Blog

Stopped Using Things

Because iSlayer is Awesome

2008-07-10

I posted awhile back about my attempts at using Things for my GTD needs. While Cultured Code has made an amazing application, even in beta, I was finding myself with features I didn't want and missing some features I did want.

As such, I've learned to make due using a fine combination of iCal and Mail for to do lists. Now, with the addition of something new from the fine developers at iSlayer I have a wonderful little widget that lets me integrate perfectly into this system I've got going. Organized is the name of the new widget and I think it fits precisely. Now, I don't have to leave Mail or iCal running for all the times that I'm on my Mac (which is a lot).

Organized is beautifully crafted, as all iSlayer widgets and products that I have encountered. As you can see from the screenshots on the web page Organized is dominated by the calendar at the top, which is just how I like it. Beneath are four tabs: clocks, notes, events, and to dos. I do not often use the notes and I have yet to have a real use for clocks. However, having events present (with which you can see events in the coming days) has been extremely useful for getting my head around an ever more populous calendar.

The last tab, to dos, is the tab I use most. Mostly because it adds such a simple, quick, and perfectly powerful list. While at the same time, those to dos work their way back into the rest of my system, for when I do have Mail or iCal open, I like to have access to those to dos. I've learned to organize my buckets as calendars that accurately represent my life. Around these calendars I create groups that mimic the major focuses, life and work. Perfect!

Verizon Fios Internet & TV

Using Your Own Router, Not the Actiontec Router

2008-07-08

The basic steps are as follows:

  1. Order Verizon Fios
  2. During installation have the installer turn on the ethernet port in the MOCA, not the coax
  3. Have the installer leave you with a "NIM"
  4. Setup your router as you would have with any other ISP
  5. Connect the "NIM" to your router
  6. Connect the "NIM" to a coax port in your house
  7. Have the installer connect and activate your television set-top-boxes (STB)

Now for some explanation

I think ordering should be pretty self-explanatory. However, I have not said anything about why a sane person would wish to do this instead of letting the nice Verizon installer do their job. It's all in the hardware Using the Actiontec router Verizon provides is fine, if you've never had a wireless home network before. For the rest of us, being allowed to use our own, existing, setup is not possible without the foreknowledge or the will to fight for the information.

Onto the more technical stuff

The MOCA is the box that is left outside of your house. Essentially, it receives and interprets the signal. It takes the place of what we once called a MODEM. In this box, there are multiple connections, one of which is the standard ethernet port any Linksys, DLink, or Apple router knows and loves. There is also a port that passes the network information over a coax (short for coaxial) cable. This is the port left on by Verizon normally because the Actiontec router (which, with a simple google search, one will find is nearly worthless) is intended to work with it. Using the ethernet port is required so that every other brand of standard router will operate.

Next, we set up our router in much the same way it would be set up with a DSL or Cable ISP. Verizon uses the standard, DHCP, to give your router an IP address. At this point, assuming the internet has been activated by the installer, you should be able to get on the internet at the wonderfully blazing speeds that Fios provides.

The last major step is asking the installer to give you a "NIM". I never found out what "NIM" stood for, but it's purpose is clear. In order to get access to the programming guide or to video-on-demand services your STBs must have internet access, too. The "NIM" should have two ports. The first is an ethernet port and the second is a coax connector. Can you guess what to do? Plug an ethernet cable from your router into the "NIM" and plug a coax cable into the other port. The final coax connection should be made to any coax cable outlet in your home as they are all inter-connected. The "NIM" acts as translator in place of the Actiontec router and provides internet access for the STBs to use. The STBs do have ethernet ports (at least the latest Motorola box Verizon provided) but internet access does not appear to be the purpose, but rather, home network connection for certain media-sharing capabilities (music, movies, pictures to the TV).

At this point, the installer should be able to simply plug in all of your STBs and activate them as needed through Verizon.

Disclaimer: I am not a Verizon technician. If for some strange reason any of these instructions mess up your system I take no responsibility as these are only the methods that worked FOR ME. Your Mileage May Vary!

Getting Things Done

With More Than Mail

2008-06-04

Getting things done apps are over-complicated to-do lists, in my mind. As I said in a previous post, I enjoy using iCal/Mail To-dos for three reasons. Speed, simplicity, and I already have one of those applications open already. However, I was evolving and growing in my workflow. I needed to find a few more features in my to-do tracking. Some original ideas included "archiving" instead of deleting completed to-dos and a better way to display the information, if only in showing which is the next to-do in different orders. Sorting to-dos in Mail is fairly simple, and iCal is even worse.

Between TUAW and MacApper I was able to select two applications to try. The first is called Things and is a full-blown application. Things has a fantastic user-interface, a great feature-set, and is under constant development. At the same time, I did not use all of the features the application already had. Things is still new software. As such, some of the polish is missing at this time but, it is still very usable and very beautiful. The largest negative point for me is that Things is an application unto itself. I already have plenty of windows open and I do not wish to find myself spending more time tracking my to-dos than actually doing them. This is a very minor issue and one that I will likely live with as my needs evolve further. Lastly, the price is a little steep at nearly $50.

The second application is called Dejumble. Unlike Things, Dejumble lives in the menubar only. Although I don’t like to clutter my menubar the ease of access is phenomenal and instantaneous. The feature set is not as complete as Things but, given my needs, that is just fine. The application and interface have a few flaws. First, the included themes are all beautiful except when the description font is impossible to see. Second, the search box would be extremely handy if it did something. When I first tried to search I typed in a word I knew was in the descriptions of a few to-dos and waited for a live search. Nothing happened so I hit enter. Unexpectedly, this created a new to-do using the form just below the search. Deleting this new to-do required I open iCal or Mail and, the delete would not remove itself in Dejumble’s list. Lastly, a to-do with none of the fields filled in should not be made a to-do without a warning message or some other notification.

Neither of these applications scratches the itch completely but, both are close enough that they may warrant use. I will probably use Dejumble for the trial period, monitor the improvements made and then make a decision. I am absolutely certain that Things has or will have all that I need but, I don’t want to spend $50 without a need. I am thankful for Leopard because without its features, none of these applications would be as useful. As always, Mail still gets the job done.

Ezra Announces Engine Yard Express VM Image

A Slice of a Slice

2008-06-01

Along with Vertebra, which isn't available for use just yet, Ezra announced Engine Yard Express. Express is a clone of the software and configuration used in an Engine Yard Slice. This is another amazing development. Engine Yard customers can now have a development or staging environment on their own machines that mirrors their production environment. Everyone else can simply see how powerful Engine Yard's stack of software really is. You can download Engine Yard Express , right now. Warning: the image is 343MB.

Ezra Introduces Vertebra at RailsConf 2008

Configuration Through the Clouds

2008-06-01

Ezra Z.'s talk at RailsConf 2008 started out normally enough but, his first point of order was to introduce Vertebra. Vertebra is similar in purpose to Capistrano. Instead of using a linear interface such as SSH, Vertebra uses XMPP (the protocol used in Jabber) to deal with thousands of concurrent operations. For me, this is the most exciting announcement of RailsConf not because I do much with cloud computing but, because I want to, and this is just another piece of the puzzle. The whole process of XMPP providing presence -- like jabber instant messaging -- and running on an Erlang implementation of the jabber server that is hugely, horizontally scalable.

It appears that you can use a jabber client or a command-line client to interact with the system. All sorts of things are capable. The examples Ezra gave included everything from requesting RAM and CPU statistics to rebuilding systems. Map/Reduce type scatter/gather dispatch for discovery and deployment is easily possible with the protocol in use.

Ezra coined a new acronym today, CREST, which stands for cloud REST. Along with this Ezra displayed an example that was built on Merb to show a Ruby interaction with the cloud using RESTful processes. Resources have URLs, just as they should.

All in all, this process seems to be a platform that other cloud services could be built upon. I can't wait to dig right in considering he demoed the service running live.

Merb is Not Rails

And That is Okay

2008-05-29

Merb is not Rails.

If that statement isn't simple enough for you let me, like Ezra and Yehuda , explain why Merb is not Rails, why this is good for both Merb and Rails, and where this will lead both projects in the future.

Ezra laid out the simple fact that there is no competition between Rails and Merb. This comes down to “scratching different itches”. Yehuda’s post reiterated this and added a few more important “why”s. Yehuda’s main point is in the goal of “hackability” of Merb as a framework in comparison to the “get-up-and-go” goal in Rails. Each serves a purpose. Merb’s goal is one that served as my impetus for seeking out a Rails alternative. I still use Rails because in many cases the “get-up-and-go” route is exactly what I need. Rails should stick to its guns, philosophically just as Merb should.

Yehuda’s second great point is that those that work on Merb often work on Rails and wish to see the experimental developments in Merb move into Rails. His example of note is the “provides” api (which many, many Merb people love). In the future I hope that Merb as a testbed for Rails continues with a bit more stability in Merb, perhaps.

At the moment I need to bring more stability to my own install of Merb. I have continually worked with the latest and greatest Merb because of my need to stay on the cutting edge with DataMapper.

In the Coming Days

So Much to Do

2008-05-27

The short story is: Viget is being extremely generous and is paying for me to travel to RailsConf this year. Despite the fact that I have only been in their employ for three whole weeks. I'm extremely happy working there and I only hope that I am living up to their expectations of me.

I am excited to go to RailsConf for two reasons. First, I have never been to a conference before, any conference, and I really expect to learn a lot in the sessions I am enrolled in. Second, I may finally get to meet many of the people I talk to on the irc chat rooms for Merb and DataMapper. People like Yehuda Katz, Ezra Z., Adam French (who I think is going), and a coworker from Viget South, Ben Scofield, who will be speaking, as well. All in all I have extremely high hopes for this trip.

In other news, I've got draft copies of many, many blog posts. The problem is trying to decide where they will be appropriate. Some are about the beta for Dropbox (my favorite service, at the moment), including some nifty tricks. Another post is a followup to Getting Things Done with Mail and iCal combined with a review of the GTD application, Things. On the Viget Extend blog , I've got some ideas for posts on topics ranging from Microsoft Exchange calendar subscriptions in iCal to accessing the LDAP global address list from Address Book.

Vision Online, Now Focus

The exciting tale of a Merb Application and branding

2008-03-11

I have spent my free time, nights and weekends, working to create a new version of Vision, online. For those that do not know, Vision is the peerless, just-in-time, inventory control and point of sale system for the retail liquor market.

The project was originally titled Vision Online. That name is simple and it works with all of the branding that ICS has already done. However, this product heads out on its own and addresses a slightly new market. As such, a new name was a must.

Thanks to a stroke of genius by my associate Chris, we've switched to the name Focus. The name is brilliant for three, important, reasons. First, the original product is named Vision and Focus is just that, a focusing of the features and benefits of using Vision. Second, the use of this product is intended to focus the users' inventory until it is as close as possible to just-in-time. Lastly, a function of a person's literal vision is the ability to focus. We are hoping that this reincarnation of Vision will enable a user to focus on getting their inventory in line and online.

Solidifying this branding was important for me, as a developer, because it provides a northern star, a guiding light, to my goal. The meaning that branding holds for a user is realized many times over, for me. It is an important aspect of development, keeping the goals, ideals, and vision of the product, in mind.

Webby - Part 2

Essential Features

2008-04-13

In my first post ( Webby - Part 1 ) I gave a basic description of Webby, a ultra-lightweight content management tool. In this post, I intend to cover the most essential features of Webby, starting with the creation of a new project and an overview of the rake tasks. From there I'll cover some of the helper methods that come with Webby.

What is Webby Doing?

Webby is useful because it allows the use of Ruby code as well as helpers, layouts, partials, filters (more on that later), and templates. From this Webby will create the file structure and html (or xml, atom, rss, etc.). This, seems to be done, in a very basic sense, by "running" the Ruby through one time and saving the files created. This is similar to what a page cache would do but, it is done manually due to the infrequency of an update.

Install Webby

First, in order to use Webby you have to install it. Thankfully, there is a gem, making this step very simple. Open the Terminal application (or what you would normally use to install a gem) and install Webby (with any dependencies). sudo gem install webby

Optional Installs

Personally, I like using Haml, so I installed that already. Webby is able to use a series of "filters" to make use of Haml, Sass, Textile, Markdown, and by default, erb. On top of the filters available to transform text, Webby has support for CodeRay and UltraViolet syntax highlighting.

Create a Project

Onto creating a project. Webby comes with a command, webby. We use this and the name of our project in one command and Webby will create the structure for the project, in the current location in the filesystem. To view the full list of options for the webby command, add the -h/--help flag (Hint: there aren't many). webby your_project_name_here

Rake Tasks

Many Ruby developers are experienced using Rake. Change to the project directory in Terminal and try this. rake -T The most frequently used tasks (for me, at least) are: rake create:whatever
rake autobuild
rake deploy:however The create task is provided a type of document to create (from a template). By default these include a page, a partial, or an atom feed. I will discuss adding to these templates in my next post. The autobuild tasks starts the included heel webserver and builds the files whenever it detects a "dirty" or changed file. This is very handy in development because you can instantly check your changes in a browser. Finally, the deploy task. Using either rsync or ssh, Webby will deploy the output files to your designated webserver.

Until next time you should read the official tutorial from Webby.

Next time I'll talk about extending these essential features, making Webby an extremely powerful tool.

Webby - Part 1

An Introduction to Webby

2008-04-13

Webby is the best tool available on the web (especially for Ruby developers) to manage the content on a website. When I say website I mean a general class of website that has no dynamic content. Websites such as personal blogs are ideal candidates for Webby as they only change when a new post is made. Webby is essentially the lightest, most hackable CMS available.

In my case, I needed a tool to create a website that was not database- backed but, the content changed frequently enough to warrant a simple means by which I could update and makes other changes. Having been working with Ruby and the Rails/Merb frameworks, I wished I could have the rendering abilities and helper methods of these frameworks. However, both require massive resources in comparison to serving up static files. Therefore, both were overkill with all of their abilities designed for web applications.

In this ongoing series of posts I will do my best to cover Webby and some of the features of Webby that are not fully covered in the tutorials. Also, I would really love to help out anyone interested in Webby that is not sure that Webby will meet their needs (and don't have time to dig into Webby itself to find out).

Check back tomorrow for my next post in the series on some of the essential features that I found in Webby, but not in the documentation.