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Messages - wraith808 [ switch to compact view ]

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8751
N.A.N.Y. 2011 / Re: NANY 2011 Release: WordCaster
« on: January 01, 2011, 11:33 PM »
some of those I tried were in those two categories... I anticipated that.  Are you having problems with some specifically?

nevermind... I just tried the ones in your e-mail.  d'oh!

8752
N.A.N.Y. 2011 / Re: NANY 2011 Release: WordCaster
« on: January 01, 2011, 11:26 PM »
updated regex again: added create, satisfy, move, write, talk, type, shoot, tell, cast, parse, express, hardly, very, going, work to test cases.


8753
N.A.N.Y. 2011 / Re: NANY 2011 Release: WordCaster
« on: January 01, 2011, 11:06 PM »
Some I used for the first case include: bus, test, monkey, knight, moon, stream, donation, code, program, stream, desk, table.

For the second case, I used: blog, weblog

I didn't test the second case as much, putting it in there more as an example of what it could do than anything else, so I don't have any other ones offhand.  I did it on a couple of machines other than my development machines to make sure it was nothing on my computer also, though all of them were on my local network, though I don't think that should make a difference.

8754
N.A.N.Y. 2011 / Re: NANY 2011 Release: WordCaster
« on: January 01, 2011, 10:45 PM »
I just uploaded a new version of the config file and the zip.  The line you can check to make sure you have the latest in the config file has the regex expression "((noun)|(verb))1\..*?\. *?2\."  If it has a fixed number of spaces before the 2, it's not the latest config file.  It was a combination of my regex and dictionary.com not being consistent across definitions.  In all of my tests, there were 2 spaces before the second definition.  In the case of Monkey, there's only one space.  I'm sure there will be other cases that don't fit the examples I put in the config file... just let me know (or in the case of people better in regex, maybe you can correct it for me :)) and I'll update it.  If you add dictionaries to the file, send those too so I can update the base installation if you don't mind. :)

8755
N.A.N.Y. 2011 / Re: NANY 2011 Release: WordCaster
« on: January 01, 2011, 10:35 PM »
I broke the original definitions trying to fix the monkey case. :(  Download the config file and overwrite, or the zip, and the normal cases should work.  I have to figure out why it thinks that monkey doesn't match.

8756
N.A.N.Y. 2011 / Re: NANY 2011 Release: WordCaster
« on: January 01, 2011, 10:22 PM »
Hey... it was released on January 1st :)

Not really a bug, other than my regex skills suck.  What my regex expressions are is the html stripped down to the text, then I find something to anchor it at the beginning and end of the term.  That one seems like it should work... hmmm...

I created a new config file.  You can either download the zip again, or just get it from here.

8757
N.A.N.Y. 2011 / NANY 2011 Release: WordCaster
« on: January 01, 2011, 09:50 PM »
Ok... so it's a bit late, but I wanted to release something...  hope that's ok :)

NANY 2011 Entry Information

Application NameWordCaster
Version 1.0
Short Description Utility that checks definitions on multiple sites at the same time and displays them in one interface.
Supported OSes Windows
Other Requirements .NET Framework 3.5
Web Page My Software
Download Linkhttp://www.wraith808...files/WordCaster.zip
Configuration Filehttp://wraith808.com...ordCaster.exe.config
Version History
  • 2011-01-01 - First Release
Inspiration Credited To: this coding snack request, though this isn't what the asker had in mind. :)
Author wraith808


Description
N.A.N.Y. 2011 caught me in a bit of a rush. I didn't complete my original entry, but I had started on this because of a request that turned out to be specified incorrectly, so I finished it according to what I had originally specified it to be.

It uses a configuration file to specify several different dictionary type sites, and queries all of them on one word at the same time, showing the results. It uses regular expressions to parse the page, so is only as good as the regular expression specified in the site definitions. You can also specify different versions of the same site so that if a site might put it's definitions in more than one format, you can use the one that's appropriate (or query for more than one at once).

It's a bit rough around the edges still, and there are a couple of features that I haven't included that I want to include (for example the ability to remove spurious words that you might include to specify the definition, but that are not part of the definition). But it's currently functional, and a bit slick if I do say so myself. :)

Features
  • Free for personal or educational use
  • Very configurable
  • Can query from multiple sites, or the same site more than once

Planned Features
  • Remove extraneous words from the returned text
  • Edit configuration from within program
  • More default configurations

Screenshots
WordCaster.png

Usage
Installation
Requires .NET 3.5 framework, but other than that, unzip and run.

Using the Application
Add sites from the drop down, though no site definition can be added more than once.  Then enter the word to be defined, and click Get Definition.

The definitions are specified in the WordCaster.exe.config file in the executable directory in the following format.
<add siteName="<Unique Site Name>" description ="<Description of Entry>" definitionRegex="<RegEx for Definition>" url="<Enter URL Here, specifying place to put word to be defined by {Term}>"/>

Uninstallation
Delete application

Known Issues
Very minimal error handling at this point.
The regular expressions are rudimentary to be kind.  They don't handle a few cases, so I'll need to tighten them up.  As I do so, the configuration file can be downloaded separately at the link above.

8758
DC Gamer Club / Re: The Ball - Portal-like game with a err.. ball
« on: December 29, 2010, 01:00 PM »
^ And I still haven't played it LOL  :-[

8759
Living Room / Re: So, when you're working, do you...
« on: December 29, 2010, 12:57 PM »
I put on movies and TV shows that I've already seen while I'm working. They're not new DVDs or anything. I've already seen them, and in many cases, more than once.
This.  Background noise is what I term it.  It can still get distracting during the good scenes.  But in general, I've already seen it, so I can miss it with no harm.  This is also the reason why I don't use TV, but instead DVDs of movies or TV shows.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer S06E07 is a favorite as it's a musical, and probably one of the best TV shows of all time.
Nothing to do with the topic... but yes, I totally agree.

I've tried podcasts, and I find that too distracting.  It's new information.  It has to be something that has no real informational value.  And something a bit upbeat; if I get too relaxed, my attention wanders as I get sleepy.

Then there are those times that any sort of sound distracts me (and annoys me to no end).  I need some headphones that filter out noise for those times, I think, though I don't have any.

8760
At the bottom of the page there's also: Alert preference: Show an alert for unusual activity.

Turn this on, and it will show an alert if there is unusual activity.  I've found all on my account to be benign, i.e. my phone accesses my account from an I.P. that's located a couple of hours away from me for some reason, so a U.S. access isn't necessarily something malign.

8761
Living Room / Re: Why I Don't Want an iPad for Christmas
« on: December 27, 2010, 10:25 AM »
1. Browsing the app store, I found a game I loved, and when I saw it had 4 player multiplayer on 1 device, decided to buy it for my mom as a present (so I could play it, of course!). I saw the description, price, and lots of details and reviews about the game (Chu Chu Rocket) but I couldn't figure out how to buy the darn thing! Where's the big "Buy Now!" or "Install" button? I clicked on the game title, on the picture, scrolled all around the page looking for the buy button. Perplexed, I finally clicked on the price, which does not look anything like a button, and then was given the opportunity to okay the sale. But it didn't ask me for any payment details. So now my mom's credit card (or whatever) will be charged for the gift I gave her. ARGH!
Hmmm... that's the way that itunes is.  It's not a difference from any other platform. /shrugs.  And normally, people buy from their own device- if you want to gift her, you have to do it from your device.  I rather like not entering CC details on every purchase.

2. Since it's essentially a giant iPhone without the phone, browsing websites will automatically take you to the Mobile phone version of sites (that are smart enough to do that), which is stupid and annoying because a lot of the mobile versions of sites are limited in what they allow you to see or do. ARGH! (Though to be fair, I imagine Android tablets have this same problem.)
That is annoying, but Safari is annoying, and it's a function of the agent it sends.  I don't use it to browse, and the browser I use (iCabMobile) allows you to change your user agent string.  It's just also annoying that since Safari is so annoying, that the device doesn't let you change the default browser.

3. I really noticed the lack of a "back" or "cancel" button on the device. For instance, I was using the Fandango app to browse local movie showtimes, and I clicked the button to watch a movie preview. But my mom's internet isn't that great so it wouldn't load fast enough to stream. So I ended up stuck on a blank screen with no back button to get back to the Fandango app. Touching the screen wouldn't bring up any options, not even playback options like pause, rewind, seek, etc. I could press the "Home" button to take me back to the "desktop" but if I relaunched Fandango it would remember where I was and just take me back to the black screen. Where's the smurfing back/cancel button to go out of the video preview and back to the app? ARGH!
That's a function of the app.  The device doesn't really need a back button.  If the app starts not responding, if you hold the home button, it will show the running apps and allow you to kill them.  Their implementation of multi-tasking leaves something to be desired in the fact that you have to bring up the apps, hold one, then remove the one that you want to kill.  But it's there.  And it's not something that I do often enough to bother me.  There is also another way to force quit an application from the application, but I forget what it is, as I've not had to do it often.

4. The iPad's iPod mode is retarded. Now, I've never owned an iPod and don't like using them because the "easy and intuitive" wheel thing never works for me. I have to spin and spin and spin just to try to get it to move one place, but it doesn't go anywhere. Finally when it does move, it goes several spaces and I have to repeat the process all over again, but in the opposite direction, to try to get back to the option I want. So anyway, I don't use iPods, and I don't use iTunes, so maybe this is why this seemed so stupid to me, but while trying to select some music to play, I clicked the Albums button at the bottom of the screen and it popped up a little box showing a bunch of albums, and I selected one and told a song to play. Fine, easy, great! But after that as I wanted to browse the rest of the music, nothing on the screen would respond to anything except that little window with the current album open. I tried clicking off of the window to close it, but that didn't work. I looked for an X or close button (which other iPad apps use on popup windows like that one), but there was none. I clicked all over trying to get that little window to close so I could use the darn machine but there was no clear or visible way to get it to go away. I don't remember for sure now, but I think I ended up clicking on the album name to get it to go away. ARGH!
This isn't a function of iPods, because they don't do this as they don't have the screen real estate.  You have to click the album picture to get it to close.  Not the most obvious thing.  You can also click another one of the buttons at the bottom; they still respond.

It doesn't make sense. It's not consistent, and my "computer illiterate" mom who thinks Apple products are great because they're "so easy they're perfect for stupid people like [her]" still has to ask me questions about how to do stuff. Then when I try to figure it out for her I can't because it's so smurfing stupidly designed it doesn't make any sense.

ARGH! I hate Apple products so much!
I wasn't going to respond, but righteous hate I can stand... hate for hate's sake, I'm a sucker for.  I'm no Apple apologist.  They're devices, just like every other one (including Android tablets) are.  Any device is going to have a learning curve, especially as you cross into different hardware form factors.  And while apple devices aren't perfect, and they have several major problems, in general, I find them more easy to just use than other devices, when they're used in their narrow intended function (pointing to SB's argument after finally getting an iPad).  And this is from someone that at every turn has attempted *not* to get an Apple product.  My first music player was a Karma (which I still think was better), but after everyone else started trying to make iPod clones, I got one of those instead of one of the others... My first smartphone was a windows phone... finally got an iPhone after I couldn't stand the lack of direction on the platform.  Same with iPad... I finally got one after years of playing around with tablets.  I still use my tablet as it's more powerful, even if many years old.  But for instant media consumption, I pick up my iPad.

I've found over the years that they're tools.  Use what lets you do the task better.

8762
Living Room / Re: My Firefox Home Page is BING?
« on: December 25, 2010, 09:09 PM »
i'm used to using tab mix plus... I see that it's not compatible with it.  did you ever use it, and which would you say is better?

8763
Living Room / Re: My Firefox Home Page is BING?
« on: December 25, 2010, 11:54 AM »
^ The only extensions I found were verttabbar and vertical tabbar, and neither of them look like that... link?

8764
Living Room / Re: My Firefox Home Page is BING?
« on: December 25, 2010, 10:32 AM »
I just opened up a new Firefox instance and managed to get this:
 (see attachment in previous post)
WTF?

I like my about:blank page...

What's that bar on the left?

8765
I never got a chance to download it!  Need some help in design?  I was going to PM you once I got out from under work (and got a chance to work on my NANY entry... sigh.  I'm behind as usual)

8766
I've seen that one, and didimatic.com, but I still go back to just the regular steam site.  These improvements that the third party sites give are pretty incremental, and the regular steam site is so convenient that I don't even peruse these sites any more.

8767
DC Gamer Club / Re: Humble Indie Bundle (pay what you want sale)
« on: December 21, 2010, 08:30 AM »
Anyone have any experience with Desura?  I hadn't heard of that... and a couple aren't available on Steam, but they said that they will be able to be registered that way when released on Steam.

8768
^ Not exactly turn-based... ;)

8769
Germany is an interesting case. Incidentally, they just finished paying back WWI reparations a little while ago.

But WWI was sparked by the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, and not much would have stopped that. But there was no "right" or "wrong" in WWI, unlike WWII where Germany was simply evil. For Germany, WWII was justified as getting back for WWI injustices, and nothing would have stopped Germany then. Yalta was a mess. But it laid the foundation for half a century of tenuous peace. :)

In WWII, Hitler would not allow the use of chemical weapons on the battle field as he thought it was inhumane/dishonorable/whatever. Kind of messed up as he had no problems using it elsewhere.

Nobody wanted another war, and letting Germany run all over Austria and the east (until Poland) was a lot of slack. (Austria welcomed Germany, so there was no real issue there.) The sitzkrieg wasn't really by choice as the allies had no real power to do anything at the time (debatable, but close enough).
Well, I'm not saying it could have been stopped.  But what I'm saying is the damage could have been mitigated somewhat, had people acted first, and especially dealt with Germany on a different level, rather than as everyone else.  Like you said, they were given a lot of latitude.  Germany knew its plans- no one else did.

From Diplomacy By Henry Kissinger, speaking of Joseph Goebbels (Hitler's propaganda minister) secret briefing in April 1940:
"Up to now we have succeeded in leaving the enemy in the dark concerning Germany's real goals, just as before 1932 our domestic foes never saw where we were going or that our oath of legality was just a trick... They could have suppressed us. They could have arrested a couple of us in 1925 and that would have been that, the end. No, they let us through the danger zone. That's exactly how it was in foreign policy, too... In 1933 a French premier ought to have said (and if I had been the French premier I would have said it): 'The new Reich Chancellor [Hitler] is the man who wrote Mein Kampf, which says this and that. This man cannot be tolerated in our vicinity. Either he disappears or we march!' But they didn't do it. They left us alone and let us slip through the risky zone, and we were able to sail around all dangerous reefs. And when we were done, and well armed, better than they, then they started the war!"


I'm rambling there, and I'm not really seeing the relevance of WWI & II there. Are you suggesting that Wikileaks could spark something like another world war? I can't see anyone letting that happen. There's too much at stake. Chemical and biological weapons are in play, and they would be used by someone. Nobody wants to see that, except for the lunatics that would use them.
Nothing like that... just that dealing with other countries that don't have the same goals as you in the open way described hoping that they will follow suit is folly to the highest degree.

But espionage is always ongoing and never stops. THIS time the espionage is for EVERYONE and not just for a "side", though it is against a side, the US. I hope there is more of it against other "sides" for everyone.
I'll agree with the always ongoing and unstopping nature of espionage, but I will say that the espionage was not for everyone as stated.  It was for everyone other than the United States government.  Just because you release the findings, doesn't reduce the harm it does to the country in question.  To an extent it also was not for some of those mentioned, as it hurt their ties, or made them take public action to save face when perhaps they wouldn't have, and undermined efforts (especially in Russia) to the detriment of those working for more normalized relationships.  It lent authenticity to the 'See, there's no use in trying a different approach' crowd.

I'm not saying that Wikileaks hasn't done good.  It's just very reckless and very indiscriminate, it seems in pursuit of either notoriety to increase it's profile, or an obliviousness to the risk vs reward of releasing certain information.  I'm encouraged that they seem to have redacted those things that the government was able to get the Times to redact because of the harm that they can cause- which leads me to believe that they have some sense of propriety on that subject.  But the biggest issue with fanatics of any stripe, whether for or against the need for secrecy on some regards in the government, or indeed on any topic, are that this recklessness can cause their purpose to become skewed.  I'm hoping that this is not the case with Wikileaks as it seems to be (successfully) positioning itself as the de facto goto for these kinds of leaks.  There is potential for great good, but also great harm, and it's a fine line to expect anyone to walk.

Rambling again... so I'll cut it short here :)

8770
Living Room / Re: iPod - tell me why I should buy one
« on: December 17, 2010, 11:33 AM »
Battery life is not its strong suit, however...
Battery life is one of the most important issues with smartphones, as they are made for mobility, right?

As with everything, it depends on the person.  Some people's definition of what is more important for mobility is the size.  Others, it is the ability to get things done.

8771
I think that things are just not black and white. 

I'm very much personally on the scale of deal with things as they ought to be (leading by example, etc), at least with people that I have a personal stake with, until proven that I can't deal with them on that level.  I try to make a judgement call at the point when a person is about to cross that threshold, and then, either keep them on the other side, or cast aside all doubts once they are on the other side. 

That line becomes more discerning and farther out as it affects more people.  If I make a wrong assessment about something dealing with me, it affects me, so I'm a bit looser.  As the scope of potential damage increases, my leeway becomes smaller (i.e. I'll take chances with myself, that I would never take with my family).

But on a meta-level, I just don't see how that can work with so much at stake.  These decisions affect so many people, that to take that kind of chance seems rather reckless IMO.  I think that's one of the reasons for the extent of WWI and WWII.  People didn't want to err on the wrong side, and thus gave Germany a lot more leeway than they ever should have, especially in the case of WWII.  The other countries played by one set of rules, while Germany played by another.  To take that further, even when things got dirty, there were some lines that were not crossed.  I think that is an important distinction to make.

But I ramble...

8772
LOL... I guess nothiing?  ;D

8773
You mean the *ends* don't justify the means? How many laws do you know of that you perceive to be unnecessary, unfair, or downright morally wrong? I can think of quite a few. Just because something is a law doesn't mean it's "right". Does it need to be followed? Yes, if you don't want to be arrested and prosecuted. This is tricky stuff though, because legality doesn't equate to morality or "rightness"; legality should not be a universal shield behind which any wrong or right can be obscured. A right can still be right, even if illegal, and a wrong can certainly still be wrong even if legal. What is anyone to do when they see a right being punished or a wrong going unpunished due to issues in the current legal system? Petition their congressman? Good luck with that. When the system has a selfish interest in the status quo and maintenance of power, it's hard to trust it to enact meaningful change. So what options are left?...

Yes, I did... it was a mistype.  It happens sometimes. :)  I never said that all laws were right, nor that legality equates to morality.  I only said that the Rule of Law must be maintained, or what is the use of having laws?  And I said that legal channels should be followed whenever possible.  The reason that people that bring the true wrongdoings that cannot be taken through correct channels are termed 'heroes' are for having the fortitude to risk everything standing against injustice- and they do so in pursuit of that same Rule of Law.  To apply it without regard cheapens the risks and sacrifices those that expose true criminality make, IMO.

8774
The similarities are in how the government is responding. I'm more trying to just understand what your perspective is though. It *seemed* like you were against people breaking their national security agreements to reveal confidential information. Is that correct? If so does that hold true in the case of Ellsberg? I don't think we'll ever totally agree here, I just want to understand what your actual position is, and it seems rather murky at present to me. Maybe just a summary of your stance. :D

If you break the law, then you should be prosecuted.  The means do not justify the ends.  In the case of revelation of legal misconduct, and the inability to report such wrongdoing through the channels that are set up for such things, there can be some leeway.  But we are a country of laws, and they are created for a reason.  In the case that laws are not broken, such as in Assange's case, it becomes more of a moral issue, than a legal one.  Whomever was responsible for the leak is the only one that can be held accountable for breaking their relevant oaths.  But Assange made no such oaths, and thus has done nothing of legal consequence.

8775
I don't see the similarities.  Assange distributed information that he was given by a third party, and was never bound by national security agreements, and is indeed, not even a citizen.  Ellsberg was bound by national security agreements, and only because of that pledge did he have access to the documents, that he then distributed to the third parties.  The third parties would be the equivalent of Assange, not Ellsberg.

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