Well, I think I know what my next big purchase is going to be. A motorcycle. And I swear it’s not some macho guy thing (c’mon, me, macho? I barely pull off meek and unintimidating). I’ve been playing with the idea for a while actually, and I figure with gas breaching $3.50 a gallon, an 80MPG 250cc bike is sure becoming awfully appealing. And I’m not talking a Harley. They are too big and too expensive. I need a Diet Coke type motorcycle.
Consider, let’s just assume I buy a new bike, rather than used. Drop a grand down, make $90/month payment (realistically a small bike I can pay off in a year). The amount I’m saving in gas would actually be paying for the bike. Compare: V8 Lincoln LS - 17MPG in town against a Yamaha V Star 250 - 80MPG. We’re not talking a minor little difference here. This is about a 5 fold increase in fuel economy. And a bike with a little 250cc engine isn’t going to let me get into any trouble. It’s not racy, it’s light, it’s easy to handle. Good starter bike for a guy who has never ridden a motorcycle before (my two wheels are normally pedal powered). Plus 250’s apparently hold their value well, because of the fuel economy and the fact that there are always new people looking for starter bikes.
I’m really just trying to decide on what I want. Honda and Yamaha have tempting bikes at this size, the Rebel and the V Star 250. And they’re nice looking bikes too. Small, but they don’t look like toy bikes. At least to an amateur like me. Of course, my parents will probably slap me stupid for it, but it’s not like I’m wanting some 1100cc cruiser (yet). It’s either that, or I’m riding to work this summer on the mountain bike I got at the police auction today. I’m leaning towards the V Star, since it appears to have a little bit nicer equipment all around. I’m going to see about checking one out on Monday.
Unfortunately, to get one used you really have to be in the right place at the right time. Surprisingly, Harley’s are easy to come buy in the for sale ads, but they still aren’t cheap. So, we’ll see if I get lucky. I have a way of doing that once in a while (not that way, you perv). Oddly enough, there’s a Kawasaki Vulcan Classic coming up at an auction next month, but unfortunately for me it’s way to big.
Luckily, my dad served as a lesson in how not to ride a motorcycle, when a semi pretty much nearly squashed him on the highway when he was a kid. I’m in it totally for practicality. That, and I’ll look like a total badass stud.
By now, you might have heard of the new Adobe Integrated Runtime, otherwise known as AIR. AIR is aimed at allowing developers to create rich internet applications that are capable of running on a user’s desktop, regardless of operating system. Think Java, but geared more towards self contained web applications. It also results in comparatively superior looking applications. I mean come on, anyone else think Java is generally ugly?
The Adobe® AIR™ runtime enables you to have your favorite web applications with you all the time. Since applications built for Adobe AIR run on your desktop computer without a web browser, they provide all the convenience of a desktop application. Companies like eBay and AOL are using Adobe AIR to create exciting new applications that allow you to use their services on your desktop. In short, Adobe AIR means applications that are easier, more powerful, and more fun to use.
With AIR, you can slap some XHTML and Flash together, and create an application on it that can run independent of a browser. It’s finding wide adoption among crowds like Twitter users. Groups that are looking for applications to plug into a web site’s API (Application Program Interface). Check out Twhirl for an example, it’s what I use to keep up on Twitter. So, this is all super neat, right? Applications install with little more than a couple clicks, and can auto-update themselves to boot. Nice in Windows, but this could be invaluable in the Linux world. Can you guess why?
I run Ubuntu 8.04b on my laptop (I love installing 20 updates every day!). My desktop dual boots XP/Ubuntu (it swings both ways). I’m slowly transitioning to the geek side. But, I fall far short of calling myself a Linux guru (you may still refer to me as Sir, though). I can do anything in Windows, but in Linux…well…I’m like a sixteen year old boy on prom night. Actually, I’m getting much better than that, but for years the largest barrier to entry for me has been installing software. It has gotten easier with RPM’s, apt-get, and Ubuntu’s Add/Remove Applications interface, but if something isn’t listed you might find yourself jumping through a number of hurdles to get things going. And let’s be honest, how many “average” users could master the art of ./configure, make, and make install? Easy for a geek, hard for Grandma Jane (don’t hit me grandma!).
That’s where this whole AIR thing caught my attention. Turns out, Adobe has got an alpha version of AIR for Linux released. Keep in mind, it’s only for testing and not fully functional (like your mom), though I’ve only noticed a little graphical quirkiness so far. First off, the install is fairly painless (though must be done through the command line):
user@system:~$ wget http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/linux/adobeair_linux_a1_033108.bin
user@system:~$ chmod +x adobeair_linux_a1_033108.bin
user@system:~$ sudo ./adobeair_linux_a1_033108.bin
The installer pretty much does it’s own thing. From there, you can now find and open up an .air file for an application that you want to try out. Sizlopedia has got a nice list of 10 good AIR applications that you can start with. That’s where the whole gap bridging takes place. It’s almost like running your basic install.exe file. The browser will ask if you want to open it with Adobe’s handler (hint: you do), and it runs and installs like a Window’s app would for the most part. Painless. Simple. Easy (hint: also like your mom). And what makes it more perfect is that the process doesn’t differ between using Windows or Linux, so if you’re transitioning, it’d be completely familiar to you.
Which is why I ask the question: could this be part of the key to really mainstreaming Linux? It has always been my opinion that application installation has been the single largest barrier to entry Linux has faced in the general market. If this concept could be passed along to general application installation (like an RPM, only better), I think things would change rapidly. Naturally, that’s just my opinion. But it does make the OS and AIR based applications immediately useful, without any guessing, and that’s really what the install.exe-bred users need to smooth a transition to a new and foreign OS.
The great part about today’s blog, is that the people most likely to read through it won’t get much out of it because it’s all old news, and the people that would benefit the most probably will skip it because usually my tech blogs aren’t so entertaining. So, if my tech stuff normally doesn’t interest you, take the time to read this one. The rest of you, read it anyway. You owe me. You know why.
I’ve been thinking a lot more about the social web lately. Hopefully, it’s been thinking about me too (Why won’t you return my calls?!). My experiment with operating solely through NetVibes was neither a success or failure. You could call it a “failcess.” Some things worked, some didn’t, which I think is to be expected. After all, Facebook doesn’t want to reveal their whole system through their API (Application Program Interface), since they want you to keep going to their actual site so they can show you ads. Heck, MySpace hasn’t even opened an API for use (shame on you MySpace, you’re in danger of becoming the next Netscape as it is). So as a social web consumer, there’s really only so much that you can do effectively. As a social information provider, however, that’s a different story.
How many sites do you have accounts on? MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Youtube, Digg, Hi5, Beebo, Flickr, LiveJournal, Technorati, Last.FM…? This list can go on and on. The great part is that there are sites making a good effort to help you centralize ownership of your web identity. SocialThing, Profilactic, FriendFeed, Tumblr, and plenty of others. The best part is, not only do these sites help you mashup feeds and information from friends, they can help you take some ownership over your own identity (they know how to make a mean chocolate shake too). More than any other time, potential employers and clients are doing background checks on you through things like Google. Imagine for a moment your name was John Wilson. Are you confident all the hits would be right if someone was looking for you? Turns out, John Wilson is not an uncommon name. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could send someone somewhere, where you maintain (the appearance of) full disclosure, and can provide correct, confident links to sites about you?
First step, buy your name as a domain. Vanity domains are becoming increasingly popular (and occasionally sexy), and can be valuable as a tool in promoting yourself professionally (I’m looking at you, Midwest Melissa). It also keeps someone from trying to be a fake you, like your evil, goateed twin that keeps trying to take your place. Suck it up and spend the $7.95 to register it, then spend a few more bucks either on hosting or point it at a blog or whatnot. Step two, I mentioned Profilactic, which is what I am using here to handle my social identity control. Granted this domain is not a vanity name, but it’s still the one I send people to. On the sidebar, I created a section called “My Stuff” and plugged in the code Profilactic gives you:
Now, I have an instant gateway to my sites, and my visitors can be confident that anyone else out there with my name can be distinguished from me-me. Not only that, but it also creates a convenient way for me to get to my own stuff as well. In effect, what you are creating is your own social portal type of page. A page that becomes a central repository of links and gateways to the things you want people to identify with you (you might leave AdultFriendFinder off that list, just a suggestion). Providing a resource like that will also discourage people from looking elsewhere. If you have two MySpace pages, one nice and professional, and one that you made three years ago that you forgot the password to where you have…sexy pictures…having this kind of portal you can preempt a search and send someone to the current page.
Hopefully you see the obvious value this would create to you as a web site consumer. Centralization is the big thing now. Finding ways to simplify and streamline access to your data, wherever it might be located. Having your own site also opens up additional centralized solutions, like using your own blog/site URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) as an OpenID login (I recommend MyVidoop as a provider). Not everyone is on the OpenID train yet, but it’s growing fast. It never hurts to have options like this available to you should you want to leverage them, and it all starts with taking control of your identity. Know the size of your digital footprint. It’s easy to forget just how much stuff you put out there and make available. It’s also easy for it to get out of date. The better job you do controlling it all, the better you ultimately serve yourself.
Hot on the heals of the initial release of my Grayplicity Wordpress theme, I’m presenting you with v1.1. I wanted to get this one out quickly to address a couple small issues, and improve the usability of the theme. 1.2 will be a little further out probably, as I’d like to do some more AJAX (Asynchronous Javascript And XML) work with it, which will take more time to build in (commenting, integrated ThickBox, search, etc).
Full details and a download link can be found on the Grayplicity project page. You can find it by clicking that link, or by hitting the button at the top of the sidebar, or by going through the Projects page link in the header. Some of the changes for this version include:
If you are using 1.0, I recommend upgrading to this version. You shouldn’t notice any breakage, and will find several things have been improved. If you have questions related to this release, feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me (though comments can benefit everyone and are encouraged). Also, I will try to answer questions regarding the theme as they come in. If something looks out of whack, or you want to know why something won’t display properly, I will attempt to help. Some tweaks were made for 1.1 based on these kinds of questions.
Addiction is an evil, nasty thing. It destroys relationships, eats away at your dignity, and leaves people helpless. It becomes a driving force in a person’s life, taking away a certain degree of free choice. And such is my curse. Forced to give in to unnatural desires and walk with an evil shadow over me.
I couldn’t help it. It’s hard when you have an enabler in your life. Especially one that offers a 40% off sale at your weakest moment (when you have 80 cool dollars burning a hole in your wallet). As a result, I walked out of Blockbuster today 11 movies heavier. Eleven. Only four of those were even on my current wishlist. At this rate, I will easily break 500 movies before the end of the year. That will be a dark day indeed.
This is nothing new. I’ve mentioned it many times, my collecting problem. I just never cease to amaze myself with how quickly I will just grab and pile up movies. I’m back to stacking them on the floor too, having ran out of shelf space yet again. I’m smart about it at least. I always buy previewed, and when there’s a sale. Using today’s sample as an example, I usually end up spend around $7.00 per movie, give or take. I have found that pretty true across the board. Based on that average, spanning 479 titles, that’s $3353.00 in movies, not counting tax (which would bring it up to nearly $3600). I wonder if I should itemize this stuff for insurance purposes…
And, much like a heroin junkie who needs increasing amounts to be satisfied, I keep buying more. I can stand at my shelves endlessly at times, not able to find anything that sounds like it is worth watching. That’s pretty insane when you consider how indiscriminately I purchase movies. Oh, and my wishlist is still about a hundred strong. In fact, it hasn’t shrank really at all over the past couple of years.
The only solution? Hollywood must stop making movies. Then I’d have nothing to buy. Simple, elegant.
In all seriousness, I look forward to having the opportunity to build a home theatre. I big one. My dad has built a few for people over the past couple years, and they’re awesome. You’d never want to watch a normal TV again. Can’t really do it here though, because my house doesn’t have room for it…yet…Just wait. I have…ideas.
More secure than passwords.
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