Parle vous Domino?

I find it refreshing when someone chooses to blog in their native language when it isn’t English. I recently became aware of Julien Bottemanne who is blogging in French. Another example of “native blogging” is Thomas Adrian who is blogging in Swedish.

So please help me welcome Julien Bottemanne to the Domino blogosphere (I think Thomas is well known already). It seems like Julien is doing a fair amount of blogging on Notes/Domino and has been doing so for amount a year. You can find Juliens blog at www.domlike.net.

Welcome…

Rounding to .0 or .5

I found this post on rounding via my RSS reader and started giggling since I myself wrestled with this problem a while back. I too started out with string operations etc. but ended up (after some discussion at the office) with a very easy solution.

The below code is in Java but should be easily convertable to JavaScript or any other language that allows you to round a number… The v-variable is a float holding the value we would like to round to .0 or .5:

int value = Math.round(v * 2);
float result = (float)value / 2;

It’s so simple it’s scary…

Update 3 May 2006: Updated the code based on feedback in comment.

Introduction to regular expressions in ten steps

If you have been following my blog for a while you know I’m a big fan of regular expressions. Previously I also showed you how to use Regular Expressions from LotusScript using the Microsoft VBScript component. What have been missing however was a simple “This is how to get going with regular expressions” tutorial but that has been solved. Take a look at Russ Olsen’s weblog and his two part series “Regular Expressions In Ten Steps”. Check it out using the links below.

I also recommend the Mastering Regular Expressions book from O’Reilly as a good guide into this exciting realm.

Optical keyboard? (includes pictures)

function previous() {
go(-1);
}
function next() {
go(1);
}
var filename_base = “./images/misc/optical_keyboard/optisk_keyboard-“;
var filename_ext = “.jpg”;
var start_counter = 1;
var max_counter = 5;
var counter = 1;

function go(step) {
// declarations
var prefix_number = “”;
var filename = “”;

// modify step
counter += step;
if (counter max_counter) {
counter = start_counter;
}

// calculate prefix
if (counter < 10) {
prefix_number = "0" + counter;
} else {
prefix_number = "" + counter;
}

// compose filename
filename = filename_base + prefix_number + filename_ext;

// get image division
var d = document.getElementById("slide_image");
d.innerHTML = "“;
}
function doStart() {
go(0);
}
window.onload = doStart;

How cool is this? At a client site today I saw an “optical” keyboard. The keyboard is projected from the black Bluetooth device onto the desk and works like any other keyboard once connected and configured. It works by tracking where your fingers meet the desk by using a laser grid. Nice – although very geeky!! 🙂

Previous | Next

(Use the above links to go through the pictures)

Previous | Next

(Use the above links to go through the pictures)

Taking the plunge – going all MP3s

I finally got so tired of changing CDs that I took the plunge and ordered a Squeezebox 3 from Slim Devices so I’m ripping most of my CDs to MP3 and tagging them with ID3 tags. In that connection I needed an ID3 editor and found a nice free one called ID3-TagIT written using .NET that allows me to do bulk changes to genre, artist etc. I don’t know if it’s the .NET framework or whatever but unfortunately the application runs very slowly.

For the server part of the setup I’m using the server software from Slim Devices called SlimServer which you can actually use without a Squeezebox. The server puts out a MP3 stream at http://some.address:9000/stream.mp3 that any player can connect to. Nice.

If you simply need a streaming server at your house you could also look into using the Shoutcast server.

Talk about putting your money where your mouth is…

“IBM announced a new Eclipse innovation award program, under which the company will reward Eclipse innovators with US$10,000 to $30,000 for cool new projects. IBM also announced the availability of its new instant help plug-in system. The system is built on Eclipse, but developers can integrate it into their projects to provide both online and offline user support within their applications.”

Full article @ sdtimes.com: EclipseCon Bursting at Seams

Robert Cringely: Apple must replace Microsoft Office and buy Adobe

As a Friday read I highly suggest Robert Cringelys newest post called “Killer Apps: For Apple’s Windows Strategy to Work, It Must Replace Microsoft Office and Buy Adobe Systems“. It’s an interesting take on what Apple is planning in relation to an office suite.

“…what’s missing is an Apple application strategy to go with this operating system strategy, because Microsoft’s true power lies not in Windows, but in Microsoft Office. Fortunately for Apple, I believe there is an application plan in the works, and I will describe it here.”