devvyn

• 08:33 All that work I've been putting off on my client's web site? Yeah, now I have to use my day off and cram. :( #
• 00:14 I forgot what a great show "Queer as Folk" is. Watching season one. #
• 22:28 Trying to taste the real world, we grasp at specks of it, creating our own truths to keep ourselves anchored in disparate pockets of sanity. #
• 21:43 OMG! Reese TV ad features music by Plone! It's "Plaything" from the 1998 Warp Records compilation "We Are Reasonable People." How obscure! #
• 09:48 I wish I could say snow in May in Saskatoon is an anomaly. twitpic.com/55mue #
• 23:44 Because I'm still trying to catch up to this season's episodes, I will stab anyone who talks about Lost finale. Stab them in the nose. #
• 23:02 Star Trek movie spoiler: super-hot love scene between young Spock and brash, rebellious Kirk, like something out of a fangirl slashfic. #
• 22:59 Given how little mental energy I've put into finding a mate/date, I sometimes wonder why I still have a profile on plentyoffish.com. #
• 22:48 Just joined a twibe. Visit twibes.com/FurryFandom to join #

As someone who rarely watches TV anymore, I feel I don't have the television "culture" in my head (anymore) to use as a baseline for what "works" as an advertising message in the popular sense. For example, I saw an which could be summarized as follows:

Scrabble tiles land on a sterile white surface in front of the viewer and jiggle around to form misspelled phrases. I was so distracted by the misspellings I didn't catch the wording but it had something to do with putting a dollar sign after the word "million" to specify it refers to cash. I think it was a rhetorical question. The tiles vanish and a 3-D cartoon monkey comes out in a giant robotic suit and screams "there's millions to win!" or something of the sort. Dolly out to an oversized drink cup branded with the Subway logo, surrounded by hundreds of metallic CGI dollar signs, once again on a sterile white surface.

WTF?

So, I don't get the significance of the monkey in a mech, and I don't understand why "word" appeared as "wrod" or why "read" was "raed". Can someone fill me in?

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

Apparently Mac OS X 10.5 comes with the PHP module installed on the Apache web server.  The “Web Sharing” option in System Preference actually switches on a pre-installed, full-fledged web server.  I’ve known about the web server for a while, but it’s pretty cool that I didn’t have to install the PHP module.

What this is all about is I wanted to use PHP to do server side includes so I didn’t have to update as many files when I make changes to my client’s sites, but I wanted to preview the pages while I worked on them.  The best solution was to preview the files through the Sites folder on my Mac by steering my browser to http://127.0.0.1/.  The Mac is now my test server!

It wasn’t working at first, though.  I had to look up some tutorials on the subject to find out how to edit the appropriate configuration files.  I went one step further and installed Webmin so I can spend less time manually editing configuration, which are annoying because they’re hidden files in hidden folders so unless I want to force Finder to show hidden files, I have to use Terminal to open the file.

On top of all that work I had somehow broken my web sharing without realizing it.  I did a port scan and found Privoxy answering port 80 instead of apached.  For the life of me I don’t know how that got there.  Once that was gone, port 80 was closed even though System Preferences showed it still open.  I checked console logs and discovered that somehow I’d lost the directory apached was trying to save log files to.  I also had no configuration file (there used to be a default one) for my user account.

When all was said and done I got it working and the whole experience has given me a better idea of how web servers work.  It was actually kind of fun.

Originally published at www.Devvyn.com. You can comment here or there.

• 13:49 Heading out on my new bike to meet a friend downtown for coffee. #
• 20:06 At my friend's house, working on web site. #
• 23:09 Playing Gaia Online zOMG. #
• 02:25 www.tw3t.com/f/3mu #
• 03:11 Gaia Online my contain suggestive themes. www.tw3t.com/f/3mw #
• 03:44 Running WebKit nightly build. I'm on the bleeding edge of browser sanity. #
• 05:23 Going to sleep. I'm making too many mistakes. #

• 15:41 Hanging out with my brother along 8th St. #
• 21:50 Helped a friend move and got a delicious BBQ dinner! #
• 23:03 If anyone following me on Twitter has met me, let me know so I can follow you back. I see a lot of suspiciously familiar new users. #

• 12:41 @NayoNapalm I could probably mail you some if you wanted. e-Mail me if you're interested. #
• 12:42 Working on my new client's web site. #
• 18:37 Can anyone recommend a Mac text/HTML editor that completes tags and highlights markup? There are good ones for Linux, but Mac? #
• 18:53 @roguecnidarian It looks like TextWrangler will do the trick. Thanks! :-) #
• 21:11 @solipsistic Beg the network to un-cancel Arrested Development? #
• 21:33 Watching Venture Bros. Season 3 on DVD with my brother. #
• 00:29 @solipsistic I hope that rumour is true. I miss Arrested Development. A movie would be sweet! #
• 00:40 @roguecnidarian I agree. Microsoft Word format needs to retire for distribution. HTML or PDF is pretty universally accepted. #

Well, I have my first client in my new casual web development business.  A friend of mine referred one of his previous clients to me and so now I’ve taken over.  He’s an alternative health practitioner in Saskatoon.  I have a pretty skeptical attitude about things like homeopathy, iridology, Ayurveda, acupuncture, magnet therapy, astrology, herbalism and naturopathy.  That’s not to say I outright deny all benefits of following these treatment modalities, it’s just that I’m way more convinced by the scientific method when it comes down to demonstrating efficacy.  Homeopathy and astrology in particular are so far fetched I doubt there will ever be empirical evidence to support them. (Note: in true pretentious asshole fashion I’ve linked each pseudoscience to statements criticizing them.)

I don’t want to start an emotional debate about alternative health philosophies.  I’m also not claiming to be a fountain of unquestionable knowledge.  I think you should look at some (preferably objective) viewpoints and seriously criticize them, and look for holes that can’t be filled.  Start by digging around in the skeptical community, who pride themselves in critical thinking.  Skeptics can be persuaded to change their minds, it’s just that they can actually decide what it would take to convince them, whereas “true believers” are pathologically averted to losing their grip on their own pre-established beliefs.

Recommended critical thinking podcasts: Skeptic’s Guide 5×5, The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe, and Skeptoid.

Nonetheless, getting my hands on HTML again is kind of fun, and this is a paid job.  Considering I’m not employed full time, this is nice for me.  I’ll just have to be professional and non-judgemental if I want to take this seriously.  I can separate my feelings from my work, so this should be fine.

Originally published at www.Devvyn.com. You can comment here or there.

• 11:20 Meeting with my first potential web client. An alternative health practitioner. Ugh. #
• 13:30 Meeting went well. Looks like I have my first web site client. He's already trying to refer others to me for additional projects. #
• 13:31 @Ekevoo I decided to fight the urge to challenge the efficacy of his rampant pseudoscientific modalities. I'm being polite and professional. #
• 14:57 With city transit the way it is I think a bike is a necessity, so I bought one. [?] #
• 19:22 Rode my bicycle home from the bike shop. It feels so good to have my own transportation again. I feel more complete now. #
• 21:27 Eating and relaxing at Prairie Ink with my mom and a friend. Spinach, goat cheese and fig salad with a roibos tea. #
• 00:27 I wish I had contact with some Saskatoon furs so I could give away some of my furry books and comics. I have enough already! #

• 17:30 Playing ITG2 at the campus Cove with a friend. Seem to be having an "off" day. #
• 20:23 Playing Gaia online zOMG. #
• 22:12 Learning Objective C so I can develop iPhone and Mac OS X apps. #
• 22:14 @Ekevoo Biking/rowing will get your cardio strength up before endurance running gets comfortable. I'm a weak runner but strong cyclist. #
• 22:16 @PaulChavady I feel Twitter is underrated as a social medium, and it's more fun when you have a network going. #
• 22:16 @NayoNapalm Does your tummy also smell the way plasticine feels? #
• 22:27 @roguecnidarian "Pinky and the Brain" had some fairly high-reaching humour for a "kids" cartoon, didn't it? #
• 22:41 @PaulChavady Ehhh, my comment about Twitter being fun when more people follow and are followed came from you getting your GF to join. #

• 10:56 I can't believe I fell into the Apple trap! If I don't give up all computers in general, I'm at least swithing back to Windows for life. #
• 12:40 April Fool! Macs are as great as can be and Windows frustrates me to no end. I'm a computer geek and not planning to change that. #
• 12:44 @PaulChavady I used Photoshop & Bridge. Even easier may be using Automator and folder actions to resize images using Preview. #
• 12:52 @PaulChavady How to Batch Resize Images Without a Photo Editing Program on Your Mac is.gd/Lg0 #
• 12:57 @PaulChavady In PShop, turn on recording in the actions panel, do your resize, then save your action. In Bridge, apply your action. #
• 13:07 Droplets For The Lazy is.gd/q8Zr (How to make a drag-and-drop photoshop automation such as resizing) #
• 13:08 @PaulChavady Droplets For The Lazy is.gd/q8Zr #
• 13:10 Don't you hate it when you forget to make your tweet a reply, and then it ends up on facebook as your status? #
• 13:11 @PaulChavady After working in the tech support industry I learned some unconventional search techniques. Glad the info helped. :-) #
• 20:57 Waiting for tonight's Rosebud show to begin. #
• 21:57 @roguecnidarian I forgot about that scene from The Critic. Apparently Orson Welles in real life was difficult to work with. Hilarious. #
• 22:49 The Rosebuds put on a great show! Crowd favourite! #
• 01:22 Listening to "Point of Inquiry" and "Skeptic's Guide to the Universe" podcasts while I walk home. #

• 19:21 @NayoNapalm Nooo! Why no more blue? Do I have to stage an intervention? #
• 02:00 goofing around in Gaia Online #

• 15:22 Enabled "interference robustness" on the AirPort Extreme and it no longer cuts out when the phone rings or the microwave runs. #
• 15:24 @PaulChavady What issue might the Real Estate Commission have with a funny ad like that? Misrepresentation of personal appearance? #
• 15:30 @PaulChavady Glad you got the ad up. I wish I had the money to spare for a Rebel with those accessories! #
• 15:35 @PaulChavady I'm sick of ads that have no "spark". "I'm so-and-so and I'm a Real Estate Agent just like everyone else who has these ads." #
• 15:59 My mom just asked for help accessing a site in IE, but IE keeps trying to use dial-up, so I told her to use FireFox and she refuses... Odd. #
• 23:43 @NayoNapalm Those are some wicked shoe designs, but I still don't understand the kind of insanity it takes to tolerate heels that high. #
• 23:48 @NayoNapalm Those street monsters are cool. I saw a shopping bag dog over a subway vent in Toronto last summer. #

• 12:09 Heading out for coffee with my Dad and brother. #
• 12:16 @NayoNapalm I'd be thrilled if I had swivelling ears for extra expression when I was ticked off at someone. #
• 19:31 @PaulChavady You could change or bypass your router/modem to reveal a different MAC address. There are open proxy lists, too. Tried that? #
• 19:35 Attending a poetry night at Flint with my friend. A little local culture should be a nice break from geeking out on my computer. #
• 20:26 @PaulChavady I just spotted your ad in the basement at Flint. It's funny. #
• 22:26 @PaulChavady It can't be cookies because they aren't always persistant. Some proxies "leak", though. #
• 22:42 Wading through flooded street in rubber boots with a friend. twitpic.com/2lib3 #
• 22:44 Eating hot cross buns with a friend while we wade through a giant puddle. twitpic.com/2licp #
• 00:19 Listening to "The Moth" live, true story podcast.
  themoth.org/ #

• 09:46 @NayoNapalm Ultimately if the fur isn't cleaned it still sheds. It's like earwax--a conveyor of unwanted particles. I still want fur. #
• 10:12 I'm in such a good mood! I feel love and appreciation for everyone! Cuddling would be the best possible compliment to this elation! #
• 12:10 Hunting for computer-related jobs in Saskatoon. Not much luck so far. I want to repair or at least use computers in my next job. #
• 19:08 My family just put "Two and a Half Men" on TV during dinner. Sitcoms make me want to stick a fork in my brain and swirl it around. #
• 21:09 Lights out for #earthhour. Watching videos on the MacBook. It's funny because when I plug it in at 9:30 it will use power to charge. #

• 17:58 Looking to buy a Wacom Cintiq again. Anyone selling a used one? #
• 18:00 @PaulChavady Twitter has taught me the virtue of verbal concision. #
• 22:58 Played poker for the first time in 13 years and beat 6 players for a $70 pot. Not bad for a noob? #

• 20:51 @PaulChavady you could put a free ad on Kijiji.ca for the tickets and the camera. I see lots of people check ads there. #
• 20:59 @PaulChavady How can 2 tickets be non-transferable when it only takes 1 person to win? Do they expect you to take both seats for yourself? #

• 14:37 Met up with an old friend from high school/elementary who I haven't seen in about 10 years. It was really nice to catch up. #
• 17:39 @solipsistic Car alarms are so obnoxious they kind of make me want to damage the car so there's a real reason for the alarm to go off. #
• 17:45 @NayoNapalm I like the phrase "I want a blooming onion" because it sounds like you're British and trying to be emphatic about onions. #
• 17:48 At a friend's birthday party. Sounds like pizza and Rock Band will be the winning combination tonight. #
• 22:25 Going glow bowling at Rak's! #
• 22:35 I hate how the drum kit in Rock Band doesn't cross over the snare and hat. #
• 23:46 Finishing the night with a stop at Tim Hortons. Honey Crüller, Walnut Crunch and a 50/50 hot chocolate. #

• 13:27 Moving my external hard drives from my local USB hub to the AirPort Extreme. No more cables attached to my MacBook! #
• 13:40 @PaulChavady So far I've been able to mount all the volumes. iTunes and Time Machine is willing to use them but they don't auto-mount. #
• 13:43 @PaulChavady Try a space between "wall" and "paper". Add a keyword like "decor" with a + prefixing it. #
• 13:45 @NayoNapalm When I reply to a tweet, I try to use a word or two from the original tweet to avoid disconnecting the response. #
• 13:49 @roguecnidarian You just made me realize how rarely I use caps lock. Maybe an extra option key so I can do cmd+opt+key more easily? #
• 13:55 AirPort base station is freaking out a bit when I try to delete my old backup directory -- "in use" errors and now it's restarting. #
• 15:48 I think the AirPort base station has calmed down now. It was an issue with the file sharing deamon running on the station's firmware. #
• 15:54 Changed keyboard modifier preferences in Mac OS to change caps lock to option and it's much easier to hit cmd+opt with my left hand. #
• 16:04 @solipsistic Borange (bit.ly/msuzB) sounds like a great idea. Too bad it's not available in Canada. :( #
• 16:06 @PaulChavady >System Preferences>Keyboard & Mouse>Keyboard>Modifier Keys... and rearrange modifiers as desired. :-) #
• 16:09 With my keyboard layout set to Dvorak-Qwerty⌘ and caps lock reassigned as alt/option, my keyboard use is increasingly quirky/optimized. #
• 16:38 @Potoroo Some people use services that automatically follow anyone using certain keywords. I tweeted #yiff #furry and got plenty. #

• 14:40 Bought an Airport Express Base Station so I can stream tunes across the house. #
• 19:22 Played In the Groove for three hours at the campus Cove with my friend Ozzy. I'm so wonderfully exhausted! I love this feeling! #
• 19:28 @PaulChavady And I can attach my external hard drive and get those USB cables of my desk when I use my MacBook. #
• 22:04 At the Plants and Animals concert (opened by Volcanoes in Canada). First set is pretty good so far! #
• 22:50 Volcanoes are done and Plants and Animals are rocking hard! Great energy! #
• 22:52 @NayoNapalm There are lots of great concerts in Saskatoon if you like "college bands" and Canadian outfits of all sorts. #
• 22:59 Plants and Animals on stage, sweating and making the crowd happy. twitpic.com/2ecpk #
• 00:27 Plants and Animals concert over. Very nice encore with a couple cover songs. What an awesome performance! #
• 00:30 @NayoNapalm I think the drummer's arm was going for a tom or snare in front of him but the bright stage light washed his skin into his shirt #
• 00:31 @NayoNapalm I didn't know if there were any good venues in Toronto. I went to the Opera House and the place was hot and stinky. Left early. #
• 00:36 @roguecnidarian One website accepted the UA but still wouldn't "pass" DOM test in Safari or WebKit (nightly) so I used Opera and it worked. #
• 00:38 Just added myself to the wefollow.com twitter directory under: #furry #Saskatoon #Mac #