Keyboard navigation in Chrome, just like I'm used to in Vim

Since switching to Vim and working on accessibility related projects, I’ve become very comfortable using just the keyboard. Not only comfortable, but efficient as well. In order to get the Vim feel along with the requirements of surfing the web (you know, follow hyperlinks and such), I’ve been running using a few plugins that make me feel at home in my browser. Continue reading “Keyboard navigation in Chrome, just like I'm used to in Vim”

This sums up my experience with desktop Linux

Somewhat predictably, I rely on a Macbook Pro for work and play. I did Linux-on-the-desktop for years and years, before I finally got bored of the constant round of customisation, kernel recompilation, drivers and things just-not-quite-working, and made the shift to OS X. I’ve never regretted it! Virtualisation takes care of the need to run Linux occasionally.

I like to see what other people are running so I subscribe to “The Setup” and pulled that quote from Paul Tweedy. It rings true even today as I just installed Ubuntu on an extra machine I had at work and after playing with it for a few hours, I realized I could use it as my daily machine, but do I really want to bother with all the baggage that comes along? The answer is still no. Ain’t no body got time for that.

Upgraded to RubyMine 5, it feels the same as 4.5 to me

I’m still a new RubyMine user after deciding to purchase a license back in September. I was a full time Vim user before that so I wasn’t sure how the transition back to an “IDE” would go. There are pros and cons that I won’t go into, but if I had to pick a Ruby IDE, this would be it. It has a lot of features I need, and not a lot that I don’t. That says something in a world of IDEs that are super bloated…looking at you MyEclipse
First thing I did was finally hook up RSpec to the internal test runner. Previously I would just run them via the command line and a key bind I created “;spec” which would execute “bundle exec rspec”, then tab back to the IDE when it was done. I kind of like the integrated runner, especially when it’s green.
So now I can just hit “^r” and off I go, no more fumbling for iTerm, making sure I’m in the right directory, waiting, switching back…etc.

Review: Yukon Hyperextension for Glute Ham Raise

You don’t find too many Hyper Extension machines in home gyms, but my posterior chain is a known weak spot for me and since my theme so far is “work your weakness”, I needed to add one. I’ve tried the DIY route using plans around the internet but it didn’t work out well, I thought maybe I was that weak I couldn’t really do a true Glute Ham Raise. After finally using a real GHD machine, I determined it was my crappy DIY job that was the issue. I needed to buy a legit piece of equipment. Continue reading “Review: Yukon Hyperextension for Glute Ham Raise”

Automate The Tedious

Today I had to update a Jira project and add some 300 new versions to a project. If anyone has done this before, you know it’s a mind numbing copy / paste / click grind. So being the script monkey I am, I decided this was a job for Selenium IDE.
I wrote a simple script that would go to the admin page, click the version section, enter a version, then save it. I then did some RegEx on my cut/paste version list to wrap each version in that script. Saved it, and let er rip. Worked like a charm.
I had some snippets here but they were murdered by the formatting. I’ll add them back in at some point.

Choose a program based on your goal, and stick with it

Martin Berkhan wrote a great article called “Fuckarounditis” that everyone should read. It’s full of so many hard truths that everyone needs to hear. Admitting to yourself that that you have it is the first step to getting over it.
Now back to the main topic, programming. For beginners, there are two very similar programs for barbell training: Starting Strength and Strong Lifts 5×5. They are simple, easy to follow, and most importantly, effective. They’re both based around the “big 4” lifts and aim to take new lifters from the very beginning to a point where I would consider a person strong. I can’t stress enough how simple these programs are, and I think that’s where people get confused.
I see in places like /r/fitness and /r/weightroom people asking “I’ve been on StrongLifts for 2 months, now what?” My answer is always the same “What is your goal and did you reach it yet?” The thing about these programs are they’re linear, which is perfect for new lifters and works well with the phenomenon known as “newb gains”, the ability for a novice to increase their strength at a faster rate. But here is the rub, at about 2 month into Strong Lifts, you should only be lifting about 145lbs (quick math) if you followed the program correctly. I would assume most people do not have a goal of squatting 145lbs.
So back to my point. If your goal is to squat in the mid 2s, keep going with the program until you’re constantly failing. These programs won’t work forever, but the large majority of people looking for help are < 6 months on it, which is clear to me they have Fuckarounditis
 

Hit a snag with Netbeans, Maven, and DbUnit testing utils.

I switched to Netbeans probably a month or so ago for this small side project I’ve started and so far I’m digging it. However I hit a little issue that Eclipse never had a problem with. I’m using DbUnit for integration tests and I have an AbstractDbUnitIntegrationTest class that does a CLEAN_INSERT on the database for every test, which is great. But that means I need to have a data set to start with. Continue reading “Hit a snag with Netbeans, Maven, and DbUnit testing utils.”