Experience Virtual Reality (VR) with Google Cardboard (India)

Google Cardboard is an inexpensive intro to Virtual Reality(VR). See this video to get an idea of what it is.

The design/specification for the headset was released by Google sometime ago - while you can build your own headset based on the design, you can also buy one from a third-party manufacturer.

All it takes is:

• A compatible mobile e.g. Moto G2
• An inexpensive headset that is based on Google Cardboard's design and
• The Google Cardboard app and other games, experiences

Compatible mobile

• Maximum display size of 5.5"
• HD display is good, 720 is ok
• Gyroscope (check if yours has one by using an Android app like Sensor Kinetics)
• Magnetometer desirable, not compulsory (this works with a button at the side; this is the only input mechanism)
• In my experience, Moto G2 is a compatible mobile.

Buying the headset

• The plastic one named AuraVR is sturdy, but the locking mechanism is fragile.
• Irusu is a cardboard set with PVC coating and may last longer.

Apps

• Install the Google Cardboard app - this is like a controller for other apps that you actually view or play with. 
• Then, install a game like Lamper VR or view YouTube360 video clips.

Mattel View-Master

In the US, a good quality viewer is available - Mattel View-Master. You can buy the viewer and also the apps that Mattel sells, or choose to just get their viewer and use free apps. The viewer doesn't have a head strap though - it needs to be held with both hands which some may feel diminishes the experience.

Google Cardboard 2.0

Google Cardboard is currently at version 2.0 - the original one was 1.0. Here's what's new in 2.0:

• Support for mobiles with a display size of 6"
• Push button that taps the mobile's screen
• Larger lens

The above links to headsets are for the 1.0 version, however the experience is good enough. As of now, headsets for 2.0 are hard to find in India.

How to help students learn and remember

Like many people, I am interested in how we learn and had these questions:

• How to help students learn concepts, apart from facts and problem-solving?
• How to help students remember what they have learnt?

Understand concepts in every classroom session

Eric Mazur, a professor at Harvard, found his lectures to be ineffective and devised a system for students to understand concepts. Though he applied his method to Physics classes, it may be modified to suit other subjects. After the system was used for ten years in various universities, it was modified based on feedback.

Watch Prof. Mazur explain his method (full video, abridged), or read his original article and the modified one. For convenience, I have summarized his argument and method below:

• Lecturing adds value only if the teacher is exceptional in engaging students - even a talented and experienced professor like Mazur could not cut it with just conventional lectures which is why he came up with the system.
• Students pass exams with rote learning and by memorizing problem solving techniques without understanding concepts well. Conversely, understanding concepts leads to better problem solving capability.
• In his method, the teacher no longer covers the entire lecture material in the class. Rather, the teacher explains a key concept and conducts a concept test.
• If most students answer correctly, he explains the answer and then goes on to the next concept.
• If a significant number of students haven't understood, he repeats the lecture at a slower pace, and conducts the concept test again.
• Students read lecture notes before class, and work out problems after class.
• The system could be adapted for lower classes to reduce/eliminate work done outside class.

Techniques used in the system

Spaced repetition: read this post which describes it and has links to related material. For effective use of spaced repetition, a semester must have at least one, or possibly two, mid-term tests. Otherwise, the student would have forgotten the first few lessons at the time of the final semester exams.

Another important aspect of the system is the immediate feedback that the student gets. Read this inspiring story of how good training and timely feedback helped kids from a humble background to win chess tournaments in the US.

In India, similar techniques have been used through the ages - in education, in the teaching of fine arts, Yoga etc.

Other learning techniques

Teachers could assign projects that test understanding of concepts (parents may help as long as children learn).

At home, students must revisit and recall what was learnt in class (Spaced Repetition again).

Students can also be asked to do the following:

• Create mind maps.
• Create learning material using flash cards or software like Anki, which can be used for Spaced Repetition.
• Explain the subject to oneself or to an imaginary student. Till the student is sure about the topic, it's important to check against the book to know whether the student got it right.

Parents too may use the same principles at home to help children learn and remember. Learning is a vast topic, there's a lot to discuss.

Android mobile + Chromecast + LED TV

Chromecast is a flash drive sized device that has wifi capability to get data from your network and display it on TV.

It has a USB port for charging and an HDMI port to connect to the TV. It can be controlled by your device (mobile, desktop or laptop) with the help of a Chromecast app. Except in some cases, your device is just a controller and the data is directly pulled by Chromecast via wifi - so if the device is your mobile, its charge is not used up.

Photo courtesy: Google

Not all apps work with Chromecast. However, there are many apps that do - Chrome browser, Youtube and more.

To sum up, this is what you need:

• Wi-fi network
• Chromecast
• LED TV

Scenarios in which Chromecast is helpful:

• Big screen is required e.g. watching movies, reading a document
• You have a mobile, have to type more and are not satisfied with the smaller screen.
• You have a desktop/laptop but need a second, relaxed position to work

For a wireless setup, use a Bluetooth keyboard with touchpad, or see the FAQ on how to use a wired/wireless USB keyboard.

The Chromecast page has a few short videos on how to setup and use Chromecast.

FAQ

* Which versions of Android are supported?
Android 4.4.2 and later. (Android 4.4 is known as KitKat.)

* If I travel, or don't have a wifi modem, what are the options?
Chromecast can be used if there are two devices - both could be yours, or one could be your mobile and the other a hotel wifi router (configured for device to device communication). For example, see this page and this.

* Can I play files present in the device?
Yes. Drag and drop (or open) a file in a tab in the Chrome browser. Or, use an app like BubbleUPnP.

* Can a USB keyboard be used?
Chromecast does not have a provision to connect a keyboard or a mouse. So connect an OTG microUSB-to-USB cable between your mobile and the keyboard (explained in detail here). If you would like to use a wireless keyboard and mouse, connect an OTG cable to your mobile and connect the wireless receiver to the other end of the cable.

* There's not much privacy if I use my TV, can I use an computer monitor?
Yes. It would be unusual for your monitor to have speakers. Which means an adapter is required to separate HDMI to audio and video (VGA, DVI etc.). Get an adapter based on the type of video input that your monitor accepts - HDMI to DVI, DisplayPort or VGA (first two are better).

* Chromecast Help

How to create a cookie notification for countries in the EU

Sites that use cookies must present a notice about cookies to users from the European Union (EU). Seeing the notice, users should be able to do one or more of the following:

• Agree and use the site
• Learn more on what cookies are being used
• Optionally be able to block these cookies.

If you use the Blogger platform and use cookies only from Google

Google can display the following notice without you having to do anything:

This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services, and to analyse traffic. Information about your use of this site is shared with Google. By using this site, you agree to its use of cookies.

All other sites

• Modify Google's message, link to a landing page on your site which has links to privacy policies of all entities whose cookies you use. This blog uses this approach. See [2].
• Forego Google's notice entirely and instead use one of the tools suggested by Google in [1] e.g.  Cookie Consent by SilkTide. You will also have to detect the country of the user.

Testing

• If you use are on blogger, use a domain that belongs to a country from EU e.g. yaanqing.blogspot.fr (France).
• If you are on blogger but use a custom domain, see this blog on how to test. Basically, append "prx.gb.teleport.to" without quotes to the domain e.g. custom-blogger-domain.com.prx.gb.teleport.to

Going further

If you stop after doing the above, the user can continue to use the site. However, if you would like to go further, you can also allow the user to block the cookies and still be able to use the site. This has may be done by using a cookie (or a local database) whose only purpose is to say which cookies the user wants! The site's code would then inspect this cookie before using code that creates any cookie.

Reference

1. Google has a page that explains the above in detail.
2. The following code links to the Privacy page in this blog. The code and the page are the only things that need to be done.

<!-- code to be inserted just before the end tag for HEAD -->

<script type='text/javascript'>

  cookieOptions = {

    msg: &quot;This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services, and to analyse traffic. Information about your use of this site is shared with Google. By using this site, you agree to its use of cookies.&quot;,

    link: &quot;http://yaanqing.blogspot.com/p/privacy.html&quot;,

    close: &quot;Got it!&quot;,

    learn: &quot;Learn more&quot;

  };

</script>

How to view Flash content in browser on Android Lollipop

There are useful websites that still use Flash. For example, take a look at this nice site on Yoga which shows each asana in animation.

Unfortunately, this Flash animation cannot be seen on Chrome for Android. Many web browsers prefer HTML5 and do not support Flash.

However, some browsers like UC and Maxthon can still display Flash content. Though Adobe has discontinued development of Flash, the last released versions of Flash work reasonably well with these browsers. With a supporting browser, and with Flash installed, you can still make use of sites with Flash.

Steps to view Flash content

• Install UC Browser from Google Play Store. This browser is quite popular and is apparently safe for use.
• After installation, launch the browser and go to a page that needs Flash - for example, the said site on Yoga.
• Click on the icon which is displayed in place of the Flash content.
• The browser will ask you to enable support for installation from an unknown source - it needs to download Flash from Adobe's site and install it. Say OK.
• When you are returned to the page, check if the Flash animation plays properly.
• Now disable installation from "unknown sources": Android settings->Security->uncheck Unknown Sources.

Switching easily from browser to app

For users who need a easier way to switch from Chrome to UC Browser when a site needs Flash, the Flashify app may be useful. Normally you copy the URL, open the target app, for example UC or YouTube app, and paste the URL. But with Flashify installed, select the browser's menu and share with Flashify, which suggests suitable apps to open the URL.

How to gift a Kindle book

• Remember to buy the gift from the country where the gift recipient stays. For example, if the recipient is in India, buy the gift at amazon.in
• During the buying process, select the Gift option and enter the email address that the recipient has mentioned in her registered Kindle device/app.

Send files from one mobile to another (Android)

Send files

When you two Android devices on the same wifi network, a simple solution is available to transfer files between them: ES File Explorer File Manager. (Note that there are other products by the same company with similar names, so use the link.)

• Install the app on both mobiles and launch it on both.
• Browse to the required (source) folder.
• Long press to select one or more files (or folders).
• Select Send to send the files to another mobile.
• Accept the request on the other mobile.
• Select the folder to save the files in.

This solution does not require you to turn on/off settings, use the cloud etc.

File/folder synchronization

If you are after synchronization between devices, take a look at the Android app SyncMe. While this app is highly rated, it has an issue in Lollipop - when synchronizing with a remote folder that has a new folder, it cannot create a (matching) new folder in the local SD card. This is due to changes that were done in Android with respect to writing to an SD card. The developer apparently has to rewrite quite some code and test it thoroughly - he's working to fix the issue.

Moto G does not start, LED light turns on when charging

If you own a Moto G mobile phone, do not let its battery run down to zero. If you just did, try to charge it as usual. If the phone does not start up when you press and hold the Power button for a few seconds, don't worry. This is a known issue and can be fixed easily.

Use a more powerful charger to kickstart charging

The phone needs a higher Ampere current than the one provided by Moto G's charger. Find a charger that is rated 1.5A - for example, a charger that came with a tablet (or a bigger, more recent phone).

Charge the phone for 30 minutes and then press and hold the Power button till the phone turns on. If it doesn't, just leave the phone(battery) to cool for a day - yes, it needs that much time as I found out. Then, try again. Repeated attempts at charging without cooling the battery may damage it for good, so beware.

(I really hope you have a backup phone, a basic model that works with your SIM. Usually, access to your contacts is the main thing you need - which should be available on the internet if you sync/back up contacts. For example, Android phones might be synced to Google Contacts)

Once the phone starts up, you can go back to charging with Moto G's charger (the one with lower Ampere rating) since that's a better way to stretch your battery's life (on the other hand, if this didn't work, Motorola has advice for you - see https://forums.motorola.com/posts/3d5eadc25d).

How to charge your phone for a long battery life

In future, remember to charge your phone when it discharges to 40%. Stop charging when it reaches 100% or when it's in the 90s. Don't leave it charging after it reaches 100% since the charger discharges for a while after it reaches 100% and then charges it back to 100% - this repeats till you switch off the charger. For a more detailed explanation, see this page.

Find the time your phone requires to charge a single percentage point. For example, my Moto G charger needs 3 minutes for this. Depending on the charge left, estimate the time required for charging and only charge as long. Well, set a countdown timer if you would rather not remember!

Google drive: backup and share documents privately

Think of Google Drive as your hard disk/drive on the internet (your private space on Google's hard disk on their server). With a Google login, and the Google Drive software installed on your device, you can do the following:

• Save/backup files on the cloud and access from anywhere - 15GB drive space is free across Drive, Gmail and other Google products.
• Share the files with privacy/security.
• Files can even be edited simultaneously by yourself and and your collaborators.
• Files can be easily attached to mails if you use GMail.

Buy additional space when you need. Hardware keeps getting cheaper while the size of hard disks has been going up. So the cost of space you own keeps goes down.

Important features for sharing

• File could be shared by specifying the e-mail addresses of those with whom you wish to share (recipients)
• Specifying e-mail address is a better option than using links to share files. 
• Private sharing is possible only if the recipient is on Google+.
• Recipients can be permitted to just view files, or even edit files. 
• The feature to download a shared file can be disabled. 
• A shared file cannot be downloaded by those who can only view that file. 
• Those who are permitted to edit a file can also download it. Use the check box in the details section of the file to prevent download. 
• If you install Google Drive on your device, selected folders on it could be synchronized with the cloud drive (on Windows, right click on the Google drive icon in the notification area at the bottom right). An example usage scenario is when you would like to back up everything to Google Drive, but wouldn't want to retain all of these on the laptop as the space available is limited. 
• Upto 15GB is free. $2 upto 100GB. $10 upto 1TB - see this for how prices have declined over the years. 

Other options

• Apple iCloud, Microsoft OneDrive and Amazon's Cloud Drive are alternatives. 

Photos and video

• Photos and video shot with devices from Apple, Microsoft, Amazon can be stored for free in their respective cloud drives. For Android phones, storage for photos and video is virtually unlimited on Google Photos.
• Subscription to Amazon Prime gives you unlimited storage for photos. If you don't get Amazon Prime or an Amazon device, its cloud storage is expensive.

My readers and I would like to hear your experience in sharing documents, photos and video via the cloud.

Google online storage - price falls 5x every two years!

The price of Google's online storage has reduced 5x every two years. This is an exaggeration since there have been only a few revisions to the price, but nevertheless illustrates how the cost of storage has been coming down.

The table below is a summary of their rates over the past few years.

	Free	Upto 100GB	Upto 1TB	Upto 10TB
Before Apr 2012	7GB	$25	$256	$2560
April 2012 - Feb 2014	10-15GB	$5	$50	$500
Current	15GB	$2	$10	$100

Note:

1. Rates have been rounded up to the nearest dollar.
2. Some of the intermediate ranges present in previous periods have been left out in the latest

On top of this, services like Google Photos have been offering practically unlimited free space. So, is it time to backup your files, photos and video to the cloud?

They may be blind, but they are software engineers

Follow all the links in the post below:
http://developers.slashdot.org/story/15/01/31/146233/how-blind-programmers-write-code

Ed Summers

Florian Beijers

You may also like this article on a tech designer - she is quite able, and 90 summers old:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2015/01/19/377702882/at-90-shes-designing-tech-for-aging-boomers

How to share your Amazon/Kindle content with family

If you have bought Kindle books, apps or games from Amazon, you can share this content with your spouse/parent, and kids.

It's quite simple - Amazon's help page tells you how to do this. And you might find the tips below useful.

Which Amazon site to use?

Amazon expects you and your spouse/parent to have logins in the same Amazon site e.g. amazon.in. Needless to say, use the same site to perform this operation too. (Otherwise, you will not be able to add the other login as part of your family - the error message does not exactly say so, but I found that's the case).

Settings for sharing content

Do this either on the Amazon site or on the Kindle device you own (e-reader or Fire HD tablet). I did it on the site and not on a device - if you have a device and find something of note, please add a comment.

Along with content, Payment methods must also be shared with your spouse/parent.

Accidental purchase

If you are sharing content with an aged parent and would like to prevent accidental purchases, there is no one particular setting that helps, but the following can.

Physical items

Turn off the 1-click setting so that the payment page appears which would tell your parent that they hit Buy by mistake. Even if the process went all the way and the order has been placed, it can be cancelled till items are actually shipped.

Other items like e-books, apps, games etc.

Orders for other items, for e.g. e-books, apps and games, can be cancelled within 30 mts of placing the order for a full refund.

Kindle reader app for Windows 8.1 (specific case)

When you click on the shopping cart icon in Kindle reader, it launches a tab in the browser and takes you to the Amazon page. Which means, to prevent accidental purchases, you can log out of the Amazon site in the browser. This does not affect the functioning of the Kindle reader.