Before I get to that, here’s the syntax:

You could set a default_scope for any number of conditions, but rder is really the only thing that makes sense to me (red flag number one) because nothing else would have fixed conditions for all database queries.

With this default_scope in place, we’re going to get an ORDER_BY ‘name’ ASC added to our SQL query when calling Person.all, Person.old, or Person.young. That’s all well and good until the query gets a little complex–what happens if we specify a different rder in the named scope or in the controller? As you might guess, the default_scope loses out to specifying a different rder in other methods.

Once your query gets complicated with includes and joins, you’ll find that suddenly the defaulted rder option does not show up in your query and all your people are completely out of order.  At that point, you’re back to square one needing to manually specify the order in a separate named_scope or in the controller logic.

The inconsistency here is intolerable, and the code also loses a lot of clarity when it is implemented since it will not work under all circumstances.  Personally, I like rder options visible in the controller (I put just about everything else in named_scopes) because the code stays clear.  Just seems to me that it’s better to leave this method out all together.

For you Mac users out there, I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll find it faster and more friendly than FireFox, but give it a try for yourself.

Plus, it’s perfect for the web services that I’m continually developing.  I haven’t worked on a single project recently that doesn’t need file upload/storage in some capacity, so it just makes perfect sense to store all of this data on Amazon’s infrastructure.  I don’t have to deal with backups or bandwidth, I just set it and forget it.

As a developer, you’re really adding a substantial amount of work if you plan on setting up MogileFS, GFS, or HDFS or even NFS (yuck) to store data on your own server(s).  If you’re a startup we both know you have a lack of engineers available to manage it, and I guarantee you’ll sleep better at night with the certainty that your files and your clients’ files are safe and secure.  Plus the initial cost of setting up your own would be nothing short of outrageous.

Cost may seem like a caveat.  At $0.15/GB per month the cost can definitely become substantial, particularly if you’re just using it for personal storage (500GB = $75 / month).  But what’s it worth to know that all your family photos are stored and redundant?  Your music collection is ready for playback even if your house blows up (you never know). The files that your clients expect you to have on hand are deliverable within minutes over the Internet.

It’s not enough for me to have an external hard drive on my desk backing up my data.  My stuff is too important for that.  I’m guessing you think yours is too.

A few recommended ways to get your hands dirty with S3: try Transmit, Drop Box, or S3Fox.

And coming up in the not too distant future: ZTicket - open source helpdesk software on Rails.

If you’re wondering, video production/editing is out. I think I’m capable, but it’s just not what I want to do: dealing with quality control and holding onto tapes from a one-time event makes me nervous and is just too much for one person. Additionally, the volume of projects that I can take on is directly related to the number of people available to do the work, so the money coming in can max out quickly.

Ideal: I want to start an IT consulting company (preferably with a buddy/partner) that specializes in high-end networking (the stuff that the in-house IT folk do not know how to do) and that eventually has online web presence for remotely fixing individual computer issues — all done while on the golf course (ok not really about the golf, but that’d be way cool).

So that’s that. And if you have any ideas for company names, I’m all ears.

I’d like to introduce you to Mozy, the coolest backup solution I’ve come across. It’s $5 / month per computer for unlimited backup space, and it’s all stored securely in a remote data center, so there is no way you will ever lose your documents, music, photos, favorites, etc. You can try it for free (you get 2GB storage for free), but I absolutely give it my stamp of approval above all the other backup solutions out there.

How does it work? You install a tiny piece of software on your computer, you choose what you want to back up, and it continually backs up your computer while it is idle and connected to the internet. Depending on the amount of information you are backing up, the initial backup can take several days to weeks to complete, but then it does incremental backups, only backing up the items that have been added or changed. But you don’t have to worry about it, it just works its magic when you’re not using your computer.

I know from recent events that the majority of people do not take the time to back up their data, and it’s completely devastating to lose it all. I’ve been the bringer of bad news to 3 people in the past few months that they have permanently lost their data. No fun. Setting this up will take less than 20 minutes of your time, and you don’t have to look at it again unless something happens to your computer. If for some reason you need help getting it working, hit me up and I’d be happy to help. Then if the time comes, I can give you the news that your data is completely recoverable. It’s available for PC and Mac, just give it a shot.

**Update** The form to contact me directly from the website is back up, hopefully written a little better to avoid having massive spam issues with it. Just click “Contact” at the top-right of any page. If you want to comment on anything written on the site, use the commenting feature, but keep in mind that whatever you say will be posted for anyone to see!

**Update** Movie showtimes can now be accessed by typing in your city and state or zip code and choosing the Movie Showtimes option in the Google Search menu.