A Programmer’s Perspective

Last week, I created a simple online tool for minifying Javascript snippets or entire Javascript files.

Check it out

JSMinifier.com

I am using the Kaltura All-In-One-Video Wordpress Plugin on a project these days and I’ve come across a situation where I needed to switch my Partner ID to a new one (we purchased a paid account).

However, there is currently no way of doing this in the interface or by editing any of the plugin files… weird.

After calling their support and getting no answer, I found my own solution and I’m posting it here in hopes that it may help you.

This involves deleting a few rows from the wordpress database, so I’d recommend doing a backup before any of this.

Simply running the following SQL statement on your wordpress database will remove all Kaltura configurations:

delete from wp_options WHERE option_name LIKE ‘kaltura%’;

After running this statement, login to the admin area of Wordpress and you will now be prompted to Create a Partner ID (or specify an existing one).

Hope this helps!

The past few projects I’ve worked on, I’ve opted to use the Blueprint CSS Framework.

Blueprint offers several things that truly make a developer happy:

1. Small footprint
2. Instant cross-browser compatibility
3. Simple grid-based framework that allows for the creation of simple to complex web designs
4. The grid is completely customizable.
5. Did I mention cross-browser compatibility?

I’ve always considered myself fairly fluent with CSS, but nothing is more frustrating than wasting a few hours getting things to line up properly in all browsers when you could be spending that time making the product more stable or adding new features.

Blueprint CSS uses a CSS Reset style, and then sets very nice (yet configurable) defaults for fonts, font sizes, alignment, grid, etc. For those who aren’t aware, a CSS Reset style is essentially a few lines of cleverly crafted CSS that removes the default options browsers set for things like font sizes, alignment, and a variety of tag defaults. This dramatically improves ones ability to make a site cross-browser compatible, but requires that you manually set options you aren’t used to setting. Luckly Blueprint does this for you.

Ok, that’s enough support for Blueprint today. I’m not saying everyone should use it, but I’d highly recommend it. It saved me a ton of time and I’ve always been extremely happy with the results.

I was in a local book store today searching for a good iphone development book when I came across the most pathetic computer section I’ve ever seen.

Nearly every book is an [insert topic here] for dummies book.

I am using MooFlow for a project at work and it is absolutely fantastic. Nothing else gives the ease of use and nice look like MooFlow. However, it kept throwing an uncaught exception in Firefox:

Error: uncaught exception: [Exception... "Component returned failure code: 0x80040111 (NS_ERROR_NOT_AVAILABLE) [nsIDOMCanvasRenderingContext2D.drawImage]” nsresult: “0×80040111 (NS_ERROR_NOT_AVAILABLE)” location: “JS frame :: http://your-server/MooFlow.js :: anonymous :: line 423″ data: no]

I have figured out a simple fix for this.

In the file MooFlow.js look for the following line of code:

ctx.drawImage(i, 0, 0, arg.width, arg.height);

And change it to this:

try {
ctx.drawImage(i, 0, 0, arg.width, arg.height);
} catch(err) {}

And that will do it!

Note: this “fix” will disable refllections in the firefox browser.

I feel your pain.

The problem is that if you install ImageMagick and ImageMagick-devel from yum you end up with version 6.2.x instead of the required 6.3.x or higher that RMagick requires.

Just install from source.  Follow these steps.

wget ftp://ftp.imagemagick.org/pub/ImageMagick/ImageMagick.tar.gz

cd ImageMagick-6-??

./configure

make

make install

gem install rmagick

Relax with a beer.

Antipodr is a simple little tool I created with Jake Rutter that allows you to calculate the exact spot on the other side of the planet from any location you enter.  A complete waste of time, yes, but fun!

Antipodr utilizes Google Maps and the Google Geocoding Web Service to bring you the end result.  Once the system determines the coordinates, a simple calculation determines the antipodal point (hence the domain name) and displays the map of that area.

On a side note, it turns out you’d have to live in Chile or Argentina in order to dig to China.  Lies!

Antipodr - Find the other side of the world!

Check out Antipodr now!

This blog has never been a politically focused blog, however I feel compelled to write a post about a speech that Barack Obama gave in Green Bay.  I am in agreement with a few individuals who commented on this video in that, if we don’t elect this man then we have seriously failed as a country.  I’ll go so far as to say if we don’t elect him then I will seriously consider leaving the country.

I can’t help but realize that the new ads from Microsoft are totally useless, unconvincing, and uninformative.  The basic message behind the three major ads are:

• Windows Mohave – “Don’t listen to the millions of people who’ve experienced debilitating issues with Vista.  Instead, look how polished and slick the interface looks.  Kind of like a Mac – I MEAN.. doh!”  Does anyone notice that they never show you what the people are looking at?  Makes you wonder.
• Seinfeld – “We’re funny?  “.  So you wasted tens of millions of dollars and NOT give anyone a good reason to use your product?
• I’m a PC – “A lot of people use Windows, so you should too?”  This reminds me of a famous quote, “Any fool can use a computer.  Many do.”  I mean, seriously, “Windows.  Life without walls.”  That’s your slogan?!  I guess Microsoft doesn’t consider devices not working, spyware constantly infecting machines, a browser (conveniently labeled “Internet” for all the ignorant) that is not standards compliant, and a slew of other deal breakers walls.  Apparently Microsoft has an entirely different take on what a wall is than the rest of the world…

Microsoft, I’d like to help.  I’m not a fan, personally, but I’d like to help.  Your Operating System comes pre-installed on 90%+ computers.  You DON’T NEED TO MARKET as aggresively as you are!  Second, instead of trying to make everyone think you’re hip & cool, why don’t you actually focus on making better software and better user interfaces?  I can give a million reasons why I’m a Mac user, but the one reason that I tell everyone, regardless of their level of expertise in computing, is “Everyday, I wake up my Mac, do what I need to do, and then put it back to sleep.  It just works everytime, the same way it did all the times before, and it will continue to work exactly as it does until I replace it with a new model.  I don’t have to worry about scanning for spyware, cleaning up the registry, etc.  I never have to figure out why my computer is suddenly running slow.  It just works, everytime.”