milow.net

png and ie, imperfect together

gil — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 03:27:16 +0000

The PNG image format is becoming more and more common on the web, and for good reason. It is an open standard that does not require payment of royalties, and it has some cool features that other formats do not. This article is about PNG’s transparency and alpha-blending features.
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posting a video on the web

gil — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:46:11 +0000

With all the Web 2.0 technology talk these days, you would think it would be easy to post a video on your blog. If your video is public material, then you would be fairly correct (just use YouTube). But if your video is private, then you would be dead wrong.
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wmToggleVibrate

gil — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:57:55 +0000

wmToggleVibrate is a quick and dirty application to switch your phone from vibrate mode to ringer-on mode. It will vibrate to let you know it is working.

Use your favorite key-map tool to map wmToggleVibrate to your favorite key for easy usage. I use RhodiumKbdControl for my HTC Tilt2/Touch Pro2.

wmToggleVibrate has been tested on Windows Mobile 6 and Windows Mobile 6.5. It will probably not work on Windows Mobile 5 and below as some of the APIs used are only found in Windows Mobile 6 and up.

wmToggleVibrate is free and is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Download:
wmToggleVibrate

finding the perfect-er mouse

gil — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:55:56 +0000

I had previously detailed my search for the perfect wireless mouse, which ended with me being satisfied with the Radtech BT550. You can guess what comes next, almost a year later..
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ActiveGcSync 2 Beta

gil — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:54:37 +0000

Introduction:

ActiveGcSync 2 Beta is now available. The major additions to this version are support for multiple Google calendars and synchronization of Contacts.

Keep in mind that this is a Beta version. Although I have spent many months testing and improving it, it is not bug free. Before using this version I would recommend that you read the Settings and FAQ below and also make a backup of your phone’s Events and Contacts using a tool such as SPB Backup.

Settings:

Here are the new settings in ActiveGcSync 2 Beta:

Calendar Tab:

Calendars to Sync – Click the Refresh button to get a list of all Calendars on your account. Check off the ones you want to synchronize. The Events tab allows you to customize settings for each Calendar.
Default Calendar – This option allows you to define what Google Calendar to synchronize PocketOutlook events without a Category. If this is blank then you will need to assign each event a Category that correlates to a Google Calendar name.

Events Tab:

Calendar dropdown – Select a calendar to customize
Event Label – What to label this event. The label will appear on your device in brackets, for example: [label]. Leave blank for no label.
BusyStatus of All Day Google Events – What to set status to for All Day events
BusyStatus of Other Google Events – What to set status to for non-All Day events
Set Reminder – Whether to set a PocketOutlook reminder for each event. Options are Yes, No, and Outlook Default
Outlook Events to send to Google – Which events to synchronize to Google

ContactsTab:

Groups/Categories – Click refresh to download contact groups from Google as well as PocketOutlook Categories. Check off any that you want to synchronize.
Sync All - Check this box to synchronize ALL contacts, regardless of category/group. Keep in mind that in Google, at least as of this writing, anyone you email will be added to your Suggested Contacts and therefore will be synchronized using this option.
Default Group - If this dropdown is not blank, any local contacts will be considered to be a part of this group. This is useful if you do not want to set categories on a local contact in order to synchronize that contact.
Default FileAs - This option will set FileAs to either “Last, First” or “First Last” for contacts. FileAs is the format that Contact managers use to display names in.

FAQ:

Why does this version not work on my non-touchscreen Smartphone?
In order to save memory in both versions, I have split out ActiveGcSync into a touchscreen (PocketPC) version and a non-touchscreen (Smartphone) version. I have focused all of my time on the PocketPC version for now. The Smartphone version will be coming soon. If you have a Smartphone and want a Smartphone version soon, then make sure to let me know on the forums.

I have just upgraded from version 1.x and nothing synchronizes any more. Do I have to do something new?
Yes. Version 2 of ActiveGcSync will not synchronize any Calendars or Contacts by default. You must click the refresh buttons on both the Calendars and Contacts tab (as described above in the Settings section) and select Calendars/Contact Groups to sync.

Why is ActiveGcSync asking me to pick a contact from a list?
When initially synchronizing a contact from Google, ActiveGcSync may find more than one local contact similar to the one you are synchronizing. If so, it will use a combination of factors to present to you the local contacts it thinks match up. Check off one contact if it is the correct one and click Done. If you do not check any contacts before clicking Done, ActiveGcSync will assume that none of the choices are correct and create a new PocketOutlook contact.

Which information is presumed to be correct in case of a conflict?
In order to save time during an initial synchronization, ActiveGcSync will assume that your phone has the correct contact pictures and phone numbers. For all other things such as name and emails, Google is assumed to have the correct information.

Do I have to set a category on my Event or Contact in order to have it synchronize to Google?
No. If you use the Default Calendar (for Events) and Default Group (for Contacts) options, your Events and Contacts will be synchronized, assuming that the default you select is being synchronized.

If I add a category to my Event that is another Calendar, will the event get synchronized to both Calendars?
No. Once an event is synchronized to one Google Calendar, it will not get synchronized to any other calendars.

How does a labeled email address (ex: home) in Google synchronize to a non-labeled PocketOutlook email address (ex: Email Address 1)?
Email Address 1 maps to Home, Email Address 2 maps to Work, Email Address 3 maps to Other.

Why is my contact’s photo not showing up on my Google Mail web page?
As of this writing, the Google website does not show photos for contacts without email addresses.

I am getting an error when I run a sync. How do I tell what is going on?
Each time ActiveGcSync runs a Sync process, it writes out details to a file called lasUpdate.log which can be found at \Application Data\ActiveGcSync\lastUpdate.log.

Download:

ActiveGcSync is free and is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

ActiveGcSync v2.0.6 ( README )

finding the perfect mouse

gil — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:56:33 +0000

The computer mouse, ever since it was invented at the Stanford Research Institute in 1963, has pretty much been a requirement for using a computer. It has gone through various changes over the years, moving from using a mechanical ball to lasers. When I started using a laptop for work, I wanted to find the best solution for a mouse that travels back and forth with me from home to work every day. The saga continues to this day..
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answering your (development) questions

gil — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 21:17:42 +0000

There are a few blogs that I read daily. Actually, I should say that I read them only when new articles are posted. I use RSS in Thunderbird to avoid having to load these web pages each day to look for new content.

The blogs I read change as I get bored/annoyed with some and find new interesting ones. One blog that has maintained its position on my blogroll is Joel on Software. Although I don’t always agree with Joel and he can sometimes come off as arrogant, he is usually pretty dead on in his philosophies. Plus his posts have humor and sarcasm built in and so are never boring. A lot of time he writes about software applications that I end up finding extremely useful.

Recently he has played a part in the creation of a website called Stack Overflow. The site is for developers like myself who need help sometimes and could use a one stop shop for answers. One thing they came up with which I think is ingenious is to essentially make the site a big contest. When you answer questions with answers that people like, they mod you up (in slashdot terminology) and your post jumps higher in the discussion list. Not only this, but you get a ranking based on how high you are in the discussions you participate in. So how do you get smart people to answer other people’s questions on your site? Reward them with bragging rights!

Right now when I google a programming question I have to sift through lots of old discussions where people are left hanging because no one can or wants to answer their question. I also have to filter out any search result from experts-exchange since you have to pay for those answers. Why these experts-exchange pages come up so high on a google search is beyond me.

Stack Overflow just went live to the public today, and I think it has a lot of potential. Maybe even I will be entering the competition..

miranda and office communicator 2007

gil — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:00:23 +0000

After we upgraded our Instant Messaging to the new version of Microsoft Office Communications Server, I have been told to install Office Communicator 2007 in order to be able to connect from outside of our firewall. The new version of OCS apparently requires two seperate connections: one if you are inside the firewall, and one if you are outside on the internet. Why OCS requires two different IP addresses to work this way, I have no idea.

“So what?” you ask.

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ActiveGcSync FAQ

gil — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:22:03 +0000

What does ActiveGcSync require in order to run?
ActiveGcSync requires the Microsoft Compact Framework version 3.5. A link to this can be found on the main project page.

How do I switch to another phone and still keep my appointments and contacts?
If you are using Microsoft ActiveSync to synchronize your contacts and events, make sure you set up and run ActiveSync before you synchronize with ActiveGcSync. ActiveGcSync will try to find existing events/contacts before creating a new one with the same name, but ActiveSync will not.

I have copied my settings to a new phone, but ActiveGcSync will not synchronize some events/contacts. What should I do?
In the Menu, click on Advanced->Reset Last Updated. This will force ActiveGcSync to run a full download from Google the next time it syncs. The next sync may take longer than a typical sync, but should ensure that all of your items are synchronized.

If an event/contact is changed both on my Google Calendar as well as Pocket Outlook, what happens?
ActiveGcSync assumes that your Google event/contact is more up to date and will synchronize it to Pocket Outlook, overwriting any Pocket Outlook changes. This is only the case when the event/contact is changed in both places between synchronizations. Any changes made to one or the other calendar/contact list will be ok as a synchronization is done in between.

Why is ActiveGcSync asking for my TimeZone? Doesn’t Windws know this already?
Sometimes a cell phone carrier will set their phones to synchronize the time to your Windows Mobile phone. If this is the case they may or may not sync the TimeZone information. If this happens, ActiveGcSync will ask you for your time zone and will not ask again unless it detects another time zone change.

Why does ActiveGcSync tell me that it can’t sync recurring exceptions because of different time zones?
Due to the way Pocket Outlook keeps track of recurring event patterns, an event can not be updated in multiple time zones. If an event is created in one time zone then updated in another, the pattern may change and the event will appear on the wrong day. This is due to the way Pocket Outlook handles which days the event occurs on.

The first time ActiveGcSync runs, it assumes that all events it encounters have been created in the current time zone. Any events that are added from then on should be synchronized in the timezone they were created in.

Are you going to add feature XYZ to ActiveGcSync
I regularly check the forums for feature requests. If you post it there chances are it will make it onto the TODO list.

Which contact information is presumed to be correct in case of a conflict?
In order to save time during an initial synchronization, ActiveGcSync will assume that your phone has the correct contact pictures and phone numbers. For all other things such as name and emails, Google is assumed to have the correct information.

Why is my contact’s photo not showing up on my Google Mail web page?
As of this writing, the Google website does not show photos for contacts without email addresses.

Why don’t my Google Sports Calendars show up in ActiveGcSync?
Google does not currently (as of October 2009) support access to their Sports calendars through the API.

When I try to get information from Google, I get a CAPTCHA required message.
Google sometimes needs extra information in order to trust your Windows Mobile device as a valid client. Load up a web browser on your phone and point it to https://www.google.com/accounts/DisplayUnlockCaptcha, and enter in all the information requested. Then try again from ActiveGcSync

Does ActiveGcSync have any command line options?
Yes, there are two. To start a Sync when ActiveGcSync starts up, use -syncOnStartup. To close ActiveGcSync after this sync is done, use -shutdownAfterSync.

I am starting ActiveGcSync by clicking on ActiveGcSync.exe, and it closes right away.
In order to start ActiveGcSync properly, use the icon in the Start Menu. If you absolutely must call the EXE directly, make sure you use put -VC as a command line option, as this option is used by ActiveGcSync components internally.

Configuring ActiveGcSync

gil — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:20:57 +0000

The first time ActiveGcSync is run it will automatically show the Settings screen. When running ActiveGcSync subsequent times, you can use the Settings menu button. The following tabs are available:

General

Username – Your Google account’s username. This may need to be username or username@gmail.com

Password – Your Google account’s password

Hide on Startup – ActiveGcSync will bring the Today screen to the foreground when it loads

Check for new versions on startup – ActiveGcSync will check for a new version whenever it is started and pop up a system message if it finds one

Disable Error Popups – Disables system popups when an error occurs

Sync

Automatically Update – ActiveGcSync will periodically auto-update your calendars

Interval (in minutes) – Number of minutes to wait between updates

Error Interval (in minutes) – Number of minutes to wait until retrying the synchronization after an error occurs

Only sync when connected to network – ActiveGcSync will wait for a network connection to start a synchronization

Calendars

Calendars to Sync – Click the Refresh button to get a list of all Calendars on your account. Check off the ones you want to synchronize. The Events tab allows you to customize settings for each Calendar

Default Calendar – This option allows you to define to what Google Calendar to synchronize PocketOutlook events without a Category. If this is blank then you will need to assign each event a Category that correlates to a Google Calendar name in order to have them synchronized. (Important Note: If this option is left blank, any events synchronized by previous single-calendar versions of ActiveGcSync will not synchronize!)

Categories button – Click to select which non-calendar categories to sync to your default calendar

Events

Calendar dropdown – Select a calendar to customize

Event Label – What to label this event. The label will appear on your device in brackets, for example: [label]. Leave blank for no label

BusyStatus of All Day Google Events – What to set status to for All Day events

BusyStatus of Other Google Events – What to set status to for non-All Day events

Set Reminder – Whether to set a PocketOutlook reminder for each event. Options are Yes, No, and Outlook Default

Outlook Events to send to Google – Select which types of event to synchronize to Google (by sensitivity setting). This option is disabled for read-only calendars

Contacts

Groups/Categories – Click refresh to download contact groups from Google as well as PocketOutlook Categories. Check off any that you want to synchronize

Sync All - Check this box to synchronize ALL contacts, regardless of category/group. Keep in mind that in certain versions of Google Mail, anyone you email will be added to your Suggested Contacts and therefore will be synchronized using this option

Default Group - If this dropdown is not blank, any local contacts will be considered to be a part of this group. This is useful if you do not want to set categories on a local contact in order to synchronize that contact

Default FileAs - This option will set FileAs to either “Last, First” or “First Last” for contacts. FileAs is the format that Contact managers use to display names