Month: August 2005

Can’t install MT (at the moment) on Uniform Server

I’ve just tried to get MovableType working on Uniform Server (using Mysql as the database) and it doesn’t work. The installation check routine fails because dbd::mysql is not installed and it needs the dbi module installed. This does not come with Uniform Server and is not going to be present until version 3.3 comes out (if then). This is a shame as I was hoping to try an installation of MT and import of my data to my local machine to test my backups and DR capabilities.
Plan B is to install MT over on my over hosting company but thats a project for another day as I’m sure my eyes are going all funny now.

100%

Well not only did I pass the 70-272 test, I got 100% on it too 🙂 Apparently its the first time the receptionist has ever seen a 100% pass mark.
There were 9 questions that I had to double check my answers to but most of those answers I could make a reasonable guess as to what the Microsoft answer was (as some of the questions are so ambiguous) so I’m pretty chuffed. That now makes me an MCDST – watch this space for the logo to proudly appear on the website. Next stop is MCSA but that will have to wait until I have a job to pay the exam fees!

New css design needed?

I think that this blog may need a new design, at least for browsers that are running at low resolution. The old laptop can only do 600*800 and when I add pictures to the blog (or long lines) then they break out over the bordering lines of the central column and go over the top of the right hand column making it look weird. The problem is not as pronounced in higher resolutions but it does occasionally happen (like in my previous opera post). If I remember or notice, I will tinyurl the weblink to make it fit, but I can’t do that in the opera post or when putting in paths to files with long directory names.
Having said that, I still get the occasional comment from people who like the theme so it can’t be too bad – unfortunately there is a large wasted space to the left where I am in the photo – but that is the focal point of the layout.
I might wait to see how MT3.2 looks on the local machine and see if a new design or theme can be made then. In the meantime, what are your thoughts?

Free Opera

Now this is the only kind of opera that I like – Opera 8.02 is available with a free registration for today only where you need to provide an email address. As you might expect this web site is incredibly slow at responding.
Actually, to save the initial loading of the screen, go to http://my.opera.com/community/party/reg.dml?email=your.email%40domain.com replacing your email address and the @ with the %40
Thanks Download squad

Swine Google toolbar!

google errormessage The old laptop has been coming up with the rather generic error (left) of “Runtime Error! Program C:\program files\Internet Explorer.exe This application has requested the runtime to terminate in an unusual way. Please contact the application’s support team” for the past couple of days and I’ve only just had a chance to have a look at it. A repair of ie didn’t make any difference and it seemed such a generic error, I thought that googling for the answer was going to be a tough one. As it turned out, the solution from Wugnet solved the problem – removing the google toolbar and everything went back to normal – very strange. Like the OP in the forum, this toolbar has been on the computer with ie for a long time with no changes that I’m aware of – but then again the google toolbar does have an autoupdate facility that you can’t switch off and it doesn’t tell you that it is being updated – which makes it hard to track down problems when things like this occur.
Reinstalling the toolbar from a fresh download has produced no further problems so this should make Kristen happy again (and me too)

I hate online shopping sometimes.

I’ve decided to go for the second (and final) exam of the MCDST certification and purchased the online training and exam voucher from Measureup. Unfortunately their stupid system did not include the voucher code with the receipt for the exam so I can’t actually register for the exam. Naturally their support lines are now closed and I’m *really* hoping that there will still be exam vacancies at the testing centre for Wednesday when I ring MeasureUp to complain as I will not be a happy bunny if I can’t take the exam in August (not that I’m expecting to fail of course).
As an aside on the quality of MeasureUp’s practise exams – they are pretty good but way out of date. Most of the questions that I had today were on service pack2 and it’s new features including Remote Desktop Support, Popup blocking and ICS. None of this was covered in their online support material (which did cover service pack1).
I’ve also had a couple of problems using the exams – the problem I had with only 106 questions appearing instead of 150 was unexplicably caused by either Firefox or an invalid cookie – using IE which I hadn’t used on the site gave me the full 150 question set.

Seven – no not the Brad Pitt movie….

Neil tagged me to do the 7 meme and as he did my flickr systray meme I thought I’d better join in – so here goes..
Seven Things I Plan To Do Before I Die

  1. Sell my house in England – hopefully WELL before I die but it seems to be taking a long long time.
  2. Have kids – as soon as the house is sold and I get a decent job we’ll be trying for kids.
  3. Go to DisneyWorld/Land
  4. Bungee Jump (or any other extreme sport)
  5. Get my MCSE qualifications – one day. It’s just far too expensive in time and money to chase these qualifications.
  6. Fly a Plane or helicopter – I was going to do this for my 30th Birthday but the opportunity never materialised – however it is a lot cheaper to learn in the US, so it is quite feasible.
  7. Go on a cruise – they always look really good, but it is hard to find a destination that Kristen and I would both like.

7 Things I can do

  1. Fly a (hang) glider – not for long admittedly but I have flown a hang glider at the Outer Banks in North Carolina (see pics). I’ve also flown a glider in circles and on approach for landing, but not the actual landing myself.
  2. Ride a motorbike – in fact this was my major form of transport at University and afterwards – only gave it up after getting married.
  3. Clean the litterbox – well someone has to!
  4. Solve most (if not all) computer problems. Well it seems like it sometimes and it’s not often that I admit defeat (and basically a reboot or reformat will cure most of them 🙂 )
  5. Spend too long on the computer – see above.
  6. Play the piano/keyboard – not brilliantly, but enough to get by and provide backing “noise”
  7. Do a great Stan Laurel impression.

7 Things I can not do

  1. Play or watch Football and have no inclination to do so either.
  2. Scuba dive – I went on a course to do this and loved it but the asthma/hayfever meant that I couldn’t breathe properly to satisfy the requirements of getting my PADI qualifications.
  3. Grow my hair very long.
  4. Understand everything that goes on at a American Football game. I try hard, but everytime I think I “get it”, they go and do something else weird.
  5. Give Blood – I’ve had cancer and also take hayfever medication which prevents me doing so.
  6. Ski – Always wanted to give it a try but never got round to trying it out – the fear of breaking a leg (or worse) has put me off – and its expensive too.
  7. Speak, read or write Chinese

7 things I find really attractive about the opposite sex Kristen.

  1. Her Smile
  2. Her touch – there is nothing better than a loving touch after a hard days work (or any time at all really 🙂
  3. Sense of Humour
  4. Easy Goingness – not sure if that is a word, but it is essential for a great marriage and I knew we were off to a good start when we spent 18 hours in the car together the first day we met (and we’re about to do 2 stints of 10+ hours in the next fortnight).
  5. Her curves 🙂
  6. Her intelligence – even if it does mean she often beats me to the su doku game.
  7. The fact she loves me too!

7 things I say the Most.

  1. Basically
  2. Free instead of Three and Portsmouf, Rafeon etc.
  3. Superb – when talking about how nice food is – but as Kristen takes the mick for me doing this, it doesn’t happen very often now.
  4. Yes Please, Yep. – Often when asked if I want something or other, this is how I’ll reply – no idea where this came from.
  5. Swine – I have the father-in-law to thank for this one as it’s (just) one of his Clousea impressions that I’ve picked up.
  6. Google – often appears in conversations on how to fix computers 🙂
  7. Hey Up – a greeting that I started to use when taking the mick out of a Stoke friend of mine, but now say it a lot when greeting people – it really confuses some americans!

7 Books authors I love.
Too many books to count really and I’m sure I’ve answered this question in a meme before. Just take a look at My Book posts on this blog. The main criteria is that they must have written more than one book!

  1. Stephen King
  2. Terry Pratchett
  3. Janet Evanovitch
  4. Jasper Fforde
  5. Douglas Adams
  6. Tad Williams
  7. All the bloggers that I read.

Seven people I would like to see take the quiz

  1. Paul
  2. Anna (that will be a good start to your blogging!
  3. Angela
  4. Rob
  5. Mike
  6. Kristen
  7. Danny (like that is going to happen 🙂