Star Trek Tricorder Simulator: ANNOUNCE

[darethehair]

OK folks, it is with much timidity that I am announcing the availability of my Star Trek 'TR580 Tricorder VII' simulator. It is -- of course -- for 'entertainment' purposes only. I wanted to learn Python/PyGame, and I wanted it to be for something 'fun' that no one had yet done on Maemo.

Does anyone want to take the risk of installing it and giving me some feedback for how well it works for you?

If nothing else, it might amuse you and your friends for perhaps 30 seconds :)

Note that it is fairly large (1.1mb). The python mainline is around 1500 lines (it took that much for me to do the 'mimimum' of what I wanted it to do).

http://darethehair.googlepages.com/tricorder-0.6.all.deb

No, it is not the most professional/streamlined/efficient code that I have ever written, and neither is it probably bug-free...

As for my inspiration and indirect help, I wish to thank:

- Ian Ryge for his Star Trek LCARS theme (cool PADD simulator)
- Khertan for his PyPackager application (allowing me to create a Debian package)
- Aisu for his PyAno program (showing me the potential of PyGame)

If it breaks your device, I assume no responsibility! :)

Dare

P.S. The package also contains a rather lengthy 'README' file explaining why/how it was written, and how to use it in its current version (0.5).

UPDATE: Screenshot on request :)

http://darethehair.googlepages.com/tricorder_screenshot.png

UPDATE: New version, small changes, see my post(s) below.

UPDATE: Quick and dirty web page created:

http://darethehair.googlepages.com/software.html

[cdmackay]

bloody fantastic! :)

[bluesubaru]

If you want people to try it, the first thing you need is some screenshots.

[wv9k]

Very cool!

Gotta find and read the readme, but if I gotta have a complaint, the scanning sound is awfully loud, I'll guess there is a way to tame it, turn it off or something :-). Probably in the readme :-).

Thanks VERY much, perfect addition to the ST theme I have :).

[cdmackay]

the scanning sound is awfully loud, I'll guess there is a way to tame it, turn it off or something :-).

adjust the volume? :)

by the way: don't open the camera whilst it's running; first time ever I managed to hang up my n800.

[darethehair]

Thanks for the suggestions so far!

New version, with a bug fix, doc fix, and feature addition (volume adjustment on the scanner sound):

http://members.shaw.ca/dmenns2/tricorder-0.6.all.deb

cdmackay: I have no idea why this PyGame application would be 'sensitive' to the opening of the camera...that is strange :(

[cdmackay]

cdmackay: I have no idea why this PyGame application would be 'sensitive' to the opening of the camera...that is strange :(

nah, I bet it's just some OS bug, exercising graphics, sound and the camera at once.

[dburr10085]

Pics please

[cdmackay]

a pic has been added to post #1...

[gemniii42]

GREAT!! I expect full functionality, including teleportation capabilities!!

[Tabster]

cool!

It looks just like this http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Image:Tricorder_2366.jpg
:)

[darethehair]

gemniii42: Teleportation? Maybe in a future version :)

Tabster: The similarity is no accident -- see the README file :)
My complaint is that the 'real' tricorder viewing screen is so tiny -- even if there is room for a larger one :(

[wv9k]

adjust the volume? :)

Then all the other sounds are messed up :-(.

But the solution was simple enough, take the .deb apart here on this linux box, load scan.wav into audacity, amplify to about -18db (guess, it took several passes to get it right) and transfer via BT to the N800 and copy to the appropriate place. Woiks GOOD :)!

by the way: don't open the camera whilst it's running; first time ever I managed to hang up my n800.

I'd forgotten there was a camera in there :). Easier to take a pix with the cell phone and BT it over. Even as bad as the cell phone cam is, I can recognize stuff shot with that :) :-(.

Found a pix of me over here and hacked it to size and renamed it to user.jpg and sent that to the n800 via BT and copied that to the right place.

Just tooooooooo COOOOOOOL!!!

Thanks again Dare!

Heh, I have one of those tricorder thingies and have been SLOWLY moving toward hacking it to be "real" (heh). Cut out all the light bumps and instal LEDs, hack a screen in and buttons, add a microcontroller to the mix and it could be interesting.

Dare saves me a lot of work :). Much appreciated :-).

Having fun now :)!

[Tabster]

Tabster: The similarity is no accident -- see the README file :)

I had a quick look around but see no readme file. I am guessing the File manager is not able to see it wherever it is?

[wv9k]

I had a quick look around but see no readme file. I am guessing the File manager is not able to see it wherever it is?

Guessing here, but the file manager as user user will not allow you to see anything in the rootfs other than the SD cards.

I unpacked the .deb on this box to get at the readme and the files I wanted to hack and then copied them over via BT and moved them from the root account which I ssh'd into.

Yes, it *IS* rather *frustrating*, probably more of nokia's lawyers work. On any other linux box I have you can look anyplace for the most part. Ignore loud grumbling sounds - this is just what happens when the money boys get involved with open source.

[cdmackay]

Yup, but you can use a different file mugger, e.g emelFM2:

http://maemo.org/downloads/product/OS2008/emelfm2/

which can see it fine (under /usr/lib/tricorder)

[Tabster]

Yup, but you can use a different file mugger, e.g emelFM2:

http://maemo.org/downloads/product/OS2008/emelfm2/

which can see it fine (under /usr/lib/tricorder)

thanks - works great

Wow - Dare! Thanks for the readme files also. lots of good info there

[darethehair]

Sorry for the bit of 'pain' getting to the docs and data files. This whole concept of 'packaging' an application for the N8xx is brand new to me. I myself feel totally comfortable with a CLI (command line interface), but for someone that just wants to use a GUI it must be a bit frustrating.

From other examples I have seen, applications typically create a directory in '/usr/lib/xxx', and then put the application and other pieces under that. I did the same thing for '/usr/lib/tricorder'. In that directory is the actual program (tricorder.py), but also a subdirectory named 'data' (where the sound/gfx live), and one named 'doc' (where the various docs live).

Probably the only way to make this somehow easier is to have a 'help' menu option or something, but I don't see that as typical in 'pygame' applications that I have looked at.

Anyways, it doesn't sound as though anyone's Nokia has blown up yet using my app, which is good news to me :)

EDIT: Quick web page created to make this a bit easier, including README:
http://members.shaw.ca/dmenns2/software.html

[ian_ryge]

That's pretty awesome :D

[cdmackay]

btw: in Debian-based systems, such as Maemo, docs normally go under /usr/share/doc/$pkg

[darethehair]

For any of you out there that enjoy 'tricorders':

http://masterreplicas.com//store/star_trek/star_trek/9120/

Anyone interested in chipping in money to buy one of these for me?

:)

[wv9k]

That is a lot for that thing, IIRC there is one out there that actually does some stuff and it was considerably less expensive than that :).

[darethehair]

wv9k, are you volunteering to buy one for me? Thanks! Much appreciated!

Dare

P.S. My birthday is on April 19th. Do you think I will get it in time?

:)

[wv9k]

Heh, I wish :-). Was lucky enough to afford my n800 :-).

The one I was talking about apparently has been discontinued with the company out of business. Might as well go for one of the Playmates dummies.

Had one of those for years now with the idea of hacking it into something useful, but I never seem to get around to it :-(.

[qole]

Cute toy. But it really makes it obvious that Star Trek got it wrong. Your faithful reproduction of the interface makes it clear that, as interfaces go, the tricorder's interface really stinks. Lots of big, unnecessary buttons, a tiny, tiny screen, and a generally poor layout really makes it clear that the tricorder is only useful as a prop in a TV show; it would flop as a real-world device. Strangely, they got it "right" with the on-board computer interfaces (touch-screen LCARS), but the tricorder is all physical buttons and almost no screen!

Star Trek should have had pocketable all-in-one devices, like what's happening in the real world. We were watching Bourne Ultimatum last night, and one of the toys caught my eye -- guns with wireless streaming cameras and pivotable LCD screens built-in. Something like this on Star Trek would probably sound like:

"Away team, set your phasers to record."

Also, there's a little mouse pointer floating around on the screen in your simulation.

[darethehair]

qole: I agree with you 100%, and said much the same thing in the README file that I included with the simulator. I definitely experienced the conflict between being 'faithful' and 'useful' :)

I had never noticed the mouse cursor before -- if I ever create an updated version, I will try to deal with that -- all in the name of 'accuracy' :)

[sickocity]

The links seem to be dead. Are there any new links?

[darethehair]

sickocity:

Sorry for the old links -- I have updated them now in the initial post. Enjoy! Let me know what you think of it :)

[ThatN800Guy]

Hey! That looks neat! :)

[darethehair]

ThatN800Guy:

Glad you are interested. Let me know if you try it. Just realize that it is not a 'productivity' application. Also using it will probably make you appear nerdy and/or geeky :)

[TheConstruct]

ThatN800Guy:

Glad you are interested. Let me know if you try it. Just realize that it is not a 'productivity' application. Also using it will probably make you appear nerdy and/or geeky :)

And that's a bad thing?

[darethehair]

I guess it depends...if one already has a girlfriend or is seeking to attract one :)

[stangri]

How far away from the baseship does it work? Does the WiMax N810 have better range?

[darethehair]

stangri:

Well, according to the official specs, the TR580 Tricorder VII 'communication range is limited to 40,000 km intership, similar to the standard communicator badge'. However, since my device is built with 21st technology substitutes, the range will be somewhat less than that. I doubt that the WiMax N810 would make any difference either -- but if you have one, why not give it a try? However, unless some time anomaly occurs, we are not expecting any Federation starships in our vicinity for quite a few more years...

:)

[grog]

However, unless some time anomaly occurs, we are not expecting any Federation starships in our vicinity for quite a few more years...:)
Given the number of times that current-day was visited in all the series & movies, there's bound to be one around at any time you care to try :).

[killdeer]

My only gripes are the black outlines around the buttons. They don't exist on the "real" device. And that you used a "Trek" font from the show title but the font on the device seems to be a somewhat generic sans serif font.

[darethehair]

killdeer:

Well, thanks for your comments about my tricorder simulation :)

1) I know longer recall why I added a black outline around the buttons -- but what I *do* remember was the difficulty of finding *consistent* images of the tricorders to base it on -- including the various shades-of-grey that were used for the surface color.

2) Hmmm, I do *not* recall using any special 'Star Trek' font for my simulator at all, so I am not sure why you think I did. I used 'Inkscape' and its ability to stretch fonts till I got a very close match to the diagram in the 'Star Trek: Next Generation Technical Manual'.

Other than those minor details, I nevertheless hope that you (and others) enjoy the simulation, which I used as an excuse for learning PyGame (python), and to make the most 'realistic' simulator (open source or otherwise) that I could -- given my limited skill set at the time :)

[Gabyrpg]

Awesomep post, thanks! simulation emprunt immobilier (simulationempruntimmobilier.com)

[darethehair]

Awesomep post, thanks! simulation emprunt immobilier (simulationempruntimmobilier.com)

Let us know what you actually think of the simulator, if you get a chance to try it! Like I said, it was the very first one that I wrote, and there really isn't a lot of need or interest to develop it further, but there isn't very much competition out there to compare to :)

[speculatrix]

what a great product; the only problem was I used it when wearing a red shirt, black trousers and black boots and within seconds someone started shooting at me!
:D

[darethehair]

speculatrix:

I think the trick to surviving as a 'red shirt' is to avoid 'away missions' as much as possible, so as to keep a 'low profile'. If you simply *have* to go, then no more "I will just go over there by myself to investigate that strange sensor reading on my tricorder". That is simply *asking* for trouble! And make sure your phaser is set to 'kill' (not 'stun'), and have your finger on the 'fire' button, just in case!

[stangri]

Oh, man, it's been fun for a while, but now when you're talking work, you lost me. :)

[Uxi]

doesn't apparently work with 1.2. Installs fine but crashes after thinking about it for a couple seconds

[Raubtier]

some might hate me for this, but it gets annoying when people introduce apps without introducing them properly. i appreciate that you made the app, but it would have been nice if you would have explained what this app does..after reading through 5 pages i still dont know, and that just shouldnt be the case..

[Uxi]

ok duh installed PyQt.

[Descalzo]

This was an N8x0 app, no?

[RFS-81]

some might hate me for this, but it gets annoying when people introduce apps without introducing them properly. i appreciate that you made the app, but it would have been nice if you would have explained what this app does..after reading through 5 pages i still dont know, and that just shouldnt be the case..
In this case, if you care about what it does, you don't need it ;-)

[jdb2]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I came across this and just had to respond.

Cute toy. But it really makes it obvious that Star Trek got it wrong. Your faithful reproduction of the interface makes it clear that, as interfaces go, the tricorder's interface really stinks. Lots of big, unnecessary buttons, a tiny, tiny screen, and a generally poor layout really makes it clear that the tricorder is only useful as a prop in a TV show; it would flop as a real-world device.


I couldn't disagree more. The tricoder was, and still is, ahead of its time. Not only was it a computer millions of times more powerful than anything we have today, but it utilized highly sophisticated AI algorithms to scan for basically any pattern. It was also an information storage device of huge capacity, an information transmission and retrieval device, and an information recording device. It performed passive and *active* scanning where active scanning is the emission of practically any kind of flux of particles or any other type of radiation or energy to see how the environment responds. It had a scanning radius of thousands of miles and due to the aforementioned features, the user could scan for something non-specific, or just anything for that matter, and if it was there it would be recognized. Lastly, it could also function as a communications device and an auxiliary power source as its power cells basically lasted forever.


Strangely, they got it "right" with the on-board computer interfaces (touch-screen LCARS), but the tricorder is all physical buttons and almost no screen!


If you watch Star Trek : The Next Generation, you can see that they got it almost all right as almost everything has a touch-display interface, including the new tricorder which has been upgraded with fewer buttons and a larger touch sensitive display -- ahead of its time for the 80's.


Star Trek should have had pocketable all-in-one devices, like what's happening in the real world.


But that's exactly what a tricorder is! It's your basic pocketable subcompact swiss-army-knife of the 23rd or 24th centuries.

jdb2

[abill_uk]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I came across this and just had to respond.



I couldn't disagree more. The tricoder was, and still is, ahead of its time. Not only was it a computer millions of times more powerful than anything we have today, but it utilized highly sophisticated AI algorithms to scan for basically any pattern. It was also an information storage device of huge capacity, an information transmission and retrieval device, and an information recording device. It performed passive and *active* scanning where active scanning is the emission of practically any kind of flux of particles or any other type of radiation or energy to see how the environment responds. It had a scanning radius of thousands of miles and due to the aforementioned features, the user could scan for something non-specific, or just anything for that matter, and if it was there it would be recognized. Lastly, it could also function as a communications device and an auxiliary power source as its power cells basically lasted forever.



If you watch Star Trek : The Next Generation, you can see that they got it almost all right as almost everything has a touch-display interface, including the new tricorder which has been upgraded with fewer buttons and a larger touch sensitive display -- ahead of its time for the 80's.



But that's exactly what a tricorder is! It's your basic pocketable subcompact swiss-army-knife of the 23rd or 24th centuries.

jdb2

You could not be closer to the explanation of a Tricorder if you tried, i just came back in time to let you know ;).

[jdb2]

You could not be closer to the explanation of a Tricorder if you tried, i just came back in time to let you know ;).

Heh. Thanks. :) I wouldn't be a good Trekkie otherwise. ;)

jdb2