Yet another commute... but it's warmer this time... and more humid.

You might recall I was talking about doing realtime GPS updates to the web the other week. I've since been caught up with setting up Cisco Multilayer Switches and getting MIS to approve my network architecture, but my Pharos Pocket GPS Navigator with Bluetooth Wireless Technology arrived last week.

The intent is something like this where I query the GPS on a periodic basis, pass the latitude and longtitude to Terra Server and display the resulting map with a pushpin on my location. I'm planning on writing a simple OSX application on the PowerBook or a PalmOS app on the Sony Clie to do queries of GPS, pass the parameters, and update my website with the date/time, lat/long, thumbnail of the map with a link to a larger version. Since the GPS, Clie, Powerbook, and Motorola V600 are all bluetooth and the V600 shares an internet connection, I should be able to update from anywhere.

The Pharos iGPS-360 with Bluetooth dock (PT200) is pretty cool. The modular design allows the iGPS-360 to be used with a USB cable, a CompactFlash adapter, or in the Bluetooth dock. When the Bluetooth dock has a wireless connection active with another device, it glows a steady blue. Rather than using "Bluetooth serial port" as the default service, Pharos opted for "GPS RFcom" as the service name, which needs to be addressed as a COM port by connected devices. Given the unconventional service name, it isn't recognized by some devices without newer drivers.

Anyhoo... it's a fun start. I'm hoping to play with it this week and have something demonstrable by the end of next week. :)

Vicky and I got up early to finish our cookout prep. I finished dusting and cleaning, while Vicky is finishing marinading the Chinese barbecue ribs and making empanadas. I'll start grilling around 11:30 this morning, and we're expecting guests to start arriving around noon.

The weather's gorgeous outside. It's clear blue skies with temperatures in the 60's right now. It's supposed to be upper 70's or low 80's by this afternoon. You couldn't ask for better weather for a cookout. :)

Vicky is having family and friends over a small cookout. Since this is her friends' first time at our house, we're vacuuming and dusting. It's just going to be a small cookout with us having calimari, bbq shrimp, and Chinese bbq ribs followed by movies in the home theatre. We still want their first impression of our house to be a nice one.

Using a Pharos Bluetooth GPS, my Sony Clie, Apple PowerBook, and Motorola V600 will be aware of their location (NMEA-formatted latitude and longitude) at all times. Using TripPilot, I'll get directions and real-time maps on the Clie. Using TerraBrowser, I can have real-time satellite mapping on the PowerBook (maps courtesy of TerraServer. With the VB600, I can transmit my real-time location (possibly even update my website with a "Where in the world is Ken Foreman?" bar on the top with a map and GPS coordinates of my location)

...it's an interesting concept. I'm looking forward to experimenting with it and implementing it next week. :)

So this is the home theatre that Vicky and I created in our basement rec room. We painted a 9-foot-by-4.5-foot section of the wall with several layers of Screen Goo Digital Gray Lite. We then framed it with wall-length curtains, and then mounted the Pioneer 500w 5.1 surround sound system around it.

The DishPVR, DVD changer, PS2, PC, and my laptop all run through a S-Video switch. From there, it runs through a 50-foot Blue Velocity cable to the HD DLP projector mounted in the bookcase in the rear of the room. While I don't have high-def satellite (yet), the faroudja DCDi progressive scan decoder actually does a very good job rendering standard TV to the big screen. Computer graphics, PS2, and DVD all look eye-popping in high-res bigscreen. With the surround sound, I got chills watching "Resident Evil" and truly loved playing UT2K4.

The Logitech MX bluetooth keyboard and mouse were the final touch. We can pause DVD or the DishPVR to look something up on the 'net and switch pack to video and continue where we left off. Vicky enjoys checking her mail and surfing from the couch, while I'm gaming and coding from the comfort of the couch. :)

I'm sure by now y'all are going through "commute withdrawal." It's been over two months since my last commute post featuring the adventures of Ken in his little red Jeep. Today's drive home was very warm-and-balmy, with clouds and haze but no real threat of thunderstorms.

Thanks, Mike! ...it's truly good to be back. And a belated Congratulations to MikePop and the hN community for 10,000 posts! :)

For the past month, I've been posting to Innovations: Adventures in Moblogging and skHolla. Integrating and syncing my Apple Powerbook, Sony Clie TG50, and Motorola V600 has been keeping me busy. mo:Blog 1.5 on the Clie, MissingSync 4.0 and iSync 1.5 on the PowerBook have all been indispensible.

Vicky bought me a high-def DLP projector as an early birthday gift. So I spent another two weeks working on our home theatre. I ought to recommend Screen Goo Digital Gray Lite for creating a 9-foot by 4.5-foot screen for under $200 rather than spending over $800 on a comparable projection screen.

Hopefully I can post more often to hN with Danger's and MikePop's blessing? :)

OMG! CHEESE?! ...Thanks, Sami! (You're the bestest!)