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  • terri 9:38 pm on 2011/04/18 Permalink | Reply  

    Archiving Tweets in Bento 

    If you’re like me, you probably use Twitter more as a personal diary than as a means of oversharing to the world (though of course, that’s a by product that you obviously have to be aware of.) As a journal though, what good is it if you can’t easily pull up your tweets from months or even years ago? And if you’re at the mercy of a server, there will be the possibility of losing your tweets forever and that would just suck.

    In the age of meeting niche needs through the Internet, it was easy to find a service that would make .xls files out of your Twitter feed. That service is Tweetake, easily found at http://www.tweetake.com.

    At first, the script they used was a bit buggy, but it has improved over time. The only real unfortunate thing about it now, is that it can only archive tweets from no earlier than 2009. The good thing for me was I started using Tweetake early enough so that I managed to archive all my tweets from when I started “seriously” tweeting in 2008.

    For me, a .xls file wasn’t enough. If it was going to come in a flat file database type, it may as well be in something that could be easily filtered and searched. The challenge was clear: get this into Bento! You figure it would be easy with Bento already being able to take in CSV files, however, the data for the date/time field was a string typed out like this: “Tue Apr 19 06:00:20 +0000 2011″ which unfortunately a spreadsheet could not automatically decipher, let alone Bento. I decided to utilize the functions in Numbers to basically convert the string into meaningful data that Bento could take in. Once I figured that out, I realized that the time also had to reflect the time zone I live in. The time in the field was set to GMT, but not only was it a matter of changing the time, but the date, month or even the year noted could be changed by the time shift of a few hours, and so I had to account for that too. Through trial and error, and learning about Numbers functions (helped by my programming background), I managed to create calculated fields that would determine the correct time, day, month and year values based on the original string value in the xls file.

    So, long story short… I have made a Numbers document and a Bento template that can be used to archive your tweets generated as a .xls file by Tweetake.  It can be downloaded as:

    tweetaketobento.zip

    All you need is Numbers ’09 and Bento 3.

    Working Numbers File

    Instructions

    1. Download your Tweetake .xls file from http://www.tweetake.com.  You will need to allow Tweetake access to your Twitter account by logging in.
    2. Open the Tweettake .xls file in Numbers.  There will be a lot of extraneous information in this file, but you’ll only need two columns of info.
    3. Copy the 2 columns labeled “Status Date” and “Status Text,” but exclude the top row with these labels.
    4. In the “tweettake to bento” Numbers document, paste the info in the appropriate columns in the Table labeled “Tweetake.”  These columns (Column A and B) are colored in BLUE.
    5. In the “GMT Offset” Table in Cell B1, put the GMT Offset for the area where you live. (-10 is for Hawaii)
      • If you’re not sure what the GMT offset is for your area, go to
        http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/
      • If you need to do more than 1 time zone, you’ll have to do import and export your tweets in separate batches.  Simple, right?
    6. Export the Numbers document as a .csv file (File > Export)
      • A folder with two .csv files will be created as a result.  The .csv file you’ll want is Tweetake to Bento-TweetTable.csv
    7. Open Bento and import the template Tweets.BentoTemplate (File > Import > Template)
    8. In Bento, import the Numbers generated .csv file (File > Import > File)
      • Choose Tweetake to Bento-TweetTable.csv
      • Choose Target:  “Tweets” (Template that was just imported in Step 7)
      • Set up the import with the following Headers  -> Fields
        • “STATUS TEXT” == “Tweet”
        • “GV9 EOYear Adjusted Year” == “YEAR”
        • “DATE/TIME” == “Date Time”
    9. You’re done!  To archive newer tweets, repeat process again, with the exclusion of Step 7 as the template need only be imported once.

    If you’ve tried this, let me know if it works and what you think! :)

     
  • terri 8:23 pm on 2010/11/20 Permalink | Reply  

    terri-is…? 

    This is my first entry in a long time. In my absence, I had removed my “main blog” as I evaluated what to do with my domain. Recently, I have started work on other web and database projects that have inspired me to renew my own online presence. The question is, “What the hell do I have to offer the internet…REALLY?” Probably nothing, but I guess that won’t stop me. It never really has.

    Stay tuned…

     
  • terri 10:28 pm on 2010/08/10 Permalink | Reply  

    Running Playlist 

    A consolidation of my Running Playlist over the past 12 months.  I tend to change it every month by adding stuff and taking stuff out that doesn’t work for me. Definitely looking to add more!


    Name Artist Album
    Gives You Hell The All-American Rejects When the World Comes Down
    Around the Bend The Asteroids Galaxy Tour Around the Bend – Single
    Love Shack The B-52′s Cosmic Thing
    Hazy Shade Of Winter The Bangles The Bangles Greatest Hits
    Walk Like an a Egyptian The Bangles Different Light
    In Your Room The Bangles Everything
    Intergalactic Beastie Boys Hello Nasty
    Sabotage Beastie Boys Ill Communication
    Cradle of Love Billy Idol Billy Idol Greatest Hits
    White Wedding (Part I) Billy Idol Billy Idol Greatest Hits
    Dancing With Myself Billy Idol Don’t Stop
    Let’s Get It Started Black Eyed Peas Elephunk
    Pump It Black Eyed Peas Monkey Business
    Don’t Phunk With My Heart Black Eyed Peas Monkey Business
    Circus Britney Spears Circus
    Dancing In The Dark Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A.
    You Might Think The Cars Heartbeat City
    All Night Long (Touch Me) Cathy Dennis Move to This
    Bruises Chairlift Does You Inspire You
    I Feel For You Chaka Khan I Feel For You
    Fascinated Company B Jam on Me
    Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex CSS Cansei De Ser Sexy
    Just Like Heaven The Cure Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
    Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Daft Punk Discovery
    Around The World Daft Punk Homework
    Technologic Daft Punk Human After All
    Gotta Get Thru This Daniel Bedingfield Gotta Get Thru This
    Modern Love David Bowie Let’s Dance
    Me, Myself and I De La Soul The Best of De La Soul
    World Shut Your Mouth (Non-Album Track) Death Cab for Cutie Crooked Teeth – EP
    No Sunlight Death Cab for Cutie Narrow Stairs
    I Was Once a Loyal Lover Death Cab for Cutie The Open Door – EP
    Soul Meets Body (Album Version) Death Cab for Cutie Plans
    Crooked Teeth (Album Version) Death Cab for Cutie Plans
    The Sound of Settling Death Cab for Cutie Transatlanticism
    The Boys Of Summer Don Henley Building the Perfect Beast
    What A Fool Believes The Doobie Brothers Minute By Minute
    Hungry Like The Wolf Duran Duran Rio
    September Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire Greatest Hits
    Take Me Home Tonight Eddie Money Can’t Hold Back
    Lose Yourself Eminem 8 Mile OST
    Missing Everything But The Girl Amplified Heart
    I Don’t Care Fall Out Boy Folie à deux
    The Rockefeller Shank Fatboy Slim You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby
    Weapon Of Choice Fatboy Slim feat. Bootsy Collins Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars
    My Moon My Man Feist The Reminder
    She Drives Me Crazy Fine Young Cannibals The Raw and the Cooked
    Good Thing Fine Young Cannibals The Raw and the Cooked
    My Hero Foo Fighters The Colour and the Shape
    The Pretender Foo Fighters Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
    All My Life Foo Fighters One By One
    The One Foo Fighters Orange County OST
    Learn To Fly Foo Fighters There is Nothing Left to Lose
    DARE Gorillaz Demon Days
    Holiday Green Day American Idiot
    Welcome to Paradise Green Day Dookie
    Warning Green Day Warning
    What You Waiting For Gwen Stefani Love.Angel.Music.Baby.
    Kiss on My List Hall & Oates The Essential Hall & Oates
    You Make My Dreams Hall & Oates The Essential Hall & Oates
    Out of Touch Hall & Oates The Essential Hall & Oates
    Exodus Honey Honeycut The Day I Turned to Glass
    Goodnight Goodnight Hot Hot Heat Elevator
    New Sensation INXS Kick
    What You Need INXS Listen Like Thieves
    Love Foolsophy Jamiroquai A Funk Odyssey
    Control Janet Jackson Control
    California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg) Katy Perry California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg) – Single
    Footloose Kenny Loggins Footloose OST
    When You Were Young The Killers Sam’s Town
    For Reasons Unknown The Killers Sam’s Town
    My Sharona The Knack Get The Knack
    Jump Kriss Kross Totally Krossed Out
    Just Dance Lady GaGa The Fame
    My Way Limp Bizkit Chocolate Starfish & Hot Dog Flavored Water
    Mama Said Knock You Out LL Cool J All World: Greatest Hits
    Dress You Up Madonna Like A Virgin
    Little Of Your Time Maroon 5 It Won’t Be Soon Before Long
    How Far We’ve Come matchbox twenty How Far We’ve Come single
    Shake It Metro Station Metro Station
    Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough Michael Jackson Off The Wall
    Maniac Michael Sembello Flashdance Soundtrack
    O.P.P. Naughty By Nature Naughty By Nature
    Step By Step New Kids on the Block Step By Step
    You Get What You Give The New Radicals Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too
    Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana Nevermind
    Come As You Are Nirvana Nevermind
    Lithium Nirvana Nevermind
    Ex-Girlfriend No Doubt Return of Saturn
    The Shock of the Lightning Oasis Dig Out Your Soul
    The Kids Aren’t Alright The Offspring Americana
    Staring At The Sun The Offspring Americana
    Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) The Offspring Americana
    You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid The Offspring Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace
    Come Out and Play The Offspring Smash
    I Wanna Be Sedated The Offspring We’re a Happy Family
    Here It Goes Again OK GO Oh No
    Hey Ya OutKast Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
    Starry Eyed Surprise Paul Oakenfold feat. Shifty Bunkka
    You Can’t Hurry Love Phil Collins …Hits
    Jump (For My Love) Pointer Sisters Break Out
    Let’s Go Crazy Prince And The Revolution Purple Rain
    C’mon N’ Ride It (The Train) Quad City DJ’s Get on Up and Dance
    Space Jam Quad City DJ’s Space Jam OST
    Crazy Little Thing Called Love Queen Greatest Hits I
    Under Pressure Queen Greatest Hits I
    Renegades of Funk Rage Against The Machine Renegades
    It Takes Two Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock It Takes Two
    This Is How A Heart Breaks Rob Thomas …Something to Be
    It’s Tricky Run-D.M.C. Run-D.M.C. Greatest Hits
    Walk This Way Run-D.M.C. feat. Aerosmith Raising Hell
    Push It Salt-N-Pepa Hot, Cool & Vicious
    Cry For You September In Orbit
    There Is a Light That Never Goes Out The Smiths The Sound of the Smiths (Deluxe Edition) [Remastere style='display:none'>d]
    Roll With It Steve Winwood Roll With It
    You, Me and the Bourgeoisie The Submarines Honeysuckle Weeks
    Pump Up The Jam Technotronic Pump Up the Jam: The Album
    Get Up! (Before the Night is Over) Technotronic Pump Up the Jam: The Album
    Semi-Charmed Life Third Eye Blind Third Eye Blind
    Shut Up and Let Me Go The Ting Tings We Started Nothing
    Runnin’ Down a Dream Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Full Moon Fever
    Jump Van Halen 1984
    Panama Van Halen 1984
    Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!! Venga Boys The Party Album!
    Keep Fishin’ Weezer Maladroit
    Hash Pipe Weezer Weezer (Green Album)
    Troublemaker Weezer Weezer (Red Album)
    Wake Me Up Before You Go Go Wham! Make It Big
    Rock Steady The Whispers Just Gets Better With Time
    Men In Black Will Smith Big Willie Style
    Dreamin’ Will To Power Will To Power
    Say It’s Gonna Rain Will To Power Will To Power
    Bust a Move Young MC Stone Cold Rhymin’
     
  • terri 9:22 pm on 2010/07/14 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , itami   

    Ow, the Nerve! 

    I hit the back of my right hand against the corner of a table at work today and now my fingers and arm has pains shooting throughout. I’m going to try to sleep this off, but the pain has me a bit worried. Going to call the rheumatologist if this continues on to the weekend.

     
  • terri 10:14 pm on 2010/07/13 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:   

    Road v. Treadmill 

    Since utilizing my YMCA membership, I’ve taken the opportunity to go running on their treadmills for about 30 minutes each visit. I have to say that running on a treadmill is very difficult for me. I think my stamina has been good for the intervals I’ve set, but I just have this constant fear that I’m going to trip and fall and in front of so many people. Thankfully, nothing like that has happened yet, but my experience on the treadmill these past few weeks has gotten me thinking that I enjoy running best when I’m on the road. I like being able to set my own pace as I go along the road; on the treadmill, I end up stressing out over the intervals changing on me and me not being prepared for the change in pace.

    Right now, the only road running I do is the 2.5+ mile block around my house (usually 2 or 3 times). I tried doing Kapiolani Park for a few weeks, but I gave up after awhile because it was rather bothersome to run earlier in the day because of my schedule and because of my blood sugar management. I may look to occasionally do that, but I think it works best for me to run around my neighborhood, though I do enjoy new running scenery now and then.

    With all that said, I have been seriously considering entering road races because I think I can actually thrive in that kind of setting. When I did the GAR this past February, I thought I would just be walking because I thought it would be hard to make pace with the huge crowds of people there, but it turned out to be rather energizing and fun to have a lot of people running alongside you. It made for fun times running behind people and trying to keep pace with them (and then when you got tired, you walk for awhile and then run behind someone else…heheh.) Signing up for road races is something I have to plan out because I need to request the days off I need from work. If anyone has any good suggestions, please let me know.

    I thought about embedding this video to this entry, but it probably would have been a little corny to do so. Incidentally, this is a song I like running to. ;)

     
  • terri 8:25 pm on 2010/07/01 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , enbrel   

    15 Seconds, Give or Take 

    This is a video of me doing my weekly 15 second Enbrel injection this morning, captured by Hunny using my iPhone 3GS (hence the vertical orientation of the video.) It’s evidence that even after months of doing this week after week, I just can’t get used to it! I know my house is messy and my voice is annoying, but I’m putting out there anyways. As much as I hate doing these injections, the drugs are working. 15 seconds of discomfort week after week (and all the anxiety preceding it) has been worth it. So grateful to my job for medical insurance…eternally grateful.

     
  • terri 10:51 pm on 2010/06/29 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: ,   

    Roll With It, Baby 

    I’ve been meaning to post a “power song” for every run that I do. I think it’s good to share songs that I like to jog to since I’m always open to discovering good running songs.

    When you think about it hard enough, Steve Winwood songs are pretty awesome; I can’t think of a song of his I don’t like. For me, “Roll With It” is one of those songs that invokes childhood memories because of its heavy radio rotation back in 1988. Somehow I ended up putting it in my running playlist, and it has turned out to be a really great song to move to with a steady beat and rather motivating lyrics.

    I had a fairly good run today. Went about 2 and a half times around my block, which equated to about 6 miles in about 1 hour: http://nikerunning.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikeplus/en_US/plus/#//runs/detail/807837932/5185814/all/allRuns/

     
  • terri 10:37 pm on 2010/06/29 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:   

    June 29th 2009 — One Year Later 

    A year ago, I kept a journal as I was trying to figure out how I was going to manage issues with my health. On June 29, 2009, I wrote a very short, but important entry:

    “Today was a very significant day. I finally had my appointment with the rheumatologist. I came in very hopeful that I have at last been paired with the right doctor to give me a diagnosis. I left with a diagnosis and was rather satisfied with the level of care that I had received…

    Bottom line: I have been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis.”

    I know I probably will never be cured, but I am happy that I’ve been able to manage the symptoms this past year, thanks to the miracle of drugs and the resolve that I can get better and live normally even if I deal with “having” this for the rest of my life.

    I celebrated today by taking a jog and basking in some endorphins. Yay for working joints…!

     
  • terri 8:44 pm on 2010/06/21 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: geektech   

    Wish List Fulfillment 

    I typed this note out on my iPhone over 2 years ago before iPhone 2.0 came out. With the release of iOS4, a few more can finally be checked off. My favorite feature so far? Being able to use a Bluetooth Keyboard with my iPhone. :)

     
  • terri 8:15 am on 2010/06/18 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: flexibility,   

    Stretching For This Dummy 

    Yes, I actually bought a book called Stretching For Dummies.. I just want to write in this short entry that stretching is not to be taken lightly. When I started exercising again, my thought was that stretching would just prevent getting a cramp during exercise and since I never really got cramps, I saw no need to do it. How wrong I was. As a result of not stretching, my groin muscles have gotten so tight that I can’t even sit cross-legged on the floor without it hurting. I hope that I can correct the tightness in my legs by coming up with some kind of stretching routine. Yoga isn’t too feasible at this point because I am way too inflexible. The book is pretty informative, but I have to be sure to follow through. I will probably try stretching at work or while I am out and about in addition to making it part of my current exercise routine of jogging and weight training.

     
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