Category: "Geek!"

Laptop-Desktop File sync

Just got a new laptop. I had managed to live without for a couple of years but lately, I've been moving across country too often and for long enough periods that I can't stand the ~`webdesktop'~ solution no longer. My PalmV doesn't quite cut it either... :-/

So here I am, learning to cope with duplicate filesystems again... trying to find the best ways to synchronize all kinds of things between my laptop and desktop. Email, documents, mp3 collection...

Synchronizing can be a pain in the ass, that's for sure, but on the other hand, it also serves as a pretty efficient backup strategy.

Actually, the only new challenge since my previous laptop is my 15 GB mp3 collection. (It took me weeks to rip all my CDs and tag the files... and I actually gave up halfway :P) I am of course not backing these up on CDs... (I already have the original CDs). But I surely wouldn't want to loose the rips and have to go through the whole process again! U-(

I pulled a few utilities from download.com and so far the best one I installed seems to be "Advanced Directory Comparison and Synchronization". First advantage: it is not written in VB. Second: it does not rely on the windows shell to copy the files... and thus it doesn't pathetically hang after a few minutes of copying thousands of files...

It did a relatively fast analysis of differences between the "music" directory structures of the laptop and the desktop, found the already matching files (copied by previous tests) and is now proceeding with the sync. There is a real progress indicator (current file and overall).

Sync in progress...
This is all running over WiFi (that's another story :-/) and the best thing is that if I break the connection (which always happens sometimes when a sync lasts for hours), the software asks me to retry, skip, skip all etc... The nice thing is: "retry" actually works! ;)

Maybe the interface is a little bit complicated, but I guess I'll learn to appreciate it when I start to add and remove mp3s on both sides before I sync again!

However, if you guys know of an absolute kick-ass tool for that kind of sync, I'll sure want to give it a try! :D

Sendo X unveiled

Sendo X

Sendo has unveiled more of its Sendo X in a press conference today. Let's tell it as it is: that smartphone totally rocks! It's even better than what we could expect from previous announcements.

Of course, in this industry, product cycles are very short, so it's only going to be a matter of months before someone (Nokia?) comes out with something better (I mean a better smartphone, not an experimental device like the 7700! :>>).

The Sendo X should be priced around 500 € (unsubsidized) and actually includes pretty much everything you could wish from a smarphone: compact, true phone form factor, normal keyboard, color display (176*220*16), integrated camera with flash, recording and playback of video (15 fps), sound, music, support of standard formats (mp3, mpeg...)

And of course, it runs on Symbian + Series 60 with Java/MIDP support.

One thing I was pretty unsure of until now, was if it was possible to connect a stereo headset for mp3 playback as an alternative to the built in accoustic system. Not only is it possible, but the headset is provided in the box! B)

The other good news is that the device supports SD cards up to a 1GB capacity and beyond. That's exactly what you need to store the mp3s you want to listen to and all those sound/video recordings you're going to make. Even better: the SD cards are hot swappable! B)

Actually, the only drawback I could find so far is the lack of support for SD/IO.

Also, I had written before that many pocket devices were going to converge soon and this time has definitely arrived (it only lacks an emebedded GPS! :> ) However, I stated that we'd still want PDAs with larger screens and a pen interface to take notes.

Well... the fact is you don't need to take notes no more! Just record or picture the info! You'll process it later anyway. ;) Moreover, when you really need to enter text (for email for example) you can always use T9. (That is for western countries with limited alphabets... :>>) However, for massive emailing, you'll probably want to get the external keyboard accessory. Plus, stylus technologies aren't so reliable anyway!

I am glad I managed to wait that long to replace my aging PDA and phone, because the SendoX is definitely going to replace them both at the same time, with increased efficiency on all my previous plans! ;D

Can't wait! Gotta check availability in France. :)

Coding is an art, not a science!

If you don't believe me, have a look at what tools *real* coders use...

I'm not talking about emacs, I'm not talking about vi...

I'm talking about the real thing!

Read more »

The hard disk storage access problem

Quoting Jim Gray [dead link] again:

"We have an embarrassment of riches in that we're able to store more than we can access. Capacities continue to double each year, while access times are improving at 10 percent per year. So, we have a vastly larger storage pool, with a relatively narrow pipeline into it.

We're not really geared for this. Having lots of RAM helps. We can cache a lot in main memory and reduce secondary storage access. But the fundamental problem is that we are building a larger reservoir with more or less the same diameter pipe coming out of the reservoir. We have a much harder time accessing things inside the reservoir."

You really ought to read the whole interview [link dead]. It's very interesting.

Of course, I don't really have a clue on that subject but as the discussion moves to access times (currently at 5 ms which is still very long!), I always wonder why those HD manufacturers don't put multiple heads on the arm... For example, if you'd put 4 heads on each arm, you'd have to move the arms 4 times less to access any cylinder on the disks. Considering disk rotation to the right block marginal (remember at 15 000 rpms an a half rotation only takes 33 µs!), that would almost divide access times by 4 instantly! :!:

I cannot even imagine this being a cost issue... so what :?: (ahem I mean, what am I missing... ;) )

Quote of the day - Fav Microsoft Product

"Verdana is my favorite Microsoft product."



-Michael J. Tsai.