Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
So I'm thinking...
I started writing this very long white paper a few years ago called "Rules for Men". The idea was to give men an idea of the things they need to do to be a "good man". Mostly a collection of lifestyle, grooming, dress, and behaviours for men that can have positive influence on the right people.
Why a "good man"? Because I always heard ladies needing to find a "good man". How there are no "good men" out there any more. Then I hear all my male friend, who are good men, lamenting how the people they are attracted to are not attracted back.
Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the street-wise HerculesTo fight the rising odds?Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?Late at night I toss and I turn and I dreamof what I needHolding out For a Hero, --Bonnie Tyler
Where are all the good men dead, in the heart or in the head?
Debi- Grosse Pointe Blank
So I wrote said white paper with a lot of tidbits, advice, anecdotes etc. I sent it to a few key people in my life; specifically my Human Resources team at my company (all ladies) and a gay coworker. Why these folks? I would say they would know best how to define a "good man". They all came back and said I needed to publish my thoughts. That if they wanted to send my paper to their brothers and friends and other single men in thier lives who were great people, but could not quite understand how to be the "good man" that women always want.
Every one will have different opinions on what they do and do not want in a male companion, and that is understandable. The things I want to write about are the things that everyone has a positive opinion or no opinion at all. Think of it as positive, negative, and null.
I will give you an example, but read the whole thing before you make any opinions.
One of the most simple things men should do is make your leathers match. What I mean by this is that if you are wearing black leather shoes, your belt should also be black. If you have a leather watch band, it should also be black. Brown shows, brown belt, brown watchband etc. You get the idea. They don't have to be a perfect match for hue, braid, type, etc, but black leather shoes and brown leather belt is tacky. Watch bands are often the hardest part, but the easiest thing to do there is simply not wear it if it does not match.
Now, to explain the positive, negative, and null.
Negative: Many will notice if they do not match. This will irritate a lot of people that a man did not take the time to properly coordinate these items. A bad opinion of you is hard to erase.
Null: Some people will never notice that they match, but they don't count. Why don't they count? Because they don't have an opinion. Lack of an opinion is not the same as a bad opinion. If someone does not care you still have not done any harm. Matching your leathers will never cause an unfavourable opinion of you. Unless you are a hipster, in which case go away.
And Positive? Well... that is just good press.
Basically, you may not want to impress people, but you never want a bad impression either. If you are the kind of person who does not care what other people think and are going to do your own thing, then this blog is not for you.
I hope I explained that well enough for you. The object is to make you into a person that people will either have a good opinion about or no opinion at all.
You have my first tidbit. Match your leathers. Go forth and be positive! I am going to try and post more on here periodically over the next few weeks.
Why a "good man"? Because I always heard ladies needing to find a "good man". How there are no "good men" out there any more. Then I hear all my male friend, who are good men, lamenting how the people they are attracted to are not attracted back.
Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the street-wise HerculesTo fight the rising odds?Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?Late at night I toss and I turn and I dreamof what I needHolding out For a Hero, --Bonnie Tyler
Where are all the good men dead, in the heart or in the head?
Debi- Grosse Pointe Blank
So I wrote said white paper with a lot of tidbits, advice, anecdotes etc. I sent it to a few key people in my life; specifically my Human Resources team at my company (all ladies) and a gay coworker. Why these folks? I would say they would know best how to define a "good man". They all came back and said I needed to publish my thoughts. That if they wanted to send my paper to their brothers and friends and other single men in thier lives who were great people, but could not quite understand how to be the "good man" that women always want.
Every one will have different opinions on what they do and do not want in a male companion, and that is understandable. The things I want to write about are the things that everyone has a positive opinion or no opinion at all. Think of it as positive, negative, and null.
I will give you an example, but read the whole thing before you make any opinions.
One of the most simple things men should do is make your leathers match. What I mean by this is that if you are wearing black leather shoes, your belt should also be black. If you have a leather watch band, it should also be black. Brown shows, brown belt, brown watchband etc. You get the idea. They don't have to be a perfect match for hue, braid, type, etc, but black leather shoes and brown leather belt is tacky. Watch bands are often the hardest part, but the easiest thing to do there is simply not wear it if it does not match.
Now, to explain the positive, negative, and null.
Negative: Many will notice if they do not match. This will irritate a lot of people that a man did not take the time to properly coordinate these items. A bad opinion of you is hard to erase.
Null: Some people will never notice that they match, but they don't count. Why don't they count? Because they don't have an opinion. Lack of an opinion is not the same as a bad opinion. If someone does not care you still have not done any harm. Matching your leathers will never cause an unfavourable opinion of you. Unless you are a hipster, in which case go away.
And Positive? Well... that is just good press.
Basically, you may not want to impress people, but you never want a bad impression either. If you are the kind of person who does not care what other people think and are going to do your own thing, then this blog is not for you.
I hope I explained that well enough for you. The object is to make you into a person that people will either have a good opinion about or no opinion at all.
You have my first tidbit. Match your leathers. Go forth and be positive! I am going to try and post more on here periodically over the next few weeks.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Ruby on Rails with Ubuntu 10.4.4. lts
So I have been playing with RoR lately and have been muddling my way through a lot of an amazing tutorial by Michael Hartl found here: http://ruby.railstutorial.org/ruby-on-rails-tutorial-book
The tutorial is written the way I learn: with an end goal in sight. In a nutshell, you learn Ruby On Rails by developing Twitter. That is right, the book basically teaches you how to create Twitter (which, BTW, was written in RoR to begin with).
However, as much as I rave about the book it was not without complications. First off, it assumes you have some level of systems administration knowledge.
Though I completely agree with another reader's comment found in the tutorial (found here) getting set up the first time was a pain in the butt.
I *am* a sysadmin (or at least played one in a former life) but I still had a lot of trouble getting the environment set up due to errors, missing libraries, and other random tidbits. I hunted down every last library not automatically installed by Ubuntu and put them into one command to install. I RULE!
So this entry is my cheat sheet to help you along with getting your Ubuntu 10.4.4 system set up to begin properly coding some RoR!
Many of the commands below are taken straight out of his book, there is little to no context in what I have written below, mostly just the commands.
There is a lot of formatting that I want to do to make this cleaner, but I knew that if I did not get this posted, I never would.
Assumptions:
You have a dedicated box on which to install a fresh operating system (never been used before)
OR
You have a virtual environment set up where you can install Linux as a fresh guest (preferred)
You are familiar with a CLI (Command Line Interface; similar to a DOS prompt)
You will need to get the proper distro which can be found by clicking here (Ubuntu 10.4.4 LTS 64bit)
If you want the 32 bit you can grab it by going here
I will heavily suggest using the 64bit version of Ubuntu. I have not tested any of these commands on the 32bit version.
I supply the specific commands you need to run to get everything done. If a line starts with a $ that is a command that needs to be run; you should be able to copy and paste the line into the Linux command line and be good to go (do not include the $). Pay attention to where the lines begin and end, this blog format makes it difficult to see easily. Also, you will notice I like to reboot a lot. I know this is not usually necessary in Linux, but my Windows background kicks in.
If you are using VMware Workstation, it is always wise to take a snapshot at this point. I have had a couple of weird experiences that made it necessary to start over, a snapshot here would reduce a lot of time. VMware Player does not have the snapshot feature.
Also, in a VM, the Ethernet (eth0) likes to just disconnect itself here. Make sure it is connected.
Install these packages using the below command:
$ sudo aptitude install curl patch git-core build-essential autoconf automake bison build-essential libc6-dev libreadline6 libreadline6-dev libsqlite3-0 libsqlite3-dev libssl-dev libtool libxml2-dev libxslt-dev libyaml-dev ncurses-dev openssl sqlite3 subversion zlib zlib1g zlib1g-dev
Pay attention, you will be asked to provide your password and confirm installation of packages.
This will take a few minutes.
You used sudo here, close the terminal or reboot.
$ curl -L get.rvm.io | bash -s stable
$ source ~/.rvm/scripts/'rvm'
$ rvm requirements
$ echo '[[ -s "$HOME/.rvm/scripts/rvm" ]] && source "$HOME/.rvm/scripts/rvm"' >> ~/.bashrc
reboot
$ rvm get head && rvm reload
$ rvm install 1.9.3 This frequently failed to give expected results, so I used the below command instead.
$ rvm install 1.9.3 --with-openssl-dir=$HOME/.rvm.usr
You will need to quit out of the dialog that comes up (just hit the Q key).
This installation will take awhile, around 10+ minutes depending on the power of your host.
Reboot and check ruby version (looking to see that it confirms that ruby 1.9.3 is installed, it may say something like 1.9.3p286, this is acceptable)
$ ruby -v
The below command is run specifically for the tutorial, I forget what it does.
$ rvm use 1.9.3@rails3tutorial2ndEd --create --default
The below command tells me that the latest version is already installed... Meh, run it anyway... just in case.
$ gem update --system 1.8.24
Ruby is installed to this point but not Rails
$ gedit ~/.gemrc
Assuming you are at an Ubuntu desktop, this will open the gedit text editor and open the file ".gemrc". The file does not exist, so it will open a blank document. Fair warning, the dot in front of the filename (.gemrc) is supposed to be there; this signifies that the file is hidden.
add these 2 lines to the file:
install: --no-rdoc --no-ri
update: --no-rdoc --no-ri
Save the file and close gedit.
$ gem install rails -v 3.2.8
From here you can begin programming in rails. However, If you want to run the integrated rails server, you will need to install the below:
$ sudo apt-get install python-software-properties
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:chris-lea/node.js
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install nodejs npm
$ ssh-keygen -t rsa -C "your_email@youremail.com"
Just hit enter when asked about which file to save into.
Pick a passphrase, if this is a VM, you probably do not need to, but it is wise to get in the hapit and know where you would need to enter it in the future.
After the ssh key is created, you can sit on this until section 1.3.4 of Michael Hartl's book. (or create a github account, add the key, and test it, see the link earlier in this section for details)
$ wget -qO- https://toolbelt.heroku.com/install-ubuntu.sh | sh
Login and create/add a public key (you will need a heroku account)
$ heroku login
$ heroku keys:add
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:pitti/postgresql
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install postgresql-9.1 postgresql-server-dev-9.1
The tutorial is written the way I learn: with an end goal in sight. In a nutshell, you learn Ruby On Rails by developing Twitter. That is right, the book basically teaches you how to create Twitter (which, BTW, was written in RoR to begin with).
However, as much as I rave about the book it was not without complications. First off, it assumes you have some level of systems administration knowledge.
Though I completely agree with another reader's comment found in the tutorial (found here) getting set up the first time was a pain in the butt.
I *am* a sysadmin (or at least played one in a former life) but I still had a lot of trouble getting the environment set up due to errors, missing libraries, and other random tidbits. I hunted down every last library not automatically installed by Ubuntu and put them into one command to install. I RULE!
So this entry is my cheat sheet to help you along with getting your Ubuntu 10.4.4 system set up to begin properly coding some RoR!
Many of the commands below are taken straight out of his book, there is little to no context in what I have written below, mostly just the commands.
There is a lot of formatting that I want to do to make this cleaner, but I knew that if I did not get this posted, I never would.
Assumptions:
You have a dedicated box on which to install a fresh operating system (never been used before)
OR
You have a virtual environment set up where you can install Linux as a fresh guest (preferred)
You are familiar with a CLI (Command Line Interface; similar to a DOS prompt)
You will need to get the proper distro which can be found by clicking here (Ubuntu 10.4.4 LTS 64bit)
If you want the 32 bit you can grab it by going here
I will heavily suggest using the 64bit version of Ubuntu. I have not tested any of these commands on the 32bit version.
I supply the specific commands you need to run to get everything done. If a line starts with a $ that is a command that needs to be run; you should be able to copy and paste the line into the Linux command line and be good to go (do not include the $). Pay attention to where the lines begin and end, this blog format makes it difficult to see easily. Also, you will notice I like to reboot a lot. I know this is not usually necessary in Linux, but my Windows background kicks in.
Demons run when a good man installs Ubuntu
Install Ubuntu 10.4 LTS on VMware (player or workstation get identical results). If you get errors about using the 64bit version of Ubuntu, you probably need to make changes to your bios. By default most PC systems do not turn on the 64bit virtualization key in the bios, so you will need to do it manually.- Using VMware most of the setup is automated.
- Have at least 1GB RAM and 20gb HD, Also I prefer to have it use bridged networking
- Install/update VMware tools if necessary (should already be up to date but it won't hurt to see)
- Update Ubuntu (system>administration>update manager)
- do NOT upgrade to Ubuntu 12.x LTS
- Turn off screen saver and system lock (system>preferences>screensaver) not super necessary, it just bugs me.
If you are using VMware Workstation, it is always wise to take a snapshot at this point. I have had a couple of weird experiences that made it necessary to start over, a snapshot here would reduce a lot of time. VMware Player does not have the snapshot feature.
Also, in a VM, the Ethernet (eth0) likes to just disconnect itself here. Make sure it is connected.
Install these packages using the below command:
$ sudo aptitude install curl patch git-core build-essential autoconf automake bison build-essential libc6-dev libreadline6 libreadline6-dev libsqlite3-0 libsqlite3-dev libssl-dev libtool libxml2-dev libxslt-dev libyaml-dev ncurses-dev openssl sqlite3 subversion zlib zlib1g zlib1g-dev
Pay attention, you will be asked to provide your password and confirm installation of packages.
This will take a few minutes.
You used sudo here, close the terminal or reboot.
This section will get you through 1.2.2 of Michael Hartl's book.
Install ruby verison manager (RVM). Detailed instructions here https://rvm.io//$ curl -L get.rvm.io | bash -s stable
$ source ~/.rvm/scripts/'rvm'
$ rvm requirements
$ echo '[[ -s "$HOME/.rvm/scripts/rvm" ]] && source "$HOME/.rvm/scripts/rvm"' >> ~/.bashrc
reboot
$ rvm get head && rvm reload
$ rvm install 1.9.3 This frequently failed to give expected results, so I used the below command instead.
$ rvm install 1.9.3 --with-openssl-dir=$HOME/.rvm.usr
You will need to quit out of the dialog that comes up (just hit the Q key).
This installation will take awhile, around 10+ minutes depending on the power of your host.
Reboot and check ruby version (looking to see that it confirms that ruby 1.9.3 is installed, it may say something like 1.9.3p286, this is acceptable)
$ ruby -v
The below command is run specifically for the tutorial, I forget what it does.
$ rvm use 1.9.3@rails3tutorial2ndEd --create --default
The below command tells me that the latest version is already installed... Meh, run it anyway... just in case.
$ gem update --system 1.8.24
Ruby is installed to this point but not Rails
$ gedit ~/.gemrc
Assuming you are at an Ubuntu desktop, this will open the gedit text editor and open the file ".gemrc". The file does not exist, so it will open a blank document. Fair warning, the dot in front of the filename (.gemrc) is supposed to be there; this signifies that the file is hidden.
add these 2 lines to the file:
install: --no-rdoc --no-ri
update: --no-rdoc --no-ri
Save the file and close gedit.
$ gem install rails -v 3.2.8
From here you can begin programming in rails. However, If you want to run the integrated rails server, you will need to install the below:
You will need the below for seciton 1.2.5
Installing Node.js via package manager to allow the rails server.$ sudo apt-get install python-software-properties
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:chris-lea/node.js
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install nodejs npm
You will need the below section for 1.3.4
Create a public SSH key (assuming you do not already ahve one, if this is a new install, you do not have one). Full tutorial here: https://help.github.com/articles/generating-ssh-keys$ ssh-keygen -t rsa -C "your_email@youremail.com"
Just hit enter when asked about which file to save into.
Pick a passphrase, if this is a VM, you probably do not need to, but it is wise to get in the hapit and know where you would need to enter it in the future.
After the ssh key is created, you can sit on this until section 1.3.4 of Michael Hartl's book. (or create a github account, add the key, and test it, see the link earlier in this section for details)
You will need this section for 1.4.1
Install the heroku toolbelt (https://toolbelt.heroku.com/debian)$ wget -qO- https://toolbelt.heroku.com/install-ubuntu.sh | sh
Login and create/add a public key (you will need a heroku account)
$ heroku login
$ heroku keys:add
This is an advanced section, you will need it for 3.5 excercise 3
Install additional repositories to get the appropriate version of postgres.$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:pitti/postgresql
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install postgresql-9.1 postgresql-server-dev-9.1
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Session 3, done!
Nothing new, but I did almost forget today. I did a tad extra today (one extra set) and I don't feel too bad. Debating if I want to go ahead and take it from 3 days to 4 or 5.
Maybe I shouldn't make hasty decisions...
Maybe I shouldn't make hasty decisions...
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Session 2, done!
So far, still with it. I will be honest, I am going very slow. Sun, Tue, and Thur are what I am starting out with. This schedule is the one I am least likely to make excuses to get out of. I am only going long enough till I can feel the pain and get the heart rate up for a very short while. Less than 5 minutes and I feel like I am going to be sick... I will definitely need to take this slow. I do not want to get sick or injure myself. My short term goal is to be up to 15 continuous minutes by the end of the month.
My object here is health and size; weight loss is not my goal. I am actually happy with how much I weigh, just not my size or overall health.
My object here is health and size; weight loss is not my goal. I am actually happy with how much I weigh, just not my size or overall health.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Find a way to get it done...
...and stop finding excuses to put it off.
Ok, it is official.. however quiet I am trying to keep it. I have begun to work out.
I realized the other day that the pants I bought less than a year ago were too snug on me, my size M shirts are too snug around the middle, and I am all out exhausted from walking too and from my car at the office. It is time for change.
I will put measurements up this week, right now, I am already exhausted from less than 10 minutes of exercising.
This is going to be a long ride ... :(
Ok, it is official.. however quiet I am trying to keep it. I have begun to work out.
I realized the other day that the pants I bought less than a year ago were too snug on me, my size M shirts are too snug around the middle, and I am all out exhausted from walking too and from my car at the office. It is time for change.
I will put measurements up this week, right now, I am already exhausted from less than 10 minutes of exercising.
This is going to be a long ride ... :(
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