A Closer Look at Dropbox

I have been using a neat web service for over a year now named Dropbox. It is a place on the web where I can keep my files in sync between several computers plus copies on their servers. I find myself mainly using it to transfer files from my Windows PC to my MacBook Pro. During the setup process I setup a login ID for Dropbox, so that it knows how to sync up more than one computer for me. The PC or Mac based software I use gets signed in with my Dropbox ID.

My Dropbox files can be accessed from a secure web site for times when I am not using one of my own computers.

I find that using Dropbox to share files is easier for me that using a USB stick. Partly this is due to not always having a USB stick handy. Another factor is that by using Dropbox, I can stay organized. For the networks I use, I find that getting my files all synced up between two computers takes more time than using a USB key. However, I am usually not in a rush and find Dropbox' convenience more valuable.

I did some reading on the their site covering tips and tricks. Among them is a feature where the last 30 days of changes are tracked, so that it is possible to get back a copy of file which I have either erased or made changes to. That is cool. The way the Dropbox share works is that if I delete a file in the Windows Dropbox folder, then the Mac's Dropbox folder dumps the same file. Knowing that I can get back to the just erased file would come in handy if I ever goof.

Dropbox has client software for Windows, Max and Linux in addition to the web interface and some additional devices including smart phones.

If you're interested in learning more and getting yourself a free Dropbox account, I would appreciate it if you would use this link, dropbox, so that I earn 250MB of bonus storage. The site gives out bonus free space for referrals. Also, don't miss the 'Getting Started' tab on their web site. Once you have completed 5 of the 6 steps you get an instant bonus of 250MB of space.

First Robotics League Kickoff day

I was fortunate to attend the Seattle area's kickoff event for 2010 FIRST Robotics Competition. I arrived by 6:30 AM local time to join about 1,000 other people in the Mount Lake Terrace High School north of Seattle. At 7:00 we participated in the worldwide simulcast on NASA TV for the main kickoff location in Manchester, New Hampshire.

A couple of days ago, my son and I went to a pot luck event celebrating the Fall's FIRST Lego League season. During the presentation we were invited to go to the Saturday kick-off event if we're interested in mentoring this year. I've never really been involved in Robotics, but I figure I'll give this a try. I had a blast today learning about this year's challenge and starting to learn how the competition is set up and whats possible as far as robot design and implementation.

How to find memory usage on android phone

Use the linux “df” command from the root. You can get into a shell session by using “adb shell” from your host computer’s command window.

Sample usage:

# df

df
/dev: 47172K total, 0K used, 47172K available (block size 4096)
/sqlite_stmt_journals: 4096K total, 0K used, 4096K available (block size 4096)
/system: 65536K total, 65364K used, 172K available (block size 4096)
/data: 65536K total, 9000K used, 56536K available (block size 4096)
/cache: 65536K total, 1156K used, 64380K available (block size 4096)

Answers to imponderables

Something funny

It is on Geocities, so I wonder where it'll go?

Sony MDR-NC6 Noise Canceling Head Phones

I have a pair of these that I bought a little over a year ago. They worked great and at a good price (less than 50 bucks new). I got bummed out this past week when I found that only the right speaker is working now. From looking at a few web pages, it looks like having Sony repair it would cost more than a refurbished pair. Fixya has some DIY solutions which require soldering and/or spare parts on hand.

I did locate the manual after a bit of searching. I might just wind up getting a refurbished pair now for 30 bucks from Sony Online.

Windows Update Drives Me Nuts by Default!

It drives me up the wall when Windows Automatic Update downloads and installs new updates after I leave work and then goes ahead and restarts my system. I came in this morning to a new Windows session. I had quite a few programs running when I left the office which I now need to re-open and find my place again. I know that Microsoft is doing this for security reasons, but it still drives me nuts.

Anyway, if you want to change the settings for Automatic Updates then go to the control panel and look for the icon titled "Automatic Updates". You can then choose to have the updates downloaded but not automatically installed or a couple of other options. For my work system, I've chosen to select "Notify me but don't automatically download of install them.".

Snowy Day on the Seattle Area

While read a local newspaper's web site, I ran into am amusing weather term. Thunder Snow!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thundersnow

http://www.google.com/search?q=Thunder+snow&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008534893_webweather18m.html