I think that Google have found a USP for their messenger application: you can archive your "chats" online.

It seems to have been the case with a lot of google products lately big promise, small delivery. Certainly Google Talk has suffered from few features which should be standard. Now it seems that there is a reason to use it, and that is that every chat you have using Google Talk can be archived in your gmail account and presumable included in any searches. This is a big leap forward, it's been ages since there has been any visible movement for Google Talk. I wonder how long it will be before those wacky Google developers allow you to send emoticons, or possibly in google speak "Gemicons."

I'd be interested to see what the online version is like. This is a departure from the usual, no big 2 year beta, now it's just a big announcement of a beta at some point. Maybe after the video and analytic debarcles, Google are being a little less risky. I hope not.

Well I've been sat at home for too long now. I'm finding that you can't hold a conversation with a blank wall. So I've decided to make more of an effort to get myself back in some form of gainful employment.

So if you have a proposition to make please get in touch, my details are scattered across this site, you could even drop me a comment. I can send through a CV at a moments notice.

Since I installed .Net version 2 I haven't been able to create any new version 1 websites in visual studio 2003. Any .net pages are 404'd and debugging has also broken. Old sites still works.

I found a way to work around this. To get a site working you need to create a new virtual directory, then copy the code over and change the relative settings in the csproj and webinfo files.

I believe that it's got something to do with the way that the virtual directories are being created by Visual Studio. Looking at the information in the IIS Metabase yeilds the following differences between a working application and a broken one:

Key name	working	failing
KeyType	IIsWebVirtualDir	IIsWebDirectory
Win23Error	0	!Missing!
Path	!path to site!	!Missing!
DirBrowseFlags	1073741886	!Missing!
AccessFlags	513	!Missing!
ScriptMaps	!Missing!	.htw,C:\WINNT\System32\webhits.dll,3,GET,HEAD,POST

There are also differences in the keys on the bin folder:

Key name	working	failing
KeyType	!Missing!	IIsWebDirectory

Updating the broken setting to those of the fixed settings seems to resolve the situation. If I were so inclined - I'd knock out a script. As it is, I'm tired after writing that dictionary definition thing.

I've just been reading a book with words like solipsism. What the hell does that mean?

Obviously I had to pick up the dictionary and scan through until I found what the word meant. However, I didn't - I admit it: I'm too lazy to do that so I still don't know what solipsism means. It sounds great, but to me, totally meaningless. The reason why I didn't do it was because there were too many steps involved: Put the book down, Find the dictionary, pick it up, find the right page, read the description, put the dictionary back, pick up the book, find the page, re-read the sentence.

Argh! It's a nightmare. I was then thinking how much easier it would be reading books on the web, it's simple to look up definitions. Then I realised it was just as hard. Wouldn't it be nice to have an easy way to lookup a definition, what I'd like to do is to highlight a word, and press a key.

Well now I can do this. Try it out on this page, highlight a word and press the d key. There is a problem with Mozilla browsers, as I can't find any way to position to the dictionary definition by the selected text. In IE there isn't a problem.

In theory this could be incorporated on any web page just by including this script containing all the code

I would need to change the paths so that they reference this site, but that could be done.

The definitions come from www.dict.org and the code to get it from there can be viewed in the javascript files.

Here's a section of random text for you to play with:

I never spend much time in school but I taught ladies plenty. It's true I hire my body out for pay, hey hey. I've gotten burned over Cheryl Tiegs, blown up for Raquel Welch. But when I end up in the hay it's only hay, hey hey. I might jump an open drawbridge, or Tarzan from a vine. 'Cause I'm the unknown stuntman that makes Eastwood look so fine.

One for all and all for one, Muskehounds are always ready. One for all and all for one, helping everybody. One for all and all for one, it's a pretty story. Sharing everything with fun, that's the way to be. One for all and all for one, Muskehounds are always ready. One for all and all for one, helping everybody. One for all and all for one, can sound pretty corny. If you've got a problem chum, think how it could be.

Top Cat! The most effectual Top Cat! Who's intellectual close friends get to call him T.C., providing it's with dignity. Top Cat! The indisputable leader of the gang. He's the boss, he's a pip, he's the championship. He's the most tip top, Top Cat.

80 days around the world, we'll find a pot of gold just sitting where the rainbow's ending. Time - we'll fight against the time, and we'll fly on the white wings of the wind. 80 days around the world, no we won't say a word before the ship is really back. Round, round, all around the world. Round, all around the world. Round, all around the world. Round, all around the world.

Hong Kong Phooey, number one super guy. Hong Kong Phooey, quicker than the human eye. He's got style, a groovy style, and a car that just won't stop. When the going gets tough, he's really rough, with a Hong Kong Phooey chop (Hi-Ya!). Hong Kong Phooey, number one super guy. Hong Kong Phooey, quicker than the human eye. Hong Kong Phooey, he's fan-riffic!

Last night I was restless, I had one of the nights where ideas pop into my head.

Anyway I was thinking what was happening on the other side of the world right now. Well then I wondered what was actually on the other side of the world. So then I thought how do I define that. Well, as far as I'm concerned there are three extra locations that could be described as the other side of the world:

The exact opposite this would be reached by digging a whole through the centre of the earth, and where you break the surface is the other side of the world. Aswell as this there are also the mirror locations as reflected by the equator and the imaginary meridian 180° away.

So I wrote this Gmap implementation to see what's opposite any location on the globe. As it is given that the world is pretty much covered by water there's very little to see.

So how the hell do you convert from one coordinate system to another. Well the proper way would be to study and learn all about 3D trig.

The easy way is to read this paper: National GPS Network information: Annexe C. Converting between grid Eastings and Northings and ellipsoidal latitude and longitude

I've done this and it made my eyes bleed. I've taken the information in it and produced the following C# code:

using System;


namespace tt
{
    /// 

    /// 
    /// 
    public class LatLonConversions
    {
        const double a = 6377563.396;
        const double b = 6356256.91;
        const double e2 = (a -b)/a;
        const double n0 = -100000;
        const double e0 = 400000;
        const double f0 = 0.999601272;
        const double phi0 = 0.855211333;
        const double lambda0 = -0.034906585;
        const double n = (a-b)/(a+b);


        private LatLonConversions()
        {    }

        public static LatLon ConvertOSToLatLon(double E, double N)
        {
            double phi = 0;
            phi = (N-n0)/(a*f0) + phi0;
            double M = b * f0 * ( (1 + n + 5/4*n*n + 5/4*n*n*n)*(phi - phi0) - (3*n + 3*n*n + 21/8*n*n*n) * Math.Sin(phi-phi0) * Math.Cos(phi+phi0) + 
                        (15/8*n*n + 15/8*n*n*n) * Math.Sin(2*(phi-phi0))*Math.Cos(2*(phi+phi0))-35/24*n*n*n*Math.Sin(3*(phi-phi0))*Math.Cos(3*(phi+phi0)));

            while (N-n0-M>=0.01)
            {
                phi = (N-n0-M)/(a*f0)+phi;
                M = b * f0 * ( (1 + n + 5/4*n*n + 5/4*n*n*n)*(phi - phi0) - (3*n + 3*n*n + 21/8*n*n*n) * Math.Sin(phi-phi0) * Math.Cos(phi+phi0) + 
                    (15/8*n*n + 15/8*n*n*n) * Math.Sin(2*(phi-phi0))*Math.Cos(2*(phi+phi0))-35/24*n*n*n*Math.Sin(3*(phi-phi0))*Math.Cos(3*(phi+phi0)));
            }

            double v = a*f0*Math.Pow(1-e2*Math.Sin(phi)*Math.Sin(phi),-0.5);

            double p = a*f0*Math.Pow(1-e2*Math.Sin(phi)*Math.Sin(phi),-1.5)*(1-e2);
            double n2 = v/p-1;
            
            double vii = Math.Tan(phi)/(2*p*v);
            double viii = Math.Tan(phi)/(24*p*v*v*v)*(5+3*Math.Tan(phi)*Math.Tan(phi) + n2 - 9*Math.Tan(phi)*Math.Tan(phi)*n2);
            double ix = Math.Tan(phi)/(720*p*Math.Pow(v, 5)) * (61 + 90 * Math.Tan(phi) * Math.Tan(phi) + 45 * Math.Pow(Math.Tan(phi), 4));
            double x = (1/Math.Cos(phi))/v;
            double xi = (1/Math.Cos(phi))/(6*Math.Pow(v, 3)) * (v/p + 2*Math.Pow(Math.Tan(phi), 2));
            double xii = (1/Math.Cos(phi))/(120*Math.Pow(v, 5)) * (5 + 28*Math.Pow(Math.Tan(phi), 2) +24*Math.Pow(Math.Tan(phi), 4));
            double xiia = (1/Math.Cos(phi))/(5040*Math.Pow(v, 7)) * (61 + 662*Math.Pow(Math.Tan(phi), 2) +1320*Math.Pow(Math.Tan(phi), 4)+ 720*Math.Pow(Math.Tan(phi), 6));
            
            double e = (E-e0);
            double lon = (phi - vii * e*e + viii*e*e*e*e-ix*e*e*e*e*e*e ) * 180 / Math.PI;
            double lat = (lambda0 + x*e - xi*e*e*e + xii*e*e*e*e*e - xiia*e*e*e*e*e*e*e) *180 / Math.PI;



            return new LatLon(lon, lat);
        }
    }

    public class LatLon
    {
        public double Latitude;
        public double Longitude;
            

        public LatLon()
        {
            Latitude =0;
            Longitude =0; 
        }

        public LatLon(double lat, double lon)
        {
            Latitude =lat;
            Longitude =lon; 
        }

    }

}

You can test an implementation of this code using my OS2LatLong webservice.

I wanted to have some fun with the Google Maps API I had a feed of data so I thought that I'd use the feed which comes with a little bit of information tagged to a postcode and use that power the google map.

Here's the link to view some posh vehicles on a gmap of the uk

I had some real fun converting the UK style OS map references to lat and long. Which I'll cover in the next post.

I had an interview yesterday with a university to see if I could take a place there as a PGCE student.

So that's it, the first step on the ladder to becoming a secondary school maths teacher. Teaching is really in the blood for me, except for my brother every member of my immediate family has been in the profession. I'm just a bit annoyed that it's taken me 10 years since leaving university to realise that it isn't as bad as it is portrayed.

I'm looking forward to joining a profession that is rewarding, challenging and most of all continually changing. Not that IT isn't any of these things, just that for 10 years in the industry the challenge has mostly evaporated, the rewards have diminished and to be fair adding and reading data from SQL server hasn't changed that much.

I start the course in September so now I must find a way to fund myself as far as possible through the duration of the course, and possibly squeeze in a few days in a local school. I've just finished a contract so finding some work that starts as soon as possible will be my next challenge.

I also need to find the perfect answer to the ever-asked question:

"But, what use is solving a simultaneous equation to me in the real world?"

Answers on a postcard to the usual address.

So WHATWG  has been working again, and it seems that they've come up with something truly revolutionary just in time for xmas. Just look at the new canvas tag, and come to the "obvious conclusion" that is: to be able to play games. I'm sure that by now we've all seen the maze game rendered on a canvas tag, that really took me back 15 years. I can't wait to play a full game in a browser, I'd have to be careful not to press the backspace key - what a disaster. And I know that game makers are incredibly prudent with memory use and processor cycles, so javascript would be an ideal language to use.

What else does WHATWG say.

Maybe in the next version of html, curiously codenamed HTML5, well we get a plethora of new controls like: a gauge, calendar, menus, datagrids, an address card. Blimey I don't think that even VB4 has an address card. This is really going to make knees wobble.

Let's not forget that we'll also have web forms 2.0 (if you pronounce it "two point oh" it'll sound better.)

And how long has it taken to make these great strides in the progression and evolution of the web. Oh about:
4 full versions of windows (95 -> 98 -> 2000 -> XP)
Atleast one cycle of Mozilla (Navigator -> mozilla -> phoenix -> firefox)
The birth and maturity of open source software

Come on how can it take so long to produce something so ridiculously lame. Why are all these new elements so inflexible, what about a bit of simple GUI inheritance (XAML, XUL).

 

Well my Windows Live invitation arrived in my email account today, so I signed up for it straight away.

So far so good, it's a little clunky but so far so good. I'm actually more than impressed by the www.live.com homepage, when I load it in IE and sign into my email it actually crashes my browser. Firefox on the other hand coped admirably.

The actual mail view is very nice. All ajaxy and very smooth. A nice clean interface, now I just wish I had some actual mail to read. Since gmail I've just used my hotmail account as a dumping ground for spam. We'll just have to see how live handles spam. These spam filter options are a little confusing though:

Low - Obvious junk e-mail is sent to the junk e-mail folder.
What's the difference between obvious and most?

Gmail is to get webclips, basically a way to turn gmail into an aggregator.

Does this mean the end of http://reader.google.com - I don't think so, but will this be a better way to read news online, will it have the functionality that reader is missing?

Well I can't say yet because it doesn't seem to have been activated on my account. There's lots of more functionality been added to the site, go check it out.