Archive for January, 2009

So long W

Monday, January 19th, 2009

Less than a day to go.

Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

It may be that “history” will judge differently, but I’ll go out on a limb and say it now. Worst… President… Ever…

At last it’s time for the countdown to be retired:
ws-last-day

TwitPic upload hack

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009

Some Twitter users have been using TwitPic to link photos to tweets. I, on the other hand, have been using Flickr and Snipr. It’s a PITA, so I’m giving TwitPic a whirl. Sadly, Digsby, does not support TwitPic, and I’m not installing yet another app.

TwitPic has an API, so I rolled my own simple uploader with cygwin and curl. There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ve reinvented the wheel here…

Standard disclaimer applies: this is quick n’ dirty(tm):

#!/bin/bash

# curl executable.  I'm a PC.
CURL=C:/cygwin/bin/curl

# The upload script that will accept the data
UPLOAD_URL=http://twitpic.com/api/uploadAndPost

# Snag stuff off the command line
TWITTER_USER=$1
TWITTER_PW=$2
PHOTO=`cygpath -m "$3"`
TWEET_MSG=$4

# Prompt for message if it's not given
if [ "$TWEET_MSG" = "" ]; then
   read -p "Tweet msg: " TWEET_MSG
fi

# Go
echo Uploading...
$CURL \
  --form username=$TWITTER_USER \
  --form password=$TWITTER_PW \
  --form media=@"$PHOTO" \
  --form message="$TWEET_MSG" $UPLOAD_URL

# Wait for user to read result message
echo
read -p "Press <enter> to continue" bogus

Create a desktop shortcut with uid and password:

C:\cygwin\bin\sh.exe ~/twitpic.sh --userid-- --password--

Now just drag and drop the photo onto the desktop shortcut.

Germany: Lessons Learned

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009
  • I’m OK at American security, but in Germany, my knee hardware earns me an extra screening.evb_wanekcharles-eknee-lateral-low-exm1199735534000_1_1
  • As automobiles go, the Audi A4 S-line is “just OK”.img_0901
  • The 2 second tailgating rule seems like about 1/4 mile when you’re going 200kph.no, I know not 200kph, but it was hard enough for Steph to let me take this one...
  • Watch out for “residents only” parking zones.img_0708
  • The Germans are anal about their rental cars. It took two agents about 5 minutes to determine that a tiny scuff would buff out. By tiny, I mean I’d have taken a picture, but I couldn’t even tell what they were looking at.
  • Navigation systems are like cheating.img_0798
  • Lufthansa wins back points with flight checkin at the train station.
  • Münster is super bike friendy.the muenster radstation at the hauptbahnhofThis video is incredibly long (thanks YouTube!); around 1:00 you will see us ride past all the cars at a green light for bikes only.
  • Lots of bratwurst is consumed…img_0563
  • … after preparation by a düde with mad skillz with the tongs.
  • While tasty, eating meat at nearly every meal can be digestively challenging.img_0620
  • It’s not just in Amsterdam that they put mayonnaise on fries.img_0566
  • The days are short, and the sun barely gets above the horizon at 52° north. Long shadows at noon.img_0757
  • 11 oz bottles of 4.8% beer at sea level make you feel like some sort of drinking hero (or an alcoholic).244px-jever_bottle