Recently I needed to add a search function for a CakePHP application I am building. After googling the bejeezus out of it, I never found a solution that worked. Some required the use of a search table, which then needed to index all of your content, other’s just didn’t work at all.
After much hacking around I came up with a solution that works for me. This may or may not solve your particular problem, but it may help get you started in the right direction. Read more…
In an effort to develop in an environment closer to many production servers, many people have begun developing in virtual machines running on their host os. This article is a comprehensive guide to creating a LAMP virtual machine (plus a few other goodies). Read more…
A while back I did a comparison of the popular mp4 compressors. Specifically ones used to convert videos for HTML5 playback. Well here is a follow up, this time around though, we’re comparing compressors for Ogg Theora.
I try to make my content cross browser compatible, but for this one I have no choice. You must use Firefox or Chrome to fully view this post. The newer the version the better. Read more…
Just a quick post. After deciding that FFmpeg was my video compressor of choice, I ran into a small problem. The videos that are outputted don’t begin playing immediately when embedded in a web page. This is a pretty big setback. Read more…
Video compression is an absolutely critical component that has allowed online video to take off in recent years. Advancing from super pixelated 320×240 video, to rich and vibrant 1080p has required massive improvements in compression technology. Read more…
Hey! Have you heard? HTML5 video is going to revolutionize the way we use video on the web. No more dealing with Flash or Quicktime embeds. Video will now be as simple as adding an image.
Ummm, no. It’s not. It’s not even close. That’s not to say it’s all bad, but boy howdy does it have a long way to go. Read more…
One of the best things you can implement in your site right now is A/B testing.
According to good old Wikipedia, A/B testing is;
“A/B testing, split testing, or bucket testing is a method of marketing testing by which a baseline control sample is compared to a variety of single-variable test samples in order to improve response rates”
One way to help improve your skills and your general well being is to take some time to reflect. Reflection time is when we create permanent memories and draw conclusions based on our lives. With out proper time to reflect, it can feel like your life is in a constant whirlwind. These ten questions are meant as a way to reflect on the way design and development impacts your life, and the way your life impacts the way you design and develop. Answering these questions can help bring clarity and focus to ones life. Read more…
Contact forms are an integral part of many websites. The construction of which can range from super simple to highly complex. As with most things, I prefer the easy solution. Here is a list of 10 contact form solutions that are super simple. Read more…
I’m starting a new series of posts dealing with things I don’t really discuss on this blog. These posts are going to deal with “the self”. I feel these topics are important to discuss as artists and designers, as the more you know about your inner-self and philosophy of art, the better you can perform. Plus I have to write about these topics for my Capstone class, so I figured if I can make them in to a good post, why not? Read more…