Welcome to the fold

Hey Guys, how are you going?

Well as you may have noticed from my sporadic posts. Life has been pretty full on, and it doesn't look like slowing anytime soon. 

Big project I was working on, got delivered on time. As usually it required the usually finally 100m sprint to the finish line. In this case I worked 8am Thurs until 4am Fri. Then up again at 8am, loaded until the car and presented a few hours later.  

But its not all doom and gloom. As you know the little man is on the way. And we have been given a whole horde of goodies for the little man. Including a Massive, no hang on that wasn't right.... MASSIVE contribution from Edith and Co. Guys we love ya. But will go into the boys toy collection when he arrives.

We also have some new adult toys at home....hehe ;) no not that kinda of toys.

We got a new TV. Sony CX520 

 

It is such a relief to have good resolution and clear picture quality on my eyes. Not to mention the simple fact that at 1920x1080 @ 75 Hz @ 32" I think its actually the best screen resolution (on one monitor) I have actually looked at. Will the PC or laptop hooked up to it I can actually see whole network diagrams done in Visio. Fantastic bit of kit. Also with the internet hooked up in the back of it, a couple of simple button pushes and you can watch online content as well as the usual NZ Freeview channels. I am also pleasantly impressed with Freeview channel 7. Not a bad substitute for Discovery, especially considering it it free.

The other little gizmo in the household, is me submitting to the world. Work has now given me something I have been fighting for years. I am now in possession of a touchscreen (only) smart-phone. I now download apps like the rest of you saps. I now waste hours and hours throwing birds at pigs, getting my emails pushed to my phone, playing with pretty backgrounds that move when I touch it. I am a slave to the droid, I own a Galaxy (or is that Galazy?) S.

Right I best be off. I have just realized its nearly midnight, no thanks to the tv which is still on, or the android which will no doubt beep at me when I finish this post.

Lord knows how those apple fans manage to sleep at all. 

www.farrst.blogspot.com

Recon Instruments GPS Goggle

http://www.reconinstruments.com

Nuff said really. I want!
www.farrst.blogspot.com

How do send txt messages via cmd prompts (work crap)

25.2. Syntax of the +CMGS AT Command in SMS Text Mode

In SMS text mode, the syntax of the +CMGS AT command is: (Optional parameters are enclosed in square brackets.)


+CMGS=address[,address_type]sms_message_body


Before we discuss each of the parameters, let's see an example that gives you some idea of how an actual command line should look like:


AT+CMGS="+85291234567",145This is an example for illustrating the syntax of the +CMGS AT command in SMS text mode.


The address Parameter
The first parameter of the +CMGS AT command, address, specifies the destination address to send the SMS message to. Usually it is a mobile number formatted using the typical ISDN / telephony numbering plan (ITU E.164/E.163). For example, "+85291234567", "91234567", etc. Note that the value passed to the address parameter should be a string, i.e. it should be enclosed in double quotes.


The address_type Parameter
The second parameter of the +CMGS AT command, address_type, specifies the type of the address assigned to the address parameter. Two values are commonly used. They are 129 and 145:

• 129. It means the value of address is formatted using the typical ISDN / telephony numbering plan (ITU E.164/E.163) but it is not sure whether the value of address is an international number, a national number or a number of other types. Example addresses: "85291234567", "91234567".
  
• 145. It means the value of address is formatted using the typical ISDN / telephony numbering plan (ITU E.164/E.163) and it is an international number. Example address: "+85291234567".
  

As address_type is an optional parameter, it can be omitted. If you do so, the GSM/GPRS modem or mobile phone will use the default value of the address_type parameter, which is:

• 129 if the value of address does not start with a "+" character. For example, "85291234567".
  
• 145 if the value of address starts with a "+" character. For example, "+85291234567".
  

The Character
, which represents the carriage return character, follows the address_type parameter. When the GSM/GPRS modem or mobile phone receives the carriage return character, it will send back a prompt formed by these four characters: the carriage return character, the linefeed character, the ">" character and the space character. If you don't understand what this means, don't worry. This should be clear to you when you see the example in the section "Example Demonstrating How to Use the +CMGS AT Command to Send SMS Text Messages in SMS Text Mode".


The sms_message_body Parameter
The third parameter of the +CMGS AT command, sms_message_body, specifies the body of the SMS message to be sent. Entering the character will cancel the +CMGS AT command. If you don't understand what this means, see the example in the section "Example Demonstrating How to Use the +CMGS AT Command to Send SMS Text Messages in SMS Text Mode".


The Character
When you finish entering the SMS message body, you have to enter the character to mark the end of the SMS message body. The GSM/GPRS modem or mobile phone will then attempt to send the SMS message to the SMS center.


Stolen from http://www.developershome.com/sms/cmgsCommand.asp
www.farrst.blogspot.com

NASA actually done stuff in the last 30 years??? No Way!

Very good explanation on all the satellites out there!
www.farrst.blogspot.com

MakerBot? Very Cool!!!

Basically a very simple, cheap automated extruder.
I wish i had the coin to buy one - it is seriously cool

And it used ATMega Micro's so i already understand half of how it works
Awesome
http://makerbot.com/

Bow down to a new god!

Well its seems that Lotus have cracked the Enigma code. They have a more fuel efficient 2 stroke.
The Omnivore engine can run on pretty much anything combustible. And is clean burning.
Fantastic - god bless the 2 stroke gods
Story here, here and here

Very cool MOON concept phone

Touchscreen and has its own built in blue tooth headset that is charged via the phone.
Very cool idea
Full article here

BMW Thermaltake PC

Pretty cool looking - reminds me of some of the power station plans i have seen in the past......before they actually get commissioned.
More information about it here

Why trendy is not always good and some more Newcastle photos

I'm sorry but i just don't like it...
And no convincing me that anyone who would own a normal car would buy the apple iMO (or is that eMO).
However apple if you release this i would be happy to Beta test it....i have good offroad tracks where i am.
Its like a segway for really fat ugly people.......there are so many things wrong with it.

I also have some photos here of a fort i went to on one of my last trips to Newcastle.
'
There is just something peaceful about a 6 inch on the beach.....don't you think.
They were used once to scare a Japanese sub out of the harbour, during WWII.
The fort was a fully operational barracks until the 1970's.

Also here is a GB500 i found it Sydney........isn't she cute.
Would hate to guess how much the owner paid for her - as imported bikes are really expensive. And something like this was probably imported from New Zealand i imagine.