Performance Zen

Author: spierzchala

  • Conferences: Location Intelligence and RDBMS Systems

    I miss out on all the cool conferences, like Location Intelligence.
    Now, I am not much into GIS, but I have a side-interest in IP to location mapping (the now defunct GrabIP project, as an example), and have been working giving feedback on a project that someone has been building using the type of basic geographic information I gather in the IP database I created.
    Now Radar is trying to develop a little buzz for PostgreSQL by discussing how many of the GIS firms use it.
    I agree that Postgres is far more advanced than MySQL, but for most Web development, the level of transactional complexity that is available in Postgres is far beyond what is needed.
    For example, using Postgres for anything that I do is like using an elephant to open a can of sardines. But using MySQL to manage a complex GIS system would be like an orange trying to drive a Porsche.
    Each system has its place in the open source world.

  • BackPack: Ummmm…what’s the fuss?

    I don’t get the blog fuss that is being raised over Backpack.
    Seth is likely bouncing off walls watching this IdeaVirus lift off. This has got early adopter pid IdeaVirus bzzzzzz-agent written all over it.
    People…it’s a freakin’ to do list. Get a Hipster PDA and be done with it.
    For what it’s worth…more on BackPack here and here and here and here and here and here

  • Google: Web Analytics Prices Falling

    Google drops price for Urchin Web Analytics. [here and here and here and here]
    StatCounter gives me what I need, thanks.

  • IP-Country Database Information Offline Permanently

    I have been getting a great deal of interest in the IP-to-Country data that I have been working on over the last few years. However, I have had to take this data down from my site.

    1. The bandwidth costs are starting to become noticeable
    2. My old hardware is starting to creak under the weight
    3. There are commercial sources for this data, and frankly, I say more power to them if they can make money of this; I sure haven’t

    It’s been a depressing week here in the Newest Industry Factory, and we are starting to have to dim the lights in some corners, turn off some of the machines, and [gulp!] consider other drastic measures.

    To paraphrase the Bare Naked Ladies: “All this food ain’t free”.

    I apologize for the inconvenience, and hope that I can re-activate these pages in the future.

    UPDATE: GrabIP is now back up, but limited to 5 requests in a 24-hour period.

  • WSJ: Blocked by Subscription Model

    Chris Selland linked to an article about Steve Jobs that is in the WSJ. [here]
    Chris: See my previous post. The subscription model at the WSJ has foiled your attempt to share this with the rest of us.

  • NY Times: How much will you pay?

    Business 2.0 is asking how much you would pay to read the NY Times online. [here]
    My response: why? I don’t read newspapers anymore. I would pay nothing to read this online, when I can get news free from Reuters, BBC and Yahoo!, and commentary from blogs.
    MSM just does not understand. Their model is broken. It is 300 years old, and it is finally succumbing to it’s own dead weight.
    The forests of the world are breathing a sigh of relief.
    BusinessWeek, trying to support its brethern through it’s lame attempt to “blog”. [here]

  • Toolkit for the Technically Aware, Part 2

    In this post, I mimiced the list of tools that Brendon Connelly lists.
    I forgot to add some of my personal favourites and additions.

    • Cygwin: Makes any Windows machine able to run a linux-like terminal
    • Caffeine. Addicted.
    • Ethereal: If you are a geek, you need this. Packet-sniffing goodness
    • Trillian. Yeah, GAIM is open-source, but Trillian is just that much slicker
    • Firefox. Runs anywhere; need to know more?

    I know that most of these are more for the geek side of the house, but a lot of my traffic comes from those folks.
    Leave your additions in the comments.

  • Toolkit for the Technically Aware

    Brendon Connelly hits almost on all cylinders with this post. I was shocked to see someone who relies on almost exactly the same toolbox (in a different configuration) as I do.

    • I am off to buy a Moleskine Datebook
    • I use http://www.notetab.com/and vim to do most HTML/PHP/SQL/whatever editing
    • HyperSnap for screen capture
    • SQL in Microsoft/Sybase, MySQL, and Oracle flavours

    I have never been able to gracefully integrate a PDA into my life. I have tried 4 times, and all 4 have failed miserably. I am a pen and paper man for contacts, appointments, etc.

    Outlook Calendar is good for business meetings…but for the rest of your life?

    The one tool that he doesn’t mention: Google. I know that it is so omnipresent that it is easy to miss, but if you do fewer than 5 Google searches a day, and you work in high-tech…what do you do?

  • Trunk Monkey: Coming to a Car Near You

    This has the potential to be a really cool meme. I know that the animal rights crowd won’t like it, but, ya know…sometimes you just gotta run with the concept.

    Trunk Monkey

    Thanks to the guys in the NOC for this.

  • My Browser Stats for the Newest Industry

    This is the latest browser statistic breakdown for the Newest Industry. Data is gathered using the StatCounter.com application and is updated in real time.
    I will try and post this to the top of the system on a weekly basis.
    Thanks to Tim Bray for the inspiration.