Technology Insights

Ruby Interactive Shell: Clear All Variables That Have Been Set In IRB Session

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The Interactive Ruby Shell, or IRB, doesn’t have a way to clear all variables that I am aware of besides quitting irb and then restarting irb however you can simulate this by invoking subirbs. Subirbs are jobs underneath the main irb session that will allow you to work within irb on different code at the same time without having to stop irb and restart it. So you can load certain gems from the main irb session and not be required to reload them for each subirb. Below are some examples of how subirbs or irb jobs are used.

Technology Insights

Youtube With Fancy Zoom WordPress Plugin Not Working Over HTTPS After FORCE_SSL_ADMIN Set

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I recently installed the Youtube With Fancy Zoom WordPress plugin on one of my personal web sites so I could upload and display videos of my daughters. This plugin allows you to upload videos to the YouTube, reference them in your WordPress admin, and then display them in a nice pop up window on your website. This way they are streamed from YouTube but the person visiting your site doesn’t have to leave your site to view the video. 

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Convert Video Files Such As AVI, MPG, or WMV To DVD Using Roxio Media MyDVD

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I was looking to convert some AVI videos I had created recently to DVD so my neighbor could watch the videos using their DVD player but I hadn’t done this in quite awhile so I began the search for some good open source software. After awhile I realized I had purchased a desktop recently and I figured it may have software installed by default that would convert and burn these files for me. Sure enough Roxio Pro was installed and it has a tool called MyDVD that will not only convert from many media files to DVD but it will also burn during that conversion. Below I describe how to create DVD’s from any type of media file using Roxio myDVD.

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Upgrade A Redmine Project Management Installation That Uses MySQL

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A friend of mine let me know about a vulnerability in Redmine today so I decided to upgrade to the latest stable release. Upgrading Redmine is easy but figured I would log the exact steps I took to upgrade from Redmine 0.8.3 to Redmine 0.8.7. The installation of Redmine I upgraded is running off of a MySQL database. Also the upgrade is easier since it was a minor version upgrade and didn’t require upgrading Rails, MySQL, or Ruby. The requirements for each Redmine version are located here in case you aren’t sure if you have the correct versions of Rails, Ruby, and MySQL installed.

Technology Insights

Sync A iPhone Via Bluetooth With Jeep Grand Cherokee Uconnect

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After setting the time in my sisters Jeep Cherokee I decided I should also connect her iPhone to the Uconnect system via Bluetooth. The Uconnect system will allow you to receive calls, dial calls, etc. verbally in your car so you  don’t have to look a t your cell phone while dialing. The Uconnect system i activated by pressing the button below the rear view mirror in your Jeep Grand Cherokee and I assume that in most cases the button location is similar for other vehicles. Below are two images including a close up of the Uconnect button located to the far left of the buttons below the rear view mirror and a picture of the entire rear view mirror so you get an idea of the buttons location.