The e-home of Adam Saunders

Paintballing weekend!

Adam Saunders — 2010-08-16T13:54:12.4966Z

I've not done paintballing in a while. I've sided on air-soft instead for some time, but an opportunity came up and seemed a fantastic way to catch up with my paintballing skills.. I lack thereof perhaps :-)

I'm entering into the Tippmann Challenge (http://www.tippmannchallengeuk.com/) on the weekend of the 28th and 29th August. It only cost £55 and included the kit! Thanks to Mick Beeby for the tip!! So now I'm getting really excited about going as I read more and more about all the events going on over the two days. The great thing is that it all sounds like it will run at what ever pace you choose. Its a 6 hour game, so you just come on and off when you feel like it.

So I've been shopping at Millets to buy a tent and dusting off my old kit which seems to be in reasonable order for once. The tent is slightly over sized but planning to reuse some other time, probably next summer..

Been naughty again. Not posted in a while..

Adam Saunders — 2010-07-12T13:39:32.333Z

What can I say... Been very naughty and not written a blog post in a while. It's probably more for good reasons than bad as Neetrix is starting to take off and the feedback has been brilliant. Still loads to do, but have a number of small businesses using Neetrix to run their businesses. We're are currently going through the second phase where the interface is having an overhaul now that the core is stable. The recent completion of the Trial Balance report for Neetrix Accounting has been a significant milestone that has proven the accuracy and stability of the system. These new enhancements will provide a far faster administration area, reduce our code-base for quicker implementations of new features, and hugely improve the ease of use of the system. In every respect, its very exciting.

I've also been trying to get the 2nd and 3rd piano pieces down on paper. That's been on the back burner for ages, but has recently had a bit of a burst of progress. I'm looking forward to publishing them up on this site as soon as they are done so I can put them to the side and work on my next stuff with the piano. (my reading speed has taken a small blow because of the focus on writing theory).

One thing I have managed to do recently is sort out a twitter background for my personal twitter account.. It's been long overdue! Check it out http://www.twitter.com/_AdamSaunders.

Cyanogen Mod. Android ROM version 6 totally rocks!

Adam Saunders — 2010-07-12T13:54:01.9862Z

I finally got to install the latest release candidate Android ROM for Nexus One on to my phone. When I say finally, it was only released yesterday, but I've been wanting to install this since I first glimpsed a . It wasn't too long ago that I had installed Modaco's Froyo build because I wanted to get the benefits of some of the enhancements that were made in Android 2.2.

The Cyanogen Mod is THE most popular build and the ease of rooting and installing this build of Android is incredibly easy and just seems to get easier and easier.

I don't want to get into all the things that the Cyanogen team have put into this build, but its lightening quick and some of the features are just amazing. The AWD Launcher has matured well, and is now my default launcher, and the advanced settings are very cool indeed.

What's most significant with this release of Android is not only does it have a HUGE community of developers and testers behind it, but it also will be made available on lots of Android phones including the original G1 (one of the first android phones) and the HTC Hero GSM (great because HTC have been CRAP at keeping their devices up to date).

I'm now looking forward to Gingerbread where Google will be adding some significant UI enhancements.. Sounds familiar.. its exactly where we are with Neetrix at the moment :-)

Android 2.2.. iPhone and iPad are officially fried.

Adam Saunders — 2010-05-20T17:47:41.4952Z

I've not posted a new blog in a while, and that is because I've simply been very busy, but when something so unbelievable comes along, I just have to post it up.. So today my long break away from posting has been broken with the announcement of Android 2.2

Watch the video below for a quick overview of what they have added. It's simply everything smart devices should have without the compromises and control that has been the biggest thorn in the side with Apple.

And this video quickly sumarises what's new with Android 2.2.

Put quite simply, the iPhone and iPad are a destination of dismay. They have a huge following at the moment but Apple aren't innovating and these alternative platforms are just getting leaps and bounds ahead in capability and usefulness.

2nd and 3rd Movement (Piano)

Adam Saunders — 2010-04-02T10:13:50.1386659Z

Well, I'm almost finished the 2nd movement of "unknown" (still don't have a name yet). Its drawing the story into a darker theme than the first, which means the 3rd and final movement needs to bring things right back up and beyond to finish in the right way. The good news is that I've already got some ideas for the 3rd and final piece, and its a lot more complex than the other two.. but it needs to be as I need to subtly encompass their themes into music.

I'm going to start scoring the 2nd movement very soon, and hopefully have some of the first drafts up on here. I just wish I had more time to work on these, I'm finding the entire theory and practice fascinating. I've certainly come to realise just how hard it is to do film scoring at the levels of John Williams, Howard Shore, Hans Zimmer, Dan Elfman and David Arnold etc.

Android Apps That I Use

Adam Saunders — 2010-03-12T10:57:26.2513836Z

I thought I'd list the apps that I use on my Nexus One Android phone (In no particular order). Some people ask now and again, but really want to list them so I don't forget next time I do a factory reset :-)

Apps
- Gesture Search
  Google Inc.
- Google Earth
  Google Inc.
- Google Maps
  Google Inc.
- Places Directory
  Google Inc.
- Google Sky Map
  Google Inc.
- Handcent SMS (NEW)
  handcent_admin
- K-9 Mail (dropped for time being as using Gmail)
  K-9 Team
- CoPilot Live Navigation (UK+IRE)
  ALK Technologies Ltd
- MixZing Music Player
  MixZing
- Droid Live Lite
  Visual Blasters
- Last.fm - Personal Radio
  Last.fm Ltd.
- Barcode Scanner
  ZXing Team
- Mileage
  Evan Charlton
- GDocs Notepad With Sync
  mobdev, inc.
- Tricorder
  Moonblink
- Seesmic for Twitter
  Seesmic
- Meebo IM
  meebo
- DailyStrip
  FuseTree LLC
- RemoteSMS Full
  ct-designs
- Bluetooth File Transfer
  Medieval Software
- Advanced Task Killer
  ReChild
- ColorFlashLight Fun Flashlight
  Notes
- PDaNet free edition
  Jne Fabrics Technology Inc.
- Compass
  Snaptic
- NetCounter
  Cyril Jaquier
- beebPlayer
  David Johnston
- ASTRO File Manager
  Metago
- GPS Tracker
  InstaMapper LLC
- android-vnc-viewer
  androidVNC team
- RealCalc Scientific Calculator
  Brian Overspill
Games
- Space Physics
  Camel Games
- Jewels
  MHGames
- Solitaire
  Ken Magic
- Abduction
  psym Mobile
Widgets
- Gmail Unread Count
  Alexander Blom
- DigiClock Widget
  David Goemans

If you think you know better alternatives to the ones above please make a comment in the comment section. Also if you think you have found real gems you think I should look at let everyone know in the comments too!

Oh, this is so tempting! Nexus One Custom Skin

Adam Saunders — 2010-03-10T15:23:46.3699836Z

I was reading some articles about Google Nexus One vs HTC Desire to see what people thought about HTC Sense on a device as powerful as the Nexus One when someone mentioned the website GelaSkins.

This is SO tempting (I'll have to do a proper image as this was just a very quick mock up to test it out)

Having customisation like this is godly for a high-end phone. Certianly makes it stand out of the crowd and couldn't mistake it for anyone elses!

"Love the tune. What about in the minor?"

Adam Saunders — 2010-02-09T00:28:29.0704Z

So I finally submitted the score to my piano instructor whom asked if I would play it in the minor. I've not been able to do that before and it came out perhaps not as good as in A-Major, but none-the-less interesting when played in A-Minor. You can listen to it below.

- in A Minor

Newest Piano Tune. Part 2

Adam Saunders — 2010-02-08T12:55:54.0712Z

I finished most of the new tune. Not thought of a name yet, and there is still plenty to do yet. Some parts I'm not totally happy with, but its getting there. It's called Unknown #2 because I haven't thought of a title yet. You can also hear what the first written score would generally sound like at the bottom of this post.

Here is the score:

Unknown #2 - By Adam Saunders

You can listen to it below. The second one is played at a more intermediate speed. Its very difficult to play this piece at the faster speed. It's technically possible, but would require a lot more practice and experience. I've created the second one to show how it would sound at a more honest tempo, and its also the speed I've actually put on the time signiture of the score.

- Quick tempo

- Intermediate tempo

I've also added what the previous tune "Commencons" sounds like. This is played by a computer so not quite as good as a human playing it. It really needs the flow and variable tempo a human can add to it.

If you have any feeback, think any part you just aren't sure about, be sure to leave a comment. I can't improve without knowing what people think.

Next tune in the works!

Adam Saunders — 2010-02-07T17:36:39.8826Z

I'm currently going through the process of writing my next tune. Been trying different scoring software and ended up using Sibelius which is actually an app used a lot in schools. It takes a lot of practice to start writing music quickly. I'm not totally convinced on the interface. An opensource application called MuseScore has a much easier input method but it was just too buggy unfortunately.

Next thing to get is a MIDI to USB cable so I can make note entry easier. (At least I hope). This week is getting rather anxious for me as I've got to play my first scrored music in public and to someone from the Royal School of Music. So I'm spending all this weekend writing up my second piece and practicing the first one... and biting nails of course..

Google Nexus One or HTC Bravo/Desire. Does Sense make sense?

Adam Saunders — 2010-01-27T12:15:43.5901855Z

There are a lot of Android phones coming from HTC and the Nexus One is a big deal when it comes to the progress of Android as a smartphone platform. Google are so "in to" the Nexus One they want to call it a superphone, but I'm not buying into that term. Its a smartphone, because it can do much more than a normal mobile phone. It doesn't matter how powerful the device may be, its actual functionality hasn't changed.. It just does it quicker and with more pizzaz. That isn't a new breed.

It hasn't been long before the Nexus One is out that trickles of information about the HTC Bravo are hitting the tech blogs and from what has been rumoured, the HTC Bravo is exactly the same as the Nexus One except it has a track pad rather than a track ball, and it has the highly regarded HTC Sense installed.

That does sound like a recipe to quickly top the Nexus, but I'm questioning if that really is the case. I have to say that I do like the idea of a track pad instead of a track ball mainly because of its aesthetics. Functionally however they are merely identical, and as a long term HTC Hero user I do think its an important feature as it does make the finer selections (esspecially inputting text) far less frustrating than using a chubby finger to hit that 1mm² block between characters, and more accurate when selecting items in a list whilst on the move. So I suppose what I'm saying here is that the Bravo has Sense and the Nexus One does not... Is this a reason to go for a Bravo.. Perhaps not, and I'll explain why.

Sense made absolute sense for Android 1.x. The platform was lacking in style and user functionality and friendliness. 1.x was a platform for the geek, and as such Sense gave the lick of paint and additionaly functionality such as multi-touch to everyone else. Basically, it made the HTC handsets attractive to the world. Now comes along Android 2.1, and Google have done a great job in improving the interface to attract the wider market. They've added more panes on the home screen and improved on the overall feel of the OS.

So this is the important stuff. Sense gives you the built in apps, but in all honesty I've stopped using almost all of them. Within the market there are better apps. I use K9 for email, Handcent SMS for text messaging and Mixzing as my media player. Now 2.1 gives contact integration and the photo/video album gives improved integration with online services, I simply find it impossible to see what Sense is really giving me.

One thing for sure, however, is that Sense is probably giving me more of a headache. I've had the HTC Hero for quite some time, and because it has Sense the firmware updates need to comes from HTC (I don't want to use baked ROMs). This should have been all fine except HTC have become TOO slow in releasing updates to the handsets meaning that I can't get to use the new Android 2.1 when everyone else is. I can't see this changing for the Bravo, and hence why at this time I actually thing getting a Nexus One would be a smarter move. The focus by Google on user friendliness and funtionality blurs the lines of Sense, and the quick over-the-air updates mean that you'd get all the latest as it happens.

Finished my first music score

Adam Saunders — 2010-01-18T13:54:35.2616Z

For a little while I've been taken piano lessons to learn to read music. I've been composing my own music for a long time, but I've never been able to write it before. It was an interesting challenge set by my teacher to take an intro from a Yann Tierson piece and compose my own based on his influence. I've played a few of his d'Amelie film score tunes and built a liking to his style.

Writing music has taught me a lot of music theory. Here is my first composition!

Commençons - By Adam Saunders

The reason for the name is that as a tribute to the influence of Yann Tierson and this is my first written composition I've called it "Let's Begin" in French, "Commençons".

This isn't too difficult to play except a couple of bars and would probably be classed at only Grade 4 or 5. None-the-less I'm playing this to an instructor at the Royal School or Music next month. Extremely nerve racking.. not only because its my own composition but I've not played in front of strangers before.