use Perl

So after a ton of work, learning ActionScript and Flash, I'm proud to announce the release of our first "Interactive Feature" (don't blame me for the name -- it's not really interactive, per se). Just go to our homepage[1] and click on the main story image to launch the presentation (after a while, it gets pretty boring, unless you're really into the fast food industry -- so I won't blame ya if you bail ;)).

Anyway, what's cool about this is that the whole thing is driven by an XML file. The Flash file loads the XML, which specifies an MP3 file and a series of slides like so:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<presentation>
    <title>Simple</title>
    <audio>simple.mp3</audio>
    <slides>
        <slide photo="00.jpg"   start_time="0"    end_time="1"   caption='' />
        <slide photo="01.jpg"   start_time="1"    end_time="5"   caption='' />
        <slide photo="02.jpg"   start_time="5"    end_time="9"  caption="" />
        <slide photo="03.jpg"   start_time="9"   end_time="14"  caption='"Chick-fil-A announced its 37th year of consecutive sales gains."' />
        ...

Then the Flash file will start the presentation and through an internal timer, fade the slides out at their end_time.

Neat, huh? Well, this non-Perl moment brought to you by Macro... uh, I mean, Adobe.

Peace,

Jason

[1]: That URL will change later, so I'll come back & update this journal entry when it does.

This is just blowing off some steam and perhaps a warning, too.

So I ordered a Mac Mini for my wife's birthday back in February (Feb. 16th). When I ordered it, the graphic on the main page was "Now Shipping", though that all depends on your interpretation of "Now", as after I ordered, it told me it would be 2-3 weeks. I suppose it told me while I was ordering, but I was in the shopping "zone." My local Apple store didn't have any in stock, so that's why I used the Web. I also used the Web to upgrade the RAM, which the local Apple store would charge extra for.

Anyway, during the purchase, they were giving a printer away for free (after rebate). So I tacked it onto the order, thinking, "Ok, cool -- a free printer." I also choose to pay for expedited shipping and to have the order items shipped as soon as possible (again, hoping to get things in place for Casey's birthday).

The next day, the printer, the AppleCare Protection Plan and Keyboard/Mouse arrive. That same day, the Apple store calls to tell me they have a Mac Mini in stock, if I want it. D'oh! Meanwhile, the Web store still tells me 2-3 weeks. So I resort to presenting Casey w/ the accessories and a mock-up of the computer (I made one out of cardboard, to spec).

Casey was disappointed that it wasn't all in place, but she was a good sport. Meanwhile, my frustration and disappointment is mounting. Finally, I can't stand it and I go to the local Apple store, buy a stock Mini, cancel the Web order and get Casey going.

So I prepare the rebate. Here's the pinch: in order to qualify for the rebate, the purchases must be done at the same time and appear on the same receipt. I figure how technical can that be? I mean, I feel like I've honored the agreement by buying the qualifying products. So I cut out the UPC codes from the packaging, fill out the form and include everything in an envelope.

A few weeks later, I get a letter from Apple (this Apple is from South Bend, Indiana ;)) saying they couldn't verify my purchase. So I figure they're onto my game. So I resort to writing a letter explaining everything and hope for the best.

Nope.

I receive another letter that says that since I didn't buy them at the same time and they don't appear on the same receipt, they wouldn't honor the deal.

So I call them and talk to a very non-helpful person. I figure that's gotta be a tough job and I resolve myself not to express any anger or frustration on the phone (maybe that didn't help). Anyway, she sticks to the party line, offers no further explanation. I ask if I could return the printer and she says she doesn't deal w/ returns -- she's just a rebate person. I ask if I can get my UPC codes back (badge of honor!) and she says no, they become property of Apple upon submission. Note that it doesn't say that in the nitty-gritty details of the rebate and that's a weaker argument since they're not really using them in the first place. More like they tossed them.

Last night, we decided to end up keeping the printer. I made the comment that it was better to spend $100 on something than the $30[1] on nothing.

Several times during writing this post, I wanted to scrap the whole thing, it makes me pretty mad. But hopefully, this will be cathartic to my system, and I won't want to scream everytime I see the printer. Hopefully this could be an example or lesson for others, too -- though you probably wouldn't have done what I did.

It's also pretty interesting that Casey hated the transition initially, but I've heard her say several times now "I love my computer" -- music to my ears. :)

Peace,

Jason

[1]: I figure I could sell it on eBay to recoup some of the cost, but end up leaving about $30 (or so) difference.

Just so folks don't think I'm dead or anything.. ;)

Work (& life, too) has been keeping me very busy. I've been picking up Flash & ActionScript lately, for a work project where we're making an "interactive media" piece (read: audio slideshow). What's cool about it is that I'm writing it to be dynamic such that the production department can roll out new slideshows by just putting together the mp3, jpegs and an XML file to tie it all together. I'll post a link once we go live, though most folks here may not find it that interesting (the subject matter -- well, perhaps the technology as well ;)).

I recently went up to NYC for a seminar on Online Revenue Strategies (for B-to-B publishers). That's always a thought-provoking event and my head is still swimming from ideas. Next time I go, I need to ping the PlusThree folks - it'd be neat to meet them.

My reading as a whole has scaled back a lot, because I've been picking up crossword puzzles. I'm starting to lay off those for a while and pick reading back up - just finished a bad airplane book (Double Homicide) and I have Life of Pi coming up next.

On a cool note, I've had 3 papers accepted by Apachecon Europe, including the tutorial that was cancelled last year. So I'm looking forward to presenting those... should be fun. I'm also taking the opportunity to learn German, thanks to these free MP3's from Deutsche Welle.

Peace,

Jason

Right?

I'm just thinking that it's one of those groups that reenact history.

Stockard Channing arrested for DUI.

Seeing this kind of thing really ticks me off b/c it's just another slap in our face in terms of how justice in this country is dependent on the defendent. If I, an average Joe, were facing DUI charges, I guarantee I would be doing some jail time. But celebrities can just about get away with murder (OJ, anyone?).

So I have a few questions:

• Why are we finding out this now?
• What will Ms. Channing receive for her crime?

It got me to thinking of two other cases that came to mind:

Nick Nolte - DUI - Charged on Sept. 11th, 2002. Plead no contest on Dec. 12, 2002 and was sentenced to 3 years probation and a 90-day substance abuse program. If he was convicted, he would have faced up to 6 months in jail.

Rebecca Gayheart - Struck & Killed a 9 year old boy with a borrowed Jeep in June 2001. Ended up pleading no contest to a charge of vehicular manslaughter in November 2001 and had her licence suspended for a year, received a $2,800 fine and was ordered to do 750 hours of community service. Her attorney claimed she did not receive any special treatment due to her celebrity. Yeah, right...

It also brings up the death penalty. In my state, it is inconsistently sought by the prosecutors and seems to be based on whether the defendent can afford a good/competent defense attorney. There seems to be a correlation between death sentences and lower income areas in our state.

IMO, the point of justice is to make sure the offender (once proven guilty) cannot repeat the offense. I'm not necessarily pushing jail time, but in the case of these celebrities and their poor driving records, let's revoke their licenses altogether. It's not like they can't afford chauffeurs and it would help make sure there's not a repeat situation (well, not absolutely, but enough for my comfort).

Peace,

Jason

Polished off three more books so far this month:

• "Snow Falling on Cedars", by by David Guterson
• "Vertical Run", by Joseph Garber
• "Reckless Abandon", by Stuart Woods

"Reckless Abandon" was a wreck. Formulaic dialogue and plots ... easy read ... one of those plane ride books.

"Vertical Run" was a little stronger. Kinda reminded me of Die Hard. The book was published in 1995 and on the book jacket it said the movie rights were sold, but I don't think that ever came to fruition (at least a movie by the same title).

"Snow Falling on Cedars" ... well, what can I say about this book? It took me a month to wade through it. It was a slow starter, but beautifully-written. The phrase "tendrils of snow" will remain etched in my head as a powerful example of imagery.

I'd say out of the four books I've read this month so far, that "Captain Saturday" remains the top one - a well-written book that makes you think on the priorities in your life. Also upon the way you've constructed things and how life can be fragile and challenging (would you have the guts to rebuild your life if it was taken away from you?).

Got two more books in my queue: "Code to Zero", by Ken Follett [NOT a coding book] and "Life of Pi", by Yann Martel.

Peace,

Jason

Just one annoying feature -- when I right-click on the live bookmarks to force-refresh them, I'm only one slight-of-hand mistake away from the 'Sort By Name' function. Which means that I have to reorganize my bookmarks again (no quick undo).

Peace,

Jason

Lately, I've been outsourcing my library book selection to my wife, mostly because I'm usually staying at home with Meredith at the time. This has had the additional benefit of reading books that I wouldn't necessarily look at to begin with. She has an uncanny knack of picking books that I enjoy (e.g. "Zenith Angle", by Bruce Sterling and some Brad Meltzer thrillers).

The latest book she picked was "Captain Saturday", which was written by a local author and set in my neck of the woods, both in terms of where I am now (Raleigh) and where I grew up (Pender County and the rest of southeast NC). So these "hooks" were appealing, but this is a great book for others, as well.

This book is very well-organized, flowing through the main character's (Will Baggett) life in a Pulp Fiction-esque style. As a matter of fact, this was one book that I could see made into a movie (and would love to see it done, too!). Robern Inman also develops the character into a very sympathic one – one that I could identify with.

The story is a great inspection of Will's life. Will has constructed a life as the most popular weathercaster in Raleigh and when life throws him some major curves and Will takes a few self-destructive steps, his life becomes derailed. His cousin Wingfoot (what a great name) arrives, plucks him from the mayhem and places him on a path of self-discovery and proper prioritization.

My only gripe about the book is that the ending could have been longer – I wanted to know more (What happened with his wife? What did he mean by resuming "Captain Saturday"?). A great book and recommended read. I'd love to see this in a movie, though I'd be scared of the typical treatment Hollywood gives us Southerners.

Peace,

Jason

I liked spur's year-end review so much, I decided to do one, myself. An excellent way to reflect upon where you've been and also to keep yourself moving forward for next year.

Programming/Professional
I have continued to evolve my understanding and techniques of Web development, strengthening my usage of CGI::Application, picked up CGI::Session (instead of passing along tons of hidden variables) in the form of a CGI::Application plugin, and I've even made some contributions to CPAN this year. I also attended the LPW and I've learned a lot from that experience. I have even dabbled in test-driven development, though I'm still uncertain how best to test web apps.

I also attended ABM's first annual "roundtable" on what other publishers are doing with the internet, which was very eye-opening. I hope to attend the next one and bring my boss with me for future inspirational ideas.

Reading
I should keep better notes on what I've read - I will do so in the future. So here's a loose collection of books that I have read, in no order and hopefully correct (I may have read a few of these in '03):

1. "Snow Crash", by Neal Stephenson
2. "Diamond Age", by Neal Stephenson
3. "Shutter Island", by Dennis Lehane
4. "dot.bomb", by J. David Kuo
5. "Relic", by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
6. "Brimstone", by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
7. "Prey", by Michael Crichton
8. "Magician: Apprentice", by Raymond Feist
9. "Magician: Master", by Raymond Feist
10. "Darkness at Sethanon", by Raymond Feist
11. "Silverthorn", by Raymond Feist
12. "Deception Point", by Dan Brown
13. "Digital Fortress", by Dan Brown
14. "Mount Dragon", by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
15. "Riptide", by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
16. "Thunderhead", by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
17. "The Ice Limit", by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
18. "The Cabinet of Curiosities", by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
19. "Still Life with Crows", by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
20. "Rule of Four", by Ian Caldwell, Dustin Thomason
21. "The Eternity Code (Artemis Fowl, Book 1)", by Eoin Colfer
22. "The Arctic Incident (Artemis Fowl, Book 2)", by Eoin Colfer
23. "The Zenith Angle", by Bruce Sterling
24. "The Power of Persuasion : How We're Bought and Sold", by Robert V. Levine

Personal
2004 has been a great year, personally. Meredith has been a great addition to our family. I also started the South Beach Diet back on Labor Day and to date, have lost 42 pounds. I also feel great and my physical health has been confirmed as much, too.

Successes
Well, again, Meredith and the diet have been great successes for 2004. Meredith is healthy and there's much to be grateful for - we are so blessed with her. :) I'm also proud that we have already accomplished her college fund, which is a nice preparation for what's to come, 18 years from now. I also received a great review from $WORK and so my professional life is looking good, too.

I've also been able to streamline/reduce our expenses, both by accommodating our new lifestyle w/ Meredith and also by tailoring our lifestyle to synchronize with right prioritizations. For example, I was able to reduce our Cable bill in half (from $80/m to $40/m) by reducing Standard Cable to Basic Cable (basically, broadcast channels and a few others). They also reduced my Cable Internet bill when I threatened to drop them for a cheaper DSL service (they matched the price!). I also eliminated our cell phone bills by switching both my wife & I to prepaid cells, given that our usage is spare. So now instead of $70/m for cellphones, it's more like $10/m (and that's for both of us). So I'm really proud of trimming that fat from our monthly budget. I'm currently working on other fronts, too.

Another thing I'm proud of is that I've read more books than visits to the movie theater. I think I must have been to the movies five times or less - the Incredibles, the Harry Potter movie and Spiderman 2. I think that's it.

Also, I was able to get an article published (by O'Reilly, no less!), reviewing ActiveState's Komodo.

Failures
I'm not scared to admit my failures for 2004, either. I wasn't able to execute on two fronts - with the ApacheCon conference talk and a book-writing endeavour with Apress Books (on Perl/WebDev). I don't think that's really bad, mind you -- it kept me home from travels and sane from book-writing, but I do hate to disappoint others. Bill Cosby's quote comes to mind: "I don't know what the secret to success is, but the secret to failure is trying to please everyone."

So I guess they're not really failures, or at least I don't see them as such. Moreso that they are my true (and imo, right) prioritizations taking root.

Speaking of prioritizations, one true failure has also been involved with what should be a top priority, with my belief in God and slipping away from Him and His Church. It is much harder to deal with going to Church when you'd like to spend time at home with Meredith, sleep in or just not deal with the Nursery, etc.

2005 Goals
Here are my goals for 2005, in no particular order:

• Maintain Weight (never go above 218)
• Read (and keep track of) 20 (or more) books
• Plan Out Publishing Tools Effort (Open Source vs. not, business plan, etc)
• Reinvest more time with Church
• Continue to streamline expenses
• Build a MythTV Boxen
• Keep evolving WebDev Expertise (including test-driven dev)

Peace,

Jason

Note: I may update this post later as other thoughts come to mind...

Anyone have DBI or DBD::mysql change on 'em? All of a sudden (and it may have something to do w/ upgrading mysql, etc), my fetchall_arrayref doesn't work... instead of this:

$sth = $dbh->prepare( 'SELECT id,name FROM countries' );
$sth->execute();
# useful for: $template->param( 'countries' => $sth->fetchall_arrayref( {} ) );
$arrayref = $sth->fetchall_arrayref( {} );

Outputting this:

$VAR1 = {
'name' => 'US',
'id' => '1'
};
$VAR2 = {
'name' => 'CANADA',
'id' => '2'
};


It outputs this:

$VAR1 = {
'' => 'US',
'#B' => '1'
};
$VAR2 = {
'' => 'CANADA',
'#B' => '2'
};


ARG!!!!

Peace,

Jason

Update: Nevermind -- I hard-restarted the mysqld and apache and that seemed to fix the problem. Odd...