Manton Reece: Defending Safari 4 tabs


The Safari 4 tabs are conceptually the right way to go. It's not tabs at all. Instead, think of it as an efficient way to dock multiple windows together.

I like the new tabs. Takes a little while to get used to. But, overall, it is probably the correct UI design.

Posted via web from Structurally Sound Treehouse

Posted at on 2/25/09 by | 0 comments | Filed under:

James Shore: The Decline and Fall of Agile


It's human nature to only do the stuff that's familiar and fun, and that's what has happened with Agile. People look at agile methods as a chinese menu of practices, choose the few that look cool, and ditch the rest. Unfortunately, the parts they leave out are the parts that make Agile work. Scrum makes it worse by ignoring important (but hard) agile engineering practices, and the Scrum Alliance makes it worse still with their armies of trainers--some good, some not--issuing dubious ScrumMaster certificates to people who demonstrated competence in connecting butt to chair for two days.

This is an important post and comments thread. Fred, re-read this later. It might confirm why Scrum is not working for your team.

Posted via web from Structurally Sound Treehouse

Posted at on 2/23/09 by | 0 comments | Filed under:

A possible cure for peanut allergies


Children with severe peanut allergies have been cured in the world's first successful treatment for the potentially fatal disorder, doctors have announced.

For someone with a niece with a severe peanut allergy, this is great news!

Posted via web from Structurally Sound Treehouse

Posted at on 2/20/09 by | 0 comments | Filed under:

Learning new Mac Leopard keyboard shortcuts


Learning new keyboard shortcuts

If you like to be a bit adventurous, or at least discover some new things every once in a while, here’s a great way of finding some new keyboard shortcuts. In any application, open the menu and take a look at what commands are available. Some of these commands have their keyboard shortcuts displayed right next to them. What you may not know is that some of these commands have alternate behaviours when you press a certain modifier, such as the key.

For example, open a Finder window and then open the File menu. Now press and hold the key without clicking any command. See how some menu items change to reflect the modifier being pressed? Try the ctrl key for some more commands. This works with some contextual menu items, too. Just try it out with some different types of files.

This works not only in Finder but in many applications too. It’s a great way of learning all those useful keyboard shortcuts that can make your Mac life more productive and enjoyable.

Posted via web from Structurally Sound Treehouse

Posted at on 2/18/09 by | 0 comments | Filed under:

I hate sandcastles.


i_hate_sandcastles

Posted via web from Structurally Sound Treehouse

Posted at on 2/16/09 by | 0 comments | Filed under:

Make It More Awesome - The Coffee Condiment Bar


I am starting a new series of posts.  I am calling them "Make It More Awesome" (MIMA . . . mee-mah) posts.  These are things I see everyday, and just think to myself, "Man, this sucks!  Someone really needs to innovate this!  Make it more awesome please!"

The Coffee Condiment Bar

I am not sure what this is called in the industry.  I am referring to that little table where you add cream, and sugar to your coffee.  This thing sucks.  Someone please make it more awesome!

Why does it suck:

  • Filthy - Starbucks is the worst. 
  • Lack of Space - Taking the cover off a steaming hot cup, adding cream and sugar, and then tasting it to make sure you added enough while carrying a bag is difficult enough.  Add a morning crowd.  Add a person next to you who has a 4 Venti's and roller laptop bag thing. 
  • Elbows - This is a recipe for disaster.  Elbows are everywhere!  Try taking a cover off one of those cups without doing a Dikembe Mutomo.
  • dikembe_mutombo_elbow
  • Bottleneck - Why don't they have more of these?  I don't feel like getting in another line after standing in line to get the coffee.
  • Room for cream - I do this.  We all do.  I want to add cream.  There is too much coffee.  What do you do?  Yeah, that's right.  Pour it into the trash.  Not sure, but pouring a molten hot liquid into a 4 inch hole while carrying a bag with a shaky non-caffeinated hand seems like a bad idea.  Just saying.
  • Out of half-and-half - Honestly, at least 50% of the times, the half-and-half is empty.  The other 50% of the time, they are out of sugar.  So, a 100% of the time, I am pissed.

How to MIMA:

  • Just make the area larger.  This will solve a lot of problems.
  • Make it 360 degress accessible.  Don't push it up against a wall.  The Borders near my home does this well.  The area is accessible from all angles, and it is in the middle of the cafe area.
  • Innovate the cream and sugar dispensing devices.  A "container of some sort" is so 90's.  How about some pump device that dispenses exact amounts.  Cream?  Pump, pump.  That's 2 creams.  Sugar.  Pump, pump, pump, pump, pump, pump. 
  • Copy McDonald's - Ever notice how McDonald's does this?  They have this device that pumps out the cream and sugar.  Quick and precise.  Adapt that to the condiment bar area.  I should just walk up, cover off, pump, pump, pump pump, and done!
  • Add a drain of some sort.  I could dispense water, and accept molten hot liquid for making room for cream.
  • Clean it!  Often!
  • Keep it stocked. 

Out.

Posted via web from Structurally Sound Treehouse

Posted at on 2/12/09 by | 0 comments | Filed under:

Kindle, it's me . . ..


Posted via web from Structurally Sound Treehouse

Posted at on 2/11/09 by | 0 comments | Filed under:

doane paper grid+lines notebook


I got my doane paper grid+lines notebook yesterday.  

http://doanepaper.com/

  • Paper cover (very heavy weight paper cover)
  • Pages seem to be thicker than the Moleskine's

I am looking forward to trying it out.  

moleskine_doanepaper

grid_lines

Posted via web from Structurally Sound Treehouse

Posted at on 2/10/09 by | 0 comments | Filed under:

Jason Mraz - I'm yours (live in Korea)


I love how the Korean crown just sits there and claps along.  Perfectly illustrates the culture.  The back up singer has some mad hand drumming and harmonizing skills.  I wonder if the crowd is understanding what he is saying during the improv'ed ending.  

Posted via web from Structurally Sound Treehouse

Posted at on 2/9/09 by | 0 comments | Filed under:

Learning all the time! (will make you awesome)


http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/02/learning-all-the-time.html

Why did you stop educating yourself when you graduated?

The #1 habit successful people share with me is this: They read books to learn. They do it often and with joy. It's cheap (or free, at the library or online) and portable and specific.

I love that last quote.  "They read books to learn . . . do it often . . . with joy."  Previously, I posted about how I like to ask job candidates what they are currently reading (http://structurallysoundtreehouse.com/favorite-non-technical-intervi).  I think Seth's post sums up my reasons for asking that question.  In other words, are you educating yourself?  Are you going to be successful?  Will you be awesome?!

Posted via web from Structurally Sound Treehouse

Posted at on by | 0 comments | Filed under:

Hot Pot => Chinese Fondue


Yesterday, I had Hot Pot for lunch in Chicago's China Town.  I had never heard of this. 

If you have not either, educate yourself:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_pot

It is this pot of regular and spicy broth in a two-section hot pot.  You get all raw meats, sea foods, vegatables, tofu, noodles, etc.  Cook the stuff in the hot pot.  Eat! 

The photos make it look kind of disgusting.  But, you just have to man up.  Get over it.

It was pretty awesome!

IMG00034

IMG00036

Posted via web from Structurally Sound Treehouse

Posted at on 2/4/09 by | 0 comments | Filed under:

The Uncanny Valley


Posted via web from Structurally Sound Treehouse

Posted at on by | 0 comments | Filed under:

Screen - The Terminal Windows Manger - The Awesome!


First, here is a good tutorial for using Screen:  http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/6340

Screen is great for keeping long running processes running.  This is especially useful if you are ssh'ed into a server.  But, I know people who live in Screen even locally.  Not sure what the benefit is of that.  But, to each his own.

Some Screen Commands

Whenever you see something like "ctrl+a, c", that means "ctrl+a" then press "c".

From the command line:

  • screen => Starts screen
  • screen -R => (Note that this is run from the command line, not from within screen.)  Re-attach all open screen windows.  This will re-attach you to the sweet processes running in screen.
  • screen -ls => Lists the currently running screen sessions.

From within a Screen session:

  • ctrl+a, c =>  starts a new screen shell (or window)
  • ctrl+a, p => go to previous window
  • ctrl+a, n => go to next window
  • ctrl+<number> => Each of your Screen windows are given a number.  You can navigate to one with this key binding.
  • ctrl+a, " =>  list all the active screen windows.  use "j" and "k" to navigate up and down the list.  hit enter to choose a window.  may be able to use the up or down arrow.
  • ctrl+a, shift+a => rename the screen window.  This is key.  I rename all my active Screen windows to something descriptive, such as "Mongrel Log" for the log file I am tailing.
  • ctrl+a, k => kill the current window.  This will kill any processes in that window.
  • ctrl+a, \ => kill all the windows
  • ctrl+a, d => detach screen.  This will remove you from screen.  But, all the screen windows you had active (which are running sweet processes) will still be running.

Fix the delete key issue

On my mac, the "delete" key does not delete when in screen.  You need to do this to fix it. On the system from which the screen command will be run, add the following line to the ~/.bashrc file.

alias screen='TERM=screen screen'

Make sure the restart the user's shell session.

.screenrc file

Create one of these in your ~ directory.  Anyone have a really sweet one?  Please share.

I don't have a lot of Screen customizations.  But, the one I must have is this one.  See the image below.

Here is what you need in order to get that:

hardstatus alwayslastline "%{= wk}%H | %-w%{+u r}%n %t%{= wk}%+w%{= wk}"

20081017.1 cnuapp@fatjade: /export/web

Posted via web from Structurally Sound Treehouse

Posted at on 2/3/09 by | 0 comments | Filed under: