CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-04-24 14:59:35 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Check out what I've been working on the last 3 weeks at HP Cloud! w/ +Brian Tully & +Ankur Rishi 

2013-04-24 13:31:40 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I was recently working with protected methods in #php  and wanted to test them. Here is a quick and fairly clean way to unit test protected and private methods.

2013-04-15 15:49:12 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

True That ;-)

(Image Source: http://goo.gl/tm4aF) 

2013-04-11 15:22:57 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

2013-04-09 16:25:08 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

http://engineeredweb.com/blog/2013/javascript-bindings-released-for-hpcloud/

2013-04-08 21:01:14 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Just released JavaScript (node.js) bindings for +HP Cloud Services.

2013-04-05 16:03:55 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Talking to law-"makers" is like grilling a guilty 5yo who just got caught.

Yesterday, there was a Slashdot article about a proposed "employer snoop" law proposed in my state, where an employer can demand your social media passwords while conducting "an investigation", with some utterly laughable "safeguards".

I looked up the lawmaking record, found the sponsor, and shot him an email, demanding an explanation.

He actually answered, which was a bit of a shock. His answer was his name was on it only because he was the head of the appropriate committee, he hadn't read it when it got introduced because it was close to deadline, and after he and the committee read it, it was withdrawn. ("And we're working with the ACLU now!") 

Instead of berating him for introducing laws he's not read, I instead asked... more »

2013-04-04 18:44:24 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

2013-04-01 14:52:27 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Really happy to share the new +HP Cloud Services Physical Object Storage.

2013-04-01 14:22:47 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Now that +HP Cloud Services allows me to organize my stuff into projects it's a lot easier to manage all the things I end up working on.

2013-03-29 14:37:48 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

Crafting the new +HP Cloud Services homepage was a great process to go through. I wrote up a quick post on it because it could be useful for others.

2013-03-28 22:01:00 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Today we launched a new https://www.hpcloud.com homepage. Can you believe it... they let me design this. The awesome +Ryan Peters turned it into the CMS manageable page you see here.

2013-03-27 14:33:04 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Customer expectations are for Mobile Sites to load faster than desktop. I wonder why that is? Maybe it is the smaller screen ;) - any-hoo, thought I'd share this you all. Here is the source: http://www.strangeloopnetworks.com/assets/images/infographic5.jpg

2013-03-22 11:24:06 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

Anyone have a recommendation on a good to do list setup? One that works on mac, Linux, iOS, Android? I'm looking for a new setup since my current one is mac only.

2013-03-19 02:09:00 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Some notes on IRC operation.

/msg chanserv register [#channel] [optional-password]

If you have a pw:
/msg ChanServ set mlock [#channel] +ntck-sl [password]
/msg ChanServ set mode [#channel] +k [password]

Get ChanServ in your room so you don't lose it:
/msg ChanServ set [#channel] guard on

Set notices for GitHub bot:
/msg ChanServ set mlock -n

2013-03-16 14:59:10 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Bits are expensive, especially when roaming.

How much does your page cost the visitor at $1+ per MB? Using AT&T roaming tariffs... thenextweb.com: $44, vogue.co.uk: $65, microsoft.com: $17. Ouch.

2013-03-15 15:39:01 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Because Paper isn't really dead (the end really made me laugh). Hat tip +Kate Hamilton 

2013-03-11 16:12:59 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

2013-03-11 15:07:07 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

If you're into software development I really suggest watching Bob Martin talk about Architecture.

2013-03-11 14:04:04 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 1 +1s)

As a husband and a father I find don't just think this is disturbing but I wonder how to protect all the things against it.

2013-03-11 13:25:07 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

"A truly wise man never plays leapfrog with a unicorn." That used to be part of my email signature. No idea where it's from. Just stumbled on it.

2013-03-09 19:17:49 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 0 +1s)

If you don't like daylight savings time there is a petition to the white house. Sign it if you want them to respond. https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/eliminate-bi-annual-time-change-caused-daylight-savings-time/ShChxpKh

2013-02-28 19:34:26 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Some of you designers may use +Google Chrome, but are you using the browser to its full advantage? The +Mashable team has compiled a list of 10 of the top Chrome extensions web designers should be using.

Did we miss any great extensions that you use on a daily basis?

2013-02-28 01:10:39 (16 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

My wife told me to buy an iPad instead of an Android tablet. Here's why...

I'd been looking at getting a simple tablet for myself. Something to read on, do simple tasks, and use for basic functions. A Nexus 7 seemed perfect for this.

Then I talked with my wife. Buying a tablet is really about ecosystem and she is thinking as a parent. The moment she thinks about using a tablet she thinks of apps and tools for her and kids. In the kids app department iOS wins by a long shot.

I've not decided what to buy. But, when I get into real world family tasks it appears iOS has the ecosystem and Android isn't there yet.

2013-02-21 22:45:12 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

In order to design a building you need to know about construction and the technology in the building. In order to design a car you need to know about cars... in detail. In order to design the chair I'm sitting in the person needed to know about ergonomics, mechanics, and the stuff in the chair.

But, to design websites a lot of people think you can just jump into Photoshop and create some pretty pictures.

Anyone else see the problem?

2013-02-20 17:16:56 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

2013-02-15 15:02:12 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

At +HP Cloud Services we love feedback on our stuff. IMHO we don't get enough of it. With that in mind we've launched a place for people to tell us what they want, want changed, or just shoot us an idea. They can be voted on, commented on, and this is being bubbled up to people who can make decisions. https://community.hpcloud.com/ideas

In my opinion (as opposed to that of my employer) this is long over due. It will be great for management to have an opportunity to hear from real people who want and need to get stuff done. Every company should have that open communication channel.

2013-02-03 14:50:55 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

"...the chief of arraignments for the Bronx district attorney, explained in a letter that it had become apparent that the police were arresting people even when there was convincing evidence that they were innocent."

2013-01-29 17:37:11 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Because I end up explaining the process to develop something so often I put together a diagram and some explanation to help teach those new to development around me. This outlines my simple process.

2013-01-26 13:44:44 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 6 +1s)

Hilarious !
More at : +Interesting Engineering
www.welldonestuff.com

2013-01-22 13:26:07 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I've recently started to learn about Internet scams and how they are affecting the elderly around us. This post is a look into that.

2013-01-11 15:52:00 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

At HP Cloud we are hiring for the websites team. If you're a senior developer  with an eye for detail and like driving efforts who'se looking for a job we have a req for you to consider... https://hp.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?job=1011085

If you have questions please feel free to ask. I'll be as open and honest as I can be.

2013-01-03 14:35:54 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

So, lots of people are upset about politics in the US. Lets talk about the first step to something better...

Congress has a ridiculously low approval rating and high disapproval rating. I've heard from people on all sides of the political spectrum that they are unhappy. And, we are on a time limit. We can only increase the debt at a mass rate for so long before major problems happen. So, what can we do?

There is a simple first step. In 2 years there will be another election. While not a US presidential election, congress and state reps will be elected.

How about we "the people" find people we know with great personal character, an ability to solve practical problems (like engineers), and who can work with others of differing views. Then we butter these folks up and talk them into funning for office.

If we are unhappy with the decisions of the... more »

2012-12-28 17:45:23 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I was tinkering around with how to transfer files to the cloud and fast. This is what I came up with...

2012-12-19 02:20:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Hello folks, my name is Matt and I work on HP Cloud. This includes things you've seen like the website, the PHP language library, and more (coming soon). If you have questions about HP Cloud feel free to ask. Otherwise I'm generally interested in building and using cloud stuff.

2012-12-17 12:43:04 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

For a moment I want to talk about why the whole gun thing is more complicated that I've been reading online.

First, I wish stopping events like the school shooting in Connecticut was as simple as banning guns. If only it were that simple it would make things so much easier.

To be clear, I think the goal is to stop violent events like the Connecticut school shooting and not to stop gun crimes. That includes events like the Oklahoma city bombing that were carried out by other means.

A good place to start is with perspective on guns. Mine comes from the environment I live in where I grew up around:
1. 4 of the top 10 most violent crime cities in the US are an hour drive from where I live. You can't turn on the local news without new incidents showing up.
2. Hunting. In Michigan, where I live, there is a hunting culture.
3. A farming culture that needs to... more »

2012-12-13 20:28:45 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Published a Chrome Extension that turns any copied rich text into markdown when pasting to textarea. Good for copying and pasting documents from Google Docs to github, etc.
Here's repository: https://github.com/agektmr/MarkdownPastr

2012-12-11 15:12:28 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

For the #git users out there, this is a quick guide on installing git-subtree. Subtree is a sort of replacement for git submodules and is part of the git contrib. I'm a fan.

2012-12-10 17:05:40 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

So, building CLI (console) applications in PHP may not be such a bad idea. This post is a little peak into why.

2012-12-06 20:15:00 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

At HP Cloud we are looking to hire an interactive designer. If you are interested in the position I can talk through the details of what this will entail with you.

https://hp.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?job=1077351

2012-12-03 14:33:12 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

So, my hard drive crashed, my backup drive failed, and it was getting ready to head out on vacation. This post has a list of the technologies I used to survive that without loosing anything important.

2012-11-15 17:48:44 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

"You hate your life, while some people dream of having your life"
Life is tough. But at least we have food. Right? Hot food and lots of it. At least we have a home. Right? A warm bed, pillows and blankets. At least we have clothes. Right? Lots of clothes in fact. At least we have parents, siblings, people who love, protect us. Right?

If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of the world.

If you have money in the bank, your wallet, and some spare change you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness you are more blessed than the million people who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the agony of imprisonment or torture, or the horrible pangs ofs... more »

2012-11-13 17:52:36 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

In the last couple months #HPCloud has had a bunch of updates. Being as I can't find one place where these are posted I thought I'd throw a short list together really quickly.

- RDB (the MySQL compliant DBaaS) added a number of new features around security and sizing. This is in private beta and you can signup at https://www.hpcloud.com/products/RDB. Note, we use this to power the database on blog.hpcloud.com and it has been great to use. Better than many private beta products I've used in the past.

- The Unix (https://docs.hpcloud.com/cli/unix) and Windows (https://docs.hpcloud.com/cli/windows) CLIs have released numerous new features including managing windows servers, temporary URLs for sharing objects from storage, additions to help copy objects from local to remote locations, etc.

- The sites have a new top nav to try and help users navigate the sites more... more »

2012-11-12 14:36:54 (14 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Now that the election is over I have a question burning in my head. One that if I had asked a month ago I think I would have gotten snippet political answers and that I might still get now. Still this is a question I'm wondering about in a detailed, problem solving, and future looking manner.

The current state is that the US has about 16 trillion dollars in debt and has been increasing in debt by about 1 trillion per year. The debt has shifted from internal borrowing of money (one part of the government to another part) to getting money external sources. For example, the US debt owned by non-US has increased by about 70%. The US debt per person is over $53k. That is higher than Italy or Greece who are two countries that have needed to be bailed out and reformed around their debt issues.

The second piece of context is that the US is becoming an aged population. 26% of the population... more »

2012-10-17 14:31:28 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I've been long wondering who the target audiences of Drupal (and drupal development) are. In this post I explore what I've been observing recently.

2012-10-16 14:27:03 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Now that PHP has anonymous functions (has had for some time) I've found myself using them with QueryPath. This post is a quick primer on how I've been doing this.

2012-10-09 14:27:19 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

I've been wondering if Drupal targets developers or has in recent releases? I was quite surprised at what I learned when I asked the question rather than speak about the frustration I ran into.

2012-10-08 15:34:08 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I'm starting to get opinionated on product development and what's important. Here's a little insight into that.

2012-10-04 12:13:14 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

During the first presidential debate there was talk of cutting the subsidy to PBS. When I heard that I started to question what does that mean and who does that impact.

For anyone who doesn't know, Mitt Romney said "I'm going to stop the subsidy to PBS. I'm going to stop other things. I like PBS, I love Big Bird. Actually like you, too. But I'm not going to -- I'm not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for." (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57525691/transcript-first-2012-presidential-debate-part-1/?pageNum=5&tag=page) - Note, if you didn't follow the debate it's worth reading the material around it to understand the context of that statement.

In addition to this comment there is the context shows like Sesame Street is already producing far fewer shows per year than it used to. For example, in the... more »

2012-09-21 14:44:05 (11 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

For all the people who are complaining and mocking the new Apple Maps app... how many are spending any time providing feedback on what's wrong with the app and it's data. I'm not sure publicly complaining or mocking while providing no feedback to the organization itself is a good thing.

The link here has the rather simple process to provide feedback on map data.