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Patience is a virtue
2008-01-22
Here's hoping that Apple decides to ship my new laptop sooner rather than later. This 'secondary machine' as I've coined it, will be useful in the daily migration of projects between work, school, and home. Also, the ability to watch movies on occasion is an added benefit.
posted by Brian Mansell @ 12:00:00 PM,
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MySQL to Postgres: SHOW FULL PROCESSLIST
2008-01-18
Over the next few weeks, I'll make an attempt to share a few tips on learning PostgreSQL from a MySQL user's prospective
SHOW FULL PROCESSLIST / SHOW PROCESSLIST
- Start up the Postgres shell (psql)
- select * from pg_stat_activity;
From here you will see the client details, query, the state of the query, and the timestamp from when it was executed.
Labels: postgres mysql
posted by Brian Mansell @ 9:49:00 AM,
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T_PAAMAYIM_NEKUDOTAYIM
2007-12-07
aka... Scope Resolution Operator (::) in PHP.
From Wikipedia:
Paamayim Nekudotayim (IPA: [paʔamajim nəkudotajim]) is the official name for the Scope Resolution Operator (::) in PHP. It means "twice colon" or "double colon" in Hebrew.
Nekudotayim (נקודתיים) means 'colon'; it comes from nekuda (IPA: [nəkuda]), 'point' or 'dot', and the dual suffix ayim (יים-), hence 'two points'. Similarly, the word paamayim (פעמיים) is derived by attaching the dual suffix to paam (IPA: [paʔam]) ('one time' or 'once'), thus yielding 'twice'.
The name was introduced in the Israeli developed[1] Zend Engine 0.5 used in PHP 3. Although it has been confusing to many developers, it is still being used in PHP 5, as in this sample error message:
Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_PAAMAYIM_NEKUDOTAYIM in... on line...
Labels: php
posted by Brian Mansell @ 8:32:00 AM,
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MySQL: EXPLAIN EXTENDED
2007-11-08
In this older article, Peter Zaitsev (a MySQL guru) explains a somewhat rarely discussed feature introduced in MySQL 4.1 known as the Extended Explain.
One nice feature added for EXPLAIN statement in MySQL 4.1 is EXTENDED keyword which provides you with some helpful additional information on query optimization. It should be used together with SHOW WARNINGS to get information about how query looks after transformation as well as what other notes optimizer may wish to tell us. It is best seen by example...
Labels: mysql
posted by Brian Mansell @ 8:39:00 AM,
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BREAKING NEWS: Beware of fake Halloween teeth
2007-10-31
From our friends at the Associated Press:
WASHINGTON - The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced an 11th-hour recall Wednesday to warn consumers that fake Halloween teeth sold by the tens of thousands since last year contain excessive amounts of lead.
I'm glad I left my fake Halloween teeth at home on this Halloween day.
Labels: costume, halloween, humor
posted by Brian Mansell @ 10:40:00 AM,
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Basic Task Management with Apple Mail
2007-10-24
I've found that one of the easiest ways to keep up with task requests from others is to simply flag the messages and then make an effort to review the flagged messages queue twice a day.
To take advantage of this feature, make sure that the flag icon column appears in your mail listing.
posted by Brian Mansell @ 2:54:00 PM,
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Project vs. Process
2007-10-08
From Wikipedia:
A project is a temporary and one-time endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service, which brings about beneficial change or added value. This property of being a temporary and one-time undertaking contrasts with processes, or operations, which are permanent or semi-permanent ongoing functional work to create the same product or service over and over again.
By continuing to redefine scope and letting dates become ideas rather than firm deadlines, I've found that many times in work, community-service, or even home improvement activities that projects sometimes lose their definition and rather become programs or processes. In an effort to improve both my management of personal and work time I've found that adopting the Project Life Cycle allows you to define the steps (activities) within each project you undertake and set reasonable goals (milestones) which lead to the completion of the project (deliverables).
posted by Brian Mansell @ 9:29:00 AM,
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