Rocketmail Android Settings

If you have a rocketmail.com email, you might have some trouble getting it setup with your Android's built-in email. Here's how to get it working, plain and simple...

In your Android phone:

1. Go to "Settings" 
2. Go to "Accounts" 
3. Select "Add account" 
4. Select "Email" 
5. Enter your username and password
6. UNCHECK "Automatically configure account" 
7. Select "Next" 
8. Under "Incoming server"... 
1. Select the top drop-down
2. Set it to "IMAP mail server" 
3. Set the "Server:" as imap.mail.yahoo.com
4. Under "Advanced settings"... 
1. Set the "Port:" to 993
2. Make sure the "Use secure connection" box is CHECKED
3. Set "Use secure password (TLS):" to "Always"
4. Leave "Authentication" at "Password"
5. Make sure "Verify Certificate" is CHECKED
6. Select "OK"
5. Select "OK" again
9. Under "Outgoing server"...
1. Set the "SMTP server" to smtp.mail.yahoo.com
2. Select "Advanced settings"
1. Set the "Port:" to 587
2. Make sure "Use secure connection" is UNCHECKED
3. Set "Use secure password (TLS):" to "Never"
4. Make sure "Authentication:" is set to "Auto"
5. Make sure "Verify Certificate" is CHECKED
6. Select "OK"
3. Select "OK" again
10. Select "OK" again

And there you have it... your email should be set up!

Useful Eclipse Add-ons and Plugins

For those of you who use the Eclipse IDE, I'd recommend the FindBugs and UML Lab plugins. These are by far some of the most useful plugins for Eclipse. FindBugs is free and easy to install, and it's developed by a team at the University of Maryland. UML Lab is free for students, but you do have to send them a scanned copy of your student ID and enter some student information. You can also get a 30-day free trial of UML Lab if you aren't a student.

FindBugs is a plugin that will... go figure... find bugs in your code and brings them to your attention. It is better at finding small bugs than Eclipse is, and it will give you layman's explanations of certain errors. To use FindBugs, you simply right click on the open file in java and select "Find Bugs". After this, it will tag lines with errors that will not allow the program to compile or simply note poor usage of methods or classes.

UML Lab allows you to create a visual representation of your java projects. Once you've installed UML Lab, you can actually program with those visual representations. That is, you can create visual associations between your files, and when you go back and look at your code, UML Lab will have inserted the appropriate code to make those associations real in your program. Pretty cool, huh? Programming with visuals.

To install FindBugs, you can checkout this link here findbugs.cs.umd.edu/eclipse/. But I will also run you through the steps.

• With Eclipse open, go to the "Help" menu and select Install New Software. 
• From there, copy this link into the "Work with:" field at the top: http://findbugs.cs.umd.edu/eclipse and click "Add". 
• Below you will see "FindBugs" show up with a check box next to it--check the box. 
• Click next. 
• There will be a license agreement from FindBugs, go ahead and click "I agree". 
• From there, the setup should finish, and Eclipse will complain that you're using third party software.
• Click ok and let Eclipse restart itself. 

To get a free copy of UML Lab for students, go here www.uml-lab.com/en/uml-lab/academic/. On the left there will be a version of UML Lab for students, and you will have to fill out some information:

• First name
• Last name
• University or organization
• The website of said university or organization
• Your email address
• Your student number
• A scan or image of your student ID
• Your address, city, postal code, and country

You will also have to agree to some license terms and conditions. Alternatively, you can get a 30-day free trial of UML Lab if you are not a student. Simply go here www.uml-lab.com/en/download/ and follow the directions.

Oh Ubuntu

I'm sure you all have heard of Ubuntu at some point, and many of you have used it. When I installed Ubuntu, I swore I would never go back to Windows. However, I ran into a problem with Ubuntu and AMD video card drivers: image tearing.

If you're not familiar with the term "image tearing," I'm sure you know what it is. Here's an example of image tearing. Look at the top of the picture--you know what I'm talking about.

I tried every workaround there was to the issue, but was met with no avail. I tried changing output formats for video in VLC and SMplayer, "...wait for vertical refresh," etc. Everyone said "install mplayer2!" So I installed mplayer2. None of these worked. Everyone said check my video card settings for a "reduce image tearing" option. However, ATI Catalyst did not have this in my version of the driver. I made sure I was using the most up-to-date driver as well.

But finally, AMD released a new revision of the ATI graphics driver last month, and I just noticed it yesterday. Installed... and BOOM, there's an option for "reduce image tearing" in ATI Catalyst Control Center. And voila, no more image tearing.

I was fearing going back to Windows just for media playback, but no I do not have to. I can enjoy full, 1080p video without tearing... glorious.

Eat it, Windows. And here, have an Ubuntu wallpaper.

Snow

There hasn't been enough snow this year. I'm disappointed...

Hope you all had a nice holiday season and New Year's. Hopefully there will be more snow this month and next.

And to those of you starting spring semester, good luck with your classes.

Online Education

Lately I've been finding myself frustrated with the education systems we have in the United States. In particular, university and college education systems. There is too much bureaucracy involved these days, and tuition prices seem to be ever-increasing.

In an attempt to help educate myself in an enjoyable way, I hopped on the interwebz and was able to find a pretty cool website. What I found was a guy who has made a huge library of educational videos which is continuing to grow by the day, and is now nearing 3,000 videos. His name is Salman Khan, and his website is Khan Academy. He also has a YouTube page. His video lessons range topics from business and finance, to history, calculus, differential equations, chemistry, biology, arts... and what's more, he is able to appeal to such a large audience with a wide range of different learning styles.

Salman Khan is a genuine teacher and a wonderful person. His videos are translated to languages and viewed around the world, giving many a chance to learn. Khan is actually working with schools, and his videos are now used by school districts as part of their curriculum.

I learn more in one of his 15 minute videos than I do listening to my Ph.D. professor lecture about linear algebra for 50 minutes.

Put simply, check it out. He's a brilliant and entertaining guy.