Whostheboss.net

At Telligent, we've all been doing a meme about our Favorite Things for 2009, now that 2009 is coming a close.  It was originally an email thread, but why not blog it...

Yesterday was a busy day for me—I first was working on troubleshooting my IIS7 authentication issue and then had an interesting technical support question get passed on to me.

The customer was trying to embed a video from CBS.com inside of a blog on their website.  As you might know, Community Server handles YouTube video embedding very nicely through a custom dialog box, and CS also supports uploading videos directly to your site and embedding them there.  If you want to embed a video from another location though, you need to copy the embed code for that video and paste it directly into the HTML of your blog post.

Or so you think.  People try to do this, but they notice that for some reason, whatever they paste in the HTML editor seems to get “scrubbed” back out.  Because it is.  For (very good) security reasons, the HTML scrubber in Community Server scrubs out OBJECT and EMBED tags and their attributes by default.

This can be modified by adding these tags as “allowed” in your CommunityServer.config file.  There are better places to learn about this, but there’s an even easier way…an override file for CommunityServer.config.

I created an override file that you simply need to place inside of your Community Server installation’s root directory.  Restart the site in IIS, and you should be ready to embed external videos on your site.

Download the file here (you’ll need to rename the extension from “add_config” to just “config”):

Download CommunityServer_override.config

Please note—allowing these tags on a large, public community site is not recommended.  They are potential security holes, and the override I’m providing above is only a workaround meant for people who are using Community Server for smaller, personal blogging sites.

Let me know how it works for you!

I've been meaning to start this blog up again, and how better than to write a quick article explaining a solution to an issue that I had been stuck on with the configuration of Community Server.

Up until this point, I've been testing on Windows XP and Windows 2003 on my local machines (IIS 5.1 and IIS 6.)  My work laptop was shipped to me with Windows Vista, which means that I largely ignored it and stuck with my MacBook Pro and virtual machines instead.  I recently installed the beta of Windows 7 on the work machine to see if it really did fix Vista's performance issues (so far, so good) and decided to test out our most recent Community Server install with it.

I don't typically use the installer, but rather setup an environment where I can check out the latest source everyday, manually update my database, and away I go.  This means that I have to remember to go through all of the permissions-related configuration steps to get my initial install working correctly.

I made sure my web directory had given NETWORK SERVICE the appropriate permissions (read and execute for the entire directory structure and read, write, and execute for the \filestorage directory).  I then went to my fresh install of SQL Server 2005, added "Network Service" as a login, and mapped that user to my newly created "CommunityServer" database with db_securityadmin, db_ddladmin, db_datareader, and db_datawriter roles.  I setup the site in IIS, noticed that the AppPool was already set to using ASP.NET 2.0, and away I went.

Then I got the error:  "Critical Error:  SiteUrls.Config".  This page gives you some garbage about maybe having an ampersand messing up the XML in the SiteUrls.config file, but that's a red herring.  I knew from past experience that this meant that there was a permissions issue with SQL Server, but I had just setup the database exactly how I was supposed to.

The error was that the default app pool in IIS 7 is set to run under the "ApplicationPoolIdentity" account, not the "Network Service" account.  To change this, open the IIS Manager in Windows and navigate to the Application Pools panel.  Right-click on the Application Pool that Community Server is running under (default is "DefaultAppPool") and select "Advanced Settings".  Under Advanced Settings, under the "Process Model" header, the first entry should be "Identity".  Use the "..." browse control to change this from "ApplicationPoolIdentity" to "NetworkService" and "OK" out of the dialog.

After doing this, I was able to access my site.

First of all, I have to hand it to Amazon.  When Sony released its Sony eReader, the first mainstream device using e-Ink, there was nary a whisper from the tech community.  I never even saw one, apart from a display in a Sony Style store in Dallas.  With the Kindle though, the podcast/blogosphere/tech journalist community went nuts.  Not necessarily saying that people should buy the Kindle--just that it was something worth talking about.

So, what's the big deal about the Kindle?  At a first glance, it's just another gadget.  It's also not really that interesting of a gadget.  The Kindle looks like it was taken straight from the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation--a late 80's take on "how people read in the future."  Honestly...it looks just like the Padd device that Captain Picard would use when, um, reading...  So why does a device made by Amazon.com (who has zero experience in making their own products) generate buzz that one of the biggest consumer electronics companies in the world couldn't manage?

The first and most obvious answer is that early-adopting nerds--the kind of people who would own an eBook reader--are the exact kind of people that avoid Sony's products like the plague.  My general rule of thumb is anything that Sony makes that involves installing software to my computer just isn't going to work.  I've seen Sony's applications for transferring music (to MP3 players) and pictures (from digital cameras)--and it's atrocious.  I've seen more stable applications written by college students after an all-night drinking binge.  Okay, maybe not that bad, but they are not a good experience.  And to buy mainstream books for the eReader, you get to buy them at--you guessed it--the Sony eBook store!  What?  You don't have a Sony eBook Store account?  What a surprise!  The Kindle, on the other hand, is able to tap into the huge number of people who already have Amazon.com accounts and enjoy the Amazon.com shopping experience.  If you just browse the books available on Amazon, if the book you are looking at is available for the Kindle, Amazon shows that right on the main page.  Simplicity = Usability.

The big deal about the Kindle though has little to do with the device itself--it's about its integration of an EV-DO cellular radio.  The Kindle is online--always.  (Almost) wherever you are.  Without a subscription fee.  Amazon calls it "Whispernet", but it's just rebranded Sprint EV-DO coverage.

Yes, much has been made about the Kindle's ability to browse the Internet, essentially allowing you to browse the net for free without an access fee.  But what's more important is that because of this subscriptionless-but-always-online feature, the Kindle is able to accomplish what no other device has really been able to do up until this point--sync data without thinking about it.  Up until this point, getting data on devices involved some sort of setup.  My iPod and iPhone need software installed and a proprietary cable.  My old Windows Mobile phone needed a shaman and a full moon to accomplish an initial sync with my Exchange server.  But the Kindle--from the moment you take it out of the box, it's syncing.  Always.  There is zero setup.

Amazon accomplishes some of this magic by syncing your Kindle to your Amazon.com account prior to shipping it to you, but the idea of integrated cellular radios are exciting in other ways.  What if your car stereo had integrated cellular?  Auto-magic syncing with your iTunes library anybody?  Whenever I purchase a song, it's sent to ALL of my devices.  My iPod, car, living room stereo--they all have the song I just bought.  Tablets and Digital textbooks are automatically synced with the teacher's posted homework--along with any clarifications that might need to be made after kids leave the classroom.  Digital cameras never run out of memory card space--they are constantly publishing your photos to Flickr for storage.  Your TiVo sends the newest recording through the air to your iPhone when you're taking the train to work.

We definitely have the technology for this world today, but why doesn't Apple integrate this style of syncing into devices like the iPod (or iPhone, which already has a cellular radio?)  Probably the same reason that Sprint agreed to a flat-rate access pricing with Amazon for Whispernet--it's about bandwidth.  eBooks are not bandwidth intensive.  Even if everyone downloaded a book once a day that had a Kindle, it wouldn't be a huge number of bytes floating through the ether.  It's a bit different with songs--a single song is probably as large as ten eBooks.  And people have thousands of songs.  And hundreds of movies, which are over 100 times larger than songs.

But just like the Internet was originally used for text, then pictures, then songs, and now video, the same will come of the "cellular internet".  And just as the "wired" internet was originally pay-per-KB and pay-per-minute and eventually went to a flat-rate pricing model, the cellular devices will also migrate slowly to a pay-per-use model, and then to a flat-rate "part of the cost of the device" model.  Until then, I'll have to be satisfied that at least we're willing to deliver books to a device without a subscription fee.

I live in Visio quite a bit to do site wireframes.  I was looking for some placeholder clip art to signify a blog post, so I searched Office's online library for "blog".  The picture is what came up.  I'm not sure what's worse:  that there's one result, or the only clip art that the artist could think of was a keyboard key with the word "blog" in it...

I think one of the little known things about the Cleveland area to outsiders is how incredibly rich this area is in the arts.  It all starts in University Circle, where the Case nerds still outnumber the artists, but the arts are what really shine.  The Cleveland Museum of Art is consistently one of the top ranked art museums in the country, Severance Hall plays home to one of the nation's most respected orchestras, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the equally excellent Cleveland Orchestra Chorus.

What's probably more impressive is the number of young people involved in music and the arts.  From local high schools (Medina High School had 420 kids in seven choirs, 250 in three bands, and another 100+ in orchestra when I went there, out of a student body of about 1,700) to the local colleges and universities, Cleveland's music has made up for where the city's sports have lacked.

A new addition to the city's repertoire is the Baldwin-Wallace College Men's Chorus, a group in its first year of existence.  What's unique about this chorus is it not only draws upon the talented student body of Baldwin-Wallace College (located in Berea, in Cleveland's Southwest side), but has allowed local community members to join.  This includes me, participating in my first musical endeavor since I was in Microsoft's Theater Troupe a couple of years ago.

This coming Monday, April 21st, we are going to be holding an open rehearsal for people who may be interested in singing this coming Fall.  If you're interested, send me a message through the blog or leave your email address in a comment and I'll get you all the appropriate information.

To finish it off, here's a YouTube video of their most recent performance at St. John's Cathedral in Cleveland, singing Biehl's arrangement of "Ave Maria":

Whenever I have trouble finding something on the Internet, I try to blog about it, hoping to add one more place where people can find the information that they are looking for.

Today's hard-piece-of-information-to-find is the channel number of Sportstime Ohio HD on Armstrong Cable (Medina, Ohio.)

I was watching the blurry, lousy, 20th-century quality SD feed of the Tribe game.  Yuck.  Then I saw an advertisement that said that Sportstime Ohio was in HD.  Great!  I looked through the HD channels in my guide and didn't find one for Sportstime Ohio.  Some internet scouring, and I find that channel 177 is Sportstime Ohio.  Apparently they haven't actually listed the channel yet (it's labeled "To be Announced").  But tune in, and you'll be watching some Progressive Field action in 1080i.  Enjoy.

Even though there was no way I was going to get up at 6 AM in the morning to watch the games, I was excited to see the baseball season officially start with Boston's split "series" with the A's in Japan.  No matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to enjoy sports from the time that the NFL is over in February until baseball starts in April.  March Madness--well, let's just say that I really don't care about basketball, outside of a reason to go out to the bar and pretend to get excited with friends.

Now, I'm not trying to slight the National League here, but I'm going to just focus my predictions on the ultra-competitive, interesting, and DH-lovin' American League.  Without further ado...

American League East:

1. Boston Red Sox - With that pitching staff and that offense, Boston will definitely repeat as the AL East champion.
2. New York Yankees - With the deep pockets of the Steinbrenners and the need to have a respectable final season at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees will be a competitive team all year, but I do believe that this is the year that New York misses the Wild Card and the playoffs.
3. Toronto Blue Jays - A surprisingly strong dark-horse team, I could see the Blue Jays winning over 80 games this year, but in a division with New York and Boston, they are doomed to be an also-ran.
4. Tampa Bay Rays - The Rays have some good young talent but not nearly enough to compete in this division (couldn't that just have been copied-and-pasted from the past decade?)
5. Baltimore Orioles - The once-proud franchise will remain the laughingstock of the American League.  Peter Angelos continues to drive the franchise in the ground and Baltimore continues to be more known for smack than "whack".

American League Central

1. Cleveland Indians - Yes, I'm a homer, but the Tribe has one of the most impressive and deep starting rotations in baseball.  Follow that up with a balanced offense headed by Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner, and you have a team that will easily win 95 games.
2. Detroit Tigers - Detroit has gone for broke this off-season, spending money that's usually reserved for New York teams.  Unfortunately, they did very little to shore up an iffy rotation, and if I learned anything by watching Jon Hart build teams in Cleveland in the 90s, it's that pitching beats offense every time.  Detroit will have enough wins to make it to the post-season though as the AL Wild Card winners.
3. Minnesota Twins - No longer the tough team they were the first half of the decade, Minnesota will fall to below .500 this year.
4. Kansas City Royals - Will somebody please help the poor citizens of Kansas City?  They truly deserve better baseball than they've watched for the past 15 years.
5. Chicago White Sox - 2005 is becoming a distant memory on the Southside of Chicago.

American League West

1. Seattle Mariners - This is a long-shot, but I'm going to take it anyway.  After an extremely competitive season that fell short, Seattle is hungry and ready to rock Safeco Field again.  Ichiro, JJ Putz, and a balanced offense make Seattle competitve through the All-Star break and ownership will pull the trigger to make a trade for a stretch run.
2. Los Angeles Angels - The Angels will be neck and neck all season with Seattle, but will far short.
3. Oakland A's - It's just not happening this year.  Moneyball is great, but having a payroll 1/3 of that of the other teams in your division just doesn't hold up down the stretch.
4. Texas Rangers - When were the Rangers last good?

ALDS:

• Cleveland over Seattle - It's the pitching, stupid.
• Boston over Detroit - It's the pitching, stupid.

ALCS:

• Cleveland over Boston - A complete home-team call here.  I want Cleveland to win.  But there are reasons to think they will be able to pull it off.  Cleveland's younger team will hold up to injuries better than Boston.  Rotations and bullpens are fairly even between the two teams, but the Indians are hurt and hungry from last year and will parlay that into their first World Series appearance since 1997.

Well, it's not like I didn't see this coming, but no sooner do I get off of the plane and start my move in to Cleveland than it starts to snow.  And snow.  And snow.  And ice.  And snow again (tomorrow I think they are calling for more snow.)  This means that in the past two weeks I've seen more snow than in the three years preceding it.  Wow.

So, yes, I'm finally moved in, and yes, that's the reason that I really haven't blogged in quite a while.  Now that the internet connection and the cable is turned on, my new apartment is setup, furniture has arrived, my car and possessions have been delivered by the moving company, I'm finally ready to do more simple things--like write a blog post about the experience.

First I will teach a lesson to all of my readers.  Be very, very careful what kind of quote you get from movers.  I wasn't and I was nickel, dimed, quartered, and hundred-dollared to the tune of a $4,000 moving bill (up from an original quote of $1,700.)  It was amazing how efficiently and quickly they piled the charges on.  First they couldn't get an 18-wheeler down my street in Seattle, so they charged me $300 for "shuttle service".   When I mentioned the fact that the very first thing they asked on the phone while making the quote for the move was my address and they should know that "Seattle, WA 98102" isn't exactly 18-wheeler territory, the guy just shrugged.  I was then charged "crating fees" for my piano, my DLP TV, and various pieces of furniture.  And two bags for my mattress and box springs.  And packing materials for my kitchen supplies.  And extra cubic footage fees to hold all of that newly-purchased packaging.  When it was all done, my plans for buying a secondary "snow" car in Ohio were looking more and more unappealing.  I did not want to spend anymore money.

Thank god the car moving was much easier.  In true Medina fashion, I was walking into the grocery store and while I was talking to a friend I knew in the parking lot, I happened to glance over and noticed a giant auto-moving truck parked in the back of the parking lot--with my car on the back of it.  (It's bright red and hard to miss.)  I walked up to the truck, talked to the driver, and I was driving my own car home 15 minutes later.  No extra charges with the auto shipping.

So enough with the moving stories, because they are giving me ulcers just thinking about it more.  The move back has been smooth--it's been great to see the Ohio readers of this blog (shout-outs to the Staley crew from CWRU that is still hanging out and partying strong and Amanda, who is a welcome addition to any social occasion.)  Scott has introduced me to Stevenson's, a tavern in Euclid that truly deserves its own blog entry.  To make it short--this is a place that serves excellent burgers and Great Lakes Brewery Dortmunders for $2.  Seattle people--this is a beer that is better (yes, better) than Mac & Jack's, and it's $2 a pint!

I'm also glad to be getting involved in music again.  Another organization worth its own blog post, I've joined the Baldwin-Wallace Men's Chorus which was recently started and directed by Medina's very own Frank Bianchi.  Quite a few Medina alums are there, so it was great to get back involved in music with them.  The big difference from the last rehearsal I had with these guys--we went out for beers afterwards.  Amen for that.

Besides for a short business trip to Atlanta, it's been great settling in and reconnecting with people--even though I definitely need some sleep and a day or two to finish unpacking!

A couple of weeks ago, as part of getting through my "bucket list" before I leave the Evergreen State for, um, snowier pastures, a couple of friends and I traveled to Orcas Island for the weekend and rented a cabin.  Given that the whales aren't actually around in the winter, we got a cheap rate, and, well, we decided to rename the island "No-Orcas Island".

(I'd like to point out that in the following pictures, we've had to Photoshop my friend Peter in after fact, as he showed up a day later than the rest of us for the trip.)  I used the best Photoshopping skills I could do in the 15 seconds I spent on photo editing for this blog post.  My apologies to Peter.)

The first of these photos is the four, err, five of us on the ferry ride in at Lopez Island.  Although we did not get off the ferry, we can officially check off Lopez as a place that we've all been.  No, it wasn't raining--we all just thought we looked more Washingtonian with hoods on.

The second picture is the four, err, five of us hiking on Mt. Constitution.  We did not make it up to the top, because it was big, and there was a ton of snow on the ground.  Please note in this picture that Diane is quite proud of the fact that she went to UVA, as shown with her bright orange sweatshirt.  What you don't know is that she was also trying to scare away bears.  Thanks Diane!

The final picture in this incredibly short photo album is the four of us looking into an icy lake.  And Peter's head Photoshopped in on top of the rest of that.  I believe that everyone was very amazed at the fact that yes, there are places in the world where it gets cold enough for water to freeze.

Quite a fun trip, and another surprising place in Washington that you really have never heard of before but are amazed with how amazingly beautiful it is.  Good weekend in all.