't much faster, but it definitely seems more reliable as the proxy would often fail to connect (Overloaded perhaps?).
WM6 runs ok, but I don't really have much to compare it to so I won't rip it too bad. There are some obvious bugs like a malfunctioning alarm clock, non-functional fullscreen mode in Windows Media Player Mobile, IE home page that can't be changed, and a Windows live service that kinda takes over your phone.
A few registry hax will fix most of the issues someone will experience.
First, app unlock
http://mobile.surrealnetworks.com/AppUnlockReg.htm
Now you can edit the registry using this application.
http://mobile.surrealnetworks.com/SDA%20applications/RegEditSTG.cab
To change the homepage for Pocket IE:
HKLM, Software, Microsoft, Internet Explorer, AboutURLs
Change the value of home_0409 to the site you want. Using the editor I mentioned above, you have to enter it in hex if you chose the modify binary data option from the menu, which for http://www.google.com would be:
68 00 74 00 74 00 70 00 3A 00 2F 00 2F 00 77 00 77 00 77 00 2E 00 67 00 6F 00 6F 00 67 00 6C 00 65 00 2E 00 63 00 6F 00 6D
If you select the value using the key in the middle of your nav pad, you should be able to enter it as ASCII text.
The fullscreen problem is fix via another reg hak. Just google for "Windows Media rotate LandscapeMode registry".
You need to app unlock to run applications that are unsigned. (ie applications that were developed by people that didn't pay money to Microsoft) Once that's done you can run cool apps like PocketTV. But wait, isn't MPEG-1 outdated? Kinda, but when you only have 200mhz to run apps MPEG-1 is your best performing option. With PocketTV you can smoothly run 320x240 videos fullscreen at 700kbps. The MPEG4 videos you take with the phone also run fine under WMP at fullscreen but are only 144x176. I enjoy converting Doctor Who episodes to MPEG-1 and watching them on my phone. :-)
Here are the MPEG-1 settings I used:
The phone has a nice WiFi chip that connects to my old Netgear 802.11b router perfectly. Once connected, I can have full access to the internet and my home network.
I can also of course check my email and send videos and pics that I took with my phone over email. Maybe some of you have been doing this for years, but the wow factor is still present for me!
My Moto v188 is sitting on the shelf for now. If I go back to europe again I'll probably leave the Dash at home and use the v188 to avoid data charges, even though they're both quad band.
A few other things... The screen scratches easily. I bought some Fellows/T-Mob universal screen protectors but they're difficult to cut to the perfect size. Next time I'll get them pre-sized for my phone (If I can find them).
A tip about the connector on the bottom (power/headset/usb). They supply you with a splitter that converts the standard USB connector to the slash cut connector HTC uses. You can actually just use a standard USB cable without the splitter! It doesn't look like it fits, but it works perfectly.
The battery lasts about 24 hours almost regardless of what I do. Don't believe the battery meter, as it goes from full to blinking red in a short period of time.
Camera tip: You can press the 1 key while in camera mode to switch back and forth between still shot and video modes.
Get more available RAM by disabling voice command: I set everything that I could to no or none, and now I have an extra 4MB of RAM at all times. :-D
I was looking for an easy way to let my family view MP4 videos that I send from my phone with WMP and came across this KB article.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316992
It references this site, which doesn't look like it has the codec anymore..
http://www.ligos.com/index.php?s=lsx+mpeg
"I received LSX-MPEG for Adobe Premiere as a part of a bundled package. Can I upgrade my version to the latest release?
http://www.envivio.com/player.php
I got a CellGear USA 5dBi external antenna from eBay. For only $20 I thought the quality was good. It comes with a long cable and magnetic base that allowed me to put it on the roof of my car while driving (it's only 4.5in). The antenna port is located near the camera lens behind the silver mirror. Unfortunately, I didn't notice any difference in signal quality with the antenna connected. I wasn't able to get better range, or more bars in the mountains of West Virginia. Maybe I need the gigantic (40in) 13dBi antenna to see a difference?
I got a 2GB Kingston Micro SD card (SD-C02G JAPAN) for my phone. It works great! I can install programs to it, and use it with the built-in camera. The best part is I can store several full length re-encoded Hollywood movies and a bunch of songs on the card.
Since the phone really doesn't do Linux, I was hoping to at least find a good SSH client for it. However, it looks like you have to pay if you want a good client. I tried zaTelnet, but even that didn't work very well with my non-standard SSH configuration.
I almost forgot to mention one important thing that sometimes gets on my nerves.. no copy and paste!
Update March 2009:
After the recent DST adjustment I noticed all my Outlook meetings are an hour late!
Update June 2009:
This phone is not loud enough, and very difficult to hear while driving. I've tried just the phone, the stereo wired headset, a bluetooth headset, and they're all very quiet even with the volume maxed out. Sometimes I find myself using the speakerphone and putting it right up to my ear, which of course means there is way too much background noise for the people I talk to..
Update Oct 2009:
I had to do a hard reset after the phone refused to call out anymore. Made me remember that I needed to install sktools to cleanup old alarm clock settings.
I was trying to hold out for something that ran a Linux operating system with PC like capabilities, but that never seemed to materialize. So I had to settle for Windoh's. The deal was too good to pass up. The phone was 116USD after rebates, and I get unlimited access to a limited number of sites with T-Zones for 6USD extra a month (on top of my 39.99 voice plan).
I eventually needed to connect to an IMAP email server, which the T-Zones proxy doesn't support, so I upgraded my data plan to the 20USD full internet plan. Surfing without the T-Zones proxy isn't much faster, but it definitely seems more reliable as the proxy would often fail to connect (Overloaded perhaps?).
WM6 runs ok, but I don't really have much to compare it to so I won't rip it too bad. There are some obvious bugs like a malfunctioning alarm clock, non-functional fullscreen mode in Windows Media Player Mobile, IE home page that can't be changed, and a Windows live service that kinda takes over your phone.
A few registry hax will fix most of the issues someone will experience.
First, app unlock
http://mobile.surrealnetworks.com/AppUnlockReg.htm
Now you can edit the registry using this application.
http://mobile.surrealnetworks.com/SDA%20applications/RegEditSTG.cab
To change the homepage for Pocket IE:
HKLM, Software, Microsoft, Internet Explorer, AboutURLs
Change the value of home_0409 to the site you want. Using the editor I mentioned above, you have to enter it in hex if you chose the modify binary data option from the menu, which for http://www.google.com would be:
68 00 74 00 74 00 70 00 3A 00 2F 00 2F 00 77 00 77 00 77 00 2E 00 67 00 6F 00 6F 00 67 00 6C 00 65 00 2E 00 63 00 6F 00 6D
If you select the value using the key in the middle of your nav pad, you should be able to enter it as ASCII text.
The fullscreen problem is fix via another reg hak. Just google for "Windows Media rotate LandscapeMode registry".
You need to app unlock to run applications that are unsigned. (ie applications that were developed by people that didn't pay money to Microsoft) Once that's done you can run cool apps like PocketTV. But wait, isn't MPEG-1 outdated? Kinda, but when you only have 200mhz to run apps MPEG-1 is your best performing option. With PocketTV you can smoothly run 320x240 videos fullscreen at 700kbps. The MPEG4 videos you take with the phone also run fine under WMP at fullscreen but are only 144x176. I enjoy converting Doctor Who episodes to MPEG-1 and watching them on my phone. :-)
Here are the MPEG-1 settings I used:
- 23.976 fps
- 320x240
- MPEG-1
- 74 quality/speed
- video data rate 700kbps variable
- audio 44100, mono, 56kbps
The phone has a nice WiFi chip that connects to my old Netgear 802.11b router perfectly. Once connected, I can have full access to the internet and my home network.
- I can use IE to do anonymous FTP downloads from my local FTP server
- Use Google maps downloadable app for smart phones
- Use Yahoo Go! for email, weather, news, and flikr photos
I can also of course check my email and send videos and pics that I took with my phone over email. Maybe some of you have been doing this for years, but the wow factor is still present for me!
My Moto v188 is sitting on the shelf for now. If I go back to europe again I'll probably leave the Dash at home and use the v188 to avoid data charges, even though they're both quad band.
A few other things... The screen scratches easily. I bought some Fellows/T-Mob universal screen protectors but they're difficult to cut to the perfect size. Next time I'll get them pre-sized for my phone (If I can find them).
A tip about the connector on the bottom (power/headset/usb). They supply you with a splitter that converts the standard USB connector to the slash cut connector HTC uses. You can actually just use a standard USB cable without the splitter! It doesn't look like it fits, but it works perfectly.
The battery lasts about 24 hours almost regardless of what I do. Don't believe the battery meter, as it goes from full to blinking red in a short period of time.
Camera tip: You can press the 1 key while in camera mode to switch back and forth between still shot and video modes.
Get more available RAM by disabling voice command: I set everything that I could to no or none, and now I have an extra 4MB of RAM at all times. :-D
I was looking for an easy way to let my family view MP4 videos that I send from my phone with WMP and came across this KB article.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316992
It references this site, which doesn't look like it has the codec anymore..
http://www.ligos.com/index.php?s=lsx+mpeg
"I received LSX-MPEG for Adobe Premiere as a part of a bundled package. Can I upgrade my version to the latest release?
Our LSX-MPEG line of products was retired in 2002.
Upgrades for LSX-MPEG products are no longer available."
http://www.envivio.com/player.php
Looks like the best way to have your family and friends view the MP4 videos from your phone is to use VLC
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
I now run about 5 different email accounts at once on my phone. Included in this mix are POP, IMAP, and Outlook Web Access Synchronization all set for different automatic update intervals. For the most part it runs reliably, but sometimes I need to kill the messaging process because it stops checking for messages.
I got a CellGear USA 5dBi external antenna from eBay. For only $20 I thought the quality was good. It comes with a long cable and magnetic base that allowed me to put it on the roof of my car while driving (it's only 4.5in). The antenna port is located near the camera lens behind the silver mirror. Unfortunately, I didn't notice any difference in signal quality with the antenna connected. I wasn't able to get better range, or more bars in the mountains of West Virginia. Maybe I need the gigantic (40in) 13dBi antenna to see a difference?
I got a 2GB Kingston Micro SD card (SD-C02G JAPAN) for my phone. It works great! I can install programs to it, and use it with the built-in camera. The best part is I can store several full length re-encoded Hollywood movies and a bunch of songs on the card.
Since the phone really doesn't do Linux, I was hoping to at least find a good SSH client for it. However, it looks like you have to pay if you want a good client. I tried zaTelnet, but even that didn't work very well with my non-standard SSH configuration.
I almost forgot to mention one important thing that sometimes gets on my nerves.. no copy and paste!
Update March 2009:
After the recent DST adjustment I noticed all my Outlook meetings are an hour late!
Update June 2009:
This phone is not loud enough, and very difficult to hear while driving. I've tried just the phone, the stereo wired headset, a bluetooth headset, and they're all very quiet even with the volume maxed out. Sometimes I find myself using the speakerphone and putting it right up to my ear, which of course means there is way too much background noise for the people I talk to..
Update Oct 2009:
I had to do a hard reset after the phone refused to call out anymore. Made me remember that I needed to install sktools to cleanup old alarm clock settings.
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