just so ya know…

…if you’re using mod_python and Apache 1.x do not, under any circumstance, upgrade to gcc 4. Bad things happen to your server. Also, don’t tell me I should be using Apache 2. I know that. I may make zulu upgrade his code, because that’s really the only reason why we aren’t. But still – Apache […]

flight patterns

When I started at SGI, the company was a lot more than over-priced graphics workstations. There was a tonne of work in data visualisation; taking huge quantities of data and presenting them in a visual format that’s easier to understand than just the raw numbers. One of the most compelling demos we had was a […]

cool tool

Have you ever spent a few hours out and about with your shiny digital SLR snapping pics, only to come home and discover your sensor had a bunch of dust particles, and your pics need some serious retouching to get rid of all those grey blobs? I know I have, and sometimes using a blower […]

happy canada day!

On this day, 139 years ago, our big little place on the big blue marble was created. My parents were married on the 100th anniversary, and the 125th anniversary seems like it was only yesterday. Happy birthday to the place I will always call “home”, no matter where I end up. *sniff* (and ya, I […]

must have missed the memo

Remember the special envelopes that used to be included with Christmas cards sold here in Canada? You know, the ones with the 6 boxes on the bottom line for the postal code, all by itself? Those things have, until this point, led me to believe that leaving the postal code all lonely on the bottom […]

roundcube beta1

3839 The folks over at the Roundcube webmail project have released (8 weeks ago) the first beta of their web client, and it’s installed for all the friends and family to give a whirl. Unfortunately, a preview window didn’t make it into the beta release, although I’m not convinced that’s a bad thing from a […]

bodum makes me happy, then sad

/misccrap/blog/bodum_breakage I purchased some of Bodum’s nifty double-walled glasses from the fine folks at Green Beanery last week. They are pretty darn cool, and each one has enough subtle imperfections from being hand-blown that they’re all unique. They work as advertised, and keep your drink nice and cool, with no condensation on the outside at […]

just in case you folks in ontario and quebec forgot…

So, how many people pay attention to the bill stuffers that Bell Canada sends you? Didn’t think so. When I worked there, it was identified as the preferred method to send any information that wouldn’t be well received by the customer as studies showed a ridiculous percentage of customers tossed all the extra material without […]

good to know

Toilet flush handles have a reverse thread. This information is useful if you’re trying to replace a broken one, as it may spare you the use of the brute-force method to remove the old handle. Next time I’ll try both directions, or having a look at the threads and determining which way is the right […]