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  • Slice Host, Cake, and Commandshift

    Slice Host…even though it seems they having growing pains with network issues, i’m guessing that the new cluster server at (mt) – who have had they’re own growing pains) will be similar and hacks don’t have the money for the Engine Yard even though the only way to keep performance and scalability is don’t oversell the box and keep out the suckers (like me) with a smaller client roster and higher prices.
    this is a cool tool for cake (cut – paste) .. from Gennit.
    Cake Gennit
    and remember no matter what your code does
    Command Shift
    it’s still first impression that garners interest
    and once you have it heat maps are good for usability studies.
    Crazy Egg
    and navicat is good for databases sync-ingwhat else… oh.. flex 3 builder beta is out as a standalone and for eclipse..

  • Bundle Fu, Rails 2.0, Django containers , the Unix-Demiurge, and the all important Readme..

    A good thing to note..Media temple put Django containers into beta testing and i’m guessing they’ll release with their cluster server and a bad thing to note.. there’s a trick to running rails 2.0 on the gridserver… work with this and prey for no fsck..
    Dennis Ritchie has claimed “The second letter was originally different.” Who also gives rise to What??? – the Unix Demiurge?The basic Unix idea — a hierarchical file system with simple operations on it (create/open/read/write/delete with I/O operations based on just descriptor/buffer/count) — wasn’t new even in 1970.“Things that began as neat but small tools, like Perl or Python, say, are suddenly more central in the whole scheme of things. The kind of programming that C provides will probably remain similar absolutely or slowly decline in usage, but relatively, JavaScript or its variants, or XML, will continue to become more central”…dmr.. LinuxWorld.com 12/4/00 and I’ll have to agree on xml.
    old ruby
    ruby error
    ruby version
    ruby update
    So i’ve built two apps to use google apps since i already set up Gapps most the time..(to emulate this one of the awesome-est calendars)….. (as i like to keep up with my brother who seems to think he’s the smart one) and i updated my rails today.. (i like to take screen captures when i do it.. my connection seems to be jammed with holiday shoppers)..and i realized something that i do often.. i don’t follow directions.. never have..including updating my ruby to .6 but I like to take it all apart and figure it out myself.. when i first saw rails, it was shoved into my face and took the app apart figured out how it worked and moved on.. we’ll same goes for as and js.. i cut it up and figure out how the parts go together.. we’ll.. having been using eclipse for flex i just went with locomotive first and then rad rails.. bad move if you ever plan on deploying because you’ll have a time with server configuration, so go with a custom install on your machine..and understand the fundamentals before you go playing around with applications or code and take this advice …..always read the readme.
    this tutorial will get you going easier than any other..
    OH.. and Bundle Fu

    and where to start right..

    == Welcome to Rails
    Rails is a web-application and persistence framework that includes everything
    needed to create database-backed web-applications according to the
    Model-View-Control pattern of separation. This pattern splits the view (also
    called the presentation) into “dumb” templates that are primarily responsible
    for inserting pre-built data in between HTML tags. The model contains the
    “smart” domain objects (such as Account, Product, Person, Post) that holds all
    the business logic and knows how to persist themselves to a database. The
    controller handles the incoming requests (such as Save New Account, Update
    Product, Show Post) by manipulating the model and directing data to the view.
    In Rails, the model is handled by what’s called an object-relational mapping
    layer entitled Active Record. This layer allows you to present the data from
    database rows as objects and embellish these data objects with business logic
    methods. You can read more about Active Record in
    link:files/vendor/rails/activerecord/README.html.
    The controller and view are handled by the Action Pack, which handles both
    layers by its two parts: Action View and Action Controller. These two layers
    are bundled in a single package due to their heavy interdependence. This is
    unlike the relationship between the Active Record and Action Pack that is much
    more separate. Each of these packages can be used independently outside of
    Rails. You can read more about Action Pack in
    link:files/vendor/rails/actionpack/README.html.

    == Getting Started
    1. At the command prompt, start a new Rails application using the rails command
    and your application name. Ex: rails myapp
    (If you’ve downloaded Rails in a complete tgz or zip, this step is already done)
    2. Change directory into myapp and start the web server: script/server (run with –help for options)
    3. Go to http://localhost:3000/ and get “Welcome aboard: You’re riding the Rails!”
    4. Follow the guidelines to start developing your application

    == Web Servers
    By default, Rails will try to use Mongrel and lighttpd if they are installed, otherwise
    Rails will use WEBrick, the webserver that ships with Ruby. When you run script/server,
    Rails will check if Mongrel exists, then lighttpd and finally fall back to WEBrick. This ensures
    that you can always get up and running quickly.
    Mongrel is a Ruby-based webserver with a C component (which requires compilation) that is
    suitable for development and deployment of Rails applications. If you have Ruby Gems installed,
    getting up and running with mongrel is as easy as: gem install mongrel.
    More info at: http://mongrel.rubyforge.org
    If Mongrel is not installed, Rails will look for lighttpd. It’s considerably faster than
    Mongrel and WEBrick and also suited for production use, but requires additional
    installation and currently only works well on OS X/Unix (Windows users are encouraged
    to start with Mongrel). We recommend version 1.4.11 and higher. You can download it from
    http://www.lighttpd.net.
    And finally, if neither Mongrel or lighttpd are installed, Rails will use the built-in Ruby
    web server, WEBrick. WEBrick is a small Ruby web server suitable for development, but not
    for production.
    But of course its also possible to run Rails on any platform that supports FCGI.
    Apache, LiteSpeed, IIS are just a few. For more information on FCGI,
    please visit: http://wiki.rubyonrails.com/rails/pages/FastCGI

    == Debugging Rails
    Sometimes your application goes wrong. Fortunately there are a lot of tools that
    will help you debug it and get it back on the rails.
    First area to check is the application log files. Have “tail -f” commands running
    on the server.log and development.log. Rails will automatically display debugging
    and runtime information to these files. Debugging info will also be shown in the
    browser on requests from 127.0.0.1.
    You can also log your own messages directly into the log file from your code using
    the Ruby logger class from inside your controllers. Example:
    class WeblogController < ActionController::Base def destroy @weblog = Weblog.find(params[:id]) @weblog.destroy logger.info(“#{Time.now} Destroyed Weblog ID ##{@weblog.id}!”) end end The result will be a message in your log file along the lines of: Mon Oct 08 14:22:29 +1000 2007 Destroyed Weblog ID #1 More information on how to use the logger is at http://www.ruby-doc.org/core/ Also, Ruby documentation can be found at http://www.ruby-lang.org/ including: * The Learning Ruby (Pickaxe) Book: http://www.ruby-doc.org/docs/ProgrammingRuby/ * Learn to Program: http://pine.fm/LearnToProgram/ (a beginners guide) These two online (and free) books will bring you up to speed on the Ruby language and also on programming in general. == Debugger Debugger support is available through the debugger command when you start your Mongrel or Webrick server with –debugger. This means that you can break out of execution at any point in the code, investigate and change the model, AND then resume execution! Example: class WeblogController < ActionController::Base def index @posts = Post.find(:all) debugger end end So the controller will accept the action, run the first line, then present you with a IRB prompt in the server window. Here you can do things like: >> @posts.inspect
    => “[#nil, “body”=>nil, “id”=>”1”}>,
    #”Rails you know!”, “body”=>”Only ten..”, “id”=>”2″}>]”
    >> @posts.first.title = “hello from a debugger”
    => “hello from a debugger”
    just thought i throw this in.. 🙂
    Atari 800
    …and even better is that you can examine how your runtime objects actually work:
    >> f = @posts.first
    => #nil, “body”=>nil, “id”=>”1”}>
    >> f.
    Display all 152 possibilities? (y or n)
    Finally, when you’re ready to resume execution, you enter “cont”
    == Console
    You can interact with the domain model by starting the console through script/console.
    Here you’ll have all parts of the application configured, just like it is when the
    application is running. You can inspect domain models, change values, and save to the
    database. Starting the script without arguments will launch it in the development environment.
    Passing an argument will specify a different environment, like script/console production.
    To reload your controllers and models after launching the console run reload!

    == Description of Contents
    app
    Holds all the code that’s specific to this particular application.
    app/controllers
    Holds controllers that should be named like weblogs_controller.rb for
    automated URL mapping. All controllers should descend from ApplicationController
    which itself descends from ActionController::Base.
    app/models
    Holds models that should be named like post.rb.
    Most models will descend from ActiveRecord::Base.
    app/views
    Holds the template files for the view that should be named like
    weblogs/index.erb for the WeblogsController#index action. All views use eRuby
    syntax.
    app/views/layouts
    Holds the template files for layouts to be used with views. This models the common
    header/footer method of wrapping views. In your views, define a layout using the
    layout :default and create a file named default.erb. Inside default.erb,
    call <% yield %> to render the view using this layout.
    app/helpers
    Holds view helpers that should be named like weblogs_helper.rb. These are generated
    for you automatically when using script/generate for controllers. Helpers can be used to
    wrap functionality for your views into methods.
    config
    Configuration files for the Rails environment, the routing map, the database, and other dependencies.
    db
    Contains the database schema in schema.rb. db/migrate contains all
    the sequence of Migrations for your schema.
    doc
    This directory is where your application documentation will be stored when generated
    using rake doc:app
    lib
    Application specific libraries. Basically, any kind of custom code that doesn’t
    belong under controllers, models, or helpers. This directory is in the load path.
    public
    The directory available for the web server. Contains subdirectories for images, stylesheets,
    and javascripts. Also contains the dispatchers and the default HTML files. This should be
    set as the DOCUMENT_ROOT of your web server.
    script
    Helper scripts for automation and generation.
    test
    Unit and functional tests along with fixtures. When using the script/generate scripts, template
    test files will be generated for you and placed in this directory.
    vendor
    External libraries that the application depends on. Also includes the plugins subdirectory.
    This directory is in the load path.

  • Google Android – Ten Million?

    Android has it’s source code available at the project page. Google is giving away $10,000,000 to the best applications. The Open Handset Alliance, a group of more than 30 technology and mobile companies, is developing Android: the first complete, open, and free mobile platform. Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications. This early look at the Android SDK provides the tools and APIs necessary to begin developing applications on the Android platform using the Java programming language. Android does not differentiate between the phone’s basic and third-party applications — even the dialer or home screen can be replaced. Android relies on Linux version 2.6 for core system services such as security, memory management, process management, network stack, and driver model. The kernel also acts as an abstraction layer between the hardware and the rest of the software stack. Android will ship with a set of core applications including an email client, SMS program, calendar, maps, browser, contacts, and others. All applications are written using the Java programming language. Xmpp, Sqlite, Freetype, OpenGl, sgl, PacketVideo’s OpenCORE for media, and System C library – a BSD-derived implementation of the standard C system library (libc), tuned for embedded Linux-based devices.
    android

  • Electric Rain to Support Papervision 3D

    “Swift 3D will also be capable of converting existing models in the .3DS and .DXF file format into Papervision3D projects, creating all the necessary ActionScript 3.0, FLA, and 3D files needed to run the project without doing any hand coding.” Canon’s got a good site that uses papervision 3D and so does Sony

    sony rec you

    a note about this video: what happens when a designer decides to whip up the audio too.

    and i’m not sure exactly how they did this Ikea site?

    ikea
  • on ajax, antisammy, and songbird.

    Songbird

    Songbird is a desktop media player mashed-up with the Web.
    ..take a close look at that favicon? what is that?


    favicons - songbirdfavicon - demiurgic

    Here’s some other tests and tools: Dojo – clean, Mootools – Compact, clean unique widgets.., and check out these test that show the speed of the frameworks, Prototype , Scriptaculous – easing, JQuery – write less, do more.. – google uses it?, Adobe Spry – underrated – overused. And you might start seeing more of these with xml – XHR and AntiSammy

    GWT Google Webtoolkit – API’s..gotta have em

  • FCC Spectrum Auction and paid links…

    Who’s going to win the spectrum auction?
    11/30/2007 06:08:00 AM
    Posted by by Chris Sacca, Head of Special Initiatives

    Here at Google, we see the upcoming 700 megahertz spectrum auction at the Federal Communications Commission as one of the best opportunities consumers will have to enjoy more choices in the world of wireless devices. That’s why we announced today that we are applying to participate in the auction.
    As part of the nationally mandated transition to digital television, the 700 MHz spectrum auction — which begins January 24, 2008 — will free up spectrum airwaves for more efficient wireless Internet service for consumers. Advocacy by public interest groups and Google earlier this year helped ensure that regardless of which bidders win a key portion of the spectrum up for auction (the so-called “C Block”), they will be required to allow their users to download any software application they want on their mobile device, and to use any mobile devices they would like on that wireless network. The winner must ensure these rights for consumers if the reserve price of $4.6 billion for the C Block is met at auction.

    and.. don’t pay for links ever.. that’s my rule..
    Information about buying and selling links that pass PageRank from Google

  • how to create a website in under a minute..

    or hundreds of websites in an hour. I use it as a mockup tool with clients to teach them to use WordPress.. and then customize their site layout and content. I’ve noticed that the city paper and post and courier here in Charleston also uses WPMU… try this from Photo Matt

    Update 4/8/2020 – Sometimes I go back and clean up old posts based on the amount of traffic they receive. Since the original link is now dead because I no longer use the Windham Agency domain, I figured I’d explain what I was doing. I used to use a WordPress signup form to create client websites on the fly and map them to sub-domains until they were ready to be mapped to the client domain. This would allow a client to have a website up and running in just a couple minutes and give them the sandbox would could help teach them how to use WordPress. This worked out for a year or so, but what I found is that clients would inevitably want more and more features which would require custom plugins or code. This became unsustainable for a Multi-Site installation because some clients would drag down others. Now, after fifteen plus years of doing it, I’ve still found that it’s helpful to get a demo sub-domain site up and running day. I generally use a core set of plugins for most of the sites I build and maintain which keeps everything simple. The only time I’ve used WordPress Multi-Site in production is for a publisher who may need multiple domains, sub-domains, designs, access, and/or authors. At the time, I’m sure I was excited to discover how easy it was to spin up websites in under a minute.

  • how to buy and sell artwork… and use ‘search’ commands.

    someone asked me recently about investing in artwork..
    i said “investing? what… just buy what you like and sell what you thought you liked”

    Dali established three major artistic themes, which would form the core of his work for the rest of his career: enigmas, Gala, and melted clocks. The images were produced using what he called the “paranoiac critical” method, which Dali explained as a “spontaneous method of irrational knowledge based on critical and systematic objectivation of delirious associations and interpretations.”
    The paranoiac-critical method was simple. The artist tricks himself into going insane, while somewhere deep within remembering that the reason for the insanity is to create a great work of art. Dali chose to do it the hard way — by actually going mad, rather than simulating madness through chemical means. “I don’t take drugs. I am drugs,” he once explained.
    A theologian could have a field day wondering about God’s paranoiac-critical approach to creating the world. The psychiatrist may wonder what might be the difference between pretending to be completely insane while secretly knowing you aren’t, and actually being completely insane and secretly holding the delusional belief that you aren’t. (Dali himself once explained this by writing, “There is only one difference between a madman and me. I am not mad.”)
    The cultural observer simply contents himself with noting that this “method” provided Dali with a good excuse to do whatever he felt like, all in the name of art.


    and to search Google..

    cache:Show the cached snapshot of a page
    link:List pages which link to a page
    related:List pages which Google consider to be related to another
    info: Find one specific URL in the search database
    define: Show Google’s glossary definition for a term
    stocks:Show American stockmarket information for a given ticker symbol
    site:Restrict a search to a single site
    allintitle:Restrict a search so that all the keywords must appear in the title
    intitle:Restrict a search so that some of the keywords must appear in the title
    allintext: Restrict a search so that all of the keywords must appear in the body text
    allinurl: Restrict a search so that all of the keywords must appear in the page address
    inurl:Restrict a search so that some keywords must appear in the page address
    OR List pages which have at least some of the keywords
    + Insist that the search engine includes a given keyword in the search results
    – Insist that the search engine omits pages which match a given keyword in the search results
    ~ Enhance a search to include synonyms for a given keyword
    * Include a wildcard match in your search results
    [#]…[#] Search a range of numbers as a keyword
    daterange: Restrict a search to any timeframe
    “” Restrict a search so that the keywords must appear consecutively in a phrase
    date: Restrict a search to a recent timeframe
    safesearch: Restrict a search to exclude adult-content
    filetype: Restrict a search to a given type of file

    http://www.google.com/help/basics.html

  • Elingsh

    Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but the wrod as a wlohe.


    Retreived from http://web.archive.org/web/20070307073659/http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~pjm21/papers/LCP.pdf
    Shillcock, R., & Monaghan, P. (2004). Reading, Sublexical Units And Scrambled Words: Capturing The Human Data. Connectionist Models of Cognition and Perception II. doi:10.1142/9789812702784_0023

  • Luuk Bode

    Luuk Bode

    I’m digging on the artwork from http://www.luukbode.com/