May | 2010 | Technical Notebook

From the monthly archives: May 2010

Photos from CeBit Sydney 2010 – Darling Harbour

By Stuart Ryan On May 28, 2010 · Leave a Comment · In Conventions and Roadshows

Between May 24th and May 26th 2010, IT Professionals from around Australia gathered to converse and meet at one of the larger IT Roadshows to hit Sydney’s shores each year. I attended CeBit for a couple of days at the Sydney Convention Center, Darling Harbour and managed to see some interesting technologies from vendors such as 3M, Altech, Symantec and Wacom to name a few.

There were however a few things at CeBit 2010 that were a standout for me so I thought I would cover them in a little more detail:

Booth Babes

I thought I would begin with them just to try to catch your interest and hey… they deserve their own section

[rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0038-150x150.jpg" title="CrazyDomains Booth Babes" album="bbabes"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0038.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0036-150x150.jpg" title="Accelero CRM Booth Babes" album="bbabes"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0036.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0027-150x150.jpg" title="Symantec Booth Babes" album="bbabes"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0027.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0028-150x150.jpg" title="Crazy Domains Booth Babes with Me" album="bbabes"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0028.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0041-150x150.jpg" title="Altech BoothBabes" album="bbabes"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0041.jpg[/rokbox]

Eye Tracking Technology – Tobii Technology

It is not difficult to imagine my surprise when I walked up to a stand, started looking at their computer (with a pretty stupid look on my face I imagine, trying to figure out what on earth this computer was supposed to do). Low an behold after a very short while looking at the screen the item that I was looking at activated and a new menu popped up. To cut a long story short after calibrating the computer to my eyes I was able to type on the keyboard and on the screens you see below, have an interesting game of Naughts and Crosses (or Tic Tac Toe). Awesome idea, not 100% perfect but pretty accurate, $25,000 starting price might be a bit out of most peoples league though.

[rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0014-150x150.jpg" title="Naughts and Crosses Eye Tracking" album="eye"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0014.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0015-150x150.jpg" title="Tic Tac Toe Eye Tracking" album="eye"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0015.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0012-150x150.jpg" title="Facial Tracking Software" album="eye"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0012.jpg[/rokbox]

Remote Control Cars with Wii Controllers

We have all seen Remote Control Cars and they are quite a bit of good fun. However Miray Software have taken this remote control cars to the next level developing a kit (and software) that allows a remote control car to be controlled via the bluetooth compatible Wii Controllers using the accelerometer in the controller to control the steering of the remote control car. In the photos below you can also see a car driving behind the front one with a Wii controller mounted on the roof, this car was following the one in front using the Wii’s infra red sensor to track two sensors on the lead car… VERY COOL!
[rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0033-150x150.jpg" title="Wii Powered Remote Control Cars" album="cars"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0033.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0034-150x150.jpg" title="Wii Powered Remote Control Cars" album="cars"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0034.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0035-150x150.jpg" title="Wii Powered Remote Control Cars" album="cars"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0035.jpg[/rokbox]

Portable Projectors

One interesting item I have been following for some time is the development of the portable mini projector. At CeBit I saw two interesting contenders one was Digislide and the other was Smartphone Hub & 3M. In the pictures below, the first two photos are from Digislide (white projector) and the rest are from Smartphone Hub & 3M’s booth (black projector). I liked the concept of Digislide’s snap on mount for a Wii however their projectors were darker than those of 3M. I have to say from the presentation I liked 3Ms far more and it was demonstrated to me to operate in a darkened room well at a 50 inch screen size.

[rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0001-150x150.jpg" title="Digislide Portable Projectors" album="prj"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0001.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP2_0001-150x150.jpg" title="Digislide Mini Projector" album="prj"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP2_0001.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0021-150x150.jpg" title="3M Portable Projector" album="prj"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0021.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP2_0002-150x150.jpg" title="3M Portable Projector" album="prj"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP2_0002.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP2_0003-150x150.jpg" alt="3M Projector Playing Toy Story" title="3M Projector Playing Toy Story" album="prj"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP2_0003.jpg[/rokbox]

Finally a heap of other random images from the day

I have to say I had a lot of fun and got a lot of photos so here are a few more from CeBit Sydney 2010
[rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0042-150x150.jpg" title="Altech - Who tripped over the power cord?" album="oth"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0042.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0029-150x150.jpg" title="Inside the Navteq car" album="oth"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0029.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0030-150x150.jpg" title="Navteq 4WD" album="oth"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0030.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0032-150x150.jpg" title="Navteq 4WD" album="oth"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0032.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0025-150x150.jpg" title="3M Person Projection" album="oth"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0025.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0026-150x150.jpg" title="3M Person Projection" album="oth"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0026.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0020-150x150.jpg" title="Freelancer.com Promo" album="oth"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0020.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0009-150x150.jpg" title="Wacom Graphics Tablet" album="oth"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0009.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0007-150x150.jpg" title="eWay Booth" album="oth"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0007.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0006-150x150.jpg" title="Random Gaming" album="oth"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0006.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0004-150x150.jpg" title="Awesome Productivity" album="oth"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0004.jpg[/rokbox] [rokbox thumb="http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0039-150x150.jpg" title="If you hung around till here, you deserve to see a CrazyDomains Booth Babe Juggling" album="oth"]http://www.technicalnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DPP_0039.jpg[/rokbox]

Bid Request Documentation on Rent A Coder

By Stuart Ryan On May 23, 2010 · Leave a Comment · In Documentation Development, Software Development

As I have recently been through a good handful of projects using Rent A Coder I have had the opportunity to fine tune the way I do bid requests within the system. For my latest bid request I had two somewhat complex coding problems that needed resolving and using the simple description boxes would not allow me to define the problem completely. Therefore I found myself with a need to better define and document small projects/bid requests so that I could ensure the Workers bidding on my project would have a detailed understanding of what is required.

The result of this is a new document I have put together to help new users to Rent A Coder gather all the details they need to ensure when a bid request is put in they will eliminate a lot of the potential for confusion in putting forward a bid request. The aim of the document is to enable an easy and standard means of documenting a bid request when there is a greater level of complexity required than the standard descriptions boxes but simple enough to be used for a project in the sub $100USD or sub $500USD range.

Most of my bid requests have focused around getting CSS fixes for my WordPress or Joomla sites and sometimes resolving layout issues or making small design changes. While the document has been written with my specific bid requests in mind I have made every effort ensure it is generic enough that it could be used for other small projects such as logo design and so on.

I am making this template freely available, all I ask is that the template copyright notice at the bottom is kept in tact if you use the document template.

The document is available in Microsoft Word 2003 .doc format from my documentation subversion repository or by clicking the image below.

I welcome any feedback on the template as I would like to continue to try to perfect it and tweak it with suggestions from the community.

Stuart

Disclaimer: In this post I have used affiliate links to Rent A Coder, these links in no way affect the content of my post but in the interest of complete disclosure I like to mention that they are there.

Registrar’s hoarding Expired Domain Names

By Stuart Ryan On May 16, 2010 · 2 Comments · In Asking the World

Recently I discovered that a domain that I have been wanting for some time had expired in early February this year. I have registered with a couple of services that snap up expired domains to try to get it but for the purpose of this conversation it is irrelevant.

Registrars Policy

After 90 days had passed I expected that the domain would be released and ready to be snapped up (either by me or someone else) however to my dismay I found out something quite disturbing about domain names. The domain was registered previously at Register.com and they have the following policy (excerpts taken from http://www.register.com/policy/servicesagreement.rcmx ):

Domain Expiration Protection

“The Domain Expiration Protection program is a service that prevents a domain name registered to you from becoming available to other parties for purchase if it is not successfully renewed prior to the expiration of its then-current term. Under the Domain Expiration Protection program, you will have one year from the date of expiration of a domain name registered to you to renew such expired domain name (the “Expiration Period”). During the Expiration Period, the domain name will remain inactive, will not be registered to you and you will not have access to such domain name unless and until it is renewed by you along with payment made for our standard renewal fees. Only the registrant of the expired domain name will be permitted to renew the domain name during the Expiration Period and must do so over the phone by calling Register.com Customer Service team. Renewals of domain names during the Expiration Period will be subject to our standard renewal fees. “

And from further down:

“Specifically, with respect to domain names, you acknowledge and agree that Register.com may, upon expiration or termination, elect, at its sole discretion, to: (i) delete the domain name, (ii) renew the domain name on behalf of a third party, (iii) sell or auction the domain name; or (iv) otherwise make such domain name available to third parties. Any expired gTLD domain name that is not sold, renewed or otherwise made available to a third party will generally be deleted between 35 and 45 days from the expiration date.”

Now the issue that I have here, is in the first section it states that you have one year from the date of expiration to renew the domain, therefore Register.com reserves the right to keep the domain as expired for 12 months. I have confirmed this with them over the phone.
However in the second section quoted above they state that generally the domain will be released 45 days after expiration.

There are two critical issues that I foresee here, firstly it appears that Register.com reserves the right to keep a domain for up to 12 months even though no registration has been paid for, the second is that even when that expiration lapses Register.com reserves the right to renew the domain themselves or sell or auction the domain name. This means that once a domain has been registered with them once, if they desire they never have to release it back to the public again.

ICANNs Policy

Personally I think this is a terrible policy so off to ICANN I went to see what the official policies stated luckily I found the following (excerpt taken from http://www.icann.org/en/registrars/eddp.htm):

“3.7.5.3 In the absence of extenuating circumstances (as defined in Section 3.7.5.1 above), a domain name must be deleted within 45 days of either the registrar or the registrant terminating a registration agreement.”

Now I have to believe that this means that Register.com in direct breech of the above agreement, although it does leave open an interesting question, it states “terminating a registration agreement” is that defined as the domain name simply expiring or in this case would it be that the 12 months has to elapse before it is considered as the agreement being “terminated”.

Thoughts?

Can anyone correct me if I am wrong please? I would certainly welcome any advice on if I am or how I can go about proceeding and trying to get the domain I want released.
Stuart

A Rundown of RentACoder

By Stuart Ryan On May 16, 2010 · 5 Comments · In Reviews

Sometimes we all run into programming issues, website design issues, templating problems and a wide array of other issues that come into managing a website. I have found myself turning more frequently to RentACoder.com to find someone who has the skills to help fix my problem quickly and easily. If like me you have found yourself asking “Who can help me fix this site” or “Where can I find a cheap developer to fix a small bug” then hopefully I can pass on my experiences to help you.

Over the past few years I have had eight “Bid Requests” completed and have found the people I selected for the work to deliver great results in a timely fashion. I should also mention that I have used the site to find someone to design logos on more than one occasion as well which have produced some great results (like that of my logo on Eccentric Reality Photography).

However I would like to give a word of caution to those who are considering using RentACoder (or RAC as it is also sometimes known as), on my most recent project that I submitted I decided to take on a new coder with no work history which I have done a couple of times now, the work tends to come out cheaper and I like the opportunity to give someone a go. Generally when doing this I plan ahead with plenty of time to ensure if I have a deadline that the work needs to be done I can always get someone else if the first person falls through.

What I did not contemplate however was that when the other party failed to deliver, the arbitration that RAC has in place (to protect both parties) can actually take significant time. So if money AND time are an issue I would strongly recommend you steer clear of choosing someone with little to no work history on the site.

But for the most part I am very happy, I have now found someone who is working extremely quickly to get my problems fixed on my other site (in this case CSS issues) and in the end it will only cost me $40USD which is a bargain in my eyes.

So, if you are in need of some things on your site fixed I would gladly recommend RentACoder as a good place to find someone to help you out.

The Good:

Quite easily thousands of developers from around the world
You can find someone to fix pretty much any problem
Cost Effective, especially for very small projects <$100USD
No obligation to actually select a coder if you are not happy with any of the bids
Saved my butt more than a few times getting my own sites fixed when I couldn’t fix a CSS bug
As a part of the bid request you set the parameters, what needs to be delivered, how long they have, if status reports are required and so on

The Bad:

Results can vary so choose your coder carefully (see “Gotchas” below)
Arbitration can tie up your money for a while if there is a dispute (however I would like to mention that the arbitration and mediation processes are very fair and in everyone’s best interests so this is a plus)

Gotchas

When you are making a bid, be very explicit in a) what you are giving them to work with, b) what you want to happen, c) the exact end deliverable(s) you want (including any documentation). Anything that is not stated in the original bid request can increase scope and therefore cost, also if you do not state something in the original bid request the coder is under no obligation to deliver it, so be specific.
If time is a critical factor you may want to accept two bid requests and have two coders work in parallel, note that you will have to pay both coders in *full* if both complete the work, it is against the rules to race coders and pay only one (and there are measures in place to stop this), if you accept two coders you pay two coders. For some projects that have been critical I have doubled up and had two coders work that way if one fails you still have a backup.
If money and time are a critical factor, for example you need a project done in seven days and only have X amount that you can spend make sure you select a coder with a good track record as arbitration can sometimes take time (in the several weeks).
If your project is not time restrained, it can be a great cost saving to chose someone who is newer to the site and doesn’t have a work history. I have done this several times and only been stung once thus far. The mediation and arbitration is there to cover both you as the buyer and them as the coder.

So, if you are in need of some code fixes, template coding assistance, logo design, complete site redesign or really any other project from small sites to enterprise systems I would say rent a coder can help put you in touch with someone to help. If you have any questions about my experiences I am more than happy to share them too.

Stuart

Disclosure: Please note through out this post I have used an affiliate link to RentACoder, this has not influenced my post in any way and is purely there to help towards my costs of keeping my website up and running. I have put it there so that if you read this article and decide to use RentACoder it means I can get a few bucks towards my next RentACoder Project

Integrating WordPress and Joomla

By Stuart Ryan On May 2, 2010 · Leave a Comment · In Reviews

Integrating WordPress and Joomla is not an easy feat and it has taken me over three weeks to find this solution.

After trying several plugins (of which I have paid for and a lot really didn’t work) I have found one that I wanted to recommend in the hope that I can save others time and money. CorePHP has developed a custom version of WordPress that hooks directly into Joomla. The WordPress Sidebars are added as Joomla modules and the custom installation comes with a default theme that with a little tweaking should be able to fit into any Joomla theme.

You can see my integration on my Eccentric Reality Photography Blog, at this stage there are a couple of issues in IE due to my lack of skills in CSS but I am looking into fixing that shortly. I have decided not to turn on the categories syncronisation between Joomla and WordPress as I like to keep them separate however it is there as an option for those that would like.

So, if you are looking to try to get a WordPress blog into a Joomla site I can happily save you time and money and say that CorePHP’s WordPress Integration is well worth the $75USD. It takes them a little longer to update when a new WordPress version comes out, but the integration really does just work.

I do have to say you will need some CSS skills to modify it to suit your Joomla theme but that issue is going to arise for any type of integration between the two.

So, my hat goes off to CorePHP and I thank them for designing a solution that has stopped me from pulling my hair out.
Stuart