Gentoo has just pulled a monumentally stupid trick on me. There I was installing mod_log_sql on my webserver. After adding the proper settings to my apache conf file, I ran apachectrl graceful to restart the server with the new settings. Apache restarted fine, but when I checked a site ALL MY PHP CODE WAS SHOWING IN THE CLEAR. Naturally this kicked in panic mode. I brought down the server, took out the config lines I had added, and started it back up again. The PHP pages were still not running, and everything was open to public view. An hour of worrying debugging later while begin to run way late for an event I was supposed to be at, I found the problem. If you run the apachectrl - that gentoo installs for you - it will start up apache without php. In order for things to work, you must use /etc/init.d/apache start.

Drew Olbrich has done techie things that most of us don’t even dream of. It makes me want to pull off at least one wild bit of hackery every so often. I’ll probably start out by make up some kind of program to play soft whooshes every time braino.org gets a visit.

I’ve used smarty for several web projects. It is a great way of doing things. When combined with DB_DataObject, you can get some really clean php code.

My only gripe is that I have to chmod several directories every time I install a small project that uses it. So for tiny projects, I just use .php files as page templates instead of Smarty.

Jon Udel is onto bayesian content filters now. I hope this is an idea whose time has come.

bq. …and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks…

You know you are a geek when: You understanding the way your dog thinks and acts by comparing him to a bayesian spam filter, instead of understanding how a bayesian spam filter works by comparing it to your dog.

One thing that initially scared me about using silverorange intranet is that it is a subscription, not a one-time purchase. A few months ago, I would not have even considered using software on subscription basis. But my thinking changed when I was thinking of services I could offer over the internet to take advantage of the current ridiculously low prices for bandwidth, rack space, and computer hardware. Charging a monthly fee for a hosted “solution” began making much sense.

As a programmer:

• Constant money in
• Much, much easier to support a product running on your own servers.
• Much easier to do continuous development, and to be in tune to your customers

As a customer:

• Someone else is responsible for making sure the dang thing is working
• Always using the latest version
• Bugs get fixed much faster.

The biggest risk though, is if the company with the solution will to stay in business.

I’m giving the silverorange intranet a two month trial. I’m planning on getting addicted. It even turns out it was originally designed for exactly what I’m going to use it for.

My friends know I spurge on user interface. From working on a mac instead of a clunky, crashy PC, to the 20 inch Apple LCD, to the Touchstream keyboard, everything I “touch” while working has to be slick. The silverorange intranet is pervasively slick. Every corner I’ve poked my nose into just plain right.

So for tonight, I’m happy.

There is a World Potato Congress. Fear humans. Their mission: ‘The World Potato Congress Inc. is dedicated to support the global growth and development of the potato.’

When I first saw the link to World Potato Congress on the silverorange portfolio page, I thought it would be some kind of joke site. I was wrong. It’s so serious, it’s almost funny. ‘…the proud sponsor of the world’s most diverse potato conference.’ and ‘…by creating links of communication and information sharing throughout the world potato community’

I usually avoid learning algorithms. What ever language or database I’m using should be smart enough to be efficient. However, this article on Storing Hierarchical Data in a Database is very eye-opening. I’d never considered a “Modified Preorder Tree Traversal” before.

Mark Godwin left his mark on the internet with a well crafted meme - “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.” Everyone has heard it.

I did not know it was a deliberate experiment though. He wrote his story about here in a wired article in 1994. Meme, Counter-meme.

It’s fun to think that one person can change the internet society, “by accident”. It’s scary that one person can change the way we think and talk “on purpose”.