Archive: 2009-03
Save Jacqui Smith
I can’t believe I’m defending Jacqui Smith, but, well, I am. But only a little.
Updated redcloth_template plugin for Rails 2.2 and 2.3
I’ve found Markus Koller’s redcloth_template Rails plugin handy for the kind of pages on a site that are almost but not quite fully-fledged CMS material. Textile is a lot easier to read, write, and maintain than handcrafted HTML.
A better way to install a native Flash player on 64-bit Ubuntu
I’ve now got a Core 2 Duo laptop, so I’ve installed a 64-bit build of Ubuntu Linux (actually Xubuntu) for the first time, and I wanted to install the Flash player. Well, that’s not strictly true: I don’t much want it, but there’s no fully functional open alternative. Adobe have finally pulled out their fingers and released a native 64-bit Flash player, but the Ubuntu repositories contain a package that installs the 32-bit version (plus 32-bit libraries plus shims).
Linking to the newest version of a file on GitHub
Now featuring on The Pirate Bay
I was amused to find that my iPlayer Downloader has appeared on The Pirate Bay. I’m perfectly happy with that: it’s liberally-licensed open-source free software, specifically written to work around restrictions on redistribution! I’ve checked and the file is byte-for-byte identical—it hasn’t been infected or trojaned.
Greasemonkey vs the ONS at Rewired State
I was at the Rewired State National Hack the Government Day yesterday, held at the almost-brand-new Guardian offices by Saint Pancras station. The motivation is summed up on the site:
Non spediamo in Italia
I saw an item on eBay today with the restriction:
Riddle me this, passenger
I took a train yesterday for a day trip out of London. As an irregular user of the national railway network, I’m pleasantly surprised by the experience these days. The trains are new, quiet, and reasonably punctual. All they need to do to perfect things is to get rid of the rowdy alcoholics who always seem to share my carriage.