huanix

How To Download Cyanogenmod torrents on Ubuntu using Transmission and Flexget

huanix — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:25:23 +0000

I was VERY glad to see that CyanogenMod is now being distributed as a torrent file from http://get.cm. It turns out there’s also an rss feed for http://get.cm at http://get.cm/rss – This is a step-by step tutorial intended for someone with very little experience with Flexget. The goal is to set up a cron job to scan get.cm each hour for torrent files for a specific device, and automatically download them with transmission.

For the purposes of this tutorial, I am using the following:
* Ubuntu Precise Pangolin (12.04 pre-release)
* transmission-daemon 2.50
* flexget 1.0r2807
(You will not need these specific version numbers, but it may help trace any problems)

My introduction to FlexGet and Transmission came from here:

http://flexget.com/wiki/Cookbook/Series/SeriesPresetMultipleRSStoTransmission

I have simplified and modified those instructions to work specifically for downloading Cyanogenmod torrents.

I am basing this tutorial on a brand new installation of Precise Pangolin – your mileage may vary.
Update Ubuntu:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade -y
Install some dependencies (all one line):
sudo apt-get -y install transmission transmission-daemon python-pip
Add some python tools:
sudo pip install flexget sudo pip install transmissionrpc
Check some fields in the transmission settings file to make sure you set up FlexGet correctly:
sudo grep rpc /etc/transmission-daemon/settings.json
You will be looking at a few specific lines from settings.json, they are:
"rpc-username": "user", "rpc-password": "transmission", !!! You will see an encrypted string! - if it starts with "{a" and ends with "JD" you should be fine! "rpc-port": 9091,
Assuming everything works smoothly, you won’t have to mess with this file anymore.
Create a FlexGet configuration file. These files are VERY picky. Tabs must not be used; indention is based on two spaces and correct indentation is required. I decided to give a link to mine and help you get it to the right place. You WILL want to edit one line on this to change it to your model, but get everything working first. I’ll explain at the end.
mkdir ~/.flexget wget -P ~/.flexget http://www.huanix.com/files/config.yml
It DOES NOT MATTER what username and password you use, but the username and password must match between ~/.flexget/config.yml and /etc/transmission-daemon/settings.json
Restart the transmission daemon (this will encrypt your password in settings.json)
sudo /etc/init.d/transmission-daemon restart
Test flexget
flexget --test
If everything works, you’ll see about 8 lines of output all of which are “INFO” or “VERBOSE”. If something didn’t work it looks like you might need to visit google.
Add it to your crontab file:
crontab -e
add this line:
@hourly /usr/local/bin/flexget --cron
At this point it is time to play. Open a web browser to http://127.0.0.1:9091 – log in with transmission/transmission (There won’t be any torrents yet)
Go back to the terminal, and kick off an actual download with
flexget --cron
You shouldn’t see much on the screen, but your active torrents should show up in your web browser pretty quickly.
By default, your completed downloads are stored in /var/lib/transmission-daemon/downloads/ You can change this by modifying settings on the web interface.
VERY IMPORTANTI didn’t want to confuse you while you were creating the notoriously picky flexget/config.yml file, but line 6 of that file tells flexget to ONLY look for galaxys2att roms. You can easily modify that using a python regular expression (just change i777 to your CM device model).

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Enable screen rotation on google maps navigation for Android

huanix — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 03:13:24 +0000

This sounds silly – I enjoy google navigation on my Android device when the screen rotates so that the maps are always correctly oriented. I usually only think about navigation while I’m driving, so it took me awhile to figure out how to lock and unlock the map orientation. It’s really simple – click the compass symbol. It has two positions – locked, and unlocked.

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at&t Samsung Galaxy S 2 Download Mode SGS2

huanix — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 23:28:03 +0000

The internet seems to be very confused about accessing download mode in the Samsung Galaxy S II released by AT&T.

It is actually simple to enter download mode:

1. Power the phone off.
2. Plug the usb cable into the computer (not the phone)
3. Hold both sides of the volume rocker down (vol up + vol down)
4. While holding those buttons down, insert the usb cable.

There is no need to touch the power button on the phone to enter download-mode on this device.

For those of you who are quick learners:
Insert the USB cable while holding the volume rocker down with the phone off.

This works on the Samsung Galaxy S II released by AT&T on October 2, 2011, model SGH-I777

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Using Instagram in Android and a Web Browser (firefox)

huanix — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:09:44 +0000

Instagram is a popular iPhone app with a strong community of followers. As a dedicated Android user, I’m frustrated that it’s difficult for me to see the photos my wife has posted.

Here are some ways to keep up with instagr.am without using an iPhone:

Instagram on Android

Instaroid is a basic Android app that allows you to view the popular page from Instagram. My favorite use of Instaroid is the “Near” function that allows you to use the Android GPS to view instagram photos taken near your current location. This application is still very basic – as in, I can’t find functionality to follow users, but it is a good start.

Instagram on Firefox or other web browsers

Sites that do not require an instagram login

Web.stagram.com is login-required web service for instagram that is tailored for commenting on instagram pics.
listagr.am does not allow you to log into your instagram account, but it offers a good search feature and a better visual layout and gallery view. Listagram is most useful for those without an iPhone or instagram account that just want to explore the instagram world.

Sites that require an instagram login

inkstagram.com Inkstagram requires a login to access the site – so it is obviously intended for those with an actual iPhone and instagr.am account. This is currently the most feature rich instagr.am webapp I’m aware of – it allows liking and commenting directly through the web interface. It also provides a http link to images, a tag cloud, and mapping utility.
myinstadeck.com Instagram has a great gallery view and is very well suited to managing an existing instagram account through a web browser. With the Instagram interface, you can easily manage your likes and comments, though interaction is somewhat limited.

Miscellaneous

Instagrid allows you to create an instagram album to distribute to others via a web browser. Login Required.
bajanbot.com lists the top 20 current hashtags from instagram, and it’s automatically updated every two hours. This could be a great tool to “ride the wave”.
Gramjunction is intended to allow you to view the instagram photo gallery from a selected user in your browser, but the functionality appears to be broken – it does show a selection of popular instagram pics in an attractive format. I’m not clear on the purpose of this tool – it LOOKS like it’s pulling from flickr, but it claims association with instagram.
Instawar allows you to view two instagram pictures and choose which one you think is better. This is neat and all, but I don’t see anything being done with the votes. A neat idea that will probably be developed into a useful site.
Printstagr.am – A pay service to print instagram photos on posters, stickers, etc.

Developing with the Instagram API

There are currently two ways to access the Instagram API – the approved method requires login to use instagram resources, while the hacked method allows anyone to view instagram images. I’m not sure how correct that understanding is!

These API instructions were developed in December 2010. http://mislav.uniqpath.com/2010/12/instagram-web/. They are not sanctioned by instagram, and I have seen several references to sites being taken down for using this API. It may have the benefit of allowing login-free viewing (?)

On February 25, 2011, Instagram released their official Instagram API. This will certainly lead to a lot of new web development and likely a fully featured Android App.

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Dividing scanned images with Gimp with the Batch Divide Scanned Images Tool

huanix — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 23:58:10 +0000

Let me begin by saying that I am not talented with Gimp. I learned to do this by trial and error, and I want to share it with you.

Getting Set Up
It actually took me awhile to get set up because it took me so long to evaluate the different tools and once I settled on the Batch Divide Scanned Images Plugin for Gimp, it took me another couple of hours to piece it together.

The main discussion of the Batch Divide Scanned Images tool is on the GimpTalk forum with the actual project hosting at the Gimp Plugin Registry.

I am a 64-bit Ubuntu linux user, so my installation instructions and files are intended primarily for that setup:

Make sure gimp is installed.
Put the DivideScannedImages.scm file in the /usr/share/gimp/2.0/scripts/ folder. (The link is for version 1.9. Huanix Mirror)
wget http://ffaat.pointclark.net/incoming/scripts/DivideScannedImages.scm /usr/share/gimp/2.0/scripts
Get deskew. This project is hard to get for some reason. The relevant discussion is here. I ended up compiling my own. It is not difficult to compile, but I did have to install libgimp2.0-dev (i think) which took me forever to figure out. This binary deskew gimp plugin is built for 64 bit ubuntu. Copy the file to /usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins/ (make sure it’s executable).
wget http://www.huanix.com/files/gimp/deskew /usr/lib/gimp/2.0/plug-ins/ (ONLY 64bit linux!)
Restart Gimp. At this point you should have a working slicer and deskewer, but you’ll want test it for awhile. I had to tinker with deskew by trial and error.
When you open Gimp, you should have a new menu item under Filters > Batch Tools

batch-divide-menu

Using the Batch Divide Tool
Using the batch image cutting tool in Gimp (Batch Tools > Divide Scanned Images). This Gimp plugin separates multiple images from one scan and can straighten as well deskew them (that is, make them not crooked). Even though it is supposed to be intuitive, it took me a long time to understand all of the setttings.

Selection Threshold: This slider operates the magic wand tool in Gimp. You can open a test image with gimp and test the tool to accurately select your images without selecting too much “junk”. I routinely use 25 without problems.
Size Threshold: What is the smallest an image can be, while still being considered an image? You can use the selection tool on a sample image to find your own threshold; I use 200 without any trouble.
Abort Limit: Took me forever to figure out. Abort limit means, “Stop looking for images in a scan after x images.” Or, with an abort limit of 3, the Divide Scanned Images tool will not look for a 4th or 5th image in the scan, they will simply be ignored. I think this is a sanity check to make sure the tool doesn’t try to process images that don’t exist. Set this value to the number of images per scan. (I use 2 because my scan bed is small, you might use 4)
Background Sample Corner: This is used to find a clean blank point from which the Divide Scanned Images tool will use the magic wand. Top Left corner is fine. (See the image below for more detail)
Background Sample X Offset: The tool needs to find a good place to take the magic wand sample from. I use 60 for both of these values and make sure I don’t put a picture in the upper left corner.
Background Sample Y Offset: I use 60 here as well. Same as the X offset.

Script-Fu: Batch Divide Scanned Images

The Background Sample Corner must be free of pictures so that the magic wand tool can get a clean sample. I suggest using the top left corner, and setting the x and y offset high enough that it gets “inside” the image. I like to use an offset of 60, and then leave a square inch in the corner free of pictures. The red box in this image shows the region where I wouldn’t put any picture.

background sample corner

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MindFlex + Arduino + Android = Sleep Quality Monitor & Sleep Analysis tool

huanix — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 15:56:05 +0000

This is a “concept post” intended to document an idea and solicit feedback from others who may be interested. It may or may not be developed in the future.

I was recently reading an article where Mattel’s MindFlex was hacked with arduino to output brainwave activity. I have also been tinkering with an android application called “sleep as an droid” that uses the mobile device accelerometer to track movement during sleep that is related to quality of sleep.

The workflow for an integrated sleep monitoring device is becoming evident:

The user enables sleep software (i.e. “sleep as an droid”) and puts on (unobtrusive?) Mind Flex apparatus.
Mind Flex sends sleep data to the modified arduino, which is adapted for bluetooth output (I’ve never used bluetooth on arduino
The sleep monitor program running on Android incorporates accelerometer data with brainwave data to build a very accurate sleep profile.
The sleep profile would focus on interpretation of the data, with an internal rating system for sleep. 0-100 (?). Users can share their sleep data? Compete for the perfect night of sleep?
Easily interpretable graphs show the different sleep cycles.
Here’s what I know: I can do arduino, Android, and the Mind Flex hack – at least, those are well within my grasp. I am data oriented, but I don’t think I am able to write the quality of software I would want to use.

Mind Flex could receive sleep-related brain wave activity

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How to use rsync backup for Android to make incremental backups of your Android phone

huanix — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 05:18:07 +0000

Automatically backing up the contents of your Android phone is important for several reasons:

You can automatically save ROM images to a safe location in case your phone disappears.
You can save pictures, videos, and sound recordings to your desktop without intervention.
You can have near-instant access to resources from your phone on your desktop.

It took me about an hour to get this set up the first time. It is pretty easy, but I think it’s also worth documenting visually for others.

My configuration:

Ubuntu Linux (any version of linux will work)

An android phone – i am using a Nexus One, but this should apply to the droid and other phones as well. I have to use a rooted image to create screen shots for this tutorial, but this should work on an unrooted device as well.

rsync for android by Michał Kowalczuk

1. Install rsync backup for Android by Michal Kowalczuk from the Android Market

rsync backup for Android

2. Open the application, download the binaries when prompted.

download binaries for rsync

3. Press the menu button on the phone, and choose “Generate Keys”.

Generate public and private rsa keys for android

4. Private key will be stored in /sdcard/dss_key, public as /sdcard/dss_key.pub. After generation you will be asked how to send your public key. (Press “OK”)

Storing Keys

5. It will take several seconds to generate the keys, then you will be asked, “How do you want to send you your generated public key?”

How do you want to send you your generated public key?

6. I’ll choose to send it to myself with gmail.

Sending the Android Public RSA key over gmail

7. We’re going to set the Android phone down for awhile now and work at the Ubuntu Linux Desktop (Any distro will work). You should have openssh-server installed. It’s okay to attempt to re-install it if you’re not sure:
sudo apt-get install openssh-server

8. After you install ssh, you should be able to navigate into a hidden directory in your home path (If this path doesn’t exist, you’ll need to create it):
cd ~/.ssh/

9. Now we add the public key that we sent to ourselves to a new line in the authorized_keys file, which may or may not already exist.
gedit authorized_keys

10. If the file already has text, skip to the beginning of the next line and paste all of the text from the email you sent yourself. Save and close the editor. (There are a hundred ways to add the key, I was just trying to make it easy.)

11. The public key is now installed on your desktop, and rsync backup for Android is ready to establish a connection. Go back to the Android phone and press the menu button in rsync backup for Android. Choose “Add Profile”:

12. Enter data into the setup fields. There are advanced configuration options a the bottom of the screen that are not shown here – you can leave them all blank for now. I did not have to create the ~/android_sync/ directory on my desktop – rsync created it for me when I began the backup. YMMV. (Be sure you add a trailing slash to your destination directory! -thanks Bill!)

The rsync configuration shot

13. Choose the key from /mnt/sdcard/dss_key (This screenshot is the result of pressing the “Browse…” button in step 12. It may seem a little out of place.
NOTE: if you do not have a file explorer installed, the rsync backup for android will prompt you to install one. Just go with it..

Navigate to /mnt/sdcard/dss_key

14. When you have completed the configuration, save the profile.

15. On the main screen, you can now choose the profile:

Choose the profile you created

16. Here is sample output from a successful sync. The .android_secure directory is off-limits to rsync and will show an error.

17. How about making a paypal contribution to the developer, michal@kowalczuk.eu ?

UPDATE: If you receive the error: “Value too large for defined data type (75)”, press menu and select “Get Binaries” – this will redownload the binaries and it corrects this issue.

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huanix — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 17:06:36 +0000

I have said it before, but today I am officially claiming the huanix law: The appearance of a bricked device is only a step on the road of hardware hacking.

Android App Inventor Error: INSTALL_FAILED_MEDIA_UNAVAILABLE

huanix — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 02:15:29 +0000

When you try to start App Inventor on an Android phone and get the following error:

App Inventor is having trouble communicating with the phone.
If you believe you have a connected phone or emulator,
please see the troubleshooting link at http://appinventor.googlelabs.com/learn/.

Detailed error: pkg: /data/local/tmp/AppInventorPhoneApp.apk
Failure [INSTALL_FAILED_MEDIA_UNAVAILABLE]

This error was caused by an App2SD problem – in my case, it was a setting in Cyanogenmod that caused Apps to be installed to External Storage by default, which caused a faulty path for AppInventor.

The solution was to go to Settings > CyanogenMod Settings > Application settings > Install location > (choose) Automatic

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Export wii fit data to a csv for import into excel or database

huanix — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 12:37:17 +0000

This procedure has been converted to an online tool at http://www.getmyfitdata.com

These steps allow you to take data from your wii fit or wii fit plus and export it into a form that is text readable. This is useful for lots of reasons – for people tracking their weight, for physical therapists taking care of patients, or for people who just like to play with data. When you understand the process, a full data extraction takes less than 5 minutes from Wii to excel.

1. Save the game data to an SD card, transfer the resulting data.bin file to a linux computer.

2. Use the tachtig tool for the first round of data extraction. The tachtig tool is part of Segher’s suite and needs to be compiled from his git repository. After you compile the tool it will look for some wii keys in ~/.wii/ ; yes, the keys go in a folder in your home directory, not the bin path. You do NOT need to extract keys from your Wii. The pubicly available keys on the internet are fine. (note: look at jansenprice’s instructions for compiling tachtig in the resources below)

4. This will leave you with several files in a numerically named folder. The file that contains wii fit weight and balance information is RPWiifit.dat or FitPlus0.dat

3. Use the wiifitparser.py tool from the git repository on this google code site to extract the data.

The parser extracts a lot of data, but it needs to be tweaked. This is a modified wiifitparser that correctly parses weight (in pounds) and BMI. Here is my current wiifitparser.py as of April 3, 2010

4. The resulting data is xml, which is easily understood and simple to convert to csv.

Wii Fit data.bin parse

(The workflow in the screenshot is real, but i trimmed the contents of the output file so you could see the actual weight output.)

I have written this too as an online parser where people can upload data.bin files from their wii fit save and have that data file converted into a csv that can be downloaded. You can spend 10 hours following the directions above, or pay $5 by google checkout to have the data parsed for you at getmyfitdata.com

The best overall start guide:

http://jansenprice.com/blog?id=9-Extracting-Data-from-Wii-Fit-Plus-Savegame-Files

Google code page with an excellent introduction:
http://code.google.com/p/wiifit/source/checkout

Segher’s tachtig tool is the initial data.bin parser:

http://git.infradead.org/?p=users/segher/wii.git;a=blob;f=tachtig.c

StackOverflow thread on parsing wii fit data.bin:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/616249/wii-fit-data-format

Oudtated but useful:

http://wiibrew.org/wiki/Wii_Savegame_Parser

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