Space Flight 593: Split Second Decisions

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}It’s OK, you don’t have to live with this.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}It’s OK, I’m certain I can change this.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}Jones rested a heavy hand on Rex’s shoulder. Producing a small vial of an indigo liquid from within his cloaks, he leaned in closer.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}His heart heavy with grief, Rex watched the scene unfold again. He had forgotten all of this, but he remembered his heart breaking.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}“I picked this up on a recent mission and I’ve only just confirmed its properties.”{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}“I would only have to change one thing. One tiny little thing.”{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}He unstoppered the vial and took a small whiff.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}He went back to a moment before and hovered over the alarm panel{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}“What were we talking about?”{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}“Come back to me,” he thought.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}Jones looked around uncertainly, noticed Rex - brooding, distressed - and the vial in his own hand. He struggled to keep a smirk off his face.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}A dull pain bubbled its way into his consciousness. He watched his own memories unfold from this moment as the pain slowly increased.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}“Ah yes. This is a memory toxin. A measured dosage could erase all those ghastly images from your head. You wouldn’t have to remember how you found her, or that she was even with you that day.” Jones gripped Rex’s shoulder harder.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}Anrianna heard the alarm and raced to her station early. Rex and The Professor were surprised to see her, but forgot their surprise as the Hundred-Tonne-Husky lurched out of control and began it’s devastating decent toward Nolix.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}Overwhelmed with grief, Rex snatched the fluid from Jones hand and downed the whole bottle. Then he passed out.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}The trio emerged groggy from their synthetic cocoons and Rex’s panic dissolved into joy to see Anrianna safe.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}Taking the vial from Rex’s fingers Jones muttered to himself, “Well that was quite a bit more than I wanted to give you, but no matter, maybe now we can get back to more important matters.”{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}The pain intensified as the next few days played out. As they returned to base and Jones hailed them home, Rex watched the ripples of change flow forward to the future where the new Jones would notice.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}He crushed the empty vial beneath a boot and helped Rex to his feet.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}He left the alarm panel alone and the past remained unchanged.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

{{% timeswap %}} {{% timeline 1 %}}Jones chuckled.{{% /timeline %}} {{% timeline 2 %}}Rex cried.{{% /timeline %}} {{% /timeswap %}}

Make Tiny Tiny RSS Look and Behave Like Google Reader

Since Google announced they were closing Google Reader down in June, people have been scrambling to find something to use in it’s place. I’m not sure what the rush is, but I was caught up in it too. My replacement of choice is Tiny Tiny RSS because it’s self hosted, meaning I don’t have to rely on any third party for such an important task any more.

This article is not about how to set up TTRSS (Tiny Tiny RSS). That’s been covered by the official Wiki and Forums. This article is about how to make TTRSS behave somewhat more like Google Reader, so you can jump right back in to reading feeds and not have to learn something new.

First up are the settings you can change straight out of the box. Open Preferences - the link is the first item in the ‘Action’ menu at the top right of the main interface.

What do you prefer?

What do you prefer?

Set up the above options as shown. To access ‘Automatically expand articles in combined mode’ you need ‘Show additional preferences’ ticked. ‘Combined feed display’ switches the view from 3-pane view to two-pane.

While you’re in Preferences, click ‘Customize’ under ‘Customize stylesheet’ and paste in the code found in this Gist by Gregory Rickaby to get TTRSS looking a bit more like Google Reader (if that’s your bag).

Such Style

Such Style

Mark Waters created a Google Reader Shortcut plugin. Developer fox has already merged it into the software, but if like me you downloaded the version before the plugin was incorporated, you can create a directory called ‘googlereaderkeys’ in the plugin directory, and in that create a file called init.php. Paste the code from Mark’s plugin in that file and save it to your installation. This will enable the familiar j/k keystrokes to navigate feeds and ‘v’ to open them. Alternatively you could get used to the native keystrokes n/p for next/previous. Don’t forget to visit the plugin page and enable this new plugin.

Might as well enable some other plugins while you're there

Might as well enable some other plugins while you're there

Next up is collapsing expanded articles by clicking on the headings again. Based on fox’s patch, open up the file ‘js/viewfeed.js’ in a text editor.

Beginning at line 1320, replace:

[snippet id=“862”]

with

[snippet id=“863”]

And save it back to your installation.

Things should now look like this:

Pretty ain't she?

Pretty ain't she?

There are a few more tips around including how to import starred and shared items into TTRSS. Tiny Tiny RSS is a fantastic product that fills the void left by Google Reader. I highly recommend donating too - Andrew Dolgov has been working tirelessly, since the Google Reader announcement, to keep on top of endless support requests.

Got any other tips you’re using?

June 2013: I am no longer using this software myself. This post was written in support of an independent developer who I believe has built a terrific product and released it for free for anyone to use. You’re still free of course to use Tiny Tiny RSS, but I can no longer recommend it. While the developer works hard and is constantly updating and fixing his software, I find his customer service manner to be beyond rude. He’s never been rude to me personally so this isn’t sour grapes, but his forum and other interractions are littered with examples of unnecessary rudeness. If you want good software, and will never need assistance please go ahead and use TTRSS. Personally, I switched from Google Reader to a self-hosted solution so that I wouldn’t need to switch again. However, I’m not convinced that I will able to get help with the product in future without following the developers unwritten rules for support. I’m certain the developer will not miss me. TL;DR Developer is unnecessarily rude and I don’t want to support rude people.