IT
Computers are great, except when they are the cause of frustration and despair, as they often are.
How to swap Control and Command keys in virtual machines
Mac users no longer have to suffer the tyranny (and cramped fingers!) of working in a virtual machine environment where the Command and Control keys are swapped! (Swapped for Mac users' tastes, that is). A quick change to your linux VM setup should have you coding happily in no time.
Read MoreSmarter sorting of values from an SQL database
Sometimes you get stuck on a project where you inherit a database that isn't set up the way you'd like it. In such cases you may find yourself wishing to select or sort data by a portion of what's in a column, not the column's entire value. Most varieties of SQL allow you to do this with string-manipulation functions like mid(), left() and right(). Apply these functions to column names before they're passed to WHERE and ORDER BY statements and you can accomplish what's necessary even if the database isn't structured perfectly.
Read MoreImprove page load times by compressing code; or, "mnfy ur JS"
Web applications are growing more popular every day. That's great for user experience, but they usually require a sizable initial download of javascript that can increase the time users have to sit and wait for the app to start. One way to combat this annoyance (as well as "protect" your code from casual viewers) is to minify it. Javascript minification is a very easy and beneficial process that all developers should be using, whether coding sophisticated enterprise apps like Gmail or just a regular site with a decent amount of UX gloss.
Read MoreHow not to sell $10,000 support contracts
We've all bought things online: books, sweaters, music, electronics, whatever. Not a big deal, even for a high-end item like a TV or a computer. But some things simply don't make sense to buy online. Expensive, enterprise-level service contracts are one such item, yet RhoMobile does exactly that. So what's wrong with that? Besides just being sorta strange, it shows a lack of understanding of the customer they're trying to reach.
Read MoreBetter living through bookmarklets: JSON prettifier
Lately I've been working with web services that return data in Javascript object notation, or JSON, format. Having spent far too long copy and pasting JSON into online "prettifiers," it dawned on me that a Javascript bookmarklet to do that would be a great solution. I'm happy to present one I created to make things easier on all developers who work with JSON.
Read MoreThe future is here, or why Google’s video chat is amazing
We may not having flying cars or robotic maids, but we do have simple, usable video conversations! The Jetsons promised about the future that hasn't (yet) come true, but Google has delivered on at least one technology innovation: video conversations on our computers. For now, they're limited to the web browser, but Apple's introduction of the iPhone 4's FaceTime technology also promises to make seeing one another while we talk on the phone a reality, too.
Read MoreNow Reading
Planned books:
None
Current books:
The Player of Games (Culture) by Iain M. Banks
Recent books:
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
- House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds
- The Santaroga Barrier by Frank Herbert
- Stardust by Neil Gaiman