After watching a YouTube clip that swung by me on TwitterFox about a comedian Louis C.K. talking about “Everything is Amazing, nobody’s happy”, it got me thinking about what I do for people and the web everyday. I build a site called Glacsy.com for about 14 hours a day (and paying $145/month for the server, gas to/from photoshoots, spend my time helping ad campaigns, etc), I don’t get paid for any of it, not a penny. But I enjoy doing it, building something people “could” appreciate and enjoy – for FREE. I’ve just learned that people have started taking everything “free” for granted. Like Twitter or YouTube or Facebook for example (and Models.Glacsy.com), these services doesn’t charge you to put your thoughts, photos, or videos online so you can show your friends and family.
Facebook amazes me the most though. Being able to talk to people you knew from high school is like the coolest thing – and people really take that for granted. It’s like your high school reunion online – everyday. I’ve always had a really hard time keeping in touch with my family, now it’s easier. Or Twitter for another example. I can post just about anything I want or let people know how I feel and other people can follow and read about – me. Twitter is like the movie called “A bug’s life” or “Ants”. It makes me “feel” important – in some sense.
I really think Louis is right, just be thankful that the things you see, hear, smell, and touch actually exists. Because you may just catch yourself saying - “Wouldn’t it be cool if ___?”.
Not too long ago, I spared some time to discover the hype of LINQ, primarily, LINQ to SQL. I was amazed of how much faster I could get things done with much less code. In fact, I’ve converted much of Glacsy.com to using LINQ and have noticed a HUGE performance increase from the server. The websites load faster, an area in which we’ve been targeting and trying to improve since the new rebuild of the sites. I may post a few examples to include LINQ in the future.
Found solution 1: Reset skipped packages by running devenv /resetskippkgs
Found solution 2: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/vssetup/thread/5dba2643-1fce-4004-bef6-11cfdf312d8c/
”Here's a solution found somewhere in the inet.
Visual Studio Menu -> Tools -> Import and Export Settings -> Reset all settings
BR, Oleg”
Today is Getting Down to the Wire or GDW day. It’s a day that marks when a project is near it’s end. For MissNavajoNation.org, it’s nowhere near it’s completion as I’ve made a few decisions for better usability. It’s due date is Feb 14, 2009 and may be a little more lengthy than expected for a full completed site. The design/layout is finally completed. So for the next few weeks, I will be hammering out code to finish the project.
After reading a rather alarming blog post, I realized that Britain is following the book of Revelations. If you visit http://government.zdnet.com/?p=4252&tag=rbxccnbzd1 and read below “Oh, and by the way, the Independent notes”, you’ll see yourself. Creating biometric identity cards is only the start. I’ve read that a company created a chip the size of a single cell that can hold 2 bytes of data. Now if Britain smartens up and creates a way to build cell-chips to be inserted into the human body and then becomes a new form of a “biometric identity card”, that will “paving the way to the world’s largest identity register”. Not only that, replace the current “paper & coin” currency to an electronic version, all you’ll need to do is scan your hand to buy bread.
“The things you least expect, you’ll always find…
The things you most expect, is hard to get…”
Being out of commission (PC breakdowns, now fixed) and offline can really set you back - and a lot too. I've finally got most of everything setup and ready to go. Finished up on updates to NavajoNationMuseum.org, getting the Glacsy Models website project back in motion, getting ready for week 2 in training Department of Dine Education in ASP.NET 3.5, and trying to enjoy the holidays with Tionne in spare time.
Today, I’ve finished up on the major parts of Glacsy Events and will be starting on the new site for Glacsy Models as soon as I get this last bug/issue completed (and what a little stubborn bug it is). I’ve completed the layout for the main site so far and completed the layout for Glacsy Events long ago as most of you may have already seen. Glacsy.com 4.0 will be targeting a much sleeker, cleaner, and simpler design both for the customers (you) and the developers (me). It will be a better experience (for you) and easier to maintain (for me).
Unlike last year’s official launch (what a disaster it was), this year’s launch will be a little earlier around late Oct/early Nov timeframe. Also, as a little tip, we’ve decided rather than waiting to launch everything all in a single day, we’d release separate section of the site as we near the final RTW (Release To Web). So this will be a lot of fun (at least for us it will be) and everyone can enjoy a better (and sooner) experience at Glacsy.com.
As a last note, can you please flood my email with feedback and requests (I’m not asking, I’m begging)? I already get enough, but I feel that it needs MORE!!! Simply send them to devteam@glacsy.com and I will be much happier. Thank you and have some fun at Glacsy.com!!!…
Well, I’ve been out from blogging for a while and thought I should start blogging again. A lot has happened since my last blog:
1. I got a new PC/Server
It has two(2) Dual-Core Intel Xeon CPUs, 8GB of ECC RAM, and five(5) Seagate 73GB SCSI 10,000RPM HDDs. I’m converting it into a workstation/gamer to run Windows XP x64 (Corporate Edition), Windows Server 2003 R2 x64, Tiny XP (stripped down version of Windows XP Professional for gaming), and Topologi-Linux (run Linux inside Windows). You can view more details of my computer specs.
2. Got a better car
It’s a 2003 Chevrolet Impala LS with a stock 3800 series V6 engine. She’s my little beauty…
3. A new Dell Inspiron 1521 laptop.
I bought it from Wal-mart (ALL SHAME ON ME, I KNOW). I just didn’t want to wait for shipping (takes FOREVER to ship to my house). If I would have bought a laptop directly from Dell, I would have got a much better laptop at a much lower price. I guess that’s what I get for “convenience”. I’ll be using it as a “communication hub” for all emails, IM/chatting, blogging (even for this post), research/browsing, RDPs, and a mobile way for developing .NET projects for Glacsy and clients. I’ll be including it in my Computer Specs soon also…
4. Started completely rebuilding Glacsy.com
I hate Glacsy.com right now with the UI, maintenance, and logistic issues. I even hate how I wrote the code… So, this time with “Glacsy.com 4.0”, I’m involving a lot more planning in layout/UI, infrastructure for both navigation, file structures, and databases/schemas. Even the code itself is cleaned up a TON and far better structured. for the customer, the new site will be a lot more pleasant, organized, and simplified. The only major change is the Glacsy Community will be the new Glacsy Events.
5. Got mad at a few business owners
Another day at the office. Sometimes you can be nice to them and sometimes you have to yell at them…
Many of my friends, co-workers, family, and others have their computer specs posted in their blogs. So, I decided to add my own and a few other current features. (Note: Computer Specs will be updated without notice.)
The Workstation/Gaming PC:
Updated: 12/20/08 @ 3:42 AM MST - Previous Update: 7/2/08 @ 3:47 PM MST
System Hardware Specs:
System CPU & Current Stats:
2x Dual-Core Intel Xeon Processors
CPU1: Dual-Core Intel Xeon @ 3.0GHz
CPU2: Dual-Core Intel Xeon @ 3.0GHz
System Memory:
8GB ECC DDR2 RAM = 8x 1024MB ECC DDR2 RAM
System Motherboard:
SuperMicro X6DH8-XG2
Intel Chipset
Motherboard (Note to self: Nice!!!)
System Harddisk Drives:
5x Seagate Cheetah 73GB 10,000RPM SCSI Hot-Swap HDDs
- 73GB [C:] System (Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition)
- 73GB [D:] Programs Files
- 73GB [E:] Projects (Local)
- 73GB [G:] Gaming Files
- 73GB [H:] Projects (Network)
1x Seagate Barracuda 320GB 7,200RPM HDD
- 200GB [F:] Storage
System Video Card:
1x VisionTek ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 w/ 2GB GDDR5 RAM (the sweetest damn thing on the planet right now)
2x 1900x1600 Resolution @ 60 MHz
System Sound Card:
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 24-bit (Enabled)
System DVD & CD-RW Drives:
16x Lite-On DVD-RW Drive
16x Lite-On DVD Drive
System Monitor:
2x Dell 24” 2407WFP-HC LCD Monitors (in Dual-Screen Mode)
Other Specs:
3x Redundant 500Watts Power Supplies (1,500 Watts Total)
1x 480W Power Supply (just to power the video card)
2x APC Backup Power/Surge Protection Unit
6x Case High-Powered Silent Fans
Logitech 2.1 Speakers
This is my beautiful monster – What do you have?
System Pics:
(Update (3/17/2009): Messy desk and now cleaned computer, may update pics soon)
Primary Dell 24” |
Secondary Dell 24” |
15” Dell Inspiron 1521 (need to get a better one) |
MERC Stealth Back-lit Keyboard and there is a Logitech M-BZ105A Laser mouse next to it
|
“My Beautiful Monster” |
2x Rear High-Velocity Server fans & 3 Redundant Power Supplies |
Side view of “My Beautiful Monster” |
Inside “My Beautiful Monster”
You can see the two Duel-Core Intel Xeons, the ATI 4870 X2 vid card, and more fans here |
A night-vision of the VisionTek ATI 4870 X2 |
And the actual ATI 4870 X2 also with two soundcards (and there’s a big reason for those both installed) |
View of the plastic air-flow shield (or whatever you call it to cool off a server CPU and memory) |
And here ALL eight(8) 1GB ECC DDR2 RAM sticks with the two Intel Xeons |
I love the fans, there’s total of six(6) High-Velocity fans in the case (4 internal & 2 external(rear) fans) |
This is one of the five(5) Hot-Swap (means you can pull this out WHILE the system is running) Hard-drives. There are six drives - five SCSI 10k RPM 73GB HDDs and one SATA 320GB 7.2k RPM HDD. All drives are by Seagate. |
And the front view of the system… |
|
System Software Specs:
Currently Installed Operating Systems:
1. Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition
Currently Installed Major Software:
Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise Edition + OneNote 2007
Visual Studio 2008 Team Edition for Software Developers
.NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, & 3.5
Microsoft SQL 2008 Server Enterprise Edition
Adobe Creative Suite 4 (CS4) – Master Collection Edition
And a LOT more...
Current Installed Games: (Yes, I'm a gamer too…)
Computer Games: (Sorted by Most Favorite)
Left 4 Dead
Half-Life: Natural Selection
Need for Speed: Undercover
Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath
Microsoft's Flight Simulator X
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
World In Conflict
Company of Heros
Half-Life 2 & “The Orange Box”
The “Communications Hub & Portable Work Machine”/Laptop PC:
Updated: 7/2/08 @ 3:47 PM MDT
Dell Inspiron 1521 – More specs coming soon…
Thanks to Jackie Johnson, I was able to fix my issue with Adobe Acrobat closing. I had checked the FLEXnet Licensing Service and tried to start it. It kept giving an "Error 2: The system cannot find the file specified." error. Google gave me Jackie Johnson and problem fixed.
I had made some changes to my registry and disabled few software using a third-party registry editor/manager and had forgot about what I did. So, a not to self is - don't disable software in the registry... Below is a copy of the post:
Jackie Johnson - 6:53am Apr 14, 08 PST (#266 of 268)
Edited: 14-Apr-2008 at 06:53am
SOLVED!
the problem was the FLEXnet service that wasn't up and running. why?
ran services.msc, looked for flexnet and noticed that the process path had a minus (-) in front of it, e.g.:
-"C:\Programs..."
(strange is it?)
all i did was running regedit and looking for the string: -"C:\
found one, removed the minus, closed regedit.
ran again services.msc and started the flexnet service.
NO MORE 10SEC CRASHES!
tell if it worked for you too!
It's Wednesday, Feb 27, 2008 @ 1:29AM and I'm 28 years old. I've just finished watching a friend's bootlegged movie called "Awake". After the movie, I realized that yesterday was just Monday and Tuesday came and gone like a blink-of-an-eye.
Reminder: Start enjoying your life - Everyday...
Ok, I have a signup .aspx form using masterpages and a footer usercontrol with a "Contact Us" form (and a bit more to the layout, but I'll just focus on the to main area to this "Note to Self"). I'll start with the footer since that is the source of my problem.
On the footer, I have a "Contact Us" panel form using the modalpopup AJAX toolkit control which in turn is using validations for that particular form with it's own submit button.
The masterpage, of course, "ties" the footer form to the .aspx signup form.
For the signup .aspx page, most people know to use validation in a signup form. It's a common practice anyway isn't it?
Now that you have an idea of what the form looks like (or just go to http://www.glacsy.com/signup and click on the "Contact Us" link on the bottom to see how everything looks like). I have spent 2 days on this rare occasion trying to figure out "How isn't the signup form submitting?" The form was validating just fine, if not perfect. It was the button not submitting or "working". You click it, nothing happens - no errors, no notices, nothing... So imagine the overwhelming frustration slapping me in my face at that moment. Not a great feeling - especially of what steps I took to solve the issue. You may laugh of what I did - I did anyway.
The first place I researched was on Google. Not much there. Then I figured my local .NET framework was corrupted (yeah I know already, stop laughing). So I re-installed all the .NET frameworks (.NET 2.0, .NET 3.0, .NET 3.5, & .NET 3.5 Extensions Preview). I'm running Vista. After the reinstalls and resetting IIS7 (stop laughing). I tried the form - still nothing (you can laugh now).
By mistake and ONLY by mistake (I still don't know why I clicked on it), after I clicked on the "not working" submit button, I clicked in the "Contact Us" link and found that there were validation error or "fields not filled in" errors. That's when the other hand called "Stupidity" slapped me in my face. I forgot to include "ValidationGroups". Wow, the agony and pain of my face!
Well, I added validationgroups just to the "Contact Us" form (no need to added validationgroups to every form on the site, just need it on that form) and what do you know? Everything WORKS! So, even if you have a form in a usercontrol or in a modalpopup control, use validationgroups...
Note: Be sure to add a validationgroup to both the control being validated and the validator.
Days wasted on this problem: 2 days
I should have posted these a while back, but here they are. They were taken on Feb. 15, 2007 in Panama City, FL at my dad's house.
My sister Kim Jackson and I...
and my dad Victor Jackson and I...
For those who are wondering why my last name is Linder, I was adopted when I was 6 years old. I called my dad last year on Jan. 1, 2007 for the first time. I'll be posting more pics soon...
USB + Drivers + Vista + x64 + "New Hardware Found" Install + KB941600 = Total USB Destruction...
To completely screw up your USB ports/drivers in Vista x64, simply INSTALL this update through Windows Update. It will, in fact, give you plenty of problems including the extremely annoying "New Hardware Found" dialog on every boot. Some may have found a "Hotfix" called KB937187. But the power of KB941600 is overwhelming and very destructive and not even KB937187 can stop it.
| Update Destruction for Windows Vista for x64-based Systems (KB941600)
Download size: 341 KB You may will need to restart your computer for this update to take effect. Update type: Recommended <---- NOT TRUE!!! Hide it and RUN AWAY!!! This update resolves some creates reliability issues in the USB core components on the Windows Vista operating system. You can achieve better even worse reliability in various scenarios by installing this update. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer and regret what you've done. More information:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941600 Help and Support:
http://support.microsoft.com |
Ok, I've read a lot of forums, blogs, and threads about this update. In my case, I simply uninstalled the update, deleted the "INICACHE.1" file, uninstalled all USB drivers, rebooted 3 times (in a row), and accepted/installed "New Hardware Found" options presented. Days wasted on this problem: 6 days...