Tag: notes

Importing Core Data to Techlog

Need a file with MD and each variable in a separate column with a header.  Then you can select what kind of data you have during import.
 
You can plot point data most easily by not assigning it to a Main Family and Family and then setting the Variable Type to point data.
 
Important!  If you have overlapping data (multiple of same MD value), Techlog will read your data as an ARRAY, which means you can’t plot as points in LogView.  Pull those duplicate values out first.  If you have imported already and you are unable to set the variable type to point data, you can open up the Data Editor and show all columns to see where your MDs overlap.

 

[notes] Converting MRSID to GeoTIFF using GDAL in Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard)

Just found out how to convert MrSID files (from NZ geology) to other formats using GDAL.

  • Followed instructions here: http://www.photo-mark.com/notes/2008/nov/12/converting-mrsid-gis-files/
  • Needed most recent version of GDAL with frameworks (1.8 Complete): http://www.kyngchaos.com/software/frameworks
  • Had to change command to “/Library/Frameworks/GDAL.framework/Versions/Current/Programs/gdal_translate -of PNG /Users/Matt/Desktop/whangarei/inputmap.sid /Users/Matt/Desktop/whangarei/outputmap.png”
  • That makes an image file, but I think I’ll convert to geotiff for GIS:
    • /Library/Frameworks/GDAL.framework/Versions/Current/Programs/gdal_translate /Users/Matt/Desktop/whangarei/inputmap.sid /Users/Matt/Desktop/whangarei/outputmap.tif
  • Map source: http://www.gns.cri.nz/Home/Our-Science/Energy-Resources/Geological-Mapping/Geological-Maps/1-250-000-QMAP/Map-downloads
  • Map coordinate system: New Zealand Map Grid (Geodetic Datum 1949)
  • gdal_translate man: http://www.gdal.org/gdal_translate.html

Quick Evernote for Mac Review

I have been thinking about using Evernote or OneNote for a while now, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to dump all of my notes into a proprietary format. The idea behind trying Evernote out was that it would attempt to OCR my handwriting, and would let me link between different notebook pages I could easily photograph or scan into the program (I understand that OneNote does this as well).

I have been thinking about using Evernote or OneNote for a while now, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to dump all of my notes into a proprietary format. The idea behind trying Evernote out was that it would attempt to OCR my handwriting, and would let me link between different notebook pages I could easily photograph or scan into the program (I understand that OneNote does this as well).

Simple, right? I looked into Evernote and discovered that they would rather sync all of your data to the cloud. I’m not down with that, but I did find out that you can run a local version, so I figured I would try it. However, once I dumped a PDF file of a previous notebook in (scanned at a readable resolution), I got a message asking me to upgrade to the “premium” version of the software so I wouldn’t go over my transfer amount for the month. So goodbye Evernote, and I’m back to Tiddlywiki until I can find something better.

Evernote pros:
– Dump everything in one place (images, text, audio, video). I could see using the video if I wanted to describe something on a diagram.
– Lets you sync across devices if you’re into that. I have no other devices and I have a laptop, so I’m not interested.
– OCR of attached files without any extra steps (supposedly)
– You can export to plain HTML if you ever want to leave Evernote behind. This is a good “safety net” to add into a program so people will be interested in trying it.

Evernote cons:
– They want you to create an account with them, even if you don’t want to deal with syncing to “the cloud”
– 40 MB monthly limit for notes and attachments, even if you have no interest in syncing to “the cloud”
– When you import an existing file, makes a copy of that file in its own folder. Ideally you would be able to change this setting so that it would only create an alias or shortcut in order to save space, plus if you are linking working files, creating a copy means that the most current file is not in the Evernot folder, so that doesn’t work.

Now back to work. In the future I hope to review Klok 2, but I shouldn’t right now because I’m down to half the RAM I had before and the whole machine is dragging.