Some features which have been implemented include cut/copy/paste, undo/redo, drag/drop, freely move and re-size objects on the surface, zoom-in/zoom-out and print/print preview. See the poster for more information.

The solution is entirely written in C# using an Object-Oriented approach. It is Event-Driven and is based on the Model-View-Controller and Client-Server architecture.

It is available for download, free of charge.

TPG bitometer includes the following features:

• Compatible with 32bit and 64bit Windows.
• No installation, single file download, nothing written to the registry.
• Support for multiple TPG accounts.
• Display basic information about the plan user signed up to.
• Display number of days remaining until quota resets.
• Display remaining peak/off-peak quota as a percentage and in megabytes.
• Display used peak/off-peak quota as a percentage and in megabytes.
• Display and keep a history of download usage in days, months and years.
• Display remaining daily peak/off-peak quota for the current month.
• Display the current service status reported by TPG.
• Display remaining days, peak and off-peak usage in the system tray.
• Ability to check if there is any email in the TPG inbox.
• Ability to delete emails.
• Ability to view email messages within the program.
• Ability to run the program at start-up and delay the usage update.
• Ability to check for program updates.
• Change colour of the system tray icon.

Download TPG bitometer v1.2.3 (421kb)

Release notes :

** v1.2.3 ** (16/01/2012)
- Fixed bug which prevented some users from shutting down the PC when the application was running.

** v1.2.2 ** (28/12/2011)
- Fixed bug which prevented data retrieval for certain plans.
- Fixed bug which hid the email content window behind the main application for some users.

** v1.2.1 ** (09/10/2011)
- Updated program to reflect changes made on the TPG web site.

** v1.2.0 ** (08/05/2011)
- Fixed bug introduced in v1.1.9.

** v1.1.9 ** (08/05/2011)
- Added support for plans with counted uploads.
- Added icon for colour picker under Settings tab.
- Show some information for ‘Unlimited’ plans.
- Removed ‘Mini View’ as it is redundant.
- Removed the minimize and hide buttons.
- Pressing the ‘X’ button will hide the application.
- Added a single-click to show the application next to the notification area.
- Application is no longer shown in the taskbar.

** v1.1.8 ** (23/04/2011)
- Retrieve data using a single HTTP session.
- Display usage window when mouse cursor hovers over the notification icon.

** v1.1.7 ** (22/11/2010)
- Fixed crash on StartUp related to History type.

** v1.1.6 ** (21/11/2010)
- Support for multiple TPG accounts.
- Display the date and time the usage was last updated on the TPG web site.
- Display a message instead of an error for plans which are no longer monitored by TPG.
- Additional tables to compliment graphs.
- A Mini Form to show less information.
- A different colour for weekdays in tables and graphs.
- A new graphical user interface.
- The interface now renders correctly under different DPI.
- Enable/Disable the Settings->Apply button based on setting changes.
- Increased the application icon resolution.
- New PayPal icon.

** v1.1.5 ** (09/05/2010)
- Updated program to reflect changes made on the TPG usage and status page.
- Increased font of status message.
- Added support for the unlimited plan.

** v1.1.4 ** (08/02/2010)
- Updated service status page.
- Reworded some error messages.

** v1.1.3 ** (18/11/2009)
- Updated program to reflect minor changes made on the TPG usage page.

** v1.1.2 ** (22/09/2009)
- Fixed a bug introduced in v1.1.1 related to checking for program updates on program start-up when an internet connection is not established.

** v1.1.1 ** (22/09/2009)
- Updated program to reflect minor changes made on the TPG usage page.
- Updated donate button link.
- Updated status function to also check Mobile status.
- Added feature to check for program updates during program start-up.
- Changed default system tray text colour from WhiteSmoke to GreenYellow.

** v1.1.0 ** (21/08/2009)
- Fixed a bug introduced in v1.0.9 where all users were treated as having peak and off-peak times.

** v1.0.9 ** (21/08/2009)
- Updated program to reflect changes made on the TPG VoIP usage page.

** v1.0.8 ** (18/08/2009)
- Updated program to reflect changes made on the TPG web site.

** v1.0.7 ** (19/07/2009)
- Fixed a bug introduced in v1.0.6 which prevented users without off-peak time to
retrieve their usage.

** v1.0.6 ** (17/07/2009)
- Fixed a bug where negative days were sometimes shown due to late TPG website updates.
- Fixed some unexpected exceptions caused by broken TPG usage pages.
- Added extra status messages.
- Added feature to show usage as ‘remaining usage’ or ‘used usage’ for the monthly period.

** v1.0.5 ** (03/07/2009)
- Fixed a bug where incorrect remaining daily peak/off-peak quota was shown when
there was less than 1 day remaining.
- Added a new graph that shows monthly billing period download usage.
- Added feature to show quota in megabytes or gigabytes.

** v1.0.4 ** (24/05/2009)
- Added feature to view remaining daily peak/off-peak quota for the current month.
- Fixed a typo in ‘Next month starts’
- Fixed a crash when trying to continuously retrieve email with incorrect details.

** v1.0.3 ** (08/05/2009)
- Fixed a bug where sometimes incorrect remaining days were shown.

** v1.0.2 ** (06/05/2009)
- Added the ability to view email messages within the program.
- Added an additional button to open WebMail.

** v1.0.1 ** (03/05/2009)
- Added separate login data for email.

** v1.0.0 ** (03/05/2009)
- First release to the public.

Create a new file ToolStripOverride.cs and copy the following code.

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using System.Windows.Forms;
 
namespace OverrideControls
{
    public class ToolStripOverride : ToolStripProfessionalRenderer
    {
        public ToolStripOverride() { }
 
        protected override void OnRenderToolStripBorder(ToolStripRenderEventArgs e) { }
    }
}

Then inside the class where you have your ToolStrip control add the following line to the constructor.

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myToolStripControl.Renderer = new ToolStripOverride();

If you are using Windows Vista this is easily achieved by using a rounded PNG image with transparent corners and setting the transparency property. This however does not work on systems such as Windows XP.

The following C# code can be used to ensure you have rounded corners on a number of Windows Operating Systems.

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[DllImport("Gdi32.dll", EntryPoint = "CreateRoundRectRgn")]
private static extern IntPtr CreateRoundRectRgn
(
    int nLeftRect,      // x-coordinate of upper-left corner
    int nTopRect,       // y-coordinate of upper-left corner
    int nRightRect,     // x-coordinate of lower-right corner
    int nBottomRect,    // y-coordinate of lower-right corner
    int nWidthEllipse,  // height of ellipse
    int nHeightEllipse  // width of ellipse
);
 
// Set your own values
Region = System.Drawing.Region.FromHrgn(CreateRoundRectRgn(1, 1, 10, 10 16, 16));

Unfortunately for some bizarre reason Visual Studio 2005 and 2008 do not have this feature by default.  However, there is a simple solution to this. Create a macro and assign it a shortcut key.

First create a new macro module though Tools > Macros with the following code

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Imports System
Imports EnvDTE
Imports EnvDTE80
Imports System.Diagnostics
 
Public Module BuildStartup
    Sub BuildStartup()
        DTE.Solution.SolutionBuild.BuildProject(DTE.Solution.SolutionBuild.ActiveConfiguration.Name, DTE.Solution.SolutionBuild.StartupProjects(0), False)
    End Sub
End Module

Now that you have the macro, you simply assign it a shortcut key through Tools > Options.  Look for “Keyboard” under “Environment”.  Find your macro in the command list and assign it a shortcut key.

Enjoy.

I have added a blog to the site which replaced the outdated guestbook and news section.  This makes it much easier for me to post articles so expect some great stuff.

Gorancic.com v2.0 went live on the 14/09/2008.

Renne’s research outlines the effect of transit oriented development (TOD) that is based on a national study conducted by the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) in the United States.  It is argued that “TODs encourage sustainable transport use for commuting and maintain lower rates of vehicle ownership” (Renne 2005, p24).  This illustrates the social practice theory; we see technology and society supporting each other for a better sustainable future.  Others have claimed the same outcome, “TOD leads to more sustainable outcomes and reduced car dependence” (Bernick and Cervero 1997; Dittmar and Ohland 2004; Dunphy et al. 2004; Newman and Kenworthy 1999 as cited in Renne 2005, p1).  However having a good system such as the TOD doesn’t help towards a better future if it’s not adopted by the society.  This is evident from places such as Atlanta where “data revealed a decline in the share of transit use to work for the TODs” (Renne 2005, p8), where as places such as Washington D.C., Portland and San Francisco have promoted and embraced TOD with aggressive policies (Renne 2005).  This is a prime example in the report of technology being used as a tool – instrumentalist theory.  On the contrary regions have become more auto-dependent – implying a determinist theory (Renne 2005).  Furthermore, “Census reveals that the percentage of commuting on transit continued to diminish across the regions” (Renne 2005, p8).  Despite those results more than twice as many residents of TODs used transit commuting compared to the regional average in 2000 (Renne 2005).

The instrumentalist theory is inadequate in properly explaining the case study in a sufficient amount of depth or precision.  The instrumentalist theory represents technology as a neutral tool developed by the society lacking any inherent meanings or purpose used to advance their interests in life, the society being in control over it (Davison 2004).  If Renne’s report (July 2005) is to be an example of this theory there would be clear evidence to support the theory.  However this is not the case.  Renne reports on the decline of transit use across the regions (Renne 2005).
Furthermore “aggregate statistics for the United States report that the transit share of work travel has been on the decline for the past 40 years.  The percentage of transit commute trips has steadily declined from 12.6 percent in 1960 to 4.7 percent in 2000 (Puncher and Renne 2003 cited in Renne 2005, p7).  Additionally “walking and cycling have been constantly decreasing across regions” (Renne 2005, p13).  Although this particular technology isn’t used widely by the society there are places such as Portland that have “the most aggressive TOD program in the United States” (Cervero et al. 2004, p363 as cited in Renne 2005, p15).  This is one example of the instrumentalist theory where technology is being used as a tool to help the society.  From the above points it can be seen that this particular theory is insufficient in explaining the case study.

The determinist theory is also insufficient in explaining the case study by John Renne (July 2005).  The determinist theory sees technology as an “autonomous master” (Davison 2004, p134) this implies that the inventions became the masters of makers.  The only reference in the case study article that suggests this theory is the auto-dependency.  This is evident from comments such as “The United States is the most auto-dependent country in the world” (Newman and Kenworthy 1999; Pucher and Lefevre 1996 as cited in Renne 2005, p1).  If the case study article leaned towards the determinist theory there would have been no need for Renne to produce the report to encourage transit oriented development because the society would already be using/depend on the technology on a large scale.  Another example that shows the article doesn’t support this particular theory is the decline of transit transport.  “Overall, results confirmed that the transit mode share for commuting has fallen, on average, by 63 percent across the twelve regions over 30 years (from 19.0 percent in 1970 to 7.1 percent in 2000)” (Renne 2005, p7).  Consequently walking and cycling declined across the United States which increased the levels of obesity (Renne 2005).  This clearly illustrates that the case study doesn’t lean towards determinism.

The social practice theory of technological change goes beyond both the instrumentalist theory and determinist theory; it combines the two to give a broader definition.  The technology doesn’t control the society but influences it in some way.  As Aidan Davison said, “we are being made as we make our world” (2004, p144).  This theory best describes Renne’s report.  He provides substantial evidence to support the social practice theory and is evident throughout the report.  For example “a recent study by Reconnecting America’s Centre for Transit Oriented Development found lower vehicle ownership rates, on average, within a half-mile of rail stations” (Renne 2005, p18).  This is based on “3,341 fixed guides way transit stations across the United States for the year 2000” (Renne 2005, p18).  It can be seen that TODs influence the society by having fewer vehicles and at the same time not controlling the society.  Places that introduced transit oriented development showed promising results.  Not only does transit oriented development help the environment by reducing the number of vehicles used (by the society) it also helps the society directly by encouraging an active life; on a daily walking bases and cycling.  It is known that an active life will improve the quality of life, this is supported by the comment “some researchers even have linked increasing levels of obesity with corresponding decreases in walking, cycling and use of public transport” (Renne 2005, p11).  Furthermore “many have claimed that transit-oriented development (TOD) leads to more sustainable outcomes and reduces car dependence” (Bernick and Cervero 1996; Calthrope 1999; Dittmar and Ohland 2004; Dunphy et al. 2004; Newman and Kenworthy 1999 as cited in Renne 2005, p1).  This shows that TOD is the way to go in creating a more sustainable future.  Transit-oriented development has been able to maintain high levels of transit usage over the past 30 years although “Census data reveals that the percentage of commuting on transport continued to diminish across the regions” (Renne 2005, p8).  This may sound like a bad thing, the society abandoning the TOD system, however it supports the theory.  It shows that the society needs this system to create a more sustainable world but at the same time it shows that it doesn’t depend on it.  With this evidence John Renne’s (July 2005) case study is clearly illustrative of the social practice theory.

The theoretical ideas of technology argued by Davison (2004) have been explored in the context of a case study of John Luciano Renne (July 2005).  The evidence presented in the case study has been analysed and it has been concluded that it supports a social practice theory more than either an instrumentalist theory or determinist theory.  Aidan Davison also highlights the importance of social practice by saying these theories “ignore the many ways in which technological means and human ends interact” (2004, p134).  Davison is referring to determinism and instrumentalism being separate theories and needing to be combined in order to create an overall understanding of technology.

References

Davison, Aidan 2004, ‘Chapter Eight Sustainable Technology: Beyond Fix and Fixation’ in White, Rob (ed) Controversies in Environmental Sociology, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 132-149.

Renne, J. L. ‘Thirty Years of Trends in Transit-Oriented Development Across America’, pp1-27 PATREC (Planning and Transport Research Centre) Conference Paper presented at Transit Oriented Development – Making it Happen, Fremantle WA, 5-8 July 2005.

Download a .pdf copy here!

I started my internship in August as a software developer/tester with Cognethos and have been flat out with work ever since. At the end of January I will have completed my internship but having proved myself worth keeping I have been offered a position to continue working there. :)

I absolutely love working at Cognethos so I accepted the position. My time wasn’t wasted with trivial tasks. I work on real projects for customers and do my best to keep everyone happy. Right now I’m involved in a project worth millions of dollars. This has to be one of the most interesting projects that I have worked on. A system is being developed which involves a number of organisations and everyone is working on different tasks simultaneously and in the end things are supposed to come together and just work. I found it extremely interesting writing hundreds of lines of code that didn’t even compile because I did not have other parts, which I was waiting for someone else to complete. At the end it just worked. I can’t describe the satisfaction I got when I saw it working. hehe

I go back to university at the end of February, don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing :p

One thing is certain; UTS administration isn’t making it easy for me. I’m trying to swap some subjects but apparently it will take weeks before its processed because they have a large number of these requests to get through. This is all nice and good but doesn’t really help me if the registration closing date is just around the corner. :(

On the social side of things, I have started going out with Vanessa and spending as much time with her as I can. She also goes to UNI and works in IT, which makes things easier for us since we are on the same wave length :)

Being summer in Australia we spend a lot of time at different beaches in and outside of Sydney. It’s refreshing to escape the city, relax and just enjoy yourself :)

I could go on and on about my life and the last 6 months but I should stop here. hehe

I think it’s safe to say that this year will end even faster than last year. :( Now I have to juggle work, uni, soccer, gym and my social life in general.

The semester is finally over but I still have exams and a major project to complete. Once that is over at the end of the month expect another update from me :)

I need to complete my internship so I have applied for a few places. Fingers crossed I get one of the jobs.

If anyone is wondering how football is going, I can tell you that we are 1st on the table.

On the weekend friends and I went bowling which was fun, it always is. After playing three games we went to the city for dinner. I got myself Chicken Laksa and it was the best Chicken Laksa I ever had :D

I have also made a new Website (CyberTone Systems) which you can find in the portfolio > web section.

Well, this has been a small update brought to you by Beno. Now back to my exam study, wish me luck.