Saturday, July 26, 2008
Revision 3 shows broken in my iTunes! Where’s my Diggnation?
If you're running into some errors from iTunes regarding some Revision3 shows, let me know if you have a fix...
Here's the setup that's causing problems:
- OS: 10.5.4
- iTunes: 7.7 (43)
- QuickTime: 7.5 (149.5)
I re-subscribed to my fav podcast, Diggnation, and ran into all kinds of problems. (Don't ask about the re-subscribe: I'm a douche and accidentally deleted it when "pruning" my podcasts and RSS feeds).
I've submitted the bug to Rev3, but no response yet. If you have issues as well, please submit the bug via this form here:
Also, feel free to let me know if I'm just being a complete idiot here and overlooking something minor.Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Hillary is taking things gracefully…sort of
It appears as if Hillary Clinton has taken her loss (yes, it's a loss) like a champ...or so she says...
Yeah, whateva's. Loser.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Hyundai Tiburon O2 sensor, problems at 28,000 miles
Last Thursday, May 22nd, I was on my way to work when my check engine light (CEL) came on. Now, being that this is a fairly new car (at least by my family's standards) I was immediately worried.
I turned the stereo off, rolled down the windows, and drove like a granny until I rolled into work. My first thought was the gas cap, as I had just filled up. Nope, on tight.
So, I left early to head over to AutoZone. They are able to plug in their OBD-II scanner and read what codes my car's ECU was throwing.
P0130: O2 sensor, Bank 1 -- whatever the hell that meant. So, I'm thinking, is the sensor itself bad, or is it simply reading out of bounds of its settings?
Off to the dealership we go, yay 60K bumper-to-bumper warranty!
I got an appointment, and dropped off the car this morning about an hour ago. We shall see what the problem really is.
The pain in the ass about it is that I had to take off the CAI and replace the stock intake -- just so they won't bitch about after market parts. I read over at the hyundai performance forums that people are about 50/50 with their dealers trying to void their warranties, in complete opposition of the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act.
Fingers crossed!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Autozone employees give great customer service
I had a headlight go out on my way to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure yesterday. Dang, I hate driving with a headlight out, it looks so trashy.
So, today I figured I would pick up a new one. I decided on the Sylvania Silverstar Ultra's, and I got a twin pack. Figured it's just as well to replace both at the same time, right?
Anyway, took these expensive little guys up to the register, and the clerk told me there was a $10 mail-in rebate on them. I didn't even know, so this was already a great move.
Normally, I really, really hate mail in rebates; however, this was just like bonus money to me, so I was all about it!
Unfortunately, no one in the store could locate a rebate form. Apparently they came on pre-printed pads, and they were all out. Additionally, something happened to the file they could use to print another form out for me. Damn. Well, these things came up as $53 after tax, and I was really wanting to save that $10. I know, its only $10, but then again, they are only a set of headlights, right?
The manager comes out from the back and tells me that since they don't have any forms, and can't locate the file to print one, they will just price adjust the items and give me the ten bucks off...right there on the spot!
So, saved ten bucks, and didn't have to hassle with a rebate, nor wait for the small check to arrive, nor take it to my bank and deposit that check.
So, to the employee and manager (sorry, I didn't get your names) of store # 0634 in Indianapolis, IN: Thanks for the excellent customer service!
Additionally, Sylvania should give you a big thank you as well for taking great care of one of their customers.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Earthquake in the Midwest, and people acting silly
Apparently, there was a bit of an earthquake last night in the midwest. Turns out it's not too far from where I live: Indianapolis, IN. And people are acting a bit silly, I think.The news, of course, was going on and on about how surprising and scary this was. They warn that more could follow. That a really big one could be right around the corner. Oh noes!!!11!
I didn't feel a dang thing. Nothing. Of course I was sleeping, but I'm typically a light sleeper as well. Regardless, I get to school/work today, and people are going on and on about this like it's the next Rick Roll or something.
Some say it woke them up, some say they felt it, some say they woke up, but didnt know why. I say BS. But that's just me. And, well, this is my site, so I can say about anything.
There ya have it; terror in the midwest, scary.
Nausea induced by exams in school
After taking a recent calculus exam, I had a feeling of nausea. Which was strange, seeing as how I did actually get sick at home before I left for class.
Anyway, that left me thinking, how many other people suffer from the same thing before/during/after taking an important exam?
Moreover, why is it that the exams I actually end up doing well on are the exams that give me that nauseous feeling? Wouldn't that be the other way around?
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Downloadable flyers complete
Okay, the downloadable documents are complete. I decided to offer them both in MS Word format and PDF format. I don’t figure there are too many people who wouldn’t have access to either one. Now to the form updates.
Initial tasks at hand
So, the client has a finite number of tasks they wish to be performed. Okay, well here we go, this time for real…
Here’s an image, the first one, from the board (as in my dry erase planning board)…
Now, if you can’t read my writing...well, i don’t care...but it is what it is.
24 hours of code, where do we start?
Okay, so here are the current client requirements....
Let’s update the downloadable forms.....
Then lets make sure the forms are cohesive with the downloadable forms…
Once this is done, we’ll back up the 2007 database tables again, and mail them (more on that in a bit), then we’ll empty them...you know, for a fresh 2008 year.
After that, I’ll create my invoice for the year (it’s cheap man, it’s a charity after all, dang).
And then we’ll get onto the good stuff! A whole revision and refactoring of all code to Code Igniter!
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24 hours of code, let’s go!
Today I'm starting a complete rewrite of a previous site. It's a great charity, so much of this is completely free; however, the site was created long ago, and needs a thorough refactoring of code.The site in question is based on WordPress. The clients don’t really use the features of WordPress for the site. Additionally, there are four extensive php forms, as well as a few downloads of documents for the site.
Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Yeah, CodeIgniter and form validation to the rescue!
Stay tuned as I update my progress this weekend on the site!
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Monday, February 04, 2008
Adobe abandons Stock Photos
Well, we may have seen this one coming, but here it is: Adobe is abandoning its Stock Photo service. Well, this actually makes sense, at least to me, because the photos were quite pricey.
In addition to abandoning the service, as can be expected, they also recommend uninstalling your Adobe Stock Photo software from either your CS2 or CS3 install (or both, if you're like me and just keep stuff around because you need to justify buying TB hard drives every couple of months).If you didn't get the email, here's a link to some further information:
And here's a link to uninstall your Windows software:
Adobe Stock Photo uninstaller page for Windows
And if you're a good little Mac user, hey, here's a link for you:
Adobe Stock Photo uninstaller page for Mac
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Mac developers: your automation and convenience is killing me
Hey, don't get me wrong here. I'm all about automating repetitive tasks. That said, there are a few things that I don't want automated. For example, software updates, to name just one thorn in my side.
I got a little note via Pownce from Leo Laporte a few minutes ago. It read:
Why did I say "email me???" I should have just said, "download Merlin's Mannerisms," instead. Sheesh! Now my inbox is filled with requests. And the Leopard Mail autoresponder is useless.
I'm thinking, hey, im a Leopard Mail user, maybe I can help Leo here. So I go to fire up Mail. Oops, Safari won't let me, because it's still trying to open a pdf in the browser, and is "requesting" my attention first. Okay, lets take care of that.
I move over to Safari (I say "over" because I'm a heavy user of Spaces) to see what the hell is going on. It's asking for my default pdf reader. What? Safari has always opened pdf's in the browser using, I'm assuming, the same engine that Preview.app uses. Okay, well, I'll choose the reader...scroll down...Preview.app is greyed out! WTF?
Okay, well I run Adobe CS3 Design Premium on this machine, so I'll just choose Adobe Acrobat Pro. No dice. It needs "repaired" for some reason or another, even though I open, compose, and edit PDF's with it just fine.
Well, at this point, I'm thinking "yeah, this Mac just works, huh?" Okay, download Acrobat Reader, go through the install, it opens the PDF.
Then I get ready to reply to Leo's note with some, hopefully, helpful information about Mail.app's auto response capabilities. Ah, Safari won't let me post the note. Again with this, Safari? I'm already screwed on commenting over at Digg, and now on Pownce? Thanks to both of you, Apple and Kevin freakin Rose.
Fine, at this point, I'm livid. Open Firefox. I don't really like having to fire it up, but whatever. Oh, goody! Firefox is installing updates. For the love of god, Firefox, how many damn updates can you possibly roll out in a week? Every time I fire it up its installing some kind of update for this, that or the other.
So, now I'm pruning my system. I want to de-automate everything. I'll pick and choose what gets automated. To me, automation on the Mac is not really automation. Its permission-less nagging. Plug in your iPod to charge for a few minutes...now iTunes stalles because it's auto-syncing to your iPod. Hook up a digital camera to copy a single pic from the card....now iPhoto launches and wants to go through the import process for the whole card. Open NetNewsWire to copy a story to email to a friend....now its sitting there refreshing/downloading all the new stuff from your feeds.
At some point we have to sit and think about something here. All of these automation things are nice at first. You're thinking, "hey, I don't have to remember to do all this stuff." But on the other hand...you're at the whim of your computer while it's running all this crap. There is no longer any real quick "hey ill just open this up and take a peek, or grab something quick." No, it becomes a whole damn workflow that has to complete before you can do anything else.
Sigh...tech sucks sometimes.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Scoble gives an honest critique, and I actually agree with him, mostly
The infamous Robert Scoble gave a thorough brow-beating to Apple a little bit ago, and I completely missed it. And by "thorough brow-beating," what I really mean is an honest critique that should be considered.
Oh, crap, I know, I'm supposed to be a big Apple fan, and jump all over him like the trained puppy that many fanbois have become. Well, that's not gonna happen. I may be an Apple fan, but fan != fanboi, got it?
I'm doing the whole "I'm an Apple fan" disclaimer stuff now so that the people who are already getting irate with me will just pipe down for a minute, take an Ambien or something, chill out, and clear their minds.
Now, onto the critique. There are a few really great points, and the entire premise of the article is absolutely true. Apple has done what few others have managed to do with regards to brand positioning and customer loyalty. It really is amazing. Nevertheless, having countless devoted fans does not correlate to perfection. In fact, far from it in Apple's case.
Now, before we go any further, this is NOT a Mac vs PC thing. I really could care less that you're happy with WindowsXP, Vista, or, hell, even Ubuntu. I'm just elaborating on a few issues that I personally have against Apple, and the people who will defend them regardless of logic.
A computer is a computer, right? It's a very complex system of complex systems. Apple promotes itself as the perfect computer. Nothing ever goes wrong with it. Anyone can use it. And "it just works." Well, except when it doesn't "just work," and when something does go wrong with it, and when someone can't use it. You know, kinda like the rash of bunk 20" and 24" iMacs they released?
Scoble points something very important to consider here:
"how DARE you be an Apple user and not know you needed to flash your PRAM.” Translation: any idiot can use a Mac, but not really.
He then goes on to point out how he is not a MS shill, which I do believe. Nevertheless, many of the Apple warriors will still ignorantly believe that he is a shill. I just figured I, as a self-admitted Apple fan, would weigh in here as well:
Apple is not perfect. Mac's are not perfect. And to the crazed Apple fans who would beg to differ: You are not perfect either.
Don't sit there and tell me your Mac has never crashed. Don't tell me you've never seen a kernel panic. Don't tell me that everything "just works," because it doesn't.
Sync any phone with your computer, other than an iPhone, and tell me it "just works." Without 3rd party tools. Just using iSync. I'm betting there's more than a handful of you out there that would just be SOL.
How about the "I can find any software for Mac." Most of the time, yes. All of the time, no. You can't manage AD groups, because MS hasn't released that to Apple. Is that Apple's fault? No. But, the fact still remains that there is at least one thing you cannot do on Mac that you can do on Windows.
And, let's talk about user-friendliness. It's not. It's a computer. You still have to do things that are more complicated than pushing a button. Like, repairing permissions. And trying your best not to leave .DS_Store files all over a freaking network.
Another thing that really ticks me off is the whole cost argument. I don't care much about the "well if you're comparing specs they are relatively inexpensive..." shut up. They are expensive, and you know it. You get treated like crap if you do not buy the AppleCare warranty, and you know it, that's why you buy it, right? The expense of a new Mac may be justified to you, but that does not negate the fact that they are expensive.
So, let's recap here: Macs can crash. Macs are not perfect. You can't do "everything" on a Mac. Macs don't "just work." And lastly, Macs ARE expensive. So, now that this is over, you can go back to your regularly scheduled illogical reasoning and call me every name in the book. Thank you.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Fun with Wordpress running on a univeristy Veritas server
Ah, Wordpress, you slippery devil, you got the best of me this time. Back in May, I was asked to install WordPress on a university server. Seems like no problem, after all, WordPress is famous for the "5 minute install," right? That's what I thought.
Until I was informed that this particular Veritas environment runs PHP from CGI. Well, that, in itself, is not really a problem. What is a problem is that the system admins hadn't planned on anyone running PHP, apparently. To get a PHP script to work, this is what you have to do:
II. How to use PHP on Veritas/Champion?
For security reasons, php scripts must be configured just like Perl scripts on Veritas and Champion.
1. Every php script must have the following as the first line in the file:
#!/usr/local/bin/phpNote: Any php script you call directly (i.e. a url in a web browser) must have #!/usr/local/bin/php as the first line. If you have php files that you are executing with an include, these include files should not have #!/usr/local/bin/php, because they are inserted into a running script.
2. You may use either .php or .php4 as the file extension.
3. The script must have owner execute permission. We strongly recommend using "700" (owner has read, write, and execute privileges) for good security.
For example, where "script.php4" is the name of the file containing the script, change the file permission as follows.
chmod 700 script.php4
What? Yeah, that's okay for maybe a single script. How about a whole CMS in PHP? So, off I go to contact the admins to see if there's some kind of mistake. There is not. I ask if they have ever heard of WordPress, or have ever gotten it running on the servers. I am told, sure, we can run it, here's a text file of all the files you need to add the bash and chmod. It was at least 20 files. Wow, simply amazing.
So, off I go, changing files, chmodding like crazy. I got it running....well, running if you consider little things like performance and page load times quite insignificant.
Next, I was asked how to have multiple WordPress installs off this one directory...without using WordpressMU. Well, that's easy, duplicate the install, change some settings, and add a different db prefix in the config file.
In anticipation of having to do this many times, I figured I would create a "sandbox" of sorts, based on the lastest version. All was well including chmodding and adding bash... until I actually ran the install script. I get this kind little message:
ERROR: WordPress 2.3.1 requires MySQL 4.0.0 or higher
Again, what? I'm thinking "isn't MySQL up to around oh, i dont know, 6?" Well, apparently we are now running three versions behind, and I can't even use the most secure, up to date, and feature-complete version of WordPress. Good lord.
So, I guess it's back to an old version for me, at least until our supposed migration happens.
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