This code is able to grab the most important information, convert from degrees, minutes and seconds to decimal and create a Google map link that shows the location. It’s part of a bigger project that I’m working on but will operate perfectly fine on its own.

<?php

// Converts DMS ( Degrees / minutes / seconds )
// to decimal format longitude / latitude
function DMStoDEC($dms, $longlat){

	if($longlat == 'lattitude'){
		$deg = substr($dms, 0, 2);
		$min = substr($dms, 2, 8);
		$sec = '';
	}
	if($longlat == 'longitude'){
		$deg = substr($dms, 0, 3);
		$min = substr($dms, 3, 8);
		$sec='';
	}

    return $deg+((($min*60)+($sec))/3600);
}   

//Set timezone
date_default_timezone_set('Asia/Manila');

//Connect to GPS
$gps = fopen("/dev/tty.iBT-GPS-SPPslave", "r+");

//Read data from GPS
while($gps){
	$buffer = fgets($gps);
	if(substr($buffer, 0, 6)=='$GPRMC'){
		echo $buffer."\n";

		$gprmc = explode(',',$buffer);
		$data['timestamp'] = strtotime('now');
		$data['sat_status'] = $gprmc[2];

		$data['lattitude_dms'] = $gprmc[3];
		$data['lattitude_decimal'] = DMStoDEC($gprmc[3],'lattitude');
		$data['lattitude_direction'] = $gprmc[4];

		$data['longitude_dms'] = $gprmc[5];
		$data['longitude_decimal'] = DMStoDEC($gprmc[5],'longitude');
		$data['longitude_direction'] = $gprmc[6];

		$data['speed_knots'] = $gprmc[7];

		$data['bearing'] = $gprmc[8];

		$data['google_map'] = 'http://maps.google.com/maps?q='.$data['lattitude_decimal'].','.$data['longitude_decimal'].'+(PHP Decoded)&iwloc=A';

		print_r($data);
		echo "\n\n";
	}
}

?>

The tuner cost 1180 php and looks like a small usb pen drive. The design has recently changed to a ‘box’ shape but it’s the same chipset and the same remote etc. It’s just a bit bulkier now! It’s compatible with Windows only, no Mac or Linux support. For the techies out there, it uses the Trident 5600 chip.

Installation is simple with the supplied CD and you’re able to watch local TV in a matter of minutes. The software can be a bit buggy if you try to swap through a lot of channels quickly, but remember you don’t have touse the supplied software; you can simply install the driver and then download better TV tuner software online.

I was hoping to use this TV tuner with the Sumvision Cyclone Nano but unfortunately it was not compatible.

The quality of the video coming through is pretty impressive. It’s not HD but then Analog TV doesn’t carry HD signals to start with. The better your antenna, the better the quality will obviously be. Aside from picking up the local free channels, you can also connect it to an analog cable tv signal, such as that offered by Destiny Cable or SkyCable. However, you should note that the major cable providers, like Sky, are changing from Analog to Digital – which won’t be compatible with this usb tuner.

Local Channel Sample

Local Channel Sample

While the CPU is a modest 800mhz, it has a dedicated graphics chip which is capable of hardware decoding 1080 video streams. It ships with 2.3 ginger bread but they’ve recently (apr 2012) released a beta version of android 4.0 ice cream sandwich which can be installed via a usb stick or SD card.

Since your tv wont have the touchscreen functionality that you’d find on a phone or tablet, they supply an air mouse which is very similar to a Wii controller. You wave it around in the air to make the mouse on the screen move. It’s a lot easier to use than you’d imagine!

Firmware options

The Sumvision Cyclone Nano is essentially just a Geniatech ’Enjoy TV’ box rebranded as Sumvision. That means the newest firmware comes from Geniatech and is then modified/rebranded (some say improved) by Sumvision. I downloaded the most recent 2.3 firmware from Geniatech and used it on my Sumvision. It had more apps installed by default and seems to actually run a bit smoother.

Playing videos

So far the Cyclone Nano 1 has handled every video format I’ve thrown at it, if not by hardware decoding then via software decoding. Although I’ve experienced stuttering video issues when the device resolution is set to 1080, so I’ve had to lower it to 720p. Oddly, this seems to be dependent on the video format. For example I was able to play a 4.5gb blu-ray (.mkv) file without any stuttering at 1080 but then experienced stuttering on a 700mb AVI. When set at 720p it seems to play any video format without any playback issues.

USB TV Tuner

The Cyclone Nano is supposed to handle USB TV Tuners but I’ve yet to get mine working. The Sumvision firmware that came installed on my box didn’t have any support for usb TV tuners, but while watching the Sumvision demo video, I was able to spot an app called ‘HiDTV’ which I found for download on the Geniatech website. Unfortunately the app doesn’t seem to recognize the generic ‘USB TV Tuner Box’ (trident 5600 chipset) that I bought from CDR-KING (1180php).

Update: I spoke to Geniatech and they informed me that only digital (not analog) TV tuners are compatible and that it must be their own brand. I’m currently looking at other ‘TV for Adroid’ projects that are being worked on and hoping to find an alternative, since there’s no free-air digital TV here in the Philippines.

Android VNC Server

After trying a number of VNC servers for the Cyclone Nano android TV, I finally found one that was compatible, it’s the remote control add-on. This application is actually meant to be an add-on part of a larger application for controlling your android device from your computer but I can confirm it works perfectly fine on it’s own as an independent application.

By installing the remote control add-on, I’m able to connect to the Cyclone Nano from my computer and control it just as though I were in front of the TV with the air mouse. Because I use the device as a dedicated downloader (torrents/http), it’s useful to be able to connect remotely and add or check on downloads, without having to be in front of the TV.

I chose the p1990 solar energy kit which features a 4W 9V poly-crystalline solar panel, a charge controller with built in 3500mah battery and three 0.8W LED lights. The charge controller also features a 5V DC output for charging phones, mp3 players and other small gadgets. I chose this kit over the more expensive ones because it includes the 5V DC output which the larger ones (at the time of writing) do not.

The solar panel, charge controller and LED lights laid out on the floor.

One problem with the solar kit is that instead of providing a standard usb port to charge your gadgets from, they use a proprietary connection and then give you adapters for a few different phones. Fortunately, one of those adapters ends in mini-usb which means you can connect it to a standard usb hub and then connect any usb device to the hub.

Solar Energy Kit Performance

After using the kit for a week, I can confirm that it does exactly what it says on the box. To get the best performance from the solar panel, it needs to have direct sunlight; mounting it on your roof would provide the best results. However, it does manage to charge the battery even in indirect sunlight.

Instead of going out and buying a water heater for my shower which would eat up electricity, I started researching for a way to use the sun to heat my water. We certainly have enough sun and heat in Manila to make such an idea work! After watching a number of videos on Youtube and reading a few different sites, I understood the basic idea of a solar water heater and how it makes use of thermal siphoning.

The basic idea is that you have a sealed insulated box which features a transparent face (glass/plexiglass) and  some water pipe (copper, pvc, hose) running inside it. Cold water goes in at the bottom and as the sun hits the pipe and warms it up, the water rises (thermal siphon) and then eventually exits at the top of the box. You can cycle this same water around until it reaches your desired temperature. Scroll through the images below to better understand how a solar water heater is made.

The following pictures are a custom design based on what I’ve read online and may not necessarily be the best way to make a solar heater. At some point I’d like to replace the hose with copper, since copper would conduct heat much better. I’d also like to replace the plastic covering with glass or plexiglass for better insulation. Both changes will require a bit more cash and complexity. Also note that I forgot to take pictures at some steps, I’ll make up for that in the image notes

This is the basic box, measuring 4ft x 2ft. The sides are made up of 1inch by 4inch planks and the base is a piece of plywood. Insulation has been glued and stapled into the sides and base. A sample of the insulation is shown in the middle of the box.

A section of 1inch x 4inch plank was cut into smaller sections to use as standoffs for a piece of metal that will be fitted later.

A total of 6 standoffs/supports are glued in and then weights are put on top until the glue dries.

After having no luck at the junk shops, I bought a 8ft x 4ft sheet of metal (24 gauge). A section of this will be cut to fit inside the box and will act as a heat conductor and a mounting point for my water pipe.

I didn't have anything that was able to cut through this thickness of metal. I used an old cheap knife (~p70) and a hammer. It's not ideal but it works.

The metal was spray painted black (to help attract the sun) with an engine coating spray which can hold up to high temperatures. The metal is held in place with screws going into the standoffs installed earlier.

Next I drilled a hole at the bottom side for the cold input hose and then another at the top side for the hot exit hose. Next I installed regular green garden hose. I drilled holes into the metal and used wire to hold the the pipe in place. I then spray painted the hose black. Connectors are joined onto the hose ends so that it can be easily connected and disconnected to different water sources. A sealant was used around the hose holes to ensure heat stays within the box. (Ideally this would be copper pipe rather than a garden hose)

I cut a sheet of plastic (about the thickness of a playing card) and stapled it to the top of the box. The idea is to keep as much heat within the box as possible to help heat the water as it passes through the hose. (Ideally this would be glass or plexiglass)

Duct tape was used around the edges of the box to ensure a good seal on the plastic sheet. It was then spray painted black so that it looks tidier. I placed a thermometer inside the box so that I can get an idea of the internal temperature.

The finished solar water heater has been placed outside, at an east facing wall - meaning it will heat up primarily in the morning. No water pipes have been connected yet. The internal temperature of the box increased from 30 degrees celsius to 40 degrees celsius within an hour of indirect sunlight. I'll update the post once I've measured the internal temperature during direct sunlight.

I bought a galvanized pressure tank on sulit.com.ph for p1700. This will hold the water that circulates through the panel, getting hotter each time it passes through. In this picture, I had started to wrap the tank in the same insulation that was used inside the panel; this should hopefully keep the water hot in the tank right through to the night.

This picture shows the water pressure tank fully wrapped in insulation and spray painted black. The tank is sitting on top of a 3-legged table. There's a ball valve inline with the cold water pipe so that the circulation of water can be stopped at any point. There's also a faucet for getting hot water out of the tank. While the water is coming out extremely hot (hot enough to burn you), I'm experiencing pressure issues, the thermosiphon effect doesn't seem to be working as well as I'd seen in earlier tests. I've bought some copper tubing which will replace the hose inside the panel and should make the panel much more efficient.

After much searching, I managed to find someone who could bend the copper tubing (labor cost p800). It's not possible to bend the tubing by hand without the correct tools, since it would simply kink closed. I had asked for 170 degree bends so that the pipe would gradually rise inside the box at each bend. Unfortunately the result wasn't perfect - I'm not sure if it will have an effect on the performance.

I availed of their 1+1 massage promo which is 399 peso. That allows for two people to have a 1 hour massage or for one person to have a two hour massage.

While the staff handling the bookings were prompt and friendly, and the therapists were polite, the massage itself was quite possibly one of the worst I’ve ever experienced. If you want to feel like an old piece of meat being prepared for cooking then this is quite possibly the massage for you.

At 45 minutes in, I was told the massage had finished and the therapist then went to my friends room who was also having a massage, to alert her colleague that she had finished. She then went back to the room about 10 minutes later to again prompt her colleague to finish.

I asked for my friends opinion and unfortunately it was the same. He was also disappointed.

While the price would be hard to beat at just 200 peso per hour, I’d recommend you just pay an extra 50 or 100 and go with a different company.

Their main argument is that Cebu Pacific are loosing traffic and potential customers by using cebupacificair.com instead of cebupacific.com

Their first argument is that the phrase ‘Cebu Pacific’ gets 5 times as many searches in Google as ‘Cebu Pacific Air’. This is correct, based on Google Trends, however it’s a completely irrelevant point since cebupacificair.com ranks first for ‘cebupacific’, ‘cebu pacific’ and ‘cebu pacific air’, so they’re certainly not loosing any search engine traffic based on their choice of domain name.

Their next argument is based on the assumption that 15% of visitors out there would be type-in traffic, meaning that the visitors are simply typing what they believe to be the correct domain into the address bar of their browser. While I agree there might be a reasonable level of NEW users who type ‘cebupacific.com’ into their browsers address bar, I would wonder if it’s really as high as 15% and I’d argue that they’re not loosing those visitors. People aren’t going to visit the wrong domain and then just give up on it, they’ll go to a search engine like Google and search for the correct address.

For many Filipinos, Cebu Pacific is the only airline they’ll ever fly due to the competitive pricing and brand awareness. I really don’t believe that visitors who land on the wrong website would simply give up and look elsewhere, especially considering the lack of choices.

And the annoying thing about the whole case review? They talk as though Cebu Pacific purposely left Cebupacific.com and Cebupacific.ph when in fact they were simply too slow to register them before professional domainers. What I’m actually amazed at is that Cebu Pacific haven’t gone through the proper processes to claim these domains which are quite clearly using their trademark.

Previously, the only method is to load funds via your direct debit setup which has a processing time of 5-7 working days (although on many occasions ends up taking 9-12 days).

This new method of adding funds, via online baking, lowers this time to 1-3 days. What an improvement!

Unfortunately the feature was disabled a week later due to technical issues. The funds were taken from peoples bank account and reached Paypal, but Paypal were unable to trace the payments correctly and assign them to the correct accounts. They officially said that they’d return the payments within 10 days if they couldn’t work out whose account the funds should be accredited to. However, as in our case, 15 days passed and they hadn’t returned the funds to our bank account. I imagine they’ve earnt quite a bit of interest on all those payments sitting in limbo.

What would have been nice is if Paypal had contacted us to let us know there was a problem, rather than leaving us waiting and wondering when the funds would show up in the Paypal account. It was only because we called them that we found out about the problem.

My personal favorite is the Bacon Mozza Melt which has a veggie patty, veggie bacon bits with mozzarella and a light mayonnaise.

Good Burgers pricing is very reasonable, with their basic veggie burger coming in at P60 for a single patty or P85 for a double patty. If you go for something more fancy like the Bacon Mozza Melt, you’re looking at P95 for single patty or P120 for double patty.

With branches in C5 Pasig, Kapitolyo, Greenhills and Sikatuna, their minimum order for delivery is just P200 which is a conveniently low amount.

They’re even featured on the website of PETA Asia-Pacific!

Good Burgers Menu

A previous launch in Manila, back in 2008, was unsuccessful due to o2 Infusions’ choice of smaller, less popular, Spas. This time they’ve teamed up with The Spa who are renowned for their quality and popularity.

I was invited for a complimentary consultation and Intraceuticals facial at The Spa Acropolis. At around P6,000  per treatment, it’s not exactly cheap, but this isn’t your average feel good, pampering facial. O2 infusion provide an advanced facial that will give instant results.

While I found the facial comfortable and definitely effective, It’s more suited for someone with a few more years behind them and a few more lines on their face. If you have some wrinkles or fine lines that you want to get rid of quickly, Intraceuticals from o2 Infusions is for you.

Due to the advanced technology and skin care products that Intraceuticals have developed, you’ll see results immediately after your first treatment. Although the results are immediate, they’re cumulative, so prolonged use will provide greater results. They recommend a course of six treatments and then a monthly treatment to maintain.

Intraceuticals treatments are based on 3 steps. The first is to apply oxygen under light pressure which helps Intraceuticals’ age defying products reach the deeper layers of the skin.

Next is to apply a unique rejuvenating serum which contains hyaluronic acid and a mix of vitamins and antioxidants. This will instantly hydrate the skin, resulting in reduced fine lines, wrinkles and increased facial skin firmness.

Finally, to maintain and keep your skin in good health, Intraceuticals provide a range of support products which provide essential skin nutrients and create essential layers to seal in everything your skin needs.

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