Involution » Blog

Garmin Software Troubles

Tony Perrie — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 08:26:36 +0000

I decided to rescue a bunch of old data off my old Garmin Forerunner 201 tonight. The only problem is that this is now impossible. Even though 1.5 years worth of GPS data is on the watch, it’s quite inaccessible now. Google Earth can only read the last 11 routes from the watch. I tried deleting those routes from the 201 and then syncing the watch with Google Earth on my Macbook Pro via a USB to DB9 converter. Unfortunately, on both operating systems the software errors out with “Loaded %1 Waypoints”.

Next, I gave the newest Garmin Training Center a try. Garmin’s software managed to load all the data off the watch using a serial connection on my Windows XP desktop (the 201 doesn’t work with the Mac OS X-version of Training Center) Unfortunately, the map overlays didn’t load for the 201 routes like they do with the Garmin Forerunner 305 ones. Now, all of my historic Forerunner 201 data is half-usable and silo’d up in the training center software with no hope of exporting it out.

Adding insult to injury, Garmin has deprecated the “Export to XML” feature that existed in their old Training Center software. This effectively locks-out third-party developers because the export data is now only available in proprietary TCX format. It’s unbelievable that Garmin wouldn’t continue to support XML or, at the very least, Google Earth’s KML format. This is even more troubling because Garmin used to enable hackers to do cool stuff with their hardware. By allowing access to the unencrypted GPS data, Garmin enabled quite a bit of tinkering. Programs like USAPhotomaps and several community GPS running sites sprouted up as a result. Back in 2005, I even wrote my own GPS overlay program to map data onto a USGS orthoimage of Austin using the exported XML data from the 201.

Strangely enough, I met three of the developers from Garmin’s Motion Based community web site at SFBeta last week. We talked for a while, and I went all GPS-nerd on them. So, the next day, I tried out Motion Based and uploaded the data off my Forerunner 305. The result is that I was completely nonplussed with their site. The only thing extraordinary about the site is how extraordinary it is. What’s particularly troubling is that since you can only access the GPS route data from Garmin’s watches using proprietary software, this is the only community web site that is gong to work with their devices.

Seeing-eye Dogs for Dogs

Tony Perrie — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 19:31:51 +0000

Yesterday, I was walking down Valencia and I saw a dog holding another dog’s leash in its mouth. This made me wonder if the lead dog was a seeing-eye dog for the dog holding its leash. This is something that you don’t think about: Seeing-eye dogs for dogs.

Happy Apple in SF on November 7th

Tony Perrie — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 07:27:48 +0000

Happy Apple is the best band in the entire universe regardless of what this one has to say about it. I’ve tried and tried to get Jon Gifford to like them, but his preconceived ideas about what music should be was irrevocably discombobulated during a rugby match in ’86. So, in conclusion, if you know any live people that haven’t been turned into robots by the corporatocracy yet, you should have them attend the big Happy Apple show with you in San Francisco on November 7th. They will totally blow your mind.

Naked Conversation

Tony Perrie — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 04:26:27 +0000

(I don’t remember how this started)

Jon Gifford:	How do you hod your saw-der-ing iron?
Hoyhoy:	Don’t you mean hold?
Jon Gifford:	Name one other word besides solder in the English language where you don’t pronounce the L!
Professor of Magic:	It wouldn’t be hard to find such a word should you choose to do so.
Hoyhoy:	When I say llama I never pronounce the second L.
Jon Gifford:	GG.

The Best Music Video of All Time

Tony Perrie — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 21:09:21 +0000

I’ve always dreamed that someone would make a music video just for me. Imagine my surprise after I woke-up today and learned that the lazyweb had obliged.

Recent Happenings

Tony Perrie — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 19:59:35 +0000

Rachel got a job working at the Catnip and Bones
Andy Grimm celebrated his “perfect” birthday today. He then independently discovered that there always exists a prime number between two consecutive squares.
My California driver’s license finally arrived. I love the government!!!11!!
Bumper sent me a mysterious Rockbuster in the post.
jwz introduced everyone to the wonders of Jam

How To Identify Schemers

Tony Perrie — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 00:10:06 +0000

Stephen Bonds has written a wonderful article on how to identify schemers. You know the type. Schemers view all humans as pawns in their elaborate game of success-money-power. They communicate at you with manipulative rhetoric to be perceived as being “in-charge”. They will mix reality with fiction to cloud your judgment. Your only defense against them is to try to handle them the way that try to handle you. My best advice is to just agree with what they say and do the opposite.

Little Feat’s “All That You Dream” on The Sopranos Finale

Tony Perrie — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 04:52:06 +0000

I was pleased as punch to hear Lowell singing “All That You Dream” on the Sopranos finale. Was it a coincidence that this song appeared on both “The Last Record Album” and on the last Sopranos episode? I felt like it should have been the last song, but David Chase cut to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” for some reason. This combined with the anticlimactic episode made for a frustrating night indeed.

Thought of the Day

Tony Perrie — Fri, 25 May 2007 17:51:35 +0000

In England, muffins are referred to as “American muffins” and English muffins are just called “muffins”. It makes perfect sense, but it’s one of those facts that you just don’t ever consider.

Urban Finch Attacks

Tony Perrie — Thu, 17 May 2007 20:51:08 +0000

While walking to the Glen Park BART station today, I saw a couple of finches perched atop a don’t-walk signal. Some Asian lady was standing beneath the signal, and wouldn’t you know that finch flew down and angrily pecked at her head. So, after that, she crossed the street, and I noticed another finch zoom down right behind her and nail some elderly lady’s noggin. What the flip is going on with all these ghastly finches attacking the good townspeople?

Alistair Cooke’s America

Tony Perrie — Fri, 11 May 2007 22:35:52 +0000

Allistair Cooke’s thirteen-hour documentary “America” was first aired on the BBC in 1973. This is a tour-de-force in American history and should be required viewing in every public school in the nation. In the first hour, he reveals his own friendship with H.L. Mencken, waxes notstalgic about Fatha Hines, and then investigates his Imperial Majesty Emperor Norton I, Emperor of The United States and Protector of Mexico. I only wish I’ve heard of this series earlier. I rate Alistair Cooke’s “America” up there with James’ Burke’s “Connections”, Jacob Bronowski’s “Ascent of Man”, David Attenborough “Life on Earth”, and Kenneth Clarke’s “Civilisation”. It’s just that good.

Prank Ebay Feedback

Tony Perrie — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 20:53:26 +0000

I’ve always thought that andy46477′s Ebay feedback was fantastic. There’s a new man on the prank feedback scene though. He goes by the name tryork5ifp and his effort is getting accolades from the Web 2.0 crowd. Nevertheless, I feel that tryork5ifp’s stuff is pure drivel. His “Bag of Blood” routine is a blatant Jack Handey ripoff. The folks on reddit seem to disagree though. Am I going insane here or is this one of those phenomenons where every new generation scourns their elder’s prank Ebay feedback?

UPDATE: R. Crumb confirmed that I was right on this one. Todays kids are a stupid, know-nothing generation of brain-dead morons who want nothing more than to be ‘BAD’.