Wireless old iMac via Linksys

inluminent: Wireless old iMac via Linksys

Ah ha. It was just a matter of trying some different keywords, and finally I have paydirt. This blog entry describes getting an old (no air-port, just ethernet) imac onto a wireless network the easy way. After much misinformation, this suddenly makes sense. I will be returning the access point (which came well recommended but how it was going to help was always a mystery to me), and procuring one of these wireless bridges.

Update HTML Doc [72809 sourcecode]

Update HTML Doc [72809 sourcecode]

I’ve always been confounded as to how to update the nifty converted pod docs that are created when you install ActiveState’s perl. PPM will update these pages when you install a module with it, but it seems to only know about those modules it’s installed. So if you download or create your own, you are on your own. After (finally) digging around in my perl distribution and source tree I found a reference to the ActivePerl::DocTools modules - which I didn’t know existed. Which lead me to here - a useful thread on managing this stuff and a script to try out too.

Bike Commuting

Austin Cycling Association - Commuting

This is a short piece on bicycle commuting in Austin that rings very true. I need to get me one of those horns he's talking about. The thing about sidewalks though.. if there's sidestreets and driveways I'll agree you're better off on the road. But on a long open stretch like where Lamar flanks Shoal Creek - you'd be a fool to risk the narrow lanes when the sidewalk is right there. You give me lanes wide enough and drivers not so hell bent on shaving 1/10 sec. off their commute, and I'll cede the sidewalk to the pedestrians.
Better yet just widen it out a bit, paint in a line and we can keep everyone happy.

While I'm here: 4 way stops. Drivers, thank you for being so gracious as to wave me through, but please just let the system work. If you and I both follow the rules, there'll be no surprises and we'll be on our way in no time.

Cyclists. If you're on the road, the rules apply to you too. Weaving through traffic, launching through red lights, forcing cars to slow to let you cross - these things piss people off. When I'm the next cyclist behind you they've no idea what I'm going to do and I'm suddenly the bad guy. All I did was choose to cycle that day.

Cyclists. If you're on the sidewalk - don't be an asshole. Don't swoosh past people, don't make them step aside. Slow to a jogging pace if you need to pass.

Right on red: which murderous planner conceived of this? How can timing pedestrians crossing with turning traffic be ok?

Riding in the dark. We all get caught without lights, or without batteries sometimes. But know that if you're not lit up, you're practically invisible after dusk. I prefer a white helmet for these reasons... still need to get me a good jacket or stripes/

Paniers or saddle bags: you have no idea how nice it is not to have a bag on your back until you've tried them. No more awkward weight and sweat patches; you can cart a towel, change of clothes, spare tube and tools plus the work papers and lunch back and forth without thinking about it. If you get creative with the bungee cords, you can pack the groceries in there too.

Bugs: dusk brings bugs, especially near green patches. What do people do about bugs? A mask? It's hard to hold your course when you're choking on bugs.

Footer Demo 1

Footer Demo 1

A technique for placing a footer at the bottom of the content, or at the bottom of the viewport if the content is shorter than the viewport. Works in WinIE and Gecko based browsers only, but its v. simple and a good starting point.

WWW::Meta::XML::Browser

WWW::Meta::XML::Browser

This perl module provides an interesting framework for automating http (browsing) sessions via an XML file. The xml describes the actions to take and how to handle the results, with hooks for all the transformations etc. you might want to perform at each step. Worth a further look when I get time.