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  • Need help with PHP web app bootstrapping error potentially related to Zend [migrated]

    - by Matt Shepherd
    I am trying to get a program called OpenFISMA running on an Ubuntu AMI in AWS. The app is not really coded on the Ubuntu platform, but I am in my comfort zone there, and have tried both CentOS and OpenSUSE (both are sort of "native" for the app) for getting it working with the same or worse results. So, why not just get it working on Ubuntu? Anyway, the app is found here: www.openfisma.org and an install guide is found here: https://openfisma.atlassian.net/wiki/display/030100/Installation+Guide The install guide kind of sucks. It doesn't list dependencies in any coherent way or provide much of any detail (does not even mention Zend once on the entire page) so I've done a lot of work to divine the information I do have. This page provided some dependency inf (though again, Zend is not mentioned once): https://openfisma.atlassian.net/wiki/display/PUBLIC/RPM+Management#RPMManagement-BasicOverviewofRPMPackages Anyway, I got all the way through the install (so far as I could reconstruct it). I am going to the login page for the first time, and there should be some sort of bootstrapping occurring when I load the page. (I am not a programmer so I have no idea what it is doing there.) Anyway, I get a message on the web page that says: "An exception occurred while bootstrapping the application." So, then I go look in /var/www/data/logs/php.log and find this message: [22-Oct-2013 17:29:18 UTC] PHP Fatal error: Uncaught exception 'Zend_Exception' with message 'No entry is registered for key 'Zend_Log'' in /var/www/library/Zend/Registry.php:147 Stack trace: #0 /var/www/public/index.php(188): Zend_Registry::get('Zend_Log') #1 {main} thrown in /var/www/library/Zend/Registry.php on line 147 This occurs every time I load the page. I gather there is an issue related to registering the Zend_Log variable in the Zend registry, but other than that I really have no idea what to do about it. Am I missing a package that it needs, or is this app not coded to register the variables properly? I have no clue. Any help is greatly appreciated. The application file referenced in the log message (index.php) is included below. <?php /** * Copyright (c) 2008 Endeavor Systems, Inc. * * This file is part of OpenFISMA. * * OpenFISMA is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public * License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later * version. * * OpenFISMA is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied * warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more * details. * * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with OpenFISMA. If not, see * {@link http://www.gnu.org/licenses/}. */ try { defined('APPLICATION_PATH') || define( 'APPLICATION_PATH', realpath(dirname(__FILE__) . '/../application') ); // Define application environment defined('APPLICATION_ENV') || define( 'APPLICATION_ENV', (getenv('APPLICATION_ENV') ? getenv('APPLICATION_ENV') : 'production') ); set_include_path( APPLICATION_PATH . '/../library/Symfony/Components' . PATH_SEPARATOR . APPLICATION_PATH . '/../library' . PATH_SEPARATOR . get_include_path() ); require_once 'Fisma.php'; require_once 'Zend/Application.php'; $application = new Zend_Application( APPLICATION_ENV, APPLICATION_PATH . '/config/application.ini' ); Fisma::setAppConfig($application->getOptions()); Fisma::initialize(Fisma::RUN_MODE_WEB_APP); $application->bootstrap()->run(); } catch (Zend_Config_Exception $zce) { // A zend config exception indicates that the application may not be installed properly echo '<h1>The application is not installed correctly</h1>'; $zceMsg = $zce->getMessage(); if (stristr($zceMsg, 'parse_ini_file') !== false) { if (stristr($zceMsg, 'application.ini') !== false) { if (stristr($zceMsg, 'No such file or directory') !== false) { echo 'The ' . APPLICATION_PATH . '/config/application.ini file is missing.'; } elseif (stristr($zceMsg, 'Permission denied') !== false) { echo 'The ' . APPLICATION_PATH . '/config/application.ini file does not have the ' . 'appropriate permissions set for the application to read it.'; } else { echo 'An ini-parsing error has occured in ' . APPLICATION_PATH . '/config/application.ini ' . '<br/>Please check this file and make sure everything is setup correctly.'; } } else if (stristr($zceMsg, 'database.ini') !== false) { if (stristr($zceMsg, 'No such file or directory') !== false) { echo 'The ' . APPLICATION_PATH . '/config/database.ini file is missing.<br/>'; echo 'If you find a database.ini.template file in the config directory, edit this file ' . 'appropriately and rename it to database.ini'; } elseif (stristr($zceMsg, 'Permission denied') !== false) { echo 'The ' . APPLICATION_PATH . '/config/database.ini file does not have the appropriate ' . 'permissions set for the application to read it.'; } else { echo 'An ini-parsing error has occured in ' . APPLICATION_PATH . '/config/database.ini ' . '<br/>Please check this file and make sure everything is setup correctly.'; } } else { echo 'An ini-parsing error has occured. <br/>Please check all configuration files and make sure ' . 'everything is setup correctly'; } } elseif (stristr($zceMsg, 'syntax error') !== false) { if (stristr($zceMsg, 'application.ini') !== false) { echo 'There is a syntax error in ' . APPLICATION_PATH . '/config/application.ini ' . '<br/>Please check this file and make sure everything is setup correctly.'; } elseif (stristr($zceMsg, 'database.ini') !== false) { echo 'There is a syntax error in ' . APPLICATION_PATH . '/config/database.ini ' . '<br/>Please check this file and make sure everything is setup correctly.'; } else { echo 'A syntax error has been reached. <br/>Please check all configuration files and make sure ' . 'everything is setup correctly.'; } } else { // Then the exception message says nothing about parse_ini_file nor 'syntax error' echo 'Please check all configuration files, and ensure all settings are valid.'; } echo '<br/>For more information and help on installing OpenFISMA, please refer to the ' . '<a target="_blank" href="http://manual.openfisma.org/display/ADMIN/Installation">' . 'Installation Guide</a>'; } catch (Doctrine_Manager_Exception $dme) { echo '<h1>An exception occurred while bootstrapping the application.</h1>'; // Does database.ini have valid settings? Or is it the same content as database.ini.template? $databaseIniFail = false; $iniData = file(APPLICATION_PATH . '/config/database.ini'); $iniData = str_replace(chr(10), '', $iniData); if (in_array('db.adapter = ##DB_ADAPTER##', $iniData)) { $databaseIniFail = true; } if (in_array('db.host = ##DB_HOST##', $iniData)) { $databaseIniFail = true; } if (in_array('db.port = ##DB_PORT##', $iniData)) { $databaseIniFail = true; } if (in_array('db.username = ##DB_USER##', $iniData)) { $databaseIniFail = true; } if (in_array('db.password = ##DB_PASS##', $iniData)) { $databaseIniFail = true; } if (in_array('db.schema = ##DB_NAME##', $iniData)) { $databaseIniFail = true; } if ($databaseIniFail) { echo 'You have not applied the settings in ' . APPLICATION_PATH . '/config/database.ini appropriately. ' . 'Please review the contents of this file and try again.'; } else { if (Fisma::debug()) { echo '<p>' . get_class($dme) . '</p><p>' . $dme->getMessage() . '</p><p>' . "<p><pre>Stack Trace:\n" . $dme->getTraceAsString() . '</pre></p>'; } else { $logString = get_class($dme) . "\n" . $dme->getMessage() . "\nStack Trace:\n" . $dme->getTraceAsString() . "\n"; Zend_Registry::get('Zend_Log')->err($logString); } } } catch (Exception $exception) { // If a bootstrap exception occurs, that indicates a serious problem, such as a syntax error. // We won't be able to do anything except display an error. echo '<h1>An exception occurred while bootstrapping the application.</h1>'; if (Fisma::debug()) { echo '<p>' . get_class($exception) . '</p><p>' . $exception->getMessage() . '</p><p>' . "<p><pre>Stack Trace:\n" . $exception->getTraceAsString() . '</pre></p>'; } else { $logString = get_class($exception) . "\n" . $exception->getMessage() . "\nStack Trace:\n" . $exception->getTraceAsString() . "\n"; Zend_Registry::get('Zend_Log')->err($logString); } }

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  • [GEEK SCHOOL] Network Security 1: Securing User Accounts and Passwords in Windows

    - by Matt Klein
    This How-To Geek School class is intended for people who want to learn more about security when using Windows operating systems. You will learn many principles that will help you have a more secure computing experience and will get the chance to use all the important security tools and features that are bundled with Windows. Obviously, we will share everything you need to know about using them effectively. In this first lesson, we will talk about password security; the different ways of logging into Windows and how secure they are. In the proceeding lesson, we will explain where Windows stores all the user names and passwords you enter while working in this operating systems, how safe they are, and how to manage this data. Moving on in the series, we will talk about User Account Control, its role in improving the security of your system, and how to use Windows Defender in order to protect your system from malware. Then, we will talk about the Windows Firewall, how to use it in order to manage the apps that get access to the network and the Internet, and how to create your own filtering rules. After that, we will discuss the SmartScreen Filter – a security feature that gets more and more attention from Microsoft and is now widely used in its Windows 8.x operating systems. Moving on, we will discuss ways to keep your software and apps up-to-date, why this is important and which tools you can use to automate this process as much as possible. Last but not least, we will discuss the Action Center and its role in keeping you informed about what’s going on with your system and share several tips and tricks about how to stay safe when using your computer and the Internet. Let’s get started by discussing everyone’s favorite subject: passwords. The Types of Passwords Found in Windows In Windows 7, you have only local user accounts, which may or may not have a password. For example, you can easily set a blank password for any user account, even if that one is an administrator. The only exception to this rule are business networks where domain policies force all user accounts to use a non-blank password. In Windows 8.x, you have both local accounts and Microsoft accounts. If you would like to learn more about them, don’t hesitate to read the lesson on User Accounts, Groups, Permissions & Their Role in Sharing, in our Windows Networking series. Microsoft accounts are obliged to use a non-blank password due to the fact that a Microsoft account gives you access to Microsoft services. Using a blank password would mean exposing yourself to lots of problems. Local accounts in Windows 8.1 however, can use a blank password. On top of traditional passwords, any user account can create and use a 4-digit PIN or a picture password. These concepts were introduced by Microsoft to speed up the sign in process for the Windows 8.x operating system. However, they do not replace the use of a traditional password and can be used only in conjunction with a traditional user account password. Another type of password that you encounter in Windows operating systems is the Homegroup password. In a typical home network, users can use the Homegroup to easily share resources. A Homegroup can be joined by a Windows device only by using the Homegroup password. If you would like to learn more about the Homegroup and how to use it for network sharing, don’t hesitate to read our Windows Networking series. What to Keep in Mind When Creating Passwords, PINs and Picture Passwords When creating passwords, a PIN, or a picture password for your user account, we would like you keep in mind the following recommendations: Do not use blank passwords, even on the desktop computers in your home. You never know who may gain unwanted access to them. Also, malware can run more easily as administrator because you do not have a password. Trading your security for convenience when logging in is never a good idea. When creating a password, make it at least eight characters long. Make sure that it includes a random mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Ideally, it should not be related in any way to your name, username, or company name. Make sure that your passwords do not include complete words from any dictionary. Dictionaries are the first thing crackers use to hack passwords. Do not use the same password for more than one account. All of your passwords should be unique and you should use a system like LastPass, KeePass, Roboform or something similar to keep track of them. When creating a PIN use four different digits to make things slightly harder to crack. When creating a picture password, pick a photo that has at least 10 “points of interests”. Points of interests are areas that serve as a landmark for your gestures. Use a random mixture of gesture types and sequence and make sure that you do not repeat the same gesture twice. Be aware that smudges on the screen could potentially reveal your gestures to others. The Security of Your Password vs. the PIN and the Picture Password Any kind of password can be cracked with enough effort and the appropriate tools. There is no such thing as a completely secure password. However, passwords created using only a few security principles are much harder to crack than others. If you respect the recommendations shared in the previous section of this lesson, you will end up having reasonably secure passwords. Out of all the log in methods in Windows 8.x, the PIN is the easiest to brute force because PINs are restricted to four digits and there are only 10,000 possible unique combinations available. The picture password is more secure than the PIN because it provides many more opportunities for creating unique combinations of gestures. Microsoft have compared the two login options from a security perspective in this post: Signing in with a picture password. In order to discourage brute force attacks against picture passwords and PINs, Windows defaults to your traditional text password after five failed attempts. The PIN and the picture password function only as alternative login methods to Windows 8.x. Therefore, if someone cracks them, he or she doesn’t have access to your user account password. However, that person can use all the apps installed on your Windows 8.x device, access your files, data, and so on. How to Create a PIN in Windows 8.x If you log in to a Windows 8.x device with a user account that has a non-blank password, then you can create a 4-digit PIN for it, to use it as a complementary login method. In order to create one, you need to go to “PC Settings”. If you don’t know how, then press Windows + C on your keyboard or flick from the right edge of the screen, on a touch-enabled device, then press “Settings”. The Settings charm is now open. Click or tap the link that says “Change PC settings”, on the bottom of the charm. In PC settings, go to Accounts and then to “Sign-in options”. Here you will find all the necessary options for changing your existing password, creating a PIN, or a picture password. To create a PIN, press the “Add” button in the PIN section. The “Create a PIN” wizard is started and you are asked to enter the password of your user account. Type it and press “OK”. Now you are asked to enter a 4-digit pin in the “Enter PIN” and “Confirm PIN” fields. The PIN has been created and you can now use it to log in to Windows. How to Create a Picture Password in Windows 8.x If you log in to a Windows 8.x device with a user account that has a non-blank password, then you can also create a picture password and use it as a complementary login method. In order to create one, you need to go to “PC settings”. In PC Settings, go to Accounts and then to “Sign-in options”. Here you will find all the necessary options for changing your existing password, creating a PIN, or a picture password. To create a picture password, press the “Add” button in the “Picture password” section. The “Create a picture password” wizard is started and you are asked to enter the password of your user account. You are shown a guide on how the picture password works. Take a few seconds to watch it and learn the gestures that can be used for your picture password. You will learn that you can create a combination of circles, straight lines, and taps. When ready, press “Choose picture”. Browse your Windows 8.x device and select the picture you want to use for your password and press “Open”. Now you can drag the picture to position it the way you want. When you like how the picture is positioned, press “Use this picture” on the left. If you are not happy with the picture, press “Choose new picture” and select a new one, as shown during the previous step. After you have confirmed that you want to use this picture, you are asked to set up your gestures for the picture password. Draw three gestures on the picture, any combination you wish. Please remember that you can use only three gestures: circles, straight lines, and taps. Once you have drawn those three gestures, you are asked to confirm. Draw the same gestures one more time. If everything goes well, you are informed that you have created your picture password and that you can use it the next time you sign in to Windows. If you don’t confirm the gestures correctly, you will be asked to try again, until you draw the same gestures twice. To close the picture password wizard, press “Finish”. Where Does Windows Store Your Passwords? Are They Safe? All the passwords that you enter in Windows and save for future use are stored in the Credential Manager. This tool is a vault with the usernames and passwords that you use to log on to your computer, to other computers on the network, to apps from the Windows Store, or to websites using Internet Explorer. By storing these credentials, Windows can automatically log you the next time you access the same app, network share, or website. Everything that is stored in the Credential Manager is encrypted for your protection.

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  • How can I learn to effectively write Pythonic code?

    - by Matt Fenwick
    I'm tired of getting downvoted and/or semi-rude comments on my Python answers, saying things like "this isn't Pythonic" or "that's not the Python way of doing things". To clarify, I'm not tired of getting corrected and downvoted, and I'm not tired of being wrong: I'm tired of feeling like there's a whole field of Python that I know nothing about, and seems to be implicit knowledge of experienced Python programmers. Doing a google search for "Pythonic" reveals a wide range of interpretations. The wikipedia page says: A common neologism in the Python community is pythonic, which can have a wide range of meanings related to program style. To say that code is pythonic is to say that it uses Python idioms well, that it is natural or shows fluency in the language. Likewise, to say of an interface or language feature that it is pythonic is to say that it works well with Python idioms, that its use meshes well with the rest of the language. It also discusses the term "unpythonic": In contrast, a mark of unpythonic code is that it attempts to write C++ (or Lisp, Perl, or Java) code in Python—that is, provides a rough transcription rather than an idiomatic translation of forms from another language. The concept of pythonicity is tightly bound to Python's minimalist philosophy of readability and avoiding the "there's more than one way to do it" approach. Unreadable code or incomprehensible idioms are unpythonic. I suspect one way to learn the Pythonic way is just to program in Python a whole bunch. But I bet I could write a bunch of crap and not improve that much without some guidance, whereas a good resource might speed up the learning process significantly. PEP 8 might be exactly what I'm looking for, or maybe not. I'm not sure; on the one hand it covers a lot of ground, but on the other hand, I feel like it's more suited as a reference for knowledgeable programmers than a tutorial for fresh 'uns. How do I get my foot in the Pythonic/Python way of doing things door?

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  • Dealing with a fundamental design flaw when you're new to the project

    - by Matt Phillips
    I've just started working on an open source project with around 30 developers in it. I'm working on fixing some of the bugs as a way to get into the "loop" and become a regular committer to the project. The problem is I think I've uncovered a fundamental design flaw that's causing one of the bugs I'm working on. But I feel like if I blast this on the mailing list I'm going to come off as arrogant, and some of the discussions I've had about the issue are butting heads with some of the people. How should I go about this?

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  • How do you install a USB CD Rom drive?

    - by Matt Allen
    Hello, I recently purchased a USB CD ROM drive, but I don't know how to get it to work with my computer which runs Ubuntu 10.04. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00303H908/ref=oss_product When I issue the lsusb command, it shows up as: Bus 002 Device 016: ID 05e3:0701 Genesys Logic, Inc. USB 2.0 IDE Adapter The computer doesn't recognize it automatically. How can I get this drive to show up as an actual drive on my computer? If this particular drive can't handle Linux, can you recommended one which can and provide a link to it so I can purchase it? Thanks! Update: I was asked by Scaine to run a command and report back with the output: joe@joe-laptop:~$ tail -f /var/log/kern.log Dec 29 12:51:35 joe-laptop kernel: [103190.551437] sr 7:0:0:0: [sr1] Add. Sense: Illegal mode for this track Dec 29 12:51:35 joe-laptop kernel: [103190.551446] sr 7:0:0:0: [sr1] CDB: Read(10): 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 02 00 Dec 29 12:51:35 joe-laptop kernel: [103190.551463] end_request: I/O error, dev sr1, sector 0 Dec 29 12:51:35 joe-laptop kernel: [103190.877542] sr 7:0:0:0: [sr1] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE Dec 29 12:51:35 joe-laptop kernel: [103190.877551] sr 7:0:0:0: [sr1] Sense Key : Illegal Request [current] Dec 29 12:51:35 joe-laptop kernel: [103190.877559] Info fld=0x0, ILI Dec 29 12:51:35 joe-laptop kernel: [103190.877562] sr 7:0:0:0: [sr1] Add. Sense: Illegal mode for this track Dec 29 12:51:35 joe-laptop kernel: [103190.877572] sr 7:0:0:0: [sr1] CDB: Read(10): 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 02 00 Dec 29 12:51:35 joe-laptop kernel: [103190.877588] end_request: I/O error, dev sr1, sector 0 Dec 29 13:08:46 joe-laptop kernel: [104221.558911] usb 2-2.2: USB disconnect, address 16 Then when I plugged the drive back into the computer, I got: Dec 29 13:10:29 joe-laptop kernel: [104324.668320] usb 2-2.2: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 17 Dec 29 13:10:29 joe-laptop kernel: [104324.761702] usb 2-2.2: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice Dec 29 13:10:29 joe-laptop kernel: [104324.762700] scsi8 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices Dec 29 13:10:29 joe-laptop kernel: [104324.762935] usb-storage: device found at 17 Dec 29 13:10:29 joe-laptop kernel: [104324.762938] usb-storage: waiting for device to settle before scanning Dec 29 13:10:34 joe-laptop kernel: [104329.760521] usb-storage: device scan complete Dec 29 13:10:34 joe-laptop kernel: [104329.761344] scsi 8:0:0:0: CD-ROM TEAC CD-224E 1.7A PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 CCS Dec 29 13:10:34 joe-laptop kernel: [104329.767425] sr1: scsi3-mmc drive: 24x/24x cd/rw xa/form2 cdda tray Dec 29 13:10:34 joe-laptop kernel: [104329.767612] sr 8:0:0:0: Attached scsi CD-ROM sr1 Dec 29 13:10:34 joe-laptop kernel: [104329.767720] sr 8:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 5 Dec 29 13:10:34 joe-laptop kernel: [104330.141060] sr 8:0:0:0: [sr1] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE Dec 29 13:10:34 joe-laptop kernel: [104330.141069] sr 8:0:0:0: [sr1] Sense Key : Illegal Request [current] Dec 29 13:10:34 joe-laptop kernel: [104330.141077] Info fld=0x0, ILI Dec 29 13:10:34 joe-laptop kernel: [104330.141081] sr 8:0:0:0: [sr1] Add. Sense: Illegal mode for this track Dec 29 13:10:34 joe-laptop kernel: [104330.141090] sr 8:0:0:0: [sr1] CDB: Read(10): 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 02 00 Dec 29 13:10:34 joe-laptop kernel: [104330.141106] end_request: I/O error, dev sr1, sector 0 Dec 29 13:10:34 joe-laptop kernel: [104330.141113] __ratelimit: 18 callbacks suppressed There was more output than this (the number of lines started growing after the drive was plugged back in, and kept growing), but this is the first few lines.

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  • What makes a Software Craftsman?

    - by Liam McLennan
    At the end of my visit to 8th Light Justin Martin was kind enough to give me a ride to the train station; for my train back to O’Hare. Just before he left he asked me an interesting question which I then posted to twitter: Liam McLennan: . @JustinMartinM asked what I think is the most important attributes of craftsmen. I said, "desire to learn and humility". What's yours? 6:25 AM Apr 17th via TweetDeck several people replied with excellent contributions: Alex Hung: @liammclennan I think kaizen sums up craftmanship pretty well, which is almost same as yours Steve Bohlen: @alexhung @liammclennan those are both all about saying "knowing what you don't know and not being afraid to go learn it" (and I agree!) Matt Roman: @liammclennan @JustinMartinM a tempered compulsion for constant improvement, and an awareness of what needs improving. Justin Martin: @mattroman @liammclennan a faculty for asking challenging questions, and a persistence to battle through difficult obstacles barring growth I thought this was an interesting conversation, and I would love to see other people contribute their opinions. My observation is that Alex, Steve, Matt and I seem to have essentially the same answer in different words. It is also interesting to note (as Alex pointed out) that these definitions are very similar to Alt.NET and the lean concept of kaizen.

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  • Initial Review - Mastering Unreal Technology I: Introduction to Level Design with Unreal Engine 3

    - by Matt Christian
    Recently I purchased 3 large volumes on using the Unreal 3 Engine to create levels and custom games.  This past weekend I cracked the spine of the first and started reading.  Here are my early impressions (I'm ~250 pages into it, with appendices it's about 900). Pros Interestingly, the book starts with an overview of the Unreal engines leading up to Unreal 3 (including Gears of War) and follows with some discussion on planning a mod and what goes into the game development process.  This is nice for an intro to the book and is much preferred rather than a simple chapter detailing what is on the included CD, how to install and setup UnrealEd, etc...  While the chapter on Unreal history and planning can be considered 'fluff', it's much less 'fluffy' than most books provide. I need to mention one thing here that is pretty crucial in the way I'm going to continue reviewing this book.  Most technical books like this are used as a shelf reference; as a thick volume you use for looking up techniques every now and again.  Even so, I prefer reading from cover to cover, including chapters I may already be knowledgable on (I'm sure this is typical for most people).  If there was a chapter on installing UnrealEd (the previously mentioned 'fluff'), I would probably force myself to read it, even though I've installed the game and engine multiple times on different systems. Chapter 3 is where we really get to the introduction piece of UnrealEd, creating your first basic level.  This large chapter details creating two small rooms, adding static meshes, adding lighting, creating and adding particle emitters, creating a door that animates with Unreal Matinee and Kismet, static meshes with physics, and other little additions to make your level look less beginner.  This really is a chapter that overviews the entire rest of the book, as each chapter following details the creation and intermediate usages of Static Meshes, Materials, Lighting, etc... One other very nice part to this book is the way the tutorials are setup.  Each tutorial builds off the previous and all are step-by-step.  If you haven't completed one yet, you can find all the starting files on the CD that comes with the book. Cons While the description of the overview chapter (Chapter 3) is fresh in your mind, let me start the cons by saying this chapter is setup extremely confusing for the noob.  At one point, you end up creating a door mesh and setting it up as a InteropMesh so that it is ready to be animated, only to switch to particles and spend a good portion of time working on a different piece of the level.  Yes, this is actually how I develop my levels (jumping back and forth), though it's very odd for a book to jump out of sequence. The next item might be a positive or a negative depending on your skill level with UnrealEd.  Most of the introduction to the editor layout is found in one of the Appendices instead of before Chapter 3.  For new readers, this might lead to confusion as Appendix A would typically be read between Chapter 2 and 3.  However, this is a positive for those with some experience in UnrealEd as they don't have to force themselves through a 'learn every editor button' chapter.  I'm listing this in the Cons section as the book is 'Introduction to...' and is probably going to be directed toward a lot of very beginner developers. Finally, there's a lack of general description to a lot of the underlying engine and what each piece in UnrealEd is or does.  Sometimes you'll be performing Tutorial after Tutorial with barely a paragraph in between describing ANY of what you've just done.  Tutorial 1.1 Step 6 says to press Button X, so you do.  But why?  This is in part a problem with the structure of the tutorials rather than the content of the book.  Since the tutorials are so focused on a step-by-step (or procedural) description of a process, you learn the process and not why you're doing that.  For example, you might learn how to size a material to a surface, but will only learn what buttons to press and not what each one does. This becomes extremely apparent in the chapter on Static Meshes as most of the chapter is spent in 3D Studio Max.  Since there are books on 3DSM and modelling, the book really only tells you the steps and says to go grab a book on modelling if you're really interested in 3DSM.  Again, I've learned the process to develop my own meshes in 3DSM, but I don't know the why behind the steps. Conclusion So far the book is very good though I would have a hard time recommending it to a complete beginner.  I would suggest anyone looking at this book (obviously including the other 2, more advanced volumes) to pick up a copy of UDK or Unreal 3 (available online or via download services such as Steam) and watch some online tutorials and play with it first.  You'll find plenty of online videos available that were created by the authors and may suit as a better introduction to the editor.

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  • Retro Video Game Collection

    - by Matt Christian
    Recently I've decided, in true nerd fashion, to collect either comic books or video games.  Considering I'm much more versed in the technological arts and not in ACTUAL art, I thought collecting old video games would be an interesting venture.  After all, I am a self-described compulsive shopper (my bank statement at the end of the month has a purchase every few days).  (Don't worry, I'm not in debt and still pay my bills on time!) I went to a local video game store in Stevens Point called Gaming Generations which is a neat little shop with loads of old games for great prices.  For example, any NES cartridge on the shelf (not behind glass) is, at most, $4.99 with the cheaper ones around $1.99.  During my first round at GG, I picked up the following: NES: - Fester's Quest - Adventures of Link (Zelda 2, grey cart) - Little Nemo - Total Recall - The Goonies 2 PSX: - Galerians N64: - Mission: Impossible - Hybrid Heaven I was a little cautious, would I even like collecting old games?  As soon as I popped a few of those games in I knew right away the answer was an astounding YES!  Not only is it fun to bring back memories of all these old games, but searching for them in stores is also a blast and saying 'I have that one, I need the second one.' After finding such joy in buying these games, I decided to go search through 4-5 stores in Wausau for old games as well.  While the prices were a bit higher and selection smaller, the search was still fun.  I found the following: NES: - Maniac Mansion - T&C Surf - Chip N Dale: Rescue Rangers - TMNT (the first one) - Mission: Impossible N64: - Turok - Turok 2 Genesis: - Sonic the Hedgehog Dreamcast: - Shenmue And I found a Gamegear for $5!  Now I just need to find games for it... Tonight I will go on one more small expedition into the used, once again stopping at GG and another second hand store to see if I can find any items for my collection.

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  • In-Application Support Made Easier

    - by matt.hicks
    With the availability of Oracle UPK 3.6.1 and Enablement Service Pack 1 for Oracle UPK 3.6.1 (Oracle Support login required for both), there are quite a few changes for content admins to absorb. In addition to the support added for dozens of application releases, patches and new target applications, we've also added features to make implementing and using In-Application Support even easier. First, the old Help Menu Integration Guides have been updated and combined into a single In-Application Support Guide. If you integrate UPK content for user assistance, or if you're interested in doing so, read the new guide! It covers all the integration steps, including a section on the new In-Application Support Configuration Utility. If you've integrated content in multiple languages, or if you've ever had to make configuration changes for UPK Help Integration, then you know how cumbersome it was to manually edit javascript files. No longer! The Player now includes a configuration utility that provides a web browser interface for setting all In-Application Support options. From the main screen, you see a list of applications covered by the published content. Clicking on an application name takes you to the edit configuration screen where you can set all Player options for that application. No more digging through the Player folders to find the right javascript file to edit. No complicated javascript syntax to make changes. And with Enablement Service Pack 1 we've added a new feature we're calling the Tabbed Gateway. The Tabbed Gateway is a top-level navigation bar for Help Integration. And all tabs, links, and text are controlled with the Configuration Utility... I think the Tabbed Gateway is a really cool and exciting feature for content launch. I can't wait to hear how your ideas for how to use it for your content. Let me know in comments or email!

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  • html/css vs CMS

    - by Matt
    I am currently a CS student and an aspiring programmer/web developer. I am wondering whether it is worth taking the time to master html and css to make websites when these CMS services/wysiwyg editors (wordpress, squarespace) seem to be becoming more and more functional. Does anyone think these publishing services might eventually make the need to design websites from raw code unnecessary? If not, please explain why. If designing a website eventually becomes as simple as using Photoshop I would much rather invest my time in programming languages.

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  • 24+ Coda Alternatives for Windows and Linux

    - by Matt
    Coda plays an important role in designing layout on Mac. There are numerous coda alternatives for windows and Linux too. It is not possible to describe each and everyone so some of the coda alternatives, which work on both windows and Linux platforms, are discussed below. EditPlus $35.00 Good thing about EditPlus is that it highlights URLs and email addresses, activating them when you ‘crtl + double-click’. It also has a built in browser for previewing HTML, and FTP and SFTP support. Also supports Macros and RegEx find and replace. UltraEdit $49.99 It is another good coda alternative for windows and Linux. It is the best suited editor for text, HTML and HEX. It also plays an advanced PHP, Perl, Java and JavaScript editor for programmers. It supports disk-based 64-bit or standard file handling on 32-bit Windows platforms or window 2000 and later versions. HippoEdit $39.95 HippoEDIT has the best autocomplete it gives pop a ‘tooltip’ above your cursor as you type, suggesting words you’ve already typed. It does syntax highlighting for over 2 dozen language. Sublime Text $59.00 Sublime Text awesome ‘zoomed out’ view of the file lets you focus on the area you want. It lets you open a local file when you right-click on its link, and there are a few automation features, so this would make a solid choice of a text editor. Textpad $24.70 TextPad is simple editor with nifty features such as column select, drag-and-drop text between files, and hyperlink support. It also supports large files. Aptana Free Aptana Studio is one of the best editors working on both windows and Linux. It is a complete web development setting that has a nice blend of powerful authoring tools with a collection of online hosting and collaboration services. It is quite helpful as it support for PHP, CSS, FTP, and more. SciTE Free It is a SCIntilla based Text Editor. It has gradually developed as a generally useful editor. It provides for building and running programs. It is best to be used for jobs with simple configurations. SciTE is currently available for Intel Win32 and Linux compatible operating systems with GTK+. It has been run on Windows XP and on Fedora 8 and Ubuntu 7.10 with GTK+ 2.12 E Text Editor $34.96 E Text Editor is a new text editor for Windows, which also works on Linux as well. It has powerful editing features and also some unique abilities. It makes text manipulation quite fast and easy, and makes user focus on his writing as it automatically does all the manual work. It can be extend it in any language. It supports Text Mate bundles, thus allows the user to tap into a huge and active community. Editra Free Editra is an upcoming editor, with some fantastic features such as user profiles, auto-completion, session saving, and syntax highlighing for 60+ languages. Plugins can extend the feature set, offering an integrated python console, FTP client, file browser, and calculator, among others. PSPad Free PSPad is a good Template for writing CSS, as it an internal web browser, and a macro recorder to the table. It also supports hex editing, and some degree of code compiling. JEdit Free It is a mature programmer’s text editor and has taken a good deal of time to be developed as it is today. It is better than many costlier development tools due to its features and simplicity of use. It has been released as free software with full source code, provided under the terms of the GPL 2.0. Which also adds to its attractiveness. NEdit Free It is a multi-purpose text editor for the X Window System, which also works on Linux. It combines a standard, easy to use, graphical user interface with the full functionality and stability required by users who edit text for long period a day. It also provides for thorough support for development in various languages. It also facilitates the use of text processors, and other tools at the same time. It can be used productively by anyone who needs to edit text. It is quite a user-friendly tool. Its salient features include syntax highlighting with built in pattern, auto indent, tab emulation, block indentation adjustment etc. As of version 5.1, NEdit may be freely distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License. MadEdit Free Mad Edit is an Open-Source and Cross-Platform Text/Hex Editor. It is written in C++ and wxWidgets. MadEdit can edit files in Text/Column/Hex modes. It also supports many useful functions, such as Syntax Highlighting, Word Wrap, Encoding for UTF8/16/32,and others. It also supports word count, which makes it quite a useful text editor for both windows and Linux. It has been recently modified on 10/09/2010. KompoZer Free Kompozer is a complete web authoring system that has a combination of web file management and easy-to-use WYSIWYG web page editing. KompoZer has been designed to be completely and extensively easy to use. It is thus an ideal tool for non-technical computer users who want to create an attractive, professional-looking web site without knowing HTML or web coding. It is based on the NVU source code. Vim Free Vim or “Vi IMproved” is an advanced text editor. Its salient features are syntax highlighting, word completion and it also has a huge amount of contributed content. Vim has several “modes” on offer for editing, which adds to the efficiency in editing. Thus it becomes a non-user-friendly application but it is also strength for its users. The normal mode binds alphanumeric keys to task-oriented commands. The visual mode highlights text. More tools for search & replace, defining functions, etc. are offered through command line mode. Vim comes with complete help. NotePad ++ Free One of the the best free text editor for Windows out there; with support for simple things—like syntax highlighting and folding—all the way up to FTP, Notepad++ should tick most of the boxes Notepad2 Free Notepad2 is also based on the Scintilla editing engine, but it’s much simpler than Notepad++. It bills itself as being fast, light-weight, and Notepad-like. Crimson Editor Free Crimson Editor has the ability to edit remote files, using a built-in FTP client; there’s also a spell checker. TotalEdit Free TotalEdit allows file comparison, RegEx search and replace, and has multiple options for file backup / versioning. For cleanup, it offers (X)HTML and XML customizable formatting, and a spell checker. In-Type Free ConTEXT Free SourceEdit Free SourceEdit includes features such as clipboard history, syntax highlighting and autocompletion for a decent set of languages. A hex editor and FTP client. RJ TextED Free RJ TextED supports integration with TopStyle Lite. Provides HTML validation and formatting. It includes an FTP client, a file browser, and a code browser, as well as a character map and support for email. GEDIT Free It is one of the best coda alternatives for windows and Linux. It has syntax highlighting and is best suitable for programming. It has many attractive features such as full support for UTF-8, undo/redo, and clipboard support, search and replace, configurable syntax highlighting for various languages and many more supportive features. It is extensible with plug ins. Other important coda alternatives for windows and Linux are Redcar, Bluefish Editor, NVU, Ruby Mine, Slick Edit, Geany, Editra, txt2html and CSSED. There are many more. Its up to user to decide which one suits best to his requirements. Related posts:10 Useful Text Editor For Developer Applications to Install & Run Windows on Linux Open Source WYSIWYG Text Editors

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  • Free Windows Azure event next Monday in London (29th March)

    - by Eric Nelson
    I just heard that we still have spaces for this event happening next week (29th March 2010). Whilst the event is designed for start-ups, I’m sure nobody would notice if you snuck in :-) Just keep it to yourself ;-) Register using invitation code: 79F2AB. Hope to see you there. The agenda is looking pretty swish: 09:00 – 09:30 Registration 09:30 - 10:15 Keynote  ‘I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now....’– John Taysom, Active Seed Investor 10:15 - 10:45   The Microsoft Vision for Cloud Computing – Steve Clayton, Director Software + Services, EMEA 10:45 - 11:00   Break 11:00 - 12:30 “Windows Azure in Real World” – hear from startups that have built their business around the Azure platform, moderated by Alistair Beagley, Azure UK Developer and Platform Lead 12:30 - 13:15 Lunch and networking  13:15 - 14:15  Breakout Tracks, moderated by our Azure Experts 1. Windows Azure Technical Overview - David Gristwood, Application Architect, Microsoft 2. SQL Azure Technical Overview – Eric Nelson, Application Architect, Microsoft 3. Commercial insight into Windows Azure and what this means for BizSpark Start-ups - Simon Karn, Commercial Lead, UK Windows Azure Incubation Team, Microsoft 14:15 - 14:30 Session change over 14:30 - 15:30   Breakout Tracks, moderated by our Azure Experts 1. SQL Azure Technical Overview (repeat) - Eric Nelson, Application Architect, Microsoft 2. Deep dive into Windows Azure – Neil Kidd, Architect, Microsoft Technology Centre 3. Lessons Learnt - Windows Azure in the Real World interactive session – Two customers hosted by Matt Deacon, Enterprise Architect, Microsoft 15:30 - 16:00 Break & Session change over 16:00 - 17:00 Breakout Tracks, moderated by our Azure Experts 1. PHP / Ruby on Azure Simon Davies, Architect, UK Windows Azure Incubation Team, Microsoft 2. Commercial insight into Windows Azure and what this means for BizSpark Start-ups (repeat) - Simon Karn, Commercial Lead, UK Windows Azure Incubation Team, Microsoft 3. Lessons Learnt - Windows Azure in the Real World interactive session #2 Two customers hosted by Matt Deacon, Enterprise Architect, Microsoft 17:00 - 18:00 Pitches and Judging 18:15 Wrap-up and close 18:15 - 20:00 Drinks & Networking

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  • More Retro Games

    - by Matt Christian
    Last week I made 2 stops to my local game stores and spent a load of cash on a bunch of new retro games for my collection.  Here are the recent additions: NES - Mega Man 2 - The Adventures of Bayou Billy - Ducktales - Metal Gear - Super Mario Bros / Duck Hunt - Firestorm - Dragon's Lair - Bartman Meets Radioactive Man N64 - Superman 64 - Zelda: Ocarina of Time (in original box, box is in poor condition) Atari - Superman - Adventure - Donkey Kong - Raiders of the Lost Ark Dreamcast - Memory card with view screen - Space Channel 5 Genesis (all in case) - Jurassic Park - Sonic Spinball - Sonic the Hegehog 3 (missing manual) - Spiderman (also called Spiderman vs. The Kingpin) GameGear - Bart vs The Space Mutants Quite a large haul given it was all purchased in 2 days.  Although, Metal Gear I got for a great deal and almost considered buying their other copy simply to resale for more though I decided against it to let another lucky soul find it.  I may need to run over there again because I think they had TMNT 2 (NES) for around $6 and it usually sells for more than that.  I could have sworn I grabbed it and bought it but my receipt tells me differently. I also found my copy of Super Mario 3 and added that to my collection.  Unfortunately one of the corners of the label has begun to peel up pretty badly which sucks although it's still a good item for the collection. In other retro news, this weekend was Easter and while at my grandparents the cousins wanted to play on their NES which was not working.  Me being the retro NES nerd I am, grabbed a screw driver, some Windex, a few toothpicks, and a few cotton swabs and had it up and running under an hour (that includes eating dinner!).  The NES holds the games tighter, has a better connection, and works almost instantly.  I should do THAT for a living!

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  • How to reenable Documents on iPhone?

    - by Matt
    So, I regularly plug in my iPhone to my computer to get voice recordings off of it. However, every time I plugged it in "iPhone" and "Documents on iPhone" would both mount, and "Documents on iPhone" would pop up automatically. As I normally don't need anything on there it was a bit of a nuisance, so I opened a terminal and ran: sudo apt-get install libimobiledevice-utils;idevicepair unpair && idevicepair pair as suggested a here This, however, took away my access to "Documents on iPhone" completely, and didn't provide an alternative like putting it in a folder on the main "iPhone" device. Now I actually NEED to get something off there. Is there anyway to get "Documents on iPhone" back? I would prefer it still didn't pop up automatically but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. UPDATE: I ran idevicepair pair and unplugged and replugged my phone. I now have Documents back but it still annoyingly opens every time I plug in.

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  • Top YouTube Plugins for WordPress Blogs

    - by Matt
    Smart Youtube Smart Youtube allow you to insert video and playlists into your WordPress post and in your RSS feed. It is perfectly work son Works on iPhone, iPad and iPod etc and issues a sidebar widget for videos as well. WP YouTube WP YouTube act as a a profile editor, where you can set [...] Related posts:WordPress Plugins to Help Make Your Site Responsive 15 Useful SEO Plugins For WordPress The Top 10 WordPress RSS Plugins

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  • How to setup Automount/Autofs

    - by matt wilkie
    I've followed the ubuntu help docs for setting up NFSv4 on a server running Ubuntu 10.4LTS and now I'm trying to get Autofs (on ubuntu 10.10) to mount the exports, following these instructions. So far it doesn't work. Where the docs say server -fstype=nfs4 server:/ I'm supposed to replace 'server' with my server's hostname right? If yes, should that be server-foo or server-foo.local? # Sample /etc/auto.master file # --- comments snipped --8<-- +auto.master # pre-existing /nfs /etc/auto.nfs # added by me . # manually created /etc/auto.nfs ubuntu-server.local -fstype=nfs4 ubuntu-server.local:/ ls /nfs/ubuntu-server /nfs/ubuntu-server.local shows nothing. What's the next troubleshooting step?

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  • Screen brightness control not working on Lenovo T530

    - by Matt
    My brightness control doesn't work with a fresh install of 12.10 (brand new laptop). It is set to the brightest setting when I boot up and when I try to change it, I see the notification bar come up but the brightness doesn't actually change. I've tried all the solutions I could find around the Internet but none of them work. Things I have tried include: Editing /sys/class/backlight/acpi_video0/brightness In /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-brightness-control.conf: Option "RegistryDwords" "EnableBrightnessControl=1" In /etc/default/grub: GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash acpi_osi=Linux acpi_backlight=vendor" There is no xorg.conf file in 12.10 that I have found, so the solutions that suggest editing that file don't do me a whole lot of good. I am currently using the Nouveau driver, but switching to the Nvidia proprietary drivers made no difference. Any other ideas? When is this bug going to be fixed? With all the reports I've come across I would think it would get a lot of attention. Thanks.

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  • How do I install Dan's Guardian on 12.04?

    - by Matt
    I'm trying to install Dans Guardian on a virtual machine. The instructions ask me to run the ./configure script and then execute the command make install. The configure script runs fine but the make install throws errors. Making all in src make[2]: Entering directory `/webmin/dansguardian-2.10/src' g++ -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I.. -D__CONFFILE='"/usr/local/etc/dansguardian/dansguardian.conf"' -D__LOGLOCATION='"/usr/local/var/log/dansguardian/"' -D__PIDDIR='"/usr/local/var/run"' -D__PROXYUSER='"nobody"' -D__PROXYGROUP='"nobody"' -D__CONFDIR='"/usr/local/etc/dansguardian"' -g -O2 -MT dansguardian-fancy.o -MD -MP -MF .deps/dansguardian-fancy.Tpo -c -o dansguardian-fancy.o `test -f 'downloadmanagers/fancy.cpp' || echo './'`downloadmanagers/fancy.cpp downloadmanagers/fancy.cpp: In member function âstd::string fancydm::timestring(int)â: downloadmanagers/fancy.cpp:507:72: error: âsnprintfâ was not declared in this scope make[2]: *** [dansguardian-fancy.o] Error 1 make[2]: Leaving directory `/webmin/dansguardian-2.10/src' make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1 make[1]: Leaving directory `/webmin/dansguardian-2.10' make: *** [all] Error 2 I'm running 12.04 LTS server x64

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  • Sign of a Good Game

    - by Matt Christian
    (Warning: This post contains spoilers about SILENT HILL 2.  If you haven't played this game, you are dumb) What is one sign of a great game? One of the signs I realized recently is when a game continues to stun and surprise you years and years after you've played and beaten it.  As a major Silent Hill fan, I recently was reminded of Silent Hill 2 and even though see it as one of my favorite Silent Hill games, there are still things I'm learning about it that are neat little additions that add to the atmosphere (atmosphere also makes a great game!). For instance, when you start the game you are given a letter by your wife who has been deceased for years and years.  You are directed to Silent Hill and start treking through hell all by your lonesome (with the exception of a few psychos).  As you continue through the game, pieces of the letter begin to fade and disappear until eventually it is completely non-existent, thus implying the letter was never real and the letter was a delusion you created. Another example is the game's use of imagery the player knows about but might not notice at first.  For me, the most apparent of these was the dress you find near the start when you find the flashlight, which is the same dress you see Mary (your wife) wearing in the flashback sequences.  However, one thing I didn't know was that several deceased bodies you encounter laying around Silent Hill are actually the body of the main character (James) which invokes an idea you've seen that body before but can't pinpoint where... It's amazing to see a game go to such unique lengths to provide a psychological horror game.  Sure, all the dead bodies could be randomly modelled and the dress could be any ol' dress, but just the idea of your brain knowing something deep down but you can't pinpoint it is a really unique idea.  In my opinion, it ties less into subconscious and more into natural tendencies, it taps into the fear hidden inside us all.

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  • Stackify featured in the KC Business Journal

    - by Matt Watson
    Very excited to be in the KC Business Journal today. Stackify is focused on giving limited production access to developers to help them do application troubleshooting. We about ready to launch our product and we are looking for beta testers!Ex-VinSolutions exec pours sale proceeds into Stackify, other tech startupsRead the entire article on their website:http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/print-edition/2012/06/01/ex-vinsolutions-exec-pours-sale.html

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  • P90X or How I Stopped Worrying and Love Exercise

    - by Matt Christian
    Last Wednesday, after many UPS delivery failures, I received P90X in the mail.  P90X is a series of DVD's and a nutrition guide you use to shed pounds and gain muscle.  Odds are you've seen the infomercial on TV at some point if you watch a little tube now and again.  I started last Thursday and am still standing to tell this tale. At it's core, P90X is a 12 DVD set of exercise videos.  Each video is comprised of a different workout routine that typically last around an hour (some up to 1 1/2 hours).  Every day you are supposed to do one of the workouts which are different every day (sometimes you may repeat a shorter 6 min workout dedicated to abs twice a week).  There are different 'programs' focused on different areas, for weight loss you do the Lean Program, standard weight loss and muscle gain do the Regular Program, and for those hardcore health-nuts, the Insane Program (which consists of 2 - 1 hour long exercises per day).  Each Program has a different set of workouts per week which you repeat for 3 weeks, followed by a 'Relaxation Week' which is essentially a slightly different order.  After the month of workouts is over, you've finished 1 phase out of 3.  P90X takes 90 days, split into 3 Phases (1 phase per month).  Every phase has a different workout order which is also focused on different areas (Weight Loss, Muscle Gain, etc...)  With the DVD's you also get a small glossy book of about 100 pages detailing the different workouts and the different programs as well as a sample workout to see if you're even ready to start P90X. The second part of P90X, which can also be considered the 'core' (actually the other half of the core) is the nutrition guide that is included.  The Nutrition Guide is a book similar to the one that defines the exercises (about 100 glossy pages) though it details foods you should eat, the amounts, and a number of healthy (and tasty!) recipes.  The guide is split up into 3 phases as well, promoting high protein and low carb/dairy at during Phase 1, and levelling off through to Phase 3 where you have a relatively balanced amount of every food group. So after 1 week where am I?  I've stuck quite close to the nutrition guide (there isn't 'diet food' in here people, it's ACTUALLY food) and done my exercise every day.  I think a lot of the first week is getting into the whole idea and learning the moves performed on the DVD.  Have I lost weight?  No.  Do I feel some definition already starting to poke out?  Absolutely (no pun intended). Tony Horton (the 51-year old hulk that runs the whole thing) is very fun to listen and work along with and the 'diet' really isn't too hard to follow unless all you eat is carbs.  I've tried the gym thing and could not get motivated enough to continue going.  P90X is the first time I've ached from a workout, BEFORE starting my next workout.  For anyone interested, Google 'P90X' or 'BeachBody' to find out more information about this awesome program!

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  • Unreal Tournament 3 vs UDK: What Should I Choose?

    - by Matt Christian
    Many people in the mod community were very excited to see the release of the Unreal Developer Kit (UDK) a few months ago.  Along with generating excitement into a very dedicated community, it also introduced many new modders into a flourishing area of indie-development.  However, since UDK is free, most beginners jump right into UDK, which is OK though you might just benefit more from purchasing a shelf-copy of Unreal Tournament 3. UDK UDK is a free full version of UnrealEd (the editor environment used to create games like Gears of War 1/2, Bioshock 1/2, and of course Unreal Tournament 3).  The editor gives you all the features of the editor from the shelf-copy of the game plus some refinements in many of the tools.  (One of the first things you'll find about UnrealEd is that it's a collection of tools grouped into the same editor so it really isn't a single 'tool') Interestingly enough, Epic is allowing you to sell any game made in UDK with a few catches.  First off, you must purchase a liscense for your game (which, I THINK is aproximately $99 starting).  Secondly, you must pay 25% of all profits for the first $5,000 of your game revenue to them (about $1250).  Finally, you cannot use any of the 'media' provided in UDK for your game.  UDK provides sample meshes, textures, materials, sounds, and other sample pieces of media pulled (mostly) from Unreal Tournament 3. The final point here will really determine whether you should use UDK.  There is a very small amount of media provided in UDK for someone to go in and begin creating levels without first developing your own meshes, textures, and other media.  Sure, you can slap together a few unique levels, though you will end up finding yourself restriced to the same items over and over and over.  This is absolutely how professional game development is; you are 'given' (typically liscensed or built in-house) an engine/editor and you begin creating all the content for the game and placing it.  UDK is aimed toward those who really want to build their game content from scratch with a currently existing engine.  It is not suited for someone who would like to simply build levels and quick mods without learning external 3D programs and image editing software. Unreal Tournament 3 Unless you have a serious grudge against FPS's, Epic, or your computer sucks, there really is no reason not to own this game for PC.  You can pick it up on Steam or Amazon for around $20 brand new.  Not only are you provided with a full single-player and multiplayer game, but you are given the entire UnrealEd 3.0 including all of the content used to build UT3.  If you want to start building levels and mods quickly for UT3, you should absolutely pick up a shelf-copy. However, as off-the-shelf UT3 is a few years old now, the tools have not been updated for quite a while.  Compared to UDK, the menus are more difficult to navigate through and take more time getting used to.  Since UDK is updated almost every month, there are new inclusions to the editor that may not be in UT3 (including the future addition of 3D!).  I haven't worked enough with shelf UT3 to see if there are more features in UDK or if they both feature the same stuff in different forms, however you should remember that the Unreal Engine 3.0 has undergone numerous upgrades between it's launch and Gears of War 2 (in fact, Epic had a conference to show off what changed just between the Gears of Wars games). Since UT3 has much more core content, someone who wants to focus on level editing or modding the core UT3 game may find their needs better suited with an off-the-shelf copy of UT3.  If that level designer has a team that is generating custom assets, they may be better off with UDK. The choice is now yours...

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  • Why are Awstats, Webalizer, and Google Analytics results so different?

    - by Matt
    I realize that comparing Awstats and Webalizer to Google Analytics is like comparing apples to oranges, but each of them track at least basic statistics about visitors and pages. So why are there often very significant differences in their data? For example, comparing Analytics with Awstats using some numbers from a small site over the past week: Awstats 78 unique visitors 205 visits (2.62 visits/visitor) 1,072 pages (5.22 pages/visit) Google Analytics 115 unique visitors 240 visits (2.08 visits/visitor) 1,275 pages (5.31 pages/visit) They're similar on the number of visits, but page views and uniques are quite different. I'm familiar with discrepancies of a much higher magnitude on some larger sites, showing that this trend scales proportionally upward. What is the reason behind the different numbers, even when the data is quite trivial like unique visitors and page loads?

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  • Implementing custom "Remember Me" with Stripe

    - by Matt
    Implementing remember me with Stripe, while not using their Checkout (not supported on PhoneGap), seems to be fine using the path: First time: Request token on the client side using card info. Create customer on server side using token. Upon confirm, charge customer. Second time: Check if current user is Stripe customer by requesting the info from our server. If is Stripe customer, show "use credit card on file" instead of regular CC form. Upon confirm, charge customer. However, there is one important convenience items missing--last four digits of card number. Most sites inform you of the card you're using before making the payment, pretty important in case you have to switch out cards. I have seen that you can retrieve charges which would allow me to get the last four digits. Is it bad practice to pull that and display it? Are there alternative solutions anyone has in mind?

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