http://prestonhunt.com/atom.php Preston Hunt 2013-04-23T17:51:47Z This is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site. http://prestonhunt.com/blog/511 <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1421521423/prestonhunt-20"><img class="amazonpic" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1421521423.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg">Oishinbo: Fish, Sushi, & Sashimi</a> ***** : Delightful story of Japanese food culture. <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/CEnnLShsxeM" height="1" width="1"/> 2013-04-23T17:51:47Z http://prestonhunt.com/blog/511 http://prestonhunt.com/story/129 How we spent 2012.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/6EtFoCG84_o" height="1" width="1"/> 2012-12-31T00:00:00Z http://prestonhunt.com/story/129 http://prestonhunt.com/blog/510 <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0316005401/prestonhunt-20"><img class="amazonpic" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0316005401.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg">Player of Games</a> ***** : Culture series, book 2. Even better than the first! About a master player in a game that determines who becomes emperor.<p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/urasfeZ9uXA" height="1" width="1"/> 2012-11-06T07:03:41Z http://prestonhunt.com/blog/510 http://prestonhunt.com/blog/509 <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1857231384/prestonhunt-20"><img class="amazonpic" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1857231384.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg">Consider Phlebas</a> **** : Great space opera with thorough backstory a la David Brin's Uplift series. <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/SJ_lw7xyhKE" height="1" width="1"/> 2012-08-18T20:16:53Z http://prestonhunt.com/blog/509 http://prestonhunt.com/story/128 Our 2011 holiday letter.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/gMHUfycKBEQ" height="1" width="1"/> 2011-12-24T00:00:00Z http://prestonhunt.com/story/128 http://prestonhunt.com/blog/508 Last month, Microsoft discontinued support for Windows Sidebar Gadgets. They didn't give developers any warning nor did they give users a chance to save copies of their favorite gadgets. It's a pretty short-sighted move in my opinion.<p> Here is a collection of alternative places to get gadgets. I wish Microsoft had kept a read-only copy of the gadget store online. But they didn't. So this is all we have left:<p> <ul> <li>http://www.thoosje.com/</li> <li>http://gadgetsforvista.net/ (full of ads)</li> <li>http://wingadget.ru/cat/novosti (in Russian, use Chrome translate!)</li> <li>http://torentilo.com/download/4668072/Windows-Sidebar-Gadgets-Mega-Pack%7Bh33t%7D%7Bmad-dog%7D.html (a torrent containing a huge collection of gadgets)</li> </ul> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/I-rzDFjo8_I" height="1" width="1"/> 2011-11-05T11:09:05Z http://prestonhunt.com/blog/508 http://prestonhunt.com/story/126 Trick to elevate a script to root permissions<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/h9nnM7QCEPM" height="1" width="1"/> 2011-11-05T00:00:00Z http://prestonhunt.com/story/126 http://prestonhunt.com/blog/507 <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345353730/prestonhunt-20"><img class="amazonpic" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0345353730.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg">Tunnel in the Sky</a> **** : Classic Heinlein space-cowboy, coming-of-age, young-adult fiction.<p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/XVXQ_34Ty2k" height="1" width="1"/> 2011-08-27T15:57:06Z http://prestonhunt.com/blog/507 http://prestonhunt.com/blog/506 <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1593271948/prestonhunt-20"><img class="amazonpic" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1593271948.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg">Manga Guide to Calculus</a> **** : Even if you already know Calculus, this is still very enjoyable. The entire series looks appealing! <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/4XBTIE_v7-U" height="1" width="1"/> 2011-08-17T08:00:40Z http://prestonhunt.com/blog/506 http://prestonhunt.com/blog/505 <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1439148503/prestonhunt-20"><img class="amazonpic" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1439148503.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg">Under the Dome</a> ***** : Stephen King at his best, describing small-town America with a full cast of interesting characters. <p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/cEm75mIj8UU" height="1" width="1"/> 2011-08-14T11:38:55Z http://prestonhunt.com/blog/505 http://prestonhunt.com/blog/504 I recently changed my password on apple.com using their "My Apple ID" web site. The site allows you to change your password, which is great. But there are two major issues.<p> First, Apple's URL naming system is horrible. This is the URL for logging in to My Apple ID: https://appleid.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MyAppleId.woa/<p> More seriously, Apple has a feature where the perceived strength of your proposed password is shown to you as you type it. Unfortunately, their algorithm is busted. I tried a password "welcome-wildlife-fuji-ski" and was told that it was considered a "weak" password. I can guarantee you that "welcome-wildlife-fuji-ski" is completely unhackable by brute force attempts.<p> Meanwhile, "Aaa123!!" was given the password score of "strong" even though it is a substantially weaker password than "welcome-wildlife-fuji-ski".<p> Apple should fix these two issues by adopting a user-friendly URL, such as https://apple.com/appleid" and updating their password strength recommendation engine beyond the simplistic one-letter-one-symbol-one-number algorithm that is all too prevalent these days. <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/QUPFmrVyQME" height="1" width="1"/> 2011-04-16T07:41:38Z http://prestonhunt.com/blog/504 http://prestonhunt.com/story/125 Step-by-step guide for setting up joining a wireless access point on Ubuntu from the command line.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/Trld6FZNlYc" height="1" width="1"/> 2011-04-09T00:00:00Z http://prestonhunt.com/story/125 http://prestonhunt.com/blog/503 The New York Times ran a piece a while back, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/05/06/business/businessspecial/20100506-pack-ss.html">10 Days in a Carry-On</a>, in which a flight attendant packs a ridiculous amount of clothes into a suitcase. I absolutely disagree with her packing philosophy!<p> Just because it's possible to take a lot of clothes doesn't mean you should. When it comes to international travel, all the cliches are true: less is more; when in doubt, leave it out; et cetera.<p> If there are people living where you are going, and most likely there are, then you will be able to buy anything you need. So pack as little as possible and enjoy the trip!<p> Some people swear by rolling suitcases. And if you're flying somewhere and going straight to the hotel, that's fine. But for maximum flexibility or if you are going to be changing hotels a lot, nothing beats a backpack. And most backpacks fit within the carry-on size restrictions, so you won't have to check any baggage.<p> On a recent trip, our shuttle bus dropped us off at an expensive beach resort area. Some locals told us that hotels were a lot cheaper in the next town. But getting there entailed a half-mile walk on the sandy beach. Everybody on the shuttle bus who had a backpack was able to make the easy trek. Those with suitcases decided to just stay in the expensive part of town.<p> We spent over four weeks in Turkey and Greece last year. A list of everything I took is below. I think it's decently minamlist, but I could have taken even less!<p> <a href="http://prestonhunt.com/pic/17158"><img style="float: right;" src="http://resize.prestobot.com/resize.php?y=165&url=http://prestonhunt.dreamhosters.com/g/2010,0603_Athens/20100604_104510.JPG"></a><p> <ul> <li>1 Dana Design Bomb Pack (3200 cu. in.)</li> <li>2 FedEx bags, 2 small nylon sacks, 3 white trash bags, 3 large zip locks</li> <li>8 underwear</li> <li>1 bathing suit (board shorts, doubled as shorts)</li> <li>4 t-shirts: 2 wool, 2 cotton (use wool whenever possible for shirts)</li> <li>2 long-sleeve shirts: 1 wool, 1 wool/poly blend</li> <li>1 convertible pants/shorts (nylon) (synthetics don't wrinkle, easy to clean)</li> <li>5 short socks, 3 long socks (1 unused)</li> <li>1 umbrella</li> <li>1 wide-brimmed sun hat</li> <li>1 netbook</li> <li>1 handheld digital camera</li> <li>1 int'l power adapter</li> <li>1 shorts (cotton, dark khaki)</li> <li>1 pants (cotton, dark khaki) (didn't really need these)</li> <li>2 pairs shoes - crocs and sneakers (didn't really need the sneakers)</li> <li>1 towel</li> <li>1 wool sweater (dark blue, slightly dressy)</li> <li>1 small lock</li> <li>2 paperback books, 10 magazines</li> <li>1 eye glasses (prescription)</li> <li>1 sun glasses with hard case</li> <li>1 large safety pin (to secure pockets against pick pockets)</li> <li>1 plastic spoon, fork</li> <li>1 headlamp<p></li> </ul><pre> </pre><p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/JuX7BZumk80" height="1" width="1"/> 2011-02-06T15:13:27Z http://prestonhunt.com/blog/503 http://prestonhunt.com/blog/502 I just released a new version of <a href="http://prestonhunt.com/story/110">Presto's Sidebar Clock</a> (v1.45). The big feature in this release is the addition of sunrise and sunset support. The clock can be set to automatically dim at night if a timezone is set. This uses the Javascript sunrise class that I wrote last week. <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/-x2Y0SmVJcw" height="1" width="1"/> 2011-02-05T08:43:00Z http://prestonhunt.com/blog/502 http://prestonhunt.com/story/124 A JavaScript class for calculating sunrise and sunset times based on latitude, longitude, and date.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/Lwtjeqe5oqs" height="1" width="1"/> 2011-01-23T00:00:00Z http://prestonhunt.com/story/124 http://prestonhunt.com/blog/501 Here's a nice little recipe to uninstall programs on a Windows machine from the command line:<p> <ul> <li>Open cmd.exe as administrator</li> <li>Run WMIC.EXE</li> <li>Type the following at the wmic:rootcli> prompt:<p></li> </ul><pre>product where "name like 'foo%'" call uninstall /nointeractive /norestart </pre><p> Replace foo with a string to search for at the beginning of the program name. To get a list of program names, type "product get name".<p> These resources have more information and documentation: <a href="http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/2947/windows_uninstall_application_command_line/">Tech-Recipes</a>, <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/wmic.mspx?mfr=true">Microsoft</a>, and <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windows.server.scripting/browse_thread/thread/3e7eb10b1907948c">Usenet</a>.<p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/PaHggLgfVYY" height="1" width="1"/> 2011-01-19T14:55:14Z http://prestonhunt.com/blog/501 http://prestonhunt.com/blog/500 Wikipedia's pledge-drive-style banner ads were driving me crazy. After a little searching, I found this AdBlock Plus rule that will hide them forever!<p> <pre>wikipedia.org##div#siteNotice </pre><p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/E6qidQN7rkA" height="1" width="1"/> 2011-01-01T09:11:23Z http://prestonhunt.com/blog/500 http://prestonhunt.com/story/123 Highlights from 2010.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/FQEM_RYaZEo" height="1" width="1"/> 2010-12-31T00:00:00Z http://prestonhunt.com/story/123 http://prestonhunt.com/blog/499 <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0307266303/prestonhunt-20"><img class="amazonpic" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0307266303.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg">Born to Run</a> *** Compelling story of how humans were made for jogging. Documents the Tarahumara, a tribe of Mexican Indians who run ultramarathons almost barefoot. But extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof and, unfortunately, this book completely fails in providing references or sources for any of its claims. I found at least one glaring factual error: the author claims that humans are the only animal whose principal method of heat dissipation is sweating. Not true--horses sweat profusely! Serious mistakes such as these beg the question of how many other errors there are. <p> (Thanks to some detective work from <a href="http://www.facebook.com/beeman.strong">Beeman</a>, here are <a href="http://allwedoisrun.com/tarahumara.htm">pictures from the race</a> and a <a href="http://holeinthedonut.com/2010/04/11/copper-canyon-mexico-caballo-blanco-born-to-run/">conversation with Caballo Blanco</a> in which he expresses his displeasure with the book.) <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/B2bdecXY63o" height="1" width="1"/> 2010-10-12T20:04:26Z http://prestonhunt.com/blog/499 http://prestonhunt.com/blog/498 Sony has a nice commercial featuring Intel Wireless Display: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D5sdmuG3do">Justin & the Sony VAIO vs. the Media Monster</a> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PrestonHunt/~4/aQdppbdvOac" height="1" width="1"/> 2010-10-07T10:44:15Z http://prestonhunt.com/blog/498