EPKPhoto's Tidbits http://blog.epkphoto.com The personal blog of Eric Kerby Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:26:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Sweet concept for Firefox mobile http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/06/13/sweet-concept-for-firefox-mobile/ http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/06/13/sweet-concept-for-firefox-mobile/#comments Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:26:34 +0000 Eric Kerby http://blog.epkphoto.com/?p=194 cool description and video of a concept for Firefox on a mobile platform. The post is by Aza Raskin, the Head of User Experience at Mozilla Labs. As you saw in my last post, I'm excited to move to a more powerful pocket mobile device (like the iPhone), so I would love for Firefox to be a part of that. Watch the video...the concept is pretty interesting.]]> As I parsed through my various news of the day, I ran across this cool description and video of a concept for Firefox on a mobile platform.  The post is by Aza Raskin, the Head of User Experience at Mozilla Labs.  As you saw in my last post, I'm excited to move to a more powerful pocket mobile device (like the iPhone), so I would love for Firefox to be a part of that.  Watch the video…the concept is pretty interesting.

]]> http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/06/13/sweet-concept-for-firefox-mobile/feed/ Sprint contract expiring soon http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/06/12/sprint-contract-expiring-soon/ http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/06/12/sprint-contract-expiring-soon/#comments Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:30:17 +0000 Eric Kerby http://blog.epkphoto.com/?p=193 iPhone 3G) will be available in just under than a month from now. Unfortunately, that would require my family to switch from Sprint to AT&T...so we'll see what happens.]]> After a couple hours of politely arguing with multiple Sprint representatives a couple weeks ago, I was able to correct an error that extended my family's Sprint wireless contract for another year.  So, our current family plan will expire on our three phones by the end of this month.  That may mean I will be in the market for a new phone shortly.  Thanks to my impeccable technology purchase timing, it just so happens that a newly revised iPhone (the iPhone 3G) will be available in just under than a month from now.  Unfortunately, that would require my family to switch from Sprint to AT&T…so we'll see what happens.

]]> http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/06/12/sprint-contract-expiring-soon/feed/ On the way home http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/05/25/on-the-way-home/ http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/05/25/on-the-way-home/#comments Sun, 25 May 2008 04:29:18 +0000 Eric Kerby http://blog.epkphoto.com/?p=192 Yet another year at RIT has come to an end.  After an adventurous time storing furniture in Rochester and loading my car to its brim, my Dad and I are on our way back home to Virginia.  Overall, my third year at RIT was an excellent one.  Now that summer is about to begin, I am ramping up for a 10 week experience working for the FBI.  In about a week, I will be moving again to Alexandria, VA.  From there I will be able to commute to FBI headquarters in DC and the FBI Laboratory in Quantico.  I am truly looking forward to this experience working for another goverment agency, which may eventually turn into a career.

I also have quite a few personal projects planned for the summer.  I want to make a couple of my web development projects publicly accessible, do some more remote work for NASA and the RIT Honors Program, experiment with all sorts of things on my Linux servers, and better develop my photo printing skills and choice of inkjet papers.

]]> http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/05/25/on-the-way-home/feed/ New Design is Live http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/05/12/new-design-is-live/ http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/05/12/new-design-is-live/#comments Mon, 12 May 2008 06:08:39 +0000 Eric Kerby http://blog.epkphoto.com/?p=191 epkphoto.com! The home page is pretty much set for the time being, but many of the other pages have quirks that I will be ironing out over the next week or two. Going from a totally dark, black layout to this new bright, white layout comes with a lot of changes, so I appreciate your patience as I fix everything. Let me know what you think of the new look!]]> As promised, I have implemented a new design on epkphoto.com!  The home page is pretty much set for the time being, but many of the other pages have quirks that I will be ironing out over the next week or two.  Going from a totally dark, black layout to this new bright, white layout comes with a lot of changes, so I appreciate your patience as I fix everything.  Let me know what you think of the new look!

]]> http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/05/12/new-design-is-live/feed/ New site design coming soon http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/05/09/new-site-design-coming-soon/ http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/05/09/new-site-design-coming-soon/#comments Fri, 09 May 2008 14:18:16 +0000 Eric Kerby http://blog.epkphoto.com/?p=190 epkphoto.com. The new design is nearing completion, so I felt it may be a good idea to post this little warning before I make it live. So, in the next few days, don't be surprised if you come to epkphoto.com and the site looks totally different. This new design will include a white background, so that will likely be the most shocking aspect of the change. Most of the content will be in the same places, so don't worry about me dropping any sections or radically moving around pages. Think of this as a simple visual refresh :).]]> In a couple spare hours recently, I have been working on a total makeover of the visual presentation of this website, epkphoto.com.  The new design is nearing completion, so I felt it may be a good idea to post this little warning before I make it live.  So, in the next few days, don't be surprised if you come to epkphoto.com and the site looks totally different.  This new design will include a white background, so that will likely be the most shocking aspect of the change.  Most of the content will be in the same places, so don't worry about me dropping any sections or radically moving around pages.  Think of this as a simple visual refresh :).

]]> http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/05/09/new-site-design-coming-soon/feed/ Server upgraded http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/04/29/server-upgraded/ http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/04/29/server-upgraded/#comments Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:10:05 +0000 Eric Kerby http://blog.epkphoto.com/?p=189 Ubuntu, aka 8.04 Hardy Heron. The upgrade was not without its flaws, but thanks to some significant planning and test upgrades on my part, I was able to pull it off with limited server downtime. This experience was much improved from my last upgrade about 6 months ago. Fortunately, the server is running smoothly now...you probably didn't even notice the change. In the larger scheme, though, it looks like Canonical, the folks behind Ubuntu, are pushing hard to prove that their Linux offering can hold rank with products like Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise. That makes me happy because Ubuntu has been powering my public web and email server for more than one and a half years now, and I do not see that changing anytime soon.]]> This past weekend, I upgraded the server that runs this website to the latest version of Ubuntu, aka 8.04 Hardy Heron.  The upgrade was not without its flaws, but thanks to some significant planning and test upgrades on my part, I was able to pull it off with limited server downtime.  This experience was much improved from my last upgrade about 6 months ago.  Fortunately, the server is running smoothly now…you probably didn't even notice the change.  In the larger scheme, though, it looks like Canonical, the folks behind Ubuntu, are pushing hard to prove that their Linux offering can hold rank with products like Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise.  That makes me happy because Ubuntu has been powering my public web and email server for more than one and a half years now, and I do not see that changing anytime soon.

]]> http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/04/29/server-upgraded/feed/ Listen to Al Gore…I mean it http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/04/10/listen-to-al-gore-i-mean-it/ http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/04/10/listen-to-al-gore-i-mean-it/#comments Fri, 11 Apr 2008 02:02:07 +0000 Eric Kerby http://blog.epkphoto.com/?p=188

A man who needs little introduction these days is Al Gore. I have been following his more recent efforts to give the world a wake-up call on the climate crisis we face. Recently he presented his latest set of slides and motivational words to an audience at a TED conference in Monterey, California. Please, no matter what your attitude toward climate change, take a few minutes to watch the video I included with this post.]]>

A man who needs little introduction these days is Al Gore.  I have been following his more recent efforts to give the world a wake-up call on the climate crisis we face.  Recently he presented his latest set of slides and motivational words to an audience at a TED conference in Monterey, California.  Please, no matter what your attitude toward climate change, take a few minutes to watch the video I included with this post.

]]> http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/04/10/listen-to-al-gore-i-mean-it/feed/ Photos from Europe http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/04/08/photos-from-europe/ http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/04/08/photos-from-europe/#comments Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:26:48 +0000 Eric Kerby http://blog.epkphoto.com/?p=187 CIAS Honors in Europe. Right now, the first 2 days worth are there for your viewing pleasure. Eventually, I hope to leverage the functionality of my hand-coded gallery system to include tags or descriptions under most of the images to give you an idea of what we saw. The trip was amazing, so keep checking back for new photos to be added!]]> If you had not guessed, I returned safely from my 10 day spring break leadership trip to four cities in Europe.  I have been editing my photos from the trip as I have had the chance.  Sorry for the delay, but to say the least I've had a lot going on lately ;-).  As I finish them, I am posting the photos in this gallery: CIAS Honors in Europe.  Right now, the first 2 days worth are there for your viewing pleasure.  Eventually, I hope to leverage the functionality of my hand-coded gallery system to include tags or descriptions under most of the images to give you an idea of what we saw.  The trip was amazing, so keep checking back for new photos to be added!

]]> http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/04/08/photos-from-europe/feed/ In Europe… http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/29/in-europe/ http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/29/in-europe/#comments Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:44:13 +0000 Eric Kerby http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/29/in-europe/ This is a quick post since I'm about to head out the door.  I'm going to be traveling in Europe for the next 10 days.  If you need to reach me, it will probably have to wait.  I will return on March 10th, and that is the first time I can guarantee I'll be able to check email and voicemails.  This trip is sure to be a blast.  A group of us from the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences are going to Prague, Dresden, Krakow, and Budapest.  I'll be sure to take tons of photos and tell you all about the trip when I get back!  In the meantime, I'm going to be off the grid, so wish me luck :)

]]> http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/29/in-europe/feed/ +1 for Canon's Customer Support http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/27/plus1-for-canon-customer-support/ http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/27/plus1-for-canon-customer-support/#comments Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:13:18 +0000 Eric Kerby http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/27/plus1-for-canon-customer-support/ Canon PIXMA Pro9500 inkjet printer in my apartment since mid-January. I am very impressed at the quality of this printer, and it has done its part to re-energize my desire to create prints of my photographs in addition to displaying them in digital formats. A few weeks ago, however, the printer began reporting ink tank errors. It started with the Photo Magenta and Yellow cartridges. Eventually, the errors on those two cartridges would no longer allow me to print. I called Canon's customer support center and after speaking with the representative for a few minutes, they sent me two replacements in a few short days. Last week, however, the Green tank began reporting errors. I called Canon again, and the representative arranged for a total replacement of all 10 of my ink cartridges. That's no small replacement considering these buggers cost $15 each. On both occasions the hold time was very short and the representative was kind and helpful. Not to mention I found out on the second call that their support center for all of the United States just happens to be located in my home town of Chesapeake, Virginia! Thanks for your great support, Canon. The box of new ink arrived yesterday, and I'm back up and printing.]]> I have had a Canon PIXMA Pro9500 inkjet printer in my apartment since mid-January.  I am very impressed at the quality of this printer, and it has done its part to re-energize my desire to create prints of my photographs in addition to displaying them in digital formats.  A few weeks ago, however, the printer began reporting ink tank errors.  It started with the Photo Magenta and Yellow cartridges.  Eventually, the errors on those two cartridges would no longer allow me to print.  I called Canon's customer support center and after speaking with the representative for a few minutes, they sent me two replacements in a few short days.  Last week, however, the Green tank began reporting errors.  I called Canon again, and the representative arranged for a total replacement of all 10 of my ink cartridges.  That's no small replacement considering these buggers cost $15 each.  On both occasions the hold time was very short and the representative was kind and helpful.  Not to mention I found out on the second call that their support center for all of the United States just happens to be located in my home town of Chesapeake, Virginia!  Thanks for your great support, Canon.  The box of new ink arrived yesterday, and I'm back up and printing.

]]> http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/27/plus1-for-canon-customer-support/feed/ Fedora on the MacBook Air http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/23/fedora-on-the-macbook-air/ http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/23/fedora-on-the-macbook-air/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2008 01:11:45 +0000 Eric Kerby http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/23/fedora-on-the-macbook-air/ MacBook Air. It was not a small undertaking since this computer is essentially hot off the press with several brand new internal components that are not yet natively supported by Linux. So, here are a few pieces of advice to help others: First attempts at Fedora 8 on the MacBook Air. I hope many more people try out Linux on the MacBook Air over the coming weeks and months and give feedback to developers so some of the issues I have seen are ironed out.]]> Call me crazy, but a little under a week ago I installed Fedora 8 as a second operating system on my new MacBook Air.  It was not a small undertaking since this computer is essentially hot off the press with several brand new internal components that are not yet natively supported by Linux.  So, here are a few pieces of advice to help others: First attempts at Fedora 8 on the MacBook Air.  I hope many more people try out Linux on the MacBook Air over the coming weeks and months and give feedback to developers so some of the issues I have seen are ironed out.

]]> http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/23/fedora-on-the-macbook-air/feed/ MacBook Air first thoughts http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/23/macbook-air-first-thoughts/ http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/23/macbook-air-first-thoughts/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2008 00:06:28 +0000 Eric Kerby http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/23/macbook-air-first-thoughts/ MacBook Air, Apple's newest, thinnest, and lightest notebook computer. I can say, without a doubt, that this is the best laptop I have ever seen, used, or owned. It is not the right laptop for everyone, but it fits my needs perfectly. I have little need for extra USB ports or an optical drive while I'm away from my desk. The combination of its beautiful, widescreen, LED-backlit display, its full-size keyboard, and its surprisingly light weight make this computer a pleasure to use and carry around. Despite its thinness, the MacBook Air runs Mac OS X very well. I am using the 1.8GHz processor + 80GB HDD configuration. To be honest, most of my comparisons are against my old 1GHz 12-inch PowerBook G4, but for someone like me, who has a powerful quad-core Xeon Mac Pro as a desktop, the MacBook Air still does an excellent job of holding its own. The computer runs Aperture quite well (I just installed Aperture 2 a couple days ago), which certainly says something given the requirements of that application. This new laptop allows me to be more productive away from my desk without being too much of a burden to lug around. Additionally, it is Apple's most environmentally friendly computer to date. For that, it is worth my money.]]> So, a week and a half ago I received a lovely, little package in the mail.  It was a MacBook Air, Apple's newest, thinnest, and lightest notebook computer.  I can say, without a doubt, that this is the best laptop I have ever seen, used, or owned.  It is not the right laptop for everyone, but it fits my needs perfectly.  I have little need for extra USB ports or an optical drive while I'm away from my desk.  The combination of its beautiful, widescreen, LED-backlit display, its full-size keyboard, and its surprisingly light weight make this computer a pleasure to use and carry around.  Despite its thinness, the MacBook Air runs Mac OS X very well.  I am using the 1.8GHz processor + 80GB HDD configuration.  To be honest, most of my comparisons are against my old 1GHz 12-inch PowerBook G4, but for someone like me, who has a powerful quad-core Xeon Mac Pro as a desktop, the MacBook Air still does an excellent job of holding its own.  The computer runs Aperture quite well (I just installed Aperture 2 a couple days ago), which certainly says something given the requirements of that application.  This new laptop allows me to be more productive away from my desk without being too much of a burden to lug around.  Additionally, it is Apple's most environmentally friendly computer to date.  For that, it is worth my money.

]]> http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/23/macbook-air-first-thoughts/feed/ Getting to know the Kerbster http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/18/getting-to-know-the-kerbster/ http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/18/getting-to-know-the-kerbster/#comments Mon, 18 Feb 2008 05:20:19 +0000 Eric Kerby http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/18/getting-to-know-the-kerbster/ Eric Kerby

At the request of members of the Honors Publicity Committee, I put together a little write-up about myself a few days ago. I had enough fun constructing the article that I'm posting it here for others to read. It is a nice exercise to write about yourself every now and then. Enjoy: So there's this guy named Eric P. Kerby. Some of you know him as that third year honors student who is a VP on council and makes the honors website tick. A few more of you will know him as that CIAS photo tech student with a camera at honors events. So for those of you who want to know more about this tall, red-haired chap, read on. Eric is one of those nutty art students who studies Imaging and Photographic Technology and somehow ends up with a Bachelor of Science degree. In his freshman year at RIT, he began working for ITS to support Macs on campus. He still holds this job and has a knack at making an ailing Mac feel top notch. Last summer he went down south to Hampton, Virginia to be close to home and work at NASA Langley Research Center. Hundreds of photos and a dynamic website later, he returned to RIT to mentor incoming freshmen. In his spare time, Kerby tends to stay busy with way too much web programming. He loves to surround himself with technology that he uses in innovative ways. Somewhere in there he finds time to keep his various Linux servers running at their best, especially the one that drives his website, epkphoto.com. These days you can often find him in his Perkins apartment following the latest environmental issues (you should read his senior high school speech lambasting corn-based ethanol) and listening to podcasts and country music.]]> Eric Kerby

At the request of members of the RIT Honors Publicity Committee, I put together a little write-up about myself a few days ago.  I had enough fun constructing the article that I'm posting it here for others to read.  It is a nice exercise to write about yourself every now and then.  Enjoy:

So there's this guy named Eric P. Kerby.  Some of you know him as that third year honors student who is a VP on council and makes the honors website tick.  A few more of you will know him as that CIAS photo tech student with a camera at honors events.  So for those of you who want to know more about this tall, red-haired chap, read on.

Eric is one of those nutty art students who studies Imaging and Photographic Technology and somehow ends up with a Bachelor of Science degree.  In his freshman year at RIT, he began working for ITS to support Macs on campus.  He still holds this job and has a knack at making an ailing Mac feel top notch.  Last summer he went down south to Hampton, Virginia to be close to home and work at NASA Langley Research Center.  Hundreds of photos and a dynamic website later, he returned to RIT to mentor incoming freshmen.  In his spare time, Kerby tends to stay busy with way too much web programming.  He loves to surround himself with technology that he uses in innovative ways.  Somewhere in there he finds time to keep his various Linux servers running at their best, especially the one that drives his website, epkphoto.com.  These days you can often find him in his Perkins apartment following the latest environmental issues (you should read his senior high school speech lambasting corn-based ethanol) and listening to podcasts and country music.

]]> http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/18/getting-to-know-the-kerbster/feed/ Absentee voting http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/09/absentee-voting/ http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/09/absentee-voting/#comments Sat, 09 Feb 2008 22:42:05 +0000 Eric Kerby http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/09/absentee-voting/ I requested my absentee ballot for the Virginia 2008 presidential primary on February 5th and received it yesterday (the 8th).  I filled it out with a witness present, sealed the multiple envelopes, attached more than enough postage (old stamps from my roommate), and sent it on its way back down south this morning.  If the jolly old USPS does their job right, the ballot should make it back home by the 12th to be counted among that day's votes.  Yay for doing my civil duty.  I hope you other states enjoyed your Super Tuesday.

]]> http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/09/absentee-voting/feed/ Oh boy, Virginia http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/05/oh-boy-virginia/ http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/05/oh-boy-virginia/#comments Tue, 05 Feb 2008 23:57:51 +0000 Eric Kerby http://blog.epkphoto.com/2008/02/05/oh-boy-virginia/ what many Virginians did today to get a laugh. It turns out that some people in the good old Commonwealth missed the message that the Virginia primaries are happening on February 12th...not today. I tell ya', we Virginians sure are a mighty smart crowd!]]> I could not resist posting a link to a humorous tidbit about today's Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses.  Take a look at what many Virginians did today to get a laugh.  It turns out that some people in the good old Commonwealth missed the message that the Virginia primaries are happening on February 12th…not today.  I tell ya', we Virginians sure are a mighty smart crowd!

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