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js4u

JS 4U 30: Creating New Objects

February 8, 2011 7:13:45.302

Javascript 4 U

Today's Javascript 4 You. Today we take a look at creating your own Javascript objects. If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube.

Join the Facebook Group to discuss the tutorials. You can view the archives here.

To watch now, click on the image below:

Cookies

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

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posted by James Robertson

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weather

More Ice?

February 8, 2011 7:43:04.752

This looks like fun:

At least it warmed up while I was back at home, and all of last week's ice went away....

posted by James Robertson

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Macintosh

Mac Problems

February 9, 2011 8:23:32.110

I can't get the daily screencast posted - my MBP seems to be unable to connect to the wifi here (even though every other device I have can).  This leads me to believe that I have a hardware issue of somekind. I have a call into Apple, but with the ice/snow storm in progress here in Dallas, I doubt I'll make it to the Apple store until I get back home.  Sigh.

Update: The good news is, it's not the Mac - I walked a short distance to a McDonalds, and the wifi connects just fine. The bad news is, I now need to talk to (probably clueless) hotel staff. Bah.

posted by James Robertson

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st4u

ST 4U 45: Processes in Smalltalk

February 9, 2011 9:53:56.872

Today's Smalltalk 4 You takes a look at the process model in Smalltalk. While the screencast uses Pharo, the same principles apply across at least Squeak, Pharo, Cuis, and VisualWorks. If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube. To watch now, click on the image below:

Smalltalk Processes

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

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posted by James Robertson

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js4u

JS 4U 31: Defining Your Own Class

February 10, 2011 7:32:54.703

Javascript 4 U

Today's Javascript 4 You. Today we take a look at creating your own Javascript classes. If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube.

Join the Facebook Group to discuss the tutorials. You can view the archives here.

To watch now, click on the image below:

Class Creation

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

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posted by James Robertson

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smalltalk

Pharoconf Today

February 10, 2011 7:51:13.873

There's a Pharo event going on today - you can follow the news via Twitter.

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posted by James Robertson

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web

He Complains Too Much

February 10, 2011 13:46:53.000

I'd have more sympathy for Tim Bray's rant about ajax usage and weird url strings if twitter.com/timbray fell on the floor. But look gang - it actually goes to his twitter stream. Sure, along the way it redirects to the funky hashbang url and picks up the ajaxified stuff he goes on about, but still - the simple url actually works.

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posted by James Robertson

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general

How the Other Half Lives

February 10, 2011 15:00:00.000

One of the things that's been a real revelation to me in this job is the whole "how the other half lives" thing. What do I mean by that?

Well, back when I worked at Cincom, it was pretty easy for me to push stuff out to the web,and to access whatever I wanted to see on the web. I worked from home, on a machine I had full access to. At this new job, I'm seeing how things are for software developers in big shops:

  • Locked down, developer level access only Windows clients
  • Firewalls that block everything - streaming media, tons of blog sites, anything related to video games, and so on

Now, the blockage makes sense to the IT department - after all, you don't want your proxy server taken down when everyone wants to watch the latest viral YouTube video. On the other hand, it makes it clear to me how some of what I was doing at Cincom didn't always reach the target audience. Tutorial videos on YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook? Blocked. Public Store Repository? Blocked. Heck, the only reason that the audio and video I hosted on the Cincom servers is accessible is because that site isn't a "known" streaming service.

Fortunately, I still have my personal machine, and once I get to working at home more often I'll be back on the public net more continuously. For people working fulltime in a large organization's office though? The wider net really only exists before and after work, and that means in between family obligations.

That's why all of the social media outreach I'm so in favor of can't be the only thing you do. At this point in time, there are still a ton of people who won't ever see it - at least during working hours.

posted by James Robertson

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st4u

ST 4U 46: Autocomplete in Pharo

February 11, 2011 7:38:33.736

Today's Smalltalk 4 You takes a look at autocompletion in Pharo. If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube. To watch now, click on the image below:

Pharo Autocomplete

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

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posted by James Robertson

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smalltalk

Aida 6.2 Out

February 11, 2011 18:15:21.129

Janko Mivsek has an early spring gift:

On the sunny side of the Alps we have a spring already, so let me bring a bit spring to you too with this new Aida release :) Fresh features from last month:

  • new event framework
  • unified JSON messaging (over WebSocket, Ajax, Comet)
  • pure JavaScript for Ajax, Prototype loaded only on demand

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posted by James Robertson

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smalltalk

Silver Smalltalk?

February 11, 2011 19:24:24.298

posted by James Robertson

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fnvdiary

That Podcast 17: Dead Money Take Two

February 11, 2011 22:55:41.997

That Podcast: FNV Diary

Welcome to episode 17 of "That Podcast: An FNV Diary" - a podcast where Michael Lucas-Smith and I document our trials and tribulations in Fallout: New Vegas.

On today's podcast, I'm joined by guest host Michael Fincher again. Now that I've finished "Dead Money" properly, we took another look at it, start to finish. I built a new character with this DLC in mind, and that's what we spoke about.

You can subscribe in iTunes (or any podcatcher) using this feed, or this one for the AAC edition. You can get to the podcast directly in iTunes via this link. You can also go to the iTunes store and leave a comment, or join the Facebook Group and discuss the podcast.

If you want to download the podcast directly, I've provided it in three formats:

Got feedback? Send it to James. We'd really appreciate it if you head on over to iTunes and leave a comment - enjoy the podcast, and we'll see you in the wastelands!

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posted by James Robertson

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fnvdiaryAAC

That Podcast 17: Dead Money Take Two (AAC)

February 11, 2011 22:56:02.747

That Podcast: FNV Diary

Welcome to episode 17 of "That Podcast: An FNV Diary" - a podcast where Michael Lucas-Smith and I document our trials and tribulations in Fallout: New Vegas.

On today's podcast, I'm joined by guest host Michael Fincher again. Now that I've finished "Dead Money" properly, we took another look at it, start to finish. I built a new character with this DLC in mind, and that's what we spoke about.

You can subscribe in iTunes (or any podcatcher) using this feed, or this one for the AAC edition. You can get to the podcast directly in iTunes via this link. You can also go to the iTunes store and leave a comment, or join the Facebook Group and discuss the podcast.

If you want to download the podcast directly, I've provided it in three formats:

Got feedback? Send it to James. We'd really appreciate it if you head on over to iTunes and leave a comment - enjoy the podcast, and we'll see you in the wastelands!

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[fnvdiary17.m4a ( Size: 20016783 )]

posted by James Robertson

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music

The Way Things Were

February 12, 2011 11:37:21.991

In case anyone thinks that the music piracy argument is new - not so much. Before iPods and CDs, there was the mix tape:

I guarantee I am not the only one with a couple of tapes marked "Road Tunes" for playing while cruising the highway. For a while I was in the habit of buying an LP, listening to it a couple of times, and then putting the tracks onto a tape in an order I found pleasing. You may roll your eyes now, I don't care.

For me, it was less for road trips and more for college parties - how else could I ensure that a Blue Oyster Cut track or two made it into the soundtrack?

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posted by James Robertson

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games

Fixed the FNV Cast Files

February 12, 2011 13:59:20.791

FNV Podcast

Michael pointed out to me that there was a two minute dead space in the podcast - during the call, skype dropped out and I left the recording running to keep things in synch. Later, I neglected to edit the dead space out. I reposted the audio files, and updated the original posts, so if you grab episode 17 now, everything should be cool.

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posted by James Robertson

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smalltalk

Squeak 4.2 is Out

February 12, 2011 18:44:34.079

There's a new release of Squeak available: 4.2:

I'd like to call Squeak 4.2 finally officially released now. I posted the first maintenance "fix" to the squeak42 repository the other day, so our process for applying maintenance updates has been tested, in case we should need any more. I'm still waiting for final web-site updates from Janko, but I see no reason to postpone announcing any longer.

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posted by James Robertson

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podcast

Independent Misinterpretions 17: Gemstone at ESUG 2010

February 13, 2011 13:21:11.142

Welcome to episode 17 of Independent Misinterpretations - a Smalltalk and dynamic language oriented podcast with James Robertson, Michael Lucas-Smith, and David Buck. This week I have a a talk from ESUG 2010 - Martin McClure of Gemstone.

You can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (or any other podcatching software) using this feed directly or in iTunes with this one.

To listen now, you can either download the mp3 edition, or the AAC edition. The AAC edition comes with chapter markers. You can subscribe to either edition of the podcast directly in iTunes; just search for Smalltalk and look in the Podcast results. You can subscribe to the mp3 edition directly using this feed, or the AAC edition using this feed using any podcatching software. You can also download the podcast in ogg format.

If you like the music we use, please visit Josh Woodward's site. We use the song Troublemaker for our intro/outro music. I'm sure he'd appreciate your support!

If you have feedback, send it to jarober@gmail.com - or visit us on Facebook - you can subscribe in iTunes using this iTunes enabled feed.. If you enjoy the podcast, pass the word - we would love to have more people hear about Smalltalk!

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posted by James Robertson

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podcastAAC

Independent Misinterpretions 17: Gemstone at ESUG 2010 (AAC)

February 13, 2011 13:21:39.562

Welcome to episode 17 of Independent Misinterpretations - a Smalltalk and dynamic language oriented podcast with James Robertson, Michael Lucas-Smith, and David Buck. This week I have a a talk from ESUG 2010 - Martin McClure of Gemstone.

You can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (or any other podcatching software) using this feed directly or in iTunes with this one.

To listen now, you can either download the mp3 edition, or the AAC edition. The AAC edition comes with chapter markers. You can subscribe to either edition of the podcast directly in iTunes; just search for Smalltalk and look in the Podcast results. You can subscribe to the mp3 edition directly using this feed, or the AAC edition using this feed using any podcatching software. You can also download the podcast in ogg format.

If you like the music we use, please visit Josh Woodward's site. We use the song Troublemaker for our intro/outro music. I'm sure he'd appreciate your support!

If you have feedback, send it to jarober@gmail.com - or visit us on Facebook - you can subscribe in iTunes using this iTunes enabled feed.. If you enjoy the podcast, pass the word - we would love to have more people hear about Smalltalk!

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posted by James Robertson

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gadgets

Game on in Mobile Video

February 14, 2011 6:10:39.690

Spotted in Engadget:

Flash 10.2 will be coming to both tablets and smartphones "in the next few weeks." Come again? You see, Adobe Flash 10.2 uses fewer CPU cycles to play back web video, likely providing better battery life in Android devices (and BlackBerry tablets), but Adobe told us it can't support the function in earlier versions of the Android OS -- Google had to specifically add new capabilities in Honeycomb to let Flash 10.2 take full advantage of hardware.

Sounds to me like Apple's criticisms hit Adobe where they live, and inspired them to improve things. When the next rev of Android and Flash arrive together, it might make Apple have to think.

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posted by James Robertson

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st4u

ST 4U 47: Adjusting Pharo Autocompletion

February 14, 2011 8:12:11.995

Today's Smalltalk 4 You takes a another look at Autocompletion in Pharo - you can modify the way it behaves based on a few simple preference options. If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube. To watch now, click on the image below:

Pharo Autocompletion

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

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posted by James Robertson

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smalltalk

Seaside Tutorial in Pharo

February 14, 2011 12:16:33.613

Gemstone's Seaside 3 tutorial has been updated.

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posted by James Robertson

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js4u

JS 4U 32: Constructors

February 15, 2011 6:37:14.816

Javascript 4 U

Today's Javascript 4 You. Today we take a look at constructors for Javascript object creation. If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube.

Join the Facebook Group to discuss the tutorials. You can view the archives here.

To watch now, click on the image below:

Class Creation

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

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posted by James Robertson

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smalltalk

CloudFork Adds Authentication

February 15, 2011 8:28:54.922

Spotted in Smalltalk in The Cloud:

With the CloudforkSSO library you can let the users of your Seaside web application login using their Google or Yahoo accounts. This works using the OpenID2 protocol. CloudforkSSO also contains OAuth support. With this protocol you can ask users for permission to access their data on other websites.

I recall some real hassles implementing OAuth against Twitter - I was never sure whether I was at fault, or whether Twitter was - it worked sometimes. It's nice to see someone else has done the heavy lifting :)

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posted by James Robertson

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marketing

Not So Much

February 15, 2011 9:13:37.741

David Meerman Scott thinks that companies that block various social media sites are going to face uprisings of a sort:

I'm wondering when will companies that block employee access to social networks go through the same sort of revolution as Egypt? I think it will be soon. These companies are ripe for uprising.

Well - not so much. Sure, it's irritating to not be able to get to various things in a locked down environment, but - what are you going to do? Tell your spouse that you were willing to lose your job (and risk your mortgage, etc) because you couldn't get to YouTube?

The way this might play out will be slower and less obvious. As younger people used to the "always on" culture rise through the ranks, a lot of the restrictions will drop away. The companies that stay locked down will have a harder time hiring (assuming the job market eventually loosens up, of course). In the meantime, I seriously doubt you'll see job actions over this kind of thing.

posted by James Robertson

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itNews

A Restriction Too Far?

February 15, 2011 21:12:30.895

I think that Apple's latest restrictions on subscriptions - that vendors have to sell through the app store, and can't provide a link to external services - is going to cause a lot of problems. Rhapsody is is the first to complain, but I doubt they'll be the last. I can hardly wait to see what Amazon does with the Kindle app (if it applies to Amazon; that's unclear right now):

Rhapsody has issued a statement, which says that it's not going to play ball and even levels a bit of a threat: "We will be collaborating with our market peers in determining an appropriate legal and business response to this latest development." The big trouble stems from the fact that Apple requires anybody offering a subscription service to offer that service for the same price or less through Apple. That means you can still sign up folks through your own methods and get all the cash, but if anybody signs up through your app, Apple gets a 30 percent cut. In addition, Apple is no longer allowing applications to include a link to an external site for purchasing, which means vendors will have trouble getting new users to pay them directly instead of using Apple's simple but heavily-taxed option.

This is going to get uglier for Apple as more vendors start to follow Rhapsody's lead. I tend to be very cynical about government involvement in this sort of thing, but this much is clear: Apple really, really shouldn't want that kind of attention.

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posted by James Robertson

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