converser.nz

Month: May 2019

  • Python Scripting [6C]: Layer Sidecar Duplication & Renaming for NZ Rail Maps 3

    After the use of the duplicate.py script for a while, an amendment has been decided upon and implemented this week. This is to simply duplicate the sidecars where there is no change of pixel size involved.  For example it may be just a case of the prefix being changed. To implement these changes the following…

  • Using a Raspberry Pi headless

    I have used several different systems that connect to a tethered mobile connection for ministry related activities that shouldn’t be tied to the shared internet connection that I use for most other things, out of respect for the people who own that internet connection and whose IP address is tagged to every activity. What one…

  • NZ Rail Maps: Optimising Gimp and using 4x4x4 grid for mosaics [4]

    Last time I posted I wrote about my experiments rescaling layers in Gimp from 0.4 metres to 0.2 metres pixel spacing and 0.3 to 0.15 metres pixel spacing and seeing how these matched with the NZR station surveys. I am still in two minds about whether to go with 0.2 metres from 0.4 metres source…

  • Escaping Google’s walled garden on handhelds [3]: Using Lineage OS – 1

    So last time I wrote about the installation experience for Lineage, now it is time to have a look at early impressions of using it. Along the way I discovered some stuff about the Nexus 5X. It turns out that it was first shipped with Android and the final official release of Android for it…

  • Escaping Google’s walled garden on handhelds [2]: Installing Lineage OS

    So after further investigation I decided Lineage OS would be the most straightforward means of getting my Nexus 5X off Google. This is quite a lengthy process that involves replacing the installed Google bloatware on the phone with the LineageOS installation images. LineageOS provides guides, which are pretty good except that like me, you can…

  • Escaping Google’s walled garden on handhelds [1]: Intro

    I’ve owned smartphones since 2012 when I was given one as part of a new employment role. It (HTC) was running Windows Phone 7. It was followed by a couple of Nokias running Windows Phone 8 (the later one since updated to 10) and then a low-end Motorola Moto E running Android 4. The next…

  • Python Scripting [6B]: Layer Sidecar Duplication & Renaming for NZ Rail Maps 2

    Since yesterday the script has been completed and tested OK. Here is the complete script. It is similar to the segments script but a lot less complex with a total of 77 lines.  # declarations import glob import argparse import os import shutil import sys rootPath = os.getcwd() # set up command line argument parser…

  • Lubuntu 19.04 with LXQt

    It should generally be known by now that the Lubuntu project, which produces a version of Ubuntu that utilises the LX desktop environment for low resource usage, has switched from LXDE to LXQt in its more recent releases. The use of LXQt provides for a refreshing modern interface design in this application and for me,…

  • Python Scripting [6A]: Layer Sidecar Duplication & Renaming for NZ Rail Maps 1

    Our new scripting project as of present is a script called duplicate.py which is specifically with the NZ Rail Maps project and it aims to achieve duplication and renaming of the sidecar files that are associated with raster layers. Suppose that we have a base raster 4800×7200 pixels named in the following pattern: Timbuctoo-930W8-92NN9.jpg We…

  • NZ Rail Maps: Optimising Gimp and using 4x4x4 grid for mosaics [3]

    Since last writing on this subject I have further determined that I can scale 0.3 and 0.4 metre pixel resolution background Linz aerial images to double the scale (0.15 and 0.2 metres) and these scales work very well with the 1:4300/4325, 1:5500 and 1:8000 scale Retrolens aerial photos which are the best ones for creating…