World Weather Online plugin for HouseBot updated to version 1.0.4

Just made an update to the World Weather Online plugin for HouseBot.

Thanks to some investigation from TonyG over on the HouseBot forums, it come to light that the api key version has changed on the website, and breaks the plugin. The new v2 key uses a new URL and the response XML is different.

Because of this I have updated the code to support both v1 and v2 api's. So if you're still using the old api key, there is no need to upgrade, however you can if you want.

Head over to the s... read more

Well after 35 years of never touching anything Apple, I have finally got a Mac. Getting seriously into mobile development, it has made me realise that for iOS apps I'm really going to need a Mac. I started going down the route of VMWare on my Windows box, but finally decided to bite the bullet and get a Mac.

So... here it is, a bottom of the range i5 Mac Mini. So far I have installed Xcode. Still lots to learn as the whole thing is so alien to me!

#coding #ios #mobile

Wow, it's been a while since I wrote a post. Most of my evenings have been busy with a website a friend told me about called Profit Accumulator. It's a great a site, with lots of videos that explain how to do matched betting. This is not gambling. It's a system where you place bets on all outcomes, so you can't lose. You then do the same with the free bet and pocket the money! It's all legal and completely tax free! I have been doing it for over a month, following the member offers, and made over £1,000. If you're in the UK, I would recommend you sign-up for the free membership and make an easy &poun... read more

Now that I have the touch screen fitted in the Kitchen, I needed a convenient way to wake the tablet. I was hoping that just swiping the screen would wake it up, but unfortunately not.

After a little bit of internet searching, I came across a blog entry on dotmana.com. The site goes through the steps to create a motion detector to wake the screen, using a Arduino and PIR sensor. This was almost perfect, except it ... read more

It's been a few months since my post about the custom bezel arriving in the post. Today it's finally all fitted. Another project done!! Pictures below.

I'm very pleased with the outcome, and very relieved I didn't cut the wrong size hole and have to re-buy the cupboard door! Over the next few weeks I will be finalising the software and getting my HouseBot software remote to fit the new larger screen resolution. Below are some more photo's taken while cutting and fitting.

No I'm not talking about the tinned porky ham that Monty Python likes to sing about. It's the electronic type. I added the option to add comments to my site a few months ago. Being aware that this could be abused I coded some email notification.

Late last night I received over 300 emails notifying me that comments had been added to one of my blog entries. Anything from Obama healthcare to Casio slot machines. All linked to various other sites with 404 errors. I don't believe they were malicious, just simply to increase other sites r... read more

I have been meaning to learn Java for a while a now, but as usual it’s all about finding the time. Over the last few weeks I have been fortunate enough to come across the brilliant Java tutorials over on Kilobolt.com. Not only do they cover Java basics, but they continue to step you through creating your own framework for game development. Then port them across to Android via the Android Studio IDE.

At the end of the tutorial you have a one level robot platform game, shown above. The development has gone fairly smoothly. ... read more

With all the thousands of arcade games, what games are on your list? Here are my favourites. What have I missed ? Comment below.

Ms. Pac-Man
1942
'88 Games
1941 - Counter Attack
64th. Street - A Detective Story
720 Degrees
A.B. Cop
After Burner II
Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars
Alien Syndrome
Aliens
Altered Beast
APB - All Points Bulletin
Arkanoid
Arkanoid - Revenge of DOH
Arkanoid Returns
Asteroids
Asteroids Deluxe
Bad Dudes vs. Dragonninja
Bad Lands
Bagman
Balloon Brothers
Batman
Blasteroids
Bloo... read more

The cut perspex has arrived from acrylic-online.co.uk. I'm pleased to say that it fits the marquee and bezel gaps perfectly.

For the marquee I borrowed the great design from angel88888 over on the overclock.net forums. His post is here: http://www.overclock.net/t/1436501/hyperspin-arcade-machine-lots-of-pics

I had to crop the image a bit of fit my cabinet. Cropped version is at the bottom of this post.

To print, I just used my inkjet printer, it came out pretty well (in 2 piece's). You can just see t... read more

I have been a user of MediaPortal for a number of years now and I am happy that I made the switch from Windows Media Center. As much as I loved WMC, I started getting frustrated having to manually configuring EPG and guide data for my DVB-S2 satellite cards.

When I discovered the Custom Data Grabber plugin from DJBlu that just pulls all the guide data and channel line-ups from Sky automatically (saving me hours!) I was hooked on MP!

This new release has an improved TV experience that will display things like audio channels, bitrate, etc.

G... read more