Tag Archives: handspring treo 300

Oh Clementines

By lytspeed Posted in Geek Leave a reply

I love my Treo 650. This entire blog entry, including the picture and the hyperlinks, is being generated on the Treo.

First, I took a picture of a coworker’s clementines sitting in formation on the floor (don’t ask) using the built-in camera. Then I resized the picture using JPGview. Then I uploaded it to my FTP site using VFSFTP. Then I moved it to the appropriate folder on my web server using a DOS batch file, which I activated by logging into my desktop computer using PalmVNC. Finally, I went to my private WAP submissions page and typed this entry.

Is there an easier way? I’m sure there is, using some pre-constructed software. But the point of this Creativity Journal is to explore creative things, and being able to say I used my own creativity to put together this site and devise my own method of doing this means something to me.

Update: In the interest of full disclosure, I did edit this post after uploading. I had specified the HREF link for the picture incorrectly, so I respecified it within the text of the post. That made the picture show up. Also, I added line breaks. Evidently, the Treo 650 sends a different CR/LF combination than the Treo 300 did, so no paragraphs showed up. No problem; I just need to do a little more work on the code.

The Digital Generation Gap

By lytspeed Posted in Computers, Family, Geek, Signs o' the Times Leave a reply

I think technology is widening the generation gap at an increased rate. I guess technology has always been at the root of the gap, though when the term first surfaced in the sixties or seventies, I think it had more of an idealogical meaning. We’ve all heard stories about how kids today don’t know what an LP is, or how to use one. One of my favorite examples is from an early Bloom County strip, in which Binkley asks his father what it means “to wind one’s watch.” My kids have grown up in a post-MTV world, and they think in much more visual terms than I do when it comes to music, and sometimes even in terms of literature, thanks to movie adaptations of comic books and classic literature like Lord of the Rings.

Recently, I have seen a couple of new examples of technological generation gappage, both from my stepson, Logan.

One day, when picking him up from day care, he pointed up to a small Cessna flying overhead and asked if it was one of those “old-fashioned” planes. When I heard the term “old-fashioned,” I immediately thought about Steerman biplanes, and started to explain that the plane was not a biplane. “No,” he said, “I mean is it one of the kinds that just have one propeller that they have to use to fly.”

Then, last night, Lannette decided to take a picture of two of our cats, who were snuggling on the living room floor. She got out her compact 35mm, waited for the flash to activate, and took the picture. (Fortunately, the cats were content to sit and pose while the batteries warmed up the flash.) When she was done, Logan asked, “Can I see?”

“See what?” Lannette said, a confused look on her face.

“See how the picture turned out,” he replied. At that point, it dawned on both of us that Logan had grown up in an age where digital cameras are more common than 35mm cameras, and it was normal for him to expect to see immediate results on a small LCD screen.

As technology accelerates, this will, of course, become a wider gap. Ten years from now, when my son Keith has kids (if he has them that soon), my grandchildren will grow up in a world where PDAs will be a requirement for elementary students, and the teachers will automatically beam the homework assignments to the classroom using Bluetooth (or something similar.) To check that the homework is being done, Keith will have to ask his son or daughter to show him how to work the PDA, and will probably have to add his voiceprint to the machine to be able to even access it.

Their allowances (should Keith choose to issue them) will be credits transferred into their accounts, and they can use their PDAs to purchase lunches at school, sodas at the pop machines, and toys at the toy store. In their squeaky-clean world of credits and WiFi, cash will have no meaning; money will be an abstract concept reduced to a red or black number on the screen of their PDAs.

Is this a good thing? Yes and no. Yes, because it will contribute to the safety and security of the kids, and once the parents learn how to use the kids’ PDAs, it will be easier for them to track homework progress and grades. No, because it means that technology will continue to widen the gap between parents and children. As parents, it will be our responsibility to keep on top of current technology if we want to maintain a connection with our kids.

This weekend, I will be giving Keith his first convergence device: my old Treo 300. It will be his phone, his scheduler, his alarm, and his toy, just as it was for me.

Keith, if you are reading this, stay on top of technology. It will help you preserve a relationship with your kids, when and if you have them.

Nerding Out

By lytspeed Posted in Computers Leave a reply

Today was a relaxing day. I engaged in one of my favorite hobbies: building computers. Using the spare parts I have hanging around the house, I decided to rebuild my home network server. Basically, it acts as a file repository and print server, and since I’ve rebuilt the network to allow all our machines to have access to my broadband connection, there’s no reason not to have a server on it.

Except maybe one. The parts I have won’t allow me to build a very powerful server. Most of the components are very outdated, and I suspect this will cause me problems when I try to upgrade the hard drive to hold the MP3 files I’ve ripped from my CD collection. My wife likes the variety of being able to set Winamp to shuffle mode while she’s playing on the computer, and with network access to our MP3 files, she could go all day without hearing a repeated song. One way or another, though, I should be able to make the BIOS recognize the hard drive, even if the size is larger than the BIOS will allow.

 

I have a few words to say about CompUSA. For the last few years, I have boycotted the store. I was even boycotting them due to a lousy corporate business policy before they were taken over by one of their major shareholders. Over the years, it seems they lost interest in supporting the computer hobbyist; they stopped selling motherboards and components and started hiring warm bodies at bargain basement prices to police the sales floor. Sure, I’m exaggerating, but not by much.

Oh, how times change. Today, I went into a CompUSA with a full wall of components, including cool aluminum cases with see-through sides and sound-activated neon lights inside. They had plenty of case fans and power supplies for me to choose from, as well as motherboards. I had to restrain myself to keep from spending money I really don’t have one a new motherboard for the server. The salespeople on the floor seemed to have some genuine knowledge, and the whole attitude of the store is different. I applaud the makeover.

Speaking of makeovers, I tried out the keyboard on the new Handspring Treo 300. (Well, I tried the keyboard on a 270, but it’s the same keyboard.) I was surprised to see how quickly I could type on it; I certainly couldn’t match my regular typing speed, but I could easily match my Graffiti speed. I might just have to get one if I can come up with the extra money. (6/9/2004 Note: Got one. Love it, except for the flip cover, which has a tendency to break off. Now I’m jonesing for the Treo 600.)

Tonight I heard from my friend Jim, a guitar player I used to get together with regularly. He’s had a hectic schedule, and we haven’t been able to play together for about two years. It looks like that will probably change in a couple of weeks, because we’re going to get together and jam at my house. I look forward to that very much.