Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve written a post and this one would qualify as shameless promotion, but I’m going to do it anyway.  A couple weeks ago, my teammates and I got into a quick discussion during our weekly team meeting about a particular meatball food truck here in Chicago.  Fast forward a couple days later and another co-worker, upon hearing that we were intrigued about food trucks, emails a few of us to see if we had heard/tried another truck.  For some reason, a new idea popped into my head: food truck aggregator.  Upon some initial investigation to see if one already existed, I found there were some decent ones for L.A., D.C. and NYC  but none really for Chicago.  I mean, there were a couple sites and mobile apps but I felt they were lacking.  Either they were only following a few trucks or I felt the presentation could be better or we thought there were features that were missing.

While everyone else sitting around us thought we were probably just joking, we actually started on the idea that night.  I began building the site piece by piece using various APIs, most of them, I had never used before.  I have to admit, I became slightly obsessed trying to figure out how to get this to work.  It’s actually quite refreshing to have a project that has peaked my interest so much in a long time.  After searching for the perfect domain that was actually available, I settled on using foodtruckcorner.com and launched it 3 weeks later.

Granted, it’s not quite the finished version yet but the basic functionality is there – you can see multiple truck locations all on one page.  Most of the features I’m looking to incorporate involve some type of filtering – whether it’s for particular type of truck, trucks that are available for a particular time span or trucks located within a radius of a specific location that the user searches on.  I am also constantly tweaking my mapping ability.

So yeah, check it out if you live in the Chicagoland area.  I’m hoping once I get everything set that I can expand to other cities.

Since this is my first time at South By Southwest (SXSW), I figured it would be a good idea to write about my experiences for others who are contemplating going in the future and also, make sure I don’t forget anything that I picked up during my trip.  If you’ve never heard of SXSW, it’s an interactive, film and music conference and festival every year in Austin, TX.  As someone who works for a .com and made the first 7 years of my career as a web developer, I came here specially to attend the interactive part. Let me sum up the last 4 days with one word: exhausting. And that’s with skipping the first full day!

Our technology team has what we call “Think Days”.  Essentially, it’s one full work day every other week where the developers are allowed to research any topic that may or may not be related to the current projects that they are assigned.  The best way that I can explain SXSW is that it’s Think Day on crack.  It’s definitely a place for information overload but in a good way.

During the day, you have a number of choices of different sessions that you can choose from at various locations in downtown Austin.  It’s a little bit of a challenge to pick which session is the right one for you.  It reminded me alot of what it was like to pick classes during my undergrad days.  Since some of the locations were much farther than the others, you had to decide if you had enough time to hop between locations and if it was generally worth the time and effort.  I found that the shuttles that were supposed to take you to the various hotels was not very efficient so I kept my sessions down to only three locations.  There were definitely more than a few that were at one location that I wish I could have attended but it would have basically cost me 2 additional sessions, one before and after, with just the time it would take to travel back and forth.

Despite that, overall, I would definitely recommend going… and it’s not just because it was a nice break from the Chicago winter.  It was quite an experience.   For someone who likes to be creative and whose job is to come up with new ideas, whether it be for new ways to improve existing products or to come up with totally new ones, it felt fantastic to be surrounded by people who shared similar interests (i.e. big geeks) and were able to stimulate my mind with a thousand new ideas that I can take back to my company.

Because there’s way too much information to share for one, it’s probably best if I split up my writeup of each day as a separate post.  Some days were better than others but I can say without hesitation that every single session generated some new thought.

Oh and one more thing, I used Twitter more in the last few days (you can follow me at @okaychamp) than I have in the first so many months that I have had an account.  It was without a doubt the communication channel of choice for the conference without even being sponsored by them.

Okay… first, if you don’t know what a browser is (don’t feel ashamed if you don’t – and no, it is not Google) but a browser is a program that allows you to access websites.  Here’s a quick video explanation:

The 4 most popular web browsers are: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari.  Internet Explorer is the most dominant at 60% of the market (which is much lower than I was actually expecting), followed by 20% Firefox, 8% Chrome and 7% Safari.  The latest versions of all 4 of these browsers allow you to add extensions.

As a web developer, extensions have become very important with helping me get through everyday things – mostly with debugging (i.e. finding issues).  These are a few notable ones that I find the most useful.

1. Firebug (Firefox and Chrome)

Firebug is definitely one that’s catered for developers.  For front end developers, it’s great to inspect HTML and modify the style and layout of a page in real-time.  For other developers, it’s great for debugging javascript.  (Again, don’t worry if those last two sentences mean nothing to you.)  Now, I’m not condoning this BUT I’ve found a non-developer use for photo websites where they purposefully try to prevent you from downloading their images.  Using the tool, you can use the “inspect” function to hover over the images and expose the web address for the photo (i.e. the location for the .GIF or .JPEG) so that you can copy it into another window, open and download the image directly.

2. Screen Capture (Chrome) and Screengrab (Firefox)

Both of these are nice screen capture extensions.  Yes, you can take screenshots by pressing CTRL + PrintScr (or ALT + PrintScr for a specific window only) but these are much better.  For one thing, they allow you to choose between just capturing the visible content (which CTRL + PrintScr only allows), the whole page or even just a specific region.  Screen Capture also has an additional feature that allows you to highlight/underline certain areas in your screenshot.

3. FireFTP

First, FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol.  FTP clients are used to copy one file from one host to another.  So whether you have your own web hosting account or you are trying to access someone else’s, a FTP client lets you move files to and from that host.  FireFTP is nice because you don’t have to install another standalone FTP client, such as SmartFTP or WS_FTP.  Instead, you can easily open it directly as another tab right in your browser.

4. Web Developer (Firefox and Chrome) and IE Developer Toolbar (IE Versions 7 or Less)

This one is probably not for the non-developer.  However for us code monkeys, it’s great for allowing real-time CSS and HTML editing.  You can display the ruler to measure specific areas on the page.  You can toggle certain features like cookies, javascript, images, etc.  You can have it display all sorts of information about the anchors, ids, class names, tab index, etc.  It makes it easy to clear your cache, cookies and other private information.  You can use it to resize your browser window to a specific size.   You can validate your HTML, CSS, Feed; validate if you are 508 compliant even.  It’s definitely a time saver for things that might have previously required you to go line by line through the code.

For IE 8 users, you don’t need to install a separate toolbar.  It automatically comes as part of the browser.  You can find it under “Tools” -> “Developer Tools” or just press F12.

5. HttpWatch (IE and Firefox) or HttpFox (Firefox)

This one also is mostly for developers also.  It’s great for monitoring how your website loads.  If you were ever wondering if a certain element was slowing your site down, you’ll be able to see exactly in the order that it is loaded on the page and how long it took.  You can also see other details in the headers and cookies.

Earlier this year, I signed up for Amazon Prime when I found out that students could sign up for a free year.  It wasn’t until I moved recently to a new city, where I no longer have regular access to my car (it’s at my parents’ house in the burbs), that I have fully taken advantage of it.  If you’ve never heard of Amazon Prime, basically, it’s a $79 membership for Amazon.com for free 2-day shipping and $3.99 1-day shipping for all eligible retailers.  I purchase almost anything that I can possible now on Amazon: socks, cooking pans, movies, a Keurig, pen refills, a computer chair, an umbrella, a USB wifi adapter, a SD card for my camera, face lotion, etc.  Like my boss said, “I would buy my groceries through Amazon Prime if I could.”  It’s been totally awesome for Christmas shopping also, considering not only does Amazon have better prices than most in-store and online retailers, but I get free 2-day shipping and I don’t have to worry about figuring out how to carry all these presents on the train (since I just ship them directly to my mom and dad’s).

After my free year is up, I’m pretty sure I’m going to renew my membership.  With just a couple purchases, it pays for itself.

First… get your mind out of the gutter… this has nothing to do with what you think it does.  The Rasterbator actually is a pretty cool site/tool that I forgot about until it recently came up in conversation.  Anyways, what it does is it allows you to take any image and turn it into a dot matrix so that you can blow it up across multiple sheets of paper to wall size if you wanted to.  You have two options to use: their online version or download it.  The self-install is better if you have a larger image as it doesn’t have any size restrictions.  I believe you can customize the number of sheets of paper and also if you want it in color or grayscale.  Mostly, we’ve used it for office pranks such as when my former boss’ wife had a baby, we photoshoped one of our co-worker’s heads on a baby body for a congratulations sign.  Or when we photoshoped another co-worker’s head on an image of a person wearing a unitard and the boys put in in the bathroom stalls.

Have fun!

Yes, my slingbox died after 3 years of good service.  Of course, it dies also just as Sling releases a mobile app for Android.  I did hope that my search on multiple forums for possible fixes would work.  The only possible solution was a new adapter to which I purchased and it didn’t work.  I’m holding out though on buying a new one until I hear more about Google TV that is hopefully going to be released by the end of this year.  Word is that the set top box that goes with it, being produced by Logitech, is currently in the hands of the FCC.

So what do I do in the meantime?  Well, luckily, my very large cable and internet bill with Comcast has also the additional benefit of allowing me to access ESPN3 online.  The quality I have to say is pretty nice, although it does fluctuate every now and then, and I don’t believe it’s as clear as the live streams that the PGA and IBM offer during the Masters and the U.S. Open (also available to everyone).  So far, it’s been great to watch March Madness, the World Cup, and the acclaimed 11 hour Wimbledon tennis match while I am at work.  No, that’s not why I have dual monitors and yes, I was like the only person in my office who had to stay at my desk during the USA/Algeria game while everyone else went out to the nearby sports bar to watch it.  Speaking of which, time for me to login for the Germany/Spain game.

Yes, I finally joined Netflix.  I had all intentions of finally using it when I won a contest back in late October/early November last year and with my amazon gift card winnings, I purchased a Playstation 3 because of the fact that it was not also a blu-ray player, but it allowed Netflix streaming.  Fast forward 6 months later and now Netflix is also available to be streamed through the Wii (which I also own) and hence, got the disc and now use.  It is pretty awesome especially when there is nothing on TV and it’s cheap at only $8.99 a month.  My only complaint is that not all their titles are available to be instantly streamed which sucks today more than it did last week because the boys at work got me into this show, Dexter.  I watched the first 2 seasons through instant streaming but while Netflix has season 3, it is only available as a disc.  So now, I have to wait for another DVD that I already had in my queue to come in the mail, watch and return it, so that I can finally get to see the next episode.   I can see now how some people cancel their cable subscriptions completely and only subscribe to Netflix.  I think my friends Tony and Michael would have LOVED this back when we were in college if it existed then because they didn’t have cable and just bought alot of DVDs to watch in their apartment.  This would have opened up their selection and would have been much cheaper.  Unfortunately, my love of sports (especially for teams that are not local) will never get me to ever cancel my cable and thus Netflix will only be something additional.

I unfortunately happen to be a fan of 2 baseball teams (Yankees and Cubs) that I don’t live anywhere near.  For the most part, I’m limited to watching games that appear on ESPN, WGN, TBS or Fox and I can’t hear any of the local radio broadcasts.  As you may know, many Cubs games are also played during the day while I am at work.  I recently purchased MLB At Bat on the recommendation of one of my friends who lives in Illinois but his office is like a black hole for radio reception.  I was quite surprised that it was only $19.99 for the entire season.  Granted, it’s not as nice as being able to watch the game but when I’m at work, I really can only listen to the game anyways in the background.  You also have the ability to choose which radio feed (home or away).  There is also supposedly a mobile app but I’m not sure if you get charged separately for that feature.

So, if you don’t want to spend the money for an MLB package through your cable or satellite provider and don’t want to also pay the $89.95/$109.95 yearly or $19.95/$89.95 a month, MLB At Bat is definitely a good deal.

I’ve downloaded a lot of music over the years but even I get sick of hearing the same songs over and over again on my iPod.  I generally can’t stand morning radio since it’s mostly talk (other than the Eric and Kathy show on 101.9fm from back home in Chicago – but obviously, I can’t listen to that show away from my computer and it’s not on all day).  So how do you get to listen to songs that you actually like, with limited talk and commercials, and that you can listen to while you on the go?  Enter Pandora.

Pandora is a different kind of internet radio.  First off, it’s free to sign up.  Although you can upgrade for a paid version to get rid of commercials (but I find they are few and relatively short so I don’t find them annoying) and a few other perks.  Unlike other internet radio sites, you can create your own personal stations.  You simply start out with choosing an artist or a song that you like.  Pandora then plays that artists and also recommends songs from other artists that are similar.  How does it know what to recommend?  Well, in a recent article I read in WSJ Magazine, Tim Westergren, the founder of Pandora, said, “We try to break down every dimension of a song to its most basic building blocks – like melody, harmony, rhythm, instrumentation, vocal performance.”  Basically they map the DNA of the song and thus can predict what you might like based on the common elements.  Plus, with each song, you can rate it as a thumbs up or thumbs down so that Pandora can continue to learn which songs to play on your station.  Sound cool?  The free version also has a limit though in the case you may not dislike a song but may want to skip it – they only over 6 skips in an hour.

But what about when you’re on the go?  Well, if you have either an iPhone or Android phone at least, you can download their app for free.  As long as you have internet service, you can listen to it just as you were sitting at your computer at home or work (obviously, you are going to need an unlimited data plan since you will be streaming a lot of information).  I’ve found that it doesn’t really drain the battery on my Droid that much either if you keep your screen inactive.

So what stations do I have currently going?  I have one for the Muse (related bands: the Strokes, Coldplay, the White Stripes, Oasis,  Keane, etc), one for Jimmy Eat World  related bands: Smashing Pumpkins, Dashboard Confessional, Incubus, the Killers, etc) and one which I used Madonna’s Like a Prayer as the start (plays a lot of 80′s music).

I’m sure many of you have had the situation where you wanted to send something to a friend or family member (such as photos, music files, video,etc.) but couldn’t because most personal and work email systems cap attachments to no larger than 5 MB.  Well, there are a couple solutions available to help you to get around that.  These are the few that I’ve tried so far (and were free).

WeTransfer

This service is web based and allows you to send up to 2 GB.  While it does not require registration, you do need to enter the email address of the person you are sending the file to since that is how they are going to receive the message and instructions to download the file you’ve just sent them.  You also get a confirmation email when the person has successfully downloaded the file.  Files are kept online for 2 weeks and file and email information is supposedly kept private.  You can have up to 20 receivers.  Obviously, the emails kind of limit the range in which you can share a file but will serve most people’s needs.

FileDropper

This was another service that is also web based and does not require registration.  However, it allows you up to transfer files up to 5 GB.  You don’t need your friend’s email address since you just upload your file and it gives you the URL for you to hand out to whoever to download the file.

If you do want some more robust services such as the ability to track your files, password protect them or mark them as private, you can register.  They offer a free 7 day trial and then after that, the prices range from $.99 to $10 a month.

Obviously if you are looking for more security, tracking abilities, or something closer to online storage, there are more free and paid services you can check out.  Alot of them are covered in this recent article from CNET:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20000133-248.htm