That 'Hidden' iPhone Location File for Windows Users

So, you might recently have read of the Pete Warden/Alasdiar Allen hoo-ha about that 'hidden' tracking file on your computer which has a record of everywhere your iPhone's been?. Personally i think the issue is more about disclosure than security but i still wanted to see said file, great, but the write up on their page is for Mac nerds.So here's a quick 'work around' for Windows users, you'll need...

• Firefox (FF 4 friendly)
• The SQL Lite Plug In 
• GPSBabel (optional,used  to create KML file)
• A Google account to view Map

Firstly navigate to the iPhones backup folder which on Windows Vista is usually here...

 C:\Users\*user*\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup

Now in this folder there may be several folders with long numbered names (i only had one), if you check the details you should navigate into the newest one. Then open info.plist with a text editor, it's reasonably readable and you should find an entry near the top which gives the Device Name for your iPhone. (this is just to confirm it's the folder for your device, to look at anyone elses data would just be plain rude).

 Now in the original Mac write up there's a way to determine which of the many obscurely numbered files in that folder is the (location) consolidated.db file, with Windows this doesn't appear to be forthcoming so some trial and error is in order. First i listed the files by size, biggest first (click on size on top line), Then open up Firefox and the SQL Lite plug in (it should be in options menu).

 Now attempt to open the files one by one using 'Connect Database' (the little folder icon), make sure you have 'File Names' drop down menu set to 'all files' in explorer bar to see them.You'll probably get a Error message for the first few....

*Update*  i've been led to believe the relevant file begins with the numbers 4096... (hat tip Owen)

but keep going (i think mine was the fourth file down the list ) and hopefully...

The good stuff  is under 'CellLocation' (in the Browse & Search' Tab)

 (I blacked my stuff out but stalkers can still find me on FourSquare).This can be exported to an XML file, the 'to do' now being to convert it to an KML file and view the numbers as a map (i'm not bleedin' Keanu Reeves you know!!)

Midge

*Update*  re' viewing on Google Maps: There's probably easier/better ways to do this but if you go the 'Execute SQL' Tab in SQL Lite and enter...

SELECT Latitude,longitude FROM CellLocation

followed by 'Run SQL' you'll get a Table of just the Latitude/Longitude readings, which can then be saved as an .csv file (manually add a row with lat/lon column headings in a spreadsheet (eg. Google Docs))

 Using the ('free') GPSBabel program you can then then convert this into a KML 'Google Earth Keyhole Markup Language' file (it's a relatively intuitive program)...

*Errata*  Use 'Universal csv with field structure in  first line'  instead of the plain 'Comma seperated values' shown in picture below

Then it's just a quick wonder over to Google maps, create new map and import the KML file to view the locations.

*UPDATE*  If your familiar with Google Fusion tables you can import the KML file into that to view as a map as well (hatip Ian)

Now be prepared to be very disappointed, the locations appear to be very vague and certainly don't have the Big Brotherish accuracy which everyones banging on about.

Mrmr Open Sound Control Client to Arduino

This quick project was mainly a proof of concept for someone else but here's a fuzzy video and some info.



Using the Mrmr iPhone app to create an Open Sound Control client which talks to Processing, which then talks to the Arduino, which then lights some (mismatched) LEDs.
(Sending a Byte of data to control Port B.)

Mrmr app can be found here
mrmr.noisepages.com/​

Code can be found here with Osc_EX prefix (there's some notes in the comments)
pastebin.com/​u/​Midge

Circuit is just four LEDs connected to Pins 8 to 11 with 1K resistors.

This blog post is just offered as a quick reference (and somewhere to dump the video). I can't really enter into any technical discussions, there's plenty of info out there but here's a couple of tips...

• Always check the Mrmr client is talking to the Same Port that Processing is listening to.
• Make sure you change the addrPatterns in the 'If' statements.
• Check your Firewall, they can sometimes block OSC signals.
• Mrmr console was transfered by connecting iPhone to PC using XAMPP as a server (put file into htdocs folder)

KCLErrorDomain Error 1 'Fix' for Twitter iPhone App.

I've had my iPhone all of two weeks now and to be honest i'm woefully underusing it's potential awesomeness, Twittering inanities and FourSquaring every trip to the pub from it is currently about my limit. Now i'm one of those A**** retentative types who likes to see things work properly and loses much needed beauty sleep when they don't so i was bit miffed/panic stricken recently to see this  when i tried to send an important Tweet...

The Operation could not be completed kCLErrorDomain error 1

Googling didn't come up with apart from a few people experiencing the same but if my befuddled understanding is correct i *think* the problem is this. The program suddenly seems to think it's ok to use Location/geolcate services even though you've turned them off in Twitter app settings and 'trips up' when denied access (i first experienced it after accessing a Foursquare site via a Twitter link) the 'fix' seems to be resetting this feature by....

• Go to iPhone General settings and turn on the Location Services for Twitter App (this will only be temporary).
• Open the Twitter app and create new Tweet (you won't be sending this, it's a dummy).
• Tap on extras button bottom right and tap geolcate,it should now pinpoint your position.
• Re-tap geolocate to switch it back off.
• Close Twitter app.
• Reset Location Services to off in settings.

This hopefully should now have fixed the problem. Many apologies if it didn't, donations and praise if it did  :)

(* i'll be jiggered if i'm using the word Anal in a blog post, that's just asking for trouble)

Stalking The Shend

Flicking through yet another half read copy of Bizarre magazine today i notices the Shend is back contributing to their pages via the medium of the written word. "The Shend who?" you may ask, if you're a Tellybox owner you just may know him as an extra who typically plays thug #2 in such dramatic delights as The Bill, Eastenders,Casualty and had a speaking part in Men Behaving Badly as 'man in bar who insults Dorothy and gets beaten up by Gary'. Sci-Fi nuts may know him from Red Dwarf (the tail end of the series when it wasn't very good) and TorchWood (They Keep Killing Suzie). Film afficianados may know him from a shit load of other varied stuff.
Me, well i know him as the lead singer of one of the Midlands (well Redditch anyhoo) finest eclectic musical exports The Cravats. Memories of first hearing 'Cravats In ToyTown' in the early Eighties with it's Dadaist lyrics and Daliesque saxophones was epic listening indeed after my usual diet of G.B.H washed down with cheap lager,egg fried rice in it's foil container and The Exploited.
But i digress, my reason for this outpouring is simply it's Monday night and i'm bored!! so i thought i'd see what the amazing electronic interlinker could turn up on the big beardy renaissance man.

Shend's Myspace (Well everyone who's anyone has a Myspace) still in use by looks of it

Shend's FaceBook

Cravats Website  (a Bravenet relic)

The Very Things Myspace (again still in use)

Shend's Showreel ,(some gaps here including his part in Pervirella with cult TV babe Emily Booth)





Shends Podcasts, Yes he has a Radio show :)



Shend performing with KroonCat lounge nights.

Shend in the 118 118 sponsored ITV4 station ident.

and by way of a half arsed coda a Google Image Search :)

More to follow....

Geeky Advent Rehash.

Well ok, it's five months late but here's is my rushed take on tinkerlog's Geeky Advent widget (instructions here) the interesting quirk with these things being the way an LED is used as a light sensor. I've built it using an ATtiny85 instead of the ATtiny13 which requires a tweak to the code to allow for the slight differences in the ADC registers...

ADC Reference voltage

ADMUX = ( 1 << REFS2 ) | ( 1 << REFS1 ) | ADC2; //internal ref 2.56v, sense on PB4

ADC clock prescaler

ADCSRA = ( 1 << ADEN ) | 7;

prescale set to 7 (divide by 128) as i'm led to 'believe' it improves accuracy if the main chip clock is set to 8Mhz

Fuses set to switch off chip prescaler.
avrdude -c < Your Programmer > -p t85 -U lfuse:w:0xe2:m -U hfuse:w:0xdf:m -U efuse:w:0xff:m


Seems to work ok but may need some tweaking to the 'AMBIENT_LIGHT' variable.
not demonstrated is that the LED's light up one LED, Two LED's, Three LED's, Four LED's on each reset, (apologies for blurry video but i'm using a crap digital camera)

Hacking Car Boot Sales.

What's that?, £3.60 for a thumb joystick!?, i'll not line their pockets says i. So it's off to the great British insitution that is the car boot sale. I managed to pick up two Playstation controllers for the reasonable price of one whole quid (actually the one on the right was a quid, the guy let me have the Sony one for nicks as it had a button missing). Back home and after some deft work with a soldering iron i now have four two axis joysticks (complete with switches), four electric motors , two preset potentiometers AND an LED.That works out about 10p a component, a good days work allround methinks.

The Old PC PSU to Bench Supply Hack.

Yep, a million and one Instructables on the internet on this old hack so i thought i'd add mine to the pool. Started with a cast off Aopen FSP300-60PN power supply and...

• 5 Amp Terminal block from a pound shop (cheapskate!).
• A 10 Ohm 10 Watt Wire Round Resistor (for Load which 'may' be optional).
• HeatShrink Sleeving to insulate exposed solder joints.
• Switch.
• Couple of cable ties.

Then just followed the instructions . Note the hole above the switch...Measure Twice, Cut Once!, i knew the fan had some depth but didn't check it properly when i drilled the first hole. I've kept the Grey PWR_OK wire for possible inclusion of an LED later (Imho the fan spinning round is a pretty good indicator it's on).It's main use is for low current electronics and it has built in short circuit protection so i've omitted any fuses on the outputs which some other hacks use. The label was quickly knocked up with Inkscape.
TO DO... some mesh over the fan, it's just begging for some tiny bit's of wire cut off to be 'sucked' in.





DISCLAIMER bit, you've read them elsewhere, here's mine...
The voltages inside a PSU are potentially lethal and the power capacitors can have quite a kick EVEN AFTER THE MAINS HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED AND THE UNIT SWITCHED OFF!. Do not attempt this hack unless you know what you are doing. I'll take no responsibilty for anything.