Solr Explorer is a great free tool to use and help you quickly and easily see what is in your Solr index. I struggled with this for a few hours before working out the problem – google didn’t turn up this solution either!
If you’re seeing “Could not load solr core (‘yourcore’): The JSON request failed or timed out” when trying to load a solr core in Solr Explorer, I found that the documentation for Solr Explorer wasn’t quite correct. The config I was using was as follows:
<solr-core name="blackbox">
<server baseUrl="http://localhost:8983/solr">
<select-uri>/select</select-uri>
<luke-uri>/luke</luke-uri>
</server>
<search>
<default-query>*:*</default-query>
</search>
The select-uri and luke-uri are what it defaults to if you don’t include them. I found I had to add the path to the core in order to correct the error:
<solr-core name="meon">
<server baseUrl="http://localhost:8983/solr">
<select-uri>/<strong>blackbox/</strong>select</select-uri>
<luke-uri>/<strong>blackbox/admin/</strong>luke</luke-uri>
</server>
<search>
<default-query>*:*</default-query>
</search>
You should then be able to select the solr core and get in without seeing the “Could not load solr core (‘yourcore’): The JSON request failed or timed out” error any longer.
This is a follow-up to Land Rover Freelander 2 GS TD4 Review and Freelander 2 Update
I was lucky enough to take part in a Land Rover Experience day recently, where I got to see and try out some of the off-road capabilities first hand. First of all I took my own car on a basic off-road drive around some fields and through a wood. Nothing too difficult but fun nonetheless for the first time in my own car.
After this I went out in a Freelander 2 and a Discovery in order to compare the capabilities of the two. Freelander first – the Land Rover Experience driver explained when to use the different off-road modes on the car and then proceeded to demonstrate the Hill Descent Control (HDC). This was hugely impressive to see in action. The car takes control of braking and giving as much control to the driver as possible, always trying to ensure that they have the ability to steer the car. Letting the car go down a 40 degree drop, the brakes kick in, and it was good to hear all the noises that it’s meant to make as it would otherwise have been quite alarming the first time used!
Next we went on to driving across a muddy terrain, the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) fighting to keep the car straight whilst we kept enough momentum to keep going – again, very impressive at keeping the car going straight.
On to a climb up a 40 degree mud rut hill. The Freelander, with 3 of us on board, went straight up without a problem, although the Experience driver did say that it was struggling up the same hill with 5 in the car. I found this perfectly acceptable – if you were going to be regularly driving up something like that fully loaded, then you should’ve bought a Discovery!
The Discovery was noticeably different, mainly due to the extra ride height. You could drive slightly faster across the terrain and going up and down the inclines it could be driven more aggressively, it also had much more flexibility with the different modes available. It is a different vehicle, but the Freelander 2 was more than capable for what most people would use it for. One thing is for sure, once you try it off-road, you’ll want to go again!
This is the first follow up to my original Freelander 2 GS TD4 e review.
Took the Freelander on a run down to the West Country (St Ives, Cornwall to be precise). First long run since picking it up just under 4 weeks ago.
Fully loaded with 3 of us in the car, I averaged 33.8 mpg on the way down, a bit lower than I had hoped for, but most of the journey was spent an a high speed and on the cruise control (which always lowers the average fuel consumption anyway). It was just so easy and comfortable to drive, and due to the ride height I got to see parts of the countryside I’ve not seen before on the journey!
On the route back, only 2 of us but still fully loaded, I averaged 37.8 mpg – much more what I was expecting. Same driving style, same speeds and route and same amount of traffic – very strange! My conclusion is that coming back from Cornwall is obviously more down hill than the way there!
No niggles with the car, no rattles have developed – still very pleased!
What is Multivariate Testing or MVT?
Multivariate testing is a method of testing multiple combinations of content and call to actions on a website and measuring the results. It provides factual data on what people on a website prefer in terms of layout, call to actions and other content.
Why would I do this – I know what is best?
Do you really? Everyone thinks they are a web expert these days, and there are absolutely some people who live for usability on websites, but every site is different. Customers will react based on the branding, layout, whether they’ve just been paid, what they are looking for – the list goes on. MVT allows you to test different variations and use the one which people on your site use the most.
OK, so how do I get started?
Google Website Optimizer is one of the easiest ways to get started. The experiment wizard gives you instructions on how to install the javascript required, and you then create variations which Google will serve and track the success rate of the original, and the various combinations.
This is all great, but can you give me an example?
That I can. The biggest success I’ve seen to date, is changing a simple button to say “View” instead of “Book”. This increased the numbers of clicks on that button by just under 50% – something which I was amazed at – but the figures say it all!
Key points for MVT
- Don’t start with too many variations, especially on low traffic pages
- A negative result isn’t bad – it shows you’re currently using the better combination – but try another different one
- MVT is constant – don’t stop with the first success story, try and improve on it further
- Allows you to base decisions on fact instead of assumption, and remove problems like design by committee
I’ll touch on this again at a later date and come up with some examples of how I’ve been using it.
UPDATE 1: click here
UPDATE 2 – Freelander 2 off-road: click here
So I collected my shiny new Land Rover Freelander 2 GD TD4 e this weekend, my first adventure into Land Rover. Driving it away from the dealership felt very strange, having previously been sitting in a much lower car for the previous 10 years.
Immediately it felt comfortable and very simple to drive, and feels like you’re actually driving around in a Range Rover. Visibility all around from within the car is very good, as expected when you’re sat so high up, and there is very minimal body roll on the car when cornering – in fact it feels like you’re driving a normal car.
I didn’t go for any extras on my Freelander 2, but it’s well stocked with full automatic climate control, rear parking sensors, 17″ alloy wheels and various other niceties which are all I want or need for everyday use.
I haven’t quite got used to the start-stop technology which comes as standard on the manual version of the Freelander 2, and am toying with the idea of turning it off. How does it work? When you pull up to traffic lights for example, and take the car out of gear – as soon as you lift the clutch the car cuts out – very very weird the first few times! As soon as you need to go again, simply put your foot down, and your Land Rover Freelander 2 will come back to life, quicker than you can get it into gear.
UPDATE 1: click here
UPDATE 2 – Freelander 2 off-road: click here
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was released on the 5th March, so is it any good?
In short – yes, it’s great fun to play, however there are a lot (and I mean a lot) of niggly little bugs in it which spoil the fantastic gameplay. Things which annoy me the most:
- Certain unlocks not showing in the kit menu – eg. medic kit and ammo kit not being selectable (although they are there in game to be used thankfully).
- “Spotting” people is a nightmare and very inconsistent. You can be looking at someone perfectly and it won’t register, yet you can spam the button nowhere in particular and spot people!
- The server browser is one of the poorest I’ve ever used. This isn’t a new thing, many games have them, yet this lacks the most basic of features.
All of these things are quite trivial really in the overall game. Compared to Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2142, this game has the balance of infantry to vehicles almost perfect apart from there being a lack of anti-air support. The audio is fantastic and it looks like this could finally be the follow on to Battlefield 2, which has been a long time coming.
The UK launch date for the Apple iPad has been delayed from March to the end of April. Is it going to be worth getting one? The jury is still out I think. Could be a nice replacement for the Macbook around the house though.
Looks like YouTube are the next major site to drop support for IE6.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/14/youtube-will-be-next-to-kiss-ie6-support-goodbye/
.NET Magazine launched http://www.bringdownie6.com/ not long ago for the same reason – wish everyone would hurry up and take notice.
Someone at BBC News either has a great sense of humour or hasn’t realised what their headline implies!
Is there a flu pandemic? It would appear that there is in the form of swine flu.
www.isthereaflupandemic.co.uk