cat /proc/claus | java

Nintendo has recently released in Japan the new generation of its portable console: the DSi.

From ads in trains and on TV, the main novelties of the DSi were cameras, more native software (browser, music player and picture viewer), slightly larger screens and slimmer size. It sounded very good on paper, and I was thinking about getting myself one for Christmas.

A recent review, though, made me reconsider that. The music player only plays AAC format, not MP3, which is a big letdown. There is an SD reader, but you cannot upload images from your computer into the SD card, and then view them in the DS, for some reason the DSi won’t recognize them. You cannot use R4 anymore, and every time you try to download content, they request that you upgrade your firmware - certainly in order to remove any hack holes that are certainly going to be found. The AC adapter is bigger.

Now, there are certainly a lot of good things in the new DS (Finally, the power button is in the INSIDE of the DS!), but the restrictions mentioned in the article made me realize that my current DS is good enough for what I want to do (I can use the R4 to hear MP3s and view text/images, browse the net) - so I’ll probably not going to get myself a DSi in the near future.

– on the other hand, I am toying with the idea of buying myself the new Disgaea DS game - Yodobashi Camera has it at 3000 yens (against the usual 4000-4500 yens for popular DS games).

1. Where did you go Sky Diving?

I went skydiving in Fujioka, Tochigi prefecture, by Advanced Air Sports Inc. At their webpage, you can get all information needed about how to make a reservation, payment, how to get there, testimonials from other clients etc.

2. Is it expensive?

It costed around 25.000 yenes (250 dollars), 38000 yenes with the recording. Seems expensive, but a quick search will show that the prices are pretty much the same worldwide.

3. Weren’t you scared? Isn’t it scary?

Actually, I am quite afraid of heights. I feel kind of funny when standing near windows in tall buildings. In the helicopter, while it was going up in the air I was quite afraid.

That said, the jump itself was surprisingly non-scary. After you jump out of the helicopter, you completely lose the sensation of “fall”. The ground is so far away that it doesn’t move, so you feel you are floating in the air.

So no, it is not scary at all.

4. Isn’t it dangerous?

Not really. In your first time, you have to jump together with an instructor (Tandem jump). You are linked to the instructor in 7 different points in your uniform, so there is no danger of falling from him.

Also the instructors themselves have more than a thousand jumps in experience. So no, not dangerous at all.

5. Was it worth it?

Hell yes!

6. How does it feel?


Like I said before, you don’t actually feel you are falling. It seems like if you were still in the air. You feel a very strong wind current all over your body, similar to what you feel when you stick our arm out a window of a fast moving car.

The most impressive thing is the sound of wind rushing past your ears. It feels great.

7. Are you going to do it again?

I hope so! I don’t want to do just another “experimental” jump, so if/when I do it again, I want to actually go for the 7 jump course which is needed to take the certificate for solo jumps. However, that is too expensive to do right now.

… and a very old laptop.

Today’s mission: I got this DVD with the video recording of my most recent adventure in Japan. I want to take the video itself away from the menu fluff, and put it here for everyone to see.

Step one: Getting the DVD to work on my laptop

First fail: I insert the DVD in my ubuntu laptop, and it begins to auto-play, loading the movie player. Apparently, the ubuntu packager’s mothers never told them not to auto-play any strange media that connects to their computers :-(.

At least, no problems recognizing the DVD.

Step two: Installing the DVD ripping software

Drebes suggested Handbrake. `Apt-cache search dvd rip` suggests acidrip. Let’s try acidrip first.

Step three, part a: trying to rip the video out using acidrip

Downloaded Acidrip, and ran it. The man file does not explain a lot about the command line parameters. Theoretically, the defaults are sane. I can press the “RIP” button and generate and
avi file, but I can’t get mplayer or xine to successfully read it. Not really into reading manuals and manuals describing codecs, so let’s try handbrake.

Funnily enough, the “preview” button from acidrip shows me a nice video, with nice sound - is it reading straight from the DVD?

Step three, part b: trying out handbrake

download the binary. Run the binary: Handbrake -c 1 -i /dev/hdc -o file.mp4

There it goes. A nice, small video. Now I just need to find a place to put this binary in.

Here is the result:

Recently I saw in a forum this very neat flash based game. It is a geography quiz, where you have to try and get right the position of many cities in the world.

Try it!

http://xkcd.com/chesscoaster/

I’m SO doing this. Who wants to join me?