I have been using Google Reader as my primary Newsreader for the last month and I think for the first time a web app is a good replacement for a local app (and a very nice one like Net News Wire). One thing made me switch: it is now possible to work offline with Google Gears. And Google Reader has an extensive list of keyboard shortcuts allowing a very fast navigation (I have more than two hundreds subscriptions).
On the mobile front there is a version of Google Reader optimized for mobile devices which works well in the S60 Web Browser (the shortcut do not work here unfortunately) better than the Newsgator mobile version.
Web/Tech
Gallery2Flickris a very nice plugin for Gallery 2. It makes a bridge between Gallery and Flickr. Two new options are created for each gallery photo or album: import and export to Flickr. It makes my workflow a lot easier: I was used to post my photos to Gallery and then some of the best to Flickr. Now I can upload just once to Gallery and from there send some photos to Flickr. And all the metadata are exported, as well.
Wordpress multilingual è online. Si tratta di un blog scritto in più linguaggi da diversi autori. La finalità è di sperimentare il plugin Gengo (scritto da Jamie Talbot) che aggiunge funzionalità multilingue a Wordpress. Vi si trovano articoli su come utilizzare Gengo ma anche considerazioni di tipo più generale sulle problematiche connesse alla creazione di un sito multilingue. Attualmente sono presenti articoli in sette lingue diverse.
Flickr: Camera Finder. Ora c’è una pagina ufficiale su Flickr con le statistiche sulle macchine fotografiche e telefoni più usati.
A wireless router with many capabilities
Yesterday I received in the mail a new wireless router: the ASUS WL-700gE. Its main feature is the 160 GB integrated hard disk.
The router is really a small server and is replacing a Mac Mini.
Step one: installation
I have no windows computer so I was out of luck because the provided utilities are windows only. You can do everything with the web interface, anyway. The manual is completely useless and the only useful infos are the tooltips in the web interface. It has no ADSL interface so you must connect the WAN port to an ADSL modem. The installation was fast and all my devices could connect to the wireless network ( I have a Powermac G5, an iBook, a Nokia 770 tablet and an Airport Express).
Step two: using the router as a network drive
Everything works flawlessly: the integrated samba server works and allow you to mount the drive in the finder like any other network disk. For additional storage the router has a couple of USB ports on the back where external HD can be attached and a USB port on the front. A copy button allows you to quick transfer the content of an USB key on the router HD.
Step three: using the download master
The download master is a feature which allows to download files directly on the router without keeping the computer powered on for entire nights. It supports BitTorrent, http and ftp downloads and works quite well also if the options are limited. You have to login in the web interface, tell the router the path of the file and forget it. The file will be saved in the router drive.
Step four: the iTunes server
You can stream music from the server to any computer (mac o pc) running iTunes. This saves me from the hassle of syncing multiple iTunes libraries. It does not work very well: the ID3 tags of MP3 files are not preserved across the network and this makes the all thing unusable. The only metadata streamed is the album art. Everything works fine with AAC files. I hope this will be fixed with a firmware update. It appears that the iTunes server is actually a UPnP server: I can stream the files from the UPnP client for the Nokia 770, Mediastreamer (no id3 tag in MP3 files as well)
The router has many more features like: publishing on the web (with support for DYNDNS), integrated firewall, users collaboration with a message board.
But I think it is worth the price just for using as NAS.
My rating: stars
I just updated to WP 2.0.5. All fine so far!!!
Yes if the printer is a bluetooth printer and the virus is a symbian worm (commwarrior in my case)!!!!
Tonight there was an infected phone in my bluetooth range. I refused to install the infected file both on my mac and on my Nokia but the printer could not refuse it, so it started to print the virus!!! Not a big damage but I was lucky not to have an expensive glossy paper in the printer tray!!!
A brief review of the Nokia 770 internet tablet
I have been using The Nokia 770 for six months now and here are my impressions.
What is the Nokia 770? It is a tablet with no hard-disk (uses MMC DV cards) a gorgeus 800X480 landscape display, stylus (and finger) input, Wi-Fi B/G and bluetooth connectivity.
The Nokia 770 is cheap when compared with a tablet PC (350 euros) and uses linux as OS. It has no decent PIM applications and it is meant to be used just to surf the net. This can be done via wireless network (a rarity here in Italy, and very expensive where you can find them) or via mobile phone connected via bluetooth (I use my Nokia N90 while on the road). You can think of the Nokia 770 as a big display for the internet connection of your phone.I have found that the 770 really shines in two situations:
- During my commutes when trains are crowded and having a laptop on your lap is not very confortable. It is a lot better than surfing the web using the tiny display of the phone .
- At home for casual surfing in the bed before sleeping (or in the toilet…).
And, while not yet tested, I think the 770 is the ideal computer to take with you in a backpacking trip. It has good battery life, hard screen protection, small size and weight. It uses the same small charger as a Nokia phone and can be connected to a bluetooth GPS module. It is quite easy to write travel notes using the fingers with the virtual on-screen keyboard and it can use an external bluetooth keyboard, as well.
11270
My rating: stars
Ho integrato la mia galleria fotografica basata su Gallery 2 con questa pagina basata su Wordpress, grazie al plugin WPG2.
L’operazione non è particolarmente complicata ma mi ha fatto dannare su due cose:
- Far si che Gengo (un plugin che fornisce una versione multilingua di Wordpress) non operasse sulle pagine integrate di Gallery che ha già integrato un modulo per la gestione di più linguaggi
- Reindirizzare tutte le vecchie pagine di Gallery alla nuova versione sul sito. Alla fine la questione e ra più semplice di quanto sembrasse, e l’ho risolta con un semplice redirect in un file .htaccess.
I vantaggi della cosa sono due:
- Tutte le pagine del sito hanno lo stesso aspetto e header e footer sono comuni: le pagine gestite da WP hanno dentro il loop di Wordpress, quelle di Gallery il loop di Gallery
- Posso integrare immagini dall mio archivio in un post di WP inserndo un semplice tag nel post
Dopo 13 anni e mezzo di dial-up, hanno portato anche a casa mia l’ADSL.
La prima cosa che farò sarà di godermi un po’ di multimedia (You tube e Google Video più qualche podcast)… poi metterò in funzione Skype e forse qualche gioco on-line. Poi ristrutturerò la mia rete casalinga per riflettere il fatto di essere connesso a internet in permanenza, pensionando la Airport Base Station con modem.