RoR: ActionView::TemplateError (can’t dup NilClass)

So I got this error today when working on a Ruby on Rails application:

 ActionView::TemplateError (can't dup NilClass)

Well, I didn’t find too much with a quick glance through google (though I could have spent more time). It was a quick fix: I accidentally used an instance variable that I forgot to define in my controller. Doh!

July 27, 2009  Tags:   Posted in: Technology  No Comments

Add a search form anywhere to your OpenCMS website

If you would like to use the OpenCMS search tools provided in the content management system, here’s all you need to add anywhere you’d like it:

<form id="searchForm" name="searchForm" action="/opencms/opencms/yourwebsite/search.html" method="post">
<input type="hidden" name="action" value="search" />
<input type="hidden" name="searchPage" value="1" />
<input type="text" name="query" value="" />
<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Search" />
</form>

Keep in mind that in the content editor, this code will make two strange boxes appear. Those two boxes correspond to the hidden form elements and should not be deleted. If they are deleted, the search form will not function properly.

July 25, 2009  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Technology  No Comments

Singularity University: “Past” the Fiction, Into the Future

If you haven’t yet been introduced to the idea of the Technological Singularity as theorized by Ray Kurzweil, you’ve probably been exposed to popular culture like the Terminator or Matrix movies.  Yes, those are obvious works of fiction but Kurzweil presents the idea that we may lose control of technological advancement as it controls itself.  All we have to do, theoretically, is develop one computer/machine that can become self-aware, replicate, and, maybe, improve upon itself.  This is idea is not so unrealistic when you look at the exponential growth of technology (particular in computer science areas) in modern society.
To prepare our society for this disruption, Ray Kurzweil founded the Singularity University.  He claims it “is poised to foster the leaders who will create a uniquely creative and productive future world.”  40 applicants were chosen out of a pool over 1200 candidates.  This group is comprised of a variety of people with varying backgrounds and technological expertise.  It will be interesting to see exactly what this group learns and, even, teaches us about what to expect for the future.

Here’s a little introduction to the Singularity University:

With groups like Google, LinkedIn, X-Prize, IDEO, and ePlanet Ventures backing the program, it’s evident that people are beginning to view the idea of a singularity as a threat to actually consider.  I also wonder how long into the future that Singularity University will last.  It will, of course, have to adapt to the future of technology as changes occur so the curriculum will have to constantly evolve.  In order to be effective, I’d assume that the curriculum would have to grow exponentially faster than technology to stay ahead of the curve.  Wow.  That is some responsibility.

July 13, 2009  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Technology  No Comments

Finding an Engineering Internship

As an engineering student, we are fortunate to get paid for our internships while gaining great experience.  Having an internship actually let’s us apply some of our classes to real world applications – but you probably already know that.  Here’s all the steps I have taken to procure internships and what worked for me.

1.) Go to your career fair.  If there is a school (or better yet, college of engineering) career fair, go to it.  Companies hiring biomedical engineers at my school are generally lacking and there are few that pertain to my interests.  However, career fairs are at least a good stepping stone.  Many people are successful at getting a job or internship by supplying their resumes and interviewing but there are many more people who walk away with just a professional practice experience.  Don’t stop here on your search.

2.) Go to your career center.  These people are trained to find you a job.  Enough said.  They’ll likely be able to point you in some specific directions that will be unique from school to school or have developed relationships with a few companies that love hiring interns and entry-level engineers from your school.

3.) Network.  This is a great way to find an internship and (usually) one of the most succesful ways to get a job.  The first place to start would be close friends or relationships.  However, that option is not available to most of us.  The next best thing:  professors.  Besides doing research themselves, they may have come to teach after some experience in industry or work closely with companies in their research.

4.) Another variation on networking:  Look to businesses closely related with your school.  Though this could be a big company that hires a batch of interns everywhere, there might be other places worth inspecting.  Many universities have experience with technology transfer, small business incubation, entrepreneurial programs, etc.  This ties may mean that there are small engineering businesses working intimately with the university and, oftentimes, they may work with university faculty.  You have an enormous advantage when looking for an internship with these companies because they know your curriculum, they know what to expect from you, and they have loyal bonds with the university.

5.) Cruise the internet.  Look at companies where your school sends graduates or interns.  Look at other university websites and find companies that hire their students.  Look at government websites.  Sometimes, companies don’t actively advertise their internships or go to career fairs.  Almost every company I’ve looked at related to biomedical engineering, for example, hires interns but many of them do not advertise their internships AT ALL other than on their “career” web pages.  This might be some of the tougher internships to get but it doesn’t hurt accumulating a bunch of opportunities and doing research into those companies’ programs.

6.) Combine!  Sometimes, the best way to get an internship is to be doing all of this simultaneously.  That’s how I landed mine.  For example, there was  a small company that was founded by two engineering graduates from my university.  I checked out their website and I talked with a professor that I had had for a class because he is one of their scientific advisers.  In fact, I even went to my career center at the college of engineering to dig a little bit deeper into the company.  I can report that I am happily partaking in a summer internship with them right now.

Anything that I missed?  I’m sure these aren’t the only strategies and I’m curious what other people have done to land their internships.

July 8, 2009  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Career, College  No Comments

Web 2.0 vs Money: Where is the future of internet business?

The increasing trend in webbased businesses seems to point towards offering pretty much everything free.  Certainly, it has benefited those of us who need those free things (I’m using WordPress which, of course, is free) and enjoy the freedom of open source software.   This has unsurprisingly changed the way some companies do business but Web 2.0 does not mean the ‘free’ is the only way to make money:

For example, David Heinemeier Hannson provided a great tool to web application developers with Ruby on Rails.  Its a great open source product with a robust community that has been growing since the birth of Rails.  However, Hannson also runs an extremely successful company that provides web-based software…for a price.  His command of clients includes Sun Microsystems, Mayo Clinic, Obama ‘08, and Best Buy among many, many others.  Clearly, his formula for internet success works.  Check out this great video for a taste of the Hannson strategy:

A while back, I also read an article in Inc magazine about Plenty of Fish founder Markus Frind.  He operates a web service that is free to users but nets an income $10,o00,000 a year with just a handful of employees while he works just a several hours a week.  Of course, his strategy is strikingly different than Hannson’s internet market.  Frind attracts the average (maybe?) internet user looking for a quick date and utilizes a strikingly simple method of providing a dating service without a lot of bells and whistles.  He makes his revenue by selling advertising space especially to other dating websites that charge for membership or use.

Check out this extremely simple explanation of Frind’s success:

http://www.inc.com/ss/how-make-10-million-home-4-easy-steps#0

This begs the question:  Where will internet money come from in the future?  Frind’s business capitalizes on the concept of “free” while Hannson ensures premium prices yield premium products.  The Web 2.0 culture has certainly changed internet business but would sites like Frind’s exist if dating businesses charging for their product did not exist?  Probably not.  Frind’s main competition would exist in other free dating services operating under his strategy (if they existed at all) and probably would not be paying him for services.

So, maybe the internet is destined to be a self-perpetuating circle of “price” vs. “free.”  Opinions?

July 7, 2009  Tags: , , , , ,   Posted in: Career, Technology  No Comments

Welcome to beebles.net

When trying to find a good place on the web for my new website, I reached back a little bit in my own life.  I created a website back when I was in junior high school with the domain beebles.net and spent a good portion of my time devoted to maintaining and developing the website even building up a loyal and supportive fanbase.  We had a thriving little community that was based around a ‘world’ I had created around small sentient beings I called beebles.  Strangely enough, these creatures were actually plants rather than animals and my active imagination was responsible for bringing them to life.

In an effort to bring back some of that early nerdiness and ridiculous fun, I thought beebles.net would be the perfect domain name.  I hope to bring a little bit more mature content to the internet in this blog.  Technology, biomedical science, literature, and college/early career success are all topics I hope to touch upon.  We’ll see what happens!

July 4, 2009  Tags: ,   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments