Cacoo – easy diagram creator
I learned about Cacoo from @NikPeachey and immediately started using it make diagrams. It’s extremely easy to use. My favorite feature is probably the ability to snap-to. I am pretty lazy when it comes to lining up parts of a diagram and tend to eyeball it. Now, I don’t have to!
One of Cacoo’s selling points is that it allows realtime collaboration on diagrams – but I haven’t tried that out yet.
DCDC Diagram, made using Cacoo
Guest post on GO! 日本語４年生！
As promised, here’s the Japanese version of the guest post I wrote for Notre Dame Japanese teacher Noriko Hanabusa.
Guest post on GO! にほんごいちねんせい！2009-2010
I wrote about my experiences working in Japan for Noriko Hanabusa’s first year Japanese class blog at Notre Dame. I also wrote a Japanese version, which will be coming soon!
Check out the goofy picture of me at the top of the post, which is also my photo for my job as Language Technologist (aka Assistant Director for Educational Technology) at the Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures at Notre Dame.
Lunarpages domain name scam
I used to use a webhosting company called Lunarpages. I was happy with them until they raised their rates. So, I decided to switch to Just Host. I informed Lunarpages on August 16 that I would be switching hosts.
My site went up on Just Host on August 16. Just Host asked for my current domain and included the domain registration in the price.
Today, my domain registration expired, and my website went down. The only way for me to get my website back up was to pay Lunarpages $19.95 to reregister the domain.
Just Host could not register the domain because it had expired today. Only the previous registrar (Lunarpages) can reregister a domain after it expires – unless you wait for 60 to 90 days.
Because Lunarpages did not inform me of this problem, although they had ample time, they forced me to pay $19.95 to get my domain back – in effect, holding my website for ransom. I would recommend that no one begin using Lunarpages, but if you are in the unfortunate position of hosting there currently, be wary of a future fleecing. Lunarpages, you have acted most unprofessionally. I want my money back.
Ruby on Rails for a dummy (me)
Hello, Ruby on Rails!
I know – the above app isn’t much, but oh, the time it took me to get it working!
I’ve been trying to follow a Lynda.com video tutorial on Ruby on Rails – just the part about getting started! – for a couple of weeks now. The first stumbling block is that the tutorial was done on a Mac, and it doesn’t give very detailed advice for Windows users. (I am running Windows Vista, not as a lifestyle choice, but because I am poor. Don’t judge!) Here is what I tried:
- Downloaded InstantRails. (Go ahead – just try to find their download page! I dare you!) Although everything seemed to be working here, commands like “script/generate controller say” didn’t work. Well, if that doesn’t work, it’s a wash.
- Installed Ubuntu as a virtual machine. Followed several tutorials on how to install RoR, but all seemed to leave me with database connection problems.
- Installed Turnkey Rails as a virtual machine. Oh, the joy I felt when I realized that to view my RoR app, I needed to use the browser on my non-virtual machine (i.e., Vista)! Why isn’t that made explicit anywhere? Once you figure that out, the GUI for Turnkey is really great – and the documentation is crap. I could not connect properly to the database with this one either.
- Installed Bitnami as a virtual machine. Ugh, this is one is frustrating. I don’t even want to talk about it. The documentation is worse than for Turnkey.
So, one InstantRails and three virtual machines later, I was about ready to give up. However, I was feeling a bit better informed about how RoR functions because of all my failed interactions with it, so I decided to give InstantRails one more try. For anyone out there who is struggling and Googling vainly, here is what you do:
- You’re starting with a Windows Vista system.
- Download InstantRails. Choose the .zip file closest to the top of the page.
- Extract InstantRails somewhere convenient, such as a folder on the desktop. It’ll be staying there, rather than installing itself somewhere else. Get yourself a beverage because the extraction will take some time.
- Open the extracted folder and double-click “InstantRails.exe.”
- A dialog box will pop up. Just agree to let it do its thing.
- The program will look like this:
- If MySQL doesn’t say “Started” after a few seconds, click “MySQL” and choose “kill.” That should fix it!
- Now, to build your very own “Hello World” app, click the “I” button on the far left.
- Choose “Rails Applications” -> “Manage Rails Applications.”
- There are some prebuilt applications here that you can play with, but let’s face it – that’s not why you’ve installed RoR. Click “Create New Rails App…”
- A command prompt will pop up. Type the command below, where “myapp” is the name of the app you are going to create:
rails myapp
- A list of lines should be spat out, each starting with “create.” Go back to the “Rails Applications” window and click “Refresh” at the bottom. “myapp” should now appear in the list.
- Go back to the command prompt and type the following command to change into the directory of your new app:
cd myapp
- Type the following command to generate a controller called “say.” Note that you need to start the command with “ruby” or it won’t work! The direction of the slash doesn’t seem to matter, however. (Both \ and / worked for me.)
ruby script\generate controller say
- Now you can edit the “say” controller to define an action called “hello.” Inside the InstantRails folder on your desktop, use a text editor to open “rails_apps” -> “myapp” -> “app” -> “controllers” -> “say_controller.rb.”
- Add two lines to make it look like this:
class SayController < ApplicationController def hello
end end
- Save the file and navigate to “rails_apps” -> “myapp” -> “app” -> “views” -> “say.” Make a new file here called “hello.html.erb” that contains the following text:
<html>
<head>
<title>Hello, World!</title>
</head>
<body>
<p>Hello, World!</p>
</body>
</html>
- Back in the “Rails Applications” window, check the box next to your app, and click “Start with Mongrel.”
- Your app is now running, but how to view it? Click “Configure Startup Mode” to find the address to put into your browser. Mine is http://127.0.0.1:3000. Put that address in to get the standard “Welcome Aboard” page. Append to it the name of your controller and view to see your app in action:
http://127.0.0.1:3000/say/hello
- That’s it! You’ve got InstantRails working, and it’s time to actually learn RoR now. At least, that’s my plan!
DCDC Monthly Feature: Google Reader
A short article (plus slideshow) that I wrote about Google Reader is currently the monthly feature on the Distance Course Design and Consulting Group website. Of course, it’s my job to write them, but you could check it out anyway.
Those are my hands in the pictures, by the way – and you can see more of them if you check out the origami frog instructable.
(Can anyone guess why the glow on my hands is red instead of green? I’ll give you a free DCDC frog template if you get it right!)
South Bend Table Tennis Center
My new paddle
We’ve been living in South Bend for almost two weeks now – without encountering anyone in the outside world except for the people in Jess’ program (who are great people, by the way). So, I started brainstorming things that I could do to get out more, and found the website for the South Bend Table Tennis Center.
Off I went to join their tournament tonight, and I had a great time! As a newcomer, I was placed in the bottom league, which is probably where I belong. I had some great competition from players of all ages using a variety of styles. I won 3 out of 4 games that I played, so I didn’t feel like I was out of place. Although I was the only female player.
And check this out – the coach is Dan Seemiller, former US Olympic team coach! I almost asked if I could take my picture with him. Maybe next week!
New credentials
One great benefit of my current job is that I have access to lynda.com, where I can learn various tech skills. So far, I’ve learned to use Adobe Flash, ActionScript 3.0, and most recently, PHP. When you complete a course, which means viewing all of the instructional videos, you can download a PDF certificate of completion.
My certifications are listed in my CV. I’m hoping that these new skills will make me more marketable in my search for a new job. Even if they don’t, I’m really enjoying my new hobby as a programmer. I have used Flash/ActionScript to create some learning objects, and I’m thinking about a good project to use my new PHP skills. Any ideas?
The move from paradise
I’m back!
My husband, Jess, and I moved from Honolulu to Dimondale, Michigan recently. But not really together. That is, we started and ended together, but took very different paths.
His path wasn’t exactly straight, but got him here in less than 24 hours. He flew from Honolulu to Las Vegas to Minneapolis to Detroit. His parents picked him up from Detroit and drove him to Dimondale.
My path was much loooonger. About an hour before his flight from Honolulu, I flew from Honolulu to San Francisco. I spent four days in California before beginning the long roadtrip to Michigan. This Google map shows all the stops.
So why the road trip? The story itself is somewhat shorter than the trip, luckily. Last fall, my mother and father drove from Michigan to California to spend time with my brother, sister-in-law, and baby niece, Cassie. My dad flew back to Michigan a few weeks later, but my mom stayed for about six months. I arrived in California at the end of this May, helped her move out, spent as much time as possible with Cassie and her parents, and drove back to Michigan with my mom.
Betsy and Cassie in her yukata.
We didn’t drive straight back, as you can see on the map. First, we spent a full day in Yosemite National Park. I want to spend much more time there some day. The scenery cannot be described – it must be experienced. The photo below is just a taste.
Betsy at Bridal Veil Falls in Yosemite National Park
After Yosemite, we headed for Salt Lake City, where my mom spent most of two days researching our genealogy at the Family History Center archives. That left me free, so I explored the city on foot. My favorite part was Memory Park, which has some nice hiking and walking paths.
Memory Park in Salt Lake City
During my wandering in Salt Lake City, I chatted with a woman in a shop who convinced me that we should not drive toward Michigan via I80, as we had planned, but take I70 and detour through Arches National Park instead. So, that’s what we did. We spent a few hours the next day in the park, and the scenery did not disappoint! I am very glad that we didn’t take I80.
Petroglyphs in Arches National Park. I am so fascinated by these!
After Arches, we drove as quickly as possible back to Michigan, straight across I70. We passed through Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Indianapolis, then headed north on I69 toward Lansing.
We were so very happy to arrive in DeWitt, Michigan, where my dad was waiting. I’m now fully settled with my in-laws in Dimondale, and Jess and I are working on finding a place to move to in South Bend in August. That should be the final move for a couple of years, at least! Jess will start a two-year MFA in creative writing this fall. And I’m looking for a job there.
Oh yes – so this is why I haven’t been blogging!
[Update, 6/29/09: Fixed the Google Map link above. Thanks, Jess!]
