Martian Intuition - Home

on `rake gems:install` & using `require` in tasks

2011-04-16T16:10:00Z

Confounded by the inability of Ruby on Rails' rake gems:install to do its work? Rake FAIL?

My specific experience is that gems:install depends on the gems it tries to install!

I found some answers at Stack Overflow, but none fix my situation.

Ends up this Rails app had quite a few tasks defined in lib/tasks that began with require 'config/environment'. Since rake loads all those tasks on start-up, it was trying to boot the whole Rails environment every time.

The Fix

Swap out require 'config/environment' with proper task dependencies, like task :make_me_coffee => :environment do … end.

Epilog

Rails' rake task files are all loaded on each call to rake. Use require carefully, perhaps putting the statement inside the tasks' do … end block or declaring a task dependency.

on Optical optimism

2009-07-29T03:18:00Z

Swirling thoughts in a bright, radiant pool,
how do I pick from you the path to ride?
The commitment to follow taken to seriously,
reluctance replaces recreation.

So how is the vast emptiness bridged on
beams of light? Optical optimism. Imagination.
Creation forms in emptiness.
Subtle gifts spring from stillness.

on Ruby stack trace limits

2009-07-29T02:46:00Z

LoadErrors raised from Ruby on Rails' ActiveSupport may look something like:

/usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/gems/activesupport-2.3.3/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:426:in `load_missing_constant':
Expected /path/to/the/rails/root/app/models/bacon.rb to define Bacon (LoadError)
        from /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/gems/activesupport-2.3.3/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:80:in `const_missing'
        from /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/gems/activesupport-2.3.3/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:92:in `const_missing'
        from /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/gems/activesupport-2.3.3/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:437:in `load_missing_constant'
        from /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/gems/activesupport-2.3.3/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:80:in `const_missing'
        from /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/gems/activesupport-2.3.3/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:437:in `load_missing_constant'
        from /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/gems/activesupport-2.3.3/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:80:in `const_missing'
        from /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/gems/activesupport-2.3.3/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:437:in `load_missing_constant'
        from /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/gems/activesupport-2.3.3/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:80:in `const_missing'
         ... 26 levels...
        from /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/irb/init.rb:250:in `load_modules'
        from /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/irb/init.rb:21:in `setup'
        from /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/irb.rb:54:in `start'
        from /usr/local/bin/irb:13

The folded/clipped/omitted middle of the stack trace leads to a very frustrating debugging experience.

To expand the backtrace & see the full stack, load the application environment manually in irb with a liberal trace limit:

%  cd /path/to/the/rails/root
%  export RAILS_ENV=development
%  irb --back-trace-limit 1000
irb(main):001:0> require 'config/boot.rb'
irb(main):002:0> require 'config/environment.rb'

You will hopefully see the exception raised + the complete stack trace.

svn Segmentation Fault

2009-01-11T01:35:00Z

I recently tried to do a Subversion copy from a remote repository into my local working copy, but I got a segmentation fault, like this:

% svn cp http://xxxxx.xxxxx.com/xxxxx/xxxxx/xxxxx
Segmentation fault

It leaves behind an unversioned .tmp copy of the file being copied, & svn cleanup must be run to release the lock. (I'm using OS X 10.5.6 Leopard [Darwin]).

Here's the info for my local working copy...

% svn info
Path: .
URL: http://mars@xxxxx.xxxxx.com/xxxxx/xxxxx
Repository Root: http://mars@xxxxx.xxxxx.com/xxxxx
Repository UUID: xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
Revision: 11327
Node Kind: directory
Schedule: normal
Last Changed Author: mars
Last Changed Rev: 11327
Last Changed Date: 2009-01-06 15:46:57 -0800 (Tue, 06 Jan 2009)

The Fix

The working copy URL has a username prefixmars@ that the svn cp URL is missing. So switch the local copy URL to drop the username prefix:

% svn switch --relocate http://mars@xxxxx.xxxxx.com/xxxxx/xxxxx http://xxxxx.xxxxx.com/xxxxx/xxxxx

Now the svn cp ... will work without segfaulting.

Epilog

My favorite GUI Subversion client Versions.app checks out local copies with this "username@" URL convention. Fortunately, switching the URL seems to have no effect on Versions' ability to use the working copy.

Bicycle Asana

2008-12-05T04:29:00Z

Feet spinning beneath me, I skim the streets of San Francisco from destination to destination. I call it Chak Chaka Utkatasana, powerful posture of spinning wheels.

Sitz bones float between two states: anchoring onto the seat & lifting when the terrain gets rough. Hands lightly balancing weight, centering, poised for maneuvers. Breath flows Ujjayi style.

Heart opens forward past handlebars. All senses tuned to the present moment: traffic & people; exhaust & fresh ocean air; earth's unwavering support underneath this most divinely efficient mode of transportation.

on Much Needed Change

2008-10-19T05:45:00Z

Obama '08 - Vote For Hope from MC Yogi on Vimeo.

What kind of presidential candidate evokes such vibrant artistry? (and from a yogi, no less.)

The kind for which I will vote.

on Violet Resonance & Creativity

2008-06-01T21:16:00Z

This morning, I dreamed vibrant purple light washing down through my aura.

The memory is simply that: an indigo-violet crystalline veil expanding around me. Now, I'm riding those waves into the midday, as they reverberate through conscious thought, inflecting royal harmony into ideas & actions.

Any satvic inspiration, spark, seed can only become manifest with the rajasic fire of action. So the idea to create becomes the action of creation, and eventually the tamasic form created. (Satva, rajas & tamas are the gunas.)

The fountain of creation ever-flows. Each detachment, emptiness, really avails one to new opportunity. Leaps happen when we trust & let go; the quantum leap a sub-atomic example of our universe's proclivity for such non-deterministic behaviors.

In yoga & meditation, we practice release, opening to that from which we emerge. Chant & prayer are tools to entrain the mind when it's too noisy to just be still. As we build the muscle of mental release, the fabric of ourselves changes; a creature of grace & openness, where prosperity & abundance replace fear & longing.

So, the memory of that purple dream echoes, infusing my consciousness with divine appreciation. I'm lucky a pinch of indigo works so well with orange.

work-around for OS X Sierra Wireless crashes

2008-03-04T05:16:00Z

If you're trying to use a Sierra AirCard 597E on OS X 10.5 Leopard via the bundled Sierra Wireless Watcher Lite software, then you're probably frustrated like me.

Since my original review, Sierra did release a new version 1.1.3 of the beleaguered PowerPC binary (no it's not Universal/Intel-native). While the new version starts less slowly than 1.1.1, it still mysteriously crashes, sometimes taking the connection with it.

The fix? Simply use Apple's built-in modem dialer, leaving Watcher Lite dormant unless its device provisioning or activation functions are required.

Step 1: In the Network Preferences Panel, check "Show modem status in menu bar"

Step 2: Enjoy the nicely integrated, crash-free EV-DO connectivity

to the West, to San Francisco

2007-12-20T21:39:00Z

On December 9th, after over twelve-years living in Austin, ten of them working as a pro web developer, I accepted a web dev position in San Francisco with Scout Labs. January 7th I start the job: front-end Ruby on Rails web development.

The company's product, the Scout, already received a revealing write-up by TechCrunch. The possibilities of the Scout are just beginning, and I'm ecstatic to become part of the team building this phenomenally useful tool.

Over the past three days, I visited the city to hunt for an apartment, when ideally I would be wrapping up my life in Austin. With little time to ponder the possibilities, much less explore and find vacancies in the neighborhoods of SF, I homed-in on the SOMA/South Beach area. SOMA gives me walking proximity to the new office, the Embarcadero, Whole Foods, & many public transit possibilities (Caltrain & Muni blocks away; BART Powell Station a 15-minute walk away). My beloved bicycle, already my primary transit in Austin, now becomes my only personal vehicle.

Thanks to a reference from a friend, I found an ideal one-bedroom with a view & quickly decided to take it.

Now here I am, flying back to Texas for two short weeks of project-wrapping, car-selling, move-out-prepping, traveling to Dallas for family Christmas, & saying "see ya later" to many loved friends & beautiful connections.

California, here I come!

Polite & Beautiful Spam

2007-11-06T21:28:00Z

Googling revealed words originally by Bette Davis, Richard Nixon, & Aldous Huxley.

a Mobile Broadband Review: AirCard 597E + Sprint

2007-11-05T22:35:00Z

How does Sprint's Mobile Broadband service perform in Austin? Is it worth a twenty-four month commitment totaling over $1500?

In an effort to answer this question, here's a summary of my experiences & observations during this first month of going mobile.

Bandwidth & Latency

During an ssh terminal session—where characters typed are sent across the network and echoed back for display—the cellular radio link makes the network feel springy. When transmission delays occur, responses eventually snap back with a quickness.

Here's an example of a typical session with a 4-bar signal:

For 125MB of Amazon's MP3 downloads, a single-connection download started out strong, bursting up to 153KBps:

and then wobbled around 90KBps, continuing more slowly than those initial bursts.

Concurrent connections saturating the bandwidth (e.g. the iTunes Music Store default three-connection downloads) tend to maintain ~200KBps combined. Even during download-heavy traffic, the connection remained responsive for other network traffic.

Stuck in a spot with weak signal, 2-bars or less? As expected, connection latency rises & throughput drops; still usable but hardly "broadband." Concurrent connections can falter at 1-bar. I observed ssh/scp sessions stalling indefinitely with such little signal.

Stability

In some locations with either weak signal or from within a building, the PPP connection will be "ended by the remote host", within the first 20-seconds. That's a symptom of my signal being to noisy to reach the base-station. Landline/analog modems drop calls with this error when the line signal is to noisy.

Disconnecting & reconnecting can yield a dramatic improvement in connection quality. Once connected, sessions that start out as only 1xRTT (that's one 144Kbps CDMA2000 channel) may rev up to EV-DO.

Once established, the connection is reliable & stable. Not once was my connection dropped during up to 3-hour sessions. YMMV when in a moving vehicle.

Power Consumption

The official specs state:

Voltage: 3.3V
Typical Current - 370mA (1x), 470 mA (EV-DO)
Maximum Current - 1000 mA (EV-DO)

That means typical EV-DO usage will drain between 1.5 & 3.3 Watts. For comparison, the power-hungry hard drive in the MacBook Pro consumes between 0.6 & 1.9 Watts.

This extra battery drain is quite noticeable, cutting an hour from my normal 3:15 of work time on a full charge. For comparison, the Mac's built-in AirPort (802.11 a|b|g|n wireless) makes no noticeable difference on battery-powered work time.

Network Address

The client IP address is dynamically allocated. It changes on every connection.

The Verdict

I'm sticking with the service. The advantages of a private, mobile internet connection outweigh the admittedly expected downsides. The uncertainty: can Sprint hang in there? It's tough times in pin-drop land. Maybe I'll get an early break from my two-year contract!

yoga note card: sun salute & anjanaya asana

2007-10-25T21:52:00Z

an Obnoxiously Inconsistent Adobe Short-cut

2007-10-19T23:00:00Z

Cycle through open documents using Command + ` in Illustrator & InDesign; that's the OS X system-standard short-cut.

But that window switcher function is Ctrl + Tab in Photoshop.

Why Adobe, why?

on The Unbinding of Work & Locality

2007-10-05T19:44:00Z

After years of working out of an office & local cafes with WiFi, I've been jonesing for the ability to do my web work anywhere; especially under a shady tree in the park. I love loving my work. So, after comparing the only cellular broadband options available here in Austin TX (just two: Verizon & Sprint), I just picked up a cellular broadband internet card & plan with Sprint.

Here's my initial speed report using SpeakEasy's Speed Test...

Sprint Mobile Broadband (with Sierra Wireless AirCard 597E; EV-DO Rev. A capable)

Download Speed: 2289 kbps (286.1 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 486 kbps (60.8 KB/sec transfer rate)

Compare to my connection at home:

Time Warner Road Runner (urban cable modem)

Download Speed: 6817 kbps (852.1 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 374 kbps (46.8 KB/sec transfer rate)

In the next 29-days before the trial period ends, I'll evaluate if the service merits the $60/month + two-year term that Sprint requires. I'm particularly curious about how my routine ssh sessions will flow on the cellular WAN.

Streaming Radio & Pay-per-Download: a Professional Mashup

2007-09-27T19:57:00Z

What do you get when you combine a Last.fm profile and Amazon's MP3 Downloads?

You get personally tuned, streaming radio (my favorite is "My Neighborhood" in Discovery Mode) with inexpensive, non-DRM, high-quality (256Kbps VBR) MP3 downloads just a few clicks away.

Wow. I just suddenly realized how much the iTunes Music Store missed the Web 2.0 boat. Good luck Apple; I'll still buy your computers & OS.

Here's a quick demo of how the Last.fm-Amazon combo works...

Listening to a Last.fm stream:

Jump directly to the Amazon album page:

Preview and buy any tracks or the whole album:

The barrier to entry?

You must create a Last.fm profile. That's a user account + installation of Last.fm's audio scrobbler app, which acts as an iTunes bridge & streaming radio player.

Also, an Amazon customer account with credit card on-file is required to make MP3 purchases.