CodeIgniter - Simplifying Web Apps
There are many PHP frameworks available but for my latest app I decided to give CodeIgniter a try. The decision was made largely after examining its underlying code, which looked remarkably like the functionality I’ve been using all along. So what’s the benefit then? They’ve organized the code in such a way as to encourage MVC development, which is a direction I’ve been heading. At the same time, you’re not locked into this if you need to do a quick kludge. So how does it work? There are many approaches but for the sake of demonstrating CI, here’s a quick overview of its organization and the way I use it:
Taking Massive Bite Out of Spam
If you’ve noticed a recent drop in Spam, you’re not alone. This month the volume of junk email sent may have dropped as much as 80% all because one host, McColo Corp (San Jose), was taken offline. Allegedly McColo was the primary host for spammers world-wide. Amazing how shutting down one business can have such an impact.
Inspired Typography Served Up
When I ran the Design Department at Nova Development, I would often troll bookstores for inspirational material for my team that related to whatever project we happened to be working on. After all, designers are rarely called to be innovators as much as a refiners (paid to reflect current trends rather than pioneer them). Although my career has broadened beyond design, I still have that same excitement when I find a new source of creative inspiration. This past week I stumbled on Typography Served, a site that proves that typography is far from a dead art. It’s well worth a mention and look.
Flashless Gallery Solutions with jQuery
I’m just wrapping up a two month stay in Japan. My memory card is now packed with photos which presents me with a delima. Do I share my photos using a traditional HTML gallery site, employ one of the dozens of Flash gallery apps or create a custom AJAX gallery? Since I’ve been playing with jQuery quite a bit lately, I’ve decided to explore my options starting with a basic image replacement technique. Then the two jQuery plugins I look at are agile carousel and galleria.
Return of the Single Page Web Site
A few years back web designers were head over heals for Flash. Not just for it’s ability to animate pages but for the first time we could create an entire website within one window without the annoying page refreshes (even more annoying during the days of dial-up). AJAX was a recent game-changer. After all, why wrap your entire site in Flash when many of the same effects could be achieved without the side effect of losing your search-engine ranking? But the promise of AJAX went beyond just replacing Flash’s neat animation effects. It was now possible (though not always desirable) to create one-page sites but this time Flash-free.
› Continue reading
Have Work Will Travel
Today I took a walk in the park trying to clear my mind. 25 days before we return to the States and have to deal with the economic crisis that hit as we were packing for our long-awaited trip. Here in Japan it’s all more of a human interest story than anything else. When I’m back home, with elbows on the conference table, I suspect the impact will became all too real. Is this really the time to expand my business or hold tight until things blow over? My vendors have provided anecdotal evidence of a serious slowdown. But with my largest overhead being creative inspiration, aren’t I travelling light enough to take on additional risk? Web development is a funny business. On one hand it’s paid for by the very businesses that are now being forced to layoff employees and cut budgets. On the other hand, it’s a reasonably inexpensive way for these businesses to add to and generating new revenue streams. Comes down to a coin toss as to whether this will bring in more or less business. The Fall colors are late to arrive this year. Hopefully next week the Japanese maples will have all turned red.
What’s on My Desk…
On my desk at this very moment is:
- iMac w/ Intel Core 2 Duo running both OS X & Windows XP
- mouse & keyboard
- black sharpie from 2004 that still writes
- ArtBuilders baseball cap
- box of kleenex
- yellow writing pad with Ken from Dog Ear’s cell number
- Tokushima Tourist Guide brochure
- Casio solar-powered watch w/radio wave reception, set to Osaka time
- picture of my two girls
- a 100 yen coin
- Learning jQuery by Chaffer & Swedberg
- bag of hard candy
- my business card (I can never remember my own phone number)
How to Get Listed in Wikipedia
As most know, Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia that covers a wide variety of topics and in the process lists a staggering number of businesses and individuals. To be mentioned on Wikipedia is more than just an ego stroke. It can also be a resume enhancer or website traffic booster. And whether it is a simple link to your site or an article on your company, getting listed is making the to-do lists of many.
So how do you get into the pages of Wikipedia?
› Continue reading
Recent Motion Study Using jQuery
I’ve posted a recent motion study using jQuery’s AJAX framework to simulate Flash-like element interaction. Unlike Flash, it has definite SEO advantages while also utilizing the whole page & DOM. Sure the movement’s a little overkill but it illustrates the power of AJAX and what was once only achievable with Flash. This Flash-free solution uses the jQuery framework which helps maximize browser compatibility and simlify JavScript coding. Link here
Follow-up (sept. 28th): Microsoft and Nokia have announced that they are adopting jQuery as part of their corporate development platform. According to jQuery’s official blog, “Not only will they be using it for their corporate development but they will be providing it as a core piece of their platform for developers to build with.”
The Birthplace of Graphic Design
Back to the land of the rising sun and arguably the birthplace of graphic design. This October I will heading for Japan for a two-month stay. While in Osaka, I have an office I use so business will continue as usual. Just a change of scenery. I do look forward to seeing what has changed since my last visit in 2006. I expect new trends in technology and fashion, many of which are likely to show up on our shores in the coming years. Of course, not all innovations will likely be welcomed by the West for example the bras designed to harness the power of heaving female bosoms. Renewable energy or just another excuse to study breasts?