Hello dear friends and random wanderers,

I’m introducing my first ever completed Android application into the wild. It is called Nebula Live Wallpaper and is basically a bunch of dots made to look like outer space (as best I can). I want friends who have android and know how to download and install unsigned apps outside of the market to check out this apk and put it through the paces.

The rundown of the app is that it’s a live wallpaper that gives you star and “stardust” options which control density (number of stars/amount of dust), the rate they blink and their general brightness. There’s a lot of processor use involved so I need people to let me know what phone they are using and how it performs on the home screens.

When you install the apk, there is a Launch icon, but all it will do is show the settings. It is to make debugging easier, and I will be removing it for release. Otherwise once you install the apk, treat it like a normal live wallpaper.

My major todo for official release is that I would like to add the ability to dig into the user’s photo gallery to choose a background photo, such as an actual starscape. I would include a set of these images (like apod) in the app, but I am wary of licensing issues.

Here’s the apk! Nebula Live Wallpaper

in my last post, dear tom asked me where i got my Mac OSx skin for my windows XP system. easily enough answered. i use flyakite OSX. and though there are many similar programs or methods, i find this one to be the easiest and most thorough. so when he asked me i decided to visit the site to see if my flyakite was the most up to date. well, it wasn’t. the latest version out is 3.5 and my version was only 2.0. how irresponsible of me. in my defense, flyakite has an update system, but apparently in version 2 it was only for minor system file updates. my bad!

upgrading to the latest flyakite seemed like a great time to uninstall some other underlying software that had been an ignorable nuisense(sp?) up to that point. removal of all these software titles forced me to reboot three times before i could install flyakite and then installing flyakite forced another reboot. mmmmmm. fun… the next thing i know i’m going through my program files adding icons to RK launcher (included in flyakite) and fixing the icons in my taskbar. how blase(`).

one upside to this whole escapade is that i found a neat new tool for what seems to be a pretty common windows annoyance. i had a file on my desktop that i was downloading when the server went down. firefox, while usually dependable, didn’t want to resume the download, so i was left with a fragment of a file that kept trying to run itself. when i would try to delete it windows would give me an error saying that it was in use and i couldn’t delete it. after scouring the internet i found the unlocker. a small little app that lets you unlock and delete those little annoyances with a really really simple click of the button. use this responsibly as i’m sure its simplicity hides its ultimate power, and you wouldn’t want to delete something important, like say an io.sys file or something like that (and i’ve managed to do that before… not pretty)

second up is smartFTP. this is a great ftp client for those of you who are masters of their so-called webdomains. i’ve used the program since i can remember having a website. the new 2.0 release seems to be really great too!

third is the honorable and mighty gMail. You may have noticed the fun new annoying badge that isn’t really the same size as the other badges. (how annoying.. OCD) well, i haven’t changed my email its still rlee at ethereal nation dot net, but that email now forwards to my gmail box for its sorting/conversation goodness

fourth in lieu of my google obsession/conversion i got the new google desktop and the helpful gmail notifier to make gmail my default email client. i also was able to really quickly import my contacts from plaxo (thank-you). though i’m not sure how that will work with gmail. probably will have to use it separately from now on.

FINALLY! i have officially finished the last three tracks of Our Souls Will See Farther Than Our Eyes. I have uploaded them and linked them to the album page. next on the musical tour, i will be developing some marketing materials and art, i might even press a few. i will then be working on a performance schema of some sort since i’m not totally comfortable sitting in front of my lappy pressing buttons while people watch. then i will have a record release party. i am also planning on launching marketing stuff on pure volume, last.fm, myspace.com and some other places that i may find along the way.

in other news, i drove to eagles mere last night. it was intense. a lot of rich people must live out that way. either way i’m determined to go out there when its beautiful out and stay at the inn for one night. ONE NIGHT. i think three or four of us should go. any takers?

also i’m going to nyc as soon as i get my license renewed and i get my oil changed. yeeehaw!

also i would like to say that i had a lovely evening driving around chit-chatting about music etc. i would hope to do it again.

do you believe in visions? i had a dream the other night that i broke someone’s flute. weird. i don’t think i’m cut out for life after all.

MR. MAN!!!!
warning: there’s some language involved that your boss might not think is appropriate.

also i’m gonna be on homestarrunner.com for a lottle.

xoxo