Migrating From wordpress to a self-hosted solution

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Lonas

As we earlier noted on twitter / facebook , today we took the big step (or the big decision if you prefer it that way). We decided to start the process of migrating our blog from the wordpress dot com domain to a self-hosted solution. So , yeah , why ?

More Flexibility – Custom widgets offer great options for extensions and additional functionality.
No hard feelings wordpress we really appreciate the great contributions to the total of the advancement of what internet is today but not having planted ads on the site looks a bit more professional. But we haven’t entirely left the platform, after all we still run wordpress in the inside 😉
The magic of the process (Does not apply to everyone 😛 )

But, although migrating to a self-hosted solutions seems tempting, it does have some trade offs . But before discussing the possible trade offs we have to mention the ways in which you can have a self hosted solution. The main ways we stumbled upon where two.

The first way is by purchasing some hosting solution from the domain name registrar you got your domain name from .

Pros :

Most of the times an easy to use UI (cPanel or some of the likes) or even wordpress ready hosting
Customer Support – Even if you manage to get lost in an overly simplified panel you can always drop them a call or open a ticket
You will also have the domain registration attached to your site

Cons :

Price mainly . You have to pay for the services after all. And this adds more standard cost to operating a blog. If you have enough traffic to generate revenue from it or it’s your professional profile you might not mind sparing a few bucks but if you run the blog with no direct monetary gain you might want to rethink it since it all seems like not much of a deal but in the end the cost of those not so expensive services starts piling up
Restrictions . Some times you will not be given root access to the server (or even access at all in case of off the shelve solution). This translates into the fact that you might not be able to tweak it to work exactly as you dream your site to be or even not be able to use it for something beside wordpress

The second way is by purchasing / owning / renting access to a VPS.

Pros :

Most of the times (except the renting option) you don’t have monthly maintenance, alas you pay a fee upfront (which usually is smaller than the monthly maintenance of the former solutions for 2~3 years)
Flexibility . Remember why you left the totally free wordpress ? Well in a VPS you get way more flexibility.
Training / know-how . If you are one of the select-(not_so)few you might end up enjoying the process and even get to know some stuff you can use later on.

Cons :

It takes knowledge or at least a very good understanding of how severs operate and the ability to follow technical how-to’s.
If you want to install wordpress on a VPS be prepared since the installation process is not so well documented which leads into extensive searching , problems , frustration and loss of sense of time :p

That’s it for now we will be posting an extensive guide on how to install wordpress on your own VPS in the next days which will (hopefully) be the last post on this site and a farewell to the site in it’s current form. The current blog will continue to exist as an archive (although we have ported all the content to the new site) .

~Lonas

GTA V : First Person Experience

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Lonas

image courtesy of Rockstar Games

Hey guys !

So earlier this week Rockstar Games released a video showing off the first person experience of the much waited Grand Theft Auto V for PC. First of all , it’s worth noting that in only four days the video has accumulated nearly 3 million views and 63 thousand upvotes . At a first glance you can see that the character movement is sleek which is revealing given that GTA was never much of a first person game and that adding this very option would look like a great challenge that Rockstar seems to have just pulled through. But enough with my talking ! Enjoy the video :

So what do you think ? Was it worth waiting for the PC version ? Are you going to buy the game once it’s out ? Let us know , or maybe come over to chat about it at : JustAddCoffee

Enter Sony X(spy)ria,Sony devices that contain spyware:

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Stamatis Dampoudis

Here’s the spyware, there’s the spyware, where’s the spyware ?

Have you heard about Baidu? Well,if you own a Sony smartphone that sports the 4.4.2 or 4.4.4 Kit-Kat firmware then chances are that Baidu has heard of you and is also sending personal data to a Chinese server,neat huh? In addition to the above the folder that contains the spyware in embedded inside the firmware,so even if you delete it every time your phone (in fact the My Xperia service of it) establishes a connection with the web the folder is recreated all over again, of course without your measly permission.It hasn’t been yet confirmed to whom this server might belong or what kind of data it receives.Feeling safe? Don’t.Seems that our good friend the Chinese government has the toys to change settings,know your location,manipulate your apps and other lovelies that obliterate user-provider confidentiality.So for the million dollar question:how do to know if you have it or not and how to get rid of it,if you do.According to user reports the spyware “contaminated” devices have a file called Baidu installed that establishes the connection with the server.Got it?The removal process is posted in detail here:

http://thehackernews.com/2014/10/sony-xperia-devices-secretly-sending.html

Makes you feel all warm inside that your trusty HTC will never spy on you,doesn’t it?Well think again,users reported having the same issue on their HTC devices too, more specifically on the One M7 and OneX. What’s Sony’s stand on this?Sony declared that they are aware of the problem and the next firmware issues will not have it.Oh,and if you already have it then you will probably have to wait for the new Android Lollipop versιon coming out in January.That’s all guys and don’t forget: even smartphones have ears nowadays 😉

Sources: http://thehackernews.com/2014/10/sony-xperia-devices-secretly-sending.html, http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/2kjrev/sony_xperia_phones_come_preloaded_with_baidu/, https://talk.sonymobile.com/t5/Xperia-Z-ZL-ZR/Unknown-folder-baidu-is-created-on-starting-phone-each-time/td-p/819877/page/5

Image courtesy of : www.cnet.com

An apology,a story and a thank you….

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Stamatis Dampoudis

Hello fellow hackers of the Interwebz,long time no see .Lately, I have been very busy (as you might have noticed :P). Because of that bussines I wasn’t able to to write any new articles.But hold your flaming torches and pitchforks,for I am about to justify myself (or at least try…). The past few months have been some of the most physicaly and mentally demanding ones in my life ,but also some of the most satisfying ones to. During them I can genuinely say that many of my dreams were accomplished.

-What exactly changed?

Whoa,isn’t that a list…well to make a long story short, I went from studying Civil Eng. to Electrical and Computer Eng.(dream 1: accomplished). I also moved to another city due to external obligations, which was not exactly a dream of mine but still a big change. But the greatest positive change by far, was the people I got to meet and interact with. That chain of events is what truly transformed me from an electronics hobbyist to a full blown electronics community member (Thanks guys!)

-So,does this post has anything to do with electronics?

It most certainly has.The above changes have introduced me to a whole new world of electronics goodness to tap into,from expert people, to software, to specialized machinery ,there is an entire tool-set of stuff I can use to improve our articles and to pack even more knowledge and technical data into them (and also making them more fun)!

So what I’m trying to say here is…I am sorry and also thank you (yes, you) for making all of this possible!

To what’s about to come,

Stam out.

SpaceChem #4 : An Introduction to Bonding

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Lonas

Ep #4 is out !

As always feel free to discus your thoughts on this or other topics with us at : Just Add Coffee

Microsoft , FedEx & Local Contractor

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Lonas

Hello guys, Lonas here !

So, as the title probably hints, this article is about a personal experience/encounter with the above companies. First of all I would like to say a big thank you to Microsoft not only for the IoT (Internet of Things) Dev Kit but also for their stance during the whole process (read on, read on you’ll see).

Let’s go back a bit (a few months if I’m not mistaken). A program Microsoft had started fell into my attention. The program was named Windows Developer Program for IoT. So being interested in DIY electronics and with a few ideas for internet of things in mind I decided to sign up. The process was easy enough just filling some personal data (name, mail etc) programming knowledge and a field where you had to fill the applications you are interested in or that you have in mind . As soon as I submitted the form I got a (probably) automated mail from Microsoft IoT team saying that they had received my application and that if I was selected I would be contacted. One or two months passed and the whole thing had totally slipped my mind. So I’m opening my mail one morning to find a mail from Microsoft IoT team saying that my IoT Dev kit had been shipped via FedEx and giving me the tracking number. I was , to say the truth , a bit stunned since there was no prior communication informing me that I had been chosen for the program just this mail saying that the kit was shipped. But stunned in a very very good way. And a few days passed and I got an e-mail from FedEx’s local contractor informing me that a package for me had encountered customs delay and that action from my part was needed. I was a bit confused since it was the first time (after 4 years or so of ordering electronics from aboard) something I had ordered encountered customs. But nevertheless, I contacted them via a number they provided me with in the e-mail. They were very helpful and friendly and told me all I had to do is give them a rough description of what is in the package and they would then guide and help me through the process. I knew that since it had stopped at the customs there would be some kind of tax but I was ok with that since it’s usually a small percentage of the estimated value of the contents. Shortly after , I got an e-mail (from the local contractor) informing me what I had to pay to get the package out of the customs. And here is about the point it get serious. An the bill there was :

Customs’ cost : ~25 Euros (reasonable)

Airport cost: ~15 Euros (This is what they wanted for transporting the package from the airport to me but problem is the posting was already paid by the sender)

Their payment for the process : ~85 Euros

I don’t know if it’s only me but at the time I found it absurd that I had to pay triple the customs’ fee as a payment to them given the fact that posting was already paid and that they are supposed to be FedEx contractors. What I did was that I contacted them and informed them that given the charges I was not willing to receive the package since the contents were not worth 125 Euros and that they would have to return it (policy is that if you do not pay the customs’ fee within 5 days the package is then returned to the sender) which would cost them the posting back. Their reply was that they would try to reach the sender and try to reach an agreement. A few days after I receive an e-mail informing me that the customs’ fee along with the contractor’s payment were covered by the sender and once again I was amazed by Microsoft’s superiority. In a last stand to get some money out of me the contractor sent me over the document’s I had to sign in order for them to be able take the package out of the customs. But instead of stating that I grant them permission to “import” (this is the term local customs use) this single package the document I was presented with stated that I grant them permission to undertake all of my imports for the next five years. This practically meant that the next time that a package of mine would reach customs they would go get it send it to me and charge me the full price without ever informing me and that even if I refused to receive the package I would owe them the full price since they had done the process for me. All in all , I now have the Windows Dev Kit for IoT and I can’t wait to get started with some projects (oh you’ll be the first to know if I make something good !) and I deeply feel I owe a big big thank you to Microsoft for both sending me the kit and for ensuring that I reaches me.

That’s all for now, I hope I haven’t bored you.

See you all soon !

As always feel free to contact us through the comments section or one of our social media !

The new Intel Edison!

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Stamatis Dampoudis

Hi Guys,

long time no see…which I guess is my fault,anyway you know what time is it? It’s cookie time!!!!

Just kidding. It’s new product time, as of yesterday the Intel Edison is available for purchase. What is the Intel Edison you ask? Well it is a (deep breath) , SD card-sized computer/development board that sports a dual core Intel Atom with dual threaded CPU clocking in at 500 MHz and an additional 32-bit Intel Quark clocking in at 100MHz. Also this little guy has support for 40 GPIO pins. Memory wise it includes 1 GB LPDDR3 and 4 GB EMMC which make it easy on the batteries meaning that it is ideal for low-power applications.Also the board supports dual-band WiFi and Low Energy Bluetooth. But the above are just to sweeten the deal,notice that I reffered to it as little guy? That was no joke, the board is tiny! How tiny exactly? Well take a look:

It’s usefull to keep in mind that the Edison is a computer at heart meaning that it’s a step above the microcontroller family boards (Arduino,PIC,etc.) and gives you a variety of programming languages you can use,the list includes:

Arduino
C/C++
Node.JS
Python (yummy)
RTOS

So why should you/I buy it ?

Well if you have an Intel Galileo and you find it too big and/or power-hungry for your next project or you find your Arduino Due too underpowered,but you think a Raspberry Pi/Beaglebone Black is a bit of an overkill you fall right in the Edison category !

Oh almost forgot there are a few shields available for the Edison too,but I will let you find them by yourselfes and who knows maybe you’ll get some inspiration for your next project on the way! I know I did 😉

Thanks Tommy!

Stam out.

(Images by Google)

Tools of the Trade Vol.1

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Stamatis Dampoudis

Tools of the trade Pt.1

tools

Hallo und wilkommen zu, ehh… I mean hello and welcome to the second article of the Electronics series. Today we will be dicussing tools. Every electronics hobbyist must have a set of trusty tools to rely on while embarking on the magnificent journey of electricity. I like dividing my tools into 2 major categories software and harware. scratching-head

-But is software a tool?

Well.. yeah,because there sooo many kinds of compilers,IDEs,CAD (and other) software,operating systems (trust me here, there are more than 3) that you need to have quite a bit know-how in order to find your way through all of that info.

-So where do I start from?

The basic stuff,a general rule of thumb for beginners(especially those of you with no programming experience) is to keep it nice and simple,just so you can get hold of general concepts that dwell in the realm of programming. My suggestions:

Regarding programming languages:

Absolute beginner: Scratch, a simple yet information packed computer language that can get your running with the big boys (or girls) at no time!

Intermediate: C or some variety/version of C (such as C++,C#),because it’s a language that combines some high level characteristics (similarity to physical language,libraries,functions) with low-level goodies (speed,efficiency,etc.)

Advanced: Python,what can we say about Python? It’s such a weapon!High level,featuring powerful built in functions in a vast array of applications, just an all around wild card!

Super Advanced Boss Level: Verilog. If you have never heard it,then you probably don’t fall in this category. If you do then you certainly don’t need instructions regarding basic electronics!

Regarding software (from the design/CAD viewpoint):

Absolute beginner: Fritzing super simple but powerful designing software,really intuitive too.

Intermediate: After a lot of thought I reccomend Draftsight, which is sort of a free AutoCAD version but a tad simpler.

Advanced: For you there is AutoDesk 123 a 3D designing program ideal for the well conditioned hobbyists (or as I like to call them semi-pros).

Super Advanced Boss Level: Eagle CAD with PCB layout features and a ton other stuff.Eagle is really powerfull, but skillwise a very demanding software.

For everyone I recommend CircuitLab a very usefull and easy-to-use little programme!

Regarding Operating Systems(this can come in handy in our Raspberry Pi exploratons):

Absolute beginner: If you have Windows stick to it, if you have a Mac well things might be a little more difficult for you but hang in there! More and more programms are incorporating Mac compatibility and in the meantime we are here for you!

Intermediate/Advanced: Linux,cause it’s EVERYWHERE nowadays: PC,servers,smartphones (I’ve even heard of vending machines that run it) plus the infamous Raspberry Pi platform runs Linux.

Super Advanced Boss Level: Hehe aren’t you in for a treat.. for all of you OS wackos out there I have…. MINIX 3, I won’t even say more just look it up!!

-Whoa you weren’t kidding when you said there are a lot of stuff out there.

No I wasn’t. But hey,look at the bright side we’re done with the software part of tools!

-Thank God,…ehh I mean bummer 😦

I will let that slide,Mr. hypothetical reader but just this once!

**Note: Because I will be upgrading some of my equipment in the next few days/week(s) the hardware part of Tools is going to be uploaded a bit later (sorry in advance.)

Books: C++ Primer,Python for kids(not really a book for kids)