April 25, 2007
April 24, 2007
A List Apart Survey
I took the Web Design Survey at A List Apart. Can't wait to see the results to see how my answers compare to the average.
April 19, 2007
April 18, 2007
April 17, 2007
Installing PHP on Mac OS X
I'm still using Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther). It came with Apache and PHP4 installed, but I'm starting to use some of the features in PHP5 and wanted to upgrade.
Downloading PHP5 and compiling wasn't difficult, but I had some hurdles to overcome. To make things easier and for completeness I used the configure options shown by the phpinfo() function as a starting point. The configure script ran successfully, but make failed immediately because xmlsave.h could not be found. Not wanting to install any more new libraries than I had to; I avoided installing a new libxml2 and disabled all of the XML options and all was well.
Once I did that I broke down I decided I truly couldn't live without XML support and installed libxml2 via fink and reconfigured the PHP build to use that installation. I also had to install an updated copy of MySQL to resolve some linking issues with the MySQL client extension.
After I was satisfied that it was complete I installed the module and reconfigured Apache to use the shiny new PHP5 module instead of the bundled PHP4 module and life is good.
April 10, 2007
Notes
I take notes. All the time.
While I am working on things I my mind will sometimes briefly switch over to another subject and I will have to write that point down so that I remember to come back to it later. This helps me keep myself on task and also helps me to resist the urge to keep my primary focus on the task at hand. As long as I write it down I know that I can come back to it and that has been working for me.
As a result I will sometimes come home with Post-it notes with all kinds of things scribbled on them. Some things that may appear on my notes are:
- Ideas for (personal) projects that I am currently working on
- Lists of topics to Google. These typically include things related to topics I've already been researching.
- Lists of things that I need to pack for when I go out of town.
- Lists of things that I need to do tonight before I go to bed.
Problems do arise with this system. Notes get lost. Often times a piece of paper with notes like this will find its way into the hands of a woman or small child. At this point the note becomes useless to me. Not because the contents change, but because I will most likely never see the note again. A note is only useful to me if I can see it.
All points considered, I prefer still prefer to take notes on small pieces of paper and carry them around in my pocket. When am finished with the note it can be easily disposed of in the wastebasket and the note's useful lifecycle is complete.
I am always busy and always thinking about new things. That is why I write notes.
