Thoughts on adopting Git after previously using only SVN, including moving blog code to GitHub for open source sharing under GPL. Reviews O'Reilly's "Mastering Git" video series by McCullough and Berglund, which covers setup, branching, tagging, and merging while noting Git's benefits for workflow and code quality beyond just version control.
Code examples for generating MD5 hashes in three programming languages. Shows both quick one-line hashing and the update method for hashing large data in chunks. Notes about using SHA-1 with salt instead of MD5 for password storage to prevent rainbow table attacks.
Demonstrates how to parse poorly formatted HTML using Groovy with TagSoup library to handle errors. Example code pulls NFL passing statistics from nfl.com by parsing HTML tables and converting them to structured data, with plans to push to a NoSQL database.
A review of the top three blog posts of 2010 based on Google Analytics: Fun with ZFS send and receive for powerful filesystem commands, Stopping SSH Brute Force attacks with PF for server security, and Pulling data from Warcraft Armory with Groovy which gained attention from the Groovy community including Project Manager Guillaume Laforge.
Thoughts on Firefox 4 Beta after previously switching to Google Chrome due to performance issues. The new beta features a refreshed UI with app tabs for keeping favorite sites accessible, and beta 7 introduced speed improvements and hardware acceleration that rival Chrome, revitalizing enthusiasm for the browser.
The final leg of the honeymoon in Sydney, visiting Opera House, Royal Botanical Gardens, and Sydney Zoo across the harbor by water taxi. Ate at fancy restaurants Quay and Yukis with views of the Opera House, but found Sydney similar to other big cities and less impressive than Queenstown's natural beauty.
Exploring Queenstown with its stunning mountain views, restaurants, and variety of activities from extreme sports to scenic gondola rides. Took a day tour to Milford Sound with stops through Fjordlands and a boat ride that included getting drenched at a waterfall, plus an evening on the historic TSS Earnslaw steamship for a farm dinner with sheep shearing demonstration.
The final day in Auckland featuring visits to the War Memorial Museum, Victoria Park, and a ramen restaurant that exceeded expectations, followed by discovery of Sansui sushi with excellent service and presentation. Flew to Queenstown on a small plane with spectacular Lord of the Rings-like mountain views on arrival.
A guided tour from Auckland visiting Waitomo glow worm caves for a magical boat ride under starlight-like worms, and Rotorua hot springs to see impressive geysers and experience geothermal activity, plus learning about Maori culture and welcoming ceremonies.
A day exploring Auckland's city center, starting with eggs Benedict room service, a haircut with conversation about American car imports, a spa visit, and visiting Sky Tower with its glass floors and bungee jumping observation, ending with Thai dinner. A day exploring Auckland's city center, starting with eggs Benedict room service, a haircut with conversation about American car imports, a spa visit, and visiting Sky Tower with its glass floors and bungee jumping observation, ending with Thai dinner.