Here are some more specific details about how to get the MongoDB driver working with PHP 5.3 on DreamHost.

First, make sure the PHP mode for your domain is set to PHP 5.3 FastCGI in your DreamHost Web Panel.

SSH to your server and download the latest MongoDB PHP driver:

wget http://download.github.com/mongodb-mongo-php-driver-1.1.0-0-g6eab09c.tar.gz

Extract the source code:

tar zxvf mongodb-mongo-php-driver-1.1.0-0-g6eab09c.tar.gz

Change directories:

cd mongodb-mongo-php-driver-b177907

Run phpize using 5.3:

phpize-5.3

Configure using PHP 5.3

./configure --with-php-config=/usr/local/php53/bin/php-config

Compile:

make

You should now have a compiled mongo.so extension in the modules/ folder.

Setup your domain(s) to use a custom php.ini file following DreamHost’s instructions here.

When you’re creating your script wrapper, make sure you use the PHP 5.3 executable. My php-wrapper.fcgi looks like this:

#!/bin/sh
exec /dh/cgi-system/php53.cgi $*

Finally, add the following lines to your custom php.ini

extension_dir = "/full/path/to/your/mongodb-mongo-php-driver-b177907/modules"
extension = mongo.so

Obviously, replace the path above to match the full path to your modules/ directory. You should now see the mongo extension listed when you run a phpinfo().

Let me know how this works for you in the comments below!

Note: These instructions work well for connecting to a hosted instance of MongoDB, like MongoHQ. DreamHost terms of service prevent you from running your own MongoDB service on a shared hosting plan. In order to run a legitimate MongoDB server, you’ll probably need to upgrade to a DreamHost VPS.

To remedy this, I recently migrated to some softcover extra large plain journals. They’re sized at 7.5″x10″, so I have plenty of room for ideas now. They’re also thinner, so they fit better in my bag. Additionally, the soft cover allows them to lay flat.

To resolve this, I recently installed a free little Mac application launcher called Namely. After a quick keyboard shortcut and the first few letters of the app name in an auto-complete box, a simple ‘enter’ keystroke launches your application.

Here’s what I like- It only indexes applications, limiting it’s auto-complete results to items in your Application folder. Additionally, you can customize the keyboard shortcut in Namely’s preferences.

In the past, I’ve used Spotlight to launch apps, but disabled it after getting sick of all the crunching as it indexed my files. I’ve also tried the popular Quicksilver, but didn’t stick with that long enough to get past the learning curve.

I like Namely because it does one thing and one thing well. If you’re a Mac user, check it out.

UPDATE: YouTube now allows you to select dimensions when customizing embed code. Simply click the Customize icon next to the embed code, and select the size you want- the embed code will be updated to match!

YouTube recently announced a change that modifies their video player to a widescreen format. Unfortunately, the default code provided for embedding videos still defaults to a 4:3 size (450×355). It’s easy to modify the dimensions to match the player on YouTube.

In the embed code provided, change the the width parameters to 640, and height parameters to 385.

<object width="640" height="385">
 <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rs-jAImScms&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param>
 <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param>
 <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param>
 <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rs-jAImScms&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed>
</object>

Make sure to change the dimensions in both places. Hopefully YouTube will update the options for customizing their embed code to do this automatically. For now, it’s easy enough to edit by hand.

Note: For those that wish to keep the original width of the YouTube player with a widescreen format, use a width of 450 and a height of 271. This might be useful for sites that were designed around the original player width.