Archive for October, 2011

Using jParse to post-process an XML feed

Monday, October 24th, 2011

I have used jquery to parse XML in the past for simple tasks. But rewriting the same code every time gets tedious and cumbersome. So I have resorted to using jParse – which is a freely available plug-in especially made for this task.

The plug-in works great straight out of the box and you can even customize the output to your heart’s content.  Simple usage script below:

function start(){
jQuery('#jparse-meta').html('<img alt="Content Loading" src="ajax-loader.gif" />');
}
function finish(){
jQuery('#jparse-meta').remove();
}
$(function(){
$('#ajax-cont').jParse({
ajaxOpts: {url: 'kyle-rush-feed.xml'},
elementTag: ['title', 'link', 'description'],
output: ' <div><h4><a href="jpet01">jpet00</a></h4><p>jpet02</p></div>',
precallback: start,
callback: finish
});
});

HTML for the above script is:

<div id="jparse-meta" style="text-align: center; margin: 15px 0 0 0;">
<p><a href="//http://www.benjamingaw.com/blog">Read my Blog</a></p>
</div><!--/#jparse-meta-->
<div id="ajax-cont"></div><!--/#demo-cont-->

Simple, isn’t it? However, the project I was working on required a little bit more flexibility. As it is a feed that may at times, return nothing. So how do you display default text if the RSS/XML feed is empty? I have looked around for an answer to this and found nothing on Google, so I have to write a simple snippet to address this issue.

For my purposes, the code will lie within the finish function, as this is the callback function once jParse finishes running (see the line of code – callback: finish). And here is the code snippet I added to the finish function to display “No entries. Pls. check back later.”

function finish(){
jQuery('#jparse-meta').remove();
if ($('#ajax-cont').html() == 0) {
$('#ajax-cont').append('<h4>No entries</h4><p>Pls. check back later</p>');
}
}

And that’s it, if the XML doesn’t have any entries, it will show that line of text instead of a blank space.

HP Touchpad overclocking, tips and tricks!

Friday, October 14th, 2011

[Update]: On Oct 18th, HP released an OTA update to version 3.0.4 which renders most of the patches and the overclocking non-operational. However, the update seems to have made the Touchpad more responsive and speedier. It also included a Camera app for taking images with the camera that works better than other free 3rd-party apps. I’ve also noticed a change in video playback – definitely a good update!

I have been playing with my new HP Touchpad for 2 weeks now and would like to share tips and tricks on how to speed it up. Because let’s face it – straight off the box, it is really laggy and slow.

Remove Logging

HP logs almost everything you do on your Touchpad for diagnostic information – the disadvantage is that these background processes slows down everything you do on your Touchpad. Here are some steps to follow to eliminate background logging:

Remove Logging

  • Open up the Phone & Video Calls App
  • Type ##5647# and hit the green call button
  • In the new window that pops up, click on “Change Logging Levels . . .”
  • On the next screen hit “Set Logging To Minimal”
  • Click OK to confirm on the “Are You Sure?” popup

These steps would stop some of the logging processes but not all of them. To remove logging entirely, you have to install some patches. First off, we need turn on Developer mode so we can install third-party apps that are not in the HP App Catalog.

In the Just Type bar – type in webos20090606. Tap the Developer Mode icon. A window will appear – do not set/change password. Instead just hit the toggle from Off to On. That’s it, your Touchpad is on Dev mode.

Installing “Preware” onto your PC or Mac


Download WebOs Quick Install here. Make sure you have java runtime installed on your PC, double-click on the .jar file to install WebOs Quick Install. Let it install the Palm Novacom drivers, it will then prompt you that there is no device attached.

Use a USB cable to connect the TouchPad to your computer. Do not go into USB drive mode (just click cancel)

Once your Touchpad is detected, Click on the globe-like button on the right. A new window will pop up – Type in “Preware” in the search box in the Applications tab and Install it.

Okay. Now you have installed Preware on your TouchPad. Load it up and now you will be able to install the patches. You can do this by clicking on Available Packages > Patch or by simply typing the name of the patches into the search prompt (click on the magnifying glass icon on the right of the Preware title bar)

Here are some suggestions on what patches to install:

  • Advanced Reset Options
  • Muffle System Logging
  • Faster Card Animations HYPER Version
  • Remove Dropped Packet Logging
  • Quiet Powerd Messages
  • Remove Tap Ripple
  • Unthrottle Download Manager

There may be more to come in the coming weeks, just go through all the patches and install the ones that interests you.

Overclock

To overclock your Touchpad, load up Preware and search for Govnah. Install this application and load it up. Click on “Profile” and instead of Palm, select “OnDemandTcL 1512”. This will overclock your CPU to 1.5Ghz.

You will be able to overclock it to as high as 1.9Ghz but that is not as stable and I do not recommend it. That’s it. Enjoy your Touchpad!!

The passing of an icon . . . 

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple passed away yesterday, Oct 5, 2011.

I have read numerous biographies about him and had concluded that while I was a huge fan of Jobs (much more than Apple, as a company) I wouldn’t necessarily want to work for him – he was extremely meticulous, argumentative and once he set his mind on something, could be really difficult to sway. Having said that, he was mostly right on most things – he had vision and he almost single-handedly made those visions reality.

He will truly be missed and Apple as we know it, will never be the same without him.

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. – Apple Inc.