Kevin Henrikson

I thought it’d have been easier. Ok it was pretty simple. Just FTP the new release over the current one. I made a backup first. I had hacked up the default theme a good bit to I had to restore my hacks. Maybe it would be easier if each new version of wordpress shipped with a versioned default theme. So default-2.0.2 or default-2.0.4, etc. This way any upgrade is as simple as copy over your files.

Wow.  Seems to be all over the place but quite shocking that Steve Irwin ‘The Croc Hunter’ has died.  It wasn’t a crock but a stingray’s 15cm barb that severed main arteries near his heart.

Steve “The Croc Hunter” Irwin. 1962 - 2006

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Just a quick post of EVDO speed.

I’ve written about Firefox Plugins before, but since then I’ve made a few more discoveries.

• Firebug (author) - Joe Hewitt author the great DOM inspector wrote what has become the #1 must have for any AJAX dev. Firebug combines the best of Console2, Venkman, and the DOM inspector into a single extension. The console also adds the ability to trace the request/response of each XHR request on the page. Set break points with a simple debugger; statement.
  

  FireBug lets you explore the far corners of the DOM by keyboard or mouse. All of the tools you need to poke, prod, and monitor your JavaScript, CSS, HTML and Ajax are brought together into one seamless experience, including a debugger, error console, command line, and a variety of fun inspectors.

• Tamper Data - Just like Firebug has replaced Venkman, Console2, and the DOM inspector; Tamper Data is the new LiveHTTPHeaders. It provides a similar ability as the Live HTTP Headers extension but adds a much better UI for viewing each browser request. It also adds the ability to graph over time the requests made be each page you inspect. Finally it adds the ability to *tamper* with the requests/responses that it inspects. This is handy when seeing how a new web service or server reacts went sent a slightly different request.
  

  Use tamperdata to view and modify HTTP/HTTPS headers and post parameters.

  Trace and time http response/requests.

  Security test web applications by modifying POST parameters.

I’ve had my MacBook Pro for just over two months now. Bottom line it just works. Need to print something hit print, it just *finds* the printer in the office. No missing drivers or needing to search those slow windows shares. It finds the printer and just prints. A co-worker who also *switched* recently joked how now he can view those YouTube links people send around without crashing his Linux box since it had an incompatible audio driver. Mac OS X is a great OS, and for all those long time Mac fans who obsess about how ‘it just works’… They are right.

So in the past two months I’ve spoke at a couple conferences, which gave me a chance to test the MacBook in the *wild*.

A couple tips from the road:

- Remember you VGA -> DVI adaptor. (I forgot this on the first trip, but luckily a colleague lent me his.)
- Buy an extra battery or two. (More on this in a minute)
- Pick a wireless option (more on this…)
- Make sure to carry a USB stick for sharing files

So this gets me to the meat of this post. THERE IS NO WAY TO USE AIRPLANE POWER WITH YOUR MAC BOOK. Ok well there is a few hacks which include power inverters and shutting off one core to save power…. Let’s get real, nobody wants to make these sorts of hacks. The new MacBook Pro power supplies SUCK a full 85W of power. Most airplane power is only 65W at best. Apple has locked up the rights to the new MagSafe adaptor so there are no 3rd party adaptors for the common EmPower ports found in business class in many North American airlines. Fortunately my current job doesn’t involve much travel, in fact only one international trip so far. Unlike my last job which included monthly crossings of the Atlantic. So while the power shortage with my MacBook has been an annoyance it’s not as bad as it could be. Purchasing a 2nd/3rd battery will give you enough juice to flay back and forth between the coasts. It’s just a tragedy that Apple hasn’t found or allowed 3rd parties the rights to make life of the modern road warrior a possibility.

Moving on… Up until Tuesday of this week the only option I had for Internet access outside the office/house was my T-Mobile WiFi account. This will put you with in arms distance of WiFi at any airport or major city. Every Starbucks is wired with WiFi so that makes it pretty easy to pick up a connection. Let’s you exercise two vices at once. Coffee and Internet… Happiness. Well on Tuesday that all changed when my new Novatel V640 EVDO card for the Verizon network. Obviously not as fast as WiFi but the ability to once again get back on EVDO is very nice. This was the biggest thing I missed from my Thinkpad days when on the road or outside the office.

My next trip should be pretty nice now that I’ve got a USB charger for my Nokia E61 and I’ve got my EVDO connection back.

Now if Apple could just figure out to make those batteries last longer and get me some power on the plane all would be perfect.