J. Shirley :: Blog

Today I launched a new site, Cartionary.com.  This is part of a new company I've co-founded, with the intent of releasing a variety of niche social sites that are designed to generate high quality user content.  It's been a lot of work, a ton of fun, and we're at a point of having some users actually kick the tires (no more car puns, I promise).

A few notes before anybody clicks over:

• The image uploading needs work.  We were originally going with the YUI Uploader, but due to too many unfixed bugs and general stability issues we did a hasty switch to SWFUpload.  We're still very happy using YUI elsewhere on the site, but their uploader simply doesn't work well enough to use.  The source was not available earlier so we weren't even able to submit patches; and bug reports were summarily ignored.
• The visible features are not representative of the "1.0" of the site, which we're hoping to have out by September 1st at the latest.  We're going to have an article system inspired by use.perl.org, as well as several other features that will make publishing valuable information an absolute joy.
• It is beta.  In the real sense of the word.  I'm not publicizing it yet outside of my blog here, and that is intentional.  We're not even feature complete, so it could be considered an alpha.  Or pre-alpha.  Anyway, it is a web application.  We don't need a proper release cycle but we do need a proper foundation and starting point.  Our hopes are that enough people will get a handle on it and submit bugs and ideas that we can fix those while we're pushing out our killer features".

Thanks!

This one is off the cuff, spur of the moment, targeted at many but one (to be unnamed) culprit set it off.

Do not go through pains to disable password remembering features on your login forms.  It is annoying, unproductive and makes me regret using your service.

I'm a big fan of letting an educated user choose.   By choose, I do not mean "Well, they could always use firebug and remove the autocomplete='off' setting".  If you're not going to make it easy to allow my browser to remember the password, please have a timeout of longer than 15 minutes.

This is ridiculous, truly.  That and captchas that are nothing more than an image with absolutely no captcha benefits.  I could write a simple OCR Firefox extension to crack it, but it isn't worth the time.

As some context, this is for a DNS management interface.  Perhaps I do want some automated scripts to be able to modify our DNS records.  If throttling is a problem, employ anti-throttling techniques.  I fail to see what problem the captcha is truly trying to solve.  As they explain it, "the verification code is used to improve performance and prevent unauthorized automated scripts."

Total.  Complete.  Crap.

Let me let my browser remember my passwords if I so choose.  People should realize that the Firefox password manager is probably a touch more secure than a post-it note, which is the obvious fallback.

Do not use a captcha unless you need it.  There are plenty of ways to block unauthorized automated scripts, etc.  Engineer a solution; block IP addresses and cancel customers who violate ToS.

This is the same thing as DRM with Music.  You are only inconveniencing the legitimate customers, and doing nothing to block an automated script.  People who want to crack an image captcha and are using a DNS service can do so with ease.  You see, they can use Google, too.  Just like what you did when you needed a crappy captcha.

Whenever I load my Vox public page I'm astounded at how few entries are  present here.  Here's one for the public, since I tend to just write forr my neighborhood only.

The Mac
Color me happy.  I opted for the 15" MacBook pro.  I'm completely disappointed at this point with the multitouch, but I hope that configurable gestures come out soon.  I figure I could probably hook into something and write code, blah blah, but really, I just want it to work the same as any other Apple configuration option.  I had to buy a new Airport Extreme base station, because I didn't get the coverage everywhere in my house.  That was a great purchase.

The Wife
She's good, and happily pregnant -- half way there.  Getting excited and nervous about the second little one running around, because the first is enough work.

The Boy
Wow, grows fast.  When I was in YAPC::Asia for a week I missed him like crazy, and when I saw him he had already changed so much.  It really is shocking.  That and they're little sponges and pick up everything you do.  This is both funny and horrifying.

The Fetus
It's a girl!  Nuff said.

The Life
I've been astoundingly busy.  I had some construction done at my home to make a better office area, and I'll be writing on that later after I get everything wrapped up.  I have some exciting things to announce but not there yet.

In other interesting news, a very good friend of mine is running for re-election, and typically runs uncontested.  He's a superior court Judge here in Clark County named Judge John Wulle, and yes, I think "Judge" is his first name.  The thing that is the most amusing is his opposition claims John is not neutral and fair, yet got up on stage and heckled Chris Gregoir.  Getting up on a stage and saying “You are a racist!” is a sure fire way to make friends. When you follow it up with “You hate poor people! You are an elitist!” you sound like the very embidoment of "neutral and fair". Really.

And this is Governor Chris Gregoir, a democrat.

I'm in the market for a new laptop, given that my Dell has a heat problem and there is something odd (not sure if it is hardware or software, but it's been running Linux for the last 3 years and I've never had these types of issues) with it that is finally driving me to buy a new laptop.  I figure 3 years for a commodity laptop is a reasonable life span and I can now move on to greener pastures.  Or silver.

Since I've been traveling (full time for 8 months, then off and off for the last 2 years) the deficiencies of Linux on the Laptop has just grown old, all the while OS X has been filling the deficiencies I've found it has regarding development on the platform.  When I first bought the G5 iMac, I had high expectations and was really disappointed.  The horribly buggy sloppy focus add-ons, the horribly buggy virtual desktops, the broken perl and having hardware failures (warranty repaired, at least) was frustrating.  So, I gave the system to my wife and she's been happily using it ever since.  Firefox doesn't need much :)

With the latest revision of OS X, Spaces and Time Machine look too good to pass up.  I think that on a laptop I can really get by without sloppy focus, especially with the configurable gestures on the multitouch trackpads.  So, I've made the decision a while ago that I am going elitist, and will be buying a Mac.

Now, the decision.  The MacBook Air looked gimicky to me, but being the first out of the gate with the multitouch gave it a slight advantage in my mind.  Also, it's tiny.  A good bedside laptop and one that I can travel with, but still gimicky.  Last night I went down a "The MAC Store" and sampled the Air alongside the MacBook Pro 15".  I don't really need a 17" (in fact, I think if there were a 13" MBP I'd probably go that route... but then again, that's the Air).

The Air was not gimicky. It wasn't cheap.  It was solidly built and heavier than expected, especially considering its waify figure.  The keyboard was really nice, and I liked it better than the MacBook Pro on first glance but that could be just first impressions that fade away.  I couldn't really figure out what I liked better about the Air keyboard, just that it was a touch nicer to the feel.  The Air's trackpad is also a lot better.  I'm not sure if the MacBook Pro demo unit there was just in bad condition from some abusive customers, but it had a different texture to it that seemed more difficult to work with than the Air.  I'm going to go to a different store to get a second opinion on it.

The one thing that really stood out is the Air's trackpad is significantly larger than the MBP.  This is frustrating, as it "feels" better.  I think with the smaller screen and the larger trackpad it has a more cohesive feel.

But these are all trifling details of a most superficial nature.  What really gets down to it is what will I be doing on the machine.  The price point between the Air and the MBP is nearly identical, since I'll be getting the add-on SuperDrive for the Air.  I still haven't managed to figure out what exactly I'll be doing with the machine the most.

I'd like to do some screencasts if I have the time.  Perhaps even some photoshop, but that's not likely to happen because I can't justify the cost of the software (but, as work's design stuff ramps up I may get a license through them).  The core of my work is in office tasks and then in development.  The Air is more than sufficient, and more portable.  However, if I want to do screencast editing, recording, skyping and photoshopping I fear it to be underpowered.

So, by that logic the decision should be in favor of the MacBook Pro.  However, heat becomes an issue.  I figure most of my time hacking will be in bed (doubly so now that my wife is dealing with morning sickness and soon to be even more fond of the bed).  This means that I'll want to have the laptop more or less on my lap.  I don't hack in the nude, but I want a thin layer of fabric (like pajamas) to be enough to block most of the heat from becoming uncomfortable.

I think at this point I'm leaning towards the MacBook Pro and if it gets too warm buying one of these.

Thoughts, comments, suggestions or advice?

My wife just returned from shopping and giddily approached me and asked, "How do you spell Catalyst?"  After confirming the spelling, she pulls out a box and goes, "It's Catalyst... Cologne!"

Catalyst Cologne

I love her for a) knowing the project and b) identifying cologne at a discount store that shares the name and buying it for me.

$ telnet mx1.hotmail.com 25
Trying 65.54.244.8...
Connected to mx1.hotmail.com.
Escape character is '^]'.
220 bay0-mc2-f9.bay0.hotmail.com Sending unsolicited commercial or bulk e-mail
 to Microsoft's computer network is prohibited. Other restrictions are found at
 http://privacy.msn.com/Anti-spam/. Violations will result in use of equipment
 located in California and other states. Mon, 31 Dec 2007 08:48:07 -0800

 
Spam Hotmail, and you have to use equipment in California and other states.  Maybe that other state is Texas.  Then you would be really screwed.

Don't say they didn't warn you.

Dear Vox Hackers,

I would really love to have the capability to embed SmugMug photos easily in my Vox blog.  If I throw together a SmugMug package to CPAN, would that assist in making it happen?

Thanks :)

I love Vox for keeping my family updated but it isn't as convenient to manage the photos here as it is in SmugMug (and Vox doesn't have the same API capabilities) but together they would make the perfect pair.

I was very saddened to see a posting on SoccerTV.com that they're closing up shop after selling their assets.  It's a very nice and easy way to just view what upcoming games are going to be on.  I only get Fox Soccer Channel, so it isn't that big of a deal but some of my friends have other channels (Setanta, GolTV, etc).

So, I did some quick Christmas hacking, and with the help of Web::Scraper (thanks Miyagawa!) and a quick domain registration I have a new site launched.

Soccer fans enjoy, and let me know what other channels you want me to add in (and I'm adding in more leagues as well) because I want to have a really good single source for soccer lineups.

I Watch Soccer [http://www.iwatchsoccer.com]

Let me know if you encounter any problems.  It is running on a pretty limited host, but it is going to be moving to a beefier server soon.

(and yes, there are ads.  I do have to pay my server bills... I just want to find the right balance between number of ads and content... feedback welcome)

I ordered the Eye-fi 2GB SD 802.11g card from Buy.com, as they had a $20 off if you buy another $20 or more item.  That part was a bit difficult, as anything I wanted at the time was either more than the eye-fi card or $19.99 (Curse you Brain Age 2 and your penny-shy-of-ownage!).

My friend purchased an eeePC and was looking at either a USB thumbdrive or an SD card so I picked up a USB drive for him and got myself the Eye-fi for $80.  $99 seemed a bit steep for a wireless SD card, but $80 put it in that realm of not wanting to kick myself for buying it if it wasn't as good as I wanted.

The packaging is awesome.  I thought Apple did packaging well, but it isn't nearly as fun as the eye-fi.  I don't want to ruin it for anybody, but it is surprisingly fun packaging.  I giggled, then ran into the other room to show my wife.  She promptly didn't giggle, but did call it clever.

The setup was a piece of cake and just because everybody likes to hate Vista I set it up on the Vista PC in my office.  I plugged it in, ran the auto-installer and everything worked like a champ.  It connected to my network, registered to my SmugMug account and all went through just fine.

I popped the card into my camera, and it didn't do a damn thing.  I could take photos just like it was a typical memory card, but the Eye-Fi Manager failed to receive any incoming photos.

No worries, as a firmware update was flashing at me so I decided to update the firmware and try again.  Bingo, now it works.

Photos upload very quickly, and then the manager pushes them out to SmugMug into a private gallery where I can move them as I see fit.  There are a couple points here that I absolutely love.  It creates a gallery for each date that you take photos, marks it as private and uploads there.  That works great for us, since we always want the photos uploaded even if they're private and then move them around.

We have an older Kodak EasyShare DX6440  and got my mother-in-law a newer Kodak EasyShare C875.  The only problem with our older Kodak DX6440 is the screen gets an interference pattern with the Eye-fi card in it.  It is subtle, and not a big deal since the camera has an optical viewfinder.  If it didn't, I wouldn't be pleased about the interference but that camera is on its last legs.  Apparently cameras have a finite quota of how many times they can be dropped... who knew.

The Kodak C875 is a different story.  I inserted the Eye-fi and it immediately shut off.  I browsed their help pages, and they ask you to contact them if the camera won't power on (which, after the immediate shut off is what happens).

Now, today is Christmas Eve.  Aside from it being nearly a holiday, I would imagine that anybody who purchased an eye-fi for Christmas really wants it to work for Christmas.  I still got a response in 20 minutes.  It wasn't a canned response, and detailed that the rep looked at the Kodak site to find more information on the camera.

She gave me some troubleshooting instructions involving the power settings (which looking at their help pages seems the only real trouble folks have) which didn't work verbatim, but a slight modification did.  So, after emailing them I get a crafted response that was actually helpful in 20 minutes on Christmas Eve.

That, everybody, is called customer service.  I applaud you Eye-fi, in not only making a really cool and functional product but by staffing caring customer service people.  I'd definitely recommend the Eye-fi as long as you're not a huge video taker, since it doesn't do videos.

And, for those interested, the C875 required me to set the Power Off to 10 minutes with no memory card in it, exit the menu entirely, then insert the Eye-Fi card.  Trying to set the Power Off with another memory card in it failed to work.

This is a bit late to write-up, but given it happened on my return from vacation I'll forgive myself because I had to play catch up when I returned.

As many of you may or may not know or not know, my family celebrates Thanksgiving and Christmas together.  Thus, we have the aptly named Thanksmas^TM.

So, as we celebrated Thanksmas in Vancouver, BC and had a great time we were hearing some reports of some nasty storms coming in.  Not being one to watch the news, we just partied on and enjoyed ourselves and the frigid temperatures.  We were scheduled to return Monday, December 3rd but were kicking around the idea of taking an extra day and going to Victoria and then take the ferry down through the San Juan Islands.

Well, Monday morning had different plans.  Plans that involved hurricane force (120+mph) winds along the coastal areas.  Those are plans that subjugate ferries with authority.  We opted for a land traversal, so I prompted the ladies to get up a bit earlier than desired (8am, not that early) and sounded the warning bell to get everything packed now.  I just had a bad feeling.

Good thing we listened to it.  We were on the road and checked out around 10am.  It required a great deal of packing and sorting things out, because we had celebrated an effective ChristThanksmas and had a ton of presents (for Kai).  We had a blisteringly fast border crossing, which has always been an issue in the past.  Taeko is an unconditional resident alien, but her mom is only here on a tourist visa and sometimes they pull us over, drag us out, send us to Gitmo and stand military tribunals.  Kidding about the last part, nobody gets military tribunals yet.

So, we made it right through the border and stopped into Blaine for a quick snack and coffee and proceeded down I-5.  Very uneventful at this point, just very, very windy.  When I mean very windy, I mean watching 5th Wheels blown out of their lane and an older VW Bus (Hippievanagon?) nearly eat it off the shoulder.

Getting through Seattle was without incident, but then Kai was ready to stretch and we were all getting hungry so in Federal Way we stopped at Applebee's for a quick bite to eat.  Not a good idea, in hindsight.

After we were done, we got back on I-5 and headed south without delay, and traffic was running very smoothly.  Until about exit 82 (Grand Mound) when traffic very abruptly came to a stop.  I was still thinking we were ahead enough of the storm to not run into any issues, so at first we assumed it was an accident.  After a mile of very very slow progression we were presented with a Road Closed sign in the form of a Washington State Patrol officer and some cones.

Darn.

Traffic at this point is going south into Centralia, exiting I-5 and going down Old Highway 99 which parallels I-5.  Right through about 2.5 feet of water.  We were following an older Honda Accord and the water was splashing against the door handles.  I'm amazed they were having us travel through this given how deep it was.  The guard rails on the road were submerged and only visible in the troughs of the waves caused by the passing cars.  Oh, and the water was moving.  Double plus dumb, right there.  It was a tough situation because you didn't realize how deep the water was until you were in the middle of it and there were cars behind, in front and on the side.  No place to go but forward (never straight, always forward!) and hope you didn't get washed off the road or have your car stall.  I felt fairly confident that our car could make it, since it is a bit taller than most (minivans are great!).

In Centralia they were starting to open up shelters and direct people to hotels, but it didn't sit right with me, given that I've seen how things flood there.  One of the shelters in a school was probably safe, but a lot of the places they were sending people didn't seem safe enough.

Case in point:

Exit81

Instead of staying in Centralia, we pull over briefly so I can investigate alternative routes with my trusty road atlas (Rand McNally for the win!).  Unfortunately the resolution of the Centralia/Chehalis area isn't good enough, but I can get a general idea of the major roads and I'm somewhat familiar with the back roads around there.  There is that hill with several roads that pass along and intersect with major state routes so I assume that is the way to go.  It is feasible to get all the way down to Mount St. Helens on these roads, but given the state of land slides and general flooding I wasn't too keen on getting that far off the beaten path.

Instead, we opt to go down Jackson Highway since it was still open.  This takes you back from I-5 nearly a mile, and it is populated with farm houses nearly the entire way.  We drove through back roads from Centralia to Chehalis, with the assistance of some semi-trucks ahead of us who knew ways around where the roads were flooded out.  After arriving in Chehalis safely, it was the next big leap to get down to past the Cowlitz river and out of the flood zone.

Chehalis_I5

Through Chehalis we saw the first signs of how bad it was, and had that increased sense of urgency and alertness.   The first sign was the first fully submerged car.  The second was the first fully submerged house.  The third was dumb rednecks in a pickup truck driving in water that was up to the door handles with a load of people in the back being loud.  Given the dangers already present, the last thing I want to deal with is people like that.  Onwards to Jackson Highway!

At this point in our drive, it was dark for quite some time (I think we made it through Chehalis at about 6:30 or 7pm).  It just kept getting darker and darker, and made for a mix of peace because you couldn't see what was around you but also uncertainty, because you couldn't see what was around.

In the glimpses of light that came down from other sources, you could see massive flooding.  At one section, we were going through about a foot of water, following two semi-trucks, and their lights illuminated the fields around us.  There were several farm houses within view, but to get to any of them we'd have to walk through at least a half mile of water of unknown depth.  At this point the danger really hit me, but luckily Taeko couldn't see (bad night vision) and Ba-ba was in the back comforting Kai.  Luckily, this was the deepest section of Jackson Highway and we just kept pushing through.

When we got to Highway 12, it was encouraging to see people vacating I-5 who were going north (or trying to, Jackson Highway was closed for northbound traffic already).  That meant we were ahead of the worst of it.  Jackson Highway was clearing up at this point, so we opted to stay on it and head to Toledo and then over to I-5.  The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful, but long and tiring. 

The next day my arms were sore from how tight I was gripping the steering wheel as we were driving.  It took 3 hours to drive about 28 miles, bringing the total trip time from Vancouver, BC to Vancouver, WA to 10 hours even (in comparison, it took us 5.5 hours going up)

There are more photos of the flood damage here, and most of these (except in Olympia) were along our direct route.  We missed the major flooding by hours, and who knows what would have happened then.  We were very lucky, and in hindsight I don't think we should have stopped at Applebee's.  :)