Digital Grog — Australia’s Tech, Gadgets & Digital Life Unfiltered

Digital Grog is Australia’s go‑to tech blog for sharp reviews, digital trends, AI tools, gadgets, cybersecurity updates, and practical how‑tos covering the latest in Aussie technology

Control your PAY TV using Xbox Kinect and hand gesturess

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Harishankar Narayan a mechanical engineer from Chennai ( india ) has managed to hack the Microsoft Xbox Kinnect to make watching pay tv easier. You get to use you hand movements to control the TV  like a remote

Xbox kinect used to control pay tv, like remote

In a YouTube Video he showed how he controlled his indian pay tv (Tata Sky set top box) though Kinect gestures. He had been messing around with remote controls and wanted a remote free experience, which led him to hacking the Xbox Kinect.

Xbox-360-Kinect review

Xbox kinect

How the Xbox Pay tV kinect hack was done

The hack was done using a device called the USB UIRP, which was connected to his MacMini. The USB UIRP acts like a universal remote control and detects any infrared signal which gave him access to the Tata Sky remote, from there he set gestures for the controls.

Harishankar who is also a coder ,wrote the code for the gestures through the USB UIRP and also stated different codes for different devices could be written including the PlayStation 3.

Here is a video of his exploits.

 

Harishankar, apart from being a geek also owns a gaming company called Smackall Games Private Limited.

Narayan said, I plan to have gesture based controls throughout my house, and stated the gesture based controls were not restricted to Tata Sky. He mentioned, The gesture based controls can be customized for any device that supports an infrared remote control and so can be used with, air-conditioners, DVD-players, Blu-Ray players and much more.

Related

Xbox Kinect controls windows 7

Shocking Ipad sales- Why she ditched Ipad to get Bose speakers this christmas

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How  a lame Apple salesman missed out on Ipad sale

The salesman they say is the   the face of the organization to the consumers . Unfortunately sometimes this can be a plus as well a minus for the organization , a minus for  the apple store in Perth city on this occasion.

The story of  the Apple salesman and the ipad

 

I  had  left subtle hints  an not so subtle hints  to my partner  since  the start of November 2010, as to the good qualities of the Apple ipad and how it could be a nice addition  to our household .. specially as Christmas was  near. I was 100% sure almost  that i done a good job  of making it known that that was what  i would be happy to receive at Christmas  as my present , so i was quite surprised when i  saw quite a huge box suddenly appear under the Christmas tree on Christmas. I excitedly opened up the box to a see  shiny pair of New bose speakers   and i danced with joy. Listening to music being one of my passions  i was happy with joy and totally forgot about the IPAD  that i was hanging out for.

iPad

The new Bose speakers was a treat , and soon the apple Ipad was totally forgotten and drowned int he music of my new Bose speakers. In fact  when my better half told me the  story that transpired  in her effort  to get a new ipad  for me and then  ended up getting a Bose speakers instead , i was happy she had done the right thing.

She narrated the story  that happened at the apple store, apparently  she was dressed  in casuals as  it was a friday  and entered the  apple store ready to buy a apple ipad and had already  withdrawn cash to  to buy the Ipad. She entered the store ,  and the salesman had a look at her probably decided  that she was not a prospective customer. So  while she was hoping that the sales representative approached her to offer some help in choosing the right model, he infact  saw her, totally ignored here  and went to a man wearing a suit who just had a chat with the salesman then had a browse in the store and  took off.

That’s the new Christmas gift it got below

BOSE 201-V Stereo Loudspeakers (Pair) - Black

Unfortunately  this Bose 201 V speakers didn’t come with stands so i had to get a stand from Amazon as well listed here (Bose speaker stands) .

Amazingly enough  this small Bose  speakers replaced my tallboy speakers which i was proud of  due to the amazing bass it produced , but when i plugged in the bose speakers  the clarity of sound and good BASS as well certainly wone me over  to push my tall boys into the garage.

Apple Ipad vs Bose speakers

 

She waited in hope that  she could find another salesman  that could help her out make the right pick on a Ipad, but no –one approached her .she just got fed –up, frustrated  waiting  and  left the store without an IPAD.  The salesman at the Apple store obliviously  was not the best trained to totally ignore a person who  had got cash and was  most certainly in the shop looking to buy an ipad.

She  took off  due to the poor service  and decided to spend her money elsewhere , where somebody  could help her make the right decision .My partner ended up buying a Nice set of bose speakers , because the  salesman at west coast hi-fi  did his job  with the best customer service , explained  what was the most suitable speakers that she needed and also  one which fitted in her budget. I was a happy man  as she did make the right choice of speakers for our house ( off course you cant go wrong with  a BOSE SPEAKERS) and i got a nice sound system .Merry Christmas to you all  in advance !!

Bad luck Apple ipad Salesman and apple for one lost sale !!

PS: If you interested in Bose speakers here i are some listed on Amazon- (Bose Speaker System)

B000069E1H

And apple Apple iPad MC497LL/A Tablet (64GB, Wifi + 3G) Amazon listings  if you dont want to enter a store with uninterested salesmen who do not offer proper customer service

No daddy or go daddy !! Don’t lose your domain

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Today i was just glancing through  my renewals of domains that keep popping up often  and something caught my eye , i saw this little note  telling me that i could lose my domain  if i didn’t renew it by the 20th  of the month

GO daddy domain renewal

Note at end of renewal email :

NOTE: For certain ccTLDs† you must renew no later than the 20th of the month prior to the expiration date. If you fail to do so, your domain name will be placed on non-renewal status and you will only be able to renew the name by calling Go Daddy.

I was shocked  , imaging loosing  a domain  that you have worked hard on for the last 5 years. Off course  do put it on auto renew and it gets renewed auto , bu then when you have so many domains you dont want to put all on auto re-new

Dont lose your Domain !! ACT NOW

 

Anyway i did a little more research  and here is what i found

Go to here –> http://documents.secureserver.net/show/document.aspx?plvid=1&name=reg_sa

and there is further explanation

For certain ccTLDs (.am, .at, .be, .cn, .com.cn, .net.cn, .org.cn, .de, .eu, .fm, .gs, .it, .jp, .ms, .nu, .nz, .co.nz, .net.nz, .org.nz, .tc, .tk, .tw, .com.tw, .org.tw, .idv.tw, .uk, .co.uk, .me.uk, .org.uk, and .vg) You must renew no later than the 20th of the month prior to the expiration date, or Your domain name will be placed on non-renewal status. When the domain name is in non-renewal status, You can renew the domain name only by calling Go Daddy and requesting that the domain name be renewed. You cannot renew the domain name through your Account Manager . If You fail to manually implement the renewal before the expiration date, the domain name will be cancelled and You will no longer have use of that name.

go daddy domains

You agree that Go Daddy will not be responsible for cancelled domain names that You fail to renew, either automatically or manually in the timeframes indicated in this Agreement. In any case, if You fail to renew Your domain name in a timely fashion, additional charges may apply. If You signed up for domain masking, domain forwarding, or any other similar service, with Your domain registration, these services will be automatically renewed when Your domain registration is up for renewal, and You will incur the applicable additional renewal fee unless You cancel in advance.

Therefore i feel this is sorta forcing you to get your domains on auto –renew for your safety as well as their  profit.

New phone laws and media

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Perhaps the media is living in the stone age of maybe (7) or then (9) Years ago. Ask most people today who got a new Smartphone or one of the newer phones and they  will tell you that you dont even need to dial a number anymore  to call a friend or contact on your phone, you just tell the phone “call Adam” or whatever  name the contact is saved on your phone and the phone does it for you.

Infact the technology is so advanced nowadays   that if  you want  to search Google on your phone “you can just tell the phone Vocally  “search restaurant” and it will search a nearby restaurant”

Nokia N8 Unlocked GSM Touchscreen Phone with GPS Navigation, Voice Navigation, and 12 MP Camera--U.S. Version with Warranty (Gray)

Local media channels have recently trying to bash the government on its new phone laws for outdated reasons. Under the new changes to australian law , it will be legal to make a call by the driver as long as the motorist is not holding the phone. ( which is fine in many ways because with new technology and blue tooth ,people don’t even have to press the answer button on thier phone or interact with their phone  buttons anymore to  take a call) , ( perhaps the media needs to know how new technology works ).

Under the existing laws it is illegal to make a call from a mobile phone while driving if it involves dialing a phone number. ( this law does not cover taking a call while driving , which is automatic if you have Bluetooth on) nor does this la take into account  the new technology which is getting inbuilt now into new European and possibly Australian cars soon , where you just command your car dashboard to call  your friends mobile number and you car calls your  friend via your mobile phone.

With old laws enforced and the political red tape involved to changing old laws to the current situation, we know how long sometimes it can take for relevant laws to be updated to take into account new technology.

Im glad they have taken a step forward and updated the laws in line with new technology and new smart phones  that allow you to make calls while driving with the most minimum of fuss instead of being stuck with outdated laws while the world has moved forward.

Though on the same note I’m not glad that they have a funny law that does not allow you to touch a phone to use the GPS function , when many phones double up as a full GPS unit nowadays.

Links :

Road Safety : FAQs on mobile phone usage

Mobile phones | Department of Broadband, Communications and the

 

Mobile Phones – Office of Road and Safety

 

Australian Reviews

 

what is a category 5 storm – Explained

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Catagory              Windspeeds        Descriptions

Cyclone Yasi is expected to cross the north Queensland coast between Cairns and Cardwell at 10pm (AEST) on Wednesday night, coinciding with the high tide. There  are typhoons and storms  that are put into categories due to the severity and damage they can cause.Below are a few  descriptions of the few categories

dust-storms

Cat 1

Winds of 74-95 mph

Damage primarily to shrubbery, trees, and unanchored mobile homes. No real damage to other structures. Some damage to poorly-constructed signs. Low-lying coastal roads inundated, minor pier damage, some small craft anchored in unprotected areas torn from moorings.

Cat 2

Winds of 96-110 mph

Considerable damage to shrubbery and tree foliage; some trees blown down. Major damage to exposed mobile homes. Extensive damage to poorly constructed signs; some damage to roofing materials of buildings; and some window and door damage. No major damage to buildings. Coastal roads and low-lying escape routes inland cut by rising water two to four hours before arrival of the hurricane’s center. Considerable damage to piers. Marinas flooded and small craft anchored in unprotected areas torn from moorings.

Cat 3

Winds of 111-130 mph

Foliage torn from trees; large trees blown down. Practically all poorly-constructed signs blown down; some damage to roofing materials of buildings; some window and door damage; and some structural damage to small buildings. Mobile homes destroyed. Serious flooding at coast and many smaller structures near coast destroyed; low-lying escape routes inland cut by rising water three – five hours before the hurricane’s center arrives.

Cat 4

Winds of 131-155 mph

Shrubs and trees blown down; all signs down. Extensive damage to roofing materials, windows and doors; complete failure of roofs on many small residences; complete destruction of mobile homes. Major damage to lower floors of structures near shore due to flooding and battering by waves and floating debris.

Cat 5

Winds of 155+ mph

Shrubs and trees blown down; considerable damage to roofs of buildings; all signs down; very severe and extensive damage to windows and doors; complete failure of roofs on many residences and industrial buildings; extensive shattering of glass in windows and doors; some complete building failures; small buildings overturned or blown away and complete destruction of mobile homes. Low-lying escape routes inland cut by rising water three to five hours before the hurricane’s center arrives. ( ref : http://www.angelfire.com/fl4/eastcoasttropicalwea/saffirsimpsonscale.htm)

  • List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes – Wikipedia, the free …
  • Tropical cyclone scales – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  • AccuWeather.com – Hurricane Facts | Atlantic Category 5 Storms

    • Best free WordPress 3.0 themes

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    WordPress 3.00 has just been released , but there are still not a lot of “wordpress 3.00 theme” makers catching up with the new release  and we are yet  to see most of the  theme makerd upgrade their existing  themes to make use of the new features.

     

     

    Download wordpress 3.0 theme

    Getting free wordpress 3.o themes or even normal  wordpress themes are not hard , if you just type “wordpress 3.0 theme  download” in Google UK or torent sites  you would get some sites  hosting some free and free premium  themes , but  word press 3  themes have not been released in the market and it is not advisable  to get themes from these places because sometimes they have some  malicious code inserted by  malicious people.

    The new flexibility in the  menu links , picture  background for the top bar  and multi – user functionality of the new wordpress 3.0 are good features released in this new version. catch more on this here , and here and here.

    Free wordpress 3.0 themes

    1. Morning After – WordPress magazine-styled theme, with more than 100,000 downloads to date it is also by far the most popular. It is now fully WP 3.0 compatible.
    The Morning After Home


    Live Demo

    2. Structure is a WP 3.0 theme available in four variants, all based on an attractive and effective minimalist style. This theme will integrate seamlessly with any established blog.
    Structure Home
    Live Demo

    3. Default WordPress 3.0 theme.
    Twenty Ten
    Live Demo

    4. The premium quality Magazeen theme is a two column magazine layout and style, its been designed with the main focus being on typography, grids and its overall magazine-feel.
    Magazeen Home
    Live Demo

    Wordpress Theme

    Download & Details |  Demo

    5. Gadget is one of the Best and nice finish  theme available for WordPress 3.0 right now and good for a gadget or personal blog.
    Gadget Home
    Live Demo

    Word Press 3.02 Themes – Links found on net

    Please check to see if some of them are truly  wordpress 3.0 enabled as some  have been reported to not be fully compliant word press 3.0 enabled themes. The good ones will be definitely  saying they are fully word press 3,0 enabled on their respective websites.