The Tech Blog of Ken

Tip: How to set maven heap size

This is one of those things that I keep having to Google.

export MAVEN_OPTS=-Xmx512m

Technorati Tags: maven, memory

Moved!

I mapped my TypePad blog to http://www.kenliu.net. Please redirect your feed readers.

How to install Maven on OS X in 5 minutes

1. Download & install MacPorts
2. Download & install Porticus
3. Start Porticus
4. Search for "maven" in Porticus
5. Click Install
6. Start Terminal type "mvn -v"
7. All done!

Technorati Tags: maven, os x, java, sync

Two way calendar sync between iCal and GCal

Google takes us one step closer to perfect online/offline integration with iCal and GCal sync.

Set it up with my Google Apps for Domains and synched up three calendars. Tried some edits on both sides and they sync up nicely. Thanks Google (and Apple). Now I can use iCal on my Mac and GCal everywhere else (like at work).

I was going to spend money on a commercial solution like BusySync or Spanning Sync, but both had some fundamental turn-offs. Thanks Google (and Apple, for CalDAV).

Technorati Tags: calendar, google, mac, sync

Canon MP530 wakes from the dead

I love my Canon MP530 multi-function printer. I bought it because I just wanted to have a printer that could send faxes, but surprisingly it's become one of my favorite household gadgets.

A few great features:
- Duplex printing
- Batch scanning with the sheet feeder
- Duplex scanning (scan a stack, then flip it, software fixes the order)
- Scans legal sized documents

The usability is so good that I don't hesitate to scan things, even to the point where I routinely archive household documents to PDF. Canon did a great job of integrating the scanning software with the printer. I used to waste a lot of time fiddling around with a flatbed scanner and some quirky scanning software. Without a sheet feeder, it took forever to scan just a few pages. Now, I just drop a stack of documents into the sheet feeder, hit the start button, and a few seconds later I have a PDF.

So the other day, I was pretty sad to discover that my printer would not turn on. I thought maybe the power strip was fried, but after half an hour of plugging and unplugging things, I came to the conclusion that my printer was dead and that I would have to buy another one.

Fortunately, I made a last ditch attempt to Google a solution, and found a CNet forum thread where several people people had the same problem. Turns out that this happens on some printers and the solution is just to unplug the printer for 20 minutes. Half an hour later, I had a working printer instead of a $200 door stop. I hope this post keeps someone else from owning a door stop, too.

Happy belated 30th birthday Internet!

Dear Internet,

Sorry I missed your birthday last month. You've accomplished a lot in 30 years - here's to 30 more years of success!

Ken

Decluttering 2007

things I did to declutter last year:

1) bought a label maker
2) moved the big shredder downstairs by the door (near the mail pile)
3) started a paper recycling pile (also near the mail pile)
4) sorted a closet full of computer stuff into uniform, labeled boxes
5) consistently kept my email inbox under control (thanks merlin!)
6) started digitally archiving documents to PDF
7) purged the household filing cabinet and sorted into properly labeled folders

Warning for PowerPC to Intel switchers: repartition your backup drives

Warning for those going from a PowerPC to an Intel Mac. If you are using an external backup drive to create a bootable clone of your main hard disk, be sure to reformat the backup drive from APM to GUID format. If you don't, you won't be able to boot off of the backup drive if (when) disaster strikes. APM-partitioned drives are known to cause problems with Time Machine as well.

make your own Simpsons avatar

Make your own Simpsons avatar at the Simpsons Movie web site. Not quite as fun as the one on the Wii, but still pretty cool.

awesome: woman tries to buy all the iPhones and gets owned

this is awesome. "No doubt you've seen people all over the country who camped out for hours to get the hot new iPhone. So how did one local guy get the gadget AND eight crisp $100 bills to boot? FOX 4's Steve Noviello watched the money unfold." (via digg)