Reality Me

Blog

  • Error converting tiff to pdf

    So I am trying to deploy the website I recently completed. Deploy? That means move the site from a development server to a production server where the world can see the application in action. It took this long to deploy because the webhost was running PHP 4.0.0 and had to upgrade to at least PHP 4.4.4 (went to 5.1.6 which is nice). However, they did not take the extra 10 minutes it would have taken to include CURL support.

    So, the dev works great using CURL to pull a series of tiffs from another server, then using the Zend Framework, combine those tiffs into a single tiff, and finally convert the tiff to a pdf. I moved the code to the production server and it works fine until we get to converting the tiff to a pdf. It actually converts but the pdf is unviewable simply producing the error "file does not begin with ‘%PDF-‘." These kinds of problems are why developers never make their deadlines. I am working on the presumption that I failed to write some header information into the file. I want this over.

  • Early Bird – NOT

    I woke this morning at 1:30. I was ready to sit down and program for hours! But there was that chill in the air. It fought me back under the covers where I succumbed to sleep. At 6:30 the covers were soooo toasty. Ah. You know. I think the bed is more comfortable when you have to get out of it. I would like to take a vacation just to sleep in!

    Oh! I need M o d a f i n i l! Better living through pharmaceuticals.

  • What a beautiful day for brakes

    Ok. Today was cold but otherwise it was sunny and no rain. A good day to change the brakes on the van. However, I cannot for the life of me find instructions or torque specifications for a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan! The Haynes manual doesn’t come out until February 2007. This has almost frustrated me into letting the shop do the job for the estimated $260 which they said will last 6 months then need to be done again. I can do the job for between $75 and $150.

  • Inspired by Cathy and Tommy

    A writer writes…always.
    A blogger blogs…always.
    …even when we do not feel like it.

  • AtomicTumor site overwhelmed

    A flood of traffic seems to have brought down the Tumor. I am sure it will be back soon.

    Service Temporarily Unavailable
    The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later.

  • Jeep Covered

    With much grunting and muttered curses, I got the top back on the Jeep. It was shrunken from lack of use and severely dry rotted so in some places the zippers tore right off. It is by no means water tight but holds enough heat and will keep enough weather off of us that I think we can use it to get to the Smokeys and back. In the worse case I hit cruising speed and the top shreds. I put Noah in someone else’s car and drive the Jeep by myself.

  • A Blogger Has Passed

    GoldenAppleCorp has been declared brain dead. I assume that means this is her last offical day. May she rest in peace. May those she leaves behind be at peace.

    Take a moment to hug a loved one. Forgive that person you have fought. Resist the urge to rage on that stranger. Make a random act of kindness. Never part company angry. Reach out. Love.

  • Toys my child will never play with!

    Dora Aquapet sml

    What the hell were they thinking?! Just incase you don’t get it, let your mind slip into the gutter. You won’t have to go far.

    There is also a SpongeBob version so your son can play with his own.

  • One Cold Jeep

    So an eon ago the top blew off the Jeep. Mind you, it’s the same top I’ve had on the Jeep since I bought it November of 2004. And, yes, it is held together by bare threads and duct tape. The zipper on the drivers window is shot so the window is held in with wireties. Now, when I say it blew off, I mean the metal strip that is attached to the windshield had a structural failure and half the screws came out at once leaving some bent and torn metal.

    This morning I managed to repair the metal and now I’m off to get new sheet metal screws and lock tight. I know. I should redrill and tap but I don’t own a tap set and don’t have the commodity of time to redrill right now. The body shop would eat me alive on a job like this.

    The remaining wildcard will be the top. Has is dry rotted to the point of being completely useless? I don’t have time to ebay one and spending the small fortune that a local 4WD shop wants for an OEM top isn’t in the budget right now. Last time I asked at the salvage yards they laughed said, "ebay."

  • The Return Of Habeas Corpus!

    Senator Chris Dodd has introduced a bill to bring back Habeas Corpus and compliance with the Geneva Conventions! Didn’t know Habeas Corpus died? Read these.

    The Effective Terrorists Prosecution Act:

    • Restores Habeas Corpus protections to detainees
    • Narrows the definition of unlawful enemy combatant to individuals who directly participate in hostilities against the United States who are not lawful combatants
    • Bars information gained through coercion from being introduced as evidence in trials
    • Empowers military judges to exclude hearsay evidence they deem to be unreliable
    • Authorizes the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces to review decisions by the Military commissions
    • Limits the authority of the President to interpret the meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions and makes that authority subject to congressional and judicial oversight
    • Provides for expedited judicial review of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 to determine the constitutionally of its provisions

    Source

  • Pacman them resources!

    Apparently our websites have been eating enourmous resources on the shared server that does our hosting. The end result is we were flagged to "go away" or buy a dedicated server. It could be the live plugin that I enjoyed so much or it could be my experiments with this website or a combination of both. The idea of jumping from $20 per month to $100 per month to host a bunch of websites that don’t a dime really disconcerned me so, bye bye, live plugin. And that image manipulation stuff has to get gone too.

  • Gawd its cold

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  • Woot Off!

    Woot-Off Light

    We have a confirmed Woot-Off! I explain woot off here. And thanks to Single Dads we have a site that will sound an alarm whenever the product changes! Good shopping!

  • Wednesdays are harder than mondays

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  • Kids bounce

    Evan just slyly sneaked halfway up the stairs (wood, no carpet), smiled big and laughed at himself. Then as I said, "you are making me nervous" he rotated and in slow motion fell to his side and rolled down the stairs like a log. There is no more helpless feeling than watching your child have an accident that you can’t stop. I think he is ok. Where was Hiro!