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Theory
DVDFolks: Can I please have the start point of the sequence /Glossary/C#cast in the sequence <a href=”/rg/title-tease/plotsummary/title/tt0118683/plotsummary”>(more)</a>? If the smaller sequence doesn’t exist in the larger one, tell me, so I can ask you about a different sequence instead.

Microsoft JScript 5.6: Sorry, can’t find a start point.

DVDFolks: In that case can I please have the start point of the sequence /Glossary/C#cast in the sequence <a name=”" href=”/Glossary/C#cast”>(more)</a>? If the smaller sequence doesn’t exist in the larger one, tell me, so I can ask you about a different sequence instead.

Microsoft JScript 5.6: Certainly you can. It’s 9 characters in.

DVDFolks: Great! A match exists, so I’ve found the cast list within the IMDb page! I’ll start extracting it now!

Real-Life
DVDFolks: Can I please have the start point of the sequence /Glossary/C#cast in the sequence <a href=”/rg/title-tease/plotsummary/title/tt0118683/plotsummary”>(more)</a>? If the smaller sequence doesn’t exist in the larger one, tell me, so I can ask you about a different sequence instead.

Microsoft JScript 5.6: Certainly you can. It’s 2956 characters in. (!!!!!)

DVDFolks: Great! A match exists, so I’ve found the cast list within the IMDb page! I’ll start extracting it now!

Microsoft JScript 5.6: Error! Error! Error! You can’t have the actor name, because the cast list doesn’t exist here….

Oddly enough I wasn’t anticipating that one!

Splitting into tokens, regular expressions, arrays of arrays, matching combined tokens, whilst excluding those you matched before….

There has got to be a better way….

for (var n = (fullNameSplit[j].length - lastName[j].split(/s/g).length); n > firstName[j].split(/s/g).length; n--) {
	for (var o = 0; o < lastNamePrefixes.length; o++) {
		if ((fullNameSplit[j][n-2] + " " + fullNameSplit[j][n-1]) == lastNamePrefixes[o]) {
			lastName[j] = fullNameSplit[j][n-2] + " " + fullNameSplit[j][n-1] + " " + lastName[j];
			break;
			}
		else if (fullNameSplit[j][n-1] == lastNamePrefixes[o]) {
			lastName[j] = fullNameSplit[j][n-1] + " " + lastName[j];
			break;
			}
	}
}

The rough-and-ready replacement for DVDProfilerCast, which is sadly now incompatible with the latest version of the excellent DVDProfiler.

It has been developed as an HTA. HTAs are basically web pages, but run in a seperate window cut-off from the main browser. Because they must be explicitly run, they are also not subject to the same security restrictions used during normal web browsing.

Getting data from a 3rd-party website is definately one of those restrictions needed normally, but for a project like this just get in the way.

Other options were to create a ‘proper’ application (like DVDProfilerCast) or to use my web space as a go-between to bypass the restriction. I don’t have the know-how to do the former, and the latter would have quickly needed more server resources than I am paying for, as well as problems of its own.

The currently released version still has large(ish) remnants of code dealing with the above idea, so I may resurrect it. HTAs are a Microsoft invention and are run using IE, which has troubles enough anyway, without confusing it with a web page/application combo.

Netscape is looking for some testers for a prototype of our new browser. Based on Firefox, the new browser incorporates several new features, enhanced UI, etc. If you or someone you know would like to test the software, please go to http://community.netscape.com/nscpbrowser and enter the registration code: prototype1104 to pre-register. The browser prototype will be available for download on November 30th.

Tester slots are limited, so get there soon.

-The Netscape Product Team

I’ve just signed up – I’m especially curious about this, since Netscape the browser was supposed to have died over a year ago. NS 7.2 came as a shock, and now this!

Something especially worrying is the graphic used on the ‘thanks for joining page’. It looks like a partial screenshot of this ‘improved’ browser.

I’m hoping to be proved wrong come the 30th!

Link here

The last version of Firefox – the 1.0 Preview currently stands at 8.1million downloads. This is for a piece of software that (until tomorrow) has always had large disclaimers attached to it proclaiming it’s unfinished state.

Even so, it has managed a 3% overall market share. These are statistics from a company called WebSideStory, who produce browser statistics based on visitors to clients websites such as Disney. Among the more computer-aware population (e.g. web developers and students), the figure is much closer to 20%.

And it doesn’t even get offically released until tomorrow…

1. Decide you want to work wirelessly, but don’t buy a wireless network card for your PC to go with your new router
2. Buy a router with a dodgy ethernet cable
3. Don’t try using the supplied cable, when you find you can’t connect wirelessly
4. Type in the wrong username when prompted for connection details
5. Confirm the wrong username you typed in above when a frustrated ‘techie’ wants to rule out user stupidity
6. Have so many anti-spyware/virus programs installed, your PC takes ages to boot up
7. Have your desktop so cluttered, no-one can find the link to IE
8. Have so many ‘cool’ toolbars installed into IE (despite no6), that when they all want to phone home and can’t, IE hangs so you can’t amend no4
9. See no6 (but on a laptop)
10. See no7 (but on a laptop)
11. Experience deep confusion at the concept: Wireless network+password=Good for your private data
12. Experience deeper confusion as the person you’ve got fixing it decides to disable the aforementioned password because WinXP+SP2 doesn’t want to play nice, and they are getting bored now.
13. Ask your wife’s friend’s son exactly what he did over the last 3 hrs to fix it, despite watching him like a hawk for 2hrs 59mins of that
14. Act surprised when he doesn’t really want to explain it all
15. Decide £25 is enough compensation for someone who just wants 3hrs of their life back

In no particular order – covers the past month or so

• Layer Cake – OK
• Shark Tale – less funny than The Fresh Price of Bel Air
• Exorcist: The Beginning – Pretty good actually, although I’ve not seen the original…
• Resident Evil:Apocalypse – see ‘The Exorcist’
• Wimbledon – I was very surprised by this. It’s actually one of the best films I’ve seen this year
• Sky Captain… – passable enough
• AvP – Needed more gore. Apparently the DVD will be a Director’s Cut
• I Robot – not exactly an Asimov novel, but good anyway
• Saved! – anything that treats fundamentalist Christians as comedy is good in my book
• New York Minute – It’s a film aimed at teenage girls. And I enjoyed it….kill me now
• Harvard Man – Just plain bad
• Wild Things:Unrated – Good, (not-so) clean fun
• The In Crowd – see Wild Things
• The Shawshank Redemption – I’ve seen it 4 or 5 times now, and can’t help feeling it could have been better. It’s still one of my favourite films though
• Monster – Charlize Theron can act. The Italian Job is forgiven!
• I (Still) Know What You Did Last Summer – now I’ve seen the original versions of the Scary Movie scenes. Scary Movie did them better IMO
• Love Actually – Fell flat in places, but made up for it completely with the ass-kicking PM
• Bend It Like Beckham – Right up there with Wimbledon. I’m fairly sure the sporty theme is just a coincidence.