I have decided to shut down this blog due to lack of activity and lack of interest on my part. I will keep it online, however I am disabling comments and will not be creating any more new posts. Future readers, please note that the knowledge in this blog may be outdated as technology is constantly changing. Thank you.
Closed.
August 26th, 2010Maven Problem (Id can not be null)
July 13th, 2010Working with Maven I came across a very weird issue. I attempted to build a new project, and received a Fatal Error: ID Can Not Be Null. Basically a Java.Lang.NullPointerException. I work in a corporate environment so I had an idea of which parent POM was having issues, but it didn’t quite click in my mind until about 5 minutes ago. After researching the net for the past few hours, I finally had my AHA! moment and decided to try it out. The solution to this problem is as follows:
Inside the POM.XML file for the project you are currently working with, you should have something like the following:
<parent>
<groupId>com.mycompany.or.something</groupId>
<artifactId>parent</artifactId>
<version>1.0</version>
<relativePath>../../parent/</relativePath>
</parent>
The groupId tag is very important, as in my case this is where the problem existed. I navigated to the local maven repo (~.m2/repositories) and through the directories til I came to the following dir:
~m2/repositories/com/mycompany/or/something/parent/1.0/
Inside this directory was a parent pom file. I opened it up in Notepad++ and looked through the tags. Sure enough, the repositories tag did not contain an ID element. I simply added one in ( <id /> ) and voila, problem solved.
Hope this helps someone in the future, because it had me banging my head against everything I could possibly find – from walls to staplers to windows (oh my!)
Try Before you Buy – AppStore
February 23rd, 2009Install the Hackulo.us repository as outlined in a previous post. Tap on Sections and navigate to Hackulo.us folder. Install the following files:
AppSync for 3.0
Installous
Restart your iPhone, and then launch Installous. Search for your AppStore application and download/install it. Once you’re satisfied with its usage, delete the application and purchase it from the AppStore!
Requested iPhone Features Available through Cydia
February 23rd, 2009Many requested features for the iPhone are available through 3rd party extensions on Cydia. Below you will find a list of commonly requested features that can be added through the application. Simply search on Cydia using the name and you’ll find what you’re looking for! This list is constantly updated as new applications come out.
Video Recording (2G/3G only): Cycorder
Themes: Winterboard
Music Sharing: MewSeek
Ringtones: PhoneZap
Password Protect Applications: Lockdown
Repositories to Add
February 23rd, 2009Cydia allows for the addition of as many repositories as you want. What is a repository? It’s basically a webserver that hosts files that you can install on your iPhone. Some repositories, such as Hackulo.us, allows you to add increased functionality to your phone’s backend. Others, such as XSellize, allow you to download and try out applications before purchasing them. To add a repository in Cydia, follow these instructions:
- Open up Cydia, and tap on Manage (it will take some time to load Cydia)
- Tap on Sources
- Tap “Edit” in the top right corner, and then in the top left corner type Add
Once on this screen, type in the full URL to the repository.
Hackulo.us: http://cydia.hackulo.us
XSellize: http://xsellize.com/cydia/user-password
XSellize requires a username and password to access their repository. Simply sign up on their website and you should be able to access it.
You’re done! You just added a repository in cydia 
DS Modding Scene Still Alive!
February 19th, 2009With the upcoming release of the Nintendo DSi, you would think that people interested in the original DS and DS Lite would stop buying stuff for it. You’re wrong! The newer modding tools are designed to be compatible with not only the Nintendo DS (phat) and Nintendo DS Lite, but also the upcoming Nintendo DSi. I used to be big in the modding scene and had a few favorite shops, and one of those favorites closed down 
. However, I recently revisited the site and it looks like they’re gearing up for the DSi release and started it back up. Check them out at http://www.modmydsi.com – I recently spoke to a customer service representative and things look like they haven’t changed a bit – still great customer service and great prices!
Three Days Left in Windows Mobile 7 Beta!
January 21st, 2009For those of you unsatisfied with Windows Vista (which many of us are), Microsoft is developing an answer – Windows 7. At it’s initial release, the beta was available to the first 2.5 million people, but that has since changed to allow downloads until January 24th, as shown on the Windows 7 Team Blog. The beta expires on August 1st, 2009, on which day users may be forced to downgrade back to Vista SP1 or upgrade to Windows 7 Beta 2, if available.
Personally, I won’t be downgrading to Vista if there is no other beta out – I’ll be downgrading to XP SP3.
Yahoo Push Sucks Ass.
October 31st, 2008Push E-mail is supposed to be instant – as soon as I receive an e-mail in my inbox, I should get an alert on my phone. However, Yahoo’s service sucks ass – it doesn’t notify you as soon as you get an e-mail. I have a GMail account being checked every hour, and sometimes I receive e-mails on that quicker than I do on Yahoo (I forward all my GMail stuff to the Yahoo account just for the push feature, because I was under the impression that I would know instantly when I get an e-mail). I can’t wait til GMail comes out with Push, if ever.
BeejiveIM Settings Missing (iPhone)
October 28th, 2008Recently I installed BeejiveIM from the AppStore on my iPhone. Unfortunately, the settings for the program wouldn’t show up in Settings.app. After uninstalling and reinstalling it on the phone a few times, the problem was still there. Simply delete the application, hook up the iPhone to iTunes, and sync the application from your computer – it will fix everything
iPod Touch Home Button Issue
September 5th, 2008A few months ago I purchased an iPod touch from a local retailer. The three month exchange period from the retailer expired last month, and right around that time I started having an issue with the home button on my iTouch. The best way I can describe this is that the button seems to be recessed into the device itself. When I click the home button on the iPod, it will read it like a single click sometimes, but like a double click more often (bringing up the music menu if I’m not already in the music application). The intended behavior of this button is a single click will lead you to the home screen, and a double click will bring you to the menu.
I called up Apple tech support and they shipped me out a box to send my iPod back in, and once they received it they claimed it had no problems. WTF? I press the button once and it brings up the music menu!! I tried restoring the device before calling tech support along with taking off the screen protector (in case the button got stuck on it) and neither of those worked. Now I’ve got an iPod on the way that has a faulty home button that Apple claims works properly. Great! Anyone else have this type of issue? I expected Apple to be better about this stuff.. I guess I was wrong.