automaticable

It’s 2008, so you know what that means. No, not the Olympics. No, not your daughter who was born on February 29th, 2000 will FINALLY turn 2. What I’m getting at is that it’s the year of the vote. This is no more fun that doing taxes, except you have to do taxes every year and only vote every four years.  Politics are like the bible, you know what’s going to happen, but you keep going back to them anyways in hopes that there’s going to be some kind of change, but inevitably there won’t be. Now, I’m not very political at all, hell, I usually vote for the guy that can be best photoshopped into a monkey (sorry bout the Bush vote, totally not my fault). Sorry, dramatization there, I do actually take the time and do some research and pick who I think will be best for the position (again, sorry for the Bush vote, totally not my fault). This year we have two front runners who basically sum up the the entire schlepper of man/woman kind. Now, I mean this figuratively of course, because who really is a schlepper now a days, other than Ralph Nader. The two candidates I’m talking about are Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton. (Sorry McCain, you have to be a bench warmer for now….)

Now, here’s the first thing that sets these two people apart from every other candidate we’ve ever had; they’re different. Obama is African American, and Hillary is a female. (Is it sad that I thought of Kindergarten Cop when writing about how Hillary is a female?). ANYWAYS this is the first time that the next President of the United States will either be a woman, or an African American and frankly that scares a lot of people. Now, I’m not saying that it scares me, I think it’s a great idea! Maybe in another 4 years we can have a Disney Character in the office! I should prob stop with that part of the rant right now before I take it too far….

But anyways, back to the candidates. So Brittney Clinton, er, I mean Hillary Clinton has been bashing Obama a lot recently. The big one that comes to mind is she is releasing photos of him over in third world nations dressed in typical Muslim attire and implying that he is working with terrorists (she won’t directly state this because THAT is an outlandish statement!). So, yeah, she’s using sly tactics and is just getting bashed beyond belief….oh well!

Now, to be fair, Osama, er Obama’s (wow, slip of the tongue there) no saint either, he’s using mud slinging tactics as well, but unfortunately he’s not as bad as Hillary so therefore, no hard evidence to prove that he’s such a bad guy.

If I come off a little biased here, what ever, its a blog, you should be a work working anyways, not reading this silly thing. For now I’m gunna go eat some frozen french toast sticks with warm eggo syrup and drink a quarter gallon of milk, because I live in America, and darnit, that’s the healthy American thing to do!

By the way, Happy Birthday all the sons and daughters out there born on February 29th….I know your birthday comes only once every 4 years, but trust me, in 84 years, you’ll be able to drink legally!

When I am working away from home, one thing I hate is not having my media accessible to me, especially my music. Over the past few months I have taken the time to test out a few solutions to this problem and have had varying results. Below are the 3 streaming media players I have had the most success with:

Anywhere.FM: Anywhere.FM allows you to upload your music from your home onto a server and then stream that music to any computer with internet access. The interface is clean, fast, and fairly customizable, and uploading your music is a cinch. It takes some time to get started since every song has to be uploaded to a server, but you have the option of uploading your favorite iTunes playlists first so you can get started listening while the rest of your library loads. Once you have music uploaded you can instantly start streaming your music. Anywhere.FM also integrates many social features so you can easily find people with similar music libraries and listen to their streams. This web-app is still in beta, and for good reason. I had a few issues with playback skipping or stopping completely. This is kind of a deal-breaker since I would expect the streaming to be fairly consistent knowing the files are hosted on their own server. All-in-all, not a bad service, especially since it is free (for now).

Jukefly: Similar to Anywhere.FM, this works-anywhere music player is still in beta. The main difference (and it’s a big one) between Jukefly and Anywhere.FM is with Jukefly you do not have to upload your songs to an independent server; they stream directly from your home computer. Obvious downsides to this are that your home computer has to be running the server so you can grab your music from it, and if your network at home goes down you’ve lost access to your files, but it is also nice to have instant access to your music and know that someone somewhere doesn’t have all of your uploaded files on their server. The interface is a bit clunky and loads slow at times, but it looks more polished and has more potential than Anywhere.FM in the long run. A quick and easy install of the Jukefly server will get you up and running in minutes.

Orb: I am fairly new to Orb so my experience is limited, but I’ll give you my opinions so far. Orb is a full-fledged media center that allows you to access not only your music, but also your pictures, movies, and documents from anywhere you have internet access. Orb also integrates with your digital TV tuner, so you can schedule and record live TV and stream those shows as well. Much like Jukefly, you install the Orb server on your home computer which lets you stream your media anywhere else. The interface is very clean and fast, and looks very similar to Windows Media Center (they might be a Microsoft affiliate, I’m not 100% sure though). One of the best features of Orb (and the main reason I installed it) is it integrates seamlessly with your Wii, Xbox 360, or PS3. Since I have a Wii I can comment the best on the integration with that. Orb has its own interface specially built for the Wii, so navigation is simple with the Wiimote. The quality of the streaming music was high and there was little to no wait for the songs to buffer before playing. On the other hand, video on the Wii was terrible. So terrible, in fact, that it is almost useless. Because the Wii has to transcode the video before it is played, it lowers the frame rate of the video significantly. Luckily, playing the streaming video on another PC does not have the same issue. A cool bonus for Orb on the Wii are Wii-specific games. Orb has a ton of flash/java games in its library, most of them are popular browser games already, but it is nice to have additional games that support the functionality of the Wii specifically.

To sum this all up, Anywhere.FM and Jukefly are both decent, but I wouldn’t recommend them as your primary music player until they both get a few more releases published. Orb, on the other hand, seems like a great way to stream your entire media library across the net, as well as add a little more functionality to your video game console.

I’ve only covered 3 streaming media players here, so if you’ve had any experience with anything similar, let me know in the comments. I am always looking for new toys to play with.

So I wrote a pretty interesting one-line command for a specific task today. Here it is– can you guess what it does?

awk '1 {system("lwp-request -Sm HEAD " $0)}' \

input.txt | awk '/200 OK/ {print $2}' > output.txt

Yeah, me either if I were just looking at it. But let’s break it apart, piece-by-piece. You’ll notice that’s its essentially two commands, strung together through some piping and redirection (the “\” character is just to break the command up in two lines). It’s broken up like so:

{command1} | {command2} > {file}

This says to execute command1 first. Then pipe it’s output into command2 as input. Finally take the output of command2, and throw it all into a file. So we start with the first command:

awk '1 {system("lwp-request -Sm HEAD " $0)}' input.txt

So what the heck does awk do? Well, it’s basically a utility to read in input text, do some filtering on it, and then execute a specific task (or tasks) based on the results. In this case, it has the form:

awk 'filter {command}' input

Skipping first to input, we see that the text we want to process comes from a simple text file– in this case, input.txt. filter is what decides which lines of the input actually get used. Generally it’s in the form of a regular expression, and the matching lines are processed. In our case, we just use 1, which means everything matches, and we will process all lines. Next to the command:

system("lwp-request -Sm HEAD " $0)

In awk, the system command actually specifies that the parameter command should be executed in a sub-shell. The parameter is a quoted string, and using $0 means that we should use the first token of the matching line each time. So the function we really want to look at is:

lwp-request -Sm HEAD {token}

The lwp-request command, as seen here, is a command-line utility to send HTTP requests to a server, and observe there response. It has one required argument, which is the URL to query. Since we don’t see that explicitly here, that must be coming from the token we parsed from our input. We also specify two other parameters. -S tells the program to “print the response chain,” meaning that it will show any redirection or authorization handled automatically. Also, we use -m HEAD, which specifies that we are interested in the header data from the HTTP response. So far, pretty confusing, right? Well, let’s see what a sample query looks like:

$ lwp-request -Sm HEAD http://google.com
HEAD http://google.com --> 301 Moved Permanently
HEAD http://www.google.com/ --> 200 OK
Cache-Control: private
Connection: Close
Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2008 01:27:27 GMT
Server: gws
Content-Length: 0
Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1
Client-Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2008 01:27:36 GMT
Client-Peer: 64.233.167.104:80
Client-Response-Num: 1
Set-Cookie: PREF=ID=4b507d757f70e13b:TM=1203730047: (...)

Interesting, sort of. Anyway, let’s move on. So that little piece of code is getting executed for the first token of every line in our input file. Then, the output is getting “piped” into our next command:

awk '/200 OK/ {print $2}'

We’ve seen awk before! This time, though, we don’t specify an input file, because the input comes directly from the previous command. Our other parameters have changed as well. The filter is no longer 1, but rather /200 OK/. This is a true (albeit simple) regular expression, and matches any line that contains the string “200 OK”. Only lines with this string will be processed. Which brings us to our command, or action: print $2. print means to simply output what follows. In this case, $2, which represents the second parsed token. awk is going to consider everything that is piped in from command1, filter out lines it doesn’t care about, and execute the action on the filtered set. Looking at our sample output above, the only matching line is:

HEAD http://www.google.com/ --> 200 OK

This line will be used in the command, print $2. The command simply prints the second token (separated by a space) on the line, so it outputs:

http://www.google.com/

The final piece of our code redirects command2’s output into a file, output.txt. And that’s it! So putting the pieces together, let’s look at what is really happening here:

• We read in data from an input file for parsing. We can infer that each line contains a URL, which is needed later
• Each URL is passed to the lwp-request command, which outputs header information from the server
• We filter the response information down to only the bits we care about. In this case, a new URL
• Finally, we output each of these “new” URL’s to an output file.

So, that’s the whole one-liner. A little more compactly, it’s a piece of code that takes a list of input URL’s, and outputs the URL’s that each one redirects to. It’s a pretty specific snippet, and has absolutely no error-checking, so is definitely prone to bugs. But, it worked for me the one time I needed it, and it was enough to show off.

On a side-note, this little piece of code made the difference between hours of mindless data-entry, and automated awesomeness.

My recent changeover to Ubuntu Linux has had me searching for easy replacements for all of my Windows programs. The Linux community has made this a pretty easy task, especially with Ubuntu. Ubuntu provides you with Gimp (Photoshop), Firefox (Internet Explorer), Thunderbird (Outlook Express), and the OpenOffice Suite (Microsoft Office Suite). One thing they do not provide you with, however, is an easy replacement for Adobe Flash. Adobe Flash was one of my commonly used programs on Windows, because I do a lot of intro movies for my youth group. Not having a replacement for it was a major downfall for Linux.

Seeing this problem, for about two weeks I searched around for a good replacement for it. I ran across programs such as Flash-4-Linux and OpenLazlo. I heard good things about both of these programs, but found that the install was a bit difficult for a Linux newbie. Then I ran across a program called Synfig. It looked like it had good documentation, and a pretty easy install. All you had to do to install was open up a terminal and put in:

sudo aptitude install synfigstudio

After installing Synfig and opening it (Applications > Graphics > Synfig Studio), I found that I really liked the interface. The synfig interface is broken up into multiple windows, much like that of GIMP. This makes it very easy for me to customize it to my specific needs and project. I also noticed that it had a very easy tool selection menu. Choosing a brush, color, and all the other properties of the brush is very simple.

One of the main features I found in synfig that I have come to love is the different keyframe setup from Adobe Flash. Instead of having the keyframes, time, motion tweens, and everything else all bunched up onto a single window like Adobe Flash, synfig seperates all of these components. This means that creating keyframes is a much simpler process, and is much easier to get them at the precise moment you want.

The only downfall, however, is that Synfig is not made to do intense visual editing. Synfig only allows you to go about as complex as creating a simple gradient. Anything greater than that, such as opacity, blending, or even just adding text is not implemented. This means that if you want to make a very nice looking flash movie, you’ve got to couple Synfig with GIMP.

I would say that, if you are a fan of Adobe Flash, you should definately give Synfig a try. It is a great alternative for Linux, it’s got plenty of documentation, and the interface is very simple. Check out the website to get started, or use the terminal command above.

As most of you know, on Wednesday, February 20th, 2008 there was another miraculous sight given us to by nature; a Total Lunar Eclipse.  This is something I have only seen a few times before in my lifetime, but by golly, I swear it gets better and better every time!  I’ve always been a fanatic for anything astronomy, hence why my freshman year of high school I went on an Earth Science field trip just so I could be in the desert and see as many stars as possible.  Tonight’s viewing of the lunar eclipse was especially magical for me because I got to watch it with Lindsay by my side.  The astros has always been regarded as something magical and romantic and I totally agree, star gazing is still one of my favorite pass times.  As we were desperately waiting outside in the -6 degree weather not only did we get to witness a total lunar eclipse, but from where we were standing, we were also able to view a shooting star from our location.  We also couldn’t have asked for a better viewing setting.  For one of the very few times during the year, the skies over DuPage County were clear of any clouds, fog, haze, or smog.  I swear I was able to see more stars tonight than I have ever been able to see in a suburb.

I was excited to see tonights Total Lunar Eclipse, and I’m also excited for another three years from now, for when the next one is.  For all you people out there that missed it tonight, mark this date on your calenders; December 21st, 2010!  Keep your eyes on the sky, for you’ll never be sure what you might see.

Reading the headline, most of you probably already know what I’m talking about.

Earlier today, Facebook posted on their blog about measures that it’s taking to cut out the application spam.   This refers to the dozens of “Zombie” and “Top Friends” notifications you get every day, that make Facebook unpleasant to use.  Now, Facebook will be making it easier for users to block these notifications, and penalizing applications that encourage users to send out “spammy” requests.

Last year, Facebook opened up its API further than it already was, to enable 3rd-party applications to integrate directly inside of the Facebook webpage.  This was great news for developers– it meant easier access to Facebook’s large user base, better interoperability with profile pages, and a very easy-to-use interface for developing their applications.  Many large companies have taken advantage of this, and started developing useful applications for Facebook, and also promote their products.  For the most part, though, it’s been bad news for users.

Because Facebook made it so easy to use their API, just about anyone can make a Facebook application now.  And, just about everyone has made a Facebook application now, with over 16,000 profile applications developed since the launch last year.  Most of the applications are entirely useless, and have become a nuissance for anyone using Facebook simply to keep in touch with their friends.  Many have critisized Facebook lately as becoming the next Myspace.  So, this announcement comes at a good time.

I used to work on a Facebook application, Mitra, which is partially why I’ve been following the Facebook blog.  Although nearly all of the newer profile applications are useless, there are still a few worth checking out.  For example, I like the “Where I’ve Been” app.  But, to cut out the cruft, I find the best way to stop the annoying notifications is to completely block them.  This was previously done by going to the application’s homepage, and pressing the “Block” button there.  However, this is one of the specific features that Facebook is said to be improving.  Thanks goodness.

One of the key reasons blogs have gained popularity is because they are a constant source of new material. Because of this, a system was put in place for people to easily aggregate all of their frequently updated blogs (and many regular websites) into one place. Blogs, news sites, message boards, podcasts, and pretty much everything in between create “feeds” which send information every time something is updated on their site. The nice thing about these feeds is you, the user, can import them all into one place using RSS, or real simple syndication. Using RSS, you can import all of your frequently updated sites into one place, such as Google Reader (my favorite, among a plethora of other options), so you don’t have to go and check all of your favorite sites individually in case they have new content. More than anything, it is an efficient way for you to scour the web for updates on sites that you frequent anyway.

One of the drawbacks of using RSS is you don’t always see the author’s intended formatting of each story since each RSS reader translates the data a little differently. Also, if you are a fan of participating in the comments on different sites, you will still need to visit each site to do so, as the comments are generally not included in each feed.

Anyone who frequents even a handful of blogs will be able to tell you of the benefits of using the RSS feed on sites. It saves you the time and energy or scouring the internet for new content and will also allow you to cover a lot more content in much less time. If you’d like to subscribe to automaticable’s RSS feed, you can click here or on the red button in the upper right hand corner of your screen. And just FYI, that button (usually orange) is the universal symbol for RSS, so any time you see that symbol you can click on it and have updates imported to your RSS reader automatically.

Not my headline. Scott’s title for an off-the-cuff comment I made regarding wanting to hook myself up to batteries and just eat all day and sell my excess energy.

Inspired by foodsel (via lifehacker)

So I just made the most who-woulda-thunk-it discovery. Stumbling around the internet, I came across this blog with a tip on mason jars. It turns out that the opening on an average mason jar is sized and threaded just right to fit on your blender. Simply unscrew the bottom of the blender’s normal pitcher, and screw it right on top of your mason jar. Flip it over onto your blender base, and voila! This would make a terrific food processor, or a single-serving smoothie. In fact, you could call this a DIY Magic Bullet blender, on the cheap.

According to the article, this isn’t just coincidence, but dates back to a time when blenders were sold with a mason jar “attachment” included. A local bar around us gives out logo mason jars as mugs, and we’ve got about a dozen of them piled up in our cabinets. Now I’ve found a new use for them!

Jokingly, I told my girlfriend Stacy to write an article for the blog instead of study for her big test on Wednesday. She’s been really stressing out about it lately, and I knew she wouldn’t have time to take a break. However,  she did have time to write this short article…

So my boyfriend asked me to write a little something to post on his new blog. After reading all of the computer science/tech savvy articles by him and his brothers, I felt a like anything I would write would be out of place. Instead, I decided to do the opposite of their trends and move a little closer to the stone age, away from computers – where I technologically fit.

I guess I should add a bit of history about me first. I am a junior in college at UIUC. I am studying psychology, but pursuing a career as a physician’s assistant. I hardly have a background in computers, although I’ve always been considered good at fixing electronics since I was young. Currently, my boyfriend is helping me fix up a web page for a club I am in. Other than that, when it comes to computers I know how to write a paper and play freecell and I wouldn’t give myself much credit for anything else. Back to the point I started making, moving back to the stone age makes me feel more comfortable that I don’t rely on technology everyday. Even though the medical field is increasing their reliance on technology, I’d rather rely on what has been around for a long time and what I know works.
For example, I volunteer at the local hospital in the ER. Just the other day I got to watch a guy’s head be sutured. This is a pretty good experience for a volunteer because most of our experience is restocking shelves or changing linens. When the nurse began to suture his head, the patient’s hair kept getting in the way of the knot. If she continued, this would have led to a very irritating healing process with hair stuck under the knot in the scab. So how did she solve this problem? A paper clip. When she first asked me to fetch a paper clip, I was surprised that the suture kit didn’t come with some kind of sterile clip that can hold back anything that will get in the way. But I guess you can always rely on paper clips.

Maybe it’s just the psych major in me, but this reminds me of a term — functional fixedness. It means that if you ’suffer’ from functional fixedness, you can only see an object for its intended use. So for people like this, a paper clip is only an object to hold papers together. When I say ’suffer’, maybe it’s a stretch, but I mean that these people lack the creativity and find a hard time deviating from norms, making their life less efficient. I learned this term in my first psychology class about four years ago. This was around the time that I also found another use for a paper clip. As much as I hate to reflect upon it, I worked at Subway for what seems like a lifetime. But I actually learned a lot from that place. Anyway, in our less than classy store, the toilet in the men’s room broke very often. However, a coworker of mine replaced the rusty/corroded part with a paper clip. I probably wouldn’t have thought of this idea myself, but needless to say, for the following four years that I worked there, we never had a problem with the toilet again.

Maybe these are just two examples of other uses of paper clips, but my point is that if you look around, there are a lot of things that have multiple purposes. And not all of these things are new. They are reliable tools that have been around for a long time. As I slowly pull myself out of the stone age and transition to a new era, I want to not only learn about computers and new electronics, but also how to use our past tools more efficiently. As a last thought, I leave you with the famous problem of fixing a candle to the wall and lighting it given only matches, a candle, and a matchbox filled with thumbtacks. Solve that and maybe you’ll see things a bit more in my light.