At work we are using Jitterbit a lot for a number of uses. I'm going to save the discussion on what Jitterbit is as you can read that for yourself. So you have Ubuntu, Kubutu or some other Debian-based Linux distribution and you'd like to get the Jitterbit client working, right? Let's go!

1. Download the Jitterbit client
2. Make sure you have the tools we need to convert the RPM into a Debian package:

   sudo apt-get install alien rpm debhelper fakeroot binutils

3. Uncompress the file:

   tar -xvzf jitterbit-client-1.3.2.5-linux.tar.gz

4. Change into the newly created Jitterbit directory:

   cd jitterbit-client-1.3.2.5-linux

5. Convert the RPM into a Debian...
   Read more »

Gun control is a hot issue and those of us who hunt and fish follow it closely. That said you had better check out how Georgia loosened their concealed carry laws. Specifically they now allow concealed weapons by individuals holding a concealed carry permit in places like restaurants, public transportation (e.g. buses) and state and local parks to name a few. I should make it clear the law does outlaw having a concealed weapon in a restaurant when drinking alcohol. While I agree on the whole, it does raise some questions:

• Should...
  Read more »

The nation's mid-section and much of this great country is experiencing a cooler than normal spring. Don't worry, even for those of you on our border with Canada, you will soon be outdoors (I hear ice out is about 10 days behind last year). That said, spring activities are in full swing in most of the rest of the country and now is the time to get out. What should you do? After reading this list I think you'll agree it will be hard to pick one!

Float a small river or stream

.Most...
Read more »

So as I laid in bed last night exhausted from ensuring my wife had a terrific mother's day and chasing the kids around my mind started wondering toward thoughts of the outdoors (as it often does). I started thinking about the various outdoor shows I've been to where they have some big names in the outdoors come and talk to you about whatever it is they think is important while, of course, promoting the products of various sponsors. While this format seems to work, it's not flexible. It doesn't give me the chance to learn more...
Read more »

Let's face it, now is the time to be outdoors. Whether you be chasing wild turkey, planting food plots or taking the family on a hunt for the delicious morel mushroom which is just coming into season in many parts of the country you are going to expose yourself to ticks. In fact this time of year I expect to see ticks doing their best to catch a free ride and, worst yet, a free lunch. Ticks, generally, are fairly harmless insects but left unchecked they can introduce some very nasty illnesses...some...
Read more »

I've been sucked into using Yahoo! for my personal email using a personalized domain (this one). What can I say, I love the YUI-eye candy goodness. But still there is lots of room for improvement. First, never mind the fact you can't use IMAP nor if you upgrade your Yahoo! service to use a personal domain that you can't use Yahoo! Mobile to read your personal email account. That baffles me that I pay more for advanced features but but doing so lose out on other features. If you are still confused, if you...
Read more »

Every hunting season is an adventure where memories are made regardless of the outcome of the hunt. This past week was the epitome of that as I learned that just three hours of hunting can help build the kind of memories that resonate for a lifetime. Sure, sounds sappy but until you've walked in those boots you simply can't appreciate the truth in these words. Saturday I was joined by long time friend and hunting buddy Kevin Kronfeld. Kevin and I are childhood schoolmates who've bonded through our love for the outdoors....
Read more »

I'm sure some of you've noticed that this blog has been down just a couple day short of a week.  Long and short of it is the server this runs at had some problems with a Gentoo upgrade which lead to a switch in Linux distribution and in all that mess I did lose some content.  Luckily my database was backed up but I did lose quite a few images, photos, presentations and what-not.  Normally I'd be pretty upset but given how long this has been down I'm just glad to have this thing back online.  Over the...
Read more »

A couple of weeks ago the folks at the DC PHP Conference announced the speakers for the 2008 installment of the conference held at George Washington University and yours truly was selected as one of the speakers. We're talking PHP celebs like Chris Shiflett, Chris Jones, David Sklar, Cal Evans, Eli White, Keith Casey and Ben Ramsey as well as PHP companies like Zend, Digg, Oracle and Ning just to name a few.

Despite the fact the Internet continually provides us new...
Read more »

In working on the Geeklog 2 codebase, much of work forms the basis for stuff I do at work, I finally figured it was time to add handling for CSRF to the codebase in a way that forces it's use without the developer having to explicitly do anything. In my experience security has, sadly, become one of the last things on the mind of PHP developers (kudos to you numerous exceptions out there) so finding a way to help the developers protect their application from CSRF in a way that avoids them from having to explicitly...
Read more »

If you are were born-and-raised in Iowa (regardless if you live there now) you need to give this movie clip by Chris Pirillo a listen. As a Iowa bred and born techie I am literally torn on his take on Iowa and technology. The reality is if it weren't for my love for the outdoors, particularly hunting and fishing I very well would have left the state myself so what follows is a bit hypocritical (if I admit it does it make it less of a felony?).

Chris' big point is cultural change needs to happen...
Read more »

I know I say it a lot but I love Twitter. Through Twitter, which is now an indispensable part of my life, I learned that one PHP-guru, Cal Evans, is a podcaster. Why don't I already know this...long story but it basically evolves around the fact I get frustrated with podcasts on iTunes because many include video which my photo iPod can't handle. But I digress...

So I've been toying around with the idea of starting an podcast centered around hunting and fishing. Nothing too long, just 5-15 minutes for a quick how-to or to...
Read more »