May 2005

  • Smarty Category Filtering

    Until recently, I depended solely on the most excellent FilterCategories plugin to, well, filter my category list. For instance, where I might present a subset of my entire category list. The latest hurdle in a static-to-dynamic conversion is dealing with the problem that this plugin doesn't work in…

  • Windows 2000 Sharing Issues

    I was working with a client today when I ran into an issue where the computer just would not make a connection to any other devices on the network. I couldn't even run a NET USE command for a resource on the same computer, a sure sign of…

  • Multiple Homepages in Firefox

    While I'd noticed the Use Current Pages button previously, I had never paid attention in order to set up multiple start pages manually. Now I know how to do it. Pipes are your friend….

  • Apply Updates and Shut Down

    Microsoft, in their infinite wisdom, offers a new Shut Down option in Windows Server 2003. I think it's available in newer versions of Windows XP as well, but don't quote me on that part. Anyway, this option is a nice one – apply the updates that are pending…

  • Sweet Tea by the Gallon

    Not too long ago, McDonald's introduced sweet tea in their restaurants (at least here in Charlotte). I haven't had a chance to try it. Chick-Fil-A has had sweet tea for at least a few years, and it's pretty good – though as I recall it's rather pricey. Today,…

  • Ignoring the Signs

    Almost every day I see someone effectively run a stop sign. Just today I would have seen it again if the person didn't realize that there was actually a car coming from another direction. Even if these drivers don't blow through it completely, they generally don't slow enough…

  • Random Rows in SQL

    At least in MySQL, all you have to do to return random data from your query is add ORDER BY RAND() to your query, for instance: SELECT * FROM table ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 1…

  • Southern Science on the Skids

    So it seems that fish is only healthy for your heart if you don't fry it. Huh….

  • We Talk too Much

    I think I've come to the conclusion that people just like to hear themselves talk, but they don't like to hear what they say. For instance: I heard an advertisement the other day that said, "And now every month my payment is exactly the same every time" -…

  • A Very Broken System

    As it appears the multiple-billion dollar upgrade of US security systems has been pretty much wasted, it makes me wonder if there is ever an end in sight. While we routinely pour money down the drain, surely we, as a people, will have to realize sometime that the…