sacha chua living an awesome life

If you want to use your Android device to work with your Org-mode files, there’s MobileOrg and there’s MobileOrg NG. MobileOrg seems to have more recent activity and more contributors, but NG has a more tablet-optimized layout and better support for navigating large files, so it would be good to apply some of the ideas from NG to the main MobileOrg project. Might be a useful way for me to learn more about mobile development.

Here’s how to build MobileOrg (the matburt version).

1. Copy the URI to the Git repository (ex: git://github.com/matburt/mobileorg-android.git).
2. In Eclipse, click on File – Import – Projects from Git – URI. This may autodetect the URI. If not, paste in the URI. Click Next.
3. You should now see a list of branches. You can leave them all selected. Click Next.
4. Check the box for Clone Submodules. This will make sure that the project’s dependencies are also checked out. Click Next.
5. When you see the dialog called Select a wizard to use for importing projects, click on Cancel.

Because the .project file hasn’t been set up, you’ll need to import the project using a different wizard. However, there’s an Eclipse bug that can make this a bit of a hassle, so this is what you should do to get the projects set up in your system.

1. Close Eclipse.
2. Move the mobileorg-android subdirectory from your Eclipse workspace directory to a different directory that is not in your workspace.
3. Start Eclipse again.
4. Click on File – Import – Existing Android Code Into Workspace. Click Browse and choose the mobileorg-android folder.
5. Click on Deselect All.Reselect the following:
   • com.matburt.mobileorg.Gui.OutlineActivity
   • library
   • com.twofortyfouram.locale.MarketActivity
6. Click on Finish.

Now you should have a bunch of projects in your system. You may need to adjust the libraries and build paths.

1. Right-click on the com.matburt.mobileorg.Gui.OutlineActivity project and choose Properties.
2. Click on Android and confirm that both libraries are detected. If not, you may need to remove and re-add them.
3. Wait for the libraries to be built. If you notice that the compiled JARs don’t have classes, doublecheck that the src folder has loaded the sources. Right-click on the src folder and choose Refresh in order to get the sources recognized by Eclipse.

Re-detect the Git connection by doing the following:

1. Right-click on the com.matburt.mobileorg.Gui.OutlineActivity project and choose Team – Share Project.
2. Choose Git.
3. Check the Use or create repository in parent folder of project.
4. Check the .git directory you’re using.
5. Click on Finish.

I also had to remove some code from AndroidManifest.xml because you’re apparently not supposed to have more than one action in an intent-filter:

diff --git a/AndroidManifest.xml b/AndroidManifest.xml
index 01c4f1e..9fc3eb1 100644
--- a/AndroidManifest.xml
+++ b/AndroidManifest.xml
@@ -64,14 +64,11 @@
             android:name=".Gui.OutlineActivity"
             android:label="MobileOrg"
             android:theme="@style/Theme.MobileOrgActionbar" >
             <intent-filter>
                 <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
-
                 <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
-
-                <action android:name="com.matburt.mobileorg.Synchronizer.action.SYNC_UPDATE" />
             </intent-filter>
         </activity>
         <activity
             android:name=".Gui.NodeViewActivity"
             android:label="Org View"

(StackOverflow)

Hope that helps!

This should be the last of the major gadget changes for a while. Lots of changes, so the next few weeks will be packed with learning as I figure out new capabilities and workflows.

I switched to WIND Mobile‘s Back to School unlimited data plan ($29) because it was cheaper than my voice and texting plan with Fido. Coverage seems to be pretty good, although it was hard to call from within MEC (but it’s always hard to call from MEC). The porting process finished within seven hours, and I hope the termination of my previous plan is uneventful as well.

Along the way, I decided to upgrade from the Google Nexus One to the Samsung Galaxy S3. I’ve been looking forward to playing around with newer versions of Android, especially when it comes to mobile development. The front-facing and back-facing cameras might be handy, too. Also, the S3 has these awesome motion-based actions! I feel like the future is here.

The Nomad Brush stylus has arrived, too, and I’ve been playing around with it on my tablet. I ordered the stylus with two tips: one is a long brush made with conductive fibers, and the other is a smaller, more constrained version of the same that is more useful for detailed work. Both brush tips feel great, but it’s a pity that none of the drawing apps I tried were comparable to the layered, pen/touch-focused awesomeness of Autodesk Sketchbook Pro on my Lenoxo X220 tablet PC. Although Autodesk Sketchbook Pro for Android uses the same painting engine that the desktop version uses, it’s not as responsive or as handy. (I miss the lasso tool and juggling lots of layers.) Still, the brush seems great. Now I have to learn how to paint.

I’ll give the new phone about two weeks or so, and then I’ll look into selling my old phone. People are advertising them on Craigslist for $160 or so. I’ll probably sell it for cheaper – maybe $100 or $120 – because the battery’s a little run down, but it would be nice to have it out there being used by someone instead of just languishing in a drawer. (Although I suppose one could always brainstorm uses for a small WiFi device that has Bluetooth and a touchscreen…)

With the new phone and the Asus Infinity TF700 I’ve been getting used to, I’m definitely kitted out. No more tech buying for the next little while. I have to learn to use what I have first!

Some people are early adopters when it comes to gadgets. They’re the first out the door with the latest mobile phone or camera. I’m a little more conservative. I’ll look closely at the reviews, figure out what I want, save up, and shop around for a good deal.

I’ve been thinking about getting the Asus Eee Transformer Pad Infinity TF700. It’s one of the best Android tablets around and the reviews are good. I’m particularly looking forward to the high-resolution display for reading and reviewing drawings and e-books. At 1920×1200, it’ll have higher resolution than my 1366×768 laptop. Maybe I can use it as a second screen, too.

The TF700 is not yet available in Canada, so I’ll wait. In the meantime, I’ve checked out lots of books on Android development and I’ve started sketching interfaces. I can prototype on my laptop and on my phone, and it would be amazing to have the tablet version ready for when I buy the TF700. That way, I know I won’t waste the tablet – I’ll already have learned something useful because of it, and I’ll have demonstrated business use.

There are a few other good Android tablets on the market. I think the TF700′s worth waiting for. I don’t mind paying retail price for it, though, as it’s the kind of thing that will probably sell out quickly and I do want to have one in hand well before the Quantified Self conference in September. I’d like to get the hang of using it and developing it before I rely on it.

I know there’ll be even better gadgets after that – technology! — but that’s okay too. Progress!

Girl Geeks Toronto: Quantified Self. =)

Hashtag: #girlgeeksto

Calendars are among my weaknesses. I’ve had scheduling conflicts. I’ve missed appointments. I’ve plumb forgotten about stuff. Fortunately, people tend to be forgiving, like the way I don’t stress out over other people’s calendar mishaps. Things like this happen.

I’m working on ways to get better, because calendar problems can get in the way of awesomeness. I’m learning to slow down when it comes to anything that involves calendars, although I sometimes still forget. Because I sometimes miss reminders from Google Calendar on my phone, I’ve installed Calendar Snooze, an app that repeats the reminders at configurable intervals. Important events get put on both my business calendar and my personal calendar.

Maybe I should develop the habit of checking my calendar every hour to keep track of where I am in the day, especially when I’m using other people’s computers. I’ve added a Tasker hourly chime that also opens my calendar. We’ll see how well that works.

One of the reasons why I sometimes miss reminders is that I forget to take my cellphone out of silent or low-volume mode. I’ve now configured Tasker to set my phone on silent when I place it face down on a surface, and to restore it back to full volume when I pick it up again. I’m still looking for a good app that can make it easier to come back from silent mode during time-based events, like watching a movie. In any case, I have another Tasker task that resets the volume in the morning.

Slow and steady improvement!

I type in Dvorak on my laptop. I’d learned it for kicks some time ago – 2003, one slow summer? – because I’d read that it was somewhat better for you in terms of typing. I was more interested in playing around with rewiring my muscle memory than the purported gain in speed. It took me a couple of weeks, but I eventually got the hang of it, and I type more correctly in it than I do in QWERTY. I enjoy typing in Dvorak more, too – I like the balancing of the left and right hand.

Still, I live in a QWERTY world. One of my clients issued me a laptop that’s locked-down, so I can’t change my keyboard layout. At the other client, I work on a Mac that other people occasionally log into, so I’m a little wary of changing the keyboard layout to Dvorak just in case it messes up the login screen.

I can touch-type in QWERTY, but I tend to use two or three fingers, relying on muscle memory to hit the key with the finger that feels closest to it. This is not as efficient as it could be, so I’ve been thinking about making myself learn how to type QWERTY the proper way: fingers on the home row, lots of use of pinkies, and so on.

It’s frustrating learning how to type properly in QWERTY, but then again, it was frustrating learning Dvorak too. I have to think about typing instead of just focusing on what I want to say or do. Still, if I can get rid of some of the frustration that comes with working on other people’s computers, I think that will pay off.

I like the typing lessons at http://typingclub.com the most. I just have to remember to spread them out so that I don’t get annoyed and overwhelmed. Here we go again…

I organized my files, weeded out blurry photos, and thought about how I want to improve my workflow for input, processing, and output.

Here’s what I want from my digital filing system:

Easy year-end backups: I’d like to be able to copy a folder onto a DVD and a separate drive, secure in the knowledge that if I really needed to get back to something, I could look it up.

Offline search: I want to be able to search the data even without the physical DVD or disk, so I don’t have to guess what year something happened or pop lots of DVDs into my drive.

Face tagging: I want to quickly retrieve all pictures with a specified combination of people. It would be awesome to get statistics off that, too.

Remove duplicates: I don’t want to wade through duplicate pictures when classifying my files, so I used VisiPics to find and delete images that were identical or of lower resolution.

Review by type: I want to review all of my presentations, drawings, blog posts, or 4×6-printable favourite photos regardless of their year. I want to be able to do this offline, too.

Search by topic: I want to find all of my resources related to a topic.

Map: I want to build a map what I know and what I want to learn. This map might contain hyperlinks to more details.

Quick visual review: I’d love to be able to quickly flip through or view slideshows of my visual book summaries, sketchnotes, and photo highlights. This is a good way to trigger memory. Maybe an “On this Day” reminder, too?

Hmm, planning…

Right now, I back up my data onto a drive weekly, and I use Dropbox for network backups too. I save my sketchnotes and summaries into a folder, and I keep small versions into another folder so that I can easily review them. I use Evernote so that I can search my hand-written notes and images. I use Picasa for images and face recognition, and Bibble 5 for tags. I don’t have offline search of backup DVDs yet, but I haven’t needed it. Besides, I can always search through my blog posts and notes.

Getting there…