Small GeoFeeder Updates

After quite some time, i managed to add some updates to GeoFeeder.

All of this “just in time” for the code signing certificate to run out end of next month. I’m still struggling to find good reasons to get a new certidicate. Donations anyone? ;-)


GeoFeeder now officially signed

With the new, official certificate from Chosen Security, i created a new version of GeoFeeder (with only an increased version number) with my new certificate. Then used

..\sdks\3.2.0\bin\adt -migrate -storetype pkcs12 -keystore self_signed_cert.p12 GeoFeeder_121.air GeoFeeder_121_certswitch.air

to manually wrap it with the old, self-signed signature. This way an update can be verified by the installed version (via the old “outer” signature) and on-thy-fly migrated to the new cert (via the new inner signature).


Code-signing AIR applications and migration

Adobe granted me a free code signing certificate (for 1 year):

GeoFeeder install wirh certificate

Things are a little less “red” now.

The first mail stated i should go to Thawte (which i had used for webserver certs multiple times) and apply for a cert. Ok, setup an account, added all info, submitted on 21st of february.  On 23rd they told me, they cannot “verify my business name in the official databases used” (freelancers in germany are not registered). Mailed my story, had two phone calls. I found out they wouldn’t issue a cert for “unregistered, non-company” people, but if i would register with DUNS/UPIK they could verify my identity for free – after a processing time of ~4weeks!! Ok, registered, submitted my data, received registration number. After 4 weeks mailed Thawte about my cert: still nothing visible. It is “up to me to wait longer or to quit with Thawte”. I quitted.

In the meantime i had received another mail from Adobe on 12nd of march: “Please apply for a free TC Publisher ID from Chosen Security”. Mailed back, i was in the process of going with thawte, and would like to wait for it’s outcome.

After the above story, i decided on 25th of march to go with Chosen Security. Applied on 26th, faxed my id-card, had to mail it again (due to bad fax reception) on 31st and received my certificate 2 hours later.

Thawte: 5 weeks, no certificate.

Chosen Security: 6 days (including weekend), 1 year certificate.

Chosen would have even been 1 third cheaper (if i had to pay for it ;-) ).


Trip to Dublin

I was invited to Dublin for 2 days.

I departed at around zero degrees with snowfall and arrived at a felt 15degree Celsius more. Had blue sky and a really warm day on friday. Saturday was a bit misty, windy and ~10deg. I took the bus to O’Connell street on both days. Then did the Dublin Bus Tour (with the green busses, make sure you take one with live commentary, this is way more fun than the taped alternative). Stepped off at Guiness Brewery and had the obligatory pint in the Gravity Bar. I returned on saturday.

This also was a good chance to test a GPS-logger (“old” Royaltech RBT-3000) and Geosetter to automatically geocode all photos taken. I then uploaded them to flickr and Google webalbums:

  • Geocoding the photos was really easy. Setup the timezone and let it go. Please check the photo on the bridge over Liffey: matching perfectly!
  • Get flickr uploader, start and setup. Get the flickr upload button for Picasa and install it.
  • The flickr uploader first exports the images, then starts the uploader. You then need to transfer. This takes some time …
  • Mark your images in picasa, press upload, set image size, visibility, folder and go!
  • Took me quite some time to get flickr use the coordinates in the EXIF-data: “Your account/Privacy & Permissions/Defaults for new uploads/Import EXIF location data” . Be sure to do this before you upload the images. Picasa handles this automatically.

Remarks:

  • Picasa sports a simple workflow. Import images, select, upload. Very easy, very straightforward. Map behaves as expected, shows little image previews on the map. The map button is a bit hard to find.
  • Flickr is a bit more complicated. Things i didn’t like: “use EXIF” not being the default. Uploading takes more time. Map doesn’t use mousewheel for zoom. Map only shows “one row” of images.

See both versions on flickr and Picasa webalbums.


Experimenting with Google-Adsense

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As you might have noticed, i added something to the blog …

It’s more or less an experiment to see if and what will happen on a (very) special-interest site like mine …