Month: September 2005

Morning Grind #13

Lorin Olsen

It’s been a couple of days since my last post. Boy are things a tad hectic around here. So here is the single-shot version of the morning grind:

  • I’ve gone back to nightly builds for Firefox. While I try and check out the release candidates, I think I’m addicted to the edge. So I’m off the wagon and back onto daily doses of updates.
  • I’m now using Greasemonkey 0.62. The current version supports the latest builds of Deer Park – so I’m happy once again. You can get it at the Greaseblog, or you can joing the mailing list and really stay current.
  • I’m finally used to the Greasemonkey icon and the features that are now surfaced there. I can now just left click on the smiling icon and see which scripts are active and which ones were applied to the page I’m currently browsing. It’s very nice.
  • I’m still not used to the new way that RSS and Live Bookmarks are presented. I got used to seeing the RSS icon in the lower right status bar. Now, the icon (and subscription actions) are available on the URL address bar. I’ll just have to get used to it.
  • There’s a new iTunes version (5.0.1) available. I don’t know the functional details yet. I’m assuming it’s a bugfix version with a few gizmos for the iPod nano. Details will follow.
  • Hurricane Rita is gonna be huge. I pray for the people who will be affected by it. I pray for the people who are stubbornly refusing to leave. I think that many folks would have stayed around – except for the devastation they saw with Katrina. Let’s hope this storm gets weaker as it approaches. And let’s hope everyone is ready. God, please bless those preparing for this catastrophe.

-CyclingRoo-

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Morning Grind #12

Lorin Olsen

Here are today’s “quick takes”

  1. After month’s of investigation, the Cassini orbiter has finally captured images of the “spokes” in Saturn’s rings.
  2. Lance Armstrong held a conference call yesterday. He cleared up all the speculation concerning his retirement. And the message is simple: Lance is retired and he is staying retired.
  3. After a spirited challenge from Dennis Menchov, Roberto Heras is in firm control of the Vuelta a Espania. Barring something catastrophic, he will crusie into Madrid on Sunday and earn his fourth golden jersey.
  4. Robert Scoble has put up a cool video (on Channel 9) about the Microsoft Sparkle project. Microsoft is hoping that Sparkle will become a real competitor to Flash-based animations on web sites.
  5. News.Com is reporting on the prgress of a new broadband telecommunications bill that promises to overall many facets of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. In particular, this bill (if enacted) promises to clarify the already muddled legal framework surrounding BITS, VoIP and broadband video.

-CyclingRoo-

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SVG and Google Maps

Lorin Olsen


With the release of Firefox 1.5 Beta 1, native browser support of SVG is in the hands of a much larger community. This will be immensely important for the growth of scalable graphics on the web. And it’s just plain cool!
Given the fumdamental importance of SVG, I thought I’d look around and find a good example. Well, there are lots. But one of the most interesting appications is using SVG in Google Maps. Jibbering discusses his efforts to link SVG and Google Maps. As of now, Google Maps supports VML in IE. It will take some changes on Google’s part before SVG can be used in browsers like Firefox 1.5. But while SVG support (in Google Maps) is still pending, some industrious chaps have put together an example. If you have Firefox 1.5 Beta 1 (or any of the Deer Park builds), then take a look at the Exmouth-Seaton Cyle map. This map uses SVG to overlay a cycling route map onto a Google Maps instance. Further, SVG is used to display the elevation map that is shown when you view the route. Very cool indeed.
BTW, I’ve always wanted to visit the southern coast of England. Now I have a cycling route to follow once I’m there.
-CyclingRoo-

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Mozilla Firefox 1.5 Beta 1 Available

Lorin Olsen


Raucous applause was heard from the team. Someone mentioned a crazy man running about shouting something like “The new phone book’s here! The new phone book’s here!” No, that was Steve Martin who said that. But Asa has announced the news that Firefox 1.5 Beta 1 is now available. Downloads are available at the Mozilla site. But links to downloads can be found here: win32, mac, and linux. You can read the highlights with the release notes. But all the things I’ve been writing about in Deer Park are part of this build. Man, it’s exciting to see the new bits poised for public consumption! I think I am most excited about native svg support. A new era of web graphics is about ready to dawn on us!
At the same time, the lovable Greasemonkey team has released a new version of its work. Better said, Aaron has released the current branch with new version checking that works for Firefox 1.5 Beta 1. Since this is not a public beta of Greasemonkey, I won’t link to a download site. But you can check out the monkey business at the Greaseblog.
With both Firefox and Greasemonkey in alignment again, there is harmony in the universe – or my universe, at least.
-CyclingRoo-

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Apple’s Big Splash – But How Much Water Displaced?

Lorin Olsen

Apple made their big announcement today. Here are the short highlights:

  • The iTunes phone was released. It is a Moto ROKR. It has a fixed memory size. And a sizable price tag. And it is only available from Cingular. Drats! I wonder if it will be a big seller. Somehow, I don’t think so. The price tag is too high and the memory is too limited. Most folks will see this price point and lust for the Nano instead. Strangely enough, it’s not called the iPhone or even the iTunes Phone. It is iTunes on a mobile device. They are leaving the branding to Cingular and Moto. So we will all call it the ROKR.
  • The iPod Nano was released. It will hold 1,000 songs (4GB of storage). It is ultra-sleek. And its price starts at $199. This will force the Shuffle price down even further. Boy, the iPod product line is getting rather crowded. BTW, I used the Nano photo because I think the Nano is such a sleek, sweet design – and the phone is just what everyone predicted anyway.
  • There is a new version of iTunes (v5.0). Most of the changes are to support the new iPod models (phone and Nano). But there are some nice visual touches and eye candy for existing users. I wonder if they’ve revamped the DRM scheme again. I’ll research and let you know.

There will be a whole lot more to write tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ve got to run off and finish some chores…

-CyclingRoo-

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Apple's Big Splash – But How Much Water Displaced?

Lorin Olsen

Apple made their big announcement today. Here are the short highlights:

  • The iTunes phone was released. It is a Moto ROKR. It has a fixed memory size. And a sizable price tag. And it is only available from Cingular. Drats! I wonder if it will be a big seller. Somehow, I don’t think so. The price tag is too high and the memory is too limited. Most folks will see this price point and lust for the Nano instead. Strangely enough, it’s not called the iPhone or even the iTunes Phone. It is iTunes on a mobile device. They are leaving the branding to Cingular and Moto. So we will all call it the ROKR.
  • The iPod Nano was released. It will hold 1,000 songs (4GB of storage). It is ultra-sleek. And its price starts at $199. This will force the Shuffle price down even further. Boy, the iPod product line is getting rather crowded. BTW, I used the Nano photo because I think the Nano is such a sleek, sweet design – and the phone is just what everyone predicted anyway.
  • There is a new version of iTunes (v5.0). Most of the changes are to support the new iPod models (phone and Nano). But there are some nice visual touches and eye candy for existing users. I wonder if they’ve revamped the DRM scheme again. I’ll research and let you know.

There will be a whole lot more to write tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ve got to run off and finish some chores…
-CyclingRoo-

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Doctor Who 2005

Lorin Olsen


This has been an interesting holiday weekend for me. I’ve had a lot to do. And I have a lot left to do. But I decided to also spend a few hours and catch up on the BBC’s new Doctor Who series. After seeing all of the chatter on the web for the last few months, I thought I’d dip in and sample the series. I have only one word for Mr. Davies’ new series: Wow! And that is followed by a few more words: when can we Yanks see the episodes broadcast here?
I have watched Doctor Who for many years. In the seventies, I saw some of Jon Pertwee’s episodes. In the eighties, the local PBS affiliate played the entire Tom Baker series. And in the nineties, I was able to see some of the Colin Baker episodes. So I’ve seen many episodes of many Doctors. And my love of the series has spanned three decades.
But when the BBC announced the new Doctor, I was thrilled – and saddened. I was thrilled to know that the Doctor would once again travel through space and time. But I was saddened that Doctor Who fans in the U.S. would not see these episodes for several years. I was thrilled that we would see a ninth Doctor – but saddened that the Daleks had been destroyed in the great Time War.
But I have been fortunate enough to see the ninth Doctor in action. And this series has been overwhelming! Every Doctor has had his own unique mannerisms. And each Doctor has had a great story arc. Well, the ninth Doctor is no exception. This season was primarily written and produced by Russell Davies. And the new Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) has been wonderful. His latest companion, Rose (played by Billie Piper), has been both beautiful and engaging. And this companion has been given unprecedented “access” to the heart of the TARDIS itself.
I will not do a complete season review. Great web sites (like Outpost Gallifrey) have already done that. But my comments are simple. I loved this series. The actors were marvellous, the story was crisp and well planned. And I really loved the entire Bad Wolf theme carried out throughout the season. And, as much as I hate to admit it, I really liked the Captain Jack subplot. It put a strange (and new) spin on an old series. I sure hope Rose and the Doctor go back for Jack. Leaving him behind would be like leaving K9 behind!
Finally, I have one question for the BBC: when can we Yanks buy the DVD’s for this season? If I can’t get the broadcast, I’d buy the DVD.
-CyclingRoo-
P.S. For those interest in next year’s series, the secret word just might be “Torchwood.” And one enterprising fan has laid out a script premise whereby Adam ends up working at the Torchwood Institute and is responsible for the rebirth of the Cybermen.

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A Time To Be Humble

Lorin Olsen

“if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

I am devastated. I am bereft of the words that can describe the agony of what is happening. We have been humbled. We have been reminded. We are not invincible.

  • Could our armies defeat the tribal chieftains that rained terror upon us? It seemed so.
  • Could we once again travel into space? We have done so. We have sent rovers to Mars. They have lasted for months. And we have sent impactors to comets. And we are learning much. And we have sent surveyors to Titan. And the data we have seen has astonished us.
  • Could we forecast the hurricanes that aimed for our coastlines? Absolutely. We saw the storms and we warned the people.
  • But could we control the weather or convince those who would not leave? We did not. And we must always remember what we could not do. It must chasten us.

These scenes must always remind us of how frail and powerless we truly are. These scenes must remind us that even when disaster strikes, we are called to humble ourselves and then aid those in need.
We should always seek ways to avert these tragedies in the future. And the future will arrive with increased abilities and capabilities. Future storms will not result in the same number of deaths and the same breadth of devastation. But until then, we must focus on the challenge before us today. There are simple things we must do.
We must pray. Does God need our prayers to learn of the need? Of course not. He knows of the need. But it has been said that prayer is the act of allowing God to change (and use) the penitent petitioner. So we must pray. We must ask God to forgive us for resting in comfort while our neighbors are suffering. We must ask God to inspire us to action. And we must ask God to use us.
We must open our purses. God has said that where our treasure is, our heart will be there also. So let us send our treasures to those in need.
We must open our homes. Franklin Graham has sent out a call for the churches of America to open their homes to destitute families. While this burden will be accepted by local churches in the South, the churches throughout America must accept this challenge as well.
We must open our hearts. We must pray for the lives of our neighbors. We must set aside our petty selfish desires and ambitions. We must open our eyes and see the pain and allow our hearts to become softened once again. My God, forgive me for my seflishness. God, forgive me for my lack of gratitude for what you have given me. I have so much. May I commit all of it to your service.
God bless those who need your mercy. God, revive this land. We need to soften our hearts, open our eyes and start to work. God use me however you can.
-CyclingRoo-

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