Orlando Castillo
http://www.castillocentral.com/1_orlando_castillo
<p>Tech, sports, and... not much else.</p>
orlando2008-05-17T19:57:06ZFulamerica's Survival and MLS Goals of the Week (7)
http://www.castillocentral.com/1_orlando_castillo/archive/16_fulamericas_survival_and_mls_goals_of_the_week_7.html
<object height="355" width="425"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/copVfYSPmwA&hl=en"> </param> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/copVfYSPmwA&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ct6ppNR8KJI&hl=en"> </param> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ct6ppNR8KJI&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Sports2008-05-13T21:33:43ZorlandoStoke City promoted, Reading relegated, Fulham FC survives
http://www.castillocentral.com/1_orlando_castillo/archive/15_stoke_city_promoted_reading_relegated_fulham_fc_survives.html
<p>
Otherwise known as the good, the bad, and the ugly. I'm very excited about Stoke moving up to the EPL which will be a much needed boost for the Austin Aztex. I'm surprised at Reading's collapse when only a year ago they nearly qualified for the UEFA cup. Going down with Reading are Americans Bobby Convey, who hasn't seen much playing time due to injury, and Marcus Hannemann. Does this mean Hannemann will now come play for his hometown Seattle Sounders FC? I hope so. Fulham barely survived for the second year in a row which kept Dempsey, McBride and the rest of Fulhamerica still ticking in the EPL. But Fulham really needs to put more money into their roster so that they can better compete with the rest of the EPL. One other piece of good news is that Everton and star American keeper Tim Howard did qualify for the UEFA cup.
</p>
<p>
As soon as I find some youtube highlights, I'll be sure to post them here. Same for week 7 MLS highlights. Have a good week.
</p>Sports2008-05-11T21:54:36ZorlandoStoke City FC on the verge of automatic promotion
http://www.castillocentral.com/1_orlando_castillo/archive/14_stoke_city_fc_on_the_verge_of_automatic_promotion.html
<p>
Stoke City FC (Potters), who have an official affiliation with the <a href="http://www.austinaztex.com/about/index_E.html" target="_blank" title="Austin Aztex">Austin Aztex</a>, are on the verge of promotion to the English Premier League. For the Austin Aztex to be affiliated with a team from the EPL will only help with Aztex player and coaching development. Austin has not had much success in professional soccer in the past, but with this kind of partnership the Aztex should be around Austin for a long time to come.
</p>
<p>
Here is a <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/7369774.stm" target="_blank" title="Championship Overview">complete overview (BBC)</a> of what is at stake for all the teams in the Championship, including Stoke City FC, as the league heads into its last weekend.
</p>
<p>
For more about the <a href="http://www.stokecityfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/World/" target="_blank" title="Visit Stoke FC">Potters, click here</a>.
</p>Sports2008-05-02T08:56:23ZorlandoNew York Red Bull vs. Toronto FC
http://www.castillocentral.com/1_orlando_castillo/archive/13_new_york_red_bull_vs_toronto_fc.html
<p>
New York visits Toronto FC tonight on ESPN360 and ESPN2 at 7:00 PM ET.
Lot of good that will do me me since my ISP blocks ESPN360 and I don't
have cable.
</p>
<p>
I see Toronto continuing their hot streak and taking this one 3-1 --
yes, even with Altidore and JPA in the Red Bull lineup. Red Bull
players will probably be in shock when they see a packed stadium in
Toronto. They're so used to seeing an empty Giants stadium and hearing
the distinct clapping of their 5 fans in the stands that by the time
they get going it'll be too late. NYRB fans = worst fans in MLS.
</p>
<p>
Below are some highlights from last year's match.
</p>
<p>
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<embed src="http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3369837" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" width="440" height="361"></embed>
</object>
</p>Sports2008-05-01T09:35:31ZorlandoMLS Week 5 Goal of the Week Candidates
http://www.castillocentral.com/1_orlando_castillo/archive/11_mls_week_5_goal_of_the_week_candidates.html
<p>Here are the Candidates. Gallardo gets my vote. </p><p><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="350" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/BVu_tjofS84" id="ltVideoYouTube"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BVu_tjofS84" /> <param name="wmode" value="transparent" /> <param name="allowScriptAcess" value="sameDomain" /> <param name="quality" value="best" /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> <param name="FlashVars" value="playerMode=embedded" /></object> </p>Sports2008-04-28T15:06:16ZorlandoPoison Ivy
http://www.castillocentral.com/1_orlando_castillo/archive/10_poison_ivy.html
<p>
If you've ever dealt with poison ivy, you know it can be a pain to get rid of. After I moved out to the Hill Country, I "discovered" poison ivy by accident while cleaning up leaves and brush in my yard. I didn't even know I had touched it until a couple of days later when my arms and chest developed a pretty bad rash. This was from scooping up leaves (and poison ivy apparently) into the wheel barrel with short sleeves on. In New Mexico, where I'm originally from, I never experienced poison ivy so I wasn't all that familiar with it. Please note that I am not an expert when it comes to poison ivy, so please do some more research before trying to get rid of poison ivy. You'll find some good information on the <a href="http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/newsletters/hortupdate/oct01/art6oct.html" target="_blank">Texas A&M website</a>. Below is my experience with poison ivy.
</p>
<p>
<img src="http://www.castillocentral.com/gallery/1/poison_ivy.jpg" alt="Poison Ivy growing in my yard. Spring 2008." width="243" height="182" />
</p>
<p>
The stuff in the photo above is just a little of the poison ivy I've found in my yard this spring. I've had it in my yard before, but not to the extent that I'm seeing it this year.
</p>
<p>
Here in central Texas, specifically in my yard, I usually find the main base of the plant close to a tree. From there it either grows up the tree while also shooting roots away from the base of the tree. These roots usually run about an inch or less under ground and send up shoots (like the one pictured above) about every 6 inches.
</p>
<p>
I've tried lots of chemicals to get rid of it. From RoundUp (the type specifically made for poison ivy) to a more family-friendly mixture that includes orange oil, vinegar, and dish soap. The measurements for the mixture can be found on the <a href="http://klru.org/ctg/questions/skip_july242004.php" target="_blank" title="Central Texas Gardener">Central Texas Gardener</a> website. Suprisingly, the RoundUp for poison ivy didn't do much. It was applied during a period without any rain when the ivy was actively growing and still nothing. The orange oil/vinegar/soap mixture actually worked pretty good, but had to be reapplied when new shoots popped up. The mixture appeared to kill off the growth above ground but didn't do much to the roots. But by killing the leaves and stems, the roots became starved and eventually the whole plant died. So, if you use the mixture, it will take time and a few applications for it to work. Also, be aware that this mixture kills everything, so don't spray it on or near your landscaping or garden.
</p>
<p>
The only other thing I found that worked was putting on a long sleeve shirt, long pants, thick gloves, grabbing a small shovel and digging it up. If you're highly alergic to poison ivy, I don't recommend this. Since I'm not too alergic to it (yet), this method worked well for me. To start, I found the poison ivy shoot furthest out from the base of the main plant and slowly and carefully started to dig up the shoots and roots till I got back to the base of the plant. After I dug up the whole thing, I packed it in a bag for the trash. Never burn it since the smoke can be pretty toxic and cause a serious allergic reaction. Since my two year old is exploring the yard constantly, I had to get rid of the poison ivy quickly before he discovered it. I haven't seen any new poison ivy growth but I'm keeping a close eye out just in case more needs to be dug up.
</p>
<p>
If you have any other solutions for getting rid of poison ivy, please let me know.
</p>Outdoors2008-04-28T10:58:40ZorlandoDownload CCLeague Pro
http://www.castillocentral.com/1_orlando_castillo/archive/9_download_ccleague_pro.html
<p>
Here's CCLeague Pro for download for anyone who wants to try it out. As I said before, the project is pretty much defunct (for now) so I will no longer be supporting it.
</p>
<p>
I don't have any documentation on it and I closed the forums for it long ago because the boards were getting spammed up.
</p>
<p>
Perhaps in the future I can pick it up again? Who knows. Right now with a full-time job and family, I'm just too busy to continue working on it. Enjoy and hope you find it useful (Please note that I make no warranties or guarantees so please test it before using it in production).
</p>
<p>
<em>NOTE: Language cookie exploit has been patched in this download. </em>
</p>
<p align="center">
<strong><a href="/downloads/CCleaguePro_V1.2.tar.gz" title="Download CCLeaguePro">Download CCleague Pro v1.2 </a></strong>
</p>Tech2008-04-25T14:37:58ZorlandoPHP vs. Java/JSP
http://www.castillocentral.com/1_orlando_castillo/archive/8_php_vs_javajsp.html
<p>
Since November 2007, I've been working on a web-based system that requires Java and JSP. Before that, I worked almost exclusively with PHP. In both cases, applications were (and still are) developed for the web. So far it appears to me that web development with PHP is quicker and cleaner. However, this is from the perspective of someone who is fairly new to Java so that is probably not a fair assessment.
</p>
<p>
One other thing I've noticed is that there is far more open source PHP web-based software and scripts available out on the web which can make web development quicker since someone out there may have already developed a solution for what I need. However, some open source software is well supported, well maintained and of quality programming. Others are so poorly written that the benefits are, by far, out weighed by the dangers of installing an insecure application that could easily compromise an entire system - or at the very least, it may simply just not work and the programming can be of painfully low quality that it is just too time consuming to repair the code.
</p>
<p>
One of the benefits of working with Java, however, is that it runs faster. This is because the Java code is compiled before run-time as opposed to PHP, which is compiled at run-time. Although, if you are using only JSP, then it works similar to PHP where it is compiled at run-time as well. So, I can definetly see the benefits of using Java on larger enterprise systems. But using Java for web development can also mean restarting the server constantly just to see the affects of small changes in the code. However, as I get better at programming in Java, I've noticed that I have less and less of a need to do this so often.
</p>
<p>
I'm sure that as I get more experienced working with Java, I will start to see more and more benefits to using it. Right? After all, even though I've used it some before last November, I've really only been having to use it for the majority of my work for a few months.
</p>
<p>
Please keep in mind my experience is with the development of websites and web-based applications. So I really can't say how Java performs with the development of standard applications. PHP is pretty much exclusively for web development so it can't complete in that area.
</p>
<p>
Perhaps you have an opinion? Maybe one of my arguments above is incomplete or incorrect? Please let me know. If you're trying to decide what to use for your next project, you'll find many other opinions out there on the web. If you're curious about the popularity of different programming languages you can find out more by looking at the <a href="http://www.tiobe.com/index.php/content/paperinfo/tpci/index.html" target="_blank" title="TIOBE Programming Community Index">TIOBE Programming Community Index</a>.
</p>Tech2008-04-25T08:31:40ZorlandoMLS Week 4 Highlights
http://www.castillocentral.com/1_orlando_castillo/archive/7_mls_week_4_highlights.html
<p>Here are the scores from the last weekend's MLS action, if you haven't already seen them, and how they compared to my predictions:</p><p>CLB 2, DC 1<br />My prediction: United 3-1 Crew </p><p>TOR 1, RSL 0<br />My prediction: Salt Lake 0-2 TFC </p><p>NY 1-1 NE<br />My prediction: Revs 0-0 Red Bulls </p><p>SJ 2, COL 0<br />My prediction: Earthquakes 1-3 Rapids </p><p>LA 2-2 Houston<br />My prediction: Dynamo 3-2 Galaxy </p><p>KC 1, CHI 0<br />My prediction: Wizards 2-3 Fire </p><p>DAL 2, CHV 0 <br />My prediction: Dallas 2-1 Chivas USA </p><p>My Week 4 record: 3-4</p><p>Here are the Week 4 highlights. Enjoy. </p> <p><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="350" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/bLvVYJVwR5c" id="ltVideoYouTube"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bLvVYJVwR5c" /> <param name="wmode" value="transparent" /> <param name="allowScriptAcess" value="sameDomain" /> <param name="quality" value="best" /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> <param name="FlashVars" value="playerMode=embedded" /></object> </p>Sports2008-04-23T14:14:08ZorlandoMLS Week 4 Schedule
http://www.castillocentral.com/1_orlando_castillo/archive/6_mls_week_4_schedule.html
<div>Here is this week's schedule for MLS. Just for the fun of it, I've included my predictions. If you like to gamble, you'd probably be wise not to go by my predictions. Let me know your thoughts on this week's games. </div><div>Thursday, April 17</div><div><br /></div><div>Columbus Crew at D.C. United</div><div>8:00 p.m.</div><div>ESPN2, Deportes</div><div>Orlando: DC will get back on track. United 3-1 Crew </div><div><br /></div><div>Saturday, April 19</div><div><br /></div><div>Real Salt Lake at Toronto FC</div><div>12:30 p.m.</div><div>DK, MLSLIVE.tv</div><div>Orlando: TFC fans will be great and so will Guevara. Real "who picked this name" Salt Lake 0-2 TFC</div><div><br /></div><div>New England Revolution at New York Red Bulls</div><div>7:30 p.m.</div><div>HDNet</div><div>Orlando: Both teams lacking offense. Will the fans even show up to watch? Revs 0-0 Red Bulls </div><div><br /></div><div>San Jose Earthquakes at Colorado Rapids</div><div>9:30 p.m.</div><div>FSC, FSE</div><div>Orlando: Rapids continue to roll. Earthquakes 1-3 Rapids</div><div><br /></div><div>Houston Dynamo at Los Angeles Galaxy</div><div>10:30 p.m.</div><div>DK, MLSLIVE.tv</div><div>Orlando: Galaxy respectable but still get beat ... again. Dynamo 3-2 Galaxy </div><div><br /></div><div>Sunday, April 20</div><div><br /></div><div>Kansas City Wizards at Chicago Fire</div><div>3:00 p.m.</div><div>TeleFutura</div><div>Orlando: Fire too good at home. Wizards 2-3 Fire </div><div><br /></div><div>FC Dallas at Chivas USA</div><div>8:00 p.m.</div><div>DK, MLSLIVE.tv</div><div>Orlando: Chivas has too many injuries. Dallas 2-1 Chivas USA </div><div><br /></div>Sports2008-04-17T09:38:56Zorlando