Shouting Into Space

Be aware of timezones when working with file creation and modification dates. On HFS+ file systems, file creation dates are fairly sturdy. That is, they remain the same through file copies, moves, updates, etc... This behavior is nice because you can safely rely on file creation dates to be "correct".

There is one caveat (that bit fairly recently) when dealing with file creation dates on HFS+ file system. The date is subject to interpretation by the system the file is on. Let me clarify this statement with an example.

If you create a file at 9:30pm on January 1st of 2005, in the Pacific timezone, the file creation date will be: Jan 1, 2005 9:30pm. That's easy enough. You would think you can rest assured that the file creation date of Jan 1, 2005 will be maintained across different systems as long as they are all on HFS+. This is not the case though - here is where the "interpretation" comes into play. Continue reading "HFS+ File Creation and Modification Dates"

As I get older, I realize that college might indeed be wasted on the young. As someone who has always been interested in learning for learning's sake, I took in as much as possible in my (very few) college years. Still, I didn't take with me as much as I would have liked to, in retrospect.

So now that I am wiser and still interested in learning, I jump at opportunities to bolster my knowledge. A co-worker of mine introduced me to The Teaching Company. He has ordered many courses from these people and has always been satisfied. A quick perusal of the catalog revealed many courses that piqued my interests. Continue reading "College is Wasted on the Young"

It's official. I am addicted to Final Fantasy XI. I tried to put it down and play another game but it just didn't work. I played Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne for two months but I didn't cancel my FFXI subscription during that time. This weekend, I saw a little blurb about the "Chains of Promathia" on G4 TV and it started me thinking about FFXI again.

I went ahead and logged in. From that point on my weekend was shot. 12 hours over the course of two days and I am back chasing the dragon... What is with heroin... err... I mean, uh, Final Fantasy XI that makes it so damned addictive? It's no wonder video games are such a lucrative business. This stuff's worse than nicotine. I was able to quit smoking after 13 years. Wonder if it'll take me that long for Final Fantasy XI? That's a whopping $2020.00 :-$ they pull out of me at $12.95 a month. I'm in the wrong business.

I was looking around on the net for information on Philip K. Dick and I found his official website. After looking at his canon of work, I was suprised to see he is such a prolific writer!

Of course, we all know Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and Minority Report. We might know Paycheck and Second Variety, but those only scratch the surface. Check out Dick's site and see what else he has to offer.

Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children, the movie that picks up where Final Fantasy VII left off, will be coming to DVD soon! The Japanese release was slated for the end of 2004 which puts the US release sometime in the first quarter of 2005 (which should be soon). The movie takes place two years after Final Fantasy VII, and appears that it will be true to its predecessor. Continue reading "Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children"