An American in Jordan

I am writing this post from my iPod Touch using the free Wordpress application for iPhone. I feel so cool right now…in a geeky way.

Entry-level DSLR cameras are all the rage these days. Well, maybe not in Jordan, since you can’t buy them anywhere it seems. But everywhere else in the world, budding photographers are tossing their crappy point-and-shoot cameras and looking to purchase something a little more robust.

Canon was the first to issue a sub-$1,000, pro-sumer camera (the Canon 300D, a.k.a. the Digital Rebel) back in 2003. Nikon followed suite shortly thereafter, and it didn’t take long for competitors Sony and Olympus to jump into the fray.

This month, all four manufacturers have released the latest and greatest versions of their pro-sumer line: Canon’s EOS Digital Rebel XSi, Sony’s Alpha a350, Nikon’s D60 and Olympus’ E-420.

Obviously they all look decent at a precursory glance, so if you’re looking to take the plunge, be sure to check out Gizmodo’s un-official performance review first.

One of the annoying things about developing for the web on a PC is having to install all the necessary components that turn the computer on your desk into a offline server capable of parsing code and database queries. All of the development can be done online, of course, but it’s a time consuming game of upload and download, and when you’re dealing with live data, it’s really not recommended.

In the good ol’ days of development on the PC, one was forced to track down the latest development versions of Apache, MySQL, and PHP, and install them. It was no easy task and not for the faint of heart. For the casual web developer or HTML junkie, it just wasn’t worth it. (There may have been an easier way to do it, but I wasn’t aware of it.)

And then came the switch to Mac. It turns out that Macs already come pre-installed with Apache, MySQL, and PHP, so there is no download necessary. All that is required is the setup. And like the PC, the setup is still not for the faint of heart…unless you use MAMP, that is. MAMP stands for: Macintosh, Apache, Mysql and PHP, and with just a few mouse-clicks, it does all the installation for you!

According to the MAMP website,

MAMP is installed in the typical Mac fashion: very easily. MAMP will not compromise any existing Apache installation already running with your OS X. You can install Apache, PHP and MySQL without starting a script or having to change any configuration files!

Furthermore, if MAMP is no longer needed, it is sufficient to delete the MAMP folder and everything returns to its original status (i.e. MAMP does not modify any of the “normal” OS X).

Aside from the extreme ease of installation (and it’s truly the simplest way that I’ve discovered), one of the nice features of MAMP is the Dashboard widget that allows you to stop and start your server with the click of a button (I used to have to create my own desktop shortcuts to accomplish the same thing on a PC).

For those of you who are using a Mac and would like to create and play with your own Wordpress blog on your local machine, I highly recommend the article, Installing Wordpress Locally Using MAMP by Michael Doig. It’s easy to follow and should have you up and running in about 15 minutes.

The Jordan Times is reporting that Jordan’s Internet prices are among the highest in the region due to the imposed 16 percent sales tax. In fact, Jordan ranks second only to Morocco, which applies a 20 percent sales tax on Internet.

According to the article…

The National ICT Strategy, launched in July 2007, seeks to increase the number of people who use the Internet up to 50 per cent from the current 11 per cent.

To realise this objective, there is a need to reduce Internet service prices and sales tax down to 5 per cent, the [Information and Communications Technology Minister Bassem Roussan] stressed.

So while (and if) the goverment gets around to slashing the sales tax, Internet service providers also need to boost the speeds (I have never, ever received the advertised 2MB/s!) and remove download caps. I’d say it’s about time to move Jordan’s Internet services into the 21st century. And I’m talking to you, Orange!

It’s been a few months since I’ve traveled anywhere, so I’m just now discovering a free wireless network at Queen Alia International Airport. So I can check my e-mail and keep myself preoccupied while I wait for them to open the gate. (The television monitor says that my flight is ‘boarding’, but they won’t let anyone through the gate yet).

I’ll be in Thailand for a few days. I’m hoping for the opportunity to post from there, but perhaps I’ll be too busy riding elephants and feeding monkeys and buying ties. Get it? Thai-land? [Crickets chirping].