tk Google Charter - Google Charts API Front End (aka point and click charts)

What is tk Google Charter?

tk Google Charter is a graphical interface for Google Charts API. Put simply, it's a nice and quick way to create charts. There's no help documentation since you will not need one. :P

Usage

Point, click and go! Yes, it's that simple. ;) (Well, you'll need to enter your data as well...)

Status

Since I just wrote this app without putting much thought into its technical design, some things are still non-functional like bar and line charts. Error checking is also almost non-existent. Google has sufficient processing power to check my errors. :D

Entering details like chart data at the moment is still quite cumbersome in my opinion. I've already thought of an alternative and more intuitive method of input, but this occurred after coding this. :D Next version, I guess. ;)

Credits

Google, for their Google Charts API. jQuery, for providing me with extremely concise javascript. Farbtastic, for a jQuery powered color picker. ThickBox, for a jQuery powered modal box.

License

Use it, abuse it, infuse it. Link back preferred but not required.

Google Chart API = Charts Made Easy (it couldn't get any simpler!)

Google has done it again by releasing yet another excellent online API - Google Chart API. If you're easily frightened by that three-letter acronym, just see how easy it was for me to create the following diagram.



So what spell did I cast? Oh I just took this URL:

http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=p3&chd=t:83.0,17.0&chs=400x200&chl=Fake (83%)|Real (17%)&chtt=A+study+shows+83%+of+all+statistics+are+made+up+on+the+spot.

and stuck it into an img tag. Now that wasn't so hard, was it?

Ok, now you're wondering what all those URL parameters mean. For your benefit, here's what they stand for. :)

cht = chart type
chd = chart data
chs = chart size
chl = chart label (only for pie charts)
chtt = chart title

Want to know even more? Well, that's what the Google Chart API homepage is for. ;)

winChain - Quick Start to Native iPhone App Development on Windows

If you've always wanted to code very own iPhone program but were afraid to try, Drakenza, the author of iDemocracy, has come up with a pre-built environment for developing iPhone apps on Windows.



A 500MB+ download in total, winChain simplifies the setup and installation of required files and programs. winChain also comes with a Template Generator that can be used to create a skeleton application. You can then code in this skeleton application and build your first iPhone app. For detailed instructions on using/installing winChain, head over to the winChain wiki.

With the release of winChain, at least one major obstacle is out of the way. Now all you have to do is pick up programming. ;)

Open Source AnySIM coming this Friday!

A couple of days back, the iPhone Dev Team asked the public for their opinion on releasing the source of AnySIM into the open. Today they have made a decision to officially unveil the code on Dec 7 2007. To be licensed under GPL, the iPhone Dev Team hopes that this will prevent unofficial modifications of their work (AnySIM 1.2.1u). Code contributions from the public are also encouraged by the team. Could this move pave the way to speedier releases and an even more reliable AnySIM?

Read more here.

Windows Tip: Lower Your StartUp Time!

Do you have a gazillion programs loading at startup? Like your antivirus, firewall, antispyware, wireless manager, Windows Live Messenger and... well you get the idea. Waiting for all of them to startup is a daily sacred ritual, but not one that you particularly enjoy.

One way around this is a no-brainer - just remove some of the programs that load when Windows starts up. However, sacrificing any one of those frivolous startups is akin to asking you to go without your daily cup of caffeine. This must be your lucky day as there's another way out without binning all those wonderful programs.



JockerSoft's StartupDelayer (no they're not jokers) enables you to delay the startup of programs so that they actually load faster, which in effect boosts the speed of Windows startup. If you're thinking that sounds rather contradictory, think of it this way. Your computer can only load a certain amount of programs at an optimum speed. Once you exceed that, diminishing returns set in and everything slows to a crawl.

StartupDelayer mitigates this by introducing a small interval between the initialization of each program. This way your computer is able to start each program quickly, which translates into faster startup.



Another use of StartupDelayer is to batch run a number of programs. For example, your daily computer routine may consist of surfing and instant messaging while listening to your MP3s. Just add your internet browser, instant messenger and MP3 player to a sequence and assign a shortcut to your saved sequence. The next time you start your computer, just double-click the shortcut to run all 3 programs at once! (StartupDelayer is not required to batch run programs, but it is simpler than creating a batch file.)

StartupDelayer runs on Windows 98 - ME - NT 4(service pack5) - 2000 - XP - Vista and requires the .NET framework.

Windows Tip: Toughen Up Your ToolTips! (or how to unhide hidden tooltips)

Have you ever encountered the annoying bug where the tooltips at the system tray simply won't show up in front? I have and I can't believe the number of times when I was trying to take a quick look at the current date or the current song playing, only to be left frustrated by this disappearing trick.



Well someone was so irritated by it that they whipped up a fix, but the best part is it's free! Download and install ToolTipFixer into your system and no longer will you suffer at the hands of this evil bug. After installing ToolTipFixer, it'll install a Windows service that will take up only 6KB of your memory. This service is set to run automatically when Windows starts, so you'll never need to run it manually.



ToolTipFixer works on Windows XP/Vista and requires the .Net framework.

Brand New Google Chat Emoticons! (no one has seen them yet!)

My bad folks. Remember when I said that Google didn't add any more emoticons along with the new smiley sets? Well I was totally wrong. Turns out that those sneaky Googlers had some free time on their hands and churned out a few more emoticons for us to erm... express ourselves. Like many of their wonderful emoticons, these brand new smilies are undocumented and are not mentioned anywhere in the official listing.

No worries though, I got my hands dirty and painstakingly uncovered all of them bit by bit. I'm pretty sure that this time I nabbed all of them, but I could be wrong (again). Before I reveal them to you, however, let's look at the current known list of Google Chat emoticons.

Translations: Spanish.

Classic	Round	Square	Key Combination
Heart/Love	Heart/Love	Heart/Love	<3
It's a monkey!	It's a monkey!	It's a monkey!	:(|)
Rock out.	Rock out.	Rock out.	\m/
Shocked	Shocked	Shocked	:-o
Grin	Grin	Grin	:D
Frown	Frown	Frown	:(
Angry	Angry	Angry	x-(
Cool	Cool	Cool	B-)
Cry	Cry	Cry	:'(
Equal Grin	Equal Grin	Equal Grin	=D
Wink	Wink	Wink	;)
Straight Face	Straight Face	Straight Face	:-|
Equal Smile	Equal Smile	Equal Smile	=)
Nose Grin	Nose Grin	Nose Grin	:-D
Big nose wink	Big nose wink	Big nose wink	;^)
Nose wink	Nose wink	Nose wink	;-)
Nose smile	Nose smile	Nose smile	:-)
Slant	Slant	Slant	:-/
Tongue	Tongue	Tongue	:P

The list below was the first undocumented set of smileys that I've discovered. It has since been updated to include the new emoticon designs that were introduced by Google a few days ago.

Classic	Round	Square	Key Combination
Cowbell	Cowbell	Cowbell	+/'\
Crab	Crab	Crab	V.v.V
Devil	Devil	Devil	}:-)
Equal sad	Equal sad	Equal sad	=(
Equal slant	Equal slant	Equal slant	=/
Equal tongue	Equal tongue	Equal tongue	=P
Nose sad	Nose sad	Nose sad	:-(
Smile	Smile	Smile	:)
Wince	Wince	Wince	>.<
Nose tongue	Nose tongue	Nose tongue	:-P

But wait! That's not all the smilies in Google Chat. There are actually a few more hidden emoticons that no one knows about yet!

Classic	Round	Square	Key Combination
Pig	Pig	Pig	:(:)
Broken Heart	Broken Heart	Broken Heart	</3
Kiss	Kiss	Kiss	:-x
Kiss	Kiss	Kiss	:*
Mustache	Mustache	Mustache	:{

Did I miss any emoticon? Show me below!


Edit: It appears that some of you can't see the newer Google Chat, which means no new smilies for you. :( Fortunately, I've discovered a simple fix!

If you can't see the new emoticons, here's what you need to do.

1. Login to Gmail.


2. Click the Settings link sitting in the top right hand corner of your screen.


3. Change your display language to English (US) as shown below.
   
   


4. Scroll down and click the Save Changes button.


5. Wait for Gmail to reload and enjoy!

Caveat: If your friends are still using the older Gmail, they'll probably see only the Classic emoticons instead of the round/square designs.