Streaming AVI video to the iPad & iPhone

A few weeks ago on Twitter, I asked the lazyweb if they knew of a way of streaming an AVI (or really, any video format that is not directly supported by the video player) to an iPhone for viewing.  This was before the iPad, so that was not even a consideration.  There were a number … Continue reading Streaming AVI video to the iPad & iPhone

One week with the iPad

Please bear with me as I type this review directly on the iPad — on Pages to be copied into WordPress — while reclining on the sofa. Although I have used it in a number of other ways, my intent right now is to get a good feel for using it in this particular real-life … Continue reading One week with the iPad

Migrating from Kindle to iPad: An Illustrated DRM Primer

Over the weekend I made a tweet that several people asked about: Basically, they wanted to know how to convert DRM protected Kindle books over to ePub books that will work on the iPad. I love the fact that Amazon was able to release a Kindle app for the iPad on the very first day, … Continue reading Migrating from Kindle to iPad: An Illustrated DRM Primer

The Game Grid is powered by Unix

I first saw the most recent Tron Legacy trailer when jwz posted the video a week ago.  I remember seeing the brief scene when the kid is looking at the computer console and being mainly focused on the on-screen keyboard.  “Oh yeah, I remember that from the original Tron.  They had iPad keyboards long before … Continue reading The Game Grid is powered by Unix

My personal devolution in shaving

Back in ye olden days, when people still used the word “ye” in a non-ironic fashion, folks shaved with knives.  That is, when they shaved at all.  Archeologists have found shaving blades dating back to at least 3000 BC.  In the late 1700s a Frenchman was looking at a carpenters’ plane — that thing used … Continue reading My personal devolution in shaving

The Mantis plugins keep coming: Tag Column

Over the weekend, I introduced a plugin for the Mantis bug tracking system that enforeced a “fixed-in” version when resolving an issue as fixed.  If you missed it, you can visit the ForceFixedIn project page or the related blog post. Today, I would like to add another Mantis-related plugin to my list of projects.  This … Continue reading The Mantis plugins keep coming: Tag Column

The Hipster PDA Scrabble cheat sheet (v2.0)

A while back, I made a Scrabble “cheat sheet” that fit in the standard Hipster PDA 3×5 index card format. I used it for a few weeks, both in playing the Scrabble board game and Words With Friends. Unfortunately, it never quite worked the way I wanted it to. A couple of weeks ago, I updated … Continue reading The Hipster PDA Scrabble cheat sheet (v2.0)

Forcing a fixed-in version with the Mantis bug tracker

At the office, we use Mantis, a powerful PHP-based bug tracking system. It offers some great control over process and workflow, but not quite the granularity that I need. Specifically, I work in an environment where it is vital that the “fixed-in” version is filled in when resolving an issue as “fixed.” Without this, there … Continue reading Forcing a fixed-in version with the Mantis bug tracker

The simplicity of WordPress upgrades

One of the complaints I have heard about not running your own WordPress installation versus going with a managed service like Blogger or LiveJournal is that it is difficult to maintain. Specifically, that it is difficult to upgrade. This is why, about six months ago, a worm went around and took down a bunch of … Continue reading The simplicity of WordPress upgrades