Year: 2011

Free Software Workshop 2011

I totally forgot to blog and let you know in advance about this, but they say it’s better late than never, so here it goes. The Ubuntu-Cy guys are organizing yet another event – Free Software Workshop 2011. It’s going to take place tonight, Friday, October 21st, 2011 at KXE1 Computer Lab at Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) in Limassol, Cyprus.

Below is the English version of the announcement, including the program. Visit this forum thread for any updates and for the Greek version.

Workshops of Free and Open Source Software 2011

The Ubuntu Linux Local Community in collaboration with the Information Systems and Technology Service of CUT and the New Technologies Club of CUT, invites you to a showcase event about the features the Free/Open Source Software in medicine, computing, home entertainment and search methods . The event will be held on October 21, 2011 in the KXE1 computer room of CUT, in the Andreas Themistocleous building (Old Land registry) in Limassol:

Click here for the Google Maps location

The agenda of the event is as follows:

18:00 to 18:30: “Free / Open Source in everyday medical practice” (Greek)
Dr. Eugene Metaxas

18:40 – 19:10: “What is version control software and why do you need it?” (English)
Leonid Mamchenkov

19:20 – 19:50: “XBMC as a core of home entertainment” (English)
Michael Stepanov

20:00 – 20:30: “make install: Installation Methods of Free/Open Source Software” (Greek)
Marios Isaakidis

20:30 to 21:00: “Intelligent search techniques” (Greek)
Theodotos Andreou

21:10 – 21:40: “Linux Security Tools” (Greek)
Gregoris Chrysanthou

The event is open to everyone and you can bring your laptop if you need any help. We are also going to give away Linux CDs/DVDs

Try Free and Open Source Software! Information without obstacles!

As you can see, I will be one of the speakers. Also, my very good friend Michael will do a presentation.

Once we are all done with the talks, we’ll probably move to a bar to continue the discussion over a pint. So if you are interested in Free and Open Source software, Linux, or just want to meet with fellow geeks, don’t miss this opportunity. They don’t come that often.

Day in brief – 2011-10-20

  • I can't understand people who demand search in their calendar app. My calendar consists of "Pet the cat" repeated every Thursday. Search? #
  • I've tweaked #MySQL on my #VPS so much that it now eats way more memory than it should. Trying to solve with the stock my-medium.cnf . :) #
  • Sometimes I feel that all my friends are freaking alcoholics. But more often I feel that I am the only alcoholic among my friends. #
  • @jppmarketing I have way more respect for what Google does than what most SEO people do. From this perspective reactions seem pathetic. :) #
  • @jppmarketing Google said that they will provide top 1,000 search keywords/phrases via Webmaster Tools. That should sufficient, I think. #
  • @jppmarketing Historic data and segmentation can solved with custom variables, I think. At least partially. #
  • Shared: Matt: Programming and Writing http://t.co/KEOTF9qJ #
  • Shopping is not the worst way to fight boredom, but it's probably the most expensive one. Yesterday's Amazon order has been shipped… #
  • Blogging is my other weapon against boredom. But it annoys other people. Nobody expects Spanish Inquisition and 10 posts a day on my blog. #
  • When I try not to blog too much, I tweet. There must be a reason why they call this microblogging. :) #
  • I favorited a @YouTube video http://t.co/IsgJX7v8 ULTra PRT sustainable transit 2 #
  • I favorited a @YouTube video http://t.co/2KPN9apq Introducing the DROID RAZR by Motorola #
  • Thanks to my blog archives, I know for sure that this is not the first time I have a boring and slow day on October 20 http://t.co/Z4uFpXNt #
  • @photomatt Automattic became domain registrar a year ago. Were there any further developments in that area? http://t.co/ZuP1VrgE #
  • Hands-Only CPR – Create Your Own Hands Symphony http://t.co/GpZm8MQw #
  • @photomatt Did I miss something or you haven't announced it yet? :) #
  • I'm at The Ship Inn w/ @alex_mamchenkov http://t.co/eafny9Rk #
  • I've seen 3 episodes of House's new season so far. It's crap. Same goes for 5 episodes of Two and a half men. Pity. #

What are possible applications of a barometer in a smartphone?

Google and Samsung recently announced a new smartphone – Galaxy Nexus. Among all the bells and whistles there is something that you don’t see that often on a mobile computing device – a barometer. Pretty much each and every technology website mentioned the new piece of hardware, but nobody really explain why it is included and what it is good for.

I’ve searched a web a little for the ideas and realized something. Not only that most people have no idea good a barometer can do in a mobile phone, but too many of them don’t even know what a barometer is. In general, besides the mobile phone. That’s where I thought I’d help them out a bit.

First things first. Here is how Wikipedia defines barometer:

A barometer is a scientific instrument used in meteorology to measure atmospheric pressure. It can measure the pressure exerted by the atmosphere by using water, air, or mercury. Pressure tendency can forecast short term changes in the weather. Numerous measurements of air pressure are used within surface weather analysis to help find surface troughs, high pressure systems, and frontal boundaries.

With that and some more reading and browsing the Web, I can list the following possible applications of a barometer in a mobile phone:

  • Weather forecasts. While we do have those now even without barometers in our phones, barometers can help the device provide a much more accurate, up to the minute weather forecast. Atmospheric pressure paired with the general forecast for the air can warn of you upcoming rains and such, minutes in advance. Also, what works one way, can work the other way too – hundreds of thousands or even millions of devices with barometers spread across the globe could help distributed data collection on atmospheric pressure and its changes, thus improving weather forecasts for everyone.
  • Atmospheric pressure change warnings. This is somewhat related to the previous point. Many people, especially older ones, and people with a variety of health conditions, are very sensitive to the changes of the atmospheric pressure. Some need to take certain pills, others need to lay down. Now, the mobile phone will be able to warn them slightly in advance.
  • Altitude positioning. Most smartphones these days are equipped with GPS. GPS can tell the altitude as well, but it is not very accurate at it. Barometric sensor can improve that a lot. Practical applications can vary from sports like parachuting and paragliding, through hobbies like remote control airplanes, to navigation and location service inside buildings (which floor am I at?).

What other applications and uses can you think of for a barometer in a mobile device?