Tobi Waves

Over the last few days I have redesigned the Website of my Department, and implemented it purely with CSS2. I had to discover the hard way that even 4 years after the standard has been published, we are not there yet. While Mozilla is shining bright with its good implementation, many other entries like Opera, Konqueror and IE are working hard to do a good job but fail in odd places. What is amazing is where they do not work. Opera, for example, can not grok, that a box which is defined by its distance from all edges of the browser window is fully defined an can be displayed propperly. It just ignores part of the settings to be able to draw in the wong place and size.

Why does this not get fixed? First I thought there must be many bugs, and they just don't get round to fix this particular one. But then I got another theory: Everybody who does serious CSS2 Webdesign is working hard to make sure that his pages work with all the players in the CSS arena (Opera, Mozilla, Konqueror and Internet Explorer). Therefore these stupid bugs don't disappear as nobody will notice them but Webdesigners who then successfully hide the bugs from the end users by going the extra mile to make their pages work with all browsers.

How about a website which collects pages that pass all CSS/HTML conformance tests at (validator.w3.org ...) with flying colors, but got axed because display problems in some browser prevented them from working fully 'cross platform'

With todays low disk prices, it becomes intriguing to use several large harddisks as backup media. On the simples level they can be used like tapse to store dump files. But having all this quickly accessible storage space, it would be way cool to have some snapshot like quality where the backups are readily accessible by the users. Today I read about a cool idea for backup which is exactly what I have been wishing for the program implementing this is called FauBackup (faubackup.sourceforge.net ...). I could smack me for not thinking off this myself. Anyhow, here is how it works.

First Day Make a full copy (file by file) of the work partition to the backup partition.

Second and every following Day Walk the work disk and compare the file i-node change time of the files with the time the last backup was taken. Anything that staid the same gets hard linked from the previous backup to the current backup. Everything that has changed gets copied over.

Additionally compressing the files in the backup could lead to significantly lower disk usage. The advantages of this approach are: a) Users can restore their own files by just going into the backup partition. What I am not clear yet, is how to prevent them from modifying the backup. b) Backup space requirements are minimal as only changed files go into the new backup and old ones are hard linked. c) if we run out of space old backups can simply be removed as all backups are complete and independent of each other.

Now I just have to decide which computer is going to be my first victim. And I have to figure out if I am going to be stubborn and write my own implemntation implemntation of this idea or if I can convince myself to use faubackup.

In 14 days we will be moving out of our good old flat, to a new house. Or rather we will move out, and after Easter we will move into the new house.

Yesterday we finally chose the new table and chairs we were going to buy for the house. We spent a great deal of time figuring out what table we were going to get and where we would get it without spending all the money we have left after buying that house.

What we sort of ignored all the time, was the chairs. We did not ignore them completely, no, but we did never discuss their color. So when we finally were ready to order everything, yesterday at the furniture place, the guy wanted to know which color the chairs should be (the part which is not wood).

We have a pitch black floor, a fair beech wood table, white walls, transparent light gray white curtains. The chairs should contrast to their surroundings without taking all the attention. Aargh ... what a decision 20 minutes before they are going to close the shop for the night.

We went back and forth amongst all the colors on offer and finally settled on a fair grayish color with a hint of blue. With the order sent and the price agreed, we are left to worry if this was really the color which is right for us. Will not be to delicate? Will it fit with the rest of our furniture? I see six to eight weeks of worrying to worry ahead of us. Because of all our special wishes, it will take them that long to produce and ship the things.

Don't say it ... just don't! I'm going to bed now.

I read in the paper today that the George W is going to ask Congress for 75 billion to finance his crusade against Saddam. Lets assume this will amount to about to maybe 100 billion in the end. This is about 500$ for each American citizen or 5,000$ for each person living in Iraq. I don't know how much the average income in Iraq is, but I guess with 5,000$ per person you should do well. Think even how many people in some other 3rd world country, one which has not even oil, could be sustained with this kind of money.

I saw Bowling for Columbine (www.amazon.com ...) last autumn, today heard Michael Moore's (www.michaelmoore.com ...) acceptance speech for the Oscar. He seems to be one of the few outspoken, witty Americans around these days, who are actively working for a better future for America in this world and not apart from it. A country currently governed by fear and through fear of an artificially enhanced enemy whom to fight will serve as a method to ensure W's reelection by people who might otherwise just realize what disservice they are doing themselves by choosing leaders who don't seem to have the understanding nor the intention to play by the rules for the greater good of the world.

In the radio news today, the presenter remarked, that the US was detaining POWs in Guantanamo under the label of 'Unlawful Combatants', refusing them any of the rights POWs should have, according to international law. He continued, that Iraq might call the US Soldiers exactly the same and would not even be all the out of line as the US is fighting this war with out UN mandate and is thus in blatant violation of the very fabric the chances for stability and prosperity of the world are based upon.

All Friday Regula have been packing our stuff into cardboard boxes. On Saturday morning at 8:30 10 of our friends arrived in Aarburg, ready to help us move all our belongings from the flat at the Feldstrasse to our new house at the Aarweg in Olten.

We had packed 90 boxes which had to be carried down 3 floors at the old place and up 4 floors in the new place. And this was only the beginning. The boxes alone filled the Van we had rented. A further three rides were necessary to transport all our furniture. I had hoped we would manage with two rides. I was so wrong. I promise, I will never buy anything new unless I give something old away ...

At 4pm all was done and everybody had had a gracious share of lifting and stair climbing. Thanks to the delicious lunch my mother had prepared for the whole crew we were tired, but at least well fed. (Thanks Mom!)

A big thanks to Alexa, Claudia, Doris, Gabi, Regula, Christoph, David, Fritz, Manfred, Manuel for their help. If you are ever going to move house, count me in.