Writing to / Reading from a Serial Port on Linux

echo -n "?" > /dev/ttyUSB0

 tail -f /dev/ttyUSB0

The beauty of this is that this can happen while something else is connected to the port which makes the tail command great for debugging.

Getting a Blackberry Tour Unlocked on Sprint

This is a free service. All you need to do is be able to prove you own the account (i.e. remember your PIN number or secret question).

Step 1: Call the Sprint International Desk at (817) 698-4199 and select option 3 to get a real live person.

Step 2: Tell them your Sprint phone number (the one that goes to your Tour) and answer any verification questions.

Step 3:  They should now give you your unlock code. To unlock your phone all you need to do is.

1. Options -> Advanced -> SIM Card
2. Type 'mepdmep2' (a dialog should pop up)
3. Enter your unlock code
4. Reset your phone by pulling the battery

That's it! Kudos to Sprint for making this so easy, if a little hard to discover.

Tethering on Blackberry Tour (9360) on Sprint on Windows

1. Pair the Blackberry and your computer (should be self explanatory)
2. When setting up the connection enter "#777" for the phone number
3. Leave the username and password blank
4. Click "Dial" to start the connection

Note that despite the fact that this is listed as a "Dial Up Connection" its really just using the phone as a Bluetooth Modem like it should.

Disabling the Voicemail Greeting for Sprint

1. Access your voicemail box.
2. Press 3, for personal options.
3. Press 2, for greetings.
4. Press 1, to change your personal greeting.
5. Press 3, to add or remove the caller instructions.
6. Follow the prompts to turn instructions on or off.

Install MySQL5 + Python Support

sudo apt-get install mysql-client-5.0 mysql-server-5.0 python-mysqldb

Hauppauge ImpactVCB

I purchased this card intending to use it on my Ubuntu Linux box and it worked fine. All I had to do was make sure I set VLC and Motion to use NTSC .. silly Europeans set PAL to be the default.

Selecting an input is done by selecting the channel number.

Now, despite the fact that it has 4 inputs (1 super video and 4 analog) it can only capture from one of those inputs at a time :( I guess this is why it was $40 and everything else was $100 or more.

% sudo apte-get ...
...
Media change: please insert the disc labeled
'Ubuntu 7.10 _Gutsy Gibbon_ - Release i386 (20071016)'
in the drive '/cdrom/' and press enter

This can be avoided by commenting out "deb cdrom: ..." in /etc/apt/sources.list.