Tomorrow, September 19th, is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. I know it’s a bit silly but come on, how often do you get to talk like a pirate? Seriously.
Yarr! Dunno how t’ natter like a pirate but wants t’? Arrrgh! Here ye go.
This past weekend I designed, coded, and deployed an application to track my progress with the C25K running program. I looked at several products that are already out there for this purpose but couldn’t really find anything I liked. Most of them are heavily ad supported and a bit clunky to use. They also try to be all things to all people and, since I’m obviously not all people, I need something different.
I’ll eventually post some screen shots, and more detailed project information, but I at least wanted to describe some of the tools I’m using for this project.
Code Igniter
The truth is I spent about 13 hours on this but three were spent trying to get a feel for CakePHP. I wanted to use an MVC framework and had heard good things about Cake. But after working through their tutorial, reading a good portion of their somewhat poor documentation, and trying to start coding my application I decided to abandon it and look for something else.
I first heard about Code Igniter about a year ago and thought I’d look it up again. I’m glad I did. Within about two hours I had the basic pieces of the application working. They have excellent documentation and look to have an active community.
XML/SWF Charts
A data-driven graphical display of my progress is a key feature for this project. I need to see the progress I’ve made and the goal I’m trying to attain. I also like playing with charts. Again, excellent documentation was a deciding factor for my choice of XML/SWF Charts. You can use a free version but I think it ’s worth the cost of a license. Good software components deserve compensation.
Blueprint CSS
Since I had limited time over the weekend, most of it was spent in development. The little design I did was primarily control and content layout. That’s where Blueprint CSS really shines. With little modification I was able to implement the layout I needed in a short time. I’m not sure I’ll stick with it but it definitely helped out in a pinch.
So apparently we’re still here after they flipped the swtich on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). If you ever have any doubts you can visit Has the Large Hadron Collider destroyed the world yet? And if you still aren’t sure what the LHC is, be sure and check out The Large Hadron Rap.
We now return to your scheduled weekly roundup:
Cappuccino Web Framework - Pick a framework, any framework. It seems like there are new web app frameworks being released every week but this one does look different. Cappuccino promises “desktop-caliber applications that run in a web browser”. From a look at the examples they do seem pretty cool but seem to suffer a bit from the latency of the web.
Flash Spider - A fun little web toy where you control a spider (and make it eat flies).
Look at it Another Way - Great user experience article from Indi Young. In addition to the article there is a discount code for 10% off her Mental Models book (the next item in my reading queue).
Random Password Generator - For when you need a cryptic password you’ll never remember.
More Cowbell - Upload a song, specify how much cowbell and Walken you want, enjoy the results. If you don’t understand why this is funny please watch this video. You’re welcome.
P.s. Check out these LHC Webcams.
I typically sit behind a computer screen ten hours a day. I’ve done this for the past ten years. As I’ve aged, my metabolism has gotten a little lazy. A couple of weeks ago I decided it was time for a change. I started by walking two miles after dinner one night. The next time out I jogged a bit too. It took me about an hour to go those two miles walking and jogging.
Yesterday, I completed Workout 1 of the Couch to 5k Running Plan (C25K). That same distance took me 26 minutes, 40 seconds, and 71 hundredths of a second. Now I realize this time isn’t going to improve exponentially but that’s not why I’m doing this. I’m just excited to see I can walk/run that distance in under half an hour.
I’m considering registering for the Hoover Run for Hope in November. I’m not sure I’ll be ready by then but there look to be plenty of 5k runs in the Nashville area. No excuses. Just move.
Chrome - Google’s new web browser. People are saying it screams. Google’s $57 million search deal with Mozilla is set to expire in 2011 (85% of Mozilla’s revenue). This is going to get interesting. Especially with IE8 just around the corner. If you can’t wait for it, you can build a Mac or Linux version yourself.
Observing the User Experience - While I’d suggest buying the physical version of this book, it’s available to browse online (via another Google product).
Bye Bye IE6 - 37signals, maker of fine products like Basecamp, are dropping support for IE6 on October 1. I’ve heard quite a few other websites and applications may be doing the same. Good riddance.
UX Week - Nice collection of resources from Adaptive Path’s User Experience Week put together by Boxes and Arrows. I didn’t go so thanks for putting this together (I opted for UX Intensive instead this year).
And apparently I’m a slacker.