Jun 15, 2007 · 2 minute read
Continuing on from the previous post, I have looked into various ways of achieving the RAID1 functionality that I need. After browsing some information on RAID on Linux, it seems that the reason the hardware RAID didn't want to work is that it's not actually a hardware RAID. The Intel Matrix Storage chipset requires that the operating system have drivers installed that handle all of the actual work involved in running a RAID (which is why these types of RAIDs are called "fake raids").
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Jun 14, 2007 · 7 minute read
We all search for meaning in things. Software development seems to be an exception. Some of the things I've seen make me wonder if the people responsible ever took a step back and thought "what is the reason for this?" At a very basic level the understanding and contemplation of the meaning of a thing allows you to use that thing far more effectively than you otherwise could, or to know when and when not to use it.
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Jun 13, 2007 · 4 minute read
Reviews
[Comix][1] is an excellent piece of software that I use almost daily to view comics that I've downloaded. It fulfils a similar purpose to the Windows program CDisplay. It's simple interface and purposeful feature set really set it apart from other programs in its class. Like other comic book viewers, Comix is intended to view sets of images and can do so if they are in a directory or a zip or tar archive (and rar if the unrar program is installed).
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Jun 12, 2007 · 6 minute read
Reviews
Today I had the fun task on installing Linux onto a Dell Dimension E520. I chose Ubuntu as a distribution for it's ease of use and, given Dell's recent commitment to selling Ubuntu on their computers, I thought it would be a safe bet for things like hardware compatibility. It turns out I was slightly wrong about both of those things, at least as far as the installation went. The background here is that I'm installing this new Dell for an employer who wants to use it as a new work machine.
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Jun 11, 2007 · 3 minute read
Reviews
I must say that bread making has never struck me as particularly interesting. I'm sure most people would feel the same way. So how could a show about making bread possibly be entertaining? I'm not certain but Yakitate!! Japan manages to pull it off. The basic premise of the show is that a boy, Azuma Kazuma, wants to make a bread so good it can represent Japan as the nation's bread.
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Jun 8, 2007 · 3 minute read
Ever get tired of always coding things in PHP, Java, or C? Can't be bothered looking up these "new fangled" languages like Python, Ruby, or D? I suggest you have a look at one of the esoteric languages listed here and brighten up your day. Brainfuck There are 8 commands (one of "< > + - [ ] . ,") and a single pointer. You gotta admit, that would make for some very small programs!
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Jun 7, 2007 · 1 minute read
Tips
Continuing on from my previous list, here are some more books you might like to check out for your collection. Once again, I tried to keep the list manageable so expect some more booklists! General McConnell, Steve. Rapid Development, Microsoft Press. ISBN 1556159005. McConnell, Steve. Software Project Survival Guide, Microsoft Press. ISBN 1572316217. Risk Management Demarco, Tom & Lister, Timothy. Waltzing With Bears: Managing Risk on Software Projects, Dorset House Publishing Company. ISBN 0932633609.
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Jun 6, 2007 · 6 minute read
CSS image replacement, or Fahrner Image Replacement (FIR) as the original method was called, is a cool and useful trick that you can do with CSS to spice up some of the text on your web pages. The basic premise is that we replace plain text in HTML with an image; doing this not only makes the text (potentially) look better but also doesn't carry the usual accessibility or search engine unfriendly consequences.
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Jun 5, 2007 · 4 minute read
Reviews
This post is about one of my "daily visit" sites: AnimePaper. I found the site a few months ago – I don't remember how – and it has been a regular source of new backgrounds ever since. AnimePaper (AP) has been set up, in their own words, to be "all about making wallpapers and being creative". I think this is an apt description of the site as a brief glance at some of the wallpapers will tell you.
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Jun 4, 2007 · 4 minute read
Reviews
Karin is a romantic comedy-horror manga and anime (that's light on the horror and loaded with comedy) about a young vampire girl, Karin Maaka, and her relationship with a human classmate, Kenta Usui. The strange thing about Karin is that she's not your average vampire – she loves sunlight, has a poor sense of smell, great sense of taste and doesn't suck blood. In fact, she actually produces blood which she either injects into people when she bites them or, more often, the blood comes gushing out as a nosebleed.
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