Mon Oct 9
I saw this useful tip earlier today. I know it sounds boring, but it’s actually a pretty good idea.
For a long while now I’ve been working on a thing called the ‘Performer Javascript library’ which works with Prototype to allow developers to attach Javascript code to repeating elements - such as a list of items fetched from a database - using unobtrusive and clean code. For people who write web apps this is a useful addition to have.
The link above gives another way to do this by capturingan event (for example a click) and watching the ‘bubbling’ of the event element to see what it should do in response. I’ll almost certainly be trying it out soon. However for the time being I’m working on finishing a little app written in PHP and Javascript which shows off the power of Prototype. I’ll put that here for your entertainment soon.
Sun Oct 8
As a way to ease me back into writing more meaty entries than the frivolous ones I’ve been doing recently, I thought I’d collect my thoughts about entrepreneurship on the web. While the title may apply to me, I can’t help but feel I’m a bit of a fraud entrepreneur, because I don’t drive round in a flashy sports car, have meetings with venture capitalists or work on a Mac from a converted warehouse*. The fact is I work for a large firm, drive a people carrier, and spend my evenings juggling baby bottles and washing up.
* Actually my house is a converted warehouse, so maybe I get some points for that.
In the midst of this average 9-to-5 life I manage to run a secondary existance. Chris the entrepreneur, building his web empire. And what does my empire look like at the moment?
Firstly there’s my web business. I treat that website as a sort of online scrapbook; full of jottings, experiments and random thoughts. And, occasionally, that is enough to attract people to me and ask me to help them get the best out of the web.
Secondly there’s my project management software. It’s free, and while that may not sound like the perfect way to make money I continue to develop it for three reasons. 1) I need a project management system, so I’m scratching my own itch. 2) Other people are starting to use it, and that makes my name known. 3) Eventually I may start charging for doing customised versions.
Thirdly there’s the Wiblog thing, a friendly blogging community. My thanks go to Dave who started the Wibsite and gives me freedom to chop and change all the technical things whenever I want. And thanks to the Wibbloggers, too, who are supportive and encouraging.
Fourthly there St Gaudéric, a website about a tiny village in the south of France where I often go on holiday. While the textual information on the site is, to be frank, non-existant (I’m finding it hard to muster up the brainpower needed to translate French documents to English), the pictures are pretty nice. Eventually this site may be used to provide email addresses, blogs, image galleries and advertising to local people.
Then I have one, two, three, four other projects which I’ll tell you about eventually. It’s not that I want to keep them secret, it’s just I have nothing decent to show you yet.
So I’m trying not to fall into the trap of believing any myths about web businesses, instead just making sites that people want to use. And while all my sites so far go for what could be described as niche markets, I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.
Sat Oct 7
Have you ever had an idea for something that would make your life easier? Something useful, cool, interesting or fun but you couldn’t make it yourself? Well, for one lucky Mac person turning their idea into rteality will no longer be a dream.
Over at mydreamapp.com they are asking for votes on what piece of software a group of well respected Mac developers should write. All the ideas are coming from the Mac community, and that’s where the software will be sold back to.
It’s a great idea that will undoubtedly have a great outcome. Software by the people for the people - it’s the way to go.
Also floating my boat at the moment is An App A Day, where someone calling themselves the Software Jedi (good name!) writes a small application every day for 30 days. And some of them have been great, really useful and clever. Have a look, at the very least to see the passion and enjoyment that Dana the developer gets from doing what they are doing.
Tue Oct 3
Now maybe I could be accused of being deaf, stupid or both, but I quite like Sting. While the early stuff with the Police was the lighter, commercial end of rock-ska, and the later stuff bordering on drivel, he has written some of the most iconing songs ever. Don’t believe me? That’s fine, I’m strong enough to stick up for my musical tastes, however wierd they are. I am a jazz trombonist, after all.
So I was a little bit disappointed to see the Stingmeister appear this list of the worst things to happen to music (via Aurgasm). Oh well, he’s amongst some legendary names.
Anyway, I promise my regular geeky ramblings will be back soon, with further entries on my content management system, that whole asp.net thing, and plenty of blatant self-promotion. I bet you can’t wait.
Sun Oct 1
Even the most irregular visitor here could not help but notice that I’ve been rather absent from this blog over the last few weeks compared to my normal rate of posting. What, 5 days between entries? Shame on me.
However I offer no excuse, as spending time with the cutest little boy and most beautiful woman in the world comes before anything else. And when we have such wonderful sights as this to look at the computer is the furthest thing from my mind.
This was taken with my trust Sony Ericsson K750i mobile phone from our bedroom window, and very (very…) roughly pasted together for your pleasure. Click for a larger version, but the original (which was painted over the entire sky) is locked in my wetware memory and there isn’t an interface for that yet :0)
del.cio.us,
Digg,
Yahoo!,
Google
Mummy, can I have some credit crunch for breakfast
The Real Me: How I Learned To Embrace my True Inner Self
Nick Harper, 10th May 2007 (1)
Nick Harper, 10th May 2007 (4)
Nick Harper, 10th May 2007 (3)
