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Thursday, June 13, 2002 |
WLink: A connection between home weather stations and the Web
WLink v5.2. - WLink is a Mac OS based interface to personal weather stations manufactured by Davis Instruments and Rainwise. It displays current conditions and archival/almanac data recorded by the stations and can transfer the data in HTML/graphic format to an ISP. WLink can act as a CGI to any Mac based web server and is fully customizable on screen or via AppleScript (it's scriptable and recordable). Version changes: Added support for Davis Vantage Pro Rev B. and the remote soil temp/moisture and remote temp/humidity sensors in the archived data. Archive data can now be imported from other files using Applescript. Added ability to manipulate data between windows (cut, copy, paste, drag and drop). Improved the autoloading of backgroound sensor images. [AppleScript Info]
I have been meaning to hook my Davis Instruments weather station to one of our older Macs for uploading the current weather information to the Web site, but I just haven't had the time to play with it yet. Of course, I am not sure I should admit that in addition to my interest in nature, birds, butterflies and the lot, I also keep a weather journal with daily weather records for the last seven years... Some levels of geekiness can be just...scary.
11:35:48 PM 
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Oops...check that PowerBook shipment
MacCentral notes that Apple has found Some PowerBooks shipped without an S-Video cable. If you recently bought a PowerBook and didn't get your S-Video converter cable, read the story and follow the link to Apple's page to get a free cable.
5:07:17 PM
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New virus harms media files
New virus communicates by pictures. Antivirus companies warn of a virus that harms media files--but it could be more of a computer-science curiosity than a threat, experts say. [CNET News.com]
Again, this is a virus that only affects computers running Microsoft Windows. It's a feature...
3:18:05 PM
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So, you want to learn how to use MySQL?
Beginner MySQL Tutorial. PHP Beginner gets you started with creating a database with MySQL, filling it with data, and connecting to the database via PHP. [ranchero.com]
11:46:55 AM
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Why have I stopped pointing to Versiontracker?
Some of you may notice that I have stopped pointing to Versiontracker much from Mac Net Journal. The reason for this is kind of complicated and hard to explain. It has nothing to do with Versiontracker's move to more subscriber-based services. What it does involve is a new user-unfriendly practice that Versiontracker is using if you want to click to the developer's Web site for any given software. I usually go to the developer site to get more information about a program, and it used to be easy to click a link to the developer's site and get the information without any hassle. A few weeks ago, at about the same time that Versiontracker rolled out its new subscription services, things changed - if I click on the link to the developer's site, instead of going to the site it loads another Versiontracker page. This may seem like a small matter, but it decreases the usuability of the site in exchange for another page view. Versiontracker is a great Web site. They need to fix this problem.
11:02:04 AM
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Today's notable software updates
These updates are found on MacUpdate
10:47:16 AM
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MacCentral summarizes a Gartner Research report that echoes a familiar story: That over time, considering all costs involved in computer ownership and maintenance, Macs are a better deal than Wintel systems.
10:08:36 AM
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More browser play going on today
I haven't posted much news yet this morning because I have been playing around with alternative Web browsers - grabbing the latest nightly builds of both Chimera and Mozilla and running them through their paces. Chimera's latest build shows a lot more promise, though it was painful to try and make a post to Mac Net Journal using Radio combined with Chimera. I don't type that fast, but the display speed for my typing on the screen was way too slow to be bearable. Mozilla, meanwhile, just keeps getting better and dropping bugs by the wayside with each new build.
9:50:44 AM
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Tex-Edit Plus updated to version 4.2.5
Tex-Edit Plus X v4.2.5. - Tex-Edit Plus is a scriptable, styled text editor that fills the gap between Apple's bare-bones SimpleText and a full-featured word processor. It's fast, efficient, and has a clean, uncluttered interface. It's also great for cleaning up text which is transmitted over the Internet. This version includes various enhancements and bug fixes. release notes [AppleScript Info]
8:18:26 AM
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© Copyright 2002 Rob McNair-Huff.
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