http://www.chriscurtis.org/ Entries covering web development, technology, news, and more. en chris@chriscurtis.org Copyright 2008 2008-05-09T20:34:01-06:00 http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/tips-for-your-vehicle-gas/ http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/tips-for-your-vehicle-gas/#When:20:34:01Z I recently received one of those “chain letter” type emails, this one purporting to be from someone working in the gas/oil industry and giving some tips on how to get the most out of your gas.  (It also, of course, encouraged me to email it on to ten friends to “get the word out”, but that sure ain’t happening!) I typically don’t much care for those sorts of emails, but this one actually had some pretty decent sounding advice.  So, I figured I might as well look into it to see how legit the advice was. Not surprisingly, snopes.com has an article dealing with these very tips.  The consensus point is that following the tips certainly shouldn’t hurt you (aside from possibly taking extra time), but that for the most part the gain you’ll see in practical terms is pretty modest.  Anyway, I figured it might be worth passing this info along to anyone else interested. Real Life 2008-05-09T20:34:01-06:00 http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/verisigns-at-it-again/ http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/verisigns-at-it-again/#When:06:09:00Z Well, it looks like VeriSign (aka Network Solutions) is at it yet again: being one of the scum of the internet.  This time, they’re proactively squatting on domains that people are looking up.  Check that link for details, but the short, short version is that if you do a who-is search that uses a VeriSign/Network Solutions service and the domain wasn’t previously registered, VeriSign puts a hold/lock on it that means you can only purchase it from them and not other registrars.  I’ve mentioned VeriSign multiple times before.  Clearly, they’re not one of my favorite companies. Computers & Software, Rants 2008-01-12T06:09:00-06:00 http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/still-more-24-ways/ http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/still-more-24-ways/#When:13:53:01Z For the third year in a row, Drew McLellan is serving up another 24 helpings of web design/development goodness.  I’ve mentioned the other two years previously, but the annual 24 Ways site is always great. So far, the day one Transparent PNG article, the trick for warning about CAPSLOCK, and the table of available fonts look particularly good.  However, just about everyone should be able to find something useful in this batch of wonderfulness. (X)HTML and CSS, Web Development 2007-12-18T13:53:01-06:00 http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/leopards-blue-screen-of-death/ http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/leopards-blue-screen-of-death/#When:13:05:00Z Most Windows users are at least aware of the existence of the dreaded “Blue Screen of Death” (BSoD) that can occur when a particularly bad error surfaces.  Rarely do Mac OS X users encounter the same sort of thing, but apparently that isn’t the case for some people upgrading to the newly released OS X 10.5 Leopard.  According to most reports, the BSoD is caused by old versions of Unsanity’s Application Enhancer (APE) being present on the system. Everything I’ve read about APE makes it sound pretty shady and it definitely isn’t something I’d install myself, so I figured that I’d be pretty safe once I get around to upgrading my own system.  Well, Daring Fireball reveals that APE actually gets installed behind the scenes when the Logitech Control Center (LCC) is installed.  Want to guess what I have installed?  Yup, you got it. So, before I even think about upgrading to Leopard, I’m going to have to figure out how to uninstall (and never reinstall; curse you, Logitech!) the LCC as well as make sure all remnants of APE are gone.  So much fun. Computers & Software 2007-10-30T13:05:00-06:00 http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/leopard_is_here/ http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/leopard_is_here/#When:22:20:00Z Apple’s newest version of their operating system was released yesterday: Mac OS X 10.5 “Leopard”.  I haven’t installed it yet myself, but I’m definitely looking forward to some of the features.  Probably the one drawing the most notice is “Time Machine”, Apple’s new graphical automated-backup system.  I’ve been using SuperDuper! for my own backups for quite some time (and I’ll continue to do so for my “snapshot” bootable backups) and it’s worked great, but I’m looking forward to using Time Machine for less critical “as I go” type backups where I can use it to really easily grab a previous version of a file or something deleted.  For an easy to read review of Leopard, check out the review by Macworld that goes over most of the major changes as well as high (and low) points. Speaking of backing up… John Gruber on Daring Fireball put up a quick backup and installation/upgrade guide for how to best install a new OS version.  While it’s obviously written with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard (or other OS X versions) in mind, the basic guidelines would be equally applicable to pretty much any OS installation/upgrade on any platform. Computers & Software 2007-10-27T22:20:00-06:00 http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/schedules_and_sleep/ http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/schedules_and_sleep/#When:12:39:00Z A few months back, I started a new job.  It’s another customer support spot for a software company, but we’ll not go into specifics since… well… it’s better that way.  Anyway, after the initial training, I was put on a 6pm to 3am shift.  While nice in that I got to avoid the evil rush hour traffic (or would that be “traffics” if there are two rush hours?), it was definitely a strange schedule to work.  Being an unusual and overnight shift like that, I just never really felt like I had much time to do stuff during “weekdays” when I wasn’t working.  I usually wouldn’t be super-tired when I got home, so I’d stay up for a bit, but then when it came time to wake up after I did go to sleep, it was a real chore to drag myself out of bed.  So, it would feel like I only had a few “useful” hours to do stuff between leaving work and going back again. This past week, I switched departments at work.  More power, more responsibility… and a new schedule.  I’m now working 8pm to 7am shifts, which is even weirder.  I still get to miss traffic, but now they’re 10 hour days and it’s dark essentially the entire time I’m at work.  I will be getting 3 days off a week instead of two, which should be nice, though.  Anyway, this whole “work at night and sleep during the day” thing is just really odd.  I’ve always been a bit of a night owl, which is a good thing, but not to the extent that this new schedule’s going to require. I suppose I’ll get used to the new schedule.  Eventually.  Maybe finally getting some curtains/drapes/whatever for my bedroom window would help things so it’s darker when I need to be sleeping during the day… Anyway, I think I’m just rambling after getting off my work shift now. *grin* Real Life 2007-10-15T12:39:00-06:00 http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/maximizing_your_rogue_gear/ http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/maximizing_your_rogue_gear/#When:22:56:00Z I previously posted about consumables that should be brought to every raid.  Consumables are very important, but they’re temporary.  In addition, we need to worry about other ways to maximize our potential and that includes getting our gear enchanted and using the best gems we can in that gear.  If you’re going to a raid without an item enchanted or with gear unsocketed, all you’re doing is letting yourself and your raid down.  You’re not being the best rogue you can be. Specifics when you continue on. Enchants Below are typically the “best” enchant to get for each item slot.  Some of them aren’t actually true enchants (head, shoulder, leg), but they do the same thing.  If you have a piece of gear and you know you won’t be using it long, you can sometimes go for a lesser version of some of these enchants, but if you’re going to be using a piece of gear for a while, do yourself and your raid a favor and get it enchanted!  If multiple things are listed, they’re placed in general order of preference for the “best” enchant. Head: [Glyph of Ferocity] Shoulder: [Greater Inscription of Vengeance] (Exalted with The Aldor) [Greater Inscription of the Blade] (Exalted with The Scryers) Honored versions of above Cloak: Greater Agility - +12agility Chest: Exceptional Stats - +6 to all stats Legs: [Nethercobra Leg Armor] Feet: Cat’s Swiftness - +6agility, minor run speed Dexterity - +12agility Surefooted - +10hit rating, 5% snare/root resist Boar’s Speed - +9stamina, minor run speed Wrist: Assault - +24AP Hands: Superior Agility - +15agility Assault - +26AP Weapon: Mongoose - +120agility and slight haste increase occasionally Executioner - occasionally ignore 840 armor (mainhand only) Major Striking - +7damage Greater Agility - +20agility Gems So, you got a new piece of gear with some gem sockets in it?  Don’t be silly and leave the sockets open, put something in it!  At the very least, go to the cheapo gem vendors in Shattrath/Hellfire Peninsula and get the generic 1-2g gems.  As with enchants, though, unless you’ll be getting rid of that piece of armor soon, do everyone a favor and put some decent gems in it.  The “best” gem for a particular person can really vary as it depends on what will help you most.  Generally speaking, though, +hit can almost never be wrong, so Rigid Dawnstone and Glinting Noble Topaz are always good bets.  Your personal milage may vary. Typical Best Choices Yellow: [Rigid Dawnstone] Red: [Glinting Noble Topaz] Blue: [Shifting Nightseye] Other Good Gems Yellow: [Smooth Dawnstone] Red: [Delicate Living Ruby] Green: [Jagged Talasite] With wide accessibility to the epic versions of gems either from raiding or purchase with Badges of Justice, if you’ll be keeping the piece of gear for a long time, making the investment in the epic gems can be worthwhile.  They aren’t huge upgrades over the rare version, but every little bit helps when we’re trying to squeeze out more performance. Incidentally, a lot of rogue pieces have socket bonuses that really just aren’t fantastic.  If the bonus isn’t super, don’t worry about matching the socket colors.  Instead, just put in a nice gem that helps a stat where you’re lacking.  Oh, and avoid +AP gems.  They’re almost never the right choice as most other gems will give you a better overall performance increase. Oh, and so you can see whether or not I follow my own advice… Ghrikk on Shadow Council. Computers & Software, World of Warcraft 2007-10-10T22:56:00-06:00 http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/rogue_raiding_consumables/ http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/rogue_raiding_consumables/#When:23:48:00Z WoW Insider pointed to a Big Bear Butt post calling for folks to make some lists of recommended elixirs, food, etc.  These are things people should be bringing to every raid so they’re prepared.  While I found some people stepping up and doing it for a lot of other classes, I haven’t seen one for rogues.  So, here one is… (Incidentally, it should work great for DPS warriors, too).  Also note that I made a companion article about maximizing your gear to help out as well. Continue on for the juicy details! Flasks & Elixirs The decision as to whether you prefer to use a flask vs separate elixirs often depends more on whether you think you’ll die a lot.  If you’re doing a new encounter where you’ll be learning something and making multiple attempts, a flask will nearly always do you better.  If you’re running something you’re familiar with and you think you can mostly keep yourself alive, going with a couple of elixirs will typically give you the best “bang for your buck”. [Relentless Assault] (1 Fel Lotus, 3 Mana Thistle, 7 Terocone, 1 Imbued Vial) [Fortification] (1 Fel Lotus, 3 Mana Thistle, 7 Ancient Lichen, 1 Imbued Vial) [Major Agility] (1 Terocone, 2 Felweed, 1 Imbued Vial) [Mongoose] (2 Mountain Silversage, 2 Plaguebloom, 1 Crystal Vial) [Fel Strength] (1 Terocone, 2 Nightmare Vine, 1 Imbued Vial) [Major Fortitude] (2 Ragveil, 1 Felweed, 1 Imbued Vial) [Earthen Elixir] (2 Ragveil, 1 Dreaming Glory, 1 Imbued Vial) Heal Yourself You should have at least a couple of stacks of health pots and a stack of bandages for any raid.  Don’t expect heals, folks.  Take care of yourself. [Super Healing Potion] (2 Netherbloom, 1 Felweed, 1 Imbued Vial) [Mad Alchemist’s Potion] (2 Ragvail, 1 Crystal Vial) - Alchemists Only [Heavy Netherweave Bandage] (2 Netherweave Cloth) Food Lots of people overlook food as a useful buff source - don’t be one of those people.  You can get some really useful stat buffs from food and most of it is simple for a lvl70 rogue to farm.  Do yourself a favor and bring a stack each of a couple of your favorites.  Spicy Hot Talbuk is your new best friend and being easy to farm, too! [Spicy Hot Talbuk] (1 Talbuk Venison, 1 Hot Spices) [Grilled Mudfish] (1 Figluster’s Mudfish) [Warp Burger] (1 Warped Flesh) [Ravager Dog] (1 Ravager Flesh) Poisons & Sharpening Stones Yep, poisons and rogues go hand in hand.  While particularly important for a Mutilate rogue, poisons and other temporary weapon buffs should be used by all rogues, regardless of spec.  Your specific choice will depend greatly on the particular encounter.  For example, remember to use a sharpening stone (i.e. not a poison) on poison-immune targets.  Also, remember not to put anything on your mainhand weapon if you’re getting a Windfury totem. [Deadly Poison] - Stackable DoT; not the best if you’ll be switching targets a lot [Instant Poison] - If you don’t know what to use, this is a good choice [Anesthetic Poison] - Basically, a weaker Instant Poison, but causes no threat [Wound Poison] - Useful in some fights where the target may get healed [Mind-Numbing Poison] - Useful in the some fights where the poison will actually slow the target’s casts [Adamantite Sharpening Stone] (1 Adamantite Bar, 2 Mote of Earth) [Elemental Sharpening Stone] (2 Elemental Earth, 3 Dense Stone) [Fel Sharpening Stone] (1 Fel Iron Bar, 1 Mote of Earth) Oh, and so you can see whether or not I follow my own advice… Ghrikk on Shadow Council. Computers & Software, World of Warcraft 2007-10-09T23:48:00-06:00 http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/amazon_mp3/ http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/amazon_mp3/#When:20:27:01Z Yeah, I’m jumping on the bandwagon and talking about Amazon MP3, too.  But, hey: it’s actually pretty big news.  I real competitor to the iTunes Music Store (who, don’t get me wrong, certainly isn’t a “bad” store) that’s done by a company that—no one can deny—knows how to do high-volume sales of content online.  The store apparently has roughly 2 million songs, which is impressive, but nowhere near what the iTMS currently offers.  However, unlike most other competitors, the Amazon MP3 store does contain a lot of big-name and new artists, not just obscure ones. A couple of things really set Amazon MP3 apart from the iTunes Music Store (and most, but not all other rival online music stores).  First, songs are offered at a variable pricing scheme.  “Top 100” songs are just 89 cents, while most others are the “standard” price of 99 cents.  Yes, that’s right: they’re selling the popular songs for less, not trying to extort more money from you just because they’re popular.  Albums are often significantly cheaper (starting at $4.99!) than on iTMS or what they would be buying the songs individually.  In addition, songs with longer track lengths can cost more. Second, and definitely the biggest factor in favor of Amazon MP3 right now: all of the songs are fully DRM-free.  Let that sink in a minute.  There’s no DRM on the songs.  They’re just regular MP3s!  No more “you can copy this song to X computers and play it on Y number of devices” crap.  You bought the song from Amazon MP3, so you own the song and you can do with it what you want.  Keep it on your mac, your PC, your iPod, and stream it to your TiVo.  Or whatever.  Getting the music labels to let them sell this music without DRM is going to be what makes Amazon MP3 so successful. Bravo! Computers & Software, News 2007-09-26T20:27:01-06:00 http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/equinox_defender_of_the_horde/ http://www.chriscurtis.org/weblog/entry/equinox_defender_of_the_horde/#When:09:28:00Z Webcomics are becoming more and more popular these days, but that’s not really what this is.  Rather, Equinox is more like a graphical novel, but created with shots from the World of Warcraft video game.  Videos done this way are referred to as ”machinima”, but this really isn’t exactly the same thing since it isn’t video.  What it is, though, is excellent. The site presents three seasons of stories (the third season is in progress) that tell the story of our protagonist Equinox, a simple, but endearing warrior.  As I read through the stories, I was continually surprised by how deep and moving something so “simple” as telling a story this way could be.  I really cared what happened to these characters and the author (artist?) has done a fantastic job in creating the series so far. It’s an interesting tidbit that the characters used in the stories are actually from my own World of Warcraft play realm, Shadow Council.  Kind of neat having some mini-celebrities in our midst. Humor, World of Warcraft 2007-09-19T09:28:00-06:00