Latest Blog Entries

What’s Wrong With Yahoo! Answers, Part 2: The Biggest Cock Must Rule The Roost

Friday, November 14, 2008 | Musings

Previously, I discussed how many of Yahoo! Answers’ problems are endemic to its design. In other words, the problems it faces are, in large part, due to how it is designed and who uses it. In this entry, I want to discuss the problems with moderation; specifically, how Community Moderation isn’t working, and why real-time human [...]

The Wrong Way Of Looking At Client Relationships: An Example Examined And Discussed

Wednesday, November 12, 2008 | Musings

Recently asked on Yahoo! Answers: My client wants an email template that uses a CMS so they can make their own updates.How much should I charge? I’m just wondering what the going rate is for a CMS email template since I’ve never done one before and after I hand it over to the client they won’t need [...]

Cleaning Up Some PHP And Incorporating A JavaScript-Based Image Preview

Saturday, November 08, 2008 | Programming

Recently asked on Yahoo! Answers: Change image when new option selected in PHP? This probably will also require Javascript. I am using this code: What it does is draws from a MySQL database where an “avatars” table is set. The “avatars” table includes fields “id” (INT), “title” (VARCHAR) and “url” (VARCHAR). Basically, the script draws the rows from the [...]

The Trouble With PHP’s Weak Data Types: An Example Examined And Explained

Saturday, November 01, 2008 | Programming

Asked recently on Yahoo! Answers: Multiple nested MySQL functions in PHP? I was going through code today, trying to make some things more compact. The application worked without problems, so I knew that mysql error statements were superfluous. This is the type of statement I was changing, I figured that I’d remove the seemingly unnecessary $result2 variable $result2 = [...]

The Difference Between Null, Empty And Zero-Length Data / Strings

Wednesday, October 22, 2008 | Programming

A common problem faced by new programmers is understanding the difference between null, empty and zero-length variables, especially when working with database records. While, for most intents and purposes, the three things have the same effect — either you have some data you can work with, or you don’t — they arise from different circumstances. Understanding [...]

Thoughts On NFL Week 4, 2008

Friday, October 03, 2008 | Musings

Why Al Davis Is A Bad Owner The firing of Lane Kiffin as head coach of the Oakland Raiders is hardly unexpected. But I really didn’t expect Al Davis, the owner, to hold that press conference, following the firing, to assassinate Kiffin’s character publicly. A lot of people have criticisms of Davis, many of them valid; e.g., [...]

I Almost Forgot That I Adore PJ Harvey

Thursday, October 02, 2008 | Musings

Having spent so much time recently listening to Jeff Buckley’s Live At Sin-é Legacy Edition double-album, I’ve been ignoring my other musical interests. But, oh, YouTube, how I adore your Related Videos iframe. For you brought me back to one of my first alt-rock loves, PJ Harvey. Greatest. Music. Video. Ever. Damned if I can figure it [...]