The Library Mole

Use Flickr API and PHP to randomly post a Photostream Photo

Keith Welch — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:37:40 +0000

This short PHP program will randomly select and display a photo from your Flickr photostream each time the page is refreshed. This requires you to have the Phlickr module installed on your server, of course. Your Flickr api keys should be defined in file authtoken.dat, and should have the format:

api_key=adfe5cd20aeed11f8b9d4360adb6
api_secret=5dd510900c175
api_token=7215762551368-80130bcc9cfa29ef

Use your own api_key, _secret, and _token in place of these (fake) ones.

You can see this script working at my web page http://www.shufawest.us/kiosk/kiosk_4.php.

define(‘API_CONFIG_FILE’, ‘./authtoken.dat’);

include_once ‘Phlickr/Api.php’;
include_once ‘Phlickr/AuthedPhotosetList.php’;
include_once ‘Phlickr/PhotoList.php’;
#create an api object from the keys in file authtoken.dat

$api = Phlickr_Api::createFrom(API_CONFIG_FILE);

# Check to see if the logon is accepted

if (! $api->isAuthValid()) {
die(‘invalid flickr logon’);
}

# request a list of all your photos

$request = $api->createRequest(
‘flickr.photos.search’,
array(
‘tag_mode’ => ‘all’,
‘user_id’ => $api->getUserId()
)
);

# create a list object from the results of the search
$pl = new Phlickr_PhotoList($request, Phlickr_PhotoList::PER_PAGE_MAX);

# make sure some photos were found by the search
$count = $pl->getCount();

if ($count == 0) {
print “No photos could be found.
”;
}

# select a random photo from the list
$rndPhoto = $pl->getRandomPhoto( );
?>

Snapshots

buildImgUrl(‘-’); ?>
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I Buy a Kindle

Keith Welch — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:52:41 +0000

So I finally broke down and bought an ebook reader – something I really didn’t need, but NEED doesn’t really enter into it when you’re a gadget-head.

I bought the $139 Kindle 3, which comes with wireless but no 3G. Being a computer professional (cough, cough) means I am bathed in wireless radiation almost 24/7, and since the Kindle memory will hold 3500 books (says Amazon), I figured the 3G was hardly worth the extra $50.

What can I say? I love the thing. Especially it’s ability to change the font size, which is especially important for proto-geezers like myself who wear bifocals. The contrast is perfectly acceptable, even in the semi-darkness of my bedroom, where much reading occurs.

The entire unit is about the same size as a trade paperback, and much thinner. It’s easy to hold in one hand, especially since I also bought the official Kindle cover (expensive at $35, but well-constructed).

The page advance buttons could be in better locations, but that is a minor kvetch. After using it for a while I was so comfortable that I caught myself attempting to turn pages instead of using the buttons.

The web browser is clumsy, since there is no trackpad or joystick. I tried it a few times, and the best you can say is that it works. I doubt if it will get much use. The voice which will read the text to you can be chosen as either male or female. Either one is pleasant enough, if mechanical. Again, this is a less-than-useful feature for me.

The issue of protecting copyright is a problem, as numerous copyrighted works are readily available on various bittorent sites (which I will not name here). The Kindle will display a variety of document types, none of which present a problem to the determined viewer.

Will ebook readers replace books? I can easily see them replacing non-collectible books, paperbacks, popular novels, computer books, and the like. At the moment I feel that ebooks and ebook readers are still too expensive. People who either require the convenience or have lots of spare cash will buy them, most others will wait.

Update on the Google Books project

Keith Welch — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:40:53 +0000

The Case Against Google Books

How three East Bay librarians led the revolt against the company’s plans to archive all earthly knowledge.

By Chris Thompson

October 14, 2009

Google has empowered ordinary citizens beyond anything once thought possible. Thanks to Google, you can view your home from space, track flu outbreaks around the country, or figure out traffic congestion along your commute route, all instantaneously and without spending a single dime. And the company’s motto, “Don’t Be Evil,” underscores an undeniable civic-mindedness. Its nonprofit arm, Google.org, invests in green electricity start-ups. Goats graze the company’s lawns to reduce its carbon footprint. And yet, despite the company’s best efforts, there’s just something about Google that gives some people the heebie-jeebies.

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/gyrobase/the_case_against_google_books/Content?oid=1211860&page=1

NYT Article on the Google Books Project

Keith Welch — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:15:26 +0000

Since my employer is a partner in this project, I link here to the latest NYT article.

E-Books…the long sad story…

Keith Welch — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:11:13 +0000

A history of the E-book, from Ars Technica. An interesting analysis from someone who’s been in since the beginning of the format.

Windows Vista Sidebar Gadgets are Pretty Pointless

Keith Welch — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:11:44 +0000

…and yet I wrote one anyway, just to try it out: App Killer

Stopping VirusRemover2008

Keith Welch — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:57:09 +0000

Once again some major fool has created more work for me…this time, a client intemperately clicking a link in Huffingtonpost.com’s comment section has installed an app called ViruRemover2008, supposedly an antiviral program, but in reality an annoying piece of malware. Pop-ups continually distract you indicating that there are viruses on your computer. To ‘fix’ this problem, you are advised to purchase the full version of VirusRemover2008. VR2008 will never stop asking you, and will not allow itself to be uninstalled. This is a business model?

So I spent some time trying to remove the program fragments in the manner suggested at Symantec.com, but I never did find them. SAV might have found and deleted them by the time I arrived on the scene, or the VR2008 author may have read the same page and changed his code. The virus was only active in a single user’s profile, so the actual fix was:

let Symantec AV do its thing
copy the user’s profile
delete the user’s profile
after making sure the problem is gone, restore the user’s desktop items and internet favorites.

So far, that has worked. Try not to get too angry.

Another Day, Another Outlook 2007 Crash

Keith Welch — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:08:51 +0000

Here’s the symptom (Windows Vista, Outlook 2007):

Corrupt Outlook.ost file error message

The Solution: Delete file c:\users\USERNAME\appdata\local\microsoft\outlook\outlook.ost.

When you restart Outlook, it will act as though you are opening the app for the first time. You won’t lose any of your settings. I take that back – I lost the ‘auto-complete’ list for previously used addresses.

BFlex 2008

Keith Welch — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:55:21 +0000

I attended the annual BFlex this weekend, and I think a good time was had by all. The intermediate-level class I attended, taught by Adobe’s Matt Boles, was chock-full of useful information I might not have considered in my usual self-study. I definitely plan to attend next year, even though I didn’t win any raffle items (as usual). The pizza was still free, and I ate too much of it (also, as usual).

Installing Infotrieve Ariel under Windows Vista

Keith Welch — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:52:50 +0000

I wrote a little instruction set for this task, since it was a bit of a pain. You can download the MS Word Doc from the URL:

http://www.indiana.edu/~libcasd/ariel-vista.doc.

/updated 7/24/2008