June 2010
11 posts
Hatted Up Site (Independent Study) →
In addition to the senior project, I did an independent study. I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. Here’s the process book for it as well.
Updated Process Book →
Ugh…finally done. See you guys at the show!
Final Site Link →
It took a lot longer than I thought it would. It’s finished! Well, mostly finished. I just need to add some filler content like ads and stuff. Other than that, I’m pretty much done! Next up! Process book. Guh…
Final Countdown
Site’s due tomorrow. Pulling an all-nighter so I can get it at least 95% done. Right now, I’m at about 80%. I think I can knock it out. See y’all tomorrow. I’ll make sure to post the link to the site tomorrow night.
Using Sessions →
Here’s a nice little explanation of sessions for PHP. They’re great for passing and storing data from page to page.
Buttons
Right now, I’m working on styling buttons and then creating fake, but believable user content.
Portfolio Booth Supplies
I bought some supplies today for my booth and last night I scoped out furniture in my house that I could possibly use. I found a small table perfect to fit in my 6x6’ square along with my arcade-looking desk setup. At Michael’s, I bought some black cardboard. to create panels on the arcade desk.
Combined Social Stats →
This is a nice little doo-hickey to add to the site to increase social network connections.
Free Sketch Templates →
I found some great sketch templates. I think I might try using them before I finalize a design.
Banner
I’m working on the banner right now. I’m gonna try to follow an earthy green color scheme. I’m going to use the same type that I have in my design comps. I was thinking of using a college backdrop (university columns, lawn, etc.) and blending it behind the name of the site. I’m going move the logo to the end of the text. I’ll let you know how it goes. I’ll post...
Design Time
Major coding portion of the site is finished. Now to slap on a design. Pray for me!
5 Good Reasons Why Designers Should Code →
I love these reasons. Plus they give me some reassurance. Lol.
May 2010
21 posts
Grad Fest
Tonight, I went to Grad Fest. There I made sure everything was in order (accounting/financial, library late fees, attendance, etc.) to make sure nothing would stop me from graduating. I’m very happy to say I’m cleared to graduate. I, of course, still have to complete this senior project and my other projects. Bah! The final countdown! …back to work.
In the zone
When I’m in the zone, it’s tough for me to stop so I’ll keep this short. Admin backend is almost done. I added ability to change security levels and delete users and posts. Now I’m going to add option for admin to edit users and all posts. Gotta get this done! Later!
Portfolio Theme
I think I’ve got my portfolio theme together. I’m doing sort of a classic retro video game, Space Invaders feel for my booth. I’m just about finishing the plans, business card design, resume design, etc. I’ll reveal them in a later post.
Google Font API & Google Font Directory →
Looks like I won’t have to drop fonts in images anymore. Man. This is awesome!
myNoSQL: Learning NoSQL from Twitter's Experience →
Leaving aside the tons of NoSQL Twitter applications — and if that is not enough here are more NoSQL-based Twitter apps and even more, Twitter seems to be having a lot of fun (nb read work and innovation) in the NoSQL space.
It all started with the problem of handling big data in…
Check out this interesting article on how Twitter handles large amounts of data.
Touchups to Front End
There were a few things I forgot to add to the front end that I just realized when working on the backend. I forgot to add canceling, denying and removing options for items. I added those. I also had some issues with how to add book switching credits/currency to the system. I’m about to implement it now. I’ll explain the credits system in more detail in a later post.
Wonder Emporium
Xculture.tv and dcdesignbabes.com is hosting an event called Wonder Emporium. It looks to be a fun event for web designers such as myself. The event happens 2 days after my graduation. I’m definitely going. I hope to network and hopefully find myself a job!
Learn more about it here: http://wonderemporium.eventbrite.com/
CSS 2.1 and CSS 3 Cheat Sheets →
Some very handy and visually appealing cheat sheets.
Administrative Backend Begins
I started working on the administrative backend. In the administrative backend, a super-admin will be able to edit and delete all catalog items, all user profiles, and all user security levels.
Tip: Version Control
It’s important to keep saving different versions of your project as you work along. With these different versions, one can see the progress and one can also backtrack to an older version if one feels the current version is taking a step in the wrong direction.
For example, in working with this senior project, I’ve been saving different versions in separate folders whenever I...
Another Status Report
Last night, I was able to finish the request acceptance/confirmation coding and did a little bit of the add textbook to catalog coding. Tonight, I should be able to finish that code up. And after that? I’ll be doing the administrative backend for a super-admin. Fun stuff!
Gaining Acceptance
Haha. The title sounds deep, doesn’t it? It’s not that serious. Maybe it is, haha. My next task is to finish the request acceptance/confirmation coding. That should kill a meaty portion of the code. Yikes and I just remembered I still have to do the coding to add items to the swap catalog. Ok, no more blogging. Back to work!
Hit the Request Line
I finished the coding for the swap request system. It took a little longer than I thought it would. I had some issues with sessions and putting checks in place to make sure the user doesn’t request the same item more than once and other issues.
I could’ve gotten a lot more done this weekend if I wasn’t preoccupied with Mother’s Day. Happy Belated Mother’s Day to...
Google Rolls Out Analytics Apps Gallery →
The visualization apps are pretty cool. The Keyword Tree Visualizer can let you see what keywords drive people to your site in a visually appealing way.
Microsoft's IE Losing Browser Share →
I hope they lose more. Haha.
Knockin' Em Out
Tonight, I finished coding the registration and login coding. I’ve also completed coding for displaying all the book items available for swap. I’m on a roll!
April 2010
16 posts
Proper Saving > Being Late for Whatever
I was in a rush this morning. I thought I saved my work to my external 120gb drive. It’s not in there. Hopefully, it’s saved in my 1tb drive or my desktop at home. *crosses fingers* BAH!
Let this be a lesson. Make sure everything’s properly saved to where you want it to be no matter how late you’re running. Or better yet, prevent yourself from ever putting yourself in a...
2010 State of Web Development Survey Results. →
Some interesting statistics
Crunch Time
Beta testing next week. Still got a lot to do to have something testable. I’m going to be pulling my first all-nighter of the quarter and possibly one of the last all nighters of my college career. Week 5, you’re mine!
Other News: Senior Portfolio Ideas
In other news, I’ve been working on ideas for my senior portfolio theme display. I was thinking of doing a retro old school arcade theme. I’ve been working on pixel-like logos messing around with my initials. I’ll post some sketches later. I think I’m onto something. Wish me luck!
Multi-user Login System
Right now I’m working on the login/register system for the site. Video tutorials from developphp.com are my friend. I’ve made one before, but these seem to be a whole lot cleaner.
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Google Drawings for Wireframes →
I had no idea you could use Google Drawings in Google Docs to create wireframes. It looks pretty cool. This article explains the high points of it and it also provides a template kit.
CSS3 Rounded Div Boxes
I really like the rounded box attribute that CSS3 has. Too bad not all browsers support it. *cough* IE *cough* There is a way to do it using old css like here, but CSS3 makes it way easier.
Creative Funk
I’m in a creative funk right now. Could it be senioritis? I really need to get the ball rolling. I’ve only got till 5th week to have something presentable. I’m going to browse some photoshop tutorials. Hopefully, that will spark some inspiration. *sigh* Wish me luck!
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Page Column Generator →
This week, I’ve got to put together the xhtml/css markup in which I’m going to place my coding elements. This site really comes in handy in creating columns for pages. It’s really quick and easy.
Working Timeline →
Here’s a schedule that’ll hopefully keep me on track.
7 tags
5 tags
Projet de Terminale Part Deux!
I’m baaaaaaack. Projet de Terminale Part Deux begins now. I’ve completed planning for this project so now comes the time to produce it. I have till 5th week to get a beta test running. Wish me luck!
December 2009
12 posts
Senior Project Click-through →
Interactive Powerpoint Click-through Presentation of Switcheroo.com
Process Book →
A compilation of what I’ve finished for the site so far.