Upgraded to MT 4.1!
I've finally brought things into the modern age with an upgrade to Moveable Type 4.1 for the server. It may take a bit work out the bugs.
March 19, 2008
May 30, 2006
2006 Rewound
Due to what I can (at best) describe as a total debacle at my current hosting company, I've had to restore the site from a backup done at the beginning of 2006. Unfortunately that means a good number of lost posts here on the weblog, which I'll try to pull out of archive.org or something later this week as possible, plus the loss of the photo posts put up since the beginning of the year.
The first step was to get the site back up; that took four days of back and forth with my hosting service. Now that it's taken care of I'll be able to both post some new photos that are in the hopper and also work to restore lost content.
January 1, 2006
Site Changes
Just a few minor notes on recent changes around here -- I've turned off comments for all but the most recent posts on this log. Having open comments on older entries was just leaving the door open to a constant barrage of comment spam. Comments and trackbacks are on for recent photos in the main page, and will be turned on for posts in here when relevant.
December 21, 2005
Back in Business
Well, I know it's been quiet for a long time -- unfortunately there was a whole sequence of issues that kept me from updating, including a crashed hard drive on my desktop computer as well as problems resulting from not having updated MoveableType to the latest version. All of that's resolved now, so there should be more updates both here and on the photolog. Thanks for visiting.
(You'll also notice some changes around the comment system. MT 3.2 is an improvement, generally, on the old comment filtering, so I'm allowing comments somewhat more frequently.)
February 24, 2005
Changing styles
Yes, I've gone back to a default style for the moment. I didn't like the old style, and I didn't feel like modifying it. So I've taken the opportunity to move to the most up-to-date default MT templates and a basic style before revising it to my taste.
Sorry if you had a link in the right edge and it's disappeared. I'll be adding those back shortly, don't worry. Email me if you were there and I don't put you back in relatively soon.
October 16, 2004
The blog is back...
After a long period of being hidden behind some password protection, I've decided to put this weblog back online. It's better to at least have control over the content associated with you online.
Plus, I still periodically discover things that I want to recommend to whoever will listen. This week, two things:
- Google Desktop -- it's been getting some good press, but the bottom line here is, install it and try it out. It's how Windows' search function should REALLY work.
- BaseCamp From 37signals, BaseCamp is the kind of simplified online project management tool more people need to use.
July 16, 2004
A Mob of Changes
Well, an effort to add a tiny mini-site onto my main weblog has (as usual) snowballed into a flurry of alterations after several months of relative quiet.
Sadly, I've dropped TypePad as my hosting provider. I think they're great as a straight weblog host, but it's very difficult to serve pages other than a weblog from them. So I've moved to this new provider, AffordableHost.
As you obviously figured out in order to read this, the text weblog, with its 400+ entries, has been relegated to a subdir while a photolog that features just one image at a time is now at the primary Karlo.Org address. We'll still have the occasional update here but I'm not going to make any attempt at maintaining a regular posting schedule here (not that I did in the past, either.)
March 29, 2004
Temporary Outage
There's something wrong with my server, so the site is temporarily unavailable. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to fix it and keep running my own hardware or switch to a service provider like TypePad (where this page resides.)
-Tom
April 8, 2003
Excuse the Mess
Yeah, I know the layout is flipping out. I'm trying a new style sheet and I think there must be a DIV tag out of place somewhere in my main template.I'll find it sometime today, I can't fix it right at the moment.
July 16, 2002
Mind the Dust
I've released a minor redesign of this site today. Those of you who visit regularly will notice that I've gotten rid of the really light gray text, and made hyperlinks a little more prominent by adding slight underlining (thanks kottke)... I guess if I used a strong color for them they would also stand out more, but I'm kind of attached to the current dark aqua.
I've also used MoveableType's new GoogleAPI tag to add a few links under each story on the main page. These are the top 3 entries you'd previously see at the top of the page obtained by following the "Google!" link, but it's a little bit nicer to see a few more headlines right along with the story. Speaking of which, I should probably add some of the extra meta-information to the archive versions as well.
April 3, 2002
Toro!
Toro! The New York Times has a great piece for sushi lovers on how to grow a giant tuna. Apparently, they are now "farming" giant tuna by catching regular sized specimens, penning them and then feeding them fresh sardines until they weigh several hundred pounds - a size that commands top prices and is relatively rare in the wild. Sounds like a watery version of foie gras to me.
April 2, 2002
Evite Me
Evite Me In a week where Yahoo, a traditional "good guy", decided to abuse its entire user base by resetting their spam options to "yes" unilaterally (including your account, if you haven't checked,) Evite continues to be a pleasure to use. Despite the enormous potential of their email service for spam and unecessary advertising, they continue to be a highly effective, low-promotion service that delivers what they promise, for free, with a web site that's responsive and nearly bug-free. I really hope that the targeted advertising within the site itself is generating enough revenue that they can continue to run the high road, but if they do find it necessary to start charging small fees for organizing events, I suspect many people will pay -- I know I find it a time saver I'd be willing to cough up a few bucks for. (Hey, it's less than the cost of one beer at the event.)
Give them a visit and create a "synchronous & local" meeting for your friends -- you'll be glad you did. It does require that your friends have email addresses, but it's practically a reason to get people online in and of itself.
April 1, 2002
The End of (SMTP) Innocence
The End of (SMTP) Innocence David Reed writes about how Spammers and the ISPs trying to block them are making SMTP mail usage impossible. I've hit the same problem using VoiceStream's GPRS service for my handheld: they block Port 25, which is used by my Pocket PC for sending email. So I can't send email over their Internet service unless I use a special web page -- and here I was thinking we developed "email clients" for a reason (otherwise everyone would be using Hotmail, not Outlook.) I can't imagine anyone using their service for spamming, considering it runs at about half the speed of a modem. Administrator mentality run amok -- they'll make everyone miserable rather than find a better way to block a small minority of offenders.
March 28, 2002
On the Rocks
On the Rocks I've never been able to explain to my friend Nate why drinking Smirnoff Ice is not quite as manly as say, drinking Shirley Temples. But even the gaming comic PVP Online seems to understand why Smirnoff Ice is not something to order, so maybe they can get Nate to understand.
Paper Tigers
Paper Tigers Malcom Gladwell's piece in the New Yorker on the role of paper in the workplace, is utterly fucking wrong. His thesis is that paper enables workplace practices and collaboration that are impossible in electronic systems, and that therefore practices like group collaboration via physical document notation and air traffic controllers using slips of paper to track flight information are better than electronic alternatives. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Gladwell fails completely in his article to mention some of the biggest reasons why electronic information manipulation (the "paperless" office) is considered better than old-fashioned paper.
- Paper is untrackable and lacks meta-information (e.g. who made which edit, who entered data, when it was entered, etc.) Want to have a system that oversees air traffic control to help prevent collisions by projecting flight vectors in 3D space? Not happening when controllers log flights in chicken scratch on slips of paper. Want to understand an accident by retracing the actions of the controller? Also impossible. Much of the data about his actions and working data have been lost.
- Distance cripples physical medium usage. What if not everyone collaborating on a report is in the same place? Should they fax the copies all over, then attempt to reconcile all requested changes? I write specifications for teams in three states. If they want to look at my documents, they can bring them up in a moment. Would that be possible if I didn't keep the latest version (including suggested revisions and recent change lists) online in a networked server?
- Yes, many people can still work with stacks of papers on their desk - but you'll find it's mostly folks who set up their "mental system" before computers became commonplace. People claim paper is easier to sort through - but I can pull an email I've recieved on a topic, or my notes from a phone call, out of Outlook before someone with piles of identical white sheets of paper on their desk locates their notes. From the perspective of storing and retrieving information, paper is a usability nightmare.
Those are just a few of my thoughts, quickly, in response to Gladwell's article. It's obvious that he didn't spend much time talking with any proponents of increasing automation with knowledge work environments. Also, he fails to examine issues of intellectual property -- sure, one worker understand their piles, but if they quit, the company loses all that meta-data about what's in them and they become largely worthless (or worse, a burden that someone else has to sort out.) Examining things from the perspective of the individual worker alone isn't sufficient: you have to ask how it fits into the workplace as a whole.
Your Personal DJIA of Mood
Your Personal DJIA of Mood Moodstats is a visually impressive, Director-based program that lets you track various parameters of your personal mood each day, and also record some notes on why you're feeling that way, and whether you exercised that day (if you do such things.) After a few days, it starts generating some fairly nifty graphs of what's going on with you, and also allows you to share the data (if you pay the $15 registration fee.)
March 27, 2002
Flowchartin'
Flowchartin' Haven't see this before, but it's not new. Boxes and Arrows is a peer-journal for information architects. They need to talk to the GUI designers more though (as always) since it's damn hard to read white text on light blue backgrounds, and light-blue text on a light-grey background. Ouch.
Mouth Waterin' Good Design
Mouth Waterin' Good Design The New York Times review of Blue Smoke, a new Manhattan Barbeque restaurant, details the incredible lengths the owners had to go to so they could install proper smokers in New York - including a 15-story chimney for exhaust fumes. The question remains: how is the pulled pork? I'm going to make it my mission to find out, sooner or later.
March 25, 2002
EFF Alert The Electronic Frontier
EFF Alert The Electronic Frontier Foundation has posted an alert that Congress is asking for feedback on proposed legislation that would make new digital media technology illegal until expressly approved. Visit their page and learn how you can send feedback to Congress before this legislation becomes enacted law.
Here's what I sent. It's not great, but I didn't have a lot of time to write it.
Providing the media industry with the abiility to stall US implementation of new technology will fail to create any additional protection for copyright holders, while irreperably crippling the ability of our country to maintain its leadership in the worldwide technology business, a far larger and more crucial concern.Most piracy on large scale takes place overseas, and those individuals can afford the time to circumvent hardware blocks. It has already been proven that software and hardware copy-protection such as CSS in DVDs only serves to hamper consumer rights, while not providing a significant obstacle to copyright violators. This will be no less true of any other technology-based solution.
As an ex-journalist, trained in copyright law and intellectual property rights, I understand the importance of protecting intellectual property, particularly creative works. However, I disagree that the best solution to a social problem (copyright infringement) is a technological solution (copy protection.) This has never been true in the hundreds of years where technology solutions were used on sociological problems. The simple fact is that technology is not infallible, and anyone promising you that a system will be "perfect" or "unbreakable" is lying, both to themselves and to you.
I am a professional technology architect and project manager working within a leading telecom firm. In my experience, adding arbitrary obstructions to the user experience merely serves to disrupt user adoption and the ability for new media technologies to proliferate and become financially successful. They do not stop illegal copying of media any more than previous "unbreakable" attempts such as CSS and Macrovision did, but they will cause great harm to our ability to lead the world in technology solutions.
Sincerely,
Tom Karlo
Blind Violence
Blind Violence Saw a rather odd altercation on the New York subway last night -- a fellow was standing in the doorway of the car (it was not rush hour, and there were only a few people getting on or off, so he wasn't particularly in the way.) Regardless, there was a guy getting on who was carrying a blind/visually-impared cane, one of those five-foot long fiberglass jobs. At first he seemed to be waving it gently around to feel his way into the car, but then he proceed to practically cane the guy in the doorway with it -- hard enough that the impact was quite loud. I don't know what his motivation was, but I suspect the fact people assumed he was blind and didn't mean it saved him an immediate punch in the nose. Regardless, once he got on the car, it became apparent that he was not blind. For all appearences he seemed pretty normal -- well dressed, somewhat older, perhaps a little portly.
It's amazing what you can get away with if just for that first few seconds when people would have the impulse to strike back, they think you might be handicapped, or not meaning to hurt them. If the guy wasn't so old, it could have been something out of an episode of MTV's Jackass. They've already had a few shows experimenting with how people react when an apparently blind individual, say, gets into a car and drives away in front of other pedestrians.
March 22, 2002
Kottke
Kottke I was thrilled to get email this morning from Jason Kottke, author of one of the most popular weblogs out there. Exciting and embarassing at the same time, given the incomplete state of this site. I don't even think my mom looks at this.
Another mobile post - I'm at a Private Equity Conference at Columbia.
March 21, 2002
Pain
Pain After 6-odd months of sloth, I went and worked out again today. You truly pay dearly for time off. Just setting up the weights makes me tired, never mind actually lifting them. I guess there's no "save game" in that activity. Oh well. I've got a free trainer session on Saturday, let's hope I don't majorly embarass myself.
March 19, 2002
GPRS fun
GPRS fun I'm posting this while waiting on the platform for the train home to New York, using my Jornada 565, a bluetooth card, an Ericsson R520 phone and Voicestream wireless. Fast it's not but it works, and it hahs neat implications for peer to peer journalism online... gotta go, my train is here...
Photojournalism
Photojournalism The 59th Annual Pictures of the Year web site has some amazing images. It's hard to believe how many of the images from the biggest news events of the year came from a relatively small group of professional photographers.
His Own Worst Enemy
His Own Worst Enemy SecurityFocus reports that an alleged eBay hacker has chosen to defend himself in court... but it's not turning out to be the trial of the century. In preliminary hearings, he argued that the all-caps name in the indictment didn't match his name's capitalization, and demanded that the plaintiff be presented... "[Judge] Ware asked him who, exactly, he wanted to bring into the courtroom. When Heckenkamp replied, "The United States of America," Ware ordered him taken into custody." The outcome? Bail was revoked, and he'll wait for the trial in a jail cell.
Cool Sucks Shift has an
Cool Sucks Shift has an amusing piece on why it sucks to be cool. Those who know me personally will understand that this article was not of major concern to me, personally. Cool has never been my forte anyway, so I'm kind of glad to hear it's exchange rate is dropping.
March 18, 2002
My Next Web Server (Right)
My Next Web Server (Right) Or at least something really close to it. Mark my words, this will be the year of the small form, low power PC box for the home. The Linden Computech VIA Eden-based system pictured at right is about 2" h x 10" w x 10" d" and it will run quiet and cool. You're not going to compute the weight of the universe, or cure cancer, with it, but it will take the role of a small utility web server very nicely. Close-up image.
Shopping Rebellion
Shopping Rebellion Rebecca's Mead's not-to-be-missed report on Japanese youth fashion and culture, in the current New Yorker, is worth the long read. "Another recent trend was wearing boots with twenty-centimeter platform heels. There have been at least five reported shoe-related fatalities, one involving a twenty-five-year-old who died after tumbling off her own footwear, and another who lost control of her car's brake pedal and crashed into a pole, thereby killing her passenger." And we thought Japanese culture was weird back when they just worked twice as hard as Americans. I just wish they had hired a photographer to work with her on the article; photos would have really been helpful.
March 15, 2002
Why Cyborgs Don't Fly
Why Cyborgs Don't Fly A fellow I have to admit I used to work with at MIT has made this week's New York Times for being the first "cyborg" to run afoul of airport security. Yeah, he's out there, but you have to recognize that anyone willing to try riding a bike down a Boston street in traffic while wearing a video helmet that entirely blocks his vision (replacing it with video monitors that hook up to helmet-mounted cameras) has cojones. And interesting wearable computing isn't going to be developed by anyone worried about their fashion sense. Steve's a genuine inventor of the old school type, but at times he comes off like one of those guys who wear aluminum foils hats to stop the mind control waves. Only in his case, he earned a doctorate at MIT and a professionship at the University of Toronto while working on it. A smart guy that most journalists can't quite grok.
(Update: Added link to wearcam.org)
Pong for Wireless
Pong for Wireless Don't have an Ericsson phone with Tennis (Pong?) Here's a great version that works in a text-only web browser (no Javascript required, either!)
Someone reads Tufte
Someone reads Tufte A great hypothetical information graphics from Jason Kottke shows how an ideal map of WiFi (wireless ethernet) availability might look. My only quibble: the map makes it look like there's data for every location where color is displayed, similar to a infrared overlay from a satellite. WiFi availability data tends to be a lot more sparsely populated, and it also tends to vary in a fairly non-linear nature, making interpolation difficult. You can get signal at one spot, then move two feet over and not get anything (especially in urban areas where sigal reflects.) Perhaps there should be an imposed grid of vectors showing the direction to the nearest access point, kind of a like the wind arrows on a vector map.
*Tufte refers to Edward Tufte, author of The Visual Display of Quantitatve Information, Envisioning Information and a number of other great books on displaying numeric and factual data in ways that leverage our visual skills. A great lecturer, too. I wish more web designers were forced to read and digest his bibles on information design.
March 14, 2002
The Price of Stability (DSL Sucks)
The Price of Stability (DSL Sucks) I've achieved some stability on this site, but at a cost -- I had to turn off the DNS that pointed Pixelfoundry and Weather24 to this server. Basically, even just the error responses to all the misdirected requests still going to those domainns (mostly image reqeusts) was completely hosing my narrow-as-a-straw ADSL connection. Cable would not have this problem. Sigh.
Anyway, with those pointed away, and a few other things changed to reduce bandwidth, the instability seems to have been cleared up. It only took me about 4 hours of my life wasted piddling around with router settings to figure out that the connection was simply too weak to even support a few web requests.
March 13, 2002
Google Bombs
Google Bombs Seems folks have started figuring out how to artificially manipulate Google using Google Bombing. Ironically, I found this nice article by searching on Google.
I'll consider Google bombing for this site just as soon as my Earthlink DSL connection stays up long enough that anyone can reach us.
Lost?
Lost? It seems a lot of folks are coming here or to our 404 error page while attempting to reach the Pixel Foundry or Weather24, two sites that used to be run by a company I founded. Sadly, they're not around any more. I'm going to create pages for both of those sites here and provide links to alternate sources of the same information. For anyone who was an old user of those sites, looking for what's going on now, I can only thank you for all the support over the 5+ years we ran them and apologize that the changes in the ad market made them too expensive to maintain.
March 6, 2002
Static IP Status
Static IP Status Mindspring says that we'll have static IP available to this site sometime next month. That should improve things a lot.
If you've come here looking for Impromptu, PixelFoundry or Weather24, welcome. Those sites are no longer open (advertising revenue couldn't cover their cost of operation) but I've pointed the domain names here so that you can find out what happened. I'll also be posting pages with alternate sources for the information on PixelFoundry and Weather24 when I get a chance. If anyone is interested in hosting the 100+ odd original backgrounds from Pixelfoundry, I'm willing to loan them out.
March 4, 2002
Bah!
Bah! The damn network support for this server has been going up and down more of then than the Dow. Apparently for the low low price of just $180 a year ($15 a month) I can get a static IP. Going to have to call Earthlink tonight and see if it's true.
February 28, 2002
Designer Colors So occasionally I'll
Designer Colors So occasionally I'll keep a found object because I like the design, and I like having it around. (There's a bottle of Bawls on my desk that is kind of there for this reason -- God knows I wouldn't ever drink the stuff again, given past experiences.) I really like the look they chose for the RealOne player. It's not highly original but the execution is nice and subtle. So I'm "collecting" a picture here to look back on when I'm thinking about redesigning this page. Especially because my favorite color is green and I try to make this site white/light grey (so it doesn't compete with the photos I put in as content.)
SV24 Media Cube
SV24 Media Cube Accelenation.com did a good article last month on turning the Shuttle SV24 into a mediaCube for your living room. Interesting read.
February 27, 2002
Teeny-weeny
Teeny-weeny This is my new hardware project, a Shuttle SV24 mini-computer I bought from OutPost.com on sale packaged with a Celeron 850 processor. I still need to replace some fans and maybe change out the CD (which I won't use) for my LCD unit, but it's probably going to be either a new web server (to replace the big honking box this one runs on) or a new system for my dad. He's chuggin along in Win2k with a 4-year-old Aptiva, so a Celeron 850 would be a nice step up.
Here's a close up of that photo. To understand just how small it is, compare it to a standard ATX computer.
Ironman
Ironman My friend Stef is racing on Saturday in the New Zealand Triathlon. You can watch him live at IronManLive.com. He's also posting his own travel photos at his web site.
BTW, some of you may have found a different site if you visited karlo.org yesterday. Let's just call that a "special guest host." Thanks go out to the DNS system combined with my ISP's dynamic IP scheme.
February 20, 2002
Stats
Stats I've added some web stats to the site, thanks to Webalizer. It lets you see just how few people I inflict this site upon. The stats from last year are very wrong (somehow, there are only results from one day of the month, and we were definitely up and operating all of October to January. I'm not sure where the problem is, it may be with the roll-over of the logs. At least this means that going forward, we'll have better usage reports.
Something is definitely wrong still... the access file for January is 13,000 lines long but the usage stats say there were only 138 hits total (it should be 100 times that many.) I'm looking into it.
Barnes and Nobles Sucks
Barnes and Nobles Sucks I decided to go over to the local "brick and mortar" B&N store during my lunch hour today. The one in downtown Boston, specifically. What a waste of time -- and no wonder people love Amazon so much. Trying to find a specific book there, even if you know the name and title (and how it looks) is a nightmare. The shelves are out of order, you have to step over people sitting in the aisle reading, the employees don't know where things are any better than you do, and every other book in the non-fiction section is an "Idiot's Guide" release. I'm sticking to Amazon from now on. It's not only cheaper, it's faster, less aggravating, and more complete in its selection.
Another thing: who buys all these "Idiot's Guide..." books? I'm sorry, but I'm not about to buy a book that specifically states that it's targeted towards morons, nor would I want to walk around with it. How about some books targeted at intelligent people? Don't we buy/read things too? Forcing people to consider themselves an idiot just because they're not familiar with a particular topic (which might be something as arcane and useless as Oracle databases, according to the series) is just plain wrong.
February 19, 2002
Wanted: Reactor Operator
Wanted: Reactor Operator The economy may be tough, but you can still get a $15 an hour job as a nuclear reactor operator at MIT. You'll need to bring your own security clearance, I hope. And to think we used to walk to class with the mist from that reactor sprinkling down on us (literally.) Maybe that's why people who live in that area of campus are so weird.
We're Back!
We're Back! I've managed to beat my one month estimate by a few days and get Karlo.Org back up and running. There may be some hiccups until I get the dynamic DNS totally handled and transferred to No-IP.com but for the moment everything seems to work (and if we suddenly disappear, you can find us at karlo.no-ip.org, our backup name.
January 23, 2002
Last Call
Last Call Karlo.Org is going down for perhaps as long as a month while I move residences. I'll get it back online as soon as possible. Sorry.
January 22, 2002
Anthrax Screensaver
Anthrax Screensaver Help out researchers seeking a treatment for Anthrax association by joining Intel's distributed computing effort to stop Anthrax. This software ads a distributed computing client to your computer that employs unused computational power to help find proteins that will interact and bind to a compound produced by the Anthrax bacteria, possibly rendering it harmless.
January 21, 2002
Good Eats
Good Eats It's old, but it's about one of my favorite TV shows so I'm going to post it. Teevee.org has a great review of why Good Eats is the best cooking show on TV. "...Alton Brown is having a wonderful time. He was born to be in front of the camera: He's comfortable, energetic, amusing, and he knows how to hit his marks. He is infectious; he makes me want to cook."
PocketPC 2002 Fixes
PocketPC 2002 Fixes Philippe Majerus' web site offers a selection of free utilities for the PocketPC, most of which will be welcome downloads for any advanced desktop Windows user. Download and install his task manager, battery indicators, registry editor, etc. all for free.
January 18, 2002
Mobile wireless
Mobile wireless I'm testing out the new Socket Communications low power wireless lan compact flash card from Socket Communications in my HP Jornada 565 right now. So far it works great, but I haven't had a chance to try it with a dedicated access point yet. Being able to walk into any Starbucks (or a million other locations including schools and office) with my Jornada and log into my home computer, surf, and check email would be fantastic. Once I get it tested with a dedicated access point, I'll post some more opinions about it.
One thing that's for sure -- wireless ethernet (and not just this card) really burns power in mobile devices if you're not careful. I recommend using it in quick bursts, rather than say downloading large files. I tried sending a 5 meg video to my handheld the other day and I used quite a lot of the battery in a matter of minutes. The same thing happens on my laptop when using a Lucent card.
Pogo
Pogo A new device on sale in Britain offers wireless phone, web mp3, sms, and PIM functions. Wonder how long until they show up here... there are some black and white ones now but this has color, flash support, etc. A little big though... not something you can keep in your pocket.
January 14, 2002
Can-yonn-er-ooo!
Can-yonn-er-ooo! I used to want the Canyonero (of Simpson's fame) but now for my runs to the big blue room I'll take the Maximog, a 20 foot long, 6 ton SUV that gets about 9 miles to the gallon - and has 123 gallon fuel capacity. Don't try to fill that up in Europe without taking a bank loan.
For the James Bond type, accessories include a trailer with office, kitchen and washroom, a jet boat that does 0-60 in 4 seconds, remote unmanned aerial drone, and motorcycle.
Seriously, anyone who buys one of these should be sent with a toothbrush to scrub oil off seagulls and otters at the next big oil spill.
January 13, 2002
Renovations
Renovations The grey and grid design was getting tired, so I've started working to "renovate" the site and move us into CSS rather than tables (sorry IE 3.0 users, but it's time). Why did I get rid of the graphics? Well, I'll be putting a few back in, but in general I felt that it wasn't adding much to the site, took away from the photos I put in posts, and that I couldn't update the design often enough to keep it current. So I've gone back to basics and reduced the design to the bare essentials.
Unfortunately a few sections are not yet done because they will require quite a bit more work to make them happy -- in particular, the gallery is a bit unhappy with the new template and I'll have to figure out a way to improve how it reacts to it. I apologize for the temporary inconsistency -- consider it the price of progress.
Can you tell I have a final exam this week I should study for? Does it show that much? No wonder I don't get much web development done now that I'm not a full-time student. I wonder how much of the web is directly the result of procrastination.
January 10, 2002
Clueless Hotelier
Clueless Hotelier In the wake of a rather amusing Powerpoint-format complaint that's going around the web, DoubleTree Club Hotel Houston General Manager Joseph Crosby has decided to send several web sites a very cross email demanding that they take it down (even though he didn't author the content, and doesn't own its copyright.) He's also kind of peeved that people seem to the moxy to actually post his name and title in connection with the news about issue. Hmm... somebody doesn't read newspapers very often. Last time I checked, you can't claim copyright over factual items (like your name or title) to prevent their use in reports that are actually about you.
January 4, 2002
Happy New Year
Happy New Year Seemed like time to clean house, so I removed some items, took the lame tag out of the header and I'll be making a few other changes to the site. Still haven't had time to redo the layout, but I think maybe in a few weeks after I finish editing my Christmas home videos.
December 25, 2001
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas Hope Santa brought you whatever you wanted. If not, I hope you find it at a 70%-off after Christmas sale.
December 13, 2001
Megway
Megway Did you like the Segway Human Transporter? Check out their web site, but then head over to see the Megway Transporting Human, an even more versatile, environmentally sound alternative. (In particular, you may want to check out the videos on both sites.)
December 12, 2001
In case you're interested, I'm
In case you're interested, I'm capturing the video from my Canon 100MC using an ATI DV Wonder Card (at $40 it was the cheapest "brand-name" option for 1394 input) via a 4-pin to 6-pin 1394/Firewire cable. Editing is done in Premiere 6.0, which I'm just starting to learn -- it's a little quirky feeling compared to the Mac Avid editors and the mechanical decks I've used in the past. Output is done using the built-in export features of Premiere. I use Windows Media instead of Quicktime simply because more people seem to have it (apologies to the Mac users.)
I still need to edit together Thanksgiving dinner -- compress 2 hours of material into 5-10 minutes of final material. It sounds harsh but really, would you want to spend more than 5 minutes watching stuff that happened at Thanksgiving? Probably not.
December 8, 2001
Unwired
Unwired I'm sending this from my laptop via the new 802.11b (WiFi) network at my parent's house. Very nice stuff. My only regret is that I chose the Lucent Orinoco Silver instead of the Gold. The Silver has bit Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP) protection, while the Gold (for $20 more) offers 128-bit encryption on the network. Neither is great, but the 64-bit protection is apparently something of a joke. Because my card doesn't support it, I have to run the whole network at 64-bit level, despite the fact that my parent's "cheaper" Linksys equipment all supports 128-bit WEP.
A major source of fustration while setting this all up: I couldn't get the Lucent card to login to the Linksys WAP-11 Access Point, as long as I had WEP turned on. Apparently, the engineers at Linksys choose to index their keys from 1, while the Lucent folks like typical comp sci folks started at 0. So if you go to both machines, enter a key, and tell that it's key index 1, they don't agree. To get the to work, you have to set the Linksys gear to 1 and the Lucent stuff to 0. Nice standard, everyone.
Ran Wirelless Netstumbler all the way from Boston. Detected 60+ access points on the train ride, despiite the fact htat much of the trip is rural and away from more affluent housing developments. Got into the cab in Manhattan and watched the software light up like a Christmas tree - often 2-3 networks detected per block. Out of the 120 or so network access points I detected, maybe 15 of them had encryption activated. There's a lot of loose data floating around out there, if you're really interested.
Off to see if I can now print via wireless. This stuff is nice. I'm using it to substitute for a hardline network in my parent's house, but the ability to use my laptop with no wires and be surfing is a cool bonus.
December 7, 2001
I've started playing around
I've started playing around with importing video shot on my Canon 100MC digital camcorder into my computer. This is a short clip I did last night while refamiliarizing myself with Adobe Premiere's controls... please forgive its errors, I was really tired and the system was still a bit cranky. Ehem, I mean it "had character" or something similarly kind. Regardless, the actual quality of the final edited video dumped back to tape was incredible. Amazing for consumer grade stuff. (Clip requires 100kbps connection.)
December 6, 2001
Searching
Searching Talk about odd, little-known hobbies. Apparently there is a fairly popular pastime referred to as GeoCaching where people hide small waterproof boxes in outdoor locations, record the location via GPS, then post the information on a web site for others to hunt for it. Kind of like a global Easter Egg Hunt. I guess the Handhelp GPS manufacturers see it as a great way to sell more product. Sounds arcane, but there are caches hidden all over the United States, as well as in 82 other countries. There's even one less than half a mile from my apartment, in the middle of metro Boston.
Roaming
Roaming My Lucent Orinoco Silver wireless ethernet card arrived today, so I can now access wireless networks from my computer. Sure, we don't have one in my house or where I work (although my parents will soon have one, if you can believe that) but with some free software from NetStumbling.com I'm on my way try out a little wireless hitchhiking down the info superhighway.
I don't think anyone ever visits this site since I took down my commercial efforts (Weather24, Pixelfoundry, etc.) Amazing how just year after we shut down the sites, there's so little record of a place that millions of people visited over the years. And so little record of all the work we put in, too. Sometimes you wish building software was more like bridge engineering; at least they know their creations will outlive them (or the quarter, for that matter.)
December 3, 2001
Link of the Day
November 29, 2001
Memory Construct
Memory Construct irememberthetowers.com is attempting to "rebuild the towers from memory." Worth seeing, both for concept and design.
November 27, 2001
Marketing Gimmicks Dept.
Marketing Gimmicks Dept. I am now the proud owner of a free Windows XP Pro Lava Lamp... it came along with my $40 channel reseller kit, which also inluded a full copy of Window XP Pro. The lamp was a bonus. And you wonder how MS can spend so much on marketing.
(Pictures are thanks to someone who thought to sell the lamp on Ebay and make back 25% of the money paid for XP. Like a moron, I left the battery to my digital camera in the charger at my parent's house during Thanksgiving, and now it's 200 miles away.)
November 20, 2001
Liz!!
Liz!!
November 19, 2001
Understanding Liz
Understanding Liz There's always a new toy at my boyfriend's apt. It's either the new PC he built, the new digital camera/camcorder he bought, or the Xbox that's on the UPS truck. Luckily, we live two hundred miles apart and he can tear himself from his toys for an hour each day to talk to me. Don't get me wrong, the toys are great...but when you've been hearing about them one month prior to purchase, two weeks during purchasing/shipping, and months after purchase, you need a time out.
Today is Xbox Day. Stay tuned to another special toy delivery day next month. The process is starting to overlap and I'm already hearing about new things before this one has even arrived. Lucky me.
Xbox Day
Xbox Day We're back. Fixed some DNS problems, no thanks to the unhelpful folks at Register.Com. Guys, try answering any of your customer support email. We're not sending it for fun.
Today is Xbox day at my household. It's now reached the sacred out for delivery status on the UPS tracking page. UPS could charge for that tracking page... it's like cyber-crack for those of us who order online.
October 4, 2001
A Minor Oversight
A Minor Oversight Okay, so when I said there are no big consumer electronics products for this Christmas, I failed to remember Microsoft's Xbox, probably one of the biggest console debuts ever. But I don't think you can blame me, considering I haven't seen a single TV ad yet (remember the blitz before Playstation 2?) and even the stores don't seem to have promotions up for it. Maybe they're worried that if demand is too high, it will be the PS2 fiasco of last year all over again.
I'm not a big Xbox fan. But damn, Bungie's HALO looks sweet... and it's from one of my favorite old-school game teams.
October 3, 2001
What Holiday Rush?
What Holiday Rush? Has anyone else noticed that there don't seem to be any huge new products out there for this holiday season? Last year we had Tivo, GeForce 3 cards, Pentium 4, DVD, Digital Video/Cameras, etc. for technology consumers. Maybe it's just that companies aren't spending on marketing given the likelihood this retail season will be a dud, but the few technologies that have emerged aren't very impressive. HardOCP's review of the new GeForce 3 Ti 500/200, nVidia's new flagship video cards, just makes me want to buy last year's model at the lower price... HDTV really isn't here yet (not that I can afford it) and there isn't anything new in terms of computers. Even clothing and other gifts seem relatively quiet. Is it silly to think about these things a month after the WTC attack? Perhaps, but a really bad holiday shopping season will impact our economy a lot more concretely then that attack. Consumer electronics are one of the perennials for retail, since there's something new each year. Where's the love, Sony/Canon/nVidia/AMD?
September 28, 2001
Walking on Eggshells
Walking on Eggshells Although TV humor has decided fairly conciously to not attempt to deal with the September 11th attack, The Onion | America's Finest News Source has bravely ventured onto this dangerous group. Just because we've been hurt doesn't me we have to lose our sense of humor. There's a lot of truth in The Onion's fake stories, and they've managed to thread their way across a potential mindfield with tremendous aplomb.
A few headlines:
U.S. Vows To Defeat Whoever It Is We're At War With
American Life Turns Into Bad Jerry Bruckheimer Movie
President Urges Calm, Restraint Among Nation's Ballad Singers
Rest Of Country Temporarily Feels Deep Affection For New York
September 27, 2001
Wired
Wired Be careful if you decide to try Bawls. I'm a caffeine veteran (probably drank 2 liters of Coke a day in college) so I figured I'd be able to handle the stuff without breaking stride. Drank a 10 oz. bottle at 11. Stared at the ceiling, eyes wide open, until 4 am. Next time I'll drink it a little earlier in the evening -- if there is a next time. Or maybe I'll just wait until the next time I have to try an 18-wheeler across the country without sleeping, and get a six-pack. ThinkGeek sells this stuff by the case. They should make you bring a note from your cardiologist.
Going to try to get things moving again around Karlo.Org. I've put the blogging links back into my browser. Need to update the look soon, I'm thinking something with a blue & black scheme (to match my new SGI 1600SW LCD. Hehe.)
September 17, 2001
Required Reading
Required Reading Do not miss reading this.
September 14, 2001
Smoking or Non-Smoking?
Smoking or Non-Smoking? One of my teachers from j-school has written an excellent op-ed piece for the Friday Times, regarding military response to the attack. He notes that only by gaining the support of the peaceful majority of Muslims, can we hope to eradicate those who would do evil. Take the time to read his essay.
This week I have at time been both proud and embarassed to have been part of the journalism profession. On the whole though, I think everyone has to admit that the press made a tremendous contribution to the life of our nation this week.
I note that the New York Times seems to be running only Red Cross banner ads on their site. I applaud their sensitivity in putting public service before business profit.
What have they done?
What have they done? My home, the city where I was born and raised, exists no more. I will return, but what will there be there? How will the people I know and love, the town I adore, have changed forever? I can only guess, and offer my support for those who were impacted the worst by this. Both the city and country I call my home will not be the same for my children as they were for me growing up. We have lost not just so many loved ones, but some crucial parts of our way of life as well.
Working together, we can rebuild the city's financial district. Other scars may never heal.
August 3, 2001
We're Back Sorry for the
We're Back Sorry for the extended hiatus, followed by the site being completely unavailable. I've been very busy and travelling as well. This was probably the longest break I've taken since starting Karlo.Org. It's like working out at the gym; you're fine for months but then you miss a week and suddenly the habit is broken. Next thing you know, you're sitting on the couch eating oreos and milk all evening in front of the TV.
Mmmm... Oreos. Obviously it's mid-day and I haven't gotten my lunch yet.
July 12, 2001
Cop vs. Cop
Cop vs. Cop Too good to resist linking to. The police in Seattle are bored since the WTO left town. So bored that a few of them rammed their patrol cars together and proceeded to have a gunfight. Luckily no civilians were involved, and nobody was hit. Methinks that doesn't say anything good about their accuracy.
July 11, 2001
System "Upgrade"
System "Upgrade" Due to my amatuerish sysadmin practices, the server had some issues for a day or so. It's all fixed now, but as a result of the time I had to put in to rectify the problems, we've upgraded the server somewhat. Karlo.org is now running Mandrake 8.0, plus has some extra memory (total 128 megs.)
A very painful way to upgrade the system, but we don't seem to have lost any fingers or toes. I did, however, cut open my pinky and drip blood everywhere. Long story.
July 3, 2001
Toymaker's System
Toymaker's System Ever wonder what machines Dell Computers head honcho Michael Dell uses at work, home and on the road? Dell's web site has information on their CEO's systems. Nothing mind blowing, but those twin black 17-inch monitors at home look sweet... and he definitely has a taste for black, it seems.
July 2, 2001
Music Guide
Music Guide Amazon.com has release a free, rather neat Recommendations Plug-in for Winamp. It recommends music for you based on what song you're listening to, and seems to work a lot better than the other music recommendation services floating around. Be warned: the only way to turn it off seems to be uninstalling it (although you could just close the browser each time you start WinAmp.)
June 29, 2001
A Fate Worse than Death
A Fate Worse than Death Every day I wake up and thank God that I don't work on a product like this one:
"BarbieŽ Pet Rescue CD-ROM
Join BarbieŽ on rescue missions to find and care for lost animals! Feed, brush and bathe them just like your very own pet! Plus, play fun games and activities with each animal! "
Oh, the horror! I can only imagine what QA on that must be like.