I love add-ons in firefox. I love them to the point that I over do it sometimes. I install experimental ones. I experiment in writing some. That leaves my Firefox very bloated and swelling with a bunch of nonsense that doesn’t need to be there. The best part about it, is I simply Export my bookmarks, AppZapp Firefox, re-install and import bookmarks to start all over again on a clean plate.
Firefox, I love you.
MacBook Pro, I love you more. You make my life smile.
With receipt in hand, my new iPhone won’t be here till Wednesday, but I couldn’t wait any longer.
Heh.
Sometimes you have to indulge on what makes you happy, so you can temporarily forget about the monster that’s destroying my body.
Nothing like messing up some hidden apache2 file somewhere deep inside /etc/
Well, I did. I’ve been doing a lot of that lately. Maybe because my brain is dying. I was riding the rail the other night with ruby and after realizing that I had installed my gems incorrectly I reinstalled. Then I got an idea for a Java program I was working on so I jump over to Netbeans 6.1 and I realize that I had a gem I wanted to install there too, so completely distracted (doesn’t take much) I start installing some gems and plug-ins and … oh noes.
CRASH!
There goes Netbeans 6.1 … I try to open it again and I get this:
Just great. After many searches through the Googlespere I find out there is some apache file that calls Xalan.jar and makes it a very unhappy jar file breaking some class that Netbeans 6.1 calls. So I had another Bright Idea™ (I really should be careful about those big idea’s). I’d just delete Netbeans 6.1 and re-install. Nope, didn’t work. I thought I would re-install apache2 with macports. I got this error:
Great, so the all mighty macports won’t even install apache2 again. I went to xMod and let it check and fix my files and permissions. Ya, didn’t work. So, I had to do the long road. Reinstall completely with my last Time Machine backup. But, then I had another Bright Idea™ .. I re-named my /usr/local folder and try to re-install apache2. With success I got:
Yet, it didn’t fix my Netbeans 6.1 problem. Sigh. Let me go try out another Bright Idea™ …
I have been, BUSY. So busy that I’ll be writing to my advisor tomorrow to drop one of my classes. I think I’m going to drop Java, I think. I’ve been staying late at work mostly due to our lack of competent support staff. I’ve had to fix a lot of mistakes lately for people. It’s extremely frustrating. I’ve been handed this huge job of configuring and maintaining the Altiris Helpdesk, including custom automation, setting up notify rules, and building custom forms that integrate into the software and database itself. I’m not a DBA, but I feel like I’m soon becoming one.
The other night I was playing around with Ruby on Rails. It was a lot of fun. Even with all my web development experience, I never really learned about database stuff. I just knew how to set up MySQL to work with whatever web application I needed. After playing with Ruby on Rails I learned a great deal about SQL syntax and how to install, and create databases (through command line). Fun stuff. Dangerous for me however, because my idea bank really starts to expand when I learn new things. When I get to work Monday my head was exploding with all these idea’s for Altiris Helpdesk and how I was going to make it rockin’. I’ve already done some code customization work to it that was noticeable to everyone right away so that was good. Even a little encouragement and the idea’s in my head explode. That’s where I get into problems. I have to start one idea and take it all the way, then start another idea. I tend to switch what I’m doing about every 5 minutes, it even annoys me. Point is, there are some things I want to start working on now, like the custom forms but that’s not exactly the most important or demanding feature they want implemented.
So when I learned that the IT Director wanted to get the email notifications and automation running first I thought, shit. I’m going to have to document all of this. My mind works with visuals so to make these automation tools the idea’s explode but if I don’t get them down in a flow chart of some kind I get lost and I can’t keep up with my brain. So I spend a lot of today writing those logic flows out, and I spent a lot of that time being completely distracted with down systems and down networks.
I’ve been so busy dealing with work fires (you know, shit just breaks sometimes) from our sites it’s emptying my tank fast. I was on a conference call for 2 hours tonight, and on the phone with network engineers for an hour and I wasn’t done working on putting these fires out until midnight. That’s a 14 hour day today people and keep in mind that I’m a full time student. Yesterday I wasn’t done until 10 PM. Do not want fires, I want to work on these projects and get my homework done and stuff.
I’m still not feeling well.
This is a little embarrassing, but I just had to do it. I was running out of desktop space.
So I decided to mount my 20″ Dell wide screen monitor and my 13″ LCD HDTV to the wall. I feel like I’m in a cockpit now.
My new set up in my office
I can’t get over how incredibly easy Apple makes it to learn their framework and to dive right into Cocoa programming. I’m a member of Apple Developer Connection because my passion is creating, coding and developing. When I first dove into Cocoa and Objective-C programming and signed up for the ADC program Apple pretty much got out a silver tray and handed me every tool I would need to create neat, fast and stream-lined OS X and iPhone applications.
The Library’s Apple offers are huge and they are actually built into XCode (the apple developer tool). I’m a visual person so I’m much more prone to video than I am having to read gobs of technical jargon. Apple takes care of people like me and with my learning style. They offer both introductory video’s, advanced video’s and everything in between. Not only can you find these video’s on the Apple Developer web sites but you can also find the video’s on Apple’s iTunes and download them to your iPhone/iPod/Touch to take with you.
Like I said, I thrive on this stuff …
Well, I had quite the day. This morning I was installing some software and in the middle of it it stalls, everything froze and I did the worst thing possible. I lost patience and held down the power button to reboot my mac instead of waiting. When my Macbook Pro started back up it was at the start up screen with the apple logo and the rotating gear. FOR A FREAKING HOUR. Sigh. It wouldn’t boot. I tried everything, I even tried restoring from Time Machine, but nothing was working.
Then I start freaking out … Because I have a shit load of homework to get done for the projects due tomorrow and I’m already wasting hours trying to get my computer back up.
I rush to the apple store right before they were going to close. They thought it might be the hard drive but I made an appointment to have it checked out for tomorrow today at 12:15 PM.
When I get home, I just figure I’ll try to restore the hard drive by reinstalling a fresh copy of OSX. Previously in safe mode it wasn’t seeing the hard drive and after using first aid and trying to repair the OSX volume it failed. This time, when doing a fresh install it saw the hard drive and it took the install. Then when it was back up I restored everything but the applications folder from Time Machine (because it was faulty software that did it in the first place I think). Then I selected the applications that were critical to school and to my functioning from Time Machine and HURRAY! My Mac is BACK!
Granted it’s 2 AM and today was completely wasted and I’m going to be going through some serious crunch time in getting this Java homework done, but ..
But I haven’t felt a personal connection with a computer in a long time. Years actually. This is 100% due to the frustrations of Windows. Ever since I got my Macbook Pro my computer experience has been restored and I have this personal bond with my projects again. Weird I know, but I am a professional computer geek who wants to know the ins and outs of everything dealing with technology.
I’m just glad I’m back. I didn’t want to suffer through using my Vista computer while my Macbook Pro was sitting in the apple store getting fixed. That reminds me, I have to call and cancel my appointment for tomorrow today.
I recently moved my site to This* (one of my sites, this one will be going shortly) and I know I’ve written about them before but I have to write about them again, because they impressed me with personal touch.
I got an email from Jules, the Technical Director who was proactive and manually moved my site without waiting to hear back from me.
Hi Jenny,
As a new client of ours and having been with us for a couple of weeks now, I’m just e-mailing to check up on the service you’ve received so far. How has everything been? Do you have any comments, suggestions or other feedback for us that may help us improve the service for yourself and others in the future? Any and all comments are welcome so feel free to speak your mind!
–
Best Wishes,
Jules Robinson - this* Technical Director
I emailed Jules back quite the book.
Hello Jules!
Let me start out as saying I have never been treated by any company as I have been treated by ThisWebHost. My jaw is still dropped to the ground thinking back through the few weeks of my new membership with you.
I give you, and This* a standing ovation :: stands up and claps ::
The extremely quick set up was completed 45 seconds after I hit the “sign up” button. I was extremely busy at work that day and I didn’t get back to you about moving my site, yet you were proactive and completed it for me before I had a chance to check my email (and I know full well that it’s NOT part of the hosting plan to manually move sites, it’s only part of the plan to move sites that had certain cPanel services). My site has been blazing fast, and you guys are AWESOME.
I’m a software engineer and I’ve been in the “business” for 10 years now and I have never seen IT folk so personable, friendly, and helpful. You work for an extremely wonderful company and I hope to find a company with as much integrity when I graduate from college.
I’m going to tell a little story that happened to me the same day I signed up with This*. I went to get my hair cut at this new Fantastic Sams close to my work. The gentleman that cut my hair was extremely kind and talkative and we sat there talking 30 minutes after he was done with my hair. It wasn’t but 2 days later I get a card in the mail from him to say thank you for the conversation and he hoped I had a good time with my family who was coming into town. It wasn’t one of those thank you notes that was pre-printed. He took the time and energy to thank ME, when he was the one that cut MY hair. The point I’m trying to make is, This* did exactly that. You go the extra mile and you truly care about the care of the customer. Consider me your permanent customer, and I’m in the process now of transferring my other two sites over.
Please feel free to forward this to your boss, their boss, and their boss. I want to thank everyone!
Jen
YES! They are really that amazing.
Well, it was sort of made of win. Pepper went to the vets to get his cast off today. After taking xrays his vet decided that his little bone isn’t quite healed good enough and they put another cast back on him for the next 2 or 4 weeks. Poor little guy, I’m sure he’s forgotten he even has 4 legs.
Other than that, it was a great day at work. I’m getting a lot done, and I have some huge projects on my plate for the week which feels great. I also got a raise, and I happen to be one of the two in my department that aren’t … :: cough :: … leaving the company not by their choice soon (if you know what I mean).
So what does that mean? That means I get more money, and they think I’m a smart valuable cookie. That makes me feel good 
Got Brendan a new phone today too since he put his through the wash. It’s an LG Shine (black). It’s amazing how phones really haven’t come super far, of course when they aren’t iPhones. 
Finals going on today and tomorrow. I haven’t been playing WoW because of this, and because I have to pull off at least a B in these classes. I miss WoW 
This time it was a guy and a girl. The guy actually knew what he was talking about, using those big tech words in the correct way. This time I actually listened.
I’ve had Comcast for as long as they had broadband internet in my area back when I lived in Fort Collins, Colorado. At that time I was high on speed, internet speed that is. It was like a totally new experience. Before I dove into the word of broadband I had a 50 ft phone cable plugged into the back of my laptop which went wherever I did in my condo. But this new broadband thing, I never had to sign off, I never had to hold up the telephone line, it was like any young geek girls dream. Ever since the beginning .. I had problems with them but I was living in cyberspace and it was the only alternative I had. When I moved to Florida, it was the only alternative I had. When we moved to Georgia, it was the only service available with such speeds, but the problems never quit. When I think of Comcast I have this bad taste in my mouth reflecting on bad experiences, shotty service, and extremely poor customer service.
AT&T fiber is going to give me HDTV (when reading all the forums it’s supposed to be way better than Comcast), move my current phone number over, and feed 10mbps through fiber optic paradise right into my house.
One of the big sellers for me was if we had any problems AT&T would send out a tech within 24 hours. That’s unheard of with Comcast.
I’m excited. I’m not canceling Comcast yet, but I can’t wait to drop them if this service is better.
Oh ya, and I fed the guy and girl that were here. Because they were cool.
I like playing with software and I’m always trying to understand complicated software like Final Cut Studio …
Anyway, to my 4 year old beagle, Jonah.
I’ve been wanting to re-design my site for quite a while now but lack of time, homework and work I run out of time in any given day. Jesse gave me Cory Miller’s 411 so that I could make a mock up of the site and he could code it for me. I thought that would be a great idea until I started working on the site mock up. Out comes Photoshop CS3, CSSEdit, and Coda. Before I knew it it was hours later and I had a halfway decent looking theme. So much for the mock up. It’s not that I don’t know PHP and CSS, it’s just that I had other things to do.
Like with everything, I’m an overly independant woman who has to do everything herself. If I don’t know how to do it, I learn. When I learn, I don’t half-ass it, I learn the inside and outside and front ways and long ways and whichever way I can. I have this habit of stuffing my brain full of both useful and useless information. I think if there were an addiction to learning I would be screwed.
So there you have it. My first Wordpress Theme! It will be a work in progress and I’m sure I will change it up a few more thousand times but I’m good with it for now.
Due to one of those extreme ADD days, I’m doing anything but what I should be doing, like homework. Instead I’ve been finding some new blogs to subscribe to this week. I hope Google Reader doesn’t have a max limit, eeekk. Then again, I’m not exactly sure how I keep up with so many, but I seem to. Oh right right, it’s because I read my feeds instead of doing homework! -_-
I’ve added a few blogs today. One of them is a twitter buddy, Mike Kochansky who writes a lot about Mac and Mac news. He just started his blog so add him! And make a million comments! And welcome him to the blogging world! I found a link through his site to a fellow Georgia geek girl named Christina Warren. I have to quote the first thing I saw on her page, it made me el oh el IRL.
www.ChristinaWarren.com: Because some other bitch forgot to renew her domain name.
Ironically that’s how I got my domain name jennyberry.com … It all the sudden went up for sale, I’m guessing because some other Jenny Berry out there forgot to renew it. I never saw anyone make anything of it before I happen to snag it. It’s my name for crying out loud, it’s MINE! And hopefully I won’t forget to renew it :: runs to iCal and adds in renew date ::
So, I broke down and bought another power adapter for my Macbook Pro aka Lexi. See, Lexi goes everywhere with me. I don’t go many places. I don’t have much of a life other then work and school. When I’m not at work, you can find me in my front room office working away on homework consisting of some Java program while pulling out my hair but eventually the light bulb goes off. This meant I was unplugging my power adapter to lug it to work where I would plug it right back in. After a few months of doing this I’ve noticed a lot of wear on my power adapter. It’s just so much easier to unplug while leaving the power adapter plugged in and simply plugging into a new power adapter at work. It’s going to save my wear and tear too, and I’ll stop hitting my head on the bottom of my desk when I’m either plugging or unplugging from the power strip.
I’m trying to make my life easier, I really am.
Speaking of Mac products, I got a mighty mouse for my MBP and after a few weeks it would stop scrolling down. I was within my 30 days of purchase so I simply took it back to Bestbuy and got a new one. Then this new one did the same thing. I should have googled it the first time, but it’s a simple fix. The little roller-ball gets dirty see, so to make it clean I did this:
1. Turned mouse off so it didn’t cause havoc all over my screen.
2. Got a new blank piece of printer paper and laid it flat on my desk.
3. Turned the mighty mouse upside down and went up and down the sheet of paper with the roller ball.
4. I’m horrible at explanation, here watch this video.
Thanks little man. I just might subscribe to you.
I’m still sick, but I think (knock on wood) I’m actually feeling better. My husband ran to the store this morning to pick me up some cough syrup which really helped, and I’m still blowing out loads of snot, but maybe that means I’m getting better. I haven’t completely coughed my lungs “out” yet. I’ll take what I can get, heh.
I got an email today from one of my classmates. He said he reviewed my recentdiscussion board posting and Java program.
Hi Jenny,
I see that you did an awesome job on the last db. Seems like you are an experienced program writer. I’m writing you because I would like some direction on that IP that was due yesterday. I still cannot send mine, because there was no db and I’m sooooooooooo new to this. Can you please send me something that will help me through the whole thing with minimal explanation, because I don’t understand what’s asked to be done. I wrote the teacher and he’s not responded yet, so please help anyway you can.
Thank you in advance.
So, is he really asking me to send him my code? I mean, that’s what it seems like to me. The last assignment wasn’t easy for me either, it took me nearly 48 straight hours to complete (and understand). To be perfectly honest I haven’t done the assignment that was due Friday because our Professor hasn’t had access to the internet so we haven’t even had lecture about it yet so I don’t think it will be due until he gets internet access back. I think I’ll just write him back and tell him we’ll just wait for the Professor. Heh.
So, a couple of things. I’ve been staring at the computer screen for way too long, but that’s besides the point. I finally did something that I’ve been meaning to do for a while. After extensive and exhaustive research I’ve finally found a hosting company that I would be happy to give money to. Within the hour I had seen more customer service and personal touch than I had ever seen with any hosting company. I had to pick my jaw up off the ground. What did they do? Well, because I’m not savvy in transferring database files the feature that really caught my eye (well, what feature isn’t great? Seriously?) was:
We’ll move your old data for you
That’s right. If you’re migrating from an existing host that utilise Cpanel/WHM, then we will move your data and files for you. Simply contact our support team and provide us with your existing account information with your old host, and we’ll do the rest. Once complete, we’ll let you know when to update the DNS or nameservers. Can’t get better than that, eh?
So I did. I put in a ticket and said, move my stuff! Please. My previous host (IX web hosting, horrible horrible company, stay away from them) didn’t even have cpanel set up correctly so I got a support email asking how I would like to proceed. That was around the time I was leaving work last night so instead of replying I packed up my stuff and headed home. By the time I got home (remember, I live 3.8 miles away from work) I had another email saying
“I just moved everything manually to your new remote server and everything seems to be working, I hope that was ok?”
Um, gee. Was that ok? ZOMG you people are awesome! And quick, dang my site loads fast and such. I’m very happy with my new business relationship.
I’ve been up all night looking at design and getting idea’s. I do this from time to time. Just cuz.
Spring is in the air! I woke up to my front yard rocking hard with brilliant colors. I had 
to take a picture before I quickly ran to the car so I wouldn’t be any later to work then I already was. I am looking forward to my Mother and Grandmother’s visit so they can see everything in it’s full color.
I was playing around with iMovie last night and for once I was disappointed in Mac software. I’ve used Movie Maker on Windows Vista once and was able to edit my Driving Home video. While I was playing with iMovie last night, being very impressed with how easy it was to crop, add sound and transitions I was looking for more effects. I didn’t find any. One effect in particular I was looking for was the ability to do slow motion on a clip. How can iMovie not have this without installing a 3rd party application? The other Apple solution to this is Final Cut Studio 2 with a hefty price tag of $1,299.00. I’m sure Final Cut Studio 2 is worth it, but for people like me who don’t have an extra $1,200 hanging loose in their pocket what is one to do? Anyone have a suggestion?
This is the coolest thing I’ve seen for a while, besides Flickr finally announcing they added Video.
Found through a feed I’ve recently subscribe to, it’s Super Mario in 14k Java.
Seriously, play it. It’s fast and zippy. It’s the the whole game and there are parts missing (like that first mushroom you go for on the first golden ? box ) but it’s pretty darn neat.
This is my first spring in Georgia and boy did I get a wake up call. So many of the tree’s here bloom before they grow leaves. The flowers that blossom come in colors from dark red to vibrant pink to white. It’s very beautiful to say the least, but all those pretty blossoms create a substantial amount of pollen. The pollen is so thick in the morning that vehicles left out over night are covered in it. Our back deck is covered in it like a thin layer of snow. What looks like dust storms in the sky are really pollen clouds. Those with bad allergies are not having fun I’m sure. Mine have been under control somewhat, so I’m not too bad off. My asthma flares up once and a while altho I thought it would be worse. I’ll have to take pictures of that to share
This has been a rather easy quarter for me. I have one class to worry about and it’s a lame spreadsheets class that doesn’t take much effort or thought on my part. Next quarter is going to be different and my time will be reduced to even less then I have now. So I’m preparing for the one that will take most of my time.
I have Systems Administration and Java. I’m Java challenged right now. I started taking these classes in January but due to illness and my arm injury I dropped both of these classes to try and mend myself. I’ve always had this love/hate relationship with Java. I love when it works, I hate when it doesn’t. My determination to make it work is out-weighing my procrastination to say “screw it” because the fact is, I WANT to “get it” and learn it and manipulate it like clay. So I’m currently going through one of my Java books I had at home to give me a jump start. I’m doing both the Self-Test Questions of every chapter as well as the Programming Exercises. Doing it this way I’m actually learning more of the basic’s then I learned in class last quarter.
This is what I have learned about school. I need to find what works for me, and do it my way. Everyone has a way of learning that works best for them, and I’m just starting on that path of realizing what works best for me.
Time seems to be against me, however. Never enough time.
I figured out something today. I’m using one of works license keys for Office 2008 for Mac and accidently used the same key that one of our Sys Admins is using. I dreaded having to completely uninstall and reinstall office. I figured out a go around for removing the information about the keys so the next time you start Office 2008 (for Mac) you will be prompted again to insert a new license key.
There are two files on your Mac you will have to delete:
1. Library -> Preferences -> Microsoft -> Office 2008 -> Microsoft Office 2008 Settings.plist
2. HD -> Applications ->Microsoft Office 2008 -> OfficePID.plist
Now just start up any of the office apps and enter in your new key!
I had to take incomplete’s for my two classes this quarter (IT362 & IT254) due to my temporary medical issues. I’m not exactly sure how long I have to get all my assignments done and turned in (something I need to look up and/or ask my instructors) but new classes start for me on January 6th, 2008 and I’m hoping to have all my IT362 & IT254 assignments done by then so I’m not completely overwhelmed. My instructors have been very kind and understanding about it, so I’m certainly thankful for that.
I’m very excited for this next quarter. I’ll be taking:
IT170 - Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming
IT382 - Systems Administration
The Systems Administration class is going to be more of a refresher course for me I think, but I’m hoping to learn new things. I’m nearly giddy about my Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming class however, because it’s the first core class that follows my degree concentration (Software Engineering). I don’t know what programming language it will be in, but I’m fairly certain it will be Java. Time to break out those java beans!
That’s right … Apple is the third most valuable according to Apple shares.
Of course, Microsoft and Google take the #1 and #2 spots (yay Google!).
This makes me smile for more reasons than one
I have to say, the print screens look pretty impressive. They have a very stylish web 2.0 look to them. I am very curious to actually see Andriod on a live working phone that I could play with.
Pictures of Google Android OS - Engadget
Check out the pictures.
I can log into my classes at CTU on my iPhone:
Everyone who knows me (mostly) knows that my ultimate dream is to work at Google. Every once and a while I’ll go to their job site to see if there is anything new and/or exciting. First place I usually head to is the student section where jobs are advertised for new graduates, because one day I will be a new graduate. Google never fails to deliver.
In my visit this morning I learned they have a Google HQ in Atlanta. That is just way too cool. This is just a dream for me now, but one day I hope to accomplish it and for that to happen we would have to move. Again. I hate moving. This solves everything.
So, thank you Google.
Friday doesn’t bring good news to Demoniod today. Trackers are still live however, so they are anticipating a demoniod return. Only one line displays on the demonoid site right now ..
The CRIA threatened the company renting the servers to us, and because of this it is not possible to keep the site online. Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for your understanding.
Yay for UK people getting the iPhone. iPhone update today too! For jailbreak users, don’t download because the TIFF exploit has been patched.
Since I updated my phone to firmware 1.1.1 missed my other applications. I knew I didn’t want to revert back to 1.0.2 and the whole process seemed a little painful to be honest. I found this one-click Jailbreak guide and it worked great on the first try. Just make sure you follow the step by step instructions and reboot your iPhone every time it asks. There is one time it asks you to reboot your iPhone twice in a row. DO IT!
One-click Jailbreak for 1.1.1 (Windows)
Oh ya. Enjoy and have fun!!!!
This is what my iPhone looks like now.
I was talking to my friend Travis earlier this morning about storage solutions. When I think of storage solutions, what I’m really thinking about is data storage or data recovery. I have a lot of media of all shapes and sizes that I really really want to keep. You can call me an electronic pack rat of sorts. I’m sure that if I download something, I’m going to want to use it later. When I think of the company I work for, the whole spectrum gets even broader in terms of Safe Data Recovery. Where do you go? Who do you talk to?
I found this web site called Data Recovery Compare, and they make it simple. I’m all about tasks like this being simple. Sometimes I find myself researching out a special service and I end up finding nothing at the end of my quest. What happens when you pick a site or service and find out you’ve been scammed? That happened to me once, and it’s not going to happen again. You don’t want to be putting data in the wrong hands, and this site weeds out scammers for you. That’s hours upon hours and many emails and/or phone calls saved to where you can spend and devote yourself to something more important, like taking a walk outside in this beautiful fall weather. Anyway, check em out. They exist to make our lives easier!
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