After leaving clearcubic.com infrastructure alone for several years, I finally took some time to bring it more up-to-date.
* Updgraded Django 1.4 to Django 1.5. Django's latest version is actually 1.8. But 1.5 is the latest that Google app supports. :(
* Replaced jQuery Mobile with Foundation 5.
* Upgraded Photoswipe version 3 to 4.
* Added Angular.js (only some parts of the sites were converted to this.)
Showing posts with label misc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label misc. Show all posts
2015-04-28
2012-06-08
clearcubic.com backend updates
Previously, Google app engine (GAE) only allowed for Python 2.5. Some time in February, 2012, Google finally added support for Python 2.7. Along with the latest version of Python 2, official support for newer versions (1.2 and 1.3) of the Django framework were also added.
Since the Python 2 branch is pretty much at its end-of-life stage, I wanted to move clearcubic.com's code to the latest version of Python supported by GAE and as of today, clearcubic.com is using Python 2.7 and Django 1.3.
Besides the backend changes, there is one small user noticeable change that I made. When viewing full size photos in albums, the largest available resolution for the photos is now shown instead of the previously set smaller fixed resolution.
Since the Python 2 branch is pretty much at its end-of-life stage, I wanted to move clearcubic.com's code to the latest version of Python supported by GAE and as of today, clearcubic.com is using Python 2.7 and Django 1.3.
Besides the backend changes, there is one small user noticeable change that I made. When viewing full size photos in albums, the largest available resolution for the photos is now shown instead of the previously set smaller fixed resolution.
2012-06-06
MS SQL job monitor
At my job, we run many MS SQL jobs for crunching data. And on rare occasionally, we'll see jobs that would get stuck in its running state for unknown reasons. Since we do not have external softwares to monitor the SQL jobs and I do not wish to check the job results daily, I created a solution that would allow us to at least know whether a job has exceeded its expected run time. That way, I can just go and check that specific job and if I feel that it's indeed stuck, I can stop and restart it.
My solution was another SQL job that would monitor the specified job. :) I know what you are thinking, what if the job that monitors the other job hangs? Well, I do worry about that as well but I'm hoping these monitor jobs are simple enough that they will not hang (the jobs that got stuck have been complex and usually long running.)
How does my solution work? I created a stored procedure that takes in name of the job to monitor and the expected duration as parameters. As a first step of the job that I want to monitor, I would call this stored procedure and a new job would get created. The newly created job's only task is to check whether the job specified in the parameter is still running after the specified duration starting from the time that it was created. And if the specified job exceeds the specified duration, I send an email out to notify the developers in our team.
When I was searching for a solution on the internet to our job hanging problem, I didn't find too many things. That's why I thought it might be helpful if I post my source code out there for other people to use.
The source code is on github.com. A link is also provided on the clearcubic.com projects page.
My solution was another SQL job that would monitor the specified job. :) I know what you are thinking, what if the job that monitors the other job hangs? Well, I do worry about that as well but I'm hoping these monitor jobs are simple enough that they will not hang (the jobs that got stuck have been complex and usually long running.)
How does my solution work? I created a stored procedure that takes in name of the job to monitor and the expected duration as parameters. As a first step of the job that I want to monitor, I would call this stored procedure and a new job would get created. The newly created job's only task is to check whether the job specified in the parameter is still running after the specified duration starting from the time that it was created. And if the specified job exceeds the specified duration, I send an email out to notify the developers in our team.
When I was searching for a solution on the internet to our job hanging problem, I didn't find too many things. That's why I thought it might be helpful if I post my source code out there for other people to use.
The source code is on github.com. A link is also provided on the clearcubic.com projects page.
2010-11-04
nyyad.info
In 2004, I created the nyyad.info website for, well, the BLIA New York young adult division group. :) Since my "retirement" from the youth group from around two years ago, the site has largely gone unmaintained and is really showing it's age. Today, Nov 3, 2010, it has finally reached it's end of life.
The nyyad.info site was created before the blogging platforms become really popular. After my youth group "retirement", I've already thought about create a blogger.com site to replace what I created. My thought was that using a free and updated solution that's maintained by Google would at least keep the site alive even when no one continues to maintain the site, pay the web hosting and domain name, etc.
A couple of months ago, I saw that my web hosting contract is going to end in November, 2010, knowing that I'm not going to renew my contract, I decided to create a demo nyyad.info site using a readily available blogging platform and let the current NY YAD members know about it as an option when my web hosting contract ends. Rather than using blogger.com for my demo site, I decided to use WordPress, which is a much more powerful blogging platform than blogger.com. Combined with free hosting, which I believe is enough for NYYAD's website, we'll have a low cost solution going forward.
With the nyyad.info reaching it's last day, now what? Well, the current NYYAD members decided to get the nyyad.org domain name (which I think should have been the site's domain name from the start but I was young and didn't know. =P) and use WordPress to replace the original site.
The nyyad.info site was created before the blogging platforms become really popular. After my youth group "retirement", I've already thought about create a blogger.com site to replace what I created. My thought was that using a free and updated solution that's maintained by Google would at least keep the site alive even when no one continues to maintain the site, pay the web hosting and domain name, etc.
A couple of months ago, I saw that my web hosting contract is going to end in November, 2010, knowing that I'm not going to renew my contract, I decided to create a demo nyyad.info site using a readily available blogging platform and let the current NY YAD members know about it as an option when my web hosting contract ends. Rather than using blogger.com for my demo site, I decided to use WordPress, which is a much more powerful blogging platform than blogger.com. Combined with free hosting, which I believe is enough for NYYAD's website, we'll have a low cost solution going forward.
With the nyyad.info reaching it's last day, now what? Well, the current NYYAD members decided to get the nyyad.org domain name (which I think should have been the site's domain name from the start but I was young and didn't know. =P) and use WordPress to replace the original site.
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| nyyad.org |
2010-09-28
What can you do with a toilet paper roll?
This is something I would have loved to do when I was little.
They look great when given the right light treatment.
Miniature Art on Toilet Paper Rolls by Anastasia Elias
They look great when given the right light treatment.
Miniature Art on Toilet Paper Rolls by Anastasia Elias
2010-09-15
Light painting
Interesting way to do animation.
Making Future Magic: iPad light painting from Dentsu London on Vimeo.
Making Future Magic: iPad light painting from Dentsu London on Vimeo.
2010-08-04
New York vs. Silicon Valley
Being a New Yorker and having participated in an attempted start up here in NY, this makes for an interesting read. Don't know a whole lot about the real Silicon Valley to judge the author's opinion but this does make me think.
http://adgrok.com/new-york-will-always-be-a-tech-backwater-i-dont-care-what-chris-dixon-or-ron-conway-or-paul-graham-say
http://adgrok.com/new-york-will-always-be-a-tech-backwater-i-dont-care-what-chris-dixon-or-ron-conway-or-paul-graham-say
2010-07-26
Photos from around the 1940's
Very interesting photos captured from the 1940's that I saw from a blog.
Site loads slowly as there are many photos but do check the site out if you like photography.
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/07/26/captured-america-in-color-from-1939-1943/
Site loads slowly as there are many photos but do check the site out if you like photography.
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/07/26/captured-america-in-color-from-1939-1943/
2010-07-06
David H. leaving on a jet plane
2010-07-06 marks the day that a friend, David H., is leaving NY and going to Singapore to study what he likes, Animation. Dave is quite a creative person and I think he'll definitely do well in this subject. I wish him the best and hope to see him again some day.
On another note, some other creative young people in the NY YAD made a farewell video for David. The video, from concept to finished product, only took no more than 3 days. I think these young people definitely deserved a big round of applause. Here's the video:
On another note, some other creative young people in the NY YAD made a farewell video for David. The video, from concept to finished product, only took no more than 3 days. I think these young people definitely deserved a big round of applause. Here's the video:
2010-06-13
Accident @ blogger.com
Notice anything different about the blog? I'm sure you can see the difference if this is not the first time you visit here.
I'm currently working on changing my site's back-end structure and had to do some adjustment to the blog. When I saw that blogger has a new design function, I played with it and saved the design by accident and that erased my previous custom code that made the blog look similar to clearcubic.com. Not willing to spend the time to put in the custom code again, I'll have to settle with this new look here. I think it looks ok anyway. :)
Oh, happy birthday to Cadi. She turned 1 today. ^_^
I'm currently working on changing my site's back-end structure and had to do some adjustment to the blog. When I saw that blogger has a new design function, I played with it and saved the design by accident and that erased my previous custom code that made the blog look similar to clearcubic.com. Not willing to spend the time to put in the custom code again, I'll have to settle with this new look here. I think it looks ok anyway. :)
Oh, happy birthday to Cadi. She turned 1 today. ^_^
2009-05-04
Minor site redesign
Made some minor changes to the clearcubic.com website. The current HTML and CSS standards have always made it difficult for me to put the footer at the place that I wanted. So I moved the footer to the top. Now that the footer is on top, I guess I can't call it a "footer" any more. =) Also made some minor, minor changes to most of the pages.
And the first album of 2009 is coming soon. Yipee!!! And here's a photo that will give you a hint on what the album is going to be.
And the first album of 2009 is coming soon. Yipee!!! And here's a photo that will give you a hint on what the album is going to be.
2008-10-22
Finally
Finally received the new 15" Macbook Pro on 10/21/2008. Joy says it's hers but I say it's mine. However, sharing is caring so I'm willing to share it with her. LOL.
Apple just came out with a new 13" and 15" model. Unfortunately, I don't like what they did with the new screen (neither is Joy) so I got the older version. This laptop is going to replace my aging 12" Powerbook. After using an old laptop with a small screen for a long time, all I can say using the new one is WOW! =D
Apple just came out with a new 13" and 15" model. Unfortunately, I don't like what they did with the new screen (neither is Joy) so I got the older version. This laptop is going to replace my aging 12" Powerbook. After using an old laptop with a small screen for a long time, all I can say using the new one is WOW! =D
2008-06-12
June 17, 2008 - Firefox 3 World Record Day
If you don't know what Firefox is or don't use it currently, I HIGHLY recommend that you go download it on June 17, 2008 and use it. The version 3 that is coming out on June 17 is a much, much better browser than IE (Internet Explorer) is.
And if you download it on June 17, you'll help Firefox set a Guinness World Record. How fun is that? Hahaha~~
Click on the image for more detail.
*** Update *** Official release time starts at 10AM Pacific. Or 1PM Eastern.
*** Update (7/2/08) *** It's official. Firefox set a world record. 8,002,530 downloads in 24 hours. Hahaha~~
And if you download it on June 17, you'll help Firefox set a Guinness World Record. How fun is that? Hahaha~~
Click on the image for more detail.
*** Update *** Official release time starts at 10AM Pacific. Or 1PM Eastern.
*** Update (7/2/08) *** It's official. Firefox set a world record. 8,002,530 downloads in 24 hours. Hahaha~~
2008-06-11
Emotional
Probably not new, but it's a slideshow titled "A Moment of Silence" that I saw from NYTimes.com. It's about people in China paying respect to the earthquake victims. Very emotional photos.
It is sad that so many people died in this natural disaster but here's a thought that I had. Is it us that caused so many people to die? What happened to the people from thousands of years ago when there was earthquake? Was the survival rate during earthquakes much higher since there were no tall buildings or buildings made of materials such as concrete? This is probably something we'll never find out?
Photo: Guang Niu/Getty Images. Taken from nytimes.com
It is sad that so many people died in this natural disaster but here's a thought that I had. Is it us that caused so many people to die? What happened to the people from thousands of years ago when there was earthquake? Was the survival rate during earthquakes much higher since there were no tall buildings or buildings made of materials such as concrete? This is probably something we'll never find out?
Photo: Guang Niu/Getty Images. Taken from nytimes.com
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