tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-156907442024-03-13T15:26:42.194-05:00badger rantsrandom rants about things as I think of them
plus APEX and other stuff
cats are big here, toothebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-60522306506004975742009-07-27T18:28:00.002-05:002009-07-27T18:49:40.539-05:00TirednessI really want to finish up the PL/SQL stuff for Active Directory authentication. But I'm just whipped. Not sure why; worry, most likely. One of our oldest cats, Sam, had to have eye surgery today. The trouble wasn't the eye so much as the anaesthetic. At 17, the usual risks for having anaesthetic are a bit higher, although Sam is a tough old guy in pretty good shape.<br /><br />He got through it well enough; he looks a bit like he shoved half his face under a running lawnmower, but that's not hard to live with. At least it isn't for us. I am sure Sam might have something to say about that.<br /><br />It's hard to make decisions about quality of life or whether a procedure is worth the risk. In this particular instance, Sam had what's called a Sequester, which is sort of like a scab that won't fall off. What happens instead, if it is not removed, is it begins to rot, which can cause all sorts of terrible things to ensue. The other option is to give him drops 4 times a day for 10 or 11 months. The drops solution (no pun intended) has less of a success rate; in fact, most senior cats like Sam have to have the drops. Sam has been fortunate that he has had good medical care and good food all his life, so for a 17 year old he's in excellent shape. He's a bit creaky as he's a big boy (17+ lbs for the last 13 years at least) and his vertical jumping has been reduced to the odd hop. Otherwise he's pretty spry and still plays with his toy mice etc.<br /><br />I've wandered off topic rather seriously here... back to the life-decisions stuff. Do you have the surgery and risk life, or do you interfere with the cat 4 times a day for 300 days? I guess you have to know your cat. Sam is a good-hearted guy, and loves his pets and scratches, and over the years he has helped me in his immutable way through some tough times. I remember my first serious bout of depression; Sammy spent the whole time by my side, purring mostly. In fact, he and his brother were instrumental in getting me up and around again. They won't clean their own litter boxes, and I wouldn't let them drive to the vets to get their own food, so it was up to me. And even though it was very difficult to do so, I got myself out of bed and back into a semblance of a life. Shortly after that, I went to a hockey game, and that pulled me out of my funk even more. The presciption drugs finally started to kick in, and within about 3 weeks I was ready to tackle the world.<br /><br />I've made a fairly simplistic view of my whole depressive episode I must admit. I had quit a job to return to school (which wasn't starting for 3 1/2 weeks) and I had broken up with my girlfriend. And it was January. And everything was really complicated at that time... but within a couple months I had a new girlfriend and a better outlook. Back in school and enjoying it, I felt like all my decisions had finally born fruit.<br /><br />I don't need to mention that it all collapsed again about 2 years later, but this time I didn't retreat to bed. I just kept on, and eventually landed a good job; in fact, it's been 13 years since my serious depressive episode and I've never been back. I medicate daily of course, like pretty well every other intelligent person I know, but it's a small price to pay.<br /><br />Back to Sam - I keep wandering away from the topic of Sam, but I suppose that's because I can only talk about what he's meant to me and how he has helped me so many times in my life. I guess I've returned the favour by keeping him in the best shape I can for the last 17 years.<br /><br />Sam took to my wife the first time they met. He took one look and said, 'Yeah she's the one' and promptly went back to sleep. Sly, his brother, sat between us on the couch. My wife says he was protecting me; I say, 'No, he was accepting you. If he didn't like you he would have said 'Your own your own, douche-bag!'. He would have run off had he not approved.'<br /><br />Sam is sort of like a real live teddy bear except he has not one single quality of a bear aside from immense girth. Sam, when properly activated, is capable of shattering China with his purr. His purr, which sadly is never heard by the vet, is astonishing. He is loud, so loud he is squeaky. It's hard to explain, but if you heard it you would agree.<br /><br />I think I'd better sign off and check on the old lump (another nickname for Sam - he has several - but lump stuck because, well, he has a lump on his tail (been there for about 10 years) and he is sort of lumpish - Sam will get up, walk 6 strides, then have a 2 hour nap).thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-55712071929547836132009-07-27T18:17:00.005-05:002009-07-27T18:28:29.797-05:00More PL/SQL APEX Active Directory Stuff<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I</span>n my continued effort to get my LDAP authentication stuff out there, I am putting in an link to the login PL/SQL I use. I just changed the code associated with the Login process. I am also posting the PL/SQL for checking to see if the logged in user has the appropriate Active Directory group.</span></span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;">H</span>ere is the LOGIN script:</span><br /><br /><iframe border="0" src="http://ssaen.selfip.net/blog/login.html" name="LDAPSPEC" width="800" height="400"></iframe><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">H</span>ere is the Check Group Membership script:</span></span><br /><br /><iframe border="0" src="http://ssaen.selfip.net/blog/check_group_membership.html" name="LDAPSPEC" width="800" height="400"></iframe>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-9811469264833507142009-07-18T12:12:00.002-05:002009-07-18T12:27:12.771-05:00Bermuda Day VI<span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:130%;" 1="" >I</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span>didn't get around to finishing the Bermuda blog posts. It was kind of a strange week. We had to move from one location to another due to the excessive rain causing mold and mustiness. Bermuda is known for being so humid you have to heat your closets to keep your clothes from rotting, but in recent weeks they have been getting an unusual amount of rainfall. The mold and mustiness factors were through the roof; my wife had a great deal of difficulty breathing in our original accomodations, so we had to move to newer accomodations right along the harbour front. </span><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:130%;" 1="" >W</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">e didn't get to do much outdoor stuff, either, as it rained pretty much every day. We did make it to the dock yards on the 1st of July, but it rained constantly and I was in a pretty foul mood. I hate being out in the rain. However, there were some very interesting things to see at the the dock yards, and it would have been even better if we could have strolled about without squelching with every step. To get to the dock yards (at the opposite end of the island from St. George, where we were staying) we took the Express Ferry. I don`t do well on boats, but it`s a double-hull ferry, so the ride was pretty smooth. The best part of the Express Ferry is that it didn`t breach 5 knots. It was the most wonderfully slow Express ride I`ve ever had. Too bad it rained the whole way and we had to stay under cover with the windows closed.</span></span> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">At all events, we were soaked, and I was snarky, but it was still worth the effort.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">W</span>e took a bus from the docks to `town`, or Hamilton. That was a treat. You get to see so much more by bus, and nothing is particularily far from anything else, so bus travel is practical. It can be a bit unnerving if you aren`t used to 2-lane roads, twisty hills and valleys, and left-hand drive. One driver we had was very competent, but seemed more eager in terms of speed than other drivers. It was a bit harrowing at times, but we just aren`t used to it. Overall you can`t beat the bus system in Bermuda - they are all air-conditioned, everyone is of course polite, and it`s cheap.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;">W</span>e met up with my cousin and his girlfiend in Hamilton; he has been fortunate enough to work in Bermuda for 14 years. We dined in an Italian restaurant; the food was fantastic, the service was excellent, even though the place was jammed. One thing they do in Bermuda is incorporate a gratuity directly on your bill, so in effect you have already tipped by paying the amount due. There is room for additional tipping on the receipt, if you are so inclined. I am not inclined, usually.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">B</span>ermuda is a destination we will reach again, despite being rained on all week and not making it to a single beach. I am not a beach person, but you don`t go to Bermuda without at leasting going to one beach; they are the most beautiful beaches in the world. Next time we`ll hope for better weather and get to the beaches. We`ll also rent `bikes`(motorscooters) from one of the many `Liveries`.</span></span>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-54440764536191604272009-06-28T16:28:00.002-05:002009-06-28T16:37:07.324-05:00Bermuda Day I<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">W</span>ell we finally made it to Bermuda. What happens after being here less than 6 hours? Check </span><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/ptomlinson00/Bermuda2009?feat=directlink"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">this</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"> out...</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I</span>t is really amazingly astonishingly humid here. Like I have never experienced before - but it's not like the mugginess we get in Southwestern Ontario. It's a fresh, clean sort of humidity, like being a dryer with bounce sheets. It's still uncomfortable though we we are pretty well accustomed to A/C 24/7 back home. On the other hand, it is so quiet, there are practically no vehicles, the locals are friendly, and the availability of goods is excellent. I have my Coke 0, my wife has her 10% cream for her coffee (which she brought from home - we <em>never</em> take chances with her coffee).</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">T</span>omorrow we might get a scooter or a bus pass, or maybe both. I am not sure about a scooter yet, even though I think it's a great idea. I haven't ridden a motorcycle in years, and they drive on the left-hand side here, as in Britain, and a great deal of the rest of the world, come to think of it. Not sure if my brain can handle all that at once.</span>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-89007281232883707012009-06-22T20:12:00.000-05:002009-06-22T20:12:51.979-05:00IE 8.0<font size +1>I</font> think it's strange.thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-47087268466885180642009-06-20T12:32:00.004-05:002010-02-10T21:19:26.047-05:00apex LDAP, Part II<span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;">A</span>s promised, part II is here. This is the Package Body.</span><br /><br /><iframe border="0" src="http://www.petetomlinson.com/LDAPBody.html" name="LDAPSPEC" width="800" height="700"></iframe>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-36776556052365628892009-06-19T19:41:00.010-05:002010-02-10T21:18:54.977-05:00apex LDAP part I<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">I</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">t's finally done and working, and even in a package format for ease of use! Here is the package specification. Part II will have the package body, and Part III will tie it all together in an APEX application.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">L</span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">DAP Spec:</span><br /><br /></span></span><iframe border="0" name="LDAPSPEC" src="http://www.petetomlinson.com/LDAPSpec.html" width="800" height="700"></iframe>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-81776699196172098382009-05-24T11:12:00.002-05:002009-05-24T11:16:42.680-05:00apex and active directory and pl/sql and...<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I</span> think I may go mad. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I</span> am on a steep learning curve these days, trying to learn Oracle PL/</span><span style="font-family: verdana;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">SQL</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> while trying to develop applications in Apex. Part of the problem is that I have bitten off a rather complicated piece to chew on, and I have not had much luck finding others who have blazed a trail before me into this territory. I apologise for the mixed metaphors. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I</span> still intend on publishing my final working code / solution to using AD groups to manage access to an Applications Express </span><span style="font-family: verdana;" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">application</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">. It just might be posthumous...</span><br /></span>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-72955990091904933432009-05-05T19:39:00.005-05:002009-05-05T19:45:53.927-05:00POV-Ray goodness<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I</span>'<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ve</span> been playing with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">POV</span>-Ray a bit more, using the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">POV</span>-Ray Light source object available within <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">MLCad</span>. For a first-run, I'm pretty impressed.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I</span> created two light objects in front of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">minifig</span> to act as in-cabin lighting sources. I also put one light object into the storage bay area. I added lights to the red 1x1 translucent tiles on each wing tip, the red 1x1 translucent cylinders, and the green 1x1 translucent tiles attached to the directional jets. There are no other light sources used in this rendering.</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_azdfq1UlkH8/SgDdUvWU1kI/AAAAAAAAAoI/vJ_rO5XHGJo/s1600-h/galaxy_explorer_base.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_azdfq1UlkH8/SgDdUvWU1kI/AAAAAAAAAoI/vJ_rO5XHGJo/s400/galaxy_explorer_base.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332505307183896130" border="0" /></a>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-13789624764124508662009-05-03T20:02:00.005-05:002009-05-03T20:05:22.342-05:00Galaxy Explorer Update<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">T</span>he main craft is now complete. Check out the image.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_azdfq1UlkH8/Sf4-4nFAA0I/AAAAAAAAAoA/ZQ7UmyYAt_M/s1600-h/galaxy_explorer_base_2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_azdfq1UlkH8/Sf4-4nFAA0I/AAAAAAAAAoA/ZQ7UmyYAt_M/s400/galaxy_explorer_base_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331768151136797506" border="0" /></a>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-13926088268239083902009-05-03T09:46:00.006-05:002009-05-03T10:13:16.605-05:00lego coolness<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I</span> have long been a fan of Lego. I am also a nerd. So when I found <a href="http://www.ldraw.org/">LDraw</a> I was ecstatic. I was practically hysterical when I found <a href="http://www.lm-software.com/mlcad/">MLCad</a>. Then, I found all sorts of instructions for Lego models that had been uploaded to the web <a href="http://www.peeron.com/">here</a>. At that point I burst into flames.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">S</span>ince being stamped out, I have gone on to periodically build models in MLCad that a) I have and couldn't be bothered to dig out the boxes for, or b) Always wanted but never had. Right now I am building set 497-1, Galaxy Explorer, which was released in 1979. My sister got this set one Christmas, and I recently acquired it from our Dad's apartment while cleaning it out after he died.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">H</span>ere is a POV-Ray jpg of my progress so far. I started this yesterday morning (I think). Once you get the hang of MLCad you can really fly building stuff. Especially models that have mirror image parts - copy & paste is your friend.<br /></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_azdfq1UlkH8/Sf2wBxjrGyI/AAAAAAAAAn4/GTpkpTPq658/s1600-h/galaxy_explorer_base.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_azdfq1UlkH8/Sf2wBxjrGyI/AAAAAAAAAn4/GTpkpTPq658/s400/galaxy_explorer_base.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331611078405856034" border="0" /></a>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-5969829603148665932009-04-30T18:08:00.003-05:002009-05-03T10:11:47.889-05:00layin' low<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">B</span>een layin' low for the last little while. I've had my head stuck into work, Performance Appraisals for my staff, and home renovations. It's actually been very helpful to get my head out of the computer world more often that I've been able to in the recent past.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">T</span>he coolest thing to come along is </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=K10194&cn=245">this</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, the </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=K10194&cn=245">Emerald Night Collection</a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> train from </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.lego.com/">Lego</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. I have always wanted a Lego train, and this one is the lastest one on the block. (no pun intended). I ordered it right away and received it a little over a week ago. Well, it's just about the most wonderful Lego set ever. I ordered it with extra track, and the Power Functions package as well. It was expensive, but worth every penny.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I</span>'ve written in this blog about Lego in the past. Lego supply the highest quality product with unquestionably the best customer service department in the world. It's a pleasure to actually have a problem with your Lego, to be honest, because dealing with their customer service is a breath of fresh air. They actually care. Really, they do. There was nothing wrong with the Emerald Night Collection, so I didn't have to engage the customer service department, but if I had it would have been a wonderful experience.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I</span>'ve also been focussing more on something called 'being present'. Some of you probably associate this with Eckhart Tolle. I've never read any of his stuff. Some work friends have been involved with Landscape Education, which teachs the whole concept of 'being present', and 'contexts'. Well, I think it's great stuff to think about, but I'm not sure there aren't some tried and true cliches that don't cover it all. 'Don't cry over spilled milk', 'Walk a mile in another's shoes', 'What's done is done', 'Live today for tomorrow may never come'. All those sayings we have pushed in to the junk drawer as being old-fashioned, or over-simplifications. Well, that may be so, but the Eckhart Tolle's and the Landscape folks seem to me to be selling dressed-up versions of those old axioms. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I</span> am speculating here; going on hearsay, even. But I am not convinced there is anything new to be discovered in the world of 'self-discovery', or 'self-awareness', or 'being present'. I think people need packaging to be convinced of something's worth, and although there is nothing wrong with that, perhaps a little self-reflection would reveal to them that they already have the tools they need.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">O</span>n the other hand, I suppose most people not only need to be led to water but also shown how to drink. That is not meant as a criticism; these are deep emotional waters that we are taught from a very early age to stay away from. This is tough going, and it is only the rare few that navigate safely on their own. So buy the books and take the courses. It will help you. But remember to bring your own wisdom to these things as well, or they will have no value.</span><br /></span>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-16772125626885651852009-03-23T08:58:00.002-05:002009-03-23T09:09:08.339-05:00new word<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">E</span>very now and then my coworkers and I make up new words. Usually this is a process where by two words are somehow made into one to form a new word with bizarre implications.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I</span> made one up this morning that I am rather proud of: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">vometiquette</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">A</span>s far as I can make out, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">vometiquette</span> would be the etiquette of vomiting. For example, if in a public place, what is the proper method for vomiting. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Vometiquette</span> would provide the rules!</span>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-78940572045722699502009-03-15T08:05:00.003-05:002009-03-15T08:18:23.432-05:00eLearning that works<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">A</span> colleague and I recently completed the '</span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.dbcon.com/DevelopingWithOracleApex.html">Developing Applications with Oracle Applications Express</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">' training offered by </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.dbcon.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">DBCON</span></a><span style="font-family: verdana;">. I am a newbie to software development </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" >eLearning</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">; my colleague, however, is a highly-experienced developer who has experienced various teaching methods over the years. We were both duly impressed with </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.dbcon.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">DBCON</span></a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> efforts.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I</span> think the part I enjoyed the most was the homework. I have been on a few training courses over the last 20 years, and usually you leave the class or session with nothing to do until the next class. Not so with the </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.dbcon.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">DBCON</span></a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> training - they very wisely </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" >have</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> developed their training course to cover the concepts with examples during the class, then follow up with the same concepts and examples within the tutorial package, which then expands the concepts you have learned with more examples.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">O</span>n the whole I believe I learned </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">more through this course than pretty well any other training course I have been on. I was so impressed I bought the second part of the training, '</span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.dbcon.com/AdvancedOracleAPEX.html">Advanced Oracle Application Express Training</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">' myself. Turns out my company is going to pay anyways, but I would have taken the course even if they were not paying.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I</span>f you are looking for some training that won't eat up your whole day, and let's you take the class </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" >where ever</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> you have high-speed </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" >Internet</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">, then </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.dbcon.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">DBCON</span></a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> is the provider you want to investigate.</span></span>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-844332369762871162009-03-09T19:15:00.003-05:002009-03-09T19:17:49.092-05:00not APEX but worth posting<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I</span> am an animal lover, but for reasons not worth getting into here, I am not particularly fond of primates. After reading this story, though, it might be necessary to adjust my opinions.<br /><br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7928996.stm"><span style="font-size:130%;">R</span>ead it here</a></span>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-35284449534233778432009-03-05T08:24:00.002-05:002009-03-05T08:35:59.845-05:00the best book (for Apex)<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">G</span>o out right now and get 'Pro Oracle Application Express', by John Edward Scott and Scott <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Spendolini</span>. It is published by <a href="http://www.apress.com"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Apress</span></a>. I picked it up for $39.99 (CAN) from <a href="http://www.chapters.ca">chapters.ca</a> a while ago and it is worth every cent. More than that actually, so I feel I got a great deal.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">O</span>r, you can sign up for <a href="http://www.dbcon.com"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">DBCON</span></a>'s excellent training courses; they will send you the book in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">PDF</span> format. Personally, I like reading books made of paper still, but having it in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">PDF</span> format means I can share with coworkers and keep my 'real' copy in pristine shape.</span></span>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-8284357079291398852009-02-28T09:00:00.002-05:002009-02-28T09:15:45.895-05:00more apex stuffI am currently designing an authentication and authorization scheme for use with our Active Directory <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">LDAP</span> environment at work. It is a daunting task, considering that the apex.<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ldap</span> functions don't work very well (or at all in some cases) with MS AD. The DBMS_<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">LDAP</span> routines however do work well; you just need to put in more elbow-grease to make things work.<br /><br />I plan on posting my code here once I have finished, but I'd thought I'd list the requirements here, partly because it helps to make lists to sort through complex problems, and partly because I have nothing else to post here.<br /><br />Security is an extremely hot topic at work, as I am sure it is at your place of business. We get audited all the time, and being defence contractors doesn't make it any easier. We have lots of rules around account activities, passwords, and group memberships. On top of that, when developing in the realm of the web app, we have further rules on cookies and sessions, among other things, that make life just that much harder for your average developer.<br /><br />I am not going to go into minute detail, but the security model I am working with needs to fit into these parameters:<br /><br /><ol><li>Access must be controlled by user id and group membership in AD</li><li>Application access must be multi-layered so that not all users have the same access (in such cases that it is required).</li><li>Once an application is deployed, security maintenance must be kept to a minimum to reduce total cost of ownership.</li></ol>These seem simple enough, but when you flesh them out into code, things can get pretty hairy pretty quickly.<br /><br />The model that I keep returning to in my mind is something like this:<br /><ol><li>Groups must be created in AD for each application and each access type, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ie</span> APP_Developers, or APP_Editors, or APP_Users.</li><li>Each APEX app must use the same authentication scheme..</li><li>At <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">login</span>, each app must validate the user against <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">LDAP</span>. Each app must maintain a table of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">LDAP</span> groups and the users in them for use in the authorization or sentry scheme.</li><li>This all has to happen automatically. (ugh).</li></ol>Sadly, every time I start working on this problem, I think of another way to do it. It's hard being an obsessive/compulsive attention-deficit person. It means you obsess all the time over all sorts of different things, sometimes in parallel.<br /><br />I do have the code for checking group membership (one group only) before logging into the app. So I know it can be done. Now I need to make it flexible, and incorporate more group checks.<br /><br />I will post code shortly of what I've got, it's nothing you couldn't find elsewhere most likely, although I must admit I gave up looking a week or so ago.<br /><br />Stay tuned...thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-51570965964857984912009-02-27T13:51:00.004-05:002009-03-06T07:21:11.056-05:00extremely useful APEX titbit<span style=";font-family:verdana,geneva;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:180%;" >T</span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;" >his is one of the most useful things I have found while using the SQL Workshop. I am not an oracle expert by any means, and sometimes I find their error messages, for the most part, useless. I discovered something so brainlessly simple it saddens me I didn't think of it myself.<br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:180%;" >O</span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;" >pen the workshop, select 'SQL Commands' and type in the following query:<br /><br /><strong>select * from user_errors;</strong><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:180%;" >S</span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;" >ave this query with whatever name you want.<br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:180%;" >N</span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;" >ext time you get something really cryptic, like<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;" ><strong>PL/SQL: Compilation unit analysis terminated</strong></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">O</span>pen the query and run it. It will give you much more useful information.<br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /></span><br /></span></span>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-77639985740278598162009-02-17T14:30:00.001-05:002009-02-17T14:30:30.830-05:00You have GOT to be kidding...<P><FONT face=verdana,geneva size=4>I<FONT size=2> was going to post this yesterday, but was too angry to write it without using expletive after expletive. There is nothing harder to read than a page full of holes.<BR><BR><FONT size=4>I</FONT>received a letter from my bank yesterday, regarding my Line of Credit. The letter explained to me how the bank, such loving caring souls that they are, were going to change my Line of Credit interest rate from Prime + 1% to Prime +5%. They kindly doing this for my benefit, you see, because it's so hard to get credit these days due to the current world economic downturn.<BR><BR><FONT size=4>U</FONT>mm. How exactly does raising my interest rate 4 points translate into something beneficial to me? The argument they use is based on my need to acquire credit. They seem to have forgotten I already HAVE credit, so GETTING credit is not the issue. They are just gouging because they can.<BR><BR><FONT size=4>O</FONT>oo I feel the urge to use expletives again. I had better stop for now.</FONT></FONT></P> thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-83166229038579061202009-02-15T09:20:00.003-05:002009-02-15T09:33:15.074-05:00My Dad - 1927 -2009<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I </span>haven't posted in a while; it seems like forever, to me. When dealing with sickness and loss you experience what </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" ><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" ><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ufologists</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> might call 'lost time'.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">M</span>y Dad was in his 82</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" ><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">nd</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> year. Mom passed away 2 years ago on January 29 2007. Dad passed away January 28 2009. Two years less one day. I suppose one more anniversary of Mom's death just wasn't something he wanted to deal with.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">D</span>ad had been in the hospital for almost three weeks, with pneumonia. Hospitals are not good places to be in, especially if you are sick. I am pretty sure he caught the pneumonia that killed him while in hospital, because after the first week he was actually much better and was being considered for discharge. That did not happen, at least not in the way we anticipated.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">W</span>e tried as hard as we could to keep him around. That included fighting the hospital every step of the way with their 'end of life' </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" ><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">spiels</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">. They want you to sign the 'Do Not </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" ><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Resuscitate</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">' forms about a minute after you show up, whether you've got a hang-nail or are missing large parts of your skull. It is horrifying. What is frightening is that if you start to ask questions about quality-of-life, seriousness of illness, you will find that even the staff reluctantly admit that maybe Do Not </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" >Resuscitate</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> is a bit, how shall we say, excessive. Dad, had he survived, would not have been impaired physically or mentally. He would have needed to move into an assisted-care facility, but that is not a drastic change. It's not like he wouldn't be able to feed himself, or walk, or be able to understand us. It's very complicated and it makes me tired thinking about it, but it seems the hospital wanted us to throw in the towel just because he was 81. Really. And we wouldn't.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">D</span>ad threw in the towel himself. And that makes all the difference.</span></span>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-63208342190201641182009-01-26T08:41:00.001-05:002009-01-26T08:41:16.217-05:00those theiving goats!<P><FONT face=verdana,geneva size=2><FONT size=4>I </FONT>love this </FONT><A href="http://brucemhood.wordpress.com/2009/01/24/shape-shifting-goat-arrested-for-car-theft/" target=_blank mce_href="http://brucemhood.wordpress.com/2009/01/24/shape-shifting-goat-arrested-for-car-theft/"><FONT face=verdana,geneva size=2>story!</FONT></A><BR><BR><FONT size=2><FONT face=verdana,geneva><FONT size=4>T</FONT>he burning question, of course, is why cars?</FONT><BR></FONT><BR></P> thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-84098297160555653872009-01-25T12:16:00.003-05:002009-01-25T12:20:24.486-05:00almost a whole week<span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;">W</span>ell we've had 5 whole days of Obama and the U.S. hasn't started any new wars. I take this as a significant sign of progress.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">O</span>n another note, apparently Dub'ya left a letter for Obama in the Oval Office. I would <span style="font-style: italic;">love</span> to know what it contained. Well, <a href="http://www.thesmokinggun.com">thesmokinggun.com</a>, get to work.</span>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-8837348588245376682009-01-20T10:32:00.001-05:002009-01-20T10:32:03.702-05:00today is the day!Finally, the day has arrived! Mr. Bush no longer has his finger on the button, so to speak. What a frightening administration he maintained. Rumsfeld? Competent? Those two words don't belong anywhere near each other in a sentence, let alone a paragraph. I would be suspect of any document, magazine, newpaper, memo, book that used those two words together in a context where they do not contradict one another.<BR><BR>For the first time in years I feel hopeful about the American people. You elected the right man, the right party. The Republicans never seem to understand that if you shoot at someone, they are bound to shoot back, eventually. Hopefully, the new administration will do a better job of understanding human nature. thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-32565223778353400182009-01-19T09:22:00.001-05:002009-01-19T09:22:04.104-05:00Martin Luther King, Jr. Day<FONT size=1><FONT face=verdana,geneva><FONT size=3>T</FONT>oday we honour a great man in history, Martin Luther King, Jr.<BR><BR><FONT size=3>W</FONT>ell that's not entirely true. Being Canadian, we don't observe the holiday. Personally, I think we should, but seeing as alot of Americans don't bother to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, how can Canadians possibly get on board.<BR><BR><FONT size=3>I</FONT> work for an American-based IT outsourcing company, who does not observe the holiday. I think this is shameful. Martin Luther King, Jr. is the kind of man who has appeared more than once throughout recorded history (the biggie being, oh, Jesus Christ) and still we don't stop to honour his memory. <BR><BR><FONT size=3>P</FONT>eople I know in the U.S. have suggested to me that only Blacks observe the holiday. I was dumbfounded, for two reasons. First, I could not believe what I had just heard. Being Canadian, and well educated, working in a highly diversified environment, I just don't hear racial comments like that. Secondly, I had to suppose there was an element of truth in the statement, which also left me agape.</FONT><BR><BR><FONT size=3>I</FONT> am sure I have more to say about this but I had better leave this topic for now. I am feeling rather ill.</FONT> thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15690744.post-43630153957666071642009-01-18T12:04:00.003-05:002009-01-18T12:10:41.749-05:00apex.oracle.com<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">W</span>ell, I like it. It has been everything they said it would be. I have worked on local installs of 10g + Apex 3.0 and this hosted solution is just the same. Of course, you don't get to create your own <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">workspace</span> or manage the administrative stuff, but you have complete control over your own workspace. The only thing I have not investigated yet is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">LDAP</span> authentication, which you probably wouldn't need to worry about if you are generating public-accessible apps.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span style="font-size:130%;">O</span>ccasionally</span>, it is slow. Yesterday morning, for example, it took over 7 seconds to return 30 rows from a table. This was a <span style="font-style: italic;">select * from t_</span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">xxxxx</span> query, too, to it's not like it had to process <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">a lot</span>. And creating a view took so long I finally just logged out. But when I went back a couple hours later the view was there and worked properly.<br /></span></span>thebadger2014http://www.blogger.com/profile/15884047462559289016noreply@blogger.com0