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November 2003 Archives

November 1, 2003

halloween

Last night was fun. Nothing amazingly special. I was dressed up as an army guys cause i can do that for free. The highlight of the night was while walking home in the freezing cold and ice covered roads. We saw a limo drop a group of people off. Me being me went over and talked to the limo driver and asked him to take us home. Which he let us all (6) get in his limo and for free drove us home. We gave him a 5 buck tip and made fun of the other people that had to walk all the way home in the cold. It was a wonderfull ending to the night.

November 2, 2003

math could be more interesting

Something about teaching math has always put me to sleep. Just hearing the droning voices talk about equations and stuff. I thought of a way i could pay attention the whole class time and never fall asleep in class. I want Laurence Fishburn (The Matrix, Morpheus) to teach me math. Seriously that man commands attention. Think of how interesting he would be even while discussing Sin functions and integrals.

There can be only ONE, correct answer to this Question.

Java Resources

This is a collection of various tips and things I use in Java. This is actually up on the web more as a refrence to myself than anything else. I keep learning this stuff, but since I dont use it all that frequently I tend to forget how to do something exactly the next time i need to. So here are little commands I use and some tiny descriptions. If you have some tips tricks or think i am doing something the hard way please feel free to comment and share. If you have any Java questions please feel free to post them if you think it is something I might be able to help you with. That said here is some java stuff...

First off i think the best way to work with java code and projects is using J Builder. It is available free for personal use. I highly recommend it. It is available for linux and windows. get it from Borland

If your going to develop web applications I also highly recommend apache tomcat. It is a free java (JSP) server. It is also available for both windows and linux which is great. get it from Apache Tomcat

If a java program keeps running out of memory, this is easy to fix. The java virtual machine is only given so much memory. So running:
"java -Xmx256m PROGRAMNAME" should fix the problem by giving the virtual machine 256 mb of memory. You will see this error as a java.lang.outofmemory error. If your using J builder go to project->run->Java VM parameters: and add the -Xmx256m to the parameter line.

Here's how you could rewrite that statement using the ?: operator:

System.out.println("The character " + aChar + " is " +
(Character.isUpperCase(aChar) ? "upper" : "lower") +
"case.");

The ?: operator returns the string "upper" if the isUpperCase method returns true. Otherwise, it returns the string "lower". The result is concatenated with other parts of a message to be displayed. Using ?: makes sense here because the if statement is secondary to the call to the println method. Once you get used to this construct, it also makes the code easier to read.

Files:
One of the first Java projects I did the source and some info on a AOL Instant messenger (AIM) chatterbot. Built using simpleaim, megahal and some of my own work. Most of the work was in combining the programs learning how they worked and such though. I did add a nice logger to it as well. This still needs alot of work to be that impressive. download MegaDan.zip

A part of my machine learning, for project News Shaker. Text2SVM converts text documents into the proper format for use with SVMlight. It is fairly well commented and contains the full source code. This is a good easy way to learn to work with reading and writting files since it has alot of IO. Visit this projects own page, Text2SVM.

My edited and improved version of weblech. Weblech is a web spider. I added many features and costumized it for my own purposes. This crawler uses google to find files that are relavant to whatever topics your working on. Download the improved weblech from here

Links:
A great starting point for building a java web spider (Weblech)

My edited and improved version of weblech

A great Java Word Counter / dictionary builder

Stop List

Parsing Text

Java MySQL tutorial

Java Porter Stemming Algorythm

Java Lancaster Stemmer

Sorting a hash table in java

Java sort class (sorts most types)

a great java machine learning site

Pretty much everything you would need to work with java Email

How to work with multipart email messages

Great Java Swing Tutorials, especially the stuff on the grid bag layout

Great webservices and java XML info

The 10 best and unervalued least known about java libraries. some of these would be great to use in many projects without reimplementing there feautres yourself.

MySQL resources

This is a collection of various tips and things I use in MySQL. This is actually up on the web more as a reference to myself than anything else. I keep learning this stuff, but since I don't use it all that frequently I tend to forget how to do something exactly the next time i need to. So here are little commands I use and some tiny descriptions. If you have some tips tricks or think i am doing something the hard way please feel free to comment and share. If you have any MySQL questions please feel free to post them if you think it is something I might be able to help you with. That said here is mysql information...

MySQL Commands:
//to start mysql on the command line
Mysql –u root –p (It will then ask for your password)

//To start mysql server
Sudo bash
“bin/safe-mysqld” from the mysql root directory

//How to select data using rules involving more than one table from MYSQL:
Select * from user leftjoin link on user.id = from Left join msg on to=msg.id where user.name = ‘john’;

Database:mysql -u root –p *** //snowmass

//to create a text dump of a database
mysqldump –-user [user name] –-password=[password] [database name] > [dump file]

//to create a new database
mysql> create database somedb;

//granting privileges to a user
grant all privileges on *.* to NewsShaker@”localhost" > identified by 'passwrd';

//shows all the tables of a database
show tables;

//creates a new table in the database your currently using
create table "tablename" ("column1" "data type", "column2" "data type", "column3" "data type");

//creates a link table (which is really the same as other tables but just
//a way to associate data between tables
create table link (catID bigint, pageID bigint);

//deletes an entire table
drop table Pages;

//deletes an entry from table idgen where the item has a uid of 12
delete from idgen where uid=12;

//show only the colums of a table not the data
show columns from tablename;

//To change the data of an already existing entry
update tablename set columname = "whatever" where columnname = "something";

//to alter a table if you need to add a new field
alter table tablename add column_name column_type after column_name2;

//creates a dump of database called newsshaker
./mysqldump –u root –p newsshaker > ../../../ddmayer/newsshakerdb.txt
//at command line in the mysql/bin directory

//to recreate the database from the dump file
./mysql -u root -pPASSWORD newsshaker < ./newsshakerdb.txt
//at the command line in the mysql/bin directory

//to get the count in a category since a date:
select count(*) as co from Pages as p left join link as l on p.UID = l.PageID left join categories as c on c.UID = l.CatID where c.name like 'autism' and p.date > 20031201000000 group by c.UID;

//to get only 5 in order as the very newest:
select p.UID,p.date,c.UID from Pages as p left join link as l on p.UID = l.PageID left join categories as c on c.UID = l.CatID where c.name like 'autism' and p.date > 20031201000000 order by p.date DESC limit 5;

//to get a whole category:
select p.UID,p.date,c.UID from Pages as p left join link as l on p.UID = l.PageID left join categories as c on c.UID = l.CatID where c.name like 'autism';

//add a new user to your mysql system
mysql> GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON *.* TO 'monty'@'localhost'
-> IDENTIFIED BY 'some_pass' WITH GRANT OPTION;

//getting random results from a mysql query or mysql table
mysql_query("SELECT * FROM table ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 1")

//renaming multiple tables at the same time.
RENAME TABLE old_table TO backup_table,
new_table TO old_table,
backup_table TO new_table;


Links:

MySQL home

My SQL commands tutorial

Java MySQL tutorial

Great java Mysql developer tutorial

Linux / Unix Resources

This is a collection of various tips and things I use in linux. This is actually up on the web more as a refrence to myself than anything else. I keep learning this stuff, but since I dont use it all that frequently I tend to forget how to do something exactly the next time i need to. So here are little commands I use and some tiny descriptions. If you have some tips tricks or think i am doing something the hard way please feel free to comment and share. If you have any Linux / Unix questions please feel free to post them if you think it is something I might be able to help you with. That said here is what I got...

Commands:
// secure copy. This allows you to copy a file to another computer over SSH
scp filename compname:~/. (exactly like this no spaces may occur anywhere in this)

//if something is in the background or you accidently suspended it you
//can bring it back to the front by typing
fg (in the command line)

//if you have sudo access you can do about anything on the system
sudo cmd (any command you want, then it will ask for your password)

//to quickly view a file
less filename.txt

//to open and edit a file
emacs filename

//to add to your path and edit many other settings this in your home directory
emacs .cshrc

//to get to your home directory
cd (or sometimes cd $HOME)

//FTP stuff
ftp domain.com
ftp> cd directory
ftp> put filename
ftp> get otherfile
ftp> quit

//To add users to the system
sudo adduser

//edit a users password if your root or can sudo
sudo passwd username

//to change your users password while logged on the system
passwd

//to give users sudo acces
sudo visudo
//to run a program and keep the console available
program &

//if you dont have the proper permissions for a file
chmod 666 filename (this gives read and write access to everyone, so it isn't secure, man chmod if you need a specific file rights)

TomCat:
To start tomcat run “bin/start-tomcat” from tomcats home directory
Tomcat installs /var/tomcat/webapps
Tomcat really /usr/local/Jakarta-tomcat

November 3, 2003

girls of the past

Well my roommate has been writting alot about his girl of the past lately. It is odd basically the crap i went through happend to him almost exactly a year after all teh crap happend to me. So he has been writting/thinking about it alot lately. To be honest I still think about all that stuff from my past alot, but it does get better, it does get easier with time. Most of the time when i am thinking about that stuff, i don't think about it as regrets or wishing this or that, i just think about it as my past. Some parts of the past very happy, and others full of great pain. So tonight my dreams, take me back, take me to a time when all is perfect, I will wake in the morning and deal with the present and future then.

matrix 3

We rented the second matrix on saturday and watched it again. So now were ready for the 3rd matrix to be released on wendsday. We currently have 9 tickets for the 10:30 showing on wendsday and i think that is awesome. It should be a good time full of chatting sitting freezing, and seeing the twists that the final movie takes us through.

November 5, 2003

time

So when someone has a big thing to deal with and a big question before them, how long is enough time to think it over? a couple weeks? A month? Two months? More? I understand that right now is a busy time in our lives, but it seems that most people still have time, to see movies, go to parties, hang out, get drunk, and date. So there must be time to think over important issues as well. I dont know what a reasonable amount of time is, but i am start to spend time thinking about what is a reasonable amount of time to think about something. Kinda odd isn't it.

I have had to think about alot of important issues. What to do after school? What kind of job to get? How much money is important? How important is location? Who i would want to move for or with? I guess right now i am still thinking of moving to New Zealand for a year or so with Dominic. I think i could get a tech job out there probably for alot less pay. The thing is i have always wanted to live out of the country for awhile. Dom wants to take a year off before grad school. I wanted to just bum around for a bit before finding a multiyear career. I wanted to not even have a tech job, but that sounds like a bad thing to do in the current market. so take a pay cut, work part time, and have some fun... Sounds pretty good. I guess those are my thoughts for now.

November 6, 2003

I saw the Matrix

I was planning to run home and review it. I warned friends not to read my blog. Instead even in case someone stumbles apon this i don't want to change their own personal impression and interpretation. So I just will leave you all with it is worth a watching.

Internet out

The internet is out of my house and i don't know why. I am pissed. I didn't have much time to look at it this morning. I know it isn't the standard problems though. The internal network works. either way one of my servers with a majority of my content is curreltly offline and this makes me angry. So i want to kick everyone in the cable modem industry! School blows right now, I am getting the overall feeling the my education is entirely unimportant right now, and all the things i dont spend enough time on are much more important than school. Grrr!!!!! Also i am tired.

November 7, 2003

oh no

I haven't slept in this late for a long long long time. It is almost 2. So did i sleep in for a good reason? Nope. Was i tired from sleeping alot during a long week? No. I was really really hung over and could barely move so i stayed in my bed. I am pretty sure i will feel bad most of the day.

November 8, 2003

OpenGL Resources

This is a collection of various tips and things I use or have done in OpenGL. This is actually up on the web more as a refrence to myself than anything else. This is a collection of good links, programs, tutorials, and source code. That I have found usefull, created, or thought would be usefull to others. So enjoy any and all of my OpenGL info.

Projects:

3D shooter I wrote, it could obviously be improved alot but it is a good easy start.

3dshoot.jpg

You can download the source and the exe and everything and mess with it yourself. This was written in Visual Studio.net Get it


I also made a fractal program into a openGL winamp plug in. If your interested in doing conversions to a winamp plug in yourself, you can download the source and the DLL for winamp and mess around with this.

Get the winamp code


Links:

A group of scanned 3D object models, and how to read and write them.

NEHE the best place to go for open GL resources.

Weekend

Well yesterday was an entire wasted day. I really couldnt accomplish anything. So now i have to go to work today. Also i will have to start getting ready for the busy week ahead. I have a review session monday. A test on wendsday. A presentation and a large assignment due on tuesday. Well i guess not much is going to be new for awhile. Little time left until thanksgiving and then it will be pretty busy after that as well since the semester always closes out very fast.

November 9, 2003

This one goes out...

This one goes out to Dom, cause he is mad that no one posted. Also this is my 200th post. So that is a lot of writing and a lot of worthless things i assume. So i guess my 200th post is dedicated to Dom who last night party like the morning would never come. While i still recovering from thurs just drank a lot of water and laughed at him. Rock on!

Closeness

Recently I was having a chat with Dom, and we were discussing the things you miss most about a really close and strong relationship when you out of them. Ignoring obvious things like sex, love, and having someone care for you so much. We were focusing on the little tiny things you don't notice until it is over. Like laying your head across them and hearing their heart beat. Just being able to touch their skin, during a movie, or any other time. Never having to worry about moving to fast, to slow, or liking them more than they like you. Just truely enjoying the comfort level developed between the two of you. As, Dom said it is like thier whole body has become a playground for you to just touch whenever you want without any reason to worry. The same if true of your body for them. You get to explore a human in a way you never could without being so close.

Other little things i miss:
Knowing thier smell
the millions of tiny inside jokes
Catching the knowing look of someone that knows how close you are
Missing them
Getting excited that you about to see them again even though they have only been gone a couple hours.
Having a date or a night out be something you both know you will enjoy, not something were you are questioning how things are going.
Sleeping next to someone feeling their body move and sounds they make
Having every dream almost everynight be about them and only about spending more time with them.
Not having to always seem cool and just relaxing and being yourself.
and many many more things that can only be shared when you get so close.

November 10, 2003

The end of light

Blood rushes to my head
My sight is blurry am I dead?
Have I lost a feeling I need
Or have I finally been freed

I sit in cold confusion
Almost preferring my old delusion
I guess in the end it may be best
That it all has been put to rest

You said goodbye as best you could.
I must move on, I know I should,
But I can�t hold back my tear.
As my future is now only fear.

So best of luck I wish you well
My old self is burnt out of this hell
I now reborn shall wake anew
I am a child that was born of you.

Goodbye at last I loved you then
My one, my only, but gone again.

November 11, 2003

for those lost

For those that are lost about my previous post. I will say that i got a letter from my ex. It wasn't as hope, but as expected. So i doubt i will ever see her again before maybe a 10 year highschool reunion. I wrote that poem in the first 6 minutes after receiving the letter, it was the first thoughts and feelings to come to my mind.

School is giving me hell right now, and i feel like i am not making enough progress on my projects at work. This makes me feel like i should be working harder. I have really been slacking off on my num comp class and i am sure that will catch up with me soon. Anyways, I have a test tomorrow and then i think i am in the clear until pretty much after thanksgiving. Except for regular stuff, and trying to accomplish something good at work.

Yesterday was a horrible day it will be in my top ten worst days ever. So send me brownies, strippers, and java source code.

November 13, 2003

ahh some good news

I am done with the senior project speech which is nice. I also think i did really well on my digital logic test today. So i am a little more relaxed. I still have alot of stuff coming up. I am pretty sure i am falling way behind in numb comp, which is a bad thing since it is my hardest class and i am doing the worst in it out of all of my classes. Oh well. So now i really have to do is worry about some work stuff and hopefully i will acomplish alot of that tomorrow so i can get that off my shoulders and then i could maybe relax a bit. Which should be good, but at a time like this is might just make me focus more on things i kinda of need to be distracted from for awhile.

November 14, 2003

Weekend

Well a weekend is here, I don't have much homework. I dont have much planned. I can kinda do whatever I want. So I guessi should come up with something fun. I might try to call up ft collins peoples, I might call up "friends girl" and see if she wants to hang out, I might go to a party our neighbors know of, or I might do nothing. Hopefully i don't end up doing nothing, because i think i did enough of that last weekend. The problem is that when i finally have alot of free time sometimes i just dont want to go out. I dont have the energy to do anything and dont really want to. I have had fairly good news the last couple days and I as always have to keep looking towards the future because if you ignore it, it will pass you by. there are still some things i am hoping to catch along the ride that is life. So lets see what happens over this weekend.

November 15, 2003

a night out and what?

Well i went out for a night at the bars. I talked to a few girls. I danced with a few girls but end the end every time i talked to someone i was quickly reminded of my place. Of who i am. So after another disappointing evening and more questioning of my entire life i end up at home. Writing in my blog. Mostly for myself, but at the same time for my 10 readers or so that are reading about my life as if it was a story that meant more. As if it was something that related to them.

I stop writting wondering why i ever go out or drink... then every day i wake up and realize no matter what i accomplish i am alone.

I know i know

I know i write alot of sad, and upset things in my blog. I dont write about all the fun and happy stuff. I guess i never feel the need to record my thoughts when i am in a really good mood. My journal was always like that as well. Anyways i am really not all that pissed at life or anything. I mean there is a bunch of stuff that sucks right now so i am a little down in the dumps, but overall I am doing ok. Just thought i should write this seeing as last nights drunken entry could worry some.

November 16, 2003

and again

It is scary it is like every day there is less and less people to support me. People claim they understand or that they are there for me. In the end everyone has their own problems and questions and issues. So yet again i wonder what is next?

so bipolar

I am so bipolar i hate it. Yesterday afternoon i was in one of the best moods ever. Then i went out and by the time we got back home i was in a terrible mood. Why? No reason. It is just like all of a sudden my whole body was just tired, weak, and bored. Then my head turned to thoughts of my ex and everything went downhill from there.

on edge

I think one of the reasons i have been so up and down in my moods lately is because i am so confused and lost about what to do after college. I just really dont know waht i want to do right now. Should i begin to focus on a career? Should i try to have some fun and spend some time trying to meet a perfect woman? Should i do a little bit of both? Should i do grad school?

Well i have a bunch of fun stuff coming up next week and luckly i am not going to be to busy from school so i should be able to enjoy it all.
monday: ft fun thanksgiving
tuesday: possible concert
wendsday: Art gallery
Friday: Less than jake fall out boy concert
Saturday: 3 peoples birthdays celebrated with a party at our place

November 18, 2003

Thanksgiving

Last night i went to thanksgiving dinner in ft fun. It has been a tradition by my friends there for all of college. I have been at the last 3 years of the event. So i got to eat stuffing, mash potatoes, and various desserts. It was fun as always saw some people i dont see often. Drank some wine. Helped fix Chris's computer and chatted away with my friends. Nothing special but a really nice night out that reminds you that just seeing back adn being around those close to you will always bring some happiness. I am thinking our house in boulder should start some tradition like this. Making a really nice big dinner and just inviting a bunch of our friends over. Perhaps we will do this sometime soon.

cool quote

A great quote from a jackie chan movie:
"Before it is to late you have to trust your own heart."

November 19, 2003

Walking around

Yesterday i was in an entirely good mood. Today i walked around campus with a nice wind blowing by my side and a smile on my face. I don't understand it, but i am not going to question it to much. I feel more secure and happy right now for some reason. I guess i just feel more sure that everything will work out in the end. That we are all still young and have alot of time to find whatever it is we are looking for. Also adding to my good mood is getting back a test where i scored 20 points over the avg. So that makes me happy as well.

Hi, i might change your life

It is odd how someone you don't know that well can really change your life. Someone that you only talk to a bit, haven't know that long, and have no really strong attachment to can change your views. I have recently had such an experience, where someone that hasn't really done much, really has changed some of my thoughts and ideas on life. It is just funny to me how such tiny things can matter so much sometimes. That is why whenever someone meets eyes with me i try to smile at them, as they quickly look away so as to avoid the akward moment.

Another topic, tonight i did some nude figure drawing at an art gallery. It was fun, I haven't had someone pose for me for quite awhile. I have a friend who wants to pose for me in a couple weeks. She wanted to pose sooner, but thanksgiving got in the way. Either way it gives me more to to work with charcoals again in an attempt to get good at them again.

November 20, 2003

sick as hell

Well it sucks but i am currently really sick. Good news is that i dont have to much work i have to get done right now. The bad news is i was going to try to catch up on stuff at my job and try to get ahead because i wont be able to do anything around finals. I am hoping i get better quick cause i had alot going on this weekend.... yeaaa tea and vitamins...

Essay

Hey i posted an easy about software piracy on wastedbrains. It is in responce to an article in the colorado daily. They told me they are planning to print a copy of it. So hopefully that will happen i will have to keep an eye for it i guess. Anyways give it a look and leave any thoughts or feedback here. This was my last act before becoming deathly ill.

Being this sick is kinda like hallucinating. Seriously i was having crazy thoughts. I kept waking up in cold sweats thinking people were in the room. Your either freezing cold or burning hot. I heard voices in the room. Generally people that i don't talk to anymore. It was odd to say the least. I doubt i will remember much about it thought cause i am so out of it.

November 21, 2003

Cell phone minutes

You know your a bastard when you start looking at your cell phone and try to get off the phone before the next minute begins, because you know they round up with they charge you... Arggg i am a bastard, but I smiled big today when i got off the phone at 59 seconds.

November 22, 2003

You know you have a problem...

Alright you know you have a problem when you take a taxi to the liquor store and have it wait there while you buy your alcohol. I seriously saw this yesterday. This is just an odd situation... How bad must thing possibly be for you to have to take a cab to the liquor store... at worst there is a liqour store within 5 blocks of almost any house in boulder. Then again i know a kid that when he gets really drunk he is smart enough not to drive, but not smart enough to order delivery food. So he calls a cab to take him to taco bell drive thru and back home.

November 23, 2003

Art

I just put up my new art section on wastedbrains. It has a new way to navigate and way more pieces. Far more than i have ever had online before. Over 200 pieces in all. So take a look around and tell me what you think.

November 24, 2003

Worst day

Well I am currently having the worst day. It is hard to pin down everything that is upsetting me. There are many many factors right now. The worst part is i have no way to release it. I see no good or productive way to vent my anger. I just feel like at any moment I could just implode on myself. Like I am about to crack, but I don't. I just sit or lay and nothing happens. It is just like there is nothing more to do but wait now. The thing is i am not really waiting for anything. In the end I am sure I will wake up again, be motivated towards something again. For now I am just a machine droning along. I might disappear for a little while, but i always come back out of it eventually. Perhaps that is all I ever need to know to make it through things. That I always do make it through. That I always start doing something again... I may be weak for now, but I am destine for greatness.

November 25, 2003

apparently

apparently my blog is way better than most because i beat most of this stuff.

November 28, 2003

Happy Thanksgiving

Well it is nice to be home. It is nice to see the family and just get to lay around and not have to really do anything. I like coming home once in awhile. I actually hadn't realized it had been almost a year since I had been home. Not to much has changed around here. My room still has thousands of pictures and little mementos up. My parents have to new art and some new exercise machine, but besides that everything is basically the same. I hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving. Tonight i should be seeing most of my friends from back hom and we should have not near enough time to talk about everything we have missed in each others lives.

November 30, 2003

On the way

Im on the way home now.