Michael Fogleman

The new photo servlet is now online! I finally got around to writing code for it a couple weeks ago and have since been working on it fairly regularly. It's finally at a point where I can actually use it on the website! I've updated the photo links on the right to point to the new servlet, so check it out!

>>> The NEW Photo Servlet!

The servlet is heavy on CSS use, so it'll probably look crappy in older browsers. I've tested it on IE6, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera. Let me know if you have any problems with it. The new servlet has many improvements over the old one...

• The design can be completely styled using CSS
• Uses categories instead of folders for sorting -- much more flexible and interesting
• Includes many helpful administrator options for quickly adding and categorizing photos
• Has an overview page that shows thumbnails of selected categories
• Automatically generates and caches thumbnails and medium-sized images on the fly
• Splits thumbnails over several pages instead of showing too many images all on one page
• Tracks number of hits to photos and categories
• Uses IDs in the URLs instead of names -- a cleaner and better method
• Automatically maintains backups of its database -- users can rollback if they make a mistake
• Individual photos and categories can be hidden from viewers
• Supports multiple users
• 100% valid XHTML and CSS

Keep in mind that the servlet is not complete, I've simply gotten to a point where it's good enough to use on the website. Some of the features yet to be added include...

• Ability to search for photos
• Slideshow feature
• Ability to change photo captions and category descriptions
• Ability to change how photos and categories are sorted when displayed
• More admin options for changing servlet properties
• A root index page for administrating "instances" of the servlet
• Administrator login for access to admin options
• Perhaps more flexible HTML markup

posted by Michael  # 7/24/2004 11:15:00 PM 0 Comments

The Lantern is a nice little restaurant on Franklin Street. They specialize in asian cuisine. I've been there twice now. The first time I went with Ben, Mary, and Jordan. I had chicken with spinach and rice. The chicken was amazing, probably the best chicken I've ever had. The spinach was also very good, considering it was spinach. But I like those sort of foods. Ben and Mary didn't seem to like the place very much, so I still sorta questioned how great the place really was.

Well, this past Friday Christina wanted to get dinner with me. I decided I wanted to try The Lantern again to see if I'd like it again. Also, she had never been there. We got there around 6:30 and it was pretty loud and busy but there was no wait for a two-person table. The waitress told us the specials, including a special appetizer... some kinda ground-up pork with lots of seasonings inside of lettuce cups. We decided to try that. They were very, very flavorful, and in a good way. We both enjoyed them very much!

Then it was time to order our entrees. Christina got one of the specials, curry and shrimp. I decided to get chicken again, but it was a different dish than last time. This time it came with rice and shrimp with green beans on the side. We both enjoyed our food very much. Their chicken is just so tender and juicy... I don't know how they do it. The service was also great. I don't think my water glass ever got below half full!

The down side? It's expensive. After tip, the bill was $55 for the two of us, so almost $30 a piece when you get an appetizer. But hey, you only live once, right? Gotta blow some money every now and then! So I've decided that The Lantern is indeed an excellent restaurant and you should go there at least once! They also have a bar upstairs, but I haven't been to it.

The Lantern Website

posted by Michael  # 7/13/2004 10:35:00 PM 0 Comments

You want gossip? Here it is.

So, there's this girl... =)

I first met her almost two years ago through a couple friends. She was cute and seemed to have a good personality and sense of humor. However, she had a boyfriend and I'm not one to go stealing women from other guys. (like I could if I wanted to? pfft!) Plus I kinda know him and he seems like a really cool guy. Anyway I never really had the opportunity to talk to her much, if at all. Several months later the couple who I met her through got married. I was a groomsman and she a bride's maid, and I was lucky enough to be the one to walk her down the aisle. =) I guess we made a little small-talk during the rehearsal and later in the reception, but I still didn't know a whole lot about her. Besides, at that point she's still in what I assumed was a reasonably serious relationship. After the wedding I didn't see her for a long time. Meanwhile I have similar "crushes" over who knows how many girls... some more involved than others, but nothing serious.

Well, fast forward over a year and I see her again when a bunch of us go out for dinner. I can't say I whipped out my Cassanova skills here because really we hardly talked at all. (AGAIN) Eh, whatever. She still interests me though, and I know she's no longer in that relationship. So a few days later I figure... why not just ask her to dinner or something? Nothing wrong with two young folks going out for some good food. =) Now, I could call her but I hardly know her and don't want to put her on the spot or anything. So I just IM her. (arguably this still puts her on the spot, but hey I tried) We chit-chat for a couple minutes and then I ask if she wants to get dinner with me that weekend. She says sure! Awesome. However, she has plans Friday and Saturday so we have to go Sunday. I agree to that and tell her we can just pick a time and place later. A little more chatting and the conversation ends and I'm a happy guy. =)

Well, I guess this is a date so I'd like to go to a nice place with a decent atmosphere. I first thought about going to this Thai place I'd been to, but decide to ask around a bit. I stumbled upon a really nice looking greek place in Raleigh. (Taverna Agora) I've never been there, but a couple people I talk to say it's really good and would be awesome for a date. One of my best female friends even gave her stamp of approval!

So later that day I talk to the girl again to see what she thinks of this greek place. This is where my bubble gets burst. Apparently something came up on Sunday too so she "guesses" we'll have to do it another time, "perhaps". Well, crap. Such wording makes it obvious (I assume... who knows?) that she's not interested in rescheduling, so I don't even bother trying. Had I gotten too enthusiastic about it? Did she just reconsider? Or is someone talking crap about me? ;)

Well, I dunno what the deal is, but oh well. I'm not gonna sit around and cry about it (though I did take the time to type all this up!) But I dunno who passes up a date and free food with good, harmless conversation. I mean... it's just a date, right? Geez, I hope I'm not that scary!

There you have it. Probably my most interesting blog entry. My roommate always says my life is an open book and I generally agree, so no reason not to let you fools know what's going on!

posted by Michael  # 7/01/2004 09:25:00 PM 0 Comments