System Volume Information - Vista Forums:

I have noticed that my System Volume Information folder is very big. I cleared the restores and it went down to 600MB because it has to leave the lastest. However, after 4 days, it has already risen to 5GB in size. My hard disk is 160GB capcacity. How large should the folder be and will it rise to a certain point and then stop? What proportion of the drive does the folder take up.

Apparently some people are concerned about every last byte, I went looking to see what the SVI folder should be restricted to, as on my machine it had taken about 150GB of space. Apparently it was set to "unbounded" and not restricted to 15% or so of my drive. I set it to 1GB to clear out the old (since I'm doing a full system backup for just the purpose of having a system restore) and then set it to about 10% of my drive (26GB). Now I'm questioning my decision to move my iTunes library to the NAS device...

Once again the subject of the Najd came up today, and I hunted down the hadith. Very interesting essay around it.

Misc. Articles - Intermediaries of Shirk by Sayyid Maliki:

‘The Prophet (s.w.s.) mentioned: “O Allah, give us baraka in our Syria, O Allah, give us baraka in our Yemen.” They said: “And in our Najd?” and he said: “O Allah, give us baraka in our Syria, O Allah, give us baraka in our Yemen.” They said: “And in our Najd?” and I believe that he said the third time: “In that place are earthquakes, and seditions, and in that place shall rise the devil’s horn [qarn al-shaytan].”’

Very compelling arguments.

How to use rdesktop (Windows remote desktop connection) - Ubuntu Forums:

rdesktop is a client program that allows you to connect from your Ubuntu computer to your Windows computer to remote control the Windows computer. In other words, while you are sitting in front of your Ubuntu computer at home, you can log into and access your Windows computer as if you are sitting in front of the Windows computer.

Wow, I have to say that Ubuntu is really ready for prime time. It works on my old Laptop without having to hunt down odd laptop drivers, it comes with productivity software installed, the package system for downloading additional software is easy to use, it can access my VPN, it can RDS (as seen above), and more! Really outside of MS SQL and MS VisualStudio I could do all of my work on an Ubuntu 9 machine.

FogBugz - What's New in FogBugz 7.0:

FogBugz 7.0 is a major release that is the product of two years of development. This document outlines the host of improvements that help make FogBugz the ultimate project tracking tool. Brand New Features FogBugz 7.0 introduces a host of new features designed to make it easier for you to manage your work and effectively track your project to completion.

The updated look and feel is awesome, had to tweak our logo a bit to get it to sit right in the new look, but overall I'm rather impressed. About 1/2 the new stuff is in places we don't even use, but always good to know that they're working on improvements.

Netflix: Chef!: Series 1:

Laughter is on the menu in this savory British sitcom starring Lenny Henry as master chef Gareth Blackstock, who cooks up a storm -- literally -- at the restaurant Le Château Anglais. The tart-tongued, bad-tempered Blackstock rules his domain with an iron skillet. Problem is, his overworked and underpaid crew is strewn with slackers. If you're looking for fast-paced comedy fare and haute cuisine, "Chef!" is made to order.

Chef! is streamable on Netflix!

Learning Indonesian - The fun and easy self-paced course in Bahasa Indonesia, the Indonesian Language:

Learn For Free!

• Learning Indonesian Free allows you to develop a basic vocabulary easily.
• Each free lesson is a pulled from a more in-depth Premium version.
• The Free program matches Topic-for-Topic to our Premium Lessons.
• Try out a few of the free lessons and see if Learning Indonesian is right for you!
• It’s a great way to get your feet wet with this wonderful and easy to learn language.
• You can start with the free lessons below...

This series was mentioned on Amazon in a review for the Rosetta Stone Bahasa Indonesia (which I'm still waiting for them to update to the v3 software, as I've heard v2 has some serious issues on Vista and v3 has more features), so while I wait, perhaps a free podcast will help...

Update: Flash!

Update: Hot!

HTC Hero Officially Launched With Sense, Flash, And Teflon – SoftSailor:

HTC has unveiled a new smartphone today at an event in London. The HTC Hero has been rumored for weeks, and earlier today it was leaked on the HTC website minutes before the event. Well, nothing else matters now, as the HTC Hero is looking great, it runs on Android OS, and it features a new UI called HTC Sense.

This looks rather slick. I think I want, thus I need to "wife" the old phone. Better treat my phone well, then, she doesn't like scratches or dents...

Algorithm implementation/Strings/Levenshtein distance - Wikibooks, collection of open-content textbooks:

Visual Basic for Applications (no Damerau extension)

This version is identical to JavaScript and PHP implementations in this article. I had problems when I tried to use the other VBA implementation in this article, so I had to adopt the version below.

Application.WorksheetFunction.Min() method is Excel-specific. If you implement it with other VBA-enabled applications, uncomment the conditional block and comment out the Application.WorksheetFunction.Min() line. 

Function levenshtein(a As String, b As String) As Integer
 
    Dim i As Integer
    Dim j As Integer
    Dim cost As Integer
    Dim d() As Integer
    Dim min1 As Integer
    Dim min2 As Integer
    Dim min3 As Integer
 
    If Len(a) = 0 Then
        levenshtein = Len(b)
        Exit Function
    End If
 
    If Len(b) = 0 Then
        levenshtein = Len(a)
        Exit Function
    End If
 
    ReDim d(Len(a), Len(b))
 
    For i = 0 To Len(a)
        d(i, 0) = i
    Next
 
    For j = 0 To Len(b)
        d(0, j) = j
    Next
 
    For i = 1 To Len(a)
        For j = 1 To Len(b)
            If Mid(a, i, 1) = Mid(b, j, 1) Then
                cost = 0
            Else
                cost = 1
            End If
 
            ' Since Min() function is not a part of VBA, we'll "emulate" it below
            min1 = (d(i - 1, j) + 1)
            min2 = (d(i, j - 1) + 1)
            min3 = (d(i - 1, j - 1) + cost)
 
'            If min1 <= min2 And min1 <= min3 Then
'                d(i, j) = min1
'            ElseIf min2 <= min1 And min2 <= min3 Then
'                d(i, j) = min2
'            Else
'                d(i, j) = min3
'            End If
 
            ' In Excel we can use Min() function that is included
            ' as a method of WorksheetFunction object
            d(i, j) = Application.WorksheetFunction.Min(min1, min2, min3)
        Next
    Next
 
    levenshtein = d(Len(a), Len(b))
 
End Function

I'm no VBA dev, and it confuses me how all of it is called, so a quick google for:

VBA Tips: Writing Your First VBA Function:

Writing Your First VBA Function in Excel

About User Defined Functions

Excel provides the user with a large collection of ready-made functions, more than enough to satisfy the average user. Many more can be added by installing the various add-ins that are available.

Most calculations can be achieved with what is provided, but it isn't long before you find yourself wishing that there was a function that did a particular job, and you can't find anything suitable in the list. You need a UDF.

A UDF (User Defined Function) is simply a function that you create yourself with VBA. UDFs are often called "Custom Functions". A UDF can remain in a code module attached to a workbook, in which case it will always be available when that workbook is open. Alternatively you can create your own add-in containing one or more functions that you can install into Excel just like a commercial add-in.

UDFs can be accessed by code modules too. Often UDFs are created by developers to work solely within the code of a VBA procedure and the user is never aware of their existence.

Like any function, the UDF can be as simple or as complex as you want. Let's start with an easy one...

And I see I have to "Insert" a "Module" to paste the code in. And then it just works. Nice.

I have the hardest time remembering this word. Pan-cha-SEE-la, Pan-cha-SEE-la, Pan-cha-SEE-la. Maybe now it will stick.

Pancasila (politics) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Pancasila (pronounced [pantʃaˈsila]) is the official philosophical foundation of the Indonesian state. Pancasila consists of two Sanskrit words, "panca" meaning five, and "sila" meaning principles. It comprises five principles held to be inseparable and interrelated:

1. Belief in the one and only God, (in Indonesian, Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa).
2. Just and civilized humanity, (in Indonesian, Kemanusiaan Yang Adil dan Beradab).
3. The unity of Indonesia, (in Indonesian, Persatuan Indonesia).
4. Democracy guided by the inner wisdom in the unanimity arising out of deliberations amongst representatives, and (in Indonesian, Kerakyatan Yang Dipimpin oleh Hikmat Kebijaksanaan, Dalam Permusyawaratan Perwakilan, dan)
5. Social justice for the whole of the people of Indonesia (in Indonesian, Keadilan Sosial bagi seluruh Rakyat Indonesia)

Anyway, it's way cool...