Joe Steinbring's Posterous

Spent evening scanning in family slides from the early 80s. This is a very lengthy process but interesting pics.

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 20:18:07 -0700

I got my DNA collection kit in the mail

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:15:00 -0700

I'm definitly getting more and more curious about this. Once I send the spit sample in, I should get the results in 6-8 weeks.

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I like linkedin's April 1st joke. :)

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:41:00 -0700

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How to remove non-ascii characters from a string, in ColdFusion

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:34:00 -0700

So, I found myself trying to get some json output to validate and was getting caught up on some odd single quotes. I ended up needing to remove any non-ascii characters before it would validate. I figured that I would quickly share my solution. What I did was to use:

#REReplace(strInput, "[^[:ascii:]]", "", "ALL")#

Hopefully this helps somebody else, out there.

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How to set your Flickr account (or anything with an rss feed) as your desktop backgrounds [Windows 7]

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 03:49:00 -0800

A desktop background is something that you don't often find yourself looking at. Nonetheless, if you are like me, you don't want a boring wallpaper and you don't want to be staring at the same one, each time you close that browser window. One nifty way of approaching this in Windows 7, is to set a collection of images on a timed rotation. The problem with this is that you need a suitably large selection of images and you need to refresh them, every now and then. Well, there's another way. You can link your desktop background collection to an RSS feed. In our example of linking a Flickr account to the desktop background, instead of cycling through a collection of local images, Windows will automatically download the newest images you added to Flickr and cycle through them.

Step 1: Get the RSS feed URL for your Flickr account. It will be at the bottom of your Flickr page. Keep in mind though, you can use a Picasa account or anything else, you want, at this step.

Step 2: Create a [something].theme file and paste in the following text:

[[Theme]

DisplayName=Flickr

[Slideshow]

Interval=1800000

Shuffle=1

RssFeed=[Insert your rss feed here]

[Control Panel\Desktop]

TileWallpaper=0

WallpaperStyle=0

Pattern=

[Control Panel\Cursors]

AppStarting=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_working.ani

Arrow=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_arrow.cur

Crosshair=

Hand=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_link.cur

Help=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_helpsel.cur

IBeam=

No=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_unavail.cur

NWPen=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_pen.cur

SizeAll=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_move.cur

SizeNESW=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_nesw.cur

SizeNS=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_ns.cur

SizeNWSE=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_nwse.cur

SizeWE=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_ew.cur

UpArrow=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_up.cur

Wait=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_busy.ani

DefaultValue=Windows Aero

Link=

[VisualStyles]

Path=%SystemRoot%\resources\themes\Aero\Aero.msstyles

ColorStyle=NormalColor

Size=NormalSize

ColorizationColor=0X6B74B8FC

Transparency=1

[MasterThemeSelector]

MTSM=DABJDKT

Step 3: Save the file and open it in windows explorer. It will ask you if you want to download the files that are attached to the RSS feed. Make sure to say yes. You might want to then, look at the files that it's downloading in, so that you can make minor adjustments.

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That is all there is to it. You might want to get more elaborate with this set-up. One idea would be to have a feed dedicated to desktop wallpapers. It is not necessarily needed though.

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Google Chrome Extension: Google Mail Checker 3.1

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 03:18:00 -0800

Find yourself checking your email frequently? Use Gmail (or Google Apps)? This extension is for you. Google Mail Checker simply sits in the top of your browser and tells you how many unread messages you have. It's basic, useful, and stable. What more could you ask for?

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How to enable Solver in Excel 2010

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 05:35:00 -0800

Solver is a usefull tool for optimization problems but it's not enabled by default. Here is some simple instructions for enabling it. Click "File", click "Options", click "Add-Ins", click the "Go..." button, check the box next to "Solver Add-in", and then click "OK". That is all there is to it.

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How to use solver to do linear programming problems in Excel 2010

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 04:51:00 -0800

So, I am currently taking a Quantitative Analysis class right now and part of what we are learning, right now, is how to solve optimization problems, using linear programming. I figured that, as I learn this topic, I would post a blog entry or two about it. For this post, I figured that I would talk about how to use Solver (an add-in that is included with Excel) to solve an optimization problem.

The problem, as stated in my textbook, is:

The marketing manager for Mountain Mist soda needs to decide how many TV spots and magazine ads to run during the next quarter. Each TV spot costs $5,000 and is expected to increase sales by 300,000 cans. Each magazine ad costs $2,000 and is expected to increase sales by 500,000 cans. A total of $100,000 may be spent on TV and magazine ads; however, Mountain Mist wants to spend no more than $70,000 on TV spots and no more than $50,000 on magazine ads. Mountain Mist earns a profit of $0.05 on each can it sells.

To start out, I created a spreadsheet that contains all of those values.

Once all of those values were entered, I went to the data tab of Excel and found Solver. If you don't see it there, you will probably have to enable it.

Next, with the Solver dialog open, you need to set your objective. Mine was to maximize profit.

With your objective set, you need to tell solver what your independent variables are, that Solver is supposed to change the values of.

Next, you need to tell Solver what the constraints are. These could be to keep certain variables as non-negetive integers. In this case, it includes keeping the solution within the three seperate budgetary constraints.

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Once you constrains are there, you need to click "Solve" and Solver will adjust the two quantity values until the profit value is maximized.

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This is a handy tool because it eliminates the need to have somebody tweak those two values until the profit appears to be maximized. It is sort of like an automated, scripted version of a million monkeys in a room.

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How to move a website's location without effecting you search engine ranking [Apache Edition]

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 03:11:00 -0800

I have had a number of websites, in the past, that I have moved (or simply removed) due to a number of reasons. The big issue with moving a website is that you do not want to to effect the search engine ranking of the website in question. If you simply leave a "This website was moved to ..." page up, it will effect the search engine ranking. The same goes for leaving behind a 404 error. That is why you create a 301 redirect. According to RFC 2616, a 301 redirect tells the client that "requested resource has been assigned a new permanent URI and any future references to this resource SHOULD use one of the returned URIs." So, a 301 status says that the page doesn't live here anymore and tells the client where it is living now.

How do you implement this? If you are using Apache, it easy. Simply create a file named .htaccess, open it in your favorite text editor, and add the line "redirect 301 [the old location] [the new location]". It's as easy as that.

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How to enable dual-screen remote desktop in Windows 7

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 03:00:00 -0800

Finding yourself needing to remote desktop into your work machine? A lot of us do. Unfortunately, by default, remote desktop is a single display affair. There is a way to fix that, though. From the main dialog: click "Options", click the "Display" tab, and then check the box marked "Use all my monitors for the remote session". It's as easy as that.

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Google Chrome Extension: Google Calendar Checker (by Google) 1.1.0

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 03:19:00 -0800

If your life is centered around your calendar(s), having multiple ways of checking them becomes very useful. That's why I use the Google Calendar Checker. It puts a small, clickable icon next to the address bar, that warns you of when your next appointment is. It's a simple solution for a simple need.

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How to change the Code Assist dictionary version in ColdFusion Builder

Sat, 05 Feb 2011 03:53:00 -0800

This is a follow-up to yesterday's blog post about how to enable (or disable) code assist in ColdFusion Builder. If you are going to be using code assist in ColdFusion Builder, you might want to look at what version of ColdFusion it is giving you assistance for. If you are still using ColdFusion 7, it won't be the most helpful for it to suggest tags that were introduced in ColdFusion 9. Here is how to specify what language it should use: Click "Window", click "Preferences", click "ColdFusion", click "Editor Profiles", click "Editor", click "Code Assist", and then look at the "Code Assist Dictionary Version" dialog. It is defaulted to ColdFusion 9, so in my case, I changed it to ColdFusion 8.

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Old Columbia - St. Mary's Hospital Campus Photo Dump

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:46:00 -0800

These photos were from a February 4, 2011 tour of the facility.

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How to enable (or disable) display of code hints in ColdFusion Builder

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 03:40:00 -0800

One of the things that I like about Dreamweaver, CFEclipse, and ColdFusion Builder is the feature where is suggests the next part of the tag you are typing. In my case, it tends to speed up my coding. Alternatively, some people don't like it. Want to turn it on? Want to turn it off? Here's how: Click "Window", click "Preferences", click "ColdFusion", click "Editor Profiles", click "Editor", click "Code Assist", and then check (or uncheck) "Automatically Display Code Assist When Typing". It's as easy as that.

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Milwaukee Snowpocolypse Photo Dump

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:07:00 -0800

I was hoping for a 100 year storm, but this will do. Now, it's winter in Wisconsin.

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Google Chrome Extension: FlashBlock 0.9.31

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:30:00 -0800

I haven't always believed in the value of something that actively blocks specific content on a website. I think that if there's something on a webpage that annoys you that much, maybe you shouldn't be visiting that webpage. I do find value in blacklisting flash content by default, though. If you are like me, you find yourself stumbling across websites that auto-play music or video by default. It is nice to have a way of avoiding that. That is why I use FlashBlock by josorek. By default, when you visit a webpage that has a flash element on it, it shows up as a grayed out box. If you click on the box, it loads the flash file. From an icon on address bar, you can white-list all flash content on the website. It seems to work well for the purpose.

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How to enable line numbers in ColdFusion Builder

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:06:41 -0800

I think it's relatively, universally accepted that line numbers in an IDE are a good thing. If they weren't there, how would you take care of that error on line 162? Unfortunately, line numbers are disabled, by default, in ColdFusion Builder.

Here's how to enable them: Click "Windows", click "Preferences", click "General", click "Editors", click "Text Editors", and then check "Show line numbers".

It's easy as that!

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Google Chrome Extension: RSS Subscription Extension (by Google) 2.1.2

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 03:34:00 -0800

So, early on, one of the biggest things that bugged me about Google Chrome was the didn't support RSS in any way. There was no way of viewing a RSS feed or even seeing that one was available at all. It was a sad state of affairs. Luckily, since Google introduced the capability for extensions, a few options have emerged. The one that I use RSS Subscription Extension (by Google). It's a Google-written extension and it seems to work reasonably well. It provides a way of reading a formatted version of the feed and a way of easily subscribing to the feed.

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Simple experiment to determine how good the HTC EVO 4G's battery is

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 05:28:00 -0800

Not too long ago, I bought a new extended-life battery for my HTC EVO 4G. I paid $40 for something that is supposed to have a longer life than the stock battery but didn't require a new back plate. I desperately wanted to avoid making the phone too think for a holster case. This past Sunday, I decided to run a little experiment to see how long the battery would last under normal wear. I unplugged the phone with a 100% charge and simply used it how I normally do. I streamed video, streamed audio, took photos, and played games. I didn't do anything that I normally don't do with the EVO. Surprisingly, the battery lasted over 16 hours before I gave up and plugged in. Admittedly, I was using an after-market battery but I was using some typically power-hungry applications. I think that's darn good.

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I may do a similar experiment with the stock battery in the near future, for comparison purposes. I would be curious to see how well this stocks up to the most modern iPhones, Droids, and Blackberrys. If somebody wanted to do the same thing with a iPhone 4, using an after-market battery and streaming flash video over 3g, I would be curious how it would stack up. :)

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Google Chrome Extension: Google Tasks 0.9

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 23:20:00 -0800

I have often found myself wondering what extensions to use in Google Chrome. I've been using Chrome since the very early days of the application. In the beginning it was an issue to be a web application developer that was using web browser that did not support extensions. Since that point, they've added the capability for extensions but the number of extensions available aren't nearly as large as number available for Mozilla Firefox. I am going to start doing regular posts, exploring various extensions that may or may not be useful.

I'm going to start with Google Tasks by OpenBit. Google Tasks is rated 4.5 stars, with 49,615 users on the Google Chrome extensions website. I've been using it on all of my computers for a few months now. The Google Tasks plugin will have the most value if you already use Google Tasks (the service) in other contexts but it's not necessary.

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The extension is relatively straight forward. It is a to-do list. I use it in conjunction with a widget that puts the same information on the home screen of my phone. As you can see in the screenshots, it just drops down a dialog from an icon, next to the address bar. From there, you can modify your to-do items.

It's a very basic extension for a very basic task. I like it. If you're looking for an easy way of modifying your Google Tasks items outside of gmail (or Google Apps, in my case), I would highly recommend it.

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