New Photo Gallery

I've finally done it - I've put up my own photography gallery, on my own server, on my own machine.... using my own frustration to get everything running! But, it's up, and it has pictures. In fact, it even has new pictures that weren't on my previous photo gallery.

Not everything is done - I haven't customized the interface (which is a slow process), and I haven't really gone over all of the pictures that I have put up, but I'll get around to these things eventually. What is neat is that users can add comments, and interact with the whole system. It's really quite neat. The flexibility is unbelievable - Gallery2 rocks.

Anyhow, it's now linked from fejes.ca. You might need to refresh your page to get the updated link, but it's now open to the public.

Cheers!

P.S. All pictures there are copyright 2007, Anthony Fejes. If you'd like to purchase one of them (available at 8MP resolution), please contact me. (-:

LAMPS and lampshades

So here's a weird "bug" that I just have to post. First of all, I didn't see this anywhere on the web while I was searching, second, it's just too funny not to post. (Of course, I really doubt most people will see the humour in this.) There were other posts with the same symptoms, but the fixes just didn't work for me.

I've been slowly working on turning my computer in to a web server, so that I can host my own photo gallery, and so that I'll have some space I can work with to develop web pages. Step by step, I've been reading up on security for apache, and modifying my server to lock it down. The last thing I want is to have my computer hacked.

Unfortunately, when I finally took the step of installing gallery2, the photo gallery software, I discovered nothing was working properly. Oh, pages were showing and my security was working well, but gallery2 just didn't want to start up. For that matter, I couldn't even get the test php scripts working. After hours of searching, I finally discovered the key: I had somehow managed to get both apache (1.3) and apache2 running at the same time. My locked down config belonged to apache, while php4 was installed on apache2. So, every time I browsed into the directory with the test.php script in it, I hit the apache 1.3 configuration, which didn't know what php was - hence, it prompting me to download the php file instead of opening it.

the solution? uninstalling apache 1.3, of course. Fortunately, using ubuntu, this took only a few seconds:

sudo apt-get remove apache

leaving apache2 behind. Unfortunately, I now have to redo all of my security fixes, but everything seems to be working.

Putting Microsoft on Notice

Ok.. Time for a really geeky rant: I've had enough of the FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) that Microsoft has been putting out about Linux. I can't get away from it's effects, or the people who believe it.

Unfortunately, there's pretty much nothing I can do about it. I stopped using Microsoft years ago, to get away from that kind of crap. I haven't had windows on my computer since the laptop I bought in 2001. (Which I subsequently replaced with Linux.) All that, to no avail, Microsoft and it's shills continue to pour out the annoying rhetoric. Today's version comes from Microsoft's CEO, insisting that I'm infringing their patents - they just won't tell me which one(s).

We've had an issue, a problem that we've had to confront, which is because of the way the GPL works, and because open-source Linux does not come from a company -- Linux comes from the community -- the fact that that product uses our patented intellectual property is a problem for our shareholders.
- Steve Balmer

Fortunately there is one thing I can do: I can give Microsoft Notice. Hi Microsoft. I AM using Linux. I will continue to use Linux. And yes, I will continue to distribute Linux to all of my friends. If you believe I'm violating your patents, tell me within the next 5 years, otherwise the statute of limitations will bar you from pressing your claims on me, and ANYONE I give a copy of Linux to. So Microsoft, if you would like to send me a seize and desist letter, with some specifics, I'd be more than happy to comply.

Alright Microsoft, while you mull over whether you really have a patent that you'd like me to stop infringing, I'm going to keep on using and distributing my favorite (non-Microsoft) operating system.

One more "little" change..

Alright - one more change. I've just moved to the "new blogger" from the old one (where I've been since 2001-ish). I wish I could say that I have a good reason for it, but it's midnight, I'm addicted to bleeding-edge packages and I've already broken apache on my home computer. Doesn't that scream that this is the perfect time to try an upgrade that I don't need?

If you said no, you have way more common sense than I do. Else, I'm just itching to press the "publish" button, and see what this does to my web page! Lets go!

Administrative change

  A quick admin change: Now that I know people are actually reading this blog, I've opened comments to all visitors. If the spam level gets too high, I might revoke this, but for the moment, lets see how it works.

  Hey, that might encourage me to write more, anyhow. Cheers!

Communications and recipes

  After hearing that there are actually people that read my blog, I have a little more passion for keeping this up. It's a fantastic opportunity to pass out information that I otherwise wouldn't have an audience for. Well, honestly, I probably don't have an audience for it, but hey, readership of 1 isn't too bad. (-;

  In any case one thing I should pass on is that UBC fees were due on the 8th. Of course, they don't tell you - no mail, no email, not even a pigeon with a note tied to it's feet. There isn't even a bill. You just have to sign in online, and poke around till you find it. Don't they have a faculty of communication studies poking about somewhere?

  The other thing I wanted to post is a recipe. I have no idea where I got it, but it's well worth posting - and now that I'm in grad school again, it's even appropriate.

Beer Bread

3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1.5 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 (12-ounce) can of beer

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Grease a 9x5x3 pan
3. Combine all ingredients (dry first, wet last)
4. Place in pan (don't pack down)
5. bake 1 hour

Optional: Add herbs and seeds to give it different flavours (I love crushed rosemary in it)
Optional: Smear with melted butter on the top, with 10 minutes left in baking time.

  I've tried with a couple of different beers: Corona gives a light bread, kinda flavourless; Guiness makes a bread that's almost like a rye; Hoegaarden gives a fantastically yeasty flavour to it, and is definitely my favourite!

  Happy cooking!