Re: [Discuss] Death, and other cheery topics
On Thu, May 10, 2012 at 7:57 PM, Eric Chadbourne wrote: >> 2. The knowledge that when you die, there's no conceivable way your >> family could understand or operate this system, even if they are >> smart. I don't have a complex computing environment either. I just have a Windows laptop with a text file on the desktop titled "Open If I Die". Every so often I go through and update it. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Death, and other cheery topics
On Thu, May 10, 2012 at 10:35 PM, wrote: > "Open if I die?" > > Something to think of I'm not sure what you mean. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Looking for work
On Tue, Jul 3, 2012 at 2:23 PM, Matt Shields wrote: > It's not bad to talk about negative experiences, in fact good interviewers > ask you about these experiences. Agreed, with a caveat. Negative experiences are going to happen - it's how you deal with them that counts. In the OP's email he said that he still had a lot of negative *emotions* surrounding the event. It sounds like those emotions were coloring (probably in a big way) the way he talked about the experience. Talking about something that invokes strong negative emotions will always be uncomfortable - especially if you just met the person. > It's how you reacted and dealt with a negative situation that they want to > know. If you acted poorly, then of course they may not consider you. If > you found a way to deal with the negativity in a good way, then it's a good > thing. Honestly I believe that negative situations if dealt with correctly > help you build up. Seconded. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Rob Conery's critique of MySQL?
On Wed, Aug 1, 2012 at 8:36 PM, Richard Pieri wrote: > There is no such thing as a good RDBMS. They're all bad. They all suck. > They're all designed around a data storage and retrieval philosophy that was > obsolete 30 years ago. Tables are slow and they don't scale. There are > faster, more robust, more flexible and more scalable ways of storing and > retrieving data than hyper-thyroidal spreadsheets. Like what? ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[Discuss] Ruby on Rails / sysadmin side job
Hey gang, a friend of mine is looking for someone to help him out as he learns Ruby on Rails + some essential system administration tasks. His name is Peter Scheyer. Here's the information he gave me, copied and pasted: - I want to have my own craigslist duplicate up and running, hosted, and serving the web. I have a bunch of other features to add, but that's a stupidly easy task (all been done before on https://github.com/railslist/craigslist-clone). I just don't have time right now to do it myself and haven't handled all the backend stuff before, and want someone to walk me through it. I'll negotiate payment with those interested, half up front and half upon completion or 4 weeks' time, whichever comes first. I want it to be a legal website to operate as a business, so I'll want an explanation of how to take code off github and license it properly. I want to be walked through the whole thing, from finding a host, to registering the domain name, to putting code on the server, to editing the code once it's running. If the other person wants to make a blog post out of the process and send me a link, that's fine- i just want a single coherent explanation of how to go from code to web site. I want to be able to take payments on the website, but if that is annoying then we can make it into part 2 of the project. If you're interested, email him off-list at psche...@gmail.com. It looks like he's confusing the amount of, and distribution of, the task ahead (he seems to think the installation will be more challenging and time consuming than adding features, for example) but Peter is a good guy, he's smart (Harvard graduate) and most importantly I wouldn't be forwarding this if I thought it was going to be a Charlie Foxtrot. Cheers, Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Google wants images of my passport, driver's license, bank statement, etc.
On Sun, Aug 26, 2012 at 9:10 PM, Derek Martin wrote: > This is a problem inherent with > doing business on-line though: there's no store where you can walk in > and simply SHOW them your credentials. Or, if there is, it's in > Backfoot, Idaho (a real place) or some other very far away place. Aside: I've been to Backfoot, ID. The (additional) problem with scanning and sending your ID to Google is that they can't look at your face and confirm that the person presenting the documents is the person to whom the documents belong. I don't see why you couldn't use Skype (or other videoconferencing tool of your choice) to connect with a customer service center and show them your ID, though. Unless they're being *really* evil and screencapping their calls just to get sensitive data, this seems like a semi-reasonable alternative, though admittedly I haven't really thought it through. Can anyone see potential problems with doing it this way? -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Google wants images of my passport, driver's license, bank statement, etc.
On Mon, Aug 27, 2012 at 8:09 AM, Daniel C. wrote: > Aside: I've been to Backfoot, ID. And by Backfoot I of course mean Blackfoot. Protip: Double check your placenames with Google *before* you post. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Google wants images of my passport, driver's license, bank statement, etc.
On Mon, Aug 27, 2012 at 9:30 AM, Dan Ritter wrote: >> Lots of people don't have a working skype setup? > > And weren't much interested in it before Microsoft bought them, > and even less so now? Indeed, Skype specifically would hardly be the ideal solution. But videoconferencing is widely available... isn't it? I suppose if you don't have access to a webcam you'd be in trouble. Or if you're in a remote, low-bandwidth location (Iraq, Afghanistan), but then again if you deploy without creating a limited power of attorney with someone you trust then you're kind of asking for trouble. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Google wants images of my passport, driver's license, bank statement, etc.
On Mon, Aug 27, 2012 at 10:24 AM, Ben Eisenbraun wrote: > Probably what Google should do is start capturing keystroke dynamics in > their HTML form fields for logged in users and slowly build a database > of biometric information for their users. Ah, then they can do some > facial and voice recognition when people are using hangouts, put all the > information together and identify and authenticate everyone/everywhere/all > the time! That's a great idea. There's no way this information could ever be misused. Location: NIS Headquarters, internal Lackey: "Sir! We're detecting an insurgent using a terminal in Montana! He's typing the word... "escape". Their keystroke pattern and timing matches 150 people, two of whom are known rabble rousers. Permission to dispatch Future-Tech Death Drones?" Steam and smoke puff ominously from The Overlord's chair as it turns slowly to face the camera. Overlord: "Permission... granted." Overlord and Lackeys all cackle in maniacal glee as a rancher (who is trying to figure out how his cattle keep escaping his electrical fences) is liquified by flying insect-like machines with the US flag and the words "Freedom Through Obedience" painted on them. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Google wants images of my passport, driver's license, bank statement, etc.
On Tue, Aug 28, 2012 at 9:51 AM, Derek Martin wrote: > Proving your identity with legal documents in general is not something > anyone should need to do to buy something that's legal to buy to the > general public While I agree, my understanding is that the OP was trying to buy something with an app or storefront that had saved his CC and other personal information. It seems reasonable to require proof of identity before granting access to that kind of information. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] The best Neal Stephenson quote
On Sat, Nov 24, 2012 at 9:08 PM, Bill Horne wrote: > This is the best Neal Stephenson quote I've ever seen Stephenson's bit in Cryptonomicon about Goto Dengo losing the war is the absolute best illustration I've come across regarding the mindset of the Japanese during WWII. (At least, I imagine that must have been their mindset; I have no way of knowing how they really thought and felt.) He also wrote a very good piece in Wired magazine called "Mother Earth, Mother Board." It was written in 1996, so it's about "primitive" technology and lacks the perspective we have now about the .com boom and bust, but it's still a fascinating piece that has a lot of good history and solid Stephenson style. Here's their "normal" version: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.12/ffglass.html and here's the "for printing" version, which is all on one page but has a few minor formatting issues: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.12/ffglass_pr.html Incidentally this is also the article that made me want to learn welding, backhoe operation and maritime law so I could become an expat and wander between technical jobs in the third world. Clearly, my life has not turned out how my much-younger self would have wanted. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Its not possible to make things easier for users
On Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 3:35 PM, Mark Woodward wrote: > This is exactly why you can't help users. User's do not know what they do > not know and somehow expect the world to take care of them. > > Even Apple is getting spanked for being too simple. More people use android > than iPhone. The Android is just as simple to use as an iPhone, to be honest. Even my girlfriend (who is wonderful, but simply cannot use a computer to save her life) has had success with her Android. Your thesis (that you can't help users because the world is just too complicated) is confounded daily by the billions of people who spend their lives interacting successfully with phenomenally complex systems and devices despite not understanding their inner workings. Do you make allowances for that somehow? Is software fundamentally different from other things? If so, why? I agree with you that making "slick" user interfaces for software is a serious problem. Howerver, you seem to be saying that the problem is fundamentally intractable which I think is overstating your case. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Google Reader Retiring
On Wed, Mar 13, 2013 at 8:09 PM, Chris O'Connell wrote: > Wow... I just logged into Google Reader, as I do every day several times > and was told by Google, very matter-of-factly, that Google Reader is being > retired. > > That's it. No additional information, no substitution... what gives? After clicking through many links, I got (four pages later) to an explanation - they're chopping several projects, and Google Reader is one of them. Apparently people aren't using it that much any more. That or they aren't making money off of it... but that's cynical skepticism on my part. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] SCO's Motion To Reopen the Case Is Denied with a Bonk on the Head
On Fri, Apr 26, 2013 at 2:57 PM, Jerry Feldman wrote: > And we can blame it on Ralph Yarro. he even has a law named after him. I lived in Utah when all of this was going down. Sadly I didn't get to participate in any of the actual pickets or protests (I had to work) but it was really interesting to be in the thick of it all. It looks like Yarro is still pushing his ridiculous "CP80" idea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CP80 I get the gist of it, but the implementation they're proposing is so bad it's not even wrong. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] api? rest maybe?
On Wed, May 22, 2013 at 2:41 PM, Eric Chadbourne wrote: > Hi All, > > I've written a little web application and a friend of mine has asked for an > api. I don't know much about this subject though rest looks understandable. > Any suggestions for something to read? All clues welcome. REST should be fine. I may be old school, but I personally would consider implementing a REST API to be "making it fancy". When I write one-off web apps and I want to add an API, I just publicly expose some of the functionality (with proper security measures in place, of course) via a page that expects a POST and which returns some formatted text. For example if I want an API for a personal finance "app" (fancy word for a mish-mash of scripts) I might have the following "API calls" (really just web pages that are more programmer-friendly): - login.php: post credentials to this to get authenticated - transaction.php: you can POST to this with a couple of fields that define the transaction amount, a short description and optionally a category. It prints out a simple success or failure message. - balance.php: GET only, returns your current balance as an integer in text form If I'm already using these filenames for the "normal" UI then I might prepend them with api_. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Thumbs Up To Ben
On Thu, Oct 6, 2011 at 11:33 AM, Adam Hathaway wrote: > Thanks Ben. I usually use this list to read and I rarely comment but > figured I should give a thumbs up to Ben's comment. Too much time on many > of these Linux mailing lists is complaining about competitors and not enough > on the actual mailing list subject. I am not saying this is true about > everyone but I ask what kind of productivity/innovation would we have if a > large group of these FUD spreaders would refocus their time on something > other than complaining about competitor products/idealogy? Thirded. Our role, as far as I understand it, is to develop the best software we can and give it away for free. The fact that others have taken the role of creating the best software they can and charging money for it should be of minimal concern to us. Hyperbole aside, (the GREATEST threat to freedom? Really?) Mark has some good points. We do have an ideology, and it's fair to take some time to espouse it. But when these topics take up more time than the purported list topic, that's a problem. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Econonomic contribution
Ritchie. Jobs made things pretty, which helped people enjoy using them (and he was fantastic at it). But the actual "work" at Apple was done by other people. This leads to the question of whether vision and direction (which Jobs provided in spades) should be counted as less important than technical acumen. I'm not going to answer this question - rather I'm going to point out that Ritchie, in addition to providing actual engineering savvy, also provided vision and direction (in spades) to the software and computing world. Whether you count Ritchie's technical + vision sum as greater or less than Jobs' marketing + vision + belligerently stealing other people's ideas and pretending they were his. (You can guess where I stand.) -Dan On Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 11:39 PM, wrote: > Had a little debate, at work, about the importance of the work two men. > Steve Jobs and Dennis Ritchie. > > Who contributed more to the world and who created more wealth? We all know > who had more money, but who was more important? ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Econonomic contribution
On Sat, Oct 15, 2011 at 7:37 AM, b p wrote: > Let's not forget that Ritchie created the very platform/foundation that apple > heavily relied on. I thought about that too, but decided not to mention it. Human civilization is built on a few very simple discoveries and inventions (fire, the wheel, simple machines) but that doesn't mean that the people who invented them are necessarily greater, or have contributed more, to the progress of mankind than someone else. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Econonomic contribution
On Sat, Oct 15, 2011 at 10:37 PM, Bill Bogstad wrote: > I'm not sure why that sentiment wouldn't apply equally to Steve Jobs > 'vision' and his contributions to computing. Or anyone else for that > matter. Kind of makes this whole thread a waste of time. Because of what Tom Metro said. Jobs radically changed the direction of interfaces. Fire, the wheel, and simple machines would have been discovered sooner or later. Unix... well, maybe? That's a tougher discussion, but it seems to be the essence of what we're asking. It seems pretty safe to say that Jobs' contributions (as "fluffy" as they were) might not have been duplicated by someone else - at least not for several years. Could the same be said for Ritchie? For Jobs, it's clear that the form of his advances were important. (They were basically all form, and little substance. This is not necessarily a criticism.) For Ritchie, it's not as clear. If you think that what Ritchie did (Unix, C, etc.) was groundbreaking and could not easily have been duplicated by someone else if he hadn't ever lived, then it's probably fair to say that Ritchie's contributions were greater. If you think that what Ritchie did was marginal, or that it could easily have been duplicated by someone else, then you'd probably have to go with Jobs. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Econonomic contribution
On Sun, Oct 16, 2011 at 11:08 AM, Richard Pieri wrote: > You're weaseling. The facts are that both had ideas and both found ways to > bring them to fruition. The end. That's hardly fair - to Mark, to the discussion, or to Jobs and Ritchie. I had an idea and found a way to bring it to fruition. By your standard this makes me the equal of industry giants. (It was chicken soup, and I've got to be honest - it was damn good, even given that chicken soup by its nature has an upper limit on "delicious".) It's still fair, and can be productive, to compare two people and ask which made a greater contribution to humanity. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] GMail doesn't recognize mailing lists
On Thu, Nov 3, 2011 at 12:18 AM, Greg Rundlett (freephile) wrote: > Why doesn't GMail reply to list by default?! Does this lack of feature bug > you? Gmail is behaving correctly. The reply-to header is set by the mailing list administrator, and should be obeyed by the mail client. If you want this list to reply to list by default, feel free to argue your case here but be warned that this topic is almost always a sticky morass of flames, dogma and other unpleasantness. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Data including email, stored in the cloud, may be available to law enforcement without search warrant
On Thu, Nov 3, 2011 at 11:06 AM, wrote: >> This is a problem that can be easily solved by using end-to-end >> encryption. The capability is already built-in to every common email >> client. > > Assuming your ISP allows encryption to a server on your premises. Most > email servers are outside of your premises and thus in the custody of a > "provider." The problem is that there is no 4th amendment protection for > your data in the custody of a vendor. They can be ordered to hand over > your data, unencrypted, by any number of government agencies. I'm not sure what you're saying. Email clients can encrypt and decrypt - there's no need to rely on the provider to do any work, and you don't need an email server at your home to encrypt an email before you send it, or decrypt after it's received. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Data including email, stored in the cloud, may be available to law enforcement without search warrant
On Fri, Nov 4, 2011 at 7:29 PM, Richard Pieri wrote: > Okay, yeah, I just spent 15 minutes on Google looking these up to prove a > point. A practice which is, by now, a rich and storied tradition. If we ever meet, ask me about the most extreme thing I did in order to win an internet argument. You might be surprised. (Hint: It took longer than 15 minutes.) -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] FYI - a purely software embodiment is not patent eligible
Can you give us an English translation of this, please? Specifically, on what grounds did they decide that software is nonstatutory (I'm guessing this means you can't patent it?) but a web-based system (which is also software...) is? On Tue, Dec 6, 2011 at 9:35 AM, Hsuan-Yeh Chang wrote: > 1. In a recent administrative decision, the US patent office held that a > "purely software embodiment" is not patent eligible. > > Quote: > "The clear import of this discussion is that the invention can exist solely > as software. Reciting descriptive material per se (e.g., computer > programs) is nonstatutory. See In re Warmerdam, 33 F.3d 1354, 1360-61 (Fed. > Cir. 1994). Therefore, we agree with the Examiner (Ans. 4, 17) that claim 1 > encompasses a purely software embodiment and find that claim 1, as a whole, > is directed to non-statutory subject matter under § 101." Ex Parte Cohen, > 2011 WL 6012432 (BPAI November 29, 2011) at 5. > > 2. On the flip side, a "web based system" is patent eligible. > > Quote: > "We are persuaded by Appellants' argument, for much the same reasons as to > the web-based system, set forth at claim 1. In the context of these two > method claims, we find that by providing a web-based system or providing, > on a web-based system, the methods are tied to a particular machine of the > specially-programmed computer. As such, we further find that the computer > is recited in the claim so inextricably connected to a discussion board and > the associated functions which occur by claim recitation on it so as not to > be an abstraction. See Bilski v. Kappos, 130 S.Ct. 3218, 3227 (June 2010). > We therefore find that claims 6 and 11 recite eligible subject matter, and > reverse the rejection of these claims under > Section 101." Ex Parte Vogel, 2011 WL 6012447 (BPAI November 21, 2011) at > 7 and 8. > > 3. > http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2011/12/recent-patentable-subject-matter-decisions-at-the-bpai.html ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Justify your existence
On Fri, Dec 16, 2011 at 9:53 AM, Matthew Gillen wrote: > In which case you should have a few more cocktails before continuing the > conversation ;-) In my case this usually leads to me telling them exactly what I think of them. Oh hell, who am I kidding? I do that sober. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] SOPA
On Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 2:50 PM, Rich Braun wrote: > Ackkk, the politicians are turning their attention to the Internet again. > First came the America Invents Act of 2011. Now comes SOPA, the Stop Online > Piracy Act, which gives the same corporate clowns control over who gets to say > what online. Appropriate for bureaucrats in China or North Korea, perhaps, > but here I say hands off my Internet. Amen. Here are a few activism sites that will help you contact your bureaucrats: http://demandprogress.org/ http://americancensorship.org/ or you can do it yourself here: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml I strongly encourage all American citizens on this list to let your representative know how you feel on the issue. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] SOPA
On Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 10:53 PM, MBR wrote: > In your grandfather's day, nobody had yet mailed weaponized anthrax spores > to Congress. But after envelopes of anthrax were sent to Tom Daschle and > Patrick Leahy in 2001, letters sent via U.S. mail to members of Congress go > through a screening that delays them by at least two weeks. Since then, for > any time-sensitive issue, fax is the preferable alternative to mailed > letters. Fair enough. If you know of an upcoming issue that you feel strongly about, maybe you should take action promptly rather than waiting for it to become a time sensitive issue? -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] keeping an eye on congress
On Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 2:52 PM, Tom Metro wrote: > There ought to be a service (and perhaps there is, but I haven't ran > across it) that publishes a summarized, easily digestible report of what > legislation is coming up in the House of Representatives and the Senate. > Probably a version that is packaged up weekly, and another version that > sends out a daily report. Something you can get via email, RSS, or > Twitter. Something that includes links to a feedback channel that allows > you to supply your "for" or "against" vote, and optional comments, to > your reps. I've considered launching a service (called something like Political Inaction) that does something like this. You'd get regular digests that summarize the bills before your governing bodies (state, national, whatever) with links to more in-depth coverage. Ideally there'd be articles behind the links with "balanced" for and against blurbs. (I realize it's impossible to actually get anything written in this area that's really balanced.) Then the person reading it could click the "for" or "against" box, and the summary of this information would be transmitted to the representative's office in a way that's useful to them. Constituents could also get a summary of how their rep voted in relation to their preference - x% the same as, or different than, the constituent's preferences. There are obviously a lot of problems with this - but it would be better than nothing, eh? Hell, even an easily accessible list of votes made by your reps (which you could find just by putting in your zip code) would be a step in the right direction, and it wouldn't be too hard to put together. Does anyone know where this information can be located? -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] keeping an eye on congress
On Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 6:59 PM, Dan Ritter wrote: > http://www.congress.org/congressorg/megavote/ Perfect. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[Discuss] Financial database / balance?
Hello, I'm writing some personal finance management software, and I'm puzzling over the best way to keep track of the balance for each account. I've got an accounts table and a transactions table. I need a way to get the balance for an account, but the current balance depends on the value of all transactions tied to that account from now until the beginning of time. Obviously summing all transactions for that account is not the most efficient way of finding the current balance. The alternative is to add a balance field to the accounts table and create a trigger on insert, update or deletion in the transactions table to update the appropriate account balance. The risk here is that, somehow, this will get screwed up or out of whack and then the account balance won't correctly reflect the sum of all transactions for that account. Resetting it would be easy (just re-sum all transactions for that account) but adding this feature would be offensively kludgey to me. I've considered a few other options but none of them really sit right with me. Should I just add the trigger to my DB and trust that (if properly programmed in the first place) it will always work? Thanks, Daniel ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Financial database / balance?
On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 7:07 PM, Richard Pieri wrote: > Are you writing this for yourself or is this a for-pay project? For myself! I wouldn't even consider trying to write a financial management piece for someone else until I had "significantly" (understatement) more experience, plus a couple of volumes more knowledge about industry standards under my belt. No, this is just a toy project that is going to replace the spreadsheets I've been using. That said, I do want to do it "right". -Daniel ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Financial database / balance?
On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 7:43 PM, Richard Pieri wrote: > You could go with a double-entry system. It's more complex to write and use > but double-entry book-keeping ensures that mistakes and errors are caught > immediately. I considered double-entry, but most accountants I've spoken to say that it's overkill for personal finance. Also, I could never figure out how paychecks are supposed to work. Do I have an account called "Job" that I just debit eternally so that I can then credit that amount to my "funds available" account? I guess it would be kind of nice to know where exactly my money is coming from, but to be honest most of the time I just have one job and that's it. My primary concern is with tracking savings, expenses, and (ultimately) how much I can spend on beer tonight without infringing on either of the first two items. On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 8:13 PM, Jack Coats wrote: > When I did mainframe bean counting in the last century, we basically > kept a database with the 'end of year' and each 'end of month' amounts > for each account, and a MTD (month to date) summery. We kept the in > the month journal entries with each transaction so they could be > updated during the month (and that would be used to keep the MTD > amounts up to date. That seems like a pretty good compromise between the two extremes. So would the MTD summary be updated continuously every time a new journal entry is posted? I'd have to add another table (or two?) to keep end of month / end of year summaries, but that's not such a big deal. I'm assuming a "journal entry" means a payment, a deposit, a transfer, or something else. I'm going back and forth on how to store these as well, and I've settled on a table that looks like this: id account_id mirror_id date amount comment The only thing not self explanatory is mirror_id. This would point to another record in the same table with a different account ID and the opposite (from 0) amount. It indicates a transfer between two accounts - a debit in one, and a credit in the other. Otherwise, one record in this table = one debit or credit to a single account. I've been working on a trigger to update the running balance on the account every time a new row is inserted, similar to your MTD example. > Yes, I understand abhoring anything but fully updated information, and > having to re-process old transactions. But after supporting both tax > departments and general accounting (I stayed away from HR and payroll > like the plague -- different issues there), being ready to explain > your system and how you can validate it to auditors is a "good > thing"(tm). So, I'll add a feature request for some kind of auto-audit and/or auto-re-processor. It shouldn't be too difficult to write. > I hopes this helps. This has been tremendously helpful, thank you. Also, I double checked my DB and I believe I'm now using BCD's. To be honest it doesn't matter to me right now - part of the design of this project is that I will slightly overestimate expenses by just a bit (I usually round up to the nearest quarter) and slightly underestimate income (I usually round paychecks down to the nearest dollar). Over time this will create a discrepancy between what my finance software shows and what's actually in my bank account, but that discrepancy will always be on the safe side. Plus, when it gets big enough to notice, it means a "free" meal at Passage to India. I'm sure this would drive other people insane, but I've found that not knowing precisely how much is in my bank account leads me to spend less money. If other people want to use the software in future versions, I'll probably make it so you can turn that "feature" off. Richard, I'm kind of curious what you have to say about double-entry bookkeeping. -Daniel ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Financial database / balance?
On Sun, Jan 15, 2012 at 6:19 PM, wrote: > That said, there are subtle differences between the two, but beyond that > there are different expectations of what precision means. For instance, if > you were to write a amortization calculator, you might be tempted to carry > fractional value across calculation periods. In a financial environment > this is not done, nothing is carried across transactions. So, if I ever implement amortizations (I don't even know what that means, but this thread has given some hints and they are tantalizing) how should I implement them? Calculate one year at a time, then round and calculate again, until the thing expires/matures? -Daniel ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Visualizing LAN traffic
On Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 5:34 PM, Tom Metro wrote: > Anyone seen a tool for visualizing LAN traffic? Something that can > distill what's going on down to a dynamic infographic of sorts, with > ways of indicating unusual behavior? On Monday I'm starting a class on data visualization. I was thinking of taking on something like this for the final project. The idea that someone would find such a tool useful makes me more than marginally more interested. > I've heard of tools that let you listen to LAN traffic, where supposedly > you can easily hear the differences when something unusual happens. But > I'd expect such a tool to get annoying fast. I think I'd actually enjoy having something like that. You could have the volume down low enough that it would become background noise, and you'd only notice it if something changed. Just like machinery in a factory or something. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Visualizing LAN traffic
On Fri, Jan 20, 2012 at 1:51 PM, Derek Martin wrote: > I'm inclined to agree with this, though I must admit I find the idea > somewhat intriguing... I'm wondering if anyone has actually used this > for real monitoring. If so, how did you find it? I've never used it, but I'm inclined to have a different (not necessarily opposite) view from what you wrote below. Hopefully my comments will, despite my lack of experience, will be interesting rather than hollow speculation ;) > Perhaps so. Still, this kind of tool strikes me as most useful when > the computing environment being monitored is large enough to require a > team to do the job, and I think therein lies the trouble. Do you mean that the large monitoring space would be a problem, or that the large number of people would be a problem? I see the "listen to it" solution as being perfect for a large monitoring space - our brains are great at filtering sounds for useful information and blocking out things that are uninteresting. You could throw a ton of information into an audio stream and reasonably expect most people to be able to pick it apart, even while focused on something else. > I expect > many people probably could block out the background noise, whereas > others might have a great deal of trouble. This would be a challenge. If I were going to use it, I'd wear head phones so only I had to hear to it. I like to listen to some random-ish noise while I program anyway, to block out the distracting things that are going on around me. > The paper discusses the idea that typical network monitoring tools are > reactive and therefore interrupt-driven, and that they only provide > negative feedback, and no positive feedback. I'm not sure how you could give positive feedback... unless he meant it would actively probe your network for security problems, which (in my mind) is a related, but different, problem set. > Paging or some sort of audible > alerting can be used to trigger action, so that only infrequent active > monitoring, or even none at all, is required. I may have the wrong idea about network monitoring, then. Isn't it a matter of picking through a constant stream of (normal, safe) data for the few "weird" events which could potentially be dangerous, and then investigating them? It seems like listening to something, and relying on your brain to provide the heuristics, might be a good solution. Also, isn't live monitoring (so that you can respond quickly) better than going through logs of past events, which may have already done their damage? If those assumptions I'm making are wrong, then I would agree that it's more of a clever hack than a practical tool. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] What Happens when a cloud service shuts down
On Fri, Jan 20, 2012 at 2:35 PM, Jerry Feldman wrote: > Theoretically, a cloud is a virtual storage device where the actual storage > media should be in several different locations fully mirrored. I understand the value of backups, and I understand the value of virtual computing, and parallel computing, and other things. Could someone (and I apologize if this is OT to the thread) explain to me what exactly the buzzword "cloud computing" means, exactly? My BS detector flashes every time someone says it, but I have been wrong once (okay, *maybe* twice) in the past. Is it just a way of saying that you have a distributed, parallel app whose individual nodes can come online (or go offline) dynamically without interrupting the service? Is it strictly used to reference data storage - as in the original email in this thread - or does it mean more than that? Thanks, Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] What Happens when a cloud service shuts down
On Fri, Jan 20, 2012 at 4:15 PM, Jerry Feldman wrote: > Very specifically, cloud is just another way of saying mainframe > computing the way it used to be. > Historically, computing has decentralized since the 1970s, especially > with the advent of the PC. Now, companies are using the "cloud" to > essentially bring data back into the control of the IT people. In a > business, generally the IT people have the mission to protect the > integrity and security of the data. Maybe I'm late to the IT party, but how do you mean that it's going back to the way it used to be? I've never really experienced (that I can remember) a work environment where most of the data (the important stuff, at least) isn't housed in some central repository - usually a web or standalone DB server. Am I misunderstanding what you mean, or have I just not been paying attention to how things work where I've worked? -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Visualizing LAN traffic
On Fri, Jan 20, 2012 at 6:02 PM, Derek Martin wrote: > Unless you're staffed 24x7, you're still going to need some other form > of network monitoring and alerting for the times when the humans are > all out having a beer. Outsource it to a security company. Not network security - physical security: have the same guy who guards the door listen to the audio stream. That way when something goes wrong he can call the sysadmin and tell him that he's hearing WAY too many owls and he thinks they might want to check it out. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] What Happens when a cloud service shuts down
On Sat, Jan 21, 2012 at 12:22 PM, Bill Horne wrote: > I think it's a way of saying "I hired someone else to do it", with specifics > left to the imagination of whomever hears the statement. For practical > purposes, it's a way of saying "Don't hold me accountable for any mistakes > made in the future: I hired to take the blame for them". I never thought I would meet another human who could out-cynicism me. It is a pleasure to make your virtual acquaintance, sir. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[Discuss] FORTRAN -> ???
I was talking to an ex-co-worker last night and he said that he's having trouble finding a programmer to maintain their FORTRAN codebase. The conversation got me thinking - there must be a way to automatically change older languages (FORTRAN, etc.) into something newer. At the very least you should be able to compile the program into machine code, then use a decompiler to bring it back into C. That really shouldn't be necessary though - you should be able to have a compiler move FORTRAN straight into the language of your choice. Does anyone know of an automated tool to do this? I checked Google and a few things came up but nothing that looked particularly helpful. Thanks, Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Programming vs Engineering
On Sun, Jan 22, 2012 at 11:42 AM, wrote: > An ongoing semi-problem that dictionary makers have always had is that people > routinely try to use them as authorities for what a word *should* mean. The > actual function of a dictionary isn't to decide what words mean, but rather > to tell the reader how a word *may* be used. Put another way - English dictionaries are descriptive, not prescriptive. French, meanwhile, has L'Academie Francaise, which is prescriptive - while French speakers are free to speak and write however they like, it's not "French" unless The Academy has approved it. Their dictionary, in contrast to English dictionaries, does in fact document the correct usage of the French language. Language Trivia time is over now; thank you for reading. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[Discuss] PBX Standards? (was: Cloud thread)
On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 7:13 AM, Tom Metro wrote: > I've been hoping that we'd see more open source apps in hosted form, and > we have seen some, but not really wide spread. Take for example virtual > PBXs. It's entirely feasible that we could have seen an "Asterisk > hosting" market develop much like web hosting, but it didn't happen. > There is maybe one vendor that I know of that provides Asterisk hosting. > The rest stick a proprietary GUI on top, or use an entirely proprietary > solution. If things don't work out with your PBX provider, there is no > way to download your config and prompts and upload them to another > provider. Web servers are almost a commodity at this point. Most server-side technologies can be hosted on any platform with only minor modifications. Client-side parts (obviously) don't care where they're hosted. Why isn't there some similar standard for PBX's? It can't be that hard to slap together an XML standard that defines your phone network, options, etc. and that all vendors agree on. Incidentally, this reminds me of an idea I had while working my way through a phone tree one day. Why hasn't anyone put together a web app that works in tandem with a phone tree, allowing the caller to view the options on screen while simultaneously hearing them read over the phone? I am much better at visualizing information than I am at "audiolizing" it. (Which is probably why we have a word for thinking about things with our visual centers, while I had to make up a word for the auditory equivalent.) It would be a hell of a lot easier to see the options in front of me and be able to click them than to have to fiddle with my phone the entire time. It doesn't seem like plugging this into Asterisk would be tremendously difficult. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[Discuss] Software Engineering redux
So, we all accept that the title Professional Engineer (the one with the specific legal meaning - not the lowercase engineering that we all do every time we write a program) does not apply to what we as software developers do. (It would be difficult to argue with this since there is no Professional Software Engineer certification with the NSPE - the National Society of Professional Engineers.) Regardless, we already have a thread for arguing semantics; I'm not interested in getting into it here. What I am curious about is what a standard in software engineering would look like, if it were to be established with the NSPE. Any such standard would have to be revised and updated over time, but we (meaning human beings in general) already have several computer programs on which human lives depend daily. The one that I always think of first (because of my background in the area) is avionics systems in aircraft and the software in air traffic control towers. We might eventually want to take a look at the process used to develop these systems and think about whether those practices could be generalized to other areas of software development. On a more general level, what would the goals of such a standard be? Obviously "writing programs that don't kill people" is one of them, but what else? I'm not advocating that anyone actually create such a standard. I agree that the software industry is too young. I'm just curious what such a standard might look like, and whether it's even possible to have one among software developers. It might not be - or rather, it might require that a Professional Software Engineer forego the use of cutting edge technologies in favor of the tried and true. (This might not be a Bad Thing.) Incidentally, Alan Kay has made some pretty scathing remarks about the state of the computer science industry - especially in comparison to capital-E Engineering. I've got to run in a few minutes or I'd dig them up - a quick Google should turn them up for you, though. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Programming vs Engineering
On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 4:04 PM, wrote: > If it were too abstract, how could it be anything but valueless? If it > were specific in any way, how could it be universally valuable in the > field? What kind of certification would be applicable for LAMP guys on > unix and guys that uses Visual C++ and Windows? In such a way that both > could pass with the skills relevant in their jobs? Part I: Theory & Best Practices (abstract) Part II: Application in your technology of choice (specific) This is how most people learn anyway, even though most of us started out with a specific language. At the same time we were learning that specific language, we were (I hope) picking up general ideas about good and bad practice. In fact, on second thought my I and II up there could be swapped - it's difficult to talk about best practices if you don't have a language to demonstrate them in. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Software Engineering redux
On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 3:09 PM, Richard Pieri wrote: > No, we all do not accept this assertion. Then I apologize for mischaracterizing. I meant it more as a segue from one conversation to the next than as an assignment of belief. On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 6:13 PM, Tom Metro wrote: > That's not to say this wouldn't still be controversial and take decades > to reach an industry consensus. Do you include design patterns? Which > ones? Test Driven Development? Agile practices? One Time I Heard This One Mechanical Engineer Say (cough cough...) that most of his schoolwork involved learning concepts, principles, and mathematics, and then learning where to find all of the specifics when he needed them later. He doesn't have to know the specific limits of every material, so long as he can find them and do the calculations correctly based on what he's found. > I'm just regurgitating an argument I've ran across several times, and > agree with, which is that the vast majority of software doesn't need > this rigor, and applying it will impose unnecessary costs with little > benefit. The Agile principles of implementing only what provides value > to the customer is effective and efficient. It does not, however, > provide an excuse for not using a good architecture. I completely agree. Much the same way that the design for a child's toy doesn't have to be signed and stamped by a Professional Mechanical Engineer, not all code would have to be certified by a Professional Software Engineer. But that doesn't mean that the existence of a Professional Software Engineer title with the National Society of Professional Engineers would not be valuable. On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 7:41 PM, Richard Pieri wrote: > This is a hidden slippery slope. It might be, but there's no reason to expect that certification of one system as "life-critical" would necessitate that every other system be similarly certified. We currently have standards in the US for all equipment that goes into a hospital (I used to test infusion pumps, it was horribly boring) and that's a good thing, but nobody would think to suggest that the surgeon's vehicle needs to meet the same standards as his infusion pump or monitoring equipment because otherwise he might not get to the hospital in time. In summary, replying to several emails in one makes for a very long email. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[Discuss] Network Traffic Visualization
As we discussed in another thread, I'm taking a class on data
visualization and for my final project I plan to write a piece of
software that will create a visualization of network traffic. I have
a few questions that will help me get started:
- What problems do you have that a visualization tool could help
solve? Are they well defined ("I need to keep an eye on http requests
in case we get Slashdotted"), or is it more nebulous ("I just want to
see what's going on in my network")?
- What do you need to see in order to solve the problem(s)?
- Do you have any preference for how you see it? For example, will
you have a single monitor (or projector screen, etc.) just for this
data, or will it be a single window that you check on occasionally,
but is otherwise minimized?
- What workflows are currently in place to tackle the problems that
could be improved by having access to a visualization tool?
Thank you all in advance! Hopefully I'll be able to produce something
genuinely useful.
-Dan
___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] web file download
On Tue, Feb 28, 2012 at 7:09 PM, Stephen Adler wrote: > Hi Blu, > > I'm writing a web application which downloads files using PHP. The trick to > getting a file to download using your browser is to send it a key set of > header messages which tell the browser that a file is on its way. I've poked > around the web to find several example of the headers that one needs to > send, but as usual, there seems to be more under the surface than the simple > 3 line example. Is there a reason you can't just link them directly to the file and let the web server itself handle it? If there is, then to the best of my recollection you really only need to set the content-type header, possibly the content-length, then open the file and start reading and sending the content. It's been a little while since I did this last, but from what I can recall it was much simpler than you seem to be making it. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Future of Personal Computers
On Mon, Mar 12, 2012 at 10:07 PM, wrote: > My friends and I were arguing about what the future holds for computers. I > think we all agree that the desktop is dead, but there is some > disagreement as to the fate of the laptop. Does anyone think that this is > an interesting discussion? Yes. Why do you think the desktop is dead? For that matter, why do you think the laptop is dead? > A "yet to be filled" niche will become a new must-have home device, It > will be a cross between a set-top box and a file server. What do you mean by a set-top box? I think "the cloud" [sic] will stick around as a useful abstraction tool, but like with all buzzword-ised technologies it will eventually become just another thing you use when the solution it offers is appropriate to the problem you have. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Google Glasses
On Wed, Mar 14, 2012 at 11:57 AM, Jerry Feldman wrote: > another company had a laser directed to your eye. http://wwwcdn.net/ev/assets/images/vectors/afbig/scary-laser-clip-art.jpg No-one will ever be able to convince me to try such a product. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] A Little OT: The Password Post-It
On Wed, Apr 18, 2012 at 12:58 PM, wrote: > This is the problem that forces users to write passwords in a location that > they can easily get at when they need a password. I don't see what's wrong with writing down passwords, so long as they're put in a secure place. Most adults can be trusted with sensitive items (credit cards and forms of ID, for example). If you printed business card-sized forms that they could write their passwords on, and told them to keep them in their wallets, I'd imagine they would keep them just as safe as they keep their credit cards. -Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[Discuss] Boston-area green screen? [OT]
Hi all, Apologies for the off topic message, but does anyone know where I could go to get a green screen for a few hours this weekend? Thanks, Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] CU attempts to end robocalls [OT]
How would such filtering tools work, and how effective would they likely be? -Dan On Tuesday, November 17, 2015, Daniel Barrett wrote: > > A slightly off-topic technology issue, but I suspect people here are > interested. Consumer's Union (a.k.a., Consumer Reports) is running a > campaign to end illegal robocalls by convincing the phone companies to > offer free filtering tools. They have garnered 500,000 signatures. > > https://consumersunion.org/end-robocalls/ > > Personally, I've been getting these scams on my Verizon cell phone > recently and they're annoying as hell. > > -- > Dan Barrett > dbarr...@blazemonger.com > > ___ > Discuss mailing list > Discuss@blu.org > http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss > ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[Discuss] Web development rates?
Hi everyone. I apologize if this is off topic. I'm picking up some web development contracts again but it's been a long time since I've worked in this field, particularly in the Boston area. What are people charging for full stack web development these days? Thanks, Dan ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
