Last 2 digits of OEM String – Carrier
00 – Unlocked
21 – O2 UK
31 – AT&T
32 – Rogers
33 – T-Mobile

Enjoy,

Karl

I discovered quite by accident that the Clockwork recovery image allows adb to connect to it while sitting at the recovery menu. The adb shell is a root shell. You can use clockwork to mount whatever filesystems you may need to work on. This means that you can take any of the su binaries floating around the net, or even hack a bit and then build the su thats in the Android tree,  and dump it in /system/bin/su while in the recovery menu and then chmod it 4755 to suid it root.

So basically:

• boot nexus S into fastboot with vol up and  power
• pick recovery off the menu
• from the recovery menu:
  • mount /system partition
• from adb:
  • adb push /path/to/your/su/binary  /system/bin/su
  • adb shell
    • chmod 4755 /system/bin/su
• from the recovery menu:
  • reboot device

When the handset comes back up, adb in as normal, and then issue an su command and you should be root.

>>>Karl

I’m assuming you have basic knowledge of how to use EC2, but if not, in very very generalized terms (and from memory):

• Go register for an account
• Add EC2 to your account
• Select the EC2 dashboard.
• Select volumes and create an EBS volume for your build partition.
  • I used a 50G partition
• Select AMIs and search for the particular flavor of Ubuntu you’re after
  • You may need to change the filters at the top of the results box to get it to display all of the options, I believe it defaults on just your own.
  • I used 10.04 64 bit ami, specifically ami-be0ffed7
  • Make sure its an EBS ami and not an instance image, the difference being the EBS is permanent and your changes will not be lost across reboots
• Hit the launch button and then answer the questions about the type of machine you wish to run on.
• You will need to create a set of keypairs used to log in to the machine once its up on the network.
• You will also probably be asked questions about the security groups at some point during the question and answer process. 
  • All I did for my EC2 instance was add ssh so I could get into it remotely. For all I know I’ve left a truck sized security hole in the config.
• Go back to the volumes and associate your build partition with the AMI you just built. It will ask you to assign a device path, I used /dev/sdf
  
• At some point on the instances panel you will see that your instance is up and running, select the instance, select actions and pick connect. Follow the instructions and log in.
  • use the user ubuntu and not root.

By now you should be sitting at a prompt on your freshly started instance. Go ahead and label, mkfs, and mount the build volume and then cd into that partition.

I originally used the instance hosts instead of the EBS hosts, so I had to rebuild the environment every time I used the instance. I’d since figured out how to use an EBS ami but I’d done it so often that I’d written the script below to handle installing all the packages that were required. I pulled the java package from java.sun.com.

#!/bin/sh

#update the repos, I had some issues with the ec2 default ubuntu repos, this fixed it.
sudo aptitude update

# any bitness
sudo apt-get install git-core gnupg flex bison gperf libsdl-dev libesd0-dev libwxgtk2.6-dev build-essential zip curl libncurses5-dev zlib1g-dev

#generally useful for all
sudo apt-get install valgrind

#64bit
sudo apt-get install ia32-libs lib32z1-dev lib32ncurses5-dev gcc-multilib g++-multilib

#java
echo “Installing already unpackaged java to /usr/local/”
sudo tar -cpvf – jdk1.5.0_22 |sudo  tar -C /usr/local -xpf -

echo “Adding export JAVA_HOME=/usr/local/jdk1.5.0_22 to your .bashrc”
echo “Adding export ANDROID_JAVA_HOME=\$JAVA_HOME to your .bashrc”

echo “export JAVA_HOME=/usr/local/jdk1.5.0_22″ >> ~/.bashrc
echo “export ANDROID_JAVA_HOME=\$JAVA_HOME ” >> ~/.bashrc

echo “Updating your path”
echo “export PATH=/build/codeaurora/prebuilt/linux-x86/toolchain/arm-eabi-4.4.0/bin/:/usr/local/jdk1.5.0_22/bin:$PATH” >> ~/.bashrc~

Now you should be able to checkout and build whatever flavor of Android you’re working with. I used the froyo-almod from the codeaurora forums.

>>>Karl

majer@ubuntu:~/android$ sudo ~/bin/adb devices

List of devices attached ????????????    no permissions

After a considerable amount of digging I found the one line change that needed to be made on both OSes. Add the following to /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules:

SUBSYSTEM=="usb", SYSFS{idVendor}=="0bb4", MODE="0666"

And then restart the adb services with a:

[majer@ubuntu:~/android/] sudo ~/bin/adb kill-server

[majer@ubuntu:~/android/] sudo ~/bin/adb start-server

The adb command will work as expected now.

>>> Karl

The following hack will start Chrome up in Incognito mode by default. If you want a “normal” browser, just open a new browser window. Note, this is a ‘I’m not afraid of the shell prompt, I like voiding warranties, and if my computer explodes I’m fine with it’ sort of modification.

In windows land you can do this by right clicking on the desktop icon and editing the properties to add a ‘-incognito’ at the end of the line. Things don’t quite work the same way in OSX.

Without further delay:

bash-3.2$ cd /Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/
bash-3.2$ mv Google\ Chrome Google\ Chrome.real
bash-3.2$ echo '#!/bin/sh' > Google\ Chrome
bash-3.2$ echo 'exec "/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome.real" -incognito' >> Google\ Chrome
bash-3.2$ chmod 775 Google\ Chrome


Click on the normal icon, if the app starts up it should be in Incognito mode. If it doesn’t start, fire up the console app and look at the last couple of entries, you may have a typo. If all else fails you can fall back with this:


bash-3.2$ mv Google\ Chrome.real Google\ Chrome


So what does this do? OSX .app bundles contain all the resources for the application. The binary is usually hidden in the MacOS directory. We’ve just created a shell wrapper for that which calls the real binary and passes it the -incognito switch, just like they do on Windows.

Like I said earlier, you have been warned. I’ve been using this for a while now without any problems but my setup is likely different than yours, and this definitely would not fall under “normal” usage for Chrome. Also, note that you will need to do this anytime you update your Chrome installation.

Good luck,

>>> Karl

Context is everything with this device. If you were hoping to replace a laptop or skip out on getting that netbook by buying an iPad, I’m afraid you’re in for a rude awakening. I have gotten in the habit of reading technical manuals on my laptop prior to going to bed at night. I wanted to simplify things and purchase something smaller and lighter to let me continue my light reading in the evenings. I contemplated buying a Kindle at first, but decided to hold off after Apple first made mention of their device.

With that point of view in mind, the device has been quite successful in meeting, if not exceeding, my expectations. I have iBooks, Kindle for iPad, and GoodReader for iPad installed on the iPad and between the three applications, there is little I cannot read. I do wish that the iTunes Bookstore carried technical books, but I can always pull down the kindle versions of those, or buy pdf versions and view them in GoodReader.

Just a quick kudos to the GoodReader guys. The app offers almost a dozen different ways to get data into it from your iPad. When I first tried it, I was having issues with the iTunes integrated sync, but then realized that the app has an integrated webserver that can be connected to as a network folder (I’m on a mac) and then it was literally just drag and drop. I’ve also have yet to find a pdf that it can’t open and read. Well done guys.

So, using the iPad as an ebook works splendidly. The screen doesn’t require ambient light like the kindle does, and the controls on the various readers let you adjust the brightness/contrast as needed. I’ve already chewed through a few books in my nightly habit of reading for at least an hour.

As to the bonuses, the iPad is just the right size to comfortably lay in bed and watch content from iTunes U. Some of the Stanford lectures are outstanding and are free as an added bonus. I have also found its just the right size to keep up with my RSS feeds that I tend to consume as well. And when I feel like relaxing, the free Netflix client (account required) streams a decent selection of movies right to me.

There are a few downsides. The iWorks suite that can be purchased is tolerable at best on the virtual keyboard. I’m used to Excel and so caught a double whammy with the mind shift to how Numbers does things, and not having a full keyboard for data entry. Keynote was actually the best of the three, I was able to throw together a quick presentation without too much effort, and Pages works fine for a quick note, but I wouldn’t want to try and take notes in a class or a meeting on the device. I can almost touch type on the virtual keyboard until I hit a need for a special character. Then you’re flipping to another keyboard screen to get access to those. They should really move the apostrophe to the first keyboard.

So as I said, based on what I intended to use the device for, the iPad exceeds my expectations. I know there are other people whining about not being able to code on it, and/or it still being limited because its running iPhoneOS instead of MacOSX (which would have absolutely rocked), but frankly, at the end of the day I’d rather read a book than stare at more code.

>>> Karl

OSX 10.6.2 + SCR3110 CAC reader + new GX4 CAC card == No love on OSX. Keychain sees the card as empty.

However, 10.6.2 + VMWare + win7-64 + reader + CAC card + IE works just fine without any of the add-on software used on XP. You’ll need to pass the reader through to the VM by clicking on the little USB icons in the bottom right.

On another note, a Verisign EAC Certificate loaded in your keychain will cause codesign to hang for 8-10 minutes while it asks oscpd to validate the cert. This also happens when you use Keychain Access to go try and figure out why its taking so long to sign things. Work around it by either dropping your network when you need to sign things, or more permanently, drop your network and then use Keychain Access to remove the cert altogether. Save yourself the pain and load the EAC cert directly into firefox and use that browser to access the EAC enabled sites.

And finally, if you have the reader plugged in with a card in it and try to sign an iPhone application you will probably get the error: CSSMERR_DL_MISSING_VALUE. Keychain Access on 10.6.2 recognizes the reader and if the card is plugged in, Keychain Access seems to want to try and use it for signing. Take the card out of the reader and try again.

>>> Karl

• Always read the entire recipe first
• Always read the entire recipe first
• Dropping eggs on carpets tends to be messy
• Go fetch everything the recipe calls for before starting
• Timing, timing, timing …

I altered the recipe a bit based on what I had available, here is what I used:

Ingredients
• 1/2 of elbow macaroni
• 3 tbs butter + 3 tbs butter
• 3 tbs flour
• 1 tbs powdered mustard
• 3 cups 2% milk
• 1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 medium egg
• 5 oz mild yellow cheddar
• 5 oz colby
• 5 oz monterey jack
• salt/pepper to taste
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Prep

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To save you a little pain, do all this first…
Shred the cheeses if they aren’t already and mix together. Dice the onion and set aside. Mix the flour and mustard together and set aside. Lightly whip egg in small bowl and set aside. Premeasure the 3 cups of milk and set aside. Measure out the butter into 2 containers and let come to room temperature.

Directions

First, realize the following things which affect timing:

• Al dente elbows takes roughly 6-7 minutes
• Starting the sauce to simmer below will be roughly 15 minutes before mixing in the cheese
• melting in 10oz of the cheese while stirring and keeping everything smooth took about 3-4 minutes
• Prepping the panko took 2 minutes as my butter was straight from the fridge

So, In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente, pull from stove and drain completely when the sauce is at the simmering stage.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it’s free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

The end result was happily eaten by my picky 3 year old who was happy to be served Mac n Cheese for dinner.

Original Recipe here: link

Karl’s Chicken Soup – Makes roughly 4 bowls.

Ingredients

• Half a chicken. Follow the 55 cloves and a chicken recipe from Jan 2nd.
• One large white onion
• 2 large carrots
• 1 large stalk of celery
• 16oz of white wine
• 16oz of water
• 16oz of chicken stock
• salt/pepper to taste
• 1/2lb of pasta (Farfalle) if desired
• cheesecloth

Directions

A traditional Mirepoix has a 2:1:1 ratio of onions, carrots, and celery. While I think they carrots and celery contribute to the taste of the final product, I’m not a big fan of those vegetables cooked so I tend to skimp on them. I dice the onion but the carrots and celery I purposely rough chop so its easy to fish back out of my bowl when I want to eat around them.

Remove all of the meat from the chicken bones. Put the meat back in the fridge and wrap the bones tightly in cheesecloth. I find this keeps the bones in one place and makes them easier to remove as a whole later. Fishing chicken bones out of individual portions of soup is not fun.

Take all the gelled fats/greases from the bottom of the chicken bowl and toss it in a large stockpot. Turn on high heat until it has all degelled and then add the onions and reduce the heat. If you tossed the fat/gell add a few swirls of olive oil to the pot and cook the onions in that.

Once the onions are a nice translucent color, add the carrots and celery. Cook for a few more minutes and then add the liquids to the pot. As to the wine, I use whatever white is currently open. I am always sure to use something that I would actually drink and not a cooking wine or anything ultra cheap. Add the chicken stock and water as well. Let this cook for a few minutes and then drop in the cheesecloth full of bones.

Bring the entire pot to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let it cook for as long as you’d like but pay attention to the amount of fluid left in the pot. If it gets too low, add some water. I tend to let it simmer for at least an hour, sometimes longer.

About 20 minutes before I plan on pulling it from the heat I add all of the chicken meat back in and let it warm up. If you planned on adding pasta, now is the time to start cooking that in a separate pot, otherwise just turn off the burner and cover the pot when the meat is warm.

Cook the pasta until its al dente. Al dente will be a moving target depending on the type and size of the pasta you chose, but for the Barilla brand Farfalle pasta I used most recently, it was about 7 minutes. Drain the pasta and pour directly into the soup pot. Let the soup simmer for another 10-15 minutes then just turn off the heat and cover.

Serve with fresh bread and top with Parmesan cheese if desired.

]]> http://www.karlmajer.com/2010/01/07/010410-karls-chicken-soup/feed/ 0 http://www.karlmajer.com/2010/01/06/new-for-2010-010210-40-cloves-and-a-chicken/ http://www.karlmajer.com/2010/01/06/new-for-2010-010210-40-cloves-and-a-chicken/#comments Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:38:42 +0000 Karl Majer http://www.karlmajer.com/?p=98 So we’ve split up chores a bit more at home. I’m doing the cooking now on all odd days. I’ll be posting recipes and reviews of foods as I cook them.

Jan 2 2010

I love Good Eats on Food TV. Its one of the few shows that I watch with any regularity. The first recipe for the year is slightly modified from his episode guide.

40 Cloves and a Chicken.
Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (broiler/fryer) cut into 8 pieces - I used an already quartered chicken from Harris Teeter.
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 10 sprigs fresh thyme – I used 3, my wife isn’t a big fan
• 40 peeled cloves garlic – I used 55 or so, I am a big fan. I took me 20 minutes to peel it all…
• Salt / Pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. My Jenn-Airre oven seems to take about 25 minutes to preheat. It was the first time I’d ever baked anything in the oven that I was cooking (in 5 years…) and waiting for it to preheat threw off my meal time. Be warned or know your kitchen appliances

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Toss with a 2 tablespoons olive oil and brown on both sides in a wide fry pan or skillet over high heat. Remove from heat, add oil, thyme, and garlic cloves. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove chicken from the oven, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, carve, and serve. I let it rest for closer to 20 while I prepped dinner for my 3 year old. I also had some fresh bread from Harris Teeters to go with it.


“You’re cooking more often.”

Total prep time was close to 30 minutes, oven time was 90 minutes and then another 30 to rest. The first dinner of the year was a success. Half the chicken was consumed and I put everything else including all of the delicious oil/chicken drippings at the bottom of the pan into a tupperware container and saved it for the next meal.

Original Recipe Here: link

]]> http://www.karlmajer.com/2010/01/06/new-for-2010-010210-40-cloves-and-a-chicken/feed/ 0