learning to be human, since 1984
project
Using Windows 7 Symlinks
Mar 29th
I ran into a problem with integrating my web development/design projects on my computer with my local webserver. To further explain:
- I keep all my professional work, including client files, on a separate hard drive partition so that I can easily and regularly back them up, let’s call it g:\
- Client files for web projects are organized as such: g:\clients\client-name\project-name , so that if a long-term client wants a site redesign, I can easily keep these separate rather than dumping them into a single public_html directory for each client
- My local testing server is pointed at a different partition, let’s call it h:\
- I want to be able to serve individual projects via the testing server, but only work on the project files
Naturally, I thought of unix aliases but I’m currently running Windows 7 so I tried shortcuts. Didn’t work. After a little digging, I found the solution: symlinks (which work in numerous OSes – thanks for the correction). From the command line, type:
mklink /D H:\target\directory\linkname G:\clients\client-name\project-name
mklink /D creates a symlink, or a soft link that is the Windows equivalent to unix aliases. The first argument is the directory where you want the link to be placed, and the second is the source directory. Easy as pie.
Be careful when deleting/writing content – the linked directory allows you to manipulate the original file!
Links on How to Fill a Concave Polygon
Nov 18th
I’m working on a project in Max/Jitter and have run into a problem: dynamically filling a complex (concave, crossed, or holed) polygon. Here are some resources that explain the math behind find the area of and or filling such shapes:
- http://www.songho.ca/opengl/gl_tessellation.html
- http://www.geometrictools.com/Documentation/TriangulationByEarClipping.pdf
- http://www.freepatentsonline.com/EP0425189.html
- http://mathopenref.com/coordpolygonarea.html
- http://www.flipcode.com/archives/Polygon_Tessellation_In_OpenGL.shtml
- http://www.flipcode.com/archives/Efficient_Polygon_Triangulation.shtml
- http://glprogramming.com%Proxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0red/chapter02.html
- http://glprogramming.com/red/chapter11.html
Call to Action and Things to Come
Sep 22nd
Hi there, awesome blog readers! Last week hit an all-time record high of 167 readers, averaging 24 per day! On top of that, I’ve gotten some wonderfully kind in-person and online feedback over the past two weeks, and total hits are quickly approaching 2000. I want to do an even better job, but I need your help.
Here’s how you can do that: let me know what you like about my blog, what you don’t like, what you’d like to see more of. If there’s a particular recipe or technique you’d like to see, post a comment or send me an email. I’ll do my best to realize all requests. You can also help by subscribing to my RSS feed. If you don’t know what that is, watch this video:
Finally, if you like what I write about, tell somebody. Pass the link on to friends, family—whoever you think will get something out of it.
I’m hoping to post more DIY and community centered content that relates to food. As Autumn’s nearly here, there should be some good stuff to wrap up Wisconsin’s growing season. While that means no more farmers’ markets and fresh produce, I’ll try my best to find relevant and interesting winter food information, as well as things that are applicable year-round. It’ll be a challenge, but one that I am very much looking forward to.
Thanks for reading, and please, interact!
The Em-pear Strikes Back
Sep 12th
I know, the clever titles are killing you.
Its just past 3:30 in the morning and though tired, I don’t really feel it. So, I went for a super-mini bike ride up the street to check on the pears I mentioned awhile back. Unlike last time, I spotted a cluster instantly. They’re not full size yet, nor should they be. Afterall, its barely September. Anyhow, here’s a photo:
I found a long stick near the tree and used it to knock a few morsels off their boughs. Weirdly, all of them had a really soft side. At first I thought it was due to them hitting the road, or from the impact of the stick. But I probed further and found this:
Looks like either:
a) general underdevelopment (though not likely)
b) some sort of insect infestation (though the darker bits didn’t seem like insect eggs…but I’m no entomologist)
c) aliens (yes, Dr. Who’s fault)
Anybody have any ideas?
I did manage to get one which had a significantly smaller patch and only nibbled one side (seen in first photograph). It was a bit tart and much harder than a ripe pear, but the sweetness had definitely started to develop and the skin was nice and crisp.
This led me to a pretty decent idea: I’m going to build a tree-fruit harvester out of recycled goods. I’ll post the process on here in the weeks to come, along with photos of the tree, its yield, the surroundings, and related recipes. Keep your eyes open and your mouths closed–chewing delicious food, of course!
Milwaukee Bike Collective
Aug 28th
I had a ridiculously tiring Wednesday, but knowing that I’d be going to the Bike Collective afterwards kept me going through the day. I also had lunch with a coworker at Thai Palace on Old World Third Street. The place is really hit or miss for anything but the entrées and drinks (the lunch service has been especially lackadaisical). That being said, my veggie curry was delicious but I wish I could say the same for my companion’s food. Moving on.
Immediately after work I biked to 29th and Clybourn, two streets south of Wisconsin Avenue.
View Larger Map
Upon rolling up to the building, I saw Pops sitting outside. After recognizing who I was, he welcomed me in, registered me, and showed me around the place. There are frames everywhere. Frames upon frames upon frames. They seemed to multiply as the night came on. Wheels hung from the racks, organized parts filled boxes, and tools twitched in their resting places, anticipating the work ahead.
A few more people arrived – another familiar face, besides Pops. And it turns out we know a bunch of the same people. Afterall, isn’t Milwaukee the biggest small town in the United States? We futzed around the shop a bit, I lingered through lugged frames and Huffys alike, and started stripping down a bike to fix up for Center Street Daze. Eventually we had a very informal but comfortable meeting – during which I ate the remainder of my lunch (so good). Anyhow, there’s lots to do, and I don’t know how much time I’ll have to contribute. It always seems I take on more work than I can handle – but I like a challenge and it keeps me sharp, so we’ll see how things go.
If you’re interested in getting involved, whether it be to fix bikes, donate parts, work on the website, flyers, etc. – let me know. Alternatively, just contact the collective. Their info can be found here. I’ll get some of my own photos soon – forgot to bring a camera! So photo credits to whoever took them!
101 Things in 1001 Days
Aug 26th
Awhile ago, a friend told me about a project called 101 Things in 1001 Days. Check it out. Here’s my list:
- Biking
- register with the USAC and USCF
- race regularly
- obtain at least cat 3 (preferrably cat 2) status
- fix crank and bottom bracket of my orange road bike
- get a winter bike 19 OCTOBER 2008
- get bike rollers to train indoors during winter
- build a fixed gear/track bicycle (just to have, and to train) 19 OCTOBER 2008 (would still like to build one)
- join a cycling club/team
- bike over 25mph for at least 10 miles
- bike to a different state (of the United persuasion—the mind is a given)
- bike through the valley (With Ginnie and Phil)
- Exercise/Outdoors
- run at least 4 miles per week for 4 weeks
- run 10k
- start doing yoga again, at least 3 times per week if not more
- do daily calisthenics
- go camping
- go canoeing
- go kayaking
- camp for 3 days with only a knife
- canoe the Milwaukee River
- Business
- register my business with the state and IRS as an LLC
- finish developing letterhead/business cards (SEPTEMBER 2009)/document system
- School
- finish college! (Holy Shit! 11 January 2010)
- Job/Work
- quit my current job (Double Holy Shit! 16 January 2010)
- get a real job (one that pays me what I’m worth)
- put together a portfolio for getting a job! (In progress) (JUNE 2010)
- work 2 jobs simultaneously (2009)
- Food
- take a cooking class
- learn how to make sushi (20 November 2009)
grow an awesome garden(MAY-NOV2009)- complete with vermiculture bin
and composting heap(MAY 2009)- harvest urban fruit
- make falafel (15 JANUARY 2010)
- find or develop a consistent and easy French bread recipe 29 DECEMBER 2008 (taught 25+ at the CCC)
- maintain my own bread dough starter(Spring 2009)
- bake at least one batch of bread per week DECEMBER/JANUARY 2009 (Have been baking 3+ batches weekly)
- make limoncello
- brew beer
- make wine from grapes
- make dolmades with fresh grape leaves
- make cheese from scratch(JUNE 2009)
- make flour
- bowhunt for deer
- trap hare and cook them
- go fishing and cook my catch
- catch octopus and cook it
- slaughter a chicken (and cook it?) (June 2010)
- harvest honey
- teach 10 people how to cook a simple, fast, flexible meal 15 JANUARY 2009
- find five good ethnic food stores/markets in Milwaukee (Viet Hoa, x, x, x, x)
- Crafts/Projects
- teach at least 5 people how to knit (1. Gavin 11 DECEMBER 2008 2. Dana 29 December 2009)
- knit a sweater
- knit socks
- make shoes or slippers (more like moccasins) by hand
- sew some curtains
- build a bookshelf
- improve my sewing skills (learn to sew from a pattern)
- sew some aprons
- make a messenger bag from old plastic bags
- make grocery bags out of recycled t-shirts and other scraps
- Housing/Household
- move to a new apartment [house] 15 FEB 2010
- care for a cat
- clean my closet 13 FEB 2010
- fix the light fixture in the back room
- Time Management/Organization/Fixing
- develop a daily routine
- develop a weekly routine
- develop a monthly routine
- wake up before 8am regularly without an alarm clock
- organize my books
- buy/make a daily planner, and use it…daily 14 FEB 2010
- install subversion on my webhost
- Entertainment/Leisure/Volunteering
- watch at least the first ¼ of the original Dr. Who series in order
- read one book per month for pleasure
- hold a David Lynch marathon viewing festival weekend
- volunteer at People’s Books at least 20 hours
- volunteer at the Bike Collective at least 20 hours (6 hours total: 10 JANUARY 2009)
- Travel/Destinations
- West Coast
- New York City
- Greece (and possibly travel through Europe)
- a planetarium
- the Domes
- the Milwaukee County Historical Society (do research for old Rustbelt businesses, typefaces, logos, etc)
- Writing
- blog at least 4 times per week, consistently for 6 months
- finish The Ruthless King book and illustrations
- finish the Busku book and illustrations
- start writing another children’s book (Concept developed 21 JANUARY 2009)
- write a book for big people (In progress)
- Design/Photography/Programming
- redesign my blog
- model something in 3D with Maya
- find 10 easily accessible rooftops in Milwaukee and take photographs from atop (3 found so far…)
- walk around the city collecting textures with photos and rubbings (then organize them) (MAY 2010 – in Wausau)
- design another cd package
- To Buy/Pay for
- get a nice digital SLR
- library fines
- buy OR BUILD a really nice bike (race worthy) and accessories (shoes, helmet, etc) (helmet, gloves, socks 21 JANUARY 2009)
- buy some nice Golas 28 SEPTEMBER 2008
- Learn/Education/Exploration
- all the constellations in the zodiac
- take another French class
- find a good secret hiding spot in the city(19 JULY 2009)
- determine my haplotype distribution
I am certain I’ll add more things to this list, so here’s an area for additional tasks:
- make papermaking equipment, then paper
- keep bees (Still illegal in Milwaukee: I found this out on 20 JANUARY 2009)
- learn to drive stick (APRIL 2010)
- make kombucha
- make vinegar
- teach another cooking class
- go morrelling
- grow mushrooms (Started 16 FEB 2010)
Progress: 24/101
Finally, I found this awesome artist duo from São Paolo called mulheres barbadas (bearded ladies, in Portuguese) while looking through some websites. Here’s one of their collaborations:
A-pear-antly Apropos
Jul 15th
My last few posts haven’t been food related – nor have I posted recently. I figure it’s time to get back into the habit of writing about what I’m doing – especially with regard to food. That is, afterall, the main reason I started this blog.
That said, I’ve spent the past nine or so months bouncing an urban gleaning project around in my wrinkle-patch. The main focus is communal fruit-tree harvesting. I’ve developed a logo and a loose plan but I need to rally a group of people to help. By getting people involved in community projects in a gradual way – especially people from different backgrounds – we can help those in need and build meaningful relationships that encourage learning and growth in our city.
Ideally, property owners whose land yields fruit (apples, pears, etc.) will be contacted or will contact the group to harvest their fruit. A portion can be kept by the owners and/or volunteers, or entirely donated to food banks in the area. Volunteers will ideally ride bikes, or will use minimal non-renewable resources to transport and harvest the fruit. There’s currently no timeline as to when this will happen – probably not this year – but it could be possible if enough people back it up.
I’m writing about this because I rode by a nearby pear-tree whose boughs are starting to produce teensy-beensy fruit-lumps. It was dark, as this happened only a few minutes ago, but I managed to steal one of the little-ones from its mother. Here’s a photo:
I’m also posting because I need help from you, Milwaukee! If you’re interested in participating, have ideas to discuss, or simply think I’m a total ass for doing this, don’t hesitate to post a comment. I would love to hear your opinions.