Log This 1.5 released to Android Market

I have released Log This 1.5 onto the Android Market. The new features include Ad-Free options, along with Spanish and Dutch translation. Dutch is not totally finished, but it is functional (although not everything is translated).
Other changes include minor bugfixes and grammatical fixes, better externalization, and some behind-the-scenes changes that are going into the next version.

The next version of Log This that I am currently working on will include Root Reading (Read files as root, bypassing root-only file permissions), Automated Debug (Click a logthis:// link and it will confirm you want to gather the information), and hopefully Profiles so you can easily gather data you've gathered before without typing it all in again.
Not sure if that will be 1.6 or 2.0, right now it's 1.6 on my app.

Happy Holidays!

Development Test

This is a test post for development since I'm too lazy to find other places to do it. It'll be updated as I test with it.

logthis://getDebugLogs/tags?="logthis"

In search of translators

I am localizing my application Log This to various regions and languages so if you are able to fluently speak English and another langauge, I am looking for you!
Just shoot me an email at [email protected] if you can help. I don't need more than about 50 lines translated so it is really easy to do.
Thanks! I'll make sure you make it in the credits (and a link if you wish).

Log This updated to 1.4b

I have updated Log This to 1.4b. It now supports multiple tags and will be easily translated to other languages. Also it has  bug fixes, like the ability to post to pastebin without needing an SD card. Also updated some cosmetic and grammatical issues.
The next update will be around Thanksgiving if I can't find time between now and then. 
Also, Swype it's terrible at getting the right word. It's close, but common words like will, post, to, and the like are always ones I have to fix.
Example:
The quick brown fox jumped over the shall ref gate

Also, The touchpad has cyanogen on it, so I should be able to start developing for tablets soon as it moves to stable.

Lack of updates

I am sorry for the lack of updates. I have been working on schoolwork nearly nonstop for weeks, and spare time is either spent writing into a book (more like a compilation), or work. $13 and hour is pretty nice! Anyways, I haven't had time to update my apps recently, and I'm sorry. I have a week off in november that I plan to dedicate to at least updating Log This. I would love to update it and keep bringing my user's some new features! But as it stands my Electrical and Computer Engineering lab is absolutely killing my spare time, taking a good 8 hour chunk of time out for (1) credit!!!! Anyways... I have more ECE to do... :(

Featured once again on XDA

I have once again been featured on XDA. And yes, it is going to my head. Again.
Link to the article
This time for Log This, my app that is 'unquestionably useful'. I had a great idea, and it has finally come to fruition. Thank you Android. I don't think I could have done something this great without you. I will no doubt be updating it soon and continuing in my developer adventures.
As a side note, I can't update as often as I have Java, Digital Logic, Psychology and Calc II this semester, all of which is going to be a huge on my time.
GibberTalk will still be made, I was talking with my mentor today about some issues that have arisen with signing. I am going to be looking into these showstoppers and hopefully patching them up.
That's all for this update. Stay tuned!

Obtained Tablets

As most of you probably know, HP has killed webOS (at least, hardware for it) - and their Touchpads, previously $500 and $600, were slashed 80% to $100 and $150. The hardware inside - 1GB ram, 1.2Ghz snapdragon dual core, among others, is valued at over 300 dollars. I picked up one on HP's site (which was a nightmare, and their preparations for an event like this was absolutely none - so I don't expect to ever buy HP hardware again.), and possibly another for my girlfriend.
I'm not interested in webOS, I really, really don't care. I know android will be on it, and then I'll have a tablet to develop on that doesn't suck. It just need a GPS, but I can live without one.
Cheers!

New Android App - Log This

Log This for Android on AppBrain

I came up with a ingenious idea for an app called Log This, and I am releasing it today. It only took a day to create but the purpose is useful.
As a developer, requesting the READ_LOGS permission is risky - it scares away a lot of users. My app uses this, but is meant to be used by developers to request their end users to send in debug logs - one app to log em' all.

As an end user, you can install the app and help out your developers when they need debugging on specific phone models - provided they have logging enabled (perhaps via a logging mode).

It's available for free on the Android Market - and runs on devices using 1.5 and up (all android devices).
Download LogThis for Android

I'm Featured on XDA-Developers Home Page

While technically I didn't have a big feature here, I was somewhat in the news for my... tomfoolery with the new Authentec Fingerprint Scanner SDK for Android, namely the Motorola ATRIX. I put together an FAQ/Guide to problems that are in the SDK Documentation and items that aren't described that well. That got me featured on XDA-Developers.com (their homepage of their 4 million+ member forum that is renowned for it's development and hacking of phones).

Probably my biggest breakthrough yet.

I have also entered the Motorola MotoDEV contest for fingerprint scanner uses - so far there are no competitors, but if you win (by having the most kudos) I get featured on MotoDEV and that will be great for me because Mgamerz Productions will finally get some attention! It feels like I have struck gold in Android Development, which is great because I always wanted to develop for Android!
I love being a programmer ;)
The post isn't all about me though... it's more about the use of the SDK and how you will be able to use it in the future.

Sources n' stuff:
The news thread that went to my head
The Award-Winning Thread
MotoDev Contest (Give me Kudos so I can win!)

What is GibberTalk?

I've done much blogging on this developer blog but I haven't done much explaining about what GibberTalk is.

GibberTalk is a research project started in STEP at BSU back in September 2010 and eventually turned into a working email encryption program known as GibberTalk Desktop. It was further developed and accompanied by an Android version when LSAMP took over funding control in May 2011. Additional desktop tools are being developed for the desktop version at this time. None of the main parts of GibberTalk (GibberTalk Mobile, GibberTalk Desktop, GibberTalk Group Generator) are done yet - but they will be soon and I will update this blog post to reflect that.

GibberTalk is a group-based email encryption program; meaning that if you an I are in a group, but bob is not, you cannot talk to bob and bob cannot intercept our messages and read them because he is not part of our group. It is aimed at Business/Enterprise/Research sectors where people need to talk in a group privately.
It employs (as of now) 2 methods of encryption - RSA and LFSR. Updates right now for the Android version will include BioMetric (Fingerprint Scanning) security and message hashing with SHA-2.
GibberTalk is designed to be used with phones but can also be used on a Desktop that runs Java.

More Information about GibberTalk was provided at the LSAMP Poster Session demonstrating my research - I've recorded a poster session (granted its not interactive - but feel free to leave questions in the comments section!) that isn't as good as a live one but it will guide you through what GibberTalk is and hopes to fill for a niche.

Blog Downtime

I'm setting up a domain name so if you are trying to read my posts and the blog goes down, don't worry, it'll be back soon. I'm adding http://mgamerzproductions.com but it hasn't fully propagated yet and the instructions are confusing.

GibberTalk Launch Delayed [but for a good reason]

Just like Gears of War 3, I've delayed GibberTalk release to upgrade some components. I've learned just moments ago that AuthenTec, the developers behind the code for the Fingerprint Sensor on the Motorola Atrix 4G (My phone), have just released the SDK so that you can now build applications that can use it! That will be incredibly useful in my application of unlocking the keyrings. I'm also upgrading the Group Generator because I'm thinking it still has a few issues that pop up with the nextProbablePrime() function, and now it has a group editor and validation tool that enumerates every user. I still plan on an August testing date, but do know that I'm still working on it!

Summer REU Poster Presentations

So with both of my hands now in wrist braces, I shall keep this post short.

You'll need an HTML5 Compliant Browser to view this. Sorry Internet Explorer 8 users! If you still can't get a HTML 5 browser, here's a picture. The PDF version is zoomable.

GibberTalk Summer REU Poster Session Poster 2011

Beta Testing Sign up for Android

I'm soon going to do a public beta test of MPC. If you want to sign up, heres the form.
If you do sign up, you cannot leak the program or disclose information outside of the beta testing!
Thanks for your cooperation!

MPC Update 7/5/2011

Today is July 5th and here is today's status update on the Mgamerz Productions Cryptographer project.

I've finally come up with a name(might have mentioned this before). I can't tell you it until I release it, but it's clever. It might not make sense (in more ways than one!) at first but once you understand the premise behind it, it works out just fine.

Although, internally it'll still be Mgamerz Productions Cryptographer, or MPC for short. All traces of MPC though have been removed from the application for Android.

On the Java version front, signing has been added, and unsigning will soon be added. I once again have to add stuff to RSAKeygen, which I REALLY should work on otherwise nobody will be able to create settings.
I'm also working out some idea kinks that android has thrown at me. Since it doesn't operate like a GUI desktop does with a file browser, it's going to be a bit different.
I copy and pasted a few of my library classes into the program, and for everything but Swing it imported alright. There's a ton of optimizing to do but so far I don't need to do any of that.
Still, the application doesn't do anything. Well actually, it emails me now, and hopefully within the month I can open a private beta test, most likely through XDA or Freenodes #android-dev channel. Hope I don't run into too many problems - there shouldn't be as this code seems to be pretty universal, unlike a game.
The Java version is so ugly in comparison... I will clean up the layouts and /maybe/ ditch Swing if I muster up the motivation. Swing is horrendous and always will be horrendous. I understand why swing exists in its ugliness, but its still its ugliness.

Anyways, a screenie of a FULLY WORKING (as in everything shown does what it supposed to do - well, except for the disabled components of course, but those will be next (following encryption of them!)

Logo Designed for MP Cryptographer

I've designed the logo (for the most part) for MP Cryptographer. I'm going to change the name, but I just haven't got that far into it yet. I've got a couple of ideas but first I need to see what limitations android is going to bring to the table.

Icon is still subject to change

Status of Android/Java MP Cryptographers

I haven't posted in a while, and no I'm not dead.
I've updated MP Cryptographer Java version to include signing (but not yet de-signing). I'm working on the Android version because my professor seems to not be replying back to me. I have made some progress and have now started working with the sensors.

Sensors Screen (Activity)

An accelerometer is not a 3D compass like I had thought. In a sense it is, because it uses electromagnetic fields to determine distances. When you move an object, not everything moves at once, and changes in the electromagnetic field occur when spacing change and that's how it can calculate acceleration.
This will be used with random number generation.

Development Preview

It's not much, but for accomplishing it in about 24 hours (from knowing nothing except some java), I think it's an accomplishment. This is the settings window, it's not even close to done (they dont' do anything but allow input, but they don't store anything). This is accessed via the 'landing' activity (aka the screen that comes up when you open the app).

Android Development

So today I can now call myself an Android Developer. I hooked up my phone and got the debugger bridge going, it's actually quite cool. Eclipse can pretty much take control of my phone and launch my debug programs at will. The debugger is kind of slow on it though cause it has to pipe quite a bit of code back and forth (I think?).
My target devices are 2.0/2.1+, but I'll maybe be able to go down to 1.6. I was originally going to work out a small twitter app (via going through a book), but the book doesn't seem to have any updates (it has a web version that gets updated) to fix the fact that Twitter requires oAuth to login and not just login credentials anymore, so the book doesn't get very far before it breaks.
The main thing that is different is the GUI layout and how events with the GUI work. Most of my working code will be portable, it's just once again making the GUI (sigh) work once again.
On progress notes, I have made MP Cryptographer (Desktop, perhaps the other will be mobile?) work with Gmail sending. I'll be making it configurable soon.

BSU REU Facebook Setup

Hello REU Students (and others who read this)!
I set up the Facebook page for the Idaho STEP Program, which is a (now second year) program at Boise State where undergraduates (mainly freshmen) are hired as researchers in STEM fields. The goal of STEP is to have students enter STEM fields, and continue with them after they graduate college.You can see the snippet of the STEP program in the "Stalk us on Facebook" box on the right hand side of this page. (At the time of writing it seems to have broken itself... Facebook as usual)
I have also set up the REU Facebook services (with Lilijana Babinkostova - Hope I got your name right!) for you students to use.
It is slightly confusing because of the permission settings that Facebook uses, which is why I created this post.
There are three ways communication via Facebook will work for the REU (This is the same as the STEP program is):

• via Boise State REU Group (Students)

All of you are already in the group, and you are able to talk to each other without people outside of the REU being able to see it. Lilijana mentioned to me that she might make the Admin (and remove herself from the group) so that you can talk to each other without having others (or administrators) see what's going on. I did this with STEP, and we talked some about how things were going, mainly because we didn't like to talk where the administrators can see. ("Ugh this thing is stupid! were common post styles). Note that right now she can still see your posts, I'll update if this changes.

• via Blogger (Students)

STEP used blogs (Blogger, or any that uses RSS feeds if you prefer a different one) to publish research data and progress. You may have not made a blogger yet, but you most likely will for the REU. We will set up the configuration for your blog to automatically publish to the Facebook Page. If you wish to see an example, visit the Idaho STEP Program's Facebook page, found here:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Idaho-STEP-Program/138944176152204
We do not want to promote admins (who can change the settings), but we want students to be able to broadcast for everyone to see, so the configuration will work. You will post in your blogs, and within 30 minutes the post will appear on Facebook (it's automated). It's a bit more confusing than that, but that is all you need to know about how it works.

• via REU Facebook Page

This is mainly for the admin(s) of the page.  Messages posted as the REU on the page will be broadcast to all who 'like' the page, which will be the students. Comments or posts on the REU wall will not broadcast (but they will be visible if manually viewed). These are public as well.

That's the setup in a nutshell. I have created some videos of how to setup a blogger and configure it (and then tweak it to look better), and it takes less than an hour. You'll need your own Google Account (BroncoMail/Google Apps does NOT work) to tie to the blog. Try to give it an original name.
I'll give the links out to you later when you need to set them up.
Happy researching!

Encryption file to be transferred directly via SMTP

So I was working on my encryption program today and I finally dropped the idea of using the mailto protocol. Not many people use it (or have it set up), but I have now learned the specification does not support it.
So my new approach is to have my program do the sending of the mail. The only problem is that there are no documented examples of how to send the password that you have on your email account.
I should get some good progress done on wednesday.
In a few weeks I'll be bloggin' from Colorado!

Android

I might start developing for android soon. I just got a Motorola Atrix 4G and had it rooted within an hour or so of unboxing. Root is great.
I also will be continuing crypto over the summer, but I am not sure when as of yet...

Test post

this is an RSS graffiti post

Undergraduate Research Conference

So yesterday I finally had the Undergraduate Research Conference.
Safe to say, I didn't sleep much the night before.
Mainly, this was due to two things:
Working on a demo program that was already finished took FOR-E-VER. It works fine for me because I know how ti works, but only since I know what values it works with.
Say it asks me to put in a polynomial, and I put in 101. If I put in a seed of 10001, they aren't the same lengths, and when it does the math it will get to the 4th digit of seed and attempt to multiply it by a non-existant digit in poly, and then it will commit suicide and return to the desktop, which is unacceptable for a public program like this.
Also, I had to do some field testing with people to see if they would understand how to use it if I wasn't at my station... which never happened because I was almost always explaining my poster, until about 30 minutes after the conference actually ended at 4PM.
Oh, and I also was nervous. That was the second reason I didn't sleep.
But overall, I loved it. It was a blast. The first few times I spoke about it, it was a bit... confusing (since i barely had time to practice since the demo was actually my backup plan... I was originally planning on showing the email program but I just didn't want to chance not having one to show, because I am not that experienced in java yet.
I also don't have any pictures yet... I have a few (one that shandra took, and one that some others took), but most of them are blurry so I can't really show it.
Now that I had this conference, I kind of want to do more. As long as its not super hot in the room like it was earlier.
And good thing Blogger autosaves drafts! I was uploading my  poster and apparently theres an error with my file host and it killed firefox. Looks like I'll have to find a new file host until it's fixed -_-
You can view the full version here.

SMS Sender (Alpha)

Here is a demo of my new SMS sender program.

RSA Keygen GUI

So I have been developing over the past few days a console version of a RSA keygen. I completed it (but have not had it validated by others - but I assume it works properly, as a demo - and possible actual keygen given long enough values).
But now I have started using the NetBeans IDE (which by the way, sucks compared to Eclipse). I have started using the Swing library to create it with the Netbeans GUI builder, which is nice, and pretty simple to use. It took me only a few minutes to design my interface.

 However, a console is useful because it is very easy to program. Menu's are very straightforward - they ask you for something, and then you compare what they give you.
In a GUI though, they make it so much different. In this picture to the left, there is many things going on. take the 'p' line for instance.

When you click on P, it gives you a cursor. You can type anything you want, like '2354jqw;elkrj234;5klj'. When focus is lost on the p line, it performs an event called FocusLost. There are many events like FocusLost, FocusGained, mouseover, etc. This makes it easy to create it without having to compare the mouse to the actual object on the screen. It also makes it a pain to do.
Whenever the focus is lost on p, it runs a method that strips everything out except for digits. If there isn't anything left, it just holds "", or nothing (but not null - just an empty string).
This is the easy part. However, when all 3 values are filled, and you click 'validate', it updates the values to RSA spec (actually, only 'probably' - method for finding long prime numbers may or may not work entirely. We assume that it is.)
It works mostly. It does in fact create public and private key files, so it does work. However, writing files doesn't work (yet - it should be a pretty easy upgrade to port from the console version)
It also has some issues with event handling.
I have a variable called privatekey - a string, which holds the private key (a big integer). It only needs to be held as a string since we won't be doing anything with the biginteger form.The problem is that there is no event that is executed (I think) as you type. So I need to now update the fields which no longer makes the current private key up-to-date, so you lose the private key and have to revalidate, and recreate.
Yes, it is a pain sort of. I have devised a new structure of how to handle events and will be testing it soon.
All this programming is... meh... i have been programming for about 3 days straight now. It has been so... taxing.

Console Version of Cryptographer almost finished

So I have been working on my program, and the console version is almost finished!!!
I was in my computer science class yesterday, and he was talking about how much more simple breaking the code down into small methods was. Using that, I can create local variables inside of the methods that get destroyed when the method closes, and only return what I need. I have been able to cut down on my code quite a bit. With only 1 method (excluding the method it is in), performGeffe() used to be 48 lines long. Now with 6 methods, it is only 8 lines long!!!

Not this kind of console.

I also have been able to use the StringTokenizer method to make parsing seed values (as strings) much easier. I am just about ready to use the RSA portion to encrypt the keys, which will nearly finalize the core of the program (I might make menu's using switch statements).

Masterfully crafted numbers

So I have been working in java, and made a semi-complex (by my standards) little program that can take user input and do a simple Fibonocci (I hope that is spelled right) LFSR and then perform a vernam cipher. It can also do the same with 3 LFSRs and merge them using the geffe algorithm, and perform the vernam. I also have a method that can automate decryption, however I do not know yet how I am going to store the xval variable since it pulls time from the epoch, which is milliseconds seconds from jan 1 1970 00:00:00:00. The way it is causing problems is that I have auto generating seeds based on the clock, which performs an algorthm that pulls a preset value, multiplies it by this clock time, and... it does something else, but it is late, and I forgot that part... and then mod modlistval's it to give you the seed value for that bit. But I have to do this for 3 of them, so unless the value somehow makes a*xval mod modlistval equals the exact same for all three (very unlikely), I won't be getting very far with decryption. I need a masterfully crafted number...
It is going pretty well though. I am making some good progress. I have no idea what to put on my poster though. Tools used? Um... Eclipse? Java? I don't know any way to put that into pictures, and definitely not a way to scare people away from my poster.

I really hope that I can get accepted to any of the four schools I just applied too: University of Houston, Dakota State University, Penn State, or Cornell. It would be amazing to research there! I have found research even more exciting since I started applying too. It is weird. I feel lucky that I got chosen to be the researcher.