During the day, I refuse to reboot my laptop unless it's absolutely necessary because I never know when Windows will try to install an update. Installations normally finish pretty quick and I can continue, but a few months ago I rebooted and the installation just sat there forever. The screen said it was installing x out of y updates with blinking periods. I wasn't sure if it was doing something or not, so I left it. After a few hours I was really starting to wonder. I finally ended up researching what to do on the internet using my other laptop.
The same thing happened to me yesterday. I let the install go for 5 hours before interrupting it.
What I did was hold the power key down for about 10 seconds. The laptop turned off. I pushed the power button again to turn it back on and chose startup in Safe Mode. Safe Mode took care of whatever the issue was and booted into Windows. I then restarted into normal windows mode. Things seem ok except whenever an app called 4shared Desktop tries to start, it gives an error message. No big deal since I don't use it anyways.
5 hours is a good length of time to wait, 2 - 3 hours minimum, before killing a Windows update. One site I read even said to wait 30 minutes. I'd rather wait a little longer just to be sure. Killing a Windows update when it's actually doing something might cause more harm than good.
BTW, my laptop is an HP Pavilion dv5 running Windows 7.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Facet Search Implementation Tips
I recently added a facet search capability to a website. It's really cool! Facet search allows the user to apply filters to a collection of data in order to narrow down the results. Implementation is more complicated than it initially sounds.
Assuming the data is stored in a database, one way to implement facet searching is to repeatedly call the database with a new query whenever a filter is added or removed. This way can get complicated, but it's possible. It seems like it may be a little slow too. Here are a few links with details on how to implement it: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/8300675/php-navigation-with-filters http://ivaldi.nl/2012/05/seo-friendly-faceted-search-1/
The other way to implement facet searching is to load all of the data once when the page loads. When a filter is activated or deactivated, the filter is applied to the stored data and the results updated. Loading all of the data at once may be a little slow, but once the data is all loaded the filtering goes pretty quick. You can hook in ajax, so that when the filter is activated or deactivated, the results immediately update without a page reload. The site I was adding this to is pretty complex and to reload the page each time wouldn't be the greatest user experience. There were a couple of examples I followed for the implementation. The main one being: http://eikes.github.com/facetedsearch/
Other helpful examples were:
http://proj.2ality.com/facetator/
The facet menu had 3 facets. One was a list of checkboxes. The other two were a series of links where only one link in each facet could be active at a time.
I made a template file for the general outline of the facet menu, a script file to control features of the facet menu itself, such as hide a facet when only one choice is allowed and updating a current selections div. It sat on top of the facetedsearch example script. That file needed a few changes in order to accomodate the data being filtered and to blend the results into the way the page was displaying the results.
I also changed the way the counts were displayed. I took out the + and found the counts for each option based on the filtered data. That was a little tricky, but worked out good.
Another key piece in making the facet search run smoothly is to add a hash tag at the end of your url with parameters for the currently set filters. ex: www.abc.com/#x=1&y=2
Doing this ensures the back/forward buttons navigate smoothly. Some helpful links about that are:
http://blog.mgm-tp.com/2011/10/must-know-url-hashtechniques-for-ajax-applications/
I ended up using this plugin for Internet Explorer 7 to work properly: http://benalman.com/projects/jquery-hashchange-plugin/
For browsers supporting history.pushback, you can just do:
window.history.pushState({path : pageurl}, '', pageurl); to add the hash tag.
For browsers not supporting history.pushback, you do:
window.location.hash = filter_str;
To make it work, you do:
var originalHash = window.location.hash;
if (window.history && window.history.pushState) {
window.addEventListener("popstate", function(e) {
var newHash = window.location.hash;
if(newHash != originalHash) {
//get the filters from the url, apply them & update the results
}
originalHash = newHash;
});
}
For Internet Explorer 7:
$(function(){
$(window).hashchange( function(){
var newHash = location.hash;
if(newHash != originalHash) {
originalHash = newHash;
//get the filters from the url, will need to compare them against current filter,
apply them if different, update the results
}
})
// Since the event is only triggered when the hash changes, we need to trigger
// the event now, to handle the hash the page may have loaded with.
$(window).hashchange();
});
For Internet Explorer 8+:
$(window).bind('hashchange', function() {
var newHash = window.location.hash;
if (newHash != originalHash) {
//get the filters from the url, will need to compare them against current filter,
// apply them if different, update the results
}
originalHash = newHash;
});
Facet search menus are generally located on the left, sometimes at the top, not usually on the right. Example sites that implement facet search menus include: Old Navy, Walmart, Amazon, Toysrus, Best Buy, Ebay and Kmart.
More JavaScript
Assuming the data is stored in a database, one way to implement facet searching is to repeatedly call the database with a new query whenever a filter is added or removed. This way can get complicated, but it's possible. It seems like it may be a little slow too. Here are a few links with details on how to implement it: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/8300675/php-navigation-with-filters http://ivaldi.nl/2012/05/seo-friendly-faceted-search-1/
The other way to implement facet searching is to load all of the data once when the page loads. When a filter is activated or deactivated, the filter is applied to the stored data and the results updated. Loading all of the data at once may be a little slow, but once the data is all loaded the filtering goes pretty quick. You can hook in ajax, so that when the filter is activated or deactivated, the results immediately update without a page reload. The site I was adding this to is pretty complex and to reload the page each time wouldn't be the greatest user experience. There were a couple of examples I followed for the implementation. The main one being: http://eikes.github.com/facetedsearch/
Other helpful examples were:
http://proj.2ality.com/facetator/
The facet menu had 3 facets. One was a list of checkboxes. The other two were a series of links where only one link in each facet could be active at a time.
I made a template file for the general outline of the facet menu, a script file to control features of the facet menu itself, such as hide a facet when only one choice is allowed and updating a current selections div. It sat on top of the facetedsearch example script. That file needed a few changes in order to accomodate the data being filtered and to blend the results into the way the page was displaying the results.
I also changed the way the counts were displayed. I took out the + and found the counts for each option based on the filtered data. That was a little tricky, but worked out good.
Another key piece in making the facet search run smoothly is to add a hash tag at the end of your url with parameters for the currently set filters. ex: www.abc.com/#x=1&y=2
Doing this ensures the back/forward buttons navigate smoothly. Some helpful links about that are:
http://blog.mgm-tp.com/2011/10/must-know-url-hashtechniques-for-ajax-applications/
I ended up using this plugin for Internet Explorer 7 to work properly: http://benalman.com/projects/jquery-hashchange-plugin/
For browsers supporting history.pushback, you can just do:
window.history.pushState({path : pageurl}, '', pageurl); to add the hash tag.
For browsers not supporting history.pushback, you do:
window.location.hash = filter_str;
To make it work, you do:
var originalHash = window.location.hash;
if (window.history && window.history.pushState) {
window.addEventListener("popstate", function(e) {
var newHash = window.location.hash;
if(newHash != originalHash) {
//get the filters from the url, apply them & update the results
}
originalHash = newHash;
});
}
For Internet Explorer 7:
$(function(){
$(window).hashchange( function(){
var newHash = location.hash;
if(newHash != originalHash) {
originalHash = newHash;
//get the filters from the url, will need to compare them against current filter,
apply them if different, update the results
}
})
// Since the event is only triggered when the hash changes, we need to trigger
// the event now, to handle the hash the page may have loaded with.
$(window).hashchange();
});
For Internet Explorer 8+:
$(window).bind('hashchange', function() {
var newHash = window.location.hash;
if (newHash != originalHash) {
//get the filters from the url, will need to compare them against current filter,
// apply them if different, update the results
}
originalHash = newHash;
});
Facet search menus are generally located on the left, sometimes at the top, not usually on the right. Example sites that implement facet search menus include: Old Navy, Walmart, Amazon, Toysrus, Best Buy, Ebay and Kmart.
More JavaScript
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Data Storage Backup Plan
I've been doing some final Christmas shopping the past few days. I hate shopping. It takes me forever to figure out what to buy, and then I spend lots of time comparing brands and prices. I'll be so glad when Christmas is over, and I can get back to normal.
My brother just wants money and gift cards, so at least he was easy. He wants to buy a laptop since his desktop died. To go along with the cash, I purchased a Kingston Digital 16 GB USB 2.0 Hi-speed Datatraveler Flash Drive DT101G2/16GBZ. It's $9.99 at Amazon.com. Pretty good price for 16gb of data storage. I got one for myself too. I really need to come up with a better backup system for my laptop. If anyone can recommend free backup software, please leave me a comment.
I'm paranoid about making backups of individual files when writing code, but when it comes to making backups of my hard disk, I need improvement. I just don't take the time to do it, so I need something automated. A 16gb flash drive should be a good size for storing what I need to backup.
There are companies out there that specialize in backup systems. One company is called Nexsan. They are one of the leaders in data storage production. Their storage systems have built in features to backup and restore. They have an E-series storage system that is ideal for mid-sized companies.
Backing up your data is crucial. The hard drive on my old work laptop suddenly went one day and nothing could be recovered. That really sucked, but I didn't really lose anything because I had backups. Good thing.
Monday, August 27, 2012
AppZapp App Bargain Guide iPhone iPad
The number of apps out there is a bit overwhelming. There is an app for just about everything. There are even different apps for different platforms. There are apps specific to browsers like Firefox and Google Chrome. There are apps specific to the Android operating system. There are apps specific to the Kindle Fire. There are apps specific to the iPad and iPhone. It's endless.
Trying to pick through all of the apps for just one specific device or browser is a daunting task. I always tend to look through the top rated apps, but I'm sure there are some pretty good apps out there at the bottom that just don't get noticed.
A small startup company from Switzerland has created an app called AppZapp. It is for the iPhone and iPad. I don't have either one of those, so I'm out of luck, but for those of you that do have one of those, the AppZapp sounds like it might come in handy.
The AppZapp is an app which allows you to share your apps with friends. They can see what apps you like and you can see what apps they like. The AppZapp also lets you see all app sales, news apps, price and seller alerts. It will instantly alert you of price drops, so that you can get a good deal. AppZapp the App Bargain Guide for the Apple App Store for iPhone & iPad is available in all 123 Apple app stores. An iPhone Free version is available on iTunes. AppZapp is also available in 11 languages.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Digitizing Photos To CD
I finally gave in and replaced my 8 year old HP Photosmart 2510 all in one printer. It was having issues printing in color. It would give an error that something was wrong with the color ink. After I replaced the color ink cartridge, it would work ok for a while, but then the error would pop up again. The new ink cartridge wouldn't even be empty yet.
I went with the HP Photosmart 7510 all in one printer. It just arrived today. It's installing some required software now and so far so good. I also really needed a new printer, since I lost the installation cd to my old printer and was unable to print from my new laptop. The HP Photosmart 7510 prints wirelessly, so that should come in handy.
I had to use my old desktop computer in order to scan in a few photos. I have tons of photos that should be scanned. Maybe my new printer will give me an incentive to start scanning them in. It's one of those time consuming tasks I just don't get to. Maybe when the boys are grown I'll magically have more time in the day.
I should just package up all the photos that need scanning and send them to one of the photo scanning services. Paying someone else to convert photos to cd would be a big help.
A company called ScanDigital offer a photo scanning service. In order to digitize your photos, you place your order, package your photos and send them via UPS to ScanDigital. After your photos are received, they are put in a queue for processing. They are scanned and undergo a first round of quality checks. The scans are then edited and optimized before undergoing a second quality check. A final quality assurance review is done before the photos are stored to disc. The order is then finalized and billed before being shipped to you via UPS. The order is also uploaded to an online gallery. It is a pretty lengthy process in order to ensure you get the best possible digitized photos. It is certainly worth checking out, if you don't have the time or equipment to digitize your photos yourself.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Wind Forecast Tool PredictWind
A big windmill project was installed near my parent's farm a few years ago. It's purpose is to use wind to produce energy for residents in New York City. I don't know how many windmills were installed, but they are scattered all around for miles and miles. There is also a big substation that was installed just down the road from my parent's home. The only thing I like about the substation is it looks really pretty at night as it has a ton of lights. I do wonder if the substation has any negative effects on the health of people who live in the area. The substation is right on top of several houses. I definitely would not want to live near it.
Many people who live near a windmill have complained about the noise. I can't say I blame them. I wouldn't want to live in an area that was once quiet and now has a constant background noise. On Sunday we drove by a windmill that was fairly close to the road. They are very scary looking. Each windmill is very tall and has three super long, sharp blades that turn. I think they are evil looking.
On a positive note, windmills are a green energy alternative as they turn free wind into energy to use by people.
There must be a lot of technology involved in converting wind into energy. Windmills definitely need to be built in an area that receives a large amount of wind.
There is actually software called PredictWind at http://www.predictwind.com that gives wind forecasts. It provides wind weather updates every hour with a wind speed and direction map for your area. It is pretty accurate as it uses two data sources that produce two forecasts for comparison. You can also get access to 15,000 live wind observation stations located all over the world. PredictWind is a great tool for boaters, yachters and anyone else traveling by water. It uses different physics, parameters, and complex equations to calculate weather data such as wind speed, direction, temperature, pressure, rain and cloud. The model that PredictWind uses has been developed by a team of research scientists for over 25 years. It sounds like a very interesting piece of software.
Many people who live near a windmill have complained about the noise. I can't say I blame them. I wouldn't want to live in an area that was once quiet and now has a constant background noise. On Sunday we drove by a windmill that was fairly close to the road. They are very scary looking. Each windmill is very tall and has three super long, sharp blades that turn. I think they are evil looking.
On a positive note, windmills are a green energy alternative as they turn free wind into energy to use by people.
There must be a lot of technology involved in converting wind into energy. Windmills definitely need to be built in an area that receives a large amount of wind.
There is actually software called PredictWind at http://www.predictwind.com that gives wind forecasts. It provides wind weather updates every hour with a wind speed and direction map for your area. It is pretty accurate as it uses two data sources that produce two forecasts for comparison. You can also get access to 15,000 live wind observation stations located all over the world. PredictWind is a great tool for boaters, yachters and anyone else traveling by water. It uses different physics, parameters, and complex equations to calculate weather data such as wind speed, direction, temperature, pressure, rain and cloud. The model that PredictWind uses has been developed by a team of research scientists for over 25 years. It sounds like a very interesting piece of software.
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