MaisonBisson

The most recently released, stable version of Scriblio is marked 2.9-r1 and was last updated in June 2010. You can be forgiven for thinking development had ceased in the interim. Today, however, I’m proud to introduce a completely new Scriblio, re-written from the ground up to take advantage of the latest features of WordPress and eliminate the mistakes […] » about 600 words

(Updated, see below) WordPress 3.1 introduced some awesome new taxonomy query features, and the URL parsing allows some rudimentary syntax to query multiple terms and choose if the query is OR’d or AND’d. The URL syntax is as follows: A comma (,) between terms will return posts containing either term (logical OR), like this http://maisonbisson.com/post/tag/wordpress,mysql/ . A […] » about 300 words

The video from General Electric is cool, and shot at least in part with cameras mounted on RC helicopters, but strangely missing is any mention their manufacture of nuclear generation equipment such as the Fukushima plants that melted down earlier this year. » about 100 words

First Wikileaks published the collateral murder video, then a massive-but-redacted dump of diplomatic cables, then people figured out how to get the unredacted content. Though this information was already public, the ACLU pursued a FOIA request on these very cables, the result was a heavily redacted record of the cables, and a clear picture of […] » about 100 words

parallel-flickr: a tool for backing up your Flickr photos and generating a database backed website that honours the viewing permissions you’ve chosen on Flickr. More details from the website: It downloads and stores your original photos and their “640x” versions. Currently photos are stored locally but there’s a plan to add support for S3. For […] » about 200 words

The LA Times on December 10 reported that Predator drones such as those now being used by the Air Force and CIA were used to support police in their investigation of cattle rustling. Theft of livestock has long been a serious matter, but regulations and procedures typically make it difficult to sell stolen cattle. According […] » about 300 words

WNYC’s On The Media did a nice piece on it back in September (MP3 download): judging from the arrests and harassment, photographers are part of a terrorist plot. Or something. The CopBlock (tagline: “badges don’t grant extra rights”) map of actions taken against photographers is littered with activity. » about 100 words

AlterEgo promises two-factor authentication security without the silly key-fob. Neat. » about 100 words

Sure, this electric chariot combines all the inconvenience of a scooter with some of the frustrations of an actual car, but it looks cool. Sort of. Though it’s made by a medical equipment manufacturer, at least it conforms to the rule of auto shows and objectifies the women demoing it as much as the vehicle […] » about 100 words

In my earlier post on Steadicams for GoPro HD Hero cameras I incorrectly stated that the Steadicam Smoothee is exclusively for iPhones and iPod Touches. They seem to have mounts for GoPro Hero and Flip Mino cameras as well, it’s just impossible to find that info on their website and most retailers don’t carry the […] » about 100 words

What follows is the text of a document I prepared to start and shape discussion about the future of the university website at my former place of work. The PDF version is what I actually presented, though in both instances I’ve redacted three types of information: the name of the institution (many already know, but […] » about 1500 words

I have a new GoPro HD Hero2, one of the best new video cameras available (if what you like in a video camera is a compact, wide-angle, and waterproof), and I’m looking for a way to steady it for handheld shots. The Steadicam Smoothee is built for iPhones. Their demo video and this comparison of […] » about 400 words

AOC’s new 16″ USB-connected monitor looks like an interesting toy. It draws its power and signal from the USB. Mixed information suggests that four or eight can be connected to a single computer. At about $130, this could be a cheap way to build a large display wall. » about 100 words

I no longer have a dog in this race, but in cleaning up my hard drive of old files I’ve run across a few items of note. For example, the above illustration I once used to describe the different content, audiences, and uses of a university website. Current students, prospective students, their family, faculty, employees, […] » about 400 words

If I’m lucky, the only reason I get a phone call before 7am is because somebody on the east coast forgot about the timezones between them and me. The alternative is almost always bad news. » about 900 words

Harry Shearer, the bassist for Spinal Tap, voice talent for many characters in The Simpsons, and host of Le Show has no difficulty criticizing the unnecessary complexities of modern media technology, but not until his August 14 episode (subscribe to the podcast) has he admitted to the frustrations of modern cable. “It’s now easier to watch TV on your […] » about 700 words

Domtar, “the largest integrated manufacturer and marketer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America and the second largest in the world,” launched a campaign to promote paper consumption. This much is old news, as the campaign is about a year old already. Among the messaging goals, according to the agency that designed it: It’s easier to […] » about 600 words

You’d think the Sears Archives would offer an online search of their historical catalogs, but the best you’ll find is a list of libraries holding the microfilms. Ancestry.com offers an online search, but only to paying members. I’m looking into this because I was looking for historical trends in consumer products and thought the catalog […] » about 100 words

A post in a Y Combinator discussion thread: Mobile Safari parses websites as a big canvas and then pretends the screen is a window through which you’re looking at the canvas. What you think of as scrolling, the browser thinks of as moving the canvas around (or the window depending on point of view). Because […] » about 100 words

AppleScript can be frustrating, but it’s an easy way to get info out of iTunes. The following is a fragment of a script I’m working on, this part simply gets a record list of every video in the current iTunes window that is a “movie” (the alternatives include music videos and TV shows, among others). […] » about 200 words

It’s from early 2007, but Cameron Marlow’s comparison of SF to NYC neighborhoods and Jason Kottke’s comparison of the physical geography are amusing to me as a new San Franciscan. On the other hand, is it a sign of civic insecurity to make such comparisons? » about 100 words