Category Archives: general

Things Always Changing

It’s funny how fast time goes: one minute, you’re on top of all your passwords, plans, and dev environments… and in the next minute, you’re forgetting passwords, plans, and how you set up those dodgy dev environments years ago.

For example, I just recently noticed that one of my old Python-related projects was no longer working (after a fairly recent server change). After looking into the problem, I end up finding out that I need to upgrade my local virtualenv environment. So I navigate to my environment folder… and realize that I have absolutely no documentation from when I last set up this particular environment. Oops.

There is help out there, though, with potential answers to these types of issues.

To fix this particular issue (and for my personal reference, at least,) I ended up taking the following steps to get things up and running:

  1. Back up your virtualenv directory before doing anything else. (Note: This process is more of a fresh-install than an upgrade… running the command will possibly take away old packages…)
  2. Re-create the virtualenv directory by using the following command:
    $ /path/to/system/default/virtualenv /path/to/your/environment/directory
  3. Then, update individual packages as needed:
    $ pip install package-name-here

Now there’s some documentation for next time…

Online Dev

As much as I hate to talk about tech/programming… just wanted to note that I’ve been using Nitrous.IO to develop a Rails application for a database class… and it’s been great! Nitrous.IO is some sort of virtualized server/IDE for developing applications via a web browser; pretty convenient!

But, as for anything, I’m not sure if I’d be willing to use this type of service for more than anything non-essential (because of questions related to overall security, reliability, and backup plans…) but I can definitely see browser-based coding becoming the way people develop web and mobile applications in the near future.

The local machine, no longer.

Music and Memories

Isn’t it interesting how music can evoke memories of the past? Lately I’ve been thinking about the possibilities of using music to store information in the mind. I’m not sure how this could actually be done, though, and music might work better for memories or feelings instead of non-emotional data. It’d probably make studying for tests a lot easier, though!

Consolidation

Been working on consolidating the different branches of this website into one “easy to navigate” collection. Not sure if that “easy to navigate” part has happened yet… but at least the sites have a common navigation bar at the top (kind of like all those other websites on the Internet…) so that it’s at least a little harder to get lost when browsing the sites.

At the same time, I’ve been trying to add more detail to entries in the Music Scrapbook so that I can then automatically pull information from the Scrapbook for display on the main website. Trying to reduce the number of times I repeat myself… and maybe it’ll work out this time…

Almost There…

Although the Christmas Gift album for this year is nearing completion… I do wish I had had more free time to work on it before Christmas. I started planning for it back in November (as usual…) but some things came up and work on the album had to be put off until later (in late December.)

We’ll see how the album turns out…

Stuff

I have too much stuff. Slowly trying to get rid of it. Some things aren’t as meaningful… and are easy to pass on. I guess I don’t understand what to do with things that have personal memories attached. On the one hand, I can’t hold on to any of these possessions forever. On the other hand, some of these items are (sometimes handmade) gifts from family and friends; unique things that I cannot find in just any store.

I am definitely not as obedient to the Law as the rich young man who had kept the commandments since childhood. But I cannot stop being reminded of these words:

“You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” — Jesus

There’s got to be a better way…

Been tired of thinking about web programming and frameworks, lately. There’s got to just be some way to easily get stuff up online, right? Something that doesn’t require the “repeat yourself” (from the supposed DRY with Rails,) that inevitably seems to happen (due to my laziness, at least,) all too often. Thinking about an easy way to just get things up without a lot of hassle. o_O

On Performing

Had the opportunity to play a couple of songs for an elderly-appreciation event at church, today.  Only had a week to figure out what songs I’d play… and how the arrangement would go.  The performance itself was pretty terrible.  Pretty dry… missed notes… boring rhythm.  I remembered why I kind of hate the piano, in some ways, and why I haven’t played it for a long time.  But more… I remembered how I both hate and love performing.

I hate performing because I will never perform perfectly.  And I love performing because of the attention.  I don’t want attention, though.  It’s kind of hypocritical.  My self wants attention… but my spirit is desiring to change; to not desire attention for my own sake… or at all.

Anyway, I hate performing.  And I feel sorry for the listeners who were in the audience, today. 🙂  Good thing it’s not all about me, anyway.  Glad to have the chance to spend a little time with people who often go unnoticed.

Knowing When to Move On

Sometimes it is hard to let go of things. If one is put into a position of any sort of power, it brings with it a measure of responsibility. Responsibilities may initially be defined in a particular way; but the meaning of responsibility may change over time. Eventually, it may be more responsible to know how to pass along one’s responsibility. And at that point, one can know that it is time to move on.