19 Oct, 2007
Can someone please recommend a download manager (or a browser plugin, or a free desktop app) compatible with S3 in the sense that downloads are resumable?
My customers download heavy chunked video, and some ask for an alternative to right-click/save-target-as on each link (I mean normally they don't need to do it, it's just click and play, but those in Europe or Asia must download first as datacenters are still planned).
19 Oct, 2007
You can now launch the new larger instances from the free RightScale developer accounts. When you launch an image simply select which type of instance you'd like to launch from the drop-down menu. Couldn't be easier! Well actually, if it hasn't sunken in from forum posts you'll quickly discover that it's not quite this easy because the new machines run a 64-bit architecture and thus require a 64-bit Linux installation, meaning that none of the old machine images work on the new instances. We've made our beta 64-bit CentOS image available, it's called "Centos 5 64 V1_11_3" (ami-fbf31692) in RightScale. You can use it interchangeably with the 32-bit CentOS RightImage. (We're producing a more final RightImage today.)
[Warning, blatant self-promotion follows
] With the advent of the new instance types I sincerely hope you've been building your servers using the RightScale server templates, because, guess what, all you have to do is change the base image of your templates and voila! it very likely runs fine without any further changes. You don't have to rebuild all your images for 64-bits. The only gotchas are packages that you require that don't exist for X86_64 in the repositories, or binaries you may have attached to your RightScripts. We've had to tweak a few RightScripts to get our MySQL master and slave set-up to run, partly because we had to install patched kernel modules on the 32-bit OS, but it was pretty painless and customers of ours have been really happy with the larger instances. If you're reading this I'm sure you're dying to see your own web site backed by two screaming MySQL servers on the "x-large" instances: drop us a line at sales@rightscale.com ;-)
On a non-sales tone, we will be making a regular 64-bit CentOS5 RightImage available asap and we will as usual publish the script we use to create it. This will make it easier for you if you want to build your own 64-bit image. On a related note, an Ubuntu Feisty RightImage should be available "any day now".
Thorsten - www.rightscale.com
19 Oct, 2007
Hearing that money doesn't buy happiness won't be the most surprising thing you hear today, but you might be surprised to learn that there is a cutoff for the money-equals-happiness equation lying somewhere near the middle class. From Newsweek:
"Psychologists have spent decades studying the relation between wealth and happiness," writes Harvard University psychologist Daniel Gilbert in his best-selling "Stumbling on Happiness," "and they have generally concluded that wealth increases human happiness when it lifts people out of abject poverty and into the middle class but that it does little to increase happiness thereafter."
But when more money means expanded choice, why aren't the rich happier? According to Newsweek, the choices presented to the wealthy are psychologically exhausting:
Studies show that people like selecting from among maybe half a dozen kinds of pasta at the grocery store but find 27 choices overwhelming, leaving them chronically on edge that they could have chosen a better one than they did. And wants, which are nice to be able to afford, have a bad habit of becoming needs (iPod, anyone?), of which an advertising- and media-saturated culture create endless numbers. Satisfying needs brings less emotional well-being than satisfying wants.
The lesson: If you can get yourself into the comfort of middle class living, keep in mind that the longer and harder hours you're putting in to climb the ladder from this point on probably won't make you any happier.
19 Oct, 2007
Windows/Mac: Freeware application Yuuguu provides instant remote screen sharing through a simple IM-like application. Just install Yuuguu on the computers you'd like to share screens, and then register and login to the Yuuguu chat application. If you decide you want to do a little screen sharing—perfect for friends and family tech support or a little project collaboration—just click "Show" and let the screen sharing begin. The user you're chatting with can either observe your screen or take control of the keyboard and mouse. Of course, there's no shortage of screen sharing apps like Yuuguu out there (like CrossLoop, ShowMyPC, LogMeIn, and of course VNC), Yuuguu's simple cross platform support is a bit of a gem.
19 Oct, 2007
The Unclutterer weblog highlights a simple basket hack for creating a clean and attractive gadget charging station. In short: Find a good looking basket, drill a hole in the bottom, and thread your charging cables through the bottom. It's nothing terribly innovative, but it does look good—so think of it more as a bit of cable-decluttering inspiration for your weekend. For more inspiration, check out these other cord hiding and management solutions.
19 Oct, 2007
I need some help. I'm using S3 with PHP. Everytime we PUT a file, it's zero bytes long.
Any ideas?
Play for yourself...
http://208.111.34.147/s3-test/index.phpSource code, less Keys...
http://208.111.34.147/s3test/s3test.zipI'm more of a PM for this project, and not totally familiar with PHP, so be gentle.
Thanks!
mm
