This is pretty neat: Aaron's RSS to Email Aggregator -- it's a python program that pulls information from an RSS feed, formats it, and sends it as a message to a specified email address.
Note that each entry is sent as its own message -- I tested it out on this blog and got 15 new messages (apparently 15 is a magic number, set in the program somewhere).
I've thought this would be fun for getting RSS updates sent to my cell phone (I don't have one of those whiz-bang Internet ready cell phones). Setting it as a scheduled task could provide updates, even when I'm out of the office.
Of course, I don't have THAT critical of a need for any information. But in theory, I could do it.
Here's a doozy of a lesson I learned yesterday.
I have recently been in the habit of using CD-R media as a kind of replacement for floppy disks, for moving files between computers (work, home, laptop, etc). In order to accomplish this successfully, I use Nero Express, and simply select the option to leave the CD open for future writing (uncheck the "finalize the CD" option).
I had almost filled a CD up to capacity with miscellaneous files over the course of a couple weeks. Yesterday, I went to add a 50-meg file to the CD, and was given the message, "In order for this file to fit, the CD must be finalized when the burn is complete. Do you wish to finalize the CD after burning the file?"
I answered yes.
Turns out, that was a stupid thing to do.
What I have discovered is that, after the finalizing process completed, only the batch of files that I had first burned onto the CD (the first session) are now available. Apparently the finalization process wiped out everything burned subsequent to that first burn.
Including, ironically, the 50-meg file that would only fit if the disc was finalized.
Also including, sadly, several files I had subsequently deleted from my system, since I no longer needed them on the hard drive (because, why would I? I had them burned on CD!).
Ouch.
I use the Mozilla Thunderbird program for my e-mail client. Overall, I am very happy with it.
One of the features I enjoy the most is the adaptive junk mail filtering. Also known as Bayesian filtering, the idea behind this type of filtering is to analyze the content of messages as they arrive, and to try to categorize messages as "Junk" or "Not Junk" based on that content. The neat thing about Bayesian filtering is that it "learns" over time, leading (hopefully) to fewer mis-classified messages.
One thing bugs me, however. I receive a number of junk messages with the word "Prescripti0n" in the subject line (spelled exactly that way, with a number zero instead of a letter "o"). For some reason, the Bayesian filter never tags these messages as junk. I've even tried setting up a rule, but it doesn't allow the action for the rule to be "Mark message as Junk".
I keep clicking on the "This Is Junk" button when I get one of those messages... maybe someday it will kick in.
One day a child was sent into the world.
A special child,
A child who had a gift.
He was open,
The open child.
He helped people,
Rich and poor,
Big and small.
He connected us all together.
And suddenly he wasn't a child anymore.
One day the child went east.
The next, west.
Then north.
And south.
Not everyone
realized he was there,
Not everyone recognized his power.
He spoke every language.
He just seemed to fit in.
The open child entered a world of critics and doubters.
A closed world is a better world, they said.
The barriers are there for your own protection.
But others knew better.
They embraced the child.
Nurtured him, watched him grow, until the day he was ready.
A story is told about an orphan.
A boy who belonged to no one.
But the boy was not alone.
He had friends.
He grew fast.
And everyone who worked with him, worked better.
Because the boy who belonged to no one had been adopted, by the world.
(Courtesy IBM)
Blog comments are becoming the new hot targets for spammers. I have received one or two on this blog (though I expect there would be more if more than 6 people actually read it ).
I just discovered a great blog entry, Seven Quick Tips for a Spam-Free Blog. Based on his advice, I have implemented tip 2 -- not linking directly to the comment entry script on the index page.
Some other nice tips are listed as well. A good read for serious bloggers.