franzone.com - thoughts of a web geek![]() franzone.com - thoughts of a web geek I'm a work from home web geek, a father of three, a husband, a World of Warcraft nerd, a martial arts practitioner, a musician and many other things. Product reviews, technical articles, April Fools posts, life stories, oh... and we have comics! Articles
Friday Song Of The Day - Viva La Vida
2008-06-06 14:00:00 This is the hot new song from Coldplay’s latest album, Viva La Vida . I used to rule the world Seas would rise when I gave the word Now in the morning I sweep alone Sweep the streets I used to own I used to roll the dice Feel the fear in my enemies’ eyes Listen as the crowd would sing: “Now the old ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Friday Song Of The Day - Viva La Vida", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/06/06/frida y-song-of-the-day-viva-la-vida/" });
Friday Fun Waste Of Time
2008-06-06 13:00:00 You know that on Friday afternoons you just feel like wasting a little time. Well, this will do just that! I stumbled onto this little Flash game that is so absolutely simple, yet so intriguing. You start with a pyramid of blocks. Just click somewhere within the field of view and block will shoot from ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Friday Fun Waste Of Time ", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/06/06/frida y-fun-waste-of-time/" }); More About: Game
PHP Script To Monitor FTP Directory Changes
2008-06-05 13:04:00 I recently had the need to be able to monitor a directory on an FTP server for changes and to then be notified of those changes. I’ve been working a lot in PHP lately so I decided to use that to implement my script. FTP Access FTP (file transfer protocol) access in PHP is a breeze. It’s ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "PHP Script To Monitor FTP Directory Changes", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/06/05/php-s cript-to-monitor-ftp-directory-changes/" }); More About: Tutorials , Scripting
Link Bundle - June 4
2008-06-04 17:30:00 Google Shell Online - goosh.org Any *nix lovers (and Google lovers) should definitely check this site out. It’s basically a shell interface to Google… on a web page. Awesome! Not An OS Tim Bray vents his frustration about people calling the internet the “Web OS” and generally comparing the internet to an operating system. Preach on, brotha! Learning ActionScript ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Link Bundle - June 4", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/06/04/link- bundle-june-4/" }); More About: Reviews
Your One Stop Shop For CMS Needs
2008-06-03 18:23:00 Are you in the market for a CMS (Content Management System) for your next big idea? Or are you just looking for some easy to use software for a personal blog? Well, look no further! OpenSourceCMS most likely has what you are looking for. This site is created for the purpose of hosting many if not all of the free and open source CMS software systems on the internet. The kicker… they allow YOU to administer them and basically kick the tires for a bit. That’s right! Every wanted to see what it’s like to run Drupal or Joomla? How about WordPress or Textpattern? They have a ton of different platforms that you can try out in categories such as Portals, Blogs, e-Commerce, Groupware, Forums, Image Galleries, Wikis and more. All you have to do is find one that you’d like to try out and click on it. There will be some general information about the platform as well as links to both the front page and the administration page. And of course the login details for the admi... More About: Shop , Stop
Revolution OS - The Linux Story
2008-06-02 16:40:00 Revolution OS is a 2001 documentary which traces the history of GNU, Linux , and the open source and free software movements. It features several interviews with prominent hackers and entrepreneurs (and hackers-cum-entrepreneurs), including Richard Stallman, Michael Tiemann, Linus Torvalds, Larry Augustin, Eric S. Raymond, Bruce Perens, Frank Hecker and Brian Behlendorf. The film begins in medias res with an IPO, and then sets the historical stage by showing the beginnings of software development back in the day when software was shared on paper tape for the price of the paper itself. It then segues to Bill Gates’s Open Letter to Hobbyists in which he asks Computer Hobbyists to not share, but to buy software. (This letter was written by Gates when Microsoft was still based in Arizona and spelled “Micro-Soft”.) Richard Stallman then explains how and why he left the MIT Lab for Artificial Intelligence in order to devote his life to the development of free software, as... More About: Story , Revolution
Bash Script Naming - Say My Name, Say My Name!
2008-06-02 16:12:00 I use Java as my main Linux server programming language these days and so I usually have a Bash script to go along with each program. The Bash script help encapsulate creating the proper CLASSPATH needed to run the Java program, calls the correct Java class and also passes through any command line parameters that I might need. Recently I had several Java programs that I wrote and bundled inside the same jar file which I needed to call separately. They had all of the same CLASSPATH and environment requirements, so why should I create separate Bash scripts for each one? What’s In A Name? Instead of a separate Bash script for each Java program I used a neat little feature of Linux called symbolic linking. I create in a “bin” subdirectory my main Bash script and then link to it using distinct names from the main program directory. The script then detects what names is being used to call it and executes the appropriate Java class. Some of the Bash code looks like this: ... More About: Script , Naming
Friday Song Of The Day - I Wanna Rock!
2008-05-30 15:08:00 A good friend of mine got this song stuck in my head this week. So, here you have this week’s Friday Song Of The Day. This is I Wanna Rock by Twisted Sister from their Stay Hungry (1984) album. I wanna rock, ROCK I wanna rock, ROCK I want to rock, ROCK I wanna rock, ROCK Turn it down you ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Friday Song Of The Day - I Wanna Rock!", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/30/frida y-song-of-the-day-i-wanna-rock/" }); More About: Video , Music
Why Is My FireFox Freezing!?
2008-05-29 16:39:00 For the past month or so I have been extremely saddened by my FireFox browser. I’m running Windows Vista (weeping and gnashing of teeth) and it seems like Firefox would just freeze up from time to time. I had network activity and could actually browse the sites I was attempting to connect to with another ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Why Is My FireFox Freezing!?", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/29/why-i s-my-firefox-freezing/" }); More About: Web Browser
Link Bundle - May 28
2008-05-28 14:00:00 What Science Fiction Can Teach Developers Casey Charlton gives some insight as to what science fiction can teach developers. It is a very interesting read ending a the statement, “most documentation is totally and utterly worthless.” OpenID: Does The World Really Need Yet Another Username and Password? Jeff Atwood gives a very well written analysis of OpenID providing ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Link Bundle - May 28", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/28/link- bundle-may-28/" }); More About: Reviews
Should Software Engineers Be Involved In Sales?
2008-05-27 15:43:00 Or even have contact with the customer at all? I’ve definitely guilty of the “open book” or “foot in mouth” syndrome while dealing directly with customers, though probably not quite as bad as Dilbert . SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Should Software Engineers Be Involved In Sales ?", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/27/shoul d-software-engineers-be-involved-in-sales /" }); More About: Humor
Is That Randy Jackson Or Captain Kangaroo?
2008-05-27 15:00:00 I’ve never been one who has been completely up to date with fashion. Since I work from home my dress usually consists of shorts or jeans and a t-shirt. My wife and I were watching the red carpet events for the 2008 Finale of American Idol when Randy Jackson caught my eye. He was wearing ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Is That Randy Jackson Or Captain Kangaroo?", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/27/is-th at-randy-jackson-or-captain-kangaroo/" }); More About: Celebrity , Fashion
Link Bundle - May 21
2008-05-21 17:35:00 Managing and applying database changes with LiquiBase Federico Cargnelutti gives a quick demonstration of how to use LiquiBase, an open source, DBMS-independent library for tracking, managing and applying database changes. Fibonacci Functions DeWitt Clinton writes a very interesting article which analyzes the differences in several programming languages by comparing implementations of the fibonacci algorithm. TuneGlue: Cool Music Discovery Tool? ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Link Bundle - May 21", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/21/link- bundle-may-21/" }); More About: Reviews
How Do I Get Meta Data From MySQL Using PHP?
2008-05-20 19:40:00 I know you’ve all asked that question before, right? Well maybe not, but I recently had the need to detect what the DATATYPE for arbitrary columns in arbitrary tables were inside a MySQL database using PHP. Turns out that it isn’t all that hard to get. The main thing about using this method is that we ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "How Do I Get Meta Data From MySQL Using PHP?", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/20/how-d o-i-get-meta-data-from-mysql-using-php/" }); More About: Tutorials , Database , Mysql
When The Going Gets Tough
2008-05-16 21:53:00 The tough pull an “all-nighter” to meet deadlines. Here is Billy Ocean’s hit When The Going Gets Tough . When the going gets tough The tough get going, tough, tough, huh, huh, huh When the going gets tough, the tough get ready Yeah, ooooh, du da du da I got something to tell you I got something to say I’m gonna put this ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "When The Going Gets Tough", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/16/when- the-going-gets-tough/" }); More About: Video , Music
Get Your Official Indiana Jones Fedora
2008-05-14 19:14:00 “You know the hat. It’s become an iconic symbol which is, thankfully, finally returning to the big screen. Indiana Jones’ hat is the hat we’ve always wanted to wear. But the hat really wasn’t just one hat. There were at least three different types of hats (of various costs and specialties) used in the films. ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Get Your Official Indiana Jones Fedora", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/14/get-y our-official-indiana-jones-fedora/" }); More About: Video , Movies , Reviews
Link Bundle - May 14
2008-05-14 18:49:00 Log memory usage using declare and ticks in PHP Dave Marshall, a web developer living in Hull, England, share a really quick and simple trick to allow you to monitor the memory usage of a PHP script. Thanks, Dave! Magnify?s Really Cool Video and Image Search Tool for Blogs Mashable.com brings you a review of blogging tool to ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Link Bundle - May 14", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/14/link- bundle-may-14/" });
New Dilbert Widget - Vista
2008-05-12 16:25:00 There is a new Daily Dilbert Widget out that is… better! At least that what Dilbert says. You can get the widget at http://csharptricks.com/Articles/DailyDil bert.aspx. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "New Dilbert Widget - Vista ", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/12/new-d ilbert-widget-vista/" });
Friday Song Of The Day - Say
2008-05-09 07:03:00 This Friday Song Of The Day is Say from John Mayer. Take all of your wasted honor Every little past frustration Take all of your so-called problems Better put ?em in quotations Say what you need to say (x8) Walking like a one-man army Fighting with the shadows in your head Living out the same old moment Knowing you?d be better off instead If you ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Friday Song Of The Day - Say", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/09/frida y-song-of-the-day-say/" });
Social Network Avatars - Hot Or Not?
2008-05-08 17:05:00 Most people running blogs and doing… well, anything on the internet these days use social networks. These could include the likes of Facebook or StumbleUpon and other more blog-centric ones like BlogCatalog or MyBlogLog. One of the interesting things about these networks which I’ve noticed is the use of avatars. Avatars are small pictures that ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Social Network Avatars - Hot Or Not?", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/08/socia l-network-avatars-hot-or-not/" }); More About: Social Network
Link Bundle - May 7
2008-05-07 16:33:00 Javascript Wolfenstein 3D Here is a little nostalgia for you gamers out there. The Nihilogic site has created the Wolfenstein 3D video game using Javascript, Canvas and a little AJAX. Pretty cool. Improving Code Readability With CSS Styleguides Smashing Magazine brings you a great article on some “best of” practices for keeping your CSS code nice, neat and ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Link Bundle - May 7", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/07/link- bundle-may-7/" }); More About: Reviews
How Can You Change The Design Of The Spork?
2008-05-06 14:42:00 So, can you really change the spoon to fork ratio in the spork? Click the image below to see the exciting conclusion. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "How Can You Change The Design Of The Spork?", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/06/how-c an-you-change-the-design-of-the-spork/" }); More About: Comic
Coding In Minneapolis
2008-05-05 14:30:00 I am in Minneapolis , MN this week for business so I’m not sure how prolific my posting will be. So I thought I’d just drop in a quick note to say, “Happy Monday!” It’d be happier if I were back in my home office, but oh well. In the mean time you can check out ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Coding In Minneapolis", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/05/codin g-in-minneapolis/" });
Friday Song Of The Day - Iron Man
2008-05-02 20:06:00 Of course with the highly anticipated Iron Man Movie coming up I had to post this song as a FSOTD. This is Iron Man by Black Sabbath as it appears on their Paranoid (1970) album. I am Iron Man Has he lost his mind Can he see or is he blind Can he walk at all Or if he moves ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Friday Song Of The Day - Iron Man", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/05/02/frida y-song-of-the-day-iron-man/" }); More About: Video , Music
Link Bundle - April 30
2008-04-30 17:20:00 Insoshi: Best Social Network Platform Evar Mashable covers an open source platform for creating your own social network. Insoshi is built with Ruby on Rails and looks like it has most of the bells and whistles that come with modern social networks. Lycos On the Auction Bloc Interested in competing with Google, Yahoo and Microsoft Live? Well now ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Link Bundle - April 30", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/04/30/link- bundle-april-30/" }); More About: Reviews
soundsnap - Pro Quality Free Sounds And Loops
2008-04-29 15:39:00 I recently ran across this site and was impressed, so I thought I’d throw them some props. If you have any needs for sound files or loops then soundsnap is a great place to start. Their tagline is “Search for pro quality free sounds and loops.” They are kidding either. I sampled (hee hee; pun ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "soundsnap - Pro Quality Free Sounds And Loops ", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/04/29/sound snap-pro-quality-free-sounds-and-loops/" }); More About: Music , Reviews
Yahoo May NOT Have The Answers
2008-04-28 20:05:00 In which case you should go take a coffee break or something… according to them. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Yahoo May NOT Have The Answers ", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/04/28/yahoo -may-not-have-the-answers/" }); More About: Search Engines , Yahoo!
10 Alternate Versions Of The Super Mario Bros Theme Song
2008-04-28 12:05:00 I ran across a few interesting version of the Super Mario Brothers theme song and so I thought I’d share what I found. Some of the people in these videos are phenomenally talented… and some are just plain silly. Enjoy! 1. Jean Baudin plays the theme on an 11-string bass guitar. What!? I didn’t even know ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "10 Alternate Versions Of The Super Mario Bros Theme Song ", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/04/28/10-al ternate-versions-of-the-super-mario-bros- theme-song/" }); More About: Video , Video Games
Friday Song Of The Day - (I Just) Died In Your Arms
2008-04-25 21:40:00 This weeks Friday Song Of The Day goes out to my PC. It died a tragic, burnt electronics death night before last. Thankfully it was quick and I don’t think she suffered much. The song is (I Just) Died In Your Arms from Cutting Crew’s album Broadcast (1986). (Nick Van Eede) I, I just died in your ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Friday Song Of The Day - (I Just) Died In Your Arms", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/04/25/frida y-song-of-the-day-i-just-died-in-your-arm s/" }); More About: Video , Music
Optimus Maximus Keyboard - Optimus Pricetag
More articles from this author:2008-04-24 15:42:00 So, would you spend $1,500 on a keyboard for your PC? Yeah, that’s the pricetag on the Optimuxs Maximus Keyboard . Though, before you discount this as extravagance (which it probably is) you should check out the features. This keyboard has a mini-LCD screen embedded in each and every key! Plus you can customize what is ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Optimus Maximus Keyboard - Optimus Pricetag", url: "http://www.franzone.com/2008/04/24/optim us-maximus-keyboard/" }); More About: Hardware , Reviews , Toys 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |




