04.17.2008EngineHosting

I have been having problems with my site hosting for close to a year now.  Dreamhost had been a solid provider of hosting services before then but then things change.  For me, most of the issues had to do with small mistakes which would render my site unusable.  Such an incident happened a few days ago when a borked PHP config file caused the Dreamhost server (and therefore my site) to stop parsing PHP files and instead offer them for download.  I wish Dreamhost the best, but they need to get their config issues reigned in to have a chance at maintaining their customer base.

I’ve moved to EngineHosting and am so far pleased with what I see.  What I find refreshing is that they seem to do things a bit differently than traditional hosting companies.  With most hosting companies, they offer minimal direct contact with support staff and a large control panel to allow the customer to do most of the work.  With EngineHosting, they offer a modest control panel, but a very responsive staff that handles the mundane config and setup requests.  In overall experience, the difference in philosophy reminds me of the difference between self- and full-service gasoline with one big difference: the hosting is the same price.

While all the pages are working, I still need to have EngineHosting support staff initiate a domain registrar transfer and setup one cron-esque process for me so the latest tracks will regularly update.  Other than that, the move was not as painful as I had anticipated.

04.15.2008Dreamhost Issues

I think the tags say it all…

04.08.2008Apple Safari 3.1 - Windows

During a recent e-mail and verbal discussion with colleagues, the topic of favorite Windows/Vista browser was discussed (yet again).  I.T. people discuss browser preferences like accountants discuss the intricacies of ‘expense vs. capitalization’.  For people outside the industry, it’s generally a meaningless discussion; they want a browser that works and is both stable and fast.

Since I’m not adverse to trying new things, I decided to go grab Safari 3.1 and have a go with it.  I was very hesitant to try Safari because of the rough shape of the previous beta.  After giving Safari a try for about a week, I pleased to report that I am liking most of what it offers althogh there are a few oddities.

One thing that is a bit odd is Safari’s font appearance.  Pages look very ‘Apple-like’ due to anti-aliasing display differences.  This becomes problematic when looking at small fonts as many appear bolded or emphesized.  In some cases, the font used appears unclear or even fuzzy.

I’m also puzzled as to why Apple doesn’t include a ‘home’ button on their default toolbar on a new installation.  It’s not a huge deal for those that have used a few browsers in their time, but new-ish users might need to learn how to customize their browser configuration sooner than really necessary.

Lastly, I don’t particularly like the sneaky way that Apple is pushing out the software.  It’s being pushed out through their software updates, and Safari is selected for download by default even if not previously on a system.  I suppose this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, Apple slipped in Itunes to it’s Quicktime customers the same way.

I’m still using Safari, so I guess that says something.  But Apple still doesn’t get it when it comes to trying to woo PC users to it’s products.  Many people that sit on the fence (like me) are turned off by the arrogance.

04.07.2008Is Blogging Bad For Your Health?

The New York Times seems to think that the act of blogging is somehow responsible for causing stress-related death.  John Candy, John Belushi, and Chris Farley all did comedy, and they all died young.  Obviously, comedy killed them.  Same flawed argument, same faulty conclusion.

Sometimes (or maybe more than sometimes), the main stream media gets things wrong.  Or as in this case, they completely miss the point.  Stress kills people, it always has and it likely always will.

04.04.2008(Another) New Dune Movie

I saw SFFMedia’s story on Peter Berg getting a final ok on a new Dune movie, and honestly I’m not sure how I feel about seeing yet another version of Dune.

David Lynch tried to adapt Dune to the big screen and ended up with an overproduced mess.  I really wasn’t a fan of the the SciFi Channel series that followed that either.  Maybe the third time is the charm.

04.03.2008Caffeine Isn’t So Bad

It appears that multiple studies have confirmed the fact that the caffeine from a cup of coffee each day can help prevent a leaky “blood brain barrier”, a possible contributing factor to Alzheimer’s Disease.

BBC reports:

A vital barrier between the brain and the main blood supply of rabbits fed a fat-rich diet was protected in those given a caffeine supplement.

UK experts said it was the “best evidence yet” of coffee’s benefits.

The “blood brain barrier” is a filter which protects the central nervous system from potentially harmful chemicals carried around in the rest of the bloodstream.

/me does the “whoo-hoo” caffeine-train-dance…

04.02.2008Intel SSD

While reading Ubergizmo's story about Intel's push into SSD devices, one thought entered my mind: this will be very good for the consumer. Seagate and Samsung SSD announcements were important, but Intel's entry into this field guarantees maximum value through improved technology and increased competition.

I'm excited about the future of SSD, and I'm convinced that Intel's jumping into the SSD fray will eventually result in the SSD benefits of speed, shock resistance, and stability at a decent price point for the public.