Well after a weekend of serious rain, we finally got a nice day today. Therefore we began operation "Move Adam's Bed". Having spent the last couple of days in Glengary while Adam was at his new place we were waiting until it stopped raining to take the bed on the roof of my aunt's van. However, the unavailability of said van until today worked out weather-wise as well. What didn't work was getting the proper (or any) straps with which to secure the bed to the roof. So we removed the back seats and managed to get the bed in that way.

Then we unloaded it at the new apartment with the assistance of Adam's roommate and friend John. Then back to Glengary to get the seats and move a few last items over to my place. So this officially ends the 3.7 year Bate occupation of Glengary Apartments

You can read about it on any Mac forum, the Finder still sucks in Tiger. Still sluggish. Still mired in Classic problems.

Apple has released a much anticipated update to their consumer iMac line. The 20 inch model actually clocks in as a well equipped machine — with a 250 GB hard drive and a 2.0 GHz G5 processor. In fact all iMacs now have gigabit ethernet, 128 MB ATI 9600 video cards and airport extreme and bluetooth 2.0 built in. In fact this is better equipped than my Powermac minus one of the processors. In any case, if you were thinking about getting a desktop mac and wanted something a bit more substantial than the Mac mini, the new iMacs are spot on starting at only $1600 ($1475 educational).

Just an FYI to anyone building Object Oriented applications with PHP, the foreach construct which allows you to loop through the elements in an array does so on a copy of the array.

Therefore if you run through an array of objects with a foreach loop any changes to those objects aren't maintained outside that current iteration.

In PHP 5 there is a quick solution to preceed the value in the foreach with an ampersand (&). Otherwise the best way to loop through the array is with a good old fashion for loop — easy for numerical arrays, but with an associative array you will probably need to play with array_keys.

This may not affect anyone else but I just encountered that problem myself — something I knew about, but it can certainly snag things up if not considered. :)

Word is that Apple has already seeded an update to Tiger to fix 20+ issues that have been reported. While I think that Apple might have dropped the ball on this one by releasing Tiger a bit before it was mature, you know that that if/when this happens to Microsoft they simply call those issues "features" and will release a fix in a few months to a year. :)

It is speculated that this update will be available mid to late May.

Those of you who read the CSexchange will likely have seen this already, but it struck me as so funny that I thought I'd share.

Take a look at the logo for the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil. Sometimes it is good to step back and try to look at your work from different perspectives before you release it — obviously not done in this case. :)

For the first time since my aunt's wedding I was home this weekend — and last time didn't really count because of the traveling for the wedding. Actually I am still home right now watching the first season of 24 on DVD — not a show that I watched before, but that I am getting into today. The combo mother's day/birthday weekend has been good so far. With much laughter and BBQing. :)

I just finished reading The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown — and I must say that it was an amazing book. The version I read was the special illustrated edition which has photos and diagrams to depict some of the visual clues discussed in the novel. I had previously read Deception Point also from Dan Brown and that was enough to get me hooked on the author. The fact that this one is an international best seller — with many personal recommendation from friends didn't hurt the anticipation that I felt.

If anyone hasn't read this yet, I would strongly urge you to find a copy and give it a shot.

As RSS and Atom feeds become more pervasive — and news readers and aggregators become more popular with the masses — there is a great risk of abuse. The blame for this abuse falls everywhere: webmasters who create the feeds, vendors who create software to read them and the end-users. The issue centers on sampling or polling times from these news readers — they are just too fast.

Without counting I would estimate that I read about 25 different feeds on a daily basis. That means that for each of those 25 feeds I have to request a document on their server every time that I want an update. This isn't a whole lot different than if I had all of the respective sites bookmarked in my web browser and visited them every morning — while I'm eating my muffin. Say that conservatively, I only spend one minute at each site that I like to read. After 25 minutes I am finished. At this point however, it has been a while since I was at the first site that I visited — so I visit them again. And again. After a while I will notice two things: I haven't done anything useful all day, and the last couple times I was at each website there was nothing new to read.

Obviously this isn't behavior that one is likely to mimic — so most people tend to visit sites once or twice a day and all is well. However the news readers change this paradigm because they essentially automate the download of all of those sites that you would otherwise be reading. In fact, due to the simplicity and convenience, most people read many more feeds than they would otherwise. I will tell you that I certainly did not read 25 sites regularly before I started using an aggregator. Factor in millions of people each requesting all of their feeds every 30 minutes and you can start to see a problem.

Even more that a year ago, Wired wrote Will RSS Readers Clog The Net? which discusses this shift in content delivery paradigms from more of a global perspective. The internet wasn't designed for everyone to be using automated readers and as such there is speculation that this might cause some trouble for us in the long run if we aren't careful.

Another perspective is that of a site webmaster — RSS feeds are quickly becoming the most requested document on a lot of sites. Bandwidth and server load are serious considerations when feeds start to become even the least bit popular. A recent hint from Mac OSX Hints provides means to alter the frequency at which Safari — the recently RSS-aware browser for Macs — will update the feeds that it is tracking. This article is accompanied by a plea from Rob Griffith who maintains the site saying that the default rate of every 30 minutes is the fastest that he would want people to use.

Slashdot.org is the same, specifying that their system is set to automatically ban IPs that are polling their feeds more than once every 30 minutes. Ian mentions that he was banned recently for doing just that. I don't follow Slashdot so I'm not familiar with the feed contents or the site activity, but I would imagine that 30 minute is more than enough. I personally have my aggregator, NetNewsWire Lite set to refresh every four hours. Even set at that rate it is still a distraction and I might upgrade to the full version which allows you to specify a refresh rate for each individual feed.

Obviously a lower refresh rate is start to help the sites whose feeds you read, but there are responsibilities for others as well. One of the simple things that both content creators and software vendors have to be aware of are 304s. Most of us are familiar with 404 and 403 error codes returned from some web sites which indicate "File Not Found" and "Forbidden" respectively - however there are a lot more of those codes which we don't see. In fact, when everything is OK, the code is 200. Any page that might redirect you to another page likely responded with a 302 or 301 code. However, the 304 code which is used already for web browsers indicates: "Not Modified". Used with news readers, it is the servers way of saying that the feed has not been modified since the last time the reader checked and so it isn't necessary to download the content. In order for this to work, the reader needs to send the date and time of the last time it checked the feed. However there are other issues present as well.

If a feed is being generated automatically from the contents of a database every time that it is accessed than the server is always going to think that it is newer and deliver the whole document. From a webmaster's point of view it is optimal to only have the feed updated when the content changes or possibly even less often depending on the needs of the site. If you do have a dynamic RSS feed, than you might want to consider using a function like my setModifiedDate which you may take and use if you want. The other side of the coin is that some news readers which are quick scripts that someone has thrown together don't actually send the If-Modified-Since header with their request. Without that header sent by the reader, the server is going to return all of the content every time.

In closing — something to remember when you are setting up a news reader. If a site is only updated once or twice a day, do you really need to check it every 30 minutes? And if you only read your feeds when you have a chance, maybe you should consider using your news reader's manual refresh functionality — if it has it.

Is anyone else a little wary of the concept of self-replicating robots? While the potential usefulness of a robot that can repair itself is pretty clear, the inherent danger should also be considered.

If you haven't heard about Eyes then you don't know what you are missing — or as the case may be you don't know what you missed because the show is already in danger. There is petition available to sign online to help save it. More details can be gathered at SaveEyes.com.

Today I finally bought my tickets to Victoria to spend a few days checking out the campus in order to make sure that everything meets my standards. :) But seriously I am going to use this time to make sure that I can spend over a year of my time working there and to get a feel for the city before I eventually move out there in August/September.

I depart on Tuesday May 31 and I return on Sunday June 5. My flight back is the red eye and my flight out isn't much better but they were the cheapest I was able to get. I also have to stop over in Montreal and Vancouver on both trips, but I don't see it being a problem. I'm going to be staying on campus to get a real feel for the university — which will be interesting since I worked with Dal's summer accommodations office for a couple of years.

For those who haven't read about it in my forum, there is trouble in TV trading paradise. Apparently the MPAA is cracking down on a number of torrent tracker sites which provide a means to download and share episodes of popular television series after they air.

I think that I have made my position on downloading television shows clear in the past, but I will reiterate. In general, I'm not one to download a lot of "copyrighted" material — although I will admit that I certainly have in the past. Back in the heyday, when hoarding MP3s were in vogue I was known to use Napster, but when the ball dropped on that I reluctantly let go. Unlike many I didn't stagger around trying to get a new fix from Kazaa, Limewire or god knows how many other file-sharing applications were born in the wake of this transition.

Call it laziness perhaps, but I couldn't be bothered with file sharing — the inconsistent behavior and unpredictable results were frustrating — not to mention the unholy violation of your computer by the applications themselves. No thanks.

Instead I downloaded music from MP3.com which at the time provided legitimately free music from independent artists. Occasionally I would buy CDs when they were warranted. Fortunately the music that I enjoyed most wasn't under the deadly talon of the RIAA. DJ sets and other electronic music proliferated in this time — and for a while it was good.

Then with the spread of broadband came the spread of video distribution. The thought of downloading a 350 MB file over dial-up was enough to make you wake up in a cold sweat. Now it can be done in a matter of minutes. And once again I partook. Being in university at the time, movie swapping became second nature — especially in residence. And it was fun while it lasted, but that fad passed pretty quickly — for me anyway. If a movie was worth downloading then it was probably worth buying on DVD and that was what usually happened. Otherwise it was like a free rental. So in my case anyway, it was the rental companies who were out because of my movie downloading.

None of that has to do with TV though. TV episode downloading is more of a recent thing for me. I only started downloading TV episodes about a year ago. And it was great for me — originally because I didn't have cable and it allowed me to follow my beloved CSI without having to find myself somewhere else to watch it. Then once I did have cable — it allowed me to fuel my addiction to the 10+ shows that I watch(ed) each week. I could stand to miss an episode here or there knowing that I would be able to download it later that night or the next morning.

Not only that but it was because of torrent tracker sites that I found out about new shows. Because none of the shows that I already watched were on ABC, I would never have heard about Eyes without the help of a centralized download site. I downloaded the first episode on a lark after seeing it on the list of recent shows. It was episode 101 which meant it was brand new. I watched it later that week and I was stunned — one of the best shows I had ever watched and I to think that it might have slipped by me. And as I pointed out yesterday it might slip away anyway.

This is where I point out the difference between TV/movies and music. When a song or album is released it probably isn't long before it ends up on file sharing networks. So if I wanted to get Moby's newest album Hotel, I could likely do it illegally on some music swapping network. However, I can also buy it on the iTunes Music store, or failing that in an actual music store.

When a TV show airs, if you didn't tape it, then you are SOL because unless the show catches on you might never see it again. Not all shows make it to DVD or syndication. And those that do you are looking at about 5 months at least before a DVD hits the shelves. The same thing goes for movies — but there is the difference that movies are self-contained entities and you have the ability to see them multiple times in theatres, at a time convenient to you.

The fact remains that I would gladly pay for episodes that I missed if they were available in a timely fashion. That is the reason that I have bought so many TV shows on DVD — they are great quality, often contain enticing extras and I can watch them whenever I have the time.

If you read this whole thing, I apologize, it was just a need for me to vent my frustration about the possible abolishment of many sources of TV torrents. However, on the other hand I can come up with a compelling argument to watch shows on TV as opposed to downloading them if you have the choice - networks don't count the downloads that a show gets towards it's relative popularity when considering whether to keep a show on the air.

However, my two reasons for downloading TV episodes:

1. Watching later if I missed it (Time shifting - legal)
2. Watching later if I enjoyed it (also Time shifting)

in both cases I will likely end up buying the DVD of the show if given the chance. Thanks for your time.

Over the weekend I finished Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. This book is the prequel you could say to the widely acclaimed The Da Vinci Code. Looking at some of the book lists however, I see that Angels and Demons is gaining a lot of repute in it own right. And I can see why — this book is amazing. I had a hard time putting it down — which lead to a couple of late nights — and in the end I think that it was better than The Da Vinci Code. At the very least it provided a different kind of satisfaction. Whereas there was more intrigue and riddling in The Da Vinci Code, this book was more suspenseful and "action-packed". Angels and Demons takes place first with the same main character, but I don't feel I missed anything important by reading them in the opposite order.

Overall the book is highly recommended.

I've finally submitted my application for the University of Victoria. It is one of those things that they want you to do before you actually start attending. I've ordered my transcripts and one of my two reference forms is in the hands of the person filling it out. So now I just have to wait to hear from Tony about my second reference and I'll be all set.

All of the major networks except CBS have leaked their 2005/2006 television lineup which outlines which shows are new, which continue from last season and which are getting the axe.

CBS broadcasts all of the CSI shows, Without A Trace, NCIS, and Numb3rs — so I don't know about them, but this is what I do know about the shows that I (and quite a few others I know) watch:

• Medium — renewed
• Las Vegas — renewed
• House — renewed
• Eyes — cancelled
• Medical Investigation — cancelled
• Lost — renewed
• West Wing — renewed
• 24 — renewed

Most cancelled shows were new ones that didn't make it past one season, but some are longer running shows that have finished like NYPD Blue. Quite a few new reality shows didn't make it thank God.

The good news for those mourning Eyes and MI is that there will be something like 13 or 14 new dramas appearing in the fall (again not including was CBS tosses out) so there is hope that something good will come of it.

Source: The Futon Critic

If you use Safari and have ever accidentally closed a window with 10 tabs open, or you have hit Cmd-Q instead of Cmd-W then Taboo is for you.

The 10.4.1 Mac OS X upgrade was released today — and I am installing it right now. The documentation seems to indicate that it should fix some of the problems that I was experiencing. There were also a number of other fixes for problems I didn't have, but some of them sounded like they would have been a pain.

The upgrade is available from the Software Update.

I'm no copyright lawyer but I don't really think that the guys that re-skinned Temco's beach volleyball game into Nude Beach Volleyball are in the wrong. To me it seems analogous to creating an offensive Windows XP theme pack and distributing it. The only difference here is that the game wasn't meant to be skinned.

However, the issue probably stems from the clause in the End User License Agreement that might say something like: Thou shalt not modify this game.

Obviously there are some rights you have with items which you have legally purchased like if I wanted to buy a toaster and toss it off the bridge into the harbour. I think that the grey area exists when you buy something, modify it and then try to distribute that thing.

Kinky shopper KOed by vibrating knickers

CBS — which is the most watched of the major television networks (thanks to help from hits like CSI and Survivor) — has released their proposed lineup for the fall.

All of the CSI shows will be returning to the same time slots as before. In fact Thursday hasn't been touched which means that Without a Trace still follows CSI. As well Numb3rs and NCIS are returning to their previous time slots. There are also a couple of new shows that are going to be introduced. Some of them look good, some of them — not so much. Time will tell I suppose.

I have created a page that outlines the fall primetime lineup.

Source: The Futon Critic

• Bicycle/Tricycle Hybrid — This interesting tricycle becomes a bicycle at faster speeds.

• Netscape 8 Launched — New version uses both Firefox and IE engines to provide a hybrid browser.

• RFID + DVD — A scary bit of research work going into providing absolute restrictiveness with digital content.

I've update the TV lineup page to include FOX. Due to American Idol and 24 starting mid-season, their schedule is shuffled earlier in the week in January of 2006.

After spending a very pleasant, albeit rainy long weekend at home, I just got back into Halifax. The room is definitely getting sparse now that I have moved my TV and large shelf unit home. I was home for about 5 minutes before I went looking for a movie that I thought I dropped behind my chair. While looking, I noticed that my mousetrap turned ant-trap had a new larger occupant. Yes, once again, I had caught the mouse. Whether it is the same mouse as before is something that I may never know, but what I did know was that I wasn't going to let him get away this time — once bitten, twice shy as they say. So I very quickly donned my sandals and mouse-handling gloves and went in closer to investigate.

The mouse was fully in the trap this time around and not struggling in the least. I felt that it was possible he had just decided that struggling wasn't going to work — so I had to make sure he wasn't still alive. I didn't want him to reanimate when I picked up the trap scaring the life out of me in the process.

So I poked him.

Nothing.

Comfortable that I wasn't going to have an embarrassing repeat of last time I decided that I could risk snapping a couple photos. So I did. Then I picked up the trap and stuck it in a nice Jack Fraser's bag and tied it securely. Then I stuck it in another bag and tied that as well. Then I dumped the whole dead mess into a dumpster down the street from my place.

A relatively unceremonious end to an otherwise interesting struggle. I am going under the impression that I am now mouse free and that I have won the battle. I may not be here long enough to determine one way or another if that is the case. I was worried that I might have to concede defeat when I moved out. But it looks like things just took care of themselves. To think that if the glue traps hadn't been so successful at catching ants, I might have gotten rid of them a while ago.

It takes all kinds I guess. Like wearing tin foil hats.

Today was the big day. The day I walked across the stage with my peers to receive my Bachelor of Computer Science degree from Dalhousie University. It was a long road filled with 40 courses, 3 co-op work terms and 5 years of priceless friendships and memories. I don't have many photos yet, as I am waiting to get some from my mom's camera, and those cameras of the many others who grabbed shots of me.

For now, you will have to manage with the photos I took of myself this morning before I left for convocation. :)

Lion vs. Midgets

I have uploaded most of my mother's photos and a couple that were on Chris's camera. These photos are pretty much all of me, but like I said, they are my mother's photos, so one shouldn't be surprised.

Dalhousie Convocation Photos

There are always nice things about moving home: home cooked meals, sanitary bathrooms, and of course a pool. However, that moving process itself can be a bit of a pain. I've lamented about moving before. But this time it is worse it seems. On the bright side, my mom painted my room an interesting green colour. I've yet to try to live in it, but I do like the colour — something a little different. Light enough that it isn't gloomy and dark enough that it isn't boring.

And this time around, all of my stuff got shoved into the living room which is a nest of disaster for the time being. Hopefully I can get things sorted away within the next day before I turn around and head out to Victoria for a week.

I think that I am all packed and ready to go to Victoria. I haven't had the chance to fly nearly as much as I would have liked during my university career thus far, but I imagine that is going to change. The last time I flew where my final destination was inside Canada was back in grade three when I went to Calgary and Edmonton with my aunt. Since then it has been overseas a few times and into the States on occasion.

Today was one of those rare days that it was really nice here in Pictou County but pretty crappy in Halifax — weather-wise of course. A nice change to be sure where it has been raining non-stop forever it feels like.

I am currently in the Halifax Airport waiting for my first flight. So far no problems. I don't expect any, but hey one never knows. I will continue to report on anything interesting — or not interesting that happens.

I'm not talking about airplane bathrooms because to be quite honest, I don't even hope to be able to squeeze into one of those metal tombs. I'm talking about the petite salle de bain in the Montreal airport. Maybe I missed the sign that says that if you are carrying bags and you plan to use the bathroom with a shred of respect then you might want to try the one down the hall. And maybe there is one down the hall — I didn't see one though. I guess I'm spoiled from the nicer Halifax airport bathrooms. In any case, the flight went well and I'm just as sweaty as I knew I would be. Oh well.