My Parallels Windows 7 VM was running using shared networking. I needed to have it be accessible outside the host so I switched it to Bridged Networking using the host's Ethernet device. At that point something weird happened: the VM would connect to the network, get an IP address assigned, but it would report failing to get to the network gateway. It failed to see the outside Internet. Trying all sorts of Windows networking tricks did nothing to alleviate the situation, with Windows reporting that 'unauthenticated domain'. 

The solution: removing Virtual Box using the script that comes on its dmg installer, restarting the Mac host and starting Parallels again. Suddenly I was able to connect to the network just fine. 

Hope it helps others.

OCI8 relies on OS X having several client libraries and tools from Oracle installed on OS X. For most intents and purposes download the 64-bit version of the following files under the title "Version 10.2.0.4 (64-bit)": 

• instantclient-basic-10.2.0.4.0-macosx-x64.zip
• instantclient-sqlplus-10.2.0.4.0-macosx-x64.zip
• instantclient-sdk-10.2.0.4.0-macosx-x64.zip

Registration is required for all downloads.

Once downloaded, unzip all three files, which will look like this on your file system

Now, create a separate directory (which I called instantclient_10_2) and copy the contents of all the files included in these subfolders into it, which will look something like this:

The next step is to copy the necessary files into your OS X dynamic library and bin directories (as described here). Open a terminal window and go to the directory above the one you created containing all the files you unzipped.

sudo cp instantclient_10_2/sdk/include/*.h /usr/include

sudo cp instantclient_10_2/sqlplus /usr/bin

sudo cp instantclient_10_2/*.dylib /usr/lib

sudo cp instantclient_10_2/*.dylib.* /usr/lib

Now move to the /usr/lib directory and create the following link:

sudo ln -s libclntsh.dylib.10.1 libclntsh.dylib

To test, open another terminal window or tab, and try to run Oracle's SQL*Plus tool using
/usr/bin/sqlplus. If it worked, you are almost there. Exit SQL*Plus by entering quit or simply Ctrl+C.

You now have the Oracle tools installed. Now, to install OCI8, which we will install from the PECL repository. In a terminal window enter

sudo pecl install oci8

OCI8 will download and will eventually give you the prompt:

Please provide the path to the ORACLE_HOME directory. Use 'instantclient,/path/to/instant/client/lib' if you're compiling with Oracle Instant Client [autodetect] :

In response enter:

instantclient,/usr/lib

We are doing this because Oracle is not installed on our local machine. If it were we would respond with the path to Oracle's installation directory. Once entered, PECL will compile and build OCI8. Once done, it will ask you to enable the extension in your PHP configuration. To do that, open php.ini and add the line (normally among the list of extensions):

extension=oci8.so

Once done, you can start Apache again using

sudo apachectl start

To test the installation, enable the HR account in your Oracle installation and run a PHP file such as (make sure you replace the password and database server IP or name in the code):

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< ?php
$c = oci_connect('hr', <PASSWORD HERE>, '<server IP OR NAME>/XE');
$s = oci_parse($c, 'select city, postal_code from locations');
oci_execute($s);
print '<table border=&quot;1&quot;>';
while ($row = oci_fetch_array($s, OCI_NUM+OCI_RETURN_NULLS)) {
print '<tr>';
foreach ($row as $item)
print '<td>'.htmlentities($item).'</td>';
print '</tr>';
}
print '</table>';
oci_free_statement($s);
?>
</server>

Superfood Kale In The Limelight : The Salt : NPR.

Acer is sticking by netbooks.
Samsung is not.
So who’s making a mistake? Did tablets kill the netbook?

Tablets are certainly on fire right now. Not tablets per se, the iPad that is.
Kids want tablets and parents agree, as they are spreading light wildfire in the enterprise. It seems like Steve Jobs managed to invent an entirely new computing and entertainment category based on early failures of others. Again.

While you can attach keyboards and stands to tablets, seed entire accessory ecosystems, tablets remain content consumption tools. The can attach themselves to other devices as controllers and rich user interfaces – a future I am truly stoked about. But writing serious documents, creating stuff – they are not ideal. To create, a keyboard, a real keyboard, seems to still be a necessity.

Netbooks are not hot, have a normally cramped keyboard and are not sexy. They are cheap, have lots of storage space and can do 80% of a desktop’s work (outside of gaming). Yes, the OS is not glamorous and the user experience is just bearable. Yet the killer feature for a Netbook is price. Utility over cost is the netbook’s forte. You need something small and cheap to write or work on extensively – it’s Netbook time. And while tablet prices are falling, the utility gap is still there. Not fun device, work device.

Samsung is doing elevating itself from packs of generic device makers running common operating systems. Their Android phones attempt to be cooler than others with the same OS. Now, they look to escape the cost-focused realm of Netbooks. Consumers don’t care about extra bells and whistles or superior design. Nokia proved it. There is no room for frills. Samsung does not belong here anymore.

Acer on the other hand is about cost management. About no frills. Like Asus and other fellow Taiwanese equipment makers they control more of the manufacturing stack and know where to squeeze pennies. They cater to areas where cost is still the primary concern and know how to live off of it. And for my wife, who wanted something to Facebook and do web-based everything on – an iPad would not have been the right thing. It would have been cool, by why waste the money? We’ll see how that goes once we get the netbook we ordered on Black Friday.

Got this Bluetooh keyboard this evening for $20. So far, it’s working pretty well. My first impressions:

1. Connecting to the iPad was quick and easy.
3. Select, copy and paste work pretty much like they would on the Mac. Arrows are used in text field as you would on the desktop/laptop
4. You still use your finger to tap around.

Hope it keeps working…

Cue – A gesture icon system — Some Random Dude.

Great story from WSJ's Scott McCartney about the increasing unpleasantry of flying with children. Worse than flying domestic is international travel. If you have a layover in Europe and have children who need a stroller, assume you will not have the stroller during that layover. Despite what gate agents say – unless you carry the stroller on board you will not see the stroller until you collect it from the carousel at your destination. Very unhelpful. British Airways in particular was misleading and rude in that respect.

Really?

Being in marketing the entire story made me think of Incase’s predicament. On the one hand, it is really challenging to deal with every primadona iPhone owner like a single child. Problem is, too many consumers today, if not all, are wielding powerful bullhorns that can outright destroy a company’s reputation.

My tweet to Incase received a response immediately by another disgruntled consumer who was waiting for a response for a month. He was not all too happy. I am unhappy and I am now blogging about my experience and about the fact I did pick a case on Amazon for $3 (incl. shipping).
Multiply this tiny sample and you get to the conclusion that Incase has to do better or be in deep trouble: improve the product (and retain fervent influential follower), improve customer service (and assuage disappointed customers) or well, face the consequences. I will tweet about it, tell my friends on Facebook. They trust me more than any blog or ad. Mostly because I’m telling a real experience, not your story.

Incase is positioned, price-wise, as a premiere brand. Griffin, Speck and others are vying for the same consumers. Consumers who pay extra for quality and design. This is subpar experience that these consumers resent. The product is priced high enough for me to care. Again, not ideal.

To avoid harping anymore – think of this: invest in customer service. Word of mouth is a two edges sword. Consumers will love you or hate you in response to your relationship with them. If you skimp on customer service, you will be bitten. There is no avoiding. That advertising or marketing budget f yours? Put it into improving customer service.

Free advice. Now fix my case.

Mobile Commerce – Walgreens uses 2-D bar codes in a teen sex education program – Internet Retailer.

In exchange for openness, you get cool features (especially for games) and capabilities you otherwise will not be able to provide. Tradeoffs tradeoffs. Still, pretty darn cool.

mobiUs … the world’s first HTML5 Web App browser.