Blog Dot Adam Balchunas Dot Com

Pandora Console Client

2011-10-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

A lot of Flash banner advertisements on Pandora had been slowing down my browser considerably. I installed pianobar and have all of the same functionality I got with the Flash client. It's sweet, and available through MacPorts (http://www.macports.org/): sudo port install pianobar

http://6xq.net/projects/pianobar/

Flash Does Not Always Render Images in Dynamic Textfields

2011-08-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

If you ever need to display an image in a dynamic textfield, you'll need to place some text before the img tag in the HTML you wish to render within the textfield (such as "nbsp;"), otherwise the image will not render.

Repost: BlueCove and Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6.6)

2011-08-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

After my laptop was recently upgraded to 10.6.8 I started reworking an Air application I developed that leveraged the BlueCove API. Last time I left it, the application was able to discover Bluetooth devices, but on the first run it failed to detect any. After some Googling, I discovered the post below. It's a solution for OS X 10.6.6, but have confirmed that this also works for 10.6.8. You can find Java Preferences.app in /Applications/Utilities.

http://sbagleysd.wordpress.com/2011/02/03/bluecove-and-snow-leopard-mac-os-x-10-6-6/

Getting Started with the Microsoft Kinect SDK

2011-08-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

Recently I developed a NUI (Natural User Interface) prototype using the – recently release by Microsoft – Kinect SDK using C# with WPF. I also leveraged the Kinect Toolkit library for recognizing some basic gestures. The library simplifies the process of recognizing gestures immensely. Since the SDK was just release a month or so ago (as of this post), there aren't many (if any) similar libraries out there. Although I suspect we should see an influx of libraries and frameworks for the Kinect SDK in the coming months – fingers crossed.

http://kinecttoolkit.codeplex.com/

Convergence Doesn't Really Exist

2011-08-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

I thought the same thing, "What? Of course it does". Unfortunately, the fact that I can rig my phone to change the channel on my set-top box doesn't really qualify as such.

Read Excel Documents Directly from Flash

2011-06-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

This library just works. Read Excel documents from your Flash application.

https://github.com/childoftv/as3-xlsx-reader

Removing Local Shared Objects

2011-05-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

This is a great Firefox add-on for removing LSOs:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/betterprivacy/

Or, you could always do it the old way:
http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager07.html#117717

Automating Flash Development with JSFL

2011-05-04T13:31:00.000-07:00

This JSFL script will allow you to publish all of the currently open FLA files in CS5 (or CS4). Place the file in the appropriate directory as described below. The command will be available from the "Commands" pull-down menu, no need to restart.

Windows Vista: boot drive\Users\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Adobe\Flash CS4\language\Configuration\Commands

Windows XP: boot drive\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Application Data\Adobe\Flash CS4\language\Configuration\Commands

Mac OS X: Macintosh HD/Users/userName/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Flash CS4/language/Configuration/Commands

Java Bluetooth Bridge

2011-03-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

I developed a basic Bluetooth bridge in Java for an Adobe Air application a few months back. I plan on posting the current source shortly to GitHub for continued development, details to follow within the next few weeks.

Storing Content on S3 from Flash

2011-03-24T13:08:00.000-07:00

Storing a file on S3 from a Flash application using an HTTP POST method is NOT easy. I spent over a day reading and rereading the documentation provided by Amazon. Eventually, I stumbled across a link on Amazon that provided an example for POSTing files to S3 from Flash. The example works, however it uses the Flex framework which did not work for my purposes. I removed the Flex dependency and abstracted the details into a nice little library for your consumption on GitHub. I must give credit to Eric Wagner, the original author of the example found.

https://github.com/adamdb/flash-to-s3

Freenode

2011-01-04T13:11:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been using IRC as a resource for Android development, but couldn't find similar channels on Freenode dedicated to Flash development. So I've started a new channel aptly named #flash-dev dedicated to questions and discussion regarding the Adobe Flash Platform.

Wanaka

2009-11-16T17:01:00.000-08:00

Lake Wanaka

Wanaka from the Mt. Iron track

Roberts Point Track, Franz Josef

2009-11-16T16:55:00.000-08:00

Franz Josef Glacier from the Mirror Tarn

Franz Josef Glacier

A set of sturdy stairs along the track

The glacier continues to recede

Fenian Caves

2009-11-16T16:43:00.000-08:00

The route to the caves

A well crafted sign indicating the cave's entrance

The entrance to the cave

Inside the cave

Nelson Cave Spider (Spelungula Cavernicola)

Oparara Basin

2009-11-16T16:31:00.000-08:00

Limestone cave

Limestone tunnel carved out by the river

Limestone arch

Karamea

2009-11-16T15:37:00.000-08:00

After finishing the Heaphy Track, I stayed in Karamea for a few days to allow my feet to heal a bit. It’s a very small town, small enough for the hostel I stayed at to operate it’s own pirate radio station without any interference. You’re encouraged to do your own radio show, and can play whatever you want -- although the only longtime listeners are the operators themselves.

The local skate park

A walking tree

The radio station

The Heaphy Track

2009-11-08T00:38:00.000-08:00

(Updated 11.16.09 with pictures)

Day 1

New Zealand is known for its Great Walks, one to multi-day hikes, some through a staggering amount of differing terrain. The Heaphy Track is no exception -- it’s a 4 to 6 day hike through Kahurangi National Park, and covers semi tropical rainforest, river flats, fords, beaches, bluffs, peaks, and valleys. I made arrangements to take a small plane from the local airport over Golden Bay to Takaka, from there I would take a shuttle to the Brown Hut, the beginning of the Heaphy Track. I woke up at 5:30 A.M. the morning of my 80 kilometer trek through the National Park, leaving enough time to get to the airport incase there was traffic. Left the hostel anxious to get started, walked across the street and through Wellington Railway Station to the connecting airport bus stop. Arrived at the airport at about 7:30, or rather, I arrived on the side of the road leading to the airport at 7:30, because the plane I was taking didn’t operate out of the main terminal, or any terminal for that matter. The driver dropped me off near the long-term parking garage, which I assumed was the closest he could get me to Golden Bay Air. Grabbed my pack, and walked the remainder of the way to check-in. It was 7:45 at the check-in point -- a small office with an 8 foot fence and barbed wire separating it from the runway. I tried the sliding glass door, but it was locked. Peered inside, but no one was home. Read a sign on the sliding glass door, “If the office is locked, someone will be with you at the time of check-in.” Check-in was at 9 o’clock. I had an hour and 15 minutes until someone would meet me, with nothing to do but stand beside a loud and windy runway. While I waited, I thought about how suspicious I looked, and was almost certain I’d be approached by airport security before the office finally opened. Fortunately for me, a small plane taxied towards the office at exactly 9 o’clock, and I wasn’t being interrogated by security. A short balding man met me at the door and let me in, he didn’t bother to ask me for my name, which I gave anyway, nor did he ask for any identification. With a slight lisp he told me we’d have to wait a few minutes for the refuel truck, and that I was the only passenger on the flight to Takaka. The plane was refueled, and I was given the option to either sit up front in the copilot’s seat, or in the back. I chose the copilot’s seat. The view was awesome. And what would have been a long ferry ride plus an equally long shuttle, was a quick 30 minute flight. I was at the beginning of the track soon enough, with 20 kilometers between me and the first campsite at Perry Saddle.

After almost exactly 5 hours of hiking, and with a heavier pack than when I started, I reached Perry Saddle. Knowing I’d be struggling to stake my tent if I rested for too long, I picked a spot and got to work. Within a few minutes I had the tent up, and could begin working on the most important decision of the day -- which freeze dried food in a pouch I would have for dinner. I set up on a slanted table near my tent, and struggled a bit to keep a flame lit in the wind so that I could boil some water. At this moment I met my first German traveler in New Zealand, and with out me hearing him approach, told me it’d be easier to boil my water over by the outdoor sink. Startled, I nearly lit my fucking face on fire.

View from the track on day 1

Camp on day 1

Day 2

I slept surprisingly well, despite being woken up a couple times during the night to what sounded like kids screaming (I later learned that the “screaming” was the call of the nocturnal kiwi bird.) During breakfast I met my German friend again, a second German, and a couple of Israelis. The first German I met, for the sake of anonymity, I’ll refer to as German #1, and the second as German #2, naturally. After a bit of breakfast conversation, I learned that German #1 spent some time in the military as a mountaineer -- which made sense, considering out of boredom he decided to climb Mount Perry after the first day’s hike. The two Israelis were on holiday, and told me that they worked security, a fairly dubious answer. I assumed they also spent considerable time in the military. German #2 was simply spending a year abroad in New Zealand, traveling and working part time (this is called “woofing”). He asked me if I was interested in climbing Mount Perry before heading out to the James Mackay Hut (our destination for the second night), to which I readily agreed. Note to future self: when you have 25 kilometers to hike in a day -- mostly uphill -- with 20 pounds on your back, climbing to a mountain summit to loosen-up is a terrible idea. And so we climbed and made it to the summit in a little over half an hour. Our campsite was nothing more than a pinprick from where we stood. Roughly halfway down the summit we passed German #1 doing the climb for the second time in 12 hours. Copious amounts of chocolate was the secret to his seemingly unending supply of energy, it’s the most essential food for a long hike -- eat enough of it and you’ll be able to walk well beyond the point of your feet demanding you to stop. German #2 and I reached the bottom unscathed, refilled our water bottles, and started what would be the longest hike (this still excludes the climb up Mount Perry) of what would ultimately become a 4 day journey to Kohaihai, the end of the Heaphy Track. We were hiking at a fairly quick and steady pace. We spotted the Israelis walking towards us from the opposite direction when we were about halfway to Gouland Downs (the first of two huts between Perry Saddle and James Mackay). One of the guys had injured his ankle, and instead of risking further harm, they decided to walk back to their car (their original plan was to walk the track twice, to the end and back, which is insane). This is also the point at which the sandflies began their unceasing attack on my ankles. I took the precautionary measure of spraying myself with a good amount of repellant, which would only deter most from biting -- some would rather have a taste before dropping dead. At what was ostensibly our first check-point, we joked about how we’d probably see German #1 sprinting down the track and past us at any moment. Sure enough, he caught up with us literally seconds after mentioning him. The three of us took a small respite, and as a larger party of three we headed to the Saxon Hut 5.4 km away, with a total of 17.2 km left to go that day. Time passes much quicker when you have company. I taught them some English phrases, and they taught me a bit of German. The conversation took my mind off of my tired feet. During this second leg of the day, we crossed the first of many suspension bridges. Most of the tracks around New Zealand, with the possible exception of Steward Island, give you the option to either cross the ford (a river crossing) if the river isn‘t too high, or take the dry path across a bridge. German #1 opted to cross the ford instead of using the suspension bridge -- he didn’t particularly like doing anything easy. All three of us decided to cross the second ford instead of taking the much drier path across the bridge. German #1 made it across with dry feet, German #2 slipped but only got a tad wet, I was about three feet from the opposite bank when I decided it’d simply be easier to wade across rather than jump, slip, and get completely soaked. By the time we reached the Saxon Hut, my shoes had reached a state most aptly described as very damp. We reached the hut ahead of a few other groups, all of whom were staying at that location for the night -- clever bastards. The three of us were pretty tired at that point, but we still had 11.8 km before we reached James Mackay (approximately 3.5 hours of hiking). To make matters worse, the last leg of the day was a very long technical incline, broken up by only a few short declines. After another one and a half hours of hiking, we made frequent time checks. We were getting impatient. After about two hours we were amongst low hanging clouds, hiking through a marshland at approximately 2,500 feet. More time checks. We had to be close. During the last kilometer it seemed as if we would never reach the damn hut, but when we did, and we found it empty. Despite German #1 and myself having tents, we all slept in the hut that night.

View from the track on day 2

Some shoes on a wooden post

A section of the track on day 2

Day 3

“Four seasons in a day“, is the phrase Kiwis use to describe the often rapid weather changes experienced in New Zealand. I had been lucky so far, everyday since arriving in Auckland had been sunny with only a few short bouts of rain. And because the weather can turn on you rather quickly, you are forewarned about having at least one day of rain every few days when in the backcountry (more often defined as “the bush“). After a much needed night’s sleep, the Germans and I woke up to a cloudy grey sky indicative of imminent rain. We set out for a long descent to the Heaphy Hut, situated a couple hundred meters from the Tasman Sea (an extremely rough a rocky coast). Despite the rain, and consequently, the muddy conditions, the third day was the most fun (even though my feet had several annoying blisters). I think my body had gotten used to the extra weight on my back … or maybe it was the Ibuprofen I took. The rain was heavy at times, and within an hour my shoes and pants -- halfway up to my knees -- were completely covered in mud. The entire decent was through semitropical rainforest, similar to the first day, but this particular section of forest felt primeval. The trees looked bigger, and every inch of bark was covered in a thick green moss. I spotted five or so trees that had combined into one mega-huge-tree (I got a picture with it). The rain cleared once we reached sea level, and the Heaphy Hut was only a few kilometers away. After camp was set, we checked out the hut where German #2 was staying (he didn’t have a tent, and the only food he brought were apples, bananas, and muesli bars). The group inside was eating dinner, which consisted of the largest array of food I had ever seen prepared at a campsite -- they were clearly traveling with a guide. Upon further investigation and jealousy, we learned that they also collected fresh mussels from the beach. Right then and there I was on a mission to find these mussels. We scoured the beach for about an hour, but found nothing. The bastards had taken all the damn mussels when they already had plenty of food to eat. I wanted to throw eggs at their hut … if only I had eggs … but I probably would have eaten them instead. There was a small open shelter where German #1 and I cooked our dinners. The previous night I had opened the wrong freeze dried food pouch, which I had rolled up and stored back into my pack. The contents of the open pouch had spilled inside my pack during the hike to Heaphy, so upon reaching for day three’s dinner, I spilled freeze dried food onto the ground outside the open shelter. I had plenty of food, so I wasn’t concerned about the waste, but I was concerned about the group of flightless Weka birds that immediately descended on my accidental offering, combined with the impeccable timing of the park ranger approaching our campsite. I got my story straight in preparation for the reprimand I would undoubtedly receive from the ranger for feeding the birds. Before he had an opportunity to speak, I told him that I didn’t mean to feed the birds, and that the food had accidentally spilled out of my bag. Luckily it wasn't a problem, because the native birds have to compete for food with a lot of the pests introduced by earlier settlers, i.e. the British and Irish, so feeding them was OK. The ranger left after checking our papers, but the birds remained long after.

Me crossing a swing bridge in the rain on day 3

Weka birds

A cave I discovered along the track

A giant Powelliphanta snail

Day 4

View from the track on day 4

View from outside camp on day 4

Wellington

2009-11-05T22:13:00.000-08:00

I stayed two days in Wellington and visited the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (which has the only Colossal Squid on exhibit in the world), the Wellington Botanical Gardens, and took a ride on a railcar.

A waterfall at the Botanical Gardens

A view of Wellington from the museum

The Colossal Squid preserved under glass

Colossal Squid tentacles

To Wellington

2009-11-05T20:25:00.000-08:00

Left Auckland early October 31st and took an Intercity bus to Wellington. It was a long ride, 8 hours in total, but after traveling over 20 hours a few days earlier it wasn't too bad. Wellington (the capital of New Zealand) is located on the southern most point on the north island, so the drive down covered nearly the entire north west coast. A scenic drive, but not a very diverse one. The sites were of rolling green hills ... lots and lots of green hills. Populating this vast green rolling land were more cows, sheep, and goats than there were people. When the bus did approach or drive through a town, it was usually just a few small shops, a post office, and petrol station, and as soon as it took to write this sentence, we were through the town and amongst more rolling green countryside. An interesting aside: all of the road and store signs (outside of a major city) are all made of corrugated aluminum siding. New Zealand country side is beautiful, but after viewing it for two hours from a bus window, it all started to blur together. To kill the time, the bus driver played "The World's Fastest Indian", a film about a Kiwi (Burt Munro played by Anthony Hopkins), who set a world land speed record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats -- a good flick.

Lots of green to be seen

Mount Ruapehu from the Desert Road

Rangitoto Island

2009-11-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

Rangitoto is a volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf several miles north of Auckland. It was formed through a series of eruptions that occurred approximately 700 years ago.

Rangitoto Island

The trail to the summit

A field of lava rock

Volcanic crater

Auckland

2009-10-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Auckland after a 6 hour (and very bumpy) flight to Los Angeles (there were a lot of white knuckles), a three hour layover in LAX, and a 12 hour flight across the Pacific. (After being in several airports in a little over a week, I realized that no matter what country you're in, airport employees are a perpetually angry and frustrated people.) It has been VERY windy here, and I hope the wind dies down, otherwise my flight to Takaka (the beginning of the Heaphy Track) may be canceled, which would royally suck. It's spring here, and the weather, despite it being incredibly windy, is very nice. Although, several times while walking around aimlessly, the near cloudless sky would immediately turn grey and begin raining. It's also quite hilly -- walking around for 6 to 8 hours makes for a serious workout. I have not encountered any surly carnivorous parrots ... yet.

On the Road Again

2009-10-27T05:09:00.000-07:00

Heading out to NZ today, hopefully JFK continues to have no delays. Although, with all the rain, it looks like I'll be testing my packs resilience to water earlier than I thought. I have a green waterproof cover for it -- it makes me look like a turtle.

Pack weight is 19.27 percent of my body weight, which is ideal

Cadbury World

2009-10-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

I went with three of my cousins to Cadbury World. I was expecting to see a lot of the manufacturing process and the plant itself. You don't see these things at Cadbury World. Instead, you're taken into an acid trip inspired walk through a chocolate obsessed universe. I can't show you too many pictures, because they can litterally melt your brain, as if it were made of chocolate. If you survive the tour, you are rewarded with the option to buy copious amounts of Cadbury's chocolate for cheap. Unfortunately, even though you are at Cadbury World, they still won't sell you Cadbury Eggs unless it's Easter (I nearly stabbed an employee after realizing this.)

Native Cocoa Beans

A family being sent unknowingly to their chocolate doom

Warwick Castle

2009-10-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

To the Midlands

2009-10-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

After spending the previous day at the gallery and then walking around London doing my best to get lost, I took the underground to Edgeware. My cousin and uncle picked me up at the station and drove me to Leicester in the midlands. Before meeting me, my uncle decided to stop in a local shop across from the station to buy some slacks for the first time in two years, because when you need slacks, you need slacks. It was about a two hour drive to Leicester, and I sat in the front passenger seat, on the left hand-side. It was strange. We stopped in a small town along the way to see a memorial dedicated to Frank Whittle (the inventor of the jet engine). Besides a good slack bargain, my uncle likes planes ... a lot. After arriving in Leicester, we had tea (very appropriate), and my uncle showed me a few of his paintings, several of which were of planes, go figure.

Second Day in London

2009-10-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

St. Peters (This was the only shot I could get without a wide angle lens.)

Shakespeare's Globe Theater

A random shot of the Thames at night

Parliament and Big Ben at dusk

The London Eye from the north side of the Thames

Slept late this morning. I was either tired from all the walking the previous day, haven't adjusted to the time difference yet -- which is unlikely since it's only five hours -- or most likely, I was simply being lazy. And so, with all the strength I could muster, I rolled out of bed, fell out, and headed to The National Gallery.

Nearly everything in the gallery, which is huge, from the 13th to the 17th century is either a terribly boring portraiture, or a commissioned work by the Catholic Church, because after 400 years, the church felt that they did not own enough paintings of Jesus or the Virgin Mary. To me this is an unhealthy obsession, but I digress. I like El Greco, even though his subject matter was narrow, e.g. Jesus, he painted the dude like he was going to a disco. And for a 17th century painter, his work always looks modern to me. With the exception of Salvator Rosa's Witches at their Incantations (bizarre), there wasn't a lot of other work made before the 17th century that made me stop and stare for more than a minute. I saw a few unfinished Michaelangelo paintings, and a da Vinci cartoon (a sketch for a painting), neither of which exemplified how good those guys were. Then I saw some self portraits by Rembrandt (awesome), some Vermeer (I'm aware of his use of light and the historical context, but his work is boring), Rubens, and Caravaggio. After walking and looking at every painting in about 45 rooms, I spent the remaining time ogling the impressionists. I saw a bunch of Turner's, who could paint the living shit out of a seascape. And then there were some Degas, Cezanne, Lautrec, Monet (better than Manet), and Seurat (a masochist) works. I even saw a Klimt and Redon (highly underrated). Seeing the Van Gogh work was the icing. There was a crowd around his Sunflowers, which is iconic, but for me, The Mountainous Landscape Behind Saint-Paul Hospital confirmed the fact that the guy was a mad genius (he painted it during a year long stay at an insane asylum!). The painting is so far beyond the work of his contemporaries, cutting off his own ear is no surprise.

First Day in London

2009-10-19T16:24:00.000-07:00

Buckingham Palace (The Queen was home, said hello, she was pleasant.)

Parliment on the Thames from the London Eye

Big Ben (It's pretty big, but I don't understand where the "Ben" comes from.)

The Thames River from the London Eye

The Tower of London -- Henry the 6th died here May 21st 1471 (That's a long time ago.)

London Bridge from the Tower of London (One of the best pictures of the day.)

I also took a picture of a sweet gold chalice in the Tower of London, but was immediately barked at as soon as the automatic flash went off by two Beefeaters (not a derogatory word, look it up). The room was dimly lit and the cup was behind glass. I chose poorly. However, I speculate from the vast number of gold cups and enormous solid gold punch bowls -- yes, punch bowls -- that these guys enjoyed a drink or few in the day, but in awesome style.

To London

2009-10-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

I don't know what I was thinking, but I completely neglected the amount of traffic through New York City on a Saturday night. It took well over an hour to get from Hoboken, NJ to JFK. My cab driver apologetically told me he would have to speed whenever he had the opportunity -- not in those words exactly, but in broken English I understood. Luckily I had checked-in online, and as soon as I arrived I sprinted through security, and made it to the gate with a few minutes to spare. I will never underestimate New York traffic when traveling to the airport again. I'll also give myself more than an hour and a half to get to the airport when traveling internationally -- you'd think this would be enough time considering you were skipping the lines by checking-in online, and were traveling to an airport that only took 30 minutes to get to previously.

I walked onto the plane and sat down in a window seat in "World Traveler Plus" class, but don't let the title fool you, it's only SLIGHTLY better than coach. Anyways, in jest I made a comment to the guy sitting next to me about there not being any wi-fi on the flight, to which he was unexpectedly knowledgeable about. This dude was on a business trip to Spain, stopping over in London for the day, but more importantly, he was in the exact same line of work I was, except for the fact that he was on the client facing side. And so, to the annoyance of everyone else around us, we talked shop for about an hour. It's a small world indeed.