The Getty

Written by Ben on October 30, 2006 | 3 Comments

The J.P. Getty Museum in Los Angeles, how I wish I lived closer to it. Driving from Orange County to the Museum takes a long time. Regardless, I was really glad to have made it out there for a visit with my aunties when I had just returned from Europe– hence the same cloths and my messenger bag that are seen in my Europe pictures. The day was hot and sunny, I was relaxed. What more could I ask for?

Well, I just got copies of that day’s pictures; here they are:

Posted in Life Stuff

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Python, Eggs and Dreamhost

Written by Ben on October 29, 2006 | 2 Comments

Dreamhost, my web host, does not yet support Python2.5, and one can’t install Python eggs into Dreamhost’s own Python installations. The solution? I just installed a custom build of Python2.5 into my $HOME/opt directory. The following is the script I created to automate that process:

# Obtain Python2.5 and unpack
mkdir $HOME/downloads/
cd $HOME/downloads/
wget http://www.python.org/ftp/python/2.5/Python-2.5.tgz
tar -zxvf Python-2.5.tgz

# Creating the location under which python (and other apps) are to be installed.
mkdir $HOME/opt

# Go into the Python2.5 directory, make && make install the thing
cd Python-2.5
./configure –prefix=$HOME/opt –enable-unicode=ucs4
make && make install

# Create a bin directory for Python, and link the bin to the real executable
mkdir -p $HOME/bin/python/bin
ln -s $HOME/opt/bin/python $HOME/bin/python/bin/python

After the installation, I edited the bash_profile file to add the bin path:

export PATH=$HOME/bin/python/bin:$HOME/opt/bin:$PATH

Now with a custom installation of Python, I can use eggs to manage my Django projects’ library dependencies.

Posted in Python, Web

2 Comments

Does this site make me look fat?

Written by Aaron on October 27, 2006 | 1 Comment

So I get the honor of inaugurating our new style with the same old substance that has kept almost a third of you coming back for more

Let’s track opinions in the comments, I’ll start:

I miss the amazingly sublime shot of what I was told was the berlin metro in the banner, it was slick.

 I like the new color scheme, and while I can’t go into any detail without betraying my inner…interior decorator I will say that the new color scheme feels more tech-savvy. I did not just say savvy.

I fear I’ve said too much…

Posted in Life Stuff

1 Comment

retrevo.com

Written by Moe on October 23, 2006 | 1 Comment

A link that was brought up during a metting at work, its pretty cool. Check it out. Find the doc to your 2 year old camera that you still haven’t figured out how to use…

Posted in Life Stuff

1 Comment

You Gotta Start Somewhere

Written by Ben on October 20, 2006 | No Comments

What’s life like around BadPopcorn? Well, it’s geeky to say the least. But “normally odd, oddly normal” feels like an apt description of us. And while writing is one way we communicate about our life, our work, and our thoughts, I don’t always think it’s the best way to relate. Another way? Well, let’s try it with Our Talky-Bits: Episode 1– Hey, you gotta start somewhere with this new audio-thingy-a-ma-bopper-medium.

Posted in Entertainment, Life Stuff

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A funny thing happened to me on the way to post the Podcast

Written by Aaron on | No Comments

So, there’s gonna be a podcast. Our podcasts are called Our Talky-Bits…or at least they were called that when I was writing the post about them.
Most of said post was written with Bennie looking over my shoulder…I’m not saying he was telling me to write the post diferent, but he was. Buttmunch made me take out the part where I acknowledge that we might simply lose interest. Which is fair, because we have yet to abandon a project due to disinterest. (italics mean sarcasm:) ). Silver lining, I originally had a typo when I called him a buttmunch, and he fixed it. Words fall short of describing the feeling that gives one, though “/giggles” comes close.

Long story short, my post died, Bennie described it as Wishy-Washy and not self-confident. As with everything I enjoy, it was absolutely dripping with self deprication. Which is not, in and of itself, lacking in confidence. I was quite confident of the deleterius comments I had written, one could even say supremely confident.

So, yeah. The OTB is either currently up, or going up soon. It is short, and at least moderately comical, like my Man Parts ( No way in Hell I’m letting that line die, Ben). I assure you, gentle reader, that short does not mean un-funny, Shakespeare once said “Brevity is the soul of wit” at about one minute our wit has soul…and is Super-Bad.

That was vengence against Benny for killing my LL Cool J reference in the original post…he just don’t know ‘cuz he not from ‘da streets.

Both this post, and the deleted post that inspired it were written on a Devil Machine which was apparently named for the archfiend that first envisioned it the Dark Lord Mc Intosh. Trust me no fouler beast has ever been borne, I mean the machine, not the demon. Demons get a bad rap, they can all Cut and Paste with the proper button combinations, you know the ones.

So…The point? Listen to OTB Webisode one: You Gotta Start Somewhere. As long as we don’t get Deth Threats there will be more to follow…maybe with midgets, and a dash of Cayenne.

Just one last thing.

You Down with OTB?!

-Aaron “Yeah You Know Me” Adams

Posted in Entertainment, Life Stuff

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Keypress & AutoComplete in Firefox

Written by Moe on October 12, 2006 | 1 Comment

If you have a javascript console open while using the firefox browser you’ll notice this error from time to time.

Error: [Exception… “‘Permission denied to get property XULElement…”

It doesn’t cause any problems with the site other then the error popping up and guess what…it works fine in IE. Why? So i searched around and I think it might be an autocomplete/keypress bug in firefox. Just add the attribute “autocomplete=off” to any input that you catch keypress event on.

input type=”text” autocomplete=”off” name=”BadPopcornIsBetterThenYou”

The only reason I fixed the error was because I really like using the JavaScirpt Console in firefox. It is quite annoying when this error pops up every keypress…so like a million times. So yea, fyi for you.

Posted in Life Stuff

1 Comment

I guess it’s not that bad

Written by Ben on October 11, 2006 | 1 Comment

Over the years, I had developed an absolute hatred in my heart when it came to Javascript and DOM programming. No one big specific reason, just all the little annoyances: browser incompatibilities, debugging sucked (was tedious), never found any javascript library helpful or easy to use (this includes prototype, MochiKit, and Dojo), etc. Let’s just say that I would have rather gotten teeth pulled using rusty pliers.

But I’ve come to rethink my position… I can now stand, even enjoy, Javascript programming. Wow, what could have possibly happened to me (a once huge Javascript hater) to actually like it now? I give you the three reasons why:

1. I started to work the Javascript language as it were actually Scheme (or similar functional language), closures and all.
2. I found the Firebug debugging plugin for Firefox. I will never have to use an alert() call ever again :).
3. And the biggest reason why I changed my mind: I found jQuery. This libary removed all the little pains I listed above, and released me in a way that I could focus on doing #1 above.

Take those three, and mix it up with with a Django powered backend… I am thoroughly confident that Javascript does not suck.

Posted in Computer Science, Web

1 Comment

FBbook

Written by Moe on October 4, 2006 | No Comments

I just finished reading FBbook by Karel M Baloun and loved it. You can buy and download it off his site for only ten dollars. It is well worth ten dollars and kudos for Baloun for keeping it cheap. By the contents Im confident he could have sold it for more.

As an early engineer, I reveal the inside of Facebook’s explosive growth as it became the premiere online environment for US college students. Including, how and by whom products were made, how you can use them best, views on what makes social networks valuable, and where this industry trends are headed. You too can achieve startup success, and attain any dream; I will lead and inspire you towards your greatest potential.

He takes you from Nan and Curry to the people and personalities behind facebook. If you are young and ambitious then its a must read. Seriously…ten dollars and you have a better prespective on the whole web 2.0 social networking buzz word that is taking over the world. Let me know what you think of it.

Posted in Life Stuff

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