Deploying Joomla! to the cloud using the Windows Azure Companion

The Windows Azure Companion was an experimental tool to provide a simple experience installing and configuring platform-elements (PHP runtime, extensions) and web applications on Windows Azure. Preliminary feedback on this tool has informed the creation of a new set of tools to deploy applications to Windows Azure - available at http://azurephp.interopbridges.com/downloads



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THE FOLLOWING CONTENT IS NO LONGER CURRENT. REFER TO THE LINK IN NOTE ABOVE



Recommended pre-read

Understanding the Windows Azure-Platform

Get Started with the Windows Azure Companion

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Joomla! 1.6 recently released and I thought it would be a good idea to install in on our cloud services platform using the Windows Azure Companion to get a Joomla! instance out to the cloud in a few easy steps and give an overview on the features available with this great Content Management tool and the Windows Azure platform



Downloading the Windows Azure Companion

The Window Azure Companion is hosted on the MSDN Code Gallery, and when you visit the project site, and click the Downloads tab, you'll see the download options shown below (as of the December 2010 CTP)







There are different Virtual Machines (VMs) of a Windows Azure cloud service which you can quickly upload within a provisioned Azure account. If you don't have an Azure account, you can find the current available offers here . In the current (December 2010 CTP) downloads there are two small sized VMs with and without security (https). There is also the companion source so that you can assemble your own VM if you need a larger size or need to modify the underlying plumbing.



We will be using the VM prepackaged option (WindowsAzureCompanion-SmallVM-Dec2010CTP.zip). Click on the link and you will be given the following windows for you to accept the license and download.

Click on "I agree"





You will then get a "File Download" window, Click "Open"





You will then get a window with the status of the file download and you will see the "Internet Explorer Security" window asking you for permission to open the file. Click on "Allow"





A window showing the contents of a temporary folder, similar to the one below will open. In this window you may see the following files. The first is ServiceConfiguration.cscfg file which contains a service configuration XML document for the service and compiled code, in the WindowsAzureCompanion.cspkg file. There is also a .txt document with the License for the code. Click on "Extract all files"







You will then get the following window and enter in a path to a directory you will drop the files in. Enter in the path, in my case the default downloads directory on Windows 7 for my account, in the text field labeled "Files will be extracted to this folder", make sure the checkbox "Show extracted files when complete" is selected and click the "Extract" button





You'll then see the folder you picked open up in a new window with the files you saw earlier,





You will then want to provision a storage account configured on Windows Azure. If you do not have one, then you will need to set one up and the article "How to Create a Storage Account" on MSDN will help you get started.



Before you deploy the service to Windows Azure, a few modifications to the ServiceConfiguration.cscfg file are required to be done.



You will want to specify the your Windows Azure storage account, I have named mine "wacompanion" and I copy and pasted the key that I set up when I created the storage account from above. I have redacted it for security and left it as ****** below, please use your own. You will find this in the "Windows Azure Storage Account Details" section















You will also have to set up an admin account for accessing the Windows Azure Companion once it's running. You will find this in the section labeled "Admin user name, password and e-mail". We'll just a simple username "root" and a strong password (something that contains, letters, numbers and symbols on your keyboard) of your own choosing. Replace ***** with yours















Next we will be specifying a feed that indicates what applications are available to be installed. For this example, we will be using a feed that Maarten Balliauw has made available, but you can generate your own following the Windows Azure Companion Feed Schema. You will find the appropriate to do this in the "Atom Feed for Product items to be installed" section as per below.











Next, deploy your application to a new hosted service on your Azure account. If you need a refresher for this part, refer to the "To select a project and create a compute service" section of this walkthrough on MSDN, using the .cspkg we downloaded and the .cscfg file we just updated. Once it's deployed you can browse to it at port 8080 of whatever URL you specified when you set up the Azure hosted service (computing) instance. Make sure that the service is running too J for this tutorial the link may not work for you as I may have suspended or deleted the service. The diagram below is a good visual indicator that your service is running, namely that your "AdminWebSite" is "Ready" (It's green, rather than Yellow or Red).





Browse to your deployment, http://[yourservicename].cloudapp.net:8080. You'll be greeted with a welcome message via an ASP.NET MVC application; that message, by the way, is configurable via the ApplicationDescription setting in the ServiceConfiguration.cscfg. Upon logging in (via the link in the upper right), you'll have access to the other functionality of the Windows Azure Companion as well.







Click on the "Log On" button on the top right corner of the webpage where you will be prompted for the "User name" that you chose earlier and the "Password" too





Installing Joomla 1.6, PHP and some other open source applications!

Next we will be installing Joomla 1.6 and since it runs on PHP, the companion is aware of that prerequisite and will pick it up too unless however the feed we use does not have it in the product list (ProductListXmlFeed). Click on to the Applications tab, which here includes Joomla along with some other popular Open Source PHP packages. Click on the "Joomla 1.6" checkbox and you'll also notice that "phpMyAdmin" (an open source management tool) will also get automatically checked. Click on the "Next" button to continue





The next screen prompts for some versioning information for Joomla along with similar requests for other prerequisites. I will be using Joomla version 1.6 (older versions may also be available), using the default paths and I will do so also for phpMyAdmin. Since this feed also requires the PHP runtime, and the MySQL database, those prerequisites also come along. Keep all the defaults and click on the "Accept" button to continue (you will be accepting all the licenses of the product)





While the applications are installing, you'll see progress messages appear on the Admin tab of the Windows Azure Companion site. Those messages, by the way, are also recorded to the Windows Azure Storage account you configured in the .cscfg file.











Upon completion, the applications will show as installed (check box, greyed out) and ready to launch.



Configuring MySQL for use with Joomla

We will now want to configure a database in MySQL, We will use the phpMyAdmin tool. Click on the "Launch" button.



On the next screen, leave "Server" blank, "root" for the Username and "adminadmin" for the Password.







You'll next see the dashboard. We'll first change the password for security. Click on "Change password"





I recommend a strong password (something that contains letters, numbers and keyboard symbols) but somewhat easy to remember







You will get a message, "The profile has been updated". Click on the "Back" link to continue







You will need to login again using your new password. In the dash, in "Create new database", enter in the name of your preferred database, I am calling mine "Joomla". Next click the "Create" button.







You will receive a message that the "Database Joomla has been created" with a green check mark next to it







Configuring Joomla

From the Windows Azure Companion Application Tab, click on the "Launch" button for Joomla!





You will then be presented with an option to "Select Language", then click "Next"







For the "Pre-Installation Check", accept the defaults and not the recommended settings, and then click "Next"







Accept the "License" by clicking "Next"







You may enter in your "Username", we used "root" and the "Password" you chose earlier. For the "Database Name" enter "Joomla", accept the defaults and click on the "Next" button.







We will skip the "FTP Configuration" by clicking the "Next" button





You can then set a "Site Name" of your preference and include additional information for the Admin of the site, including setting the "Admin Username", "Admin Password" and the "Admin Email" to help you reset your password in case you forget and not have to reconfigure later.







You now have an active Joomla 1.6 usable installation







Removing the Joomla Installation Directory

A security feature of Joomla! as you may have already noted, is to have you cleanup your "Installation Directory" before your site is useful. For that we will launch the "eXtplorer" File Manager from the Windows Azure "Applications" tab.





We'll login using the defaults, use "admin" for "Username" and "Password"





Since these are the defaults you will be prodded to change it. Click on "OK" to continue





Enter "admin" for the old password and set a "New password" of your own. Click the "Change" button to continue





We will now see a list of directories for the applications you have installed. Double-click on "joomla"





Next we will want to right-click on "installation" and select "Delete" to remove it.





Click on "Yes" to delete it





Now launch the Joomla! application from the Windows Azure Companion "Applications" tab or enter the URL in your web browser, http://[yourservicename].cloudapp.net/joomla. You should no longer see the security message that asks to remove the Installation folder.





Congratulations you're running Joomla! 1.6 on Windows Azure! For more information on Joomla please visit, http://joomla.org



Wrap Up

Joomla! and Window Azure work really well together and now it's easy to get it deployed.

You also have the opportunity of getting other of your favorite open source applications out on the cloud service. Please take some time to try them out and other content on



Please also check out the source code for the Windows Azure Companion, so check it out, add your own features, or contribute to the discussion on the MSDN Code Gallery.



What's next

Advanced Windows Azure Companion Guide

Understanding the Windows Azure Companion Source Code





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http://azurephp.interoperabilitybridges.com/articles/deploying-joomla!-to-the-cloud-using-the-windows-azure-companion
 
http://oakleafblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/windows-azure-and-cloud-computing-posts_15.html

Ambient Electromagnetic Energy Harnessed for Small Electronic Devices

Researchers have discovered a way to capture and harness energy transmitted by such sources as radio and television transmitters, cell phone networks and satellite communications systems. By scavenging this ambient energy from the air around us, the technique could provide a new way to power networks of wireless sensors, microprocessors and communications chips.
"There is a large amount of electromagnetic energy all around us, but nobody has been able to tap into it," said Manos Tentzeris, a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering who is leading the research. "We are using an ultra-wideband antenna that lets us exploit a variety of signals in different frequency ranges, giving us greatly increased power-gathering capability."


http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?nid=68714

47 Ways To Make Her Love You

October 19, 2010, 5:24 pm Siski Green menshealth

It's easy when you know how, right? Well then, here's the know-how.

Sex &

1. Go with the flow
All women cry, so get your reaction right. Cuddle her, gently wipe away the tears and ask what's wrong. Then understand a fundamental difference between men and women: she doesn't want solutions, she just wants you to listen.
2. Clean up afterwards
Every time she cleans your shaving stubble from the basin, she loves you a little less.
3. Keep quiet
Women are genetically programmed to ask you why you split up with your ex-girlfriends and to over-analyse what your answer means for your relationship. Avoid problems with a simple, "She wasn't you".
4. Be prepared
Stash a photo of her in your wallet. She'll deny it, but all women rummage at some point, so use this to your advantage.
5. Come clean
Women have a much better sense of smell than men, so wash yourself, your doona and clothes before you think you need to.
6. Give her a reason
"I love you" is from anyone to anyone, so explain why you love her. Whether it's the way she nibbles a Kit-Kat or how her nose scrunches when she drinks tequila - your reasons make it unique to her.
7. Talk...
Often and properly. If she asks you how your day went, don't say "fine". Giving her details makes her feel involved in your life.
8. ...and listen
Ask about her day, really listen, then ask her a question about what she's just told you, to prove you were paying attention.
9. Get personal
Roses are good, but they could be for anyone, so if you first danced to Hold Me Now by the Thompson Twins, hunt down the vinyl to show your singular love for her.
10. Discern
Only give good tips for good service. It shows you're observant, value attention and that you're selective with praise and generosity, making her feel "chosen" as well.
11. Call room service
When she's away, phone the hotel where she's staying and have strawberries and bubbly sent up to her room. A treat when you're not around shows that you're not expecting anything in return.
12. Consult her
Ask her advice on something important to you, even if you don't really need it. It will show her you value her opinion and that she's part of your plans.
13. Don't stop
Most men start out as great boyfriends: love notes under her pillow, waxing lyrical about her "fantastic" body and actually listening when she talks. A year later it's rings around her bath, waxing lyrical about J-Lo's bum and needing a sharp elbow to facilitate any kind of communication. Don't take her for granted - keep at it.
14. Take her with you . . .
To a football or rugby match. Once she too has experienced the relief that comes from verbally abusing the ref, she'll be far more forgiving of the time you spend watching sport.
15. Be a family man
Introduce her to your brother, sister, nephew, grandm - it shows you care about family, without subjecting her to the terror of a parental encounter. She sees how you treat them as an indicator of how she'll be treated.

The nine best things you can say to a woman

16. "I love your eyelashes."
17. "Sex with you just gets better and better."
18. "You look beautiful when you're sleeping."
19. "The way you dance is really sexy."
20. "You have a wonderful laugh."
21. "You're so clever."
22. "Your scrambled eggs taste even better than my mum's."
23. "Your skin smells fantastic."
(And finally . . .)
24. "Lets spend the weekend at my villa in Tuscany."
25. Mop it up
Weekends away are sweet, but regularly vacuuming the house, cleaning the bathroom, cooking dinner and washing up afterwards will make her love you more. Putting in some of your hours takes more effort than getting your wallet out.
26. Don't make a period drama
A women's menstrual cycle lasts 28 days and she'll probably be emotionally fragile two or three days before the first day of her period. Jot it in your diary, set the alarm on your mobile, anything to remind you so you don't laugh out loud when she cries during Harry's Practice.
27. And keep it to yourself
"How dare you dismiss my emotional turmoil as hormonal?"
28. Remember how it was in the early days
For a happy ending, remember the beginning: the details of your first meeting, where you were, what she was wearing, what you said and how you felt. Recount them. Often.
31. Get wet
Okay, it may sound like that Herbal Essences shampoo ad, but if you wash her hair for her and give her a scalp massage while you're at it, she'll fall head over heels for you.
32. Make love
Do it softly, sweetly and with tenderness.
33. Now F**k
Yes, we also like it downright dirty sometimes.
34. Time it right
Ten minutes late shows you're a busy man, 20 minutes means you've made a miscalculation and you'll be forgiven; 30 minutes late or more and she knows you don't think her time is as important as yours.
35. Go out with your mates
Despite what you may think, no woman wants a doormat for a partner. Spend every waking moment gazing adoringly into her eyes and she'll start gazing adoringly elsewhere.
36. Explore new territory
Kissing is a given, but do a little oral orienteering to make your lip service stand out. Prime sites are lips, elbows and just below her ear. But let's not forget her inner thighs, her toes and, of course, her clitoris.
37. Shout it out
She wants everyone to know how you feel about her, so tell her she looks amazing in whatever colour she's wearing when there are other people in the room. Or send a bunch of freesias to her work (it's much less obvious than roses and they have a wonderful, strong smell, so everyone in the office will comment on them).
38. Give her a break
Run her a "holiday bath" when she gets home from work. Throw in a big, pink bath bomb (from Lush, www.lush.com.au) to turn the water fuschia pink.
39. Open doors
It's time to settle the debate once and for all: it's not condescending, it doesn't imply she can't do it herself - it's just a nice gesture.
40. Prove the ex is old news
If you bump into a previous partner, squeeze your ladies hand, pull her towards you and smile. The outward display of affection tells her it's truly over with your ex; the hand squeeze shows you have a secret bond no-one else can share.
41. Make yourself sick
Leave her love notes around the house - inside the fridge, on the bathroom mirror or under a pillow. That much sweetness might make you feel plain nauseous, but it'll make her feel like a lovesick teenager.
42. Keep a secret
You may regard Beyonce's curves as sculpted by a loving God, but no matter how many times she casually asks - and how cool she seems - don't ever tell her what you really think.
43. Time it right
You know women love compliments, but pick your moment carefully for extra brownie points. Tell her she looks great when she's just had a shower and isn't wearing make-up and figure-transforming clothing.

Gift-wrapped short cuts to a woman's heart:

44. Bulgari soft leather "Tubo" bag (call [02] 9233 3611)
Heed this timeless wisdom: harness the power of accessories and you will prosper. Add a pair of matching shoes and you'll never miss another footy final.
45. Jewellery (platinum-set diamond studs from Tiffany & Co., call [02] 9235 1777)
If you are yet to provide her with expensive, sparkly things in a blue box, do so as soon as humanely possible.
46. Nike "City Knife" trainers (call [1300] 656 453).
Sexy underwear is a nice idea - for both of you. So buy her something that's definitely just for her.
47. S.T. Dupont "Contraste" MS multifunction diary (call [02] 9315 9343).
It's beautifully lined with supple lambskin and fits into her handbag. Customise it with love notes on random dates.

 

http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/mens-health/sex-relationships/advice/article/-/5929862/47-ways-to-make-her-love-you/

New Nanospheres are the Stiffest Biological Materials Ever Created, Surpassing Kevlar

Published on Saturday, October 23rd, 2010 at 6:02 am

Protein tougher than metal could be used to print out body armor
Printable body armor, better bulletproof glass, and tougher steel are just a few of the applications for a new materials technology developed by Israeli researchers. A team of scientists there have developed a transparent material made of self-assembling nanospheres that is the stiffest organic material ever created, surpassing the properties of stainless steel and even Kevlar.
Developed by researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science and Tel Aviv University, the nanospheres are similar to the beta-amyloid proteins that make up the plaques found in the brains of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. But the new nanospheres are reinforced with an additional protective layer that makes them really, really strong.
And really, really small. They range in size from about 30 nanometers down to just two microns (by comparison, human hair averages something like 80 microns in diameter). But when assembled the material is extremely tough. In tests, only a diamond-tipped probe was able to dent the material, and then only by applying considerably more force that it takes to damage Kevlar.
Naturally, such a thin, strong material could lead to revolutionary improvements in body armor, and one of the researchers even told Discovery News that in principle you might be able to print custom body armor from the material. But it also could be used for a variety of other purposes, like strengthening existing metals and composites, creating medical implants, or improving the mechanical properties of ceramics and glasses. The researchers even think it might push forward technologically sci-fi projects like a space elevator.
But there’s still a lot of work to be done in the lab before the material sees mainstream usage. Patents are pending, but don’t expect to see printable, nanosphere body armor hitting the market anytime soon. Or diamond-tipped ammunition for that matter. For those who wish to comb through the nano-particulars, the paper is here.

Pirate Parties International

Pirate Parties International (abbreviated PPI) is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that exists to help establish, to support and promote, and to maintain communication and co-operation between pirate parties around the world. It was officially founded in 2010 during the Brussels conference from April 16th to 18th.

n 22 and 23 20:30 October in Munich in Muffathalle © oPirates a party will take place by Richard Siegal. ©oPirates is an artistic experiment that deals with issues of our society that touches the Pirate Parties as well:
In what way does the body inhabit the community? How does the body react to politics? Which language does the body create when it comes in contact with the others? How is the longing for community expressed in everyday life, and what form will it take in the mastered performances of physically highly sensitized dancers? What are the limits of exchange and sharing? Is it possible to be oneself and to share oneself at the same time?

http://www.pp-international.net/

When Is A Yo-Yo Not A Yo-Yo? When It Costs $US5,000

That’s not even a joke. Not only will it set you back the price of a car, but you’ll have to wait six months for it to land on your doorstep, too. I guess they are hand-made in Japan, but still…
Shinobu Konmoto is an ex-world champion yo-yo builder who’s made his name by winning many modding competitions, where he fashions his yo-yos out of unusual materials. In this case, the ‘Nostalgia’ yo-yo has been modeled after his winning 2007 design, so I guess if you have the requisite skillz but just need the right medium, then this is probably it.
Though really, in my eyes a yo-yo should be something that cost two bucks max, and came from a gas station. [Nostalgia via SPGRA via OhGizmo]

Fujifilm’s 3D W3 Gets An Australian Release

 The 3D bandwagon keeps on keeping on, and now it has added hardware. Fujifilm has just announced an Aussie release of their 3D video shooting W3 camera.
With an RRP of $599, the W3 isn’t the cheapest compact on the market, but it is one of the cheapest (if not only) 3D cameras on the market, so you don’t have too much of a choice there. But given its 3D, parallax barrier screen that allows you to see the third dimension effect, plus the ability to take 10MP 2D photos as well, it could be one of the best ways to actually create your own 3D content for viewing on that 3D-capable TV you just dumped thousands of dollars on…