First, you’ll need SSH access to your box. For security reasons, all Dropbox files will be kept outside of the public_html folder.

1.) Login via SSH to your box.

2.) mkdir ~/dropbox-exec

3.) cd ~/dropbox-exec

4.) wget -O dropbox.tar.gz "http://www.dropbox.com/download/?plat=lnx.x86"

We created a directory, navigated to it, and downloaded the latest 64-bit compliant Linux source for Dropbox.

5.) tar -xvzf dropbox.tar.gz

6.) rm dropbox.tar.gz

7.) ~/.dropbox-dist/dropboxd

Now we unzipped the tarball, removed the original compressed file, and executed the main Dropbox script.

8.) You’ll get a message like:

This client is not linked to any account… Please visit https://www.dropbox.com/cli_link?host_id=xxxxxxxxxx to link this machine.

9.) Copy and paste that link into a browser and navigate there. This essentially “links” your shared host to your Dropbox repository.

10.) BlueHost periodically terminates the Dropbox process, so I added a cronjob (under CPanel) to keep the process running every 5 minutes. The cron command will simply be the path to your dropboxd script. For example: /home/fill-in-your-username/dropbox-exec/.dropbox-dist/dropboxd

You’ll notice that under your root directory (/home/username) you now have a “Dropbox” folder with all the contents of your repository. Now you can throw things into the cloud whenever you want. For example, I have a simple PHP script which backs ups and optimizes my WordPress SQL databases every day, eliminating the need for a resource-hogging plugin and giving me the piece of mind that my database is stored in more than one place.

Let me know if this guide helps and/or if you have any questions!

Before beginning, you’ll need to have SSH access to your server for compiling the APC module and have your php.ini file accessible (usually directly under public_html). Once you’ve SSHed into your box, execute the following commands in order.

1. cd ~
2. mkdir modules apc
3. cd apc
4. wget http://pecl.php.net/get/APC-3.1.8.tgz
5. tar -xzvf APC-3.1.8.tgz
6. cd APC-3.1.8
7. phpize
8. ./configure --enable-apc --enable-apc-mmap --with-apxs --with-php-config=/usr/bin/php-config
9. make
10. cd modules
11. mv apc.so /home/BLUEHOST-USERNAME/modules

Steps 1-6 create the necessary directories we’ll be using, download the latest stable APC file, extract it, and point to the directory.

Steps 7-9 compile the APC module according to the PHP version your server is running.

Steps 10-11 move the newly compiled module (apc.so) to a readily accessible directory which we will define in our php.ini file.

Now FTP into your box, create a backup of your php.ini file (/public_html/php.ini) and proceed to edit the original php.ini with a text editor program (ie, Wordpad for Windows, TextEdit for Mac OS X, Gedit for Linux).

Using the “Find” function, search for “extension_dir.” Place a semicolon before the line to comment it out, and copy and paste the following code in the next line. Change “BLUEHOST-USERNAME” to your username.

extension_dir = "/home/BLUEHOST-USERNAME/modules"

Note that this step will knock out any other modules which are loaded from the default extension_dir path. I haven’t found a way to load APC otherwise (as a zend_extension, for example).

Next, search for “Windows Extensions” in your php.ini file. You will see a list of directives preceded by semicolons. Copy and paste the following set of parameters above the “Windows Extensions” line to configure APC.

extension=apc.so
apc.enabled=1
apc.ttl="7200"
apc.user_ttl="7200"
apc.shm_size="64"

Finally, save and upload your php.ini file back to your public_html directory. You’ll need to restart your FastCGI engine, so log into your CPanel, find “Process Manager” under the “Advanced” header, and kill off any /ramdisk/bin/fcgiphp5 processes. Once they’re dead, navigate back to your site (this will automatically “restart” the FastCGI process and incorporate APC into the engine).

To verify that APC is indeed loaded, create a phpinfo file, and navigate to it via a web browser. Scroll down and look for an APC section.

If you’re a WordPress user, be sure to download the APC Object Cache Backend to your computer, extract it, and move the object-cache.php file to your server directly under the /wp-content/directory (note, this should not be installed like a regular plugin since those are installed under /wp-content/plugins/)

Though I haven’t run any official benchmarks comparing APC to XCache and eAccelerator, the very fact that it’s incorporated into PHP6 and seems to currently have more active development were good enough reasons for me to switch over.

Right off the bat, this kit comes with everything you need – the actual paste, sandpaper, and a polishing cloth. Because my headlamps were extremely dirty, I spent extra time with the sandpaper removing whatever filth I could with some water and a dry cloth.

Per the instructions, I then applied some paste, buffed it away with the included cloth for a minute or two, and then repeated the instructions with the other headlight. The entire process took roughly five minutes per headlight, but I plan to regularly clean them from now on.
The Quixx product definitely brought my headlamp covers back to factory condition. I didn’t think to take a “before” picture, but here’s an “after” picture of the driver-side headlight.

Overall, it was $10 well spent. I’ll be returning to the hospital tomorrow (off today for MLK Day), so I’m excited to see how much my driving experience has improved.

This module works by “hijacking” the prewiring intended to be used for a multidisc changer. As embarassing as it is, out of the 45 minutes it took me to install the device, a solid 20 minutes went into searching for these wires. I was flying blind with my fingers trying to separate out cables until I found the right 3 pin and 6 pin connectors. The rest of the installation was straightforward. I passed the module cable from the trunk into the cabin via the rear passenger speaker cutout. Using the molding to hide the cable, I was able to route it to my console (where the SPEC PA12 module currently resides), and then pass the iPod and auxiliary cables out near the cigarette lighter.

So how’s the iPod’s sound quality? Well, quite frankly, it’s fantastic! The track title and artist properly display on the console, and I can use the toggles to skip through songs in a given playlist. The only drawback to this set up is that the CD player will no longer function. That’s fine though, because now I’ve got hundreds of songs at my disposal and a much more enjoyable commute. I just wish I made this investment years ago!

I’ve uploaded a few more pictures of the install process here.

1. Go to Spotlight (press the “command” key and spacebar concurrently)
2. Type “Disk Utility” and launch it.
3. On the left panel, highlight your main OSX partition (probably labeled as “OSX”, “Data”, or your name).
4. Now on the right side, look for the “repair disk permissions” option. Click this, wait a few minutes, and then restart your computer.

If you’re more technically-inclined, I recommend installing Onyx. Through Onyx, you can verify your startup partition, clear various caches, tweak some minor program settings, and also repair disk permissions (as illustrated above in Disk Utility). Download Onyx from Apple’s website.

All you’ve gotta do is download Monolingual, run it, select the “Languages” tab, and select the languages you want to delete. Keep in mind that this is a permanent thing. If you want to reinstall languages, you’ll have to reinstall the operating system entirely, so don’t accidentally delete your primary language.

Depending on the size of your application library, this process can save gigabytes of space.

So how do you review a solid state disk? I think it boils down to only thing – speed. After all, what’s the point of spending so much more compared to a traditional platter drive if the read/write speeds are comparable? All solid state disks tend to offer more reliability and less power consumption since there are no moving parts, but they greatly differ on I/O.

Here’s an excerpt from an XBench benchmark conducted on my Intel quad core workstation:

The numbers of interest are in the far right margin. Though I didn’t do a benchmark on my original boot drive (320 GB, 7200 rpm platter), it’s safe to say that this SSD blows it away. And for ~$100, I think the added reliability and speed is well worth the cost.

Here’s a possible solution (keep in mind that the process of flashing video cards has potential risks, and I’m not responsible for a.) ruining your card or b.) the process not working). This is merely another option for you to try.

Assumptions

1. You’re running Netkas’ PC EFI v 10.6 as your bootloader.
2. You don’t have any keys/strings in the com.apple.Boot.plist file (under the bootloader’s “Extra” folder) which try to load a specific ATI rom. In other words, you don’t have any “-useATIrom” flags.
3. Third, your XFX 4890 card has two DVI outputs and one S-Video output. HDMI outputs will not work.
4. You’ve updated your computer to 10.6.2. With this assumption, I’m hoping you followed Netkas’ guide to update the sleepEnabler kext (the 10.6.1 version will not work with 10.6.2).

Process

1. Boot OSX in safe mode by highlighting the Apple icon on the bootloader screen and typing “-x” followed by the return key.
2. Once you’re at the desktop, download the 10.6.2 combo update from Apple’s site. This may take a while depending on your Internet connection.
3. Download Cindori’s Zeus flashing utility.
4. Download the XFX 4890 EFI rom (link to rom).
5. Download Netkas’ quartz enabler package for 10.6.2.
6. Launch Zeus, and click on “Browse” under the ATI tab. Navigate to the XFX 4890 EFI rom, select your OS (Snow Leopard), and click “Flash.”
7. After successfully flashing the card, install the 10.6.2 combo update. When the installation is finished, you’ll be prompted with a screen to restart. At this point, install the quartz enabler package. Only after this is also complete, then it’s okay to restart.
8. Boot into OSX as you normally would, except this time, with your fingers *and* toes crossed. The graphics card should be recognized and operate with dual screens (both DVI with no DVI-VGA converter).

If you have any questions, please leave a comment and hopefully I’ll be able to address them. Usually I just edit kexts or build my own, but this process worked for me, and hopefully it’ll work for you too.

1. Rename the zip file to “update.zip”
2. Connect your Droid via a compatible USB cable to your computer
3. On the Droid device, select “Mount” (so that your SD card is now accessible)
4. Drag the update.zip to the top level of your SD card
5. Completely power off the Droid
6. Restart the Droid while holding down the “X” key
7. When you see a “/!\”, press both the “camera” key and the “increase volume” key.
8. Use the onscreen menu to install the update you dragged to your SD card.

It’s recommended that you root the Droid after the 2.0.1 update is installed (otherwise you’ll root, update to 2.0.1, and then have to root again). Also be sure to check out DroidForums for more info regarding this topic.

This is made possible by brothercake’s docking boxes JavaScript. I’ll show you how to port this feature to your StudioPress/Revolution WordPress theme.

First, you need to download the script package here. Upload dbx.css, dbx.js, dbx-key.js, and the images folder to your theme’s directory (where header.php, footer.php, comments.php, etc. are located).

Next, in your theme’s header.php file, place the following code after the <body> tag:

<script type="text/javascript" src="dbx.js"></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="dbx.css" media="screen, projection" />

Then in your footer.php file, add this code before the <body> tag:

<script type="text/javascript" src="dbx-key.js"></script>

The code additions above load the necessary docking box files (two JavaScript files and one CSS) into your theme. Now navigate to your Widgets manager and add a new text widget. This widget will contain all your docking box code. At this point, I should note that it’s a good idea to have a plugin like Exec-PHP installed so you can call the PHP functions which will generate your recent comments, recent posts, blogroll, etc.

In your newly created text widget, you will need to follow the code format below to generate your boxes. It’s pivotal that you retain the “dbx-group”, “dbx-handle”, “dbx-box” and “dbx-content” classes as these are tied to both the stylesheet and JavaScript. The code below is a sample which will display my blogroll (links).

<div class="dbx-group" id="purple">
<div class="dbx-box">
<h2 class="dbx-handle" title="Blogroll">Blogroll</h2>
<ul class="dbx-content">
<?php wp_list_bookmarks('categorize=0&title_li='); ?>
</ul>
</div>
</div>

The “dbx-group” class will encompass all your boxes. To generate additional boxes, create more “dbx-box” calls. For example:

<div class=”dbx-group” id=”purple”>
<div class=”dbx-box”>
<h2 class=”dbx-handle” title=”">BOX 1</h2>
<ul class=”dbx-content”>
<?php SOME_PHP_FUNCTION FOR BOX 1 ?>
</ul>
</div>

<div class=”dbx-box”>
<h2 class=”dbx-handle” title=”">BOX 2</h2>
<ul class=”dbx-content”>
<?php SOME_PHP_FUNCTION FOR BOX 2?>
</ul>
</div>

<div class=”dbx-box”>
<h2 class=”dbx-handle” title=”">BOX 3</h2>
<ul class=”dbx-content”>
<?php SOME_PHP_FUNCTION FOR BOX 3 ?>
</ul>
</div>
</div>

Leave a comment if you have any questions!