dylanjones.info - api

August Summary

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-08-26T13:45:35+00:00

A few notable things to mention for this, the least sunniest summer I have seen in a long time.

I have spent most waking hours at my workplace - Hotel Commodore.
I have passed first year Electronics (finally!)
I have grasped json handling using jQuery (just about)
The Victorian Festival is dead. There is less and less stuff each year now.
I have invested in an arduino board.
and I am looking forward to moving to Leeds in September.

Music Projects

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-08-03T16:03:57+00:00

On recently registering for the London Music Hack Day, I have been thinking of ideas for using web services such as Twitter, Facebook, LastFM and others, which come with beautifully wrapped APIs, to put together some fun music applications.

Introducing the Facebook Friend Artist Wall

This application gets your Facebook friends musical likes and displays a wall of artist images. Clicking on an artist fetches a related song from the Echo Nest API to play you.

It can also display a word cloud of popular artists amongst your friends.

I have a couple of other ideas that I am going to mess around with over the next few days including some geo-location stuff. Keep an eye out!

Facebook Privacy

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-07-30T15:02:24+00:00

Facebook privacy has popped up again in the news, yawn.

The personal details of more than 100 million Facebook users have been published on the internet.

Yes and why is this news? Those 100 million Facebook users gave their 'personal details' (happens to be name, gender, profile picture and locality) to Facebook on the internet. So, I am pretty sure that they were expecting to see their names on the internet.

Story Background: A security consultant put the list of users together using the Facebook Graph API. The dataset has now been uploaded to torrent sites allowing people easy access to the names and URLs of Facebook users.

So what is all the fuss about?

The data that has been collected is freely available via a search on Facebook or by a search engine. If people do not want their names 'published' on the internet, then they either need to:

a) use a fake name as their online identity
b) stay offline

iPhone Ringtones

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-07-27T01:27:06+00:00

I have just found a great tutorial on getting any song as a ringtone on your iPhone

http://www.tuneclone.com/how-to-make-free-iphone-ringtones-with-itunes9.php

Web Analytics + Design

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-07-23T12:32:03+00:00

Oh yes, it is that time of year again for a quick up haul of the CSS again!

Updates include:

Horizantal Navigation
More Images
Bigger Images
Full use of width, whatever screen resolution
Page Tools
Better Browser Support (mainly IE)

What are you opinions?

The big job over the refurbishment was stepping back from HTML 5 tags section and article - the reason behind this was rendering in Internet Explorer.

I use Google Analytics on my site and recently read a post on forrst about browser versions and got interested in what my statistics say on visitors' browsers.

As the stats show, around 9% of my visitors are having a go with IE but up to now, would have seen a mess. So I would like to apologise and welcome you to this design. The word on the street is that Microsoft will be taking up some html 5 tags in the next version of it's famous browser. I am looking forward to seeing that

MockFlow: Web Design Tool

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-07-19T15:48:12+00:00

I found a great web design tool from a Mashable article called MockFlow. The flash based app allows you to design and test web layouts from scratch or from existing templates. The drag and drop interface is very easy to use and there are all kinds of different content types available to add to your design. For example: buttons, text, bullet lists, charts and lines etc.

I am trying out a few box ideas for an updated design to my homepage. You can share your designs with others, collaborate and export it to a variety of different formats including powerpoint and PDF.

With the ability to upload your own images, link to other pages with seperate designs and use already made common components, it is really quick and easy to put together a mockup of a site.

Number of Google Searches

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-07-05T22:12:50+00:00

5209

is the number of signed-in searches I have done on Google since 22nd June 2009 up to just now - late on 5th July 2010

You can check to see your statistics, if you have a Google account, over at Google History. You can also check out trends including most searched for terms, top clicked sites and search activity over time (mine shown here).

Dylan James Vernon Jones

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-07-04T23:28:39+00:00

Yes I know! Googling your name may be a bit vain but also perhaps a good idea!

Perspective employers etc are likely to do a quick search for your name and you want your best to come up top rather than some rubbish. My site appears 4th on Bing and 11th on Google when queried with Dylan Jones. However, searching Dylan James Vernon Jones my Facebook page is top of Bing and nothing of me can be seen on Google. This may be due to the fact I do not have my full name in an easy to read format. It is embedded, however in a hCard on the home page.

Never mind, maybe this post will help!

Mouse Tracking

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-06-17T02:13:12+00:00

This image shows 1 hour of my mouse movement - the large black circles indicate where the mouse was stationary for periods of time.

O2 Scraps Unlimited Data Plan

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-06-10T16:33:07+00:00

UK phone network O2 has scrapped unlimited data downloads for smartphone customers. All new and upgrading customers will have their usage capped at between 500 Megabytes (MB) and one gigabyte (GB) depending on their monthly tariff. Analysts said the move was "inevitable" as more and more consumers switch to data-intensive smartphones that can surf the web and show video.

Oh no! - or that's what I first thought but when I headed over to my iPhone to see what my 'Cellular Network Data' usage was like, I was quite shocked! The figures shown here are my total use over the whole life of my phone, which currently stands at 8 months.

So it looks like I am not within the 3% that will need to be worrying about the data caps.

Thinking about when I am downloading 'big things', mainly podcasts and music, I am on Wi-Fi. When travelling to Leeds, I did use the 3G connection quite heavily but it seems that what I was doing, was not that data intensive - good to know for the future.

These caps make sure that everyone gets a fair chance to use the network without the data hoggers ruining it for everyone.

GeoTagging Application: LocalTags

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-06-06T15:15:38+00:00

Inspired by the fitfinder site, I wanted to make use of HTML 5's Geo Location API to allow a fast way for posting a comment at your location.

I looked into how to find out the name of a place after been given GPS co-ordinates by the browser. Google has a good API called reverse geocoding which you can submit co-ordinates to and get returned a nicely formatted address.

You also may want to search for a different place or may not have a HTML 5 compatible browser (IE) so need to enter your location manually - to do this the geocoding API was used. The user starts typing a place name and a search is done, returning a place name along with it's co-ordinates.

The Maps API then displays the location along with comments posted near there, +/-0.02 of its co-ordinates. You can then submit your own comment and move the marker to exactly where you are talking about.

All that is then stored in a database is the exact co-ordinates of the comment, the text and the time.

This is now available to play with at things.dylanjones.info/localtags/

The Journey of the Bike

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-06-04T11:49:15+00:00

I travelled from York to my hometown of Llandrindod Wells, by train and was accompanied by the bike. It was fun here are some photos

This Weekend: Rugby + Stereophonics

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-06-01T10:05:07+00:00

Hire Me

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-05-31T12:04:02+00:00

Did you know you can hire me?

I can make your next web application whether it be a complex database driven system, or a simple static Web Site.

I have experience in most common web languages: HTML, CSS, PHP and Javascript. I have worked with a number of CMS' including Wordpress and Blogger.

From setting up web hosting, your personal web address, DNS management, Email through to database set-up, backup, storage - delivering your complete web application - I will find a solution.

I have worked with past companies and organisations to design, develop and deliver web solutions including:

The Big 5 Restaurant
Signpost Youth Project
University Radio York

So if you need fast, friendly, valid and functioning service - get in touch.

Mobile Version

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-05-30T23:44:45+00:00

Introducing the mobile site

A browser check (by a php function found here) is done when landing on the homepage - if you do not have a GET variable called nomobile set and you are listed as a mobile browser then you are forwarded to m.dylanjones.info where you are presented with a simple overview of most things on the main site.

Currently [31/05/2010], in beta - the page does not link anywhere except back to the full version. However, cool things will happen soon

Where are you? Geo Location in HTML 5

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-05-30T19:44:55+00:00

My latest little web application (doesn't actually really do anything yet) now finds out, as close as possible, where you are!

The Location Page will get your browser to ask for your permission to tell it where abouts you are. The spec can be found here. The piece of code I use is quite simply:


<script> 
$(document).ready(function(){
	var latlong;
	function error(msg) {
		alert(msg);
	}	
	function success(position) {
		latlong = position.coords.latitude +","+ position.coords.longitude;
			 
		$("#location").html("<p style='text-align:center;'><img src='http://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap?center="+latlong+"&zoom=15&size=600x600&maptype=roadmap&sensor=false&markers=color:blue|label:A|"+latlong+"' title='You are here' alt='Map' /></p><p>Found you at: " + latlong + "</p>");
	}
	
	navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(success, error);
	
});
</script>

This piece of javascript not only requests the location from the browser but then, on success, updates the page with a static map from Google with a marker of your returned latitude and longitude.

Examples of use for this API would be local data, weather, news etc that could all take precedence on a page

Location Aware Facebook

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-05-21T11:35:42+00:00

If the graph API is anything to go by then it looks like Facebook will be location aware very soon


{
   "id": "512982904",
   "name": "Dylan Jones",
   "first_name": "Dylan",
   "last_name": "Jones",
   "link": "http://www.facebook.com/dylanjamesvernonjones",
   "location": {
      "id": null,
      "name": null
   },
   "gender": "male"
}

Notice the location parameter, now a default result in the user information call

hCard

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-05-18T20:34:21+00:00

dylanjones.info now contains a valid hCard so you now know who I am, if you didn't before!

Foebook

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-05-16T21:24:50+00:00

foebook.co.uk has been updated today to give people a chance to voice there opinions on whether or not Facebook is a good or bad thing

The site asks the basic question: Friend or Foe?

Users can then add any comments they wish to make which in turn, gets displayed on the site for other users to see.

Why? - I bought the domain name a while ago and put together an app that you log into, make friends, award each other points on friendly actions, take points away for un-friendly actions etc. It wasn't very good.

This small and simple device gives an open place for constructive critisism or just silly comments on what may be the biggest online threat we have ever seen.

HTML 5 - Drag and Drop

dylan@dylanjones.info (Dylan Jones) — 2010-05-13T16:14:22+00:00

I am not sure who invented drag-and-drop but it has been with us I guess since the creation of the mouse. It was something that has never really made it to the world wide web, even though it is done day to day on the desktop.

HTML 5 now adds the draggable attribute allowing a simple method of getting the browser to do something when content is moved around the page. For an example, a list of things that you could move and order in preference.

I have add a little application to the front page of dylanjones.info where you can drag items from my interest bubble into a box which then displays some extra information relating to that item. This particluar example is not the best method to display added content as a click would be just as efficient but I wanted to give it a go.

The HTML for the draggable items is simply:


<span id='drag-2' descr='HTML5: I am learning about HTML5 as it comes out - it is great fun and provides lots of opportunities' draggable='true' ondrag='pickup(this)'>HTML5</span> 
<span id='drag-5' descr='Baking: I am very found of Bakery goods, mainly cake, cookies and sweet things' draggable='true' ondrag='pickup(this)'>Baking</span> 
<span id='drag-6' descr='Welsh: I lived in Wales for a long time' draggable='true' ondrag='pickup(this)'>Welsh</span>
<span id='drag-8' descr='Student: I am a student' draggable='true' ondrag='pickup(this)'>Student</span>

The "dropbox" is defined as:


<div id="dropbox" ondrop="drop(this)" ondragenter="return false" ondragover="return false"> 
<p>drag and drop stuff from the cloud above here</p> 
</div>

Then javascript and jQuery does the rest:


<script type='text/javascript'> 
		var text = 'Error: Oh Balls';
		function pickup(target) {
			text = $(target).attr('descr');
		}
		function drop() {
			$('#dropbox').html('<p>' + text + '</p>');
		}
</script>

Very simple indeed!

To summarise: you add draggable=true to elements you wish to drag, on drag you trigger an event, make a dropbox or use an image or something that then triggers an event ondrop - easy peasy