ramzabean

Hello, I am a recruiter

2005-03-17T22:29:00.000-08:00

Hello, I am a recruiter ...Hello, I am a recruiter, I saw your resume on Monster.com,HotJobs.com. Actually, this software thingie just sends me a bunch of people. I normally pick the ones with the most amount words or the ones with the longer sentences, or simple ones that don't have big words. I am 20 - 30 years old. I used to work at Chili's but it burnt down, after my hair caught on fire in the stove. My friend told me about this job, because my other waiter friends all became recruiters. The funny thing is, this job is really easy. I could basically pick any prospect, because all the resumes look the same anyway. You feel sorry for the guys with 4 degrees. I don't have a degree and I make 3 times what this guy will make. I don't know anything about technology. I only visit the Gap site and MTV site. I don't know what a java is or a Strut or a Microsoft. I don't really care either. Another trick, people with names that aren't white sounding are really smart, like the ones with a lot of consonants, like Wong Zhongyu. And if I really like you, just wait til I find your email or phone number. I will call you 5 or 6 times a day and won't take no for answer. I have nothing to do, so bothering you is fun for me. Oh you "don't know anything about Fortran or AS/400", but you are a senior web developer. That is ok, you are senior, so Fortran will be fun for you. It is probably like programming in the Linux programming language. To be honest, I don't even know how our recruiting company exists. We operate out of an apartment complex, and strangely enough, there are 500 companies here doing the same thing. We just recently made enough money to buy our third phone line. IBM and the other big companies, Microstuff? Orange computers? used us because our owner is a fanatical salesman. He used to be in the military and just scares those computer dorks so that they give us more money. I don't really care if you get a job, but if we hire you, make sure you are happy and stay there for 90 days so that we get our cut.

Thanks and please tell others we are looking for developers. Make sure they are between the ages of 23 and 28 and have 10 years of professional work experience. They must have been the Project Lead on all their projects and must have developed all the code. They can only come from MIT or Harvard and must have at lease 3 degrees in Engineering or Physics with no less than a 3.9/4.0 GPA. The position requires a lot of sitting around and chit-chat. We must have the best.

One more thing, make sure to put down your Cell Phone Number, Work/Home, Your parent's phone number. We must be able to call you anytime.

We will need 10 references so that we can call them all. They are probably going to give you a good reference, and their feedback is useful, but we call anyway, so that you have know chance of returning to your old company. It is fun for us.

Japan Night Japan

2005-03-13T22:33:00.000-08:00

Japan - Night Japan

2005-03-13T22:27:00.000-08:00

JDBC Driver

2005-02-24T09:20:00.000-08:00

Ok, I have an upgrade to my simple JDBC Connector, I added a describe function:

http://www.retroevolution.com/beta/JDBCApplicationConnect.htm

GIS MVC article

2005-02-24T09:19:00.000-08:00

I am working on a MVC article, similar to the one below, but I hope to add a more GIS specific version.

http://www.retroevolution.com/beta/gismvc/

What do you do?

2005-02-24T09:18:00.000-08:00

I basically with GIS Web applications and also, regular enterprise applications, such as enterprise wide project management software and that stuff in City Government Engineering projects.

Here are some snapshots of what we are working on now. I was looking at it, thought I somebody wonder what GIS looks like. Those google guys do a better job with mapping, but guess what, we aren't google.

Images

2005-02-24T09:17:00.001-08:00

Here is a recent look at JSPs and templating systems, interesting.

2005-02-24T09:17:00.000-08:00

JSPs are normally auto-compiling: Unlike the controllers and models, you can make a change, then see it work. In other words, you can circumvent the drudgery of letting the Ant loose to recompile the half or all of the system and redeploying it in the container. Hence, JSPs serve as a constant and appealing temptation to do the bad thing to get the job done.
Extracting complex view logic is painful: With tag libraries, it's possible to be a good programmer and rid the views of complex logic by extracting code and replace it by tags. That is a noble and right path to follow. The problem is when the effort required to do the right thing is so intense that its basically a project in itself. Then its not something you're gently invited to do. It's a huge barrier and easy source of procrastination ("I'll extract later...") and guilt ("If only I had extracted sooner...").
Java is a terribly view logic language: I talked at length about this subject in The false promise of template languages and I doubt there's any disagreement here, so I'll leave it at that.

Defending Java

2005-02-24T09:16:00.000-08:00

Here were some things that I through together really quick over a couple of days.

A simple stream editor, can be used when you don't know SED that well or you need more than just regex and such. This Excel JDom code doesnt really work, but if you transform an Excel 2003 document, ideally you want XSLT but if you want a java way to parse that document, simple code mind you, here you go. The last one is a JSP page for processing SQL sending out SQL statements. It is ugly, but I always hate having to rewrite a web page when I dont have a template around.

http://www.retroevolution.com/beta/SimpleJavaStreamEditor.htm

http://www.retroevolution.com/beta/ExcelJDOMProcessing.htm

http://www.retroevolution.com/beta/SQLWebTool.htm

Recursive Search String

2005-02-24T09:15:00.001-08:00

private static int levelSearch(String cmts, String searchStr, int _start, int _total) throws Exception {
if ((cmts != null) && (searchStr != null)) {

String a = cmts.trim().toLowerCase();
String b = searchStr.toLowerCase();
System.out.println(a + " " + _total);
int ln = a.indexOf(b,_start);

int max = ln + searchStr.length() + 1;
if (max > cmts.length())
return _total + 1;

if (ln >= 0) {
return levelSearch(cmts.substring(ln + searchStr.length() + 1),
searchStr, 0, _total + 1);
} else {
return _total;
} /// end of the if //

} /// end of the if //
return 1;
} /// end of the method //

Recursive Search String

2005-02-24T09:15:00.000-08:00

WebCrawler in java Simple

2005-02-24T09:14:00.003-08:00

Well, while working on the google word sets tool, I had to develop a simple java based web crawler. View the current snapshot. It is simple so if you always wanted code to crawl the web. Here you go, it will search for HREF tags with a set format.

http://www.retroevolution.com/beta/changelog_020505.htm

http://www.retroevolution.com/beta/WebCrawlerJavaSnippets.htm

Spirit for WordSets initial offering

2005-02-24T09:14:00.002-08:00

Here is the changelog for my new project, I will describe in more detail later on:

** 2/3/2005:
- First Connection to labs.google.com
- Raw Connection only
Here is an example test case:

RawHttpConnect conn = new RawHttpConnectImpl();
conn.setVerbose(true);

Map d = new HashMap();
d.put("q1", "dog");
d.put("q2", "cat");

conn.setMapData(d);
conn.setRequestPage("labs");

String url = "labs.google.com";
conn.setConnectionData(url, 80, url,"" + 80,url);
conn.connect();

uploaded to http://www.retroevolution.com/SpiritWordSets.zip

** 2/3/2005:
- Added custom logging
- Added unit testing

Example way to add test case

private Logger l;
public static Test suite() {
return new TestSuite(LoggerTest.class);
} /// end of the method //
protected void setUp() {
l = LogFactory.getLogger();

} /// end of the method //

public void testNull() {
l.info("Logger Test");
l.info("Logger Test", new Exception("Test Exception - Dont Panic!"));
} /// end of the test //

...
...
TestSuite suite= new TestSuite("All JUnit Tests");
suite.addTest(LoggerTest.suite());
return suite;

** 2/1/2005:
- Working on web crawler
- SpiritWordSets Initial offering

EMDR - Eye Movement and Stress

2005-02-24T09:14:00.001-08:00

There are some smart people, never will I like down on any profession that I really dont have an idea about. Here is a look at EMDR a way to use eye movement and sound to dimish stress. If you actually try it for even a little bit.

http://www.emdr.com/

Simple Recursive Searcher in java

2005-02-24T09:14:00.000-08:00

Actually not a full searcher, and it also is part of a java application for visual studio.

http://www.retroevolution.com/beta/VisualStudioDirStruct.htm

Using Patterns

2005-02-24T09:13:00.001-08:00

The factory pattern, this is a reminder to myself to use the Factory pattern, also for others, pretty simple, There is normally an interface, an implementation and a Factory object, the Factory object will return the Interface, which is an implementation of some Object.

public class CrawlerFactory {

public static Crawler load(String initDir) {

Crawler c = new Crawler(initDir);
c.process();
return c;

} /// end of the method //

} /// end of class //

public class Crawler {

String initialDir = null;

public Crawler(String initDir) {

initialDir = initDir;

} /// end of the cons //

public void process() {

} /// end of the method ///

} /// end of the class //

ActionListener and Swing Example

2005-02-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

///
/// DefaultListener()
///
public ActionListener defaultListener() {

return new ActionListener() {
/// On action
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e){

} /// end of method

};

} /// end of the method //

One of my java swing examples doesnt include a action listener, I always forget the exact code I need so here it is,there function returns an action listener.

For example to add to a JButton:

_c.gridwidth=2;
_default.addActionListener(defaultListenter());
_panel.add(_default, _c);

ASP.NET and register IIS

2005-02-24T09:12:00.000-08:00

As I become more familiar with .NET, I will post some various tidbits here:

For example, how do you register ASP.NET with IIS you ask?

Run the command below.

07/15/2004 01:49a 32,768 aspnet_state.exe
07/15/2004 01:49a 32,768 aspnet_wp.exe
12 File(s) 1,482,691 bytes
1 Dir(s) 55,751,278,592 bytes free

C:\WINNT\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322>aspnet_regiss -i
'aspnet_regiss' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

C:\WINNT\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322>aspnet_regiis -i
Start installing ASP.NET (1.1.4322.0).
Finished installing ASP.NET (1.1.4322.0).

C:\WINNT\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322>

Variables and bash

2005-02-24T09:11:00.000-08:00

I have always wondered this about bash scripting, on IRC:

hello, this is simple, in bash scripting, what is preferred, ${VARI} or $VARI
"$VARI" probably :P
you only need the {} if you've got something after $VARI
I can use $VARI in a string? ABC="kjs;dfksdjfsd $VARI"
you can like that, because there is nothing after it
I see, ABC=${VARI}.zip
however if you did ABC="kjs;dfksdjfsd $VARIabc" that wouldn't work
ah
so you need the {} to tell bash where the variable name ends
ABC="${VARI}.zip" is better in case VARI has spaces in it
ramza2: actually, you can't have . in a variable name. so $VARI.zip is unambiguous.
ah, once again
it's a matter of taste to some extent, but i would only use {} where absolutely necessary
and then the other way $(VARI) or is that in Make scripts
that's makefiles.

First thing with new language

2005-02-22T22:30:00.000-08:00

I do a couple of things when investigating a new language. First, I look at the package handling. Can it handle more than one file, easily. This is critical for software development. Building libraries and creating a project for your application. Next, how does the language look in an editor. Do I need something special. Lisp is fine in Emacs. But you should never open lisp code in another editor and then expect not to hate the language.

My other blog

2005-02-22T22:26:00.000-08:00

Here is my other blog. It will receive more updates. I like the interface. I don't like that others can't comment(probably have to pay for it).

http://www.bloglines.com/blog/berlinbrown

Blogs are life

2005-02-22T22:24:00.000-08:00

Well, blogging is just becoming a job at this point. I read others blogs, I update this blog. It is endless and fun. I think the ability to update your blog, in real time, somebody, can see it, they can make a comment that instance. Very nice.

Time for C#

2004-11-07T15:11:00.000-08:00

It looks like I will be looking more closely at C# as opposed to Java.

You can view more info here:

http://www.retroevolution.com/beta/software.htm

libgmail - This is fun

2004-09-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

This is the coolest thing ever, I can connect to my gmail account with the gmail bindings.

This blog and IE

2004-09-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

Hmm, I just noticed this blog template only works with mozilla, non IE browsers, I am not changing it, I went through all the templates to come up with this one, hah.

Another JBoss tutorial addition

2004-09-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

I added a bit about MBeans on my little jboss tutorial. It is still quick and dirty, hopefully it will evolve over time. I mention it, because it is the only page that people go to on my site [ shrug ].

jboss tutorial

Gentoo just works!

2004-09-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

"It just works" means so many different things to so many different people. My favorite indicator for everything is speed. For example, most people hate waiting at the DMV for getting your address changed on your license. Why? because it takes 7 hours of just sitting around, when you get to the place 30 minutes before it opens. Why does it take a billion hours, because of inefficiency, no order, lack of leadership, whatever, basically it sucks. So I use similar metrics in software. If it takes forever to get something to work meaning install or upgrade or 'how do I change the font to something readable', then there is probably another piece of software out there that is easy to use and intuitive to where you are up and running in a couple of hours or less than an hour.

In terms of linux, Mandrake by far has offered the easiest install solution. In literally three clicks, you can have a system deployed. There is just one problem. The software is a pain to upgrade, because a lot of the software is configured for the particular mandrake system you are working with, just like any linux distro(minus gentoo of course). It normally it is not a big deal, except when you download some code of the net, type 'configure' and 'make' and you cant get pass configure, unless you download 15 other pieces of software, which also have dependency errors. It is nested frustration, you have trouble with one piece of software, you download the fix, and then you have trouble with the fix that was supposed to fix your problem. Happens all the time, and normally when your system gets that out of date, you have to upgrade your kernel, oh boy, easy enough. But once you upgrade your kernel, now you have to upgrade your software that depends on the kernel, the compilers, the software that used the older compiler, etc.

The solution?

Use gentoo, gentoo has never not worked. With 'emerge' and portage, even the scariest software systems install and uninstall flawlessly, apache, kde, xwindows, gcc, on and on. And it is all source based. You have the added bonus of a simple install with up to date software that works with your system.

Cons(not really a con to be honest)

You have to install all the software and setup everything yourself.

This turns out to be a pro. The power of linux is the free, open source nature of the system, it evolves. Linux cant really evolve and people are using rpm, redhat, mandrake based systems. If everything is cut and dry, what is the point, you might as well keep your windows2000. With a system like gentoo, you start out with fdisk, 10 minutes later you have users added, hour later, you have your first piece of software installed. That is evolution at a smaller scale. Scalable, you can revert back to nothing if you to. When a mandrake system is fried, that is it, you cant naturally go back to an earlier state without a lot of work.

Gentoo is the way to go, it takes an hour or two to setup, but if you are going to keep a system for several years, seems worth it to me.

Hibernate

2004-09-03T18:09:00.000-07:00

Hibernate is great stuff, good for complex schemas such. Once again, I want to wrap jython around database and swing applications with integration with jboss.

Jython/Python

2004-09-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

I have been tinkering with both jython and python. I will swing towards jython because it can work as glue to other existing java libraries. Ideally, CPython could work the same way, but I dont think many use C too much in software0engineering, enterprise, or network systems any more(If you are doing XML and database interaction in C, have fun). Anyway, writing modules in C for CPython is a little bit more difficult than Java modules for Jython. And Swing is another added bonus(and a little bit more frustration). One little problem with jython, it is old! The current version of Jython is great!, but it is two java versions behind and almost 3 python versions behind. The argument, Jython is perfect and doesnt need updating, and of course the new Python 2.2-2.3-2.4 class system doesnt work with java that well.

JDBC Connections, Oracle/MySQL/Access/SQLServer

2004-07-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

It is pain to look up the connection strings for these databases, here are some snippets.

-- Oracle --

oracle.jdbc.driver.OracleDriver

  conn =     DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:oracle:thin:@0.0.0.0:1521:DB_NAME",_username,_password);

note: classes12.zip

-- MySQL --

dbc:mysql://127.0.0.1/MYSQL_DB?user=MY_USER&password=XXX

and the Driver

com.mysql.jdbc.Driver

-- Sql Server --

public static final String _connectString = "jdbc:jtds:sqlserver://0.0.0.0:1433/SOME_DB;user=BLAH;password=BLAH";

try {
Class.forName("net.sourceforge.jtds.jdbc.Driver").newInstance();   _conn = DriverManager.getConnection(_connectString);
} catch(Exception e) {      e.printStackTrace();
  } // end of the try - catch

JavaDesktops Cool

2004-07-24T13:47:00.000-07:00

I knew there were Java Desktops out there but I didnt know they were so polished, here are some good ones.

http://www.jdistro.com/
http://www.jcraft.com/weirdx/
http://sourceforge.net/projects/jsh/

http://jdx.sourceforge.net/

JBOSS and simple session bean tutorial

2004-07-20T05:41:00.000-07:00

http://www.retroevolution.com/ejb01.htm

working on web OS

2004-07-19T05:47:00.000-07:00

switching gears and going to work more with enterprise systems, I will now be working on a
web based operating-system.

Apple and its move towards the future

2004-07-12T04:59:00.000-07:00

I saw aspects of Apple's upcoming release of Tiger, their next OS. It was amazing, including iTunes style interface for searching files or directories, plug-n-play video/audio chat.

Worked on a wiki/google crawler

2004-07-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

If you want to know how to write a webcrawler in a day, wiki crawler in a day, here it is. Actually the goal was to find a set of words and their meanings, tech words mostly. The source is embedded in my larger application, yet the application is so small that it wont be hard to find the relevent code.

WikiSearching Java Code

Here is the core :

StringBuffer _buf = new StringBuffer();
_buf.append("GET /wiki/Special:Search?search=");
_buf.append(URLEncoder.encode(_query, "UTF-8")
+ "&go=Go ");
_buf.append(" HTTP/1.1\r\n");
_buf.append("Accept: text/html\r\n");
_buf.append("Referer: " + _refer + "\r\n");
_buf.append("Accept-Language: en-us\r\n");
_buf.append("User-Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; ");
_buf.append("MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; ");
_buf.append("Avant Browser [avantbrowser.com]; ");
_buf.append(".NET CLR 1.1.4322)\r\n");
_buf.append("Host: " + _host + "\r\n" + "Connection: close\r\n\r\n");

String httpPost = _buf.toString();
System.out.print(".");

try {

PrintWriter writer = new PrintWriter(_socket.getOutputStream(),true);

writer.print(httpPost);
writer.flush();

} catch (Exception exception) {

throw new RuntimeException(exception);

} // end of the try - catch ...

BufferedReader bufferedReader = null;
try {

bufferedReader =
new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(_socket.getInputStream()));

} catch (IOException ie) {

ie.printStackTrace();

} // end of the try - catch

Coding, Coding

2004-07-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

More coding today, probably, I hope to finish my wiki search on my bot project.

Agile Development

2004-07-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

Is agile development the way to go?

Regex and java

2004-07-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

I working with parsing HTML, it can get complicated if you are using String.indexOf and parsing it this way. The new(old) java 1.4.2 regex utilities are the way to go, and you probably could write a pretty simple browser in a couple of days or so.

Here is a simple regex expression that works pretty well(uses grouping) :

The first group includes the anchor tag and the text,
The second group includes the text inside the anchor tag

Pattern p = Pattern.compile("({a.*?href=.*?}(.*?){/a})");
Matcher m = p.matcher(some_url_page);

while(m.find()) {

int n = m.groupCount();
....

}

Cool blogging

2004-07-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

Ramza = final fantasy tactics character, best game written ever, an amazing piece of creativity.
bean = I am a java programmer, and bean is a big word in the java community
realname = Berlin Brown, a person who lives in Atlanta, born in Austin(woop woop)