Connecting an Ipod Touch with VirtualBox in Ubuntu 11.04

Before reading: if you own any normal device like an Android, HP Touchpad, portable media player, you can still use this tutorial for getting youtube videos on it.  All you have to do is disregard all the crap about Itunes.  Just read the Ixconverter.com steps below.  Probably, all you have to do is drag and drop the finished video file into your device when it's plugged into your computer.  Only Apple would make this so dang complicated. :(  Without further adieu...

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So you've installed and started enjoying Ubuntu 11.04.  No surprise.  Me, too.  But, then you realize that your uncle is going to upgrade his Ipod Touch for no apparent reason and is just going to give you this facist device for free.  Like myself, I wouldn't even turn it down for free!  Problem is (and this is just one of many problems) is that you can't simply drag and drop files like any other device out there.  You have to use Itunes.  And Itunes, being lame, only works in Mac and Windows operating systems.  Well, before you toss out that device, you might want to just use it to watch movies and listen to audio files, or perhaps turn it into a bit of a voip device.  Might as well.  It's free.  Here is how I got a youtube.com video moved over to my Ipod Touch all while using just my Ubuntu 11.04 laptop:

 This is assuming that you have already done the following:

1. Installed Oracle's Virtual Box from the Ubuntu Software Center
2. Configured your permissions in the Ubuntu User Groups to make sure all your USB stuff works (ask me to do another blog on this one if you need)
3. Installed a Windows XP CD (legit copy of course!) into Virtual Box
4. Booted up and installed your favourite browser as well as Itunes
5. Synchonized your Iproduct with Itunes to make sure that part is working well

Now you want to bring some playable (MP4) videos over to your device.  I use youtube.com and convert those files using ixconverter.com to get the right format.  Here's how that looks step by step:

1. Go to youtube.com, right click on the thumbnail image of what you want and click 'copy link addres'

2. Then go to ixconverter.com

4. Then scroll down and paste your youtube link into the ixconvertor.com field.  Make sure that you have set your file format to 'MP4' and then click 'convert' button

5. On the next screen you can click the link that speeds it up, or just wait the 15 seconds.  It will start doing some kind of processing thing and then your file download will begin.  It will download the file to the 'downloads' folder unless you have changed it to something else.  You'll need to know this for one of the next steps

6. Now, in Itunes, you go to 'file' and 'add file to library', open up the file you just downloaded and boom.  You should now be done.  All you have to do next is plug in your device and as long as virtual box recogizes your iproduct via USB then Itunes should just start synchronizing all your files with your device.  Note!  If it's taking a long time it's probably because you haven't used Itunes much so it's doing a massive backup which will take a loong time.  Be patient and don't unplug anything.

Lightening fast way to find 'hosts' (routers, computers, unknown IP addresses) on your Local Area Network (LAN) Using Ubuntu Linux

Hi.

I turned on this computer on my network. This computer doesn't have a monitor nor is it even close to easy to find one and connect it. All I really needed to know was the stupid thing's IP address (or something close so that I could guess). Then I could just slip in the back door using VNC or SSH (or whatever other way you like to connect to a server-like computer).

I knew I had done this before but I had forgotten the simple way I did it. This post is so that I don't forget again and also to help others save a lot of time. I mean... a lot! Here's how it works.

1. Open your terminal

2. type this and get ready to enter your Ubuntu machine's master password:

sudo apt-get install nmap

3. Then, find the IP address for your gateway router (the first router after your modem, or, the actual modem itself it it doubles as a router)(The thing with an antenna if you are still confused..). Some of the common ones are 192.168.0.1 and 192.168.1.1. Mine randomly happens to be 10.100.2.1. Contact your manufacturer of that device if you can't figure it out or google a while.

4. now enter this command and fill in your details:

sudo nmap (add the IP address you found in #3 above here with a wildcard at the end)

example with mine:

sudo nmap 10.100.2.*

That's it. It will take a couple minutes and then produce this fairly detailed report about each IP address it finds.

Hope this helps you.

No Sound Mailbox

After a long hiatus, I tried reconnecting to the trixbox using the e71 through my router etc.  I set up all the ports and I could register all right, but whenever I dialed *97 or *98 or anything ... I got no sound.  Alamak; we're back to the beginning!


After looking through our logs I found something in this:


/etc/asterisk/sip_general_custom.conf

externip=75.123.124.253 

Recently our external IP changed, so I corrected the conf file and it's working again!  I still have no messages.

Turning your android tablet into a free sms receiver and transmitter using Twitter and other social media stuff

Nice long title, eh?

So, I'm walking down the street, except that it wasn't a street, it was an alley. Then I get this killer idea for my coffee shop - "What if people could sms their orders to me?" To make a long story much shorter, sms isn't always the best for the sender or recipient because it costs money (sometimes) and, it does not have any 'cloud-like' options as it's based in the phone usually. What I wanted/needed was a system that would receive an sms (and send reply if necessary) but could be accessed from any kind of internet-ready device anywhere, and perhaps, as a last resort, notify my cell as well.

That's when I realized that Twitter DOES have a reason to exist and I might finally have a reason to figure the thing out!

Twitter has:
-free sms (somehow!) functionality
-all sorts of third party apps (open API)
-a reliable user-base that people seem comfortable using
-does not require sharing personal contact information (like a cell phone number)

Win-win-win-win

Before I explain my setup so far, I should preface that I will also be trying this system out with identi.ca in hopes of making the system more open source and 'free' as in 'freedom'.

My hardware

-a cell phone (connected to my store's Twitter account so the notifications are sent there as SMS)

-The ever-famous IMITO IM7 (don't ask, just click) purchased at Light In the Box (so far so good with customer experience). Here is a link to both: http://www.lightinthebox.com/iMito-iM7-Android-2-1-ARM-11-720MHZ-7-inch--Tablet_p144622.html As a plug, they had SUPER fast delivery and good email response...so far. Go China, go.

-small headphone to normal headphone adaptor (IMITO has that small Nokia size hole)

-amplified computer speakers

My software (on IMITO)

-Android

-Twidroyd (or Tweetcaster) - will update final decision later

-Softlocker Free (makes the device functional when screen shuts off)

-Angry Birds (joking)(kind of)

Pre-set up

-make a custom ringtone notifier MP3 file using Audacity or something like that. Or, at least have a file ready for testing assuming you want a unique notifier for your situation. I've provided information below about how to do custom ringtones.

The Set up (so far)

a) Android Settings

-find wifi connection and connect (settings/wirless and networks/wi-fi settings/
-set up your google android stuff on your IMITO. You might want to do a factory reset. FYI the factory reset seems like it's located in a dumb place (settings/privacy/factory data reset) What does factor resetting have to do with my privacy?

-download apps from app market

-reboot (good habit)

-go into advanced wifi settings and tell it not to sleep ever so that you can always get internet stuff even when the screen is off (even though this isn't enough I did it anyways to be sure):

settings/wireless and networks/wifi settings/ push the hard option key /advanced/wifi sleep policy--->never

-set screen sleep time to whatever works for you. I'm doing mainly audible notifications and then we'll manually turn the device on when we get that so I'm setting mine to a low number to preserve screen. There is probably a way to wake the screen up with notification, but I've not crossed that bridge yet. Set screen sleep settings under:

settings/sound and display / screen timeout (at bottom)

b) specific app settings

TwidRoyd/Tweetcaster
-set refresh rate to lowest settings (or whatever suits your needs)

-under 'ringtones' select something unique from list or get your own. I'm not sure how to do this so more on how to put your custom file in here later. just make it a different sound from other notifications.

*UPDATE!

1. Save yourself LOTS of time and use this tutorial to make some quick audio files:

http://androidforums.com/android-media/890-custom-ringtone-tutorial.html

2. Use this tutorial to load them in your Android device. FYI - All other tutorials and forums failed for me but this one worked perfectly!

http://www.thisandroidlife.com/2009/09/guide-add-custom-ringtones-and-notifications-to-your-htc-hero/

*UPDATE! It seems that Tweetcaster claims a 30second refresh rate but in fact, I couldn't get it to refresh at all. Fail. Not sure why. So, I uninstalled it and installed Twidroyd and although they only have a 1min refresh option but it always seems faster than that and what matters is that it's the first app to actually 'work'!