Chandrika Gauranga In India 2007

Dreamweaver 5.5 - viewing android app in emulator

2012-01-29T06:59:00.000-08:00

If an app will not load from dreamweaver into the android emulator and the following error show in the build.log

Install file not specified.
 
 'ant install' now requires the build target to be specified as well.
 
     ant debug install
     ant release install
     ant instrument install
 This will build the given package and install it.
 
 Alternatively, you can use
     ant installd
     ant installr
     ant installi
     ant installt
 to only install an existing package (this will not rebuild the package.)

find the build.xml file, located in the target directory of the app that was being built...
at the end of the file alter the line

<import file="${sdk.dir}/tools/ant/build.xml" />

to

<import file="${sdk.dir}/tools/ant/build.xml" as="imported" />


<target name="install"
depends="-set-debug-files,imported.install" />

As explained here , something to do with the the most recent Android SDK has an extra parameter that is not yet supported by the PhoneGap integration kit in Dreamweaver. n.b. Before attempting to build and emulate again, the files in the bin folder of the target directory must be deleted.

Another error can occur if more than one emulator/device is running, so for example if an android phone is plugged in via usb and an emulator also running, the app will not load in either, so just run one at a time.

The Happy Prince

2012-01-27T02:22:00.000-08:00

High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy

Prince. He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold,
for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on
his sword-hilt.

He was very much admired indeed. “He is as beautiful
as a weathercock,” remarked one of the Town Councillors who wished
to gain a reputation for having artistic tastes; “only not quite
so useful,” he added, fearing lest people should think him unpractical,
which he really was not.

“Why can’t you be like the Happy Prince?” asked
a sensible mother of her little boy who was crying for the moon.
“The Happy Prince never dreams of crying for anything.”

“I am glad there is some one in the world who is quite happy,”
muttered a disappointed man as he gazed at the wonderful statue.

“He looks just like an angel,” said the Charity Children
as they came out of the cathedral in their bright scarlet cloaks and
their clean white pinafores.

“How do you know?” said the Mathematical Master, “you
have never seen one.”

“Ah! but we have, in our dreams,” answered the children;
and the Mathematical Master frowned and looked very severe, for he did
not approve of children dreaming.

One night there flew over the city a little Swallow. His friends
had gone away to Egypt six weeks before, but he had stayed behind, for
he was in love with the most beautiful Reed. He had met her early
in the spring as he was flying down the river after a big yellow moth,
and had been so attracted by her slender waist that he had stopped to
talk to her.

“Shall I love you?” said the Swallow, who liked to come
to the point at once, and the Reed made him a low bow. So he flew
round and round her, touching the water with his wings, and making silver
ripples. This was his courtship, and it lasted all through the
summer.

“It is a ridiculous attachment,” twittered the other
Swallows; “she has no money, and far too many relations”;
and indeed the river was quite full of Reeds. Then, when the autumn
came they all flew away.

After they had gone he felt lonely, and began to tire of his lady-love.

“She has no conversation,” he said, “and I am afraid
that she is a coquette, for she is always flirting with the wind.”
And certainly, whenever the wind blew, the Reed made the most graceful
curtseys. “I admit that she is domestic,” he continued,
“but I love travelling, and my wife, consequently, should love
travelling also.”

“Will you come away with me?” he said finally to her;
but the Reed shook her head, she was so attached to her home.

“You have been trifling with me,” he cried. “I
am off to the Pyramids. Good-bye!” and he flew away.

All day long he flew, and at night-time he arrived at the city.
“Where shall I put up?” he said; “I hope the town
has made preparations.”

Then he saw the statue on the tall column.

“I will put up there,” he cried; “it is a fine
position, with plenty of fresh air.” So he alighted just
between the feet of the Happy Prince.

“I have a golden bedroom,” he said softly to himself
as he looked round, and he prepared to go to sleep; but just as he was
putting his head under his wing a large drop of water fell on him.

“What a curious thing!” he cried; “there is not a
single cloud in the sky, the stars are quite clear and bright, and yet
it is raining. The climate in the north of Europe is really dreadful.
The Reed used to like the rain, but that was merely her selfishness.”

Then another drop fell.

“What is the use of a statue if it cannot keep the rain off?”
he said; “I must look for a good chimney-pot,” and he determined
to fly away.

But before he had opened his wings, a third drop fell, and he looked
up, and saw—Ah! what did he see?

The eyes of the Happy Prince were filled with tears, and tears were
running down his golden cheeks. His face was so beautiful in the
moonlight that the little Swallow was filled with pity.

“Who are you?” he said.

“I am the Happy Prince.”

“Why are you weeping then?” asked the Swallow; “you
have quite drenched me.”

“When I was alive and had a human heart,” answered the
statue, “I did not know what tears were, for I lived in the Palace
of Sans-Souci, where sorrow is not allowed to enter. In the daytime
I played with my companions in the garden, and in the evening I led
the dance in the Great Hall. Round the garden ran a very lofty
wall, but I never cared to ask what lay beyond it, everything about
me was so beautiful. My courtiers called me the Happy Prince,
and happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness. So I lived,
and so I died. And now that I am dead they have set me up here
so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city,
and though my heart is made of lead yet I cannot chose but weep.”

“What! is he not solid gold?” said the Swallow to himself.

He was too polite to make any personal remarks out loud.

“Far away,” continued the statue in a low musical voice,
“far away in a little street there is a poor house. One
of the windows is open, and through it I can see a woman seated at a
table. Her face is thin and worn, and she has coarse, red hands,
all pricked by the needle, for she is a seamstress. She is embroidering
passion-flowers on a satin gown for the loveliest of the Queen’s
maids-of-honour to wear at the next Court-ball. In a bed in the
corner of the room her little boy is lying ill. He has a fever,
and is asking for oranges. His mother has nothing to give him
but river water, so he is crying. Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,
will you not bring her the ruby out of my sword-hilt? My feet
are fastened to this pedestal and I cannot move.”

“I am waited for in Egypt,” said the Swallow. “My
friends are flying up and down the Nile, and talking to the large lotus-flowers.
Soon they will go to sleep in the tomb of the great King. The
King is there himself in his painted coffin. He is wrapped in
yellow linen, and embalmed with spices. Round his neck is a chain
of pale green jade, and his hands are like withered leaves.”

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince,

“will you not stay with me for one night, and be my messenger?
The boy is so thirsty, and the mother so sad.”

“I don’t think I like boys,” answered the Swallow.
“Last summer, when I was staying on the river, there were two
rude boys, the miller’s sons, who were always throwing stones
at me. They never hit me, of course; we swallows fly far too well
for that, and besides, I come of a family famous for its agility; but
still, it was a mark of disrespect.”

But the Happy Prince looked so sad that the little Swallow was sorry.
“It is very cold here,” he said; “but I will stay
with you for one night, and be your messenger.”

“Thank you, little Swallow,” said the Prince.

So the Swallow picked out the great ruby from the Prince’s
sword, and flew away with it in his beak over the roofs of the town.

He passed by the cathedral tower, where the white marble angels were
sculptured. He passed by the palace and heard the sound of dancing.
A beautiful girl came out on the balcony with her lover. “How
wonderful the stars are,” he said to her, “and how wonderful
is the power of love!”

“I hope my dress will be ready in time for the State-ball,”
she answered; “I have ordered passion-flowers to be embroidered
on it; but the seamstresses are so lazy.”

He passed over the river, and saw the lanterns hanging to the masts
of the ships. He passed over the Ghetto, and saw the old Jews
bargaining with each other, and weighing out money in copper scales.
At last he came to the poor house and looked in. The boy was tossing
feverishly on his bed, and the mother had fallen asleep, she was so
tired. In he hopped, and laid the great ruby on the table beside
the woman’s thimble. Then he flew gently round the bed,
fanning the boy’s forehead with his wings. “How cool
I feel,” said the boy, “I must be getting better”;
and he sank into a delicious slumber.

Then the Swallow flew back to the Happy Prince, and told him what
he had done. “It is curious,” he remarked, “but
I feel quite warm now, although it is so cold.”

“That is because you have done a good action,” said the
Prince. And the little Swallow began to think, and then he fell
asleep. Thinking always made him sleepy.

When day broke he flew down to the river and had a bath. “What
a remarkable phenomenon,” said the Professor of Ornithology as
he was passing over the bridge. “A swallow in winter!”

And he wrote a long letter about it to the local newspaper. Every
one quoted it, it was full of so many words that they could not understand.

“To-night I go to Egypt,” said the Swallow, and he was
in high spirits at the prospect. He visited all the public monuments,
and sat a long time on top of the church steeple. Wherever he
went the Sparrows chirruped, and said to each other, “What a distinguished
stranger!” so he enjoyed himself very much.

When the moon rose he flew back to the Happy Prince. “Have
you any commissions for Egypt?” he cried; “I am just starting.”

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince,
“will you not stay with me one night longer?”

“I am waited for in Egypt,” answered the Swallow.
“To-morrow my friends will fly up to the Second Cataract.
The river-horse couches there among the bulrushes, and on a great granite
throne sits the God Memnon. All night long he watches the stars,
and when the morning star shines he utters one cry of joy, and then
he is silent. At noon the yellow lions come down to the water’s
edge to drink. They have eyes like green beryls, and their roar
is louder than the roar of the cataract.

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince,
“far away across the city I see a young man in a garret.
He is leaning over a desk covered with papers, and in a tumbler by his
side there is a bunch of withered violets. His hair is brown and
crisp, and his lips are red as a pomegranate, and he has large and dreamy
eyes. He is trying to finish a play for the Director of the Theatre,
but he is too cold to write any more. There is no fire in the
grate, and hunger has made him faint.”

“I will wait with you one night longer,” said the Swallow,
who really had a good heart. “Shall I take him another ruby?”

“Alas! I have no ruby now,” said the Prince; “my
eyes are all that I have left. They are made of rare sapphires,
which were brought out of India a thousand years ago. Pluck out
one of them and take it to him. He will sell it to the jeweller,
and buy food and firewood, and finish his play.”

“Dear Prince,” said the Swallow, “I cannot do that”;
and he began to weep.

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince,
“do as I command you.”

So the Swallow plucked out the Prince’s eye, and flew away
to the student’s garret. It was easy enough to get in, as
there was a hole in the roof. Through this he darted, and came
into the room. The young man had his head buried in his hands,
so he did not hear the flutter of the bird’s wings, and when he
looked up he found the beautiful sapphire lying on the withered violets.

“I am beginning to be appreciated,” he cried; “this
is from some great admirer. Now I can finish my play,” and
he looked quite happy.

The next day the Swallow flew down to the harbour. He sat on
the mast of a large vessel and watched the sailors hauling big chests
out of the hold with ropes. “Heave a-hoy!” they shouted
as each chest came up. “I am going to Egypt”! cried
the Swallow, but nobody minded, and when the moon rose he flew back
to the Happy Prince.

“I am come to bid you good-bye,” he cried.

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince,

“will you not stay with me one night longer?”

“It is winter,” answered the Swallow, “and the
chill snow will soon be here. In Egypt the sun is warm on the
green palm-trees, and the crocodiles lie in the mud and look lazily
about them. My companions are building a nest in the Temple of
Baalbec, and the pink and white doves are watching them, and cooing
to each other. Dear Prince, I must leave you, but I will never
forget you, and next spring I will bring you back two beautiful jewels
in place of those you have given away. The ruby shall be redder
than a red rose, and the sapphire shall be as blue as the great sea.”

“In the square below,” said the Happy Prince, “there
stands a little match-girl. She has let her matches fall in the
gutter, and they are all spoiled. Her father will beat her if
she does not bring home some money, and she is crying. She has
no shoes or stockings, and her little head is bare. Pluck out
my other eye, and give it to her, and her father will not beat her.”

“I will stay with you one night longer,” said the Swallow,
“but I cannot pluck out your eye. You would be quite blind
then.”

“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince,
“do as I command you.”

So he plucked out the Prince’s other eye, and darted down with
it. He swooped past the match-girl, and slipped the jewel into
the palm of her hand. “What a lovely bit of glass,”
cried the little girl; and she ran home, laughing.

Then the Swallow came back to the Prince. “You are blind
now,” he said, “so I will stay with you always.”

“No, little Swallow,” said the poor Prince, “you
must go away to Egypt.”

“I will stay with you always,” said the Swallow, and
he slept at the Prince’s feet.

All the next day he sat on the Prince’s shoulder, and told
him stories of what he had seen in strange lands. He told him
of the red ibises, who stand in long rows on the banks of the Nile,
and catch gold-fish in their beaks; of the Sphinx, who is as old as
the world itself, and lives in the desert, and knows everything; of
the merchants, who walk slowly by the side of their camels, and carry
amber beads in their hands; of the King of the Mountains of the Moon,
who is as black as ebony, and worships a large crystal; of the great
green snake that sleeps in a palm-tree, and has twenty priests to feed
it with honey-cakes; and of the pygmies who sail over a big lake on
large flat leaves, and are always at war with the butterflies.

“Dear little Swallow,” said the Prince, “you tell
me of marvellous things, but more marvellous than anything is the suffering
of men and of women. There is no Mystery so great as Misery.
Fly over my city, little Swallow, and tell me what you see there.”

So the Swallow flew over the great city, and saw the rich making
merry in their beautiful houses, while the beggars were sitting at the
gates. He flew into dark lanes, and saw the white faces of starving
children looking out listlessly at the black streets. Under the
archway of a bridge two little boys were lying in one another’s
arms to try and keep themselves warm. “How hungry we are!”

they said. “You must not lie here,” shouted the Watchman,
and they wandered out into the rain.

Then he flew back and told the Prince what he had seen.

“I am covered with fine gold,” said the Prince, “you
must take it off, leaf by leaf, and give it to my poor; the living always
think that gold can make them happy.”

Leaf after leaf of the fine gold the Swallow picked off, till the
Happy Prince looked quite dull and grey. Leaf after leaf of the
fine gold he brought to the poor, and the children’s faces grew
rosier, and they laughed and played games in the street. “We
have bread now!” they cried.

Then the snow came, and after the snow came the frost. The
streets looked as if they were made of silver, they were so bright and
glistening; long icicles like crystal daggers hung down from the eaves
of the houses, everybody went about in furs, and the little boys wore
scarlet caps and skated on the ice.

The poor little Swallow grew colder and colder, but he would not
leave the Prince, he loved him too well. He picked up crumbs outside
the baker’s door when the baker was not looking and tried to keep
himself warm by flapping his wings.

But at last he knew that he was going to die. He had just strength
to fly up to the Prince’s shoulder once more. “Good-bye,
dear Prince!” he murmured, “will you let me kiss your hand?”

“I am glad that you are going to Egypt at last, little Swallow,”
said the Prince, “you have stayed too long here; but you must
kiss me on the lips, for I love you.”

“It is not to Egypt that I am going,” said the Swallow.
“I am going to the House of Death. Death is the brother
of Sleep, is he not?”

And he kissed the Happy Prince on the lips, and fell down dead at
his feet.

At that moment a curious crack sounded inside the statue, as if something
had broken. The fact is that the leaden heart had snapped right
in two. It certainly was a dreadfully hard frost.

Early the next morning the Mayor was walking in the square below
in company with the Town Councillors. As they passed the column
he looked up at the statue: “Dear me! how shabby the Happy Prince
looks!” he said.

“How shabby indeed!” cried the Town Councillors, who
always agreed with the Mayor; and they went up to look at it.

“The ruby has fallen out of his sword, his eyes are gone, and
he is golden no longer,” said the Mayor in fact, “he is
litttle beter than a beggar!”

“Little better than a beggar,” said the Town Councillors.

“And here is actually a dead bird at his feet!” continued
the Mayor. “We must really issue a proclamation that birds
are not to be allowed to die here.” And the Town Clerk made
a note of the suggestion.

So they pulled down the statue of the Happy Prince. “As
he is no longer beautiful he is no longer useful,” said the Art
Professor at the University.

Then they melted the statue in a furnace, and the Mayor held a meeting
of the Corporation to decide what was to be done with the metal.
“We must have another statue, of course,” he said, “and
it shall be a statue of myself.”

“Of myself,” said each of the Town Councillors, and they
quarrelled. When I last heard of them they were quarrelling still.

“What a strange thing!” said the overseer of the workmen
at the foundry. “This broken lead heart will not melt in
the furnace. We must throw it away.” So they threw
it on a dust-heap where the dead Swallow was also lying.

“Bring me the two most precious things in the city,”

said God to one of His Angels; and the Angel brought Him the leaden
heart and the dead bird.

“You have rightly chosen,” said God, “for in my
garden of Paradise this little bird shall sing for evermore, and in
my city of gold the Happy Prince shall praise me.”

(ebook can be downloaded here)

Twitter rss feed url

2012-01-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

To access a twitter rss feed the url is now
http://api.twitter.com/1/statuses/user_timeline.rss?screen_name=xxxxx

where xxxxx is the twitter login name

It took me ages to find as Twitter no longer advertises rss feeds and I will probably forget it later so it is here for posterity and anyone else who may be looking for it.

Srila Bhaktikumuda Santa Goswami Maharaja

2012-01-07T04:21:00.000-08:00

Srila Bhaktikumuda Santa Goswami Maharaja, the last remaining disciple of Srila Bhaktisidhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupada left this world today at 1am. The well known founder of the Krishna Consciousness Movement, A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, was also a disciple of Srila Bhaktisidhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupada, one of his God Brothers.

He is one in a line of disciplic succession of Gaudiya Vaishnavas, that will be continued by his own disciples and beyond.

Nityananda Gauranga

PHP - Parsing a csv file created by Excel

2012-01-05T19:54:00.000-08:00

Useful for updating tabular data on a website, without editing any html. Especially if there is no access to a database to upload the info. I found this function at php.net. It returns an array with all the data in the csv file...

Then the array can be used the same way a returned mysql result set would be used (see here). The array can be searched (see previous post here) or to simply access elements from the returned array you can simply call individual elements as such...

//line 1 data
echo $new_array[0][0];
echo $new_array[0][1];
echo $new_array[0][2];
//etc
//line 2 data
echo $new_array[1][0];
echo $new_array[1][1];
echo $new_array[1][2];
//etc

To pick out random lines from a csv (eg.with 3 columns year,day,month) and use that data the rand function can be used as follows...

$num=count($new_array);
$num=$num-1;//minus one to cope with 0 in array
$i=rand (0, $num );

$year=$new_array[$i][0];
$day=$new_array[$i][1];
$month=$new_array[$i][2];

echo "The random year is ".$year.". The random day is ".$day.". The random month is ".$month;

Gwalior Childrens Charity Award For Volunteering

2011-12-01T12:57:00.000-08:00

I manage the website for the GCC at http://www.helpchildrenofindia.org . This is a picture of me receiving an award from Dr B.K.Sharma. He and his late wife Meena are founders of the charity that has rescued many destitute children from various state run institutions. When his wife passed, her estate was used to build a home, hospital and school in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh (one of the poorest and most deprived parts of India) The charity provides for the residents there and is working to become self sufficient with solar power, a Goshala, and farming area. As well as helping the disabled and destitute, the place also helps local people, especially girls from surrounding villages, providing them with a free education at the new school that opened this year. They also provide a mobile medical center that travels offering medical assistance in the surrounding area.

Currency database - csv with currency symbol html codes

2011-10-26T03:28:00.000-07:00

LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE '/path/to/currencies/file.txt' INTO TABLE `currency` FIELDS TERMINATED BY '--' ESCAPED BY '\\' LINES TERMINATED BY ' | '(
`name` , `abb` , `html`
)

This is the currency data that is contained, and how the html codes display...

Albania Lek - ALL - Lek
Afghanistan Afghani - AFN - ؋
Argentina Peso - ARS - $
Aruba Guilder - AWG - ƒ
Australia Dollar - AUD - $
Azerbaijan New Manat - AZN - ман
Bahamas Dollar - BSD - $
Barbados Dollar - BBD - $
Belarus Ruble - BYR - p.
Belize Dollar - BZD - BZ$
Bermuda Dollar - BMD - $
Bolivia Boliviano - BOB - $b
Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Marka - BAM - KM
Botswana Pula - BWP - P
Bulgaria Lev - BGN - лв
Brazil Real - BRL - R$
Brunei Darussalam Dollar - BND - $
Cambodia Riel - KHR - ៛
Canada Dollar - CAD - $
Cayman Islands Dollar - KYD - $
Chile Peso - CLP - $
China Yuan Renminbi - CNY - ¥
Colombia Peso - COP - $
Costa Rica Colon - CRC - ₡
Croatia Kuna - HRK - kn
Cuba Peso - CUP - ₱
Czech Republic Koruna - CZK - Kč
Denmark Krone - DKK - kr
Dominican Republic Peso - DOP - RD$
East Caribbean Dollar - XCD - $
Egypt Pound - EGP - £
El Salvador Colon - SVC - $
Estonia Kroon - EEK - kr
Euro Member Countries - EUR - €
Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Pound - FKP - £
Fiji Dollar - FJD - $
Ghana Cedis - GHC - ¢
Gibraltar Pound - GIP - £
Guatemala Quetzal - GTQ - Q
Guernsey Pound - GGP - £
Guyana Dollar - GYD - $
Honduras Lempira - HNL - L
Hong Kong Dollar - HKD - $
Hungary Forint - HUF - Ft
Iceland Krona - ISK - kr
India Rupee - INR - ₹
Indonesia Rupiah - IDR - Rp
Iran Rial - IRR - ﷼
Isle of Man Pound - IMP - £
Israel Shekel - ILS - ₪
Jamaica Dollar - JMD - J$
Japan Yen - JPY - ¥
Jersey Pound - JEP - £
Kazakhstan Tenge - KZT - лв
Korea (North) Won - KPW - ₩
Korea (South) Won - KRW - ₩
Kyrgyzstan Som - KGS - лв
Laos Kip - LAK - ₭
Latvia Lat - LVL - Ls
Lebanon Pound - LBP - £
Liberia Dollar - LRD - $
Lithuania Litas - LTL - Lt
Macedonia Denar - MKD - ден
Malaysia Ringgit - MYR - RM
Mauritius Rupee - MUR - ₨
Mexico Peso - MXN - $
Mongolia Tughrik - MNT - ₮
Mozambique Metical - MZN - MT
Namibia Dollar - NAD - $
Nepal Rupee - NPR - ₨
Netherlands Antilles Guilder - ANG - ƒ
New Zealand Dollar - NZD - $
Nicaragua Cordoba - NIO - C$
Nigeria Naira - NGN - ₦
Korea (North) Won - KPW - ₩
Norway Krone - NOK - kr
Oman Rial - OMR - ﷼
Pakistan Rupee - PKR - ₨
Panama Balboa - PAB - B/.
Paraguay Guarani - PYG - Gs
Peru Nuevo Sol - PEN - S/.
Philippines Peso - PHP - ₱
Poland Zloty - PLN - zł
Qatar Riyal - QAR - ﷼
Romania New Leu - RON - lei
Russia Ruble - RUB - руб
Saint Helena Pound - SHP - £
Saudi Arabia Riyal - SAR - ﷼
Serbia Dinar - RSD - Дин.
Seychelles Rupee - SCR - ₨
Singapore Dollar - SGD - $
Solomon Islands Dollar - SBD - $
Somalia Shilling - SOS - S
South Africa Rand - ZAR - R
Korea (South) Won - KRW - ₩
Sri Lanka Rupee - LKR - ₨
Sweden Krona - SEK - kr
Switzerland Franc - CHF - CHF
Suriname Dollar - SRD - $
Syria Pound - SYP - £
Taiwan New Dollar - TWD - NT$
Thailand Baht - THB - ฿
Trinidad and Tobago Dollar - TTD - TT$
Turkey Lira - TRY - TL
Turkey Lira - TRL - ₤
Tuvalu Dollar - TVD - $
Ukraine Hryvna - UAH - ₴
United Kingdom Pound - GBP - £
United States Dollar - USD - $
Uruguay Peso - UYU - $U
Uzbekistan Som - UZS - лв
Venezuela Bolivar Fuerte - VEF - Bs
Viet Nam Dong - VND - ₫
Yemen Rial - YER - ﷼
Zimbabwe Dollar - ZWD - Z$

PHP - function to search an associative array

2011-10-24T04:20:00.000-07:00

To find the value of part of an associative array such as the one below, the function below will search for a term within the key that is specified in the function...

$arr = "Array ( [0] => Array ( [id] => 1 [date] => 2011-10-18 [details] => Shopping ) [1] => Array ( [id] => 2 [date] => 2011-10-01 [details] => Tax ) [2] => Array ( [id] => 123 [date] => 2011-10-18 [details] => Petrol )";

This will return an array of the keys of the elements of the array in which the search term was found. In this case Array ( [0] => 0 [1] => 2 )

MySQL resultset as an associative array

2011-10-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

To save time and resources, when a php application is going to require the same resultset often, the resultset can be saved in a session as an associative array. Then when required in the script the saved session data can be referenced instead of querying the database again.

To return a resultset as an array named $ac_arr requires the following mysql...

$result=mysql_query("SELECT name,startdate,enddate FROM accounts") or die(mysql_error());

while(($ac_arr[] = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) || array_pop($ac_arr));

The array_pop() function simply removes the extra element that would otherwise be appended to the array.

This can then be stored in a session variable and later referenced without re-querying the database...

$_SESSION['ac_array']=$ac_arr;

To list the keys and values of elements in the array

<?php
$acs=$_SESSION['ac_array'];
foreach($acs as $keys=>$values)
{
foreach ($values as $key => $value) {
echo $keys." : ".$key.":".$value."<br />";
}
}
?>

The above will display a list like this
0 : name : AC1
0 : startdate : 2011-08-16
0 : enddate : 2011-12-16
1 : name : AC2
1 : startdate : 2014-07-25
1 : enddate : 2024-07-25
2 : name : AC3
2 : startdate : 2012-05-10
2 : enddate : 2022-05-10

so you can reference any element in the array by calling
$acs[0][name] (will return AC1)
$acs[2][startdate] (will return 2012-05-10)

Amino Acids In protein - Complementary protein sources

2011-10-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

When eating a vegetarian diet, it is important to get the protein right.

Usually the protein content of various food is labelled in grams, but not all protein is equal. The combination of amino acids that make up the protein does matter.

For example, a person could get (for example) 10g protein from 100g wholewheat bread. However the human body would be unable to utilise all that protein, as wheat protein does not contain all the essential amino acids (the amino acids that the body has to be fed, as it can not make them itself). A food that contains all the essential amino acids is called a "complete protein". Vegetarian sources are dairy products, quinoa, soya. A food that contains protein but not all the essential amino acids is called an incomplete protein. An incomplete protein has some amino acids that limit it, these are called "limiting amino acids". In wheat (and most grain) protein for example, the limiting amino acid is lysine. As the body uses amino acids together to do stuff, in a ratio, it can therefor only process as much protein as the limiting amino acid allows.

So that is why it is necessary to complement vegetarian protein sources sometimes. For example mixing wheat or rice protein, with a legume protein (rice and dal, beans on toast, tortilla and refreid beans), results in all essential amino acids being present. As although wheat and rice lack lysine,it has plenty of methionine and tryptophan. Legumes are high in lysine, but low in methionine and tryptophan. Together they form a complementary protein.

I found a good utility online to check the amino acid profile of foods (from the USDA database)
Amino Acid Check

This can help to choose a variety of foods over a course of a day that will complement each other, so providing enough of all the essential amino acids.

I was surprised to see that most green vegetables, spinach, broccoli etc, in fact have excellent amino acid profiles, with all the essential amino acids contained. Obviously you would have to eat alot of greens to get the rda of protein, but I have read that our ancestors, in paleolithic times, might have eaten several carrier bag fulls of green leafy veg a day.

An interesting fact for weight watchers, is that 600g of broccoli, contains nearly 20g protein and under 150 calories. Weight watchers usually like to eat food that keeps them nice and full up without having too many cals. The equivalent calorie amount of rice, would be just around 35g, and would only provide about 3g protein. If hungry, I know which choice i would go for to keep me full for longer!

As a side note, recent reports state that eating broccoli along with something spicy such as mustard or horseradish, boosts it anto cancer properties. Vegetables have so many wonderful properties, that are only just being discovered.

I once used the USDA database to analyse my daily food intake and discovered that by eating 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, I was not achieveing the rda of all the nutrients. In fact to do so a person has to eat a really wide range of fruit and veg and in quite large quantities. Americas 7 a day advice is better, but still, it depends on what you choose. It is a complicated science really.

This post is about amino acids in protein though, it is a huge subject, but really important for vegetarians to get to grips with, as amino acids are the building blocks of life. Every part of the human bodily system requires amino acids to function and renew. From blood, skin and cartilage, to muscles and bones, hormones and enzymes. It is all very well taking a multi vitamin, but without amino acids, the vitamins and minerals will have nothing to act with.

Personally as a vegetarian for many years, I now have a couple of scoops of whey protein powder daily, to be certain that my body always has a good supply of these treasures. It also saves me having to think too much about combining other protein sources and I do like to keep my life simple!

Essential Amino Acids Important Functions In The Body:

Isoleucine (Ile) - for muscle production, maintenance and recovery after workout. Involved in hemoglobin formation, blood sugar levels, blood clot formation and energy.
Leucine (Leu) - growth hormone production, tissue production and repair, prevents muscle wasting, used in treating conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.
Lysine (Lys) - calcium absorption, bone development, nitrogen maintenance, tissue repair, hormone production, antibody production.
Methionine (Met) - fat emulsification, digestion, antioxidant (cancer prevention), arterial plaque prevention (heart health), and heavy metal removal.
Phenylalanine (Phe) - tyrosine synthesis and the neurochemicals dopamine and norepinephrine. Supports learning and memory, brain processes and mood elevation.
Threonine (Thr) monitors bodily proteins for maintaining or recycling processes.
Tryptophan (Trp) - niacin production, serotonin production, pain management, sleep and mood regulation.
Valine (Val) helps muscle production, recovery, energy, endurance; balances nitrogen levels; used in treatment of alcohol related brain damage.
Histidine (His) - the 'growth amino' essential for young children. Lack of histidine is associated with impaired speech and growth. Abundant in spirulina, seaweed, sesame, soy, rice and legumes.

cite

PHP - Get the last day of a month

2011-10-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

<?php
function GetLastDayofMonth($year, $month) {
for ($day=31; $day>=28; $day--) {
if (checkdate($month, $day, $year)) {
return $day;
}
}
}
?>

Then to call the last day of the month

$lastdayofmonth = GetLastDayofMonth(2011, 02);
echo $lastdayofmonth;

This would print the last day of the month of February 2011

The function is in the notes for the checkdate php function at
http://php.net/manual/en/function.checkdate.php

Jquery - submit form without page refresh and show php processed results

2011-09-08T07:42:00.001-07:00

THE JQUERY
$(document).ready(function(){
$(".button").click(function() {
$.post("thephp.php", $("#saywhatform").serialize() ,
function(data) {
$('#results').html("Data Loaded: " + data);
});
return false;
});
});

THE HTML
<form id="saywhatform" action="">
<input type="text" name="something">
<a href=""><span class="button">Click Here</span></a>
</form>
<div id="results"></div>

THE PHP
$form_entry=$_POST['something'];
echo "You entered".$form_entry.";

So this code will allow a form to be submitted without a page refresh, the results processed by a php script and any results from the php can be printed put in a div on the page.

Jquery Datepicker - change Min Max dates on change of select box to values retrieved from mysql db

2011-09-05T06:57:00.000-07:00

Using jquery datepicker, it is possible to restrict the date range available for selection
http://jqueryui.com/demos/datepicker/#min-max

I wanted the min and max dates to be dynamic variables based on mysql query results, that would change depending which value was selected in a select drop down.

To do this I created a php file that took the select drop down value and queried the database to return dates relevant to that value. Then outside the php tags, I put a javascript function, echoing the php variables as min max dates in two functions that could be called later using getscript().

Then all that is required is in the page where the datepicker is displayed, in the head section use .getscript() to get the variable jquery/javascript functions and apply them to various events, such as document.ready and .change of the select box value.

(The values of the select box are got using http://www.texotela.co.uk/code/jquery/select/ and passed as parameters on the url to the php script, where they are retrieved using $_GET['account'])

nb. The date needs to be correctly formatted, which can be done in the php code after retrieval from the db. The format of the date that is in the javascript function is like this:
YYYY, mm -1, dd

eg: 2011,01 -1 ,01

The restrictdates.php file is as follows...

<?php
$account=$_GET['account'];
//some php code here to retrieve specific $min and $max dates from database, for the relevant account
?>
function minMax() {
$("#datepicker" ).datepicker({
minDate: new Date(<?php echo $min; ?> ),
maxDate: new Date(<?php echo $max; ?>)
});
}

function updateDate() {
$( "#datepicker").datepicker('change',{
minDate: new Date(<?php echo $min; ?> ),
maxDate: new Date(<?php echo $max; ?>)
});
}

PHP - Is it a leap year?

2011-07-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

After spending 20 minutes writing a short function to test a date to see if it is a leap year, I find that php has a built in date function to do the job. Never mind it was interesting anyway to discover that there is a method in the madness of leap years. According to wikipedia, if a year is divisible by 4 it is a leap year. But not if it is divisible by 100, unless it is divisible by 400....get it?

So this was my waste of time leap year calculating function..

<?php
$year = date('Y') ;
if ( $year %400 == 0 ) { $isleap = 'yes' ; }
elseif ( $year %100 == 0 ) { $isleap = 'no' ; }
elseif ( $year %4 == 0 ) { $isleap = 'yes' ; }
else {$isleap='no';}
if ( $isleap == 'yes')
{echo $year." is a leap year";}
else
{echo $year." is not a leap year";}
?>

The smart way to do it though is just with date('L'), this php function returns 1 if it is a leap year and 0 if it is not...much simpler...

<?php
$year=date('Y');
$isleap = date('L') ;
if ( $isleap == '1')
{echo $year." is a leap year";}
else
{echo $year." is not a leap year";}
?>

mysql compare two large tables - find records only in 1 table - for sitemap last modified date

2011-07-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

I needed to compare two large tables each having over 2 million records and find the records that are in table 1 but not in table 2.

I only wanted the records from table 1 and not all records that were different from both tables, so on each select query I added a temporary column that stated which table the result was from, so that after the insert select, those with table2 in the temp column could be deleted, leaving just the table 1 records...which are new records that have been added to a database since the last update.

The UNION results are inserted into a new table, so that after being inserted, all records from table2 can be deleted...

INSERT INTO products_new (name,merchantid,tab)
SELECT MIN( name ) AS name, merchantid, tab
FROM (
SELECT name, merchantid, 'table1' AS tab
FROM products_import AS alias1
UNION ALL SELECT name, merchantid, 'table2' AS tab
FROM products_bak AS alias2
)AS alias_table
GROUP BY name
HAVING COUNT( name ) =1
ORDER BY name

So after populating the new products table, the records that were only in table 2 can be deleted, leaving a table with the unique values from table 1.

DELETE FROM products_new WHERE tab='table2'

I have used this in order to be able to make my sitemaps last modified date more accurate, as currently at each product update, all dynamically created product pages have a recent last modified date, even if they were previously present in the DB. Using this method, the last modified date of new products can be accurately shown as new pages, by accessing this new table.

Increase size of tmpDSK cPanel

2011-07-19T02:50:00.000-07:00

The default temp partion size in cpanel is 512mb which is usually not enough and creates errors such as "Drive Critical: /usr/tmpDSK (/tmp) is 99% full".

It can be increased as follows using the following commands....

stop services, mysql,apache and cpanel
root@server [~]# /etc/init.d/mysql stop
root@server [~]# /etc/init.d/httpd stop
root@server [~]# /etc/init.d/cpanel stop

backup the /tmp folder
root@server [~]# cp -rfp /tmp /tmp_backup

lazy unmount of /tmp
root@server [~]# umount -l /tmp

remove tmpDSK
root@server [~]# rm -rf /usr/tmpDSK

edit securetmp script, find my $tmpdsksize = 512000; # Must be larger than 250000
increase to necessary for example 2gb my $tmpdsksize = 2072000;
root@server [~]# nano /scripts/securetmp

run securetmp script to recreate /tmp (tmpDSK) partition at size specified
root@server [~]# /scripts/securetmp

Bash - loop through files updated in last 7 days

2011-07-11T06:22:00.000-07:00

From command line or in a bash script, to loop thorugh all files that have been updated in the last however many days (in this example 7)...use the FIND command...

FILES=$(find /path/to/directory/ -type f -mtime -7)
for f in $FILES
do

echo $f

done

php to display mysql query results in html table

2011-07-09T06:47:00.000-07:00

The following code would go in an html document (that is able to display php) and display dynamic results from a mysql table into the table. This example builds a table that is 3 columns width, so the code to write the table is based on the number of rows returned from the mysql result, adding extra empty cells at the end if required.

A screen shot below, shows how the numbers are counted through to write the necessary html code to display the mysql results. In this example 19 rows are returned from mysql, so two extra table cells were required at the end, as 7 rows of 3 cells is 21 cells required. The table cells broke with a row after every count of 3.

<table border="1px"><tr>

<?php

//select the columns required from the mysql table
$result=mysql_query("SELECT name,description FROM gifts ORDER BY name");

//get count of rows returned
$numrows=mysql_num_rows($result);

//for a table with 3 columns divide the number of results by 3 and round up
$numtr=ceil($numrows/3);

//get the remainder
$remainder=$numrows % 3;
//from that calculate how many extra table cells are required in the final row
$xtratd=3-$remainder;

$i=1;//count for <td>
$x=1;//count for <tr>

//loop through $result declaring variables for any result required to go in the table
while($row=mysql_fetch_array($result))
{
$catname=$row['name'];
$catdesc=$row['description'];

//for demo purposes the values of $x and $i are shown in the table cells here
echo "<td>$i is ".$i."<br />$x is ".$x."<br /></td>";

//this line starts and end a new row in the table and increments the count of table rows (tr)
if(($i % 3 == 0) && ($x!=$numtr)){echo "</tr><tr>";$x++;}

//if the total number of rows is reached get how many extra table cells are needed and write them, then close the final row
if($i==$numrows)
{
for($z=1;$z<=$xtratd;$z++){
echo "<td>$xtratd is ".$z."</td>";
}
echo "</tr>";
}

$i++;//increment the count of table cells (td)
}

?>


</table>

MYSQL - Update one columns data from another table

2011-07-09T04:16:00.000-07:00

To copy one columns data to another existing tables column in mysql, it is possible with an update query like this :

UPDATE table1,table2
SET table1.coltocopy=table2.coltocopy
WHERE table1.coltocompare=table2.coltocompare;

PHP - Limit A Loop - FOREACH,WHILE etc

2011-07-05T05:41:00.000-07:00

If you just want to loop through (for example) 2 iterations of a loop, rather than returning the whole set of data, you can insert a break clause to limit the number of times the data is looped through and so limit the results to two iterations.

$i = 0;

foreach($vars as $var){

//code to run

if(++$i > 2) break;

}

PHP - Assign variable names to array elements from mysql query

2011-06-27T03:38:00.000-07:00

It is useful to be able to take the results of a MYSQL query and assign variable names to the results, so that they can be used later on in a script.

This can be done simply as follows...

$result= mysql_query("SELECT id FROM table WHERE num='567' LIMIT 3") or die(mysql_error());

while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {

$ids[] = $row['id'];

}
$id1 = $ids[0];
$id2 = $ids[1]
$id3 = $ids[2];

So you now have 3 variables fetched from the mysql array that can be used outside of a loop.

This specific example limits the mysql result to 3. However you could do this for any (change the 3 to how many results you want) and unknown numbers of results doing a COUNT of returned results and then iterating based on that number.

Price Comparison Site Relaunched

2011-06-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

FindAllSorts.com and FindAllSorts.co.uk were relaunched this week.

FindAllSorts has been split across two domains, one for the UK price comparisons and one for the USA price comparisons.

The site has been rebuilt and improved in both functionality and design. New features are available, the search is better, with the ability to filter product search results so users can be more specific as to what brands or stores or price they wish to check.

There is also a discount vouchers section, where all the online stores discount vouchers are shown and searchable. all coupon codes and special offers are updated daily with details of how long the offer or code will be valid for. So when buying a product it is a good place to check to see if a discount may be available.

UK Price Comparison Site - Find and compare prices of products in the UK. Find discount vouchers, coupon codes and special offers to get yourself the best deal.

USA Price Comparison Site - Find and compare prices of products in the USA. Find discount vouchers, coupon codes and special offers, to get yourself the best deal.

Amazon and Ebay products will also soon be included.

Compare prices to find the best deals at FindAllSorts!

PHP - Alternate color divs using variable variables in a loop

2011-05-18T07:49:00.000-07:00

If writing repetitive code, it is simple to instead loop thorugh an array, repeating the same code for each value. But to style it in a more interesting way than it all being the same, variable variables can be used to alter the style at each iteration of the loop...

<?php
$array = array("value one", "value two", "value three");
$color1="#e92e27";
$color2="#507FF7";
$color3="#e8e507";

$i="1";

foreach($array as $val)
{
if($i==4){$i="1";}

echo "<div style='width:150px;border:4px ".${color.$i}." solid;background-color:#ffffff;margin:5px;padding:5px;'>";

echo $val;

echo "</div>";
$i++;
}
?>

Any number of colors and any number of values can be added. This is useful if the list of values is long.

The result of the above code would look like this....

value one

value two

value three

PHP - Get Current Page URL

2011-05-17T03:50:00.000-07:00

Returns variable $url as http://www.site.com/file.htm

//get current url
$url = (!empty($_SERVER['HTTPS'])) ? "https://".$_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'].$_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] : "http://".$_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'].$_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'];

php - split mysql results into groups

2011-05-16T03:47:00.000-07:00

When displaying a set of mysql results, sometimes it is practical to show them in groups, rather than one long list. This is useful for page design, so you can split results into divs or table cells.

Maybe mysql has a command for that, but so far I can only see that it can be done in php as follows...

(The following php code loops through a mysql result, and every five will be split and displayed into separate inline divs.)

<?php

//get the mysql resource
$result=mysql_query("SELECT column FROM table") or die(mysql_error());

//start $d at 0
$d=0;

//start first div before the loop
echo "<div style='width:150px;border:thin #FF00FF solid;float:left;display:inline;margin:5px;padding:5px;'>";

//loop through results incrementing $d and printing as per if conditions
while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result))
{
$column=$row['column'];

//the first condition stops zero rows being shown in the first div
if($d== 0){
echo $column."<br />";
$d++;
}

//second condition prints the div code when $d is divisible by 5, so every 5 results
elseif($d % 5 == 0){
echo "</div><div style='width:150px;border:thin #FF00FF solid;float:left;display:inline;margin:5px;padding:5px;'>";
echo $column."<br />";
$d++;
}

//third condition prints results within the divs
elseif($d % 5 != 0){
echo $column."<br />";
$d++;
}
else{}

}//endwhile

//close the last div tag
echo "</div>";
?>

This php code loops through a mysql result, and every five will be split and displayed into separate inline divs.

Kate Middleton Pictures

2011-05-06T05:08:00.000-07:00

I took some pictures of Kate Middleton on her wedding day by doing screen shots of the youtube live stream. I think she looks a little like Kate Perry in this one.

I put the rest on hairstylezone.com here ... Kate Middleton Hairstyles

Removing header from mysql output in bash

2011-05-06T04:35:00.000-07:00

So I had been using a conditional statement to remove the column name from the output of a mysql query in bash. I found today that the header can be suppressed using --silent and --skip-column-names parameters in the mysql. As shown in mysql command options

##MYSQL QUERY##
variable=$(
mysql -sN -u username --password=password << eof use databasename; SELECT id FROM tablename; eof)

It is possible to alter a variable using parameter substitution as follows :

variable=${variable#id}
variable=${variable#*$'\n'}
variable="${x//$'id\n'}"

The 1st just removes the string "id", the 2nd removes everything up to the first new line and the 3rd removes all instances of the string "id" +newline. As suggested at Linux Questions

When returning the results in a for loop, the -n parameter for echo, removes the new line that is otherwise there.

##for each##
for ARG in $variable
do
echo -n $ARG
done

PHP To Loop Through Alphabet & Display Categories

2011-04-30T03:20:00.000-07:00

The alphabet can be incremented in PHP like numbers can, so incrementing through an alphabetical list is possible.

$capital="A";
$capital++;
echo $capital;
(returns b)

To write all 26 letters of the alphabet
$capital=A;
for ($i=1; $i<=26; $i++)
{
echo $capital;
$capital++;
}
(returns whole alphabet)

I wanted to display categories, in divs, in alphabetical order, querying a database to get categories beginning with each letter, to display in the div corresponding to that letter.

It ends up looking like this...

I set css properties for the divs as follows..
.prop{
height:200px;
float:right;
width:1px;
display:inline;
padding:5px;
margin:5px;
float:left;
width:160px;
border-style:solid;
border-width:2px;
border-color:#2491EE;
}

The php I did as follows...

$capital=A;
for ($i=1; $i<=26; $i++)

{
/*echoes the current letter, images could be used if named A.jpg B.jpg etc*/
echo "<div class=\"prop\"> <strong>".$capital."</strong><br />";

/*The mysql quries a category table returning all categories beginning the current letter*/
$result=mysql_query("SELECT category FROM categories WHERE category REGEXP '^".$capital."' ORDER BY category") or die(mysql_error());
while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result))
{
$cat= $row['category'];

/*the following line echoes the category name and links to a category page, passing the name as a variable*/
echo "<a href='category.htm?category=$cat'>".$cat."</a><br />";
}
echo "</div>";
$capital++;
}

Comparing Dates In Epoch Seconds

2011-04-25T08:59:00.000-07:00

I put together this script to check the date in a table, convert it to epoch seconds, and then check todays date minus seven days in epoch seconds, to make it possible to do a comparison (greater than) for the dates. So if a date is within the last week, it is returned.

Not so necessary for just seven dates as they could each be declared individually, but for any greater date range would be useful, as converting to epoch seconds means that the two dates can be compared as to which is greater, with later dates obviously being greater than....

#!/bin/sh

#GET CURRENT DATE IN EPOCH SECONDS#

export todaysdate=`date +%s`

#7DAYS AGO IS -604800 SECONDS#
sevendaysago="$(( $todaysdate - 604800 ))"

#QUERY DATABASE TO GET MERCHANT ID ANF LOOP THROUGH EACH#

merchant=`
mysql -u username --password=password << eof
use databasename;
SELECT merchantid FROM tablename;
eof`

for ARG1 in $merchant
do

#QUERY DATABASE TO GET DATE DATA WAS ALTERED FOR EACH MERCHANT#
date=`
mysql -u username --password=password << eof
use database;
SELECT lastUpdated FROM tablename WHERE merchantid='$ARG1';
eof`

for ARG2 in $date
do

#IGNORE COLUMN NAME IN RETURNED RESULT#
if [ "$ARG2" != "lastUpdated" ]; then
#CONVERT DATE TO EPOCH SECONDS#
export recordeddate=`date -d "$ARG2" +%s`

#COMPARE RECORDED DATE TO DATE SEVEN DAYS AGO#
if [ $recordeddate -gt $sevendaysago ]; then

#DO WHATEVER#
echo $ARG1 data changed in the last seven days on $ARG2

fi
fi
done
done

Linux Questions

Shell Script Useful Snippets

2011-04-20T06:47:00.000-07:00

Returns todays date mysql style(2011-04-20)

#!/bin/sh

today=`eval date +%Y-%m-%d`
echo $today

Returns yesterdays date mysql style(2011-04-19)

#!/bin/sh

yesterday=`eval date --date=yesterday +%Y-%m-%d`
echo $yesterday

Returns last seven days dates mysql style(2011-04-20) (alternative method for greater number of dates in range http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/programming-9/bash-script-date-range-876326/)

#!/bin/sh

export yesterday=`date --date="yesterday" +%Y-%m-%d`
export twodaysago=`date --date="2 days ago" +%Y-%m-%d`
export threedaysago=`date --date="3 days ago" +%Y-%m-%d`
export fourdaysago=`date --date="4 days ago" +%Y-%m-%d`
export fivedaysago=`date --date="5 days ago" +%Y-%m-%d`
export sixdaysago=`date --date="6 days ago" +%Y-%m-%d`
export sevendaysago=`date --date="7 days ago" +%Y-%m-%d`

echo yesterday was $yesterday
echo two days ago was $twodaysago
echo three days ago was $threedaysago
echo four days ago was $fourdaysago
echo five days ago was $fivedaysago
echo six days ago was $sixdaysago
echo seven days ago was $sevendaysago

bash script For Each Loop On mysql result -dont know why but the column name is returned in the results loop as the first result, so i put a condition to oly return if it was not the column name, that loops through all the values.

#!/bin/sh

##MYSQL QUERY##
variable=`
mysql -u username --password=password << eof
use databasename;
SELECT somecolumn FROM table WHERE anothercolumn='2011-04-19';
eof`

##for each##

for ARG in $variable
do
if [ "$ARG" != "somecolumn" ]; then
echo $ARG was updated yesterday
fi
done

Bash Script - MYSQL query (match files in directory with certain files in db table)

2011-04-19T09:28:00.000-07:00

Get all files in a directory, compare it to filenames stored in database, where a condition is met and return only the filenames that match that condition.

#!/bin/bash

##GET & LOOP THROUGH FILES IN DIRECTORY##
cd /path/to/directory/
##FIND ALL TEXT FILES##
FILES=*.txt
for f in $FILES
do

##GET TXT FILENAME##
TXTFNAME="$f"

##ALTER IF NECESSARY##
export TXTFNAME1=`echo $TXTFNAME | sed -e 's/fromthis/tothis/g'`

##MYSQL QUERY##
variable=`
mysql -u username --password=password << eof
use databasename;
SELECT column FROM table WHERE column='keyword';
eof`

##IF FILENAME EQUALS FILENAME IN DB##
if [[ $variable =~ .*$TXTFNAME1.* ]]; then

echo $TXTFNAME1 is a match

fi

#end of loop#
done

php change date format for inserting into MYSQL

2011-04-17T04:47:00.000-07:00

This code is based on http://40shadows.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/change-date-format-in-php/

//input format: d/m/yy or yyyy
$date = '24/12/08';
$dtmp = explode("/",$date);
$dadate = mktime(0,0,0,$dtmp[1],$dtmp[0],$dtmp[2]);
echo date('d-m-Y',$dadate);
//outputs 24-12-2008

//input format: yyyy-m-d
$date2 = '2011-04-25';
$dtmp = explode("-",$date2);
$dadate2 = mktime(0,0,0,$dtmp[1],$dtmp[2],$dtmp[0]);
echo date('d/m/Y',$dadate2);
//outputs 25/04/2011

Full Text Search MySQL

2011-04-17T04:34:00.000-07:00

Create a table called extypes, with 3 columns, ID , description and calpermin

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `extypes` (
`id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
`description` text NOT NULL,
`calpermin` int(11) NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
) ENGINE=MyISAM DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1 AUTO_INCREMENT=6 ;

Insert some values into the table

INSERT INTO `extypes` (`id`, `description`, `calpermin`) VALUES
(1, 'Rowing Machine Moderate', 6),
(2, 'Walking Moderate', 4),
(3, 'Shopping With Trolley', 2),
(4, 'Dancing Moderate', 2),
(5, 'Dancing Vigorous', 4)

Make the description column searchable

ALTER TABLE `extypes` ADD FULLTEXT `search_index` (
`description`)

Search for the keyword "rowing" in the description

SELECT * from extypes WHERE MATCH (description) AGAINST('rowing')

Mod_Pagespeed Update On Linux With cPanel & WHM

2011-04-07T08:44:00.001-07:00

I started using a really good new mod, mod_pagespeed on my server that speeds up web page delivery alot. It can be put in Virtual Hosts for individual websites, or applied to all websites on a server.

If a server has cpanel/whm installed, manually updates are required when a new release comes out, so I wrote a bash script to put in cron.monthly to do this. It is based on the original installation guide at http://i-comers.com/showthread.php?t=1598691

It just checks to see if the file at code.google.com is newer than the file on the server and then goes through the various installation commands, if it is, then restarts httpd. The sed section could be further modified to include any specific config that is in pagespeed.conf, but my config is in virtual hosts so I can just rewrite the paths to the mods and switch it off there and leave the config as is in httpd.conf, virtual hosts. Although it would be worth checking whether any changes have been made in the new version of pagespeed.conf, that I have not written into the code, just an email to tell me if updated, so that can be checked manually against the bak version, because the config file, as far as I know, usually stays the same....

#!/bin/bash

##if date of remote file is newer than date of local file then update mod pagespeed##

if [[ https://dl-ssl.google.com/dl/linux/direct/mod-pagespeed-beta_current_x86_64.rpm -nt /usr/local/src/mod_pagespeed/mod-pagespeed-beta_current_x86_64.rpm ]]; then

echo Mod_Pagespeed Upgrade Required!

##remove previous version##
rm -r /usr/local/src/mod_pagespeed/

cd /usr/local/src
mkdir mod_pagespeed
cd mod_pagespeed
##this is the specific rpm url required for download from google##
wget https://dl-ssl.google.com/dl/linux/direct/mod-pagespeed-beta_current_x86_64.rpm

rpm2cpio mod-pagespeed-beta_current_x86_64.rpm | cpio -idmv
cp /usr/local/src/mod_pagespeed/usr/lib64/httpd/modules/mod_pagespeed.so /usr/local/apache/modules/

##bakup previous pagespeed config##
cp /usr/local/apache/conf/pagespeed.conf /usr/local/apache/conf/pagespeedbak.conf

##the following sed commands rewrite parts of pagespeed.conf as required for different paths to files on cpanel servers. Changes should be made as per each individuals pagespeed.conf requirements.##

sed -i 's/ModPagespeed on/ModPagespeed off/g' /usr/local/src/mod_pagespeed/etc/httpd/conf.d/pagespeed.conf

sed -i 's/LoadModule pagespeed_module \/usr\/lib64\/httpd\/modules\/mod_pagespeed\.so/LoadModule pagespeed_module modules\/mod_pagespeed\.so/g' /usr/local/src/mod_pagespeed/etc/httpd/conf.d/pagespeed.conf

sed -i 's/LoadModule deflate_module \/usr\/lib64\/httpd\/modules\/mod_deflate\.so/LoadModule deflate_module modules\/mod_deflate\.so/g' /usr/local/src/mod_pagespeed/etc/httpd/conf.d/pagespeed.conf

sed -i 's/ModPagespeedFileCachePath \"\/var\/www\/mod_pagespeed\/cache\/\"/ModPagespeedFileCachePath \"\/var\/mod_pagespeed\/cache\/\"/g' /usr/local/src/mod_pagespeed/etc/httpd/conf.d/pagespeed.conf

sed -i 's/ModPagespeedGeneratedFilePrefix \"\/var\/www\/mod_pagespeed\/files\/\"/ModPagespeedGeneratedFilePrefix \"\/var\/mod_pagespeed\/files\/\"/g' /usr/local/src/mod_pagespeed/etc/httpd/conf.d/pagespeed.conf

##copy the new pagespeed.conf to httpd##
cp /usr/local/src/mod_pagespeed/etc/httpd/conf.d/pagespeed.conf /usr/local/apache/conf/

##set directory permissions and create directories for files and cache##
chmod 755 /usr/local/apache/modules/mod_pagespeed.so
mkdir /var/mod_pagespeed/{cache,files} -p
chown nobody:nobody /var/mod_pagespeed/*

##restart httpd##
service httpd restart

##send mail to alert of update so that pagespeed.conf can be altered if necessary, can be checked against pagespeedbak.conf created during the update.##

SUBJECT="Mod Pagespeed has been updated"
EMAIL="someone@somewhere.com"
EMAILMESSAGE="/tmp/emailmessage.txt"
echo "Mod Pagespeed has been updated, check pagespeed.conf"> $EMAILMESSAGE
/bin/mail -s "$SUBJECT" "$EMAIL" < $EMAILMESSAGE
rm /tmp/emailmessage.txt

##else if the rpm on google has not been updated then just say so##
else
echo Mod_Pagespeed Upgrade not required at this time!
fi

Obviously the SED section of the code would need to be altered depending on what configs are set in pagespeed.conf, the above example is what I require in mine.

New Website HairBeautyMall.com

2011-03-12T11:49:00.001-08:00

Latest website to compare prices of hair and beauty products from major retailers, both in UK & USA.

Discount vouchers, coupon codes and hair and beauty articles.

Artists portfolio website ...

2011-03-12T11:37:00.000-08:00

This site has been built for an artist who wanted to be able to simply upload a folder of images and display them as projects on her website. Built using a heavily customised plogger script and php/mysql backend so that it can be fully edited by the artist whenever required.

2011 London Firework Display

2011-01-04T08:23:00.001-08:00

The London new years fireworks are always spectacular, this year they were set to music for the first time and were amazing! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Soundtrack

0:58 - 1:01 Club Foot - Kasabian
1:52 - 2:28 20th century boy - T-Rex
2:34 - 3:33 We Will Rock You - Queen
3:34 - 4:14 Pass Out - Tinie Tempah
4:15 - 4:33 Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - The Beatles
4:34 - 5:10 You Got The Love - Candi Staton
5:11 - 6:00 London Calling - The Clash
6:04 - 6:56 Don't Stop Till You Get Enough - Bollywood Freaks
7:01 - 7:33 All Time Low - The Wanted
7:34 - 8:17 Song2 - Blur
8:18 - 9:52 Holiday - Dizzee Rascal

Mount Merapi Eruption 2010

2010-11-03T06:39:00.000-07:00

Gunung Merapi (Mountain of Fire), is a volvano on the border between Java and Yogyakarta in Indonesia. It is one of the worlds most active volcanoes and stands at 2968 meters high (at the moment). It is currently again going thorugh a very active phase.

Mount Merapi is again erupting, people who live around and on Merapi have been evacuated as the volcano continues to cover the surrounding area with ash. Many peoples livelihoods depend on Merapi. Their livestock grazes on Merapi's slopes and many have bravely returned to care for their animals, despite the danger posed by the current eruption.

This is a video closeup using time lapse of the lava flow from Merapi in 2009...

I visited Merapi in the 1990's with a friend who was a climber. We climbed Merapi, led by a local guide, through the night, to be at the summit for sunrise on the Indonesian New Years Day. It was one of the most memorable things I have ever seen. It was a tough hike to the top and freezing cold, but the earth up there was hot and steaming. There was molten lava, steam vents and the curve of the earth was visible on the horizon, as was the blackness of space. We sat at the top wrapped in blankets, waiting for the sunrise. This is a picture of the view that I saw back then...

Impatient 4 Ubuntu

2010-04-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

The days are seeming like years as I wait for Ubuntu 10.04 to be released. I could install an older version or a different distributution to do what I want to do I guess, but I set my heart on Ubuntu and getting the old release seems wrong when if I wait a few days I get the latest...and so I just have to wait..........

How come time actually slows down when waiting...I do not get how that happens?

Latest Linux Ubuntu Release 10.04

2010-04-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

The new version of the popular Linux distribution, Ubuntu, will be available soon in its final release form.

The latest Linux Ubuntu OS Release has the following improvements ...

GNOME
Ubuntu 10.04 LTS RC includes the latest GNOME desktop environment with a number of great new features.

Linux kernel 2.6.32
Ubuntu 10.04 LTS RC includes the 2.6.32-21.32 kernel based on 2.6.32.11.

KDE SC 4.4
Kubuntu 10.04 LTS RC features the new KDE SC 4.4. For more information about new features in Kubuntu, see the Kubuntu technical overview.

HAL removal
This release fully removes HAL from the boot process, making Ubuntu faster to boot and faster to resume from suspend.

Major new version of likewise-open
The likewise-open package, which provides Active Directory authentication and server support for Linux, has been updated to version 5.4. The package supports upgrades from both the officially supported versions 4.0 (Ubuntu 8.04 LTS) and 4.1 (Ubuntu 9.10), as well as the likewise-open5 packages from universe.

New default open source driver for nVidia hardware
The Nouveau video driver is now the default for nVidia hardware. This driver provides kernel mode setting, which will give improved resolution detection. This driver provides hardware accelerated 2D functionality, like the -nv driver it replaces. The nouveau driver is being actively developed upstream and we anticipate this will enable faster bug fixes for problems encountered.

Improved support for nVidia proprietary graphics drivers
Three different NVIDIA proprietary drivers are currently available: nvidia-current (190.53), nvidia-173, and nvidia-96. Thanks to a new alternatives system, it is now possible to install all three of these packages at the same time (although it is only possible to have one configured for use at a time).

Social from the Start
We now feature built-in integration with Twitter, identi.ca, Facebook, and other social networks with the MeMenu in the panel, which is built upon the Gwibber project, which has a completely new, more reliable backend built on top of desktopcouch. Gwibber now also supports a multi-column view for monitoring multiple feeds simultaneously.

New boot experience
Multiple changes to look, feel and speed of the boot experience have been included in the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Release Candidate.

New Indicators
The notification area now features more consistent user experience and design for communication, session management, and many other tasks. See the application indicators page for information on this change.

New Themes
The desktop has been beautified with the addition of two brand new themes, Ambiance and Radiance. New wallpaper and icons are also included.

Ubuntu One File Syncing
Select any folder in your home directory for sync, pick from your existing contacts when sharing folders. An updated preferences application has been added, with more features.

Ubuntu One Music Store
Millions of songs are available for purchase from your Ubuntu desktop, integrated with the Rhythmbox Music Player and using Ubuntu One cloud storage for backup and easy sync.

New features for Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC)
The Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud installer has been vastly improved in order to support alternative installation topologies. UEC components are now automatically discovered and registered, including for complex topologies. Finally, UEC is now powered by Eucalyptus 1.6.2 codebase.

Charlies Original Angel

2010-02-03T09:18:00.000-08:00

Music: Jonas Brothers Black Keys - showing me a world I never knew

2010 Hairstyles

2010-01-08T09:45:00.000-08:00

2010 Fireworks

2010-01-04T08:14:00.000-08:00

Srila Prabhupada

2009-10-22T02:33:00.000-07:00

Trying To Connect With You

This is a slideshow of pictures of Srila Prabhupada, the music is by a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, Mangalananda dasa (aka Michael Cassidy) from the album "Trying To Connect With You" which is available at the above link.

Ayurvedic Medecine Safety Issues

2009-10-01T01:46:00.000-07:00

Major safety concerns include adulteration of herbal medicines with toxic metals, and intrinsic toxicity of herbal medications. Some traditional Ayurvedic treatments use toxic metals, herbs, and minerals as part of their remedies. Rasa Shastra, the practice of adding metals, minerals or gems to herbs, increases the likelihood of toxic metals such as lead, mercury, or arsenic in the remedy.

A 2004 study found toxic heavy metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic in 20% of Ayurvedic preparations that were made in South Asia for sale around Boston and extrapolated the data to America. It concluded that excess consumption of these products could cause health risks. A 2008 study found that approximately 20% of remedies (and 40% of rasa shastra medicines) purchased over the internet from both US and Indian suppliers were contaminated with toxic metals.

Traditionally the toxicity of these materials are believed to be reduced through processes such as samskaras or shodhanas (for metals), which is similar to the Chinese pao zhi, although the Ayurvedic technique is more complex and may involve prayers as well as physical pharmacy techniques. Rigorous evidence that the metals may be rendered nontoxic is not available, and case reports describe adverse effects to these metals.

There is evidence that using some Ayurvedic medicines, especially those involving herbs, metals, minerals, or other materials involves potentially serious risks, including toxicity. Adverse reactions to herbs due their pharmacology are described in traditional Ayurveda texts, but Ayurvedic practitioners are reluctant to admit that herbs could be toxic and the reliable information on herbal toxicity is not easily available.

Ayurvedic Medecine Safety Issues

Damodarastakam

2009-09-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

Damodarastakam

गो तो थे moon

2009-07-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

Kancan Kund / Kankan Kund - Radharani's golden pool where she began digging with her bracelet

2009-07-03T08:28:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for more information about Kancan Kund /Kankan Kund /Kankana Kund I am not sure what the correct spelling is. Both are kind of appropriate.

Kancan is the Sanskrit word for Gold,
(http://nitaaiveda.com/All_Scriptures_By_Acharyas/Sanskrit/Sanskrit-English_Dictionary/K.htm)

And Radharani is always said to be so golden, so that seems appropriate.
She has a golden complexion (kancanabha), Her limbs are golden (hema-gatri), and She wears golden armlets (kancanangada-dharini). [From the Narada Pancharata translated by Bhaktivinoda Thakura]

Also a kankan is a love bracelet, kankana are bangles. So as Kancan/Kankan kund is said to be the original place where Radharani began to dig Radha Kund with one of her bracelets, that could also be the correct spelling. I am not sure.

Also Raghunatha Dasa Goswami speaks of Kancanlata Sakhi in Mukta Charita, so maybe it is named after her.
http://nitaaiveda.com/All_Scriptures_By_Acharyas/Raghunatha_dasa_Goswami/Mukta_Charita.htm

I would be interested to know.

This is Kancan Kund / Kankan Kund in 1940s's

This is a picture of Kancan Kund / Kankan Kund / Kancanakunda in 1986 when Radha Kund was emptied, as it is every twenty years or so...

And this is Kancan Kund / Kankan Kund / Kancanakunda in 2009. The steps constructed by Raghunatha dasa Goswami are visible as well when the water is emptied.

Raghunatha Dasa Goswami's Steps

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ( Gauranga) rediscovered Radha Kund and Syama Kund as they had remained hidden for many years. When he found them they were quite small, in paddy fields. Then Raghunatha Dasa Goswami enlarged Radha Kund and added steps in the year 1545 as he envisaged many pilgrims coming to visit.

It was during Raghunatha's excavation work that Kancana kunda was found, as well as the Deities of Radha and Krishna that were found in the mud and installed at the temple known as the Purana Radha Krishna Mandira.

In 1591, the king of Jaipur, Raja Mansingh came to Radha-kunda and constructed more steps above the one’s built by Raghunatha dasa. In 1817 Lal Babu constructed even more stone steps around the kundas.

So in the pictures above you can also see the steps that were originally constructed by Raghunatha dasa Goswami that usually are below the water level.

Kankan Kund / Kancan Kund manifests as a well that is known to be 50ft deep

Wounded

2009-06-23T02:28:00.001-07:00

Today I am wounded, I have stiches in my face and think I am going to look like Action Man with his scar when it heals up.

Do not be afraid

2009-06-19T08:38:00.000-07:00

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear — not absence of fear."
– Mark Twain

"I have accepted fear as a part of life, specifically the fear of change, the fear of the unknown. I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart that says: Turn back, turn back; you'll die if you venture too far."
– Erica Jong

"If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again."
– Flavia Weedn

Bear On Treadmill

2009-05-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

No Expectations

2009-04-30T04:51:00.000-07:00

Quotes of the Day

"When one's expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything one does have."
– Stephen Hawking

"Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses and disappointments, but let us have patience and we soon shall see them in their proper figures."
– Joseph Addison

"When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure."
– Peter Marshall

"The courage to be is the courage to accept oneself, in spite of being unacceptable."
– Paul Tillich

Music To Run To - Witchi Tai To - Brewer & Shipley

2009-04-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

Witchi Tai Tai-Him-Or-Rai Ora nee Ka-Ora Nee Ka Hey Ney Hey-Ne No-Ah
What a Spirit Spring is bringing round my head makes me feel glad that I'm not dead

Running

2009-04-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

If your shins and ankles ache after running, it is probably because of the angle that your foot hits the ground. I had no idea that this was why I ached so much after a run, I assumed I was just unfit and ran more to try to get fitter and strengthen my legs. But when recently going to buy some new running shoes, the guy in the shop told me all about pronation. Apparently it is very common for people to over pronate, about 75% of runners over pronate. That is the inner soul of the foot rolls inwards as the foot hits the ground. People who over pronate tend to also have low foot arches (flat feet). An engineer would be able to explain in more detail, but simplistically, this means that the impact of your foot fall, is taken by the ankles and shins, which is why over pronaters get aching shins (also known as shin splints) and ankles.

Anyway, so I needed some shoes and it turns out running shoe manufacturers make shoes specially for this condition, shoes that are specially engineered to change the stress points of impact when running. They are called motion control shoes and have a built up inner arch with loads of support that is supposed to redirect the impact energy. I was dubious as to whether these motion control shoes could actually correct the probem and end my aching shins and ankles, but to my amazement they did.

I bought a pair of Brooks Addiction 8 shoes for ladies, just like in the picture below...

I absolutely love these running shoes, I can now run and not even feel it the next day. No more shin splints, no more ankle pain, I am sooo pleased with these shoes. I think they are nice looking shoes as well, the design is not quite as "in your face" as most motion control shoes. They are stylish and well cushioned and the other bonus is that they come in half sizes.

I run in the morning when I get up, and it is a great start to the day, I am building up endurance and doing interval training to try to be able to run further and faster in the future.

I Quit Smoking

2009-04-22T03:32:00.000-07:00

I quit smoking at the beginning of this year, 2009, around the same time as President Obama is said to have quit smoking. I checked today to see how he was doing and from what I read, like me he has been successful in his quit. It is said that he has used Nicotine gum.

I have in fact quit smoking many many times, but this is different, it is the most successful attempt so far, I feel sure this time I will never have another cigarette, something is different about this quit and I think is because I did it purely for myself, there were no other influences in my decision not to smoke anymore, only my own mind telling me that I did not want to.

I think that has made the difference, as in the past, I have been told by others not to smoke, so I do as I am told, but then once that influence or reason is gone, I reverted to smoking. Also this is the longest time I have stayed quit, ever and I rarely even think about cigarettes anymore.

I am still using the nicotine replacement therapy, I use the nasal spray and gum and have followed instructions to the letter. It seems that whilst using the NRT you overcome the psychological aspects of smoking, so that when you come to stopping all nicotine, after several months, you are already in the habit of being a non smoker. It is the habit that was hardest to break, the thing I always used to miss and feel that there was something missing when I did not smoke, but now I am quite used to doing everything I need to do without a cigarette.

Concentration and feeling blue was a big difficulty for me at first. I found it harder to do my work and felt kind of like there was something missing all the time, I used to enjoy fag breaks, standing in the sunshine, but now I enjoy going for walks and runs when I need a break, and I do not feel blue at all. My concentration seems to have returned to as good as it was when I was smoking, so I guess there is a transition period for a few months while your body gets used to being minus the 1000s of harmful chemicals contained in the cigs.

I am sure I will never smoke again, I do not want to, it is not an effort, it is just a choice now and I feel I have gained alot, in terms of health, less stress (as being a heavy smoker is stressful, always having to make sure you have an ample supply and somewhere to smoke) and of course financially.

It is the Budget Day today in England and smokers always get hit hard, with a pack already at over £5 ($10), I dread to think how much they will go up again today, but I do not need to worry about it anymore, the budget will have no effect on me this year.

Ahhh, clean fresh air, I love it!

Gordon Brown And Obama At Number 10 Today

2009-04-01T02:23:00.000-07:00

Obama said today that the relationship between USA & UK is "More than just an alliance of interests, its a kinship of ideals"

Ginger Cookies Recipe

2009-03-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

Soft Chewy Ginger Cookies

2 1/4C all-purpose flour
2tsp ground ginger
1tsp baking soda
3/4tsp ground cinnamon
1/2tsp ground cloves
pinch of salt
3/4C margarine, softened
1C white sugar
2Tb unsweetened applesauce
1Tb water
1/4C molasses

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

-In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the applesauce, then the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet .

-Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

New Blue Contact Lenses

2009-02-05T04:44:00.001-08:00

So instead of glasses this year, when my prescription change, I went for contact lenses and seeing and changed my green eyes to blue. Obviously causes problems with gaining entry to places requiring a retinal scan, but its worth it for the new blue eyes.

Spring is in the air

2009-01-25T17:57:00.000-08:00

It has been such a cold winter in England, but today I saw the snowdrops making an appearance, which heralds spring and new life and hope. Here is a poem about Spring by Christina Rossetti. In India Spring is heralded by the celebration Vasanta Pancami. Spring Quiet

Christina Rossetti (1847)

Gone were but the Winter, Come were but the Spring, I would go to a covert Where the birds sing. Where in the whitethom Singeth a thrush, And a robin sings In the holly-bush. Full of fresh scents Are the budding boughs Arching high over A cool green house: Full of sweet scents, And whispering air Which sayeth softly: “We spread no snare; “Here dwell in safety, Here dwell alone, With a clear stream And a mossy stone. “Here the sun shineth Most shadily; Here is heard an echo Of the far sea, Though far off it be.”

Entered some weird kind of warp singularity....

2008-11-16T10:50:00.001-08:00

It doesnt hurt at all!

Historic Day Of Hope - Obama

2008-11-05T10:43:00.000-08:00

November 4th 2008 Historic Day Of Hope

Obama wins the US elections, bringing hope and inspiration to millions and becoming president elect until he is inaugurated in January.

Bill Hicks Relentless

2008-05-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

I uploaded all of Bill Hicks relentless to UTube and put it in a 6 part playlist, can be viewed here altogether.

Mouse over the video to see options to play all six parts

Bill Hicks Relentless

Bill Hicks Relentless

Video Channel

Viva The Olympics!

2008-04-24T04:57:00.000-07:00

Project Honeypot

2008-04-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

Joined project Honeypot, to try to catch the dreaded site scrapers,

FindAllSorts.com Project Honeypot

Diamonds Are Forever 007

2008-03-08T07:36:00.000-08:00

Diamonds are forever,
They are all I need to please me,
They can stimulate and tease me,
They won't leave in the night,
I've no fear that they might desert me.
Diamonds are forever,
Hold one up and then caress it,
Touch it, stroke it and undress it,
I can see every part,
Nothing hides in the heart to hurt me.

I don't need love,
For what good will love do me?
Diamonds never lie to me,
For when love's gone,
They'll luster on.

Diamonds are forever,
Sparkling round my little finger.
Unlike men, the diamonds linger;
Men are mere mortals who
Are not worth going to your grave for.

I don't need love,
For what good will love do me?
Diamonds never lie to me,
For when love's gone,
They'll luster on.

Diamonds are forever, forever, forever.
Diamonds are forever, forever, forever.
Forever and ever.

Earthquake In St Ives, Cambridgshire.

2008-02-27T01:20:00.000-08:00

I was woken at 1am last night, by my bed shaking quite strongly. I had no idea till this morning that it was an earthquake, I thought I was having a bad dream, but it was enough to make me look out the window to see if a lorry had shed its load or something outside.

Because my bed actually was shaking, as if someone was holding it and shaking it.

I switched all my lights on, did a google search for "bed shaking in sleep" had some hot milk and went back to bed thinking I had a sleep disorder, or had been visited by the night hag.

Then this morning on the news it turns out my bed really did shake and England felt an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the richter scale, largest for 20 years.

It is said to be an occurence that happens every 20 years or so.

My sister in law's chimney fell down and through the roof, in their old farmhouse they had spent ages doing up.

I am freaked because I have been watching loads of Krakatoa stuff lately. I will be keeping my eye on Snowdon.

And Now It Is Christmas Day - Woohoo

2007-12-25T02:31:00.000-08:00

Sooo excited to see what Affiliate Window will have put under the tree, I am all ready to go at designated time, 3pm, to collect my Chrissy Prezzie from under their tree and I am soooo excited what will it be. I need a bike, they have a bike shop on the merchant list...could i get a bike...wooohoooo...i will be first under that tree!!!

Its My Birthday

2007-12-12T03:09:00.000-08:00

Its my birthday, yes it is my birthday!

Disruptive Technology - Genome Research By Dr Venter

2007-12-04T15:21:00.000-08:00

The Dimbleby lecture on BBc tonight was awesome. Dr J Craig Venter spoke of the apathy towards science and popular movement towards regression from fundamentalists in todays society.

He spoke of disruptive technology, ie, A disruptive technology or disruptive innovation is a technological innovation, product, or service that eventually overturns the existing dominant technology or statud quo product in the market.

We have relied on fossil fuels for so long, wouldnt it be fantastic for there to be an instance of disruptive technology and innovation to bring about new energy sources. Not alternative energy like windmills and water power, but Dr Craig Venter speaks of biological means. With the decoding of the genome, it is possible to create new species, design new species, and although that probably strikes fear into some hearts, in actuality that means we can create organsisms that produce energy. An actual renewable source of energy, just by altering the DNA structure of bacteria that can be mass produced, as far as I could understand.

Its fantastic, but it is actually underway, and it is actually a really great thing that might just protect the future of mankind and our planet as we know it!

If you get a chance to see the Dimbleby Lecture by Dr Craig Venter then its really clearly explained there and its really exciting, I do not think anyone could fail to be excited by what he is saying , what he is doing and what this means for the future!

Jagannath Temple Puri Admission Policy

2007-12-04T08:04:00.000-08:00

Jagannath Temple Puri Admission Policy Is totally non Hindu....and I mean that the policy is non Hindu, to deny entry to people based on skin color and geographical location, is a non Hindu attitude of intolerance that is totally unbecoming such a leading Hindu Holy Place.

Many of those who are allowed to enter, are meat eaters, drinkers, even alot of the Pujari are inoxicated on drugs like Marijuana/Bhang that is legal in Puri. So when did all this hypocrisy begin and when will it end?

Water Fasting Brightens Eyes

2007-12-01T12:09:00.001-08:00

I did a 3 day water fast last week, taking nothing but water, no food or anything else, just water for 3 days and its amazing what the water fast has done to my eyes.

For ages I have complained of tired sore eyes and I have blamed fact that I work so much on pc staring at a screen all day. I even got a prescription for some glasses with an anti glare in them.

I didnt do the fast for my eyes, I had no idea it would have any effect, but the effect on my eyes is amazing. They feel so fresh and cool and they look really white as well, i did a google check on water fasting and eyes afterwards and apparently it is a common beneficial effect of a water fast that it is really good for the eyes.

It is always nice when you have done something tough like a water fast to get a noticable benefit, I wasnt expecting this, but am really pleased as it means I can work longer and better due to less eye soreness and stuff, don't mind looking a bit better too, that never hurts.

The other amazing effect I had was one on PMS, i have always suffered real bad for the 4 days of my monthly, with terrible cramps and weakness, this water fast coincided with my period and again I had no prior knowledge that it would have an effect, but googling it now I see others have had same benefit, which was that I had absolutely NO period pain during the period whilst on the water fast. I just funcioned normally, which is usually impossible for me during period.

So I dont really know all the benefits of a short water fast like that, but these are just 2 effects that I was amazed at.

I have read of people who do water fasts for several weeks, I was pretty weak by day 3 so unless it is possible to really just sit and do nothing after that, I can't imagine I could do a water fast whilst continuing to work for longer than 3 days. When I broke the fast with some grain, it tasted heavenly like I have never tasted before.

A Candle For Maddie

2007-11-27T15:56:00.000-08:00

This is a candle for little Madelaine Mccann who has been missing for over seven months now. I praaaayyyy she is found, I pray that noone has hurt her and I pray she comes home safe and sound. HK

---------------------------

Another 5 months have passed and it is now a year since Maddie went missing and I am hoping that this time next year I will be able to post here that Maddie was found safe and well. Anything is possible, I hope she is found, I hope she is ok and I hope she gets home soon to her mum and dad who miss her so much.

Anyone who can put this banner on their website somewhere it will be good, as if people remember Maddie, there is more chance she will be seen somewhere, so please use the following code to put the banner on any website

Damodarastakam

2007-10-26T15:34:00.000-07:00

Click here to experience an Online Damodarastakam offering with mp3 and flash puja!!!

Here are the words to sing along to this beautiful prayer that is sung during Karthik month to baby Krishna who is bound by the ropes of his mothers love.

1
namamisvaram sac-cid-ananda-rupam
lasat-kundalam gokule bhrajamanam
yasoda–bhiyolukhalad dhavamanam
paramrstam atyantato drutya gopya
(1) To the Supreme Lord, whose form is the embodiment of eternal existence,
knowledge, and bliss, whose shark-shaped earrings are swinging to and fro,
who is beautifully shining in the divine realm of Gokula, who I (due to the
offence of breaking the pot of yogurt that His mother was churning into
butter and then stealing the butter that was kept hanging from a swing) is
quickly running from the wooden grinding mortar in fear of mother Yasoda,
but who has been caught from behind by her who ran after Him with greater speed-to that Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, I offer my humble obeisances.
2
rudantam muhur netra-yugmam mrjantam
karambhoja-yugmena satanka-netram
muhuh svasa-kampa-trirekhanka-kantha-
sthita-graivam damodararm Bhakti-baddham
(2) (Seeing the whipping stick in His mother’s hand,) He is crying and
rubbing His eyes again and again with His two lotus hands. His eyes are
filled with fear, and the necklace of pearls around His neck, which is
marked with three lines like a conch shell, is shaking because of His quick
breathing due to crying. To this Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, whose belly is
bound not with ropes but with His mother’s pure love, I offer my humble
obeisances.
3
itidrk sva-lilabhir ananda-kunde
sva-ghosam nimajjantam akkyapayantam
tadiyesita-jnesu bhaktair jitatvam
punah prematas tam satavrtti vande
(3) By such childhood pastimes as this He is drowning the inhabitants of
Gokula in pools of ecstasy, and is revealing to those devotees who are
absorbed in knowledge of His supreme majesty and opulence that He is only
conquered by devotees whose pure love is imbues with intimacy and is free
from all conceptions of awe and reverence. With great love I again offer my
obeisances to Lord Damodara hundreds and hundreds of times.
4
varam deva moksam na moksavadhim va
na canyam vrne ‘ham varesad apiha
idam te vapur natha gopala-balam
sada me manasy avirastam kim anyaih
(4) 0 Lord, although You are able to give all kinds of benedictions, I do
not pray to You for the boon of impersonal liberation, nor the highest
liberation of eternal life in Vaikuntha, nor any other boon (which may be
obtained by executing the nine processes of Bhakti). O Lord, I simply wish
that this form of Yours as Bala Gopala in Vrndavana may ever be manifest in
my heart, for what is the use to me of any other boon besides this?
5
idam te mukhambhojam atyanta-nilair
vrtam kuntalaih snigdha-raktais’ ca gopya
muhus cumbitam bimba-raktadharam me
manasy avirastam alam laksa-labhaih
(5) O Lord, Your lotus face, which is encircled by locks of soft black hair
tinged with red, is kissed again and again by mother Yasoda, and Your lips
are reddish like the bimba fruit. May this beautiful vision of Your lotus
face be ever manifest in my heart. Thousands and thousands of other
benedictions are of no use to me.
6
namo deva damodarananta visno
prasida prabho duhkha jalabdhi-magnam
krpa-drsti-vrsyati-dinam batanu-
grhanesa mam ajnam edhy aksi-drsyah
(6) O Supreme Godhead, I offer my obeisances unto You. O Damodara! O Ananta!
O Vishnu! O master! O my Lord, be pleased upon me. By showering Your glance of mercy upon me, deliver this poor ignorant fool who is immersed in an ocean of worldly sorrows, and become visible to my eyes.
7
kuveratmajau baddha-murtyaiva yadvat
tvaya mocitau Bhakti-bhajau krtau ca
tatha prema-bhaktim svakam me prayaccha
na mokse graho me ’sti damodareha
(7) 0 Lord Damodara, just as the two sons of Kuvera-Manigriva and
Nalakuvara–were delivered from the curse of Narada and made into great
devotees by You in Your form as a baby tied with rope to a wooden grinding mortar, in the same way, please give to me Your own prema-Bhakti. I only long for this and have no desire for any kind of liberation.
8
namas te ’stu damne sphurad-dipti-dhamne
tvadiyodarayatha visvasya dhamne
namo radhikayai tvadiya-priyayai
namo ‘nanta-lilaya devaya tubhyam
(8) 0 Lord Damodara, I first of all offer my obeisances to the brilliantly
effulgent rope which binds Your belly. I then offer my obeisances to Your
belly, which is the abode of the entire universe. I humbly bow down to Your
most beloved Srimati Radharani, and I offer all obeisances to You, the
Supreme Lord, who displays unlimited pastimes.

Click here to experience an Online Damodarastakam offering with mp3 and flash puja!!!

Clare Ross - Crosshatch Design

2007-08-28T04:21:00.000-07:00

Having left India and returned to UK
Clare Ross
continues to work for
Crosshatch Design
Chandrika Gauranga's adventures in India....to be continued....

Another Station: Life On The Line.: A Branch Line To The Seaside

2007-02-15T10:59:00.000-08:00

Lots of people pass through the Gandhara Hotel in Puri, a welcome break on sometimes tiring journeys. Here is a blog of one such train traveller (having read some of the tales of train travel in India from Paul O Halloran, I have decided to FLY!! Its a good read ... Another Station: Life On The Line.: A Branch Line To The Seaside

photos

2007-02-02T22:22:00.000-08:00

Puri Hotel Gandhara

Photos In Puri 2007

2007-01-26T18:12:00.000-08:00

Sunrise in Puri from Gandhara Hotel Jan 2007

Sunrise Closeup Puri 2007 from Gandhara Hotel

Sunset In Puri From Gandhara Hotel Jan 2007

Sunset2 In Puri Jan 2007 From Gandhara Hotel

Sunset over Cottage Room At Gandhara Hotel In Puri

Cottage Room At Gandhara Hotel In Puri

In My Room - Gandhara Hotel Puri 2007

Sea View From Cottage Room Gandhara Hotel Puri 2007

Day 3 - Arriving In Puri, Orissa

2007-01-25T02:00:00.000-08:00

24th Jan 2007
After an early start from Delhi, picked up from hotel at 5.15 am, I boarded the Deccan Airways flight to Bhubaneshwar at 7.30 am.

My baggage was overweight again, as it had been for the Virgin Atlantic flight yesterday, however Deccan were slightly less expensive on excess baggage than Virgin, charging a mere £20 to take my extra 10 kilos, compared to the £300 Virgin charged me it seemed like a bargain.

It riles me I have to pay extra for the 10 kilos overwieght my bags were anyway. I mean I have spent a year low carb dieting and am absolutely sure that my body weight is at least 10 kilos less than the majority of passengers on that plane, so it seems an injustice and an insult to my weight loss efforts that I am made to pay £300 extra to cover the 10kilos extra in my suitcase.

I should have eaten the stuff, carried it in my belly and weighed myself in at 10Kilos more, then there would have been no charge. However as most of the weight was computer equipment, I was unable to swallow any of it and hence had to use a suitcase, for which I get this bloody surcharge!

Anyway...my flight was free seating and I grabbed a window seat. Big mistake as I got penned in by some leary man who proceeded to spread his legs so that he could tocuh mine and when I moved mine, he positioned himself so that his arms touched mine and was trying to stroke me with his fingers. Bad enough, I kept shifting position to avoid it, but it got too much when he turned his head towards me, and proceeded to start blowing on my face. A sharp stop that with a hand gesture stopped him and he tried to make up by offering to buy me a coffee, I refused and he tried to apologise, which I said fine, as it would have been had he stopped there. When I complained, he accused me of being racist and not liking Indians. I wanted to explain it wasnt Indians I didnt like, just sleazy men who try to tuch me up and blow in my frickin face. But couldnt be bothered. He started taking photos of me with his mobile phone and that was it. If the flight had been longer I would have asked to be moved, as it was, I think I was remarkably tolerant, but glad to get off that plane and away from Mr Sleaze.

So, I was picked up in a smart car at the airport and whisked to Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath, arriving before noon at the Gandhara Hotel.

I was pleasantly surprised at the Hotel, I had chosen a less expensive one so I could stay longer, and it is really, really nice.
In the picture above, my room is the one on the left of the roof. This is so cool as I have a view of the sea from the front and from the right a view of the Jagannath Temple. It is quite awesome. Very clean and bright. The room has windows on all sides, I am tempted to call it a penthouse suite, I even have the entire roof terrace, with table chairs and sunbed, at my disposal. Even the internet access in my room, that I specially requetsed, worked without a hitch. All in all I am very happy to be here.

In the afternoon, after a shower and change and dousing myself in probably hugely toxic deet, I went to visit the Gopinath Temple and the home of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. Gopinath Temple was nice. There are 3 deity areas, in the center Gopinath with Radharani on his left and Lalita on his right. Lord Gopinath plays a flute, this is the only deity of him playing his flute at all times. He is seated crossed legs, in one of his lges is a crack, it is covered today, but it is where Gauranga disappeared into when he left the world apparently. Lalita and Radha also appear to be playing wind instruments as well.

There are two more deity areas, of Lord Balarama and Madan Mohana and Radharani, Gauranga and Gadhadhara.

The Pujari said we must go there for lunch there one day, so I am looking forward to that. We browsed the gardens, where some people have bhajan Khutirs to live and pray in. I am trying to establish what trees grew in that garden, I kept a nut from one tree, maybe olive trees. I will try and find out. It was in this garden that the Deities were found, dug up by Gadhadhara and Gauranga some 500 years ago.

There is also a very nice Tulsi garden on entering the temple, to the left. It was a little dry, Tulsi looked a little forlorn, but I expect it is the dry weather has taken its toll.

Across the road from the Gopinath Temple is a hill, which is known to be non different to Govardhana Hill in Vrindavana. Overlooking this hill, is the house of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura. Srila Prabhupada's Guru, it is pink and quite large and has been kept with his bed and deities in it behind mesh windows, for everyone to see. His deities there are of Vyasadeva and Madvacharya and sit on thrones by his lovely wooden 4 poster bed, complete with mosquito net.

From his window he could see the hill know to be non different to Govardhana Hill. We walked round his house, taking care not to step in the shadow of Tulsi, who griws prolfically in his garden.

Feeling tired and a little overwhelmed, I returned to my hotel quite early to get good rest. Which I did. Apart from waking at midnight to a raucous chorus from local dogs. I slept right through till noon the next day.

Day 2 - Arriving In Delhi

2007-01-25T01:43:00.000-08:00

23rd January 2007
After an uncomfortable, but entertaining flight I arrived in Delhi just before noon.

The flight was good, Virgin Atlantic, always more of an experience than the usual boring long haul flight. I actually look forward to flying Virgin Atlantic, mainly for the entertainment system that is in the back of each chair, the food is also really good.

This flight I enjoyed, apart from the discomfort which was my own fault for not having the brains to spot that I could pull a wing from the headrest to rest my head against to sleep.

I had a really nice person sit next to me, which made the trip good. Her name was Nav (short for Navdeep) and she was flying to Delhi with her sister and brother in law, to be fitted for a special Indian Wedding Dress and gold. She introduced me to Bollywood Movies and made me watch quite a funny film called Chup Chup ro something, about some guy who owed loads of money and pretended to be deaf and dumb and ran away to escape his debtors. Not sure what happened in the end as I fell asleep, no reflection on the film or the company, it was just a night flight and my body clock switches off some time after midnight, whether I like it or not.

Anyway, so I arrived in Delhi on time and was whisked by car to the Hans Plaza Hotel. Delhi looked nice, green, clean and the temperature was wonderfully cool. Something I wasnt expecting and was glad I had taken my coat.

All I did from then until the next morning was sleep.

Day 1 - Setting Off From The UK

2007-01-22T01:28:00.000-08:00

Here I go!
Today I am setting off from the Uk to travel to Jagannath Puri in India!
I am all packed, all organised and all set. My suitcase is bursting because I dont know what clothes to take to wear there, so I just packed everything, including an industrial supply of DEET having heard of the Chikunguya ad Dengue fever that I didnt fancy running into. I have also packed a few home comforts, cheddar babybels, breakfast bars of course my laptop.

The plan for today is to get to Heathrow many hours early, for my 9pm Virgin Atlantic flight to Delhi. Should be able to sleep all night on the plane if I get a window seat, using the best technique of a Cushtie and half a zopiclone. So will arrive fresh in Delhi for an overnight stopover at the Hans Plaza Hotel.

I have been worried about going because of recent uproar over Jade Goodie and Shilpa Shetties little spat. Hope I dont bear the brunt of any anti Bitish feeling when I get there, although I think not, and am looking forward to being in India again with all the sights, sounds and smells that go with it.

I better sign out as I have to get a few things in town, wash my hair and do up my suitcase.

Prayer To Lord Jagannath

Please Lord Jagannath watch over this traveller who is coming to your home land. Please give me the strength to overcome with dignity and repose any obstacles that may be set in my way and please if at all possible, make such things few or even better non existent. Protect and guide me and may this trip be the beginning of a great future.

Jaya Jagannath
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna