ASSP Tweak: Filename in maillog.txt

This is a simple change to ASSP (assp.pl) that places the filename of the email in the maillog.txt
First, find and change the following -- it's around line 2578 in 1.1.0 or 8046 in the latest release, inside sub Maillog. The bold lines were added. You'll need to restart ASSP to see this take effect.

Now you know exactly which file pertains to your email and you don't have to grep for it in /spam or /notspam

$Con{$fh}->{maillogfh}=$FH;
$Con{$fh}->{mailloglength}=0;
binmode $FH;
# logging filenames
mlog($fh, "'$fn'");


Two Firefox ideas

Here are two ideas for Firefox. They might be mutually exclusive.

1. Large tab. I don't exactly know the whys and wherefores about this, but it'd be, essentially, two levels of tabs. The idea is one of the following:
   
   
   
   1. The current tab above or below the other tabs, with some sort of gap at the place where the tab would be in the other tab arrangement
      
   2. The current tab is blank or small
      
   3. The current tab shows next to Help in the menu (for widescreen, this wouldn't be so bad
      
   4. The current tab is in the status bar.
      
   
   
2. Additional buttons in the current tab. Especially, StumbleUpon Stumble, Thumbs up, and Thumbs down in the tab, not in the toolbar.
   

Well, if anyone reads this and could point me toward the right place, that'd be oh so cool. Thanks!

Friends in weird places

Imagine. Me. You don't know me. Probably. I'm not that interesting to know, unless you like computers, and even then, people who like computers probably don't socialize with others who like computers. I count on one hand the total number of friends I have. No, this isn't a pity party for me -- you should be so lucky to have friends in your circle. I don't particularly have time to spend on friends who live near me. By choice, probably. I make no pretenses about that. Home is safe. I can be able to be comfortable and still have contact with those people who make life worth living.

It amazes me the ability I have to influence other people, both professionally and socially. Not you, gentle reader. That you're reading my blog versus thousands of other whiny rants doesn't mean I'm influencing you. The point is more along the lines of how did I get my relationship information? To be honest, it starts with honesty and a sincere desire to assist people to Make Good Choices.

I have helped people stretch beyond their comfort zone into a social zone, and also have spurred people from inaction to action. Logic is best when it's served cold. Being unattached emotionally from a circumstance can provide a clearer picture over events in other people's lives. I think I'd term it "Perpendicularity" -- being able to see the line without being part of the line. Merely observing won't affect the trajectory, but certainly kibitzing of a sort can bring some positive outcomes. We'll see. As it stands, I'm mostly relying on the anecdotal evidence that when my advice is not followed, things aren't always resolved positively.

Then again, that's kinda the argument about the negativity of God, isn't it? I'm not positing myself in the realm of being God. However, assuming God gives good advice and it's not followed, why would one blame God for the result? I think people don't want to be told things. They simply want to be absolved of their own mistakes. I hope I can better offer prevention than absolution.

My Son's Train Table

I had some fun a few months ago setting up Trent's table. It still is in tact, amazingly, and I thought I'd just show it off for posterity.

Use GIMP to make words follow a path

I'm the least likely of people to show you how to do something on GIMP, but since I figured out how to do it without reading a manual, I thought I'd paste it here.

I figure I'd come up with something that looks like this:

Yeah, well, you can do better, I'm sure.

Start with a blank image large enough to handle the dimensions you need. Use the Path tool (Press B) and click some strange path.

Use the text tool (Press T) and type something appropriate and set the font large enough to be approximately the length of the path. Press the Text along Path button. This might need some trial and error: undo, resize, Text along Path, until the Text fills the path appropriately.


Now that you've got the text as a path, you should be able to delete the text layer that you've created. Your text is now a path. You can do some fun things like paint along path to use the path as an outline, or you can use Path to Selection. Now, use the bucket (Shift-B) for solid fill or gradient (L) across your space and you get something like this: