https://www.josephspurrier.com Notes by a technologist who specializes in web technologies and automation. Frequently looking for productivity improvements. Writings in the blog. Polar Bear Blog en-us Wed, 11 Mar 2026 02:16:19 -0400 https://www.josephspurrier.com/how-to-embed-assets-in-go-1-16 Sun, 23 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/how-to-embed-assets-in-go-1-16 In Go 1.16, there is a way to natively embed files and templates ( https://golang.org/pkg/embed/ ) which allows us to perform single binary deployments easily. https://www.josephspurrier.com/polar-bear-blog Sat, 20 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/polar-bear-blog The Polar Bear Blog is available on GitHub: https://github.com/josephspurrier/polarbearblog. https://www.josephspurrier.com/news-via-rss Thu, 11 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/news-via-rss For the last four years, I’ve read articles through a feed reader app and it’s a wonderful experience. https://www.josephspurrier.com/top-down-and-bottom-up-learning Thu, 11 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/top-down-and-bottom-up-learning Which should you choose: top-down or bottom-up learning? Spoiler: it’s really up to you to determine which will be more motivating. https://www.josephspurrier.com/organizing-email Thu, 04 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/organizing-email Early in my career when I finished with an email, I filed it away in one of my organized folders so I could easily find it again if I needed it. https://www.josephspurrier.com/taking-notes Thu, 04 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/taking-notes I much prefer a computer to a notepad. https://www.josephspurrier.com/todo-list Thu, 04 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/todo-list Until last year, I kept my todo list in my notes ( /taking-notes ). https://www.josephspurrier.com/monolithic-repository-vs-multiple-repositories-for-a-go-application Sat, 09 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/monolithic-repository-vs-multiple-repositories-for-a-go-application This article will use Go as the primary programming language, but many of these concepts are applicable to other languages as well. https://www.josephspurrier.com/microsoft-buys-github-good-or-bad Mon, 04 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/microsoft-buys-github-good-or-bad Microsoft just bought GitHub for $7.5 billion. https://www.josephspurrier.com/go-in-the-workplace Sat, 12 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/go-in-the-workplace Before we started working on the web portal at work, we discussed which languages to use. https://www.josephspurrier.com/fix-authentication-failed-remote-party-closed-transport-stream Thu, 05 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/fix-authentication-failed-remote-party-closed-transport-stream After hardening our web servers and only allowing secure ciphers, one of the .NET applications we built no longer connected to the Apache web server. https://www.josephspurrier.com/go-web-app-example-views Thu, 05 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/go-web-app-example-views This is a continuation to my previous post, Go Web App Example - Entry Point, File Structure, Models, and Routes ( /go-web-app-example/ ). https://www.josephspurrier.com/charge-iphone-quicker Thu, 05 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/charge-iphone-quicker If you have the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus or newer, you could be charging it quicker. https://www.josephspurrier.com/onedrive-syncing-files-1-remaining-fix Thu, 05 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/onedrive-syncing-files-1-remaining-fix This was a fun one! We use the OneDrive for Business client to sync files between our computers and Office 365. https://www.josephspurrier.com/prevent-escaping-exec-command-arguments-in-go Thu, 05 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/prevent-escaping-exec-command-arguments-in-go In Go, I was trying to add the ability to run administrative installations in my project on GitHub: Portable App Creator ( https://github.com/josephspurrier/goappmation ). https://www.josephspurrier.com/cancel-warranty-for-refund Sat, 23 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/cancel-warranty-for-refund I know there are a lot of people out there that don’t believe in extended warranties. https://www.josephspurrier.com/how-to-use-template-blocks-in-go-1-6 Sat, 23 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/how-to-use-template-blocks-in-go-1-6 In Go 1.6, there will be a new action ( https://golang.org/pkg/text/template/#hdr-Actions ) in the template package called *block*. https://www.josephspurrier.com/set-up-wordpress-on-windows Fri, 08 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/set-up-wordpress-on-windows A few years ago, I contracted for two companies that built websites. https://www.josephspurrier.com/free-stock-trades-with-robinhood Wed, 06 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/free-stock-trades-with-robinhood I used eTrade for a few years when I received stock options from the first company I worked with. https://www.josephspurrier.com/sync-static-website-to-amazon-s3-with-rclone Tue, 05 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/sync-static-website-to-amazon-s3-with-rclone After using WordPress for years, I decided to change this website to a static one so it’s cheaper, safer, and easier to manage. https://www.josephspurrier.com/go-web-app-example Mon, 04 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/go-web-app-example There are a few frameworks for Go that make it easier to build a web Application. https://www.josephspurrier.com/the-4-hour-workweek-bullet-points Sun, 03 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/the-4-hour-workweek-bullet-points A friend of mine who runs a successful watch strap business ( http://www.clockworksynergy.com/ ) recommended I read The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. https://www.josephspurrier.com/cost-of-iphone-upgrade-program-vs-two-year-contract Sat, 02 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/cost-of-iphone-upgrade-program-vs-two-year-contract I received an email from Apple that advertised their *iPhone Upgrade Program*. https://www.josephspurrier.com/how-to-use-go15vendorexperiment Sat, 02 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/how-to-use-go15vendorexperiment Go 1.5 supports an experimental feature which allows you to store the external packages you use in a folder called *vendor*. https://www.josephspurrier.com/golang-asterisk-and-ampersand-cheatsheet Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/golang-asterisk-and-ampersand-cheatsheet In the Go programming language (Golang), there are two symbols you need to understand when dealing with pointers: the asterisk and ampersand. https://www.josephspurrier.com/tips-for-buying-a-windows-laptop Fri, 05 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/tips-for-buying-a-windows-laptop If you are buying a Windows laptop, do your research because you’ll be using it for the next 4 years. https://www.josephspurrier.com/file-locking-in-php-using-flock Sat, 15 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/file-locking-in-php-using-flock A nice feature MySQL is the automatic locking. https://www.josephspurrier.com/fix-sugarcrm-job-hung-in-running-state Sat, 15 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/fix-sugarcrm-job-hung-in-running-state If you use SugarCRM and you find a scheduled job that has been stuck in the running state for more than an hour, the job may be hung. https://www.josephspurrier.com/set-up-a-wordpress-website-on-aws Wed, 05 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/set-up-a-wordpress-website-on-aws This end-to-end procedure is intended for anyone that is setting up a WordPress website on Amazon Web Services (AWS). https://www.josephspurrier.com/quick-view-of-the-laravel-4-1-workflow Mon, 07 Apr 2014 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/quick-view-of-the-laravel-4-1-workflow Here is a quick view of the Laravel ( http://laravel.com/ ) 4.1 workflow when a request is made. https://www.josephspurrier.com/apache-nginx-configurations Fri, 28 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/apache-nginx-configurations These are the configurations I recommend for the The Trailing Slash Solution ( /trailing-slash-solution/ ). https://www.josephspurrier.com/trailing-slash-solution Thu, 27 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/trailing-slash-solution After much deliberation, I’ve come up a logical way to handle the trailing slash in website URLs. https://www.josephspurrier.com/strong-weak-dynamic-and-static-typed-programming-languages Fri, 28 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/strong-weak-dynamic-and-static-typed-programming-languages After doing a little searching, I’ve found it’s a little difficult to understand the differences between strongly typed, weakly typed, dynamically typed, and statically typed programming languages. https://www.josephspurrier.com/parse-csv-php Mon, 03 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/parse-csv-php A comma-separate values (CSV) file is a common file that contains data from a database or spreadsheet and separates out the data using commas. https://www.josephspurrier.com/getting-started-surfstack-wamp Fri, 31 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/getting-started-surfstack-wamp SurfStack WAMP is an open source web stack that includes the follow applications: Apache, Nginx, MySQL, MongoDB, and PHP. https://www.josephspurrier.com/css-style-selectors-inheritance-specificity Wed, 29 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/css-style-selectors-inheritance-specificity Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a markup language used to format languages like HTML (thanks Wiki ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascading_Style_Sheets ) ). https://www.josephspurrier.com/public-key-encryption-with-php Tue, 28 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/public-key-encryption-with-php Public-key encryption is a type of asymmetric cryptology ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public-key_cryptography ) where the encryption and decryption processes require different keys. https://www.josephspurrier.com/windows-7-why-is-system-process-listening-on-port-80 Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/windows-7-why-is-system-process-listening-on-port-80 This one was bugging me. https://www.josephspurrier.com/how-can-i-create-a-list-of-all-my-music Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/how-can-i-create-a-list-of-all-my-music I’ve got all my music organized into folders by artist or band name. https://www.josephspurrier.com/iphone-5-vs-htc-dna Sun, 06 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/iphone-5-vs-htc-dna My brother suggested I post a review since I’ve got both of the phones in hand. https://www.josephspurrier.com/run-apache-http-on-windows-without-installing Sat, 22 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/run-apache-http-on-windows-without-installing I’m a minimalist. https://www.josephspurrier.com/execute-batch-scripts-from-c-memory Fri, 14 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/execute-batch-scripts-from-c-memory *Problem:* I have a batch script that runs some awesome commands, but it contains sensitive information like username and passwords. https://www.josephspurrier.com/set-up-nginx-mysql-php-pear-phpunit-on-windows-quickly-and-easily-with-fusionleaf-stack Tue, 11 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/set-up-nginx-mysql-php-pear-phpunit-on-windows-quickly-and-easily-with-fusionleaf-stack If you’ve ever tried to set up a web stack on your Windows computer, you’ll know how much time, work, and troubleshooting is required to get each of the pieces to work together correctly. https://www.josephspurrier.com/unknown-publisher-requires-elevation-on-windows-7-self-created-exe-12 Thu, 05 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/unknown-publisher-requires-elevation-on-windows-7-self-created-exe-12 This has been bugging me for the past two days. https://www.josephspurrier.com/disable-windows-startup-programs-registry-and-start-menu Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/disable-windows-startup-programs-registry-and-start-menu Almost every time you install a piece of software, a start up entry is created in either the Registry or the Start Menu. https://www.josephspurrier.com/domain-transfer-godaddy-to-namecheap Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/domain-transfer-godaddy-to-namecheap After a bit of research, I’ve decided to move all my domain names from GoDaddy to NameCheap to save money. https://www.josephspurrier.com/dell-latitude-e6420-laptop-complete-driver-list-for-windows-7 Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/dell-latitude-e6420-laptop-complete-driver-list-for-windows-7 Whenever I get a new computer, the first thing I do is format the hard drive to remove all the manufacturer bloatware and then install the operating system of my choice. https://www.josephspurrier.com/how-to-check-your-credit-report-for-free Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/how-to-check-your-credit-report-for-free When was the last time you pulled your Credit Report? You can get a free report from 3 different companies (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) once a year so if you pull from a different one every 4 months, you can stay current on your report. https://www.josephspurrier.com/android-root-process-for-htc-thunderbolt-ota-2-11-605-9 Sat, 24 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/android-root-process-for-htc-thunderbolt-ota-2-11-605-9 Please read if you want to know how to upgrade your *ROOTED* HTC Thunderbolt from a rooted ROM to the 2.11.605.9 update. https://www.josephspurrier.com/extend-a-windows-server-2003-system-partition-c Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/extend-a-windows-server-2003-system-partition-c If you are trying to extend the Boot or System Partition on a Windows Server 2003 server, you can use a Windows Server 2008 CD to accomplish the task. https://www.josephspurrier.com/windows-8-preview-test-drive Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/windows-8-preview-test-drive I’m pretty excited about Windows 8. https://www.josephspurrier.com/android-root-process-for-htc-thunderbolt Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/android-root-process-for-htc-thunderbolt This article is a compilation of many different articles. https://www.josephspurrier.com/windows-7-on-ssd-install Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/windows-7-on-ssd-install I’m going to let the metrics do the talking on this review. https://www.josephspurrier.com/book-disk-creation-guide Mon, 11 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/book-disk-creation-guide Below is a guide I wrote because I needed to remember the process to create a bootable CD. https://www.josephspurrier.com/amazon-cloud-player-hands-on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/amazon-cloud-player-hands-on Amazon recently added a new feature to their existing cloud platform called Amazon Cloud Player. https://www.josephspurrier.com/htc-thunderbolt-review Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/htc-thunderbolt-review After 20 hours of waiting for my Thunderbolt, I happy to say I’m very impressed with the phone. https://www.josephspurrier.com/understanding-android-themes-and-styles-via-brain-flush Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/understanding-android-themes-and-styles-via-brain-flush Great article on themes for Android. https://www.josephspurrier.com/microsoft-outlook-2007-hidden-options Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/microsoft-outlook-2007-hidden-options While troubleshooting Outlook 2007 today, I found a great article with a few hidden tools. https://www.josephspurrier.com/fix-time-sync-issues Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/fix-time-sync-issues Run the commands below to resync your PC time to the government’s time server. https://www.josephspurrier.com/force-windows-to-update Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/force-windows-to-update Run these commands if it seems like Windows 7 is not receiving updates. https://www.josephspurrier.com/ping-with-a-timestamp Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/ping-with-a-timestamp Here is a very quick and dirty way to monitor a server over an extended period of time. https://www.josephspurrier.com/restart-windows-desktop Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/restart-windows-desktop If you are having issues with you current Windows Desktop for any reason, a quick fix is to run this script. https://www.josephspurrier.com/send-email-from-command-line Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/send-email-from-command-line If you would like to send an email from the command line, modify the code below to fit your needs. https://www.josephspurrier.com/set-default-domain-in-logon-dropdown-box-via-remote-desktop Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/set-default-domain-in-logon-dropdown-box-via-remote-desktop If you have users that try to log in without ensuring the correct domain is selected in the dropdown box, run the registry file below to set it to automatically default to the correct domain. https://www.josephspurrier.com/set-usb-to-read-only Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/set-usb-to-read-only Learned this one in a Forensic class. https://www.josephspurrier.com/urlmon-dll-error-in-internet-explorer-7 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/urlmon-dll-error-in-internet-explorer-7 Run these commands to re-register the DLLs. https://www.josephspurrier.com/verbose-windows-login-and-logout-screen Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/verbose-windows-login-and-logout-screen If you want to read every little thing Windows attempts to do when you login or logout of the operating system, place the code in a *.REG file and double click. https://www.josephspurrier.com/windows-update-frozen Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/windows-update-frozen One error which plagued a number of systems was a scenario where Windows Update would sit frozen and never install any updates. https://www.josephspurrier.com/add-or-remove-ntfs-permissions-via-command-line Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/add-or-remove-ntfs-permissions-via-command-line One neat feature of scripting is the ability to make changes to a large number of objects at one time. https://www.josephspurrier.com/analyze-a-bluescreen-dump-file Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/analyze-a-bluescreen-dump-file Although this sounds like a difficult task, it is much easier than you may think. https://www.josephspurrier.com/automatically-backup-user-data-in-windows-xp Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/automatically-backup-user-data-in-windows-xp The script will automatically backup all the user files in My Documents, Desktop, Favorites, and the default PST location. https://www.josephspurrier.com/clear-print-queue Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/clear-print-queue On a Windows system, sometimes the print queue can cause applications that use printers to hang, specifically Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Word. https://www.josephspurrier.com/delay-the-annoying-windows-update-reboot-reminder Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/delay-the-annoying-windows-update-reboot-reminder Do you hate the little reminder to reboot your system every 15 minutes after Windows updates your system? Even though you probably should reboot just to clear up any pending operations on your beautiful, quick running PC, there is a way to prevent the reminder from showing up every 15 minutes. https://www.josephspurrier.com/delete-on-reboot-right-click Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/delete-on-reboot-right-click Here is a powerful one. https://www.josephspurrier.com/enable-32bit-on-64bit-iis Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/enable-32bit-on-64bit-iis Paste this command into command prompt and it will allow IIS to display 32bit web code: cscript %!S(MISSING)ystemDrive%!\(MISSING)inetpub\Admin\Script\sadsutil.vbs set w3svc/AppPools/Enable32bitAppOnWin64 1 https://www.josephspurrier.com/internet-explorer-scripts-taking-too-long Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/internet-explorer-scripts-taking-too-long When inefficient SQL queries are run over and over again by a web application, sometimes you will see an errors message similar to one of the following: > A script on this page is causing Internet Explorer to run slowly. https://www.josephspurrier.com/manage-services-remotely-via-command-line Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/manage-services-remotely-via-command-line If you have a service change that needs to be made quickly, use the command line to remotely change services. https://www.josephspurrier.com/open-command-prompt-from-the-right-click-menu Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/open-command-prompt-from-the-right-click-menu Ok, I borrowed this one from somewhere and modified it to fit my needs. https://www.josephspurrier.com/sql-bulk-load-error-from-delegation-issues Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/sql-bulk-load-error-from-delegation-issues Previously, we received Bulk Load errors in SQL because they computers were not trusted to run a Bulk Load operation from another server. https://www.josephspurrier.com/search-for-text-inside-a-group-of-files Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/search-for-text-inside-a-group-of-files If you need to search a group of files for a certain string of text, place the below script in a *.CMD file which resides in the same folder as all the files you would like to search. https://www.josephspurrier.com/auto-download-latest-linux-code Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/auto-download-latest-linux-code In Linux, there are a number of good package managers. https://www.josephspurrier.com/compile-linux-kernel Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/compile-linux-kernel At the heart of every Linux distribution is the kernel. https://www.josephspurrier.com/fix-invalid-elf-header Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/fix-invalid-elf-header On a Linux system, usually when an Invalid ELF Header message appears it means one of the libraries cannot be loaded. https://www.josephspurrier.com/fix-no-init-found Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/fix-no-init-found This is an error message I’ve seen a few time. https://www.josephspurrier.com/linux-repair-permissions Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.josephspurrier.com/linux-repair-permissions As I was building a LinuxFromScratch.org distribution, I wanted to ensure all my file permissions, owners, and groups were correct.