OpenRain will be launching a simple, online .ICC monitor color profile database shortly, and is looking for .ICC file contributions generated with hardware colorimeters. We’re also looking for administrators/moderators to add display models, remove bogus content, seek out .ICCs for missing models and suggest new features. If you work in the computers or graphic design space and would like to get involved for the sake of design professionals everywhere, hit me up!
Category: computer
If you installed MySQL using the official .dmg package provided by MySQL AB/Sun and are trying to install the native MySQL gem, you’ll need to pass a bunch of flags to the gem install process to get the thing to compile. Try this..
sudo gem install mysql — –with-mysql-config=/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysql_config
..if you still have issues (check your /opt/local/lib/ruby/gems/<ruby_ver>/gems/mysql-<gem_ver>/mkmf.log file), try this instead..
sudo gem install mysql — –with-mysql-dir=/usr/local/mysql –with-mysql-include=/usr/local/mysql/include/ –with-mysql-lib=/usr/local/mysql/lib/ –with-mysql-config=/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysql_config
Run `sudo gem install mysql` and definitely recheck the log file again as the gem install process sometimes reports false positives even if native components fail to install.
Pretty much all of OpenRain’s Q2 internal efforts boil down to tomorrow’s open house: a massive milestone date where all our startupy HR, legal and infrastructure tasks are done, and we consider ourselves a properly running software development company under a new brand. OpenRain 1.0 is neither a product nor service, but a state-of-being which represents our transition from a-bunch-of-dudes-hacking-on-web-projects to a-bunch-of-dudes-hacking-on-web-projects-really-freaking-well. We’re kicking off this exciting new period with a catered open house tomorrow.
We’re also launching several new sites today. First is our main landing page, www.openrain.com, updated with our new logo and color scheme. Second is blog.openrain.com, which we’ll be using for upcoming public event announcements, non-NDA’d project links and technical resource for our officially supported software.
Subscribe to the OpenRain feed using the ridiculously large RSS button on the right.
Categories
Apple Says Sorry For MobileMe Boo-Boos
If you’re an existing .Mac user, you may have noticed the new MobileMe services sucking a lot since the iPhone 3G launch. Apple will be “..giving all current subscribers an automatic 30-day extension to their MobileMe subscription free of charge.” Full email text..
MobileMe Services Now Available.
We have recently completed the transition from .Mac to MobileMe. Unfortunately, it was a lot rockier than we had hoped.
Although core services such as Mail, iDisk, Sync, Back to My Mac, and Gallery went relatively smoothly, the new MobileMe web applications had lots of problems initially. Fortunately we have worked through those problems and the web apps are now up and running.
Another snag we have run into is our use of the word “push” in describing everything under the MobileMe umbrella. While all email, contact or calendar changes on the iPhone and the web apps are immediately synced to and from the MobileMe “cloud,” changes made on a PC or Mac take up to 15 minutes to sync with the cloud and your other devices. So even though things are indeed instantly pushed to and from your iPhone and the web apps today, we are going to stop using the word “push” until it is near-instant on PCs and Macs, too.
We want to apologize to our loyal customers and express our appreciation for their patience by giving all current subscribers an automatic 30-day extension to their MobileMe subscription free of charge. Your extension will be reflected in your account settings within the next few weeks.
We hope you enjoy your new suite of web applications at me.com, in addition to keeping your iPhone and iPod touch wirelessly in sync with these new web applications and your Mac or PC.
Thank you,
The MobileMe Team
Categories
My iPhone 2.0 Upgrade Not Reactivating
It seems like there’s some sort of service outages with the iTunes store related to users upgrading to the iPhone 2.0 firmware. The firmware download and upgrade process seems to have upgrade fine, but mine is stuck on the please-connect-to-itunes screen. All I can do right now is view the IMEI and ICCID, and make emergency calls.
Update: After 4 continuous hours of having it plugged in, it finally reactivated and synced. PITA, but the new apps are hot!!!
Categories
Virtual OS X Server Screenshots
Apple now allow you to virtualize OS X Server instances. While your virtualization options are limited, it’s very easy to set up on your existing OS X Server.
This is an virtualized OS X Leopard Server guest running in Parallels Server on a host OS X Leopard Server. You can see that the guest system is treated similarly to other Windows and Linux VMs in the Parallels Management Console.
Note that a distinct serial number/license seems to be required. The serial number for the host machine will not validate (I thought Apple was going to allow one VM instance???), so to use the sweet service configuration tools available in Server Admin, it appears you’ll need a separate license for now.
My shopping cart..
- Energy drinks.
- Energy bars.
- Energy backups.
Guess what I do for a living. 🙂
If you qualify for an educator/student discounts from the Apple store and want a new machine, check out this crazy deal which I just did at OpenRain…
- MacBook 2.4GHz White: $1300 – $100 .edu discount = $1200.
- iPod Touch 8GB: $300 – $300 MIR == $0.
- HP Photosmart C4480 All-In-One Scanner/Printer/Copier: $100 – $100 MIR = $0.
- Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium: $1600 – $1300 IR = $300. (OMGWTFBYOB!!!)
- Crucial 2 x 2GB SODIMM RAM: $100
Total: $1600 + taxes and express shipping ~= $1800. That’s one helluva bargain for a great midrange laptop (w/4GB RAM mind you) and the powerhouse of Adobe CS3 alone. The iPod and scanner just add to the sweetness! Rock on!
Categories
Parallels Server Pricing: Redux
After a few grumpy emails between myself and our Account Manager, I’m happy to report that we have purchased the GA release and it’s working well. If you are using Parallels Server for internal development purposes and not for hosting, they will extend a more reasonable price per machine: $200 + $50/year maintenance. I think that’s a very reasonable price point for our usage, and am happy to pay it.
This likely has more to do with meeting end-of-Q2 sales quotas than attracting my dinky business, but regardless, a win is a win! Thanks!
Today marks exactly seven months from the day I switched to the Dvorak keyboard layout.
Key Observations
- 72, 81 and 77 words per minute, clocked with three different one-minute tests on TypingTest.com.
- In home-row-only tests I took several months ago, I was already consistently over 100 WPM. The many common home-row-only words (those spelled with A, O, E, U, I, D, H, T, N and S) are remarkably comfortable and fast to type.
- It’s all about muscle memory. I can type my thoughts just as well as the next guy without looking at the keyboard, but can’t recite you the upper or lower row keys by memory. Interesting, huh?
- The pain in my left-hand little finger tendon is gone! More of this is likely due, however, to also switching my Command and Caps Lock keys in software.
Other Conclusions
- I’m much, much better at hunt-and pecking in Dvorak–that is, staring at a QWERTY keyboard set to Dvorak in software and “sensing” where the right key are with my pointer finger alone. (Useful when typing a few words on someone else’s box.) This is hard because of #3 above, but learnable.
- I can now hunt-and-peck suitably on my iPhone (QWERTY only) keyboard.
- Typing QWERTY on a Dvorak keyboard is a lost cause. I have to stare at a secondary QWERTY keyboard to do so, because my muscles and mind have totally forgotten. (Again, see #3.)
- Typing on a laptop keyboard feels better on your finger tendons, but just as uncomfortable on your wrists.
- Sharing windows machines with others is awkward and frustrating. Let me know if you have a good system tray applet for quick-switching the whole system to Dvorak, because team-admining a windows machine requires a hellish amount of clicks to set the system-wide keyboard layout.
- Apple is absolutely horrid at designing with ergonomics in mind. (In their defense, they obviously aren’t trying.)
- I haven’t discovered the mental gymnastics that allows you to type in QWERTY when necessary. I can type my name and common passwords in QWERTY, but that’s about it, sorry. No hablo QWERTY.
- Stuff that now sucks because they are built for a QWERTY layout: emacs, vi, <your_favorite_editor>, Aperture, some Java apps. All games now require new key bindings off-the-bat too.