Category: Daily Life

I have a client taking their dynamic site to a trade show on a laptop since they don’t want to rely on the trade show’s wireless connectivity. So, I say, "It’s easy. Just install PHP, MySQL and Apache on your laptop [windows XP]." After 5 hours of hair pulling yesterday I realize that versions on this stuff are as important as they say. Turns out version PHP 5.04 installer for windows does not automatically configure apache. Also apparently apache 2 is better for windows but php likes apache 1.3 better.

I’m returning to PHP 4 for this install.

Ah! Same error:

Sorry, the software to automatically ocnfigure the Apache httpd.conf file has not yet been written. You will have to configure Apache manually. See the install.txt file for more details.

My first pass at this error I got to a stopping point in the install.txt. Had I read further I would have found:

Installing as an Apache module

You should add the following lines to your Apache httpd.conf file:

Example 2-3. PHP as an Apache 1.3.x module

This assumes PHP is installed to c:\php. Adjust the path if this is
not the case.

For PHP 4:
# Add to the end of the LoadModule section
LoadModule php4_module “c:/php/php4apache.dll”

# Add to the end of the AddModule section
AddModule mod_php4.c

For PHP 5:
# Add to the end of the LoadModule section
LoadModule php5_module “c:/php/php5apache.dll”

# Add to the end of the AddModule section
AddModule mod_php5.c

For both:
# Add this line inside the conditional brace
AddType application/x-httpd-php .php

# For syntax highlighted .phps files, also add
AddType application/x-httpd-php-source .phps

So the instructions in the install.txt continue to make no sense with Apache2 referencing files that aren’t there, lines of the httpd.conf that are non-existent and finally I find an exceptional answer that points out:

the problem is that the instructions that come with the php distrubutions only cover installations for Apache 1.3.x and not the 2.0 versions

And further directs us to "Installing Apache 2.0, PHP 4.2, MySQL 3.23, and PHPMyAdmin" by Jeffery F. Hill This looks like an excellent guide!

Another odd thing is just to the right of my cut is a verticle stud that runs the length of the wall. I paniced thinking my fish tape had come down between the this stud and the one to the left of the outlet but reaching into my freshly cut hole I find the tape right at my fingertips! 

I’ve been promising Tommy and Sarah and Internet connection in their rooms for some time. I probably should have just gone wireless. So I take measurement after measurement to determine where to drill from the attic down into the wall. See, when renovating a house, you never know what’s in the walls. Using the window and an existing outlet I judge the appropriate spot to drill. The outlet without the cover shows us a verticle stud to its left which means the next stud should be 16 inches to its left. So I cut my hole for my gangbox between those 16 inches and what do you know! There’s a tiny piece of would innocuously in my space. A rip saw will take care of it but why is it there? 

So I’m under Sarah’s desk marking the wall where I will cut out the hole for gang box that will hold her wires for her internet connection and Amy (3 years old) strolls in under the desk to slowly and poetically say: "I just want to be an archy tect like my daddy." Alright, while I laugh and smile let me wipe these tears from my eyes. Where does she get these words?!

Student: I am facing adversity.
Master: Turn around. Put it behind you.

…because Evan really enjoys sitting in my lap. We need a dads chair and a larger television.

…because my daughters’ room received a beautiful paint job, my brother and sister-in-law were here, and I survived, without cardiac arrest or conniption, my 12 year old daughter’s "boyfriend"’s father calling to discuss their first [group] date (and a chaperone).

Aunt and uncle visit

…because Tommy gets to show off his riding skills and it makes him so confident that he beams with glee. I am also very happy that my brother and his wife are coming to town to see the kids.

…because I finally took some time to post on Spy Journal Blog Tips, Spy Journal Tech Tips, and Reality Me from links I’ve been keeping in open browser windows for weeks. Now my work environment feels less cluttered and I had fun!

Barry makes an insightful comment on to Air Quality Action Day. It was so good that I wanted to highlight it here so that it wasn’t missed in my influx of posting today.

The Martian Anthropologist points out that my post on Xena as the 10th planet could actually be the 11th planet.

In my post Anti-coffee – Man I could use a cup right now! I listed some Caffeine alternatives and included a link to http://www.zipfizz.com/ as a Caffeine alternative with a warning "WARNING! Some evil web developer thinks it is ok to resize your browser window." Shae of Zipfizz paid us a pleasant visit yesterday which prompted me to revisit her site. I was pleased to find that it no longer resizes your browser!

I have avoided the energy drink craze. Perhaps I’ll have to try one of these. They certainly make it tempting. The store offers a single for free (you pay $1.79 shipping).

I’ve been slowly introducing clients to Blingo over time as an alternative to Google. I was shocked yesterday to find out I had not told my wife about Blingo.

I told one friend and two hours later he had won a music CD. Apparently they either didn’t have the refer a friend program or I didn’t know about it or I would have one also. Just incase you missed that, if you refer a friend to Blingo and your friend wins so do you. For example, yesterday Busy Mom won an iPod Shuffle which means that Lauren’s Mommy also won an iPod Shuffle.

The following is reprinted from a post I made on Spy Journal Blog Tips:

Blingo now has a blog. What is Blingo? Blingo is a search engine that returns the exact same results as Google (since it is powered by Google) but gives out prizes (currently limited to the United States, I think).

You don’t need to sign up to search. But if you sign up as a Blingo Friend when you win, so does your friend!

Spy Journal Tech Tips alerted on Blingo in December of 2004.