WhatsApp messages from my computer :)

Continuing my hobby quest (hey I'm still on holiday - for a couple of days!) for farther integration between computer and mobile, today I set up tasker, eventghost, autoremote and a new plugin I installed, called WhatsTasker - to send and receive whatsapp messages from my computer. :) For those many times when I forget my mobile in silent, somewhere around the house!

It seems to work fine so far. This is for text messages at the moment (not photos or videos, for those I still need y mobile :( ), but I still find it very useful.

The way I set it up is in 2 "mini-projects":

- the first one displays a notification with my incoming whatsapp message, in the lower right corner, on my PC,  to which I can easily reply using my proper computer keyboard, which I still much prefer to the touch-screen keyboard on my mobile!

- the second lets me initiate a whatsapp conversation with a contact of my choice (whatstasker does a great job finding the required contact in the whatsapp database, on the mobile).

In short, that's it!

Tomorrow I need to get some music from the library and do some proper practise - it's back to work soon.

Tasker, EventGhost, Unified Remote, AutoVoice, etc

I spent quite a bit of time lately "playing" with Tasker, EventGhost, Unified Remote, AutoVoice, AutoShare, AutoRemote etc. I'd like to be able to voice control as much as possible not only my phone, but also what I do on my PC at home (again, I main voice-controlling my PC from my phone)

One of the frustrations I have so far involves Spotify. On my phone I have Spotify setup (with AutoShare and Autovoice + Tasker) so that I can voice control it pretty well. I can  easily launch it  and voice search for anything, I can also say on Google Now (via AutoVoice) "play something from 1979 on spotify" and it will automatically start the app and play a track from 1979 (via year:xxxx searches), or "play something by Queen on spotify", or "play some jazz", etc

But so far I'm struggling to achieve the same level of control with Spotify on my PC. I can use AutoVoice/Tasker/AutoRemote/EventGhost on my phone to launch Spotify on my PC and it automatically searches for something I say in my 1 autovoice command, but I can't select or start a track automatically, in the same command. I mean, I can't say "play something by Mahler via spotify on my PC" and have the program automatically start, search for artist:Mahler and start to play a track, all in one, without any further action required from me...

On the other hand, if I use AutoVoice with Unified Remote, instead of EventGhost/Autoremote, I can select and play tracks but I can't automatically fill in the search field and make searches - all from one voice command. I looked at the Unified Remote manifest and I couldn't see any intents to pre-fill the Spotify Search field...

So, frustrated, as I said. I'm now trying to see if I can somehow link the first method, via EventGhost, with the second, using Unified Remote.

Of course, there is a way to ultimately achieve what I'm looking for, by automating KeyStrokes/Clicks/touches either on the phone, let's say via one of my favourite apps, RepetiTouch Pro, or on the PC, again by using the amazing EventGhost - but for now I'm still trying to avoid this route.

What next for Minnesota Orchestra?

Will Osmo Vanska come back, now that  Henson is on his way out?

Debating Fate of Leadership at Minnesota Orchestra

" The day after the Minnesota Orchestra announced the pending departure of its president, who had become something of a lightning rod during a bruising labor battle with its musicians, many orchestra fans in the Twin Cities wondered on Friday if the move might pave the way for the return of the ensemble’s former music director, Osmo Vanska."

 "But some board members may be reluctant to ask Mr. Vanska back. The support he showed for the musicians during the lockout, and his decision to say publicly that he believed Mr. Henson needed to go, could make members uneasy."

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/22/arts/music/president-of-minnesota-orchestra-to-resign.html