Obscured Clarity

Installing and Running Tomcat on Mac OS X

2009-11-08T13:40:00.000-08:00

Installing Tomcat on Mac OS X should be easy, and it is, if you know the trick.

Step 1: Get and install Tomcat. Go to tomcat.apache.org and download the version of Tomcat you need. Download the "Core" distribution and unzip it to the root of your hard drive. That's it. Tomcat is installed.

Step 2: Set permissions (this is the trick). Open up the terminal and go to the new Tomcat directory:
# cd apache-tomcat-6.0.20

Change the permissions on the bin folder, giving full read, write, and execute:

# chmod -R 777 bin

Step 3: Start Tomcat. Change to the bin directory:

# cd bin

Start Tomcat:

# sudo ./startup.sh

Step 4: Test if it worked. Use your browser to go to: http://127.0.0.1:8080/ You should see the default Tomcat homepage running from your newly installed Tomcat server.

Step 5: Shutdown Tomcat:

# sudo ./shutdown.sh

Piece of Cake!!

See also: MacBook Hard Drive Upgrade Instructions
And also: Install MySQL on Mac OS X

Rock Climbing in Bielatal near Dresden, Germany

2009-10-25T01:07:00.000-07:00

Rock climbing in Bielatal is like warping back in time and landing in the days when climbers climbed barefoot, wore Swami belts, and used slings for protecting routes - literally.

The climbing in the Dresden, Germany area has not followed the flashy modern ways of most other climbing venues. No chalk, no bolts, no top-roping, no nuts, no cams. While modern climbing harnesses and shoes are now common sights in Bielatal, you might be chased out of the woods if you're seen using the aformentioned items. Part tradition and part protecting the soft sandstone, the modern metal climbing gear found hanging on people's harnesses in every crag in America is not allowed in Beilatal. Watching the locals climbing with just a rack of slings and biners is a humbling experience.

Getting there. You can get to Bielatal using public transportation. View this Google Map.

Several sandstone towers reach above a forested ridge a few kilometers from the Czech Republic.

Most of the routes follow flaring crack systems.

Most routes are lead and the followers are top-belayed to prevent rock-damaging rope drag.

The first follower trailing a rope for the next.

An old-school biner from the DDR!

Slings with knots tied in them for protection.

Heike demonstrates the "fling" technique. Tie the perfect size knot one-handed on lead, and fling it in the crack above your head until it catches.

One of the few "bolts" seen in the rock.

At the top, there is usually a single monster anchor to secure yourself into and to rappel from. Tradition calls for everyone to shake each others hands and say "Berg Heil!" (salute the mountain!).

Each tower has its own register book in specially created metal boxes on the top, which you must sign. It's very important to document who lead the route and who top-roped. And most importantly, use the supplied straight edge to draw a horizontal line under your party's entry.

Kicking back on the top. Berg Heil!

See also: Diedre 5.7, Squamish - Climbing Beta
and: Ten German Birds

Add an Image to an Eclipse RCP Application

2009-10-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

This article shows how to add an image to a view in an Eclipse RCP application and builds off of a clean RCP Application with a View. Images used in an RCP application are managed by an ImageRegistry that is global to the scope of a plugin. If your project has a class that extends AbstractUIPlugin, then there is a static method you can use called getImageDescriptor() to access ImageDescriptors given a path to the image. The Activator class ectending AbstractUIPlugin is automatically generated if you used the wizard to create a Hello World Eclipse RCP Application. The ImageRegistery is the preferred means of handling images in your application because it handles the lazy loading of the images and disposes of them properly when needed. The image is added to a view by adding a canvas to the view's parent composite and adding the image from the image descriptor to the canvas through its addPaintListener method. It may sound confusing, but in practice it's really simple.

Step 0: Create a Hello World Eclipse RCP Application and add a View to it.

Step 1: Add the image into the RCP plugin project. In this example an image called moon.png is added to the "icons" folder inside the plugin project. Whether you use this folder or not is really not important - you can organize your images any way you want. In the next step, the path to the image's location is used to get the image.

Step 2: Add the image to the view. In the view's class where you want the image to appear, add a global Image field and set it in the view's constructor calling the Activator.getImageDescriptor("icons/moon.png").createImage(); method. Adjust the path accordingly to locate your image. The path is relative to the plugin. In the createPartControl method, add a Canvas to the view's parent Composite and define its PaintEvent to draw the image. In the drawImage method, give it the image and the x and y coordinates where it should be drawn.


package com.blogspot.obscuredclarity;

import org.eclipse.swt.SWT;
import org.eclipse.swt.events.PaintEvent;
import org.eclipse.swt.events.PaintListener;
import org.eclipse.swt.graphics.GC;
import org.eclipse.swt.graphics.Image;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Canvas;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Composite;
import org.eclipse.ui.part.ViewPart;

public class MainView extends ViewPart {

public static final String ID = "com.blogspot.obscuredclarity.mainView"; // the ID needs to match the id set in the view's properties

private Image image;

public MainView() {

image = Activator.getImageDescriptor("icons/moon.png").createImage();
}

@Override
public void createPartControl(Composite parent) {

// Create the canvas for drawing
Canvas canvas = new Canvas( parent, SWT.NONE);
canvas.addPaintListener( new PaintListener() {
public void paintControl(PaintEvent e) {
     GC gc = e.gc;
     gc.drawImage( image,10,10); // Draw the moon
}
});
}


public void setFocus() {}

}

Step 3: Run the application and test if everything worked. Your application should now have an image in the view and look something like this:

Piece of cake!!

<--- Previous - Add a Custom Menu Action to an Eclipse RCP Application

Also see: Eclipse RCP Tutorial Table of Contents

Add a Custom Menu Action to an Eclipse RCP Application

2009-10-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

This article shows how to add a custom menu item to a menu in an Eclipse RCP application and builds off of a clean Hello World Eclipse RCP Application. As shown in the article Add a Menu to an Eclipse RCP Application, it is very easy to add a File menu containing the Exit action. Here a custom menu action is added to the File menu that opens a dialog box when clicked.

Step 0: Create a HelloWorld RCP application.

Step 1: Make the custom action. Create a new class that extends org.eclipse.jface.action.Action and implements IWorkbenchAction. The class needs a private static final String property used to set the ID in the constructor. Inside the run() method is where you put your custom code. In this example, code is added that opens up a message dialog box.



package com.blogspot.obscuredclarity.customaction;

import org.eclipse.jface.action.Action;
import org.eclipse.jface.dialogs.MessageDialog;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Shell;
import org.eclipse.ui.PlatformUI;
import org.eclipse.ui.actions.ActionFactory.IWorkbenchAction;

public class CustomAction extends Action implements IWorkbenchAction{

private static final String ID = "com.timmolter.helloWorld.CustomAction";

public CustomAction(){
setId(ID);
}

public void run() {

Shell shell = PlatformUI.getWorkbench().getActiveWorkbenchWindow().getShell();
String dialogBoxTitle = "Message";
String message = "You clicked the custom action from the menu!";
MessageDialog.openInformation(shell, dialogBoxTitle, message);
}

public void dispose() {}

}

Step 2: In the ApplicationActionBarAdvisor class add the CustomAction as a private field. In the makeActions() method, new up the custom action, set its text and accelerator and register it. The accelerator is of course optional and it simply adds a keyboard shortcut, in this case CTRL+T. In the fillMenuBar() method, add the action to a File Menu.



package com.blogspot.obscuredclarity;

import org.eclipse.jface.action.IMenuManager;
import org.eclipse.jface.action.MenuManager;
import org.eclipse.swt.SWT;
import org.eclipse.ui.IWorkbenchWindow;
import org.eclipse.ui.application.ActionBarAdvisor;
import org.eclipse.ui.application.IActionBarConfigurer;

public class ApplicationActionBarAdvisor extends ActionBarAdvisor {

private CustomAction customAction;

public ApplicationActionBarAdvisor(IActionBarConfigurer configurer) {
 super(configurer);
}

protected void makeActions(IWorkbenchWindow window) {

//Custom action
 customAction = new CustomAction();
 customAction.setText("Do custom action!");
 customAction.setAccelerator(SWT.CTRL + 'T');
 register(customAction);
}

protected void fillMenuBar(IMenuManager menuBar) {

 MenuManager fileMenu = new MenuManager("&File", "file"); //create a menuManager to take care of all submenus in "File"
 fileMenu.add(customAction); //Add the "customAction" action
 menuBar.add(fileMenu); //Add the "File" menu to the menuBar
}

}

Step 3: Run the application and test if everything worked. Your application should now have a File Menu containing a custom action:

When the custom action is clicked or CTRL+T is entered, a messaage box should come up:
Piece of cake!

<--- Previous - Add Nested Menu Items to an Eclipse RCP Application
Also see: Eclipse RCP Tutorial Table of Contents

MacBook Hard Drive Upgrade Instructions

2009-10-18T02:30:00.001-07:00

This article shows how to upgrade the hard drive in a Macbook while keeping all existing files, software, settings, and preferences intact.

First, a note about MacBooks and hard drive capacity. The info out there in the interwebs regarding the maximum HD capacity a MacBook can be upgraded to in unclear. In my experience, upgrading above 250GB is ill-advised. In a previous article I wrote, 500GB MacBook Harddrive Upgrade for Under $100, the issue came up from some commentors that the hard drive controllers in certain MacBook motherboards couldn't handle HDs with more than 250GB capacity. The upgrade and subsequent use will work, but when the HD starts to fill up to the ~250GB level, problems and perhaps data corruption/loss will occur. I was able to verify this with Apple, that for my MacBook, greater then 250GB wouldn't be a good idea, but for other newer models it is OK. How to tell which models can be upgraded to what, I couldn't find out. After learning this, I chose to downgrade the 500GB HD in my MacBook which I installed previously and use that as an external data backup device.

Disclaimer: Before you attempt this, backup all your data! Perform this upgrade at your own risk. This worked for me, but I can't guarantee it will work for you! Consider any warranty issues this might cause and call Apple first to see if this will void your warranty and/or AppleCare Protection Plan. Take Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) precautions when handling the hard drive out of it's case or handling any raw circuitry with with your hands. It's never a good idea to directly touch electrical components on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), but having said that, if you are properly grounded no damage will occur. All you need to do is touch something connected to the ground with your finger to neutralize any static charge your body may be holding before you touch the electronics. If you're not sure of what you're doing, proceed with caution (but do proceed so you learn something new)! I performed this upgrade on my all-white MacBook I bought in October 2007, which is running Mac OSX 10.5.5.

Step 1: Buy a 150GB internal laptop hard drive and an external hard drive enclosure. What's important is the HD needs to have a 2.5 inch form factor and a SATA 2 interface. The enclosure must be the USB/SATA type. The exact hard drive and hard drive enclosure I used were:

Link: Western Digital Scorpio

Link: StarTech InfoSafe

Step 2: Connect the hard drive to a free USB port using the USB to SATA connector that is part of the external HD enclosure. Simply connect the HD to the USB/SATA connector and plug the connector into your computer using a USB cable.

Step 3: Partition the external drive as a GUID Partition Table drive. The drive must be partitioned this way if you ever want to upgrade the OS in the future for an Intel-based Mac. Open Disk Utility and select the external hard drive in the left column. Select the "Partition" tab. Select "1 Partition" as the Volume Scheme. You can give the volume a name now if you like, but you can always change it later. Choose "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" as the Format. Click on the "Options..." button and choose the "GUID Partition Table". Click "OK" and then "Apply".

Step 4: Use SuperDuper! to clone your current bootable harddrive image to the external drive. This free software will quickly and easily make an exact copy of your current OS image including all your software, existing files, settings, and preferences - it only takes a few clicks.

With the external harddrive plugged in the USB port, run SuperDuper! Select: Copy "Macintosh HD" to "250GB HD" (or whatever it's named in your case) using "Backup - all files" and click the "Copy Now" button. After an hour or so depending on how much data you have, the external hard drive will be an exact copy of the hard drive inside your MacBook. While you're waiting, you could check out How to Build a 24-Core Linux Cluster in a $29.99 IKEA Cabinet or How to Identify Bacteria on Your Hands Using DNA Sequencing. Once the cloning is complete you can do a test and boot from the newly created bootable image on the external hard drive by restarting your MacBook and holding the option key. This will let you choose which disk you'd like to boot from. You should be able to boot from the external hard drive at this point and it will look like you booted from the internal hard drive that you just cloned.

Step 5: Swap the external hard drive with the internal hard drive. Apple made it very easy to replace hard drives on the MacBook. By the way, for this step, unplug the power from your laptop and shut the computer down. For a complete guide how to do this, you can download Apple's Hard Drive Replacement Instructions. First, remove the battery on the bottom of the laptop using a coin to unlock it. With the laptop flipped upside down and the battery removed, unscrew three little screws using a small Phillips head screw driver that hold a retaining clip. You don't have to fully remove the screws from the retaining clip to remove it. Once the retaining clip is removed, fish out the white plastic flap and pull to slide out the internal hard drive.

With the old hard drive out, remove the metal sheath from it by taking out the four screws. The screws require a star-tipped screwdriver. Because I didn't have that, I just used a pliers to grab onto the screw heads and twist them out. With the old hard drive now completely out, take the new one and in reverse order of taking the old one out, put the new one in.

Step 6: Turn on your MacBook and enjoy your extra space. After you reassembled your MacBook, you should just be able to turn it on like normal and it will boot up from the newly-installed 500GB hard drive. Everything will look and behave just like before except now you'll have tons of extra space! You can right click on the hard drive in Finder and choose "Get Info" and rename the hard drive to something like "MacBook HD" if you like.

Step 7: Put the external HD case to good use. Either put the old hard drive into the external HD case and use it for a file backup or get an additional 250GB HD for the case and regularly use SuperDuper! to clone the internal 250GB HD onto the external one. That way if your internal HD ever dies, you have a clone ready to swap into your MacBook in about 5 minutes and continue with your work right where you left off!

Piece of cake!!

3000 Galaxies in 3D

2009-09-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

"We pointed the most powerful telescope ever built by human beings at absolutely nothing for no other reason than because we were curious and discovered that we occupy a very tiny place in the heavens."

A team of astronomers decided to use their valuable Hubble Space Telescope time to take a 10-day exposure of a black point in the night sky the size of a grain of sand held at arms length...

Setup MySQL Development in Eclipse

2009-08-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

Setting up Eclipse as a MySQL development environment using the Database Development perspective is quite easy. Here you will find a step-by-step guide showing how to set up Eclipse for MySQL development. The tutorial shows how to get the right version of Eclipse, how to setup a MySQL database, how to get and use the Connector/J database driver, how to connect to a database within Eclipse, and how to create a table containing some sample data.

Step 1: Download and Install the Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers.

Step 2: Download the Connector/J MySQL Database Driver.

Step 3: Download, Install, and start up MySQL. If you're developing on a Mac, see: Install MySQL on Mac OS X.

Step 4: Open up Eclipse and switch to the "Database Development" perspective (Window --> Open Perspective --> Other... --> Database Development perspective).

Step 5: Connect to your MySQL database.

In the "Data Source Explorer" view, right click on "Database Connections" and select "New...".

On the first page of the "New Connection Profile" Wizard, select the "MySQL" connection profile type and hit "Next >".

Click the circle with a plus sign next to the "Drivers" drop-down box.

On the "Name/Type" tab, select the MySQL JDBC Driver version 5.1 (or whatever version you downloaded). Just ignore the error in the wizard for now. Hit "Next >".

On the "Jar List" tab, add the driver .jar from the package that you downloaded and remove the default .jar that was added to the list. The error message in the wizard should now disappear. Click "OK".

On the second page of the "New Connection Profile" Wizard, edit the connection properties. In the "Database" and "URL" fields, change the word "database" to the actual name of the database you want to connect to. Change the URL, User name and Password appropriate to your circumstance. By default the MySQL database setup creates a root user with a blank password. Test the connection and hit "Finish".

Step 6: Create a table.

In the main Eclipse menu, select File --> New --> SQL File.

In the "New SQL File" wizard, select the folder where the SQL file should be stored. Create a new project if you don't have one yet. Give the file a name and hit "Finish".

In the SQL Editor view, write an SQL statement to add a table to the selected database. Highlight the text to be executed, right click, and choose "Execute Selected Text".

Step 7: Add data to the table.

In the "Data Source Explorer" view, dig down into the directory structure until you find your table in the "Tables" folder. Right click on it and choose Data --> Edit.

In the table editing view that appeared, add your data. Save to commit your changes.

Piece of cake!!

Uninstall MySQL on Mac OS X

2009-08-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

Uninstalling MySQL on Mac OS X is very easy - you just have to delete some files. Here you will find instructions to delete both MySQL and the MySQL Startup Item, which you may have installed following the instructions found here: Install MySQL on Mac OS X. Be aware that doing this will delete all your MySQL databases and data.

Step 1: Uninstall MySQL. Fire up the Terminal and type in: cd /usr/local , hit enter, type in: ls , hit enter, and verify that there are two items called "mysql" and "mysql-5.1.37-osx10.5-x86_64" (or similar). These are the two items you want to delete. Type in: sudo rm mysql , hit enter, type in: sudo rm -rf mysql-5.1.37-osx10.5-x86_64 , and hit enter. You'll need to enter your password at some point when prompted.

Step 2: Uninstall the MySQL Startup Item. In Termainl type in: cd /Library/StartupItems , hit enter, type in: ls , hit enter, and verify that there is an item called "MySQLCOM". This is the item you want to delete. Type in: sudo rm -rf MySQLCOM , and hit enter. You'll need to enter your password at some point when prompted.

Piece of cake!!

See also: Install MySQL on Mac OS X

Install MySQL on Mac OS X

2009-08-17T11:26:00.006-07:00

There are already several instructions out there on how to install MySQL on Mac OS X, but most of them are either outdated or more complicated than they need to be. Here you will find an easy tutorial showing how to install MySQL, start it up, access it as the default root user, create a database, delete the database and exit.

Step 1: Download MySQL. Go to the downloads page at mysql.com and download the particular version of MySQL that is appropriate for your OS and machine architecture. In my case, I downloaded the "Mac OS X 10.5 (x86_64)" version because I have Mac OS X 10.5 running on a MacBook with a 64-bit Intel processor.

Step 2: Access the installers. Go the the directory where the .dmg file was downloaded to and mount the .dmg file by double clicking it. The .dmg contains the MySQL and MySQL Startup installer packages.

Step 3: Install MySQL and the MySQL Startup Item. Double-clicking on mysql*.pkg icon starts an installer wizard that takes you through a few intuitive installation steps. Once you click through the wizard and accept a license agreement you should see the "install succeeded" page. Repeat for MySQLStartupItem.pkg.

Step 4: Verify Install. Fire up the Terminal and type in: cd /usr/local , hit enter, type in: ls , and verify that there are two items. The Mac OS X .pkg of MySQL installs itself into /usr/local/mysql-VERSION and /usr/local/mysql.

Step 5: Restart your computer. When the computer reboots, it will startup the database server allowing you to connect to it.

Step 6: Start MySQL. Type in: /usr/local/mysql/bin/mysql -u root -p . The last part of the command tells it you want to start it up as the root user and that you'd like to be prompted for a password. By default the root's password is blank, so when you are prompted for it, just hit enter. You are now running MySQL, and you can tell it what to do at the MySQL command prompt: mysql>.

Step 7: Create a database, delete it and exit MySQL. At the mysql> prompt, type in: create database mynewdatabase; . Verify that it was created by typing in: show databases; . You should see the database along with the default databases. Delete the database by typing in: drop database mynewdatabase; . Verify that it was deleted by typing in: show databases; . Exit MySQL by typing in: exit; .

Piece of Cake!!

In addition, here are the commands you need to start and stop MySQL:

sudo /Library/StartupItems/MySQLCOM/MySQLCOM stop
sudo /Library/StartupItems/MySQLCOM/MySQLCOM start
sudo /Library/StartupItems/MySQLCOM/MySQLCOM restart

Placing Two DIVs Side-by-Side using CSS

2009-08-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

There is a little CSS trick needed when placing two HTML elements or DIVs side-by-side in order to prevent the two elements from jumping out of the containing DIV. In this simple demonstration there is an 'outer' DIV containing a 'header' DIV containing a 'title' DIV and a 'search' FORM. The FORM could just as well be a DIV for this to work. The title and search are forced left and right using 'float:left' and 'float:right' respectively. The trick is to add a third DIV after the search FORM inside the header DIV with a CSS 'clear:both' styling: <div style="clear:both;"></div>.

Before:

After:

HTML & CSS:

<html>
<head>
<style type="text/css">

#outer {
    width:600px;
    margin:0 auto;
    background:#BBBBBB;
    text-transform:uppercase;
    padding:10px;
}

#header {
    background:#0044FF;
    padding:5px 10px;
}

#title{
    background:#FF2244;
    padding:10px;
    float:left;
}

#search{
    background:#22CC22;
    padding:10px;
    float:right;
}

</style>
<body>
<div id='outer'>
    <div id='header'>
        <div id='title'>
            <p>Website Title</p>
        </div>
        <form id='search' method="get">
            <input type="text" name="searchText" />
            <input type="submit" value="Search" />
        </form>
        <div style="clear:both;"></div>
    </div>
</div>
</body>
</html>

Piece of Cake!!

Hexidecimal and RGB Color Palette

2009-08-09T09:48:00.000-07:00

Here's a color palette of a small sampling of the 256^3=16,777,216 possible colors to choose from when coding with colors across a wide range of computer languages (Java, C#, CSS, MATLAB, etc.) on systems that support 24-bit colordepth. The hex color chart contains both the hexidecimal and rbg codes. It was generated with a JSP script, which can be found below for reference.

000000

0,0,0

000022

0,0,34

000044

0,0,68

000066

0,0,102

000088

0,0,136

0000AA

0,0,170

0000CC

0,0,204

0000EE

0,0,238

0000FF

0,0,255

002200

0,34,0

002222

0,34,34

002244

0,34,68

002266

0,34,102

002288

0,34,136

0022AA

0,34,170

0022CC

0,34,204

0022EE

0,34,238

0022FF

0,34,255

004400

0,68,0

004422

0,68,34

004444

0,68,68

004466

0,68,102

004488

0,68,136

0044AA

0,68,170

0044CC

0,68,204

0044EE

0,68,238

0044FF

0,68,255

006600

0,102,0

006622

0,102,34

006644

0,102,68

006666

0,102,102

006688

0,102,136

0066AA

0,102,170

0066CC

0,102,204

0066EE

0,102,238

0066FF

0,102,255

008800

0,136,0

008822

0,136,34

008844

0,136,68

008866

0,136,102

008888

0,136,136

0088AA

0,136,170

0088CC

0,136,204

0088EE

0,136,238

0088FF

0,136,255

00AA00

0,170,0

00AA22

0,170,34

00AA44

0,170,68

00AA66

0,170,102

00AA88

0,170,136

00AAAA

0,170,170

00AACC

0,170,204

00AAEE

0,170,238

00AAFF

0,170,255

00CC00

0,204,0

00CC22

0,204,34

00CC44

0,204,68

00CC66

0,204,102

00CC88

0,204,136

00CCAA

0,204,170

00CCCC

0,204,204

00CCEE

0,204,238

00CCFF

0,204,255

00EE00

0,238,0

00EE22

0,238,34

00EE44

0,238,68

00EE66

0,238,102

00EE88

0,238,136

00EEAA

0,238,170

00EECC

0,238,204

00EEEE

0,238,238

00EEFF

0,238,255

00FF00

0,255,0

00FF22

0,255,34

00FF44

0,255,68

00FF66

0,255,102

00FF88

0,255,136

00FFAA

0,255,170

00FFCC

0,255,204

00FFEE

0,255,238

00FFFF

0,255,255

220000

34,0,0

220022

34,0,34

220044

34,0,68

220066

34,0,102

220088

34,0,136

2200AA

34,0,170

2200CC

34,0,204

2200EE

34,0,238

2200FF

34,0,255

222200

34,34,0

222222

34,34,34

222244

34,34,68

222266

34,34,102

222288

34,34,136

2222AA

34,34,170

2222CC

34,34,204

2222EE

34,34,238

2222FF

34,34,255

224400

34,68,0

224422

34,68,34

224444

34,68,68

224466

34,68,102

224488

34,68,136

2244AA

34,68,170

2244CC

34,68,204

2244EE

34,68,238

2244FF

34,68,255

226600

34,102,0

226622

34,102,34

226644

34,102,68

226666

34,102,102

226688

34,102,136

2266AA

34,102,170

2266CC

34,102,204

2266EE

34,102,238

2266FF

34,102,255

228800

34,136,0

228822

34,136,34

228844

34,136,68

228866

34,136,102

228888

34,136,136

2288AA

34,136,170

2288CC

34,136,204

2288EE

34,136,238

2288FF

34,136,255

22AA00

34,170,0

22AA22

34,170,34

22AA44

34,170,68

22AA66

34,170,102

22AA88

34,170,136

22AAAA

34,170,170

22AACC

34,170,204

22AAEE

34,170,238

22AAFF

34,170,255

22CC00

34,204,0

22CC22

34,204,34

22CC44

34,204,68

22CC66

34,204,102

22CC88

34,204,136

22CCAA

34,204,170

22CCCC

34,204,204

22CCEE

34,204,238

22CCFF

34,204,255

22EE00

34,238,0

22EE22

34,238,34

22EE44

34,238,68

22EE66

34,238,102

22EE88

34,238,136

22EEAA

34,238,170

22EECC

34,238,204

22EEEE

34,238,238

22EEFF

34,238,255

22FF00

34,255,0

22FF22

34,255,34

22FF44

34,255,68

22FF66

34,255,102

22FF88

34,255,136

22FFAA

34,255,170

22FFCC

34,255,204

22FFEE

34,255,238

22FFFF

34,255,255

440000

68,0,0

440022

68,0,34

440044

68,0,68

440066

68,0,102

440088

68,0,136

4400AA

68,0,170

4400CC

68,0,204

4400EE

68,0,238

4400FF

68,0,255

442200

68,34,0

442222

68,34,34

442244

68,34,68

442266

68,34,102

442288

68,34,136

4422AA

68,34,170

4422CC

68,34,204

4422EE

68,34,238

4422FF

68,34,255

444400

68,68,0

444422

68,68,34

444444

68,68,68

444466

68,68,102

444488

68,68,136

4444AA

68,68,170

4444CC

68,68,204

4444EE

68,68,238

4444FF

68,68,255

446600

68,102,0

446622

68,102,34

446644

68,102,68

446666

68,102,102

446688

68,102,136

4466AA

68,102,170

4466CC

68,102,204

4466EE

68,102,238

4466FF

68,102,255

448800

68,136,0

448822

68,136,34

448844

68,136,68

448866

68,136,102

448888

68,136,136

4488AA

68,136,170

4488CC

68,136,204

4488EE

68,136,238

4488FF

68,136,255

44AA00

68,170,0

44AA22

68,170,34

44AA44

68,170,68

44AA66

68,170,102

44AA88

68,170,136

44AAAA

68,170,170

44AACC

68,170,204

44AAEE

68,170,238

44AAFF

68,170,255

44CC00

68,204,0

44CC22

68,204,34

44CC44

68,204,68

44CC66

68,204,102

44CC88

68,204,136

44CCAA

68,204,170

44CCCC

68,204,204

44CCEE

68,204,238

44CCFF

68,204,255

44EE00

68,238,0

44EE22

68,238,34

44EE44

68,238,68

44EE66

68,238,102

44EE88

68,238,136

44EEAA

68,238,170

44EECC

68,238,204

44EEEE

68,238,238

44EEFF

68,238,255

44FF00

68,255,0

44FF22

68,255,34

44FF44

68,255,68

44FF66

68,255,102

44FF88

68,255,136

44FFAA

68,255,170

44FFCC

68,255,204

44FFEE

68,255,238

44FFFF

68,255,255

660000

102,0,0

660022

102,0,34

660044

102,0,68

660066

102,0,102

660088

102,0,136

6600AA

102,0,170

6600CC

102,0,204

6600EE

102,0,238

6600FF

102,0,255

662200

102,34,0

662222

102,34,34

662244

102,34,68

662266

102,34,102

662288

102,34,136

6622AA

102,34,170

6622CC

102,34,204

6622EE

102,34,238

6622FF

102,34,255

664400

102,68,0

664422

102,68,34

664444

102,68,68

664466

102,68,102

664488

102,68,136

6644AA

102,68,170

6644CC

102,68,204

6644EE

102,68,238

6644FF

102,68,255

666600

102,102,0

666622

102,102,34

666644

102,102,68

666666

102,102,102

666688

102,102,136

6666AA

102,102,170

6666CC

102,102,204

6666EE

102,102,238

6666FF

102,102,255

668800

102,136,0

668822

102,136,34

668844

102,136,68

668866

102,136,102

668888

102,136,136

6688AA

102,136,170

6688CC

102,136,204

6688EE

102,136,238

6688FF

102,136,255

66AA00

102,170,0

66AA22

102,170,34

66AA44

102,170,68

66AA66

102,170,102

66AA88

102,170,136

66AAAA

102,170,170

66AACC

102,170,204

66AAEE

102,170,238

66AAFF

102,170,255

66CC00

102,204,0

66CC22

102,204,34

66CC44

102,204,68

66CC66

102,204,102

66CC88

102,204,136

66CCAA

102,204,170

66CCCC

102,204,204

66CCEE

102,204,238

66CCFF

102,204,255

66EE00

102,238,0

66EE22

102,238,34

66EE44

102,238,68

66EE66

102,238,102

66EE88

102,238,136

66EEAA

102,238,170

66EECC

102,238,204

66EEEE

102,238,238

66EEFF

102,238,255

66FF00

102,255,0

66FF22

102,255,34

66FF44

102,255,68

66FF66

102,255,102

66FF88

102,255,136

66FFAA

102,255,170

66FFCC

102,255,204

66FFEE

102,255,238

66FFFF

102,255,255

880000

136,0,0

880022

136,0,34

880044

136,0,68

880066

136,0,102

880088

136,0,136

8800AA

136,0,170

8800CC

136,0,204

8800EE

136,0,238

8800FF

136,0,255

882200

136,34,0

882222

136,34,34

882244

136,34,68

882266

136,34,102

882288

136,34,136

8822AA

136,34,170

8822CC

136,34,204

8822EE

136,34,238

8822FF

136,34,255

884400

136,68,0

884422

136,68,34

884444

136,68,68

884466

136,68,102

884488

136,68,136

8844AA

136,68,170

8844CC

136,68,204

8844EE

136,68,238

8844FF

136,68,255

886600

136,102,0

886622

136,102,34

886644

136,102,68

886666

136,102,102

886688

136,102,136

8866AA

136,102,170

8866CC

136,102,204

8866EE

136,102,238

8866FF

136,102,255

888800

136,136,0

888822

136,136,34

888844

136,136,68

888866

136,136,102

888888

136,136,136

8888AA

136,136,170

8888CC

136,136,204

8888EE

136,136,238

8888FF

136,136,255

88AA00

136,170,0

88AA22

136,170,34

88AA44

136,170,68

88AA66

136,170,102

88AA88

136,170,136

88AAAA

136,170,170

88AACC

136,170,204

88AAEE

136,170,238

88AAFF

136,170,255

88CC00

136,204,0

88CC22

136,204,34

88CC44

136,204,68

88CC66

136,204,102

88CC88

136,204,136

88CCAA

136,204,170

88CCCC

136,204,204

88CCEE

136,204,238

88CCFF

136,204,255

88EE00

136,238,0

88EE22

136,238,34

88EE44

136,238,68

88EE66

136,238,102

88EE88

136,238,136

88EEAA

136,238,170

88EECC

136,238,204

88EEEE

136,238,238

88EEFF

136,238,255

88FF00

136,255,0

88FF22

136,255,34

88FF44

136,255,68

88FF66

136,255,102

88FF88

136,255,136

88FFAA

136,255,170

88FFCC

136,255,204

88FFEE

136,255,238

88FFFF

136,255,255

AA0000

170,0,0

AA0022

170,0,34

AA0044

170,0,68

AA0066

170,0,102

AA0088

170,0,136

AA00AA

170,0,170

AA00CC

170,0,204

AA00EE

170,0,238

AA00FF

170,0,255

AA2200

170,34,0

AA2222

170,34,34

AA2244

170,34,68

AA2266

170,34,102

AA2288

170,34,136

AA22AA

170,34,170

AA22CC

170,34,204

AA22EE

170,34,238

AA22FF

170,34,255

AA4400

170,68,0

AA4422

170,68,34

AA4444

170,68,68

AA4466

170,68,102

AA4488

170,68,136

AA44AA

170,68,170

AA44CC

170,68,204

AA44EE

170,68,238

AA44FF

170,68,255

AA6600

170,102,0

AA6622

170,102,34

AA6644

170,102,68

AA6666

170,102,102

AA6688

170,102,136

AA66AA

170,102,170

AA66CC

170,102,204

AA66EE

170,102,238

AA66FF

170,102,255

AA8800

170,136,0

AA8822

170,136,34

AA8844

170,136,68

AA8866

170,136,102

AA8888

170,136,136

AA88AA

170,136,170

AA88CC

170,136,204

AA88EE

170,136,238

AA88FF

170,136,255

AAAA00

170,170,0

AAAA22

170,170,34

AAAA44

170,170,68

AAAA66

170,170,102

AAAA88

170,170,136

AAAAAA

170,170,170

AAAACC

170,170,204

AAAAEE

170,170,238

AAAAFF

170,170,255

AACC00

170,204,0

AACC22

170,204,34

AACC44

170,204,68

AACC66

170,204,102

AACC88

170,204,136

AACCAA

170,204,170

AACCCC

170,204,204

AACCEE

170,204,238

AACCFF

170,204,255

AAEE00

170,238,0

AAEE22

170,238,34

AAEE44

170,238,68

AAEE66

170,238,102

AAEE88

170,238,136

AAEEAA

170,238,170

AAEECC

170,238,204

AAEEEE

170,238,238

AAEEFF

170,238,255

AAFF00

170,255,0

AAFF22

170,255,34

AAFF44

170,255,68

AAFF66

170,255,102

AAFF88

170,255,136

AAFFAA

170,255,170

AAFFCC

170,255,204

AAFFEE

170,255,238

AAFFFF

170,255,255

CC0000

204,0,0

CC0022

204,0,34

CC0044

204,0,68

CC0066

204,0,102

CC0088

204,0,136

CC00AA

204,0,170

CC00CC

204,0,204

CC00EE

204,0,238

CC00FF

204,0,255

CC2200

204,34,0

CC2222

204,34,34

CC2244

204,34,68

CC2266

204,34,102

CC2288

204,34,136

CC22AA

204,34,170

CC22CC

204,34,204

CC22EE

204,34,238

CC22FF

204,34,255

CC4400

204,68,0

CC4422

204,68,34

CC4444

204,68,68

CC4466

204,68,102

CC4488

204,68,136

CC44AA

204,68,170

CC44CC

204,68,204

CC44EE

204,68,238

CC44FF

204,68,255

CC6600

204,102,0

CC6622

204,102,34

CC6644

204,102,68

CC6666

204,102,102

CC6688

204,102,136

CC66AA

204,102,170

CC66CC

204,102,204

CC66EE

204,102,238

CC66FF

204,102,255

CC8800

204,136,0

CC8822

204,136,34

CC8844

204,136,68

CC8866

204,136,102

CC8888

204,136,136

CC88AA

204,136,170

CC88CC

204,136,204

CC88EE

204,136,238

CC88FF

204,136,255

CCAA00

204,170,0

CCAA22

204,170,34

CCAA44

204,170,68

CCAA66

204,170,102

CCAA88

204,170,136

CCAAAA

204,170,170

CCAACC

204,170,204

CCAAEE

204,170,238

CCAAFF

204,170,255

CCCC00

204,204,0

CCCC22

204,204,34

CCCC44

204,204,68

CCCC66

204,204,102

CCCC88

204,204,136

CCCCAA

204,204,170

CCCCCC

204,204,204

CCCCEE

204,204,238

CCCCFF

204,204,255

CCEE00

204,238,0

CCEE22

204,238,34

CCEE44

204,238,68

CCEE66

204,238,102

CCEE88

204,238,136

CCEEAA

204,238,170

CCEECC

204,238,204

CCEEEE

204,238,238

CCEEFF

204,238,255

CCFF00

204,255,0

CCFF22

204,255,34

CCFF44

204,255,68

CCFF66

204,255,102

CCFF88

204,255,136

CCFFAA

204,255,170

CCFFCC

204,255,204

CCFFEE

204,255,238

CCFFFF

204,255,255

EE0000

238,0,0

EE0022

238,0,34

EE0044

238,0,68

EE0066

238,0,102

EE0088

238,0,136

EE00AA

238,0,170

EE00CC

238,0,204

EE00EE

238,0,238

EE00FF

238,0,255

EE2200

238,34,0

EE2222

238,34,34

EE2244

238,34,68

EE2266

238,34,102

EE2288

238,34,136

EE22AA

238,34,170

EE22CC

238,34,204

EE22EE

238,34,238

EE22FF

238,34,255

EE4400

238,68,0

EE4422

238,68,34

EE4444

238,68,68

EE4466

238,68,102

EE4488

238,68,136

EE44AA

238,68,170

EE44CC

238,68,204

EE44EE

238,68,238

EE44FF

238,68,255

EE6600

238,102,0

EE6622

238,102,34

EE6644

238,102,68

EE6666

238,102,102

EE6688

238,102,136

EE66AA

238,102,170

EE66CC

238,102,204

EE66EE

238,102,238

EE66FF

238,102,255

EE8800

238,136,0

EE8822

238,136,34

EE8844

238,136,68

EE8866

238,136,102

EE8888

238,136,136

EE88AA

238,136,170

EE88CC

238,136,204

EE88EE

238,136,238

EE88FF

238,136,255

EEAA00

238,170,0

EEAA22

238,170,34

EEAA44

238,170,68

EEAA66

238,170,102

EEAA88

238,170,136

EEAAAA

238,170,170

EEAACC

238,170,204

EEAAEE

238,170,238

EEAAFF

238,170,255

EECC00

238,204,0

EECC22

238,204,34

EECC44

238,204,68

EECC66

238,204,102

EECC88

238,204,136

EECCAA

238,204,170

EECCCC

238,204,204

EECCEE

238,204,238

EECCFF

238,204,255

EEEE00

238,238,0

EEEE22

238,238,34

EEEE44

238,238,68

EEEE66

238,238,102

EEEE88

238,238,136

EEEEAA

238,238,170

EEEECC

238,238,204

EEEEEE

238,238,238

EEEEFF

238,238,255

EEFF00

238,255,0

EEFF22

238,255,34

EEFF44

238,255,68

EEFF66

238,255,102

EEFF88

238,255,136

EEFFAA

238,255,170

EEFFCC

238,255,204

EEFFEE

238,255,238

EEFFFF

238,255,255

FF0000

255,0,0

FF0022

255,0,34

FF0044

255,0,68

FF0066

255,0,102

FF0088

255,0,136

FF00AA

255,0,170

FF00CC

255,0,204

FF00EE

255,0,238

FF00FF

255,0,255

FF2200

255,34,0

FF2222

255,34,34

FF2244

255,34,68

FF2266

255,34,102

FF2288

255,34,136

FF22AA

255,34,170

FF22CC

255,34,204

FF22EE

255,34,238

FF22FF

255,34,255

FF4400

255,68,0

FF4422

255,68,34

FF4444

255,68,68

FF4466

255,68,102

FF4488

255,68,136

FF44AA

255,68,170

FF44CC

255,68,204

FF44EE

255,68,238

FF44FF

255,68,255

FF6600

255,102,0

FF6622

255,102,34

FF6644

255,102,68

FF6666

255,102,102

FF6688

255,102,136

FF66AA

255,102,170

FF66CC

255,102,204

FF66EE

255,102,238

FF66FF

255,102,255

FF8800

255,136,0

FF8822

255,136,34

FF8844

255,136,68

FF8866

255,136,102

FF8888

255,136,136

FF88AA

255,136,170

FF88CC

255,136,204

FF88EE

255,136,238

FF88FF

255,136,255

FFAA00

255,170,0

FFAA22

255,170,34

FFAA44

255,170,68

FFAA66

255,170,102

FFAA88

255,170,136

FFAAAA

255,170,170

FFAACC

255,170,204

FFAAEE

255,170,238

FFAAFF

255,170,255

FFCC00

255,204,0

FFCC22

255,204,34

FFCC44

255,204,68

FFCC66

255,204,102

FFCC88

255,204,136

FFCCAA

255,204,170

FFCCCC

255,204,204

FFCCEE

255,204,238

FFCCFF

255,204,255

FFEE00

255,238,0

FFEE22

255,238,34

FFEE44

255,238,68

FFEE66

255,238,102

FFEE88

255,238,136

FFEEAA

255,238,170

FFEECC

255,238,204

FFEEEE

255,238,238

FFEEFF

255,238,255

FFFF00

255,255,0

FFFF22

255,255,34

FFFF44

255,255,68

FFFF66

255,255,102

FFFF88

255,255,136

FFFFAA

255,255,170

FFFFCC

255,255,204

FFFFEE

255,255,238

FFFFFF

255,255,255

Java Server Page (JSP) script:

<%@ page language="java" contentType="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"
    pageEncoding="ISO-8859-1"%>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1">
<title>Insert title here</title>

</head>
<body>
<%@ page import="java.util.ArrayList" %>
<%ArrayList<String> rgbHexKeys = new ArrayList<String>();
ArrayList<String> rgbKeys = new ArrayList<String>();

for (int i = 0; i < 256; i++) {
    if (i % 2 == 0 || i == 255) { // only allow even numbers and 255
        String unsignedHex = Integer.toHexString(i);
        if (unsignedHex.length() < 2) { // force all numbers to have two digits
            unsignedHex = "0" + unsignedHex;
        }
        if (!unsignedHex.substring(0, 1).equalsIgnoreCase(unsignedHex.substring(1, 2))) { // filter out non-twin digits
            continue;
        }
        rgbHexKeys.add(unsignedHex);
        rgbKeys.add("" + i);
    }
}

for (int i = 0; i < rgbHexKeys.size(); i++) {
    for (int j = 0; j < rgbHexKeys.size(); j++) {
        for (int k = 0; k < rgbHexKeys.size(); k++) {
            String rgbHexValue = (rgbHexKeys.get(i) + rgbHexKeys.get(j) + rgbHexKeys.get(k)).toUpperCase();
            String rgbValue = (rgbKeys.get(i) + "," + rgbKeys.get(j) + "," + rgbKeys.get(k)).toUpperCase();%>
            <div style="float: left;width: 70px;border: 1px solid #999999;margin: 0 10px 10px 0;padding: 5px;font:x-small Trebuchet, Verdana, Sans-serif;">
                <div style="background: <%="#"+rgbHexValue%>; height: 50px;"> </div>
                <div style="text-align:center;"><%=rgbHexValue %></div>
                <div style="text-align:center;"><%=rgbValue%></div>
            </div><%
        }
    }
}%>
</body>
</html>

Download JSP file here.

Robot Snakes

2009-07-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

I'm not afraid of snakes, but this first one-eyed robot snake freaks me out a bit.

Statistics Not Calculus

2009-06-29T13:59:00.000-07:00

Paddling the Isar from Sharnitz to Wolfratshausen

2009-06-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

Bavaria is not only the land of 1-liter beers and dirndl-clad alpine women, but it also offers the adventurous numerous paddling opportunities with train-accessible put-in and take-out points. A buddy of mine visited me last week and brought with him two Alpacka Packrafts from a small company in Colorado, USA. A Packraft is a cross between a kayak and a raft and is just long enough to sit in it with your legs stretched out in front of you. They weigh about 2.5 kg, have a spray skirt, and are propelled with a kayak paddle and strong arms. They can be rolled up into a bundle about the size of a packed down sleeping bag and carried in a backpack - ideal for traveling fast and light. We set our sights on the main river that flows right through the heart of Munich - the Isar - and took off early one morning on a train heading to the source of the river near Sharnitz, Austria. In a total of three days, we made a round trip from Munich to Sharnitz and back with 95 km (60 miles) on the Isar between Sharnitz and Wolfratshausen.

If you plan on paddling the Isar anywhere along that stretch of the river, click on the interactive map for beta about portaging the numerous dams and other tips.

Upper Isar above Sharnitz

The "Nature Lounge" in Sharnitz, Austria. A place to rent boats, neoprene, helmets and get river beta.

The Isar somewhere between Wallgau and Fall

One of hundreds of alpine waterfalls

The upper Sylvanstein Stausee Dam

Mixing point of multi-colored water

Sylvanstein Stausee

Lunch break in Lengries

See also: Diedre 5.7, Squamish - Climbing Beta
See also: Surfing in Downtown Munich, Germany

Bar-headed Goose - Streifengans

2009-06-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

The Bar-headed Goose (Streifengans) is seldom misidentified given its light color and striking black horizontal bars against a white background on its head. Native to Central Asia, scattered populations live throughout Europe, whose ancestors were probably escapees from bird collectors who fancied this bird's beauty. One of the highest flying birds in the world, they are able to migrate at over 10,000 m, hitch a free ride on the jet stream, and complete a 1,000 mile trip in one day. Compared to other geese their wing span to weight ratio is relatively large and specially adapted blood lets them fly high at low oxygen levels. The geese pictured here were photographed in Munich's English Garden, where a local population lives year-round off of frequent bread hand-outs from the locals. I observed one bold bar-headed goose approach a woman who had bread, stand in front of her with its neck streched high, and comically stomp its feet on the ground as its way to ask for a hand-out. Click on any thumbnail for a screen-filling full-resolution detailed image.

See also: Mandarin Duck - Mandarinente

Barchan Dunes on Mars and Earth

2009-05-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

Barchan Dunes are simply well-ordered piles of sand with a characteristic horseshoe-like shape, which can migrate across vast distances and coalesce into flowing ridges. Here are two examples of these dunes - one from southern Mars and one from southern Earth. Can you guess which picture is from where?

Image source: APOD

Image source: Google

Jumping Spider Macro Videos

2009-05-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

Impressive videoography of an impressive critter. The first video shows a jumping spider cleaning its feet, fangs, and eyes. The second video shows a jumping spider mating dance. The third is a National Geographic clip of a jumping spider catching a honey bee. Enjoy!

Smooth Newt (Teichmolch)

2009-05-06T12:06:00.001-07:00

The Smooth Newt (Teichmolch) can be found in almost any small backyard pond or along the shallow water shores of lakes throughout Europe. I found this dandy of a specimen in the small pond in my wife's parents' backyard in Nordheim-Westfalen, Germany. I first noticed him while he was enticing one of the many female newts in the pond by floating in front of her and vibrating his neon-blue and -orange tail. After about two minutes, she had enough and darted away. At this point I caught him with a net and placed him in a glass container for a few portrait shots. I grabbed one of the females and stuck her in the jar too.

See also: Mandarin Duck - Mandarinente

Mandarin Duck - Mandarinente

2009-04-04T07:47:00.000-07:00

The Mandarin Duck (Mandarinente) is a beautiful and unmistakable duck. Similar to Wood Ducks, they nest in dense forests inside hollow tree cavities, which the babies must jump out of when their mom decides it's time to go. Native to Asia, these ducks can be found throughout Europe, where escapees from private bird collectors established feral populations. The ducks photographed here were found in Munich's English Garden. The male was eating grass and other plants, while the female was gobbling up big earthworms laying on the damp grass.

See also: 11 Spectacular Bird Photos by David Hemmings

Submit Photos to Shutterstock and make $$$!

Earth's Magnificent Moon (17 Stunning Images)

2009-03-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

"Into the sunset's turquoise marge The moon dips, like a pearly barge; Enchantment sails through magic seas, To fairland Hesperides, Over the hills and away." ~Madison Julius Cawein

Light reflecting off the moon, Earth's only natural satellite and the only extraterrestrial body man has stepped foot upon, travels 1.28 seconds before reaching our eyes and cameras here on Earth. It is about 4.6 billion years old, the same approximate age of the Earth. Most scientists agree that it was formed after a colossal collision between the Earth and a rouge planet at the beginning of Earth's formation. The molten debris shot into space after the collision and eventually clumped together forming a liquid ball that cooled into the sphere we see today. Through conservation of momentum, the interaction between the moon's gravity, the Earth's spin and the ocean's tides, the moon moves farther away from us every day while slowing the spin of the Earth and lengthening the day. Since the moon has no atmosphere or weather, the millions of impact craters are not eroded away, like on Earth, revealing to us a great deal of historical information. Some of these impact craters are so big, they can be seen with the naked eye on a clear night with a full moon. No cheese has been found on the moon.

Image Credit: Philipp Klinger

Image Credit: Andrei Lintu

Image Credit: pxipusher

Image Credit: joka2000

Image Credit: Romair

Photo Credit: Terence Molter

Image Credit: Surfingjoe

Image Credit: revlimit

Image Credit: stormygirl

Image Credit: Heartkins

Image Credit: Terry Lea

Image Credit: Ben

Image Credit: mattie shoes

Image Credit: Ben

Image Credit: R. Motti

Image Credit: Images in the Backcountry

FASTRA - A Faster Cheap and Compact Cluster

2009-03-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

In my article 24-Core Linux Cluster in a $29.99 Case from IKEA, I showed how you can build your own cluster (pictured at left) that is small enough to fit under your desk. It's turned out to be a nice space heater in the winter too, keeping my toes warm while it crunches numbers. It's come to my attention that someone in Belgium has created a 128-core cluster called FASTRA computer for under $5000 using 4 GPUs. Graphical Processing Units are normally used to render 3D video games, but in this case, they are using the cluster to speed up their 3D tomography calculations. Check it out below. Too bad they didn't use a Helmer cabinet...

By the way, IBM has the world's fastest computing cluster called Roadrunner using a similar design but much much bigger. It has 130,464 cores and uses 2.35 MW of power.

Surfing in Downtown Munich, Germany

2009-03-20T14:29:00.001-07:00

A YouTube video and Pics...

Add Nested Menu Items to an Eclipse RCP Application

2009-03-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

This article shows how to add nested menu items to a menu in an Eclipse RCP application and builds off of a clean Hello World Eclipse RCP Application. As shown in the article Add a Menu to an Eclipse RCP Application, it is very easy to add a File menu containing the Exit action. Here the Exit action as well as About and Preferences are added to a submenu called Expand in the File menu to demonstrate nested menu items.

Step 0: Create a HelloWorld RCP application.

Step 1: Add the nested menu actions. Open up the ApplicationActionBarAdvisor class and add the three About, Preferences, and Exit actions as private fields. In makeactions(), define the actions and register them. In the fillMenuBar() method, create two instances of MenuManager, one for the File and one for Expand. Add the three actions to the Expand MenuManager. A Separator is added before the Exit action for the sake of demonstrating this nice menu organizing feature. Next add the Expand MenuManager to the File MenuManager. Finally add the File MenuManager to the menubar.



package com.blogspot.obscuredclarity.nestedmenu;

import org.eclipse.jface.action.IMenuManager;
import org.eclipse.jface.action.MenuManager;
import org.eclipse.jface.action.Separator;
import org.eclipse.ui.IWorkbenchWindow;
import org.eclipse.ui.actions.ActionFactory;
import org.eclipse.ui.actions.ActionFactory.IWorkbenchAction;
import org.eclipse.ui.application.ActionBarAdvisor;
import org.eclipse.ui.application.IActionBarConfigurer;

public class ApplicationActionBarAdvisor extends ActionBarAdvisor {

private IWorkbenchAction aboutAction;
private IWorkbenchAction preferencesAction;
private IWorkbenchAction exitAction;

public ApplicationActionBarAdvisor(IActionBarConfigurer configurer) {
 super(configurer);
}

protected void makeActions(IWorkbenchWindow window) {

 //ActionFactory Actions, the ActionFactory defines a set of common actions and can be used in our application.
 aboutAction = ActionFactory.ABOUT.create(window);
 register(aboutAction); //register the action so it is deleted when the Workbench window is closed
 preferencesAction = ActionFactory.PREFERENCES.create(window);
 register(preferencesAction);
 exitAction = ActionFactory.QUIT.create(window);
 register(exitAction);
}

protected void fillMenuBar(IMenuManager menuBar) {

 MenuManager fileMenu = new MenuManager("&File", "file"); //create a menuManager to take care of all submenus in "File"

 MenuManager expandingMenu = new MenuManager("&Expand", "expand");
      expandingMenu.add(aboutAction); //Add the "about" action
      expandingMenu.add(preferencesAction); //Add the "preferences" action
      expandingMenu.add(new Separator()); //Add a horizontal separator
      expandingMenu.add(exitAction); //Add the "exit" action

 fileMenu.add(expandingMenu); //Add the expanding menu to the "File" menu
 menuBar.add(fileMenu); //Add the "File" menu to the menuBar
}

}

Step 2: Run the application and test if everything worked. Your application should now have a new menu containing a group of actions nested in a parent menu:

Piece of cake!

<--- Previous - Verify User Intent Before Closing an Eclipse RCP Application
---> Next - Add a Custom Menu Action to an Eclipse RCP Application

Also see: Eclipse RCP Tutorial Table of Contents

11 Spectacular Bird Photos by David Hemmings

2009-03-04T10:35:00.000-08:00

All the bird photos in this post are copyright David Hemmings found on Photo.net. I just wanted to share these amazing bird photos that I discovered a while back as well as promote David's phenomenal work. These are just a small sampling from all his work, so be sure to check out the rest of his work. Thanks for the amazing shots and the inspiration, David! Click on the images below for higher resolution versions.

See also: Bar-headed Goose - Streifengans

Submit Photos to Shutterstock and make $$$!

Fibonacci Sequence

2009-03-04T10:02:00.000-08:00

The Fibonacci Sequence: 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89 144 233 377...

Check it out:

The Fibonacci Sequence can be found in the song Laterus by Tool.