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Bwaa haa haa… no stinking spider can stop me from enjoying a movie.

Confused?  Ok here’s the story.

After chatting with my girlfriend who’s in New York City for an internship I decided to head down and watch 50 First Dates.  Long distance relationships are tough.  It’s only been about 2 weeks since she left but already I miss not being able to be with her.

Anyhoo, I came down and fired up the TV.  Soon as I did I noticed a spider on the screen.  It’s not the first time a bug has been on the screen so I got up to brush it onto the floor and smash it.  However, I couldn’t do it because the little arachnid was on the inside of the projection screen.  Spiders like the insides of projection TVs because they’re warm and nice and open.  You really do need to have a repairman come out every once in a while to open up the tv and clean the screen, mirrors, lens, etc since they’ll get dirty from dust and insects/bugs.  Back to the story… the stupid spider wouldn’t go away.  I would tap on the screen, flip the channels, etc but he would just scurry around the screen mocking me.

Not to be beaten by a stinking bug I broke out my computer toolkit and proceeded to remove the projection screen.  After getting the screen open I was able to chase the spider into a corner and end his little games.

It took a good hour to get the screen off and kill the spider but it was worth it.

So now you know why I’m laughing.  I’m just a tad bit on the crazy side but I don’t like to give up or admit defeat.  .  It’s now 2am and I’m just finishing the movie and posting this.  I better get off to bed so I can get up early and go for my morning bike ride.  I’m up to 25 miles now!

Is it just me or has the Olympics just been a major bust?

First off I’m seriously disappointed as the coverage.  NBC has been making a big deal about how great the coverage was going to be.  Yet, every night all I see is swimming/diving and gymnastics.  Not to say there is anything wrong with swimming.  My girlfriend was a swimmer growing up and I do find it enjoyable to watch.  Michael Phelps is an amazing swimmer by the way.

Probably 75% of the sports are currently in competition right now so there should be no excuse not to give them all air time.  And by air time I mean at least 30 minutes of tv viewing time at night on broadcast, not the middle of the day on one of the half dozen cable channels they’re currently shoving junk they don’t really want to cover.  That’s what really bugs the heck out of me.  They are showing events during the day on these channels but go back to the usual lineups for those other channels at night.  I’d rather see them show the normal lineup during the day then at night use all their channels to show Olympic coverage at the same time.

I want to watch events like shooting, archery, equestrian, fencing, kayaking/canoeing but they always hid them away in the afternoons on the cable channels.  I’ve missed all these great events because America is so stupid and only wants to see the same old junk over and over.

Secondly, where the heck are all the spectators at?  I swear I have yet to watch an event that doesn’t have 90% of the seats open!  They need to do something about that because it’s just plain embarrassing for everyone.  Not to mention how sad it must make the athletes.  They’re at the Olympics for crying out loud!  That’s the highest honor you can get I would think.  I can’t imagine how disappointed they must be to walk out ready to compete and realize no one is there to watch them!

In general it’s just not been a very great Olympics in my opinion.

Windows XP SP2 (Service Pack 2) has finally been released!

Currently only the network installer (aka the business version) is available weighing in at 266MB! This version is designed to update all XP based systems including home, pro, media center, tablet pc, etc and to be used in business environments by IT Professionals.

Soon there will be a consumer version put out on the windows update site as well as thru the automatic update service. I’d suggest home users just wait for this to become available as the network installer is very very very big!  The windows update version will only download the required updates so you don’t waste your time downloading things you won’t use.

You can read all about SP2 as well as get the download here:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/ winxppro/maintain/winxpsp2.mspx

I just installed SP2 on my machine and so far everything seems fine.  The new security features are a welcome addition and I’m very impressed with how much work Microsoft put into the patch.

There are many new features but the top 4 are:
1) Windows Security Center - This new control panel allows you to manage and configure the built in windows firewall, automatic update and your anti-virus software. 
2) Windows Firewall - New and improved firewall that’s configured to close off your computer from the outside world by default.  This will help cut down on the spread of worms and viruses.  Plus the firewall now lets you control what programs have access to the internet.  Similar to the features of ZoneLabs ZoneAlarm firewall.
3) New Wireless Network Control Panel - Improved wireless networking with better management of multiple networks.
4) IE Popup Blocker - Finally a built in popup blocker for IE!  No more relying on 3rd party toolbars or programs.

For my system I disabled the windows firewall because I’m inside a secure network that doesn’t have direct access to the internet.  I run zonealarm but have the firewall disabled in it too.  I only use it for the program control features to manage what programs can access the network.

So far everything seems to be working fine.  I haven’t noticed any obvious problems with programs but since I haven’t had a chance to really play around yet I’m not too sure.

I still have two more machines to install SP2 on so I hope they go as well as my desktop has.

ExpressionEngine Version 1.1 is currently in beta testing right now.  Assuming test goes well this new version could be out as soon as next week.

There are over 50 new features and enhancements being released.  Below is the complete list which can also be found at http://www.pmachine.com/forum/threads.php?id=20023_0_13_0_C.

quote:

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VERSION 1.1 NEW FEATURES

TEMPLATE FEATURES
- You can show/hide template groups for better organization.
- You can now adjust all of the preferences for all templates at once.
- Template Groups can now be cloned.
- Templates can now be saved as text files.  This allows programs like
  Dreamweaver to be used to upload changes via FTP rather than
  submitting the changes via the control panel.
  - Plugins can now be embedded inside other plugins.
  - EE tag variables can now be used as parameters in enclosed EE tags:
  {exp:weblog:entries}
  {exp:gravatar email=”{email}”}<img src=”{plugin_url}” />{/exp:gravatar}
  {/exp:weblog:entries}
- Custom 404 page. In the global template preferences page you can now
  specify a template to be served when someone tries to access an invalid URL.
- “On the fly” Variables. You can define global variables in each template
  using the {assign_variable} tag. These variables can be used to create
  generic templates that can be easily switched for each weblog.
- Added Template Export Feature.  You can now export entire template groups
  or combinations of templates.  NOTE:  The zip-encoded
  files generated by the export utility are not compatible with all
  zip decompression programs.  We’re trying to get to
  the bottom of this. In the mean time this feature is experimental.
- Templates can now be deleted by anyone with template editing
  privileges
- Template revision history is now viewable by anyone who has template
  editing privilege.

CATEGORY FEATURES
- Redesigned the Category Manager in the control panel.  You can now set
  your own custom order for categories.
- Added category description field in the control panel category
  manager.  This field is available in the following tags:
  {exp:weblog:category_heading}, {exp:weblog:categories},
  {exp:weblog:category_archives}.  Please consult user guide for more
  info.
- You can choose to display or not display categories that don’t contain data.
  This is done using the follwing parameter: show_empty=“yes” (or “no”)
  in these tags: {exp:weblog:categories} and {exp:weblog:category_archives}

PUBLISH PAGE FEATURES
- Added the capability to customize the layout of the control panel PUBLISH page.
  You can show/hide every element on the page now.
- Image thumb-nailing improvements:  The upload utility will now create
  a link to the full-size image.
- Added a DHTML Calendar in the PUBLISH page to make setting dates/times
  easier.
- Added “select all” button for ping servers (in publish page).
- Changed the logic so that the “ping server” checkboxes in the publish
  page will only be selected for new entries, not when editing existing
  entries.
- Replaced code in the Email button (PUBLISH page) with the encoded
  version {encode=“you@yoursite.com” title=“click me”}
- Added new global weblog preference:  Clear all caches when submitting
  new entries.

EDIT PAGE FEATURES
- Added search feature to control panel EDIT page.
- Added “per page” selection in EDIT page, allowing you to specify the
  number of results on a page

CONTROL PANEL HOME PAGE FEATURES
- Changed the behavior of the “recent entries” and “recent comment” table
  in the control panel home page. Based on the member group preferences
  of the particular member viewing the control panel, the list will either
  show only their own entries and comments of those of members as well.

WEBLOG MANAGEMENT FEATURES
- Added the ability to create new templates when creating a new weblog.

MEMBER PROFILE FEATURES
- Added a “subscription manager” in the member profile area, allowing
  you to manage any comments you are subscribed to.
- Added a “view all posts by this member” option in the public member
  profile page.
- Added a new tag: {exp:member:custom_profile_data}.  This tag allows
  custom profile information to be shown in any template. Please consult
  manual for more info. 

MEMBERSHIP FEATURES
- Added the ability to add a member login form in any template.
  Please consult manual for syntax.

SEARCH FEATURES
- Added {full_text} variable in the search results tag, allowing the
  complete result to be shown rather than only an excerpt.

WEBLOG FEATURES
- Added a new variable in the main weblog tag:  {member_search_path}.
  This variable creates a link that lets you search for all posts by a
  given member. Look in the parameters page of the manual for more info.
- Added {if no_results}{/if} variables in the {exp:weblog:entries} tag.
  This conditional variable lets you specify a message to be shown if
  the tag doesn’t return any data.
- Added a new parameter that allows entries posted in the future to show
  up: show_future_entries=“yes”  It is available in these tags:
  {exp:weblog:entries}, {exp:weblog:category_archive},
  {exp:weblog:next_entry}, and {exp:weblog:previous_entry}
- Added three new paths in the weblog preferences page.  These permit
  you to fine-tune where you would like search results, pings, and
  trackbacks pointed to.
- URL segments can now be used in conditional statements:
  {if segment_3 == “charlie”} {/if}
- Added “start_on” and “stop_before” variables in the
  {exp:weblog:entries} tag, allowing the weblog display to be limited by
  a date range.
- Added three new variables in the {exp:weblog:entries} tag, which
  permit you to build links to your comment pages.
  {comment_page_auto_path}
  {comment_url_title_auto_path}
  {comment_entry_id_auto_path}

COMMENTING FEATURES
- Added comment expiration feature.  You can define a master value in
  the Weblog Preferences page, or individual values when posting new
  entries. Comments will be closed when the date is met.
- Added {if no_results}{/if} variables in the {exp:comment:entries} tag.
  This conditional variable lets you specify a message to be shown if
  the tag doesn’t return any data.

SPAM PROTECTION FEATURES
- Added a new option that requires a valid IP addresses and User Agent
  when posting comments for better spam protection (Weblog Preferences
  page).
- Added an optional “rank denial” feature, providing another spam
  protection feature. This feature will prepend all links in comments
  so they point to an intermediary redirect server. (Admin > Session and
  Security page)
- Added “referrer throttling” feature, which will not allow the referrer
  page to accept more than 10 referrers a minute for any given IP address.

LOCALIZATION FEATURES
- Added a new preference (in My Account > Administrative Options) that
  allows the localization settings of any given member to be used as the
  site default for non-logged-in members.

MISCELLANEOUS NEW FEATURES
- Added a new option in the captcha prefs page:  Require Captcha with
  logged-in members
- Added several new CSS stylesheets that were contributed by our users.
- Changed the links in the {exp:weblog:category_archives} tag to utilize
  the url_title instead of the entry_id number.
- Made some CSS changes for better compatibility with Firefox 0.9 and
  Internet Explorer 5.5 Win.

NEW BLACKLIST MODULE
- New module based off of Referrer Blacklist.  Now used by Referrer Module
  and Trackback Module for blocking spam
- When updating the Blacklist, all new additions to the Blacklist will be
  used to delete any Trackbacks or Referrers matching the additions.
- Message explaining need for license number for pMachine Blacklist download
  if license number is not filled in

REFERRER MODULE
- Blacklist is its own module now
- Under View Referrers, you can select individual referrers to delete.
- When deleting individual referrers you have the option of adding their URL,
  IP Address, and User Agent to the blacklist automatically AND delete other
  referrers with similar values.

TRACKBACK MODULE
-  Now uses Blacklist Module to block incoming trackback spam.
- Sends trackbacks with pMCode rendered
- “Admin Notification of Trackbacks” email message template now allows three
  new variables: {trackback_ip}, IP of incoming trackback {delete_link},
  direct link for deleting trackback, {trackback_content}, the excerpt of
  the incoming trackback
- “Admin Notification of Trackbacks” email title template now allows all
  variables that email message template allows: {entry_title}, {comment_url},
  {sending_weblog_name}, {sending_entry_title}, {sending_weblog_url},
  {trackback_ip}, {delete_link}, {trackback_content}
- Word wrapping disabled for admin notification emails
- Bug fixed where {exp:trackbacks:entries} tag would not accept url_titles
  only entry_ids
- If trackbacks for an entry exist and yet trackbacks are not allowed
  (turned off at some point), trackbacks are still shown by
  {exp:trackbacks:entries} tag.

MOBLOG MODULE
- Older Windows server friendly.
- More compatibility with various phones and email clients
- Allows breaking up of email body content for various fields using
  {field:field_name format=“none”}Email content goes in here{/field:field_name}
  in the email.  Can also use greater than or lesser than:
 

.
- {entry_title}Moblog Email’s Title{/entry_title} or
 

Moblog Email’s Title

can be used in the email to specify
  the new entry’s title for the moblog.
- Fixed problem where Locked files were left on email server
- Email text is now corrected for email with format=flowed enabled
- Improved error messages
- Fixed a bug where the {exp:moblog:check} tag only checked one moblog at a time.
- Checking moblog is more efficient and uses up less PHP memory.

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There are a lot of new features but more importantly many fixes to way things work.  Not to say EE was built wrong but many things didn’t work that should have.  Things like not being able to use many of the tag variables in the conditionals was very annoying.  You would instead have to use convoluted php code instead making things hard to work with.

Another great new feature that I’m glad to see is the comment expiration.  I was a big pusher for this feature when I first switched to EE.  I’m not to sure how they exactly have this feature set up but I hope they do let you set a day limit.  So you can for example have comments closed after 30 days.  It’s a great way to cut back on the comment spam since you don’t have to worry about having hundreds of open entries for spammers to attack.  Plus it’s just handy to keep people from posting to really old entries.  Although, a funny thing to point out.  I did make a big deal for this feature when I first switched becuase comment spam was so bad on my old MT blog.  However, since switching I’ve had almost no comment spam.  I think I’ve had maybe 3-4 obvious spam messages since I switched.  I really do think the spammers use automated bots that search out for the mt-comments.cgi scripts so my EE based blog flys under their radar.  *knock on wood*

Finally, the big thing that I’m happy to see if the creation of a Blacklist Module.  This new module will just provide a central place to store blacklisted domains and ip addresses.  The refererer and trackback modules have been rebuilt to use this blacklist module to block refererer and trackback spam.  Although I’m a bit surprised they haven’t also rebuilt the comment module to use the blacklist.  Still it’s a nice feature I’m happy to see.

Well I hope EE 1.1 gets released next week becuase I’ll be very happy to upgrade to it!

Well I said I’d write about the interview so here it is.

The place is about 45 minutes to an hour away so I left around 8:45am.  I arrived around 9:40 and headed right in.  I’ve read you should always arrive at least 15 minutes early so I was right on time.  The place is actually in a vocational school so it took a bit to find the office but I managed to find the entrance.

It was a bit of a shock walking in to find that there was no reception area.  It was just like a short hallway with a secretary at a desk.  Right there was also the office of the lady that would interview me.  Her door was open and when I walked in she saw me.  The secretary asked if she could help me and I said I had an interview at 10.  She then proceeded to use the phone to page the interview lady who was no more than 5 feet away from her.  It was rather silly but it also helped me relax a bit. 

So the lady came out and met me and asked me into her office.  She asked the usual assortment of interview questions.  Topics like “tell me about yourself”, “where do you see yourself in the future”, etc.  I tried to work my way through the best I could and I think I did ok.

Along with the lady, who is the Assistant to the Director, the Network/Systems Services Director was also in the interview.  They discussed the position and took turns asking a few questions than I asked a few. 

I had mentioned how I’d like to do software development in the future and the interviewer said they had an opening for a Programmer/Analyst.  So, she went and brought in two of their System Analysts to talk about that job.  I ended up repeating just about everything I had said early for them and discussed some programming stuff too. 

The interview was over about 10:30.  I shook everyone’s hands and said the usual thank you for the opportunity, etc and left.

So, I managed to get a two for one with the job interview.  I’m no apparently in running for both the Computer Help Desk Technician and Programmer/Analyst positions.  If I was given the choice I would take the Programmer/Analyst position but I’ll take the Help Desk position if they offer it to me.

I need to send a thank you to the interviewer tomorrow before I forget.  Also I’m going to apply for a Technology Coordinator at a local school district as well so I need to write up a cover letter and get that sent out too.  That’s the todo list for tomorrow anyways.

Well I had my interview this morning.  I’ll make a post tomorrow about it because it doesn’t really matter that much. 

Tonight is the last night with my girlfriend for a while.  She’s off to New York City tomorrow morning to do a fall internship at Harper’s Bazaar.  She’ll be gone till sometime in late December probably.

We’ve been going out for over 6 months now.  This is has been my first truly long term relationship.  We’ve formed this amazing connection and I just know she’s someone special to hold onto.  I hate the idea of spending the next 4 or so months being apart.  We’ll still talk plenty, that I do know, but not being able to spend time together in person will be hard.  God it’s downright depressing! 

I know it’s corny and I come off sounding like a pansy but I like being able to cuddle with her.  It’s fun going out and doing things but there is no feeling greater in this world then having her in my arms as we lay on the couch and watch TV or a movie.  It’s this amazing feeling to know that the woman that I’m holding loves me for who I am.

She knows I’m a geek and lack in certain social qualities.  She knows that I’m not emotional but I’m not a cold hearted bastard either.  Most importantly, I know she knows I love her because I make sure to tell her.  I don’t care what the magazines, books or experts might say guys.  Always tell your girlfriend or wife that you love her!  Now don’t say it all the time because I think you can say it so much that it looses it’s meaning but I’ve read many articles that say that guys should never say “I Love You” for the first 6 months or even a year of a relationship.  That’s just goofy and ridiculous.

Anyhoo, it’s just sad to have her go for so long but we’ll be ok and manage…  I leave you all with a song that I feel fits very well for the situation

quote:

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“Beautiful Thing” by Sister Hazel
Well I’ll follow you wherever
When you lead me by my nose
On another big adventure- I suppose
Then you lay me down in clover
With their petals on my back
I should make some time
To do more things like that…

Pre chorus/chorus
Won’t you sing to me your poetry,
Won’t you take me to your home,
Won’t you be for me forever
So I’ll never be alone
And just one thing…
If you’re my queen…
Then it’s a beautiful thing…

Well I’m buried in my bedroom
Under fourteen feet of clothes
I could drown in all this clutter I suppose

But then you’re standing in my doorway
With a suitcase on your back
And it blows my mind
When you do things like that

Pre chorus/ chorus

Yeah, reminding me
Well I might be poor
But summers free…
For me, I didn’t know I was sleeping

Pre chorus/ chorus

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