Jason's Log

HOWTO: Get Juice Podcast client working on Vista

Just in case someone else runs into this problem: After installing and launching the Juice podcast client on Windows Vista, an error dialog was displayed telling me that I should look for the application error logfile 'juice.exe.log' in the installation directory.

Sure enough, the file was there with the following cryptic contents:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "gui.py", line 4, in ?
  File "iPodderGui.pyc", line 3621, in main
  File "iPodderGui.pyc", line 707, in __init__
  File "wx\_core.pyc", line 5301, in __init__
  File "wx\_core.pyc", line 4980, in _BootstrapApp
  File "iPodderGui.pyc", line 1472, in OnInit
  File "iPodderGui.pyc", line 934, in SetLanguages
AttributeError: 'iPodderGui' object has no attribute 'menu'

After a bit of Googling, I discovered that the problem could be fixed by right-clicking on the Juice.exe application, selecting 'Properties' then 'Compatibility'. Check the 'Run this program in compatibility mode for' checkbox and select 'Windows XP (Service Pack 2)' option from the pulldown menu. Press 'OK' and the next time you launch the application, the error should not occur.

Hope this helps someone out there.

Palatine High School class of 1989 Reunion Announcement

Yes indeed, it has now been 20 years for the Palatine High School class of 1989, and the reunion plans are now in place! We'll be getting together on Saturday, October 3rd 2009, which is homecoming weekend. The evening activities kick off at Durty Nellie's at 7:30pm. If you can make it to the football game on Friday night, there will be a special 20-Year Reunion section set aside just for us.

For more information, visit the official reunion website:

http://www.classreport.org/usa/il/palatine/phs/1989/

You can also keep up with the reunion events on the Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=30086384914

You can also purchase tickets to the event at the website for $50 per person. Tickets at the door will be $65. I am definitely planning to attend - just need to get those airline tickets booked.

HOWTO: Determine LivePerson Status using Java

A recent feature addition that I've been working on for Altos Research requires that our server-side application be aware of our LivePerson on-line support status. Although LivePerson provides sample client-side javascript utilities for this purpose, there are times when your sever app just needs to know if your support representatives are online, busy, or offline.

My solution to this comes from a bit of reverse engineering of the javascript library that LivePerson makes available and is described in one of their help documents.

The solution consists of three classes - one of which is a public domain utility named ImageInfo, which is available for download. The first of the new classes written for this is a simple enum type to hold the possible status values:

public enum LivePersonStatus {
    offline, online, unknown, occupied
}

The work is done using a simple class with a single static method - getStatus - which takes your LivePerson account number as input:

   public static LivePersonStatus getStatus(Integer lpNum) {
        if ( lpNum == null ) return LivePersonStatus.unknown;

        URL u = null;
        try {
            u = new URL("http://server.iad.liveperson.net/hc/"+lpNum.toString() + "/?cmd=repstate&site="+lpNum.toString()+"&useSize=true&d="+ System.currentTimeMillis());
            ImageInfo i = new ImageInfo();
            i.setInput(u.openStream());
            if ( i.check()) {
                int width = i.getWidth();
                if ( width == 40 ) return LivePersonStatus.online;
                else if ( width == 50 ) return LivePersonStatus.offline;
                else if ( width == 60 ) return LivePersonStatus.occupied;
                else return LivePersonStatus.unknown;
            }

        } catch (MalformedURLException e) {
            //LOGGER.warn("URL problem with u: " + u);
            return LivePersonStatus.unknown;

        } catch (IOException e) {
            //LOGGER.warn("URL problem with u: " + u);
            return LivePersonStatus.unknown;
        }
        return LivePersonStatus.unknown;
    }

Once the method returns the current status, you are free to take appropriate action. Enjoy.

1989 Palatine High School Senior Brunch Address

Found my original notes in the archives today, and decided to record before it has a chance to disintegrate:

Well, this is it, the end of the year, the last of a decade.
Anow, here we are, eating our breakfast, just itching to graduate.
We're now preparing to celebrate this ceremony we call graduation.

But what is that?

It is a time to laugh? Cry? Shout? Weep? Scream? Sulk?

It's kind of a tough choice. No one ever told us how we're supposed to feel, what we're supposed to say and do. I know on the outside its definitely time to let it all go. All those quiet study hours, test, finals, papers, proposals and outlines.

To hell with it all - all the pressures are gone.

We have nothing to worry about, nothing to remember, no schedule, no lockers, no classes. Because we're done. We made it! But is that all there is to it? Collecting the cards, the cash, the congratulations, the kisses from all our relatives.

For most of us, I doubt it. We've spent too much time here to just shrug our shoulders and walk away. We've won and lost, and we've worked and played the last four years of our lives at PHS. So tomorrow, as we proceed down the aisle, how do we feel? Do we recognize the fact that we're the last of the 80's to graduate?

Of course, it's only human nature to reminisce. I'm sure you've noticed by now how different the yearbook signatures are this year as opposed to years past. No more superficial 'Good Luck's and 'Have a Nice Summer's. Now things have become a bit more emotional - you sit, with pen in hand, trying to put into writing everything you've experienced with your friends. You try to make a statement that will last forever.

You want to say something words aren't very good at expressing - How much you'll miss the high school scene.

Now I don't mean the tests and the finals, or the homework. I mean the games, activities, the dances, the rallies, the victories and the defeats. Because this is the last time for everything - especially for those of use who were involved with PHS. This is the last time we may be able to do all these things we've done.

I know, for myself, that the 2nd of November, 1988 - that will most likely be the last time I ever walk off the game field. Victorious or not. Because it is those things that give this group its identity - "The Class of 89".

So when you march down that aisle, these are the things to remember because "these are the memories that make you a wealthy soul". These are also the memories that will keep the Class of '89 alive, in our hearts and in our minds, forever.