Watt's Up

I’ll probably be continuing this ‘depot’ application a number of times since there are many chapters in the book that I’m following. So I’ve just finished Chapter 7 – Task B: Validation and Unit Testing. This included Validating and Unit Testing of Models. This also included the extras at the end of chapter, which included committing the changes to GIT and some additional validations. All of which were quite straight forward since I got GIT working during the last chapter. Doing the GIT work through Eclipse I had to do a separate “add” and then a “commit”. I couldn’t do a combined one, that is, git commit -a, or at least it wasn’t obvious through the Eclipse GIT interface.

Next completed Chapter 8 – Task C: Catalog Display and Chapter 9 – Task D: Cart Creation. After each I saved it in GIT. Not much more to say other than I’m getting full of technology, so this is the last chapter for this weekend. I’ll need to go back and review these chapters next weekend.

I read chapter 5 and then worked through the first part of the ‘depot’ sample in chapter 6. Everything went smoothly until the extra exercises at the end of chapter 6 called “Playtime”. The first extra was easy, but the second required me to use git to save my work. Here I tried to use Eclipse and its EGit, but when I tried to create a new repository my Eclipse session would hang. Ugh! After searching and searching I found out that using cygwin and putting c:\cygwin\bin in the path was a source of problem. It seems like all the tutorials out there start with an existing repository which was not my situation. I knew I didn’t have the “git” command installed under cygwin so I installed it with the hope that would fix things. Yup it did. And I was finally able to create a repository. Whew!

Today using the book, I followed along in chapter 2 and got the first ‘demo’ application working. I even did all of the extras at the end of the chapter – woohoo. To start I created an empty Eclipse Ruby project named ‘demo’ (this was not in the book, but was a good guess). Next I used the command line for the generation of the basic application ‘cd <my-workspace>; rails new demo’. Note: my first generation attempt was in the demo directory which created a sub-directory named demo – oops, needed to move up one directory. My second attempt was in the workspace directory and that worked and didn’t clobber any of the other Eclipse projects in the workspace. Then, as requested, I started the internal server on the command line: ‘rails server’. Finally I used Eclipse for the navigation and editing of the files (again this was not in the book, but worked quite well for me) and I used my browser to access the web application (as directed). All seemed to go smoothly which was encouraging. I ended by reading chapters 3 and 4 about the architecture of Rails application, and an introduction to the Ruby language. The former was obvious stuff for me, but the latter was a bit of detail that I’ll probably have to refer back to. So I’m doing it. Slow, but sure. Now on to their meatier application or so they say.

I recently bought Agile Web Development with Rails by Sam Ruby, Dave Thomas, and David Heinemeier Hansson, et al.

So this morning I followed their Chapter 1 installation instructions using the RubyInstaller on Windows. This included installing SQLite and then using gem to install the SQLite bindings. Finally I used gem to install Rails. All very straight forward.

Next I downloaded from http://eclipse.org the latest Eclipse Java IDE (3.6 Helios) for MS 32-bit Windows. My current Java is 1.6.0_24 so that should be OK. I renamed my old 3.2 Eclipse directory to C:\eclipse_OLD_3.2 and I installed the new one by unzipping it into my C: drive on Windows as the C:\eclipse directory. When I started it up I pointed it to my old workspace C:\EclipseWorkspace. Then I updated it to include both the C/C++ and Ruby development support. I know that the Agile book doesn’t use an IDE, but I just wanted to try it.

I also made a small donation to Eclipse.org to become a Friends of Eclipse which I feel I am. Even though it enables me to get an early copy of the next release, Indigo, I did it because I’ve been a user for years and it’s really helped me write both Java, and C/C++. Basically I’m an Eclipse junkie.

It’s been a long time since I last posted. I don’t know if I’ll continue, but for the time being I’m going to start writing about some technical (non-business) stuff. For most everyone, my family included, it will be boring, and not about me. Naturally my efforts may falter so I might just stop again. However, this blog is already here and I thought I’d use it for something…

Yesterday night Kathy and I attended The Pioneer Woman’s book signing for her Cook Book at Book People here is Austin.

Captured and cropped frame taken with iPod Nano video cameraI’m been reading and enjoying her blog for about a year ever since Stephanie told me about her. I like how she adoringly writes about her husband, AKA Marlboro Man, especially when he is wearing his chaps – I gotta get me some of those – yeehaw! What surprised me was that three of Kathy’s friends and co-workers read her blog too. Several asked Kathy to buy a cook book and get it signed for them. Jokingly I said that in payment they should not only reimburse us for the cost of the book, but we should also require payment in one cooked item from the book. Janet E was already there when I arrived a few hours before the signing. After her talk Kathy and I were waiting in line with hundreds of other women and they most probably thought I was here to support Kathy by carrying her cook books, whereas in reality I was the blog reader and Kathy was here supporting me and her friends. Some of the women knew I read her when I began to chat with a few of them about her recent hair color change from red to brunette. What was special was that her entire family was there too – husband, and four children, sister, and I think BIL. When we got up to her we mentioned that Justin, our son, and Stephanie, his darling girlfriend, worked for Federated Media, and she knew exactly who Federated Media was, but unfortunately didn’t know them, but that is expected since they’re involved with technology and marketing and not author relationships. Nevertheless, what fun!

My father, Colin Stewart Watt Jr., died on November 21, 2009 from complications resulting from a fall in his apartment and the resulting hospitalization. My son’s blog post entitled My Grandfather passed away says it all. Best wishes my sweet Dad wherever you are. My thoughts are with you now and forever.

I know, I know, it’s been a while. Sorry.

A few years back my sweet wife bought me an iPod for Christmas. It’s an iPod Nano Generation 1 with 4GB. Since then I have used it almost everyday. I never thought I’d use it as much, but I do. I wear it to work and back, but I don’t listen to it at work. It’s my car radio where I get to choose what I listen to. It keeps me company on my many long runs. I typically listen to podcasts, and not music. My favorites are This American Life (NPR), Phedippidations (Running), The Story (APM), and Radio Lab (WNYC). I’ve tried an number of others, such as, comedians and they just don’t do it for me. I tried a book once from Project Gutenberg, but the mechanical voice again just didn’t do it for me. Maybe it’s something to do with not spending $ for the content. I don’t know. Nevertheless, with it I can zone-out and listen to voice-in-my-head chatting, discussing, explaining, and informing me of happenings in the world. It’s like my own little PBS/NPR/etc Radio Machine. Over the years I have had to replaced it or repaired it 2 times by sending it into Apple and getting a new one. Typically it was the result of running, and getting sweat in it. A cap with a pocket for the iPod fixed that issue. Well about a week or so ago, while helping at the Austin Triathlon, the screen went dead. It continues to operate, but I could only start it playing or skip to the next podcast. I found this difficult, because I like to page through the various podcasts and pick one out depending upon my mood. Not seeing the screen was not good.

Apple iPod Nano (photo courtesy Apple.com)So today I went to the Apple store to get a replacement. Knowing that the iPod shuffle was quite small and self-contained I thought it would be good keeping the elements and sweat out, but I rejected it because there was no screen. Pushing the little up/down thingamabob on the earphones just didn’t cut it for me. So I looked at the latest iPod Nano. Naturally it was more expensive, had much more memory, and included a radio and video camera. I don’t know if I’ll use all those gadgets, but I got a nice bright red 16GB one. Oh, and it’s a (PRODUCT)RED to help fight AIDS in Africa. But I didn’t get it for that, I just like red things. Anyways I’m happy again, and tomorrow morning I’ll be again on the roads with my iPod keeping me company. I can’t wait.

Last weekend I went shopping as I typically do. While there I bought the normal stuff consisting of fruit, 2 gallons of milk, my favorite cereal, assorted meats, etc. When I arrived home I carried the stuff in and put it away. Two days later I noticed we had run out of milk, and I was surprised that I had only one gallon of milk. Then another day later I was running late, and I jumped in the car to head out to work when I noticed a funky smell in the car. I immediately realized where the missing gallon of milk went. Upon opening up the truck I found the milk on its side. Now inside the plastic gallon was a one-inch layer of white stuff, and the rest, a clearish liquid, had spilled on to the trunk carpet and then into the wheel well. Ugh. There wasn’t much I could do so I tossed out the gallon jug in the garbage, removed the trunk carpet (having to cut it to get it out), mopped up the liquid in the wheel well (ucky), and drove to work with the windows down. After work I hosed out the trunk, washed the carpet, but poured in some febreze, sprinkled baking soda all over. That night I left the windows and trunk open to air out. Well it’s been days now and the car continues to smell like a mixture of cheese and rotten milk. Double ugh. I don’t know what to do. Ideas anyone?

I live vicariously through my children. It’s not that being one of their parents that I haven’t spent my dues and taught them things. That was my job, and frankly I think I was damn good at it. But after it was all over and they were grown up that is not what amazed me, instead it was that they taught me so many things and have made my life richer and broader. It was several years ago that one of Justin’s friends, Jean F., would blog about “This American Life”, an public radio program. Although I tried at the time to download some of the episodes from the web it was only when I received an iPod as a present that I truly started listening. Now when I download any new podcasts to my iPod from iTunes, it is the first one I listen to. It’s my “virtual running buddies” when I exercise the morning. For 60 minutes I get lost in the stories and vignettes. I rarely donate to public radio, but I have donated to “This American Life”. So tonight I went to our local movie theater to see a limited video broadcast of “This American Life”. I enjoyed seeing the face behind the voice of Ira Glass. The stories were so typical yet it was unusual to be sitting (not running) in a audience of over 100 people (not by myself) watching a performance (not listening to my iPod). In any case thank you Jean and especially Justin for enriching me.