Firstly, you will need to add a Property in the settings to show that the application version has changed. I call this ‘callUpdate’ and set its default value to true. When a new version of the application runs, it will check this value; if the directory has changed there will be no previous value found, so the default value will be set. So, in the start up of the application, we can test for a true value; if true, we call the Upgrade function to find the older version of the settings, update the values, then we save the value ‘callUpdate’ as false so that it will not be called next time.

I now replace my previous lengthy code, with a simple call to Upgrade, as shown below.

private void Window_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
bool updateForNewVersion = Properties.Settings.Default.callUpgrade;

if (updateForNewVersion)
{
Properties.Settings.Default.Upgrade();
Properties.Settings.Default.callUpgrade = false;
Properties.Settings.Default.Save();
}
txtIP.Text = Properties.Settings.Default.ipAddress;
// etc
}

I could recommend the byki flashcard application; it has done me quite well over the last couple of years. I have created lists of flash cards for languages, A level chemistry and other smaller tasks. It is relatively easy to build up a set of cards, with a built in on-screen Greek keyboard. You are able to add graphics and sound. The main annoyance has been the very simplistic repetition algorithm and the proprietary file format. Having recently used the scoring system of the Anki flashcard system, where it scores more difficult words for repetition at varying intervals, I have decided to move my word lists across. It’s free and open source apart from the iPhone version which is considered a donation to the project. I’ve made some lists for the Hellenic podcasts as well, but they are my translations, so bear that in mind if you’d like to download them. I’m currently building up a list for the lessons 11-20. The list from 1-10 has around 200 words, which seems a manageable size. Anki is about to bring out a beta for version 2 which will be able to share lists more easily; I shall upload them there, but if you need them earlier, just let me know. WordPress doesn’t allow txt file upload, otherwise I’d upload them here.

If you create, as I do, within Excel on a Mac, it’s fairly painless to get into the correct UTF-8 format output. This is how I do it, which works, but I’m open to easier suggestions. The aim is to end up with a plain UTF-8 format text file with two columns of words, separated with a tab. You could use a comma as separator, but this would preclude it from being used within a phrase. My main aim is to use Anki for text tests, so I haven’t worried about audio and sound files here( although it will handle them).

My lists exist within Excel, where I can arrange them more easily. I can then copy and paste from here into the built in Macintosh text editor TextEdit. You’ll find it in the Applications folder if not visible in the applications bar. You need to create a new file and then set it to be Plain text format before the Paste, from the Format menu, if it isn’t already (otherwise the text is pasted into a table). You may then save this type of file as Unicode (UTF-8) format. Put the entries in twice if you want to test both English to Greek and Greek to English.

Anki comes with some useful lists for the kypros Greek site, but I have created a few other lists that you can download and these are shown below. I have started the HAU podcasts a couple of times but they become intermediate level quite quickly and have no translations, so I am reverting back to the audio lessons from kypros.org for my basic refresh training this year. I’ll go back to HAU afterwards. I’ve had a go at most series, over the years, so we shall see how far we get this year. Another resolution to break! Real player was a bit awkward for me, so I downloaded and moved them into iTunes. I also have a set of 400 food words.

I have also put the HAU pdf files into plain text without the pictures etc, for more simple printing and highlighting. They’re below also, as far as I’ve got. Might be useful for someone. I found them more compact this way when I was reading them, but that may change if I take them onto my iPad.

If you want to add to or correct the lists, you could tweet me or ask for an email to send them to. I shall be enthusiastic for a month or two, I’m sure. I’ll add them to the lists and re-publish. WHen Anki version 2 is out of beta, I’ll stick them up as shared lists, if I haven’t given up learning by then.

I made a small list to help my wife learn Greek letters, greekletters WordPress doesn’t allow uploading of text files, so this one is an Excel document.

Anki comes with the word lists for the first two Kypros levels; this spreadsheet is for the remainder of the levels,kypros vocab

The HAU podcasts, without images, are here; I’d be interested to know if anyone has translated them.

6_Atthestore
7_Givingdirections
8_Gettingill
9_Commands
10_atthecinema
11_whatshallweeat
12_Lookingforappartment
13_Atthekiosk
14_Atthepostoffice
15_Atthegym
16_Spendingmyweekend
17_Lookingforajob
18_Atthesupermarket
19_Atthetraveloffice
20_Faultyproducts

As well as helping within the scenes, the Kontact TUIO gateway allows more complex connections to be handled between more than one screen. We have a rehearsal screen set up and the Viz can be shared between the two. Control is via a simple web page (we use our iPhone when on the studio floor!) and the change of configuration is automated for speed and ease of use.

We’re using the system with Panasonic screens and either UElektrosil or U-Touch sensors. There are many more TUIO systems about to hit production, so I’m sure we shall much more of this as prices come down.

I’m sure there will be more to come from Kenziko, as they have generated a lot of interest from their IBC appearance. They should be at NAB next year if you’re on that side of the Atlantic. I’d recommend going to see their telestration system using touchscreen or iPads which should be available by then.

Main drivers for the XBox controller are downloaded from the Microsoft site, http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/d/xbox-360-wireless-controller-for-windows I used the 32 bit version with Windows XP and I tested with the wireless version. Under another test with Windows 7, the drivers updated automatically when the wifi section was plugged into the USB port.

I looked at some examples and decided to use the SlimDX open source C# interface, rather than a full XNA library. It’s lightweight and we don’t need all the 3D facilities of the full XNA sdk. We’ll start with that and see how it goes. The SDK details are here, http://slimdx.org/ and it may be downloaded here, http://code.google.com/p/slimdx/downloads/detail?name=SlimDX Runtime for .NET 2.0 28September 2011%29.msi This needs to be installed. It’s a .msi file. They may be producing an update for .Net 4.0 soon, so keep a check.

This is a simple example that works from this guy, http://visualcsharp.webs.com/projectdownloads.htm

I’ve been working on a C# driver for node, on Windows, using 5.8 exe which is impressive, but in the following install I’m working on a Mac.

The node modules may now be held within the project directories, rather than centrally, which gives more flexible versioning and the projects are growing together to allow a variety of templating and css engines.

I installed the development version of node, to get the latest 5.10 version; found that I needed latest python27 upgrade as well (in for a penny…)
sudo port install nodejs-devel

and npm was installed to be similarly up to date,
curl http://npmjs.org/install.sh | sudo sh

express now gives similar facilities to Rails and will create a working structure of directories and source code files when creating a new project. I next installed express, but globally, which puts the files at /opt/local/lib/node_modules/express

sudo npm install express -g

and did the same for the jade templating engine,

To create a project, just run express,

sudo express ./foo && cd foo

this will create the directory with all basic project files within it; jade is the default templating engine used. You can add a ‘-s stylus’ option to further add a css engine.

create : ./foo
create : ./foo/package.json
create : ./foo/app.js
create : ./foo/public
create : ./foo/routes
create : ./foo/routes/index.js
create : ./foo/views
create : ./foo/views/layout.jade
create : ./foo/views/index.jade
create : ./foo/public/javascripts
create : ./foo/public/images
create : ./foo/public/stylesheets
create : ./foo/public/stylesheets/style.css


We then need to run npm to bring in all the dependencies,
sudo npm install

express@2.5.0 ./node_modules/express
├── mime@1.2.4
├── mkdirp@0.0.7
├── connect@1.7.2
└── qs@0.3.1
jade@0.16.4 ./node_modules/jade
├── mkdirp@0.0.7
└── commander@0.2.1


The result is a well structured set of files, built-in session and cookie features and a single command to change easily from development to production (or other) configurations. There is an app.js file that node will use to give the basic site.

One module that I always bring in on the first test is nodemon. It monitors the files in your project. If any changes/edits are gone it restarts the node server. Excellent; it saves so much time, thanks Remy.

I also took some help and inspiration from this url, http://shapeshed.com/journal/creating-a-basic-site-with-node-and-express/

Next, I shall probably have a look at zepto.js, the mini-jQuery lookalike for mobiles and the Raphael javascript graphics library which have now released a new 2.0 version.

There was a lot going on at Pinewood so the UK film work must be thriving at the moment. They had just finished a James Bond and were onto several other projects. Caught a sneak look at the castle for the new Snow WHite movie. It’s amazing how they use so many containers as building blocks for the sup[port areas. You can also see a couple of trebuchet at the left. Fantastic place for being and finding craftsmen.

I made a class based around the MSDN sample and comments, but wanted to extend it in two ways; firstly, I needed to be able serve up the full gamut of binary files for any of the image types in the documents; secondly, I wanted to allow a command to be sent to the hosting application, via an http command. I added an event handler to do this. This would then decouple any application logic from being involved on the web side. I can also use it to report unknown file requests.

The source and a zipped binary are on github.com, https://github.com/happyt/csharp/tree/master/httpWebServer

This is the main class definition, just edit out the parts labelled RaiseEvents if that is not needed, together with the delegate declaration.


using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Net;
using System.IO;

listener.BeginGetContext(ProcessRequest, listener);
}
}
}


The message being raised can be any class that you’d like to create, but in my case I just used a simple message, HttpCommandArgs.cs

public class HttpCommandArgs
{
public string m_Message;
}
}


I tested this in a simple winForms application, where I start the server and wait for commands. The web side is self contained and there is nothing to be done in the host application, other than to create and start the server. Browse to the local host (on port 80 in my case) and the default page will be shown. It has a couple of image types on there, a javascript script to show the time, a style sheet and an icon, making sure that all the main types are served.

If a url such as “localhost/cmd=Counting” is used, the command will be raised to the host application and displayed. I do nothing with the commands other than display them in the form; to do this I need to use an Invoke because the application is returning the message on a different thread.

The C# code for the host application is ,

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using httpWebServer;

///
private void LogMessage(string s)
{
this.txtHistory.Text += s + Environment.NewLine;
this.txtHistory.SelectionStart = txtHistory.Text.Length;
this.txtHistory.ScrollToCaret();
}
}
}


Qr codes, fiducial markers on their way out; marker less on the way in
Image markers, facial recognition this year (maybe in iPhone5) and next year, object recognition later
eg google goggles on a wine bottle
Showed some translation systems

Martin Lechner, mobilizy, wikitude browser
Now installed on blackberry
In Lg in real 3d
Producing wikitude architect to Produce app without coding, just scripting No ARML
6 JavaScript classes to do the interaction
Location based services used every day by 10%, but 94% think valuable
95% look for local info, 88% take actions within a day
Use AR, list or a map
Need content Eco system to access data or build personal data
Social networking as well with BB messenger

Frank, metaio, junaio browser
Shelley from British Museum, samsung digital discovery centre
Hype cycle
Tech trigger, peak of inflated expectations, trough of disillusionment, slope of enlightenment, plateau of productivity
Smartphone performanc x3 in last 18months
Metaio use image to enhance gps position
Gravity aligned feature description, Daniel kurz
Showed info about a car dashboard
Want to interact with objects, including real occlusion, use of real gravity
Cereal box games

Michelle – talk to your local galleries
Recommends Exploratorium in San Francisco, late night adult evening
Recompose layers onto paintings
Virtual sculpture, Sheffield
Franchising the Mona Lisa, shawl
Invasion of MOMA, appropriation of spaces, w graffiti , stedelijk Amsterdam
Can easily develop channels for junaio, esp if are a web developer
Ollie did optimised 3d models
No Apple phones!?
Looked at
SecondSight in schools
Layer
ARtoolkit

Still like markers, fits galleries
People try with bar code scanners, so fail there
Good for motor skills
Paper prototyping
Wearable AR workshop for teenagers this summer
Hugo barroso , Mexico, wearing markers
Junaio 10k euro licence to White label, otherwise free

Samsung, Keith Bauwise Staines
Bringing feature phone users to smartphones
eclipse based,
Tutorial videos on the website, lots of learning examples, book as well
ghost blaster game
OpenGL 1.1, powerVR from Imagine
Lots of code, to be open sourced at some point
Layer plus Wikitude
no current phones have gyro
70k downloads for a technical experiment, so putting in social features

Manfred.b re eduard.Oks@samsung.com SARI image recognition toolkit. For markerless image recognition
For bada and Android
Teddy Bear app, created on a marker, but then taken off on a hand. The hand image replaces the initial marker image. Had a way of interaction with the bear.
Picture on wall switches to a video

Also available for Win32 ? SLAM based

Cross platform
Play Nicely, Bristol?
Everyone wants to see themselves with a brand
User generated markers more prevalent with mobile
Total immersion/ARtoolkit/metaio/FLARtoolkit/SLARtoolkit
D’Fusion star trek example – markerless tracking

Chat w Frank
Recognise tv programme
Overlay data
Early map decision, pointing which way?

Markus.Edur@salzburgresearch.at
Salzburg research
3d models, cities, occlusions
GML – don’t get height
XAPI – unreliable, but more specific
Convert 3d to open GL ES to UTM coords to depth buffer to AR image
VS2010?
Models – point, line, surface, building
Analysis, GPS overview, map matching, image processing
Detect edges, match to model
Adjust progressively
OpenCV
Canny edge detector, line detect w Hough transformation, return screen coords

uses classical half transform, (probabilistic?)
generalised half transform?

QuonceptAR
Tom wood, jan warnstam. From kudan in UK
From Japan AR toolkit, really cheap sdk engine
Markerless, feature points, contour tracking, ID markers
Built for mobile
Rendering engine agnostic but ships with it’s own
Colada models

Martin.Lechner@mobilizy.com
Building worlds in Wikitude
Could do similar to Google map, w locations, wikitude.me
KML, google maps – make map – add place marks – Link gives map, but add with output=kml
ARML, based on KML w extra tags
Web service – dynamic content – there’s a PDF of the spec, for ARML services
Hoppala – third party web service

Competes w Google Goggles?
Wikitude Drive?

Frank, metaio, junaio
Free, image tracking, geolocation, api

Location based channels
Indoor channels w LLA
Our web server generates XML points of interest, icons, images
Can remove based on an event, click etc sends request to server
Can send POIs one at a time, for quick start
Can generate QR for your channel download

Nadeem Rashid, Nadeem@goaugmented.com, indoor applications
itouchmap.com to get lat/long
Scan floor markers to set position, plusminus 30cm
Put in angle distance for each poi, use normal device to calculate this

Holition demo, Adrian
Work with Inition.
Tissot watches 83% sales increase
At Harrods, touchscreen also
Want to make measurements of some types, find return on investment

Chrome box looks good. If that has a decent graphics hardware base, we could find it cheap enough for connected screen displays.

One thing that I found really interesting, (but not sure how practical) was the android accessory development kit. It’s based on an Arduino, which I’ve been playing around with using node.js. I’ve not had the time to do much more than the usual Hello World of blinking lights, but it should give a real boost to the Arduino guys. Well done to them for all their efforts.

All the usual videos are here, http://www.google.com/events/io/2011/sessions.html

Time to look at some more Javascript, I think. CSS video should be interesting. jQuery should only become more popular.

More later…