Nerd/Boffin Technical corner. Page 21

Hi Loopey

Best thing to me sounds like you need an app to run on an Android or (scummy, massively overrated) iPhone.

I've checked the Android Market and there are plenty of apps available for what you want. 'EmergencyAlert' is a free app that claims 'If you meet emergency situation, you touch this widget two times and your phone automatically calls a registered number with alarm and vibration'.

There is another app (costs £1.50ish), called iSOS Emergency Alert that, with a single touch, triggers emergency calls, text messages, emails (and Facebook and Twitter updates!) to 5 of your chosen contacts. It can automatically call 911 (I guess 999 too!) and tells them your GPS-position so people can find and help you easily.

That second one sounds exactly what you need really. You'll need an Android phone for that one I suspect. But no-one else will so there'll only be a cost for one of them (and they're free with many mobile contracts).

There are plenty of apps by the look of it that will be useful for what you want.

Dan

Quote: Griff @ January 20 2011, 3:28 PM GMT

How do you make the first phone send two different numbers/caller IDs?

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You might be able to set one to 07xxxxxxx and the other to +447xxxxxxx in the phone book? Long shot though as it depends how the phone interprets the call, I guess?

Optimistic Dan

Quote: swerytd @ January 20 2011, 3:26 PM GMT

It can automatically call 911 (I guess 999 too!) and tells them your GPS-position so people can find and help you easily.

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I realise it's bad manners to quote yourself, but I'm sure I've heard that 911 works as an emergency number here now too, due to the proliferation of American TV shows and a British pop band of midgets meaning everyone thinks that is the emergency number here.

That said, your pet cat is less likely to dial 999 than 911 by walking on the phone, so maybe it's a better number. It's bollocks if the '1' button is not working on your phone though.

I have entirely lost the point of this question, haven't I?

Dan

I don't know if you could set a mobile to receive two different kinds of tones from the same number, but you can have an app for instant calls and one for instand texts which will have different tones. Android better than iphone, but probably quite pricey if that's all you want it for.

Thanks very much Dan and everyone - I will look into it. xx

I use my ASUS linux netbook (which I'm unable to update) to stream radio, but recently it's taken to going silent after about 20 minutes. Why? It works again if I refresh the page.

My desktop at work does the same, though only every so often. No idea why, but refreshing gets it back. Might possibly be a memory thing if you're doing some other memory-intensive stuff. Netbooks tend not to have as much oomph as desktop/normal laptops.

Dan

Quote: Nogget @ January 23 2011, 11:06 AM GMT

I use my ASUS linux netbook (which I'm unable to update) to stream radio, but recently it's taken to going silent after about 20 minutes. Why? It works again if I refresh the page.

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You probably have something set to go to sleep after 20 mins.

Also perhaps co-incidence but the default length on an Internet session at a typical Internet server is 20 mins.

...but it never used to switch off like that. Perhaps a setting has changed, I suppose.

Quote: swerytd @ January 20 2011, 3:26 PM GMT

Hi Loopey

Best thing to me sounds like you need an app to run on an Android or (scummy, massively overrated) iPhone.

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So scummy that Android copied it hook, line and business model.

I use a Mac computer and love it, but nothing appeals about the iPhone over an Android.

The point is without the iphone there wouldn't be Android, or a marketplace or any of that shit.

Well then.

Quote: Godot Taxis @ January 24 2011, 6:09 PM GMT

The point is without the iphone there wouldn't be Android, or a marketplace or any of that shit.

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Not altogether relevant.

Without Altavista there would never have been Google!

How do I go about converting some vinyl records in to MP3s. I have a record player and a PC.

Also, what sort of quality will the sound be that comes out? Good? Bad? Average?

Quote: Ben @ February 6 2011, 6:15 PM GMT

How do I go about converting some vinyl records in to MP3s. I have a record player and a PC.

Also, what sort of quality will the sound be that comes out? Good? Bad? Average?

View original

Why not just jack cable from record player to input of computer then use a free bit of recording software like audcity(sp) and record like that? Not perfect but be alright.