Tag Archives: Gadgets and Nerdery

EPUB frustrations.

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I am having an adventure.

As an experiment, I am making Todd’s Story more friendly for eBook readers.  My experience with  my wife’s Nook has told me that pdf files and eBook readers are not exactly the best of friends.  So, after some Googling (yes, it’s a verb now, shut it), I decided to go with EPUB format.  It seemed to be the most cross-compatible.

I downloaded a copy of Calibre, and off I went.  Okay, converting from pdf was terrible, but converting from low-formatting formats like .rtf is better.  rtf it is.  The next hurdle came in variable-width formatting.  Normally, not a problem, but both Calibre and my wife’s Nook interpret hard carriage returns as a double space, which is on top of the 1.5 spacing it already gives text.  Okay, no problem, I went through and changed my paragraph separations.  There was nothing to do with the song lyrics, so I left them as-is.

The next step was to make sure that the cover image would show.  Calibre puts the EPUB file, the source rtf, and the cover graphic all in the same directory, so I couldn’t be sure if the image was included in the EPUB file or not.  More Googling ensued, and Aldiko ended up on my Android phone.  I moved the EPUB file over, imported it, and… success!  Cover graphic!  I won’t have to archive multiple files into a .zip or whatever to distribute it!

So, I start flipping through the pages in Aldiko.  All of the formatting is gone.  Centering, bold, italics, everything.  Carriage returns are normal.  This looks like it was written in Notepad.  Not exactly easy on the eyes.

On top of that, my wonderful WordPress install is telling me that it won’t allow uploads of EPUB files into its Media section, because it poses a security risk.  Yeah, XML based files would.

Geek note – Yes, I could host and link the file manually, but that’s not what I’m trying to do here.

My next steps include checking if Lulu will allow me to upload my own EPUB file instead of paying them more than I can afford to convert it for me and testing my EPUB file out on an iPad 2 and any other eReader that I can get my hands on.

Wish me luck.

She calls it Nikki Love Day

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My wife is not a fan of Valentine’s Day, saint or no saint.  She is, however, a HUGE proponent of showing people that she loves them.  I woke up to the bright pink sock monkey over there, as well as the card.  The kids got sock monkeys, too.  Even though my wife thinks they’re creepy, she practically bathed in the smiles that the stuffed buggars brought to our faces.

And yes, I’m proud of still having enough of a kid in me to be overjoyed by the gift of a stuffed animal.  I mean, seriously.  SOCK MONKEY!  How can you NOT be thrilled?

WARNING: Here there be geek!

She also got me this, which I am enjoying immensely.  While I do dig mice, trackballs need no extra space in which to move around.  It is very comfortable, and my wrist has been thanking me.  I don’t even have to bring up how cool the lack of ridiculous dongle is.

I’ve been talking a lot about Windows Home Server.  It doesn’t dig actual server hardware, which I find odd.  It does run just find on a broken-down old laptop with no battery, connected to a 1TB USB HD.  It takes its time during the initial backup, but does what it’s supposed to do.  It also, after some driver trickery, reliably serves print jobs to an aged color inkjet printer.

Compared with getting a Linux server up and doing the same thing reliably, this has been painless.  Now, if my Windows vs. Linux maxim holds true, I will see problems later on.  In my experience, either operating system presents battles.  With Linux, all of the swearing and hair-pulling comes at the beginning, when you’re trying to get it to do what you want it to do.  With Windows, it comes later, as errors and problems creep into the software.  In any case, Home Server’s mechanism for adding the USB hard drive to its data store took two or three whole clicks.  Just awesome.

It feels good to know that all three PCs in the house are backed up in case of hard drive failure.  Because, you know, that NEVER happens.

END GEEKERY

I feel that there is more to say, but I don’t seem to have the words.

Advice from a Michigander

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Blizzard, Take 2I cannot tell you how inspired I get when I listen to the Flobots.  Whether it’s on 88.9 the Impact or on Pandora, every track I hear makes my chest fill up with hope and confidence in my ability to change the world.  This feeling, this is essential.

We’re getting hit with a second round of severe snowstorms.  I didn’t even think about the weather as I left Lansing, because while the clouds were low and dark, there wasn’t a hint of snow.  I made really good time in my commute, until halfway there, when I hit a wall of snow.  I made it just after my start time, thanks to several stretches of 25-mph travel as I-96 and I-696 parted ways.  I’m just hoping that the salt (non-salt?) trucks don’t run out.

I don’t think that I’ve gotten around to sharing my good news in my little bloggy corner of the intertubes.  As you know, Bob, my wife is pregnant.  There’s been a parasite in there sapping her energy and destroying her appetite (one-two punch!) and, recently, kicking her square in her bladder.  And, now we know what gender the little bladder-destroyer is.  I’m going to have a daughter!  This, apparently, explains how different this pregnancy has been from the boys’ hormone-induced trips through candyland.

Any tips on how to best improve my sword and/or warhammer collection in the next twelve to fourteen years for maximum date intimidation factor are more than welcome.  >:)

I’m back to reading about The Boy (he HAS a name, you know!) in Eyri, whenever I get a few spare minutes to rub together.  I’ve rated and reviewed the new Dark Tower graphic novels over at GoodReads, and they were well worth the read.  By the way, so is The Magic of Eryi.  I plan on doing a full review once I’ve finished.

In geek news, I’m starting to think that attempting to install Windows Server Home Edition on actual server hardware might not be the best route.  On the flip side, the quick restore CDs for Hunter’s PC have been shipped.  I’ve got my fingers crossed, as there is some small doubt about whether or not they’ll like or reject the PC’s BIOS entries.  Two slightly different models of that machine, one with a v, and one without.  So, like I said, my nerd-Dad fingers are crossed.

Today, I leave you with some advice from a Michigander:

Don’t drive like an idiot.  I don’t want to end up in a ditch.

Mind Threads

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I can’t tell you how many loads of laundry and dishes I’ve done over my weekend.  I say my weekend, because my work schedule shifts my days off to Sunday and Monday.  Hence, my weekend is not the same as everyone else’s weekend.

I’ve mostly caught up on the laundry, and have entirely caught up on dishwasher-safe dishes.  I’ve spent nearly an entire day shopping and putting away the procured items from said purchasing craziness.  When you live paycheck-to-paycheck, the day of your wife’s student loan’s arrival can be a second Christmas, let me tell you.  Speaking of, it also allows us to finally purchase, put together, and schedule each others’ belated holiday gifts.  I’m trying to find the best local spa that is certified to massage pregnant women so that she can be pampered for a day, and she’s creating (as I type) a blanket with fabric that I picked out.  She has warned me that the blanket is just Stage 1.  Exciting!

I have some hopes regarding work that I’m going to keep to myself for a bit.  I can’t stop planning and trying to improve the systems in which I find myself, it seems.  I’ve got my fingers crossed that my ideas will (1) be adopted and (2) turn out for the best.

I’d like to thank Izzy for my replacement mouse.  My Microsoft Bluetooth Mouse 5000 bit the dust in such a way that its sleep function would randomly enable.  Reading forums and blogs turned up that this is a common fate for that model.  Izzy happened to have upgraded recently, and I now have a shiny black and purple Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000.  I do enjoy using that which can no longer be used by previous owners.

In the photo, Cian is sitting on the bench behind my computer desk.  He often shouts suggestions that I show him videos and pictures of people that he knows.  It makes both of us a bit happier to see the people tied to us by blood and by friendship.

La la la la, I can’t hear you!

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“Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals,” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

I had so much to say when I finished my shift yesterday, and I didn’t get any of it down. However, I -did- get PixelPipe downloaded to my G1. So, while I’ve lost of the earth-shattering (and trust me, these lost thoughts WERE that) revelations, I’ve now got a tool that will allow me to jot the newer, better(er) thoughts down as they happen.

This is SuperWhy. Someone may tell you that it’s Aidan, dressed up as SuperWhy, but don’t believe the naysayers. This kid has (and he will tell you that he has) the power to READ. Also, a cape. You cannot deny the cape. Can NOT.

I’m not really any better at dealing with understanding things that I don’t want to agree with than Aidan is. We both want to put our fingers in our ears and sing out at our loudest volume, “LA LA LA I CAN’T HEAR YOU.” I think that it’s fair to note here that we both actually do this on occasion. This is totally counterproductive to being a member of an educated citizenry. Sure, I don’t like what I’m learning. Sure, it totally undermines the reality that I’ve constructed for myself. But knowing the truth IS better than not.

How can I speak out if I’m not speaking the truth?

Predictable AND Updated

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So, I had:
– ColecoVision
– Sega Dreamcast
– PlayStation 2

Now, add to the list:
– Super Nintendo Entertainment System

I’ve got quite a few games for the SNES, some PS1 and PS2 games for the PS2, and four or five games for the ColecoVision. That’s a big enough library to work through for a while. I would like to pick up something for the DreamCast, though. The local independent gaming store didn’t have HydroThunder… I wonder if the intertubes have it.

Probably fairly predictable

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TV/VCR combo with broken VCR – check.

Coleco Vision hooked to coax through adapter made by brother from twenty-five year old parts, powered up, and tested – check.

Video and stereo-to-mono y-adapter plugged into the front auxilliary port and into RCA/S-video switch box – check.

Sega Dreamcast plugged in, powered up, and tested – check.

PlayStation 2 plugged in, powered up, and tested – check.

And I thought getting rid of the SETI@Home graveyard would lessen the prevelance of ancient, and yet awesome, electronics in my basement cave.  Huh.  Now I’ve just got to get this SNES fixed…