Tales of a modern life: 2015-09

2015-09-24

The perfect messenger

There are so many messengers around but none of them seems to meet the criteria I have for a reasonably secure messenger.
Since this gets discussed over and over again, here are:

My Requirements for a messenger service

security

If there are one or many central operators/brokers/hubs, they can not read ANY messages past, present or future
encryption is always end to end.
I can change between my different devices and continue a chat (key exchange between my devices)
end to end encrypted group chats (this basically means changing keys and distributing them to all participants whenever someone joins or parts)

privacy

I can have multiple full identities (not just usernames as aliases that share a profile image+text+contacts-list)
I can receive and send messages as all my identities at the same time (no logout+login)
Nobody can find out IF I am using this type of messenger at all by knowing my phone number
Neither my phone number nor any other information about my real world identity are stored with the operator (exception for temporary storage of IPv6/IPv4 addresses)
optional: If there are one or many central operators/brokers/hubs, they can not know the identities that communicate with each other
optional: I can set up my own server/hub/broker

usability

texts, images and locations can be shared
one to one and group chat
there is a chat history that I can access from all my devices (my be stored encrypted with my own key on a server or local on the client)
optional: videos can be shared
optional: voice and/or video -chat
optional: voice and/or video group-chat

2015-09-19

The USB port on my generation 1 Nexus 7 tablet (with GSM SIM card) was getting wonky and more often then not it refused to charge.
Luckily the replacement part is cheap.

...while at it I got myself a very nice set of phone-opening tools with scratch-free plastic hooks, spatulas, suction cups, wedges, cleaning tools, scalpels, metric <2mm a="" and="" full="" nbsp="" of="" p="" screwdrivers="" set="" tiny="" torxes="">...I just can't resist a good set of tools.

2015-09-11

Ciclop 3D scanner

old and busted: FabScan

I have a FabScan Cube (build from the kit sold at Wattenrott) for quite some time now. However I'm massively disappointed by the software. The last software (100.9) that supports MacOS is neolithic and can no longer be used since MacOS 10.9 "Mavericks".
There is a processing script to use the scanner but calibrating it is a game of guessing and source code manipulation. If I got a scan out of it at all (very touchy about environmental light), it was all ball shaped and incomplete.
A new software (that requires a Raspberry Pi) was promised to be released half a year ago...it never happened.

new: Ciclop

http://diwo.bq.com/en/presentacion-ciclop-horus/

So being fed up with the FabScan, I got myself a completely new Ciclop scanner as a factory made kit. The parts are 3D printed very well and everything more or less fits.
You can 3D print the parts yourself and just get an electronics kit and a number of nuts, bolts and (metric) threaded rods.

The scanner is not stable against torsion forces. So it must rest on a perfectly flat surface.
The stepper movement is not very gentle. So any flexible object will move around during scanning.
It does require 2 USB ports and 1 power socket (to power the stepper motor).

Horus

Horus is the software that is supposed to operate with the Ciclop.
It looks very easy to use but seems to still have some practival issues in doing the automatic calibration. Notable one but where it will constantly tell you that the stepper direction is wrong.

I haven't gotten it to scan using 2 (or more) lasers yet as this results in 2 scans that don't match up at all. With a single laser it has a very limited scan volume and your object should contain all parts of the axis of rotation inside itself but it does work.
I haven't gotten around to check if the physical dimensions as replicated precisely yet and that there are no distortions.

Tales of a modern life