Speeding things up

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If all has gone well, I should have just sped up my site when processing new comments or trackback pings, thanks to Sean Willson’s mt rebuild type modification.

Technical details follow (Kirsten, you’ll want to look at this one…)

(via Phil)

By default, MT rebuilds all index templates whenever an entry is created or edited, or when a comment is added. This is done to keep everything as up to date as possible, and is as it should be.

However, as a site grows, and as more bells and whistles are added to it, the time it takes to rebuild all those templates keeps growing. The usual set of index templates includes the main index page, the RSS feed, the main archives index page, the CSS stylesheet, plus whatever archive pages may be set up — all this has to be rebuilt, along with the page for an individual entry, whenever anything changes on a site.

I’d already done what I could to speed up my rebuild by setting my stylesheets to only rebuild when I specifically tell them to (as they normally don’t change), but I’d also added a few more index templates to the mix (the excerpts for my main table of contents page and a secondary RSS feed). All of this was what has caused my server to run so godawfully slow whenever comments or trackback pings are received.

Sean’s modification changes the way MT’s rebuild system works, though. While by default, MT only allows you to set whether a particular template is an index template (and therefore needs to be rebuilt regularly) or not, with this modification in place, there is much finer control over which templates are rebuilt under what circumstances.

So now, my table of contents excerpts, master archive list, and RSS feeds will only rebuild when I add or edit an entry. The main index file will rebuild whenever entries are added or edited, or when new comments are received. Additionally, individual entry pages should rebuild when trackback pings are received automatically, instead of my having to rebuild them manually (which is what I’ve been doing).

Kirsten — the reason I wanted you to peek in on this one is that as this is a modification to the MT system itself, and not just my weblog, you may need to go into your templates and set the rebuild options for each one. Everything may work normally if you don’t, but I’m not entirely sure how it will work if those fields haven’t been set, and you try to add an entry. The changes should be fairly obvious (you’ll need to go into the edit screen for each template, and choose the right option from the new drop-down menu), but if you need any help, feel free to e-mail me or IM me if it’s late enough. Hopefully this doesn’t leave you grumbling at me! ;)

It's real! No, it's a hoax! Wait…

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Microsoft just can’t seem to keep their story straight these days.

May 5^th^, word leaked to the ‘net about their ‘iLoo’ ‘net-enabled portapotty.

On the 13^th^, CNN reported that MS had declared the iLoo a hoax, though there were some doubts.

Well, later on the 13^th^, Wired published an update to the story, where MS admitted the iLoo wasn’t a hoax.

The U.K. division likes to run clever and innovative marketing campaigns, Gurry said, and had thought an iLoo would appeal to the British. MSN typically allows its units to tailor their own campaigns to their regions, she said. But MSN’s executive team, which had heard of the iLoo through news reports, took the unusual step of killing the project on Monday, she said, believing that the portable toilet “wasn’t the best extension of our brand.”

Why, those wacky Brits! What will they think of next?

Signs

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First and foremost — creepy. Extremely so. Shyamalan excels when it comes to creating unsettling moods, and he uses that to full effect throughout the movie. Unfortunately, after ninety minutes of buildup, the end is something of a letdown — a bit too pat and sudden after all that suspense, not to mention an extremely heavy dose of ‘deus ex machina‘. I was reminded both of Chrichton’s ‘Andromeda Strain’ and many Heinlein novels — page turners ’til the very end, when everything just suddenly stops. Quite unsatisfying.

Having watched all three of Shyamalan’s films now (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs), I think he’s an excellent director, and a very gifted conceptualizer, but I also think he could benefit from turning over his ideas to a more accomplished writer. While I’ve enjoyed each of his films, I’ve also found each of them somewhat lacking. The Sixth Sense was very much a one-trick pony (worth watching only twice: once to be surprised by the twist end, and again to catch all the clues you missed the first time), Unbreakable was an interesting idea but was too distant and cold in its execution to really grab me, and Signs topped off an atmosphere of tension and suspense that many horror movies could really use with a letdown of a resolution.

Kevin's back!

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Kevin, sans dreadlocks

My little brother Kevin, who’s been visiting his fiancee Emily in Africa for the past four months (she’s finishing up a 2-year stint in the Peace Corps) got home recently. When he left, he had dreadlocks down to his butt — but since he shaved them off at some point during the trip, dad was kind enough to post a picture of the ‘new look’!

It looks like dad may be posting some of the pictures Kev took over the past few months, too. I’m looking forward to seeing more, and at some point, hearing more about the trip. In any case, it’s good to know he’s back and safe.

Welcome home, Kev!

Secretary

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Wow…now that was an interesting film. I can definitely see why Kirsten’s been suggesting it! A fascinating portrayal of two people breaking out of their respective self-imposed psychological prisons to find support and love through a light S&M, D/s relationship. Wonderfully done, too — they manage to present a fetish that has a lot of misunderstanding among most people as something that, while unusual, is not freakish, and is actually healthy and liberating for both of the parties involved. Admittedly, it’s not a fetish that I’ve got much interest in, but I’ve certainly got more of an understanding of and appreciation for why some people do find it to their taste. I’ll probably be keeping this disc long enough to listen to the commentary track (from the writer and the director), just to get a bit more insight into the film.

About a Boy

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Hugh Grant plays his “charming slimeball” routine to a T, as the world’s shallowest bachelor who finds acceptance, and hidden depths, after stumbling into becoming a surrogate father figure for the quirky son of a troubled single mom. Quite enjoyable, with a lot of cute lines.

Besides — even though it was in all the trailers, his reaction to being asked to be the godfather to his friends’ newborn daughter is priceless! “Let’s face it, I’d make a horrible godfather. I’d drop her on her head at her christening, forget all her birthdays until her 18th when I’d take her out, get her drunk and, let’s face it, probably try to shag her. This is a horrid idea.”

Today's vocabulary

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If I do manage to escape the angel, I’m not going to be able to make my living as a professional mourner, not if you people don’t have the courtesy to die. Just as well, I suppose, I’d have to learn all new dirges. I’ve tried to get the angel to watch MTV so I can learn the vocabulary of your music, but even with the gift of tongues, I’m having trouble learning to speak hip-hop. Why is it that one can busta rhyme or busta move anywhere but you must bust a cap in someone’s ass? Is “ho” always feminine, and “muthafucka” always masculine, while “bitch” can be either? How many peeps in a posse, how much booty before baby got back, do you have to be all that to be all up in that, and do I need to be dope and phat to be da bomb or can I just be “stupid”? I’ll not be singing over any dead mothers until I understand.

— Levi, who is called Biff, in Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, by Christopher Moore

Mayday! My life, May 10th, 2003

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Here we are — one day of my life, my entry into the Mayday Project.

Since most of my Saturdays generally involved hanging around my apartment, doing laundry, dinking on the web, and other such fun stuff, I actually made an attempt to get out of the house for the day (since 14 pictures of my computer monitors wouldn’t be very interesting). The times aren’t exact on-the-hour, as I don’t have a watch, so I just took a ton of photos throughout the day (140-some) and grabbed decent ones around the right time for this page.

Waking up and heading for the shower

12:00pm: Waking up, heading for the shower. One of the benefits of having shaved my head is that I don’t look too terribly goofy first thing in the morning — hard to have ‘bedhead’ when you’ve got hair 1/8 of an inch long!

Getting in line at the Apple Store

1:15pm: Saturday was the Grand Opening for Washington’s first Apple Store, in Bellevue, so I hopped a bus out to the Bellevue Square shopping mall to check it out. When I got there, it was about a 30 minute wait to get in — apparently the first person to line up showed up at 6:30 in the morning, and at one point the line stretched around the shopping center! It’s not a computer — it’s a cult. ;)

Watching children play

2:20pm: There are two spots inside the Bellevue Square mall (which is huge) set aside as playspaces for children not as much into shopping as their parents — a good spot to spend a few minutes after finishing drooling over computer toys.

Ducks in the fountain

3:10pm: I spent a while wandering around the mall, and after I couldn’t take anymore, I started heading back into Seattle. There was a fountain by the exit of the mall, that had two remarkably brave ducks swimming around in it, hoping for handouts from the shoppers passing by.

Outside a flower shop

4:05pm: Once back in town, I spent a good amount of time wandering through the Pioneer Square area before heading towards the Pike Place Market. This was taken just outside of a flowershop in Pioneer Square, which was almost invisible except for the petals strewn across the ground outside the entrance.

Dance demo in Westlake Plaza

5:08pm: Heading back toward the apartment and passing by Westlake Plaza, I stumbled across a bunch of kids doing some sort of dance demo/fundraising — one guy on a drumset laying down rhythms, with five or six other kids dancing. Some pretty impressive breakdancing, too.

Underneath a planter in Freeway Park

6:01pm: I went through the Convention Center Park on the way back up to my apartment. There’s a large planter in one section — this was taken flat on my back underneath the planter.

A coke at Fado's

7:30pm: My idea of an appropriate drink while hanging out at Fado’s, an Irish pub downtown — Coke!

Prom night transportation

8:07pm: Prom season in Seattle. Lots of the standard limos all over the place, but every so often you spot someone with actual class.

Caterpillar tents

8:50pm: The trees around my apartment were covered in this webby, filmy stuff — at first I thought they were spider webs, which creeped me out a bit, but it turns out when I took a closer look that they’re actually caterpillar nests — nifty!

Dressed and ready to go out

10:07pm: Dressed and ready to head out to the club: basic black!

At the Vogue

11:00pm: At the Vogue, my club of choice in Seattle. Goth/industrial/new-wave. Woohoo!

Rick at the Vogue

12:00am: My friend Rick, sitting in his corner at the Vogue. I’m not sure he expected me to pull out the camera…

Me dancing at the Vogue

1:15am: Elephant picture #1: Me on the dancefloor.

Still dancing!

2:00am: Elephant picture #2: Me on the dance floor again. Shake that boo-tay!

That’s it for now —

Mayday preparations

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Had a good day wandering around Seattle yesterday taking pictures for the Mayday Project. Unfortunately, putting pictures up is currently on hold, as Rick accidentally walked off with my camera when he left the Vogue last night. Hopefull he’ll be over to drop it off soon, and I’ll be able to get the pictures posted…

The family walk

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The other day at work, I’d wandered up to the 7-11 up the block to grab something more than what our vending machines can offer us for food. On the way back, I passed a family walking down the street that had two of the cutest kids, and so I grabbed a quick picture for the site.

Enjoy!

The family walk