franzone.com - thoughts of a web geek franzone.com - thoughts of a web geek I'm a work from home web geek, a father of three, a husband, a World of Warcraft nerd, a martial arts practitioner, a musician and many other things. Product reviews, technical articles, April Fools posts, life stories, oh... and we have comics! Articles
Upgrade Time : WordPress 2.9 and MySQL 5
2009-12-22 17:31:00 WordPress 2.9 was release somewhat recently and so like a good WP minion I logged into my site and clicked the update button. Error… uh oh. Apparently WordPress 2.9 requires a more recent version of MySQL (>= 4.1.2). My host installed MySQL 5 ages ago but I’ve never bothered with migrating to the new version ... More About: Wordpress , Time , Word , Mysql
Geek Gift Ideas ? November 30
2009-11-30 11:00:00 Some people have said that, “laughter is the best medicine.” Well, today’s geek gift idea is the gift of laughter; the kind that appeals to geeks in particular. xkcd is described as a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math and language. This book, xkcd: volume 0, is the first book that combines selections of the first ... More About: Ideas , Humor , Reviews , Gifts , Toys
Geek Gift Ideas ? November 27
2009-11-27 17:01:00 Why not start off the Geek Gift Ideas 2009 edition with a Despair, Inc. 2010 Custom Calendar. Every geek loves geek humor and Despair Inc. has been dishing out the sarcasm for years now. Not only does this calendar provide a hilarious demotivator for each month, but it also contains important dates in geek history. ... More About: Reviews , Gifts , Toys , Gift Ideas
Friday Song Of The Day ? Happy Christmas (War Is Over)
2009-11-27 16:42:00 It has been since March that I posted a Friday Song Of The Day, so I figured I’d kick off this Christmas season with a Christmas tune. John Lennon’s Happy Xmas (War Is Over) seemed apropos to both the season of the year and our country. Happy Christmas Kyoko Happy Christmas Julian So this is Christmas And what have ... More About: Video , Music
Remember The Beatles? 1000 Years Later
2009-11-26 18:46:00 This is a hilarious video about what the world will view as The Beatles in another thousand years. I really enjoyed the musical reconstruction midway complete with a theremin. Oh, and by the way… Happy Thanksgiving ! More About: Video , Humor , Music
Building ChromiumOS (The Google OS)
2009-11-25 18:28:00 I’ve been watching all of the hype about downloading and running the latest Google creation, ChromiumOS this week so yesterday I decided to take a stab at it myself. I did not however want to simply grab a VMWare image and run it. I’m a software engineer for Pete’s sake! I should build it myself. ... More About: Building
Mr. T Has The Greatest Hair In The World (of Warcraft)
2009-11-24 20:22:00 Mr. T is bringing the smack with his new Mohawk Grenades proving to the world that he IS a hacker and can totally pwn the World of Warcraft . More About: Video , Humor , Hair
Any Lucky Moshi Alarm Clock
2009-11-23 20:17:00 Any Lucky Day is a website that constantly holds giveaways. It’s a great way for companies to get some advertising for their products, I’m sure the giveaway website gets a nice kickback from the traffic that it sends to the product sites and most importantly of all… YOU can win some really cool stuff! All ... More About: Reviews , Clock , Giveaways , Alarm
Aion Fantasy MMORPG in Open Beta
2009-09-10 19:58:00 Aion is a new MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game) by NCSOFT that is now available for open beta, but it’s for this weekend only (September 6 – September 13). Head on over there to grab your Open Beta key and download the client. If you do want to play though you should start ... More About: News , Reviews , Video Games , Fantasy
RoboForm Update ? Online Passwords!
2009-08-17 06:35:00 I just noticed this really cool feature so I thought I’d throw a shout-out to my favorite password manager. I’ve been using AI RoboForm for many a year now and have actually reviewed it on this site before. I really love this program. Basically it’s a program that sits in your task tray and ... More About: Reviews , Internet Security , Roboform , Online , Update
Nike+ iPod Fix Retraction
2009-08-14 17:34:00 My last post (Nike + iPod : Cheap Fix For Failure) outlined a method whereby one could get around the premature end of workout due to water (sweat) damage for the iPod Nano and Nike+ Sensor setup. Well this method worked well for me for several runs afterwards… ending in a major fail. The “fix” may ... More About: Running , Ipod
Nike+ iPod : Cheap Fix For Failure
2009-08-05 05:49:00 I’m a runner and I use the Nike + iPod gadgetry to track my runs. It is very easy to use, convenient and it helps me to be motivated. Well, about three weeks ago it started failing. At random times during my run it would just queue the end of run recording and my workout would ... More About: Running , Tutorials , Ipod
The Great Office War
2009-07-24 17:56:00 Here is a very cool video for this fine Friday. More About: Video , Humor , Office , Great
Get Cash Back @ Bing
2009-07-23 18:07:00 I wrote a short post a while back about the new search engine… or excuse me, “personal decision engine” (yeah, whatever)… from Microsoft called Bing. I just ran across this today and though it was interesting. Something more to try and entice users away from the Google behemoth is a Cash Back Program. So apparently ... More About: Reviews , Search Engines
Mashable.com Beta Fail
2009-07-17 17:37:00 I just attempted to login to My Mashable account and received the screen below. It looks like they are beta testing some new platform using Scalr, which is a cloud computing platform. I wonder if they’ll let me in the beta since I uncovered their plans to take over the world!? Hmmm? More About: Beta , Social Network
Manage Video Clips in iPhoto 6
2009-07-06 15:00:00 I was searching the internets this past weekend in search of a simple solution for managing and organizing my video clips on my Mac. I have a somewhat dated iMac with OS X version 10.4 and I don’t have the latest iLife versions. My current version of iPhoto is version 6. I’ve imported short video ... More About: Video , Tutorials , Video Clips , Clips , Manage
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
2009-06-29 15:13:00 I received the strangest spam comment on this blog a while back and have just gotten around to posting about it. Ever want to take out your competitor’s website? Need some intellectual information stolen from somewhere? Well, now I have the hookups! lol Anyway, here is a screenshot of the post complete with a price list ... More About: Humor , Dirty , Cheap , Dirt , Deeds
Bing.com ? Microsoft?s New Search Engine
2009-06-07 22:02:00 Have you “binged” anything lately? If not, then don’t sweat it. Microsoft just release a new search engine called Bing, which you may or may not have heard about yet. Really? Another search engine? I thought Live.com was their SE of choice. Well, if you go to live.com now it actually points to bing.com. So how ... More About: Google , Reviews , Search Engines , Search
Friday Song Of The Day - Viva La Vida
2008-06-06 14:00:00 This is the hot new song from Coldplay’s latest album, Viva La Vida . I used to rule the world Seas would rise when I gave the word Now in the morning I sweep alone Sweep the streets I used to own I used to roll the dice Feel the fear in my enemies’ eyes Listen as the crowd would sing: “Now the old ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Friday Song Of The Day - Viva La Vida", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/06/06/frida y-song-of-the-day-viva-la-vida/" });
Friday Fun Waste Of Time
2008-06-06 13:00:00 You know that on Friday afternoons you just feel like wasting a little time. Well, this will do just that! I stumbled onto this little Flash game that is so absolutely simple, yet so intriguing. You start with a pyramid of blocks. Just click somewhere within the field of view and block will shoot from ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Friday Fun Waste Of Time ", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/06/06/frida y-fun-waste-of-time/" }); More About: Game
PHP Script To Monitor FTP Directory Changes
2008-06-05 13:04:00 I recently had the need to be able to monitor a directory on an FTP server for changes and to then be notified of those changes. I’ve been working a lot in PHP lately so I decided to use that to implement my script. FTP Access FTP (file transfer protocol) access in PHP is a breeze. It’s ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "PHP Script To Monitor FTP Directory Changes", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/06/05/php-s cript-to-monitor-ftp-directory-changes/" }); More About: Tutorials , Scripting
Link Bundle - June 4
2008-06-04 17:30:00 Google Shell Online - goosh.org Any *nix lovers (and Google lovers) should definitely check this site out. It’s basically a shell interface to Google… on a web page. Awesome! Not An OS Tim Bray vents his frustration about people calling the internet the “Web OS” and generally comparing the internet to an operating system. Preach on, brotha! Learning ActionScript ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Link Bundle - June 4", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/06/04/link- bundle-june-4/" }); More About: Reviews
Your One Stop Shop For CMS Needs
2008-06-03 18:23:00 Are you in the market for a CMS (Content Management System) for your next big idea? Or are you just looking for some easy to use software for a personal blog? Well, look no further! OpenSourceCMS most likely has what you are looking for. This site is created for the purpose of hosting many if not all of the free and open source CMS software systems on the internet. The kicker… they allow YOU to administer them and basically kick the tires for a bit. That’s right! Every wanted to see what it’s like to run Drupal or Joomla? How about WordPress or Textpattern? They have a ton of different platforms that you can try out in categories such as Portals, Blogs, e-Commerce, Groupware, Forums, Image Galleries, Wikis and more. All you have to do is find one that you’d like to try out and click on it. There will be some general information about the platform as well as links to both the front page and the administration page. And of course the login details for the admi... More About: Shop , Stop
Revolution OS - The Linux Story
2008-06-02 16:40:00 Revolution OS is a 2001 documentary which traces the history of GNU, Linux , and the open source and free software movements. It features several interviews with prominent hackers and entrepreneurs (and hackers-cum-entrepreneurs), including Richard Stallman, Michael Tiemann, Linus Torvalds, Larry Augustin, Eric S. Raymond, Bruce Perens, Frank Hecker and Brian Behlendorf. The film begins in medias res with an IPO, and then sets the historical stage by showing the beginnings of software development back in the day when software was shared on paper tape for the price of the paper itself. It then segues to Bill Gates’s Open Letter to Hobbyists in which he asks Computer Hobbyists to not share, but to buy software. (This letter was written by Gates when Microsoft was still based in Arizona and spelled “Micro-Soft”.) Richard Stallman then explains how and why he left the MIT Lab for Artificial Intelligence in order to devote his life to the development of free software, as... More About: Story , Revolution
Bash Script Naming - Say My Name, Say My Name!
2008-06-02 16:12:00 I use Java as my main Linux server programming language these days and so I usually have a Bash script to go along with each program. The Bash script help encapsulate creating the proper CLASSPATH needed to run the Java program, calls the correct Java class and also passes through any command line parameters that I might need. Recently I had several Java programs that I wrote and bundled inside the same jar file which I needed to call separately. They had all of the same CLASSPATH and environment requirements, so why should I create separate Bash scripts for each one? What’s In A Name? Instead of a separate Bash script for each Java program I used a neat little feature of Linux called symbolic linking. I create in a “bin” subdirectory my main Bash script and then link to it using distinct names from the main program directory. The script then detects what names is being used to call it and executes the appropriate Java class. Some of the Bash code looks like this: ... More About: Script , Naming
Friday Song Of The Day - I Wanna Rock!
2008-05-30 15:08:00 A good friend of mine got this song stuck in my head this week. So, here you have this week’s Friday Song Of The Day. This is I Wanna Rock by Twisted Sister from their Stay Hungry (1984) album. I wanna rock, ROCK I wanna rock, ROCK I want to rock, ROCK I wanna rock, ROCK Turn it down you ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Friday Song Of The Day - I Wanna Rock!", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/30/frida y-song-of-the-day-i-wanna-rock/" }); More About: Video , Music
Why Is My FireFox Freezing!?
2008-05-29 16:39:00 For the past month or so I have been extremely saddened by my FireFox browser. I’m running Windows Vista (weeping and gnashing of teeth) and it seems like Firefox would just freeze up from time to time. I had network activity and could actually browse the sites I was attempting to connect to with another ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Why Is My FireFox Freezing!?", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/29/why-i s-my-firefox-freezing/" }); More About: Web Browser
Link Bundle - May 28
2008-05-28 14:00:00 What Science Fiction Can Teach Developers Casey Charlton gives some insight as to what science fiction can teach developers. It is a very interesting read ending a the statement, “most documentation is totally and utterly worthless.” OpenID: Does The World Really Need Yet Another Username and Password? Jeff Atwood gives a very well written analysis of OpenID providing ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Link Bundle - May 28", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/28/link- bundle-may-28/" }); More About: Reviews
Should Software Engineers Be Involved In Sales?
2008-05-27 15:43:00 Or even have contact with the customer at all? I’ve definitely guilty of the “open book” or “foot in mouth” syndrome while dealing directly with customers, though probably not quite as bad as Dilbert . SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Should Software Engineers Be Involved In Sales ?", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/27/shoul d-software-engineers-be-involved-in-sales /" }); More About: Humor
Is That Randy Jackson Or Captain Kangaroo?
More articles from this author:2008-05-27 15:00:00 I’ve never been one who has been completely up to date with fashion. Since I work from home my dress usually consists of shorts or jeans and a t-shirt. My wife and I were watching the red carpet events for the 2008 Finale of American Idol when Randy Jackson caught my eye. He was wearing ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Is That Randy Jackson Or Captain Kangaroo?", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/27/is-th at-randy-jackson-or-captain-kangaroo/" }); More About: Celebrity , Fashion 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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