One of the quirks about my laptop is that the numpad is accessed by a mysterious [fn] key that doesn’t “show up” internally in Windows. As such, it’s apparently difficult to write commands that use it or any of the features it accesses. Instead of Send {fn}{F7} to decrease the brightness, for example, I’d have to do something more creative.

One of my favorite utilities is WinSplit Revolution, which is especially handy for large displays. Its largest feature is the ability to press Ctrl+Alt+[Numpad number] to quickly move the active window to the desired side/corner of a window. Sadly, Ctrl+Alt+[fn][numpad] on my laptop doesn’t generate a keystroke. So, AutoHotKey to save the day. Read more »

I’ve come across some (okay, a lot of) music that some of you might appreciate on t61. I’ve embedded them for your listening pleasure after the cut.

I’ve tried to categorize it a little bit instead of having fifty embeds in a row. If you particularly enjoy a track, or find this post especially informative, I’d like to know! Read more »

About a month ago, I learned about TheSixtyOne and signed up for an account. However, it took me a while (and a particular Zelda-themed song) to really delve into the site and discover what it had to offer. I’ll attempt to explain its structure and appeal.

First and foremost, this is a music website, not unlike mp3.com in days of yore. Playing music on it “just works” and their interface is very slick. The site integrates several clever social dynamics to keep you engaged and the site interesting. Artists on the site are generally independent musicians or groups, although there are certainly some recognizable names such as Daft Punk, Ratatat, Arcade Fire, CSS, etc. Read more »

This is my final paper for CS 4001, Computing and Society, taught by Michael McCracken. The prompt was to select a topic and write an 8-10 page paper on it; specifically, to form a cohesive argument, taking into account positions from all sides of an issue.

A surprisingly large number of people in my senior-level computer science class had never heard of the DMCA. If you are guilty of this crime of ignorance, it is imperative that you educate yourself on this topic one way or another. Disclaimers: I have given money to EFF, a party involved in this debate. I do not have a law degree. Nevertheless, I am confident in my analysis. Read more »

For a class project in Georgia Tech’s CS 2335, the class was instructed to create a client/server issue tracker with several specific features. We are hosting this project on Google Code, where you can use your favorite subversion client (I prefer TortoiseSVN) to download and enjoy our code.

While creating the project, we ran into several issues, the solutions to which I felt were somewhat non-trivial. Thanks to several blog posts and WPF books, we were able to create a very solid application that received the maximum grade possible. Read more »