I’d like to officially welcome everyone to 2plan Limited. And in case you think you recognise the handsome chap on the homepage (no, not him … not him either, OK, the ugly chap) I have to admit it’s me.
Category: Quick Links
More JavaScript goodness
If you’re one of the few people in the world that liked the look of my Performer JavaScript library but found it didn’t quite do what you want, take a look at these projects from LivePipe.com which include really nifty modal window generators.
And if that’s not enough then the talented Dustin Diaz has a
chainable JavaScript kit built on the Yahoo! UI framework. It’s quite a bit more complicated than using the Performer classes, but it’s a whole lot more powerful.
And if all that is too geeky for you, take a trip down memory lane with PC World’s 50 best tech products of all time. It made interesting reading, and I had fun seeing which of my favourite gadgets made it into the list.
Unfortunate doubles
Company photos can be unfortunate at the best of times. And when you look like a dubious Internet celebrity you need to rethink your press pack.
Twitter: brain trickery
Kathy Sierra, of the Creating Passionate Users blog, has written about the social networking tool Twitter. In case you’ve not heard of it, Twitter allows you to add updates to things you’re doing right now from email, their website or instant messenger. So if you want to tell people you’re currently having a bowl of soup, or that you’re thinking about Brazil, you can. In fact, that’s the whole point.
Like Kathy I’m not convinced of the usefulness of this service, although I suppose a hundred trillion squillion users can’t be wrong. The hypothesis that Twitter works for many people because it tricks the brain into thinking that there’s some genuine interaction going on is, for me, a potent one. I can’t think of anyone’s mundanities of life I’d like to keep my eye on, and I’m sure no-one is interested in what I’m doing right now. But then again, I write this blog.
Using technology to replace real, human contact is a long way from becoming a viable option. It would take a massive leap forward to be able to get the same kind of vibe or buzz that you get from a bunch of like-minded individuals. Let’s face it, the majority of us like meeting up with people. Pretending we’re "connected" because we know what our friends are thinking 30 seconds ago is like saying we’re master chefs because we know how to stir. It’s part of the picture, sure, but it’s a long way from the whole caboodle.
Paginate data with SQL Server
Years have I searched and never come up with a satisfactory answer. But now, thanks to this article I believe I have found the Holy Grail of database coding: paginate data easily with SQL Server.