As I have talked recently, I am in the process of updating the 'brand' of AllYourFlexAreBelongToUs.com to FlexBloggers.org. Well, recently, I decided it was time to give FlexBloggers a new look.
I am happy to announce that I have just published the new design. Why don't you go on over to FlexBloggers, check it out, and let me know what you think.
Dear Open Source Developers,
Yesterday, Peter Farrell published a letter to 'open source developers' pleading with them...no, actually, demanding of them, to stop asking for personal donations or even accepting 'wish list' items. Today, I am here asking you..no, actually, I am demanding of you, to do whatever you feel is necessary in order to continue to produce free, badass software.
I am a little late in posting this, but a while back, I was interviewed by CFHour about my upcoming cf.Objective() sessions.
If you would like to hear me ramble on about what I will be presenting, as well as some other stuff, you can check it out here.
And, while I am on the subject....have you registered for cf.Objective(), yet? You haven't? What the hell are you waiting for? Go...now....that is an order!
As I mentioned here, I was getting rid of my old iPhone and purchasing an HTC Evo. Well, I have had the phone for a little over a month, and I thought I would post some of my thoughts.
NOTE: I am comparing the Evo to my old phone, an iPhone 3g, so, yes, I understand it may not be a fair comparison, but its the only one I can make. Also, if you are expecting an in depth, fully technical, non-biased review, you came to the wrong place.
First, let's start with the size. The overall size of the Evo is a bit larger than my iPhone, but not enough for me to get upset over. Especially when you consider the screen. To my untrained eye, the screen on the Evo is quite a bit larger than my iPhone. Also, to my untrained eye, it seems the screen may be more crisp...but maybe this is because it is larger.
Next, the operating system. To be honest, I would be hard pressed to say Android was 'better' the iOS, nor could I say iOS was 'better' than Android. When I was first looking at Android phones, I was told by someone that they thought Android was not as 'polished' as iOS. I would have to respectfully disagree. I think Android is just as polished...its just a different kind of polish. There are things I miss about iOS (the biggest one being the ability to see an SMS message without having to unlock the phone), but not so many that I wish I had stuck with an iPhone. On the flip side, there are things I like about Android, but again, not so many that I can comfortably say I will never go back to an iPhone
Of course, one of the first things I did was check out the 'App Store' to see if all my 'must have' apps were available. As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about, because I already knew that I could get 'Angry Birds' for Android. All kidding aside, so far there has been no app I used regularly on my iPhone where Android did not have the same, or comprable, app. My favorite app on my iPhone was AirView Golf, an app for getting yardage to the pin or other objects on a golf course. This particular app is not available for Android, but there are plenty of other choices, I just need to pick one and try it out - if only the weather would cooperate.
Some other things that differ are the camera, the Evo has an 8.6 megapixel camera (more than my first gen digital SLR) as well as the ability to shoot video in HD - it even has an HDMI 'out' port to quickly view videos on your TV. Also, the ability to change the battery and expand the memory are huge pluses in my mind. As is the fact that it can be powered by any mini USB adapter as opposed to a proprietary plug.
One thing I do not like about the Evo (or Android) is that if I have the phone connected to my computer and have the phone 'mounted' as a disk drive, it could not (or would not) use my custom ringtones for phone calls or SMS messages
As for the carriers...meh... I seem to be one of the few people in the US who got better service from AT&T than from Verizon. I decided to switch to Sprint because in my area Sprint had great reviews and great coverage, not better than AT&T, but the cost per month was enough to make me switch. Where I live, Verizon's coverage is horrible, and since I work from home, and spend most of my time in my own county, that was important to me. So far, I am very happy with Sprint and have not had any issues with coverage.
Lastly, I would like to talk about some of the pre-installed apps. There are some great ones provided by Sprint, such as Sprint TV and their NASCAR app (where you can follow the progress of a race - not via video, but a nifty little graphic in the shape of the racetrack and icons representing the different drivers moves around the track). These are very cool and are also included with the monthly plan at no additional charge.
There was a Navigation app from Sprint as well. At first, I really liked it, then it got updated to a newer version (with a new name) and I started to dislike it. Initially it was able to find my home address, but after the update it could not - a huge negative for me. I started using Google Navigation and I have to say I am truly impressed. The voice is not as clear as the Sprint Navigation app, but I think the UI is nicer and less cumbersome. Three cool features of Google Navigation:
Google Navigation seemed to be more accurate than my Garmin device, and, even thought I updated the Garmin recently, Google Navigation, already had some new roads that have been recently opened while the Garmin did not. Overall, I think Google Navigation will be our 'GPS app' of choice for a while. So much so that we are looking for a dashboard/windshield mount for our phones.
Overall, I love the Evo. But, as my wise friend Charlie Griefer said to me recently (and I am paraphrasing): 'It does not really matter if your phone is an Android or an iPhone when you think of what they do, they are amazing devices.' It is hard to really argue with that logic. However, the Evo has one thing that I have not seen in any other phone that I think pushes it beyond amazing: a kickstand!
That is right, as the picture above shows, my phone has a kickstand. Your argument is invalid.
This has been a long time coming, but I have finally decided to change the name, and URL, of the Flex Blog Aggregator that I operate. The new site name will be 'FlexBloggers.org' and the new URL is http://www.flexbloggers.org.
You may be asking, 'Why now?' Well, I have been doing a lot of maintenance on the site recently (you did notice, didn't you?) and it has become a real pain for me to have to keep typing that stupid, long ass, name (especially with my pitiful typing skills). For now, the old URL will continue to work just as it used to, but in the future I may drop that entirely. To help prepare for when/if that happens, please do the following:
If you happen to notice anything wonky with the new name/URL, please do not hesitate to contact me.
I spend a short time every day (ok, almost every day) looking through my Twitter search feed for 'ColdFusion'. Most of the time the search feed is filled with messages about cool stuff someone did with ColdFusion or people asking questions about the language or recruiters looking for ColdFusion developers. However, every once in a while, there is a message from some who...how shall I put this... let's just say every once in a while you find someone who does not share the same view of ColdFusion as I do (and some are out right hostile and/or vulgar).
I will admit, in the past, I have made less than flattering statements about PHP, but I can not understand how a programming language could invoke such a visceral response from some. What ever language you choose to use, ColdFusion, PHP, Java, Ruby, etc., it is just a tool. Some people prefer PHP - and I have seen some kick ass websites written in PHP - others do not. The same can be said for any of the languages I listed (and quite a few that I have not).
As most of you know, today marked the end of the most traveled Space Shuttle in our existing fleet. Shortly before 12:00 this afternoon, the Space Shuttle Discovery touched down at the end of its final voyage.
I was kind of surprised that when I watched the landing, I got a little teary-eyed. I guess it finally hit me that, soon, the Shuttle Program will be no longer. I remember watching, in 7th grade, Columbia blast off for the first time (and Columbia landing for the first time). It is hard to believe that after being such a big part of my life for so long, the Shuttle Program is ending.
Here are some interesting stats on Discovery:
I make no secret of the fact that a few years ago, I made the leap and started drinking the Apple Kool-Aid. Right now in my house we have 2 iPods, 1 iPod Touch, 2 iPhones, 1 MacBook Pro and 1 Magic Mouse. I know...that is nothing compared to some fanboys, but that has all been acquired in about the last 3 years or so.
Due to some of the news I have been reading about Apple and where they seem to be going when it comes to 3rd party software and delivering content to devices, as well as the litany of stories about the 'App Store' approval process, I decided that, for now, Apple will be getting no more of my money. Now, I have not been so militant that I decided to throw out all my Apple devices...that would be silly...I already paid for them, I will continue to use them as long as they are useful. So, I will continue to use my MacBook Pro until it comes time to replace it. The same goes for the Magic Mouse and all 3 iPods, we will continue to use them as long as they continue to work, and when they need replacing...well...we will see.....
This brings me to the iPhones. We currently have the 3G model, and to be honest, I like the device, it has served me well - though recently it has been a bit sluggish and has required me to reboot more frequently - but its time to get new phones. Our contract with AT&T was up this past weekend and I have been looking at other phones and carriers. Given that I do not want to give Apple any more money (for now) I am pretty much left with Android based phones as an option (I am so turned off by the new Windows mobile interface that I could not even consider one of those).
After a couple of months of research, I have decided that we are switching to Sprint and getting HTC Evos. I have spoken to quite a few people who live near me and have Sprint and they have told me the coverage is very good. I have my reasons for choosing the Evo, but that may be for another post. I ordered the phones this afternoon, so, in the next few days, the iPhones will be retired. This is step 1.1* in purging our house from Apple.
*Step 1.0 was to stop buying music from iTunes - we have not purchased music from iTunes in quite sometime.
One thing my wife and I are very passionate about, but I rarely, if ever, blog about (I should change that), is that we home school our children. I can get into the why in another blog post, but suffice to say, it has been one of the most fulfilling endeavors of our lives.
I am going to be replacing my laptop and my wife's desktop with Apple products. I want to get a Mac Book Pro, and my wife is leaning towards a Mac Book. While I was looking around at prices today, a friend pointed me to the education section of their site. I was stunned to see this, where Apple offers the same educational discount for home schools as other educational institutions.
It is refreshing to see companies like Apple offering discounts like this. I hope more companied follow their lead.
I have 7. If your interested, leave a comment, the first 7 (if I even get 7 responses) will get one.
