Proposed weather center / digital frame

I just bought a new macbook pro and have been kicking around ideas for how to make use of my old macbook. I think the best idea I've had is to disassemble it and use it as a mountable info center and digital photo frame. I'd like to mount it somewhere on the wall (i'm relatively handy and will probably build a wooden box frame for it).
I have several questions regarding how I should best go about this. For starters, I've got snow leopard installed atm. But this new macbook came with mountain lion -- not sure if I could install it on the old macbook too, or even if it would matter one way or another, but that's the situation.
Modifying the OS: I would like the computer to power up early every morning so I can check the weather before I leave for work, and ideally switch over to photo mode (maybe as a screensaver or something??) throughout the aternoon/evening, and either turn itself off or hibernate every night to save electricity. Whether I need one or more apps to do this, of if I can just use the OS standard features, I don't know.
For weather, I've been using Swackett, from the app store, and have taken a liking to it. However, if there were an alternative which would better suit this project, I'd be open for suggestions.
I also searched the app store for a photo frame app. There are tons of them. I don't need it to do anything fancy, just randomly display my photos and rotate them every 40 mins to an hour. Which app would be my best bet?? I like extra features and would pay for them, but not essential... there are just so many apps that seem to be able to do this, its hard to tell which one(s) is/are the best for the job.
Also welcome to any other ideas or suggestions on how I may use this alternatively to just these 2 features, but the general idea is info center and photo display. Thanks for any advice!

Okay, I found some time to sit down and play with this a little. I feel like kind of an idiot because most of this functionality was already implemented directly within snow leopard. I have it set up to auto shutdown/restart overnight, open my weather program on startup, minimize/hide all other processes, and trigger photo slideshows after 2 hours of inactivity, with sleep function deactivated.
I did download a slideshow app that serves as the screen saver and has a big clock displayed along the top of the slideshow pictures. Also, found another free app to chime like a grandfather clock on the hour.
the last bit is just the assembly part... is it possible to separate the screen panel from the computer/keyboard body, without losing functionality of the screen? I would like to be able to mount it flat (or disconnect completely), but the hinge only lets you open the screen to about 120 degrees... I'm afraid to take it apart!

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IPhoto and digital frames

I bought a Coby 7 in. digital frame for my wife for Mother's Day and have been going crazy since then trying to load photos from iPhoto onto a memory card for use on the frame (it has no internal memory). If I try to export the photos onto any type of memory card (either thru a card reader or by inserting a card into the frame and hooking that up) I get a message that my Mac was "Unable to create /Volumes" If I format the card thru disk utility then the export works (on the card reader at least) but the frame will not recognize the card when I insert it. Any ideas slash/help?

Thanks for the help. Luckily (this time anyway) I have a laptop for work that uses that other OS and the formatting issue solved the problem with the frame reading the card. However, I am still having issues copying the photos onto the card. I set up the temporary folder on my desktop with the images in it but I when I go to copy it onto the card I get a message that says "Sorry operation could not be completed because an unexpected error occurred (Error Code - 50)" Any idea why the images will not copy onto the card?

I need to save some pictures from iPhoto to a SDHC photo card for a digital frame and was wondering if there is a way to shrink or compress file size for each picture as I have already cropped the pictures? Thank you

I need to save some pictures from iPhoto to a SDHC photo card for a digital frame and was wondering if there is a way to shrink or compress file size for each picture as I have already cropped the pictures? Thank you

Yes, you do this when you export the images from the Library.
File -> Export
in the Size section, you don't need images larger than the frame size, so you can specify that and in the Jpeg Quality you can select the amount of compression used.
This User Tip
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4921
has details of the options in the Export dialogue.

How do I create a digital frame w/o decreasing the photo size?

I want to frame my photos & upload them to my website. When I use the frame tool, it decreases the photo size & has a large background, which I don't want.

Perhaps the better title for this would've been "How do I create a digital frame w/o INCREASING CANVAS SIZE?"
I have this same problem on Elements 10 and I can't find an answer. It's not because hawaiiski is using Themes. When you apply a frame to the photo through Content > Frames, it decreases the image size on screen and increases canvas size around the framed photo. It's the checkered transparent canvas. But I just want the photo and the frame as a flattened rectangular image, as a jpg, to post in an online album. Just a simple 10 point black frame. I've searched a lot but can't find an easy and/or accurate way to do this. Is there a way to auto-crop the canvas size to the edges of the framed photo? I do the Marquee > Image > Crop that snaps to the edges, but it always leaves a little canvas on one or more sides and I have to crop again. Some people say to apply frames by increasing canvas size, but the design options are limited to solid colors, and it takes longer to do.
Why does Elements have to add the canvas around a framed photo and why isn't there an easier way to crop to the edges? I do dozens of photos at a time and can't be cropping every photos twice just for frames.

Windows 7 compatibility with Digital Frames

Two digital frames were working perfectly until I loaded new pictures from I think a Newer Windows Operating System. The latest Code 43. "Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems". Any suggestions
how to fix this?
Greg0412

Suggestions:
1.Restart your system and recheck the issue.
2.Uninstall and reinstall the device driver.
3.You may try a System Restore.Select any restore point when there was no such problem.
More help:
Code 43: Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems
S.Sengupta, Windows Entertainment and Connected Home MVP

Iphoto '08 photo export for protable USA digital frame

reference
iphoto '08
Portable USA PU-10W version 1.1ZM (reference protableusa.com)
Would like to export photos from iphoto '08 to be viewable on Digital Picture frame. Photos for the picture frame need to be jpegs of 12MP scaled image to 640x480.
I have used the export feature to a compact flash media. When inserted to frame. I receive an error. On the website for the digital frame the error indicates that there is too much date in the jpeg -EXIF data associated.
Can anyone provide this novice iPhoto user guidance? Much Thanks

Mitzi:
Try the following: export the 640 x 480 files to a folder on the desktop. Insert the CF card, and drag the folder on to it. There are some issues with files at the root level of the PC formatted cards, FAT 16 I believe.
In order to get more photos on the card I use Resize! to resize them to 640 x 480 at a 60 quality level. That gives me files in the order of 100 KB in size.
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've written an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 08 libraries. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Experience with digital frame automatically syncing with iPhoto?

Here's what I'm looking for:
I am looking for a digital frame I could wirelessly connect with my Dad's iPhoto, and when I send a picture to an email address it automatically updates on the frame.
I know it exists (I've seen it done in PC world) but I don't know where to find it.

There is this great new free search engine names Google - it is amazing - you should give it a try
"digital photo frame e-mail" -- http://www.estarling.com/
LN

Best mac compatible digital frame?

What is the best mac compatible digital frame?

For a high quality portable audio recorder, I've been very happy with the Olympus LS-10, but it is more expensive that the ordinary voice recorder, on the order of $250USD. If you want quality, this has it. I am disappointed at the sound quality of the voice recorders I have tried. It's stereo, about the size of a pack of cigarettes (if anybody remembers that). The built-in microphones are not perfect for music (reduced bass and boosted highs), but are excellent for voice. The device records about 10 hours continuously on 2 AA batteries. It has tiny speakers and earphone jack, and an iPod-easy menu system. It requires no software to transfer files. You connect the USB cable to the Mac, and the recorder shows up on the desktop for you to move whatever files you wish. You can record in WAV, MP3 or WMA formats at several bit depths and sample rates to balance quality with file size.
There are many competing products (Sony, Tascam, Marantz, others) that have some similar characteristics, but I have no experience with them - except some Zoom products I tried were poor.

Freeze of HP digital frame on one photo

My HP Digital Frame cosistently freezes on one picture when in slideshow mode. I have looked at the thumbs and I have no issues with the look of the photos. Some of the photos are in the digital frame memory and some of the photos are on a Sansdisk. When reading the other posts I checked the specific photo and it is a jpeg. Any ideas?

My HP Digital Frame cosistently freezes on one picture when in slideshow mode. I have looked at the thumbs and I have no issues with the look of the photos. Some of the photos are in the digital frame memory and some of the photos are on a Sansdisk. When reading the other posts I checked the specific photo and it is a jpeg. Any ideas?

Center text frame in frame

In CS & CS2 (javascript) I can't use menu actions to center content in a frame. I have a textbox that contains a paragraph that I want to place the textbox in a frame and center (both horizontal & vertical).
Does anyone know how to do this?
Thanks

Hi Seth,
After placing the inline text box, Select the outer/parent frame and run the following code:
var myFrame = app.selection[0];
var Len = myFrame.paragraphs.length-1;
myFrame.textFramePreferences.verticalJustification = VerticalJustification.centerAlign;
myFrame.paragraphs.itemByRange(0,Len).justification = Justification.centerAlign;
I think this will solve your problem.
Regards,
Ramkumar

Align left panels inside BoxLayOut / Center a frame center screen

Hi,
I've googled for a good while now so now I'm posting the question I have not found a satisfactory answer. It may be that I've been searching by the wrong terms, because it's an easy thing in concept. This is a JSwing question and all terms below apply to that.
I have a method which takes a container that has a BoxLayout manager. Each item I add is a new row, which is good. The bad thing is that each item is centered aligned. I'm adding a label and textfield into a panel which I then add to the container. I have tried .setAlignmentX to the label, textfield, panel, and all combination pertaining. I can not for the life of me do it. Please see below for pertinent code.
public void addComponentsToPane(Container pane) {
pane.setLayout(new BoxLayout(pane, BoxLayout.Y_AXIS));
JPanel user = new JPanel();
JLabel userL = new JLabel("Username: ");
JTextField userT = new JTextField(20);
user.add(userL);
user.add(userT);
user.setAlignmentX(Component.LEFT_ALIGNMENT);
I hate to put two questions in one thread, but I'm stuck and it's been a long weekend. How come frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null); doesn't set the frame to the center of the window. It's slightly off center; too far to the right and down.
Thanks in advance for any help given by the community. I appreciate it and hope I haven't broken any guidelines for the forum.

Go through the [url http://download.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/layout/box.html]tutorial for BoxLayout where you will find working code samples. After that, if you still have a problem, post a [url http://mindprod.com/jgloss/sscce.html]SSCCE (Short, Self Contained, Compilable and Executable) that members can copy and run to see where you've slipped up.
db

Cant get picture to center in frame when placed.

When I drop a picture in a frame it will go to the top left hand corner instead of the center. I have my reference point centered on the control bar and also on the Frame Fitting options but it still go to the top left corner. Am I missing something here?

Peter Spier wrote:
I'm sorry to say I see the same thing. Windows 7.
There's a name that. Bug.
Here's the place to report it: https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform
Bob

How can I center a frame ?

I created a 820x480 frame and want to center it in my screen. Is there an easy option or do I have to retrieve the screen's x and y coordinates first ???
cheers, Anne

This is how I usually center my JFrames:
Dimension frameSize = jframe.getSize();
Dimension screenSize = java.awt.Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getScreenSize();
jframe.setLocation(screenSize.width/2 - frameSize.width/2, screenSize.height/2 - frameSize.height/2);
You may want to be more careful though; things could blow up if the frame size is bigger that the screen size!?

Need Some Quick Help w/Digital Frame for Xmas Gift Please...

Have a Kodak digital picture frame. I don't understand the architecture of using the SD or USB cards w/the frame. I bought a 1 and 2-gb SD card. When copying my photos to the cards (112 of them), I get about 92 on the 1-gb card and it says full, but still shows most of the disk available, but also says is full so only about 92 photos goes on there. So I try the 2-gb SD card, and exactly the same amount of photos fit??? Why - it is twice as big??? I tried reformatting it to Macintosh but that only made the frame not recognize it, and when I formatted it back to MS-DOS, the frame still does not recognize it...Question one...Why the 1 and 2 gb SD cards hold only the same amount of pictures and how can I get it formatted back to be read by the camera...and can I fill 112 pictures on??? So then I thought maybe a USB stick would work. Bought a 2-gb Lenar Firefly stick and whoa and behold the exact same thing happens...I get about 92 pictures. So I figured which 92 pictures I wanted and selected all the card contents, moved to trash and deleted the pictures, then went back and picked only the 92 pictures I wanted and copied to stick and all show that they are there, but when I go to play them on the frame the old pictures I had on there before are there and not just the 92 new ones. How do I get rid of everything on the disk and get the pictures onto it that I want...I am afraid to erase or format it in any way because the frame probably won't recognize it again. Also, there is one picture that says "Bad file" and I have no idea which picture this is...and can't get rid of it because when I move them all to trash and put the new pictures on the stick that one is still there????? On the stick, I have like 130 MB (112 Pictures). When copied it says 92 pictures with 1.76 GB available...why is this and why can't I copy pictures to that space??? Can someone explain this to me and advise me what I can do, how do I reformat it so recognized also??? Also, I have songs copied to the frame's internal memory, but can't figure out how to play the pictures and also music at the same time????? Thanks so much for any quick help and thorough explanation so I can get this wrapped and sent. Merry Christmas! Gary

I also have a Kodak picture frame and had the same problem with my SD card. Two things I learned.
1-Even though you can't see them on the card - there are hidden files. You can see them - use this procedure.
http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/3104/os-x-show-hidden-files-and-folders-in-mac-os -x-finder/
2-The other item I learned is that you must drag and drop the files and then empty your trash. While the reader is connected to the machine.
Doing these two items will clear your card to full capacity.
As far as the "bad file" I am still working on that one. I have little movie clips on my card and believe that may be causing this view..so your music may be causing this message. Start with just the pictures only and see if you can load them onto the frame.

Adobe Flash security exposure in HP Solution Center Digital Imaging code

I have an HP Officejet 4500 with the HP Solution Center installed.
Windows XP.
My security software identifies "Adobe Flash Player Multiple Vulnerabilities" embedded in the HP Digital Imaging product.
The versions and locations are:
Adobe Flash 10.0 r2
C:\Program Files\HP\Digital Imaging\{7E0E61CC-1C99-429D-BEA7-C4DD5B898D2A}\setup\hwsetupwizard\setup_guide.exe
Adobe Flash 9.0 r115
C:\Program Files\HP\Digital Imaging\Help\player\FlashPla.exe
Apparently the Digital Imaging products uses these for help and setup functions. They were likely installed initially but I can't find any way to update them. I have tried all update functions available for the Solution Center.
Adobe Flash player is at version 11 as the standalone product on my machine, so this is not the issue.
The vulnerabilities are real
http://www.securelist.com/en/advisories/43267/?function=advisories&VN=43267
http://www.securelist.com/en/advisories/41917/?function=advisories&VN=41917
How do I get these Flash product versions updated? I am assuming if I delete the files the help and setup functions won't work.
Thanks

Alright, well.Ltaff, first of all, to let you know Solution Center does not need a different version of Adobe Flash Player. AFP is merely a conduit that puts together the coding for Solution Center so that it can function, and if AFP is not up to date then it can cause problems.
If you have the most recent version, then those security issues have already been resolved through subsequent releases. Now, what it sounds like is that your security software is falsely detecting issues in the program or AFP was not correctly configured.
As a starting step, why don't we uninstall both the printer and Flash Player and reinstall them.
First if you use a USB cord, make sure to remove it. Do not plug it back in until the software directs you to. Then go through the Devices and Printers, Programs and Features and Device Manager folders and insure that all copies, files, and programs related to the printer are removed. Then as directed, restart the computer.
In the START menu type "%temp%" and press ENTER. Here I want you to press Ctrl+A and hit DELETE. Some of the files will not allow you to delete them, skip those files and delete the majority that allows it.
Then follow this link to download the full feature software and drivers for the printer. You will need to search for the correct model number of the 4500 you have (either G510a/g/n or G509a/g/n):
www.hp.com/go/support
Then uninstall AFP from Programs and Features and install it from the download :
http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/?fpchrome
Install that and let me know the result!
Have a great day!

Proposed weather center / digital frame

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