Mental Notes

I finished Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex last night. For anime, it has a good ending (i.e. they actually wrap the story line up), but they left a few more things unexplained than I'd like. There's supposedly a "movie" that is the combination of all the plot arc episodes (rather than the "stand alone" episodes...) that adds a little more explanation, but apparently they couldn't get the original voice actors to do the extended scenes so they rerecorded all of it with a "less than stellar" voice acting team. I don't know if I'll end up getting that from Netflix or not... I may just rewatch all the plot episodes now that I know more about the story and see if I can pick up on things I missed.

Overall, I like the show. I think in some ways they got too tied up in their major plot... Some of the stand alone episodes were more entertaining because they weren't so concerned with being "intelligent" and "mysterious", they just told a good story. I know GitS tends to be one of the more American-friendly anime franchises, so it's probably not surprising that I like it, but I think it's something I will go back to in the future when I just want a half hour of entertainment rather than surfing TV channels... (yay for bad run-on sentences first thing in the morning!)

After the wife and I went down to DC for the weekend at the end of June we returned to find our media server wouldn't boot (didn't even turn on). I removed the hard drives, placed them in another machine, and found BIOS didn't like the hard drives either. So it seems some form of electrical malfunction fried the whole case (no signs of life what-so-ever). Luckily the case wasn't much of a loss, as I've been meaning to move the server to her computer since we got the laptops for Christmas. But I did want the data off the hard drives, and of course I didn't have a backup scheme for the server (I'm really happy I moved all the media to a NAS last summer...). So I decided to venture into the world of amateur hard drive repair...

Last weekend I found a matching hard drive on eBay. Based on reports I found on the internet (here, here, and here) I made sure to match firmware and disk size. With shipping the new drive cost me about $26. It arrived Friday, and since we were busy gaming and BBQing the past two days, today I finally got a chance to try transplanting the circuit boards of the two hard drives. The process went much easier than I expected; I just had to remove four screws from each and move the new board to the old hard drive. I then plugged the hard drive into my Firewire external enclosure and my old PowerBook (only machine with a FireWire connection at this point) identified the disk as ext2. So flush with a positive result, I went for broke and started a full disk copy to the internal hard drive which is still running... I'm hopeful I can recover most of what I need from the system, at which point I'll create a fresh Ubuntu 9.04 install on her computer and configure it based on the old files.

Seems the file copy wants administrator privilege for some reason... Can't quite figure that one out, but I can't come up with a reason that the file copy (to my own home directory) could hurt the Mac system at all... I'm guessing the admin privilege is probably because there are files without read permission and since OS X respects traditional UNIX file permissions it needs extra privilege to copy those files... *shrug* Here's hoping I don't crash another computer...

For the record, boost::function and boost::bind are awesome.

http://blog.orionedwards.com/2006/09/function-pointers-in-cc-and-boostbind.html
http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_39_0/doc/html/function.html
http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_39_0/libs/bind/bind.html
http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_39_0/libs/bind/bind.html#with_boost_function

The parallel processing framework I'm currently using (developed here in a different division) uses templates for everything. They unfortunately don't impose interfaces on their templates so abstracting things is hard ("I don't care what Task<?> is templated on, I know it has a run() function, so just let me call it!").

Well, turns out my problem was I was Thinking in Java^TM rather than Thinking in C++^TM. Rather than keeping a list of Tasks (basically object slicing sucks!), I can keep a list of run() functions: std::vector<boost::function<int(void)> >. boost::bind is a really convenient way to create the boost::functions (really functors at that point). Once the list is created, I can just iterate over it and call all the run() functions in order -- no knowledge of where they came from or what they do required!

And I understand this entry is entirely Greek to most of my friends list... It's mostly for personal reference, and the one or two programming geeks around here ;)

I recently moved offices at work, and now I have 4 blank walls staring at me... After briefly thinking about it, I decided I'd like to print some of the pictures I took on my two work trips to Australia. I've been debating what resolution I want in the final photographs, so perhaps my flist can help :)

The raw pictures are 2522x1944. The first I can do at 8x10 or 11x14 for 250 or 180 dpi respectively. The second really fits panoramic aspect ratios better, so I was looking at 6x12 which would be in the neighborhood of 180 dpi after cropping (it's from the car race I went to, so there's a lot of gunk that needs to be cropped out). My father seems to think 180 dpi should be fine assuming the printer and paper are high quality (I'll probably take these to a local shop or order them online), but I'm still not convinced....

Anyone have any thoughts on the matter? Thanks!

Just in case you don't see my Facebook message:

I'm currently experimenting with AT&T prepaid wireless (GoPhone) to see how it compares to our contract T-Mobile service. This means my T-mobile number is not in use right now, so if you just *have* to contact me (I really don't take that many calls on my cell phone), e-mail me or call my wife and we'll get you the new number.

For now this is just an experiment. If I like it, we may both move to pre-paid, at which point we'll probably move our numbers over, so my current cell number is really temporary.

Programmers: ALWAYS REMEMBER TO INITIALIZE YOUR VARIABLES!

"The more you know..." *NBC chimes*

( The details... )

Took part of this evening to tear apart my Klipsch Promedia subwoofer and examine the electronics. I did actually read the entire webpage I found first, so I had a reasonable idea of what to expect. At first the electronics looked pretty good, but when I finally got a flash light and started examining closely, almost the entire subwoofer amplifier board was singed black. Closer inspection revealed that two key resistors had heated up to the point they are white rather than their traditional beige color. The resistors are probably replaceable, but getting the circuit board out and workable looks pretty difficult. I'm also worried that the singed circuit board might indicate other components are also damaged (if not the board itself).

So after consulting with my wife, I've decided to write off the subwoofer as a loss. I got 8 or 9 years of good use out of it (I loved that speaker system), but now may it RIP.

On the up side, having disassembled the sub, I took a quick look at the satellite speakers, and other than the "control pod" (volume control) on one, they look like nice bookshelf speakers. So I made quick work of the control pod (luckily only damaging parts that I wanted to remove), and now I have a matched set of Klipsch micro bookshelf speakers waiting for an amp and a subwoofer.

At least that's one thing off the to-do list...

Three things I've been meaning to post:

1) Last week I finished the Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. I picked it up for my trip to Australia because it seemed like good ole' traditional fantasy, and basically it is. It's by no means high fantasy (it has a lot of darkness to it, but in some ways that's what keeps it fresh), but I kept finding myself impressed with the plot twists and turns. A few are predictable, but I think there's an equal number of surprises (and I find that rare in modern fantasy). I also have to applaud Mr. Weeks for his dialog writing. At times I felt like I was reading a Joss Whedon screenplay: extremely witty banter. And I've come to really love witty banter, especially in the middle of a tense scene. Not all of Mr. Weeks's dialog is sterling, so he has room to grow, but there were some pretty good nuggets hidden in the three books. The books probably deserve a more thorough review, but I'm in a hurry ;) (Ask me about them sometime)

2) I came to a realization driving to work last week. I've noticed over the years that while I love music, I've never developed a particularly good concept of genres or styles or ... don't know quite the word. Anyway, driving to work I realized that might be because music never hits the left side of my brain... Music is always my chance to escape the analytical, organized world into something more creative. So I don't differentiate between romantic and baroque, or hard rock and metal. This also extends to usually ignoring the meaning of songs -- I quite often just don't listen to the lyrics. Anyway, back to the genre thing, basically I have two major genres: classical and vocal. Classical covers everything symphonic (including modern movie soundtracks, of which I have a ton), vocal covers everything "pop" (which is probably more alternative than pop, but again, I don't know how to split those hairs). More recently I've started to differentiate between my tastes from the 90s and more modern stuff, but I don't really have a name for it other than my personal taste has changed...

3) Potential new project... Over the weekend I found my Klipsch Promedia speakers, which have been getting used less and less as we move to using our MacBooks for everything, have a blown subwoofer amplifier (I'm now curious how long they've been busted). Doing a little searching proved that this is a known problem with Klipsch amps (great speakers, defective amplifiers). Luckily though, about the 8th hit on Google was a page where a couple of friends reverse-engineered the Promedia line complete with circuit diagrams and component numbers (they even think they found a few of the defects that cause the amps to go bad). So now I'm very tempted to rip the amp apart and see if I can fix it... I've always loved playing with electronics, but this will be my first venture into true hifi circuits. We'll see if I find the time...

Well, I just had my first major problem with VMWare Fusion. We've been using it on the new MacBooks to host Windows and Linux for those few programs we need/want that aren't on Mac. I mistakenly thought I could upgrade from Ubuntu 8.10 to 9.04 considering the upgrade from 8.04 to 8.10 was painless. I guess I was wrong... Shared folders do not work at all in 9.04. Since I very carefully store my sensitive files outside the VM so I always have access to them, I now do not have access to them in Linux where I currently need them... DOH!

Looks like I'll be rebuilding a 8.10 machine in the next day or two...

Anyone know where I can find the awesome picture of Jentress at D*C a couple years ago with the blurring light sabers? My brother is doing a photography class and is currently working on similar effects...

Edit: It looks like it was D*C 2006 if that helps...

Edit 2: And here it is: http://photognome.livejournal.com/183476.html (note: large photos!)

Thanks to the NEG forums for keeping event threads around since 2005! (I found this in the 2006 D*C Photo thread)

Does anyone have recommendations for copper/fiber network hardware with 802.3ad/Etherchannel support?

Background: for a test sometime in the next year, I need to pump 250+ Mbps across an old fiber bundle where the run is long enough a single fiber doesn't support GigE speeds. Luckily, it turns out that there are multiple unused fibers available in the bundle, so we could potentially have several 100 Mbps fiber connections. Doing a little research I ended up at Cisco's guide to Etherchannel, which it sounds like all their switches support, but there's also this 802.3ad standard that multiple vendors might support?

Obviously, the computers on each side will be standard copper UTP, so a box that does both copper and fiber would be nice to keep things compact...

Thanks!

In my travels I've read 2.5 books...

Death Star was exactly what I picked it up for: pulp fiction. ( Full Review... ) I think any fan of the Star Wars novels will enjoy it (it's back to basics rather than the far fetched post-NJO stuff), and almost anyone who has seen the movies but hasn't read the novels will enjoy it (having read Jedi Academy would be a plus for the Daala plots, but I think they do a good job of explaining her).

American Gods is ... interesting... ( Full Review... ) I think I enjoyed reading it, but I guess I just didn't get personally involved in the story.

The Way of Shadows I'm halfway through. ( Full Review... ) I've found it hard lately to search through the sea of new science fiction and fantasy to find books that aren't 100% formulaic to the point of boring, and I'm glad on this one I managed to pick on that keeps me going.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. For future reference (because obviously I can't read all of them in the next three weeks), here's the list of books I considered (in no particular order):

Secret Atlas (Stackpole)
Stardust (Gaiman)
American Gods (Gaiman)
The Name of the Wind (Rothfuss)
Old Man's War (Scalzi)
The Way of Shadows (Weeks)
Death Star
Snow Crash (Stephenson)
The Colour of Magic (Pratchett)
Without Warning (Birmingham)
Child of a Dead God (Hendee)
A Feast for Crows (Martin)

Based on size, price, and some cursory thumbing, I picked up Death Star (can't get much more pulp fiction than Star Wars right?), American Gods, and The Way of Shadows. We'll see if that's sufficient (there are always lots of bookstores/newsstands in airports...).

So I'd been ignoring TNT's replay of the Clone Wars cartoons... But then I realized tonight that while no one in Boston gets Cartoon Network HD, at least Comcast carries TNT HD. So this is a good chance to see full HD episodes (of course, right now for some reason the feed is breaking up... way to go Comcast!).

The clone models are insane in HD... tk7602 did you try matching brush strokes yet? Unfortunately the character models aren't that good IMHO.

If you had to get on a plane for 36 hours, what book would you take?

I tend to need pulp fiction for trips like these because I'm almost always sleep deprived, and don't have a lot of concentration on planes (people walking around, movies playing, lots of noise, etc). I'd lean towards Sci Fi/Fantasy, but if it's good, I'll look into it.

Well, in case anyone ever cares, I ended up finding this cable on eBay. The landlord said to go ahead and order it, apparently his son will buy the excess off of us. Looks like pretty good stuff, though it is not shielded (I only worry because it will be out in the elements so nasty things like lightning or strong radio/TV signals could carry through).

Anyone know of a good surge protector for ethernet?

Anyone know where I can find cat 6 cable rated for outdoor use locally?

I asked our landlord if he was willing to let us run a cable from our computer room to the basement (where the PS3 is) and he not only agreed, but volunteered to pay for it and do most of the work! But rather than deal with running the cable in the walls, he wants to punch through to the outside, run the cable down the side of the building, and then punch back in on the lower floor... With the CompUSAs of the world gone, I'm guessing YouDoIt Electronics? Maybe Lowes or Home Depot? His son supposedly has all the crimping tools and connectors, so I just need the cable and possibly wall plates if I want to make it look pretty.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Well, it's official. I have an astigmatism. My wife's vision checkup rolled around this weekend, so we both made appointments since I'd been complaining about not being able to read things I should be able to read. Turns out I'm 20/30 (but still legal to drive!). So we took advantage of Lens Crafter's 1 hour glasses, and I now have glasses. My eyes are now whacked out from all the testing, then wearing the new glasses to drive home, and now having them off again. The doctor said I could wear them as much or as little as I wanted, and she doesn't expect future prescriptions to be affected much by how much I wear them. Kinda sounded like she always thought my eyes were like this and I've just always been correcting for it before, but as the eyes age, they correct less and less...

But now I need to close my eyes and listen to music to make them feel better :)

So after doing some REAL research, I find that just about every operating system except Mac OS X supports true level 2 switching (i.e. network bridging). So hopefully Apple will implement that soon!

But for now, I've rebooted into Windows (ugh) and used XP's network bridging technology to achieve my goals. I just streamed DVD quality 720x480 video with full Dolby Digital 5.1 to my PS3 with no stuttering. I'm psyched! (For those keeping score at home, Windows is currently reporting 216 Mbps on the N network)

If you ever want to do this with your MacBook, you'll probably need the wireless fix in this article.

My "limited" knowledge of networking is driving me up a wall this week...

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Okay, now that I've got that off my mind, I can go to work and argue with my boss about PowerPoint slides... yippee!