3arabi – Arabic chat to English translator December 4, 2010
Posted by GuySoft in Crictor, Hamakor, ITU, open source, programming, python.Tags: 3arabi, arabic, code, open source, programming, python
25 comments
3arabi Logo
Hi all,
As some might have noticed, Arabic speakers on the net use a form of writing called ‘Arabic chat‘ or 3arabi, which involves using Latin characters and Hindu-Arabic numerals to write words in Arabic. I wrote a small service called 3arabi that lets you translate this Arabic chat directly to English.
Apparently there are tools to do transliteration (converting Latin letters back to Arabic), and also translation. But nothing that does them both. That is why I wrote a small script that uses Google’s transliteration service and ‘Google Translate’. This does the job, but is not perfect, however, it does actually help me understand some messages.
The source is also available in GitHub (its in python). If anyone contributes better code I’ll merge it back to the service.
Thanks to Ira Abramov for hosting the service!
Thanks to Rajesh who wrote the transliteration API though after using it I moved to the javascript google tool with his help.
Thanks Muhammad Khatib who wrote Google Translate python API and for releasing it.
Enjoy,
Guy
Update: Google seem to be blocking the translation service, thinking its spam, if anyone knows how to contact them and asking them to lift that ban would be appreciated.
Using CHDK to photograph blackboards in University Courses August 5, 2010
Posted by GuySoft in Crictor, diy, Hamakor, ITU, linux, open source, programming, python.Tags: chdk, diy, hacking, open source, programming, python, university
6 comments
CHDK used in university for capturing blackboards
Hi all,
During last semester I developed a set of scripts that lets me photograph pictures of the blackboards during my university courses, categorize them while I am taking them and automatically generate PDF document for each course week. Because physics equations are not the simplest things to input in to a laptop in realtime, I have developed the following method. I am writing the post because I have a feeling this tool could help people in many ways, since it did change how I study in lectures.
You can see my blackboard photographs here (and here is a simple pdf example, if you get lost in the Hebrew).
How it works in a nutshell
The work flow - photograph, store, generate pdfs
During the lesson I take the photographs of the blackboard with a script I wrote for CHDK. In the script you set the course and week of the semester and this is stored per-picture on the SD card.
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Qutecom Portable – a sip phone for your USB Flash Drive April 18, 2010
Posted by GuySoft in Crictor, Hamakor, ITU, open source, programming.Tags: open source, portable, programming, software, VOIP, windows
23 comments
Hey all,
I came across the need for a portable VOIP phone for windows, apparently there is no package out there for this.
So I repackaged QuteCom, a cross-platform softphone. Just adding a simple parameter did the job!
You can download the package here.
Extract it and simply run the “runme.bat” file in the folder.
The package is kindly hosted for me on Hamakor FOSS Society. There is also a wiki page with additional information about Qutecom portable there.
Cheaper Than SkypeOut!
Thanks to this package I can now call anywhere on my VOIP accounts. Where usually only skype was available, meaning I have a cheaper-than-skype providers 
(Curently using voipvoip.com and callcentric). I really think standard VOIP should be more out there among the people giving a healthy competition.
Would love to hear feedback!
Bumble-B and an ADC with OpenGL make an oscilloscope February 22, 2010
Posted by GuySoft in Crictor, diy, Electronics, Hamakor, ITU, linux, open source, programming, python.Tags: bumbleb, diy, Electronics, linux, open source, OpenGL, programming, python
2 comments
Hi all,
During my small semester break I managed to connect my Bumble-b chip to an analog-digital converter (ADC).
With this I can read voltage changes and send the information to the computer to plot live.
Here is a demonstration video:
How its all connected
Pidgin and X-chat plugins to execute a command on new messages February 14, 2010
Posted by GuySoft in Crictor, Hamakor, ITU, linux, open source, programming, python.Tags: open source, pidgin, programming, python, source code, x-chat
26 comments
Hi all,
A while ago, when I coded message alert plugins for pidgin and X-chat so each time I get a new message my bumble-b LED display would flash, so I thought I might release the code here for people to use.
Both plugins will execute a command of your choice when receiving a new message.
Thanks to Simo Mattila who wrote the base code for the pidgin plugin
- Source code for the pidgin plugin
- You will have to follow the README file and compile the plugin. Then place the created .so file in ~/.purple/plugins/ .
- In the plugin menu there would be a configuration window to set the command.
- Source code for the X-chat plugin
- You will have to set the command inside the python file. Then copy it to ~/.xchat2/
- The X-chat plugin also is able to return the name of the user that sent the message.
Here is a video of the X-chat plugin in action:
I hope to find more time to posts the things I am doing, but as usual, university takes up all my time. Stay tuned
Introducing the Bumble-b and using it to control a LED matrix October 8, 2009
Posted by GuySoft in Crictor, diy, Electronics, Hamakor, ITU, open source, programming.Tags: bumble-b, diy, Electronics, howto, leds, linux, open source, programming, usb
4 comments
The Bumble-b
Hi all,
The past week I have been playing around with my new Bumble-b, as I mentioned in my last post. Basically what I did with it is control an LED matrix. After doing that I made it in to a USB Device! Thanks to the simple library LUFA. Now I can use a simple echo > /dev/ttyACM0 command to send a text message to the display. Meaning that I have now /dev/matrix!
In this post I hope to explain how to use the Bumble-b, a programmable USB chip, including its own built in programmer, for just $20. I would also like to encourage people here in Israel to start playing with this, since its cheap and easy to order way to get started with amateur electronics.
Here is a quick introduction video (followed by a detail post):
What is the Bumble-b?
The bumble-b is a USB programmable AVR chip with a programmer built in to it (called a breakout board). It is an AVR chip, meaning that its based on something that is widely used (the model is at90usb162). Moreover, since it has a USB connector right on it , this makes the creation of USB devices really simple. But not only USB devices alone.
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Connecting a programmable chip to a remote Controlled Car September 11, 2009
Posted by GuySoft in Crictor, Electronics, Hamakor, ITU, linux, open source, programming, Uncategorized, wireless.Tags: C, Electronics, hacking, howto, linux, open source, programming
35 comments
Car and the breadboard
Hey all,
I have been playing with electronics the last few days, and I thought I might show you the outcome.
I basically took a remote controlled car, and connected it to a 16F84 programmable chip, and now I can control the car using C code.
Although I am using a car in this guide, you should be able to close and open any kind of switch. Anything under 15 volts.
For people who have don’t feel like reading all this (and also for those who do), here is an action-packed video of the outcome:
After you saw that, here is how I did this.
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Astrophotography Using Canon Camera’s Hack Development Kit August 16, 2009
Posted by GuySoft in Astronomy, Crictor, diy, Hamakor, ITU, linux, open source, programming.Tags: Astronomy, basic, camera, chdk, diy, ffmpeg, hacking, meteors, negev, open source, programming, video
10 comments
Hi all,
I am going to explain here how I managed to use the Cannon open source hack development kit , known as CHDK, to photograph stars and even create neat movies of the stars motion.
It all started this Monday, I was lucky to see that there is going to be Perseids meteor shower, a day in advance. So I had time getting the code ready before it was too late. I thought I would go somewhere next to Jerusalem and photograph, but in the end, friends of mine (Shy and Anna) from the Israeli Astronomy Association, which I am part of, told me they are going down south to the dessert, far away from light pollution, to take count of the meteors for the IMO. So I joined him, and my data is also available.
Before all the technical stuff, here is a video I made that shows you what this all comes to:
Now back to CHDK, and how this was done.
What is CHDK? And how do I install it?
CHDK is a firmware addon for Cannon powershot digital cameras. It supports most of them, mine is a simple powershot A590, costs to date about 700 NIS. Moreover, since its an addon, it will not void warranty, and can’t damage your camera. It has a lot of features (including games and an e-book reader!).
Live CD that turns any computer to an OLPC October 14, 2008
Posted by GuySoft in Crictor, Hamakor, linux, open source, programming.Tags: debian, linux, live cd, olpc, programming, sugar
5 comments
The OLPC system
Hey all,
After a few days work, I have finished Building a LiveCD that, by booting from it. You would get a full sugar system, no installation required.
Where to get?
Here, in the Sugarlabs Wiki
