To WWW or not to WWW January 31, 2007
Posted by jbwan in Technology, TSSG.add a comment
Just read this interesting post from John Chow. While the content of the post is nothing really new to me, it’s interesting because more and more people should be aware of its subject matter. It deals with the matter of domain names and whether your web server should accept http://www.domain.com and also domain.com without any rewriting. In recent times I have flagged this issue with several webmasters that the www and non-www version of their domains point to very different and not intentional websites. A cause of embarrassment to many I’m sure. Another notable point however from John’s post is the notion of having two different Google page ranks because of such. And let’s face it the world have gone mad for page ranking so the world should really listen up here, you cannot control incoming links to your site! However, with some simple rewrite rules provided in John’s post you can beat the problem at home source: John Chow dot com
Sick as a parrot January 31, 2007
Posted by jbwan in General, TSSG.2 comments
Well, I’ve been off work all week so far. Not due to any wonderful relaxing break nor DIY escapades or garden indulgences but rather I have been confined to bed with what we in the software business would call a composed illness (yes, I’ll have one from the top shelf, one from the middle and one of these also). Like most humans I’ve had the odd cold, put my back out and such but rarely in my life have I been sent to my room on doctor’s orders. Alas here I am!
Awaking this morning with my chest infection in full swing and a real flu (not just a wimpy little cough) still hanging over me, I came to the conclusion that truly I must be as sick as a parrot. That got me thinking, where did that term of phrase come from? So I investigated and found one possible enlightenment here. It appears as though the phrase started out as sick as a dog and in later times was muddled with many other animals, one of the most recent of which is the poor parrot. However, more interesting is that parrot sickness is attributed to the bird’s mental state rather than physical infection. So I guess while some may still say that I am as sick as a parrot, it has in my mind resorted to being as sick as a horse (read the link above if you are lost). Truly this illness has taken its toll if I’m looking up this stuff…
HD DVD DRM January 26, 2007
Posted by jbwan in Technology, TSSG.2 comments
Just read this via Tom Raftery’s I.T. views: An interview with the guy who cracked the HD DVD DRM just before Christmas, to the joy of most of the world anyhow. Tom sums up his post with the following points:
The sooner the movie studios realise that all the money they are pouring into DRM is wasted because 1) they are annoying their customers and 2) people will find a way around it anyway, the better.
… I really couldn’t agree more with Tom. DRM is just making life very difficult for the ordinary person on the street and for the extraordinary people who copy and other such activities there will always be a workaround – if a password can be encrypted then it can be decrypted – there’s no such thing as one-way DRM. It’s a waste of time, an intrusion into the lives of ordinary folk and a restrictive measure that will soon infringe upon human rights if it’s not careful.
Dublin Parking Update January 26, 2007
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A few days ago I posted an article with respect to the proposed introduction of increased parking fees in Dublin for people with “big” engine cars. Thankfully the Dublin City council has had a wake-up to reality to realise that “big” engined cars may not take up that much space and may also be very fuel efficient. Sadly however, they have decided to introduce the penalty based on length. While this makes some sense in respect of parking space premiums it still penalises people who may well have very fuel efficient cars and who are already paying a premium for their vehical through road taxation. It’s just not enough – road tax should be based on purely on carbon emissions and paying to park outside your own door, well that’s another matter completely. source: The Irish Times
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What would you do… January 25, 2007
Posted by jbwan in General, Humour.add a comment
We’ve all been asked that question, “What would you do if you won…” Well a German lorry driver was given the chance to win and throw away Eur 75, 000. The unqiue competition winner won by claiming that he would throw the prize fund out of the window so that everyone around could get some. It takes all sorts… source: The Irish Times
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Technology “Cool Wall” January 25, 2007
Posted by jbwan in Technology, TSSG.7 comments
Yesterday Shane dropped by for a chat and we discussed the concept of having a Top Gear style cool wall in our office for technologies. A humourous idea but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Brian recently wrote a post about how SIP sucks and Skype rules. I have to agree with Brian, SIP does suck and in so many ways that Brian was kind enough not to mention. I feel my trashing of the protocol requires no more verbosity than to say that it will definitely be featuring in the seriously uncool section of our cool wall. Meanwhile HTTP is in the sub-zero fridge at the opposite end. 🙂
SUV = EUROs January 22, 2007
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A new proposal in Dublin is set to see drivers of SUV and other large vehicles pay twice what a “normal” car owner pays to park outside their own home. A wonderfully green move by Dublin City Council – I’m sure that they had no profiteering agenda in mind at all when this was proposed. Sure nobody will even notice the 14% increase in the annual charge that they’ve stuck into the same proposal with that added controversy. [[insert applause here]] source: The Irish Times
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MT 3.34 January 20, 2007
Posted by jbwan in Technology, TSSG.1 comment so far
Just upgraded my MT install this morning. No nervous moment like the last upgrade. 🙂 Not really much of a difference between 3.32 and 3.34 but it’s nice to have the current version running smoothly.
A Phone January 18, 2007
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For some reason this post went missing between last night and tonight <<scratches head>> Luckilly I keep an offsite back-up in WordPress 🙂 If anyone has commented/trackbacked on this then please comment again as I have a feeling that the database was reverted today for some reason. Maybe Steve didn’t like my opinions on the new phone…
So I haven’t posted anything yet about the new Apple iPhone. Is it because, of internet downtime or is it because of my current jury duty? Both have been factors in my life recently but I fear the real reason is that I may just be the last person on earth who thinks that it’s just another 2.5G phone.
Don’t get me wrong: I have two Macs and am trying so very hard not to purchase a 20″ iMac (I fear a losing battle) and I just love Apple kit in general but this is a phone. It plays MP3 and MP4, it has a big’ish screen, it has a calendar, it syncs with the computer, it has a photo viewer, and it has a touch screen. My Nokia 6233 has all of the above, excluding the touch screen (quite frankly I really wouldn’t want one) and it’s 3G. Further more it cost me Eur 169 for a speakeasy upgrade not $499 plus contract fees as is being suggested for the iPhone. To all those technology enthusiasts out there, of which I still think I am one in most respects, I apologise but it’s still just another phone. It ain’t that special. If you’ve already got a mobile and a 5G iPod, you’re already there…
Barcamp January 15, 2007
Posted by jbwan in Technology, TSSG.1 comment so far
For those of you who don’t already know, Barcamp Southeast will be taking place this Saturday, January 20th in the home of the TSSG. For those not in the know, Barcamp is a relatively informal event that takes all the starch out of the collars of other pretentious conferences. Genuine enthusiasts are the primary order of the day and it is aimed at those who are interested and not those that just want buzz words. Sadly I won’t be able to make the event myself but I wish all the guys involved and Tom C, the very best of luck with the event. I’m sure however that they won’t need it. Check out more on Barcamp SouthEast Blog
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