Wyszdom

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I’m out in Colorado right now and have been recording nearly all of my travels with an Amod AGL3080, a portable GPS logger which you can pick up for well under $100. It uses AAA batteries (including rechargables), and uses a standard USB connection to retrieve the log files. It’s tiny enough to fit inside the same pocket as my Canon SD1000, and also has a belt hook/strap allowing it to hang out of the pocket and easily accessible for explicitly marking waypoints.

To start logging, it’s pretty easy: simply turn it on. To stop, turn it off. A separate log file is generated for each power cycle. The batteries last long enough for an all-day excursion, so it’s probably best to just leave it on for the day.

The way it syncs up with photos is pretty similar to a lot of devices. You go around and take pictures. Your camera records what time they’re taken. At the same time, the GPS logger is in your pocket, and records where you are at particular times. Then, you put it all in the computer, which looks at what time a picture was taken, and where you were at that time, and figures out where the photo was taken. You can then add this location data to the EXIF data on each photo, which is understood by many popular photo services, allowing you to view your photos on a map.

What I need your advice on is software. The great thing about the Amod device I use is its flexibility. It shows up as a USB drive on any computer, and the log files are in the standard NMEA 0183 format, so it’s not tied to any specific software. The disk that shipped with the tracker came with JetPhoto Studio, and I upgraded it to the “pro” version to get all the features that make it actually usable, like the ability to write EXIF data. It’s fine and gets the job done, and even generates KML and KMZ files for Google Earth. However, the interface is a little confusing (and whoever wrote the messages isn’t fluent in English), and I haven’t found a great process for managing my files yet, since in the end I am importing them into iPhoto and/or Picasa Web Albums. Has anyone else used a Mac to geotag photos from a GPS log? I want the process to be as quick as possible so it doesn’t stop me from keeping up with organizing my photos, and I’m willing to pay for software. If you have a suggested workflow for JetPhoto Studio, I’m open to that as well.

Even though the process is a little annoying right now, I still love the idea and have already tagged nearly 250 photos from the past few days. It’s addicting.

Just testing. Hopefully I’ll be able to use this when I travel next week. The photo below is of the plant on my desk.

For the past few weeks, I’ve had to deal with this message almost every time I try to do anything with my Apple ID:

This Apple ID has been disabled for security reasons.

This is incredibly annoying. I think it might have something to do with the whole iTools/.Mac/MobileMe disaster, so I tried changing my ID to a non-iTools/.Mac/MobileMe address to see if that would help. I was unable to do this:

This change is not allowed. This account name was originally set up as a .Mac account and upgraded to MobileMe. An Apple ID has already been automatically set up for use with this member name. You can access this Apple ID by using either .Mac or MobileMe addresses (e.g. membername@mac.com or membername@me.com), but you cannot change the Apple ID. If you would like to use a new account name, please create a new Apple ID.

Ugh. Let’s see if they let me transfer my store credit to the new account. I’m guessing they won’t.

My name is not easy to spell. I’m used to this, and am not offended when people have trouble. I’ve spelled it incorrectly myself. However, there are times when the proper spelling of my identity really does count: email. I was giving my email address over the phone yesterday, and after I hung up, wondered if I would ever receive the message. The primary address that I usually give out to people is wysz@thewysz.com. But if I simply say it, someone might think that “Wysz” is spelled “Wiz.” Or, if I spell it out, it could become “Wifc.” Fortunately, I did get the message, but I decided to take action to make the process go smoother in the future.

So how did I address this? Well, first I needed a domain name that was easy to type and hear over the phone. Onlinehaircuts.com should work. Next, all I needed was a name. Wysz is too complicated, and I’ve seen people misspell Michael. Bob is easy. bob@onlinehaircuts.com. Yes, onlinehaircuts, all one word. Yes, “Bob” as in The Bobs.

I can’t wait to use it. Matt already thought it was hilarious; you should have seen him laughing.

I recently had to restore my iPhone, and was unable to recover the SMS and Notes data since I managed to corrupt my backup. This wasn’t a big loss, since all of my contact data synched right back from my address book, but I did have one note that I wanted to see again. Fortunately, I was able to find MobileSync Browser, which lets you view this data on your computer. It’s not meant to restore your iPhone, but it does let you access that important note or text message that you thought you had lost.

I like Super Monkey Ball on the iPhone, but why did they have to port one of the most annoying UI aspects of video games to such a device?

At least I can now type on my Apple TV.

Just in case you’re searching to see if others are having the same problem, Yes, AT&T DSL is weird tonight, at least in the Bay Area. I can’t connect to many sites, sign on to AIM, or access the iPhone App Store. Had to turn off WiFi and use AT&T EDGE on my phone just to blog this.

And yes, this would have been more appropriate for Twitter, but that’s down too!

Update @ 12:03 AM: It’s back. Thank goodness. I considered driving back to work and spending the night there. I don’t feel safe without the Internet. Twitter was temporarily up but now is back down.

Final level of Enigmo below. Do not read on if you don’t want to see it.

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Maybe I’ll just work on Level 50 right now so I can be more productive tomorrow.