Thanks to my new iPhone 4, I can now post video on the go with relative ease. Having done two (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSEUOCGsmwk&feature=youtube_gdata)already (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSvW3empzw0&feature=youtube_gdata) and posting them in tiny form in my sideblog, I decided it would be best to make them a separate channel that feeds into my main lifestream. I'll try not to fill it with too many cat videos, but it's not like people don't like watching cats do crazy s--. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
As you may have noticed, I've added another component to my RSS feed and sideblog. It's a voice blog I'm calling "Notes to Self (http://www.evernote.com/pub/sumocat/notes)". I've played with voice blogging a couple (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2006/06/race-to-zero.html)of times (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2006/06/audio-cheesecake-factory.html), but neither attempt stuck. This time I've got the right tools for the job: my always-connected iPhone 3G and, more importantly, voice recording via Evernote (http://www.evernote.com/).
Using a public notebook in Evernote, I can publish voice recordings from my iPhone. It has an RSS feed, which I splice into my main blog feed using Yahoo! Pipes (http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.info?_id=dEBP0tpR3RG0bZCoJZhxuA) and weave into the sidebar using Feedburner (http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/home). Tap on an item, and it will take you to the notebook to listen to the voice note. Yeah, it takes two taps to listen to an entry, but it prevents the entries from dragging down the page load.
The inspiration for the voice blog is Norm MacDonald (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norm_Macdonald_(comedian)), star of the movie Dirty Work (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_Work_(movie)). In the movie, Norm would record notes to himself on a tape recorder. I tried that with my old Pocket PC, but organizing was a hassle. With Evernote, organizing is mostly automatic and, thanks to their recognition engine, the notes are searchable. That makes a world of difference. And they're location-aware too.
As for the format, I intend to keep the notes brief and whimsical, similar to the style of Rambles. I'll try to catch some of the funny and/or smart ass comments I say that won't fully translate to ink. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Been tinkering with the idea of changing up the entry styles, in addition to jazzing up the template. One change up is a square page template (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2005/07/another-new-template.html) for short quick entries like this one. Also using my Freestyle handwriting for it to quicken the pace. Interestingly, the handwriting recognition in text conversion has been roughly the same.
Been thinking about trying this ever since I saw it at Late to the Party (http://jezlyn.wordpress.com/). If you're reading this on the blog, you can see the Snap Preview Anywhere (http://www.snap.com/) window pop-up when you hover over a link, including my Links in Ink (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/search?q=%22links+in+ink%22). As you can see, it works like a charm. Tell me what you think.
You may have noticed I rolled out a new blog template on Sunday. It's been about six months since the last major revision (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2006/08/minimalist-template-redesign.html), so I figured it was due. Also, I've been using black and red as the theme colors on my tablet, using the Zune theme as well as other tweaks. Figured it was past time my blog reflected this.
Actually, I'd been contemplating a similar look for a while, but Internet Explorer did not support the transparent elements until version 7. Probably looks pretty bad in IE6 or older. If that's what you're using, please upgrade to 7 (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/ie/getitnow.mspx), or better yet, switch to Firefox (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/search?q=firefox), which also better handles my Links in Ink (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/search?q=%22links+in+ink%22).
It's official! I'm taking the ink blog to the next level, and I need help to do it. Thus, I'm opening Sumocat's Scribbles (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/) to sponsorship.
Several events have unfolded the past couple of weeks to drive this move. Mostly though, I need funding to feed my growing mobile tech addiction. It's getting of bad. Not "Kevin Tofel" bad, but there is that new tablet I bought a week ago. Remind me to blog about it some time. :P
Also, I've arranged a trip back home to Hawaii in a couple of weeks. Family reasons but I should have a good chunk of free time. I plan on filling it with ink, photos, and videos from Hawaii.
Yep, going to be supporting the sponsorship campaign launch with a lot of fresh content. For details, check out the proposals in Word (http://www.markandtanya.us/scribbles/Proposal.doc) and PDF (http://www.markandtanya.us/scribbles/Proposal.pdf) formats.
Despite its very basic feature set, I am pretty happy with Blogger's system, if only because I can rework the HTML to work with my unique blogging needs. However, one feature not offered which I really want is trackback (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trackback). It's the system that allows one to send a blog post to another blog's comments.
I find this option highly desirable because many of my posts are reactions to other blogs. Furthermore, when I leave comments on other blogs, I am unable to leave them in ink. Well, thanks to HaloScan (http://www.haloscan.com/), those concerns are yesterday's news... almost.
Compatibility with TypePad (http://www.typepad.com/) is a bit erratic. Others have reported the same issue. Consensus seems to be that the error is on Typepad's end. Appears it doesn't like third party trackback apps.
Anyway, don't be surprised if I send you a trackback every now and then. Feel free to send me some too. But no worries if you don't: Google provides backlinks (http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=42533) automatically when you link to one of my blog posts.
It seems like only yesterday that I rolled out the text-only version of the blog. Actually, it was Wednesday (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2006/09/sumocats-scribbles-text-edition.html). Since then, I figured out a way to tweak the system to create a version of the blog that drops the ink but retains the rest of its HTML and a plain text version for phone web browsers. Why two alternate versions? Let me explain.
The initial thought behind the text edition was to create a mobile-friendly version of the site. Unfortunately, this method using FeedBurner BuzzBoost (http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/publishers/buzzboost) alone didn't cut it. It used JavaScript that was not readable by my mobile phone web browser. Enter Google (http://www.google.com/gwt/n).
Amongst Google's many services is a little known one that "mobile-izes" web pages. While my phone can't read the FeedBurner JavaScript, Google's "mobilizer" can, translating the page into a version viewable on any mobile web browser (http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.markandtanya.us%2Fscribbles%2Fmobile.html).
Furthermore, while the mobile version is plain text, there are links back to the original pages, which are also "mobilized". Thus, if you want to follow one of my links (or just want to view a tiny version of my ink), you can click over to the ink page and surf though my text links. Any page you visit will also be "mobilized", through no telling how well they'll turn out.
So the mobile edition works out great. Why then do I also have an Inkless Edition (http://www.markandtanya.us/scribbles/)? Aren't they the same? I admit, they are very similar, but unlike the mobile edition, the ink-free version has a secondary purpose: accessibility.
The Inkless Edition (http://www.markandtanya.us/scribbles/) uses the full HTML in my RSS feed, which includes all the ink and hyperlinks. Working a little CSS magic, I suppressed the ink to create a very clean text page that retains all the hyperlinks. Initially I wanted to use this for the mobile version, but Google's rendering kills the ink suppression, resulting in a cluttered mess.
Anyway, this version appears just fine on my Pocket PC. Presumably it will also work on any JavaScript-enabled browser. I recommend it for any PDA or Pocket PC equipped readers. It is a more robust mobile option for mobile web browsers that are more robust. If it doesn't work, the page includes a link to the text-only mobile edition.
This brings me to the secondary purpose of accessibility. A very legitimate criticism about ink blogging (http://www.makeyougohmm.com/20060809/3650/) is that it cannot be read by the visually impaired. Yes, I know they can't read text either, but there is software that can read it to them, if there is text to read.
Now, I could re-work the blog to make the text always visible instead of only on demand. But it would still be a second-class citizen on an ink blog with a visual design scheme. The Inkless Edition presents a clean straightforward format that I'm sure will be easier to navigate. Unlike a plain text version, this edition includes hyperlinks, so there's no need to jump back to the ink page to hunt for links, and I've read that visually impaired users navigate by tabbing from link to link. Hopefully this version does the job well enough. Feedback is appreciated.
I'll give you a full breakdown later but for now, check out the reworked Inkless Edition (http://www.markandtanya.us/scribbles/) and all-new Mobile Edition (http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.markandtanya.us%2Fscribbles%2Fmobile.html) of the blog.
Thanks to the power of Feedburner (http://feeds.feedburner.com/SumocatsScribbles), there is now a text-only version (http://www.markandtanya.us/scribbles/) of Scribbles up on my personal site. It is enabled through JavaScript, so it's not fully mobile-friendly but it's a start. Should work fine with any JavaScript-enabled browser. Link (http://www.markandtanya.us/scribbles/) is also up in my menu area along with a link to my Feedburner feed. Please do me a favor and switch your subscription to Feedburner (http://feeds.feedburner.com/SumocatsScribbles). Appreciate it!
Part 1: Tools. Obviously, the key tool required to create the blog is my Tablet PC. I own an Electrovaya SC-500. It's a first generation slate, so it's not the hottest device out there. It does, however, have one of the most powerful batteries, providing a full day of use on one charge. In addition, a comfortable pen is useful. I rely on a Wacom eraser pen as my primary. It's a full-size pen while the stock stylus is short. Plus, the eraser end works just like a pencil eraser but cleaner.
Part 1: Tools continued. The software I use consists of Journal, Corel Grafigo and Firefox. Journal is included with Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. Firefox is free, but any web browser will do. Corel Grafigo was available for download before version 2.0 was released. Now it costs $99, which is well worth it for such a powerful app. However, for the blog, it is only needed to export ink to GIF image format. As long as I can turn ink to GIF, then I'm all set.
Part 2: Setup. First thing to do is set up a Blogger account as usual. Nothing special there. Second, I needed a square page template for Journal. Square maximizes the size of the Blogger image - max dimensions are 400 x 400. I used a 400 x 400 plain white TIF, imported into Journal, then saved as a template and viewed at page width when writing. Doesn't seem to stay at 400 x 400 when I convert. Gets larger for some reason, but it's still close enough. Plain white minimizes the file size of my locally saved Journal entries.
Step 3: Writing Entries: Okay, now we get to the actual writing. Using the previously created template, all entries are written in Windows Journal. It is the most basic note-taking app, but powerful enough for this operation. It's important to limit entries to one page each, even though Journal offers nigh-limitless pages. It just keeps the blog neatly segmented and orderly. If desired, I could upload a ton of images for each entry, but that gets cumbersome. Besides. keeping one's thoughts focused is a lost art in this age of endless cyberspace; I prefer to keep my ramblings concise.
Step 4: Creating the Image. Once the entry is written, I "Select All" and "Copy" to gather up all the ink. Then I paste it into Corel Grafigo. Takes a good number of seconds to paste but it requires no special steps on my part. Once pasted I export to GIF format, which maintains crisp text and tight file size. For some reason, the export is slightly larger than my original template size, but Blogger crunches it back down. I might investigate this further, but it is of little consequence.
Step 5: Saving the Text. the key problem with [a] handwritten biog is the lack of searchable text and titles. Not that anyone is going to be subscribing to this blog, but if someone did, it would be a real pain to not have entry titles. Fortunately, Journal allows me to copy the ink as text. Since I already selected the ink when copying to Grafigo I just select "Copy as Text" and clean up the conversion. Again, single page entries are helpful so I don't have too much to clean up. Once cleaned, I paste to a text box in the Journal entry, so I have it saved with the ink.
Part 1: Tools. Obviously, the key tool required to create the blog is my Tablet PC. I own an Electrovaya SC-500. It's a first generation slate, so it's not the hottest device out there. It does, however, have one of the most powerful batteries, providing a full day of use on one charge. In addition, a comfortable pen is useful. I rely on a Wacom eraser pen as my primary. It's a full-size pen while the stock stylus is short. Plus, the eraser end works just like a pencil eraser but cleaner.
Part 1: Tools continued. The software I use consists of Journal, Corel Grafigo and Firefox. Journal is included with Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. Firefox is free, but any web browser will do. Corel Grafigo was available for download before version 2.0 was released. Now it costs $99, which is well worth it for such a powerful app. However, for the blog, it is only needed to export ink to GIF image format. As long as I can turn ink to GIF, then I'm all set.
Part 2: Setup. First thing to do is set up a Blogger account as usual. Nothing special there. Second, I needed a square page template for Journal. Square maximizes the size of the Blogger image - max dimensions are 400 x 400. I used a 400 x 400 plain white TIF, imported into Journal, then saved as a template and viewed at page width when writing. Doesn't seem to stay at 400 x 400 when I convert. Gets larger for some reason, but it's still close enough. Plain white minimizes the file size of my locally saved Journal entries.
Step 3: Writing Entries: Okay, now we get to the actual writing. Using the previously created template, all entries are written in Windows Journal. It is the most basic note-taking app, but powerful enough for this operation. It's important to limit entries to one page each, even though Journal offers nigh-limitless pages. It just keeps the blog neatly segmented and orderly. If desired, I could upload a ton of images for each entry, but that gets cumbersome. Besides. keeping one's thoughts focused is a lost art in this age of endless cyberspace; I prefer to keep my ramblings concise.
Step 4: Creating the Image. Once the entry is written, I "Select All" and "Copy" to gather up all the ink. Then I paste it into Corel Grafigo. Takes a good number of seconds to paste but it requires no special steps on my part. Once pasted I export to GIF format, which maintains crisp text and tight file size. For some reason, the export is slightly larger than my original template size, but Blogger crunches it back down. I might investigate this further, but it is of little consequence.
Step 5: Saving the Text. the key problem with [a] handwritten biog is the lack of searchable text and titles. Not that anyone is going to be subscribing to this blog, but if someone did, it would be a real pain to not have entry titles. Fortunately, Journal allows me to copy the ink as text. Since I already selected the ink when copying to Grafigo I just select "Copy as Text" and clean up the conversion. Again, single page entries are helpful so I don't have too much to clean up. Once cleaned, I paste to a text box in the Journal entry, so I have it saved with the ink.
