GeekSouth

Google’s Android, Apple’s iPhone OS, our Freedom and Why it Matters to You

Ben Collins — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:41:02 +0000

UPDATE 2! 7-27-2010: U.S. Government strengthens case for jailbreaking iPhones to allow installation of third party applications. CNET article here.
UPDATE! 7-23-2010: The Droid X was rooted the same day this article was posted (to w00ts and thanks yous to Birdman, igniting 10 pages of forum posts in a few short hours)

Plenty of people have maligned Apple for having a “closed” apps store, conjuring images of King Jobs anointing this app or that app and declaring “off with its head!” to any objectionable app. Now it might be Google’s turn to answer some questions about how open Android really is, now that if you tamper with the software on the Droid X, it becomes a very sexy, yet menacing-looking black paperweight (until you go back and install the original software).

So the big difference so far between iPhone’s mobile OS and (as far as I know) all of the Android OSes out there is in Android, there are less controls on the kinds of apps you can install. You can even check a little box that says “install stuff outside of the App Market.” Then, someone can email you a .apk file (usually what an Android app is) and you just click-and-install. Well, the Android App Market is a pretty shady place anyway filled with both amazing and horrible apps, but should you want to install something like, say, a program that can turn your device into a roving Wi-Fi hotspot, then you could go to this website and download it! Actually, there are tethering apps in the Market, but… you might want to be sure you are getting the right version for your phone.

Oh, wait. You CAN’T turn your phone into a hotspot because you have to have root access to install the program. And no, it appears that everyone who makes these devices to sell them to you at very high prices does not in fact want you to have root.

Yes, folks, when you buy an Android device, you are not the administrator of your phone. Also, should Google decide to delete or add applications from your device, well, they have that power.

Wasn’t Android supposed to be all about freedom and fightin’ “the Man” Steve Jobs and his plan to take over the world? I guess things aren’t quite so black and white and aqua-shiny, eh? It doesn’t stop there. Motorola loves Android, but do they hate the idea of anyone having root? Their policy states the warranty is void if you do it, so why aren’t they encouraging rooting that so they don’t have to support/replace your phone? Their latest and greatest phone (the Droid X) has a wicked little bit of engineering inside it called the eFuse that detects any attempt to basically take full control and then leaps out of the depths of microchips and transistors to slap the hand that got too far into the cookie jar. It’s not quite entirely fair to blame Motorola for this – maybe it’s Verizon’s fault. Sound familiar? Like, maybe AT&T was the evil dictator trying to prevent Google Voice from going on the iPhone.

One angry commenter on the web wrote, “Motorola has taken the very soul out of Android with this phone.” It seems to me that most of the ire is directed at them or Verizon, not Google. Google’s answer to this issue might be that part of the freedom of Android is allowing manufacturers to do whatever they want to it. If you don’t like what they’ve done, go buy a different Android phone that comes pre-rooted, right? You know, it’s this kind of thing that really exposes Google’s massive case of Asperger Syndrome.

It’s wasn’t that easy for people much smarter than I to figure out how to grant root privileges to previous Android devices. But they did. And then software was written around it. Instructions went up on the net. I did manage to figure out how to follow them and at last gain full control of my Droid, after which I got a few nifty features here and there, but I wasn’t entirely blown away by the Brave New World of being fully in control of my android. Still, it felt pretty good, like the time I figured out how to uninstall IE from my Windows 95 PC.

At least until I turned it into a Wi-Fi hotspot. At this moment, any time I go somewhere like a restaurant, I fire up my tethering app and suddenly anyone else around me has access to the net, free of charge. The vision of internet-everywhere just got a little clearer in my mind. I mean, I feel a little excited when my phone buzzes and notifies me “BOBSLAPTOP-124 has connected.” Sure, Verizon may take a second look at people like me and take away my “infinite” data plan. Who knows, maybe Google (Verizon? Motorola?) will pull up my device on their Central Command and zap it with a death ray?

One thing is absolutely clear. The role of “phones” is changing dramatically, accelerating with the invention of the iPhone OS and subsequently Android in particular. Owners of these technologies are interacting with them in new ways, powerful ways, pushing forward the benefit of possessing it. Smartphones are full blown computers now, but they are also different in form and function. When geeks buy a computer, they expect to be the admin so they can install what they want, when they want. We don’t expect our internet provider to control what we can or can’t do with our computers. At the same time, our emotional and practical connections to our phones has, in ways, gone beyond our previous relationship with machines. These feelings of control, soul, power, freedom, and rights are relatively new and startling.

Perhaps there is more to the “I” in iPhone and the meaning behind the term “android” than we realize. They have become part of us, closer than ever to a metaphor for how we think ourselves.

- Ben Collins 07/22/2010

Geek South – Cookout- June 2010

wildchild — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:02:04 +0000

Hello Geek South!
It has been a while hasn’t it? The Leadership members have been busy busy!
To celebrate the Summer and drag the Geeks out into this fine(hot) weather, we have decided to have a cookout and a movie! This will be a potluck dinner at the home of a founder of Geek South, Jose Castillo. The plan is to socialize and eat, while we are hanging out and then as the sun goes down we will be watching a movie. Bring a Dish to share. Time to catch-up and visit with our low tech day. Games to be play outside GEEKS bring your sunscreen!

Here’s the details:
Date: June 26, 2010
Time: 5:30pm
Location: Jose Castillo’s House, find here.
RSVP: It is very important that we have a head count, so please leave a comment on the website post indicating if you are coming and what side you are bringing.

While at this event there will have to be some discussion about the meetings for the remainder of the year. It has grown increasingly difficult to keep the meetings going monthly. Our discussion will about shifting to a bi-monthly meeting or perhaps quarterly. Be thinking of this and be prepared to discuss.

Conversations distribution list:
We would like to invite members of Geek South to join us in group conversations. Any email sent though the distribution list will be seen by every member who has subscribed and all members will have the chance to respond. If you would like to subscribe to this distribution list, please click here : geeksouth-join@blissmail.net and send us an email. You will have to OPT-IN to use this service.
As a subscriber, you will receive emails from any member on the list and can post to the list yourself by sending an email to: geeksouth@blissmail.net
Many thanks to Bliss Agency’s help in providing this ability for conversations among Geek South members.

Photography Round Table– Geek South March 2010

wildchild — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:40:22 +0000

We want to apologize for the inconvenience of the emails earlier this month. We will only be sending 2-3 emails a month about the dinners.

Geek South was looking for ways to increase discussion among members and we decided to implement a distribution list. We are going to try this again, but first let’s talk about the March Geek South Dinner!

Our topic this month will be a Photography Round Table. We want you to bring your cameras! Your comments about photography software of any kind… Photoshop, GIMP, Picasso, Flicker, TwitPic, etc. Tell the Geek South group what you use to manage, edit, and archive your photos.
This dinner will be hosted by Spark Plaza (the only co-working location in the Tri-Cities) at Stir Fry in Kingsport TN. Spark Plaza will provide appetizers. Then after dinner we will be given a tour of a possible future location of Spark Plaza Kingsport! This location is right upstairs from Stir Fry.

Here’s the details:
Date: March 30, 2010
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Stir Fry, Kingsport TN
RSVP: http://www.mobaganda.com/geeksouthphotographyroundtable-march302010

Now about that distribution list.
Bliss Agency has been kind enough to host this service for Geek South.
We would like to invite members of Geek South to join us in group conversations. This service will be separate from the email list used to send out Geek South Dinner Invitations.

The mailing list would enable you to converse between all members of Geek South as a group. Any email sent though the distribution list will be seen by every member who has subscribed and all members will have the chance to respond. If you would like to subscribe to this distribution list, please click here : geeksouth-join@blissmail.net and send us an email. You will have to OPT-IN to use this service.
As a subscriber, you will receive emails from any member on the list and can post to the list
yourself by sending an email to: geeksouth@blissmail.net

If you do not wish to participate, do nothing and your email address will not be included in group conversations. (The previous list has been wiped and will not be used)
Please remember to keep topics relevant to the group. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at geeksouth@gmail.com
We appreciate Bliss Agency’s help in providing this ability for conversations among Geek South members.

Geek South Social – February 2010 – LOCATION UPDATE

wildchild — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 03:53:28 +0000

HI Geeks,
We are going to do a Geek South Social for the dinner this month. Essentially we are going to just meet and greet, and talk about the rest of the 2010 year events.

There was a planning meeting done for the January meeting. We laid down tentative ideas and topics. Geeks then had a planning meeting on Saturday 2/13/2010 at the Coffee Haven in Johnson City. Here we laid out the final list of topics/ locations/ date for this wonderful year.

Now to share we all the Geeks what we have in store! For us to do this we would like you to join us to share the knowledge!

Here’s the details…

* Date: February 23, 2010
* Time: 7:00pm
* Location: StirFry in Johnson City, TN
* RSVP: Please add your name to this list if you are going to make it: http://www.mobaganda.com/geeksouthsocialupdated-february232010

Geek South January 2010

wildchild — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:30:23 +0000

Are we starting to pry away from Winter’s icy grip? Maybe for just a little break? We just wanted to let everyone know we are still here and will be having Geek South dinners again in 2010. We hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season! We truly hated that time flew by without even a moment to spare. Our resolution is to do better this year! For starters we want to have a planning session similar to the Leadership meeting of Jan 2009 where the dates and topics are tentatively laid out for the whole year.

The Date/Time and location we are meeting is: 7:00pm, Jan. 26 @ Machiavelli’s in Bristol Tn. If you have topics that you would like to see GeekSouth cover and want to provide some input about dinners and locations or just some general feedback— please be sure to attend!

Here’s the details…

* Date: January 26, 2010
* Time: 7:00pm
* Location: Machiavelli’s Bristol TN
* RSVP: Please add your name to this list if you are going to make it: http://www.mobaganda.com/geeksouth-planning2010

Anybody Interested in a Hacker Dojo for the TRI?

Dave Sieg — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:08:26 +0000

I recently discovered a really cool idea – a Hacker Dojo – in Mountain View CA. Would any of our Geeks be interested in starting one up here in the TRI?

Cell Phone Showdown – Geek South November 2009

wildchild — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:42:19 +0000

Not since July 17th 2007 has Geek South hosted a thumb smokin’ mobile device show down. We have the new Droid in the hands of a Geek South member who is looking forward to a face-off! So we want you to bring your phone with its fancy apps to join the battle. I know we can round up an iPhone and a Blackberry, but what can you bring to the mix? Be sure to meet us to see tests of the mighty mobile features. We will also have a group discussion of must have apps needed for this new Droid.

Here’s the details…

Date: November18th
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Machiavelli’s in Downtown Bristol, TN
RSVP: Please add your name to this list if you are going to make it: www.mobaganda.com/geeksouthcellphoneshowdown

Operating System Death Match – GeekSouth October 2009

Austin — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:01:46 +0000

In life there are many rivalries that can get the masses in an uproar. Republicans vs. Democrats. Yankees vs. Red Sox. The list goes on and on.

Geeks are not immune. There are hardcore Mac OS fanatics, those who are nutty for Windows, and then there are the Linux fans who think everyone else has left the ranch.

So October 27th come out and show your support for your OS of choice in the GeekSouth OS Death Match. Snow Leopard, Windows 7, and Ubuntu will be represented. If you’ve got something else loaded up you want to show off bring it out.

Here’s the details…

Date: October 27th
Time: 7:00pm
Location: SparkPlaza in Johnson City, TN (see map below)
RSVP: Please add your name to this list if you are going to make it: http://www.mobaganda.com/geeksouth-osdeathmatch

Everyone is on their own as far as food & drink. Feel free to come early and eat at Freiberg’s German Restaurant which is directly downstairs from SparkPlaza. Or get take-out and/or a 6-pack and bring it on up.

Directions to SparkPlaza:

View Larger Map

Home Brewed Beer and All About Encryption! Malt, Hops, SSL, and TLS!

Ben Collins — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:59:50 +0000

UPDATE: Download the Understanding SSL and TLS Presentation PDF

Yes, that is a 12-tap setup!!

We have a special guest coming down Thursday, August 20th to the Johnson City Country Club (club website, restaurant website)! John Harris is the Systems Admin for the huge Electrical Engineering Dept at VT and also happens to be an avid beer brewer at his home in Floyd, Virginia. He will be doing a two-part presentation on encryption that you can’t miss. To soften the sometimes complex world of SSL, browsers, passwords and more exciting things, he’ll also have some of his famous beer to sample and will be glad to answer questions about his setup.

If you use the net today, you rely on encryption. Learn how it actually works from top to bottom. The first part of the presentation is going to be a fast paced breakdown of how the pieces all fit together. The second part is a highly technical and informative overview of the core technologies and concepts behind SSL/TLS encyption. Everyone can learn a lot from the first part, from 7-8pm. The second part is mostly for SysAdmins, web hosts, etc, who really need to know the nitty gritty details from 8-9pm.

Food will be a-la-carte and please do consider donating a couple bucks to the club so we can cover the cost of the room!

On other notes, John Harris is Ben Collins’ step-dad! Come show your support!

GeekSouth July – Thunderdome’s and amateur HDR

Austin — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:29:11 +0000

UPDATE: Some additions from the presentation

Explore:
Flickr Group: flickr.com/groups/hdr/
Dave Hill photography: davehillphoto.com
Local photo group: phototricities.com

Learn:
Youtube tutorial (CS3): youtube.com/watch?v=CVuDbcAfN_I
Photoshop Cafe tutorial: photoshopcafe.com/tutorials/HDR_ps/hdr-ps.htm

Buy?
Adobe PS Lightroom 2: adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom
HDRSoft Photomatix (free trial): hdrsoft.com

This month’s GeekSouth meetup will happen on July 29th at 7:00pm at the Thunderdome in Johnson City, TN (google map). Come out, play a few games, and hear Ben Collins talk his adventures in dabbling with amateur HDR.

Ben Collins is a sometimes-photographer at The Bliss Agency, where taking his own images for web design projects has been a huge help. A couple of his images have been used nationally in print publications for larger agencies. His only training has been a mentoring under award-winning photographer Malcolm Wilson, a photo journalist and long time graphic designer. Since then, he’s been exploring and learning as much as he can on his own, mostly in real-world situations where the internet and accidents are his primary teachers. Lately, he’s been exploring something called “HDR” imaging and has begun to incorporate this technique in his work.

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and the idea has been around since the 19th century, when Gustave Le Gray took two images, one of the sky and one of the sea at different exposures. He then combined the two negatives to make one positive, and voila, a HDR image (source, Wikipedia). The basic concept is if you take a picture, you have to choose an exposure amount. If you expose an image for too long, any spot with a lot of light will be “blown out” or just white. Likewise, any dark area that is not exposed long enough is just black. The whole idea behind HDR is combining different photos using different exposure to make a single, “dynamic” image.

Ben uses two techniques to explore creating dynamic photos, manual and Adobe Photoshop’s automated process. The manual process involves layering different images from the same scene with different exposures and then just erasing areas that are over or under exposed. The automated process is a complex algorithm requiring 32-bit images which are then mathematically combined into a single image which you can then manipulate using special preset modes of HDR imaging. Ben will demonstrate both processes for GeekSouth.

Please make plans to come out! Big thanks to Thunderdome for hosting us, Ben Collins for the presentation, and Donna Dingus for getting us organized!