Dec 26 2011

Save the Internet!

Category: Internet,PoliticalAustin Beam

I’ve censored the following, in protest of a bill that gives any corporation and the US government the power to censor the internet–a bill that could pass THIS WEEK. To see the uncensored text, and to stop internet censorship, visit: http://americancensorship.org/posts/27874/uncensor

Don’t let us ████ the ████████ as we ████ it, █████ ████ ███████ big █████! ████ is a BIG ████!

Please join me in wholeheartedly opposing this attempt at a blatant violation of our right to free speech. SOPA/PIPA threaten everything we have come to know and love about the internet. If we don’t fight now, we may never get the chance again. Please take this seriously and do what you can to make your feelings known to your representatives in Congress. Also, please spread the word that this legislation is poison. The biggest problem right now is that there isn’t a good understanding nationwide about the impact this legislation will have. Once you have contacted your representatives using the link below and uncensored my post, I encourage you to use the tools this site provides to spread the word.

Uncensor This

If you have any questions, please take a quick look at the video below, you won’t regret it!

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

If you want another resource for learning about this legislation, here’s a very useful infographic. I encourage you to do more research on your own to more fully understand the impact of this type of legislation.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and that everyone has a wonderful New Year!

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Dec 04 2011

National Championship Game

Category: SportsAustin Beam

Why Alabama/LSU is bad for college football in so many ways…

It’s been nearly a year since I’ve gotten irritated enough to forget my busy schedule and post something. This one makes me frustrated enough to post about.

I can’t understand why anyone even thinks twice about who should play in this game. There’s this strange phenomenon in college football where hypocrisy rains supreme at times like this. For all of the playoff system proponents out there, here’s your opportunity to see it play out. If we watch a rematch of LSU/Alabama, we’re not determining anything. At the end of the day, the only outcome that leads to a clear national champion is LSU winning the game. Even in this scenario, who knows how good OSU really is? Especially if they roll somebody in their bowl game the way they did OU last night.

Then look at it from the other side. What if Alabama wins? Then we have a legitimate mess. The team everybody called the clear #1 moves down in the polls because they lost their last game, and we still don’t know how good either team is relative to OSU. LSU could finish as low as #5 and as high as #2, but it really doesn’t mean anything at all. The AP will probably pick OSU as its national champion just to make everybody angry (and for the cash), but regardless, we argue about it for years.

Now, let’s assume the BCS gets it right. OSU vs. LSU in a Big 12/SEC deciding match. Winner-take-all, this is a true national championship game. Alabama’s argument got thrown out when they lost the head-to-head with LSU. Playoff proponents, keep in mind this is what you say you want from college football. An OSU win means the Big 12 competition level in 2011 was high enough that a middle-of-the-pack team could knock off the best team in the country. Conversely, if LSU wins, there is no denying who the national champion is. This is the closest thing we’re ever going to see to a playoff in the BCS. But still, no one can be satisfied with this. I just don’t get it.

I’ll make one final point that relates simply to how much we’ll enjoy the game. Regardless of what people say, the LSU and ‘Bama offenses really aren’t very good. That’s another argument altogether which I know gets some people really heated, but in my mind good offenses vs. good defenses with solid play on special teams yields at least two touchdowns for each team. The first LSU/’Bama game yielded zero touchdowns. At that point, there is something wrong on offense. That being said, Big 12 defenses really haven’t been very good the last few years. OSU has done a pretty stellar job of bringing it together down the stretch, and they have an extremely opportunistic defense. So on top of the feeling I have that OSU vs. LSU is the right matchup, I think an OSU vs. LSU matchup would be a fantastic game as well. Even if it’s not, at least we’ll have a true national champion at the end of the day. Sorry ‘Bama, you should have won the head-to-head.

I’m getting the feeling I won’t see the match-up that I want to see with ‘Bama taking #2 in both polls today, but I promise not to watch the game if it’s an SEC re-match. For those of you who know me, that’s saying a lot about how that would make me feel.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone if I don’t make it back before then.

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Dec 27 2010

MIDI Glockenspiel Project

Category: Engineering Projects,Texas TechAustin Beam

Well it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, but this seemed to be an appropriate time since there has been some interest in the project that we did for our second project lab at Texas Tech. If you haven’t heard about the project or seen the video, the intention was to develop a system that could ‘play’ a glockenspiel based on the input of a MIDI file. In our case, MIDI files are stored on a microSD card from which the micro-processor is able to parse them and generate outputs which are amplified to drive solenoids that move dowels, ‘playing’ notes on the glockenspiel. My goal with this post is to provide a guide for anyone interested in either duplicating the project or finding inspiration to complete their own project. Before I get started, check out the video below if you haven’t seen it. There is also a video which demonstrates the GUI developed for the system as well as the capabilities the system possesses. That video is available here if you are interested.

I have attached to this post the source code necessary to complete this project as well as the paper I wrote for class. The paper should sum up the operation of the system, so I will focus more on an outline of the process to re-create the system in this post (without getting too specific). There is, of course, no warranty of any kind or any guarantees for any information I provide, and I am not responsible in any way for any type of difficulties you might encounter, it is just a guide intended to propel anyone interested in duplicating the project. That being said, I will do my best to answer any questions anyone might have or help overcoming any obstacles.

Creating a MIDI Glockenspiel:

Primary stuff you’ll need:

1. A Glockenspiel! (or another similar instrument, the beauty of this is that it could easily be adapted to other instruments)
2. Arduino Board (for an identical project only the Arduino Uno or equivalent is necessary, but for more outputs without some type of multiplexing the Arduino Mega would be necessary)
3. microSD Circuit (I would recommend the microSD shield from SparkFun, as that is what was used for this project. Make sure to also order stackable headers if you decide to use the shield.)
4. Driver Circuitry and Power Supply (I will leave this up to you, but a description of the way we did it is provided in the paper. Note: If you read the paper fully you will notice that we did not end up powering the Arduino with the regulated 12V. The board we designed and used connected the regulator to the Arduino’s Vin pin, but this pin was physically removed in the final product. This was due to an issue we could not resolve which caused the Arduino regulator to overheat and the L293Ds to overheat (and even one to explode) when powered externally. This issue could have likely been resolved if we had the time, but the design in its current form is definitely not one that should be used unless the Vin pin is physically removed from the driver shield. Likely it will only fry the L293Ds if you do not heed this warning, but once again all of this information is provided without any warranty!)
5. Solenoids (we used cheap push-type Ledex solenoids)
6. Wood, Dowels, a Metal Rod, and Other Various Materials (Your results may vary, this worked for us. I would recommend using nuts or something similar for counterweighting the dowel rods. If you really want to get inventive you should spring-load the dowels somehow for a more consistent return. We also used wire that we wrapped around the metal rod to maintain the dowel spacing.)

Where to start:

Our first step was to get everything mounted and aligned. We first mounted the glockenspiel (with U-bolts) to a piece of plywood to make the whole system mobile and sturdy. Then we attached wood blocks to the plywood to hold the metal rod. These blocks each had a hole drilled in them at the proper height of the fulcrum (this will need to be determined with trial and error). I would recommend reinforcing the rod in a couple of places with pieces of wood as well. We didn’t do this and the whole fulcrum moved a little more than we would have liked when many notes were being played simultaneously. Once this is done a piece of wood needs to be cut that will hold the solenoids. We drilled holes the size of a single solenoid, and then a smaller hole within the larger hole which was the size of the solenoid pin so that the pin could fall unhindered back down into the wood. The holes should be shallow enough that the leads can reach the top of the hole, but deep enough that the solenoids fit snugly in them. Once the fulcrum and solenoid holder are established, dowels can be cut to length and holes drilled in them. The dowels should then be placed on the fulcrum and counterweighting applied (or some type of spring mechanism could alternatively be used, an idea we came up with a bit too late) such that the dowels just return to their initial position after being struck on the key side of the fulcrum (important – do not weight them so much that the solenoids will not be able to move them). It is a bit tricky to get the dowels drilled correctly and lined up such that they strike the proper keys, especially around the flats that we used, so I know if anyone intends to use more keys it would be even more challenging. Basically this is quite a bit of trial and error, and the same would apply if anyone decides to use different materials. I would recommend attempting to use a second fulcrum (on the opposite side) for flats if anyone is attempting to play the entire instrument. This would allow the dowels to be configured to strike more consistently and would eliminate the space problem that hindered us. Once the glockenspiel hardware is prepared, the solenoids can be placed in their respective holes. Once we placed all of the solenoids we soldered a common ground wire to the solenoids. Then we soldered a longer wire to each of the solenoids. All of these wires were connected to a female header that we could plug into our driver board.

The driver circuitry came next, and was designed with L293D driver chips. These chips are ideal due to their internal diodes, which make the circuit extremely simple. Included in the paper is the schematic we used, and should be pretty self-explanatory (keeping in mind the previous warning that the Arduino should only be powered via USB and the Vin pin physically disconnected if this design is used). We added a switch and power LED to the board to make life easier. If someone figures out the power problem please let me know, as it was extremely irritating.

I guess most obviously the last step was getting everything programmed. I have attached my source code to this post. The MIDI algorithm can be easily improved to support more features of the format, but everything that was pertinent for us is already supported. The most unreliable portion of the software is the SD interfacing, and I think if I would have written a more simple FAT library myself the software would have been greatly improved. Because I didn’t, it made the algorithm a bit unreliable. If there is an error it will occur when changing files, and the software will typically reset. This did not happen all that often in my testing, but it is definitely an area where the software would need improvement if it was intended to be used in a more important environment. A serial connection is required to operate the system in this configuration, and I developed commands for the operations supported by the system. These commands can be found in the readme included with the source code. I also very hastily designed a simple GUI for interaction with the system, but since it is not required to use the system I did not post it. If anyone is interested in it just let me know in the comments and I will post the source code for it as well. Keep in mind that the source code for this project was written with a very specific purpose in mind, so some of the implementations would not make sense if this were intended to be a more global software package. Adaptations will almost definitely need to be made for the software to operate properly in your environment, but it will provide a starting point at the very least. As previously mentioned, the software I attached to this post requires a serial connection to a computer in order to operate, but it is easy to adapt the software to operate standalone. The only change that would need to be made to allow the system to operate without the serial interaction would be to automatically start the first MIDI file on the card rather than select it based on user input.

Once you connect all of the wires you should be good to go. Get the software compiled and uploaded to the Arduino and open a serial console to get started. Hopefully this is helpful getting you there, have fun and good luck!

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Jul 24 2010

Global Hotkeys for Pandora in Linux

Category: Computers,InternetAustin Beam

UPDATE (8/5/10):
Well, it turns out this is basically irrelevant. Some excellent work has been done to create a pyGTK GUI called Pithos which uses libpiano and includes multimedia key support. REAL multimedia key support. Not a hack like this. So go get it! It’s a fantastic little application. My favorite feature is that it shows upcoming songs. Anyway, you can find the application page for here. If you are interested in a command-line Pandora client, you can use pianobar, a command-line Pandora client.

UPDATE (7/25/10):
In case anyone is curious, I verified that the script will work with Prism and Firefox. In other words, it will work with a regular browser version of Pandora. If you are interested in this see the bottom of the post.

I got sick and tired of having to do more than simply press a key when listening to Pandora. Unfortunately, the only way I knew to enable global hotkeys for Pandora was to use OpenPandora in Windows. Lately I have been spending more time in Ubuntu Linux, and OpenPandora is a Windows-only application. Because of my excessive use of Pandora’s service and the promise of higher quality audio, I had already purchased the Pandora One membership. That meant I had access to the Adobe Air application that Pandora provides to its “One” members (there’s still hope if you don’t feel like paying for Pandora One, read on). After using the application without global hotkeys for a week or so, I decided there had to be a way to make them work in Ubuntu.

After doing some research, I got an idea. Why not simply change the focus to the Pandora window temporarily and send the regular keyboard shortcut in a script? Then I could assign a shortcut to execute the script. It took me an hour or two, but I finally got it working properly. That being said, I wanted to provide the script in case anyone else out there is needing this functionality. No promises/guarantees/warranty implied or explicitly defined, but it seems to work for me. The nice thing is that the ‘xdotool’ allows the focus to be changed without touching your current window order. In other words you don’t have to bring the Pandora window to the front every time you want to make a change. This makes the functionality more complete in my eyes, even though it’s still a bit of a hack.

For those of you without Pandora One, I also think this should work with Pandora running in Prism by simply changing the --class check to --title, but I haven’t tested it at all (the latest UPDATE addresses this). That should also apply to pretty much any browser if you feel like leaving the Pandora tab active (basically you just need Pandora running somewhere that “Pandora” appears in the title when using the --title option). Also, there are some features in the script that may be specific to my usage, but feel free to dig in and make it yours. Without further ado, here is my script:

#!/bin/bash
# file: pandora_hotkeys
OFF=-1; DEFAULT=0; ON=1
 
# Exit Variable
EXIT_STATUS=0
 
# Pandora path - optional setting that will allow the application to launch
# Pandora if a hotkey is pressed while Pandora is closed. If this path is not
# given, pressing a hotkey with Pandora closed will cause the hotkey to perform
# its default behavior.
#PAND_PATH="/opt/Pandora/bin/Pandora"
 
# Default operations - if you want the script to be able to perform system-wide
# default operations when Pandora isn't running, leave this option set to $DEFAULT.
# This can be overridden by setting this value to $OFF, but it is also overridden
# if the above setting for PAND_PATH is set.
DEFAULT_OPS=$DEFAULT
#DEFAULT_OPS=$OFF
 
# Minimized workaround - if you typically minimize Pandora, and you don't mind
# the script removing Pandora from Gnome's window selector after it is through,
# setting MINIMIZE_WORKAROUND to $ON will allow the script to work even when
# Pandora is minimized. Because the Pandora Air app uses a notification icon,
# I could see where users of the Air app might not mind this side effect. Also
# note, though, that enabling this workaround means the window will be brought
# to the front every time a hotkey is pressed, which is also typically undesirable.
# The map/unmap process does happen quickly though, and focus is still restored to
# the original window.
MINIMIZE_WORKAROUND=$DEFAULT
#MINIMIZE_WORKAROUND=$ON
 
# Function to print the script's help
printHelp(){
  echo "Usage: pandora_hotkeys OPERATION
Perform OPERATION in Pandora.
If Pandora is not running, perform the expected system-wide equivalent action.
 
Other behaviors are possible by editing the script.
See exhaustive help for further information about this and for other notes.
 
The following operations are supported:
  help      - Show help
  help-all  - Show exhaustive help
 
  <command> - <Action>    (<System-wide equivalent>)
  pause     - Play/Pause  (Play/Pause)
  next      - Next        (Next)
  like      - Like        (No system-wide equivalent)
  dislike   - Dislike     (No system-wide equivalent)
  upvol     - Volume Up   (Volume Up)
  downvol   - Volume Down (Volume Down)
"
# I couldn't get these to work for some odd reason, but feel free to try.
# What I thought should work is included and commented below.
# I suggest if you want to use these features to simply call the script
# multiple times using '&&' when creating your hotkey.
# maxvol    - Maximum Volume (Max Volume)
# mute      - Mute           (Mute)
 
  if [ "$1" == "ALL" ]; then
    echo "
Have the script launch Pandora if it is not running when a hotkey is pressed:
  This script is intended to allow the user the ability to manipulate Pandora
  with global hotkeys, while still maintaing the hotkeys' default behavior when
  Pandora is not running on the system. If the user desires, the script can
  alternatively launch Pandora if it is not running when a hotkey is pressed.
  These options can be set as instructed below. If the user desires that
  Pandora alternatively be launched when a hotkey is pressed rather than the
  default behavior, the user should set the PAND_PATH variable in the script
  to the location of Pandora on their system. This will override the DEFAULT_OPS
  setting.
 
Get the script working with browser-based Pandora:
  By default, the script is not configured to work with browser-based
  Pandora. Fortunately, there is an easy way to make it work with
  browser-based Pandora. Change the following line:
  PAND_WIN=\$(xdotool search --class \"Pandora\" | head -n 1)
  to:
  PAND_WIN=\$(xdotool search --title \"Pandora\" | head -n 1)
  This will make the script work with browser-based Pandora. There
  are caveats to this though, which are described below.
  Caveats:
    A) If there are multiple windows with 'Pandora' in the title the
       window order might be such that the script tries the operation
       on that window rather than the one you want. This typically does
       no harm, but it will cause the script not to work. It is for this
       reason that the '--title' option is not specified by default.
       Resolution - Close any other windows with 'Pandora' somewhere in
                    the title.
 
    B) It seems that by default keyboard shortcuts in the browser window do
       not get captured by the Pandora flash app.
       Resolution - You must click on the flash application inside the
                    browser manually (a single time) before the script
                    will work. After you have clicked on the flash
                    application one time, all of the shortcuts sent to
                    that window will be captured by the flash application.
 
Limitations:
  Unfortunately, if you minimize Pandora, the script will stop working.
  The best way to work around this limitation is to simply send Pandora
  to the back when it is not being used. For those unable to break the
  habit of minimizing the window, there is a workaround to this limitation,
  but it will send the Pandora window to the back and remove the window
  from Gnome's window selector after it is unmapped. Also, the script
  must bring the window to the front before unmapping it to gain focus
  of the window. This is typically an undesirable side effect, and thus
  the workaround is disabled by default.
 
  To enable it, change MINIMIZE_WORKAROUND to $ON in the script.
 
Notes:
  The script has been tested exclusively in 64-bit Ubuntu Lucid Lynx (10.04).
  That does not mean it won't work in other distributions or on architectures.
  Chances are that it will work for most. That being said, there are no
  promises/guarantees/warranties implied or explicitly defined by me
  when using this script. It was written for personal use and provided as
  a courtesy to those who might encounter a similar roadblock to using Pandora
  in Linux.
 
  If you do encounter bugs, I encourage you to submit them to me so I can get
  them resolved. To submit a bug, send an email to [email protected]
  Best of luck!"
   fi
}
 
 
# Check input to see if we need to print help
if [ "$1" == "" ] || [ "$1" == "--help" ] || [ "$1" == "help" ]; then
  printHelp
  exit $EXIT_STATUS
fi
if [ "$1" == "--help-all" ] || [ "$1" == "help-all" ]; then
  printHelp "ALL"
  exit $EXIT_STATUS
fi
# Save the current window ID so we can bring focus back to it when we're through
ACTIV_WIN=$(xdotool getactivewindow | head -n 1)
# Find the window ID for Pandora and save it
PAND_WIN=$(xdotool search --class "Pandora" | head -n 1)
# Make sure that Pandora is currently open. If not, execute Pandora if the Pandora
# path has been specified by the user. If it has not been specified, perform the
# expected default operation unless this is turned off by setting $DEFAULT_OPS to
# none.
if [ "$PAND_WIN" == "" ]; then
  # Start Pandora if the Pandora path has been specified by the user.
  if [ "$PAND_PATH" != "" ]; then
    # Start Pandora in the background
    $PAND_PATH &
  elif [ "$DEFAULT_OPS" > "$OFF" ]; then
    # Send the default operation based on the input.
    case "$1" in
      "pause")
        xdotool key XF86AudioPlay ;;
      "next")
        xdotool key XF86AudioNext ;;
      "upvol")
        xdotool key XF86AudioRaiseVolume ;;
      "downvol")
        xdotool key XF86AudioLowerVolume ;;
      # Go ahead and include 'maxvol' and 'mute' globally even though they are
      # not currently working in Pandora.
      "maxvol")
        amixer -c 0 sset Master,0 100% ;;
      "mute")
        xdotool key XF86AudioMute ;;
      # Report an error if an invalid operation value was specified.
      *)
        echo "Invalid operation specified."
        printHelp;
        EXIT_STATUS=-1 ;;
    esac
  fi
  exit $EXIT_STATUS
fi
# If the minimize workaround is turned on, temporarily bring the window
# to the front.
if [ $MINIMIZE_WORKAROUND == $ON ]; then
  xdotool windowmap $PAND_WIN
fi
# Bring focus to the window so we can send a keypress to it.
xdotool windowfocus $PAND_WIN
# Send the action to Pandora based on the input.
case "$1" in
  "pause")
    xdotool key space ;;
  "next")
    xdotool key Right ;;
  "like")
    xdotool key plus ;;
  "dislike")
    xdotool key minus ;;
  "upvol")
    xdotool key Up ;;
  "downvol")
    xdotool key Down ;;
# I couldn't get these to work for some odd reason, but feel free to try.
# Let me know if you figure it out because this really made me mad.
# "maxvol")
#   xdotool key "Shift+Up"
# "mute")
#   xdotool key "Shift+Down"
 
# Report an error if an invalid operation value was specified.
  *)
    echo "Invalid operation specified."
    printHelp;
    EXIT_STATUS=-1 ;;
esac
# If the minimize workaround is turned on, unmap the window because we're done.
if [ $MINIMIZE_WORKAROUND == $ON ]; then
  xdotool windowunmap $PAND_WIN
fi
# Restore focus to the originally active window and exit.
xdotool windowfocus $ACTIV_WIN
exit $EXIT_STATUS

After you have copied this code wherever it is convenient for you, you should make sure that you have the xdotool installed. In Ubuntu, you can check using sudo aptitude search xdotool. If it is not installed, (there should be an ‘i’ to the left of the package if it is) you can install it with sudo apt-get install xdotool. The method of installing the package will differ across distributions, but if you are using something other than Ubuntu you probably know how to get the package. Then you can use System->Preferences->Keyboard Shortcuts (in Gnome) and point it to the script plus whatever functionality you want from it. Then you can assign any shortcut you want. This is great if you have a multimedia keyboard like mine and you don’t often use the Play/Pause or Next buttons that it has built-in. Anyway, after that you are done! If you want to dig in a bit I’m sure it would be easy to make this method work with other applications that have local, but not global shortcuts available.

One more note: don’t forget you can only skip six times per hour, per station before Pandora cuts you off (may be less for standard accounts). Let me know if you experience any issues and I will see what I can do to help. Enjoy!

UPDATE (7/25/10) (cont.):
So, to get this working in Prism or any browser that you want to leave Pandora running in by itself, make the simple change that I suggested earlier by replacing --class with --title in the xdotool search line. I tested for a little bit and didn’t have any inconsistencies. That being said, there are a few caveats when using this with a browser or standalone like Prism.

Caveats:
1) If there are multiple windows with “Pandora” in the title the window order might be such that the script tries the operation on that window rather than the one you want. This typically does no harm, but it will cause the script not to work.
Resolution – Close any other windows with “Pandora” somewhere in the title.

2) It seems that by default keyboard shortcuts in the browser window don’t get captured by the Pandora flash app.
Resolution – You must click on the flash application inside the browser manually (a single time) before the script will work. After you have clicked on the flash application one time, all of the shortcuts sent to that window will be captured by the flash application. I thought about automating this, but I realized that would require bringing the window to the front and that’s just not cool. Plus it only needs to be done once, so doing it every time you press a shortcut is a BAD idea. Anyway, I don’t think it’s too big of an inconvenience for having global hotkeys since you only have to do it once. By the way, if this sounds familiar it’s the same issue OpenPandora has.

Best of luck!

Attached Files:

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Jun 21 2010

Socially Unacceptable

Category: Computers,Internet,RandomAustin Beam

Remember when social networking was limited to specific websites? Not that websites devoted specifically to social networking have gone away by any stretch, but doesn’t it seem as if the internet is being taken over by the concept?

Today I was using my favorite remote media streaming software (Orb if anybody is curious) when I noticed a new “feature” that allowed me to create a public profile. Now why exactly would I want to do this? Evidently it will “help your friends find you and will make it easier for them to see that you have published new media, posted blog entries or comments.” I use Orb for one thing – streaming. And if my friends can’t find me, then they must not have a computer. I have a ridiculous number of public profiles floating out there on the world wide web from which anyone can discover everything and more that they might want to (or at least should) know about me. Not to mention this blog. So when a tool that I frequently use adds a new “feature” such as this one it frustrates me a little bit. I don’t mean to single out Orb by any stretch though. I am constantly being pestered by sites to “update my profile” or “find friends using [service name here].” Quite frankly I’m tired of it, and I find the bombardment unacceptable. I am all for sharing parts of my life with friends and family, and I really like the advantages of sites like Facebook or even Twitter at times. I especially enjoy the many advantages offered by support communities and forums. That doesn’t mean I want to re-create a profile for every site that I use from time to time, nor will I ever use them for networking. Hopefully I’m not alone, and over time these types of things will be phased out or at least unified (the problem with this is that everybody thinks they are the solution). But the next time you see one of your favorite online tools become the latest to go astray, maybe you will understand my frustration. At some point there must be some relief for those of us who simply want to enjoy the internet without so many nuisances.

Hope everybody is having a great day! Don’t let the social bombardment get you down! ;)

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Jun 10 2010

A Different Take on Conference Expansion

Category: SportsAustin Beam

So I’m sick of hearing speculation about conference expansion/annihilation, but I guess the reality is that it is happening. It was enticing at first, but everything I have read in the past few days is frustrating me. So I would like to give some fresh perspective. There are multiple reasons I am upset with most of the current discussions. The primary reason is the way Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, and Iowa State would be treated if the Pac-10 turned into the Pac-16. If they were the only schools left standing from the Big 12, it would become difficult for them to ever find their way into a power conference again. So here’s my solution to all of this mess that I think should make most everyone happy. I will even touch on what should happen if the mass exodus does occur. Nebraska to the Big 10 (that I will rename the Big North) seems to be a reality more than speculation at this point. Let me know what you think.

My Preferred Scenario

Colorado and Utah to the Pac-12 (Former Pac-10) (Evidently this is what the Pac-10 initially wanted anyway)
Nebraska to the Big North (Former Big 10, now finally has 12 members)

Big 12 stays intact, with something similar to the following:
North
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Missouri
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State

South (Texas league)
Baylor
Texas
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
TCU
Houston/Rice/SMU

This keeps the conference together without too much difficulty. It keeps Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, and Kansas State from being left out in the cold. Existing TV contracts, etc. should be able to be renegotiated for even more cash with the continued presence of its most profitable brands. Travel considerations become mostly moot, and a stronger foothold for Texas markets is created. Not to mention the North would look much like the old Big 8 (less NU obviously), while the South would look similar to the old SWC. Many alumni would be extremely happy with this. The final major plus about this scenario is that five of the existing six BCS conferences would have 12 schools participating in football, making the structure of these conferences similar going forward (giving no significant advantage to one “super conference”).

Problems with this scenario include the reliance upon Big 12 schools’ desire to keep the conference intact, with Texas being the primary player. I hate to say it, but if Texas wants the Big 12 to die, it will. Also, Missouri seems to be hellbent on bolting from the conference, which could pose a problem in future years if they were courted by another conference. The final problem I can recognize with this plan is the fight over the last Texas league spot. I don’t see many people taking issue with bringing in TCU (nor do I think the other three schools could possibly argue against it) but I could definitely see how the fight over the last spot could get ugly. Frankly, I’m not even sure who I would choose from that bunch, but I would give the edge to Houston at this point. I’m sure there are other problems with this scenario as well, but it seems mostly solid to me.

Damage Control Scenario

This assumes Nebraska to the Big North and the creation of a Pac-16 (which would hopefully be renamed). The exodus from the Big 12 would include Colorado, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and possibly Missouri (evidently the Big North is giving them the cold shoulder). The remaining schools would be Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, and Kansas State (possibly Missouri).

The Big 12 could not continue in any recognizable form, but I think the remaining four/five schools could team up to create a workable conference. I guess this is mostly wishful thinking, and I know this is unlikely simply due to some geographic inconvenience, but maybe the lack of options for the three Big 12 North schools would drive them to something like this. Fortunately, there are plenty of schools who would be happy to get an opportunity to elevate their programs, and the final product might be more geographically plausible than the initial partnership. That being noted, how about something like this…

Air Force, Baylor, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, New Mexico, Rice, SMU, and TCU. Possibly Missouri over Air Force or New Mexico if they are available.

Divisions could be made as follows:
North
Air Force/Missouri
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
New Mexico/Missouri

South
Baylor
Houston
Rice
SMU
TCU

They could call it the Big Central, the Cent-10, or something like that. I know it seems unlikely and there are some strange fits in there, but I think over time it could become a pretty decent conference, even possibly expanding by two members at some point. It would be a good geographical fit for most of the schools and provide an opportunity for some of the schools which have lost some of the spotlight over the years to possibly regain some of it, or even capture it for the first time. Hopefully it never comes to this, but at this point I am leaving no possibility out.

Conclusion

With Nebraska prepared to bolt by the weekend, I am pretty sure we will have a good idea as to what is going to happen by next week, but you never know in the crazy world of collegiate athletics. I wish everything in our world wasn’t about money, but that is what this has all come down to. It is my hope that at some point the leaders in all of these scenarios have the best interests of their schools at heart, but only time will tell.

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Dec 18 2009

Why Texas Will Win It All

Category: SportsAustin Beam

So you’re probably already scoffing at me after reading the title of this post, but that’s fine by me. Those who know me are well aware that I’m not afraid to bring my opinion to the table, regardless of what other people think about it. Which brings me to this year’s national title game in college football. I would guess the large majority out there have already written this game off to the Crimson Tide, but for those of you who are unsure, let me explain why Texas will win it all.

Let me tell you a quick story. It’s 2005, and there are two undefeated teams in college football. Both traditional powerhouses, the teams were preparing for one of the most anticipated match-ups of all time; in the Grandaddy of ‘em all no less, the Rose Bowl. A few weeks prior, on December 10, 2005, the Heisman Trophy was presented to Reggie Bush. It was the most first place votes a player had received since OJ Simpson. I couldn’t believe it wasn’t a closer contest. When I watched the presentation, I was yelling at the screen because I couldn’t believe that Vince Young did not win the award. When January 4 finally rolled around, I felt it was time for Vince to prove his worth. I could go in to detail, but those who know the game know we witnessed one of the most outstanding performances in college football history, and they also know that the Texas Longhorns won that game.

It’s 2009, and there are many undefeated teams in college football. Two of these teams have been declared the top teams in the nation. Both traditional powerhouses, the teams were preparing for one of the most…wait a minute people don’t really seem to be talking about this game like they did in the past. Shoot, most of the articles out there refer to how much Texas is outmatched. Oh wait back to the story, sorry I got distracted. Earlier in the week, the Heisman was presented to Mark Ingram. It was the closest contest for the award ever. When I heard the results (I don’t have cable in 2009, for now) I was screaming at whoever was in earshot because I couldn’t believe Colt McCoy hadn’t won the award. But this is the part where I start to fill in my reasoning. Do you see some similarities here? I know there are some severe disparities, but the overall story sounds strikingly familiar. I threw in my frustrations with the Heisman Trophy for kicks and giggles, but it also has an impact on my correlation.

The 2005 ‘Horns were led by a quarterback in his final season who had come just short of the Heisman Trophy. In 2009, the ‘Horns are led by a quarterback in his final season who fell just short of the Heisman himself. The ’05 ‘Horns played in the Rose Bowl, the ’09 ‘Horns will play in the Rose Bowl (albeit with the game having a different title). The ’05 Trojans sported a Heisman running back, and the ’09 Tide sports a Heisman running back. The comparisons go on and on, but that’s not what is important. I’m just throwing all of that stuff out there for fun as well. The important part is that Texas has a better team than they get respect for. They are in 2009 and they were in 2005.

Anyway, I’ll try to quit babbling and get to the point. I’ll give you some reasons for my pick, and then the pick itself. Here are my 7 reasons that Texas will win it all:

  • McCoy is a senior. So is Shipley. I know most don’t consider this important, but people play differently when their dreams are on the line.
  • Texas’ defense is better than people think.
  • The Big 12 was tougher than people gave it credit for this year, and the SEC was completely overrated. This will show on the field.
  • Texas hasn’t put together a complete game all year, but all three fazes of the game have looked extremely sharp at times. Expect the ‘Horns to put it all together for this game.
  • Although the Tide offense does have talent, inconsistent QB play and a rough game from the Heisman winner will really hurt them at the Rose Bowl. I say Ingram only gets 50 yards or so.
  • The last Heisman winner to take the big game was Leinart in 2004-05.
  • I’m sick of hearing about the SEC. Oh wait how did that get in here. Oh well, go ‘Horns! Represent the Big 12 well!

Write it down. Texas wins it all. Final score: Texas 24, Alabama 17.

Let me know what you think.

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Oct 07 2009

Top Notch Password Manager

Category: Computers,InternetAustin Beam

After years of using the same password for a number of websites (I know, I know, but we all do it…), I felt compelled to find a better way to manage my passwords on the plethora of websites with which I have an account. So a couple of months ago I changed all of my passwords on sites which contained critical/personal information to unique and obscure alpha-numeric strings which would not be easy to “crack” by someone with malicious intent. These passwords are extremely secure and help to ensure that no one would be able to easily directly access an account of mine using “brute force” or similar methods. The problem with those passwords is that it is virtually impossible to remember more than one or two of them at a time, which was where another horrible practice of mine came in. For years I have been using the Firefox password manager, all the while knowing that direct access to my machine or the presence of malicious code could potentially access my information. For some reason I simply disregarded those concerns. I continued to use the password manager after upgrading my passwords, which effectively nullified my attempt to make my accounts more secure. If someone obtained access to my secure passwords, they became no more effective than my original passwords because a hacker could then simply login with my account information. Lately I have found myself becoming more aware of the possibility of identity theft, and I felt it was time to make a permanent change to a better solution for my password woes.

I searched high and low for something that met my requirements. I remembered using something called RoboForm long ago, which had the basic feature set that I desired. The problem with RoboForm is that it is not free, and frankly my past experience with it did not yield the results I desired. One thing I loved about RoboForm was the form filling capability, something I have sorely missed over the years. The problem with every form filling utility I had previously used was the inability to easily manage multiple profiles, and those that did didn’t have very good security or synchronization capability. After a few weeks of searching, I finally found a potential winner, and after a few more weeks of testing it, I am confident to recommend it to everyone I know, and I hope that in doing so I can help you keep your important data secure while adding a bit of convenience.

The password manager I have chosen to use is called LastPass, and it attempts to fulfill its name by becoming “The last password you’ll ever need to remember.” Frankly, I think it’s an excellent idea. If you use Firefox, the LastPass addon integrates seamlessly with the browser, fulfilling all of the functionality of the original Firefox password manager while encrypting personal information in your LastPass “vault” for safekeeping. I will focus on the functionality of the Firefox addon because I think that is where LastPass is most effective. There is also an addon for Internet Explorer, which will be installed alongside the Firefox addon if you use the general LastPass installer.

For new users, starting the process toward a more secure internet is as simple as creating a LastPass account. Make sure to make the LastPass password complex (capital and lower-case letters which spell no dictionary words combined with numbers and symbols which total at least 10 characters will make it extremely secure). Be sure to memorize it ASAP, and because this is the last password you’ll ever have to remember, it shouldn’t be too hard to memorize it.

Once you have created an account, the addon will automatically import all of the password information stored within Firefox, and if you so choose will disable the integrated Firefox password manager and delete its stored information (highly recommended). Kinda scary, isn’t it? You can also use the general installer which will install both the Firefox and IE addons. It will also import both IE and Firefox passwords to your account, making the transition easier. The final thing it will do is attempt to disable your insecure password storage methods. The nice thing is that it starts you off in the right direction and you don’t have to do much to make your account functional.

Now you can enter your vault by clicking on the LastPass icon in the top right of your browser. This drop-down menu will be your primary interaction with LastPass. After entering your vault you will be able to see all of the account information which was previously stored in Firefox. This information is encrypted and stored locally on your computer. Every time you update any account information, it is synchronized across your LastPass account, allowing you to always maintain updated information on all of your systems. The benefit of using a service like this one is that you can set totally obscure passwords and be sure that no matter where you are they will be accessible. A great functionality of LastPass is that it will actually generate those passwords for you with its password generation tool. You tell it what character classes to use and the number of characters you need, and it returns a randomly generated password.

Another really nice feature of LastPass is its form filling tool. It can be frustrating while browsing the web to run into a “Register to…” dialog, but they are everywhere. LastPass simplifies the process – you enter as much or as little information as you want into a “Fill Forms” profile, and every time you find yourself on a page with a detected form, the Firefox addon will present a non-invasive drop-down box as you would be used to at the top of the window. From here you can choose to fill the form with the profile you specify, greatly reducing the amount of redundant data input required during your time browsing the web. LastPass does not stop at wonderful account information management and form filling. Some of the other features of the addon are what make it absolutely indispensable to me now. There is an option when adding account details to specify whether or not you want to enable “Auto-Login,” which is quite possibly the most wonderful feature a Firefox addon has ever presented me. The “Auto-Login” feature means when you access a page of a site that has credentials saved in LastPass, it will automatically fill and submit the form fields. That means zero work for the user :) My favorite!

Security is the primary concern when dealing with some of your most sensitive information like online user accounts. That is why LastPass has gone to great lengths to ensure that users are secure and able to customize their level of security on a site to site basis. One of the easiest things to do for more sensitive sites is to set it up where LastPass initiates a password re-prompt before auto-filling or logging in to the site. This still maintains the ease of remembering only one password, but prompts to be sure that it is actually you who is attempting to use the auto-fill or auto-login functionality on a machine that you use and on which you have a LastPass addon installed.

There are many other features of LastPass, and I am a huge fan of them all. In order to keep this as short as possible though, let me sum it up and let the actual makers of LastPass tell you about all the other features. Then you can make an informed decision about whether or not LastPass is the solution for you.

I have to say LastPass has impressed me like very few other Firefox addons have ever impressed me. They have managed to make it easy to keep personal information secure on the web, while keeping everything relatively simple and completely accessible. It is not perfect by any means, but overall this is one of the best discoveries I have made. I would highly recommend anyone to use LastPass and I give it five stars. Take a look at some of their videos if you need more convincing or just want to learn more about LastPass.

Here are basic instructions for using LastPass:

Here you will find all of the LastPass videos: LastPass Video Page

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Sep 13 2009

My take on week two in college football…

Category: SportsAustin Beam

The biggest win of the day was in Stillwater as the Cougars of Houston grabbed a marquee victory for their program and its head coach. It’s always impressive to see a school go on the road and beat a top ten team, and although we all knew this was a Houston team headed in the right direction, I don’t think anyone outside of the Cougar fieldhouse truly expected to see OSU go down this week. Now with that being said, maybe the Cowboys were a bit overrated, but it’s still quite an accomplishment for the Cougars.

The two biggest games of the week included four teams I would like to see go home the loser on any given Saturday, so honestly I didn’t know who to root for in those games. While I love to watch good football regardless of the participants, it pains me to see schools like USC, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Ohio State continue to win football games year after year. I don’t know about anybody else, but I would love to see a USC team lose eight games and not get their free pass to the Rose Bowl. The problem is, they are so darned talented that they keep themselves in the spotlight. Kudos to them for excellent recruiting (not as if they have to try very hard) and solid coaching. I guess being a Baylor fan all of my life has possessed me with a certain disdain for schools who have never felt the pain associated with being the toilet of the conference (you know, the team the others take a dump on). It was nice to get to see Michigan suffer last year, but Rich Rodriguez has gotten the Wolverines on the right track again and I think they are on their way to a nice (though not Michigan acceptable) eight or nine win season, maybe even better if they can improve their defensive play. Ohio State has choked in some big games over the past few years, but if that’s the biggest of their problems they don’t have much to worry about…the BCS will come calling like they always do. Oh, and Notre Dame just plain makes me sick…even after such a long period of being remarkably average in every sense, they still get more attention than just about any other school. Anyway, excuse me as I step down from my soapbox, but I did enjoy both of the marquee games except when they were over all four teams didn’t lose. At least two of them did though ;)

My biggest disappointment of this week was most definitely Colorado…while I don’t particularly care for them, it pains me to watch a Big 12 school get womped by Toledo (no offense (not the football kind)).

My beloved Red Raiders seem to have done much better this week, but without being at the game I don’t feel I can make an accurate judgment as to how we will fare next week in Austin. If you had asked me last week how I thought we would do, the answer would have been: “It’s gonna be ugly.” I now feel a bit more inspired, and though I always feel deep down that my teams have a chance to win, I know it’s going to take our best game and one of Texas’ worst if we expect to win Saturday. Unfortunately for us, the ‘Horns are extremely ticked off after the thriller in Lubbock last year. Regardless of the outcome, I think you will see a different Red Raider team for the rest of 2009 after Saturday. If we lose, it’s going to force the coaching staff to take a hard look at where the priorities are and how we can adapt to win football games, while giving the players a concentrated motivation to win. If we were to pull the upset, it will drive the rest of our season.

In my opinion, Tech’s key to victory will be ALL about defense. Even though the offense has been shaky thus far, my experience watching Captain Leach’s teams tells me we will be ready on offense Saturday. The problem lies in the fact that Texas’ offense is already to that point, and our defense looked inconsistent and even lazy at times when I saw them last week (though hopefully it was better this week). The growing pains associated with a young secondary could prove costly against the level of competition presented by the ‘Horns, and our overall lack of depth could potentially have a profound impact on the outcome of the game, especially in the second half. All of that said, I’m looking forward to seeing what we’ve got, and there is no better test than the one we’ll get in Austin.

So to wrap it up, no matter how much I complain, I felt like it was a solid early week for college football. The games are usually not all that good early, but with some upsets and close calls it made for a decent day. Hopefully they’ll just keep getting better like they always do. I can’t wait to see who emerges on a national scale this year, and I’m really looking forward to seeing ‘da Bears make some noise in the Big 12. Go Bears! Go Raiders! Go college football!

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Sep 12 2009

New Design

Category: RandomAustin Beam

Hello All!
I have finally gotten back to my poor website. I think it missed me, but it feels better because I gave it a nice facelift. I found this great theme called Arclite, which is really awesome. I also placed a twitter feed on the sidebar and cleaned some things up. Now all I have to do is start posting! :)

It will happen soon enough…someday this blog will be consistent *rolls eyes*. But no seriously I hope it is someday.

Anyway, tell me what you think of the new design by leaving me a comment! Enjoy!

Austin

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