The growing need for new HTML5 standard

One example of great technological strides involves the HyperText Markup Language (HTML). HTML makes using the Internet way easier, and it helps to decipher a lot of the code that is online that, as humans, we can’t interpret alone. Anytime that people go on the Internet, they use HTML to connect to different pages and link to different applications and programs. However, as time goes on, our current technology becomes increasingly insufficient, and the need to find something better becomes increasingly paramount. HTML 5 is one of the solutions that have been thought up to make browsing the web easier and more user-friendly. This new “Internet language” plans to reduce the need for plug-in-based rich Internet applications (RIA), providing people with a more continuous flow of great performance by their computer, and removing the time needed to load up excess applications. By doing this, people can surf the web and not have to worry about using plug-ins such as Microsoft Silverlight and Adobe AIR. However, these other formats do provide sufficient reason to stay competitive with this new format. Programmers from all over are in heated debate on whether or not these other markup languages will be obsolete when HTML 5 is fully operational. Many big- time players on the Internet (such as Google, Mozilla, and even YouTube) are already congratulating this new platform as revolutionizing Internet browsing. Then there are some who argue that HTML 5 will take too long to really get running, and formats like Adobe AIR will have become more mainstream by then. Considering all of this, we must remember that all of these formats can serve a function different from any of the other formats; trying to select one format to be superior over the others might not be the best thing to do. Still, the important aspect to consider is the ease of compatibility that HTML 5 offers, and how these other formats will be able to adapt to it.

More features as standard in HTML 5

HTML 5 has a variety of new elements that not only give it the potential to become a very successful markup language, but also allow users to surf the web without as much interference with other programs that may need to be loaded. For example, many audio/video enhancements are provided with HTML 5 that are now set within a standardized interface, so the language can group and decipher information that is probably going to interact in upcoming online processes. This makes the process of encoding simpler, because embedding video and other “bigger” files can be just as simple as including a picture file on a page. Platforms such as Silverlight and Adobe Air will probably wind up using different plug-ins to accommodate for different actions in the program, which can be tedious if you’re programming with a lot of different applications. This new language also has compatibility features that allow it to use older versions of HTML and other markup language without having to convert and save new data (which can sometimes have an effect on performance). This proves to be more efficient because users can refer back to the same program they are using to access the Internet to find old information. Not having to look all around your computer for data is one of the benefits that come with using HTML 5. New APIs (application programming interfaces) make this new language even more convenient; it provides new elements such as offline storage data space, timed media playback, cross-document messaging, as well as document editing.

HTML 5 pros & cons - C#, Flash, Silverlight and RIA

Competition between the new HTML 5 and other web page formats, such as Silverlight, has been tense, to say the least. Some argue that there is no way to compare the two formats, claiming that different jobs promote the use of different page formats, kind of like apples and oranges. This usually proves to be the case when programming is concerned; no matter which format you may feel is better, different jobs promote different tasks, so sticking to only one platform may not be the best decision. For example, to make full use of HTML 5, programmers still have to use JavaScript, while Silverlight uses C#, a type of static language, which is commonly integrated in programs for its basic syntax. HTML 5’s convenience is still questionable here; some feel that it shouldn’t have to include JavaScript to run certain programs, and that this takes away from some of the flare that this new markup language has built up. Errors can arise in either case; compilation errors can come up in C# programs, but the inconvenience of using JavaScript can hold back later programming ventures. Some people are also concerned about how the new platform acts when using different browsers. HTML tends to have different performances in different browsers, while Silverlight utilizes Internet Explorer settings to act the same in different browsers. Again, some people wonder about some of these inconveniences that may come out of using this new technology, yet this doesn’t put too much of a blemish on the new markup language. It doesn’t come without its holdbacks; people are accustomed to the problems that may come up when using Internet Explorer, and if a format has poor performance in its most basic form, using it in different browsers doesn’t seem to give it much of an advantage. Others like to point out that Adobe Air uses flash quite efficiently currently, whereas HTML 5 is still trying to become supported in all aspects of Internet. Again, HTML 5 is still a work in progress. Presently, it is still a rough draft of what it should be, which makes learning its functions kind of frustrating because they keep changing. Experts project that it may take some years for this platform to get to its full potential, but technology correlates with time, which stops for nothing. Some believe that by the time HTML 5 has become standard, flash application will have become more integrated with the Web.

Advantages for HTML5 over existing RIA standards

These other formats have good reason to compete against HTML 5, and they do have features that seem to deal closely with issues that HTML 5 can’t comply with yet. However, we must remember that HTML 5’s features will close many of the gaps we sometimes come across while browsing. Its features make surfing more convenient, which in reality is what people are looking for. Adobe Air is a very convenient platform, but people are too well aware of its hindrances to overlook some of the simplicity of using HTML 5. What some people don’t consider is the work that is involved in making HTML 5 a milestone in Internet. Companies such as Apple, Mozilla, and Microsoft are coming in junction with WHATWG and W3C HTML WG to make HTML 5 revolutionary. Features like HTML 5’s document representation give it the foundation to browse the web more easily and process/display information. With this feature, documents can be represented using the Document Object Model (DOM). DOM trees make processing much simpler; they use two different Syntax languages to represent the information: HTML serialization (HTML 5) and XML serialization (XHTML 5). HTML serialization makes information representation easier because it contains code similar to that of existing browsers. When programming, users find that some tags are optional and implied automatically. This convenient way of programming makes it easier to get through a program if simple mistakes are present, thus letting programs run the way they are designed.

HTML5 already adopted by Google, Youtube, Apple…

HTML 5 does have many people hopeful for the future of the Internet. Optimistic visions of browsing the Internet and using media online without the frustrations of add-ons and other applications are feasible with this new technology, and it is already starting to blossom. As we speak, common applications and preferences we use over the Internet are being integrated with HTML 5, and it is also being used in new places. The new, innovative Ipad doesn’t provide Flash support, but with HTML 5, this wouldn’t be too much of a problem, because all browsing would be under the same umbrella of compatibility with this new platform. This applies to the use of the iPhone as well as the iPod Touch; these all use Wi-Fi Internet, and browsing on them can be quite opportune if you are in a situation where you need to use the Internet and all you have is your phone or iPod. With HTML 5, surfing the Internet will be much easier, since you won’t have to use plug-ins to view certain information not otherwise available through these devices. Google also used this new markup language with a couple of its new apps, such as Google voice, and it was said that HTML 5 could put the OS-specific application out of business. Even YouTube advocated its use over that of Flash, saying that it could revolutionize web video. The ability to embed video into a page as if it were a JPEG image leaves no wonder about the hype that HTML 5 has caused in the world of Internet browsing.

Conclusion, Expand the boundaries of Internet usage with HTML5

There is no such thing as perfect Internet browsing, but HTML 5 promises to meet the standards of all those who use it. Compatibility is one of its greatest assets, as well as the convenience it offers to programmers with its simple syntax. Put that together with the ability to write code in short-hand, and the great recommendations HTML 5 is getting from different sources that use it, and this could really be the next best thing in Internet. The ease this platform promises to apply to Internet browsing is utterly enticing; Internet users all over the world are wondering if this could be the breakthrough in browsing that everybody has been looking for. Our Internet experience has improved dramatically over the years; from having to wait for RealPlayer to buffer site information into streamable video, or waiting for a QuickTime application to initialize. Now, we can depend on RIA to get us what we need more efficiently than we could previously, and for the time being that is getting us from point A to B. However, it is 2010, and people are anxiously awaiting something better. This new platform may not make Silverlight and Adobe Air obsolete, but in any event, the luxury of simplicity it ensures its users is more than enough for it to be tested by Internet users as well as programmers. Time will tell if this platform will truly be what everybody is looking for, and the determination of whether HTML 5 can “walk the walk” will also be addressed in the future. Ultimately, we must not fall victim to relying on one mode of surfing the Internet just because of propaganda and talk. This new technology has the potential to expand the boundaries of Internet usage far beyond what they are now, but we can’t forget about RIA completely (at least not until this new markup language is fully operational).

So the Fifa World Cup is only 10 days away and I am an avid Football (you call it soccer) fan from Holland. Actually that is probably an understatement, I am a die hard fan.

I am also a respectful fan and have always been intrigued by the National Anthem for each team. When the Dutch national Anthem is played in a stadium of 80,000 people and the whole stadium sings along, it just gives me an adrenaline rush.

I know my own national anthem, but always was intrigued by what the other countries were actually singing, so I decided to contact the guys at Web Design Beach and collaborate on one of my passions, soccer and combine it with their awesome design skills to create a super simple iPhone application for the World Cup.

We decided to call it World Soccer Anthems. The initial idea was to call it 2010 Fifa World Cup Anthems, but we ended up having to change it due to Trademark and copyright issues with the App Store. In addition, one of the guys from WB mentioned to incorporate mp3’s. I loved this idea, but we tried finding nothing that we could use without having to go through the legal mumbo jumbo.

We spent some time researching each of the 32 countries national anthems and found some easier than others. Add to that that the each national anthem is shortened for any sporting event and you have a interesting mix from a very short Japanese anthem to the super long Italian and Mexican anthem.

We ended up finding all of them, created a cool little Icon for the App store and submitted in hopes of getting approved quickly. It actually took us 3 tries due to the World Cup copyright issue and even WC was trademarked by Fifa, go figure.

We ended up in the App Store early May. “Onion” created a cool design around the www.worldsocceranthems.com - This guy really has a great touch for simple, but clean design.

The Irony is that 3 days after we released our app, a bunch of “copycats” followed suit, including paid apps with MP3’s.

In conclusion, was our idea good? Absolutely! Are the other ones better? Maybe. See for yourself and download which one you like best.

That is of course if you are a Football, oops Soccer fan.

–

Edwin Lap

In 1996, Macromedia launched its famous vector-based animation software, Macromedia Flash – now Adobe Flash with the acquisition of Macromedia by Adobe in 2005. While JavaScript was introduced by Netscape in 1995, it wasn’t until Microsoft incorporated it into the 1997 version of Internet Explorer 4.0 that JavaScript started to get real recognition as a notable programming language for the web. However, JavaScript was incredibly slow back then and browsers simply did not have the processing power to cope with advanced use of the language.

Now, over a decade since its inception, JavaScript has grown by leaps and bounds to become intrinsic to web development. With the advent of AJAX (asynchronous JavaScript and XML) techniques and the proliferation of JavaScript libraries and frameworks such as jQuery, JavaScript is poised to dominate the web development world.

And dominate it will. In the previously uncharted realm of JavaScript animations, jQuery is becoming a force to reckon with. It is giving web developers the power to create low-level animations and widgets, formerly the forte of Macromedia Flash and, before Flash, animated GIFs (graphics interchange format).

There are several advantages of using jQuery for low level animations, navigation (tabbed menus, dropdown menus, etc), widgets (date-pickers, accordions, etc) and interaction (drag-and-drop, auto-complete, etc). These are listed below:

1. Flash content requires a Flash Player plug-in, which needs to be downloaded from Adobe.com. On the other hand, jQuery does not require any plug-in as all modern browsers have JavaScript engines. Granted, jQuery components may not be viewable with JavaScript disabled on the user’s browser. However, it is less likely that a user will have disabled JavaScript than it is for him or her not to have installed the Flash Player plug-in. Furthermore, the Flash Player plug-in is not available for the iPhone and many other cell phones. Thus, it is most probable that a website featuring jQuery will be viewable by more users than one that employs Flash.

2. While the Flash Player plug-in is free, Flash authoring tools are not. The current version, Adobe Flash CS4 Professional, retails at $699. JQuery is available for free from JQuery.com. Although some jQuery plug-ins are not free for commercial use, none costs as much as $699.

3. JQuery affords the web developer more convenience in creating accessible yet interactive websites. While accessibility can still be achieved in Flash-powered websites, techniques for making this possible are complex and time-consuming.

4. JQuery is more suitable for SEO (search engine optimization) than Flash. Flash content is heavier on images than text, and search engines mostly rely on text to index web pages.

That being said, jQuery is still not ready to take over from Flash as the premier platform for web visual effects. JQuery cannot handle 3D animations, and some complex 2D animations are smoother when done in Flash. Flash is also the best platform for video on web applications.

In the end, the onus is upon the web developer to make a smart decision on where jQuery would be more suitable than Flash. Many high-profile companies are using jQuery on their web applications – the likes of Google, Dell, Netflix, CBS, NBC, etc. Using jQuery for simple visual effects in your web applications is definitely a smart move.

Short summary (not included in the word count)
Since its inception in the 1990s, JavaScript has grown by leaps and bounds to become intrinsic to web development. With the advent of AJAX web development techniques and the proliferation of JavaScript libraries and frameworks such as jQuery, it is now possible to create low-level animations, widgets, navigation and website interaction using JavaScript. This article sums up the advantages of creating simple visual effects using jQuery instead of Adobe Flash.

We all know how boring is to add new background image and change colors via  Twitter admin, so you can’t do this from our website automatically. All you need to when you find the background you love is to enter your Twitter user name and password and hit “Make this my background!” button. Making your life easier, isn’t it?

Our main focus is on quality, not quantity but I’m sure anyone can find something for themselves since there are 18 different categories of Twitter backgrounds. Our gallery is growing each day so be sure to bookmark it and check out every time you get bored of  your Twitter background. Change is good

Also, there are Twitter buttons (icons) that you can place on your blog, myspace page or website. There are codes provided to simply just copy code for the button you want and paste a link at your website and attract more people to follow you on Twitter.

So hop on to Twitterevolutions for some free twitter backgrounds and feel free to look around.

Or if you need a custom Twitter backgrounds to really stand out from the crowd you can always contact us about that service.

1. Find a good medium for support whenever you get stuck.  We all have those moments were we can’t figure out a bug or the client has some off the wall request that doesn’t even seem possible.  At first I must admit I was very weary of forums or support communities but, it’s grown on me.  My favorite is webmasterworld.com they have tremendous support with everything from seo tips, to zen-cart help.  Whenever I get really stuck I’ll just submit a question to webmasterworld and within a day or two usually get the answer.

2. Create a code library.  Everybody knows starting from scratch on a project is never fun.  Whatever platform or framework you work on your bound to do the same thing hundreds of times and wouldn’t it be easier to just have a library you could pull from.  Spend the extra time to create a general template that can be used again and again.  What I’ll usually do is figure out what I use on every project regardless of what it is and have some code to support that.  For example, I have a general form set up script (html , jquery, and PHP).  I also have a general site template that I start off of in almost every project.  I’ve noticed this saves a tremendous amount of time in nearly every project and is an absolute must have.

3. When are you most productive? Perhaps the easiest on the list but often overlooked is trying to figure out when you’re most productive.  Everybody is different, some are night owls, and some are early risers.  During your least productive times try to save the easier tasks for that time or try to save things you do on a daily basis for that time.  For example, I’ve found I personally work the best in the morning.  I try to schedule all my calls, meetings, etc for in the afternoon when I’m not feeling at my best and do the harder programming or development in the morning.

4. Be honest.  How can being honest and upfront save you time you ask, you’d be surprised. I’m always intrigued to see what people will say and how they react when the question “How long will it take?” is posed.  Time and time again it seems that we underestimate how long things actually take.   For every task, no matter how big or how small, you need to have access to the site, look at what needs to be done, think about how you’ll do it, test it, send the email that it’s complete and then there almost always is that time you spend updating what you did because either the client changed their mind, didn’t describe the task right, or you just didn’t check your work.  This whole process is never taken into account, I always cringe when I hear someone say “oh it will take you 5 minutes” when in fact it takes you five minutes to start up your computer and look at the email.  Time management is perhaps one of the hardest things to grasp, but if you really sit down and think about how long each individual step will take, you can greatly cut down on spending an hour on a task you originally said would only take 5 minutes.

5. Install a web server.  This is an absolute must have for every developer.  Being able to test PHP/MySQL on the fly is a huge time saver.  Thanks to companies like xampp and wampp this is possible.  There are many out there but perhaps my favorite is wampp for windows and xampp for mac.  Could you imagine having to save files then upload them to a server every time you want to make a change, what a nightmare.  I’ve saved hours upon hours using wampp and is something I use every day.

6. Be organized.  This is something that over time you’re almost forced to do or realize.  I must admit I used to be one of the least organized people you would ever come across but it has gotten better and still can get better.  What happens when a client asks you to make a text change in the flash, and because your not organized you have an old version of it.  Now you have to spend hours of coding for a simple change because you weren’t organized.   This is just one instance that has happened to me, but I’m sure there are much worse cases.  Everyone has their own way of handling things and getting organized, but here’s a couple tips to get started.  For every project, I’ll create a folder for the project inside of that folder there will be a docs folder, design (psd/png, ai), dates (everyday I label a new folder with the date and put it in here), flash,  and a backup folder.   I’ll have active clients on the desktop in a folder and I’ll have the archived or inactive clients in one master folder.  Of course everyone has their own way of doing things you just have to find what you are comfortable with.

7. Firefox extensions.  We all use and love firefox right? (please don’t tell me your using internet explorer) Well one of the many advantages to firefox is the extensions. There are hundreds of them and you can even create your own.  By far, my favorite firefox extension is the web developer toolbar.  This is something I use day in and day out, and have saved tons of time using.  It has tons of little tools and tips you can use, but my favorites are the ruler, viewing the style information, resize your window to a specific dimension, and editing css and html right on the page.  Here’s you can find great firefox extensions article.

8. Familiarize yourself with other applications than just the standard text editors.  Believe it or not, I’ve come across some developers who have never even opened up photoshop or fireworks.  In nearly every project I’ve ever been involved in there comes a time when the designer missed a button, forgot to add something or the client wants a few words modified on the text inside the button.  Rather than ship it back to the designer wait for them to do it just open up photoshop and do it yourself.  I know there’s a fine line between designing a whole site and just editing some text on a button, but in the end if you familiarize yourself with photoshop or fireworks or other applications you can speed up the entire project and have more time to be out on the beach.

9. Blogs, news and social networks.  Some studies have shown that in an average work day users spend an hour to two hours on blogs, news sites, or social networking sites.  So really that means you’re only working about a 6 or 7 hour day, or in turn trying to make up for that lost time by staying at the office a few extra hours.  I’m not saying don’t go on blogs or social networks and sometimes they are a good break away from the daily activities.  But really try to figure out where your time is spent in the day.  If you find yourself constantly staying late than look at what you’re doing in the morning and during the day.  Are you always reading the latest post on five different blogs, updating twitter, or seeing that your ex girlfriend just got married.  Well then you’re more than likely on the computer for 10-12 hours a day.

10. Speak Up.  Now this one is definitely the hardest one for me to do and I know I need to do it more often.  But if you feel there’s an area in your company were you can speed up the project for not only you but everyone else involved speak up.  There may be a point in the project that always takes the longest or never gets completely finished before passing it to the next step.  You’ll find that if you speak up and provide constructive comments than people are willing to listen.  One thing that never works is constantly complaining, and then expect the complaining to lead to change.  People don’t respond well to complaining but are always willing to listen to constructive advice and any new ideas you may have.

Gary Howell

In addition to design, I have always been interested in what other cities have to offer creatively. Surprisingly enough, not all design methods and trends are the same from one location to another. In order to be more versatile, you have to gain hands on experience in these locations in order to truly understand them. I decided to sign up for Phoenix Design Week to see what the latest developments have made their way to the Desert. Since I had never been to Phoenix, I figured it would be a great way to explore the city, get to know the local design community, and attend a couple of interesting sessions.

I have to admit, as much as I know about design, there is always more to learn. I was particularly interested in the Agency Panel Meeting, in which the representatives discussed comparisons between a “traditional” design/advertising agency vs. the evolution of new, smaller shops. From my own understanding, I had previously anticipated that it was only a matter of time before people realized that traditional agencies lag in understanding the digital medium. Not to discredit the presenters; in fact, they helped to further establish my thought on traditional and digital advertising.

The opening session of the conference included a discussion on the “state of the valley” what role Design should have in the future evolution of Phoenix. It was pretty interesting to see how eager people were willing to get involved in the local scene, offer unique ideas, and to make sure that the process got underway instead of falling by the waste side. In fact, before the session concluded, there were meet up sessions created which, as we all know, is the best way to begin any creative feat.

Shortly after the initial session, I went straight to the long awaited panel meeting consisting of D. Stan Fields III of www.mcmurry.com, Roger Hurni of www.offmadisonave.com and John Johnson www.tunnelbravo.com. As I said before, I had anticipated the growth of print advertising to grow exponentially smaller than digital media, and was pleasantly surprised to hear that same sentiment in this presentation. They understood the gap between traditional agencies and new digital agencies and it was a breath of fresh air that these guys openly discussed the problems that the industry is facing.

Is Print dead? According to Stan and Roger, yes.

Though I was elated to hear their opinions (especially in congruence with mine), there was one issue I had trouble digesting in this presentation. Because digital agencies are somewhat “new” they made it sound that it was very difficult, if not impossible, to get your foot in the door in order to collaborate with larger agencies. I couldn’t help but feel as if a lot of people in the audience wondered if they would ever have the chance to work with a larger agency. Despite the doubtful tone, I would respond with: the answer is YES! It will take time, effort, and your best work, but you can succeed. I can only hope that members of the audience feel that way as well.

Other sessions included Robert Hoekman, Stephanie Sullivan, some amazing motion graphics designers, and many more. Indeed, it was a great opportunity for the Phoenix Design community (and some “outsiders” such as myself) to meet that many top speakers and to learn many new perspectives.

And finally, of course, everyone was waiting for the evening party at the Clarendon Hotel; a great rooftop venue with amazing views. I met a lot of interesting people, ranging from print designers from Poland (no, print is not dead yet), Australia, and France (to name a few). All in all, it was great to see that design and design talent is alive and well in Phoenix and I hope to be back, whether for fun or collaboration on future projects.

*Oh, and for those people who still doubt that twitter is a waste of time: ask the happy people whom I bought drinks for at the party. I tweeted that I would buy the first 10 people who followed me a drink at the bar. Hello to those new friends!

Edwin Lap

I enjoy learning about any emerging technologies and am always trying to find ways to improve myself not only in the web development world, but the business side as well.  I attended Adobe MAX last year (in San Francisco) and was very excited to see all the new things adobe has been working on and really just learning as much as I can.

Flash on the iPhone?  Well sort of.  The big buzz that everybody seemed to want to know was if Flash will finally be released on the iPhone.  Well they did showcase Flash running on the iPhone (in iPhone applications) but seeing Flash in a browser wasn’t quite there yet. It is interesting that they also mention Adobe Flash and iPhone last year on Adobe MAX 2008 in San Francisco but it looks that there was no progress in that direction

First up was the keynote, which is always fun because they introduce new technologies and showcase some new products.  Of course the big talk was Flash on the iPhone but a couple other innovative items of topic were Flash 10.1, ColdFusion 9, AIR 2, and Augmented Reality.  Perhaps the biggest surprise was John Mayer (yes that’s right the singer) who showcased his Interactive Augmented Reality music video.  He did a very impressive job explaining the technology and had a great sense of humor as well.

After the keynote everybody went to classes and labs.  Last year I enjoyed the sessions much more than the labs mainly because I found them more inspiring and useful in everyday situations. Probably my favorite of the entire conference was the Augmented Reality class.  I went into it really knowing very little and came out feeling like I could develop something myself.  Jesse Freeman, Rich Tretola and James Alliban showcased some of their work which was very impressive.  Everything from creating music, going into space and fighting monsters. I felt it was extremely helpful they talked about how you can start, how they started, and were it’s going.

One of my favorite parts about the conference was the fact they have a sneak peeks session were Adobe showcases what they have been working on. Everything from the newest Flex and AIR Additions, to their newest projects such as browser labs and Adobe ROME.

An extremely impressive project Adobe has been working on is “browser labs”.  With so many different browsers and so many different versions testing is a nightmare for front end developers.  Well the project is still in beta (and free for now) it still boasts many features.  Unlike the typically browser compatibility service Adobe browser labs lets you view many different browsers with the click of a button, no waiting around wondering when you’ll see results.  I definitely do my far share of front-end development so I was extremely excited to see this new service.  This is without a doubt the most impressive browser compatibility service I’ve seen to date.  The only downfall is that they only have around 7 browsers you can test in, but it is in beta and they plan to add more in the future.

Another item Adobe has been working on is an application that bridges the gap between developers and designers.  Often times designers will just hand over the PSD’s to developers with very little communication on how they envisioned items to work and function.  Flash Catalyst (it was in beta on Adobe MAX 2008) hopes to bridge that gap making it easy for designers to showcase how the site should work with everything from roll-overs, drop downs, transitions and other functionality.  I must say I was very impressed with how easy it is to use and absolutely no code necessary whatsoever.  The only caveat is that it is mostly designed for Flex, SIR and Flash developers, but can still be used in the prototyping phase of the project.

Perhaps the favorite among everybody at the conference is the “Max Bash” which is their annual party.  This year it was held at ESPIN Zone.  It was very impressive, open bar, free food, free games and a band.  It’s amazing how well they can accommodate thousands of people.  The party was incredible and I was able to talk to some of the biggest people at Adobe including Ted Patrick and Ben Forta to name a few.

I came away from the conference feeling very confident about the industry where it’s going and how we all can help contribute to it. More importantly I felt very inspired by many of the speakers and presentations and was glad to see how much I knew and how much I can know.

Gary Howell

What is it:

Perl Fancy Captcha is a remake of PHP Ajax Fancy jQuery plugin that helps you protect your web pages from spammers and bots. We are introducing you to a new, intuitive way of completing “verify humanity” tasks. In order to do that you are asked to drag and drop specified item into a circle.

Perl Fancy Captcha’s security level is medium, with the emphasis on nice looking and user friendly qualities while still offering reasonable protection from unwanted “guests”. Basic design and its elements are easy to change and customize (take a look at file structure for more information).
If you have any ideas, comment or just want to say hello, please do - any feedback, ideas and support will be greatly appreciated.

Update for September 2009:

• reduced size,
• easier integration,
• easy translate,
• few common problems fixed.

File structure:

-captcha
–imgs
–captcha.css
–jquery.captcha.js
–captcha.cgi
–iepngfix.htc
-latest-jquery
-latest-jquery-ui
-example.html
-readme.txt

How it works:

It calls captcha.cgi file and gets a random number. Perl file just generates simple number and put it in session. When AJAX got that number it creates items based on that number. Lets imagine that we have array of “pencil”, “scissors”, “clock”, “heart”, “note”, so if number 3 is returned it will take “heart” and look for item-heart.png file in /imgs directory.

How to install:

1. As usual, copy /captcha folder somewhere in your hosting.
2. If you don’t have latest jquery and jquery.ui integrated already, copy these two folders.
3. Edit page where you want to put captcha and insert:

1. <!-- Begin of captcha -->
2. <div class="ajax-fc-container"></div>
3. <!-- End of captcha -->

Put this in header of your page

1. <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8">
2. $(function() {
3. $(".ajax-fc-container").captcha({formId: "myForm"});
4. });
5. </script>


Default Options:


1. borderColor: "",
2. captchaDir: "captcha",
3. url: "captcha/captcha.cgi",
4. formId: "myForm",
5. text: "Verify that you are a human,
drag scissors into the circle.”,
6. items: Array(”pencil”, “scissors”, “clock”, “heart”, “note”)


Dependencies:

• ui.core.js
• ui.draggable.js
• ui.droppable.js

Download:

Please note, if you downloaded files to your computer it won’t work properly unless you start it through web server since it uses AJAX requests.

• Click here to download Perl source code! (68kb)

Links:

• Perl and Ajax Fancy Captcha
• PHP and Ajax Fancy Captcha
• WordPress and Ajax Fancy Captcha
• jQuery plugin page
• Home Page

Staying up to date:

If you like Perl Ajax Fancy Captcha, please subscribe to RSS and you will receive latest info.

If you’re tired of your buddies saying “Go home you’ve never seen a naked woman before” or “When will you lose your virginity already” this post is just right for you.

Tutorial “SQL stands 4 -> Sex Query Language” will help you to regain your confidence and SQL knowledge!

Many of you will say “Who needs girls when I have SQL” and offer strong argumentation like “Has your girl ever helped you join five tables, order them by date, and then insert into another table?” NO! But SQL did!

But then you should ask yourself “Has SQL ever made a breakfast for me and brought it to bed, or when has SQL surprised me, after a hard day, in sexy underwear?”

Don’t be modest, own  both a woman and an SQL and have best of both worlds.

My 5 favorite sexy queries:

1. Deleting Duplicate Records

You were in the club having a good time and picking up girls. By the end of the night you end up with 20 phone numbers. Unfortunately, you got wasted and you haven’t noticed that you entered the one number 5 times and now you want to get rid of those duplicates.

First query won’t work in MYSQL, because MySQL doesn’t allow referring to a table that’s targeted for update in a FROM clause, but it is fine with oracle.


DELETE FROM chicks
WHERE id not in (SELECT id from chicks group by phone) - just group by field that has duplicated values, it this case that’s phone.

MySQL Version:

DELETE FROM chicks
WHERE id not in ( SELECT id from ( SELECT id from chicks group by phone) as id )


2. Deleting Referential Integrity Violations

E.g. Some girls are associated with addresses that do not exist.

TABLE GIRLS
-id INT
-name VARCHAR
-address_id INT [ foreign key ]
-hair_color VARCHAR
-breast_size SET( ‘1′, ‘2′, ‘3′ , ‘4′, ‘5′)
-ex_boys INT

TABLE GIRL_ADDRESS
-address_id INT
-address_info VARCHAR
-phone VARCHAR

DELETE from girls WHERE address_id not in (SELECT address_id from address)


3. Using Case


SELECT name,ex_boys,
case when ex_boys < 2 then ‘NUN’
when ex_boys > 10 then ‘Jenna Jameson’
else ‘OK’
end as status
from girls


4. Deleting with Nested Query

Let’s say we have two new tables, Clubs and Club_accidents. There are girls that work in clubs as waitresses, so in girls table we have new field club_id.


Table Clubs
-club_id
-club_name
-club_address

Table Club_accidents
-club_id
-accident_desc

Now, you don’t need girls that have too much problems in their clubs, so for example you want to delete girls who have more than three accidents in three clubs.


DELETE from girls where club_id in (select club_id from club_accidents group by club_id having count(*) >= 3)


5. Creating View and Concatenating Column Values

Finally, let’s say you are making cocktail party every month, and you are the type of guy who likes blond girls and big breasts :), and you are tired of writing same query every time you want to get top 10 girls with blond hair with breast size more then three.


CREATE View best_10_blond_girls as
SELECT concat(`name`,' has breast size = ', breast _size) as girls, hotness
from girls
WHERE hair_color like blond and breast _size > 3
ORDER BY hotness desc
LIMIT 10


The best way to test if this tutorial helped you is to go to a first club, talk with the girls, and if you get number instead of slap, and if your query works, then you are the man my son.