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August 28, 2008
iAlertU: the laptop burglar alarm, improved (download)
A few days ago I discovered iAlertU, a wonderful piece of software that lets you secure your laptop electronically. Once armed, the program detects when your precious hardware is picked up (motion sensors are built into every Macbook now) or when devices are unplugged. A loud alarm sounds immediately that won't stop even if the lid is shut.
I spent two evenings fixing a few things that I needed to make this really useful to me. Luckily, it is free software and its source code is available on Sourceforge.
You can download the improved version below. It is a test version rather than something that has been closely checked. Please be aware that the software can block your computer in a way that may necessitate a reboot: save your stuff, you've been warned.
The new functions will hopefully find its way into the main iAlertU distribution. Unfortunately, I couldn't reach its author by e-mail so far.
What's new (compared to the version from Dec 18, 2007 on SF):
- the arm sound can be turned off in the Preferences (for those who do not have an office to themselves)
- the visual feedback on arming is only shown when needed, i.e. when the screen is frozen rather than faded to back (i.e. the logo option is off)
- multiple displays are now supported
- arming does not need to require the password any longer (a new option)
- arming/disarming by remote can be switched off
Download
iAlertU (development build) here
(Source files).
If there is enough interest, I might get around to implementing a hot key (e.g., press F12 to arm the machine quickly). Like it? Got ideas? Let us know in the comments. (Update: there will the the hot key feature. I've got it working!)
Finally, Randy Green from slappingturtle.com deserves all the kudos for this program, he's developed it!
Update: I've been asked to put this up:
Posted by dr at 3:14 PM | Comments (7)
August 20, 2008
Moving continents
One key. That is all I had left.
Having driven my car to the country of its childhood (Germany), having given up my share in a small flat with Michelin-quality cooking next to Edinburgh's beautiful Holyrood Park, having returned my office keys for the exciting new Informatics building, having given away my bike and access to my girlfriends flat, I'm now officially keyless.
Apart from this one key, which lets me into an office halfway around the world in Pittsburgh, PA. And then one simply gets on a plane, just like going to any conference, and that's it.
Further random observations include that Delta thinks that Atlanta lies en route from JFK to Pittsburgh and that Delta needs to train their pilots and flight attendants to keep their microphonitis at bay. They need a "mute fairy".
Posted by dr at 5:37 PM | Comments (0)
August 3, 2008
Talk at MPI Cologne: Emacs in Scientific Research
I'm giving a talk at the Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research in Cologne on Monday 3 August, 1.30-3pm. Here's the abstract:
Emacs in Scientific Research
Emacs is perhaps the longest-living computer program still in constant use. It is known for its great efficiency of use and its steep learning curve. The support for a wide range of formalisms including statistics systems, typesetting (LaTeX) and programming languages make it a widespread editor for scientific use. GNU Emacs is tightly connected with the history of Free Software.
This talk will introduce researchers to the world of Emacs, discussing the applications of the editor as a development environment in science. After covering the basics of LaTeX editing and the R (SPlus) interface, tricks to support general programming in languages such as Python or C are introduced. A further section will describe simple constructs in Emacs Lisp, a functional programming language that allows users to extend Emacs with macros. The talk is in large parts applicable to GNU Emacs, Aquamacs and XEmacs. The talk is intended to be accessible to an audience with limited programming experience.
Aquamacs is a free software project that has produced a new version of GNU Emacs containing radical changes to the user interface of Emacs. With an approach that is not uncontroversial among Emacs traditionalists, Aquamacs has adapted Emacs to suit Mac users and those used to modern graphical environments in general. The project has made Emacs more accessible to tens of thousands of new uses around the world. The talk will touch on the tensions between the philosophy of free software development, the tradition that comes with a 30 year-old program and the drive to innovate.
Posted by dr at 8:56 PM | Comments (0)