ruminations of keeping up…

// March 10th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

I've been quiet lately, real quiet.  This is due largely because I've been a little overwhelmed with all that's on my plate career wise and personally.  It's just simply hard to keep up with everything….especially technologies as a web worker.

this brings me to the central impetus behind this post: how do we choose and keep up with the current technologies as a web worker?

In my day job, my former title is a web developer and after reading Sean Mccambridge's great post: Web Job Titles Need a Facelift  I really did start to wonder where I fit into this paradigm.

Am I a web designer? A web developer? An engineer? Hacker?

As many people have done, I started my current career learning about how to make web pages by pure fun and hobby in college playing with a, then new, service called Homestead, now Intuit I think.  This got me hooked and I eventually just started building up my skills, one online tutorial at a time via the web or books.

The thing I struggle with is that I'm simply a generalist….but not an expert in anything. Sure, I can use photoshop pretty good….I'm not too shabby at CSS/XHTML….I can whip up some javascript or asp/php code to work with a few relational db's, but I feel like I never know enough to to make whatever I'm working on better.

Most of the time, I feel like I am an expert googler….either  looking for inspiration or mining forums and content for information on how to resolve and issue.

My web designs aren't ground breaking, but an iteration of whatever seems to 'feel' current at the time.  I'm definitely not an engineer because I don't think I've built any sort of 'system' or program from scratch.  I manipulate stock images. Lame.

Which technologies do I invest in learning?  This is also hard for me because things are constantly changing.  Do I learn flash? probably not.  Do I learn some Object Oriented languages? C#, C++, Java? 

How do I choose?….I want to build rich internet applications, use and augment platforms like drupal and wordpress…and make really nice/functional websites.

Ruby as a language is seducing me, but getting the time to tinker is hard!

One language that I've been playing a lot with lately is jQuery which is a really great javascript framework that makes manipulating elements on a web page easy and so much more!  It's pluggable, easy to understand, and pretty much platform agnostic.

Seeing how so many people are viewing things through the tiny screens of smartphones, I ran into this really nice plugin for jQuery called jQtouch that has totally excited me in to wanting to fully invest in building a cool web app.

If you have some basic html and css knowledge, you can make your website look like an iPhone application (see some of the screenshots I've provided of my website)…

I created a mobile version of my site and just put the files in a subdirectory that are specific for.

In the main site, I include some javascript that detects what 'http_user_agent' aka what browser for what device (eg. iphone, ipod, android)…and if it is a mobile smartphone, it redirects to the mobile version.  Here's the code below:

if(navigator.userAgent.match(/iP(od|hone)/i) || navigator.userAgent.match(/Android/i)){ 					window.location. href="http://hellocalvin.com/m/index.htm" ; 		}

Then, I simply used this tutorial on how to make mobile ready pages (an oreilly book): 

Building iPhone Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

Making App Store Apps Without Objective-C or Cocoa

Since jQTouch is really not that well documented, I went ahead and bought Peep Code's great video tutorial: Meet jQTouch http://peepcode.com/products/jqtouch

With these resources, I pulled together a simple rendition of my online home: http://www.hellocalvin.com

I even found an easy to install plugin for my wordpress blog that directs mobile browsers to a friendly version of my blog: Wordpress Mobile Pack http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-mobile-pack/

And I digress.

I just need to focus more on what I want to do and find the right tools to get me there.  I suppose I feel a little guilt in always relying on other's examples of code, so I resolve to start documenting some of the things I've done lately so that others may learn and google their own solutions

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from calweb’s posterous

web-based tools for resource matching & capacity mapping for nonprofits/philanthropies #chsnp #chs #nptech @Deborah909

// December 19th, 2009 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

Posted via email from calweb’s posterous

Blog Action Day – Global Warming

// October 16th, 2009 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

Blog Action Day is about creating a conversation on something that is important, and it just so happens that this year’s topic is Global Warming.

Many things contribute to global warming, and I’m not really interested in trying to wrap my mind around all of the issues surrounding this multifaceted, global issue.  Rather, I’d like to focus on how I try to be ‘green’ and what I think can or should happen to help tackle this global issue.

Some things in my life I DO that I feel help mitigate global warming.

• I walk or bike to work
  • I rent, and although I’m at that age where many of my friends are buying houses (which I hope to do in the next few years), I have the luxury to move about Charleston and pick where I want to live.  I’ve been fortunate enough to live right near where I work, which is awesome because not only do I get to sleep a little later, but I literally have to walk 100 yards to my office, and when I can/need, I can work from where I live (since I’m a web worker and can work from any computer with an internet connection).  I purposefully chose to live near where I work so that I can walk or bike and find huge rewards in time, money, and wear on my vehicle.
• I don’t buy bottled water when I can
  • I’m not saying this is evil if you do buy bottled water and there definitely has been debate on bottled water versus tap water safety, but I don’t drink bottled water when I can help it (sometimes I do) because it simply aids in the demand in creating more plastic…..which can be recycled, but regardless of being recycled or not, many plastics don’t make it to recycling facilities and end up in our waterways which, also lead to our oceans and become pellet-like and disrupt our ocean foodwebs….that, in turn, could exacerbate the environmental disturbance that causes global warming.  I like using my nalgene, and now more recently, my sigg water bottle because they are sturdy, hold a lot more than a bottle of water, and save on using more plastics.
• If it’s yellow, let it mellow
  • This may sound gross, but I try not to flush (mostly in the evenings till morning) the toilet everytime I go pee….because I don’t want to waste water, but think about it,  urine comes out sterile, unless you have kidney issues or a health problem, and it takes most bacteria about a day or so to reach a critical (stinky level)…so why not let them sit for an evening.  I, however, do flush every morning and clean my bathroom weekly.
• I use Compact Florescent Bulbs
  • Not only does this save some money over time, it also saves energy that otherwise would have been wasted with less efficient bulbs.  The one caveat is that they contain a little mercury, but if disposed of properly, then I feel like it’s still well worth the switch in money saved alone.
• I try to eat locally grown foods when my budget allows
  • I’m all about supporting our local farmers, but I feel like I am also eating healthier and doing my part in keeping all the expenses, gas, pesticides to a minimum because the food doesn’t need to travel as far (less gas used to transport), the food will tend to be more ‘in season’ and native to the area, unlike eating antibiotic ridden food…and the food will have less preservatives.  Win, win.
• I take full advantage of Charleston’s recycling program
  • I diligently try to recycle what I can to help reuse and reduce the amount of waste that comes from me.
• I cultivate my love and passion for the environment
  • I do this by making a point to do at least one fun thing in nature every weekend, whether it be surfing, kayaking, hiking, camping….the more I love our environment, the more accountable I feel to make sure I do my part.

Things I want to DO to help mitigate global warming

• Get an energy efficient vehicle
  • Biodiesel, electric….whatever I can do to get a vehicle that not only gets more miles to the gallon, but also dramatically reduces the amount of fuel consumption of a limited resource…and the less green house gases being release.
• Get more involved with educating others on things that can help  with the big issue of global warming.

Ideas floating around:

• Transparent Solar cells
• simplifying conversion of glycerin to methanol/ethanol for transesterification to reduce waste in making biodiesel
• research more on algae and alternative biomass fuel sources like switchgrass, soy beans, and corn
• convert wave energy more efficiently to produce power as well as wind energy and geothermal

I hope to add more to this post in the future, but this is what I feel and hope to do my part in helping mitigate global warming.

BarcampCHS promotional Video

// October 6th, 2009 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

BarCamp Charleston Promo! from Dan Conover on Vimeo.

bear with the mess that is my blog…

// October 22nd, 2008 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

I have recently set up and imported a lot of posts from my old blog….but I will be organizing and updating things really soon!

so bear with me

Chucktown, Here I am!

// April 30th, 2008 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

I feel like I haven’t written at all about my experiences here in Charleston, SC since I’ve moved from Eastern North Carolina back in January. So I thought I would at least give a little bit more info since my arrival.

After living with great friends for a few months (Darren & Kim), Sam moved down and we got a place at Colonial Village at Westchase, and while the property management is something to be desired (making empty promises about upgrades, maintenance taking a long time and just being outright rude sometimes), the place is really pretty!

There is a nice pool, workout center, and pond behind our building. This pond has a gazillion turtles living in it, and they are quite tame. If you walk up to the water, the turtles will come in droves, no kidding!

Amaaazing!

I love nature, and you are definitely surrounded by it where I now live.

On the work front, I create websites, which are fun, and get a nice view of Clark Sound and the Morris Island Lighthouse.
Here is the view:

Also, at work, I get to see live raptors catch their prey, including Red Tail hawks, Osprey, and Bald Eagles!! Apparently, there is a Bald Eagle Nest right near where I work, which is sooo awesome!

Yaaay for nature! But I’ve also been working on lots of websites at work such as: Cares Real Estate, David Wertan Real Estate, CF Evans Construction, Charleston’s Museum Mile, Factor Prize, Charleston Surge (Dragonboat)…and the list goes on! It’s really fun and I get to do a lot more ‘development’ than just designing, which I like as well, but it’s nice to be able to dive into code and make the websites do cool things dynamically. I’m learning alot about server administration with mail, web and system servers as well as web services and dns management. So it’s fulfilling and a lot of learning still, but I do get to use all that computer knowledge that has accumulated over the years.

Things to do in my copious free time? Oh yeah! There are so many things to do in this awesome town. Here are a few cool things that I will be attending:

Spoleto USA - an international arts, music, and film festival
Charleston Harborfest 2008 - a festival with tall ships, pirates and more…

We have already been downtown, strolled the Market, looked at the shops, and went to the SC Aquarium. Here are a few shots of Sam and I when we went to the Aquarium:

As you can see, I love it here. I hope to keep better updated with things in the near future!

Until then, I hope everyone is doing well!

Darren and Sam at house warming…

// April 19th, 2008 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

a must see video!

Rated PG – 13 heehee….

google is pacman of search…

// March 25th, 2008 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

just thought I would post this picture for all to see because it is a trend I am seeing with all the web stats that I have been looking at lately.

explaining racism…

// March 19th, 2008 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

I read an article today, quoting Barack Obama about racism…..and his view. After reading it, I feel like he articulates very well, some of the same feelings I have about the issue…this snippet is from the LA Times by Johanna Neuman

So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town, when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed, when they’re told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentments build over time.”

White resentment, like anger within the black community, “have helped shape the political landscape for a generation,” he said. Now, he added, both black and white have to “move beyond some of our old racial wounds.”

“The profound mistake of Rev. Wright’s sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society,” he said. “It’s that he spoke as if our society was static, as if no progress has been made.” Instead, he said, “America can change. That is the true genius of this nation.”

Noting the Constitution signed just across the hall, Obama said the document the founders produced “was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished — stained by the nation’s original sin of slavery.” Now, he said, whites need to acknowledge that the legacy of racial discrimination does not just exist in the imagination of African Americans but that it is real, and to acknowledge this by investing in schools and providing “ladders of opportunity.” And blacks, he said, need to be respectful of their history, without becoming victims of it.

Urging a moratorium on speech “as fodder for the nightly news,” Obama urged the political culture not to “pounce on some gaffe” by a supporter for rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton or speculate on why white men are voting for Republican John McCain.

“We can do that,” he said. “Or, at this moment, in this moment in this election, we can come together and say, ‘Not this time.’ ” Calling instead for a discussion of issues and a renewed national effort to overcome racial injustice, he concluded, “As so many generations have come to realize over the course of the 221 years since a band of patriots signed that document in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins.”

Just the other day, the same thing occured that seems be be occuring in more frequency to me….

I was getting gas at the gas station, when a driver drove in front of me and yelled in a really sarcastic snide tone, “que pasa! amigo!!” Now, seeing that he just wanted to point out that I apparently spoke spanish, and could not talk in english, I just simply nodded, gave him a smile and kept pumping my gas.

But the feeling….that feeling of being judged or misunderstood was bleeding from my thoughts and I felt like I couldn’t hide my fear of him coming out of the gas station and actually saying something to him in english. The simple fact that I am not hispanic, nor do I really speak good spanish and how when he found out his assumption was wrong. How would he react? Would he care?

Some times I am enraged when this happens, and sometimes I simply think it’s funny (i do tend to joke about it) or extremely sad. For instance, my roomates….Darren has a ringtone of an oriental chime as my ringtone, and I know that it’s in jest and that its just funny, but the same instance a few months ago also comes to mind when Kim was referring to something I cooked (lumpia) having dog/cat meat in it. These stereotypes, although sometimes used for levity, are like sand paper to me. And I know/realize they have no intention of offending/making fun of me….you sometimes can’t understand it.

You have to take it in stride sometimes when you think about it….as people are scared confront the issue for fear of offending. Part of it, I feel for stereotyping or judging based on looks, are just survival instincts to make judgements and avoid situations. You make stereotypes to make quick decisions when needed, and people naturally do that….I do as well. I guess I just wish people would try to dig deeper, learn more about others and embrace everyone’s differences, diversity….not just racially, but other ways as well.

New job! New adventures…

// February 23rd, 2008 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

So I’ve been in Charleston, SC now for about a month.

I have to say that Charleston is a fun little town and is full of food!! Literally, everywhere I drive, I see place after place filled with different types of food to eat. There is this one place called Ladles which mainly serve soup and they have daily specials and staples that are very nice to the palate.

I always loose track when I think of food, but lately I have been really enjoying my job. As a web developer, I get to help develop this ever-expansive place called the internet via programming, graphic design and debugging. So far I’ve held my own and managed to convince my boss that I am a capable and competent web developer, but it’s wierd because I always feel lacking when it comes to my knowledge or ability to do stuff with computers. I think it may be due to my lack of formal knowledge (most of what i learned came from books or online sources)….but this week I managed to do a lot on my own and without anyone’s help. I am becoming more proficient with developing and simplifying content management systems….honing my ability to write and understand SQL (Structured Query Language)….write in Java, Javascript, asp…and manage email, dns administration…servers, virtual directories.

What I once knew in Apache, I am now applying to IIS with great success….as well as what I know with MySQL I am applying to Access and MS SQL server…ASP translates to PHP.

It is an exciting time of learning for me….and I feel like I am just beginning my journey!

With what little personal time I spend online now….my updates are probably going to be further apart, but they will come…with updates and all!!