Altonymous.com

Setting Up My Machine – Just the way I like it! – Part 1

Chris Altman — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:52:19 +0000

One of the hallmarks of Windows is that anything can “run” on it.

One of the hallmarks of OS X is that it works out of the box.

One of the hallmarks of Linux is that a user can configure it anyway they like.

So how is it I like all of them and none of them at the same time? Well because of their hallmarks of course. Who wouldn’t I want a machine that can do it all?

The problem is I’m a gamer, so it’s going to be a while before I’m able to ditch Windows entirely. So what’s a fella to do in the mean time?

Dual-boot? That’s a pain when multi-tasking or trying to accomplish something quickly.
Use Windows full time? Forget that, if you’ve ever tried open source development you’ll see why.
Virtualization? Maybe?

So the first thing I started to look into was how to virtualize OS X (Lion). Why? Because I don’t like begin forced to tweak things on my development machine just to get up and running. I like things to just work. (I know what all you linux gurus are going to say, however, this is my article and I’ll make any gross generalizations I want. Anyway, if you stick with me for a little bit longer. So now you know my first choice but there’s a problem. Trying to get Lion to run on a non-Mac platform is like trying to install linux years ago, tons of tweaking, hacking, hair pulling, and still only certain things work. Refer back to my earlier comment of liking things to just work and let’s throw that out of the window.

Next up linux. It’s been a while since I installed and worked with Linux and honestly most of it was due to just how darn ugly the OS is out of the box. The fonts are horrid, the alignment issues on windows, frames, buttons, text, etc are horrid. Just looking at it in screenshots makes me want to puke. What can I say, I like a UI to first engage me, be easy to look at, then make it easy to do what I want. Windows looks great! But then it falls on it’s face when you try and get something done. Linux suffers from looking bad and confusing you while trying to get stuff done. I guess that’s what you get when you put a bunch of EXTREMELY bright engineers in a room with no design skills whatsoever and ask them to put a UI to command line. Furthermore, for some reason they believe the UI should have the power to do everything the command line options present. If you’re a UI designer for Linux reading this. Please go to some design courses and learn about usability from the common user perspective. Think of us once in a while. As a side note there are lots of “themes” for Linux to make things look pretty. But then you’re just poor representation of Windows with a Linux backend. There are other things that need to be addressed in the UI that are much deeper.

So for the the next few days, weeks, months, whatever it takes I intend to come up with a Linux setup that suites my needs. Who knows maybe at the end of this journey I’ll give the ol’ MacBook a heave-ho. (I doubt it.)

I’ve been inspired…

Chris Altman — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 00:08:37 +0000

Today I decided to make a public announcement in the hopes that it will help me hold to my resolution.

This morning I woke up and weighed in at 178.4lbs.
My first milestone is May 14th, the weekend before the family beach trip. I want to be 162lbs.
My final milestone is June 14th. My goal weight is 155lbs.

Who inspired me? My sister, Crunchy Mama.
– Check out her site: Crunchy Mama Life

I don’t plan to be an inspiration like she does, without even trying I might add, but I do intend to try and hold myself accountable!

The boys are growing up…

Chris Altman — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 01:42:41 +0000

So the boys are growing up and I don’t wanna! The Evo is gone, the 4Runner is gone, and now I have a 4×4 Tacoma. A lot of my friends ask me why? The answer is pretty simple: I need a vehicle that can enable me to do things with my boys. So I got the “Taco Lantern”. We’ve already been off-roading, we are planning a camping and fishing trip, and theirs a rumor of a possible boat in the future.

P.S. – I am posting this on my newest toy, iPad, I’m hoping it offers more than just entertainment in the long run.

Scrum… It's Yum, Yum, Yum!

Chris Altman — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:15:45 +0000

No I’m not talking about Rugby, although I like that too. I’m talking about an Agile Management practice being quickly adopted by companies all over the world. But that’s not really what I’m writing about today. What I want to talk about is the lack of free tools on the web. Go ahead, try to Google for them.

I’ll wait…

Okay, I’m a bit impatient here so let me do it for you.

Click here.

Got it? There’s a ton of results! But have you actually reviewed any of them? I have, and let me tell you, it’s not pretty. Most that are free are really buggy. They lack any kind of community support, and are only free trials. Or, they have a license limit that will drive you insane. Eventually, I gave up trying to find one that would fit our needs at work, and set out to start building my own. Currently, all we need is a way to manage our Backlog without using Excel. Don’t get me wrong, Excel is a great tool, but it leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to Scrum management.

But alas, I didn’t want to just build another application even if we had a purpose for it. I wanted to learn something in the process. I keep hearing about ASP.NET MVC – it’s hot, it’s cold, it’s old, it’s new. It can’t seem to make up its mind as to what it is. But I can and I have an opinion. It’s awesome! Pure genius! I think I’m in love. Oh, and I also wanted to try out ADO.NET Entity Framework. That’s another “new to me thing” from Microsoft; and, although it’s buggy it certainly helps you get a project off the ground in record breaking time. So far, I’ve invested less than 16 hours in this tool. I have sprints, user stories, products, tasks, priorities, etc… lots of things. It’s really blowing my mind, how quickly this got up and running.

Keep in mind that this was my first time cracking open two brand new technologies. I’m sure I didn’t do everything perfect, and I’m sure I made mistakes… you’ll probably find a multitude of things wrong. With that being said, I want to start giving back to the community that has given so much to me over the years and share my project with you! I’ve never done this sort of thing before; so, I’m going to start out small and give you a zip file that you have to setup yourself, on your own servers.

Here are the steps for getting this up and running – as best as I can remember them. As there may be holes in the process, please feel free to post comments and I’ll try and address them if you haven’t figured out a way yourself.

Download: BackLogger

Make sure you have IIS installed.
1. Create a new web site (BackLogger)
2. Open the Properties on the new web site
  1. Click the “Directory Security” tab
    1. Click “Edit” under “Authentication and access control”
    2. “Uncheck” the “Enable anonymous access”
    3. Make sure “Integrated Windows authentication” is checked.
  2. Click the “Home Directory” tab
    1. Point the “Local path” to empty directory we’ll drop the files in here later.
    2. Make sure “Execute permissions” is set to “Scripts only”
    3. Click the “Configuration” button (Ignore this section if you have IIS 7 installed.
      1. Click the “Insert” button
      2. In the “Executable” text box enter without the quotes, “C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\aspnet_isapi.dll”
      3. Make sure to “Uncheck” the “Verify that file exists” option.
  3. Click the “Documents” tab
    1. Make sure “Default.aspx” is configured.
Make sure you have a MS-SQL database installed.
1. Create a new database, I suggest BackLogger, but it doesn’t matter what you call it.
2. Make sure you set up a user to use for the application to have access.
  1. I suggest making it simple, but this will also support Integrated Security if you feel so inclined.
Download & Install ASP.NET MVC 2 Preview 2
You may need to download ADO.NET Entity Data Model at this point, but I think VS 2008 already has it.
Download BackLogger
1. Unzip the file BackLogger.zip file to any directory you can find.
2. You’ll find a SQL script. You’ll want to execute this in the database you created earlier.
3. Now you’ll want to move the files in the BackLogger folder to the IIS directory you set up earlier.
4. One last step, simply alter the web.config file in two locations to get it connecting to your database and using the authentication method of your choosing.
  1. Look for Line 25 (Ctrl+G) or find the section under called You’ll want to alter the line that starts with “
  2. Search for values and replace them accordingly.
5. Next go to line 65, (Ctrl+G) or find the section with
  1. If you alter it to something other than “Windows” it may throw errors, if it does let me know I haven’t tested that part and I’ve got kids that want my attention for bedtime!

I hope I didn’t miss anything! I probably did though!

Good luck!

The Boys Got a (Not So) New Toy!

Chris Altman — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:05:32 +0000

So we got our new to us 4×4. It’s a 1986 Toyota 4Runner with a 22RE motor. For those that don’t know it’s a 4 Cyl Electronic Fuel Injected motor. If I’m not mistaken it’s the first year the motor with the electronic fuel injection made it into the 4Runner. I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong though so watch the comments! Anyway, on to the pictures.

Exterior

Interior

Engine Bay

Under Body

As promised.. AMS Twin Tip Sound Clips.

Chris Altman — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:54:33 +0000

So as I promised earlier this week, I’ve made some sound clips of my AMS Twin Tip Exhaust w/ the High-Flow Cat (HFC). I’m going to keep this post short and sweet and let you get right to the clips. These are idle sound clips with some reving to 3k and 7k. I’m sure you can tell the difference. I’ve including the same video for each of the restrictor plates. I’ve also tossed in a little how to video for swapping out the restrictor plates. It’s super easy but for those that haven’t purchased it, it’s nice to know what you’ll be getting if you decide to buy this exhaust!

On to the videos!

Bike for MS this September in Newbern, NC

Chris Altman — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:03:19 +0000

I recently signed up to participate in the National MS Society’s Bike MS event in September. l am very excited to be contributing to a great cause and participating in such a challenging event. The goal of this year’s Bike MS is to raise $1.7 million for MS research, programs, services, and advocacy for the 4,600 people living with MS here in eastern North Carolina. I would like for you to join me in supporting this great cause by making a contribution toward my fundraising efforts.

Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the US and 2.5 million worldwide.

I believe in the work that the National MS Society is doing to fight this disease and hope that you will join me in supporting them. Thanks in advance for your generosity and willingness to join the movement to create a world free of MS.

Click here to see my personal page and make a secure, online donation!

P.S. Here is some additional information if you are interested.

Evolution X – AMS Twin Tip Exhaust (First Impressions)

Chris Altman — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 02:16:04 +0000

I have to admit. I purchased my AMS exhaust a couple months ago. Needless to say real life distracted me and prevented me from getting around to taking it out of the box and putting it on. I purchased the Twin Tip Exhaust, High-Flow Cat, & Down Pipe w/ O2 Eliminator.

Here’s a link for people who are interested!

Well anyway, last week I finally got around to installing everything but the Down Pipe w/ O2 Eliminator. A friend of mine was kind enough to let me use his garage and tools, and even offer me a hand. It was pretty sweet, I didn’t feel rushed to get the job done before the rain came, and he had a really nice camera to help take pictures. (I’ll include them at the bottom, so if you’re tired of reading skip on down!)

I have to say taking off my stock parts was a LOT harder than putting this on. This thing went on so easily, didn’t cause me any issues. However, taking off the stock cat from the down pipe.. now that was much harder than it needed to be. It’s definitely a leverage issue being on ramps and probably won’t give you any problems at all if you can get the car up high enough.

So anyway, so far I’ve tried out two of the restrictor plates to give my exhaust note a different sound. There’s a total of four included with the exhaust, I’ll get around to trying those out as well I’m sure. It literally takes 2 minutes to swap them out. You just have to make sure you tighten down the bolts or they will rattle if you leave them loose in there!

There is a couple negatives though.

First, my mid-pipe came with a dent in it. Not sure if it came from AMS this way or happened in shipping. I find it hard to believe it happened in shipping because the packaging was really good. We made sure to take pictures so I could show AMS. I don’t think it’s going to affect performance, but the rest of the exhaust is so damn beautiful it really stands out!

Secondly, the High-Flow Cat is throwing a SEL light. Now I understand there is a spacer you can buy to take care of this issue, and AMS even has one. The issue here is I bought a FULL Exhaust. DP, HFC, & Tips. I’d think thought that it would come with everything, including the spacer. They obviously know it’s a problem so why not just send the part along and save the customer the hassle.

But let’s not end on a negative note. I spoke with AMS about this and they understand where I’m coming from. They have great customer service and do actually listen. Just make sure when you order yours you get that spacer!

Overall I am extremely pleased with the system. As I said I haven’t gotten the down pipe in yet, but that’s going to happen next weekend. I plan to also take some sound clips so stay tuned for those hopefully this weekend. But for now here are the pictures!

No sir. Pandora I am NOT addicted!

Chris Altman — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:32:10 +0000

I got this little gem in my inbox just a few moments ago. I can’t say as I’m surprised, but I am disappointed. I guess I’m going to have to look for a music subscription service again, pay the fee, or find a new free service. Recommendations?

You Are Approaching Your Free Listening Limit

We wanted to let you know that you are approaching your monthly free listening limit. Pandora gives you 40 hours of free listening per month.
Why is free monthly listening limited?

If you’d like to listen more, you have three options. We hope that one of these works for you:

1. Pay 99 cents. Once you reach Pandora’s free monthly listening limit, the music will stop and you will be presented with an option to pay just 99 cents to continue unlimited listening for the rest of July. This is a one-time fee which requires a credit card, and it does not recur automatically.

2. Pay $36 to upgrade to Pandora One. For unlimited monthly listening as well as other cool features, you can upgrade to Pandora One for $36 per year.
Learn more about Pandora One

3. Pay Nothing. If neither of the above options is right for you, simply come back in August to start listening to your stations again.

The Pandora Team

The post a day idea is out…

Chris Altman — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:52:47 +0000

I’ve decided my life just isn’t exciting enough for a post a day. Instead I’m going to focus on riding my bike, eating healthier, and spending more time with my wife. Today I rode 30 miles, 15 out and 15 back, with no stop. Aside from my chain coming off 4 times. Hoping to get it worked on tomorrow as I have no clue how to fix it myself. Luckily though I had all my gears and I ate a good breakfast.

After my ride which finished around 1 I ate a good lunch and went to the pool with the family to soak my tired legs. Let me tell you they were burning. It felt really good to move around in the pool taking weight off them but not letting them go stiff by sitting still.

When we got back home I actually spent time in the kitchen doing lots of prep work for our dinner with my wife. It wasn’t so bad being in there wielding the knife and making her wince. :) The meal wasn’t half bad for a “healthy” meal either. I certainly could have used less veggies, but it didn’t kill me. The nice thing about the meal plan I found is that it has a twist for every dinner to turn it into a lunch without a lot of extra prep work. Cindy and I just finished that. So tomorrow I get to try another new meal for lunch. Saves me money, makes me healthier, and makes Cindy smile that I’m spending time with her. I’ll count it as a win.

Here I come 4th of July 50k ride! Ready or not!