I thought this was the best movie I've seen in years. Superb acting from Jason Bateman and Will Smith. The plot had just enough detail, didn't preach, never beat you over the head with message. The pacing and the mix of humor was just right.
Of course the action was over the top as was Ray Embrey's campaign to make the world a better place but I was willing to look past that because more often the characters seemed like real people.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Version Control
If you develop code for a living you'll eventually become acquainted with version control systems. They have names like PVCS, CVS, and Surround SCM. Programming is all about code changes. Even if you're privileged enough to write a new system it will eventually undergo changes.
Version Control Systems allow developers to track changes to code from its inception all the way through to its current incarnation.
What's good about this? First, there will be times when a new version is put into production and it just doesn't work. You might be able to tweak your changes in production for a little while but soon you'll have to fall back to the old version so that business is not impacted. Often the VC system is the only, or easiest, way to fall back. Second, you may be working as part of a team and will have to coordinate your changes with others on the team. VCS provides a way to distribute your modifications to others and provides an exchange to merge their contributions with yours. Third, even the best intentioned user will eventually ask you to put the function back in that he asked you to rip out a few months ago. If the old version is in a VCS then it's easy to recover the piece that needs to be reconstituted.
What's bad about VCS? There's a learning curve to overcome. All this checking in and out, updating, etc. is not intuitive and one needs to invest some time learning how to use it. Second, it requires discipline to get your changes into the system on a regular basis. This is especially important when working in a group so that others can incorporate your changes sooner rather than later. Time is money in the program development world.
It's obvious to me that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Steve McConnell, author of Code Complete and Rapid Development lists "Lack of automated source-code control" as a classic mistake. Yet I've found many IT Managers who'll pay lip service to VCS but, somehow it ends up on the bottom of the priority list and can languish there for years.
If you're wed to the idea of versioning but the boss won't provide it then set it up yourself. In my home office I have a cast off laptop running Fedora Linux with a CVS server. The ssh port is exposed to the internet and many of my clients allow ssh through their firewall. I sit at my desk on my employer's premises and regularly update the repository at home.
Version Control Systems allow developers to track changes to code from its inception all the way through to its current incarnation.
What's good about this? First, there will be times when a new version is put into production and it just doesn't work. You might be able to tweak your changes in production for a little while but soon you'll have to fall back to the old version so that business is not impacted. Often the VC system is the only, or easiest, way to fall back. Second, you may be working as part of a team and will have to coordinate your changes with others on the team. VCS provides a way to distribute your modifications to others and provides an exchange to merge their contributions with yours. Third, even the best intentioned user will eventually ask you to put the function back in that he asked you to rip out a few months ago. If the old version is in a VCS then it's easy to recover the piece that needs to be reconstituted.
What's bad about VCS? There's a learning curve to overcome. All this checking in and out, updating, etc. is not intuitive and one needs to invest some time learning how to use it. Second, it requires discipline to get your changes into the system on a regular basis. This is especially important when working in a group so that others can incorporate your changes sooner rather than later. Time is money in the program development world.
It's obvious to me that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Steve McConnell, author of Code Complete and Rapid Development lists "Lack of automated source-code control" as a classic mistake. Yet I've found many IT Managers who'll pay lip service to VCS but, somehow it ends up on the bottom of the priority list and can languish there for years.
If you're wed to the idea of versioning but the boss won't provide it then set it up yourself. In my home office I have a cast off laptop running Fedora Linux with a CVS server. The ssh port is exposed to the internet and many of my clients allow ssh through their firewall. I sit at my desk on my employer's premises and regularly update the repository at home.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Shure SE310
My brother in law, Peter has a set of the Bose Quiet Comfort headphones that he let me try out one day and I thought they were stupendous but couldn't bring myself to shell out that kind of cash especially when my use is mostly train commuting and city streets. Where was I going to put the things when I wasn't wearing them?
I've been watching as high end earphones emerged and decided to get the Shure SE310's about 10 days ago. I have to say the packaging is a trip. I have never bought anything that was harder to open and was surprised that I didn't slash the contents with the knife I used to open the package.
The earphones come with a variety of sleeves that can be pushed onto the part that fits in your ear and the instructions counsel to make sure that the sleeve seals between your ear and the earphone. But, they're shipped with sleeves that probably fit most of the people most of the time and I was anxious for "the experience" so I used them as is.
I noticed a few things in the first week of use. I was hearing musical nuances that I never heard before in the mid and high range AND there was little/no bass sound. The earbuds that came with the MP3 player had better bass response than these things.
Disappointed and feeling ripped off I broke out the mess of sleeves and tried different ones. Wow! Knee slapping, wall shaking bass when I found the right fit. These things sound GREAT and they're so much more comfortable to wear than conventional earbuds.
As a computer guy I've learned to RTFM but I still need to heed what I read.
I've been watching as high end earphones emerged and decided to get the Shure SE310's about 10 days ago. I have to say the packaging is a trip. I have never bought anything that was harder to open and was surprised that I didn't slash the contents with the knife I used to open the package.
The earphones come with a variety of sleeves that can be pushed onto the part that fits in your ear and the instructions counsel to make sure that the sleeve seals between your ear and the earphone. But, they're shipped with sleeves that probably fit most of the people most of the time and I was anxious for "the experience" so I used them as is.
I noticed a few things in the first week of use. I was hearing musical nuances that I never heard before in the mid and high range AND there was little/no bass sound. The earbuds that came with the MP3 player had better bass response than these things.
Disappointed and feeling ripped off I broke out the mess of sleeves and tried different ones. Wow! Knee slapping, wall shaking bass when I found the right fit. These things sound GREAT and they're so much more comfortable to wear than conventional earbuds.
As a computer guy I've learned to RTFM but I still need to heed what I read.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
iPhone Connection Blues
I'll be using 2 iPhone apps that rely on a WiFi connection to my Macbook Pro running Mac OS 10.5, Remote and SplashID. When I first installed them neither would consistently connect. Remote complained that it "Could not find Library" and SplashID gave the error message, "No Desktop Found." I don't know what causes this behavior but would guess that the Access Point I'm using is somehow incompatible.
If you've exhausted the level 1 solutions (both your computer and iPhone are attached to the same WiFi network and the firewall allows incoming connections) then try this. It worked for me but your mileage may vary. I have a hard wired connection to the internet so can sacrifice the WiFi connection to an Ad Hoc network. If you depend on the WiFi connection for internet connectivity then this solution is probably not for you.
Follow the instructions in this doc under "Creating an Ad Hoc Network." When this is done you should find that Remote connects to your library AND that SplashID will synchronize with your desktop but you've still got another hurdle to overcome. When you run Safari, or any other app that connects to the internet, on the iPhone it'll use the slower cellular connection because the WiFi network that you just created has no access to the internet.
To resolve this problem open System Preferences->Sharing and click on 'Internet Sharing' to make Internet connectivity available to devices that connect to the new network.
If you've exhausted the level 1 solutions (both your computer and iPhone are attached to the same WiFi network and the firewall allows incoming connections) then try this. It worked for me but your mileage may vary. I have a hard wired connection to the internet so can sacrifice the WiFi connection to an Ad Hoc network. If you depend on the WiFi connection for internet connectivity then this solution is probably not for you.
Follow the instructions in this doc under "Creating an Ad Hoc Network." When this is done you should find that Remote connects to your library AND that SplashID will synchronize with your desktop but you've still got another hurdle to overcome. When you run Safari, or any other app that connects to the internet, on the iPhone it'll use the slower cellular connection because the WiFi network that you just created has no access to the internet.
To resolve this problem open System Preferences->Sharing and click on 'Internet Sharing' to make Internet connectivity available to devices that connect to the new network.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Waitin' For The iPhone
I hit the line at my local AT&T store around 7:30 and waited 'til 8:30 on Friday just be told that they were all out so I hopped the train and headed to NYC (only a 15 min ride) to wait in another AT&T line downtown. Same results, I moved up to about 20th in line and was told that they were sold out. From there I went to a 3rd store and waited another 20 mins when one of the reps came out and announced that they had only 8GB phones left.I went back to the office to sulk. My lunch appointment called and asked that we postpone for 30 mins so I surfed the web and caught the chatter from people waiting in line at the 3 Apple Stores in Manhattan. The Apple Stores still had phones! I was sorely tempted to hit the Soho store and put other plans on hold but that would have caused too much turmoil. Instead I had a nice lunch with Ramandeep and then headed for the beach with the family.
That night I checked Apple's iPhone stock status page and saw that the Atlantic City store had phones. I filed that bit of info in the back of my mind and thought, "Ah, if I find I've got nothing better to do..." I was up and out early Saturday and hit the line at 8:45 for the 10:00 store opening. I was 6th in line and voila, walked out of the store with my phone at 10:30 in the morning!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Public Art
On Friday we walked across The Brooklyn Bridge and had lunch in Brooklyn Bridge Park. We got the idea after reading the buzz about The Waterfalls. Here are the pictures.After lunch we went to the old Marine Terminal Building to see and play David Byrne's Playing the Building. Byrne was a member of Talking Heads and the guy has created a wide variety of artsy stuff like photographs, opera, and film soundtracks.
Last night on 60 Minutes Andy Rooney did a piece on how he didn't get/like public art. I used to be right there with him looking askance at the metal blob in the court yard wondering why someone put THAT there.
Somehow I've changed. It might have had something to do w/ K's concerts. How was I, an avowed atheist, going to enjoy sacred choral music? The answer was that I had to look past the "Glory to God in the Highest" lyrics and look for something to like. It was easy to find many things, not the least of which was someone's (composer, director, singer) enthusiasm about bringing a performance to the public.
If I start there and then ask myself what they want me to get out of it that's a road of discovery not only about art but about self.
I still have a short attention span and miss a lot but I do have an entree to appreciation.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Traffic and Gas
I noticed last weekend was the first time I paid less for a gallon of gas than I had the weekend before ($3.90 vs. 3.93). I've seen nothing in the news to forecast this move. On the contrary I see the Dow dropping and read that it's due to the rising price of oil.
Most every weekend in the summer we drive an hour and 40 mins each way between our apartment and Long Beach Island, NJ. Almost all of the trip is on The New Jersey Turnpike and The Garden State Parkway. Our experience last year was that the trip home Sunday evening turned into 2.5 hours about 50% the time because of backups on the Garden State. This year we've hit that kind of traffic only once (about 10% of the time).
Is this because there are less cars on the road due to the price of gas? Maybe it's because the road construction that was so evident last year is complete? To add to my confusion I read a newspaper article about record crowds at NJ beaches. The article's explanation is that in an age of more conservative spending a local drive to the beach is less extravagant than other vacation alternatives.
Most every weekend in the summer we drive an hour and 40 mins each way between our apartment and Long Beach Island, NJ. Almost all of the trip is on The New Jersey Turnpike and The Garden State Parkway. Our experience last year was that the trip home Sunday evening turned into 2.5 hours about 50% the time because of backups on the Garden State. This year we've hit that kind of traffic only once (about 10% of the time).
Is this because there are less cars on the road due to the price of gas? Maybe it's because the road construction that was so evident last year is complete? To add to my confusion I read a newspaper article about record crowds at NJ beaches. The article's explanation is that in an age of more conservative spending a local drive to the beach is less extravagant than other vacation alternatives.
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