January 28, 2012

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NetFlix Going Into the High End

July 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A Netflix envelope picture taken by BlueMint.

Image via Wikipedia

 

Broadband hog Netflix is being charged more by it’s Internet providers than they’d like and they have to pass the increase along to the customers. 

Up to now they’ve been charged a flat fee to use broadband Internet, but they take up so much broadband that it’s detrimental to other customers. They say it’s time to begin charging in increments of broadband measures – and time to put a cap on how much broadband a user can have during any month. 

The ISP aren’t even mentioning services like HBO Go, Huluor Amazon Prime; it’s the hog they’re after, but of course changes would be made across the board. 

How do You Spell Fair Pricing? 

More and more, fixed-wire and wireless ISPs are introducing a new pay policy ending flat-rate fees and creating data caps, but they’re worried it will raise bills for regular consumers. Metered billing could curb competition, and we all know, when that happens prices go up exponentially. 

Then there will be problems because companies like Comcast and AT&T will have to start charging for their own services by the bit. Not just broadband shortages are the problem, there’s also overloaded networks slowed by videos and apps based in the cloud, and huge graphic files. ISPs have to spend more so it only makes sense that the biggest users should pay the biggest price. 

Netflix is going to be one of the worst hit by the new charging system, and there will have to be some bugs worked out in pricing because HD television will be big competition if it’s cheaper than Netflix.

 

 

Filed Under: Hardware, Programming, Tips & Tricks Tagged With: , ,

New Software Detects Changes in City Water Quality

July 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A matter of point of view

Image by Arianna_M via Flickr

 

In America our water system is wide open to pathogens and microbes and terrorist threats, and it’s long been talked about as something that should be done to prevent a major disaster. Many of our cities drink water from huge open vulnerable reservoirs, but we trust that no bio-attacks or natural contaminants will happen. 

In June a 21-year-old man in Portland, Oregon was caught urinating into the huge open reservoirat Mount Tabor that the city gets it’s drinking water from. The suburban area has long been a place of contention when it comes to contamination of that reservoir. 

The city had to drain 7.8 million gallons of water to be replaced with clean water. Having done the math, it came to $223 per gallon of water to replace the urinated h2o. Many of Portland’s locals said the urine would dilute so greatly that nobody would know it was even there, but then they said they wouldn’t drink Portland’s tap water, either. 

Alarm for Changes in Water  

Now, a company called CANARY has created software that’s open-source that was developed by Sandia National Lab and the Environmental Protection Agency and it detects events of contamination and deals with them by giving plenty of warning to protect the public. 

Utility managers are resting a bit easier because giving them more real-time data about changes in the watercan improve on tap water quality greatly. 

Regan Murray, acting associate division director at EPA’s Water Infrastructure Protection Division said utilities managers are excited about the new program because it’s free and it’s working well in other cities already.

 

 

Filed Under: Programming, Sharing Tagged With: , ,

Face2Face Makes Teens see What They Look Like on Meth

July 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Crystal methamphetamine

Image via Wikipedia

 

Remember the computer program put out by a fashion magazine where a person could download a photo of themselves and the program would allow them to see what they’d look like with different colors and lengths of hair and different colors of make ups? 

Mendocino County, CA Sheriff Thomas Allman was at the mall with his wife, watching that particular programshow his wife all her different looks. He had a thought – they could use a program like that to show kids what they’ll look like if they do methamphetamines. 

A former narcotics officer, Allman had seen all too many young lives destroyed by the ravishing drug and was trying to look for a new way to warn kids of what that stuff can do to them. When they’re warned verbally, it doesn‘t stick; they hear drug warningsso much that it’s commonplace now. 

‘Hit’ Them in the Face, the Face2Face 

Allman talked to over twenty software companies before deciding on Vestremi, who helped him create the software program called “Face2Face.” It was perfect. 

The software’s debut was at the Mendocino County Fair where it drew serious interest. Teenagers and their parents tried out the software at the booth, everyone shocked at how ugly they became after a few years of using meth. It hit closer to home with them because it was their face in the warning. 

Many teens said things like, “I hope I never look like that,” and “You won’t catch me doing that stuff!” It was exactly what Allman had hoped he’d hear. Now the software is distributed to schools and state/county fairs all over the nation.

 

 

Filed Under: Programming, Programming Language, Web Design Tagged With: , ,

HTML and Other Basic Programming Languages

June 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A graphical despiction of a very simple html d... 

Image via Wikipedia

There are many different programming languages out there. Choosing which ones to learn, or use on a particular project, can be a frustrating process. One of the best things to do is to have a basic understanding of the different languages, and what they are good for.

HTML

HTML is the basic programming language. Some programmers feel that it is not a programming language, though. HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. This shows that HTML is a language used for markup. Back in the beginning days of the internet, HTML was the most common and best known language. Today, though, this is not the case.

XHTML

Not as commonly used as HTML, extensible hypertext markup language is exactly what it sounds like. It is a way to extend HTML. This is a more rigid structure, and is an application of XML. This makes it much more easily parsable.

CSS

Also known as Cascading Style Sheet, CSS is currently one of the most common programming languages. CSS is used mainly to control the look and feel of a website. Many people who do web programming focus on CSS. In fact this is a language that is even used on templated websites, to change certain aspects of the site.

These programming languages are only the beginning. These are based in HTML, and are very basic languages. There are a variety of other languages that you can learn, as well, depending on what you want to do with your website. Many professionals suggest starting with HTML and HTML based programming languages, before going on to others.

 

Filed Under: Programming Language Tagged With: , ,

4 Top Web Design Trends

June 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Moonshine Web Design Base 091 

Image via Wikipedia

Whether you are a web programmer, or you are just trying to keep up to date with your blog or website, there are some great trends that you will want to consider in web design for 2011.

Simplicity

Today, more and more people are choosing simplicity in web design. This includes everything from a simple color scheme to a simple navigation. Bright, flashing colors and a ton of navigation options are a thing of the past. The current thought is that the more simple a site is, the more attention it will attract. This is in direct opposition to previously.

Phone Ready

There is a large trend in internet ready phones. In fact, the demand for these phones is growing, and because of this, your website should be accessible on the go. Having a website that is smart phone compatible is extremely important for keeping up business and traffic.

Typography

Font is important. Using fonts as a design element is something that has been in practice for a long time. This year, however, more designers are taking this further. Using typography as a large part of the design is a growing trend. Different types of fonts, laid out in fun ways is a great way to bring a different look to your website.

Large Headers

In direct contrast to the past, large headers are currently in. In the past, it was believed in web design that the smaller the header, the better. This gives you more seeable space on the page. Today, though, very large headers, sometimes ones that are interactive, is a very popular design choice.

Filed Under: Web Design Tagged With: , ,

Learning Programming Languages

June 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Programming language popularity 

Image by israelavila via Flickr

Many people today are wanting to learn new programming languages. It may feel like you need to get a degree in programming to understand what is going on in the back end of a website, but this is not necessarily true. Though getting a degree in programming can be helpful, especially when you are trying to get a job in the field, you may not need it if you are just learning programming for fun.

There are many resources out there to help the budding programmer learn what they need to know. First, there are a multitude of books available. You can usually find these at your public library or even purchase them at a bookstore. Some of these come with disks to help your learning go even easier.

Another option is w3schools. This is a website that is built around the idea of teaching programmers what they need to know. No matter what programming language you are interested in learning, you can learn it at w3schools.

The down side to these options is, of course, you are learning on your own. This can be frustrating for many people, simply because you are responsible to take the time and do it. If you do have trouble with taking on new projects on your own, you may want to consider taking a class at the local college, or even getting a tutor. These are great options for busy individuals to be able to schedule the time in to learn the language that they want to learn.

Filed Under: Programming Language Tagged With: , ,

If your Build it- They Will Come. Usability Tips

May 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Creating a user-friendly website is crucial to inviting new customers and visitors to the site who will choose to stick around for awhile and navigate. A confusing or poorly arranged site is the first step in hindering those who want to purchase the products or read the content available. The design of a site includes the way graphics, text and video are arranged on the page, as well as how users are able to interact with the content displayed. The best way is to present the material clearly, without distracting users from the message and purpose that is intended.

Simplicity is Everything

The first step to building a site that will result in an easy experience for any consumer is to keep it as simple as possible. When there are many links or hyperlinks, especially within the first few pages, a user might become overwhelmed and leave the site. However, some users may stumble upon the site on a page other than the home screen, so it’s always good to make sure that every page along the way is easy to navigate from start to finish.

Staying Current

It is always useful for web designers to learn about updates and enhancements in the technological world, so enrolling in website development courses regularly is a great way to stay on top of these changes. This ensures that the latest technology will be featured on the site, thus making it more usable for all.

Know the Audience

No matter what the website is designed to promote, just about every site owner wants to attract visitors. Usability can be defined as the ease in which a specific task can be completed. Some users will come to a site with plenty of background knowledge of how to navigate, while others may have just started using the Internet yesterday. The site should cater and appeal to both examples equally, and not cause more confusion to the new user. If a logo is displayed anywhere on the site, it’s always helpful to link this back to the main home page. This allows users to navigate back to where they were.

Feel of the Text

When writing content, it’s helpful to keep the tone casual, so that the user will feel at ease when reading the information and understand how to proceed on the site. Listing out information in bold headings also will grab the attention of the reader, and if the titles sound interesting enough, they will often keep going and read the whole paragraph. A site that’s neatly organized and without a clutter of graphics or text onto the page is more visually appealing, so it will help keep visitors on the page.

A well-designed website is a great tool for advertising, and maintaining usability will keep users on the site. On the other hand, a cluttered or confusing site can drive business away, so it’s important to keep the page updated and organized. What companies wouldn’t want more business?

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks, Web Design

The Importance of PHP Editors

May 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The programming language PHP is a popular choice for building expansive websites. These codes are inserted into the HTML which the server reads and then constructs the website. Working with PHP has generally required a familiarity with HTML; however, with the right PHP editor, it isn’t necessary to learn such an extensive amount of code to make great-looking websites. While PHP editors help simplify coding, it is still recommended to garner a basic grasp of the coding process. Yet, are useful to both advanced developers as well as those just learning.

A PHP editor will help you create new software or web pages, but also help improve your current projects to make them easier to use and generate more traffic. For example, these tools can provide assistance with tasks such as embedding a shopping cart into your business site or simply linking each individual page together for better functionality. Examples of some of the most widely-used PHP editors include: Dreamweaver, Komodo IDE and Zend Studio.

When trying to choose a PHP editor, compare your skills with the user-friendly features of the program. The application should be easy to navigate, as well as to install. Thus, the purpose of a PHP editor is to spend less time learning and more time creating. Features are also high importance. Make sure basic tools like a code generator, debugger and unit tester are all included. Lastly, running into problems are unavoidable, so a PHP editor that has a large network of technical support is vital.

 

 

Filed Under: Programming Tagged With: , ,

The 3 Programming Languages you Need to Learn

May 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Whether you’re designing websites or software applications, just starting your career or are a veteran, it’s important to diversify your knowledge of programming languages. While in the past it was possible to maintain a long career by specializing in one language, things have since changed. Programming languages evolved just as fast the technology they create as computers become more and more powerful. Learning multiple languages will provide you the ability to work on more projects and adapt to future script advances, which will ensure your skills are relevant in the fluctuating job market.

One of the most-widely used programming languages is PHP. It is highly compatible for developing websites as it can be inserted into HTML pages, which makes it an essential language to have in your repertoire. In addition, it is a popular language for creating apps for devices like smartphones and tablets. Another crucial language to be familiar with is C#, the programming language of Microsoft. It is the latest rendition of C and C++, and is required learning for anyone using Microsoft technology. Lastly, another Web-oriented programming language to learn is JavaScript. Like PHP, it is used in millions of websites because it can be embedded into HTML, detect browsers, build cookies and validate forms.

There are many different types of programming languages in use, each one necessary for thousands of computer jobs. Don’t sell yourself short by concentrating on learning only one. If you expand your fluency in languages, you will benefit not only in the current job market, but also the one in the future.

Filed Under: Programming Language Tagged With: , ,

Apps for Designing iPad Apps

May 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There are thousands of apps available for the iPad that can do just about anything. But if you can’t find an app to accomplish a specific task, the solution is simple: build it yourself. Whether you’re a full-time programmer or just someone with a clever idea, Apple’s App Store host a collection of user-friendly apps for designing apps. With these app designing tools, users can not only build something for their own benefit, but they can share their creation to world to help others, and maybe even make a few bucks in the process.

Image courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnkarakatsanis/4545527830/lightbox/

 

For true beginners who want to design iPad apps, UI Sketcher is the best too to use first. Its greatest asset is its simplicity, as it allows users to build on virtual graph paper with only their fingers. In a similar fashion, but offering more detail, is the Mocking Pad that employs a drag and drop feature to place available widgets on a mock up of an iPad or iPhone. This app teaches designers the finer points of user interfaces and usability. Advanced app designers, on the other hand, are better suited to use the Blueprint app. It too features drag and drop capability, but features a vast selection of controls and intricate story board development.

Each of these apps provide numerous benefits for designers and wannabe-designers. They can be used to just sketch a initial idea, or build the entire app from scratch. The most important thing is for users to realize that if they want to make their iPad really work for them, there’s an app for that.

Filed Under: Programming Tagged With: , ,
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