Upcoming Project
InfoDisplay 2.0 – Updated some work I did from a while back called InfoDisplay. This is the Widget Displaying a visitors IP, City, State, ZipCode, Latitude and Longitude in your sidebar. The method I’d been using in an earlier version was outdated. So I updated the method as well as correct a spelling error in the display.
Update: Pulled the version I was using of this as it started throwing errors. Will be looking into it shortly.
Raspberry PI – My family made a gift of one of these wonderful little devices to me over Christmas. I’ve been working on setting p a XMBC on it to replace a Windows 7 Box that has lived near my media center for the last few years. I’m hoping that this SMALL Low Powered computer (Credit Card Sized) can accomplish with that box has been doing. Also I’ve been using a ChromeCast for a bit and think this would fill in much better in that roll. Update: Purchased a second units and considering a third. Using OpenElec and RaspBMC in both units now.. GREAT media center solution. Now gotta repurpose the 7 Box.
Added a Raspberry PI 2 – The the Families systems. Running KODI. Works great would love to set up a hardware clock on it next. Likely Middle of the year before I get to that.
Real Time Weather Updates – Another Item that arrive over the Christmas 2013 Holiday is a weather link that poll’s date from my Weather Station located in the backyard. Working on creating a system that can provide up to date Weather Data on the website. Still in the early phase of determining what can be done and what can’t with this device.
Current Projects
www.technojunkyard.net
This very exact website. It grew out of a conversation with a friend named Emily Norton on Facebook several years back. I established one on blogger.com, and then was offered to be housed at a co-location from a buddy named Nathan White. Their encouragement allowed me to stretch my writing as well as post tech information that I consider relevant in a good location. This project has been what had the most of my attention at the moment. However I’d love to find a method to expand it and reach further into the internet and possibly even find a way to make it turn a profit. Those are all things I’m researching for it at the moment. That and finding other like minded folks that would like to become contributors to this project. This project also grew out a web server I housed in my home called theJunkyard. It was until very recently run on an older computer system from my home running Ubuntu Linux 10.04. It taught me alot about web design and what kind of things I would like to see in a website, however it just never could handle the traffic of a real website. Which is really what I’m hoping for with this.
UPDATE 9.30.2014
We underwent a facelift, after nearly 3 years with Sliding Doors as our primary theme. It was time for a change. The old look didn’t support some of the things that were going on with website technology and some of the things under the hood of the engine that runs our side of things. So I retooled and you now have our new LOOK and feel. BLUE!! 🙂 Hope you enjoy it.
Wood Working
It’s been a busy year of wood working projects, I’ll get some photo’s posted here shortly. Latest thing completed has been my wifes GARDEN shed. It’s by far the largest thing I’ve tackled and was the most rewarding. It’s not complete yet, as it still needs a couple of coats of Weather Proofing and some more caulking to keep the water out. In the spring it may also get a TIN ROOF and get bolted to a cement pad, for now it’s gonna be ok where it’s at. The next largest project was her wooden bench that’s on the front porch. This was another, I think I can make that projects that I seem to keep doing. The next one I’m pondering is a cooler for out near the GRILL on the patio. Saw what I had been thinking of and I’m sure when I get to feeling up to it. It will get made. It’s funny I never really liked woodworking or wood shop in High school but just can’t get enough of it at times on projects. It’s a great release and a great challenge to see what I can make or teach myself to create.
Completed 2 pergolas earlier this year, both are still standing in spite of the HOSTILE winds that can be seen in Texas springs.
Update: 01.24.2012 – Just completed two old west style frames for wife for some artwork we obtained while in the Phoenix area over Christmas. Was alot of fun turning old junk wood into something that looks very nice and fits in with the Western feel of Oklahoma.
Upate 05-14-2015 – Near completion on a RED OAK potrack with copper pipe and accents for wifes kitchen.
Completed Projects
War of Nations: The Art of War
First eBook I have written and published. It’s a strategy guide for an online iOS game called War of Nations. It focuses on Beginners and strategies to get up and going quickly in the game. As well as methods for growing an Army to enjoy the game. It also includes, photo examples through out the book.. It’s onsale as of 10/24/2013 in the eBooks section of iTunes. Or you can click here and take a look at the sample copy. I priced it low enough everyone around the world can get a copy cheaply. $2.99 USD. It is being featured in 51 Apple stores around the world. I’m looking forward to my NEXT update to this book. As well as have several ideas for my next publication. Considering publishing, a couple on Kindle and Amazon next.
Windows Weather Background
This has been a project I have been working on for several years now. Since I’m now located in Tornado Alley. It’s a bit more IMPORTANT! Unfortunately Microsoft in it’s infinite wisdom removed the ability to have an .html file be a background, in Vista and above. Calling it a security risk. Work on the Weather Background kind of got stopped at that point as I was looking for a simple and easy way to do it without running another process, task or service to make this work. A current and future version I’m considering work on will however probably do something like that. Unless I can find another quick way to accomplish this. Since Microsoft has now done away with GADGET’s in the future release of Windows 8 and MORPHING much of the desktop into a LIVE REALTIME startbar.
Weather Background 1.0
Just released a new method for accomplishing what I was looking for on this. I’m still not done with this, either… The method I used now will work on XP, Vista and Windows 7. However I’d like to make a few modifications to it all and get it working in 1 file and with one configuration file next. So I’ve started programming on the next version of this. It’s the evolution into what I originally had hoped to be able to do with this idea. It will take time as I never seem to have nearly as much these days. However stay tuned I hope it is coming SOON!
Weather Background 2.0
UPDATE 05/19/2015 – Animated GIF interpretation works!! As well as a couple issues that I uncovered while working on this ON and OFF. Special consideration needed to be taken as well for the saving and testing of the registration process for the program. A few more bugs to track down and then will be sending project out for CODEREVIEW then hope to roll into some TESTING. I had originally hoped to release this prior to this springs storm season. However didn’t happen. Part of the on going issues with LEARNING a language by jumping in with both feet and writing a program you have always wanted.
I’ve already jotted down a few notes for version 3.0, yes I will release 2.0 before writing that version.
UPDATE 03/28/2015 – Being the person I am and my ONGOING quest to become more proficient in my coding , this is still an ONGOING development. I really don’t want to release something that could cause BUGGY issues for someones machine. Much of the Base code has been modified and moved to the new platforms. Tested on Vista and Windows 7, planned testing for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 shortly.
I really was not happy with only being able to run with BMP and JPG maps so am currently working on translation of GIF’S and PNG’s as well. Allowing for these formats use as the base files for the background requires recognition and translation. Of course this these image types we get into issues with Animations. So learning about indexing a specified image in those for single image display. I’m in hopes at some point to release this and allow for donations as well to help support further development. Looking forward to sharing more with all in time.
While running my webserver I found that I got alot of traffic direct to the IP address from folks trolling along for places to hack. I wrote 2 scripts that took ideas from others that I found on the internet, with these I could BLACKLIST users that were trolling around to break into things I didn’t want them in. One even published a list that I then linked into a webpage on my server. The first one I created allowed me to BAN people from specific countries that I seemed to find where there was alot of malicious traffic from. The IPBan allowed me to place in the countries 2 letter code and BLOCK that entire country from access to the website using IPTABLES. The 2nd one parsed my logs and looked for specific suspicious activity also blocking that IP with IPTABLES from reaching the webserver. Alot of folks said why when they can just change their IP addresses and come back. Well it cut down on the SCRIPT KIDDIES that only came back if their script reported a find. Also it made them have to work and change IP addresses. One future version I had considered was tracking or gathering MAC addresses and doing the same thing. Both of these scripts were run from a BASH shell in Ubuntu 10.04. I will at some point release them in the library on this website when I’m ready to open that. I do continue to experiment with this script but will not be supporting the use of it so if you don’t know LINUX, BASH, IPTABLES or UBUNTU it’s they aren’t meant for you.
Current Weather
I’m currently involved in writing some PHP Script on my TEST server, that will offer a visitor they Current Local weather. I have the current conditions working correctly at this time. The project is involving alot of PHP and XML, yes I know isn’t this REINVENTING the Wheel as many have already done this? Maybe but this is how I LEARN is to write something and in the process learn alot about how it’s done. More details on this as it grows. I hope to deploy a version of it here on the Technojunkyard when it’s complete. Or at very least elements of it.
Update 11.16.2011 – Deployed scripts to the weather room for Forecast and for Current weather. Still working on the proper formatting but got these working polling correctly and now to start working on how to get them into a POPUP and set up in a nice viewable format that works with our Theme.
Update 04.06.2012 – Haven’t spent much time on this section of the site. Maybe time to look at that. Also got some great idea’s from one of my bosses at work to add some more items to the radar’s and forecasts.
Update 01.23.2014 – Scripts have worked well for both Texas as well as Oklahoma locations. I’ve recently added some weather gear in the back yard and interfaced this with the website.
Update 05-14-2015 – We updated these PHP processed this spring to include a users IP in both the US and Canada. They are in use in WeatherRoom 3.1 located on the Menu Bar.
Windows 8
Recently attended the Virtual Developers Fair on this product. I have it installed on my Lenovo IdeaPad. I have an article on my thoughts on Windows 8 (see Post Here). I’m still working with it and seeing what resources they are releasing to UNPAID developers for this as well as working examples of how to best create applications for this. Some ideas I like to see is a Working NOAA radar that can be seen or access from Metro. As well as a weather alert system, that works much like weather radio but uses the internet. I’d also like to see this in their Metro interface. When I have more time and can thing straight I just may have a more detailed look into this.
Windows 10
Currently testing the latest technical preview. I must say I’m much more impressed with Microsofts release. Now if they will give it away to all window 7 and up users to apologize for the poor showing last round I think we will all agree they are going in the right direction.
UPDATE 5.14.15 I continue to play with Windows 10 and really can say I like it. I’m hoping shortly to test some of my own programming on it. As well as start working with my Raspberrry PI 2 and Windows 10 as we got selected to do trials with that as well.
Shelved Projects
WeatherRadar gadget
This project was a direct outgrowth out of the issue that microsoft created not allowing for .html on the desktop in Vista and Windows 7. I started working on a MOVING Radar Gadget. Now that Windows 8 has thrown out Gadgets in favor of METRO. This it outdated as well.While creating my gadget I did however create what I thought was a pretty cool Radar Graphic. I’ll use it with one of the future projects.
This graphic and Icon will be used in our upcoming release of WeatherBackground 2.0.
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