Universal SMS Conversion Tool

August 07, 2014 — tools, github, python

Edit: Now available in pip, just pip install smstools.

Working on a project at INQ Mobile I started this tool to convert downloaded Google Voice messages to native Android smsmms.db sqlite databases. I was doing local analytics and wanted a big real-world dataset. I built what I called Android-SMS-DB-importer to import six years of SMS history from two iPhones, Google Voice, and Android into one Android smsmms.db file. Since then I’ve expanded the tool’s scope to be a universal SMS translator.

There are lots of real use cases for such a tool. Migrating from/to iPhone from/to Android? Leaving Google Voice? Want a searchable CSV, JSON, or XML file of your conversations? Also making a sweet SMS processing app and you want to run on all your past texts at once? Want to move all your messages from your past into a new, date-sorted, database? It should be ready to roll.

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pip install smstools
smstools iphone.db androids.xml android.db out.csv

Imported. Normalized. Sorted. Exported. Easy.

Go clone it at github.com/t413/SMS-Tools

Convert your message history between: - iOS 5, 6, and 7 databases directly (from backup or from your jailbroken phone directly) - Android mmssms.db database (directly from phone) - Android XML from the SMS Backup & Restore app - CSV files - JSON files - google voice data dump (see more details below)

Talk on Drones at the IFTF

July 29, 2014 — youtube, talks, flying

I gave this talk at the Institute for the Future back in January. It’s on drones / UAVs / sUAVs, their past and what they can do today. I gave a call-to-build to make these things yourself and understand the whole system.

Full link: youtu.be/WWPnZ4fqvYE – See the other talks at the IFTF site.

Web Design

July 28, 2014 — projects, web

Here’s a look at some old web projects I’ve built in the past. Some I’ve built for fun, some freelance, some for family.

The second generation t413.com. Built 2010-2012. Made full use of html5 push/pop-state for a dynamic preloaded javascript experience with static fallback. Dynamic and interactive charts and plots of photo EXIF data to interact with over 30,000 images in real-time. Self designed, developed, and hosted.

Starting Over (this site)

July 27, 2014 — meta, web

My web site, t413.com, has been down for 6 months. It’s time I fixed it.

What happened?

My server was a intel atom nettop running behind someone’s desk back in North Carolina.

They got a new desk.

My site went down.

My server disappeared.