Tag: Main Top Header Menu

By Posted on Posted in Cell Phones, Free, Open Source, PDRater, Technobabble Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Aug
4
2008
This jet
This jet

Mostly because its so flipping cool.

I’m one of those kinds of people who likes to customize their things to suit them better. My junky cell phone has a custom ringtone I created, custom welcome/power-on message, my e-mail and word processing programs have tons of little shortcuts to make my life a little easier in a multitude of ways. My dictaphone has a sticker on it.1

The great thing about WordPress is that the entire program is SO customizable. You can change how it looks with “Themes” and how it acts with “Plugins.” I’ve been using it since March or so, even though it wasn’t publicly launched until July. I’m still finding all of these cool little features.

My current favorite feature: The ability to schedule a post. I can draft a quick post and then schedule it to appear on a particular day or time. Brilliant!

Its the little things in life, you know?

  1. A sticker of a jet. [↩]

By Posted on Posted in PDRater, Technobabble Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Aug
1
2008

Here’s a (simplified) overview of how my permanent disability/impairment and workers’ compensation benefits calculators work. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I wrote these website calculators using javascript, PHP, MySQL, and AJAX.

In a recent post, I created a really simple test for cell phones using the above languages. Here’s what was happening:

  • The user clicks the button “Cell Test.”
  • The javascript embedded in the button detects the “click.”
  • The javascript embedded in the button then tells an AJAX program that the button was clicked.
  • AJAX sends a little bit of information to the web server – saying that the user clicked that button.
  • The PHP program on the server is notified that the button was clicked.
  • The PHP program checks a MySQL table to see what it should happen when that button is clicked.
  • The MySQL table returns the answer, what should happen when a button is clicked, to the PHP program.
  • The PHP program takes the answer from the MySQL table and sends it back to the AJAX program.
  • The AJAX program takes that information and, using a little bit of javascript, displays the answer in your web browser.

Easy!

By Posted on Posted in PDRater, Technobabble, Website Updates Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,
Jul
28
2008

Warning! Technobabble! Warning! Permanent brain damage could result! If you’re not into technobabble, please just skip this post.

In order to put up the Articles page, I had to modify the WordPress theme I’m using. The WordPress Themer Kit is a really really great tool for the design-challenged.12

You don’t have to have any special design skill, just the ability to tinker with cascading style sheets.3

Melty calculators
Melty calculators

Up until now, I’ve tried to keep the theme modifications to a minimum. I’ve done this before – such as to add the nifty little rounded corners to the tops and bottom of each page. One little error and your entire blog looks like alphabet soup or, worse, a Dali painting.

Don’t get me wrong – I like Dali. I just think my calculators would be more difficult to use if they went all melty.
P.S. Don’t leave your website calculators out in the sun.

  1. I think the bald guy is going to win. [↩]
  2. My wife watches the show. Sounds like a lame disclaimer, I know. [↩]
  3. I warned you! Didn’t I warn you about the technobabble!?! [↩]