RSS feed for InstantSpot site Aaron Lynch

Added Self-Documentation on Scriptalizer.com

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:08:00 GMT

Minor update to Scriptalizer.com today. I added the option to include a comment block in the generated file.

/***************************  File generated by Scriptalizer.com DateTime: Thursday, March 5, 2009 2:24:36 PM CST  File list:  SpryData.js  SpryEffects.js  SpryXML.js  xpath.js *****************************/

As you can see, this will help you remember what files you "squished" together :)

FYI, saved over 100K on those Spry files.

Javascript Filesize summary:

Size before: 217.45 KB
Size after: 113.64 KB
103.80KB SAVED!

Ubuntu - 4 GB Ram on 32 bit machine

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:48:00 GMT

I have a 32bit machine at work, that has 4 gigs of RAM. In order to get my kernel to recognize the correct amount of RAM I have _ALWAYS_ customized and recompiled a new kernel, which obviously removed my ability to upgrade to the latest/greatest from the repositories.

Well, those days are over for me! This week I rebuilt my machine, and opted to use Ubuntu 9.04 Alpha 4 (which by the way is very stable and awesome). And since I had a fresh system, I wanted to look around and see if there was an easier way to handle my RAM challenge.

Look no further. Just install the following packages and then reboot, its just that easy.

linux-server

linux-image-server

linux-headers-server

linux-restricted-modules-server (I actually had to do the one for my kernel linux-restricted-modules-2.6.28-7-server)

The result is a nicely set up, compiz enabled, Gnome environment, but with a whopping 4 gb of memory.

sudo apt-get install linux-server linux-image-server linux-headers-server linux-restricted-modules-2.6.28-7-server  # # Here is the Mem section from running 'top' # Mem:   4040568k total,  3833644k used,   206924k free,    87580k buffers

Possible javascript file MIME types

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:03:00 GMT

Here is a list of potential MIME types for uploaded javascript files. If you know of more please comment here.

text/ecmascript
application/ecmascript
text/jscript
application/x-js
application/javascript
application/x-javascript
text/javascript
text/x-js

Modfiying Laptop Cooling with i8k (Dell E1505)

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 06:21:00 GMT

Ever since installing Ubuntu 8.10, I have noticed my laptop operating temps are a little hotter than I like. Not dangerous hot, but definitely in the "uncomfortable to my lap" range. After a little research I found the package "i8kutils".

Definition: i8kutils: Dell Inspiron and Latitude laptop utilities This is a collection of utilities to control Dell Inspiron and Latitude laptops. It includes programs to turn the fan on and off, to read fan status, CPU temperature, BIOS version and to handle the volume buttons and Fn-keys. The package includes also a small Tk applet, designed to be swallowed in the gnome panel, which monitors the CPU temperature and comtrols automatically the fans accordingly to user defined thresholds. The programs require the kernel module i8k.o which can be compiled from the package sources or found in Linux kernel 2.4.14 and later versions. The kernel module has been tested only on Inspiron 8000 laptops but it should work on any Inspiron and Latitude laptops. (from About.com)

WARNING. Be careful with your settings, you might break your stuff!

Step 1: Install i8kutils

sudo apt-get install i8kutils

Step 2: Modify /etc/modules

sudo gedit /etc/modules

Add this i8k force=1 to the end of the file and save it.

Step 3: Create i8kmon file (it will be a new file)

sudo gedit /etc/i8kmon

Here is the config I used for my laptop:

# Run as daemon, override with --daemon option set config(daemon) 0 # Automatic fan control, override with --auto option set config(auto) 1 # Report status on stdout, override with --verbose option set config(verbose) 1 # Status check timeout (seconds), override with --timeout option set config(timeout) 1 # Temperature thresholds: {fan_speeds low_ac high_ac low_batt high_batt} set config(0) {{-1 0} -1 45 -1 55} set config(1) {{-1 1} 45 60 55 70} set config(3) {{-1 2} 60 128 70 128} # end of file

Once you are ready, you can either restart the system or run the following command:

sudo modprobe i8k force=1

Optional Step 4: Install/config gnome-swallow-applet

sudo apt-get install gnome-swallow-applet

Right-click on the toolbar to add the new swallow applet. Then, in the application to watch enter i8kmon

The gnome-swallow-applet along with i8kmon is pretty neat. It allows you to see the current temp as well as what fan speed is currently running. But it also allows you to force the speed up or down when you want.

Results: It wasn't uncommon for my laptop to work in the 120F+ range, now after running acpi -f -t in terminal, you can see the results.

alynch@badonkadonk:~$ acpi -f -t Battery 0: Full, 100% Thermal 0: ok, 99.5 degrees F

Turn your Ubuntu 8.10 into gOS

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 04:06:00 GMT

I have to admit, after seeing Dave opting to install gOS recently I got a little envious. So, I decided to turn my compiz/emerald Ubuntu 8.10 into a nice little gOS environment. Turns out it was pretty dang quick and easy.

First step get the GTK theme.

After installing gOS 3.0 in a VM I realized that it was a spiffed up Gnome. Good sign! After a couple searches I came up with this theme on deviant art (gOS-3-0-Theme) Lucky for me, that theme contained the gOS icons, gtk theme, wallpaper, AND an Emerald theme. (nice!)

Next, get google-gadgets.

Google-gadgets is similar to the gadgets you see in Vista, but better since there is a .deb for it :). Go here to grab the latest release, download it, and double-click on it to install the deb. If you want to have it start on boot, create a startup entry for it in System > Preferences > Sessions > and execute ggl-gtk or ggl-gtk -ns if you don't want the sidebar.

Finally, the menu bar.

The lastest release of gOS uses wbar for some reason, but from browsing the source it looks like the code hasn't been updated since late '07. So, I chose AWN (avant window navigator) instead. The fact that you can install AWN by installing it via apt-get install avant-window-navigator helps. :)

Ahhh, don't you just love Linux!

Looking to hire ColdFusion/Flex Developer (Addison, TX)

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:07:00 GMT

I am looking to hire a full time (on site only) ColdFusion developer.

The type of applications we work on range from support of old legacy applications to object oriented ColdFusion business layer with Flex 3 UI.

Experience working in frameworks is a major plus.

Industry: Mortgage software
Location: Addison, TX
Start Date: Immediate
Salary: Depends on Experience

About FICS:
FICS is a small, family owned company (50ish employees). Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Financial Industry Computer Systems, Inc.
(FICS®) specializes in providing flexible, comprehensive residential and commercial technology
solutions to the mortgage industry. FICS' solutions are designed around the latest technology,
while incorporating innovative imaging and Web-based capabilities into its full suite of products.

Job Function:

Troubleshooting/enhancing/support of existing web applications.
Developing primarily in ColdFusion with more and more Flex/ActionSript as we are moving towards Flex as our main UI technology.
HTML, JavaScript, CSS, minor image manipulation/creation (buttons, etc)

Requirements:

At least 2 years ColdFusion experience
Web design/layout experience with HTML, CSS and JavaScript
ActionScript/Flex experience is a plus
A good troubleshooting ability is necessary.

Please send resumes to aaronjlynch AT gmail DOT com

Thanks!

Aaron

Scriptalizer.com updates: yuicompressor 2.4.1 and CSS combination/compression

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 06:15:00 GMT

Couple quick notes on Scriptalizer.com:

I think it is cool that the app has quietly worked its way up to almost 40,000 KB of trimmed white space/carriage returns/etc (and even earned itself 18 diggs as of this post).

Today I rolled some updates out to the site. Scriptalizer uses the yuicompressor to do its minfication so I updated the jar to the lastest available version (2.4.1).

Now offering CSS combination and compression! There is an additional file upload element on the form now. Allowing you to upload multiple javascript and css files for combination and minification/compression.

Enjoy and PLEASE let me know if there is any odd behavior.

Thanks for reading!

AJL

Under Construction

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:04:00 GMT

Just in case anybody stumbles across my blog here in the next couple days please be aware I am re-skinning as I go. (yeah, that includes battling IE!)

Thanks for reading!

AJL

Simple Session Timeout for Flex App

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:15:00 GMT

If you have ever done any development in Flex you know that there isn't a good counterpart to ColdFusion's session management (ie timeout length and such). So, what do you do if you want to time a user out from a secure are of your Flex application?

The application in this case is comprised of many individual view components running through one single main view. So the code in my examples is located in that main view component.

The Timer:

"The Timer class is the interface to Flash Player timers. You can create new Timer objects to run code on a specified time sequence. Use the start() method to start a timer."

Once we have the flash Timer imported we need to create three methods:

One to initialize the timer, one to call when the timer is finished, and one that resets the timer. As you can see in the examples, any time the mouse moves the timer is cleared which has the effect of keeping our "session" alive.

The method initTimer() is called upon creationComplete of that main view component. creationComplete="initTimer()"

public var myTimer:Timer;     private function initTimer():void {      myTimer = new Timer(300000);      myTimer.addEventListener("timer",logout);      this.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_MOVE, resetTimer);      myTimer.start(); }  private function logout(event:Event):void {     //place code here to run your log out routine     }  private function resetTimer(event:Event):void {      myTimer.reset();      initTimer();  }

NOTE: For those wondering, this particular application does not require a session be maintained server side as we reauthenticate each request as it is received.

Brushing off the cobwebs

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 06:14:00 GMT

This is my first post in a long while (since July 17 of 2008 to be exact) and hopefully just one of many more to come.

What does this return signify? I am beginning to feel the urge to work on InstantSpot again. I think using the application will help me get back in touch with the users and with the app itself.

What changes are in store? I THINK I want to change the overall focus of this blog, less ColdFusion oriented and more general tech/linux/web dev/humor but also pay homage to the occasional cf_related topic. I also hope to reskin the blog, so if you happen to visit and things look all wacky, hopefully I "meant to do that".

As far as InstantSpot.com changes are concerned, I am starting out with some minor tweaks here and there...nothing too monumental just yet. I will detail those changes in a later post.

If anybody has any requests/complaints/etc for or about InstantSpot.com please let me know via my contact form or as a comment to this post.

Thanks for reading!

Aaron

Reencode videos for Blackberry 8100

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:35:00 GMT

After much searching/trying stuff I have found a way to successfully re-encode videos that can play on my Blackberry Pearl.

mencoder -vf expand=:::::4/3,scale=240:180 "[entervideohere]" -o "[enteroutputhere]" -of avi -ovc lavc -oac mp3lame -lavcopts vcodec=mpeg4:vbitrate=230:acodec=mp3:abitrate=64

Obviously you need to have mencoder installed

I am not completely sure what other dependencies there are, since I tried installing so many different tools....but I THINK you need the following: lame, ffmpeg .

Updates to cf_scriptalizer and InstantSpot.com

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:51:13 GMT

For those of you interested, I have made another slight update to my custom tag cf_scriptalizer. After implementing the custom tag on all of the InstantSpot.com user sites I noticed that I mistakenly left in code to rewrite the config file every time a new file combination was passed.

Now, it works as designed. Every unique combination of Javascript files is managed on its own, that way we don't have to have one generic combined/minified file.

The latest version of the tag can be downloaded here.

Updates to Scriptalizer.com

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:14:21 GMT

This morning I made a change to Scriptalizer.com to accept more known MIME types. So if anybody was trying it and getting the 0KB result, please try it again.

For those interested, a JavaScript file's MIME will look different based off of where it originates (browser sending it).

Here are the ones I know about:

text/ecmascript
application/ecmascript
text/jscript
application/x-js
application/javascript
application/x-javascript
text/javascript
application/octet-stream

Combine and compress your javascript files: Scriptalizer.com

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:37:00 GMT

After creating a custom tag and minifier component (using YUICompressor) I decided it would be a pretty neat service to offer to everybody. Last night I scrounged up a website and called it Scriptalizer.com.

If you want to test what cf_scriptalizer does to your javascript before you actually use the tag, you can try out the generated script provided by Scriptalizer.com.

NOTE: All source files uploaded is immediately deleted once generated.

Problem: WAY too many javascript files. Solution: cf_scriptalizer

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:44:00 GMT

Information about a custom tag to combine and compress javascript files.

Reading is fundamental: AJ's Summer Reading List

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:46:00 GMT

Recently, while I was reading and enjoying Atlas Shrugged (by Ayn Rand), I came across a list of books somebody suggested everybody read. Unfortunately I have forgotten where I saw it... But, I took his list, massaged it a little, and came up with my own.

Here is a list of the next 10 books coming up from my list:

Title	Author
The Great Gatsby	F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Prince	Niccolo Machiavelli
Slaughter-house Five	Kurt Vonnegut
1984	George Orwell
The Republic of Plato: Second Edition	Plato
The Brotherrs Karamazov	Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Catcher in the Rye	J.D. Salinger
The Wealth Of Nations	Adam Smith
For Whom the Bell Tolls	Ernest Hemingway
The Picture of Dorian Gray	Oscar Wilde

InstantSpot.com is open for business!

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:56:00 GMT

You might have noticed, ever since our Version 2.0 release, InstantSpot account creation has only been available for those with a valid invitation code.

Well, that is a thing of the past.

Thanks to all of our testers/users for helping us sort through any bugs encountered along the way. As always, if any issues are encountered please feel free to contact me directly or use the link in the control panel to report problems.

So what are you still doing here??! Go create your 'Spot now!

Windows and Linux...at the same time!

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:30:00 GMT

Be prepared ... cool geek stuff ahead.

I think I came across this blog entry on digg, but I can't remember for certain. But wherever the original source, it is awesome.

Long story short, you can run a virtual Windows machine (with vmware server) and connect to it via seamless rdp allowing you to interact with your windows applications right on your linux desktop.

Here is a screenshot example. You can see my Gnome panel at the top of the screen, and the Windows taskbar at the bottom.

While this is cool in a gadgety sort of way, it is also going to be so much nicer for IE browser testing and who knows what else.

Here is a blog post detailing exactly how to get your own symbiosis up and running.

NOTE: in the example below the "\" in his examples were removed for some reason... your launcher should look like this

rdesktop -A -s 'c:\seamlessrdp\seamlessrdpshell.exe c:\windows\explorer.exe' WindowsIpAddressHere -u YOURUSERNAME -p YOURPASSWORD

Windows-Linux-Symbiosis-Not-a-Dream-Anymore

Installing Vmware Server 1.03 on PCLinuxOS 2007

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:10:00 GMT

Recently I got the bug to try out a different Linux distribution on my laptop. I have been a die-hard Ubuntu user since I made the switch full time (haven't looked back since!), so after trying and failing to install Gentoo (guess I'm not L33T enough for that distro yet) I landed on PCLinuxOS 2007.

Once I got my development environment configured just like I like it, it was time to install a Windows VM so I can run some applications that I need at my day job (IE6,IE7, Flexbuilder, etc). For this purpose, I elected to use Vmware Server 1.03 (we already had that tarball downloaded).

When installing, I encountered an installation error that turned out to be somewhat commonplace.

Building the vmmon module. Using 2.6.x kernel build system.  make:  Entering directory '/tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only' make -C /lib/modules/2.6.22.15.tex2/build/include/.. SUBDIRS=$PWD SRCROOT=$PWD/. modules  make[1]: Entering directory '/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.15.tex2' CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/linux/driver.o In file included from /tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/linux/driver.c:80: /tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/./include/compat_kernel.h:21:  error: expected declaration specifiers or ... before compat_exit  /tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/./include/compat_kernel.h:21:  error: expected declaration specifiers or ... before exit_code  /tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/./include/compat_kernel.h:21:  warning: type defaults to int in declaration of _syscall1  make[2]: *** [/tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/linux/driver.o] Error 1  make[1]: *** [_module_/tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only] Error 2  make[1]: Leaving directory '/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.15.tex2'  make: *** [vmmon.ko]  Error 2 make: Leaving directory '/tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only' Unable to build the vmmon module.

To get past this error, a quick Google search turned up a patch called the "vmware-any-any-update" that needed to be run. (get that here).

Ok, so that fixed the first error but then I ran into this...

Building the vmmon module.  Building for VMware Server 1.0.0. Using 2.6.x kernel build system. make: Entering directory '/tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only' make -C /lib/modules/2.6.22.15.tex2/build/include/.. SUBDIRS=$PWD SRCROOT=$PWD/. modules  make[1]: Entering directory '/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.15.tex2' CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/linux/driver.o CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/linux/driverLog.o CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/linux/hostif.o CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/common/comport.o CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/common/cpuid.o CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/common/hash.o CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/common/memtrack.o CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/common/phystrack.o CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/common/task.o gcc: error trying to exec 'cc1plus': execvp: No such file or directory  make[2]: *** [/tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/common/task.o] Error 1 make[1]: *** [_module_/tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only] Error 2  make[1]: Leaving directory '/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.15.tex2' make: *** [vmmon.ko] Error 2  make: Leaving directory '/tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only'   Unable to build the vmmon module.

Another quick trip through the Google search told me that I just didn't have g++ installed. The easy way to find this package is to just open Synaptic and do a search for "g++".

Starting VMware services: Virtual machine monitor [ OK ] Virtual ethernet [ OK ]  Bridged networking on /dev/vmnet0 [ OK ]  Host-only networking on /dev/vmnet1 (background) [ OK ]  Host-only networking on /dev/vmnet8 (background) [ OK ]  NAT service on /dev/vmnet8 [ OK ]   The configuration of VMware Server 1.0.3 build-44356 for Linux for this running kernel completed successfully.

Create a custom pod with Sproutbuilder

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:44:00 GMT

Sproutbuilder is a new application that recently rolled out in a beta status. Basically it allows you to create widgets in a pretty nice Flex interface.

From their howitworks page:

Building a sprout is easy. Choose from dozens of pre-built templates or start from scratch. Drag-and-drop shapes, text, images, video, and more. Then add components such as slideshows, jukeboxes, and countdown clocks, as well as interactive services such as chat (Meebo), phone (Ribbit), fundraising (ChipIn), and more. Once you’ve got your content in place, use advanced editing and navigation tools to perfect your sprout.

Ultimately you end up with an embed code, like this

<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="180" height="171" id="sUAAKe0cDAJqAatXf"><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="align" value="middle" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff" /><param /><param name="movie" value="http://farm.sproutbuilder.com/17661/load/UAAKe0cDAJqAatXf.swf" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="http://farm.sproutbuilder.com/17661/load/UAAKe0cDAJqAatXf.swf" width="180" height="171" wmode="transparent" align="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" /></object> <img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/CIMP/Jmx*PTEyMDE3OTA5NTUxMDcmcHQ9MTIwMTc5MDk1NTY5MSZwPTEyMDc*MSZkPTE4MjgyJm49.jpg" />

Now, to add it to your InstantSpot site...gotta tie that in right :)

Log in to the control panel and click on the Widgets section.

Then, once you are there, you can click to add a pod, reorder, deactivate, etc...

Then, on to the end result...go look at your Spot.