Alex Jones: Web Technologist, Barbecue Acolyte, Information Junkie, Austinite

MAMP

MAMP, packaged by webEdition, looks to be quite useful:

MAMP installs a local server enviroment in a matter of seconds on your Mac OS X computer, be it PowerBook or iMac. Like similar packages from the Windows- and Linux-world, MAMP comes free of charge.

MAMP is installed in the typical Mac fashion: very easily. MAMP will not compromise any existing Apache installation already running with your OS X. You can install Apache, PHP and MySQL without starting a script or having to change any configuration files!

Posted in OS X, Web Development

PNG Headers

Layering a semi-transparent PNG over another photo is easier than you may think, especially after you read Nick Chapman’s PNG Headers.

Posted in CSS, Design & UI, Quick Links

Setup a Local Mirror of your Blog - Mac OSX

Setup a Local Mirror of your Blog - Mac OSX - This looks like a great project for me to try, right after I update this site to use the new version of Wordpress.

Posted in OS X, WordPress

A Way to Approximate Odds

A Way to Approximate Odds by Clonie Gowen provides a very easy way to calculate the odds of hitting a hand in Texas Hold ‘Em.

Posted in Poker, Quick Links

Being a PHP Lumberjack

Being a PHP Lumberjack is a great article on the importance of logging within PHP. While I already use some of the methods shown in the article, I learned a lot, and I plan to implement the ideas in my work. The article does a great job describing the various options available, and more importantly, discusses the times to use each.

Posted in PHP & MySQL

The non-typographer’s guide to practical typeface selection

The non-typographer’s guide to practical typeface selection provides some great advice for those of us who are not typographers. While I have a decent understanding of the basics of type, the details can get confusing pretty quickly. Luckily, Sarah is spending a lot of time learning typography, so I can start hitting her up for information!

While you’re at it, you may want to read Web typography still sucks as well.

Posted in Design & UI

Daring Fireball: Login Delays and Damaged Font Caches on Mac OS X 10.3

Daring Fireball: Login Delays and Damaged Font Caches on Mac OS X 10.3 & Font Caches Gone Wild - Good to know.

Posted in OS X, Quick Links

Whiteboard Walls

Kevin Kelly’s site, Cool Tools has posted a great tip about one of my favorite tools: white boards. As a geek, I love the ability to quickly sketch out a flow chart, rough UI design or a task list on my office white board. While I have a small white board in my home office, I dream of a day that I can have an entire wall covered with marker board.

The post provides a great amount of detail concerning the options available, breaking it down into two options, “cheap” and “best”. The latter option is made of metal coated in ceramic, so it becomes much more useful as you can utilize magnets, eliminating the need for a separate cork board.

Posted in Architecture & Furniture

Easy-peasy PHP

Interested in learning PHP? Check out Easy-peasy PHP

Posted in PHP & MySQL, Quick Links

Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects | Mountain Tree House

Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects | Mountain Tree House

Posted in Architecture & Furniture, Quick Links