Author: engel

read multiple RSS feeds, post new entries to Movable Type.

I like to keep track of everything I write around the web on my own weblog. This script grabs the RSS feeds from the sites I have write access to, parses out the things that I wrote today, and posts them to my own site. I run it from cron every night. The

Dive Into Greasemonkey is a book about programming with Greasemonkey, a Firefox extension for customizing web pages.

Looking for no-nonsense advice on the best online sources for motorcycle parts?

In this tutorial I demonstrate how to style a Definition List, which is equally suitable for menus, but is a little easier to understand.

A mosaic of global land cover from Envisat’s MERIS instrument. The same sensor is to be used as the basis of ESA’s GLOBCOVER project to creating the most detailed land cover map ever. For this mosaic a total of 1561 orbits taking place over the period May

For a few months, I had deliberated adding a WYSIWYG Editor into the Movable Type entry screen and when Typepad implemented an editor into its interface I got jealous. So, here’s a way to implement the very powerful HTMLArea into Movable Type (currently o

MT::REST is a Perl package that provides Movable Type support for REST-style access to all of Movable Type’s core functionality via an extensible framework using only methods inherent to HTTP and a simple XML vocabulary. REST queries and results can be va

Metaphors for Designing Fair Intellectual Property Laws

“your failed business model is not my problem…”

TigerWiki is here to track all of the great changes found in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. TigerWiki isn’t exactly a “tips & hints” site, as much as it is a way to find and track all of the cool new features of Tiger. And unlike sites like Mac OS X Hints, TigerWi

This document provides an overview of Dashboard and the widgets that exist in it. It walks you through the creation of a sample widget, discusses optional features that may be implemented in a widget, and touches on native code integration through a widge

the challenge was to build a lockpick device by using computer parts, and of course we did it, and it works pretty well and really fast.

Use this website to create a PDF file which can be printed and folded to create a paper CD case. For folding directions, see the about section. To add more tracks, a mailing address, or graphics to the case, use the advanced form. Mix CD cases created wit

The GIMP is the most popular free alternative to Photoshop – available for alot of platforms. Photoshop users have big problems switching because they have a hard time locating Photoshop’s features in The GIMP.

The miniMate, MicroNet’s new external disk drive and port replicator, is created specifically to complement Apple’s new Mac Mini. With available storage up to 400GB, 4 USB 2.0 ports and 3 FireWire ports, the miniMate extends the capabilities of your new M

A list of tools that help automate the process of GettingThingsDone.

A Flash MX component designed for displaying events that occur in a variety of different patterns including once-off, weekly, monthly and yearly recurring. The design is easily reskinned, and the event data easily extended.

Recently, on del.icio.us mailinglist, I asked the question “Does anyone know the database schema of del.icio.us?” .

I wrote some thoughts on Ruby on Rails a couple months ago. But that was just formed by reading a bunch of docs, which is actually about as far as I get into a number of things. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but I often build strong opinions on th

After looking at Ruby on Rails a bit more closely, I responded to a comp.lang.python thread on it. I thought I’d copy my thoughts here:

Often, when pointing out the problem with Python web programming, people have been responding that if we just had something as good as Ruby on Rails we’d be okay. I’ve tried to respond to that both indirectly and directly, but I think I need to be more di

Over the next ten years, I predict, the mainstream of the environmental movement will reverse its opinion and activism in four major areas: population growth, urbani­zation, genetically engineered organisms, and nuclear power.

How the pill bottle was remade—sensibly and beautifully.

What’s this about? Project PlaceSite introduces a new way of using wireless networks — to create a digital community service by, for and about people who are in the same café together.

The following field accepts dates in a variety of formats, including the words “today”, “tomorrow” and “yesterday” (or shortenings thereof), variations on “6th October 2003”, “next Tuesday” and others.

This is a mini Linux distribution for the Linksys wrt54g. In about 20 seconds, you can install a small set of Linux tools to your access point’s ramdisk. The distribution is geared towards those who are curious about casually exploring the internal worki

\\sharename is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Logon failure. The user has not been granted the requested logon type at this computer.

Digital Image Preservation Through Open Documentation

It is a pain to click through to download, so I decided to write a quick userscript for GreaseMonkey which skips the step of having to click to another page, and lets you get the music.