I can’t believe that I have had this blog for so long. I’ll now start blogging on it again and hope to generate some attention to it also.

We’re back!

Curiosity rover forced into safe mode due to flash memory issue

The Mars rover Curiosity is switching over to a backup computer after a corrupted file caused the primary, "A-side" computer to glitch. On Wednesday, February 27, the rover failed to send its daily data dump back to Earth and switch into sleep mode. Mission Control made the decision to switch Curiosity over to its backup computer and suspend its scientific work for a few days.
"Don't flip out: I just flipped over to my B-side computer while the team looks into an A-side memory issue," NASA posted on the rover's Twitter account.
Like most spacecraft, Curiosity has two computer systems on board. The A-side computer is used for daily operations and the B-side is used as a backup. Until the B-side computer has been updated with the data necessary to assume control of the rover, Curiosity will sit on the Martian surface in "safe mode."
Configuring the B-side computer to take control of the rover may take a while, according to NASA. "We have probably several days, maybe a week of activities to get everything back and reconfigured," Richard Cook, Curiosity project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion laboratory told Space.com.
The cause of the corrupted file in the flash memory of the A-side computer is unknown, but it could be a stray cosmic ray. "The hardware that we fly is radiation tolerant, but there's a limit to how hardened it can be," Cook said. "You can still get high-energy particles that can cause the memory to be corrupted. It certainly is a possibility and that's what we're looking into."
Once the B-side computer has assumed control of the rover, the team will attempt to get the A-side up and running again as a fully functional backup.

From Sunshine to Snowfall

I just returned from a two week repast in southern Florida. From a sunny 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit in Orlando, to an icy 25-30 here in Germany.

We flew from Frankfurt into Atlanta, and spent a few days getting to know the city known as the Headquarters of Coca Cola and CNN (Will go into Atlanta later). Then we traveled slowly south to Savannah, and then St. Augustine. In the end, our goal was Orlando.

Orlando is a wonderful place for families. With Disney World, Universal Studios, Kennedy Space Centre and nice beaches all within a short drive. There is simply tons to do for a family. Great weather also offers so many year round opportunities; from mini golf to boating, fishing and even Everglades adventures. Orlando is also a short distance from the famous Cocoa Beach, and for those who love a picnic on the beach, Cocoa has a lot to offer.

We spent a total of nine days in and around Orlando and had a great time.

I hope to return to my daily and weekly posts ASAP.

Thanks to all of my readers for your patience.

The Hobbit

Yesterday the Silva's went to The Hobbit, and it was amazing. First of all the cinematography was stunning. I really loved the 48 frames per second filming. This film made you feel like you were there. Not like any other, this is 3D at it's best!

Be prepared, this thing is long. Real long. But what an adventure. The scenes with Golem were just brilliant. I laughed, feared and basically was there with Bilbo as he dealt with this unexpected character. Golem's psychosis was clearly prevalent but also painful to see. In the end, Bilbo felt pity for him as did all the viewers.

If you haven't seen this one, do. This is by far the best film I have seen in 2012, if not in many years.

No spoilers here but there is so much to talk about !

Cheers to, The Queen of Mysteries

I just finished, The Grand Tour, today. What an interesting read. I truly enjoyed it. Not only the insight into the great Agatha Christie. But also the historical aspect. This book offers a real look into the way things were right after WW1. I especially liked the old photographs.

If you were thinking of picking this one up after reading my first post, I can confirm. It's a winner!

I just wish I'd had a slower week, I would have finished it much faster.

Read A Good Book Lately?

Like most of you, I am an avid reader. And many years ago I fell in love with mystery novels. The phase was brief but memorable. One of my favorite suspense and mystery authors is Agatha Christie. Not only do I love her stories, but I was impressed with her as a pre-World War Two female writer. I know, much of her popular work was published much later, but she was actively writing in the early 1920’s. 

Luckily, I stumbled upon a book released Agatha Christies’ grandson, Mathew Prichard: The Grand Tour; Around the World with the Queen of Mystery.

This book is the travel diary, letters and photos from a world tour that Agatha Christie and her husband took in 1922. They set off from London with The British Empire Exhibition in January of 1922, and traveled the globe.

Reading this gives one a real insight into a great author. How she thinks and feels. Interestingly, it also lets us peek into an era. Just coming out of World War One, the world was a much different place than it is now. This was the beginnings of prosperity and start of what was called the “Roaring Twenties.”

I am in the middle of this book and am in love. The photos are great and the letters are wonderful to read. Once finished, I’ll write more, my opinions, feeling and thoughts about this one. But for now, I am enjoying the ride.

The Book:

The Grand Tour

Agatha Christie, by her grandson- Mathew Prichard

What to see at the movies

You all know that I love movies. I enjoy going as a family, and when traveling for my job, I'll even go alone. So what have I seen recently and what can I recommend?

Last weekend we went to see, Here Comes The Boom. This was one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time. Kevin James was great and Henry Winkler was amazing. Even Selma Hayek was good. I don't want to ruin the film for you, so I won't go into details but this is a great family movie. There are some scenes of violence where Kevin James fights in the ring but nothing overly bloody.

I was surprised how loudly the audience laughed. We all just loved this movie.

Get out to the movies and enjoy, Here Comes The Boom. German title, Schwergewicht

Finished for the day

Yep, today is coming to an end. Worked pretty hard and published a couple of pieces in the international Android blog, Androidpit.

It's fun to write. Even at work, when I have a moment free I tend to throw down on my iPad. The tablet has really enabled me in terms of writing. I have it with me in meetings and just about everywhere. When in meetings, if they get a bit boring, I'll just start to write. And of course everyone thinks I'm taking notes. It is not really the iPad that is special, it is having a great medium for writing in a small package. If it was an Android tablet or a Microsoft one, it really wouldn't matter. Something light, thin and extremely portable is all you need as a writer.

So I'm going to eat something, have a drink with my colleagues and head home for the day. Life is good. With thanksgiving coming up I feel good about being in Germany. No turkey stress.

Got to run. Time to relax a bit. Have a nice night and a great turkey day tomorrow.

Another great film

The wife and I watched, Lawless last night. This was a very good movie. Shia Laboeuf is great in it and I loved the setting. A quick prep: the film is set in prohibition Virgina where moonshine is flowing and the gangs of Chicago are killing each other over the profits. A small family of moonshiners, the Bondurants' are doing fine. They have an honest but tough reputation and are not interested in the gangs or their corrupt politicians. Especially not the police coming in setting up moonshine networks. As a consequence they are confronted with the corrupt police and have to respond accordingly.

This movie is based on a true story and a great book called, The Wettest County In The World. I recommend two things, one, read the book. Two, enjoy the movie, we did.

The Book

Samsung has released a hot new update for their Galaxy S2

If, like me you are a happy Galaxy S owner then you are about to get more happy, eh- or happier…
A pre-release of Samsung’s new JellyBean firmware 4.1.2 has just hit the net and it is smooth, real smooth. If you have a Galaxy S2 get out and test this Rom. I have been running it for a few days now and I love it. Google’s project Butter really shines here. This thing is fast, smooth as silk and has some really nice functionality built in. And most of all, it is nice to see that the S2 still has some fight left in him, and can be competitive on the market. With 4.1.2 installed my device feels like a new smooth handset. It is easily as smooth and the new quad core Tegra devices I have played with. The best is still yet to come. This is a pre-release, and is so smooth I just can’t imagine what the full release will bring. This is easily good enough as a daily driver- so read the instructions below, install it and have fun. Oh, and when the final comes, I’ll make sure you know. Below is news and details from Sammobile.
———————————————————————————————————-
We of SamMobile would like to give you the latest I9300XXLSJ Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean Test firmware for the Galaxy S II. I9100XXLSJ is the first ever Jelly Bean leak for the Galaxy S II and surprisingly it’s really stable as well. This TEST Firmware was leaked by Forum Member izap of XDA-Developers.
This build is very much near perfect so we believe that Samsung will actually start rolling out the Official Jelly Bean update for the Samsung Galaxy S II very soon. The day Samsung starts to roll out the official update you will be able to install the latest update through Kies or OTA update.
Some of the Enhancements in the new Jelly Bean Update:
- Buttery Smooth Performance & Great Stability (Thanks to Project Butter)
- New TouchWiz Nature UX (Same UI as of the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II)
- Samsung’s Cloud services
- Direct Call, Smart Stay and Pop-up Play Features
- New Widgets From the Galaxy S III
- 2 Home screen modes
- New Notifications bar
- Google Now

This is a PRE-RELEASE version so not official from KIES.
As this is a PRE-RELEASE firmware so expect some minor bugs.

Firmware Details: 
Android Version: 4.1.2 – JZO54K (Jelly Bean)
PDA: I9100XXLSJ
CSC: I9100OXXLS1
MODEM: I9100XXLS6
Changelist: 462349
Build Date: 6th November 2012

Download: http://www.sammobile.com/2012/11/15/i9100xxlsj-%E2%80%93-galaxy-s-ii-android-4-1-2-jelly-bean-test-firmware/

Yes, that's one of the reasons I'm back.

I travel and work a lot, so most of my blogging has to be done on the road. Actually, mostly on my iPad.

Google finally released a clean version of Blogger for iOS. I tried the older version but it was not worth the effort.

Don't get me wrong, this is no where near where Wordpress is in functionality. At least I can blog. It works and most of the bugs are gone. So I am back!

I hope you all get back on board with me.

Chris

Loving' the movies right now!

With Christmas coming soon all the great movies of 2012 are starting to come out on disc. Susi and I had a great couple of evenings just sitting back and enjoying great flicks.

We had a great time watching, Skyfall, the new Bond movie, The Dark Knight Rises and Savages. All three were good.

Savages let me down a bit, and I was surprised by some of the choices made by Oliver Stone. He seemed bent on a new style (Tarantino). This is sad because he is a damn good director and has his own flair. Where it during the filming of Savages I'll never know.

Skyfall, was a solid Bond movie and I'm pleased to see this franchise back on track. Bond was right where he needed to be, drunk and tormented. This is how he is in the books and this is how he should be. The last movie, Quantum- whatever left me dissatisfied. So thumbs up for Skyfall.

Best of all, The Dark Night Rises, came in on top. I truly enjoyed this film. Oldman was great as usual, and Bane was simply an awesome nemesis. The twist at the end (not going to give it away) was a super surprise and fit in just right. It's the, "How in the hell could I have missed that,"moment. As Robin materialized in the end I simply nodded, good movie.

Wow, where have I been?

Dear all, sorry that I have been away for so long. I committed myself to my my other blog, An IT Evangelist Abroad.

I have had a bit of success with my other blog, and some great followers. Sadly, this blog has paid dearly for this commitment.

So it's time. Time to get this, my first blog, up and running again. I'll try and post daily now, and even if it's just my thoughts.

So stay tuned.

Chris

TSA's Enhanced Security Spurs US 'Airport Rage' !

Now that TSA is rolling out these ultra-revealing imagers across the country in an attempt to uncover hidden threats like the so-called "undies bomb" found on a Detroit-bound flight last Christmas.

The agency and the scanners’ manufacturers insist they’ve installed features and instituted procedures that will make passenger embarrassments impossible. But the larger question is whether the TSA’s tech-centric approach to security makes sense at all.

Even the most modest of us would probably agree to a brief flash of quasi-nudity if it would really ensure a safe flight. That’s not the deal the TSA is offering. Instead, the agency is asking for Rolando Negrin-style revelations in exchange for incremental, ineffable security improvements against particular kinds of concealed weapons.

It’s the same kind of trade-off TSA implicitly provided when it ordered us to take off our sneakers (to stop shoe bombs), and to chuck our water bottles (to prevent liquid explosives). Security guru and scanner-suit plaintiff Bruce Schneier calls it “magical thinking…. Descend on what the terrorists happened to do last time, and we’ll all be safe. As if they won’t think of something else.”

Which, of course, they invariably do. Attackers are already starting to smuggle weapons in body cavities, going where even the most adroit body scanners do not tread.

New TSA chief John Pistole says the agency has to shift from a threat-driven outfit into an “intelligence-driven” organization. There are some signs that such a move may be afoot.

On the night in late October that Saudi intelligence tipped the American government off to a plot to blow up planes using explosive packed in printer cartridges, Pistole got a call from White House counterrrorism czar John Brennan. The TSA was then able to give new marching orders to everyone from air marshals to cargo inspectors. An agency team was even dispatched to Yemen, where the bombs originated.

It all seemed shockingly logical for an agency that generally appears to be anything but. The quick response to intelligence and targeted security measures could provide a partial template for future action. The next step would be questioning passengers and employing more elaborate sensors when travelers’ behavior or specific threats warrant — instead of making us all get digitally nude.

Update: How’s the naked scanner story impacting America’s image around the world? This new video from Taiwan’s next media animation offers a clue.

youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBL3ux1o0tM&feature=player_embedded#!

RIM’s Playbook is Making its Move !

RIM’s new Playbook video has the iPad community on edge. It’s a look at what is to be a real competitive market, and things just may get dirty! Have you seen the video? If not have a look during the next break:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s72rGDUn2uo&feature=player_embedded

Happy Birthday Motorola Droid

Today marks the 1-year anniversary/birthday of the Motorola Droid. When we look back at the success of the Android platform over the last 12 months, a lot of the credit goes straight to the device that was the inspiration behind the current Android phone and Tablet line-up. The phone that took off with a brilliant marketing campaign, a huge holiday push, and as a choice for those not wanting to go to a certain other smartphone is one that shall never be forgotten.

Happy birthday Droid. We still love ya.

Android, One Mobile OS To Rule Them All

With Android moving onto tablets there is just no stopping this mobile operating system. As we celebrate Android's 2nd birthday I'm pleasantly surprised at how fast this OS was adopted. It's amazing the amount of buzz generated. Android based phones have surpassed all sales expectations and there is no end in sight. So what did Google do right and what are their next steps in securing their mobile empire... (Rubbing hands together rapidly)

What did Google do right -- just about everything. Google purchased a small company with a slick mobile OS and pampered and supported it though the initial transition phase into Google. Then they ensured success with an approach freedom, flexibility and openness. This was a simple recipe for success.

Next Google sunk bundles into marketing and quickly found mobile providers and hardware OEM’s to get one board. Once HTC and T-Mobile were in the game the odds for success went up dramatically. And once we saw the first release of combined hardware and software we were all surprised at what a solid package it was. Certainly not perfect, but none the less solid. It was instantly attractive to the technically savvy due to its open and free OS. Most young developers love freedom and they especially love free SDK’s and phones. Google started giving them out by the pallets and within months the apps started popping up.

Google quickly set up the Android AppStore with guidelines that makes Apple blush. Ah – how free and open it was, no big brother Apple monitoring, censoring and basically heavy handed controlling of everything. This brought even more developers- and they were coming on board in hordes.

Once the Hardware OEM’s got wind of a good mobile OS they could use for free – well, it’s not hard to figure out what happened next.

To be continued:

iPad - is it all that?

I'm an early adopter of all things tech. I love to play with, modify, and mess with new technology. I've been in the technology business for over twenty years and am still passionate. In many ways- I'm lucky, and have the benefit of getting most of my tech free via my employers.

Rarely, I'll jump on new tech and pay for it out of my own pocket. I only do this when I find something truly intriguing. For me the iPad was just too interesting to pass up.

I picked up the ipad the first week it came out here in Germany and have had an honest opportunity to put it through its paces. I travel a lot and am able to give any mobile technology a solid usability test in the field. For the iPad- the results were very good.

At first I thought the ipad might just turn out to be a well-designed info-consumable, and not really a good tool. To my surprise, I have been able to write, present, take notes, transfer files and basically everything I do with my notebook- but in a light and extremely transportable device. Everything-- is a bit of an exaggeration; I am still unable to print with ease, though I can use most Wi-Fi/Bluetooth printers. Sadly, there are not many floating around the offices of my firm. So I tend to create or modify the document on the ipad. And using dropbox or email, send it to a device connected to a printer- then print it. I must say that there are solid office based applications for the ipad, and the ones from Apple are currently the slickest of them all. Apple just released a good update which made usability between MS Office and Apple iWorks a pleasure. "Pages," is simply dreamy and so easy to use and create. "Numbers," is functional (as it should be). And "Keynote," is wonderful. All in all, I am productive on the ipad. A quick note; the keyboard takes a couple of hours to get used to, but it is very versitile and I can type at about

Where the ipad shines is keeping you busy while in the train or on the plane. Like I said, I travel a lot. My current employer has me underway in a train (mind you, a super-fast luxury train) a couple days a week. I often have to travel to Berlin, Hamburg or Fulda. All these trips can be between 3-5 hours depending on the point of embarkation. Usually I try and get some quick work done and spend the initial hour or two very productively. After the productive time I then have some time to waste, and this is where the ipad rules. Its beautiful 9.7 inch HD screen was truly designed for movies and games.

Games are a point where the ipad really shines. There are thousands of 'em- and literally hundreds are great quality and good fun. The ipad is a truly awesome game platform, and you can spend hours of fun due to the ipads double lithium approach, yes I said double. Apple, in its wisdom, realized that the one thing holding mobile devices back were their battery life. With this in mind they added a second huge battery to the innards of the ipad offering an unchallenged 10-12 hours of usage. Yes, and it is true, you get 10-12 hours of usage. My experience during the last two months is basic usage I get 10 hours easy. Movie and game time depending on the game is between 7 and 9 hours. A heavy 3d game need more processor power and eats more bat. But generally you can play for hours and watch movies for 10 hours on a single charge.

What else do I love to do on the road: reading. As a writer I need a solid device to read docs, periodicals and books. The ipad does this so well. Magazines just shine and include smart interactive material. Books are also a solid reading experience with little eye fatigue. Generally, the ipad is a wonderful device, and I am getting more and more attached to it. I find it replacing many other tools and even other forms of media. I usually purchase magazines and like to hold them and turn the pages. My rucksack often has a National Geographic, Wired and other news based magazines in it. Currently, I have the ipad. Yep, that’s it. The thing has most of my mags in a great format and what I don't have in magazines, I can get through news readers like Pulse (which I love)..

All in all, the last couple of months have been wonder weeks of having everything I need in one small-slick package. And my little ipad is changing and growing every day. It becomes more personalized as my usage changes and as new applications come out that resolve other issues, needs and tools.

If you have been debating getting an ipad, then wait no longer, this thing Rocks!

!

Back form the US

Dear all, we have returned from our adventure in North America. We're tired, but happy that we were able to visit so much family and see so many nice locations.

I'll try and post some photos from our trip soon.

Android Games Getting Better - No Memory ?

As Android phones receive the wonderful game ports from iphone, we see the need to directly address the SD card. These new games are just amazing, with wonderful graphics and fast action play. They are also between 10 and 20 Mb in size.

With our 256 Mb limitation we desperately need SD access to ensure room for more games on one device. If I put 3-4 games on my Droid / Milestone I run out of space because my standard apps also take up space. This limitation needs to be addressed immediately!

The iphone can address all of it’s memory making it a great game tool. We have the same, if not faster speed and 3-D chip set, our screens are better, but we can only address the damn 256Mb.

Google, get busy and fix this major issue!