Category Archives: Computers

Ubuntu server having IPv6 probs? It’s easy to disable

I had a server recently start having serious problems with connections of all types, at least when IPv6 was involved. I use IPv6 at home and ssh access took a significant amount of time to make a connection. Then when I tried to do apt-get update from the server it would fail with a message like this:

$ sudo apt-get update
[sudo] password for matt:
0% [Connecting to archive.ubuntu.com (2001:67c:1360:8c01::1a)] [Connecting to security.ubuntu.com (2001:67c:1360:8c01::1...

It would sit there and take forever without making any progress. Sadly, the Ubuntu docs aren’t much help unless you’re using Ubuntu 8.04 or older (I refuse to link to them which will only add to their credibility).

A workaround is to disable IPv6, but really you should take the time to fix the problem, since it is the way of the future. In my case I’m sure it’s routing related, and hopefully my server provider can resolve it. Until then, I do this: Continue reading →

How I am switching to Node.js

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In the last blog post I explained that I was moving to Node.js from Django and what is motivating me to do so. So how am I making the switch to Node? This post answers that question.

I love to read so I’ve got two books to share with you, and then I’ll identify three tasks that are well suited to Node.js which you can choose from for your to get started. First let me share the books I read and found helpful.

note: This is part two of three, stay tuned for the final installment. Continue reading →

Why I switched to Node.js

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In 1999 Perl/Mason was the king, but soon after PHP 3 started to take over. As Y2K approached, these where the tools I used to build websites. In 2000 and 2001 I decided to invest significant time building strong Javascript skills.

I went on to add some additional tools to my belt, such as C#, Java and, starting in 2007 I switched my primary platform from PHP to Python/Django. Since then I’ve also used Python/Flask and Ruby on Rails. Throughout all of these platform changes one thing has been constant: Javascript has been a key skill that I’ve used in nearly every project.

in late 2011 I started experimenting with Node.js, and after signficant contemplation I’ve decided to make the leap and use it as my new primary platform. I thought I’d write this blog post to explain how and why I’m doing that.

*note: due to length, I’m splitting this article into three pieces, part one about how is available, stay tuned for the final note!

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Reddit is melting our server, here’s what we did (Nginx, Apache, Django and MySql)

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I help out a popular clothing retailer, kuhl.com, sometimes when they need some after-hours help. Last night at dinner I got an urgent text from the lead developer who is based in Europe saying the website was melting due to being mentioned in a highly popular Reddit post. It seems that one of the Boston bombing suspects was spotted wearing a hoodie from Kuhl.

The first problem was that there weren’t enough database connections available, the second was that, of the M1.extra-large’s 15G of RAM, only 4G was being used, and the third problem was that the disk i/o and cpu usage was close to nil. We solved all of these problems, and they all helped, but ultimately could only handle the load by serving a static copy of the popular page. But here’s the process I took to get there and how each step impacted performance. Continue reading →

7 free tools to transform your website from simple into spectacular

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I hope you enjoyed the review of 5 free web hosting solutions for geeks. So now you have a website, but it feels a little bland and needs some sparkle. Try a few of these free tools that will add some dynamic bling in a jiffy.

From plug ‘n play comment systems to social media integration to rich dynamic data storage service, there’s a little bit here for everyone. Continue reading →

Free webhosting for geeks: five options reviewed

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I remember in the mid-90′s reading Scott Adam’s “Men who use computers are the new sex symbols of the 90′s” and laughing out loud. This has largely come to reality as computers become an integral part to all of our lives. But one particular phrase stands out in my mind:

“Soon anyone who’s not on the World Wide Web will qualify for a government subsidy for the home-pageless.”

So what’s a geek to do? Gone are the days when you can be considered cool merely by driving a nice car. We need to run a hot website to be taken seriously, but a website costs money… or maybe not! As it turns out, if you don’t mind getting a little geeky, here is a review of some of the best free hosting deals. (OK, little fib, one of these costs about $0.25 per month after the first year, so not technically free)

If you want to run a Ruby or Python website, if you want some advanced Javascript or Coffeescript action, if you don’t mind using GIT, if you’d really love a database and most of all, you don’t want anyone injecting ads or other foreign code into your page, you’ll find something here to meet your needs. Continue reading →

Why I think the best programming book is Agile Development with Rails

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I often get asked what book I recommend to learn programming. This is an easy answer for me, the best programming book I have ever read is Agile Development with Rails by Sam Ruby. I am not a Ruby programmer and I’ve only done a few projects with Rails. I think it is a fine development tool but not the first one I turn to when I have a problem to solve.

But as far a programming books go, it is heads above the rest because it not only teaches programming but it teaches solid, professional programming practices at the same time. The fourth edition (the latest edition as I write this) covers rails 3.2 which is the latest version. It is updated frequently and if you buy the print version you can add the e-book version for only a few dollars, then you get free updates as they come out (there have been several updates, the latest introduces Rails 4.0).

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, Here’s what makes this book so good: Continue reading →

Don’t panic! Build your own Google Reader in 12 minutes with WordPress

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Like many I am saddened that my favorite newsreader will go away. I use the app Reeder and the web service IFTTT to hook into Google Reader to keep up to date on my feeds so now I’ll need to find something new. Reeder has said it will continue to work after the change and Feedly looks like it may also be something to consider.

Maybe we should untether our selves from a service we don’t control. I did some experimenting and it looks like with a tiny bit of effort we can make our own Google Reader app right in WordPress. And it will take you less time to do than it takes me to write this blog post! You’ll get the ability to star posts and you’ll have categories and a single central feed of all the sites you keep up on that you can read in any reader app. Continue reading →

Which developer automation tool do you think is the best? Make, Rake, Ant, Fabric, Grunt, or …

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Automating repetitive tasks is fun. It is an interesting exercise for the mind and it reduces the time and errors associated with mundane tasks that must be done over and over. There are various automation tools for different domains. Mac users turn to Automator and Applescript, MS Office users leverage VBA. Web testers use Selinium, but what do programmers use?

Well, they use a lot of tools. I’m curious what the pros and cons of each tool are, here are the ones I know about: Continue reading →

Google IO 2013 8bit codes

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I’m considering going to Google I/O 2013 so was checking out the website. I noticed you could click on the letters when a friend pointed out that it was making 8bit codes at the bottom. I tried entering the values for 2013 and a few other common numbers but didn’t get anything. I browsed the source but I don’t like reading minified code so gave up.

Today I’m sick and can’t go to work, so I thought I’d play with it a little bit more. There are patterns you can enter to get to some hidden games and other novelties. Here’s what I found:

So far I’ve identified 12 different patterns. I’m wondering if there are actually 13 (for 2013) but so far I’ve been unable to find another. If you find one, I’d love to know it. Continue reading →