[Daniel] PyGame & Mac OS X

In a fit of extraordinary typing, it's a third entry. I'll try to keep this one concise. Debian (GNU/Linux) sucks and Mac OS X is not as open-source friendly as I would like. Before anyone burns my inbox to a crisp with flames, I'd like a chance to explain myself.



The situation is that I've taken a strong liking to Python. After being a Perl guy for a number of years (and PHP as of late), I finally gave Python a shot because I had heard many good things about it. Let me say that they are all undeniably true. It's a great language, well thought out and designed. It may even overtake my affection for Perl (gasp!).



That said, I have been struggling to get PyGame and PyOpenGL to install on whatever system I attempt to use. Acquiring and installing these has been a real challenge.



Getting everything up and going is no hassle in Mac OS X. After all, python is already there and the entire system is already set up the way I want it and the way I am productive. The Terminal is kind of shoddy if you're used to Linux or *BSD but you get used to it. The real killer here is trying to get PyGame and PyOpenGL working. The binary release available for Mac OS X for PyGame is over a full year old and created for the previous version of Mac OS X (10.2). It includes a FULL copy of python that installs to a non-standard location, as well as installing everything else needed to a separate, non-standard location. Now I have two copies of python on my computer and only the out of date one will cooperate with the rest of the stuff it installed. Pretty worthless and unhelpful. So to alleviate this, since there are no current binary releases, you have the option to download each of the two source distributions. Then you have to download the dependancies for each (10+ more source distributions). Then you have to get further dependancies for those dependancies (at least 2 more). Then they all must be installed in the correct order (because of interdependancy) and then you discover halfway through that YOU NEED TO DOWNLOAD OTHER DEPENDANCIES. At this point, I gave up on trying to bend Mac OS X to my will, conceeding that perhaps it is not the ideal python environment.



Debian is one of the oldest Linux distributions. It has many spinoffs and is quite popular (some say second only to the Hat). I've given it a try several times over the last 5 years and each time, I leave it feeling unfulfilled. Yes, getting new software can be as easy as one simple command ("apt-get install python"). However, Debian's creators insist on ultimate stability, which means you usually must use code that is about 2-5 years old. With more advanced configuration, you are allowed to pull from unstable sources. However, then the package must be available, as well as all of its dependancies.



The nail in the coffin of my use of Debian, however, was the boot process. When the machine is done loading all of its software, it insists on starting the X server with the crappiest display manager possible (xdm) and ignoring all of my settings. Again, while this problem is fixable, I didn't really want to spend several more hours just figuring out Debian boot scripts and editing them to my liking.



So back to Slackware (emulated) I run, hoping to have a better experience at trying to get what was supposed to be "simple to do" up and running. I'm pretty frustrated right now overall. The true open-source response to this would be that I should figure out how to build the packages and release them for use rather than complain about it. Perhaps that will be my next project. But for now, I'd just like to be able to draw with code. :(

[Moriah] FKPS & World's Healthiest Foods

For anyone interested, please check out my Pet Sitting website. I just updated it, so it should actually look coherent.



Also, there is an awesome website called The World's Healthiest Foods that I've been looking at for the past week or so. It has some cool information on it about the healthiest foods to eat. And if you want to know more about why it's so important to eat organic foods, they have a great page that explains a lot about it, called Everything I Need to Know About Organic Foods. Happy reading for those of you who take a peek.

[Daniel] Philisophical

Attending college, especially in the College of Business, has been very trying for me. Not because of the information taught, the speed at which is was taught or even by the professors themselves. What gets me most is the immense difference in morals between myself and basically everyone else in COBA.



Every single person there seems to believe that fitting in with others and profit are all that matter. Drink away your concerns. Live fast and hard. And destroy anything in your path. Yes, this may be an exaggeration but it's the prevailing view and any dissent is met with disapproval or dismissal.



So in response to this (and to help me solidify my thoughts), I'm going to lay out what I choose to live by:

1. ALWAYS keep an open mind.



2. Everyone is an equal, regardless of sex, status, race or any other falicy there is.



3. Nature is to be respected and treated with immense care.



4. Live for seven generations.



5. Be true to who you are.



6. Always have fun.



7. Maintain self control.



8. Diplomacy is stronger than force.

ALWAYS keep an open mind. Nothing is as important to me as this. You don't know everything and what you know you might be wrong about. Other people have the right to believe what they wish and they might be able to teach you amazing things, if you'll just allow yourself to hear what they are saying.



Everyone is equal. Everyone has the same biologic makeup as everyone else. Just because they aren't like you doesn't mean they don't deserve the same respect as everyone else.



Respect Nature. This involves every aspect of nature. There is no such thing as a right to dominate the Earth and we are affected by pollution and destruction just as much as any other living being. Which ties into the next ideal...



Live for seven generations. This is not a unique thought, as it was the belief held by most Native American tribes. I think one ought to evaluate every action he or she makes and determine what impact it will have on future generations. Our life here is short but that doesn't give us the right to make our children and children's children suffer through a broken, destroyed world.



Be true to who you are. If you're different, be proud of how you think and what you value. I've tried to be someone I wasn't before and it got me nowhere. By being myself, at least I am happy with who I am and can sleep at night guilt-free.



Always have fun. So many people forget what having fun and being silly is like, too stuck in their own little world to care or take the risk of being seen as weird. When you leave that behind, you remember what it's like to really live and you enjoy where you are rather than where you are going.



Maintain self control. If you can't delay gratification or resist tempation, you're no more emotionally advanced than a very small child. Not everything in life goes the way you want it to but if you lose control, you are guaranteed to do something stupid or something you will regret.



Diplomacy is stronger than force. Everyone has their own mind, beliefs and opinions. You don't have the right to force yours on anyone else. Both parties need to speak to each other candidly and respectfully, or someone will get screwed in the deal. And it will come back to haunt you in one way or another.



Part of me hopes no one takes offense to this list. But when I stop to think about it, I hope this does cause some problems. More than anything, I want people make up their own minds, think for themselves and form their own beliefs. That is what freedom is really all about.

[Daniel] A Poem

I had prepared for you a rant so large,

so profound, for it, I ought to charge.

But when it came time to pour it all out,

I found the words did not have the clout.



So on I pressed, to come up with something more,

But, alas, it became more pompous and such a bore

That my eyes watered and became bleary.

Of those long phrases, I grow quite weary.



So instead I wrote

A poem of no note.

For all to read but none to care

Lonely black words, just lying there.



It may appear later but I've had the wind taken out of my sails tonight by other issues. We'll see how I feel after a delicious, chocolate chip cookie! :D

[Moriah] Natural Remedies Under Fire!

For anyone interested in preserving our freedom to buy natural healing remedies (i.e. vitamins, herbs, etc.) over the counter instead of only by prescription through medical doctors, please write your House Representatives and Senators urging them to oppose Senate Bill s722 and House of Representatives Bill 3377. Here is a web site with information on the bills and how to contact your Senators and House Reps: Protect Your Rights! Please join me in preserving the freedom to make our own individual health choices that aren't governed by money-hungry fools.

[Moriah] Wah! Spring Break's Over!

I'm very sad Spring Break is over and I can't wait to get out of Wisconsin forever. Texas was a lot of fun. The weather cooled off while we were there, of course, but it was still beautiful. It didn't rain at all, and the sun was shining through blue sky most of the days. I liked Austin and the DFW area. They were all big cities, but they were so spacious it didn't feel too claustrophobic. Check out our Texas pics and our updated

skate video when we get them uploaded! All I can say is I can't wait to move there when we graduate. I want to be back in the south, my home, very badly.

[Daniel] Spring Break 2005

Texas was better than expected. My stereotype of Texas was a large desert with a bunch of northern-hating cowboys every where. I was sorely mistaken.



The area (DFW & Austin) are actually rather well wooded, have plenty of grass and is really quite green. The people do speak with the heavy southern accent but are very nice and hospitable. Everything, from the supermarkets to the roads, are spacious and well-designed. Austin is especially liberal and seemed more like Madison than "Remember the Alamo".



Perhaps my only complaint is the huge number of pickup trucks for little or no reason. It seems that every other person in Texas owns a freaking truck. They're everywhere and the environmentalist in me kinda hates it.



Regardless, it was nice, relatively warm (average of 60* F while we were there compared to Wisconsin's 10* F) and seems like a great place to live. We had a great time and will upload both pictures and the newly updated skate video when we have time.

[Moriah] Spring Break 2005!

WOOT! It's Spring Break, and we are out of here!!! We can't wait to go to Texas tomorrow morning. Hopefully we'll get enough sleep for the approximate 20-hour drive we have facing us. I'm sure we'll be too stoked to care if we're tired or not. After all, we finally get to see my parents again and get to check out Austin! This is going to be awesome! :) Say bye-bye to snow and hello to warmer weather. Texas, here we come!

[Daniel] Furry Kids Pet Sitting

I forgot to check Microsoft IE 6.0 when designing Furry Kids Pet Sitting, especially given that the Mac version displayed FKPS perfectly. Sadly, the CSS rendering engine within IE 6.0 (Win) doesn't seem to like the "width" attribute being used in conjunction with "margin-top", even

though it will listen to "margin-left". Yet another great example of the terrible box-model implementation within IE 6.0 (Win). Anyway, FKPS has been fixed and now looks the same in all browsers. Enjoy!



Oh, and the post about Doom 3 is not going to happen. No one that visits our site probably cares about Doom 3 all that much and there are plenty of reviews out there that are much more complete than what I was planning on typing up. So poop.