Maximizing Performance of Apple Airport Extreme
The Background
When I moved last summer my wife and I decided to stop paying for cable and stream all of our content through services like Netflix and Hulu (through devices like XBox/PS3/AppleTV/Roku Box/etc.). ... continue reading
10 Web Design Element Inspirations
When browsing the internet I take screenshots of website elements that catch my eye. It's incredibly useful and important, in my opinion, to take inspiration from talented designers. No one should be copying full design ideas, however, blending great ideas into your own creation is what design is all about!... continue reading
Local Web Development Using Parallels and PHP Includes
Compatibility testing is critical for web development. I work on a Mac so, in the past, I had to have a second computer running windows in order to complete the dreaded IE compatibility test. Eventually, I upgraded to BootCamp so I needed only one computer. This, however, is still a pain because you need to completely reboot into either mac or windows. ... continue reading
How to Parse Facebook’s Graph API JSON Response using JQuery
Facebook has provided an excellent resource to developers by allowing us to pull streams of publicly available information (from personal profiles, group pages, company pages, etc.) and format them however we like. That is, we are not required to include the cookie cutter "facebook feed" widget in order to get all that functionality.... continue reading
Local Website Development on a Mac
It's extremely useful to develop websites locally before transferring to a server for public consumption. It's a simple proposition when you're pages are strictly HTML, CSS, and Javascript but what if you want to test a PHP site along with a SQL database? ... continue reading
Disable Print Stylesheets (CSS) When Printing a Website
I recently needed to get a snapshot of a website exactly as it is shown on my screen. That is, I wanted the background color, I wanted the ads, I wanted the full layout.... continue reading
PHP Hooks
When creating a website using PHP it's typically most logical to implement templates, as described in an earlier post. If you implement templates then you're page structure is always: ... continue reading
PHP Directory Listing
Have you ever had a directory on your website with a bunch of files for people to download? I think the standard directory listing is really ugly...... continue reading
PHP Templates: Critical and Easy
Nothing here is rocket science (or even novel) but its a vital concept for web-designers, regardless of how you code a page: templates. Templating your website allows you to have a consistent look across all of your pages, allows for incredibly easy design updates and server migrations, and allows you to seamlessly integrate third party components (such as a WordPress blog) into your website design (for a good example, go to www.survivedgear.com - I was lazy with this site).... continue reading
Network Attached Storage (NAS) for PC/Mac Home
I spent today setting up a NAS drive to house all of my photos and music in addition to serving as a backup for all of my computers (two desktops and a laptop). Every situation is unique when setting up a home network, mine was no exception. I have outlined my setup and some of the problems I encountered - I focus on the areas where I couldn't find adequate help elsewhere online.... continue reading