Exodus Development

Raspberry Pi audio playback from Python

Mike — Sun, 24 May 2015 14:11:58 +0000

Want to play audio on your Raspberry Pi running Raspbian, while logged in to a non-root user account? Me, too!

Seems like such a simple task.

Consider the following code snippet using PyGame:

import time
import pygame
pygame.mixer.init()
pygame.mixer.music.load("testfile.wav")
pygame.mixer.music.play()
while pygame.mixer.music.get_busy() == True:
    time.sleep(.25)

Let's try it:

$ python soundtest.py
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "./soundtest.py", line 3, in <module>
    pygame.mixer.init()
pygame.error: No available audio device

Living with Windows? These utilities can help prevent malware and crapware infestations

Mike — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 02:20:32 +0000

I've abandoned Windows in favor of Linux (Ubuntu) over the last several years, so I don't suffer from malware/crapware infestations (they never really hit me much, me being hyper-vigilant about installing stuff on my systems...) I've moved all family members off Windows as well, if they want me to help maintain their computers.

For those of you working with Windows (and hence subject to all the usual vexations associated with it), these two software utilities look promising:

Automating vote tallying on the Google+ "Light Box" community: The TallyBot

Mike — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 02:39:20 +0000

The Light Box is a Google+ community that allows people to submit photos for community review. Qualified community members 'vote' on photos by leaving a comment with sequential hashtags like "#delete1", "#delete2", "save5", etc. The when the saves or deletes reach 10, we have a winner (the first to reach the threshold wins.)

Find the top commenters on a Google+ post

Mike — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 07:10:56 +0000

I've created a simple web app to show the top comments and commenters for a Google+ post. There's a simple bookmarklet that allows you to see results for a post you're viewing on Google+.

The current features are early beta test stage. I'll be adding new features over the next few weeks.

Feedback welcome!

Twitter Streaming API utility for Python

Mike — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 16:09:11 +0000

ai:noinjectI've released twitter-streamer ("Streamer") under the MIT license.

Streamer is a simple Python script that dumps tweets using Twitter's streaming API via the statuses/filter method.

Social Media Smack Down: Sex, Drugs, and Coffee

Mike — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 15:15:22 +0000

I've been working on a web app that tracks and displays recent social media trends.

During the limited beta test, I'm using it to monitor social media trends for sex, drugs, and coffee.

Sex, Drugs, and Coffee: by the minute

By the minute, in the last 60 minutes:

Recent trends: Sex, Drugs, Coffee

Sex, Drugs, and Coffee: by the hour

By the hour, for the last 24 hours:

Recent trends: Sex, Drugs, Coffee

PyFiddle

Mike — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 14:58:11 +0000

PyFiddle

This domain may be for sale. Please contact us for more information.

Google Chrome Hacks and Tips

Mike — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:20:30 +0000

How do I do the following in Google Chrome? What is this thing doing in Google Chrome?

I'm concerned about privacy. How do protect my privacy while I browse? How do I block tracking cookies and ad networks in Chrome?

You can use Chrome's Incognito mode.

Disable Google Instant Search in FireFox and Chrome

Mike — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:57:41 +0000

I'll show you how to disable Google Instant Search without being signed in to a Google account!

I despise (really!) Google Instant Search. I find it annoying, distracting and unnecessary. If you are a long-time Google search user, you might feel the same way.

Google, once revered for its clean, simple search interface, seems like it's doing everything in its power to alienate users, by rejecting the principles that once attracted users away from bloated, annoying search engines of the past.

How do I turn off Google Instant Search?

You can disable Google Instant search by setting your account preferences while signed in to a Google account.

But what if you aren't signed in? What if you don't have and don't want a Google account?

Easy: Just visit http://www.google.com/search?complete=0 – bookmark that search (or set it as your home page if you like having Google's search page visible when you start your browser). It appears that you can add the complete=0 parameter to any Google search URL and it will disable the Google Instant search feature.

How do I turn off Google Instant in Chrome's OmniBox or FireFox Search Bar?

How to disable Google Instant in Chrome Omnibox

If you use Google's Chrome browser, and you like to use the Omnibox address bar you can disable the instant search feature in results pages (the page you see after you hit enter or 'go') by changing the built-in Google search engine template. Here's how:

Bring up the "Options" form (Wrench button, Options). Click the Manage Search Engines button.

Now, select the Google.com search engine's search template in the third column:

Replace the entire search URL template field with following text:
http://www.google.com/search?complete=0&q=%s

Dismiss the "Search Engines" form.

In addition, you might want to disable the Enable Instant for faster searching and browsing option, as this option is a form of Instant Search within the Omnibox address bar.

How do I turn off Google Instant in FireFox's Search Bar?

But what about FireFox? If you like to use the built-in search bar's Google OpenSearch feature, it's a bit more work.

The easy way

We've provided an OpenSearch plugin installer on this page to simplify the process. Simply drop down your FireFox Search Bar and click "Add Google NoInstant" to your search bar:

The hard(er) way

This method requires that you copy and rename FireFox's built-in Google.xml OpenSearch template, which is found in the FireFox installation folder's "searchplugins" folder, modify it to add the <Param name="complete" value="0"/> parameter entry (see below), then install the new OpenSearch definition in the FireFox profile folder's "searchplugins" folder.

Restart FireFox and click the Search Bar's dropdown button, and you should see Google NoInstant listed; make that your default search provider and you should be rid of the Google Instant curse henceforth.

What is ielowutil.exe and why is it running on my computer?

Mike — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:05:50 +0000

If you're anything like me, you've noticed that Internet Explorer 8 and 9 seem to be accompanied by a child process named ielowutil.exe. The file properties description for this process isn't very helpful, and, in fact, might lead you to believe that it has something to do with your computer's microphone!

The file description reads: Internet Low-Mic Utility Tool. This sure sounds like it's doing something with your microphone, doesn't it? It turns out that this is a misleading description.

Drupal 6 Block Cache Mode Patch Module

Mike — Fri, 13 May 2011 16:46:39 +0000

Overview

Drupal 6 has a long-standing bug in the block module (as of 5/10/2011). This bug affects block caching mechanisms. The bug manifests itself if you have block caching enabled.

Once a module's blocks have been registered with the system (in the {blocks} table), the block's caching mode settings are never updated in the {blocks} table, regardless of subsequent cache flushes or other system updates. This is only a problem for modules that change the 'cache' info returned from hook_block op='list' calls.

Uninstalling and re-installing the module won't fix the problem due to another Drupal 6 bug.

More info

This problem impacts any module that changes the caching mode returned in hook_block('info') operation. In particular, the views module allows you to edit a block view's caching mode after creation, but, due to this bug, the changes will never take effect, leading to much head-scratching.

More info

Issue 257267

The fix

There are a few core patches available (see Issue 235673, above), but they may not apply cleanly to your Drupal 6 installation; I don't patch core unless there's a critical need. In this case, the patches failed to apply on the sites that needed the fix. So I created a simple custom module that implements the guts of the most recent patch.

Note: You can download the module in the Attachments section, below. Leave a comment if you find this module useful, or, if you have questions about it.

Essential Drupal Modules for Drupal 7

Mike — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 19:21:01 +0000

Drupal 7 has been released. As expected, it appears to be a significant improvement over Drupal 6 and earlier versions. Congratulations to the core team for this major milestone!

But what about essential contributed modules? The #D7CX (Drupal 7 Contrib Experience) effort was intended to ensure that Drupal 7 did not suffer the same fate as the Drupal 6 release -- many modules were not available for Drupal 6 well after its release (the problem continues to this day).

In order to make the biggest possible impact, we need as many modules as possible to have full Drupal 7 releases on the day when core Drupal 7 is released. Our failure to accomplish this for Drupal 6 was devastating. So, let's turn our attention toward D7CX - Drupal 7 Contrib Experience.

We are collecting pledges from maintainers to support the D7CX effort. A pledge consists of writing a statement like below at the top of your project page on drupal.org. [...]

Source: http://d7cx.com/node/1 (now defunct)

My experience shows that availability of stable contributed modules is crucial to adoption: I delayed migration from Drupal 5 to Drupal 6 on my existing web sites for well over a year, and when rolling out a new web site that would have been perfectly suited to Drupal, I chose to roll out with Drupal 5 due to the availability of fully released and tested contributed modules.

As a former Drupal contrib module developer, I understand the difficulties related to upgrading modules for each major version's new release. I'm just now getting back into Drupal module development, and with the Drupal 7 release now a reality, I wanted to know how successful the #D7CX pledge effor twas. So I started digging around, looking for contributed modules with a full

As of today, 1/9/2011, here are some of my favorite Drupal contributed modules that do not have a full Drupal 7 release available on the project homepage. (Most have alpha, beta, or -dev versions available, and they may be perfectly usable on a production site, though I'd suggest a thorough test first.)

Administration Menu
Adsense
Adsense Injector
Amazon
Bad Behavior
Devel
Google Analytics
Image API
LoginToboggan
Mollom
Panels
PathAuto
Token
Views
XML Sitemaps

So, unless I misunderstand what "a full Drupal 7 release" means, it looks like we have a ways to go. I will see if there is any way I can assist in the effort...

How about you? What modules do you rely on, and are they available for Drupal 7 as a full release? If not, what can you do to help make the Drupal 7 version available soon?

How do I erase or delete an Evercookie?

Mike — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:47:08 +0000

What's an evercookie?

An evercookie is a persistent cookie that uses numerous clever techniques to avoid full deletion by the user. Think of it as a "super-cookie" that can be used to track your online activities even though you have taken steps to protect yourself, and you think you are protected against tracking.

To make matters worse, evercookies use something known as a local shared object (a Flash variable) to provide cross-browser tracking. This is another great reason to block Flash by default -- if you are a FireFox user, you really should be using FlashBlock, NoScript, or other techniques to avoid auto-loading Flash animations in your browser.

Just in time for the elections: "I'm an anarchist... and I vote" bumper stickers!

Mike — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 03:03:28 +0000

I found this on Zazzle.com -- a funny bumper sticker:

Revert to XP-Style Alt-Tab ('Coolswitch') behavior in Windows 7 and Windows Vista

Mike — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:57:33 +0000

If you are a longtime Windows user (as I am, I've been using Windows since version 1.03 in 1987), you've probably developed some deeply-ingrained habits.

On of my most oft-used techniques from the old days: Switching between desktop windows using the Alt+Tab key combination, A.K.A. 'Coolswitch'. Windows 7 and Windows Vista have altered this feature, and not for the better, in my opinion.

Wacom Cintiq 21ux -- simply awesome!

Mike — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 21:01:12 +0000

The Wacom CINTIQ 21UX (DTK2100) 21-Inch Pen Display is just awesome. I'm thinking of ordering one soon.

Seems like many online vendors are backordered one to two weeks. Is this due to popularity or is there a production issue that's preventing shops from restocking?

Drupal for E-Commerce

Mike — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:34:36 +0000

Using Drupal for E-Commerce

So, you're using Drupal to run your site. You'd like to sell products to site visitors. What are your options? This page provides an overview of some of the available solutions.

Drupal and Paypal

You can 'roll-your-own' integration, or use the LM_Paypal module.

The LM_Paypal module is not intended to be a full e-commerce solution, but it does provide some types of built-in PayPal payment notifications, and when payment is completed, LM_Paypal module receives and records the notification. It allows for very simple automated donations, subscriptions, and paid advertisements. You should evaluate this module to see if it meets your needs. There are some significant limitations, so be sure to read the issues queue to ensure that the module does what you want it to do.

Drupal and E-Junkie

E-Junkie is a lightweight online shopping cart and fulfillment system. This blurb, taken from their home page, describes the system.

E-junkie provides shopping cart and buy now buttons to let you sell downloads and tangible goods on your website, eBay, MySpace, Google Base, CraigsList and other websites using PayPal Standard, PayPal Pro, Google Checkout, Authorize.Net, TrialPay, ClickBank and 2CheckOut.

For merchants selling downloads, we automate and secure the digital delivery of files and codes. If you are selling tangible goods, we automate the shipping calculation and inventory management. Our shopping cart has a built in sales tax, VAT, packaging and shipping cost calculator.

E-Junkie Drupal Integration

That sounds great, but how do I integrate E-Junkie with Drupal? At present, I have not found any third-party Drupal modules offering E-Junkie and Drupal integration.

There are integration examples and how-to posts floating around on the web, however:

Using E-junkie with Drupal (E-Junkie forum)
E-Junkie Shopping Cart works with jQuery Update module in Drupal 5 (Drupal.org)

Drupal and Ubercart

Ubercart is an extensible e-commerce system that provides native product and shopping cart management within Drupal. Configuration can be somewhat complicated, but it does offer a complete solution with numerous add-in modules. You should plan for significant configuration, customization, and theming effort if the standard appearance and features are not close to what you want.

Extension modules of varying quality are available, and these may help you implement the features you want–be sure to set up a test site and verify all functionality before "going live".

Web server performance tuning and benchmarking - grab bag

Mike — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:36:15 +0000

I've been working on web site performance optimizations lately (though you might not believe it when visiting this site...)

I've come across a few useful performance-related resources that I've been using lately:

Optimizing Page Load Time–An excellent overview of many issues that can affect web site performance
Online web page benchmarking tool (webpagetest.org)
Benchmarking APC vs. eAccelerator using Drupal (2bits.com)

Module: Disable collapsible fieldset animations in Drupal 5

Mike — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:30:29 +0000

Drupal 5 and later versions provide an animation when you expand or collapse a collapsible form fieldset.

While this is a nifty effect, it can be annoying to some users, and it can slow you down when viewing a web page over a Remote Desktop session in Windows (I use Remote Desktop a lot at home, and the expand/collapse animation can take seconds to complete depending on network speed–it all adds up).

Drupal 6.x Sub-Theme Development Troubleshooting Checklist

Mike — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:47:06 +0000

The Drupal Sub-Theme system is a welcome addition to the Drupal system. There are a few gotchas that can trip up the unwary. Here's a quick troubleshooting list to check when you are creating a sub-theme based on an existing Drupal theme.

Disable Drupal's CSS and JavaScript caching in your site's admin settings/performance page: example.com/admin/settings/performance
Be sure to define at least one style sheet in your .info file. Base theme style sheets are not inherited unless you define at least one style sheet for your sub-theme
Avoid Frustration: Some changes won't take effect right away. Rebuild the Drupal theme cache by visiting your site's admin/build/themes page (hit the browser reload button just to be certain!)
White Screen Of Death?: If you override one of the base theme's template files, then later delete it, you may fall victim to the dreaded WSOD, and will be unable to access the site. Solution: the theme cache may need to be cleared.
- If you can't access your site due to a WSOD, use a SQL query to delete the theme cache entry from the {cache} table: delete from cache where cid like 'theme_registry%'; then reload your site's page. For more information, see Clearing the Theme Cache.

7 things make Windows 7 (and other versions) easier

Mike — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:15:51 +0000

These are some of my favorite Windows system tweaks and usage tips. I usually customize every new computer or Microsoft Windows installation using some or all of the items found here.

In most cases, I won't tell you how to make each tweak–that's been done ad nauseum–so I'll share my suggestions and provide links to instructions on how to make the changes.

This article is presented in multi-part 'book' form; please see the links below.

Improve your vision: expand or improve your Windows computer's display quality

Mike — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:43:27 +0000

This page is part of a 7-part story, 7 things you can do to make Windows 7 (and other versions) easier to use.

Applies to: All with suitable hardware
Why? Because sometimes your current display is too small, cramped, or hard to read.
How? It depends on your system configuration, desired enhancements, and your budget.

Speed access to your favorite or oft-used Windows applications using shortcuts

Mike — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:11:54 +0000

This page is part of a 7-part story, 7 things you can do to make Windows 7 (and other versions) easier to use.

Applies to: All
Why? It helps to have quicker access to your frequently used Windows applications.
How? Create desktop shortcuts. Create "Quick Launch" toolbar shortcuts. Create custom keyboard shortcuts to speed-launch your favorite applications by pressing a key combination.

Speed up your Windows system by reducing or eliminating auto-starting applications

Mike — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:33:28 +0000

This page is part of a 7-part story, 7 things you can do to make Windows 7 (and other versions) easier to use.

Applies to: All
Why? Because you grow weary of waiting for your Windows system to be ready to use.
How? Eliminate some of those notification area icons. Uninstall those programs you never use.

Helpful utilities and information

Free up disk space in Microsoft Windows

Mike — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:12:54 +0000

This page is part of a 7-part story, 7 things you can do to make Windows 7 (and other versions) easier to use.

Applies to: All

Start where you left off: Use hibernation features

Mike — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:05:02 +0000

This page is part of a 7-part story, 7 things you can do to make Windows 7 (and other versions) easier to use.

Applies to: All
Why? Start working with your projects and documents as soon as your computer powers up. This means you won't have to wait for Windows boot-up, then find and start your applications or open your documents; they'll be open and ready to use when you start Windows.

Group taskbar entries to eliminate clutter and help you find things quickly

Mike — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:00:15 +0000

This page is part of a 7-part story, 7 things you can do to make Windows 7 (and other versions) easier to use.

Applies to: All
Why? Sometimes it's a lot easier to find the window you are looking for on the taskbar if it's not cluttered with dozens of windows.
How? It depends on the Windows version you're using.
On Windows XP, download and install TweakUI.

Use handy Windows shortcut keys

Mike — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:54:32 +0000

This page is part of a 7-part story, 7 things you can do to make Windows 7 (and other versions) easier to use.

Applies to: All, with Windows Enhanced Keyboard connected.
Why? Because it provides several useful shortcuts that makes living with Windows a bit easier.
How? Learn and use the available shortcut keys.
The misunderstood and mostly ignored Windows Logo Key () is one of my favorite keys.

Windows Errors - find and fix them

Mike — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:14:12 +0000

Windows 7, XP and Windows Vista Troubleshooting

Find and fix DLL errors in Windows 7, Vista and XP

When you encounter a Dynamic-Link Library error (DLL error) or related Windows 7, XP or Windows Vista error, what can you do about it? How can you track down the source of the problem and, one hopes, fix the problem?

With a little bit of Windows troubleshooting skills one can usually find the problem and fix it. If a Windows error of this type is troubling you, it can be fixed in most cases with some effort.

FTC disclosure guidelines for website publishing

Mike — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:38:01 +0000

I just stumbled on to this PDF file that provides examples of misleading advertising or claims and how to avoid them when building a web site or page.

Update 10/10/2009: The FTC now requires disclosure if you've received gifts or other consideration from an advertiser whose products or services you write about.

More info:

FTC Publishes Final Guides Governing Endorsements, Testimonials