Jeff Kee's Blog

When timthumb.php returns a 404 Error in Wordpress

Jeff Kee — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:11:23 +0000

We recently migrated some of our websites to a new VPS with Inmotion hosting. After the migration, everything went smooth (pretty much.. but as smooth as a server transfer can be), except one issue – all the timthumb.php scripts were not working well in Wordpress, which meant that blog thumbnails were not generating.

So for example, the following URL returned a 404 error, and defaulted to Wordpress’ 404 page:

http://www.sonikastudios.com/wp-content/themes/sonikas/scripts/timthumb.php?src=/wp-content/uploads/DSC01426-600×337.jpg&w=100&h=100&zc=1&q=100

This happened on this very blog (www.jeffkee.com) as well. So then I went to check other things out, and found out that other .php scripts that run from within the wp-content/themes/ folder were not working either! So, the problem was not just timthumb.php, but rather, all .php files within the folder. I tried restarting apache, and the server. No dice.

So I finally looked into the apache error logs, and bingo:

[Thu Feb 04 01:56:02 2010] [error] [client 174.6.169.139] SoftException in Application.cpp:610: Directory “/home/sonikas/public_html/wp-content” is writeable by others
[Thu Feb 04 01:56:02 2010] [error] [client 174.6.169.139] Premature end of script headers: timthumb.php
[Thu Feb 04 01:56:07 2010] [error] [client 174.6.169.139] SoftException in Application.cpp:610: Directory “/home/sonikas/public_html/wp-content” is writeable by others
[Thu Feb 04 01:56:07 2010] [error] [client 174.6.169.139] Premature end of script headers: test.php

So yes, some servers have more advanced PHP security set up, so that PHP files cannot run from within folders that are writable by others.

Many of us have the common (and bad) habit of setting the permission to 777 for folders that should be writable by our PHP applications. However this is not the case. It must be set to 755, in which the “group” and “others” users cannot write the folder.

The “Premature end of script headers” error happens when the script stops running before it outputs the content type headers and dates etc. In any file served through a browser, the content type and other items are defined even before the first string of the file (for example, ) are fed out. So when this failed, it returned a 404 error, which in turn triggered Wordpress to default to the 404.php error page!

So the lesson here: instead of 777, let’s use 755 for folders that need to be modified/written by your PHP scripts.

I had help from a great guy at StackOverflow.com (username jsalonen). Without his guidance of the server error log locations I would not have figured this out anytime soon. Please see the original question at StackOverflow.com.

Why Be Against The Vancouver 2010 Olympics?

Jeff Kee — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:26:25 +0000

Let’s forget the fact that a group of whiny protesters cannot stop a global event that supports our elite athletes and sponsors, because the high achieving, hard working ones are the ones who have more power and say on what goes on, rather than the opposite. Acknowledging that all the protests and complaining won’t stop the games from happening anyways, let’s explore why it’s somewhat of a self-contradiction, and an illogical thing, to protest the Olympic games. I will dissect the arguments from the anti-Olympic crowd, and present counter arguments. As more arguments come in via comments and twitter, I will keep answering them to the best of my ability.

Argument 1: Healthcare Before Olympics: before we spend more money on Olympic infrastructure and development, we should be able to get our healthcare under control first.

Answer 1: Canada has one of the least efficient public healthcare systems. Putting more money into it is not the answer. Staff are overpaid with little efficiency, and the laws are too loose that it allows us to keep pouring tax money out on those who have no hope or purpose for recovery. A friend of mine told me some stories about the punk ass teens and drug addicted degenerates who pass through the hospital. In many cases, they disobey the doctors’ recommendations to stay admitted in the hospital for a few more days, go out again, and get sick again with pneumonia or other silly things. They do not have the responsible person’s mentality – they think that freedom means to leave the hospital whenever they want to go back to Pigeon Park and do some more drugs and hang out with other homeless garbage. The inefficient regulating of the industry, infrastructure, and healthcare services blindly given out accounts for a higher healthcare cost per capita than France, and other leading nations in this world.

Putting more money is not the answer – clamping down to make it more efficient, and give care to those who will take it properly and deserve it, is the answer. “Healthcare for Everybody” is a dream. Not everybody contributes into society to deserve that much care (which is time and money consuming), so we better wake up from a dreamer left-wing mentality and be more realistic.

Argument 2: We have our own homeless to feed, and other charitable projects to run. Why spend that money on Olympics?

No matter how much money is put in, many of them are completely mentally ill and have no chance of recovery into society. It’s a losing investment. Besides, if our healthcare and other public services ran more efficiently, and we legalized and taxed marijuana, we’d have more than enough money for it anyways. Although, even if we had the extra money, I’d rather see it go to training athletes and develop more small businesses than to the hopeless, I mean, homeless.

Argument 3: Why are we paying for a rich peoples’ party? It doesn’t benefit us.

Actually it does benefit you. And it’s not meant to be a rich peoples’ party – it’s a global event for top athletes, those people who strive for higher performance and discipline, and set a benchmark for the rest of us to look up to. Of course, I know that many hippie protesters are highly intimidated by these superior specimens, so they lash out often. It’s no different from the ugly chic bitching out the hot chics calling them “sluts” when she herself would rather be pretty and wanted.

If it weren’t for the Olympics, the city wouldn’t have put the pressure on the new Skytrain plan. With lack of budget, and with lack of initiative, and opposition, it would have taken years more to get to the next stage of connecting the Canada Line. The improvements on Sea to Sky Highway was stalled quite a bit too – but it was expedited in face of the need for the Olympic transportation. Granville street and other streets were improved. New condos were built in the Olympic village, which will ease the housing supply shortage which resulted in sky rocketing real estate prices.

By having these new transportation initiatives in, we will be saving a lot of gas, and reduce a lot of greenhouse emission from this city, and I think that’s something that even the hippies can appreciate.

Also the number of labourers and contractors who made a hefty income through the Skytrain, stadiums, and other projects would beg to differ that it was a rich mans game. The everyday workers made a very reasonable living on these projects. I’m sure every protester has at least one friend or relative who is employed by a reputable company or government body thanks to the Olympic events.

Argument 4: The amount of traffic havoc in February is something I do not want to deal with, and the park closures etc. are bothering me. I live here.

I’m sure that the last vacation you took to Mexico meant that a whole parcel of natural land on the beach was ripped apart to fit in that all-inclusive luxury resort. And I’m sure that most of the clothing and household gadgets you own were made in China, Guatemala, or some other poor place where the manufacturing costs are lower due to the currency exchange and global trade model. My point is that you’ve reaped enough benefits from foreign nations and foreigners that you haven’t even met. A month of inconvenience in traffic, parking, and transit is nothing compared to that. Be generous to our visitors – why is it so bad to have quarter of a million guests in our fabulous city?

Think about what we’re getting back. Restaurants and other small businesses will prosper greatly from the Olympic tourists. Also, if it weren’t for this Olympic, as I mentioned, we wouldn’t have the new Skytrain yet. This is helping a lot of people commute faster and easier, while reducing emissions. There’s more pros and benefits to this whole thing. How spoiled can we be to make such a big deal of one months’ craziness? It’s a global party. Love everybody, welcome everybody, have a good time with the visitors. It’s a global society now.

Argument 5: I don’t care about the above arguments and logic. Based on my ideology, I will keep protesting the Olympics, as I have for the past 2 years or so.

You’re an idiot. If it weren’t for the protesters who defaced the Olympic clock, VANOC wouldn’t need to put extra security around the venues and other facilities. That would have saved some money for your precious health care and drug addicts on the streets. But no, not realizing that the Olympics, an internationally recognized event, will happen no matter what, you just had to go on and increase the burden on taxpayers. I will also mention here that based on Canada’s income tax system (which is almost communist!!!), the rich people pay a shitload of more taxes than the average person, so really, it’s ok that it’s a rich people’s game. And the rich people’s money that could have been put towards social services are now going towards extra security for the Olympic things.

My First Ever Surgery Tonsillectomy

Jeff Kee — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:07:58 +0000

Tonsillectomy

So for the first time in my life as I can remember, I underwent a real surgery, with full anesthesia and all. Tonsillectomy was the case – I had frequent cases of tonsillitis and related throat symptoms, so thanks to the courtesy of Dr. Amanda Maloney, M.D., now I am tonsils-free.

This is, I suppose, a rather bizarre review to put on my blog – my experience of a surgery. However, it’s a very personal and interesting topic nonetheless, so I won’t hesitate to cover.

9 AM: I arrived with my girlfriend at Mt. Saint Joseph Hospital, on Kingsway, in Vancouver. It’s close to Kingsway and 15th Avenue… around that block anyways. With a couple of pre-surgery questions about allergies (which I am gladly free of entirely), I went onto get my blood tested to make sure it clots. I don’t have hemophilia, so that part went just smooth. My blood work was great. My heart rate was checked. I felt a gush of pride when the nurse asked, “Do you work out a lot?” upon seeing a 48~55 BPM heart rate. My heart is healthy and able to pump more blood on each cycle than the average heart!
11 AM: After the above procedures were done, I had some time to be on the iPhone to take care of some emails and other business. It never stops, surgery or not. At 11 I was finally led into the waiting area, where the surgeon (Dr. Maloney) and the anesthesia specialist came to see me and introduce themselves before the procedure.
11:30 AM: I was finally put in the Operating Room, and the anesthesia doctor started chatting me up. An IV tube was inserted into my left hand (somewhat painful step). Through the IV tube came my anesthetic, while an oxygen mask was put over my face to relax me. The lady engaged me in mindless light conversation about my work, vacation aspirations. I felt my lips go a bit tingly numb, as I felt relaxed. I kept talking, trying to see how long I can stay awake through it. And then… I was out.
12:30 PM: I came back to consciousness. I did not remember (and still do not remember) falling asleep, as it usually is the case. Nobody remembers the precise moment they fall asleep. But in some ways, this was an even more interesting experience. My eyes were sorta sticky with ointment that they often put on your eyes when you go under. I watched as the faces of the nurses flashed in front of my hazily, struggling to come back into full consciousness. This was much different from waking from a deep slumber. However, it did not take long.. or did not seem like it.
1 PM: I had asked for a wet towel to wipe my eyes clear, and I could now see properly. I had sat up a little bit. I suppose I am just always full of energy and eagerness – I was fully conscious in no time, making jokes at the nurses about bringing me margaritas and Playboy magazines. I was given a Metro instead. In an attempt to feel more awake, I engaged in conversation with one of the nurses. It worked well. I was fully back to myself in no time!
1:30 PM: I was removed from the surgery recovery area, and back to the waiting area where I was kept for observation. At that point, my girlfriend was called, so she came back to see me after she went to grab a bite, and some shopping. I felt a bit tired and sleepy again after they gave me a liquid T3 pain killer. I slept probably for a good hour or two.
2:30 PM: Dr. Maloney came by to check up on me – there was no bleeding where my tonsils were removed, and everything seemed fine, she said. I was still to be kept for 4 hours after the surgery to make sure everything goes well.
3:00 PM: I went to the bathroom, and out of curiousity, opened my mouth in front of the mirror to see what it looked like in there. I was shocked to still see the dangling object from the centre of my throat. I thought that was called a tonsil the whole time. And after more careful observation, I noticed that the extra tissue on EITHER SIDE of the little dangling thing were removed. I inquired to my girlfriend about it, and she laughed at how I thought, the whole time, that my uvula was the tonsil. Now I know the difference between a Uvula and the Tonsils: See the Wikipedia page and the diagram on the Uvula and Tonsils.
4:00 PM: I was discharged. The IV pipe was removed from my hand with a slight gush of blood that was quickly stopped. The heart rate monitor was detached. I was fine to go.

Right after the surgery, I was quite chirpy, energetic, and recovering quick. My girlfriend had gone through the same procedure over a year ago – and she was astonished at how fast I was recovering. She commented at how low-energy she was, and how sick she felt, and she was just laying in bed half asleep for a while. Meanwhile, I was wondering why the information booklet said anything about having an adult picking me up after the surgery. I could have driven myself home easily. Instead of going straight home, we went to Safeway to buy some potatoes, ice cream, and other soft food. I made some mashed potatoes (I had to cool them before eating – warm food can rupture the vessels in my throat), and ate some pudding. We watched the new season Premiere of House MD.

However. The pain started getting worse in the evening, and I had a great deal of trouble sleeping. I was awaken every hour or so with pain. I had to drink water, and continuously take the Tylenol/Codeine pills I was prescribed.

Day 2 – despite my drowsiness, I managed to approve a proof at a print shop (Metro Printers in Vancouver, owned by Mike Kyers), and get some housework done. The pain is a bit worse, and my neck/throat area is more swollen with agitation after the surgery. The drowsiness from the Tylenol pills is worse, as I had to increase the dose. I am off to a nap now. That’s my review so far of this surgical experience.

I look forward to NOT having throat infections, and my girlfriend is looking forward to reduced snoring.

Late at night on Day 2, I experienced minor bleeding in the back of my throat, which was quickly stopped with some cold water. No big deal.

Day 3 – I woke up in excruciating pain as I had been asleep for over 5 hours without replenishing the Tylenol 3 in my system.. plus it usually hurts more after hours of inactivity in the throat. After 2 pills, and laying down for a bit, I am able to write this post. My girlfriend had some bad news on the phone at 8AM – nearly 1/3 of the kids in the Elsie Roy Elementary school (school that is a block away from my apartment in Yaletown) are at home with flu-like symptoms, suspected H1N1 line. And I live in a building inhabited with a few of those snoot-dripping children. The odds are totally against me for a bad combination. If I have the flu on top of my surgery, and start coughing and hacking, I may need to be put under anesthesia again to re-cauterize the surgery spot.

I usually don’t buy Lysol because the chemicals are too harsh and it’s not natural to chemically kill all germs on a surface (I usually use natural citrus-based cleansers and they do the trick), but today’s an exception – she will be here in a few hours with the strongest spray bottle of Lysol obtainable in the store, and every surface (including my office) will be wiped down and killed.

The pain is getting progressively worse each day, which is obviously bothering me. But there’s also the fact that I reduced my dosage of the T3s out of concern for my liver – I only take 2 at a time in the morning. T3 is one of those pills that you should try to take less of if you can live with some pain.

Apple Answers to The FCC Regarding Google Voice

Jeff Kee — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:08:42 +0000

Apparently there was some controversy regarding the Google Voice app that Apple did not authorize to put on the Apps store. There were numerous other applications that try to take advantage of the cellular data network to place voice calls, rather than using the regular voice call network (which is limited in airtime, of course, to the users).

It’s not the case in Canada but in the US, most iPhone users enjoy unlimited data through the AT&T network, which really enables iPhone users to get the most out of their smartphone without restrictions. And as you know, cell phone companies most often allocate a few hundred minutes for you to talk each month, and extra usage is charged at however many cents a minute. So this obviously presents a problem: If a VOIP system makes its way into an iPhone app, that means that AT&T will no longer have any significant revenue for voice calls from iPhone users. All talk will be done through the data network anyways.

This is a very interesting dilemma. From a strictly technological point of view, eventually, all voice calls, as well as tv signals and all that, will be transferred through a digital data network. No question about it. So the existence of the Google Voice App, which essentially turns the data network into a voice call network, is a stride towards the future. However, putting aside the natural “anti-corporation” sentiment that most of our modern population has come to adopt, AT & T needs to make some money too, and if by selling iPhones, their revenue goes down in other areas, it’s not a wise business decision.

When Apple rejected the Google Voice application, I’m guessing Google took the issue to the FCC and complained. Rightfully so – their new app, which obviously took a considerable amount of effort and money to build, was simply refused to be put on the shelves (figure of speech – they don’t actually have a single shelf) of the Apps Store by Apple’s decision (and as Google insinuates, a decision influenced heavily by AT & T as well). But from Apple’s perspective, why should they simply allow all VOIP applications? After all it is their product and their intellectual property. And they know that AT & T needs to make money too. Nothing wrong with that either.

Here’s the link to the page which discloses Apple’s answers to the FCC’s inquiry regarding the issue.

And now. Here’s my analysis of some of the questions and answers.

Question 1. Why did Apple reject the Google Voice application for iPhone and remove related third-party applications from its App Store? In addition to Google Voice, which related third-party applications were removed or have been rejected? Please provide the specific name of each application and the contact information for the developer.

Answer: Contrary to published reports, Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application, and continues to study it … it appears to alter the iPhone’s distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone’s core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging and voicemail … In addition, the iPhone user’s entire Contacts database is transferred to Google’s servers, and we have yet to obtain any assurances from Google that this data will only be used in appropriate ways …

Let’s break the answer down. “has not rejected, but continues to study it” essentially is a glorified way of saying “We don’t want it on the apps store”. It’s an excuse. To the explanation that Google Voice greatly alters the original functionality of the phone, it also appears to be an excuse. The whole point of having an open API was to allow more developers to chip in their bit to get more stuff on the iPhone. If each user chooses an application, they are also willingly choosing to improve or change the way they use their handhelds. The flexibility was part of the attraction of the iPhone when it was first released.

Question 2. Did Apple act alone, or in consultation with AT&T, in deciding to reject the Google Voice application and related applications?

Answer: In short, Apple said no, they acted alone in this decision.

This is probably untrue, although hard to prove. And pointless to prove. I think it’s pretty clear what the motivation was to disapprove this app – to prevent AT & T from leaking revenue. They obviously won’t say “We wanted to make sure AT & T, the provider, doesn’t lose out on revenue” even though it’s a true statement, and quite frankly, nothing wrong with it – I’m not so full of bitter resentment towards the “big guys” so to speak. I respect that they should make money and protect their assets, and I wouldn’t have done anything differently had I been the decision maker. And I would have given the exact same answers.

Further in the document, when inquired further about other VOIP applications that were rejected or approved, Apple lists a few others that were rejected. And among the approved, is Skype. One thing to remember about Skype is that calls between Skype usernames are free, but calls from a Skype account to a regular number is still billed by Skype. So in that sense, it’s not much of a threat to AT & T in terms of voice call revenues. So the fact that Apple allowed Skype does NOT demonstrate that they are willing to allow the iPhone to open up phone calls freely through the data network.

Corporate feuds like these are always entertaining to me. Your two cents?

Another Group of Whining Complainers – 10 Bucks Too

Jeff Kee — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:17:23 +0000

Shaw Cable is the predominant cable and internet provider in the downtown Vancouver region, and the other competitor is Novus Communications (and Telus is in the mix too but their market is too small, and we won’t discuss them today). Regularly, an internet/tv bundle would start around $50~$60/mth or so (the precise figures do not matter), but recently, Shaw has launched a marketing campaign to give the services at $10/mth promotional price for a fixed amount of time. I believe it’s 10 months, but again, the precise figures are not the point of this article.

However. Some people took this very seriously, and has launched a campaign called 10 Bucks Too, intending to convince Shaw Cable to offer the same $10/mth promotion pricing to everybody in the serviced areas. They started a website here: http://www.10buckstoo.com/. They claim that the promotion is unfair to be offered only to dwellers in high-rise buildings downtown, and that Shaw is taking payments from other customers to “Subsidize” the ones getting the promotion.

I will note the points and perspectives that the 10buckstoo people are promoting – and counter them with my opinions, facts, and other things that will probably infuriate the average whining, anti-establishment, rebellious, left wing people.

Claim 1: Shaw has specifically asked the CRTC to disallow Telus from throwing promotions that give promotional service prices for more than a 3 month period, as they saw this as an unfair way of competition.

I don’t give a shit if this is true or not, but let’s say it is true. First of all, the CRTC, which exists in order to regulate fair competition within Canada, and to shield Canadian service providers from larger foreign companies, is not doing it’s job. It’s a counter productive agency in my opinion. CRTC is why our cell phone rates are higher, and our cable/internet rates are higher in general, because they protect the industry. This type of regulated protectionism is what drives prices up. Look at the USA. No regulation on the cell phone industry has allowed more competition, and more towers to be built, allowing them to enjoy more data and voice talk in more reception areas for a smaller price each month. A Shaw executive would try to leverage whatever he can leverage in order to get something out of the CRTC if possible, and I don’t blame them for it. I would have done the same thing. Does that mean I would also return the favour? No. It’s a cut-throat business without a soul, and regardless of how some people may call it “evil” or “wrong”, I frankly don’t care. If they want to undercut prices for several months to dry out the competition’s revenue, to me that’s a valid sales tactic. Cruel, but smart, and I applaud the executive who came up with such an idea. I’m sure the Shaw stockholders will give him a handsome bonus.

Claim 2: Shaw takes a 50% margin on most of its customers, and while they offer $10/mth service for the people downtown in the high-rise buildings, the rest of the lower mainland is paying full price to subsidize these residents. The offer should be available to everybody.

Novus’ business model is quite impressive and simple. Internet and cable is much cheaper to provide and service in a high-population-density area. It’s much easier to provide 500 lines of service within one city block, than it is to provide it across several large blocks in the suburbs. It costs more to hook up each house, and it costs more to drive out for service on each one. More switches and routers are required to cover the area AND deliver the same internet speed without signal loss. So by concentrating their efforts on downtown, where the high-rise buildings, with great proximity to the Novus office, are located, they are able to provide the service for a much cheaper cost. This applies to Shaw as well. So since it’s cheaper to provide service in the high-rise buildings, it’s easier to give the $10/mth promotion to apartment dwellers, but not so much for house dwellers in the suburbs.

So. Is it “fair” to ask Shaw to provide service at the same rate for all Lower Mainland residents? Absolutely not. If it costs more, they will charge more. If it costs less, they can give the customer a break. If you live in the suburbs, you’ll pay less rent, but you will pay more in gas and internet – that’s just so simple. It’s such a ridiculous idea to feel that sense of entitlement to get the same price as people who live in a different area, with a different service grid for cable and internet. If you got a problem with it, fork out more money and live downtown. Otherwise, deal with the differences. A bottle of water costs more up at the top of the Grouse mountain, because they have to transport the things up there. It’s just natural.

Claim 3: Shaw’s tactic is a Goliath crushing David tactic, and is not fair.

This is similar to claim #1. Canada is not some developing country where new companies need to be nurtured as much. Sure, some help from the government to encourage more competition is great, but how far can we go with it? This is just another left-wing mentality. I believe in open competition more. When I was with Novus, and I had an internet issue at 3AM (and I frequently work late nights), I called the Novus customer service. She took a message. When I asked what they will do about my problem, she said “Tech support does not work at this hour. I take the notes, and will be referred to them when they come in later today.” Novus is too small of a company to be providing these type of services. There’s things where the small business can thrive and do better at, and then there are business that require big money, big HR behind it. Cell phone companies, cable companies are exactly that, and I really don’t see how it is unethical for the big guy to crush the smaller guy. This is business, and that’s how it should be. A smaller company, unable to match Shaw’s 24/7 tech support promise, shouldn’t be artificially kept alive for the sake of saving face towards the “fairness” people. I’m in business. I understand business. If you can squash the competition, then take it.

So what is the solution?

Well as far as I’m concerned, there really is no problem. Instead of spending my time calling into the Shaw customer service demanding my $10/mth promotion, I would probably sit and work some more and make a few hundred bucks more so that the price gap doesn’t really bother me. It’s better to invest ones time in bettering the self, so that they do not have to care about $100/mth more that they spend, rather than complaining about it, and getting all worked up because “it’s the big corporation being a big bully” or whatever. There’s so many people who have this vendetta and blame everything against the big guys, the establishment, etc. I’m not protecting the corporations – many of them are abusive, and in some cases, public action is the only way (for issues such as dumping, over-logging etc.). But protesting against Shaw for a price reduction is really a waste of time.

Also, I’d like to see the CRTC’s powers limited to controlling Canadian content on the airwaves only. If the US carriers such as Comcast, AT & T and T Mobile could come into Canada easily, the competition would spark up, leading the corporations to become more efficient, so they can provide better service at cheaper rates. And no, I’m not one of those people who are out there to protect canadian companies against the US corporations, cause they’re so big and bad.. no, I believe in open Competition. If RIM can sell Blackberries in the US, Comcast can sell us Cable/Internet and Digital phone services.

Critical Mass = Ignorant Mass

Jeff Kee — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 23:32:04 +0000

Few nights ago I was driving downtown, on my way home to cook dinner at home for my father, brother, and other friends. It was an important night for me to get everything done on schedule, and behold, I was stuck in traffic on Thurlow Street. I thought, at first, it must be an accident. I realized soon that it was not an accident, but the Critical Mass bike ride. On the last Friday of each month, these bikers get to the road and ride down in a mass of thousands in order to “raise awareness” for bikers.

Let me tell you why this is a protest that only a spoiled, self-righteous North American trash could have come up with, and why it is a complete waste of time and effort that will only worsen things for bikers and drivers together.

1. Raising awareness by blocking traffic is a bullshit concept to start with, and is for cowardly losers who cannot take direct action, but can only aggravate others. This is a ridiculous trend that I see more and more after I moved to Canada. From bullshit charities such as the 30 hr famine, or “run for [blah blah]“, all this is simply a marketing scam to help people feel self-righteous while corporations leech on the wanna-be good will of people to market themselves as “Socially Responsible”. It does not take a 30 hour famine fest to send aid to Africa – you can just do it. And getting more bike lanes in the city is achieved by means of lobbying the City Hall, and lobbying ICBC to promote more education on bike/car/road safety, rules, and courtesy. The real action takers in this world, who want to see a change, will take proactive means such as entering the world of politics, or speaking up to an MP or an MLA and influencing their votes, as well as publish studies and suggest realistic ways to make things work.

However, the lazy hippies, the self-righteous middle class, or the aggressive yet unsuccessful thuggish portestors are the losers that set out on the street to cause ruckus, and they think that their method of “raising awareness” is some kind of a noble democratic process, when in reality, is a cry for attention and a mere action to make oneself feel involved and important, due to lack of such acknowledgment from other aspect of their lives.

There are more practical, less disruptive, and realistic ways to achieve real change, especially in a civilized country like Canada. If you were in a country like Iran where the government and police force is actually used to rig election results and suppress the freedom of the people, that’s when a civil protest on the street is something that is acceptable. But seriously, while on the other side of the world, people are out on to the streets for freedom of speech and democracy – and we have morons who block traffic for some fucking bike lanes. Grow up and see the bigger picture!

2. The roads were built for cars to begin with, and cars will ALWAYS remain the main method of transportation. So shut the fuck up about “cars get the road to themselves the rest of the month, so it’s OK for us to take it for one short afternoon.” Get with the system, and accept it. I support bike commuting to save on gas, but it’s still an “alternative” and it will never become mainstream. Why? Time is the most precious resource, and I, for one, could NEVER justify getting to my destination slower by taking a bike. Amount of $$$ spent on gas is not important, and soon enough more cars will be hybrid/electric so I frankly don’t care, nor do I think that the measly amount of gas burnt by our cars makes that much of an impact anyways. Also, I do not want to be drenched in rain, or soaked in sweat, when I arrive to my meeting. Even if I had a 9-5 job, I will NOT justify spending extra time and effort to take a shower when I get to work, like some bikers encourage. That is a very unrealistic waste of time in a normal person’s life and it decreases productivity.

Relying on transit to be on time is not an option as long as I can afford a car, and as much as I support use of transit and occasionally do take the skytrain, I don’t consider transit users to be any “better” than me. Transit is a choice I make based on time calculation – if I have to hit Surrey on a Friday afternoon, I’d probably take transit/taxi in a combination to save time. However, transit can never be my main method of transport, as I am quite busy and demanded for with my business needs, meetings, errands, and purchasing/carrying goods. My time is way too precious, and so is many other peoples’. I cannot justify getting into a vehicle that will make a stop every other block for everybody else. If I need to go from point A to B, my time should not be wasted on any other stops (except for picking up a bite), unless the circumstances call for taking the train/bus/aquabus(on False Creek) instead of transit.

Cars are larger, heavier, stronger, steadier than bikes. Putting aside all qualms about bikers’ rights and drivers’ rights, it makes more logical and safe sense to put cars as the priority entities on a road, and have the bikes work around it most of the time. Cars are also faster than bikes. If bikes became the main entity of the road, it would slow down traffic so much that the gas savings slip away as the cars idle for longer as they travel at slower paces. It’s not that I do not respect bikers’ rights – but because I care for their safety, I will say this – the cars HAVE to remain the main entity of the streets. Bikes should be limited to where there is enough space and room on the shoulder, or where there are designated bike lanes. Even then, the bikers need to exercise caution and defensive riding for their own safety. It’s easy to miss a bike coming up a blind spot.

3. Just because you ride a bike and save gas doesn’t make you “better” than the drivers. When I see bikers on the streets in general, some of the more hardcore ones seem to display this attitude of “I’m on a bicycle and I’m saving the planet, so I’m more important than you.” attitude. That is such a load of bullshit. It’s merely a choice, and it doesn’t make you any better than me cause I drive all the time. It’s a personal choice. Besides, most of the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that cause global warming are not spat out from cars, but mostly, from coal generators, animal waste from the excessive amount of cattle we raise on crap food, and industrial gasses from factories. Especially with the new gas efficient vehicles coming around, the impact of cars is actually diminishing rapidly. Before you start criticizing how much gas I burn with my Honda, take action against the Amazon rain forests that are rapidly disappearing. If you can’t, then accept that you cannot take any major action, so just keep recycling.

Much of this attitude is actually seeded from class warfare – the people who cannot afford a car, and are stuck with bikes, seem to have this resent towards the yuppies downtown who can afford nice cars. They’ve achieved it. If anything, give them the proper respect that successful people deserve. I’d rather be in an Audi than on a bicycle any day.

4. Just because the police, and our moron mayor Robinson, is tolerating the Critical Mass, doesn’t mean it’s OK to do it. I stopped one of the girls who were riding in the Critical Mass and I asked her how she feels about the fact that she’s ruined my evening plans by holding me back, and that blocking the street from others is illegal. This dumb bitch replied “Well, the mayor seems to turn a blind eye to it, and the cops don’t stop us so..” Just because the Vancouver Police are instructed to let this by, partially because they do not have the resources to beat and arrest all those losers, does not mean it’s morally OK. If you’re the pinhead bitch who said that to me (I was in a brand new Civic with a Sunroof, and you were riding into an alley off Burrard street, north of Robson), get some maturity and logic and a sense of right and wrong in your head. Idiot people like you are the exact reason why these self-righteous idiots can stampede on the street at the expense of others’ precious times.

5. It’s not about Us vs Them, but it seems that many people are turning this into a class warfare situation. When I expressed my frustration and engaged in a conversation on Twitter with a fellow named @Scotty_Robinson, one of his replies was “I do feel for those on the buses.” Even though he had trouble spelling the more complicated words such as “patience” and “ridiculous” (and they call me ESL!), he still managed to convey his views to me. Feel for those on buses but not in cars? What kind of ignorant statement is that? How does one deserve frustration more simply because he is in a car rather than a bus? If anything, the people who take buses should expect delays, as it is a public transit method. But, as I mentioned, this mentality of segregating the transit takers and bike riders as the “better” ones is such an outrageous view of this. There have been reports of angry exchanges between motorists and Critical Mass pinheads where the argument spiraled into “I’m going to ruin your fun cause you’re a yuppie strutting around in your brand new BMW.” This really is turning into a class warfare… which is ridiculous. I’ve lived in Korea. That’s a place where there can be some class warfare. In North America, as far as I’m concerned, there’s so many chances to become wealthy and successful. Of course, most people somehow seem to just sit there and blame rich people for being rich and greedy, while deep inside, they’re merely jealous of such things. And many people in the Critical Mass seem to have that sentiment of envy, covered up by aggression and civil disobedience. The phrase “Rebel Without a Cause” comes to mind.

Keeping up that attitude by “messing things up for the drivers”, and all you do is alienate yourselves from the rest. Remember that you’re a minority that is trying to beg for more bike lanes, and pissing off the rest of the city won’t do it. This Critical Mass has been proven in surveys to be turning more motorists off from the idea of more bike lanes. Know your place as the minority stakeholder on your bikes on the roads.

To summarize – if you’re a bike rider who cannot afford a car, or pay for gas and insurance, turn the jealousy around. Show some respect and awe for those who have achieved it, and review your life to see what you can change to join that realm. Or you can later retire with a measly pension and bitch about unions, governments, republicans, the Federal Reserve, and everything else until the day you croak at the end of your miserable and measly appearance on the planet earth which was filled with complaining and blaming the system the whole time. And remember that our society in Canada is a far more civilized one so that you don’t have to block traffic and cause inconvenience to people in order to get something done. There’s more proper ways than to simply go against the establishment cause it feels cool to do it. Grow up.

You’re probably reading this thinking I’m a right-wing capitalist asshole, and I’m totally fine with it. I just expressed my frustration against the whole Critical Mass thing, along with my frustration and anger towards all other forms of civil disobedience that is totally not necessary and has no merit. My Friday plans were quite delayed thanks to this pointless protest that I have every right to be angry.

Best Email and Domain Management Practices

Jeff Kee — Mon, 11 May 2009 09:28:58 +0000

As a web developer who constantly deals with domains and emails being transferred, I’d like to set a standard guideline on how one should manage their domains and email in order to maintain autonomy and control over your own material, while eliminating the chances of losing domains through silly administrative mishaps.

ALWAYS keep a public email with hotmail, gmail, yahoo etc., and check it regularly.
Occasionally you may drop a domain name altogether, or stop working for a company, or cut partnership with a company. That means, your old email at john@oldcompany.com is no longer accessible to you. Regardless of what email you use as a primary email, you should always keep one email address active through a large public email platform such as @hotmail.com, @gmail.com, @yahoo.com etc. By having one of these emails as the core email, you have 1 email address that you can ALWAYS fall back to. I have my email at @jeffkee.com and on @synchronous.ca, but I always keep my @hotmail.com account active.
ALWAYS keep your domains under your name.
It is not a good idea to let somebody else have control over a domain name. Not even your web designer should have complete ownership and control of your domain. Your domain is your property. Worst case scenario: If you have a fallout with a web designer, and the guy decides to screw you – you’d have to basically pay him whatever ransom he requires to regain your domain, OR go through a lawsuit to recover a domain (if it is an option – based on how your company is registered, it may not even be possible). If you’re curious how your domains are handled, visit WHOIS for domain lookup information. Some domains are privacy-protected. But you can still see which registrar holds the domain information. Contact this registrar to make sure that your name, as well as your primary email (as mentioned in point #1) is listed on the WHOIS contact information. Otherwise, you can be in big trouble later!
ALWAYS use your public domain email as your domain contact email.
On my registration for www.jeffkee.com, there is a contact email address. It would be foolish to have this email entered as anything other than my @hotmail.com account. Why? If I lose any other domains, I lose the key point of contact to manage this domain. Let’s say I registered my email from @synchronous.ca as a contact email. Imagine in 3 years, I got rid of the @synchronous.ca domain after I re-brand. Then, the important domain related emails (especially renewal reminders) will still be sent to the @synchronous.ca email, when I don’t even have that account anymore. For that reason, your key contact email for any of your domains should be a @hotmail.com, or @gmail.com type of an account that will NEVER disappear. This way you make sure that you always maintain contact and control over your precious domains!

Hopefully this gives everybody a clear guideline of how to best manage your email addresses and your domains.

If you have questions about the best way to set up your email addresses on a private domain you just obtained please check out my other post about using Google Applications and Gmail as your primary email and collaboration system.

Recently Completed Websites

Jeff Kee — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:31:07 +0000

It’s been a while since I provided an update to this blog. I’d like to share some work that I’ve done for my clients and go over some of the basic technologies.

1. Xtown.ca

Xtown is an extreme sports facility located in Quebec, and they have an excellent indoor track for motocross, ATVs and more. For Xtown we’ve provided web design work, as well as PHP/MySQL programming work in order to allow them to manage members, bookings and payments on the website through the front end and back end. It is an intricate system which is fully custom developed just for this business!

Visit Xtown.ca for Extreme Sports, Motocross, ATV, SNOX and more in Quebec!

2. BrockSmeaton.com

Brock’s website needed a re-design, so we got to it to simplify and clean up the site. The menus were re-designed, and we switched to a side navigation with fixed layers on top and side for a frame-like look, but without the frames. We all know that frames are not good for SEO, right? Also we nixed the landing page, which has been a long tradition among realtor websites (and other industries) to make a grand first impression. Instead we have an index page that is part of the regular design template, with a cool javascript slideshow going through it.

Visit Brocksmeaton.com for West Vancouver Real Estate listings!

3. Alta Pacific Logo and Branding

Alta Pacific - Investing in Canadian Mortgages

Our newest clients, Alta Pacific Mortgage Investment Corporation, wanted a brand new logo as well as business cards designed for their new business. They provide impeccable services in investing your money into mortgage securities, which is a much more profitable, safe, and viable investment in these volatile markets we’ve seen recently. We also did a brochure for the company as well.

Alta Pacific Brochure - Investing in Canadian Mortgages

Visit Alta Pacific’s website for more information on Investing in Canadian Mortgages. We have not designed their website yet, but we hope to do that soon as the company grows!

The US President, The US President

Jeff Kee — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:06:15 +0000

I was watching the CBC News today (one of my daily rituals) and I realized something very important about how Canadian politicians and strategists use references to the President of the United States of America.

Years ago when the war in Iraq began under the whole propaganda of “War on Terrorists”, most Canadadians viewed the politics of the redneck President, George Bush, as less than favourable. In fact, the huge opposition towards Bush’s policies made a change in how Canadian political battles and debates were fought. Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party of canada was often demonized with reference to their similarities with the Bush administration down South.

The Liberal Party, which is the main opposition to the Conservative Party, often used these types of ads to associate Stephen Harper with George Bush. These type of ads were used in the election before this, when the Liberal Party leader was Paul Martin.

That was the tone with which we referred to the leader of our Southern neighbours. The bad guy. The ignorant, simpleton redneck who is trigger happy and aggressive, and likes to act like a tough guy in public while knowing nothing about the economy. Simpliy put, Canadians were ashamed that our closest neighbours had elected that Texan to President, twice in a row.

Today on CBC, however, things were changed. In a political debate between Conservative and Liberal and NDP strategists, the new US President, Barack Obama, was mentioned, but in a totally different way. The Conservative strategist mentioned that the Canadian public now wanted to see a “non-partisan approach” to the economic problem. The non-partisan point of view is one of Obama’s guns in how he intends to lead the nation out of the economic crisis that they are in, and the Conservative strategist tried to caplitalize on it – by citing similarities of their policies to that of Barack Obama’s. When that was mentioned, the Liberal and NDP strategists gave out a sarcastic laughter, pointing out that the Liberal and NDP has been going towards that approach for months, while the Conservative party kept on feeding the nation lies about the current economic situation.

Bottom line is, all sides were trying to sell to the public that their policies are more in line with the new US President, Barack Obama. Using similarities to the US President as a selling point in political debates was something that Canadian politicians did not do for the past 8 years!

Looks like a lot of things have changed. I consider this international shift of viewpoint to be one of very significant nature, and something that the public and politicians both need to acknowledge carefully and fully. Barack Obama’s election really is a world-shifting event in the eyes of the public at the moment. What the results will be, and how much can be possibly done in 4 years to fix everything is a question that only Obama can answer for us. I hope the answer is a positive one. But all that speculation put aside, the fact that a new leader of the USA being praised and lifted up so much in Canadian politics signals a huge change of scenery, and the way Canada and the rest of the world looks at the USA as a nation.

Perhaps the USA will regain its dignity after all in the eyes of the world. We’ll see in a few years.

Understand and Appreciate Your Food

Jeff Kee — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:37:35 +0000

This blog topic is rather off from my normal topics and may throw you off but hear me out. I’m about to talk about a very important issue here, and that is the issue of understanding and appreciating where and how our food comes from. A good understanding on this topic at a widespread public level, I believe, will increase more conscious choices for food selection and thus promote public health and wellness, while also decrease the amount of pollution and greenhouse gases.

In our modern society, most people are accustomed to understanding food as something that is packaged and ready to go at the grocery stores. You go there, pay a few bucks, and you get harvested vegetables, packaged grains, and plastic-wrapped meat. That’s all dandy and neat, and it is part of modern civilization in which the advancement of transportation and storage techniques allowed the segregation of urban areas from rural areas. Why farm on expensive land? Let’s farm out in the booneys, or sometimes, foreign countries, and then bring everything over here to the stores and distribute it – it makes logistic and economic sense.

When I grew up in Korea, I had plenty of experience with nature. I grew some of our own vegetables in the small patch of a garden we had on our 1st floor apartment. I’ve been to a large green tea farm where they grew organic green tea leaves along the mountain slopes. I also took frequent trips to the country side, where there were mom and pop restaurants which grow their own pigs, goats, cows, and chicken, which they butcher on their own farm to produce meat for the restaurant. I’ve gone fishing for my own sashimi and filleted the fish on the boat without waiting to go to shore, and went to sea-side restaurants where they take you to a fish tank and ask you to choose which one you want. I’ve watched a live chicken get butchered (head cut off with a knife, or dipped live into boiling water by way of holding its feet – great way to get the feathers off), and I’ve heard a cow being butchered as well (I still want to see one being hacked away). I’ve watched a live fish getting pounded in the head so it doesn’t squirm, and gutted alive to provide the freshest sashimi and sushi possible. In short, I’ve seen how food is prepared at an earlier level than grocery stores, and I appreciate the way of nature.

You see, I understand food and I appreciate it for what it is. And as I grew older, that subconscious part of me came out more, and I am now more enlightened on making smart food choices in the sense that I appreciate what nature gives me. My bottom line for food is this – if the recipe could not have existed over 100 years ago, I try to avoid it. I’m not a tight ass – if that’s what’s available, I will eat it once in a while. And I’m not anal to keep my diet at 2500 calories a day – I eat a lot when there’s good homemade food with fresh ingredients.

Now, I’ve boasted how I am in touch deep inside with natures way of things, and let me rant about the problems. So many urban people grow up never watching how food is prepared. They see the end result of it, and that’s all they know. I think the lack of understanding of food sources beyond what’s set out at your grocery store is a huge problem for making conscious choices on food. If it’s convenient and it tastes good, many people will just buy it and eat it without giving it a second thought. Without appreciation of fresh produce and meat and poultry, a frozen pack of constituted meat or an artificially made veggie pattie has the same value as the free range chicken or beef that is also available. What’s the difference between the Five Alive juice, which is artificially compounded with some juice and a lot of sugar and preservatives, and the 100% juice that is not made of concentrate? Nothing, if you don’t understand it.

Let’s look at another problem. A lot of people who are completely out of touch with the nature of things as they have been for the last… millions of years, or for as long as omnivores and carnivores have roamed the earth, think that killing an animal for food is “cruel”. Many people grow up to be teenagers and they have never even witnessed a live animal being killed for the process of food. This is so sad – this lack of awareness must stop. And these naive kids will watch one or two videos of slaughterhouses, produced by people who are unaware about nature and are more concerned about being self-righteous and feeling good without knowing the logic of the food chain, will feel grossed out by the killing of an animal, and start pitching to stop the consumption of beef and pork. Believing that consumption of other living animals is a cruel thing is an utterly modern and unnatural concept – a bi-product of our busy and modernized lives, so out of touch with our nature and mother earth.

I understand that urban life is a reality in our society, and most things come pre-packaged, and pre-manufactured, often from overseas. But people need to start appreciating the goodness of nature and how food is grown and harvested and collected. They will appreciate naturally grown, or organic, vegetables more, produced locally. They will be aware that when veggies are shipped in from Columbia or Mexico, there’s a lot of pesticides and preservatives used to keep the vegetables fresh all along the way, not to mention that the transport of such items causes more greenhouse gas via consumption of gasoline. They need to be aware that a cow, or pig, which grew up in sanitary and normal living condition will be the healthier choice of meat, and they will also understand the value of the life which was taken to produce that meat, and appreciate it more.

So here’s a challenge for yourself, or your kids. Learn and understand nature. Learn how a vegetable is grown, and how it’s picked. Learn how it is fertilized (in nature, it is fertilized by other rotting plants, rotting animals, and poop). Learn how chickens and cows grow, and learn how they are butchered. Any kid should feel completely comfortable at the scene where a chicken is getting its head chopped off alive with a butchers knife. It’s natural, and that’s how it is. Kids should be aware that the nice big plumper looking tomatoes may not necessarily be the healthier choice if you realize how it was grown. The smaller ones that seem a bit more faded may be better if they were organically and locally grown. The pre-packaged frozen fish sticks are not just fish but a compound of extra ingredients such as modified corn starch and sugar and salt, and that veggie dog is most likely made of fake food items and glued together at a factory. This is an awareness that will make you healthier, and the world a cleaner place. Keep food simple. Keep foods natural.