February 2005 Archives
-
a draft for an update to XHTML/CSS/Javascript/DOM to allow for more robust "web applications" to be created using the browser
-
articles about PHP development
Now that i'm freelancing, i'm going to have to start doing more project planning. Looking at the tools that are available, MS Project is just too expensive, GanttProject is just a bit too simple, and Open Workbench is just right. Well, perhaps a bit too complex, but close enough to work. Add in the PDFCreator (a free print to pdf printer driver for windows), and you are good to go. Well, minus the learning curve.
Also in the planning department is ArgoUML, a very feature-rich CASE tool. There are code generators for Actionscript, PHP and Python, which are the ones that matter most to me. I feel so organized!
-
pyhtmloo is a library that allows python developers to use HTML code like any other python objects.
-
list of links about testing in python
-
As information grows, effective means of locating information become ever more crucial. This column examines the author's public-domain Python [indexer] module, with a focus on the general field of full-text indexing.
-
Lupy is a is a full-text indexer and search engine written in Python. It is a port of Jakarta Lucene 1.2 to Python. Specifically, it reads and writes indexes in Lucene binary format. Like Lucene, it is sophisticated and scalable.
-
(categories: delicious)
-
webapps - javascript async communication.
-
open source based ERP - groupware/project management tool
-
alternative to ms project. open source. project management tool - nice.
-
project management software. this one written in java.
Because you can't ever have too many projects on the go at one time, i've just finished my first prototype CherryPy app. Its a simple hour entry tool, to track hours to projects. I've done similar tools for intranet's, but this one is much cleaner. I'm using Durus as the object database and HTMLTemplate for the, well, templates.
-
nice pictures of construction and farm equipment for sale. Good for Conor
-
nice way to do slides in HTML using standards etc etc
-
intro to ns2 - a network simulation tool
-
intro to using zeroconf in python (rendevous to you mac folks)
-
Marketing and Dev info on the Game industry.
-
An article by a C programmer about using flash for games
-
Interesting python blog/wiki/cms-y thing.
-
nice tutorial on how and what a functional spec is, how to write one, etc
-
the difference between a functional doc and a design doc.
-
working with the motion twin compiler - this is a way to work without a library. nice
-
svk is a decentralized version control system written in Perl. It uses the Subversion filesystem but provides additional, powerful features.
-
some nice libs - py.test and py.xml stand out
-
This is an inital stab at a faceted navigation interface to del.icio.us feeds.
-
nice collab server. supports CalDAV.
-
the editplus wiki
-
discussion about the 'groupware bad' article(categories: discussion)
-
Nice use of the AdBlock extension in firefox to fix the IDN spoofing bug
Have been talking to a couple of folks about ways that i can get my one page 'here is what i do' thingie done. I found this quote today which resonates with what we've been talking about:
a good story is more important than technical skill
I kind of extrapolated this into:
telling a good story is more important then technical skill
You have to be careful i think, of underselling oneself. Better to be Meta then to literal. I want to hear a "Hey, lets hire that guy, he seems cool", rather then a "Ok, he has competence in X, Y and Z". I'm still not sure how to write a one pager that does this, but i know what i'm aiming for now.
I also have to be realistic about my needs. I am going to have to do the mini-laundry list of what technical skills i have, what programs i can use. Once i have a stable group of clients, then i can get more meta, less literal.
-
winamp replacement mp3 player for windows
-
Setting the time in w2k
-
the live docs for central
A very handy extension for Firefox, Spellbound is a spell checker for text input forms and fields. You might also want to check out Scribe, which saves form input to disk, so you don't loose your latest blog-post by accidentally closing the browser window.
I've been playing with the Motion-Twin AS 2.0 Complier. It creates SWF's directly from code, no need for the Flash IDE. The only place you really need the IDE is if you want to use V2 Components.
It is very fast, much faster then the Macromedia compiler. If you never need or use the timeline, this is a pretty handy tool. I've also been thinking more about run-time sharing for components, which would allow me to create a set of SWFs with all the components that i need, which i would then load at run time. Not sure how this might affect code and file size, as there will be duplication of code, but it might be an interesting way to get away from the timeline.
I'm looking for a cheap way to get video onto my computer. I don't care about using the video in a PVR way, i just want to use the computer's screen as a "TV". I'm running windows, so its got to be a windows solution. USB addon, video card, whatever, let me know if you have any suggestions. Thanks!
-
too bad it is for OSX only
-
Document tool for Actionscript 2.0. Pretty nice
-
open-source multi-language documentation generator(categories: documentation generator)
-
Nice simple template language for python
-
nice open source AS compiler
-
Interesting art/architecture
-
interesting look back at the development of the game 'The Colony' for the mac.
-
could be interesting for non-realtime based games
So i have a very boring example of the prototype CMS working here. If you really want to read about what is going on here, read on.
-
nice lib to add pop-up boxes to link or other elements in a web page
Instead of working on my languishing portfolio, i've been experimenting with MovableType. Its sort of work related, so i don't feel too bad.
Using a couple of MovableType plugins, (Entry, KeyValues and Compare), i've been exploring using MT as a more complex CMS.
So far my experimentation is going quite well. Multiple language support is working. Most of my questions about how to use the plugins to achieve the complex site layout have been answered. The next step is to create a front-end to manage the site. I'm going to use Flash as the client, and use the MetaWeblog API to communicate with the MT backend. I'm also thinking about using the Ariaware RIA Platform as a base to create the Flash client. Now that i'm freelancing, i'd like to spend some time getting up to speed on the whole Flash Rich Internet Applications (RIA) thing. I've not done too much with Flash's Actionscript 2.0 language, and this seems like a good place to start. And, going forward, i'd like to be able to confidently offer my services to create other tools like this, especially if i have a framework i'm familiar with.
When i get something show-able, i'll post it here.
I've added a "favicon" to both the org and thirdplace websites. You might see them in the browser's location bar. Just to add some colour.
I also added some more stuff to the Family History site.
-
Nice old newton software
This is Conor's favourite word. He says it over and over and over again. Backhoe.
Over the holidays i managed to score a bunch of work which has been done on the Yule's family history. There is a great family tree, and other assorted bits and pieces, along with info and stories from the compiler, about getting all this info together. I wanted to get my hands on this info, as i was all set to get it digitized and online. Of course, here we are, a month later, and nothing done with it yet, heck, i've not even written about it!
So, this is the start. All the material i get will be appearing here (http://www.thethirdplace.org/family). I hope to get all this Yule info up, and to start on my mom's side too. Also the Quigley/Dunne family too. I have no expectations that this is going to happen quickly, but it will start. I'll post things here when there is anything new to see. More to come!
-
nice looking article on how to do test-driven development in python
Conor has said his first two word sentence today. "Mommy home". How cool is that?
-
fitness club in toronto
-
great one liners for those tech arguments(categories: funny)
-
don't try to make things too real
-
cos play phots at the Tokyo game show
-
nice 2d collision-y thingie for flash
This is the first time i've gone to pickup Conor and not felt like a terrible person for sending him there. He was actually playing at the table. Not laughing or smiling, but playing and not crying. The staff also said that he slept about an hour, which is another record. Things are slowly getting better, even with the rough starts. I can't tell you the great weight that lifted from my shoulders as we left the center - i was singing to Con and chatting - quite a difference from my usual glum grim demeanor after having to pick him up, hearing his crys echo down the hall as i approach the room. So, there is hope.
So. Conor is still having trouble adjusting to Day Care. He started crying as soon as he say the daycare last wed. He was sick with a fever on Friday and Saturday, so missed out on daycare there. Not much of a gain for him, as he was so listless, he just sat in my lap, or had me carry him around all day. Poor guy. Then today, well, he started crying as soon as he realized the direction we were walking in was to the daycare. Sigh. I just don't know how much more of this i can take. In a strange way, i'm glad Elliott is having troubles too - i don't feel alone out here in parent-having-problems-coping-with-childs-problems land!
Its this time in the afternoon that really gets me. I find it hard to concentrate on, well, anything, and my mind just keeps thinking about going to get him, watching the clock, wondering "well, if i leave now, will i get there too early"? Killing time (is appropriate, To make a mess and fuck all the rest, we say, we say, So what? Ya, i'm listing to aggressive music - i'm sure its helping my mood, don't you think?), waiting. Waiting. Waiting. I hate waiting. Maybe i'll watch some tv, that's a brainless activity. Geez, you'd think, now that i actually have some time, i'd be all about using it to the max. Once i know the boy isn't crying all day long, i might be able to take better advantage.
-
cbc's new music site for canadian music
-
email conversation about REST and other web architecture goodness
