Anthony’s Ramblings

So, I learned just enough about Apache’s mod_alias and mod_rewrite to be able to redirect URLs under my domains just about wherever I want, and keep the web browser back button functioning properly. This comes in handy especially when content has been moved from one location to another and you don’t want any links that may exist to become broken. It also comes in handy when you’re picky, like me, and want to force people to view your site(s) as http://www.foo.bar and not http://foo.bar alone , and when you’ve purchased multiple domains and want the old to forward to the new without any confusion.

Here are a couple examples of Apache and its redirection features at work (pay very close attention to your address bar):

http://hhsn.net/blog/
http://mn12.us/tech/air_silencer/index.htm

Go ahead, try out your browser back button. Now that’s a perfect redirection .

Also, I ran across an old website of mine. Anybody remember good ‘ol Hoppeville? Apparently, Tripod hasn’t deleted it yet. I was a bit shocked, especially since I haven’t touched it since 2003. I’m sure any day now it’s going to go away, so to preserve my web roots, I did a wget -m on it, and placed it here where it will remain forever, untouched.

Hoppeville, the website that sparked my web development and interest in servers, has brought back many many memories. I began to reminisce, and am amazed as how much I’ve learned–about computers, about cars, about everything. I am utterly amazed. It’s also a reminder on how fast time goes by. It seems that I last changed Hoppeville a few weeks ago. In reality, it’s been years.

Oh, the memories!

I never really used glxgears as a benchmark tool, but more as an “oh fuck my video drivers aren’t working” tool. In later versions of glxgears, I’ve noticed that it didn’t display FPS. I sort-of brushed it off and didn’t think much of it. Mainly because I’ve got my Mac, which gives me my *NIX fix and then some, and have stopped working in Linux enough to care about video drivers. If I’m working in a non OS X *NIX environment, it’s most likely a server, and we all know you don’t install a GUI of any sort on a server…that’s a waste of resources!.

Today, Sam discovered that you have to tell glxgears to display FPS manually. You want to know how this is done?

$ glxgears -iacknowledgethatthistoolisnotabenchmark

No, I am not joking. Funny, isn’t it? If your version of glxgears doesn’t display FPS when ran, give it a try.

Enjoy Easter with this festive video.

This is an interesting list I’ve developed based from the huge thread on TCCoA. I found it quite interesting. Then again, I’m a big MN12 Thunderbird fan, if you couldn’t tell .

• There is an AWD MN12 concept car (and the SCCoA owns it).
• The team that worked on the SC got a severe reprimand for winning the car of the year award.
• There are some unconfirmed rumors of some 1996 SC’s in Mexico.
• The MN12 suspension in ‘89 was more advanced than any of the BMW’s at that time.
• The results of 700 hours in the wind-tunnel means that the MN12 has a really low drag coefficient, meaning that you can drive fast while still getting decent MPGs
• The SC was severely de-tuned using a resonator and would lose 15-20 HP so it wouldn’t be faster than the Mustang GT.
• The ‘94-’95 Thunderbird (and possibly Cougar) had an insanely expensive cellular phone option that was voice activated, which was rarely purchased.
• According to one of the Today’s Technician textbooks, the Thunderbird SC was the first domestic production vehicle to receive a supercharger.
• Despite the MN12 looking trimmer and lighter in weight when it came out in ‘89, it was actually several hundred pounds heavier then the old Fox style Thunderbirds and Cougars.
• Rumor is the MN12s were always de-tuned below their potential power and performance levels to stay inferior to the Mustang.
• The motor that controls the sunroof is a BMW part.
• The last MN12 Thunderbird was produced on September 4th, 1997. It has the 3.8L V6, chrome wheels, and a red paint job. It was sold to a collector down in Southern California.

This is making it awfully hard to not buy a MacBook right now… 

http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/

This just fuels my hatred for Microsoft.

http://slashdot.org/articles/06/04/05/1425216.shtml