Asa announced the good news late last night. Deer Park (Firefox 1.1) Alpha 2 is now available. You can pick it up here. As noted before, there are some wonderful new features – including a “fast back” caching system as well as nativve SVG support. I’ve been running the nightlies that have led up to this and they have been outstanding. [*Note* If you haven’t migrated from the production builds yet, you may run into some trouble with some extensions – most notably Greasemonkey.] But if you like “new hotness,” come and get it. If you want the “old and busted” (but really great) Firefox stuff, you can get the new Firefox 1.0.5 here.
-CyclingRoo-
Month: July 2005
Texas Chain Ring Massacre
As expected, Discovery took advantage of the first day in the Alps. On the final climb of the day (up to Courchevel), the Discovery Channel team set a blistering pace that put all the major GC challengers on the defensive. And then Lance took over. With 10km left, Lance kicked it up another notch. In the end, only four riders rose together: Lance, Alejandro Valverde, Michael Rasmussen (current KOM leader) and Francisco Manceblo.
In the last 100m, Valverde took Lance’s lead out and sprinted past him for the stage win. In a gesture of sportsmanship, Lance shook hands with Alejandro. After the race, Lance commented that “we may have seen the future of cycling” in Valverde.
There’s a lot of racing still to go. One more stage in the Alps and two stages in the Pyrennes remain. And there is still another time trial to go. But Lance has certainly demonstrated that he is in great form.
Now let’s wait and see what tomorrow brings with a “beyond category” climb on tap.
Stage results (Top 10)
1. Alejandro Valverde (Sp) Illes Balears 4hrs 50mins 35secs
2. Lance Armstrong (US) Discovery same time
3. Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank +9s
4. Francisco Mancebo (Sp) Illes Balears same time
5. Ivan Basso (It) Team CSC +1:02
6. Levi Leipheimer (US) Gerolsteiner +1:15
7. Eddy Mazzoleni (It) Lampre-Caffita +2:14
8. Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto same time
9. Andreas Kloden (Ger) T-Mobile same time
10. Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Credit Agricole same time
Overall standings(Top 10)
1. Lance Armstrong (US) Discovery 37:11:04″
2. Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank +38s
3. Ivan Basso (It) Team CSC +2:40
4. Christophe Moreau (Fr) Credit Agricole +2:42
5. Alejandro Valverde (Sp) Illes Balears +3:16
6. Levi Leipheimer (US) Gerolsteiner +3:58
7. Francisco Mancebo (Sp) Illes Balears +4:00
8. Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile +4:02
9. Andreas Kloden (Ger) T-Mobile +4:16
10. Floyd Landis (US) Phonak same time
-CyclingRoo-
Tags: Tour de France
Triangulating on the Truth in the Blogosphere
Robert, you need to write a book or something. 😉
Robert Scoble has written a pretty good – albeit short – article on the relevancy of blogs and journalism. His keen insights include:
“…you know I’m biased, right?”
“…you can’t trust what I write.”
“I can’t control what they all say.”
Robert’s basic recommendation is simple: “you’ll be able to triangulate in on the truth.” And he is absolutely correct. A lot of people took the easy road and just trusted whatever they heard on the “Big Three” networks. But those days are long gone. And we certainly can’t trust any single source alone.
Instead, we must develop our own lists of sources on both sides of an given issue. And we must read (and carefully consider) each of these multiple sources in order to get a comprehensive view. Indeed, in this day and age, we are obligated to read multiple sources and then process all the information at hand. That’s why I follow liberal and conservative blogs rather than limit myself to blogs I concur with. That’s why I read the tea leaves from the .Net camp as well as the Java camp. After all, informed choices are predicated upon complete information.
[Thank goodness for RSS. Otherwise, I couldn’t keep up with all the sources I track.]
-CyclingRoo-
My Firefox Configuration
I am frequently asked: what customizations/extensions/scritps/insundries do you use for your Firefox configuration. That is a great question. And I have needed to anser the question a few times for myself. You see, every few days, I try a new nightly build (including the fabulous update system) or I regress my personal configuraiton to test things like the 1.0.5 candidate builds (like I am running now).
Each time, I really want to start with a fresh install. So I uninstall the previous version. Then I clear out the directories where everyting else (like extensions) is stored. Finally, I clear out the registry. Yeah, I know the last step would be unnecessary for my Linux systems. But this is Windows after all. So every week or so, I start out clean and refreshed. Then I have to add back the tools that I love – or just like a whole lot.
So why am I blogging about this? Two reasons, I want to keep a running (and public) list of what I’m running and what I love. In this way, people can learn from my meager experiences. Second, I want to make sure that I keep a handy list so I can launch the relevant installers whenever I start with a fresh build. I could write this stuff down. Better still, I could type up a quick Javascr5ipt and be done with it. But I want other folks to see what I’m using. So here goes…
Extensions
Adblock: Firefox stops many popups. Adblock stops even more.
Greasemonkey: An absolute must.
FoxyTunes: I love the fact that I can use iTunes without changing focus of my usual window – the Firefox browser.
Google Toolbar for Firefox: This is a great newcomer to my extensions.
Sage: A wonderful little RSS reader extension.
Greasemonkey Scripts
Technorati This: A simple script that adds Technorati tag embedding in Blogger’s post editor
Wikiproxy: This script scans each page for nouns and checks to see if these nouns can be found in Wikipedia. This is a sweet little script.
Technoproxy: This little gem scans each page and places links to relevant Technorati subject. Like Wikiproxy, this is a fun little script with a lot of processing required.
Book Burro: A script that adds functionality to Amazon, B&N and a few other book etailers. Whenever I want to explain the power of AJAX, I demo this little gem.
Email Linkify: I hate it when folks don’t use the relvant “mailto:” links on their pages. This script remedies such omissions.
Plugins
Macromedia Flash: Nuff said
Bookmarklets
Ping Technorati: A simple bookmarklet that pings Technorati with the current page URL. Just drag this link to your bookmarks and you’re done.
There is more I could write, but I’ll append as the need arises.
-CyclingRoo-
Tags: Firefox Greasemonkey
Pass the Jersey – For a Couple of Days
Stage 9 is now in the history books. Michael Rasmussen launched off the front at 4km and never looked back. I am sure that his original plan was to sieze more “King of the Mountains” (KOM) points before the Alps. Mission accomplished. He took all the mountain points throughout the day – and just kept going. Apparently, he wanted even more glory. And he got it. He captured a stage win and a great deal of glory for CSC.
In the meantime, Jens Voigt and Christophe Moreau decided to take some glory as well. While Discovery controlled the peleton, CSC got one of its men off the front. By the end of the day, Lance would find himself 2:18 behind the new race leader (jens Voigt). Tomorrow will be a rest day for the riders. And Tuesday starts the big mountains. But Discovery looks good. After a tough Saturday, they took control on Sunday. And I think Lance is right where he wants to be.
Today was a great day for Rabobank and CSC! Rabobank got the glory of the stage. They had the lead cyclist throughout the entire stage. This meant a great deal of advertising time. As for CSC, they have the Maillot Jaune once again. With the current CSC sponsorship set to expire this year, TdF 2005 has been a great thing for Bjarne Riis and his merry band. CSC has certainly gotten its money’s worth in this Tour. CSC would be hard-pressed to abandon the team now.
With all the goodness being spread around today, there was one very large disappointment today. Dave Zabriskie, the rider who took the yellow jersey on the first day of the Tour did not finish the stage. He has never quite been the same since he crashed out on the TTT. That’s too bad. He was marvelous in yellow for three stages. While I am sad to see him depart, I know that we will be seeing him for many years to come. Bon chance, Monsieur Zabiskie.
-CyclingRoo-
Tags: Tour de France
When Is WiFi Use Theft?
By now, everyone has probably read the news of the man who was arrested for “stealing” an unsecured WiFi signal. As I have read the news stories, several thoughts have come to mind:
- How can someone be guilty of theft when he was not on the land of the property owner? Indeed, the signal was being broadcast onto public property.
- On the other hand, mail messages move through public space. The mere transit of public property does not vacate the right to have security of transit for paper-based mail. And what about phone lines? They sit on public property. [Actually the phone companies have been granted easements by public landholders – i.e., the government.] So standing on public property shouldn’t “permit” you to exploit a wireless signal.
- How can someone be gulty of theft when the signal was not encrypted and the router was completely unsecured?
- On the other hand, if I leave my unlocked briefcase in an airport restroom, this does not give anyone the right to open the unsecured briefcase. Of course, shame on me for not locking my briefcase. And shame on me for leaving my valuable documents in an unsecured container on public property. But the fact that a lock has not been enabled does not give someone the right to open the briefcase.
- How can anyone own a wireless router and not take even the most basic of precautions? People don’t seem to realize that sensitve data is being broadcast beyond their property line.
- In the past, I’ve done some “war walking” to demonstrate (in)security. Should I turn myself in?
But let’s put aside the ethical discussion for a moment. What should we do?
As individuals, we should secure the wireless infrastructure that we have installed. Here are a few basic steps you should follow:
- Locate the Router or Access Point Appropriately
- Change Default Administrator Passwords
- Change the Default SSID
- Disable SSID Broadcast
- Turn on Encryption
- Enable MAC Address Filtering
- Assign Static IP Addresses to Devices
In addition to these simple steps, you should also check out good security sources on the Internet. Tony Bradley has an excellent series of tips on the About.com network. Tony also has some great links to books and other articles.
Once you’ve secured your own systems, start thinking about those around you. As wireless consumers, we should urge the many wireless device manufacturers to simplify the process of enabling security. Linksys (a wireless hardware manufacturer) and Broadcom have created the SecureEasySetup program. Buffalo has endorsed the AOSS program. These two technologies were recently compared over at Tom’s Networking. I won’t recommend one program over another. But both programs do one simple thing: they make the process of enabling secuirty far simpler.
If you aren’t secured, what are you waiting for? Highly publicized arrests ought to alert you to the fact that some folks will use your wireless infrastructure – if you let them. After all, you have locks on your front door, don’t you?
-CyclingRoo-
*Update 7/8/05* – Declan McCullagh has a pretty good article about this subject at C|Net’s News.Com site.
Tags: WiFi wireless security
Greasemonkey – New Bits RSN
The Greasemonkey team is hard at work on Greasemonkey 0.4. I am currently running a development build that works with the Firefox Deer Park bits. But the new GM release will have a number of very good features. First of all, the user can create a new user script via any outboard editor. This doesn’t seem like much. After all, most folks will just be installing pre-existing scripts. But for some of this, the new options will be quite nice. Second, the new build provides much more capability to edit/manage previously installed scripts. Finally, there is some new chrome stuff (UI improvements).
On the scripting front, Aaron Boodman (Greasemonkey developer) is spending a great deal of time to work through issues with Technoproxy – a GM script that will highlight nouns that have Technorati tags. It’s a fun little script that is terribly resource intensive.
-CyclingRoo-
Tags: Firefox Greasemonkey
Deer Park Alpha Bits
For the past few weeks, I have been dutifully upgrading my Firefox configuration with the most recent nightly builds. I do this for two reasons. First, I want to help with the QA process and provide feedback when problems arise. Second, I am just a sorry soul that loves to sail the stormy seas on a dingy! Seriously, I do this because I love seeing what’s new when it is at its newest.
This morning, I am seeing something at its newest. As noted earlier, I have been testing the automatic update facility in the Deer Park builds. And after upgrading this morning, I checked the About diakog on my Windows build. What to my wondering eyes did appear, but an Alpha 2 tag for my Deer Park reindeer. I haven’t seen any confirmations of this fact yet, but I am excited to see it.
So what’s new? Well, SVG is in the build. And the new automatic installer is in the build. And there have been a host of bugs squashed along the way. Since I am now seeing the tag in the Help dialog, I would expect a formal announcement sometime in the next couple of days.
-CyclingRoo-
To Wear Yellow or Not to Wear Yellow…
…that is the question.
After taking the race lead yesterday afternoon, Lance and his team reviewed the tapes of their stage win. And while they did have the winning time, DaveZ might very well have retained the maillot jaune (yellow jersey) for another day had he not crashed. In 1991, Greg LeMond had a similar opportuntiy to wear the yellow jersey after the crash of an opponent. Greg opted to not wear the jersey.
With such historical examples on his mind, and with respect for a former teammate in his heart, Lance decided that he would not wear the leader’s yellow jersey in today’s stage. Chris Brewer had this to say about Lance’s decision:
“Tell me what other sport is there where the grandest champion in the biggest race says “No thanks” to being designated the overall leader on the basis of sportsmanship? When you consider all the chest-thumping, look at me, look at me of most major sports, this is one lesson I hope all you moms and dads out there take some time to point out to the kids around dinner tonight – it’s that big a deal…”
I agree with Chris. In America, we are often treated to players and coaches who curse, throw tantrums, and sometimes even throw chairs when they aren’t treated as they think they should be. We see bench-clearing brawls with fans who throw beer at athletes. But now we are reminded what true sportsmanship is about. Lance earned the maillot jaune at the expense of another man. To honor that man and to reinforce the historical examples of cycling sportsmanship, Lance chose to demonstrate why cycling is such a different – and honorable – sport.
Unfortunately, Lance’s gesture was met with the confusion of the race organizers. They urged Lance to wear the jersey. They even brought out the rule book to let him know that he had an obligation to wear the yellow jersey. So Lance got a second chance to show why he is a champion off the bicycle as well as on it. Rather than be stubborn or arrogant (and refuse the race organizer’s request), he accepted their authority on the matter – and their decision. In the end, he wore the jersey after all.
Gosh, I don’t know who was right in this matter. But I know that Lance had every opportunity to focus on himself. Instead, he focused on others and on the sport he loves. What a great example to everyone – myself included. Thank you, Mr. Armstrong.
-CyclingRoo-
Deer Park Update System Rocks!
I have been using the various Deer Park nightlies ever since SVG got baked into the code. Well, the folks from Mozilla are at it again. Asa reports that the new browser update system can be tested. So like a good little minion, I’ve enabled auto-updates. The process for doing this yourself can be found here. I made these changes earlier this morning. And what do you know? The new update system has successfully updated my browser to the latest nightly build. Very nice.
This will prove to be an extremely useful feature for deploying secuirty updates. But I sure hope that MoFo has sufficient infrastructure in place. While I am sure that they can support the wonks who use the nightlies, they will need a whole lot more when the Firefox community switches over to Deer Park (Firefox 1.1).
-CyclingRoo-