Introduction to CyanogenMod

Fortunately, the crew over at CyanogenMod have been working hard to unlock the hardware potential of the TouchPad by porting flavours of Android onto the device. Their latest work, CyanogenMod 9 allows TouchPad users to run a full Ice Cream Sandwich installation on their tablet. Although the software is still in it’s early alpha stages (Alpha 2 as of this article), I was pleasantly surprised at just how smooth everything runs! More specifically, with the launch of alpha 2, hardware acceleration has been enabled to allow Youtube HD playback as well as Netflix playback on the TouchPad. Applications from the marketplace such as Evernote also appear to function properly without having to do any messing around. You can see the performance for yourself by taking a look at the following Youtube Video:

Installing CyanogenMod

If you have a Touchpad and are willing to accept the risks associated with installing pre-release software, feel free to use the following steps (adapted from lilputing) to use CM9 on your TouchPad (Windows Only). In case the first sentence wasn’t clear enough, CyanogenMod is in it’s alpha stage at the moment. This means that bugs are expected and can potentially corrupt your data/device.

Step One: Obtaining the Necessary Files

1. Novacom Driver: Click here
• The Novacom driver needs to be installed to communicate with the device at a later step. ACMEInstaller 2 will be placed within the Novacom driver folder which should be located in C:\Program Files.
2. ACMEInstaller 2: Click here(RootzWiki)
3. MoBoot: Click here (RootzWiki)
4. Alpha 2 CM9 (latest version atm): Click here (RootzWiki)
5. ClockWork Recovery: Click here (RootzWiki)
• The link provided for ACMEInstaller 2, Moboot, CM9 Alpha 2, and ClockWork Recovery should all be the same as all the files are found in the RootzWiki thread for the particular release…
6. Google Apps: Click here (Download latest one)

Do not change the name of any of the files you have downloaded! Changing the file names may result in errors during installation.

Step two: Install the Novacom drivers

Simply open the file you downloaded earlier (UniversalNovacomInstaller.jar) and click the install button. Provided that you have Java installed on your computer, the correct drivers should be obtained and installed onto your system. Note the location where the drivers are installed! For the most part, the path should be: “C:\Program Files\Palm, Inc.”

Step three: Drag the ACMEInstaller into the Novacom driver folder

Pretty much a self-explanatory step. Drag the ACMEInstaller file you obtained in step one and place it within the Palm, Inc. folder. Do not rename the file or the Palm, Inc. folder!

Step four: Connect the Touchpad and enter USB mode

Plug the TouchPad into your computer. You should receive a prompt on the device to enter a USB mass storage mode. Do it. At this point in time, the TouchPad should show up as a mounted USB drive within Explorer/My Computer. On the root directory of the TouchPad, create a folder called “cminstall” (without quotations). Within this cminstall folder, place the MoBoot, Alpha 2 CM9, ClockWork Recovery and Google Apps archives (Make sure you place the archives in the folder and do not extract them).

Step 5: Disconnect the TouchPad, reboot while holding the volume button

Self-explanatory once again… Reboot the TouchPad. While the touchpad is starting up, hold down the volume rocker and you should be presented with a large USB on the screen. At this point in time, plug the TouchPad back into your computer. It’s time now to run the ACMEInstaller!

Step 6: Run the ACMEInstaller from Command Prompt

Command prompt can be started by going to run and then typing in “cmd.” When command prompt is started, we need to navigate to the Palm, Inc. directory where the Novacom drivers are located. You may notice that the command prompt has started in the C:\Documents and settings\ directory. To change to C:\Program Files\Palm, Inc. we first need to execute the command, “cd C:\” which will lead the command prompt to point to the root C:\ directory. Next, we need to execute the command, “cd C:\Program Files\Palm, Inc.” Once we are in the Palm, Inc. folder, we can launch the ACMEInstaller by entering, “novacom.exe boot mem:// < ACMEInstaller2″ (without quotes). At this point in time, you should see the USB icon disappear on the Hp TouchPad and instead it should display the linux installation. Wait about 5 minutes or so for the installation to complete. The device should restart and CyanogenMod should be installed!

Updating Cyanogenmod to newer Releases

Updating is similar to installing Cyanogenmod. Simply place the new release into the TouchPad’s “cminstall” folder and then follow the same steps as before to run the ACMEInstaller. When updating, you only need to place the new Cyanogemod release into the cminstall folder. You do not need to download ClockWork Recovery, MoBoot or any of the other files needed during the initial installation.

I have problems with my installation

You may restore the Touchpad to factory settings by downloading WebOS doctor. Running WebOS doctor will remove all the contents from the Touchpad and takes approximately 50 minutes.

Remember when a decade ago when Plasma technology was first introduced to the public? People living in the then CRT dominated time period were amazed at just how thin this technology allowed televisions to become. At that point in time I recall my father saying something along the lines of, “There is simply no way televisions could have a slimmer profile.” Fast forward 10 or so years later and it’s absolutely amazing how wrong he was with that statement. Simply take a look at the video attached above to appreciate just how thin the next generation OLED based Television Panels can become! We can only wish that the strong presence of OLED technology in this years Consumers Electronics Show translates into faster adoption of the technology for devices aimed at the general public (i.e. people who do not own yachts). Anyhow, if you haven’t already done so, I urge you to look at the video above showing the latest 55″ OLED offering from LG electronics!

For more information on OLED technology, feel free to read this article: OLED vs. LCD Advantages

The Video Tutorial (For Windows Based PC’s Only)

In this video tutorial, we look at how to configure your computer to power on using Wake on LAN (WOL). As defined on Wikipedia, Wake on LAN is, “an Ethernet computer networking standard that allows a computer to be turned on or woken up by a network message.” The 11 minute video below will take you through the entire configuration process (From hardware configuration to router configuration to smartphone client configuration) for a windows based pc. Although the video uses Microsoft Windows 7 to demonstrate  the steps, enabling Magic Packet on Windows Vista and older versions should be identical (they all have the device manager).

Components of the Video and corresponding times:

1. New Years Introduction: 0:00 – 0:11
2. Explanation/Demonstration of WOL Capabilities + A look at my setup: 0:12 – 3:08
3. Configuring your HTPC hardware to recognize Magic Packets: 3:09 – 5:24
4. Finding IP address of your HTPC & Setting Static LAN IP via Router configurations: 5:50 – 8:00
5. Configuring Smartphone client to direct Magic Packet towards HTPC: 8:08 – 11:30

Alternative options for Apple Users

Unfortunately, Apple’s hardware does not support booting from a powered off state via network packets (besides the Xserve which features Lights out Management; but you’re not planning on using a $2000+ system for HTPC purposes right?). In turn, individuals using a Mac Mini or a similar Apple computing device for their media center purposes may be required to put their computer to sleep when not in use (rather than completely powering it down).

Option 1: Configuring OS X for Wake on Wireless Support

To configure WOL under OS X, the only thing that needs to be done is to ensure that your device is connected to the home network via ethernet and that the “Wake for network access” setting is ticked off under the Energy Saver options within the System Preferences. Now you may use a client such as NetAwake to remotely wake your mac up. If you are doing this with a laptop (Macbook Pro), ensure that the lid is not shut or WOL won’t function. Additionally, newer Mac’s have the ability to use their built in Airport Express cards to receive magic packets while they sleep. To see whether your system supports the service, navigate to system information and check under Wi-fi tab for “Wake on Wireless” support (Apparently WOL via Wifi only functions with networks using the Apple Airport Extreme router).

Option 2: Use LogMeIn to configure WOL (Cross Platform Software)

LogMeIn is a free application currently available for Windows, OS X, Linux (Beta), Android, WebOS, and iOS that allows you to quickly access/manage your computers remotely. After installing the LogMeIn client on your PC/Mac (the one you wish to remotely boot up), you can use the web interface or another device (such as your smartphone or tablet since LogMeIn has a client for these devices) to send WOL packets or even access the computer via remote desktop. This is the simplest option for those who do not wish to mess around with the BIOS, Network Adapter configurations or router IP addresses. To see a demonstration of LogMeIn in action, check out the video below:

VoIP is nothing new…Why didn’t you switch to it earlier?

Up until recently, as a Canadian living near the Niagara region I had a very limited choice when selecting my Home Phone Service Provider. Paying upwards of $40 a month for basic features such as voicemail and call display, my options were either to utilize Bell and one of it’s resellers (Teksavvy) or to switch to a VoIP based solution. Unfortunately, the lack of cable service in my area (Cogeco = ridiculous bandwidth caps) also interfered with this solution as, upon cancelling my landline I would be required to pay a Band F dryloop DSL fee ($16) on top of my normal normal DSL service. This in turn would make switching to VoIP more expensive than the Bell service I so desperately wanted to transfer out of! As a result, VoIP based solutions with similar features to my landline weren’t really a cost-effective option until the discovery of Freephoneline.

What is Freephoneline and how much will it cost me?

Freephoneline is a Voice Over IP (VoIP) based service offered by the Fibernetics Corporation. The company itself is an CRTC approved Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) with various divisions, offering cost effective solutions to residential as well as business clients. In it’s simplest form, Freephoneline is completely free to use (That’s right, NO monthly fees)! Upon completing registration (which by the way doesn’t require entering payment information), you are immediately given a local phone number or DID (Direct Inward Dialling) where others can reach you. Additionally, you are provided with a piece of software that you can run on your Mac or PC to receive/make calls as well as check missed calls and voicemail. The free service comes with features typically found in Bell’s higher end offerings such as: Call waiting, Caller ID, Call Forwarding, Voicemail (with option to forward to email), Call Logs (for two months), as well as the ability to make unlimited calls to various cities in Canada. Fibernetics primarily makes revenue by charging for additional features such as, long-distance calling (prepaid credit system) as well as the ability to use your own ATA device (one time $50 fee to receive SIP configuration file). For a one time fee of $25, the company was also willing to transfer my old landline number (something that various other VoIP providers said was not possible for some reason) from Bell.

I signed up. How do I use the service with my landline phones?

To use the VoIP service with any cordless handset, you will need to acquire an ATA adapter such as the Linksys PAP2-NA (can be purchased from Ebay for cheap). The adapter needs to be properly configured to access Freephoneline’s servers before it can make or receive calls. To obtain the login information, a configuration file must be purchased for a one time fee of $50. In my case, the customer service agent was able to send me the configuration file immediately upon providing payment (can also be purchased through website). Once you have the ATA as well as the configurations file, the entire process should take no more than a minute or so. Your particular adapter should have came with instructions to correctly register the SIP information. If this isn’t the case, the folks over at the forums have done a fabulous job of creating visual guides (.pdf attachments) to aid with the process. Of course, if you are technologically challenged you can always purchase a pre-configured unit from Freephoneline for $99 (this waives the $50 configuration file fee).

Can I use my mobile device as a SIP?

If you were lucky enough to obtain one of those fancy bluetooth enabled Link-to-Cell handsets this holiday season, you may get away with using your smartphone as an ATA adapter! Both iOS as well as Android feature a plethora of SIP enabled VoIP applications. Some of my favorites include:

• CSipSimple (Android): I love the level of integration this app has with Android. Additionally, it is designed to work with Freephoneline, making the configuration process painfully simple.
• 3CXPhone (Android/iOS): This app was a little trickier to configure but offers integration with the contacts book as well as the ability to receive VoIP calls similar to normal phone calls.
• Nokia (Symbian): Various Nokia Symbian S60 enabled phones have a built in SIP/VoIP application.

How is the Call Quality?

When discussing any VoIP service, this is the first question that comes to mind. The problem with VoIP is that the quality varies significantly depending on your internet connection quality. On the 6mbps DSL line I currently have, the call quality is almost identical to that I receive from my landline connection. A majority of the problems relating to call quality were solved by enabling QOS (Quality of Service) settings in my Netgear WNDR4000 router’s configuration page. Additionally, port 5060 was opened up (required by VoIP) and the ATA adapter was placed in a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ in router configuration page) to ensure that it had full access to the internet (Sometimes the router’s firewall will block ports needed to fully access the internet, resulting in degraded call quality). Lastly, changing the Codec on my Linksys PAP2-NA to G729a also seemed to eliminate any issues of echoing.

What about 911?

Most VoIP providers these days use a protocol known as Enhanced 911 (E911). When you register with Freephoneline they will ask for your residential information (make sure you enter valid information as they will call to verify!). To put simply, your information is linked to your phone number and thus, emergency providers know exactly where to go when you call them. With respect to emergency services, one downside to VoIP is the fact that in the case of a power outage (or internet disconnection) no calls can be made. As a result, it is advised that you have a cellular phone connection available as a backup.

Conclusion

In conclusion, my experience with Freephoneline over the last month has been nothing but pleasant! The fact of the matter is, the landline is becoming less and less relavent in today’s society (In the first world anyways). Almost everyone I know has a cellular device of some form or another which they carry with them throughout most of the day. This coupled with the fact that VoIP services like Freephoneline have progressed dramatically with respect to items such as call quality and reliability makes paying $40+ for a landline a bit absurd. If you are still interested in making the switch to Freephoneline, I would recommend you read the reviews at DSLreports.

P.S. If you wish to completely cancel your Landline service, are not interested in VoIP and are with Rogers for your cellular plan, I would recommend you look at their free One Number Service. Although it is currently in beta, the service will allow you to send/receive text messages and receive/make calls right from your computer (No wireless device needed). Additionally, using the computer interface will give you free Caller ID (regardless of whether it’s included in your mobile plan).

‎“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” - Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

After resigning from his position as Apple CEO just over two months ago due to complications as a consequence of his pancreatic cancer, it has regrettably come to our attention that Steve jobs has passed away at the age of 56. Responsible for co-founding Apple and bringing it to it’s current status as one of the most successful technology companies in the world, Jobs was a visionary who will be greatly missed.

In a statement made on Apple’s website, the company writes:

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.”

As stated by many tech blogs, “The passing of Jobs undoubtedly marks the end of an era in the field of consumer electronics.” Under Job’s guidance, we witnessed the introduction and mainstream adoption of devices such as the Personal Computer, MP3 Player, Smartphone and Tablets; devices that have radically altered the way by which we consume content, communicate with others, as well as interact with our electronics. The significance of Jobs in the electronics industry is nicely summed up by @grandmofhelsing who writes, ”Countless people are learning Steve Jobs died on devices that would not exist without his vision. That’s a legacy.”

Anyhow, I would like to end this obituary by leaving you with not only one of my favorite advertising campaigns of all time, but Apple’s mantra: “Think Different.”

According to a report generated by Antivirus firm Eset, over 1.7 million emails were infected with some form of malware within the last twelve months. Many of these infected files such as the Backdoor.Acropolis have the capability of completely highjacking a user’s system and causing extensive damage to local files. Even more dangerous are miscellaneous scripts known as keyloggers. This particular type of malware is created with the sole intention of collecting a user’s information. Upon infection, keyboard strokes are automatically recorded by the rouge application and are sent to the creator. Consequently, sensitive information like credit card numbers and SIN entered online may be communicated for exploitative purposes. To give an example, in 2006 the Oregon Department of Revenue declared that 2,300 taxpayers had their information leaked after a worker’s computer was infected by a Trojan.

As much as we love the internet, it is safe to say that the anonymous and international nature of the World Wide Web makes it extremely difficult for authorities to enforce laws that exist in the real world (jurisdiction limits). Although companies such as Eset, F-Secure and Kaspersky attempt to lower the risk of infection through their security products, the real solution is stopping the organizations creating the viruses in the first place. Until then, a cat and mouse game will continue to exist between security specialists and malware programmers. After all, it is impossible to deal with an issue until you are aware of it right? A perfect demonstration of the “Cat-and-Mouse” game can be seen by looking at the recent Mac Defender malware effecting OS X. Just a few hours after Apple Updated their virus definitions, a variant of the malware was created to bypass them entirely.

If you found the excerpt above interesting, I would highly recommend you take a look at the TED presentation embedded at the top of this post. The presentation, given by F-Secure CRO Mikko Hypponen (And a Redditor!) discusses the threats that the internet community currently faces. It also provides a brief overview on the history of computer viruses as well as highlighting a case where the malware creator’s identity was determined using information contained within the code itself.

The final result can be seen at: http://www.lifeinuni.co.cc (Submit a post to help the community grow!)

A Screeenshot of Life In University, a website where university students can exchange advice, experiences and more. Registration and login is done through Twitter.

At this point in time you may be wondering, “This is great and all, but how would I go on about starting my own site of this nature?” If this is your primary concern, feel free to read the rest of the article where we go over the plugins used, the theme tweaked in addition to providing you with a full dump of our WordPress directory (for all the lazy individuals). Before we continue, please note that Ravall is not responsible for any damages that may occur as a result of following this guide (Just to be safe).

A Brief Description of the site

Life in University is a microblogging site where university students can login via Twitter to share content. Similar to Twitter, content is restricted to 140 characters and is automatically tweeted by @lifeinuni (the official Twitter account for the site). Users are able to start a discussion under a particular post and can rate the post from 1-5 stars.

The Plugins

In order to obtain the Twitter functionality seen at Lifeinuni, a wide variety of plugins were used from the WordPress.org database.

1. Twit Connect by Shannon Whitley
   • This plugin allows users to register and log into the site using their Twitter account. Twit Connect is responsible for generating the, “Sign in with Twitter button seen on the main page.” Originally the plugin only places the button in the sidebar (as a widget). However, we extracted the code that the widget adds and placed it into the header.php file.
2. Simple Twitter Status Updates by Bannerweb GmbH
   • As discussed before, we wanted the site to be able to forward new posts to a Twitter account. With the help of this plugin, the task was made as simple as authorizing the correct account (about two mouse clicks). Upon new post submission, a tweet is automatically sent to @lifeinuni.
3. Top Authors by Seb van Dijk
   • This is a widget based plugin that displays the most active participants on the site. The widget supports Gravatar but also works with the Twit Connect plugin to pull profile images from Twitter. Additionally, the administrator has full control over the number of profiles to display and how to display them (General Template).
4. Tag List Widget by Amaury Balmer
   • The built-in WordPress widget is excellent for displaying tags in a cloud format. Lifeinuni used tags instead of categories to classify posts by and thus, we wanted to display them in a list format. Tag List Widget allows the administrator to pick the list style in addition to allowing truncation of long tags.
5. WP-Paginate/Infinite Scroll by Eric Martin/Dirkhaim & Paul Irish
   • The infinite scroll plugin allows users to browse through entries without having to click the, “Next Page” link. WP-Paginate on the other hand organizes posts into several pages and allows users to skip to a particular page (Much better than the “Previous Page” and “Next Page” option built into WordPress)
6. Vote the Post by Crowd Favorite
   • Allows users to rate a post. Unfortunately, the plugin does not support sorting of posts by the ratings they received (out of the box at least). The plugin does allow the administrator to place a limit on how many votes a specific ip address can cast.

Theme

Lifeinuni uses a modified version of the Prologue theme by Automattic (If I were to build this site now, I would have used P2 as a base). Code was added to the header.php file to display the login/register via Twitter box if a user had not already done so. If the user was already logged in, a form was displayed and the user had to ability to submit a post. Additionally, Javascript was added to ensure that maximum post length did not go over 140 characters (to comply with Twitter). Besides the modification of the header.php file, a dynamic sidebar was also added to the theme.

• If you are planning on downloading the package attached at the end of this post, I would highly recommend you change the tagline, “A place where university students…” located within the header.php file.

Administrator’s Panel

In normal installations, the WordPress administrator’s panel is accessible by all authors and allows posting of lengthy articles (like this one). To ensure that our authors abide by the 140 character rule, we disabled the ability to create new posts through the dashboard. This was done by modifying  post_new.php in the /admin folder. Within this file, the following changes were made:

• Commented out the post form:

  •  // Show post form.
    /**$post = get_default_post_to_edit( $post_type, true );
    $post_ID = $post->ID;
    include('edit-form-advanced.php');
    include('./admin-footer.php');*/

• Added a redirect code to guide users back to the index page:

  • echo "Sorry, Posting via the Dashboard has been disabled by the Administrator of this site! This is to enforce the 140 character limit. :) Please click this link to go back to the main index:";
    echo "<a href="\&quot;/index.php\&quot;">Click here to go back to the main page</a>";

Changes to the Dashboard.php file in /admin/includes/ were also made to disable Quickpress (once again can be used to bypass 140 character limit) as well as other useless widgets such as Recent Drafts. As shown above, commenting was the preferred way to disable the widgets (who knows, you may need them in the future).

• Disabling Quickpress by commenting out code within the dashboard.php file:

  • // QuickPress Widget
    /*if ( is_blog_admin() && current_user_can('edit_posts') )
    wp_add_dashboard_widget( 'dashboard_quick_press', __( 'QuickPress' ), 'wp_dashboard_quick_press' );

If you successfully followed the instructions, you should be left with a similarly functioning site to Lifeinuni. One thing to keep in mind is that future WordPress upgrades will override the changes made to dashboard.php and post_new.php. As a result, you will have to manually edit the two files after upgrading WordPress (should take only a second or two). Last but not least, please for the love of god change the permalink structure! The default structure that somes with WordPress is hideous (not to mention it isn’t SEO friendly). Also, feel free to install the SEO Ultimate Plugin to improve webpage indexing in search engines.

Here is a download link containing our WordPress Directory Dump: Click here to go to Downloads

• Please understand that we developed Lifeinuni.co.cc to further our WordPress knowledge. Our original intention wasn’t to distribute our product to a mass audience. Consequently, the code may not be “beautiful” (Seriously, Lifeinuni is the Frankenstein of web development)

As always, if you enjoyed reading this article please leave a comment and share it with others who may be interested!

Circles

Instead of sharing content with everyone on your friends list, create a circle (a small group) to share things with. Creating circles is a way to ensure that the right content reaches the right people. After all, no one wants to upload intoxicated pictures of themselves for their employer or parents to see (*shudders*) right?

“You share different things with different people. But sharing the right things with the right people shouldn’t be a hassle. Circles makes it easy to put your friends from Saturday night in one circle, your parents in another and your boss in a circle all on his own – just like in real life.”

Sparks

A social search engine that evaluates your interests and tastes to find content that you will enjoy.

“Remember when your Grandpa used to cut articles out of the paper and send them to you? That was nice. That’s kind of what Sparks does: It looks for videos and articles that it thinks you’ll like, so that when you’re free there’s always something to watch, read and share. Grandpa would approve.”

Hangouts

Sort of like a group video conference on Skype. Unlike Skype however, individuals are free to “hangout” or leave as they please. Hangout sessions do not require a host to send out invitations and any member of the friend circle can join at any time.

“Bumping into friends while you’re out and about is one of the best parts of going out and about. With Hangouts, the unplanned meet-up comes to the web for the first time. Let your mates know that you’re hanging out and see who drops by for a face-to-face-to-face chat. Until we perfect teleportation, it’s the next best thing.”

Huddle

In all honesty, this feature feels like the BlackBerry Messenger group chat function. Basically, the Huddle feature allows one to initiate a group conversation. Texts sent to this conversation can be seen by all the participating members.

“Texting is great, but not when you’re trying to get six different people to decide on a movie. Huddle takes care of it by turning all those different conversations into one simple group chat, so that everyone gets on the same page long before thumbs get sore.”

Instant Upload

Google automatically uploads the pictures you take on your cellphone (presumably an Android device) and puts them in a private album (Thank god). Through the web interface, you may then share the photos with friends.

“Getting photos off your phone is a huge pain, so most of us don’t even bother. Of course pictures are meant to be shared, not stranded, so we created Instant Upload to help you never leave a photo behind. While you’re snapping pictures, and with your permission, Google+ adds your photos to a private album in the cloud. This way they’re always available across your devices—ready to share as you see fit.”

The features briefly highlighted in this post are only some of the major ones that Google+ has to offer. For a complete list and description, feel free to go on over to Google’s blog. Additionally, Techcrunch has done a spectacular job of covering Google+ that I would recommend you take a look at. With this said, let’s see where Google+ goes.

In 1978 my grandfather was involved in a severe motorcycle accident while travelling to work. Unfortunately, transportation safety wasn’t much of a concern as it is now (especially true in India) and a few individuals wore helmets while riding their bikes. Needless to say, the force from the collision threw my grandfather off his bike and against a roadside curb. Without protection from an helmet, his head directly took a majority of the impact from the collision. Although my grandfather was lucky to not have experienced any coning in areas critical for respiration and other life supporting activities, the same could not have been said for the cerebellum. When his head met the curb, the portion that received direct impact was the brainstem region (the cerebellum is located right behind the pons of the brainstem). In turn, a lesion was formed in the area and resulted in our topic of discussion today: Cerebellar ataxia.

A diagram depicting the cerebellum and it's location in the brain. Damage to the cerebellum is the primary reason behind cerebellar ataxia. The cerebellum is involved in motor coordination.

Brain regions and voluntary motor movements:

The cerebellum (or the little brain) is a component of the central nervous system that plays a critical role in motor coordination as well as other functions such as attention and language. The region continuously receives input from cortical areas of the brain responsible for motor control (primary motor cortex in frontal lobe) and is responsible for ensuring that the carried out action occurs in a fluid manner. To accomplish this task, the cerebellum relies on input from the basal ganglia as well as the primary motor cortex located in the frontal lobe. The basal ganglia has been shown to provide the crude planning needed to coordinate voluntary muscular movement. Additionally, it also plays a role in initiating voluntary movements. This is evident in diseases such as Parkinson’s where the basal ganglia experiences severe deterioration. With respect to initiation, the motor cortex also determines whether the action should be performed. This makes sense knowing that the primary motor cortex is located within the frontal lobe (a region responsible for higher level thinking).

So knowing how the M1 (motor cortex) and the basal ganglia play a role in motor coordination, what does the cerebellum do? As mentioned before, the cerebellum is responsible for coordinating muscular contractions so that an action may be performed smoothly. As stated on the McGill neurology site, “To make the various segments of your hand and arm deploy smoothly, you need an internal “clock” that can precisely regulate the sequence and duration of the elementary movements of each of these segments. That clock is the cerebellum.”

One thing to keep in mind is that each of these systems continuously receives input from sensory receptors in the body as well as proprioceptors. Proprioceptors inform the various brain regions of the positioning of the arms and other body parts. Without these inputs, voluntary motor coordination would be impossible (especially without proprioceptors)!

The diagram above depicts all the brain regions. The frontal lobe houses the primary motor cortex. The limbic system, which contains the hypothalamus and other structures is near the mid section (internal) and cannot be seen without cutting the brain in coronal, saggital or transverse plane. The cerebellum (little brain) can be seen behind the brainstem.

Interaction of the brain regions:

This is also best explained on the McGill neurology site: “In a healthy person, the cerebellum first receives information about the intended movement from the sensory and motor cortexes. Then it sends information back to the motor cortex about the required direction, force, and duration of this movement Thus this loop involving the cerebellum operates in addition to the loop involving the basal ganglia to regulate the details of motor control.” The main thing to take away from this is the fact that all of these brain regions are equally important to successfully coordinate movement! A lesion in one region can have profound effects as we saw in cerebellar ataxia.

This image demonstrates the neural pathways involved in motor coordination. The seemingly complex diagram is actually quite simple to understand. The blue arrows represent neurons coming in from sensory/proprioceptors that travel to the brain and provide crucial information. The red neurons travel from the brain and interviene the muscles to cause contractions. All this transfer of information occurs via the spinal cord which is composed of neurons (hence why paralysis occurs when the spinal cord is damaged). The important thing to notice from this image is the fact that almost all the neurons reach the primary motor cortex (M1). Additionally, motor neurons can be seen intervening the basal ganglia (BG) and the cerebellum (C). These three regions are critical to coordinating motor movement.

Cerebellar ataxia

We discussed the importance of the cerebellum in ensuring smooth motor coordination. Consequently, individuals who have experienced lesioning in the area demonstrate jerky movements. This is especially evident when the individual tries to perform tasks requiring precision (like writing and touching nose). You may be thinking at this point, why does my grandfather experience coordination difficulties only in one hand? The reason is because he experienced leisoning on the right side of the cerebellum. At the level of the brain, the neural circuits from the body are crossed over. Consequently, any issues at one hemisphere of the brain will effect the opposite side of the body (right cerebellum damage -> left hand control).

In conclusion, my grandfather was extremely lucky he did not suffer from any severe leisoning as a result of his accident. Had the brainstem been damaged, complete body paralysis as well as paralysis of muscles responsible for respiration would have occurred. In this case, living without life support would have been out of the question. What doesn’t make sense to me is, why do so many individuals risk their life by refusing to wear protective gear such as a helmet? Anyways, that is all I had to say on this topic. As always, I hope you learned something new about the human body and feel free to leave a comment (I love comments!)

Video Description:

Bill opens up a computer hard drive to show how it is engineered. He describes how the “head” reads the magnetic information on the disk; reveals how a voice coil motor and a slider controls the position of that head. He also discusses how smooth a disk must be, and briefly mentions a mathematical technique that allows engineers to pack more information on a drive.

If you found this interesting, you may also wish to check out the Lexar video we posted earlier demonstrating how Flash Memory is made. Isn’t it remarkable how cheap these items are despite their complexity?