How to glog and more with WayMarkr
by Jose Marinez 
Follow along as I get my WayMarkr glogging setup together, step by step, and begin to chronicle my series of Ruby articles for the N800 internet tablet.
Glogging, which gets its name from combining a cyborglog that records your behavior and a weblog that displays the results, used to require the bulky wearable computers of Steve Mann’s heyday, or big-budget backing like Justin.tv. But over the years, the tools for glogging have evolved, as seen on this visual timeline. Now you can get to glogging with a much simpler setup – your Nseries device and the application WayMarkr, which touts itself as a “location aware, documenting wearable with unlimited storage” that can “continuously document events in your life” for all to see.
But you can use this approach for more than documenting your next conference, party or family get-together. As you’ll see below, where I show you the beginnings of my how-to articles about Ruby and Ruby on Rails, what starts as a glogging session can become something else altogether. What’s the benefit of this approach for a how-to process? If you’ve ever written an instruction manual or user guide, you understand the complexity of breaking up an activity into small tasks and then stopping between each task to document it. This can be quite painful, and feels like it takes an eternity.
For the upcoming how-to on Rails, I had to download the right packages, confirm the right versions, validate the appropriate modes and commands on the tablet, and, in many cases, execute them sequentially. One error or assumption in documenting those steps could make the difference between a successful installation and a total waste of time. I realized it would be so much easier to record the end-to-end process without interruption and then go back and document it. This would allow me to outline the instructions faster, mitigate errors and reduce redundancy.
So here’s how I used WayMarkr to chronicle my foray into loading Ruby and Ruby on Rails onto OS2008.
I took my mobile device out, and placed it around my neck with a lanyard - like the first generation iPod Shuffle. I turned on WayMarkr - in “private” mode - and then I began my installation odyssey.
Once finished, I reviewed the recorded images and began documenting my instructions. The interval between images was short enough to make the collection of images appear like a slow-motion video, so I was able to quickly refer back to particular moments, and capture task details, without wondering or having to go back and duplicate the steps. Additionally, since WayMarkr gives you the option to use Flickr, I was able to write a small Automator script on my Mac that allowed me to download the pictures at full resolution and play them as a full-screen slideshow. (You can download my Automator script here.) With the higher resolution images, I was able to view intricate details such as text on a website and commands executed on the internet tablet.
As an example, you can view an edited stream of my Ruby glogging sessions.
Now that you’ve seen WayMarkr at work, let’s get you glogging. First, you’ll need to have Python for S60 installed. If you don’t have it, get it here. Install the PythonForS60_1_4_1.XXX.SIS first and then the PythonScriptShell_1_4_1.XXX.SIS. Which Nokia model you have will determine whether your phone is a 2nd or 3rd Edition model. If you have one of the latest models, like an N95, then you’ll need the 3rd Edition version of the files. Once you’ve done that, turn your mobile browser to http://get.waymarkr.com to download the application and wait for the temporary password. Then turn it on and follow the prompts as noted below:
Make photos public?
Do you want to make your photo set available for everyone to see on the waymarkr site?
Use Camera’s Flash?
If you have sufficient lighting and concerned about battery life, just say “No”.
Image frequency?
How fast should the pictures be taken?
Use GPS?
If you say “Yes” WayMarkr will search for an external Bluetooth device and when the photo set gets uploaded to the WayMarkr site they’ll be placed on a map with the appropriate lat/lon values.
PhotoSetName
Think of this as the “album” or photo set title. If you decide to use Flickr in the next prompt, this name becomes your Flickr tag for all the photos in that particular photo set.
Use Flickr?
If you say “Yes”, WayMarkr will automatically upload your pictures to your Flickr account as well. It will then ask you for your Flickr email - if you don’t have one, here’s where you can obtain one.
WayMarkr: Please enter an email address:
Enter your email address.
Select Access Point:
Choose your preferred carrier packet data connection or wi-fi access point to the internet.
As I’ve shown, this stuff is great for technical documentation. One word: Instructables. I’ve also used the wi-fi capabilities of an older Series 60 phone I had lying around (no SIM required) to create a stop-motion security camera. What else could you do with it? If you have another use of WayMarkr you’d like to show off, tag your WayMarkr-sent Flickr images with nsseriesworkshop or post a link to your efforts in the comments section. And stay tuned for my upcoming posts on Ruby and Ruby on Rails.
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