Evilsoft.org

The most important thing a person can do to make the most of meeting someone for the first time is smile. It is amazing the doors such a simple act will open. A smile can be the best icebreaker in the world, and knowing which smile to employ in which situation is one of the cornerstones to successful interaction.

In a situation where I am surrounded by people who I must impress because they are potential employers, or mentors, future parents-in-law, I find two types of smiles imminently helpful.

1. The shy smile. This smile is about half the size of a full smile and is presented with the head slightly lowered and the eyes looking up at the person. It is a smile that is non-threatening, yet allows the person at whom it is directed to recognize that you are open to interaction. Be careful, think really friendly thoughts while you are using this smile or you will just look nervous. This is not a Mona Lisa smile; you are not mysterious and secretive. You are open and eager to talk to those around you, but are waiting for them to approach you out of deference to their higher social position.
Note: Before you go trying this smile at your next office party, try it at home in front of a mirror. Look to movie characters you find friendly and approachable such as Julia Roberts (Another great shy smile a la Julia) or Anthony Edwards (Take two), for inspiration.

2. The outgoing higher achiever smile. This smile is a full on grin and should be accompanied with relaxed shoulders and a firm handshake. This is also known as a sell yourself smile. You are smiling with the intent of transmitting confidence, success, capability, intelligence and most importantly, Friendliness. Do not think things akin to “I am the shit” or anything else that will transmit a feeling of superiority. As above, you are still approaching those who are in a position of power over you. Here you are simply making the first step, instead of encouraging them to approach you. Therefore the attitude you are trying to express in this smile is not one of equality but one of similarity. This smile is supposed to tell those it is directed at that you are confident in this situation and are capable of being confident in others as well. Again, practice makes natural so please try this in front of a mirror until you are comfortable with it. Harrison Ford and Aiden Quinn both have great comfortable outgoing smiles as do Drew Barrymore , Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel.

These smiles also work very well in romantic situations. The key to producing an icebreaking smile is to think about the impression you want to make, form that impression into descriptive words, and then send those words to their intended target with your smile. Practice these methods before you attempt them in real world situations but soon you will be on your way to engaging complete strangers with nothing but a grin.

I have 3 current problems with my windows usage:

1. I happen to be a member of the camp of people who believe that Windows really should be re-installed ever 6-12 months. It frankly just gets to crufty, performance drops, errors increase, in general it just sucks after it’s been used for to long.
2. As a half and half Linux/XP user, windows in it’s default install is barely usable. I need at least Cygwin, Firefox, Putty and a handful of other apps; lest I tear open the case, snap the motherboard in half, and gouge out my eyes like a half crazed King Lear.
3. I like to run current software on the 3 XP pcs I use on a regular basis: Work, Home and Laptop – but if I install an update on one, I have a tendency to forget to install it on the others.

One piece of software has stepped in to fill much of the void waiting to be filled for these three issues: Subversion. Now, I realize it’s nothing new to check files into a version control repository, but Subverion is the first piece of free (as in beer, as well as in the Open Source meaning) software that doesn’t suck when applied to the problem of keeping track of one’s installers.

Setup of a server for subversion is fairly easy if you already have an apache server, but it can also run using the apache portable runtime, in pretty much any environment apache can run on, including windows. O’Reilly has even made it’s excellent book on configuring and using Subversion available for free on the web.

After getting the server set up on a system that you can access from most, if not all the computers you have to use, you will want to install TortoiseSVN. This app integrates with explorer, and it makes it bloody simple to check in files, update them, and pull them down elsewhere.

Figure 1: Subversion

So what I tend to do is I keep a directory tree of various types of software. Networking, Programming, Applications, Multimedia, etc. When I realize that an app is something I will want to keep installed (or when I download an update to something I already keep installed on all my boxen), I make a directory for it in my New Install folder, under the appropriate type, and then check it in. When I switch to a different computer, hit update, and bam – all my installers are updated to the current version with the added benefit that I can see what all I need to update on that computer based on which files TortoiseSVN says got updated. If I decide I no longer want to use a particular package, removal is easy, as is moving files around the directory structure (since Subversion actually supports renaming directories and files.)

Now, my three computers all basically keep the same environment, so I can sit down at any one of them and feel confident that I will have the tools I need.

T-Mobile has a new coverage (well new to me anyway) mapping tool that is very neat. You can enter your address, click search and you get a nice map detailing the relative signal strength of their service at the address you entered.

Very cool and useful in troubleshooting signal problems. Now if they could add some AJAX love to their mapping widget it would be damn near perfect.

Almost exactly 3 years ago, Slashdot got the geek masses to go out and buy the Intel QX3 video microscope, which was a failure on the toy market, but saw some success with geeks right as intel cancelled the line.

Well, as some of you know, I recently bought a new desktop system at home, and I decided to pull my QX3 out of mothballs, and give it a whirl again. The old drivers on the CD don’t work on XP, but before Intel stopped supporting the QX3, they released new drivers. The XP install comes with the software, which IMHO is kind of wonky, as well as TWAIN drivers. (Note: in XP sp2, Microsoft started to abandon TWAIN in favor of it’s new WIA architecture for imaging devices – as a result, the QX3 will not show up in your control panel as an imaging device, nor with it show up in software that only uses WIA, like Paint.NET. (Paint Shop Pro, Photoshop or the free Irfanview all do work though).

In digging around looking for information on my QX3, I discovered something. As far as I can tell, in November 2004, Prime Entertainment purchased the intel play line, and has been selling under the company name Digital Blue. Well, in December they released an upgrade to this great piece of equipment: the Digital Blue QX5 Digital Microscope. New Features include moving to an ultrabright LED for lighting, a 640 x 480 camera, faster video (15 frames/second), and a few other features. It’s running about $80 – $90 online.

Misc QX5 & QX3 links:

• Digital Blue (Prime Entertainment) – The new Manufacturer of the QX5
• Mac OSX Drivers for the QX3 & QX5
• Linux drivers for the QX3
• Linux Info for the QX3
• Fun with a QX5
• Using the Digital Microscope – Book on the QX3, can be downloaded in pdf, or purchased in paperback
• Using the Intel Play QX3 Microscope
• Y! Group dedicated to the QX3 & 5
• Intel support site for the QX3 – If you have a QX3, they did post drivers for XP
• Getting the most out of your QX3
• Using the QX3 Microscope
• Science, Optics and You: Intel Play Microscope

So I have a lot of things that need to have their batteries charged, and I find it kind of irritating to have to leave chargers all over the house because this or that plug is full. Never mind the irritant that if you live with someone else, charging items can *ahem* migrate as people need different plugs. So I finally broke down and decided to create a charging station where I could leave all my chargeable. So, first off, a materials list: (See Fig 1)

• Wine crate: These are getting a bit harder to find, but there are still plenty around. Ask your local liquor mart where you can get them, normally you can pick them up for free. They make a nice, organic, modular shelving system that doesn’t look near as bad as milk crates.
• 1-2 Power strips (4 things can generally be charged per strip): I recommend getting one where the plugs are 90 degrees off the line of the strip – you can generally fit 4 chargers on one of these. The thinner the power strips, the better.
• 1 strip of quarter inch wood, 3 1/2″ wide: Get this at home depot. In the first or second wood aisle, there is generally a series of cubbies. In one of the aisles there will be thin strips of wood. To get one 3 1/2″ wide, it’ll be labeled at 4″.
• 1 strip of quarter inch wood, 2 1/2″ wide: Same as above, but it’ll be labeled as 3″ wide.
• 2-4 screws that fit the back of your power strip (2 per strip used)
• Wood Glue
• Cable ties (optional)
• Screw driver that fits above screws.
• Jigsaw
• Drill

Fig 1: Materials

First off, you are going to want to drill some holes at the back of the crate, at what will be the bottom. You should drill these large, as this is what you will use to fit the jigsaw into, to cut a hole large enough for the power strip’s plug to pass through. Next, line up the power strip to figure out where you will need to hang it from the screws. You will want the bottom edge of the power strip to be 1 1/2″ or so above the groove that is in the wine crate. If you are doing 2 power strips, do the same with the upper groove. (See Fig 2)

Fig 2: Cut hole & add screws for power strip

After cutting the hole and screwing in the mounts, hang the power strip. If you are doing 2, I would recommend the second one be directly above the lower one. Run the power cable(s) through the hole in the bottom. (See Fig 3)

Fig 3: Mount power strip

Now, plug in all the gear that you intend to charge in the charging station. I recommend using cable ties to shorten the length of the power cable so that it’s not as hard to stuff under the shelf we’ll add in a minute. Make sure that if you do use cable ties, that there is enough length of cable between the plug and the loop that the loop can set on the bottom of the box (or above the top groove in the case of an upper power strip. Also ensure that there is enough length of Cable after the loop so that you can set the charger on a shelf that slides into the bottom groove. (See Fig 4)

Fig 4: Plug in gear

Mark and cut the 3 1/2″ wood strip so that it will fit in the grooves. If you are doing 2 chargers, cut 2 of them (there should be more then enough length on the strip of wood). Slide in the shelves, so that it is about a quarter inch back from the front of the crate. Then, set your chargeable items on the lower of the two shelves. You will want to tuck the extra length of cable under the lower shelf, and over the upper shelf. At this point, you can also optionally choose to mount some of your chargers on the side of crate, or on the clear space in the back of the crate. (See Fig 5)

Fig 5: Add shelf

Now, take your second strip of wood, the 2 1/2″ piece, and set it along the bottom, marking it so it will fit in the quarter inch of space you left between the shelves and the front of the crate. Cut 1-2 strips depending on if you are adding the upper shelf. Now, run wood glue along the edge of the shelf *but not on the crate, this shelf is to be removable*, and attach the strip so that it covers the wire den. If you are doing 2 shelves, you will probably want to remove all the chargeables from the box so that you can flip it over to glue the other strip in place. It’s much easier then trying to get it to stay put with no support. (See Fig 6)

Fig 6: Cover wire den

And there you go. A compact place with built in power to charge all your gizmos. Fig 7 shows mine in place at my house. You may decide you want to stain the front strip, or even the whole box. I still need to get around to that on mine.

Note: If you happen to have cradles for mp3 players/pdas/phones, the hole in the back is also great for running USB cables to your computer.

Enjoy!

Fig 7: Charging station in place

Last week my former, clog and leak brown staining liquid on the floor, coffee maker had a quick trip to coffee maker hell by way of the kitchen waste bin. Later that day I purchased a new coffee maker, err coffee lifestyle. I had seen this brew “system” at a Peaberry coffee shop nearby my office and it seemed like a reasonable (crazy) way to make coffee. Essentially you brew the coffee cold for 16 hours and make a super coffee concentrate, that according to the makers and my own experience makes for a less acidic and I think less bitter cup of coffee. Using this concentrate and hot water (1 part concentrate to 3 parts water or to your taste for stronger coffee) you can make decent coffee, one cup at a time. This super concentrate sits in the refrigerator until you have the need for caffeine.

The convience and improved taste are great. Until you go and drink coffee out anywhere else, this is when you truly realize that it is both a system and a lifestyle. Cruddy coffee at Denny’s, never gonna drink that again, bitter coffee at work, never gonna drink that again. Damn. At least I can put some coffee concentrate in a thermos and take it with me to work.

Well, I got a new computer today, and as I set up the XP partition, I thought I would post a list of the excellent free tools that I put on all the machines I use. So here we go:
Productivity:

• AllerCalc (Freeware): Excellent replacement for the windows calculator, allowing the user to do substantially more complicated equations.
• Open Office (Open Source): Very mature office suite that is highly compatible with MS Office.
• Paint.net (Open Source): A fantastic .NET paint program that is meant as a replacement for the paint program that comes with windows.
• Picasa (Freeware): Google’s photo organizer, helps me bring some order to the thousands of photos I take.
• Winamp (Freeware): The classic mp3 player for windows. IMHO, still the best.
• Winzip (Shareware): Why do I still use winzip? Because I personally think XP’s handling of zip files kind of sucks, and winzip is still better.

Networking:

• Mozilla Firefox (Open Source): Bar none a far better browser then IE. Live it, love it, use it.
• Mozilla Thunderbird (Open Source): Not only do I use this with my deals hack, but I use it for my mail. Excellent mail client.
• Bittorrent (Open Source): Great way to download large files. Spreads the bandwidth usage across multiple users.
• FileZilla (Open Source): Good, usable and open source FTP client
• GAIM (Open Source): IM client for AIM, MSN, YM, ICQ, Jabber, Irc, etc. Seems much more stable to me then other multi-im clients. Has a spell checker – Yum!
• Google Desktop Search (Freeware): Makes finding files on your own system actually bearable
• NMap (Open Source): For all your port scanning needs.
• Putty (Open Source): Great SSH suite of tools. Does SSH, SSH2, Telnet and Rlogin.
• Winscp (Open Source): What I prefer to use instead of FTP – this lets me move files around the net, but with solid security.
• Shareazza (Open Source): As far as I can tell the best p2p app out there. Does nutella, G2 & eDonkey.
• TightVNC (Open Source): VNC (desktop sharing) server and client.
• Waste (Open Source): Secure IM and file sharing for me and my group of friends.

Programming:

• Java SDK 1.5 (Freeware): Well, I’m a java programmer, gotta have a JDK.
• Eclipse (Open Source): The emacs of the java world, except that it’s actually usable without hand injury.
• ActiveState Perl/Python/TCL (Open Source, sort of): Compilers on windows for a number of unix scripting languages. Activestate makes em a bunch more usable on windows.
• TortoiseCVS (Open Source): Explorer interface to CVS source control.
• TortoiseSVN (Open Source): Explorer interface to Subversion source control. I’ll post a hack about this later.
• YourKit Java Profiler (Free for Open Source projects): Best Java Profiler Ever.
• Textpad (Shareware): Fantastic, lightweight text editor. If I don’t open it in eclipse, I open it in textpad (on windows).
• Squirrel SQL (Open Source): Usable, but slightly clunky Database front end for any JDBC database.

Utilities:

• Cygwin (Open Source): This is the program that makes windows a usable environment for me. Gives windows a unix shell, and ports all the major unix utilities to windows. No more Dos!
• Sysinternals utilities (Freeware): Sysinternals has a number of fantastic windows utilities that let you see how programs interact with the filesystem, registery and network.

Two quick articles that made me happy about science today:
Garlic Compound Used as Anticancer Ammo

Damn clever techies…
Yahoo! Research Labs and O’Reilly Media have created a new market to play in. In this market you are not going to ever make your fortune, but you could win a Mac Mini. Mmm Mac Mini. But even if I don’t win I suspect that this will be both useful as an investing bellwether and a fascinating work time waster as daily I watch emerging trends accelerate. And for the record there is no such word as deceleration. If your interest is piqued by high-tech-gadgetry or something more pedestrian check it out.

Don Norman author of numerous design books has a savory website where he shares many of his erudite and insightful essays on the science and philosophy of design. In a particularly charming essay he writes about several well designed objects. After reading this essay I am going to have to go out and purchase the best fountain pen I have ever seen
they are retractable non-leaking fountain pens. Mmmm fountain pen.