Attention Mac & Linux users: CodeWeaver CrossOver free on Tuesday, October 28

The CEO of CodeWeavers issued the "Lame Duck Challenge": The CodeWeavers Lame Duck Presidential Challenge will make its software products downloadable for free to all Americans for 24 hours at www.CodeWeavers.com if President Bush accomplishes "at least one of the goals listed here.

So, sometime before 11pm MST Tuesday, you should go register for your free copy of Crossover Pro, a piece of software "that allows many Windows-based applications to run on Linux, Mac OS X and Solaris"!

Apache + SSL (https) + Ruby on Rails + Mongrel

I couldn't find a good "how-to", so here's what worked for me. Assumptions:

• Running Apache 2.2 on a CentOS box
  
• Apache & SSL works just fine for static content
  
• Rails app works just fine over http
  

Here's what I did:

1. Setup A simple single mongrel configuration using mod_proxy (AKA ProxyPass). This enables me to access my rails app via [http://mydomain.com:8000] and if you have your ProxyPass set up correctly, [http://mydomain.com]. To be explicit, I'll leave the ":8000" in the URL for now.
   
2. Edit vhost.conf or httpd.conf
   
   1. make sure HTTPS redirects (RewriteEngine, RewriteCond and RewriteRule) are commented out
   2. add this:
      RequestHeader set X_FORWARDED_PROTO 'https' env=HTTPS
      RequestHeader set X_ORIGINAL_PROTOCOL 'https'
      
   3. Restart Apache
      /etc/init.d/httpd restart
   4. Start mongrel
      cd /path/to/application
      mongrel_rails
      
3. You can now access your site via:
   http://mydomain.com:8000
   https://mydomain.com:8000
   

In order to forward any http requests to https:

1. Install the "ssl_required" plugin
   ruby script/plugin install ssl_requirement
   Be sure to check out the HowToEnableSSL wiki page.
2. Edit app/controllers/application.rb and add this:
   include SslRequirement
   
   def ssl_required?
   return true
   end
   (Click here to find out why this works!)

Now whenever you access

http://mydomain.com:8000

you should be forwarded to the secure URL:

https://mydomain.com:8000

Once that's done, go get a beer, some coffee or goto sleep!!

Netflix "Watch Instantly"

Attention Mac users: Netflix finally brings "watch instantly" to macs!

Update: You can now "opt-in" to join the "Watch Instantly" beta.

Larry David is waiting for November 4, 2008

Reading this article is just like watching an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

What is "Security" to you?

I just read a great quote:

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. -
Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills

(Which reminds me of a book I've been meaning to read: Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World).

Update: Apparently it's a Hellen Keller quote!

Avalanche Safety Evaluation Quiz

Wild Snow has a neat avalanche safety evaluation quiz. Take the quiz & post your score in the comments (See below).

JibJab Sendables

Look at what Pat just sent me:

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

The Sun

A Boston Globe post has some amazing images of the sun... Here's one of my favorites, a 6-day time evolution of the sun:

Credit: Slashdot.

In-bounds ski season begins!

Loveland ekes past A-Basin for first-to-open bragging rights.

One day after Arapahoe Basin said it would become the first ski area in the state to open for the season -- starting up a single lift at 9 a.m. Wednesday -- Loveland Ski Area announced plans to beat its competitor to the punch.

Loveland will open at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, in hopes of winning the annual contest for first-to-open bragging rights by a half-hour.

I've got some waiting to do, since the resorts on my season passes open in November...

• Copper Mountain (Nov 14)
• Winter Park (Nov 19)
• Eldora (Nov 21)

Hopefully I'll get out of bounds before then!

What is Patriotism?

Sarah Palin defended the surge in Iraq and the $700 billion rescue plan. Yet, she said that Americans who pay taxes to support such endeavors should not be considered patriotic.

Presidential Candidates

Obama = ? Biden = ? McCain = ? Palin = ?

Find more at Fark.



In other political news, Jon Stewart's interview with Peggy Noonan was pretty interesting (available online--click here & advance to the last 1/3 of the show). Jon had a good comment on the way politicians run campaigns to get into the office.

Basically, Jon said something to the affect:

The candidates (on both sides) don't tell the American people what they'll do in office. Instead, they design a sentence that allows enough wiggle room to do whatever they want; when we come back to it later, the candidates then have plausible deniability.

Peggy Noonan sounded optimistic that the campaigns will move beyond that.

Presidential Debate Tonight

During the primaries, I signed up to Hillary Clinton, John McCain & Barrack Obama's e-mail lists. It's been an interesting experience... Here's a few highlights:

• Hillary was asking for money to pay for her campaign debt up until the day before the Democratic National Convention (more than a month after she was mathematically eliminated from any hope of receiving the nomination).
  
• The McCain & Obama campaigns considerably increased the amount of e-mails around mid-September
• The latest e-mail from the McCain campaign higlighted the political theater involved with running a campaign:
  

From: Governor Sarah Palin
Subject: Watch tonight's debate

Dear Supporter,

Tonight, John McCain and Senator Barack Obama will debate in a town hall together for the very first time. You'll have the opportunity to hear questions from everyday Americans and I know you'll see the sharp contrast between the liberal plan for America and the reform plan for America.
...


Sounds like we'll learn the sharp contrast between the liberal plan and the reform plans for America, eh?

Time to consult Dictionary.com:



lib·er·al /ˈlɪbərəl, ˈlɪbrəl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[lib-er-uhl, lib-ruhl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –adjective

1.	favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.

So... As Governor Sarah Palin said, tune in tonight to

... see the sharp contrast between the [reform] plan for America and the reform plan for America.

I'm starting to grow tired of this political theater, much like I have of the security theater that I see every day.

Sec 211: Transportation Fringe Benefit to Bicycle Commuters

Section 211 of The Emergency Economic Stabilzation Act of 2008 is the "Transportation Fringe Benefit to Bicycle Commuters". Reading around the blogmosphere, it looks like this is a $20 per month tax credit for "any qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement". From the bill,

The term ‘qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement’ means, with respect to any calendar year, any employer reimbursement during the 15-month period beginning with the first day of such calendar year for reasonable expenses incurred by the employee during such calendar year for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if such bicycle is regularly used for travel between the employee’s residence and place of employment.

It's not clear how this will impact us... The employer gets the $20 tax credit, not the employee... I guess I need to wait & see how my employer will utilize this extra money. I wonder if I will have to somehow report my bike commuting to my employer so they can actually get that tax credit.

Hit up the comments if you find out any more info!

Thanks for the news, Christian.

Cubs lose. Wait for the 101st year

Cubs fans everywhere did this last night:


(Yep: That's my college roommate just moments after the Steve Bartman incident)

For the 100th year in a row, the Chicago Cubs have not won the world series. In honor of this moment (and to copy the New York times), I bring you my own non-interactive photo gallary tribute for the Chicago Cubs:

... and I can see Russia from my house!

One of my favorite lines from Tina Fey's portrayal of Sarah Palin on SNL was a comment about foreign policy experience:

... and I can see Russia from my house!

What I didn't realize is that there's some truth to this quote! A post at cnn.com said

When talking about what she says is her foreign policy experience, Sarah Palin told ABC news “…you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.”

And since CNN has the best f***ing news team ever, they sent a reporter to a tiny island on the Western edge of Alaska to verify that yes, in fact you can see Russia from parts of Alaska (but sorry, Palin has never been there).

Are you registered to vote?

Find out.

maps.google.com/vote

Make sure you are registered before the deadline (Colorado's is Monday, October 6th).