kasia in a nutshell

During an impromptu design session at work today we came up with a new project for the never-tiring team of engineers at google:

A website whose layout changes based on your gps location and elevation. (Think google maps, not menus)

Okay, so it wasn't *quite* that.. and really nobody mentioned Google.. just think of me as taking artistic license with the idea.

Useless.. yes.. complete waste of time, sure.. but how cool would that be!

Would of course have to use ajax (xml over http) and interface with your cellphone's agps.. wee..
privacy issues galore!

Edit: of course it's not funny and useless when it runs in your cellphone.. then it's a real world application and not a funny blog post, damnit.

Posted by kasia at 08:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I'm no stranger to over-the trunk bike racks. My first was a cheap $30 one from Sears which, surprisingly enough, managed to never lose any of the bikes it was holding up. It did come close a couple times.. the rack didn't actually hold the bikes in.. you see.. you had to use bungie cords and imagination to make sure you don't lose your bikes going down the highway. Thinking back, I'm amazed I ever drove faster than 30mph with that thing on. Since you get what you pay for, I thought I'd invest in something better for my second rack. It was a lovely Yakima rack capable of holding three bikes (not that it ever held more than two) and it lasted me good three, four years of light use. Unfortunately, the plastic thingies that strap the bike in just broke.. one after another.. until none of them were usable. Third time's the charm.. I do enjoy biking and seeing as my suburban neighborhood isn't exactly known for its biking trails, I went shopping for a new over-the trunk bike rack once more. This may be the time when you ask yourself "now why won't she just buy a roof rack?" Good question! You see, my mountain bike isn't so much a mountain bike as it is a tank disguising itself as one. It does a superb job on trails, although not so much of protecting me from things as protecting itself from me. I come off of it properly bruised each time. The side benefit of being so well.. er, tank-like, the bike is so heavy I can barely lift it. Putting it up on a roof is really not something I want to attempt and anyway, if I'm going to invest that much into something related to biking it will be in a new mountain bike, preferably one I can lift But I digress. I went to my local bicycling shop and perused the rack selection. The Yakima racks appear to be best sellers, but seeing as my experience with their durability has left me wanting, I opted for something different. Ta da, enter my new bike rack.

It's a Saris Bones rack . It has great reviews, doesn't it? I wish I read them before going to the shop, the decision would have been easier.. but planning is something that is mostly foreign to me (much like English is as times) hence I read the reviews *after* the rack was on the back of my car. I took it for a solid test drive today.. good 40-50 miles down the highway holding up my light-as-a-feather road bike

In retrospect, I probably should have tried it out with the bike I really wouldn't mind losing, but the rack performed superbly anyway. I swear, the bike didn't move by a millimeter the whole trip. I have never been this impressed with a bike rack and I think it was worth the $120 it cost me (1/4 of a price of a new mountain bike, really!). I like the little clampy-thingies that hold the bike in, they certainly inspire more confidence than the plastic things (that broke off so easily!) on the Yakima racks.. Another fine point is the straps.. they tighten a lot easier than any other racks I've used. So if you're looking for a new over-the-trunk rack and don't mind paying a little more.. this one really is the best.

Posted by kasia at 05:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (1)

I got a flat on the way to work this morning. Now for most people getting a flat tire is nothing special. Not so for me.. last time I just happened to be dressed up as a budget porno version of Legolas and the time before that it was in a middle of a blizzard. I bet some people are starting to think I'm making these things up.. so this time.. I have photographic evidence (please pardon the crappy cell phone camera). That's right.. I had a wrench stuck in my tire. How? Why? Is it physically possible? Who knows! However it did happen while I was driving at around 60 miles an hour.. so it was not someone's poor idea of a joke.

The guy at the tire store (I had to have the tire replaced, no way could anyone fix that hole) was positively giddy..

"Did you *see* what happened?"
"Yah, it was hard to miss.."
"wow, you just had to drive over that *just* right!"
"no kidding.. I took a picture"
"wow!"

See, I am *not* making these stories up.. I truly am a walking (or driving as may be the case) disaster area.

I also did some damage to my sandal-clad foot as I tried to loosen the lug-nuts all by myself (by jumping on the tool-thingy, how else? It was very humid and my foot slipped almost impaling itself on the tool).. being the wimp I am I called my brother for help. He's the blurry thing (the blurry smudge really, you can't see a person, don't expect it) in the picture above.. I'd take a picture of the nasty black-and-purple bruise on my foot but I don't think anyone really wants to see that.

Posted by kasia at 07:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

Me! For asking my boss this morning

"Hey, can we make synchronous soap calls"?

I'd like to thank my mom, my absentmindness and of course all that wine I drank last night.. I wouldn't have been so dumb without you.. thank you.. thank you..

I bet he's asking himself right now why he hired me...

Posted by kasia at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I don't think I've ever recommended movie in my blog before.. but this one is just too good to miss. Really, it has everything: aliens, zombies, rock'n roll, love stories and a sound moral! Wild Zero may just be the greatest movie ever made..

Posted by kasia at 09:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

• The stuck-up ass in a bright-purple singlet with a big yellow "1" on it who didn't answer my friendly "hello". Yah, okay, so my MySQL tshirt doesn't look nearly as cool as your purple singlet.. I mean, I have a purple singlet too, although a couple shades lighter and the last time there was a number on it was during a race. And it was pinned.. like you know, real race numbers are? At least my shirt was free.. how much did you pay to look like a dork?
• The wholesome-looking young man who answered my "hi" with a "god bless you".. dude, I didn't sneeze.. or do my black shorts remind you of a nun?
• The woman walking trails in high heels.. what the hell.. you know what, nevermind, it's probably some sexual game and frankly, I'd rather not know.
• The teenagers who think it's funny to yell at an overweight guy jogging "go lard ass". Do you really think that's an inspiration to him and more likely to get him to exercise? If he continues he'll have a nice body and get hot chicks.. and you.. well, you'll still be assholes.
• The cute guy in a wheelchair who always says "hi" very shyly -- you rock.

Connecticut is a weird state..

Posted by kasia at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

At this link click on "update events".. pretty prompt? Nice and secure? Now look at the source..

Now that's quality web development!

Here's a screenshot in case it changes..

Posted by kasia at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

.. because there aren't enough buzzwords in the world of developers. If I do agile programming with ajax will the universe fold on itself?

What is this love of buzzwords technology geeks appear to have?

Iterative development has existed for years.. but now we have a manifesto, some bad principles (documentation is more important than that) and we can box it up with a pretty ribbon on top!

Agile Development! Something for management to get excited about.

Dilbert would be proud.

Posted by kasia at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (2)

Traveling is fun but damn, it's good to be home. Flying on Friday before 4th of July is apparently a really bad idea.. My plane spent forty minutes on the runway in Philadelphia waiting for our turn.. I mean.. really.. 40 minutes! Insane.

I was a little disappointed with the quality of technical sessions at JavaOne this year.. granted some were great.. but others (the JXTA session on Thursday comes to mind) seemed to be more of an overview or an advertisement than a technical session.

Perhaps a few ideas for next JavaOne:

• Make industry speakers promise to not push their wares so heavily.. mentions are fine, sales pitches are over the top.
• Next big party? two words: open bar
• Two more words: coat check so geeks don't walk around with backpacks..
• All pavilion staff should be made to watch a video of the xfy guy for an example of how not to impress technical booth-visitors.
• Do not schedule bofs at the same time as the party.. that's just bad form.
• Outlets! Geeks love their laptops and the batteries do not last forever!

I do love going to conferences even if I don't do it particularly often..

Posted by kasia at 07:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)