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HTML Entity for Smart Quotes
The HTML Entities for “smart quotes” are:
“ and ”
You can remember them as left double quote and right double quote.
MySQL - SQL To Add a Column to a Table
Here's a simple SQL statement to add a varchar column of size 100 to a table:
ALTER TABLE tablename ADD COLUMN columnName varchar(100);
Tips for Storing Old Photos
I have been doing some research to find out what the best way to store lots of old picture is.
Here are some tips I have gathered.
- Products like cardboard and paper can harm photographs and should only be used if labeled acid free.
- Plastic sleeves should be constructed of uncoated polyester, polypropylene, or polyethylene.
- Look for an acid free storage box, if plastic it should be constructed of polyester (polyethylene terephthalate) or polyethylene and NOT PVC (polyvinyl chloride).
- Don't use magnetic albums.
- The ideal temperature for photo storage is around 68° F.
- For negatives 30-40° is actually the ideal temperature.
- Store in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated area.
Here are some sites I used for reference:
- antiques.about.com/cs/photographs1/ht/StoringPhotos.htm
- www.chaddsfordhistory.org/history/care.htm
- aic.stanford.edu/library/online/brochures/photos.html
- www.creativescrapbooking.com/topics/storage.htm
Flush DNS Cache in Windows
Need to flush your DNS cache in Windows? Try running the following in Start - Run:
ipconfig /flushdns
This should work on Windows XP, Windows 2000, and possibly other versions of Windows.
You can learn more about ipconfig in Windows from Microsoft's web site
Caffeine: Coke Vs Coffee
Ever wonder just how much caffeine is in different drinks? Then check out the caffiene database.
For how much more caffiene do you find in coffee vs coke?
According to the database CocaCola Classic has 2.83 mg of caffiene per ounce. Drip coffee has 18.13 mg of caffiene per ounce on average (coffee can vary quite a bit).
It is also interesting to note that Diet Coke has more caffiene (3.75 mg/oz) than classic coke.
Brother MFC-420CN Printer Scanner Copier Fax Review
As a small business bootstrapper I was looking for an inexpensive multifunction all in one printer, copier, scanner, fax (actually I wasn't looking to get a fax, but this printer came with it, and it is a good deal).
As you might guess I ended up going with the Brother MFC-420CN. I have owned it for a few weeks, and it is working out great.
I haven't had to use the scanner yet, but the copier and printer work great. My only issue was that I was having trouble printing an envelope, it would smudge ink on it. This wasn't a standard business envelope however, it was for an invitation, and was kind of bulky.
Ink consumption seams to be pretty good, I know some of the comparable printers ship with very small ink cartrages, the adobe one at least.
Overall I would recommend this product for any small business or home office.
Flex - Error: Constructor functions must be instance methods
One cause of the error message: Error: Constructor functions must be instance methods
in Flex can be caused when you have a component with the same ID as the Application. So if you have a file test.mxml and a component <mx:Label id="test" text="test" /> you might get this error.
WebSphere WAR Deployment Timeout Exception
If you ever get an exception deploying a large WAR file on WebSphere here's the error, and how to fix it.
EJPPH0036I: Timeout reached after 300 seconds.
Explanation: A timeout was received prior to the expected notification event.
User Response: Increase the value of the property was.notification.timeout in DeploymentService.properies.
The stack trace may contain the exception com.ibm.wps.pe.mgr.exceptions.AppServerWarInstallException:
The DeploymentService.properties is located in shared/app/config/services under your websphere install root.
Listing contents of a jar file with jar command
Need to list the contents of a jar file? You need to specify the options tf to the jar command, for example:
jar tf any.jar
If you use jar --help it may mislead you to think you need to specify a dash, or that you don't need the f flag.
Note you could also use this to list the contents of a zip file if you have java's jar command installed.
WebSphere Portal Server API jar file location
Looking for the portlet-api jar file containing the IBM WebSphere Portlet API?
Try looking in the PortalServer/shared/app/ folder for the file: wp.pe.api.legacy.jar this contains the classes for the org.apache.jetspeed.portlet package
WebSphere Portlet API to JSR 168 Standard portlet API
Here are some links that you will find handy when migrating to the JSR168 portlet api from the IBM WebSphere Portlet API.
WebSphere portal server disabled deployment of JSR168 portlets by default. You can enabled it by setting portal.enable.jsr168 = true in the file ConfigService.properties in the directory wp_root/shared/app/config/services/
API Documentation
- javax.portlet.* - JSR 168 API documentation
- org.apache.jetspeed.portlet - IBM WebSphere Portlet API documentation.
Other documents
- Using JSR 168 with WebSphere Portal Server
- Comparing JSR 168 to the IBM portlet API
- Migrating from the IBM Portlet API to JSR 168
- IBM Portlet API vs. JSR 168: Which portlet should a Domino developer choose?
- Comparing the JSR 168 Java Portlet Specification with the IBM Portlet API
- Portlet API comparison white paper JSR 168 Java Portlet Specification compared to the IBM Portlet API
Netgear WiFi Skype Phone
This looks cool, its a WiFi phone from netgear that uses skype to make calls whenever your at a wifi hotspot.
Update: The Netgear WiFi (802.11 Skype Phone is now for sale on Amazon.
Proper enctype for HTML form file uploads
I always forget this, but you need to use enctype="multipart/form-data" in your HTML form tag, when doing a file upload (input type="file"). Also don't forget to use method="post" on the form tag.
Searching installed RPM packages
Suppose you want to search the rpm's installed on a linux server that uses rpm (the Redhat Package Manager). I find the easiest way to query is by doing something like this:
rpm -qa | fgrep httpd
The -qa will list all installed rpm's, then we can pipe a grep to search the list.
Free Snowflake Web Background
I was searching for a free snowflake background to use in my weekly amazon deals newsletter, and couldn't find one I liked, so I took a few minutes and made one. Feel free to use this background on your website, or whataever:
Simplessity - A blog about simplicity
I just started the Simplessity Blog, it has a focus on simplicity.
Why we like rounded corners
Great article at the basement, on why we like rounded corners so much. The basement also looks like a cool site.
Tips for stronger bones
There is an article in this months Outside Magazine about bone density, and building strong bones. The article points out that when you sweat you loose calcium, so it is important for athletes to get a lot of calcium.
It also points out that non impact exercise like swimming, walking, or cycling doesn't prompt your body to build strong bones like running, or weight lifting does. Due to sweating swimmers, walkers and cyclists tend to loose bone density the fastest.
The article recommends the average active person gets 1200mg of calcium a day. A glass of skim milk contains about 300mg of calcium, a yogurt around 400mg.
Don't like dairy? You can get your calcium from these sources:
- Collards - 1 cup has 357mg of calcium
- Spinach - 1 cup has 291mg
- Baked Beans - 1 cup has 154mg of calcium
- Salmon - 3oz 181mg
- More
Besides consuming more calcium, you can also catch some rays - the vitamin D from the sun helps you absorb calcium.
Excessive consumption of alcohol, and soda may also cause deterioration of bone density.
How do you build a great company by keeping things simple
Jason Fried's first podcast with Venture Voice discusses 37signals philosophy of keeping it simple.
10 HTML Form Tips
Here are 10 tips to a better html form. Via Daily Mashup.
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