1. Edit your vimrc so vim recognises JSON files.

   autocmd BufNewFile,BufReadPost *.json set filetype=json

2. Install the JSON linter:

   npm install -g jsonlint

3. There’s no step three.

Actually, I wasn’t completely honest about step three. Setting filetype=json killed syntax highlighting for JSON files for me, so I installed elzr/vim-json. (Previously JSON was being detected and highlighted as Javascript – possibly via pangloss/vim-javascript; a “stock” vim on a different machine managed to detect and highlight JSON out-of-the-box.)

On a whim, I’ve moved the site over from Wordpress to Hexo. I never grew to love Wordpress, although the new direction they’re taking with calypso looks intriguing, so I may live to regret this decision. Hexo is a static site generator akin to Jekyll. It is pretty good: quick to get up-and-running (if you’re used to wrangling npm), and I’ve enjoyed playing about with nunjucks.

class DataProviderExampleTest extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
{
    /**
     * @dataProvider colourStatementsProvider
     */
    public function testItemIsCorrectColour($statement, $item, $colour)
    {
        $parts = explode(' is ', $statement);
        $this->assertEquals($parts[0], $item);
        $this->assertEquals($parts[1], $colour);
    }

    public function colourStatementsProvider()
    {
        return array(
            'apple-is-green' => array('apple is green', 'apple', 'green'),
            'apple-is-red'   => array('apple is red', 'apple', 'red'),
            'sky-is-blue'    => array('sky is blue', 'sky', 'grey'),
        );
    }
}

Now run the test:

% phpunit DataProviderExampleTest.php
PHPUnit 3.4.3 by Sebastian Bergmann.

..F

Time: 0 seconds

There was 1 failure:

1) DataProviderExampleTest::testItemIsCorrectColour with data set "sky-is-blue" ('sky is blue', 'sky', 'grey')
Failed asserting that two strings are equal.
--- Expected
+++ Actual
@@ @@
-blue
+grey

/Users/tim/Desktop/DataProviderExampleTest.php:12

FAILURES!
Tests: 3, Assertions: 6, Failures: 1.

Here’s the testdox output:

% phpunit --testdox DataProviderExampleTest.php
PHPUnit 3.4.3 by Sebastian Bergmann.

DataProviderExample
 [ ] Item is correct colour

In previous versions of PHPUnit there used to be more info…

in PHPUnit_Util_TestDox_ResultPrinter change the following line (246) from (part of the startTest function)

from:

$this->currentTestMethodPrettified = $this->prettifier->prettifyTestMethod($test->getName(FALSE));

to:

$this->currentTestMethodPrettified = $this->prettifier->prettifyTestMethod($test->getName());

% phpunit --testdox DataProviderExampleTest.php
PHPUnit 3.4.3 by Sebastian Bergmann.

DataProviderExample
 [x] Item is correct colour with data set "apple-is-green"
 [x] Item is correct colour with data set "apple-is-red"
 [ ] Item is correct colour with data set "sky-is-blue"

much better.

Make a backup of the following file:

/System/Library/CoreServices/RawCamera.bundle/Contents/Resources/Raw.plist

Find the key for the Leica D-LUX 3 (line 3316 in MacOS 10.5.1):

3316: <key>Leica D-LUX 3</key> <string>Panasonic DMC-LX2</string> <!-- 10.4.10 -->

Then insert the following line before the line showing the Leica D-LUX 3:

3316: <key>RICOH Caplio GX100</key> <string>Panasonic DMC-LX2</string>
3317: <key>Leica D-LUX 3</key> <string>Panasonic DMC-LX2</string> <!-- 10.4.10 -->

You should now be able to use the Ricoh’s RAW files in Aperture.

This is based on a previous hack (detailed here), which doesn’t apply to Leopard.

Please note that the documents within PublicAccess can only be accessed by using Internet Explorer. This is due to a limitation within the system which has been raised with the suppliers.

Not good enough. Here’s form I knocked-up in about 2 minutes that gives users of other browsers access to associated planning documents. The associated documents are things like supporting letters, photographs, a copy of the application form etc.

Enter a planning application number to view any supporting documents.

Update: 21 June 2016. Unsurprisingly, this search box doesn’t work any more. There is now an updated “Simple Search” form that works okay on desktop browsers.

Here is the original code for posterity.

<form action="http://e2edocs.bristol-city.gov.uk/WAM/findCaseFile.do" method="get" accept-charset="utf-8">
    <input type="hidden" name="appName" value="planning" id="appName"/>
    <label for="appNumber">Application number</label>
    <input type="text" name="appNumber" value="" id="appNumber" placeholder="e.g. 02/00001/FUL" />
    <input type="submit" value="Show Documents" />
</form>

function trim(str:String):String
{
    var stripCharCodes = {
        code_9  : true, // tab
        code_10 : true, // linefeed
        code_13 : true, // return
        code_32 : true  // space
    };
    while(stripCharCodes["code_" + str.charCodeAt(0)] == true) {
        str = str.substring(1, str.length);
    }
    while(stripCharCodes["code_" + str.charCodeAt(str.length - 1)] == true) {
        str = str.substring(0, str.length - 1);
    }
    return str;
}

The horrible "code_" prefix hack is there because I don’t think there’s a native way to search an array or object for a key or value in ActionScript.

Update: just found this function at: frogstyle.ch. This one does a similar thing, but strips more characters.

function trim(str:String):String
{
    for(var i = 0; str.charCodeAt(i) < 33; i++);
    for(var j = str.length-1; str.charCodeAt(j) < 33; j--);
    return str.substring(i, j+1);
}

Update: as3corelib has a static trim method in com.adobe.utils.StringUtil.

I couldn’t get the function in Pear’s Math_Statistics to work with non-numeric values, so here’s a function that does.

<?php

/**
 * Calculates the frequently occuring value(s) in an array.
 *
 * @param  array $data
 * @return array
 */
function array_mode($data)
{
    if(!is_array($data)) {
        throw new Exception('First argument $data must be an array.');
    }
    $frequencies = array_count_values($data);
    // Double-check that frequencies are sorted in reverse order,
    // I think array_count_values actually returns in this format
    // already, but the manual doesn't mention it.
    arsort($frequencies);
    $isFirst = true; // Yuk
    $mode = array();
    foreach ($frequencies as $thisValue=>$thisFrequency) {
        if ($isFirst == true) {
            $isFirst = false; // Wince
            $mode[] = $thisValue;
            $modeFrequency = $thisFrequency;
            continue;
        }
        if ($modeFrequency == $thisFrequency) {
            $mode[] = $thisValue;
        }
        if ($modeFrequency > $thisFrequency) {
            break;
        }
    }
    return $mode;
}

var_dump(array_mode(array('a', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd')));
/*
array(1) {
  [0]=>
  string(1) "a"
}
*/

var_dump(array_mode(array('a', 'a', 'b', 'b', 'c')));
/*
array(2) {
  [0]=>
  string(1) "a"
  [1]=>
  string(1) "b"
}
*/

mankners…, originally uploaded by i y e r s.

My thoughts precisely. It’s depressing how this stuff has become so popular when there’s such a variety of decent local cider producers within a 25 mile radius of Bristol.

Given the food-miles accumulated importing apples from the UK, France and the Netherlands to Ireland and shipping them back as cider, its a tad ironic that they have to import CO₂ from Poland to make it fizzy.

Update: June 21, 2016. This was posted 3 days after the iPhone was announced in 2007 (it was released 8 months later in the UK, exclusively with a contract on o2). By then, Apple had released the iPod Touch, which was just what I was after: an iPhone without the phone, better storage, thinner, lighter and less expensive. I bought one.

Steve Jobs remarked that the iPod Touch was “training wheels for iPhone”, and sure enough I eventually graduated to an iPhone. I bought a two-year-old iPhone 4S in 2013 and while it’s getting a bit long in the tooth, it’s still going strong.

1. A refund to anyone that has ever paid money for .mac
   That’s all.

1. Make a template file (you’ll probably want to add some styles to this).

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
        "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
<title>Markdown Preview</title>
</head>
<body>
##markdown##
</body>
</html>

2. Make the php file, and follow the instructions in the PHP comments.

<?php

/*
 * Download these and put them somewhere in your php path:
 *
 *     [http://www.michelf.com/projects/php-markdown/](http://www.michelf.com/projects/php-markdown/)
 *     [http://www.michelf.com/projects/php-smartypants/](http://www.michelf.com/projects/php-smartypants/)
 */
include_once 'markdown.php';
include_once 'smartypants.php';

/*
 * You'll need to change this:
 */
$markdownDocsDir = isset ($_SERVER['MARKDOWN_DOCS_DIR']) ? $_SERVER['MARKDOWN_DOCS_DIR'] : '/Users/username/Documents';

/*
 * You'll need to set up BBEdit to use something like this as the Preview Server URL:
 *
 *     http://localhost/markdown-preview/?file=/
 */
$file = $_GET['file'];
$text = file_get_contents ($markdownDocsDir . $file);
$formatted = SmartyPants(Markdown($text), '2');

/*
 * Display the formatted text via a simple template.
 */
$templateFile = './template.html';
$templateText = file_exists ($templateFile) ? file_get_contents ($templateFile) : "##markdown##";
echo (str_replace ('##markdown##', $formatted, $templateText));

?>

I’ve just unsubscribed from the increasingly inane Lifehacker (cf. Finding-Your-Car and Coffee tips) after reading this little gem:

You’re busy. Your life is a hectic mess. How do you find time to get some exercise? Here are a few tips from Maria Gracia of GetOrganizedNow.com.

• Skip the escalator and elevator. Take the stairs.
• Park at least a block away from work or get off the bus/train a few stops early. Walk the rest of the way.
• Rather than meeting with a friend for lunch, consider going biking, roller blading or swimming together instead.
• Do some calisthenics or ride a stationary bike while watching your favorite television program.
• Do some simple stretches, while you’re on the telephone and you’re on hold.
• Schedule just 10 minutes of exercise per day on your calendar. By the time to month is over, you will have exercised over 300 minutes!

If your life was a “hectic mess”, and you were riding a stationary bike while watching your favourite television program, would you really feel any better about getting your busy hectic mess of a life under control? Well, that’s almost irrelevant because you’ve got at least 10 minutes of exercise scheduled for tomorrow and you can enjoy as many simple stretches as you’ve got minutes on-hold.

First install and configure the software:

1. Install Tiger and Quicksilver
2. In Quicksilver’s preferences, install the “Services Menu Module”

Then, whenever you want to look-up a word in the dictionary, do this:

1. Summon Quicksilver (usually with ⌘ + Space).
2. Type “.” to start typing into the variable input field.
3. Type or paste the word you want to look-up and then tab to the next pane.
4. Start typing “dictionary” until “Look up in Dictionary” is active.
5. Press return.

At this point the Dictionary application should launch and try to find your word.

If you’ve made it to here you might enjoy Merlin Mann’s Quicksilver tips at 43 Folders and John Gruber’s in-depth tips about invoking the Dictionary at Daring Fireball.

IP Address: 205.236.34.1Name: search engineEmail Address: google@yahoo.nlURL: http://www.google.comComment:i come from [best search engine](http://www.google.com) http://www.google.com

I used Ourmedia.org to host it:

[…] free storage and free bandwidth for your videos, audio files, photos, text or software. Forever. No catches.

(Their video embedding code is broken for all of the browsers on my Mac. Hopefully they should have it fixed soon. Here’s a direct link to the video.)

This should world for other devices like USB thumbdrives, external FireWire disks, Digital Cameras etc. I futzed around trying to figure out how to do this with launchd, but gave up. If anyone knows a better or other way, post a comment!

I’ve found this useful because it’s removed some backup anxieties, and means I’ve always got my shopping and out-and-about errands lists (and so on) with me when I’m away for the computer. There’s probably a better way of doing this, but it took me an inordinate amount of time to figure it out, so I thought I’d post a code snippet here for like-minded dabblers.

One problem encountered was performance is bad when adding lots of markers, we’re only adding about 180 markers to the map, and my browser kept alerting that a script was running slowly and asking if I wanted to abort it or continue. Not ideal.

I’ve worked around it by adding a little time between adding the markers to the map so the browser catch its breath again. I’ve also grown to quite like the gimmicky animated effect while stockists start popping-up all over the country!

Brent Simmons:

• OS X user interface trend: goodbye stripes
• Smart things – about the lack of convention for creating Smart Lists.
• Splitters gone wild – about the inconsistancy of Window Splitters user interface.
• The inexplicable pressed state of the round textured button
• What I think happened to Mail – includes some interesting comments about the usability pros and cons of the new toolbar icons.
• Capsules are the new new new thing
• Focus madness
• Mail and click-through

Michael McCracken:

• Using Hypertext Links in Native UI
• The Mac UI Question

And more…

• John Siracusa: Tiger’s new look – more about Mail’s toolbar icons.
• maczealots.com: Mac OS X Tiger: What’s Different
• Sven-S. Porst on Apple’s use Source Lists.
• Rob Griffith: The many faces of Apple’s OS X applications – about Tiger’s six types of interface (metal, aqua, smooth platinum, pro, etc.)
• Khoi Vinh: Window Dress for Success – more about Tiger’s different window types – “a brief and dramatically unscientific table that outlines my interpretation of each usage”
• Chris McElligott: Window States Mania about the 3 toolbar states for the new “Unified Toolbar” window style.
• Michael Dupuis: The New Inconsistencies of OS X. Or, How Mac OS X Can Become Windows