Mar 16, 02:30 PM (evening) - by dedi
so, i’ve been building up a little localhosting setup for osx. this way i can get things to a working stage before fiddling with my nice, stable production environment.
i had a bit of help from these links, which you may find useful.
setting up a local development environment on osx
installing lighttpd on osx
first, install the latest mysql. there’s an os x installer which even comes with a handy preference pane for starting/stopping the server. you’ll want to add this to your path:
/usr/local/mysql/bin/
since i’ve been exploring ruby on rails lately, i also grabbed the latest ruby. at this point you’ll have two versions of ruby so you might want to rename your older version like this:
sudo mv /usr/bin/ruby /usr/bin/ruby16
after that install rubygems (a simple unpack and install).
tar zxvf rubygems-0.8.4.tgz
cd rubygems-0.8.4
ruby setup.rb
from here it’s easy to install all kinds of ruby apps like rails. to install the latest stable rails just type:
sudo gem install rails
and say “Y” to its dependencies.
at this point, i could have stopped and just used apache (it is the server that’s used for my homepage kweerious.com, but i was curious about lighttpd. i grabbed lighttpd-1.3.13, and compiled it with these options
./configure --with-mysql=/usr/local/mysql/bin --with-openssl
it compiled, but i haven’t got mysql virtual hosting working yet. it’s fast though and so well…light. the config file i made is tiny and it works for simple vhosts out of my Sites/rails directory. so, now i have that running instead of Apache (you can shut it off with
/System/Library/Startup Items/Apache/Apache stop
then add a few “virtual” sites to
/etc/hosts. for example, to get dev.bickr.com working for me i added:
127.0.0.1 dev.bickr.com
just at the end. this way i can get firefox to point at my localhost instead of contacting the real bickr.com.
now to get to codin’!
filed under personal
feedback [1]
Mar 9, 02:00 AM (breakfast time) - by dedi
I’ve been good you know. I keep my computer in order. I help out my friends and family with their technical problems. But that’s not enough. Believe it or not, I used to be spam-free and quite happy. Well, those days are gone and it’s your fault. It’s you, it’s my newbie friend and it’s my mother. The simple actions of a few naive users and the disease of spam spreads. After all, it’s not my infected addressbook in the hands of spammers, nor my email address used to propagate the latest virii and penis enlargement ads. Many people will confront me and insist that I cannot blame the user in this and that my anger should rest with the evil spam kings and lazy sysadmins. It’s nice of them, but they’re wrong.
There are some things that just work. With a little adjustment and a few rounds of burnt bread, a toaster will make toast quickly and easily. For the most part, appliances are designed well enough to be functional, easy to learn and run without glitches (besides a lost sock now and again). Well, isn’t that special. A computer is not an appliance. It’s not an appliance; it will never be as simple as a door handle and it’s not your toaster. In fact, computers are more like power tools and other beefy toys that help with powerful tasks and come with many caveats and warning labels. Pushing this metaphor to its extreme, adding your computer to a network like at the office or the internet is like dropping off Leatherface and his chainsaw at a fraternity party on Halloween. In other words, computers can be used for much good and a lot of evil and connecting them to an ever-growing collection of other computers can be risky business.
The thing about toasters that makes them so easy to use is that there are very few decisions to make. Perhaps one day computers will be as foolproof as toasters, until then we can avoid Microsoft and Windows. Seriously, people are better off avoiding Windows not simply because it’s a large (and easy) target for security issues, but parts of its design philosophy exacerbate the danger of naive users. Windows developers try their best to balance many choices and customizability as well as ease of use. This sounds appealing since they can cater to both naive computer users and highly technical people who want more control. The problem is there’s a lot changes that can be made and should be made depending on how and where you use your computer. Computer geeks are already for that challenge, but naive users are often left with defaults that don’t suit their needs and can’t protect them from themselves. On the other side, there’s Apple with OSX which is about as toaster-like as computers get at the moment. Apple has carefully chosen many sane defaults and rightfully protects the naive user from them. It’s hard to make the wrong choice if you can’t find it. Let’s not forget Linux, where you’re asked to make all the decisions, thereby raising the bar and excluding the naive user (or forcing them to become a savvy user). It’s my opinion that everyone who uses computers, especially online, should be a savvy user in the same way that anyone who is allowed to drive a car should have at least taken lessons.
It’s really about building common sense for smart computer use. Anyone lacking a certain sense about how to move through life online is going to become a victim somewhere along the line. That’s why you’ve got to take responsibility and be prepared. I’d like to share a network with naive users as much as I’d enjoy driving on a two-lane highway with drunk teenager drivers. The problem is that any schmoo can get online these days. So for all of our sakes, please get savvy. Use anti-virus software. Don’t click on strange email attachments. If you really have to open it, scan it for viruses first. Find a good password and use it (and your dog’s name is not a good password). If you can’t remember your passwords, write them on a post-it and keep it in your wallet, not on your desk. Encryption is good for you, learn how to use it. Don’t trust strangers; if it looks funny, then it’s probably a scam. Always manually type in your important websites like online banking. Oh, and never give anyone your Social Security number based on a random important looking email or webpage.
feedback [1]
Feb 28, 06:15 AM (morning) - by dedi
i apologize to anyone watching this blog through the rss feeds. i’ve upgraded my textpattern install and it updated the feeds.
in other news, i’ve just bought lifetime hosting at textdrive! so, this site may have a new home soon; one with sparkle and shiny new toys.
filed under personal
feedback [2]
Dec 15, 10:48 AM (afternoon) - by dedi
it’s coming to an end. all that’s left is the show. but maybe not. i’m wondering if some of the things i worked on this semester may live on. will bickr survive the initial flickr enthusiam? will ptooie wind up a potted closet server or part of my thesis?
i wish there was more time between this semester and next semester. i’m not sure i’ll have everything figured out in time to lay down that fat thesis abstract. and classes…i’m determined not to pick a dud for my last semester. i’m making myself nervous.
filed under itp, personal
Dec 3, 06:13 AM (morning) - by dedi
ouch. the bickr team just got flamed by the head of the flickr crew. i hate misunderstandings. sometimes the interweb is just the wrong medium for the message. it’s just a misunderstanding but it got under my skin and i didn’t sleep well. back to work, i just needed to purge a little.
filed under personal
Nov 28, 02:35 PM (evening) - by dedi
last minute to-do things
bickr
- run through user feedback
- add auto-update script (use http cond’l get)
- work on bickr/flickr integration (eg. file upload)
- fix instructions
ptooie
- build a mock flower
- build puppet mechanism
- program motors
- connect python script to festival
- output serial
- connect motors to PIC, PIC to serial
- work out “light bloom”
doggi video
- check rough cut
- present rough/final cut
Oct 8, 02:14 PM (evening) - by dedi
“Phones as a Hackable Platform”
Marko Ahtisaari, Director, Head of Users Experience Insight & Foresight (Nokia)
Japanese Room
This talk will be a brief history and preview of things to come in mobile telephony. It’ll focus on how mobile phones are increasingly becoming hackable devices and what this could mean for user experience, technological innovation and the business system. The discussion will be framed and inspired by existing or not-too-distant examples of experiences available to people.
Born in Helsinki, Finland and raised on three continents in Helsinki, Dar es Salaam and New York, Marko Ahtisaari studied economics, philosophy and music at Columbia University in the City of New York. After returning to his native Helsinki, Marko turned his energies to bringing a human point of view to the technology business. He built and lead the mobile practice at startup Internet consultancy Satama Interactive and now works on renewal and growth at Nokia, the world leader in mobile communications, as Director and Head of User Experience in the company’s Insight & Foresight unit. Marko is founder and chairman of the board of Aula, a network of technologists, entrepreneurs, artists, researchers and civil society actors started in Helsinki (see e.g. http://www.aula.cc/hakuhodo/aula_thesis/aulaproject.pdf http://www.aula.cc/hunaja/ or http://www.aula.cc/exposure/ ). In the in-between moments Marko continues to compose ambient music for public and private spaces. He contributes occasionally to http://3quarksdaily.com and his browsing can be found at http://del.icio.us/moia
intro
- things ppl carry with them: money, keys and fones
- user interface quirk: long menus kill features/apps at bottom
- carriers are now between us and the device manufactors
- we need new innovation in order to grow again
- MMS – is sharing images point-to-point useful or to many?
hackability
- personal hacks
- adding visual hacks – straps, covers, interface skins
- ringtones – ($99 on itunes, $3 ringtone)
- people are willing to pay
- network hacks
- adding wifi (internet), bluetooth and RFID (personal), FM (broadcast)
- bluetooth/wireless gateways
- examples
- in between radios
- in between applications
- in between mobile and internet
- social hacks
- phonebook is the center of this; picture of your social life
- examples
- massive mobile peer production
- social coordination
- commitment no longer exists; everything can change last minute
- gift-giving
- instant messaging and presence
- small group sharing of images (not primetime yet)
- flickr
- including sharing (legally) is priority
hackable platform
- what’s needed
- ubiquity & audience
- lack of fragmentation
- enough exposed metadata
- development tools and support
- J2ME is growing up
- nokia series 40 (single handed)
- nokia series 60 (C++, Java, Symbian OS based smartphones)
- things that are ready SMS and voice
- things to come mobile apps, sharing and more
Q&A
- focus on picture sharing
- lifeblog? + typepad, timeline
- open source SMS wireless gateways
- bluetooth discoverablity
- doesn’t scale well (room full of 100+ bt fones)
- use RFID to exchange MAC addresses, to shorten handshaking
- marko likes del.icio.us, flickr, alarm clock and agile messenger
- hacking relates to the shift from a collective object to a personal object
- most people don’t want to hack beyond self-expression
- if there were more ways to hack would there be more desire to hack?
filed under social, networks
Oct 8, 06:09 AM (morning) - by dedi
our class is going to be talking to some students at RCA (not exactly local) on tuesday. we’ve been asked to introduce ourselves through a series of questions. normally, i hate these…but it’s just this once. i promise i won’t carry it over to my livejournal.
What activities got you out of bed in the morning before you came to RCA/ITP?
unfocused prodding of the alarm, a quick roll to the side to get to my feet, some water and spritzing, a numb walk (or jog if i’m running late) to the train, an elevator ride or dash up 4 flights of stairs and a quick stop at my locker.
What are you focusing on currently?
i’m focusing on security issues, wireless networks and social software.
What do you want to do when you graduate?
am i supposed to know already? i knew i’d fail this test. i think i’d like to go on tinkering with things until kingdom come.
What was the last book you read that you’d recommend to friends?
how linux works; good for new and old geeks
When you design/build/make art/rehearse/etc., who do you picture as your ideal audience?
my girlfriend and close friends
What person/group would you never want to work for?
microsoft – evil corporate giant with bloaty, insecure software; google – getting creepy
What question did you really want to answer?
i liked the A or B questions best
3 years from now, a new technology will take the world by storm. Its outlines are only dimly visible today. What is it?
zeroconf enabled devices aimed at sharing all that is digital easily and openly among a group of peers
PC or Mobile Phone – PC wins everyday
Dodgeball or Habbo Hotel – that is if i can get dodgeball working
Orkut or Friendster – orkut makes more sense to me
SMS or WAP Chat – i’ve only used SMS
LiveJournal or Movable Type – lj wins
Dance Dance Revolution or Karoke – ddr hurts my eyes
Max or two turntables and a microphone – real dj please
filed under networks, social
Oct 2, 10:03 AM (afternoon) - by dedi
i’d never played it before, but i like it a lot now. anh got me into a 2 out of 3 game the other day and i caught the bug. somehow i won. it’s weird but i feel like more of a “club” member now. itp is this year is definitely an improvement over last year. last year, that’s scary. this is my last year and again, like ucsc, i feel like it’s just getting started. sigh.
filed under itp, personal
Sep 22, 11:00 AM (afternoon) - by dedi
i’ve got the chills lately. i feel like danny’s mirrors are watching me and there’s no way to get around it. they’re angled just so, that when you enter and walk down the hallway, you’ve already been spotted. it used to just hang in the back of my mind like the noises beaded entryways make in the movies, but then it really hit me that all the quiet exits are gone (aside from the frieght elevator). then again, it’s prolly just the overzealous air conditioning.
filed under itp
<< Previous