My text editor of choice on Mac OS X is TextWrangler. For free, TextWrangler gives you a basic text editor with all the standard functions, plus a robust set of extra features: syntax highlighting, FTP/SFTP editing, and loads of internet-smart text manipulation features like email quoting and unquoting, and the magical Zap Gremlins.
I had just [...]
Just when we thought it had gotten as hot as it would get, it gets hotter this week, as the heat wave that has been killing people and baking much of the nation now heads for the East Coast. Warming Warnings are up, so here are a few tips on how to handle the [...]
Rusty handrail and old bridge sign at the Morris Park subway stop on the 5 Line, in the Bronx, NY:
Here is a timelapse video of me assembling a discount executive leather office chair I ordered from OfficeMax. It took me about ten minutes to realize partway through the process that I had put the arm rests on backward. In this video I am wearing my favorite batik house pants.
I’m trying out Vox, the new hosted weblog service by Six Apart (makers of Movable Type and Typepad, and acquisitors of Livejournal). So far I’ve been mostly disappointed, but that’s probably because my expectations of a weblog service are rather different from what people usually want. Apparently most of you out there want an easy [...]
This is the entrance to a Pepco power station on E Street near New Jersey Ave NW. There’s usually a homeless guy named Reggie camped out under the awning here, but lately he’s been gone, and the awning has been vacant. (Pepco put up the gate and NO TRESPASSING signs to try and keep [...]
Applying a skin to Trillian is easy, but for some reason there’s not a lot of documentation out there on how to install sound packs. It took me a while to figure it out: you have to copy the sound pack folder into /Program Files/Trillian/stixe/plugins, then open up Trillian Preferences > Skins, click on “Advanced,” [...]
It turns out mocha is surprisingly easy to make. Remember to leave room for lots of milk and ice, and remember to use more coffee ground while brewing, to keep the blend strong as the ice melts.
Brew coffee as you usually do. Pour into any mug or styro tumbler.
Add two teaspoons of sugar, two teaspoons [...]
Well, the iBook is back in the shop, having succumbed to a bad DC-in port. The battery was down to 20% before I noticed that the AC adapter plug wasn’t working, and the thing went into power-save sleep before I could transfer data off it. I tried resetting PRAM and NVRAM, and when that [...]
This sparrow chick was sitting on the steps outside the office today. He (She?) probably came from the same nest from which those other dead birds fell. This one was still alive, though, and rather scared and disoriented. I was able to coax him onto my hand, and he showed himself well on his way [...]