Friday, October 14, 2011

Setting up StarDict dictionaries in i2Reader

ON YOUR COMPUTER (not a mobil device) Go Here to get the dictionay files:

http://xdxf.revdanica.com/down/
(You can get the dictionaries anywhere else you want)


Select the language in the first Search Parameters box.
(english to english for me)

Sort by Language (or however you want)

Change Download format to "StarDict"

Hit the Submit Button.

In the table below choose the dictionary you want.

Download the file.

Unzip the file.

Open the folder it creates.
Find the file that ends with ".dict.dz"
Change the "d" to a "g"

Now unzip that file to the directory with the other files.
(the one you are currently in)

Select the newly unziped ".dict" file and also the file with the ".idx"  extention.

Zip the two files together into a zip archive.

Open iTunes while your ipod touch or Iphone is hooked up and select your  device.

Open the apps section.

Select i2Reader in the apps area "File Sharing"at the lower portion of the  window, you should see all the books in your collection on the right hand  side.

Drop the zip file you made into the library area. (where you see the files)

Now open and close i2Reader then open it up again and it should add the  dictionary to your collection. (it should pop up a message "Library  Unpacking Archive".

In i2Reader go to Prefrences, in the dictionary section turn on use  dictionaries then in dictionaries in use select the dictionary files you  want to use. You can run as many as you want at one time.

Next time you are reading a book hold your finger on a word and the  dictionary will pop up a definition. You can also do the same IN the  definition box!

Note: Alternatly you can upload the zip file to i2Reader using i2Readers  Http upload or FTP interface if you do not want to use iTunes

i2Reader, Stanza Replacement for iOS 5 Users

I have switched to i2Reader. Surprised that nobody has mentioned this one.
I have used Stanza for years and it has always been my favorite. i2Reader
is as good and in some cases better than Stanza.

Included:
You can customize almost everything, not just text color, but color of main
text separately from headline text and italics, footnotes etc.

You can choose from a lot of fonts, I did not count but would estimate
maybe 60 or so.

You can choose font size by slider or specify by point size.

You can choose background color, overlay a picture with slider controlled
opacity.

You can save unlimited styles you make or use the pre-configured ones.
Switch in Book while reading by double tapping the page.

There is a custom status line setup which shows any combo of time,
progress bar, page number or percentage of book read and all this can be
separately color and size controlled. Or removed completely.

Full Screen Reading option.
Animate-able page turns or the ability to turn them off, also the ability for

tap zones if you don't like sliding the page and the ability to Define where
the tap zones are on the page.

Sleep mode or Not.

Orientation Lock for both directions, you choose or let it rotate.

The library can have indexes (the letters to quickly get down large library
pages like Stanza).

Large cover icons or small.

Auto grouping of books, by metadata.

Option to open book at startup or not.

Choice of TXT encoding... the list is Sooooooo Long!

You can Sort the library by Author, Title, Sequence, Sequence #, Publisher,
Publishing Series, Generas. One at a time or all at once. Although you have
to go into Prefrence tab to change. I just sort. "Author, Title,Sequence,
Sequence #" so everything is in order.

In the library there is no author folders like Stanza, but with the sorting
turned on everything in the list shows up together if your metadata is correct.

ALSO ON THE LIBRARY PAGE YOU CAN SEARCH!!! FIND STUFF FAST!

NETWORK STUFF

A built in web browser.

OPDS Libraries. (they put in Feedbooks, you add whatever you want.)

Shared Libraries to use with Calibre and i2Librian. (Calibre a little wonky for large libraries but you can still use iTunes drag and drop, but will have to restart iTunes every 400 books or so.) This is an iTunes Problem and did the same with Stanza.

A built in FTP server to upload books to your device.
HTTP Server to upload books to your device.

Dictionaries!!! You can add as many as you want (StarDict format), and use
one at a time or all at once, you choose.

Supports bookmarks with names, has a page with history of last 5 books
opened and new books added and a button called "Bookmarks in Library" so
you can get into whichever book you want to read where you left off.

The one bug I have found is that when visiting hyperlinked footnotes I have
trouble using the link back, but I always bookmark before following and
then use the bookmark to get back, I just call the bookmark "q" every time
and overwrite it.

Also no Sharing function from in the app.

All in all I will say this beats the hell out of Bluefire and all the rest of the readers out there,
but I will miss Stanza.

One more thing it's $4.99 U.S.D from the app store.

But worth it!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Invisible Tigers: Never Invite them for dinner.

Recently I had the pleasure / displeasure of helping to babysit two Bengal Tigers.
One catch, a good amount of the time they were invisible. 
I am not a tiger expert by ANY means, but left in a dark place with a big tiger that nobody can really see and told to make sure nobody gets hurt makes you a little freaked out. Why you ask?
Well...
When a tiger is invisible everyone wants to see it so they all get REALLY close to it's cage.
(the tiger can reach out about 3 feet to grab whatever it thinks will taste good)
I'm telling you, people will stick their face right up to the cage. Then, since we are in the dark everyone wants to get out their flashlight and shine it into the tiger's face - if they can find it.

Now, I can't be completely sure about this, but I would venture to guess from the sounds they make, that tigers don't like having lights shining in their faces!

Also it's probably not a good idea to hang out too close to the cage if you are dressed up as a duck!

Luckily nobody got eaten, although when the tigers WERE visible one guy walked by and the tiger scratched a road case he was carrying, had the case been in the other hand it would have been his leg! I don't think he even noticed!

One other thing. It turns out that tigers like to mark their territory, and when you are a tiger EVERYWHERE YOU GO is your territory!
They do this by pissing on everything in sight!
Plus another little known tiger fact... they have scent glands distributed in various places around their bodies, one is located for easy piss access.

Also when you are a tiger you don't piss like everyone else... No you gotta be spectacular so you piss out a spray like a jet that travels up 8 feet high on the walls, doors, floor, and everything and everyone in the room - and you make that scent gland really count because you want everyone to know you have been there for a long long time to come!
Tigers at work earning their Chicken
Hey buddy you look delicious!


Needless to say they are cool but make bad dinner guest!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Stupid of the Day 9/25/11

I am not very social, as such I never thought of writing a blog before, but today I decided that I would jot a few words down on one of my favorite subjects: STUPID PEOPLE.


It's 7am Sunday morning, too early for stupid? Not by any measure. Stupid operates 24/7 365.

I sit sipping a cup of coffee at my local Starbucks (can you say endorsement).
A woman walks in and starts ordering drinks, she has come in from a car parked outside. A Prius.
Problem? Yes.
I look outside to see that the car is parked facing the wrong direction on the street, if this is not bad enough - the curb is painted red for the whole block! The side of the street where she came from has ample parking with the addition of 2 parking lots. She had to go out of her way to park on the wrong side.

The lady waits for her order. Five minutes go by.
I say to Stupid Lady: "Hey you know your car is facing the wrong direction and is parked in the red zone?"
No reaction.
I look back at the car, her husband sits waiting. Hmmm. Then I notice in the back seat, a young child.
A girl around 7 or 8 years old.

A few more minutes go by. I can't take it.
There are plenty of stupid people around but the thought that they are going to pass stupid down to the next generation makes me so angry I just have to say something!

I get up and walk out to the car. I lean down to the window and address the guy in the car.

Me: "Excuse me, do you think that you are special? I see that you are parked in the red facing the wrong direction?"

Stupid Guy turns to his daughter in the back seat and says: "He's a hater", then rolls up the window.
I go back into the coffee shop and Stupid Woman is walking out, she looks to me and says:
"Are you happy now?"

No I'm not, you are still Stupid!

We ARE in a theater.

Debbie Reynolds called me "not gay" today.
My girlfriend always says I'm a real man, I guess I can believe her now!