Webcam Or No Webcam…That Is The Question

What do you do when your webcam breaks and you need to send it in to get repaired? If you’re a PC owner, its likely it won’t be so bad, but if you’re a Mac user…I really feel for you:

Solve For Pizza

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I stumbled across this over at Jay’s Posterous blog and thought it was funny (especially with a math background).

Recursively Process A Directory Using DirectoryIterator In PHP5

Perhaps one of the most used features of PHP5 for me are the great new in-built iterators, more specifically the DirectoryIterator and RecursiveDirectoryIterator functions. Using these saves a lot of time hand-coding the logic behind listing files in a directory on the local machine as these new iterator functions handle all that legwork themselves.

For those of you who are unsure as to what an iterator is, its basically an object that is able to ‘cycle’ through occurrences of other objects. It doesn’t matter if we are cycling through a bunch of letters, numbers or files in a directory, iteration is a key programming concept that is a fundamental building block of most programs.

You may have seen the usage of a numeric iterator before (say $i):

<?php
$i = 0;

for($i=0;$i<=10;$i++){echo “Number is equal to: “ . $i}

?>

Processing A Single Level Directory:

A simple example of the use of the (much simpler) DirectoryIterator function can be seen below:

<?php
$it = new DirectoryIterator("/tmp/mystuff");
foreach( as ) {
  if (!->isDot())     {
      echo . "\n";
    }
  }
?>

Processing A Multi-Level Directory (Nested):

<?php
$it = new RecursiveDirectoryIterator("/tmp");
foreach(new RecursiveIteratorIterator() as ) {
  echo . "\n";
}
?>

In this case, the output should now include a list of all the files and directories under the starting directory (very handy for when you want to quickly print and dig down into multiple levels of a directory tree!

R18+ Classification For Video Games in Australia

The Commonwealth Government has finally released its discussion paper which briefly summarises the key arguments for and against an R 18+ classification for computer games. Censorship Ministers in Australia have considered the issue of an adult classification for computer games on several occasions. However, they have not undertaken public consultation on this issue.

Submissions are being sought on whether the Australian National Classification Scheme should include an R 18+ classification category for computer games. Submissions can be made by downloading and completing the submission template. Submissions may also be mailed or faxed. The discussion paper and submission template contain the contact details for making a submission.

Submissions are invited by close of business 28 February 2010. Submissions received after the due date may not be considered.

The average age of video gamers in Australia is 30 years old and should have the right to view and use video games which depict sex and violence if they choose, as the exact same classification exists for film and television…it doesn’t seem right to not have one for games. It’s great the Australian government is interested in hearing from the public about this issue and hopefully its a great first step in bringing Australia’s aged classification legislation into the present (instead of living in the 60s).

For more information, please visit the Australian attorney general’s site for an R18+ game classification.

Michael Jackson.com – Share Your Memories

If you’re a big Michael Jackson fan but don’t know how to show your appreciation and support? Worry no more. Head on over to Michael’s official site michaeljackson.com and you can leave your thoughts and share your memories of Michael Jackson that have made the biggest impact in your life.

There have been so many responses and comments posted already, 362,966 to be exact (as of 30/06/09). It just makes you realize how many people really loved and admired MJ.

Steve Jobs Is Back At Work

Apple co-founder and chief executive Steve Jobs is back at work after a five-and-a-half-month medical leave, during which he received a liver transplant.

Jobs, 54, is working from Apple’s Cupertino, California, headquarters "a few days a week" and working from home the remaining days, Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said on Monday.

The Apple chief was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer. He had surgery in 2004 and announced then that he was cured. Source: The Age (30/06/09) – Apple CEO Steve Jobs back at work

Melbourne Train Network: Connex Time Comes To An End

Connex was this morning stripped of its contract to operate the network, with Hong Kong-backed company Metro Trains Melbourne to take its place.

The appointment of new operators for Melbourne’s train and tram networks will not bring about major service improvements unless the State Government invests more money, a peak transport users group says.

Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said Connex had become a scapegoat for the networks’ failures, which were mainly due to a lack of Government infrastructure investment.

Source: The Age – New train, tram operators for Melbourne

Megan Fox: What It Must Be Like To Be That Bike!

Quite possibly one of the best things to come from the 2nd offering of Transformers is this scene with Megan Fox on a bike. I think she’s trying to get off on it (excuse the pun) or cleaning it or something…who knows, who really cares I guess.

My previous post (Transformers 2 Reviews – Roger Ebert and Most Other Critics Hate it!) I discussed the seeming lack of interest in this film after reading Roger Ebert’s scathing review of the film. I really hope the film is better than what has been reviewed of it so far. Most will probably be happy if they just see Megan doing stuff like this on film for 2hrs I suppose but I was such a fan of the first film (excluding the 80’s animated film – I’m talking the 2007 film) I have high hopes for the 2nd.

Transformers 2 Reviews – Roger Ebert and Most Other Critics Hate it!

The highly anticipated sequel of 2007’s Transformers directed by Michael Bay released to cinemas today (in Australia at least, yesterday in Britain) to not so critical review. Some will say “don’t take everything critics say to heart” which for the most part is true. Transformers: Revenge of the fallen is supposed to be an “Entertaining” film for audiences to watch with high amounts of action which i’m sure this film will deliver in spades. As far as drama and the quality of dialog…I’ll just have to wait to see the film myself to comment. Ebert’s review of the film seems to be quite brash and over the top to begin with, really pouring on the negativity, but maybe he has a point. Maybe the film is just a bunch of toys rolling around in a confused mesh for 2 hours?

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" is a horrible experience of unbearable length, briefly punctuated by three or four amusing moments. One of these involves a dog-like robot humping the leg of the heroine. Such are the meager joys. If you want to save yourself the ticket price, go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together. Then close your eyes and use your imagination. – Roger Ebert: Chicago Sun Times

Needless to say, not the best start to a sure-fire box office hit. Trailers are one thing, but actually seeing the film might actually be a different story. I’m yet to see it myself, but I had high hopes for this film as I absolutely loved the first one (2007).

Firefox Personas

Firefox Personas is a great Firefox add-in that I only just discovered, but has been around for some time. It allows you to totally customize the look and feel of the Firefox GUI and is very simple to use and configure.

Personas are lightweight “skins” that change the look of your Firefox web browser. You can easily switch between Personas with just a few clicks. There are hundreds of Personas to choose from, with more added every day. You can even create your own and share it with others.

As you can see, I’ve “skinned” my Firefox browser to show one of the default skins available in Firefox personas, but there are heaps to choose from as soon as you’ve installed it!

My clicking the personas’ menu in the bottom left corner of the Firefox window once you’ve installed it, you gain access to the massive list of already available skins to choose from, and if you don’t like what’s on offer there, you can check out the personas gallery to see what else you might like.

You can even create your own “personas” by using images you already have on your computer. The personas how to create personas page has heaps of information you’ll need to do this such as the size the images should be, and a quick 4 step guide on how its done.

I did mine in about 2 minutes it was that easy.

Firefox personas even work with existing Firefox themes. You really have to check out personas, its not even my software and I keep raving about it as if it was my own. I haven’t been this excited about a browser customization pack before, but this really takes the cake!