I was looking up stuff on the Apache mod_rewrite module and saw this quote at the top of the page:
Despite the tons of examples and docs, mod_rewrite is voodoo. Damned cool voodoo, but still voodoo.
–Brian Moore
I didn’t say that! Now that’s voodoo! ;)
Posted June 13, 2011 | ∞ | File under: programming, web nerd
I am making progress.
Still working on my little javascript “macro” to summarize keyword performance reports. It will be very useful to me day today and is a fun little exercise in javascript. I was going to use Backbone.js but the “app” is not going to be that complicated. I will just use jQuery, _.template (or ICanHaz.js) and flot. I am going to get it done (or at least most of it) this week.
I am well into my Networking and DNS class, the second course in the O’Reilly School Linux/Unix System Administration program. Lots of interesting discoveries in this one. How to determine the number of subnets given the IP address and the subnet mask? Also, how to write a number in binary (00100001 = 33, my age) because IPv4 uses four 8 bit numbers and the bits help determine the number of usable numbers in a network. Is definitely getting more difficult now.
I am also exploring Ruby and Ruby on Rails. Kinda feel like I’m jumping on the bandwagon. But really that’s what I should be doing. So far it really appeals to me. The language is expressive and fun to use, Rails is better known than Django, and “why’s poignant guide to Ruby” is fascinating and inspiring. Too bad @_why disappeared. I’m still trying to think up a useful command line script I can write and use as practice.
I’ve also initialized my presence on GitHub with a first dummy repository. Check me out at github.com/bionicbrian. I will push my JavaScript report tool to my page when it’s done.
I’m making progress with what I know. Now I want to start cranking stuff out — tangible code — even if it’s terrible. I want to keep in mind what Ira Glass called the gap between a beginner’s work and a beginner’s taste. “It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions.” One day I’d like to look back on the code I write now and laugh a wise patronizing laugh.
Posted June 6, 2011 | ∞ | File under: personal, programming
I’ve been really enjoying the first course in Unix/Linux SysAdmin through the O’Reilly School.
For example, I finally learned what chmod codes do for file permissions. What does 755 stand for in “chmod 755 file.txt”? The first digit is the user, the second is the group, and the third is everyone else. And the value is arrived at by adding 4 for read, 2 for write, and 1 for execute. So the user gets read (4), write (2), and execute (1) permissions (4 + 2 + 1 = 7); while the group and everyone else get read (4) and execute (1) permissions (4 + 1 = 5). This blew my mind. While you can also use “chmod a+rx, u+w file.txt”, I think it’s necessary to know the numerical method as well.
The tidbits you pick up from the instructors are cool. In my quiz on grep regular expressions, mine let me know that if I’m using curly braces a la “[A-Z]{2}”, I’ll need to use egrep or the -P flag. Good to know!
Stoked.
Posted May 20, 2011 | ∞ | File under: personal, programming
Posted January 18, 2011 | ∞ | File under: david dondero, music, video, youtube
I have access to Safari Books Online at work. I have been reading (or flipping through) The Definitive Guide to Django, Domain Driven Design, Learning Unix, 97 Things Every Programmer Should Know, and much more.
I have been printing pages to PDF one by one, combining the pages into chapters and then printing and clipping together double-sided pages. Almost like a real book. So ghetto, but free.
I realized that instead of printing the loose pages I can use Mobile Me and the iDisk app to read the books on the iPad. It’s still a PDF and still kinda ghetto, but it’s pretty much any computer book I want, free, on the go, without all the loose pages.
Posted December 1, 2010 | ∞ | File under: books, programming
When naming models in Django, I recommend not naming a model Post. Because you might also be using POST variables we all know are associated with HTTP requests and it might cause confusion if you need to use POST variables and your Post model in the same code.
I would recommend you name your model something like Article or something. Or Poop. Name it Poop. But not Post.
Posted November 29, 2010 | ∞ | File under: django, poop, programming, python
When getting started with Django, you should start with the Django Book and NOT the the four-part tutorial at djangoproject.com. The book is so much more enlightening. The four-part tutorial will only annoy you.
Posted November 17, 2010 | ∞ | File under: django, programming, python
This woman is so goddamn inspiring.
Posted November 10, 2010 | ∞ | File under: design, ted, this world is amazing, video
