The Hunt

I’ve gone on a mad hunt across the internet. It started a few weeks ago when I realized that my JEE knowledge needs to be improved. I mean, I know the concepts, I’ve got the basics, sheesh, I’ve even been on an EJB3 course! The problem the way I see it is that I haven’t studied and implemented something all the way through.I haven’t properly, practically built that many proper JEE apps. If any.

So with bow and arrow, or rather in this case, Google and keyboard, I went hunting. I quickly realized that it wasn’t as easy to find proper resources as I first anticipated. I should probably indicate that my quest was to find a tutorial (if that is what one would call it) that would take me all the way through. I mean everything. I wanted something that can lay down all the groundwork and then build on that solid foundation everything I would need to know.

Problem was that all the tutorials had some sort of problem. Some would indicate that I would need to know technology x and y, which I did, but then go on to assume I had knowledge of other technologies and concepts that I did not. Some “tutorials” would be very vendor or technology specific; for example, a tutorial on writing WebServices using Eclipse, Ant and whatever arbitrary tool (Ex Axis) doesn’t teach me what it is all about. It means that the arbitrary tools do a lot of work for me, work that I would like to understand before I use the tool. All of this takes away from a complete learning experience.

Looking at these problems from another angle would let me come to realize that maybe it all doesn’t really matter. Going to the beach by means of train or bus really doesn’t make any difference to my prospective day of sunshine, does it?

The Find

Well, I have a personality that borders on the over zealous side which I realize might somehow be detrimental to my health. Either way, I found a set of resources which I believe will get me where I want to be. I will list them here:

• Sang Shin’s Java Passion
  When I attended Sun Tech Days this year in Johannesburg this man’s passion was so strong right off the bat that it affected and excited everyone attending. I like his site since it takes you through groundwork before it gets to the main meal.

• Sun’s Java 5 EE TutorialThis is probably the starting point from Sun’s perspective. It’s based on Glassfish which is the reference framework from Sun. This book looks to be the Full Monty sitting at 1124 pages in total.

• Mastering Enterprise Java Beans 3.0, 4th Edition

  

• Online resources other than those listed above:
  http://www.java.net
  http://www.netbeans.org

Just got a mail forwarded to me written by a guy who claims to be working on the fuel pipelines in Durban.
In summary, his tips:

• Fill up early in the morning when it’s cool. Cooler = Denser fuel
• Fill up when your tank is half full. Less space for fuel vapor
• Get the pump attendant to pump at a slower rate. The faster speed could create more vapor.
• Do not fill up when the fuel tankers are filling the station. It causes lots of movement in the storage tanks which could bring the dirt to the surface.

Original content:

I don’t know what you guys are paying for petrol…. but here in Durban we are also paying higher, up to R7.35 per litre. But my line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money’s worth for every litre.

Here at the Marian Hill Pipeline where I work in Durban , we deliver about 4 million litres in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and petrol, LRP and Unleaded. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 6,800,000 litres.

Only buy or fill up your car or bakkie in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening….your litre is not exactly a litre. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

When you’re filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapours that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapour return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapour. Those vapours are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you’re getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your tank is HALF FULL. The reason for this is, the more fuel you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Petrol evaporates faster than you can imagine. Petroleum storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the petrol and the tmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every litre is actually the exact amount.

Another reminder, if there is a fuel truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy, DO NOT fill up–most likely the petrol/diesel is being stirred up as the fuel is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

Hope this will help you get the most value for your money.

PS. I couldn’t find the original author of this; couldn’t give credit.

Over the past few months I’ve been adding a lot to my wishlist at Amazon. Everytime I read an article where someone writes about how a certain book really impressed them, I end up researching other views on those books, and if from those views the book seems worth the money, I add it to my wishlist. The problem is that my wishlist just grows and grows and uhm, well nothing else.

Tonight I decided to change all that and ordered 5 books. At first I went with used books, but because they all shipped from different stores, I had to cough up around $12 for each book. I calculated that the difference, on average, between the new and used prices are around $15. If I buy everything new from Amazon, I’ll pay shipping only once:

= only slighly more expensive to get them new.

I was thinking of second hand at first because I’ve heard of other people’s great savings and the quality of the second hand books, but looking at the whole deal like this, proves that second hand isnt always that much cheaper.

What is very clear however, is how much less I pay compared to buying locally Even though I buy from the US and ship international. If I had to buy the same 5 books in South-Africa, I would need to fork out 40% more. I’m pretty sure import duty on new books are around 14% or 15%, which leaves quite a bit of margin.

What impressed me the most was that more or less 10 minutes after I concluded that transaction, I got a call from card fraud telling me that they picked up a transaction that falls outside my usual pattern and that I should confirm that it was me that made it. I’ve heard many stories about this, but to actually experience it work, well done VISA!

It’s very clear to me after tinkering for 2 days (okay, it’s probably more like half a day effectively) that there’s no real simple solution to making a bootable USB flash drive (USB stick, flash disk, USB stick, or whatever else you prefer to call it.

Out there you will find lots and lots of information that lots and lots of people claim worked for them, but not all of it makes sense when you start to follow their magic recipes. I’ll be open minded today and just reason that it’s got to do with the fact the each computer differ very much from the next. Like a ‘rainbox-nation’. Bah!

It’s absolute balony to think that if you buy different parts they will actually work well together. That is not however, what I’m on about today…

Since this is a HOWTO, actually since this is a mini-HOWTO I guess I need to throw a few numbered bullets in the mix.

1. Make sure you have a PC.
2. Check that it (as in the PC pointed out in 1) is plugged in before you begin.

Ha! That is mini enough, isn’t it?! It doesn’t help though… ghrrr. You know, you shouldn’t bitch really. We live in this instant world where everything has to be quick; 2 minute noodles, 5 minute workouts, blah blah blah. Do you really think that all the instant bollocks have any value?! If so, then the two outlined points above should suffice for your needs.
Good night.

For the rest of you, read on.

NOTES

• This tutorial only works for computers that can boot up with the USB-HDD option. Some BIOSs have USB-FDD, USB-ZIP, USB-CDROM or whatever else. I’ve tried this recipe on them and it’s a no go.
• This HOWTO will get you to boot NTFS4DOS, which to me looks like Avira’s own DOS.

PRE-REQUISITES

• BIOS that can boot USB-HDD
• USB flash drive
• Half a brain
• Avira NTFS4DOS Personal (This means you will also need a floppy drive – download this zip which contains the result)
• HP Disk Storage Format Utility from Bay Wolf’s collection (or download it from my public box)

STEPS

1. Download the Avira NTFS4DOS result zip and extract it somewhere.
2. Run the HP Disk Storage Format tool.
   • Check that it has your USB flash drive as the device.
   • For the File System I used FAT
   • Select ‘Create a DOS startup disk’
   • Click the ‘…’ button after selecting ‘using DOS system files located at:’ and point it to the directory where you’ve extracted the zip to in 1.
3. Copy all the files from the directory in 1. to the flash drive. DO NOT overwrite any of the files if the copy asks! IT WILL PREVENT THE DRIVE FROM BOOTING!
4. Reboot your machine and enter the BIOS settings. Now go to wherever you change the boot order and select USB-HDD to be first.
5. Save settings and exit the BIOS.
6. You should now be booting off the flash drive.

Easy ne’! So now you would ask, WHAT THE BLEEP WOULD I NEED TO BOOT DOS FOR?!
Patience boet, we will explore one possibility tomorrow…

 Cheers

As if by Divine Intervention it would just so happen that the clouds that gathered over the Nurburgring would burst open and turn everything upside down as soon as the second lap. The amount of water turned the track into a lake of aquaplaning madness as car after car slid of into the gravel on turn 1, neatly lining up next to each other, and coming to a gentle stop next to the barrier.

The frenzy of cars sliding off, teams scrambling to change tires and the battles that ensued as racers battled each other for position, whilst trying to stay on the track, made for a very exciting race! 

Hamilton got stuck in the gravel after sliding off, but was lucky enough to be allowed to continue his race after being lifted back on to the track with his engine still running on lap 4. He was a lap behind however and with the rolling restart under the safety car, tried his best to unlap himself. During lap 45 Hamilton got blue flagged forcing him to allow Massa to pass and lap him. After that he got himself back up to 9th place where he finished the race.

Winklehock, Spyker’s new driver who replaced Albers for this race, started in 22nd position. Spyker decided to take a gamble on the dark clouds rolling in and got their driver a set of full wets with which to start his race, albeit from the pits. As the rain poured down, claiming a total of six victims on turn 1, Winklehock sets a fastest lap on lap 3. He was now leading the F1 GP on his debut race! Conditions turned nasty and the race was suspended with red-flags on lap 4. All the driver’s now had to start in the positions they were during the red-flag. What a day for Spyker and Winklehock! Unfortunately for him, the rain faded and the full wets couldnt churn out any kind of pace. The Spyker had to retire during lap 15 with small flames showing from the engine bay.

Massa had a good race and lead most of the way until the rain fell down again in the last ten laps, where the change to intermediates left him with vibrations from a bad set. Alonso fought very hard and after some aggressive driving bumped his way past Massa to gain pole position and win the race.

Raikkonen drove very well, and even after missing the pit entrance as he lost grip in the web on slicks, he still had a very good change of winning the race. He dropped from 1st to 7th before the restart, and back up to 3rd before his car gave problems and he had to retire. Very unfortunate since this race could’ve had him gain 10 points on the lead of Hamilton.

Ralf Schumacher made a mistake on the 2nd to last lap giving Heidfeld a gap to try and pass. Ralf didn’t see him there and they collided which had Ralf end in the gravel, very mad at what just happened. Heidfelt finished 6th just behind Coulthard who was the biggest gainer of the day, finishing in 5th after starting his race in 20th.

The final standings:

1. Fernando Alonso
2. Felipe Massa
3. Mark Webber
4. Alexander Wurz
5. David Coulthard
6. Nick Heidfeld
7. Robert Kubica
8. Heikki Kovalainen

A very exciting F1 race indeed, even though my man did not finish. I surely need to get this one on DVD, as it will probably be the most eventful race!

I’m frustrated, fed-up, irritated and annoyed with everything and everyone always hiding a dark side disguised by a prentend-to-be-holy, gold-shining halo. Ulterior motives for personal benfit hidden deep inside a complex web of manipulation covered with lies and deceipt.

I’m sick and tired of laziness that envelopes people and expose their ability, at every opportunity, to try and get out of a dreaded chore or task that they might have to do. I’ve had it with people that cannot take responsiblity for their actions, who would betray their own mothers to shift the blame and pass the buck to whomever is unfortunate enought to be standing close by, feeding the insatiable addiction to immoral corruption that their inner-hipocrite craves.

I’m fedup with incompetent, incoherent blabber that so-called services companies spit in my face to cover up the mistakes that underline their inability to find, hire and keep intelligent, hard-working, honest people that exudes integrity and honesty. Who would rather save a buck than deliver a proper, respectable service to the very people that line their oversized pockets with tons of gold.

Yes. Today I am a pessimistic cynic. Hopefully tomorrow the winds will change and it will blow over.

I’ve never been a Ferrari fan, mostly because I never liked Michael Schumacher. Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for what he has achieved and for the talent that he definately has no lack of. There was just a certain air around him that just didn’t work for me. Back in 1996 when I started watching Formula1 I instantly became a Hakkinen fan. The cool, calm held back personality showed some kind of confidence combined with modesty and smooth driving precision. He didn’t need to be loud and articulate and flashy. He proved his worth with every race that he lead and won.

I guess it reflects a certain part of my personality, so when Mika left F1 at the end of the 2001 series, I was in need of a new hero to follow. A hero that exhibits similiar traits of confidence and style. I took notice of two drivers; the Columbian Juan Pablo Montoya from Indy 500 and a Finn, Kimi Raikkonen. In the years that followed both showed their own styles and personalities through the races they battled; Montoya revealed what I at first interpreted as gutsy and bravery, but which I later realised was probably aggression and temper. He left F1 in 2006 when Ron Dennis, McLaren boss, offered him an early exit.

Kimi shined often and proved to be very competitive in many battles between himself and other top racers. It always felt to me like he was right there on the verge of winning, but maybe inexperience or having his mind on parties prevented him from getting there. Schumacher and Ferrari was of course a very very strong opponent with impeccable skill and reliability. As Michael kept on winning race after race I slowely started losing interest in my favorite sport. It wasn’t racing anymore, it was mundane, boring and repetitive. I probably saw one or two races in 2005 and only a handful more in 2006. It was the strangest moment seeing Schumacher doing his last race and you could feel the air around the track, the pits, even the people that he had been competing with for the last decade. It was the end of a spectacular era that we may never experience again and the start of a legendary story that will be on the minds of every F1 fan, and the pages of every F1 book ever to be written. I felt sad despite my negative feelings towards this talented driver.

From a year that designated the end of an ara, to a year with new teams and drivers, 2007 was surely going to be exciting. Montoya was gone. BMW started their own team. Williams got Toyota engines. Kimi signed with Ferrari and Felipe Massa was suddenly the talk of the town. This sport has so many surprises! I had to make a pick, but staying with Kimi whilst he signed with Ferrari just felt like sin. So I didn’t pick, I just watched, and as the season progressed I got used to Ferrari. Ferrari didn’t equal Michael Schumacher and it felt good. Of course things couldn’t just be that easy, a newbie in F1, a Brit named Lewis Hamilton who started with McLaren started taking podium positions from very early on and threw the whole sport upside down. It was awesome, exciting and very far from the repetitive mundane days of Micheal Schumacher. We had real racing, filled with unknowns and “i-wonder-who-will” every week. F1 was back with a bang.

This weekend the French GP took place at Magny-Cours, in my opinion one of the weirdest tracks, but I liked it for exactly that reason. Very fast S bends as proven by Hamilton this year and hard to overtake corners. Alonso felt the pain as he tried lap after lap to pass, he was afterall the world champion and for him to be stuck in 7th place must’ve been frustrating like no other. You could see his desperation but the track was unforgiving. Bernie Ecclestone confirmed that for 2008 Formula1 will not return to Magny-Cours. Paris may be an alternative in 2008.

During Massa’s final pitstop, he was leading the race up to this point, Kimi pulled one out of the hat and made up precious seconds from second place. This allowed him to pass Massa during his pitstop for 1st place. You have to give credit to the Ferrari team in Maranello who worked very hard to produce much needed improvement to their car.

Let’s hope that this is the start of a turn around for the Ferrari team. I cannot wait for the next race at Silverstone in Brittain!

I never thought I’d ever fall in love with anything ever produced by the capitalist monopoly that is Microsoft. Times have changed. A few months ago some of the guys at work convinced me that the new Microsoft Natural Keyboard is so good they bought one for every computer they owned. I guess it was a hyped-up moment of weakness in my anti-consumerism shield that caused me to jump on the net and order the thing right there.

At first it was awkward and the size and placement of some keys threw me completely off balance, but it’s looks and comfy palm rests sure made up for that phase. I’m convinced my boss must’ve noticed a huge dip in my productivity that week. At the top you have 5 shortcut buttons that you can program to open your favorite programs; my biggest problem with these was that I kept on pressing the wrong button for the program I wanted. I guess my short term memory needs some time in the memory-gym. There’s a button for Web, mail and search. Search is smart enough to open a relevant search box based on the context; so in File Explorer it would open File Seach and in IE it would open web search. Mute, Volume up and down, play/pause which would also open your default player, and calculator shortcut. In the middle of the split is a zoom button that is also context sensitive; I think it just simulates Ctrl+MouseScroll. Also back and forward context sensitive buttons placed below the spacebar.

This keyboard is about more than fancy layout and shortcut keys. It’s about how it takes away the discomfort of typing with your hands held at unnatural positions. Imagine a marathon runner with the latest and lightest shoes; he has less weight to carry on his long run and compared to his old shoes, it feels to him like he’s running on air. Because of this he can make the most of his ability and he can run without even having to worry about his shoes holding him back. My productivity at work surely must’ve improved and made up for after I got used to this keyboard; I wonder if my wpm actually improved? Will have to check that.

At first I thought the price was a little steep. I mean, it’s just a keyboard, don’t be stupid Eugene! Then it hit me, as if an epiphany, and I just couldn’t live with my “normal” keyboard anymore, I was going nuts! I’ve just bought myself another for my computer at home. I had to get rid of the lead in my shoes…

Life is a continuous experience.
It is given to us in stages, one day at a time, and this is enough.
Do not look back and grieve about the past, for it is gone forever.
Do not be troubled by the future, as God will provide.
Live in the present and make is so beautiful that it will be worth remembering…