desigNed OMniscient guArDian » General

The current configuration. Droid 2 global.

beej — Sun, 01 May 2011 05:06:00 +0000

AdFree: http://market.android.com/details?id=com.bigtincan.android.adfree Adobe Flash Player 10.2: http://market.android.com/details?id=com.adobe.flashplayer Adobe Reader: http://market.android.com/details?id=com.adobe.reader Advanced Task Killer Free: http://market.android.com/details?id=com.rechild.advancedtaskkiller

Smokey Bear — Pearles before swine.

beej — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:59:16 +0000

Der Zugspitze

beej — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 01:47:56 +0000

We took the Seihbahn (gondola) to the top of the tallest mountain in Germany. Over 2300 meters high (you do the conversion) it had a spectacular view even on a cloudy day. We were sandwiched between the high ones and those lower. Given an opportunity, I say “do it”. The goulasche at the cafe is awesome. Oh if you are driving, get on at Eibsee if you don’t want to ride the train.

Important Android Security Issue…

beej — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:10:25 +0000

Our corporate network now will not allow just a pattern to unlock a phone. I sort of understand why. You can see the smudge on the phone of where you slid your finger.

There is a Google Code page requesting an enhancement to fix this situation. http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=3146. It only has 25 comments and 45 stars (some have over 3,000). If you feel this is important, please visit and give the issue a star. Oh, and if you have a better idea on how to implement, do that too.

My thought for implementation was:

With the advent of collaborative applications such as Dropbox, Logmein, etc. it is important to maintain security on the phone. Our MS Exchange server now requires a PIN or Passphrase to connect to the Corporate email (Moto Droid 1).

I like number 20 and 22. Maybe a combination of the two would work. Right now if you have your phone in a dock, the pattern does get displayed landscape (undocked is default portrait with the power button on top). If the orientation was randomized AND you had a PIN that you could slide to, then I think security would be truly taken care of. Each of these could be “options” in the security screen. A check for random phone orientation and then another that could combine the pin and pattern features. The security folks can force an administrative install that they could determine what level of security they would allow for access into the system.

FYI, both Ironkey and Westrn Digital have randomized numberpads and virtual keyboards.

For all you Droid owners out there…

beej — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 22:35:48 +0000

I have put up a page (My Droid Apps) with all the apps I have installed or used. One note of caution, some of these require or enable root access which will void your phones warranty (unless you use RSD Lite to restore to stock). All of those apps do state such in the description.

Woody biomass, renewable energy & independence…

beej — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:15:04 +0000

Please visit http://www.woodybiomass.com (it is a site hosted by John Deere) and if you feel so inclined, email your congressional delegation with something similar to what I sent mine:

“Please seek legislation to help improve the capability of woody biomass to be classified as a “renewable energy source”. By utilizing dead, down, diseased trees and shrubs, we can reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources, as well as, help to reduce the risk of structure losses due to wildfires. This is a win, win, win, situation if you also include the fact that rural communities would also benefit from an additional revenue stream to their local economies. Currently, the Department of Energy has a facility in South Dakota that is an experiment in BioFuel production. We should have 1 or 2 of these facilities in Northern Minnesota to help speed the process to a better BioFuel production capability.

I appreciate any time and legislative support, in advance, that you will give to this issue.”

The more people that hold our elected officials to the fire, the better we can make our government.

And Klobuchar’s response (I’m guessing it is canned or a staffer wrote it, but I could be wrong).

June 30, 2010

Dear Mr. Glesener:

Thank you for contacting me about climate change. I appreciate hearing your thoughts and concerns on this important issue.

Environmental conservation and stewardship is an important part of Minnesota’s heritage – and it’s part of my own family heritage, too. Like most Minnesotans, I grew up in a family that values the outdoors. I believe that we must protect our country’s natural resources for the enjoyment of generations to come. Setting up the right long-term policies – such as encouraging recycling, developing renewable energy sources, and promoting innovation – will protect our environment and our economy and preserve our country’s leadership in the world.

As a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, I am working to pass legislation to protect our environment, including legislation to address the threats from global climate change. In 2007, I cosponsored America’s Climate Security Act, and authored the first title of the bill – a provision that I call the “carbon counter.” This provision creates the first national greenhouse gas registry to monitor, verify, and report greenhouse gas emissions. I am happy to report that the new Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency recently unveiled new rules that include my greenhouse gas provision.

Creating a stable market for renewable energy is the key to unleashing innovation, the defining strength of the American economy. That is why, along with Republican Senator Olympia Snowe, I introduced the bipartisan American Renewable Energy Act (S. 826), which would create a national renewable electricity standard similar to the current standard in Minnesota, where utility companies are required to produce at least 25 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025. This legislation will create a national and predictable domestic market for renewable energy, provide the long-term stability businesses need when deciding how to invest their resources, and drive economic growth and technological innovation.

As you know, we are already working toward a new energy and climate change bill in the United States Senate. With your support, I am confident that our efforts to tackle this historic challenge will finally prevail.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. One of the most important parts of my job is listening to what the people of Minnesota have to say to me. I am here in our nation’s capital to do the public’s business and to serve the people of our state. I hope you will contact me again about matters of concern to you.

Sincerely,

Amy Klobuchar

United States Senator

The Immediacy of Today’s Technology

beej — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 20:34:07 +0000

So it has been a while since I posted last. For those out there that may be reading this, I’m doing it from my Motorola Droid using WordPress’s Android application. It’s pretty impressive what this little phone can do.

It used to be just an iPhone thing to say “there’s an app for that.” Not any more. The nice thing about AndroidOS is that it is Java over a Linux kernal, so if you are a good programmer, you can really had a custom phone.

I have toyed with some applications and rooted my phone so that I can more fully utilize the Linux kernal. Unless you really need to, I wouldn’t recommend it for the lay person. I now have some minor annoyances with how some things display.

The only gripes I have with my Droid is that its navbar (taskbar at the top) is stock white which is annoying if you are using Google Navigation at night. There are some theme/skin customization applications out there, but I have yet to find one that is both free and easy to use. And that the slideout keyboard is difficult to use efficiently due to its low-profile nature. It is really tough to find your keys, especially if you are used to something like a Palm Treo or Samsung Saga, which have very pronounced keys. Too bad i have yet to be able to get my laser keyboard to work with it. Oh well…

Well, enough for now. Stay tuned!

YouTube – Why Switzerland Has The Lowest Crime Rate In The World

beej — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:55:49 +0000

Original Video:
YouTube – Why Switzerland Has The Lowest Crime Rate In The Worldo.

Vote For Oil…by Mark Fiore

beej — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 03:46:17 +0000

Technorati Tags: ad, campaign, clay, fiore, oil, politics

LifeAct by Kimber

beej — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:47:01 +0000