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I’ve knocked up a ruby script for creating Redmine¹ issues from the command line². Here’s how you might use it:

red -r bug -s "Search results not sorted by relevance" -t google -a "Some poor soul" -i high -c search -f .red

This would automatically log the bug on the ‘Google’ project tracker, mark it as high priority, and assign it to some poor soul. Defaults are loaded from a YAML file called ‘.red’.

That’s all there is to it. More help is available on the Github page: http://github.com/textgoeshere/redcmd.

[1] Redmine is an excellent open-source Rails bug-tracker and project management system. [2] The command line is where dragons live.

The latest version of the Streetmap extension is now available, updated to be compatible with Firefox 3.1 beta.

If you’re not already using the latest beta version of Firefox, I recommend giving it a try:

• Filter results in the Smart Location Bar (a.k.a. awesome bar) with special characters
• Speed up JavaScript-heavy pages with the new TraceMonkey JavaScript engine
• Don’t leave any tracks with private browsing mode

(PS Here’s some instructions to fix any extensions and addons that haven’t been updated yet)

How will the end of unlimited flat-fee all-you-can-eat broadband affect your online services?

Update: This is now a reality. New houses from Quintain Estates now offer a 20 min internet speed “boost” on a pay-per-use basis.

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Do you find yourself wanting to do stuff like this?

• Cycle through search results on google.com, google.co.uk, and google.wherever
• Swap between prices and comments amazon.com and amazon.co.uk
• Swap between the french and english language wikipedia articles about Waterloo

If you’re living abroad, multilingual, or don’t live in the USA, you will have had to edit part of the website address to make it point to the right version for you.

DotUdotMe is a javascript browser bookmarklet that does this for you automatically.

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Updating to Firefox 3 from Firefox 2, you may find some of your extensions and add-ons are no longer compatible.*

Here are three ways of solving this problem. They range from a risky and easy solution to a more involved but safer fix. I’ve also included how to rescue Firefox when it won’t start.

* Unless of course the extension author has already updated their add-on, in which case three cheers for them.

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Aggregation over RSS makes it easy for people to collaborate in ad hoc ways. So what’s the role of groups (forums, online networks, bulletin boards)? Do they even have one?

Simon Berry of Ruralnet raises this question when he asks, “Are tags the new groups?” A provocative question. (Hat-tip Megan)

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Here’s how to hack together a setup to load an RSpec backtrace into jEdit. In other words, you’ll be able to click the relevant failed behaviour or error to go straight the relevant file and line.

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Today I gave a couple of workshops at NCVO that introduced some key Web 2 applications and tools.

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New version of the Streetmap Firefox extension: now with Firefox 2 flavour!

Learn how to promote products and services efficiently and effectively with flyers, newsletters, emails and websites: join us at an October copywriting training session in Nottingham.
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