CS145 - Autumn, 2007

CS145 - Autumn, 2007: "Oracle gives mysterious error numbers when you do something wrong. Using the error-messaage number as a Google query often gives you an answer from some newsgroup that has discussed the problem."

Installing Oracle 11g on CentOS under VMWare on a Macbook - Oracle Wiki

Installing Oracle 11g on CentOS under VMWare on a Macbook - Oracle Wiki: "This guide shows you how to install Oracle 11g on CentOS under VMWare Fusion on a Macbook."

13 Enabling Advanced Features of Oracle Net Services

13 Enabling Advanced Features of Oracle Net Services:

"What TAF Restores

TAF automatically restores some or all of the following elements associated with active database connections. Other elements, however, may need to be embedded in the application code to enable TAF to recover the connection."

Business soaring at Oakland's Fenton's, thanks to 'Up!' - San Jose Mercury News

Business soaring at Oakland's Fenton's, thanks to 'Up!' - San Jose Mercury News: "The ice cream parlor is the most recent in a long line of local connections integrated into Emeryville-based Pixar's films. 'The Incredibles' featured a police chase down San Pablo Avenue, which runs from Oakland to West Contra Costa. Much of 'Monsters vs Aliens' took place between San Francisco and Modesto. Even the flying house from 'Up!' is based on a Victorian in West Berkeley."

xdotool - fake keyboard/mouse input :: semicomplete.com - Jordan Sissel

xdotool - fake keyboard/mouse input :: semicomplete.com - Jordan Sissel: "This tool lets you programatically (or manually) simulate keyboard input and mouse activity, move and resize windows, etc"

wmctrl - A command line tool to interact with an EWMH/NetWM compatible X Window Manager.

wmctrl - A command line tool to interact with an EWMH/NetWM compatible X Window Manager.: "The wmctrl program is a UNIX/Linux command line tool to interact with an EWMH/NetWM compatible X Window Manager.

The tool provides command line access to almost all the features defined in the EWMH specification. It can be used, for example, to obtain information about the window manager, to get a detailed list of desktops and managed windows, to switch and resize desktops, to make windows full-screen, always-above or sticky, and to activate, close, move, resize, maximize and minimize them."

Oracle: tracing a session

Method A (for your own session):

SQL> ALTER SESSION SET SQL_TRACE={True|False};


Method B (for your own session):

SQL> EXECUTE dbms_session.set_sql_trace ({True|False});


Method C (for super user to trace other sessions):

SQL> EXECUTE dbms_system.set_sql_trace_in_session (sid,serial#,{True|False});

Taco Sauce

Mild version:

3c water
2t cornstarch
1 6-oz can tomato paste
3T white vinegar
4t chili powder
2t salt
1t cayenne pepper

Dissolve cornstanch in water in medium saucepan.
Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring to a
boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for
5 minutes. Cover till cool, refrigerate.

Makes 3 cups.

Hot and spicy version:

1 6-oz can tomato paste
3c water
3T white vinegar
3t minced jalepeno
1T chili powder
1t dried minced onion
2t salt
2t cornstarch
1t cayenne pepper
1t sugar
1/4t onion powder
1/4t garlic powder

White House Chocolate Chip Cookies

3c + 3t all-purpose flour
1t baking soda
1/4t salt
1c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1c granulated sugar
2/3c packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4c molasses
1T vanilla extract
2c (12 oz bag) chocolate chips
1c chopped walnuts

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs, molasses and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Chill dough for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat pads.

Drop heaping tablespoons or No. 40 ice-cream scoops of dough 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, flattening slightly by hand.

Bake until just light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool cookies for 5 minutes on baking sheets before transferring to wire rack.

Cookies will keep in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.

Advance Preparation: Place balls of dough on parchment and freeze. Balls may be stored frozen in freezer bags for up to 1 month. Place frozen cookies on prepared sheets as above, and defrost on the counter for 30 minutes before baking.

Mark's Famous Chili

Famous on three continents!

"Chili meat" is coarsly ground beef. You can substitute any kind of ground beef if you can't find the chili grind.

1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 lb chili meat
1 Tbsp paprika
5-6 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp ground oregano
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp jalepeno pepper, to taste

Brown chili meat. Add all ingredients except peppers. Simmer 1 hr
covered. Add peppers. Simmer 1/2 hr covered. Serve with pinto
beans if desired. Garnish with chopped onions and grated cheese.
If in competition, defer adding spices until just before judging.

Pachelbel Bedtime lyrics

Bathtime and Bedtime at the Crawford house inspired this little ditty.

Why don't you wanna say goodnight
Why is it that you do not go to your bed and sleep tight
until the morning light is coming,
casts its face upon your eyes,
and then you wake to greet the day God has made
and rejoice that you are part of it.

Why do you insist upon the crying and the moaning
and the whining and the screaming and the tantrums and the yelling
and the kicking and the smacking and the biting and the hissies
the one more drink of water and the "one more book please daddy"

and now,

I just want you to go to sleep, I don't want to hear a peep,
from either one, the day is well past done.

And I'm about to lose my mind,
Im gonna tear up your behind,
So nighty night,
Aand don't let the bedbugs bite.

Now it is so quiet and so peaceful
In this once chaotic house
We are are sleeping and we're dreaming
And it's as quiet as a mouse
But what is that familiar sound tiptoeing nearer?

Little steps approaching closer,
No, it can't be what i'm fearing

And it's not - it's just the cat
And she is purring so contently
and she snuggles at my feet,
to be sure it's quite endearing,
my lids relieve my eyes of all the stress that they were feeling
and i turn my head to sleep
but i feel somebody staring
and it's - augh!

She's staring right at me
her eyes are glazed with sleep,
I nearly wet, the sheets upon my bed,
Her lips, are trembling as she speaks,
Now there's color in her cheeks,
She looks so frail,
my heart begins to swell

Now she lays beside me and
she breathes so easily
her dreams are happy
and she sighs a tender sigh so peacefully
she knows her mommy and her daddy and her sissy love her greatly
and we sleep throughout the nighttime
never ever more sedately

and now

morning casts its light upon the pillow
where her head begins to stir
I try to wake her so her kind and gentle dreams
I don't disturb
but as I pull her from her slumber
ever slowly
I know in my heart of hearts exactly where this all is going

and the crying and moaning
and the whining and the screaming and the
"Daddy, you're so mean, how could you interrupt my dreaming",
the brushing of the hair,
and then the clothes they hate to wear,
i need to check the (?) and care
I gave her teddy bear.

And a son, in din in her own school, ???
all the work i travel to,
my mind's a wreck,
i keep hearing songs from Shrek,
I work all day and then go home,
all my stress is mostly gone,

my kids I see, and i pull them in closely,

then we start to do the homework
and the dinner must be started
and gymnastics and piano
and then groceries must be carted
and the smallest one is crying, "won't you hold me" like she's dying
and the oldest one's frustrated with her homework
though she's trying

and dinner's on the table but it's cold
because we waited for the children to get back
from practicing all their cheerleading
now the brocolli is so nasty,
the macaroni's pasty, the meat is tough as leather,
really nothing is quite tasty

so the crying and moaning
and the screaming and the whining
start again, but now the target is asleep
and sometime dining(?)

And I raise my hand in wonder
as I look around the table
how can anyone survive,
is anyone out there enabled

and I think about the laughter, when times are not so hectic,
and I know that though my stomach can get slightly nongo(?) peptic,
when I see their smiling faces when on swings I push them gently,
when I hold their little hands, life could not go more contently,

So the crying and the moaning and the screaming and the kicking
play a very tiny part of all the time my life is ticking,
and the good outweighs the bad, I am more happy than I'm sad,
For all of this I should be glad, I've had it better than my Dad,
You bet I have.

Mark Harrison - Google Profile

Mark Harrison - Google Profile: "Programmer at Pixar
Piedmont, CA"

Hardware/software co-debugging in a hardware description language Nils Endric Schubert et al

Hardware/software co-debugging in a hardware description language Nils Endric Schubert et al:
"

Patent number: 7240303
Filing date: Jun 6, 2003
Issue date: Jul 3, 2007
Inventors: Nils Endric Schubert, Kenneth S. McElvain, John Mark Beardslee, Mario Larouche
Assignees: Synplicity, Inc."

Ironic Sans: Celebrity Patents

Ironic Sans: Celebrity Patents: "So, inspired by Google’s new easy-to-use patent search, I decided to dig up some of the celebrity patents that have been issued over the years. The following 18 20 patents are all by celebrities not usually known for being inventors. You can follow the links to the actual patents to learn more about each one."

Font Generator - Make Your Own Handwriting Font With Your Fonts

Font Generator - Make Your Own Handwriting Font With Your Fonts: "YourFonts.com is an online font generator that allows you to create your own OpenType fonts within a couple of minutes. Go make your own handwriting as a font!"

Font Garden | Download free fonts | Unique Handwriting Fonts

Font Garden | Download free fonts | Unique Handwriting Fonts: "This is where I write about fonts, me, web design, things I found useful and font deals I find."

Live Interactive Ships Traffic Worldwide Map

Live Interactive Ships Traffic Worldwide Map

Weed, Booze, Cocaine and Other Old School "Medicine" Ads - Pharmacy Technician Schools

Weed, Booze, Cocaine and Other Old School "Medicine" Ads - Pharmacy Technician Schools: "Granted, hindsight is 20/20, but some awfully strange substances have been used for pharmaceutical purposes in the past -- and some might argue, continue to be used today. Here are some vintage advertisements touting items that we might balk at taking today."

working with stackoverflow xml dump

Even though the extension says .zip, it is actually 7zip.

Add some newlines to make it easier to fiddle with:

mh@schrute /Volumes/data/Users/mh/so/xml --> cat splitxml.c

#include
int main()
{
int c;
int first = 1;
while ((c = getchar()) != EOF) {
if (c == '<') {
if (first == 1)
first = 0;
else
putchar('\n');
}
putchar(c);
}
}

python xml.sax reports errors on these chars:

grep -l '&#x[0-9][0-9];' *.xml

to fix:

perl -pi -e 's/&#x[0-9][0-9];//g' *.xml

Principles of XML design: When to use elements versus attributes

Principles of XML design: When to use elements versus attributes: "The oldest question asked by adopters of XML is when to use elements and when to use attributes in XML design. As with most design issues, this question rarely has absolute answers, but developers have also experienced a lack of very clear guidelines to help them make this decision. In this article, Uche Ogbuji offers a set of guiding principles for what to put in elements and what to put in attributes."

GovTalk – e-Government Schema Guidelines for XML

GovTalk – e-Government Schema Guidelines for XML: "This document contains guidelines for developing XML Schemas for e-GIF compliant systems. These guidelines include mandatory requirements for XML Schema structure and content, as well as best practice recommendations for schema design."

Fantasy literature: Some magical offerings | The Scriptorium Daily: Middlebrow

Fantasy literature: Some magical offerings | The Scriptorium Daily: Middlebrow: "“Sing, O Muse, of Gollum, of Mr. Tumnus, of Pantalaimon, of the Dementors, of the elfstones, of the black cauldron, of the Old Ones, and of the Aes Sedai”!
What would Homer and Virgil have thought of that?"

'How the Mighty Fall' - MarketWatch

'How the Mighty Fall' - MarketWatch: "Given the sad fate of General Motors, Fannie Mae, Bear Stearns and scores of other companies that fell on hard financial times, it's a smart time for a best-selling business writer to pen a book titled 'How the Mighty Fall.'"

killing session with instance id

SQL> select inst_id,sid,serial# from gv$session where username='SCOTT';

INST_ID SID SERIAL#
---------- ---------- ----------
1 130 620

SQL> alter system kill session '130,620,@1';

The Volokh Conspiracy - -

The Volokh Conspiracy - -: "Exposure to the wider world, however, has left me persuaded that abstract libertarianism must sometimes give way to the realities of cultures and actual conditions."

Easter Eggs in Pixar’s Up | /Film

Easter Eggs in Pixar’s Up | /Film: "Pixar loves to hide Easter eggs in their films, little references to movies and characters from the animation studio’s past and future. Last year we put together a compilation of WALL-E easter eggs, so I thought we’d do the same thing for Pixar’s new film Up. If you haven’t seen the film, be warned that this article references scenes from the film which may be considered spoilers."

Pixar perfect: The people at this studio have important lessons to teach - Kansas City Star

Pixar perfect: The people at this studio have important lessons to teach - Kansas City Star: "Pixar has refined a way of working and living that should be obvious, but that so few other movies - that so few other human beings - are able to follow: Work hard. Surround yourself with the brightest people you know, and put your faith in their opinions. Check your ego at the door."