furiousBlog - in my diatribe » php

good things

furiousBall — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 14:01:49 +0000

I am crazygonuts busy and need to head out the door to a customer site. I had a great meeting last night with Bill from Dixon Hill and Brant from b two design last night – good things happen when developers team up.

Movie Review…

The Adjustment Bureau - this was OK, it took a while to explain what was going on and didn’t really do so clearly until the end and all of the Adjustment Bureau’s limitations were kind of rushed at the end. I liked the concept, but the script really went off the rails.

Small Business/Tech Links…

Funny/Interesting Links…

wish me and my gimpy hamstrings luck

furiousBall — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 12:22:58 +0000

I got a lot done yesterday – a bunch of coding (including integrating this super handy image resizer script into one of the sites I’m finishing up), got some chores around the house done, grocery shopping, went to Play it Again Sports and got a bucket of balls for Bubs and I to smack around, went to Zinc Cafe with Abbe and Mom for an excellent dinner (still can not believe they do not have a website), and then Jan stopped by for some wine (and discussion of our team costumes for the upcoming McGuire Mud Run).

And now I’m off to the first of two softball playoff games today, wish me and my gimpy hamstrings luck.

Movie Review…

American: The Bill Hicks Story - I really like Bill Hicks, that said, I enjoyed this documentary. A few reviewers on Amazon have been panning the movie because of the special effects thrown in that truly were not necessary, but I think they were similar to Hicks’ comedy – risks have to be taken. That said, what I found to be missing from the documentary was his feud with Denis Leary and his relationship with Tool. Brilliant comedian and thinker, Bill is sorely missed in this day and age to say the least.

Small Business/Tech Links…

Funny/Interesting Links…

A Dazed Flyers Fan Reporting and My Daughter, the Duck Whisperer…

furiousBall — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:01:07 +0000

Like many Flyers fans this morning, I’m dazed. Paul Holmgren pulled off three massive moves yesterday. Trading away both Jeff Carter and Mike Richards for a decent return, but all in the effort to sign Ilya Bryzgalov. The Flyers parted ways with two players that were the face of the franchise and one just happened to be their captain.

As far as the trades themselves that shipped out Carter and Richards, I definitely like the players we got back – Schenn is already garnering Mike Richards comparisons, he is going to be very good; Simmonds brings some excellent size and durability, will hit and drop the gloves in a spot; Voracek could be a real power forward, but just has yet to reach his potential; and let’s not forget that #8 overall pick we have for this evening’s draft.

Right now, the majority of Flyers fans are filling up the message boards and social media with claims that Ilya better win the Vezina, Conn Smythe, and Stanley Cup (i.e. be Tim Thomas) the next two years for this trade. The truth is, Homer just gave us a ton of flexibility, got us a true #1 goalie, and I don’t think he is done yet. There are Stamkos and Brad Richards floating around right now… stay tuned Flyers fans!

I forgot to post a couple of really great pictures Abbe took of the kids during their walk down to Beach 3 the other night, check out Viv, the Duck Whisperer…

And this perfect shot of a lakeside stroll…

In the really good news department, Memom took Bubs to get a waterproof cast cover yesterday. Bubs is loving the new found freedom…

Movie Review…

The Tourist – you know, if you make a terrible movie in a beautiful place (Venice, Italy) – it’s still a terrible movie. Yes, even if you put two super attractive leads in the movie – still terrible.

Small Business/Tech Links…

Funny/Interesting Links…

what matters most

furiousBall — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:50:42 +0000

I am beaming with pride. My son nearly got a perfect score on his presentation yesterday! Way to go Bubs! He came home, burst into my office screaming my name with his grade in his hand and gave me a big, big hug. Hopefully, we can afford to celebrate this weekend – you deserve it big guy.

Tomorrow, I will be helping out during field day for Viv. It’s gonna be hot out there, but we will have fun.

Those two things I just mentioned, plus my gorgeous lady… I can’t tell you how grateful and happy I am right now. Even after a hellacious day yesterday repairing code and data for a customer (not my fault) and waking up to a very unhappy email from another customer (this one was a bit more on me) – the perspective of what is truly important kept my head on straight and allowed me to access both situations and respond. Both customers are up and running and I think my response time was definitely note-worthy.

On top of taking care of some emergencies, I was stood up for a very important meeting this morning – which will be fine. The prospective client had an unavoidable emergency to tend to, and they saw that I was prompt, profusely apologized for missing the meeting, and I am confident I will get their business.

But in all of these setbacks, I kept the emotion out of my responses and just got the job done – because I did my best to put myself in their shoes and concentrated on doing a good job for Abbe and my kids to be proud of me. And although getting paid is important, their love is what matters most.

Look Inside And You’ll See

When You’ve Got So Much To Say

It’s Called Gratitude, And That’s Right

Small Business/Tech Links…

Funny/Interesting Links…

Photo: Young Rangers fan places bounty on brother’s head – thanks Doug!
The Internet is My Religion – thanks Tracy… you know, this might be the first couple (Doug is her guy) link submission pairing ever on my blog!
Angry Birds Live
Paralyzed Georgia outfielder drafted by Rangers
A few good examples of why it’s NOT always the best idea to stay within the bike lane, even if it costs you a ticket.
Dildo Sport: the first strap-on athletic accessory that helps you play hard and win big! – obviously NSFW
The World’s Most Exclusive Website
Bad idea for a custom Visa card

meh

furiousBall — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:42:58 +0000

Bubs has been working on his presentation (due tomorrow) for about 4 weeks now and supposedly he has been researching his hero, Chase Utley that entire time. But yesterday prior to ice hockey, he ran through his notes as a check for material and his 5 minute speech was only two and a half. I reviewed his notes and pointed out the areas he really needs to expand. As expected he talked a lot about Chase’s accomplishments on the field rather than the whole point of picking him as a hero – he has used his fame to help the community.

Abbe and I are going to help Bubs get his index cards together and help him practice his speech after school today. I’m really concerned with him doing well on this project. I keep drilling the idea of writing everything down, but he had no idea what outlining his presentation meant (this was supposed to have been covered in class), his notes were a complete mess, and his organization of everything was woeful. I know this is a prime example of the independent thought that needs to be encouraged, but when the written instructions were so brief – it really makes me nervous. I want my son to do well. He’s worked so darn hard this year – I want him to end it on a strong note going into 5th grade.

After a stressful afternoon of working with him on the project (and helping him re-study for his Language Arts test that is today), I got a slew of emails that through my already amped up worry into overdrive. I had to re-invoice a customer. I needed to re-work a MySQL user defined function into PHP code (because contrary to popular belief, although stored procedures and all those cool data object types exist in MySQL – they suck performance-wise). And then… it was like the clouds cleared a bit… Bubs and I went to hockey practice… ahh…. (that’s Bubs in the orange and white socks and the wooden Louisville given to him by his soon-to-be Uncle Ben)… oh but one last stressful thing, Bubs forgot his hockey gloves. They needed to be replaced anyway, but there went another $50… so he’s also wearing a pair of brand new Bauer gloves in the pic too…

So we have more work to do Bubs, but we’ll get there buddy. And hey, we have a make-up hockey practice tonight again too – just don’t think about forgetting any more equipment on the way to the rink, Daddy is broke!

Small Business/Tech Links…

Funny/Interesting Links…

My Friend Evan: Episode 1 – friend saves other friend’s drunken voicemails and animates them
Storming Juno
Artists build house where it rains inside

new additions

furiousBall — Fri, 06 May 2011 13:42:21 +0000

Well, she’s here…. oh yes. The iPad2 arrived a day early and I have to say – it’s pretty awesome. I haven’t had much time to play with it as of yet, but I already have started using it for it’s intended purpose, checking iOS compliant web code for that big cool project I mentioned yesterday.

Another new resident arrived at Casa Kapeghian last night too, meet Swimmy – Viv’s brand new betta (this was her choice for a report card prize)…

But along with those two nice additions to the house, the joy/check engine light just turned on… crap! Time to take my ride back to Chad!

Small Business/Tech Links…

Funny/Interesting Links…

So this is what David Lynch thought we be an effective ad for his organic coffee… brilliant
Casualties of War – green army men with PTSD
Now this is multi-tasking
The Slo Mo Guys – Red Kites
Peanutweeter

something geeky this way comes

furiousBall — Thu, 05 May 2011 13:15:19 +0000

Oh boy, oh boy… my iPad 2 is almost here. I’ve been watching the FedEx updates on my phone and laptop for the past two weeks. She started off in Shenzen, China, made a quick stop in Lantau Island, Hong Kong, brief stop in Anchorage, Alaska, then quickly into Memphis, TN, arrived this morning in Philadelphia, PA and now she is just minutes away in Mt. Laurel, NJ. How did I happen to get an iPad 2? One of excellent customers purchased it for me, the iPad 2 will be awesome with the upcoming HTML5 projects I’ll be working on. ***NEWS FLASH – IT’S ON THE TRUCK!

Yesterday for that very same customer, I was stuck with a conundrum. We have a large media summit planned for this month. My task is to make all the web technologies work for the folks that can not attend the conference live. Ergo, I’m building the webpages and stuff – one tricky item is that since this is a faith based organization, a live chat during the presentations would have to be moderated. Now finding PHP/Flash/jQuery chats are easy, you can barely throw a rock in a schoolyard without hitting one. But moderated… now that’s a little tricky. I did find one script, plunked down the $7 for the script, but it was using SQLite and after spinning wheels with the script long enough – I cut my loses and wrote my own jQuery/PHP/MySQL moderated chat script from scratch. I’m hoping to actually use it on this fine website soon (among other places). Very excited about this project altogether too. I get to work with a dynamic group of REALLY smart folks. I’m learning lots.

Oh and that chat script? It’s going to be called vvvChat, after me and my kids’ first names… not the first time I’ve used that…

Movie Review…

The Fighter – great film, really solid performances by Bale, Adams, and Wahlberg. BUT… HOW THE HELL DO YOU MAKE A FILM ABOUT MICKEY WARD AND NOT INCLUDE THE GATTI FIGHTS?!?! Are you insane? I just can not imagine anyone thinking this was a wise choice. The film did fantastic at the box office and won Academy Awards, but two of those three fights were voted the fight of the year by Ring Magazine. The film is great, but that small part of me that is still a boxing fan was insulted.

Small Business/Tech Links…

Funny/Interesting Links…

President Bush Reacts to Osama Bin Laden’s Death with Will Ferrell
There are plenty of Osama-Obama mistakes in the news reporting lately, but this one might be the best.
Finger Nose
Project Neon

so we could listen to the rain fall

furiousBall — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 14:08:23 +0000

Yesterday, I got a ton of coding done for an financial website that should be coming to completion later this week, I got a nice 2 miles in on the treadmill and hey, the Flyers remembered how to win a game! Ended the night by playing some guitar, picking up Abbe from work, having a glass or two of wine with the windows open so we could listen to the rain fall – good stuff.

Movie Reviews…

Repulsion- (The Criterion Collection) – Catherine Deneuve is unbelievably great in this 60s film detailing a decent into crazy. In a lot of ways, this stark honesty of this film is a million times more creepy and uncomfortable than any of the gorefest low-brow horror movies made more recently. Thanks to Adam for the recommendation.

Get Low – Duval and Bill Murray are great and this film is decent, but I am not folks would have been talking about this if it wasn’t for the wonderful acting. The story is fairly interesting and the bluegrass soundtrack keeps the pace sort of moving along.

Small Business/Tech Links…

Funny/Interesting Links…

a good week

furiousBall — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:33:29 +0000

I am having a really good week work-wise. It looks like I am on target to get two projects officially to the finish line with a nice collection of new ones waiting in the wings. Now if I could only find the time to get back into running…

My Friends Are So Freakin’ Cool…

A fantastic photographer friend of mine, Sarah Bloom has just posted a Kickstarter Campaign, and everyone needs to check it out. Totally Exposed: Solo Exhibition is an amazing collection of her portraits taken in abandoned buildings in Detroit. Please support Sarah if you are able, she’s good people and amazingly talented… also, she picked a bad ass Mos Def song in her video too.

Movie Review…

Devil – it’s formulaic, it’s pretty predictable – but honestly, this is the best film M. Night Shyamalan has made since Unbreakable (yes, I thought Signs and everything else he made other than Sixth Sense sucked). The acting is good, the directing is decent, the script is so-so… wait, it turns out Shyamalan did not direct this film, he only provided the script… well, so-so is an improvement over The Lady in the Water. As popular as it is to pile on the bad reviews on Shyamalan, I would like to see him improve and I’ll take this mediocre film as a step in the right direction.

Small Business/Tech Links…

Funny/Neat-o Links…

Volkswagen Commercial : The Force – thanks Chad
gang fight! knocked out!
Mickey Mantle’s Outstanding Experience at Yankee Stadium
This Headline Blows
Light Skeletons
Pro What?
Democracy in Action – God Bless you City of Austin, I want to see the New Name for Solid Waste Services Department be “Fred Durst Society of the Humanities and Arts”

Happy Annual-Bought-a-Bag-of-Water-Softener-Salt-Instead-of-Sidewalk-Salt Day everybody!

furiousBall — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 13:55:57 +0000

Dodged a big financial bullet yesterday, my cracked molar only required a filing and no root canal was needed. Whew. Being able to eat on one side of my mouth again is heaven.

And yes, I just realized I did it again…

Happy Annual-Bought-a-Bag-of-Water-Softener-Salt-Instead-of-Sidewalk-Salt Day everybody!

Good news is my water softener needed it.

The even better news is that I am doing very well to get the backend piece of a rather large web project finished this week. I also got a call from another client that wants me to be more involved with their SEO strategizing and we discussed expanding my role with their company. On top of that, in a few months I will be the proud owner of an iPad! I am working on an HTML5/transition Flash-heavy sites to non-Flash heavy sites and my client will be purchasing one for me. After consulting with my family iPad expert (my very talented cousin, Justin), I think I’m going to try to hold out for the iPad 2. The timing should be just right with my development ramping up around that same time and I’ll need the device for unit testing.

By the way, my house smells awesome today. Abbe got a crock pot from her boss and is trying out some sort of really awesome smelling recipe all day.

Small Business/Tech Links…

Google’s New Anti-Spam Algorithm – Google’s new algorithm isn’t perfect yet, but if you are generating lesser-quality blog content as a feeder site for your business site – you might want to talk to a legit copywriter, stat.
HTML5 Boilerplate
AutoPagerize – I love Chrome