Raspberry Pi project #3: Beepy

Before you panic, you haven't missed my writings about any other Raspberry Pi projects. This is project number 3, but it's the first one I've actually written about.

The reasoning for Beepy came when the family were highlighting programmes in the Christmas edition of What's On TV. We used to set reminders on the TV, but it's rubbish - they only remind you if the TV is turned on.

Beepy is an alarm daemon that regularly reads a text file with a list of dates, times, numbers and words.

Website of the Week – ifttt.com

This "Website of the Week" isn't going to be a regular occurrence, but IFTTT sent me a text a couple of days ago, and I decided to write about it because it's pretty cool.

IFTTT stands for "If This Then That", and it is an online utility to perform a particular action when a particular event occurs.

I'll try to explain that again. You connect IFTTT to your other online accounts such as Google, Facebook and Dropbox. There are lots of different triggers that can occur. For example, every day at a particular time; when you are tagged in a photo on Facebook; or when you send IFTTT an email with a particular subject. You can add services like Yahoo weather and you can connect your mobile phone as well.

Ben Howard 30/11/12

"Ben Howard tickets? Buy or sell Ben Howard tickets!" many a person said once we left Brixton tube station. We could find our way to the O2 just by following the voices.

Once we got there, there was the queue jump line for O2 customers and the long line for the sensible people who had switched to Giffgaff. But apparently, having a phone which loads the O2's Priority app means we could get in quickly, even if it was on Tesco Mobile. Hell, I'm not complaining!

On entering the venue, I decided to try to take a warm-up photo of the stage to set up my camera properly. I felt rather special as I turned the camera on and the screen said "No SD card inserted". Realising that my card was in the other camera, I resorted to using my phone and its fantastic ability to take blurry, low res and non-zoomed-in photos. Woop.

X-Rays are Cool

I’ve got my retainers now. I’m still going to write about it, but I’ll do that later. I think this is cooler though.

It took quite a while to get them, but a few months and £30 later (!) I have the X-Rays on a CD.

2007

This was before any braces were put in, and before any teeth were pulled out. You’ll be able to tell at that time, my front and back teeth were meeting fine, but the ones in the middle weren’t. What you can’t really see here is how overcrowded they were. I’m sure they did an X-Ray showing it, but they didn’t give it to me.

:-# --> :-D

After 5 and a bit years (on and off, and on again) I had my braces out on Tuesday afternoon, and about time too! Though it was one of the weirdest appointments I've had at the hospital...

I got in on time, Monsters vs. Aliens was showing in the waiting room, pretty standard. My orthodontist was running late as usual, but when I eventually got called in, I saw another orthodontist instead, in fact she was the first consultant I saw 5 years ago. She said that the braces were coming off today and that I would need impressions taken. I was surprised how quickly the braces came off (there was a fair amount of pain involved), and at how long she took polishing the teeth to remove the residual glue.

iThingy app – JumiMouse+

A couple of years ago, I downloaded an app for my iPod called JumiMouse+. I found it because I was looking for a remote desktop app to control my laptop, and although this wasn't exactly what I was looking for at the time, it turned out it was better than what I wanted.

In order for the app to work, JumiMouse+ requires a server application, JumiController, to be running on your PC. It can sometimes be problematic connecting the iPod to the PC, but this is usually the fault of the firewall or your router. This app works both internally and externally, meaning your iPhone could be in the same room or in China and it will work just the same.

A few months later, JumiTech released an app called JumiTap, later branded JumiRemotes, which is now integrated into JumiMouse+. This allowed the user to create their own remote controls for specific applications, or download user-submitted remotes from JumiTech's gallery. Essentially, this means you can plug your laptop into your TV and run Windows Media Center using the remote control I made for it. Or you could play VisualBoyAdvance with a Game Boy controller rather than the keyboard. Or you could present a PowerPoint presentation without the need to go and press a button on the laptop after every slide.

Help! I’m syncing!

I never had a backup schedule. I just copied my files every now and then to an external hard drive, but not nearly regularly enough. The hard drive I back it up to sits right next to my laptop most of the time. This is fine if the laptop fails and I need to get the files back, but what about if the house burns down? Both my hard drive and laptop would be destroyed without any chance of getting the data back. So I decided that I would make my computer back up the files online, because having your data mirrored somewhere else is always a good idea.

eeew, dentists

7 months after the operation

I had an appointment at the dentist yesterday, for a change. I was getting a bit concerned at the amount of tartar that built up quite suddenly on the front of my teeth, but he said there was no decay :) He wouldn't clear the tartar for fear of dislodging the braces, but in true dentist fashion, he revelled in inflicting as much pain as possible cleaning the back of my teeth. Stupid dentists.

Looks like I'll be going back there again as soon as the braces are taken off.

Pizza risotto. Yeah.

A couple of days ago, my brother asked mum:

Kieran: “What’s for dinner?”
Mum: “Risotto.”
Kieran (expectantly): “Pizza?”
Mum: “No. Risotto.”
Kieran (in an attempt to compromise): “Pizza risotto?”

Then the idea was born. Tonight, that idea became a reality.

The See-How-Much-You-Look-Like-Michael-Cera Challenge

After reading all those blog posts about my surgery, one of my friends pointed out that I now look like Michael Cera on his blog. Now after seeing Scott Pilgrim the first time, I thought I looked a bit like him, even before my surgery. However, my flatmates thought otherwise. Now my jawline looks more Cera-esque, I thought I should try to look even more like him, simply because it would be funny.

Then it actually happened.

Bachalpsee

This is one of my favourite places I have travelled to so far. It's in Switzerland, in the Bernese Oberland region. There's a map for you to pan around.

View Larger Map

STFC Photowalk

Last Thursday, STFC hosted a photo competition around site. It was open to members of the public as well as staff. We are allowed to submit 5 photos.

I’ve narrowed it down to 10, but I’m so indecisive, and everyone in my family seems to have a different opinions.

...still nearly there...

5 months after the operation

Another appointment, another configuration of elastics to wear. I'll probably keep up with it for two, maybe three days this time.

Just as I was leaving the surgery, I saw another consultant talking to a young girl, telling her for the first time that she might need braces. The girl looked horrified. Pfft. Try having them for 5 years and having an operation on your jaw part way through.

This might well be the last set of elastics for me to wear. Let's hope so. Next appointment? Nobody knows.

Back to normality

Before I had this operation on my face, I thought my recovery period would conflict with my exams in May. I made arrangements with my director of teaching, and he recommended I take my exams in September instead, during the retake period. Turns out I recovered quicker than expected, so could probably have done the exams in May, but I had already been put on the September register. I was slightly concerned because I didn't think I'd be able to remember any of the stuff I learned during term for September, but with plenty of revision outside of work hours, I think I did a pretty good job with them (well, 2 out of 4 modules at least).

Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked even before I've begun.

Nearly there..?

4 months after the operation

Well, I'm back from the Alps now (and have been for quite some time). Unfortunately that insurance premium I paid just went into the company's pocket, but if I hadn't paid, the rock that punched me in the face would have hit the fracture rather than my cheek, or the baguettes I had for lunch would have destroyed the blocks on my braces, or something.

It's been ages since I wrote about my jaw, but that's because nothing much has happened.

I have a Raspberry Pi

I ordered a Raspberry Pi a month ago and It arrived last Friday.

DP in the Alps: Part 6

<-- Part 5

Part 6: The end

Day 16
Four hours later, I was definitely still drunk but it was surprisingly easy to get up and packing. My tent was quick to go down, the others followed suit. Everything was packed and we left the campsite by 8:15. So quickly in fact, that I didn't even take a photo. I got the camera out on the journey back to Calais though.

DP in the Alps: Part 5

<-- Part 4

Part 5: the part where I got back to kayaking (a bit)

Day 13
Another early start, we were woken up at 8 and left at 8:30. Back to kayaking again (for a change), today was Guil day. I have finally lost the dunce shirt! Hannah had forgotten her helmet. Most people (except Will, Kelvin and Izi) left from the start (the Upper-upper Guil). The river was really low and had several rocks about. Although I scraped a few I didn't go in. Right at the end of the upper-upper there was a weir, which we all had to get off for. I hit a further rock at the start of the eddy which almost tipped me over, but a late executed low brace saved me. The dunce shirt changed hands again, for Rachel had left the bung out of her boat (apparently not her fault). Priyanka, Emily and I were to paddle no further, but the rest carried on with the more complex upper Guil. After that a few experienced ones successfully paddled some of the more complex parts of the river (Château Queras and the Triple Step).

DP in the Alps: Part 4

<-- Part 3

Part 4: the part where I did no kayaking whatsoever

Day 11
It was by far the hottest day of the trip so far, and we didn't have any rivers planned. A few went to the Durance gorge, but most stayed at the campsite and either paddled on the lake or just sunbathed. I've developed a pretty nice dunce shirt tan. Needless to say, there are no photos of those tan lines - I hope.

DP in the Alps: Part 3

<-- Part 2

Part 3: the part where I do more sightseeing than boating

Day 7
Chill out day today! Some people went on a river, but the majority wanted to take a day off to visit Briançon. We went to the bridge overlooking Briançon gorge, which the experienced ones had paddled on Sunday. Afterwards we found a café and had the nicest of coffees.

DP in the Alps: Part 2

Part 2: the bit where I actually do some kayaking.

<-- Part 1

View Larger Map
This was our campsite, the Durance runs right past it, so the site is always full of kayakers. There's also a slalom course and a flat water lake, for leisurely happenings.

Technically, this is day 3 already because it took 2 days to travel here, so anyway:

DP in the Alps: Part 1

Part 1: Concepts, Definitions and the Journey to the Campsite

I went white water kayaking in the French Alps with the canoe club. Seeing as I'd never paddled any white water before (at all), I wasn't sure exactly how much time I'd spend kayaking and how much time I'd spend sitting around waiting for the others to finish kayaking on rivers too difficult for me, but I went all the same. This is what happened.

“You look like Dan again”

9 weeks after the operation

Now there’s a good observation from my housemates! Honestly, I thought I looked like myself again quite a while back, but hey.

Speaking of “quite a while back”, I noticed my stitches magically disappeared recently. They might have gone quite a while ago, I just didn’t notice at the time.

The cake is not a lie

Random thing #1

The family visited me on Sunday and mum brought a cake. Known by the family as a ‘Loaded Chocolate Cake’, the actual recipe behind it is unknown, mainly because I haven't asked her. It is made up of chocolate cake, chocolate icing, chocolate sprinkles, chocolate chips, chocolate buttons, Maltesers, Aero Bubbles and an orange-zesty surprise! Minor variations of the cake keep appearing for birthdays and other family occasions, and I never get bored of it. It’s just too delicious :D

Panorama-ama

At the start of second year computer science, we were taught the concept of image stitching. There’s a lot of complicated maths involved, but it was understandable, and more importantly, interesting. Turns out my lecturer had previously contributed to the panorama stitching feature in Windows Live Photo Gallery. He’s even got an app!

Anyway, before I had those lectures, I was still using the tool to stitch photos together. When I went to Venice with the 6th form in 2010, I took a burst of photos from the top of a tower overlooking most of the city.

Further minor observations

7 weeks after the operation

I woke up one morning, after yet another night with the elastics in. On biting together, it felt like the elastics have pulled some of the teeth up too far. Now they are the only firm contact point. I’m no orthodontist, but I reckon if I keep that band in for the 2 months until my next appointment, they’re going to do more damage than good. So for a few days I’ve decided not to wear the band on my left side, in order to let the right side catch up.

Spontaneous Music: Ben Howard

A few months ago, a couple of my friends said I should have a listen to Ben Howard’s music. I don’t know why I didn’t have a listen at the time, but that’s not important right now.

Anyway, Ben Howard was on Radio 1’s Live Lounge last week.

I’ve ‘officially’ recovered! (and jaw post #10)

6 weeks after the operation

I didn’t realise at the time, but yesterday was 6 weeks after my operation – the official time the doctors said it would take my bones to recover. Also, yesterday was the first day I had real pizza (I say ‘real’ because the cheesy bread that was Adel’s takeaway which I had last Wednesday doesn’t count).

A Picture Tells A Thousand Words

Another thing I want to write about is that of some of my photos. Sometimes a photo isn't fully justified by just a single line description on Facebook. Each photo has a story, as yet untold. Now, I'm not aiming to write a thousand words about every photo I put up here (that would just be silly), but a paragraph, or two, or three – more than I would normally write on Facebook.

No more milkshake :(

5 weeks after the operation

That’s it. I’m all out. But hey, at least I’m eating normal food now, so I don’t need them anyway.

I found a website where I could buy them, but at £3 each I think now might be a good time to kick the habit and go cold turkey instead.

Ain’t no advertisers tracking me!

(except for Facebook and Google and many other corporations)

See those ads over there to the right? They are generated by looking at the text of this blog. Google can take the text here, work out what I’m writing about and push adverts of a similar theme. Most of the time I’m talking about technology or braces, and hence there are techy and medical adverts in that advertising space.

Elastic #2

4 weeks after the operation

Good news everyone! The stiffness in my jaw is going away, I can open my mouth wider each day, and it's apparently not because the surgeon stitched it up in the wrong place!

So now I’m craving the milkshakes.

3 weeks after the operation

Short post – I don't have much to write this time.

Now that I'm eating a (more or less) balanced diet, I appear to have developed a sort of dependency to those milkshakes… This can't be good. I'm not having the advised 4 a day anymore, just one at breakfast and sometimes another in the afternoon/evening. But still, there exists some amount of craving.

Well, I definitely look different!

16 days after the operation

Since the bruising and swelling and all things horrible have died down a fair bit, I thought I'd get some pictures up.

Firstly, there’s me on the left before the surgery showing off the incredible hospital fashion. The Converses are mine, but the socks aren’t.

My lips are so sore!

12 days after the operation

Have your lips ever been sunburnt? That's what it feels like right now. Or that feeling the day after you drank that hot chocolate that was much too hot? I've got that feeling too. The numb areas are still completely numb, but the areas with sensation are sore.

One week on…

9 days after the operation

“Ode to Codeine”

Codeine tastes awful,
But makes me feel all fuzzy.
That’s all right by me.

Yeah, I don’t do poems. Here I have written 3 lines and fitted them to a haiku. Some day this will appear in those poor GCSE kids’ books, analysing it for imagery and rhythmic structures. Do let me know if I used any, because I have no idea.

I’ve moved again!

Sorry for leading you on a wild goose chase. I’ve now separated my Jumi stuff from my personal blog. While Google get their act together, here's a manual link. All things Jumi have moved to http://djjumi.blogspot.com. See you over there!

LoveFilm have misleading reps

Last Thursday, a couple of LoveFilm reps were wandering around various houses in Oldfield Park, getting residents to sign up. This is when they knocked on my door, asking if I wanted to join. Seeing as I'm not going to be doing much else over the Easter break, I was pretty interested in what they were offering.

The reps said that I could have a 90 day free trial of the service.

All the gory details (minus all the gory photos)

3 days after the operation

I'm just going to add here, painkillers don't make good writing aids. I apologise in advance for my poor writing standard.

Sunday 1st April
The leaflet told me to not eat dairy food, but it didn't say from what point, so we decided not to have any milk, cheese, tea etc. from Sunday.

T-35 hours

Now that I'm back home, the prospect of my surgery is finally starting to sink in! Mum has stocked up on frozen peas, ice cream and cans of soup. We have a blender, I've had a haircut and since I won't be able to speak for a week, I have a whiteboard, the Dasher app and a LoveFilm trial.

All about my teeth

Hi. I'm Dan, I'm 19 and I have a class III malocclusion on a skeletal III base. Well, that’s what they told me. In English, that means I have an underbite.

I just want to let you know what has happened, and what is going to happen.

Get Back To Work.

To the procrastinators – my gift to you.

It is a selection of wallpapers I made this evening because I got bored making that presentation that I have to do for Monday.

It is in the form of a blackboard with handwritten messages telling you to get back to work. How about telling your computer to make a slideshow of them for your desktop background?