I gave a talk on Template Toolkit at the Sillicon Valley Perl meeting. I used these Template Toolkit Slides as I talked. Except I think I corrected the typos when I got home. =)
It’s a fun group, and I always enjoy going, even when I’m the speaker.
Template Toolkit Talk at SVPerl
April 4th, 2013Raspberry Pi Media Player
March 17th, 2013I wonder if I could build a Squeezebox-compaitble media device out of a Raspberry Pi. It would mean I could get as many as I needed.
Raspberry Pi, $50ish, with case, etc.
That has sound already. If it’s crappy, plug in a $100 Total Bithead. If you want to go whole hog, get a $500 Headroom Micro DAC and Headroom Micro Amp. You’ll even get a big knob and all the nice ports on the front.
Way less than a Transporter, but no shiny displays.
If I could get “good enough” sound for $50, with a DIY software set from the Internet, that’d rock. It’d rock especially hard if I could make it do the software sync, too, but that might require changes to the Logitech Media Center.
EDIT: After thirty seconds of searching the Internet, yes, it can do this. Someone else has done the hard part, even. Neat.
Logitech Media Manager and Perl 5.16
March 17th, 2013I have some Logitech Squeezeboxes. Some of the older Slim Devices ones, too, actually, but they work together well.
The nice people at Logitech have dropped the Squeezebox line to make a new cloud-based product. Not my cup of tea.
Problem: The Logitech Media Server software is old and balky, and installing it is a pain on new systems, because it includes binary versions of Perl modules.
Solution: Install perlbrew for the squeezebox user, install a supported Perl version there, and tweak the #! lines to use that squeezebox user’s perl install.
The right perl works fine, and since it’s in ~squeezebox, it won’t get screwed up when SuSE upgrades.
WAY easier than trying to fix the idiosyncratic Logitech Media Server software!
Loricraft PRC6 Record Cleaning Machine
November 24th, 2012I ordered a Loricraft PRC6 Record Cleaning Machine early this month, and it arrived today while I was out. I’ve got it unpacked, but not all set up yet. I’m excited to try it, but I know if I do I’ll be up all night playing records and messing with it. So, sleep first. Record cleaning tomorrow.
New Cartridge
November 15th, 2012I have just discovered that the prior owner has put an entirely inappropriate cartridge on my “good” turntable. Not only did they use the cheapest one they could find – it is a Shure, but old and bottom of the barrel when it was new – they used a P-mount on a standard tonearm, which adds weight and made connecting it difficult.
So. Shopping for cartridges. This leads easily down the audiophile rabbit hole, and I don’t want to go too far. Read the rest of this entry »
Making Paizo-like pawns AKA stand-ups
November 15th, 2012There are often cardboard stand-ups used for characters on a map when playing a role-playing game. They’e cheaper than minis. Paizo has sets of them they market as “pawns”.
The plastic bases commonly used hold 1/16″ chipboard, perfectly. It’s also numbered 0.06″ or just 0.06. It can sometimes be called Binder’s Board and is used for making book covers. Check the scrapbooking places.
I got a big box of it on eBay – possibly a lifetime supply – for $16, including shipping.
It fits the stands perfectly. I’ll print the art, glue them to the cardboard, and cut them out on the laser cutter at TechShop.
Vinyl Record Brush
October 30th, 2012I’ve been playing records lately, and have been considering one of the big expensive Record Cleaning Machines. I’ll probably buy one, in fact. In the meantime, and to handle surface dust, I ordered a carbon fiber brush to use dry. I’m really impressed at how effective it is! It’s easy, quick, inexpensive, and makes a big difference. Highly recommended!
Why I Dislike Autodie
October 23rd, 2012Many people have suggested I use autodie. I have never been interested in the functionality it provides, and don’t use it. I think there’s primarily two reasons why that is. I might know a way to address one of them, but it’s tricky. Read the rest of this entry »
About Lifehacker’s Headphone Picks
October 8th, 2012A friend sent me a link to an article from Lifehacker, where they picked their Five Best Headphones. My friend knew that I like headphones. I try not to be too into audiophile headphones. I only own one pair of headphones worth over $1,000, so I’ve not gone completely overboard. Trust me. Or don’t and go over to Head-Fi and read what all the nice people there have to say about headphones.
I replied to my friend, discussing that article on Lifehacker, and he suggested I publish it as there was a ton of additional information in it. So, here it is, a reply to Lifehacker’s article: Read the rest of this entry »
Remember to store errors!
August 20th, 2012In Perl, when you get an error, there are magic globals that the interpreter sets to the value of that error. If you’re going to do any other work before reporting the error, save those variables! Work almost got this right… Read the rest of this entry »
