Notes

With the recent arrival of HTML5-style SQL access in Webkit, we now have two approaches to the problem of offline storage available to us. Comparing the HTML5/Webkit version with the Google Gears version, personally I prefer the Webkit one due to the async nature of the API. With Gears, database access is a synchronous operation that might delay a critical event-driven application. By making those operations async, your Javascript event handlers can fire off a couple of queries and keep on doing their work.

My problems with pain in the right arm are still here, and I've reduced my laptop-time. So don't expect many updates in the coming weeks.

Hi, my name is Pedro and I'm a Pixel Lover Anonymous. I can't get enough of them, and its ruining my life. Latest update of my workstation display setup brings the total usable display width to 4740 pixels across. The setup started with a Matrox DualHead2Go Digital Edition to span a single DVI output across two 20" Acer Wide LCDs (see a Flickr set with two 24" I used to test it) but the results where not that good.

In case I need this again. After installing the official RPMs from the MySQL site for Redhat Enterprise Linux 5 on a fully patched CentOS 5, the startup script does not work properly, failing to start the server: [root@centos5 log]# /sbin/service mysql start Starting MySQL Couldn't find MySQL manager or server [FAILED] One possible solution is this patch. To apply do: cd /etc/rc.d/init.d patch -p0 < PATH_TO/mysql.rc.patch And be done with it.

So after two days of tests, apparently I don't have RSI. The symptoms where similar but as far as the doctors can see from the tests they did, the problem is in my neck. I have a strange twist in my neck, its bent in a strange direction and that causes tension to the tendons of the right arm, causing the continuos pain I feel. In turn, that causes the rest of the arm to hurt, specially working at the computer.

My .Mac renewal date is approaching, but after 4 or 5 years as a paying customer, I don't think there is enough value to keep it. I think I'm going to look at the direct competition, it seems to be heating up.

Amazon unveiled a beta version of their new music store. The specs look good: no DRM;decent bit-rate;MP3 format;simple Mac-based download app that places your songs into iTunes for automatic iPod synchronization.So I'm happy. We finally have competition in the online music store market. From Apple point-of-view, I don't think this will be a big loss: their profits come from the iPod, iTMS itself is not profitable enough to justify the cost of operations.

Just an heads up: I'm moving the XMPP and the email service between two servers. XMPP will be down for a day or so, email should be a painless move. There will also be some changes: XMPP domain simplicidade.org will move to ejabberd: much lower resource usage than the current Wildfire;email will start to be routed through Postini.So I might be "off" for a day or so until everything catches up.

As expected, Apple unveiled the iPhone in the UK. It will be using O2 network, and EDGE for connectivity, not 3G. I understand that EDGE is less power-hungry than 3G, and I can see it too. My Macbook battery goes from 5 hours to less than 2 when I plug my USB 3G card. But the problem for me is that as far as I know EDGE coverage in Europe is very poor compared to 3G, and there is no way I'm going back to GPRS.

I follow the CSS Play site in a low-priority mode. I don't see all the articles but some get my attention. One of the last ones is awesome: a cops and robbers game, entirely in CSS. I admin that I don't understand the mind of a person that takes the time to build this :).