Information Technology

XBMC – Possibly the last media player I will own

Jan 22nd, 2012 | By | Category: Streaming Media, Weekend Warrior

  Part I – XBMC Live About 6 years ago I purchased my first media player – the then newly launched Pinnacle Showcenter 200. It was an exciting new device with countless possibilities. It helped define a market that previously had not existed. Alas, Pinnacle’s acquisition by Avid in 2005, the ensuing lackluster support and product [...]



Should I build on 6 or 7? (Drupal 7 Module Availability)

Jul 7th, 2011 | By | Category: Information Technology

Below is a list of my favorite Drupal modules and their availability of a stable/recommended version for the Drupal 7 platform. I merely assembled this information based on data from Drupal.org and I cannot provide recommendations based on personal experience with any of the modules. Modules in red are currently not available for Drupal 7 [...]



ASP.Net MasterPage: How to use the page name in CSS skinning

Jul 6th, 2011 | By | Category: Information Technology

Sometimes it can be convenient to create CSS styles that are unique to a specific page context, either because a page requires a special rule or override due to its features, or because some style rule must be applied based on the page context. I have used this for instance in Drupal skinning when a [...]



Why we don’t need to be concerned about the Epsilon security breach

Apr 5th, 2011 | By | Category: Consumer Protection, Ethics, Security

In case you have not heard or read about it, take a look at this WSJ article before you continue. But why shouldn’t we be concerned? The short answer: because this incident represents only a tiny sliver of the problem and so many other breaches will follow that it really makes not difference if you [...]



Vertical Response – How can a subscriber update his or her profile?

Mar 24th, 2011 | By | Category: Software Best Practices

Vertical Response only includes an ‘unsubscribe’ link in their emails by default. The ‘forward to a friend’ link is not enabled by default, but can be added. I have a number of custom profile fields that subscribers can fill out on the Optin form, and I want to include a link in the email where [...]



T-Mobile Customers Against an AT&T Takeover

Mar 21st, 2011 | By | Category: Business, Consumer Protection, Ethics, Mobile Devices, Smartphone

Nothing good can come of the proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA by AT&T. This will lead to essentially a 2-player cell phone market (Verizon and AT&T). Some quotes taken from various news articles: “We know the results of arrangements like this — higher prices, fewer choices, less innovation.” (Public Knowledge president Gigi Sohn). “AT&T will [...]



QNAP NAS – Porting a Joomla Site

Jul 9th, 2010 | By | Category: Content Management

I am in the process of migrating my NAS content from a Synology RS-407 to the new QNAP TS-459U – very exciting. I will do performance comparisons soon, and the Synology device will end up on Ebay in a few weeks. For now I just want to report a small issue that cost me a [...]



Copying Visio Drawings Without A Loss Of Fidelity

Jun 29th, 2010 | By | Category: Information Technology

Copying Visio 2007 drawings and embedding them into other documents can have startling effects. Lines can get routed differently, breaking a careful layout. Dotted lines can appear as solid lines, making it confusing to distringuish between different types of objects. There are 2 important things to know that can help avoid these issues.   Use the [...]



T-Mobile and Android – All Quiet on the Western Front

Jun 20th, 2010 | By | Category: Mobile Devices, Smartphone

The mobile providers’ device lineups are ever-changing, and the forces that create the dynamics are difficult to understand. Six month ago, when the Google Nexus One was announced along with T-Mobile as the initial service provider, this subsidiary of the German Telekom appeared to be on the cutting edge of the promising Android market and [...]



SQL error: not an error

Jun 15th, 2010 | By | Category: Mobile Devices, Smartphone

“SQL error: not an error” is an odd SQLite error message that can be confusing. It stumped me for a moment. The fix is quite simple: C:\Android\android-sdk-windows\tools>adb -e shell # sqlite3 /data/data/com.pod.tripsnmiles/tripsnmiles/tripsnmiles sqlite3 /data/data/com.pod.tripsnmiles/tripsnmiles/tripsnmiles SQLite version 3.5.9 Enter “.help” for instructions sqlite> select * from trip; select * from trip; SQL error: not an error [...]