MyTime Time Keeper

Austin Riba 4 Jun 2010 && [ Technology ] && 2 comments

I created a time keeper program for my final in Databases class. Its actually pretty useful if you have several jobs and you want to be able to keep track of your time and earnings. Its written in php/mysql so you will have to have webspace to host it. You can read more about it here:

http://www.austinriba.com/projects/mytime-time-keeper/

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Typical Blog Post

Austin Riba 19 May 2010 && [ Bizzare, Cool, Entertainment, Music ] && 3 comments

Just lounging around, thinking I’m gunna throw some stuff down right here.

[caption id=”attachment_410” align=”aligncenter” width=”432” caption=”Anyone that can explain this picture to me gets $2”][/caption]

First, let me share with you some music that others have shared with me. I have not posted music for a very long time and this is just completely different.

Gotta thank Fitch for this one. Some good real music with a little bit of synth to make it nice and cracky. Self titled album is really good.

Broken Bells - The High Road

Heres from Andrea (as usual) Black River Killer by Blitzen Trapper, natives of this here fine state. I’m a sucker for music with a good story.

Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer

Here is a really cool art installation:

Check it out. That was 3 media types in one blog post, all having absolutely nothing to do with eachother. I love the internet.

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Getting a Dell 1555, 1557, 1558 to Suspend in Linux

Austin Riba 6 May 2010 && [ Technology ] && 0 comments

EDIT: The suspend/resume patch has been included in 2.6.33.4 However brightness control with a dell 1558 is still broken without patches. I have uploaded precompiled kernel packages for Arch linux here which solve the problem. You can find patches for other distros here.

Dell Laptops with model numbers 1555, 1557 and 1558 have issues with suspend and resume on linux, there is a patch, but it has not been included in the latest kernel version yet.

I have sucessfully gotten my new Dell 1558 to sleep and wake using a patch I found here. The patch is for the linx kernel, specifically drivers/acpi/sleep.c It adds just a few lines.

For those of you using Arch Linux, I’ve uploaded the patched kernel packages here:

http://www.austinriba.com/misc/kernel-patched/

If you are using Ubuntu, you can find packages here.

If you are using another distribution, you must apply the patch to your kernel’s source and recompile. Follow the instrucions for whichever distro you use on how to do this. You can find the patch here:

http://www.austinriba.com/misc/kernel-patched/dell.patch

Enjoy your functional laptop!

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Selling The Norco!

Austin Riba 3 May 2010 && [ ] && 0 comments

Thanks for all the rides…

http://medford.craigslist.org/bik/1723439401.html

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Drive I-5 Like a Pro

Austin Riba 20 Apr 2010 && [ Howtos ] && 1 comments

(From Ashland to San Francisco, anyway)

This post is similar to this one except that its less about staying alive while you are going insane and more about how to make the trip fast so your risk of going insane is only about 1 in 5.

I am a professional I-5 from Ashland to San Francisco driver. I make this drive more than is healthy. I know the road like the veins on the back of my, ahem, hand.  I make the other drivers on the road feel like they are lost even if they are going the right way. When you are on this particular I-5 corridor, you are IN MY TERRITORY. I pass fools like they are driving Barbie Big wheels.  Cops don’t even pull me over anymore!  Anyways… have I mentioned that I’m pretty good at this drive? Well I am. And I am about to pass on my infinite wisdom to you. Listen up.

From Ashland to San Francisco

First thing you gotta do is, pack your stuff. This is not fun. I have found that the only things you really need for any trip less than a month long are clothes, music, books, bikes and a toothbrush. Thats it. If you are packing for a trip longer than a month, also pack tampons.

This is very important: Get cash. You will need $4 for the bridge toll later, and if you get it now, you wont need to pay a ridiculous ATM fee somewhere. Worse yet you could completely forget and pay a fat fine to the CDOT.

Next step, get gas. This is your last chance to fill up on glorious cheap, non self serve Oregon gas. So, on your way out of Ashland, take Siskyou Blvd all the way PAST the exit to I-5 and go to the Chevron station down there on the right. Its usually the cheapest gas in town, there is never a wait, and the attendant will take your card so you don’t have to go inside yourself (like they make you do at the Texaco) Then drive back and get on the I-5 south and start your trip.

You’re going to go over some high mountain passes. These might be intimidating if you’re a wimp. Just hang in there and in about 2 hours you’ll be dropping off into Redding. If you drive a gas guzzling hunk of awesomeness like I do, you’re gunna want to fill up here again. Redding has the cheapest gas you will find until you hit the Bay Area. I usually fill up at the Arco off Oasis Road (exit 682 next to the CHP headquarters) If for some reason you forgot to eat before leaving, there is an In N Out off Hilltop Drive. This will be your last chance for decent food until Granzella’s which is in Williams, quite a few miles down the road.

After 2 hours or a little more past Redding, you may find yourself getting bored, really bored. The scenery is repetitive, to say the least. So you’d expect that when the exit for I-505 just past Dunnigan comes up, you’d be on it. Nope. You’ll be so lost in your head thinking about sunshine and lollipops or whatever that you’re going to almost miss it. It happens, so don’t let it. THE EXIT FOR I-505 Vacaville/San Francisco IS JUST PAST DUNNIGAN. There you go.

505 is pretty short. And when it spits you out on I-80 in Vacaville, you’ll be awake if you weren’t before. This is where the craziest motherfuckers on 4 wheels make their daily commute.  Not to mention the road is gnarly. So sit up straight, shut up, and put both hands on the damn wheel.  Keep your eyes on the mirrors for BMWs weaving in and out of traffic, motorcycles splitting traffic at 85mph and other batshit-crazy drivers. And remember to use your blinker, PLEASE?! You know you have almost survived when you get your first glimpse of the bay.

Shortly after driving over the Carquinez bridge, I-80 merges with I-580 at Berkeley. Depending on the time of day, traffic here can get REALLY BAD. You are going to San Francisco, not San Jose like most of the poor fools, so stay as FAR RIGHT as possible. These lanes usually move faster and the farthest 2 or 3 lanes split away from I-580 and become I-80 again to go over the bay bridge. Once you get to the toll both, pay your $4 that you didn’t forget. Congratulations! Welcome to the City on the Bay.

From San Francisco to Ashland

These directions are pretty straightforward so I wont repeat a lot of stuff. Take I-80 out of town and remember to get your 4$ dollars! When you approach the Carquinez bridge, stay in the right lane. Left lane is for FastTrack only! The farthest right lane is usually the fastest, so just stay as far right as possibly until you are past the toll booth.

I usually get gas/eat in Fairfield. Take the exit for Travis Blvd, and when the road splits, take Travis Blvd WEST. There is a shopping center with an In N Out, and a Vallero across the Street (also next to the CHP). Eat a burger and poop if necessary. After you fill up at the Vallero, DO NOT exit back onto Travis Blvd. Take the rear exit and turn right onto Holiday Lane, which intersects again with Travis blvd, but you have a sweet left turn only lane that will spit you back onto Travis Blvd going east, and that takes you back to I-5. I told you I was a pro, right?

Don’t miss our favorite exit in the next town! THE EXIT FOR I-505 WINTERS/REDDING IS IN VACAVILLE! From there, I-505 turns into I-5 and that takes you to Redding. If you think you wont run out of gas before Ashland, fill up in Redding anyways. The following 2 hours will be full of accelerating and decelerating which eats your gas away.

Check out Mt. Shasta off to your right! Isn’t that awesome? You are almost there. Take care on the road around Weed, CA. The winds here can be vicious and they blow around semis like sailboats.

When you pass the Welcome to Oregon sign, you are on the Cali Side of Siskyou Pass, the steepest grade on I-5. Ashland sits right on the bottom of the Oregon side. When you come down, take the first exit for Ashland. Its a little further than the next from town, but you get to avoid the horrendous perfect-example-of-bad-city-planning offramp that the second exit provides.

Welcome to the coolest town north of Half Moon Bay!

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Vulpes Vulpes

Austin Riba 3 Apr 2010 && [ Bizzare, Cool ] && 1 comments

Dedicated to Andrea Wayte

The Fantastic Mr. Fox, a movie based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name, is a terrific movie starring some clever animals. In particular, the red fox is portrayed as a sly and ingenious thief. A thieving fox is a pretty common theme in literature and this movie made me curious if the red fox really does have a case of kleptomania as big as we give it credit for.

In many cultures, the fox has become a symbol of trickery and slyness. In traditional Japanese culture, the fox is a sacred animal. In the west, attitudes towards the animal tend to be less enthusiastic. Fox hunting was still a sport in the UK until just a few years ago, when it became illegal but obviously not stopped. Farmers in particular hate the animal. Most of this reputation probably comes from poultry farmers who’s livestock are particularly attractive meals for a fox. I found a great site with tips on how to keep foxes out of your chicken coop. Here are a few:

Make the entrance to a shed with sharp zig zags which only a chicken can manouver around. Bare in mind the length of a fox and fix angles of 180 degrees that a fox can't contort his body to. Hang human hair around the pen at six feet intervals. They don't like the smell apparently. Use ladies tight's or fine netting. Urinate at regular intervals around the pen. This is you marking your territory. (Watch the stinging nettles - I found this out to my cost !!!) THINK FOX. How can I get in ?, how can I get out ?, Look for all possiblities.

Chickens are not the only things that foxes love to steal. It seems like the fox loves to take whatever it can get its mouth around. Foxes in urban environments have been known to steal everything from purses and cell phones to cameras and golf balls. I don’t think this strange behavior has any explanation but it makes for some extremely amusing youtube videos.

Instant classic: a fox that loves to steal golf balls off the course.

Here is a totally fearless fox:

Saved the best for last! You are not human if this video does not make you smile.

The fox is likeable because it has such an innate personality. They are just so cool, and this fox knows it:

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Nature’s best theif

Up In The Air Visual Review

Austin Riba 10 Mar 2010 && [ Entertainment ] && 0 comments

So seeing as though I am still recovering from illness, I decided to watch a movie to pass some time. I didn’t put too much thought into it, I juts went for what seemed to be most popular on the tubes at the moment. So, it had to be Up in the Air. It’s a movie about a guy who’s job it is to travel the country and fire people who’s bosses don’t have the guts to do it themselves. Good premise right? And indeed, the movie starts of great.

Instead of write a long, boring text review of a movie, I though I’d make it a graphic. So here you go, but be warned, its a total spoiler.

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How to Be Sick - My Way

Austin Riba 10 Mar 2010 && [ Bizzare, Entertainment, Science ] && 0 comments

It was bound to happen. I haven’t had so much as a cold since I got the swine back in October but alas, here I am again. Wearing my sweat pants and uggs in bed at 8:00.  But I do not despair. I know how to be sick, and I know how to get better as quickly as possible. Let me share some secrets with you, all based on absolute science.

What you eat is everything. Fluids, fluids, fluids. I’m injesting in so many fluids I take a bathrhoom break at least every hour. And I’m eating soup, a lot of it. If you can get the flow to a constant stream, thats even better. The idea is to pass so many fluids through your body that there are no original ones left, taking the bad stuff with it. Also, eat pretzels to replenish sodium. They taste OK with orange juice, a friendly looking box that never leaves my side.

Walk extremely slowly and drag your feet as if they had bricks tied to them. Moving like you are a zombie is the fastest way to get to health.

Bring your blanket with you everywhere.

Don’t actually tell anyone that you’re sick. Now I don’t mean start using their chapstic or licking their faces or something, just don’t make it obvious. You don’t help anyone by moaning and acting pathetic at work or at school. Believe me, the guy sitting next to you during that 2 hour networking final doesn’t want to know. In fact, by telling someone you are sick you make the chances of them getting sick worse. You make them stressed, which in turn lowers the ability of their immune system to ward off disease. Also, you make yourself sicker, because now you are a social outcast and feeling bad for yourself never helped anything. Instead what you should do when someone asks you how you are is say “fine” and stare at them with those dark, glassy, pained eyes until they get the idea.

Most medicines do not help! They only weaken your body’s ability to defend itself.  Take the easy way out often - get sick often.

Sleep a lot.

But trust me on the sunscreen…

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On picking up your dog's scat.

Austin Riba 9 Mar 2010 && [ ] && 0 comments

Poop bags. They are a great idea. I applaud those who brave the warm squishy feeling  in order to make the trail better for everyone. I’m happy not to have to watch every step as I take my evening stroll on Ashland’s wonderfil TI ditch trail. There is trouble in paradise however, it seems some have begun to abuse the use of the crap bag.

Lately I’ve been noticing a huge increase of brightly colored, bulbus, sagging double knotted bags of joy littering the side of the trail. Whats up with this? Like I said, gret if you pick up your dogs excretion, but why not finish the job? Its like washing the dishes but not putting them away. What gives?

Please throw away your used bags. By leaving them on the side of the trail you are not doing a good thing. You are doing a worse thing. Thank you.

–Angry dogless walker in Ashland

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