Showtimes script for Singapore Cinemas

This is a perl script to grab movie schedules and info for use with the Showtimes application for Palm OS. This has been modified to handle the new Yahoo! Movies layout.

Download the latest sgyahoo perl script now.

Installation

You may follow the install instructions for Showtimes found here.

Configuration

Use the following URLs for this script when setting up Showtimes in Hotsync Manager:

Today's info - http://sg.movies.yahoo.com/showtimes
Tomorrow - http://sg.movies.yahoo.com/showtimes?d=1
The day after - http://sg.movies.yahoo.com/showtimes?d=2

Use all 3 urls for all three days' data.

Movie Info & Plots

This has been enabled by default. To disable plots, open sgyahoo.pm with notepad or any ASCII text editor and change "my $mplot = 0"; to "my $mplot = 1"; then save the file (ignore all quotes). Note that plots will take a longer time to complete.

Open getdata.cfg in Showtimes folder and check that the line "EXTRAMOVIEINFO 1" is present. If its "EXTRAMOVIEINFO 0", change to 1. (Ignore all quotes)

Copy errors after running getdata.exe

The Showtimes hotsync conduit may have problems with latest versions of the Palm Hotsync Manager in Palm Desktop. The common issue is failure to copy to the install folder. In such a case, you will need to perform it manually or follow the directions found here.

You will need to disable the showtimes conduit from within hotsync manager (note to check the default box) and do the following changes to the getdata.cfg:

1. Change "flipreg 1" to "flipreg 0"
2. Change "DESTDIR" following the instructions there, ie. "DESTDIR c:\palm\[your username]\install"
3. Use your Windows task scheduler or startup batch to autorun the program.

As seen on Stargate

I am a fan of Sci-fi series Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis and they use some pretty cool gadgets that are actual consumer computing products. The Dell desktop and laptops are a common sight as well as other more futuristic gadgets. The Tapwave Zodiac featured on a few of the series was one reason I got one. The latest SG-1 episode even has a pair of Zodiacs used to store the cure for the Prior plague (see screen cap).

Another neat product is Motion Computing's Tablet PCs. I have yet to see any of these in the local retail shops and they look gorgeous. Its featured in Stargate Atlantis and is often seen used by Dr McKay in tablet form within a bump case. Its also found in its desktop dock with keyboard in Dr Weir's office.

Got Tomorrow-ed

Hmm... I was wondering why there was a sudden surge in the number of hits to this blog. Upon checking my StatsCounter, I realised it was tomorrow-ed. No wonder... LOL

Talking Moose

I found this recommendation for a text-to-speech synthesis app called 'Moose' which is free.

Its based on a similar application from the old Macintosh called Talking Moose. Once installed, you may choose to make it speak the text from its app or highlighting your text from other apps and running it from the command bar. It can also be set to occasionally spew random quotes and even tell the time. Though the voice used is a robotic one, it is surprisingly clear. It can even read numbers as "thousand" or "millions" and even "billion" instead of individual digits.

It doesn't seem to work very well on my Zodiac 2, it keeps switching off after telling the time when I power it up and even randomly powers up and tells the time. I should say this is quite useful since my under-utilised Zod is now a talking clock, I press power and it tells me the time.

Singapore Parking Info on your Palm

The following parking database contains car park rates for most of the major buildings in Singapore. It can be used as a quick reference prior to plunging your car [and wallet] into the devastating fate of exorbitant parking charges.

Don't blow a hole in your wallet like this driver. Abstract from SPUG:

I went to one of those underground carparks where the charges are not displayed at the entrance but right at the gantry. When I reached the gantry and read the charges, I found it to be rather exorbitant($5/entry) and decided that I will not park inside. As there were already other vehicles behind (and even if there weren't, I don't think I am capable to reverse drive 10~20m along several bends), I decided that I shall just go in and drive-out. Surely I will be out within the grace period and will therefore not incur any charges. Well that u-turn in the carpark which took me around 1 min cost me $5.

Parking List files
Download List app for Palm OS, and
Download Parking PDB for List (includes CSV used to create .pdb)

Install the .prc and .pdb files according to standard Palm installation procedures. All files are provided by the respective owners and are FREE.

Why List app?

Its a simple and free Palm OS database app which has a built-in search feature. I find that it suits this parking data well instead of building an app specifically for it. It supports multiple databases so the user is not limited to using only the parking rates database and can create other databases if desired.

Why not use [fill in your favourite app]?

You can use any app you desire since the CSV text file for the data is included. The CSV data is the raw data used to create the database for the List app so there should not be any difference when you view the data for your own app. The List app merely provides a way to arrange and present the data for easier access.

For non Palm OS device users:

The CSV (comma separated value) text file is included in the ZIP file with the List PDB file. You can view and edit the CSV in spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Office Excel and OpenOffice Calc or any text editor. Some minor editing may be required as it was created specifically for the List app.

For Treo users:

Some Treo users may experience auto-resets when using the latest version of List app. It is recommended that you use an older version, preferably 1.01, if you encounter such a problem. If the problem persists, it is recommended that you stop using List app. You can recompile the included CSV into other formats supported by other Palm apps.

Disclaimer

Every reasonable care was taken to reproduce the data, however the accuracy of the database to the actual parking rates may be questionable. Hence there is no warranty for its use and all users should use at their own risk.

Revisions

24 June 2010: Data updated. 697 entries.
23 December 2008: Data updated. 655 entries.
6 July 2008: Data updated. 619 entries.
10 March 2008: Data updated. 537 entries.
2 December 2007: Data updated. 501 entries.
9 July 2007: Data updated. 461 entries.
21 July 2006: Data updated