In Valid Logic

So, I'd mentioned last week how I was going to be moving.  Well, almost a week later, and this where we are:

• Moved in, though was a very long day.  Moving out of a third floor apartment?  Not fun.  Moving out of a third floor apartment with just myself, my cousin, and two 50+ guys to move furniture?  Definitely not fun.  The absolute worst were my two (2!) desks.  They are both big, heavy, and difficult to get through doors and down stairs.
• The day after the move, went back to get my computer and some odds and ends.  My arms were already killing me, and I had no grip (I could barely pull up my socks!), but after that, I was limping around as my legs were sooo sore.
• After moving on Saturday, and picking some additional things on Sunday, Monday I managed to come down with this stomach flu type thing.  It has been going around like wild fire.  My nephew had it, then my other nephew, then my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, then Trish's grandmother, then I caught it, and my dad caught it.  My dad and I didn't have it quite the same, but too much of a coincidence.  Will spare further details, but not fun.  Exhausted + sore + so much to do + don't ask symptoms.
• Comcast got cable TV up on Sunday, and internet on Monday… gave me a bad modem and self-install kit on Sunday without sticking around to make sure it worked… well, modem was bad.
• Ohh yeah, how is this: I got a paper cut under my thumbnail.  Talk about sucks.  Was opening the shrinkwrap on the self install kit the way I normally do… run your thumbnail along it.  Well, I guess I pressed too hard, and got a papercut under my nail.
• Cleaned out old apartment, including some carpet cleaning (why put carpeting around the dining room?).
• More unpacking than I want to think about (and still more)
• Growing list of "home improvement" projects (running another phone line, running Cat5 cable to living room, putting up some better lighting in the garage, etc)… even though we don't own the house, going to be here a while, and some of them are pretty cheap.

Back at work now, with the computer all set up.  Office isn't back to normal just yet, but all the essentials are in place.

1 day left!  Til what?  No, no Community Server beta or anything.  Tomorrow, Trish and I are finally moving into a house!  We're just renting it (didn't buy), but still, it will be a major upgrade from apartment living.

For those who don't already know, we've had the neighbors from hell for like the last two months.  We've been living here for about 18 months and for the first 16 months, had no problems at all with anyone.  Then the people below us moved out and we got some new people below us.  They had people constantly in and out of their places, and always slammed the door.  We'd be in our living room on the couch and could still feel the floor shake.  We had complained to the office about them, and then a few weeks later, it all stopped and they were gone.  I think they got evicted or something (wouldn't be surprised, they were doing other stuff too).

Then we had peace and happiness for a few weeks, and then mid-December, someone new moved in… and they were even worse than the people before them.  Constantly making noise at night, arguing (sounds like a couple, and the girl likes to yell), and worse of all, complete pot heads.  Almost every night they are smoking weed and it comes up into our apartment through the fan vents in our bathrooms.  We keep out bathroom doors closed nearly all day and have to run the fan for a while in the mornings to help air it out.  Some nights, it gets thick… I mean, you could sit in our bathroom and get a free high if you wanted.

We've complained to the apartment office multiple times, but there isn't much they can do… except they said we could call the cops on them.  We told them no thanks, because we already knew we were out of here.

One thing to be very careful when getting an apartment… you can check out the apartment complex all you want… go around an empty unit, ask questions, read over the lease, etc., but there is no way to pre-screen your neighbors.  You have no way of knowing ahead of time if the people below you are potheads, or if someone new will move in and they are potheads.

But at any rate, one night left here and we are gone.  Some of the amentities of a house:

1. Garage
2. No longer hearing car alarms going off at night… if I hear one, likely be worth taking a look
3. No direct neighbors making noise late at night
4. Not on the third floor anymore (A/C bill in summer?  carting up groceries?)
5. Have a yard
6. Space!  Kitchen pantry!  More counter space!
7. No direct neighbors so I can blast my music without being embarrassed (ask Rick what I was listening to yesterday)

Though one thing I must say, moving sucks.  So much to pack, and the biggest things to pack have to wait til last.  Still need my computer!  Still need the internet!  Can't tear down the TV/stereo!

Anyway, in a few hours, will be shutting down and tearing down, to be out for a few days.  Take a while to unpack, and then got to work on cleaning out the old place some.

Most of the other Telligent bloggers have already mentioned it, though I thought I'd throw in my mention.  Ben has started posting a series on skinning in Chameleon, the codename for the theme system in Community Server 3.0.  Definitely check it out.  Ben has put a lot of work into the skinning in CS 3.0 and it is truly amazing.  In my opinion, it is the best combination of the two goals of theming, that often times at different ends of the spectrum: skinning made easy so anyone can do it, skinning that is powerful so you can do a wide variety of customizations.  Chameleon accomplishes both.

Ben starts off the series talking about how Chameleon is differen than CS 2.1, namely addressing some of the problems with skinning in 2.1 and how they are solved in 3.0.  He then breaks into a series about the base classes in Chameleon, starting with single value controls for things like "I want the author's name placed right here", and then he'll be posting on list controls, conditional controls (so you can accomplish what I was talking about here), and many more.

Being able to mute and control the sound volume on individual programs… absolutely awesome.  So many times, I've wanted this type of functionality.

It can be quite useful.  For instance, over the weekend, I was playing a video game that didn't really need the sound, and wanted to catch up on some podcasts.  Just mute the game and leave the rest of the PC normal.

Or say you are on Skype and don't want to go deaf when someone else IM's you.  Then just mute Windows Messenger.

For that matter, could mute Messenger when doing a lot of other things.  When listening to some music with the volume up, mute Messenger.  When playing a video game at night with the headphones on, mute Messenger.

Now the one thing I would love to see: a Windows sidebar applet that lists the current applications and lets you quickly mute/unmute them.  Right now, have to go to Control Panel, Hardware and Sound, and Adjust system volume.  Not hard, but think a sidebar applet would serve nicely.

One interesting thing with CS 3.0 is that there really isn't going to be a need for my Qgyen.ExtendedUrlMapping control.  While the module doesn't allow for some more configurable options, its primary goal was simply for a single blog in the root.  In CS 2.1, it is possible to do without the module, though required a few more steps to set and usually moving a few files.  With CS 3.0, is even simplier.

There are basically three things you need to do in two files with 3.0.  In the SiteUrls.config, you find the <location> entry for the blogs and set the path setting to where you want the blog (ie, path="/").  Second, you add a physicalPath attribute that points to the original location of the blogs section (ie, physicalPath="/blogs/").  And finally, you open the communityserver.config, find the <Weblog> section, and add an attribute for defaultApplicationKey with the appKey of your blog.  Boom, you are done.

With CS 2.1, you used to have to do some other stuff like empty out the default.aspx in the root of the site.  That is no longer needed.  Now, the file system is more virtualized to where there are less static files sitting there to be called.  More of the pages have been pushed down to the theme level than being site wide, which makes it easier to manipulate the layout and also the themes (ie, different physical home page file for each theme and so on).

Though one useful thing I've noticed I need to upgrade is my AllCommentRss module so I can see new comments.  Forgot about that one.

So if you actually visit my site, might notice it looks a little difference.  For starters, using a new skin.  I found this nice little web template and turned it into a CS skin.

The big change around here is that I am now running the latest build of CS 3.0.  One of the best ways to flesh out annoyances and bugs is to use your own software.  So, putting 3.0 to some live use.  Mainly want to find some stuff around emails notifications and such.

Skinning in CS 3.0 is actual a pleasure.  For this skin, I actually got it all written in a couple of hours back in November.  Just a few hours.  You no longer have the hoards of of skin files and everything.  You have just your main masterpage file and then 4-5 individual page files for things like viewing a list of posts, viewing a post, contact page, etc.  To get it working with the latest code, just had to go back into it and update two skin references.  Major goal with 3.0 is to make skins forward compatible, so surprised there was so few changes needed as we were still developing the new system.

Additionally, the power of the skins is greatly increased.  You can now do conditional skinning.  IE, for the number of comments, it can say "no comments", "1 comment", or "2 comments"… can even do "no comments", "one comment", "2 comments", etc.  You can tell it "if field X equals Y then show Z".

Like the new skin, though already noticing how its width will be a problem.  Have trouble even posting code snippets or something.  But, was a nice project one night, and wanted to put it out there for a bit.  Maybe release the skin once we get a beta build of CS 3.0 out.

I've been seeing this phenom going around the blogosphere, and was safe up until today.  Scott tagged me.

1. In the sixth grade, I played baseball for one year, and only one year.  I had a .000 batting average, though the baseball cards they made and sent to us had .300 because hadn't turned in my batting stats.  Despite not being a good batter, I did make one clinch outfield play in one game, though later told my coach my eyes were closed when I was catching the ball.
2. My dad used to tell me that I should go into graphic design, that the future boom was in graphic design.  I'm not a graphic artist though, my art is code, so I went into programming.
3. I came close to never meeting my wife.  Originally, I didn't want to go to CSU Sacramento, I was dead set on Cal Poly San Louis Obispo.  I didn't get accepted for the fall term at SLO, so my only other option was to apply and go in the summer semester, but I didn't want to give up my summer break, so I went to CSUS instead.  If I hadn't have done that, I would have never met my wife.
4. In high school, I was earning nearly $40/hour.  My dad owns a machine shop and I used to work for him in the summer.  I mostly put these little pins in little test sockets.  He extended the same pay scale as his other employees to me: 2 cents per pin.  But only did pins (while the others did them in their spare time), and I eventually was able to consistently do 2,000 pins an hour.  I used to only work like 2-3 days a week, and would cap myself at about 8,000 pins a day.  Was boring work, but good money for being in high school.
5. During my freshman year in college, I was living in the dorms and the boyfriend of one of the Resident Advisors asked me if I could hack into the school computers and change a grade for him.  He was serious too.  I told him it doesn't work like they do it in the movies.

So now, who to tag?

How about Rick Rezler, Rich Mercer, Eric Duncan, Jason Alexander (because he never blogs), and Jaxon Rice (he never blogs anymore either).