I’ve just installed Oracle Database 10g Express Edition to a dev server running Fedora Core, following the detailed instructions supplied by Oracle. The instructions seem very clear: download and install the rpm (oracle-xe-10.2.0.1-1.0.i386.rpm), run a config script, add environment variables to the path. So far, so good.

What the instructions fail to tell you is that the password stipulated during install is completely ignored. So, if you attempt to login to APEX using the username “SYSTEM” and the password you input during install, you’ll be greeted by a cheery “Invalid Login Credentials” message. Cheers Oracle!

To fix this, open a terminal window as user oracle (or any other user with the correct privileges), then login to sqlplus:

sqlplus / as sysdba

Once you’re logged in, change the password for the SYSTEM account:

SQL> ALTER USER SYSTEM IDENTIFIED BY mynewpassord;

If successful, you should see the response:

User altered.

Exit sqlplus and you’re done.

Oracle, if you’re reading this, feel free to fix the installer when it’s convenient…

Gaffer tape: as the old sound engineers’ line goes, it has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together. Tokyo train guard Shuetsu Sato has certainly been having some fun with it, so much so that a documentary celebrating work has been filmed.

Check out PingMag for more info.

Check out the quirky illustrations by the talented young artist Gaz Barnett. See more at his MySpace page.

Thousands more photos from the streets of Japan at Flickr.

Sebastian Wrong’s Font Clock – a timepiece for typophiles.

It’s jolly nice, but a little on the expensive side at £195 up to an eye-watering £810.

The street art and graffiti of Moscow

The Jamaica Label Art website features over 1,000 examples of artwork and design from Caribbean vinyl releases.

Issue 3 of Wallspankers is out, the PDF sticker-zine showcasing the adhesive work of scores of international artists and designers.

The evergreen Helvetica is celebrated in a new documentary film by Gary Hutswit, scheduled for release in 2007, the 50th anniversary year of the typeface. The film promises to offer a valuable insight into the history of this ubiquitous font.

No trailer has been released yet, but you can sign up to the mailing list to find out more about the film and screening dates.

Brazilian designer Adhemas Batista’s updated portfolio is a real visual treat.

http://www.adhemas.com/