Phatch: photo batch processor

I already wrote about batch image processing some months ago. But then I demonstrated it on the example of the console utility ImageMagick. But now I found a great program - Phatch. Like ImageMagick it can use a very wide number of functions but does it with very simple user interface.



Download

Official site

ImageMagick: make the photocopies with your digital camera

Digital camera is the excellent device for making photocopies of any documents. In library for example. It is better then scanner because you can use it everywhere. I use Fuji s6550fd and Canon A95. But there is one problem - picture is not so contrast as you want. But you can use ImageMagick correct it and make images like from xerox.

For example I made the image with the help of Fuji s6500fd without flash and on ISO400.



Darkly, right? But we can quickly correct this with the command like that:
mogrify -format tif -monochrome -compress group4 -resize 1252x1800 -normalize -threshold 30% *.jpg

You can modify the -threshold option for change the contrast like you want.

The result will be like that:



Of course you can use it method for bath image processing. You can write the script for this very easy.

There you can find a full information about ImageMagick options:
http://www.imagemagick.org/script/command-line-options.php

Sweet Home 3D: move the furniture in your room

Sweet Home 3D is a great tool for planning design of your room.



You can download it here:
http://sourceforge.net/project/platformdownload.php?group_id=152568

After download you have unpack .tgz to /opt directory for install.

Use your phone as remote control for Ubuntu

If your phone supports Bluetooth you can use it as remote control for your Ubuntu system.

You can use program AnyRemote for this. First, download it from here:
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=162923
You also can download files from here:
anyremote_3.6-2_i386.deb
anyremote-data_3.6-2_i386.deb
anyRemote.jar
ganyremote_2.2-2_i386.deb

Install packages by double clicks. Then upload jar-file to your phone.

You must install pyBluez too:
sudo apt-get install python-bluez

Now you can launch ganyremote and see the icon on the panel. If you click it you can see the window with the programs list. Double click on item which programs you want to control.



After that launch the program on your phone and select Connect. Now your can control selected program from your phone. This is screenshot from Nokia E50:



Any additional information about the project you can find here:
http://anyremote.sourceforge.net/docs.html

Ubuntu 7.10 and Nokia E50

Nokia E50 is based on SymbianOS 9.1 (s60 by third generation). It's an awsome compact smartphone.



Now I tell you how to connect it to Ubuntu for synchronizing contacts and working with files via Bluetooth.

You can copy files to smartphone and from it very easy. You need simply click right mouse button on Bluetooth icon on the panel and select Browse Device. After that you can copy your files with the help of Nautilus file manager. Before this you have install obex packages:

sudo apt-get install obexfs gnome-vfs-obexftp



Then we can configure synchronise contacts on E50 and Evolution.

Add repositories:

deb http://opensync.gforge.punktart.de/repo/opensync-0.21/ feisty main
deb-src http://opensync.gforge.punktart.de/repo/opensync-0.21/ feisty main


Install GPG-key:

gpg --keyserver hkp://subkeys.pgp.net/ --recv-keys CB210090B029CB84
gpg --export CB210090B029CB84 | sudo apt-key add -


Update packages database:
sudo apt-get update

Then install:
sudo aptitude install opensyncutils opensync-plugin-evolution opensync-plugin-syncml multisync-tools multisync0.90 multisync-gui

Useing Multisync-gui (Programs -> Standards) for configure multisync.
1. Add new group: nokia
2. Add plugins Evolution and SyncML over OBEX client



Then configure plugins. You have know the MAC-adress of your smartphone
hcitool scan

Now you can something like that
XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX Phone name

Use multisync-gui, go to syncml-obex-client plugin and insert this text in the window:

<config>
<bluetooth_address>XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX</bluetooth_address>
<bluetooth_channel>10</bluetooth_channel>
<interface>0</interface>
<identifier>PC Suite</identifier>
<version>1</version>
<wbxml>1</wbxml>
<username></username>
<password></password>
<type>2</type>
<usestringtable>1</usestringtable>
<onlyreplace>0</onlyreplace>
<recvLimit>10000</recvLimit>
<maxObjSize>0</maxObjSize>
<contact_db>Contacts</contact_db>
<calendar_db>Calendar</calendar_db>
<note_db>Notes</note_db>
</config>


Where XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX is the MAC-adress of your smartphone.

That's all. Now you can press Update for synchronise.