Since I use the Safari and Chromium web browsers on OS X, my first impulse was to write a GlimmerBlocker script to remove the target from links. This would fix the problem on all sites I visit with any browser. I had already written a GlimmerBlocker filter to remove target="_blank" from some websites, so I just needed modify it into a cleaner general version. Since my brother does much more JavaScript programming than I do, I asked him if he knew a more efficient way to do this. He mentioned one, and also suggested writing a Safari Extension instead of a GlimmerBlocker script.

Before starting a new Extension, I searched for an existing one. It wasn’t on the official Extension list, but someone had already written one:

BlockTarget is an extension for Safari 5. It removes the ‘target’ attribute from links to prevent a new window being opened.

After skimming the source (how open a Safari Extension) for this Extension, I decided to give it a try. I’ve been using BlockTarget for two weeks, and it seems to work well. If you use Safari, this Extension will make the internet a more pleasant place.

BlockTarget is a good solution to part of the problem of new windows, but it can’t fix all instances. It is still possible to open a new window using JavaScript. Developing a universal solution for the alternate methods of opening new windows is a problem for another time. There is also a disturbing trend to generate websites completely through the use of JavaScript. Even if these sites use the target attribute to open new windows, they do it after BlockTarget has run, so it misses these targets. I eventually need to find an efficient way to write a script to watch a page and remove all window opening code, but I won’t have time to work on that in the near future. So please, write a clean solution!

Flexible cables need stress relief where they connect to solid objects to avoid damage to the cable or the electrical connection. The MagSafe power brick’s stress relief on the outgoing DC cable is primarily designed to keep the cable from pulling away from the electrical connections. It does this well. It misses the other purpose of minimizing the stress of the bending cable near the rigid block. The stress relief portion of the cable is overly rigid, creating a spot where the cable can easily kink, damaging the wires inside. The solution is to add an additional little bit of thinner stress relief. This will eliminate the most likely point for the cable to be damaged. The incoming AC cable is an excellent example of good stress relief, so it is odd that the DC cable has this flaw.

There will always be some who abuse hardware by make the cable bend too tight, or pulling on the cord, so no fix can be perfect. But the stress relief problem on the MagSafe power supplies is bad enough that even someone as careful as I am not to damage an expensive power adaptor ended up with a broken cord. It got to the point that the cord partially melted at the stress point. I had hoped it would be a simple fix: pop the case open, shorten the cord an inch, put it back together. Unfortunately, the brick is glued together. Apparently the best way to open it up is to Dremel around the seam. Once the repair is complete, either re-case the circuit, or tape the case back together. This is not an acceptable repair. Fortunately, Apple recognizes the problem as a safety hazard and—in cases where the damage is from wear, not abuse—is replacing the power supplies even after the warranty runs out. I had to drive to the nearest Apple store (over an hour away) to have it replaced. For some reason they don’t allow the local Apple repair shop to swap them out. Now I have a new power supply, and can get back to work.

Related sites:

• Register Hardware: Apple power brick sparks lawsuit: MagSafe isn’t
• Apple: How to disconnect the MagSafe power adapter
• Apple: Troubleshooting MagSafe adapters

Further reading: For Pontiac, Quality Comes Too Late (NY Times)

I’m sick of the silly animated menus on movies. They were moderately interesting the first four times ten years ago. Then they became more and more annoying. I don’t want to put a DVD in, wait several minutes to get to the main menu, scroll to scene selection, watch an animation, select a scene, then start the movie. I want to put the disc in and have the movie start. If I want the menu, I’ll hit the menu button. If I want to watch trailers, I’ll select trailers. Direct access was supposed to be one of the benefits of DVD over tape. But since many DVD players don’t let you skip all the animations, you may as well be fast forwarding through trailers. Not that I want to go back to tape, but new technology should make life better, not just different.

The second problem is the CRAP included on DVD and Blu-ray. It is bad on DVD. The CRAP on Blu-ray it is so bad I refuse to ever buy a Blu-ray disc.

I may as well include a third problem: How do all rental DVDs end up scratched? Are people playing frisbee with them? Using them as coasters? I have never scratched a CD or DVD, yet most rental DVDs are scratched enough to loose whole scenes.

I hope whatever high-definiton format (HVD?) we end up with in a couple years fixes these problems. Maybe we’ll even get a decent frame rate, 24 or 30 frames per second flickers way too much…

Putting wires in a place that they will bend the same way many times is a problem. With car doors it isn’t too bad because the angle they bend through is fairly small. With a tailgate the angle is much larger, making the wires and hoses ore more likely to break. This would be a good place for a couple connectors and a short length of heavier cable. Since this problem isn’t likely to happen for the first owner of a car, the design probably won’t be changed.

Saturday was my first ride of the year with the Delaware County Cycling Club. The schedule said the ride started at 8:00. Only four of us showed up, so we took an easy ride in town until 9:00. The delay was ok because it gave me a chance to pickup the banana I had forgotten. The ride leader and a bunch of others showed up around nine. Even riding in a group, the wind made a challenging 65 km ride. During the last section of the ride I talked to Dave Poole of AeroCat bikes. He was riding his ACR500 frame. It is a nice looking carbon road frame. After the ride, he showed me some prototypes, including a carbon mountain bike frame he is working on. It looks really good. After the club ride, I rode a bit extra for a total of 110 km.