The World Wide Web Consortium has a tool it calls a "Semantic Data Extractor." It basically parses a web page and shows you how a page would be outlined according to your <h1>, <h2> , <h3> ... structure. I found it earlier today when I was using their Markup Validation Service to test my markup. Their tip of the day referenced it. I found it extraordinarily useful in analyizing the structure portion of the content + structure + presentation Webstandards equation.
I was having a lot of trouble getting rid of whitespace at the top of one of my applications. I did some investigating using comments to suss out the source of it, and realized that it was coming from cfc invocation using <cfobject>. I was thinking about caching them to the application scope anyway, as they are basically just big function libraries. And that got rid of it.
Had I been a little more dilligent in my investigation, I would have figured out that <cfcomponent> takes output="false" as attribute.
So it might be a lazy way of doing so, but caching cfc's can also have the side benefit of getting rid of whitespace.
I just read AListApart on my new Blackberry and am now writing about it on the same in the web based administrator for my MovableType install. Wht do I credit webstandards? Because these sites degrade beautifully because of webstandards. And since I'm really bored waiting for Janice to get done with skating practice without other entertainment So I'm grateful.
Update: I couldn't get Ryan's url to display in the comments. So here it is: Why Flash still beats everything else on the Web
I ran into a situation today where I wanted to create a request errorin ColdFusion MX 7, to test handling request errors. My problem: How do you generate a request error?
My solution:
And that should do it. Is there an easier way that I'm missing?
I was awarded with my 10 years of service gift today for my job today. It's the shiny photo album pictured here.
One small problem. I graduated from Penn in May of 1999. I started work here in June 1999. Any takers as to the problem?
Evidenlty work-study jobs are included. Considering some of Penn's benefits, this isn't a bad thing.
A came across the dumb little trick a while back, and wanted to share this.
I like to make the mail sent from an application look like it's part of the application, but often the step is overlooked during the development process. However by using <cfinclude> and CSS, this can be accomplished:
<style type="text/css">
<cfinclude template="[path to CSS for site]">
</style>
[content goes here.]
</cfmail>
Granted, you have to make sure that your CSS not huge, or this becomes inefficient.
Last Thursday, we had our last alternative happy hour with Ryan. Even if Dan and I lure someone else out with us, it will never quite be the same. I also lament the fact that given a few for months I would have converted Ryan to a full blown liberal, instead of the closeted liberal he is now.
In celebration of his new job, and impending move to Seattle, we lit up some Davidoff's. I haven't had one of these since the mid 90's so I was very curious.
Construction: I expected it to be built well, considering the caché of the brand. However, I was still impressed by the wonderful burn, perfect drawn, and perfect ash of this smoke. I was also impressed by the really great feeling of the wrapper. I hate to say it, but it was "silky."
Taste: The taste was likable. The cigar was pretty mild, perhaps a little too mild for my tastes, but not unpleasant. It has a slight taste of coffee. If I have one in the future, I would probably pair it with something more subtle than the Black Label I had with it.
Stats: This cigar measures 7 inches by a ring gauge of 48. It's made of Dominican binder and filler, surrounded in a Connecticut wrapper. I couldn't find Holt's price for them, but the cheapest I can find them on the web is $17 a cigar.
Overall: These are good celebration cigars. They are high quality, and great tasting. However at $17 a pop make sure you don't have to pay for the celebration.
Earlier tonight I lost power in my house. A couple minutes later there were police lights and sirens. I wandered out while I was calling PECO on my cell to tell them I lost power. The automated system told me that they new about the problem, 1300 people were affected and it would be fixed within an hour and a half.
I wander down my block and see the police and fire surrounding a pallet of what another bystander told me was drywall in the middle of the street, directly beneath the downed power lines. Doing the geometry, I figure out that the wind must have blown the pallet off of the roof of a construction project across from my house.
My power came back on so no problem. I forgot about it, until a couple of minutes ago. Now, there's some sheet metal getting blown around and filling my neighborhood with loud booming. Then I got to thinking: How windy does it have to be to blow a pallet of drywall off of a roof? And wouldn't it have been pulverized by the fall? And what's dry wall doing on the roof of a building.
So I went out a few minutes ago and investigated. Turns out it was some sort of foam insulation. This makes much more sense.
After Ryan went through a fair amount of effort to help get me on MXNA, I thought it was only fair that I get some ColdFusion posting in. (Especially after last night's drunken geekery.)
A while back I posted about creating a CFC that would embed dynamically created Flashpaper created by <cfdocument>. However, it didn't create Webstandards compliant XHTML code. So, I updated it to do so using a variation on the Satay Method.
Now I know I'm outputting from a CFC, but frankly, I really don't like custom tags, so I do this sort of thing in CFC format.
Check out the updated code: Flashpaper Embedder.
Those of you that know me have seen this kind of thing before. Inspired by Chris Berg, and egged on by Janice I sent the following email to Comedy Central:
Dear Jon Stewart,
I was very offended by your sketch which featured you killing a hobo for fun. I thought it was unnecessary and wasteful.
For generations my people have hunted the majestic hobo, not for fun, or sport, but for survival. Even in best of times we did not kill a Hobo and just leave it on the sidewalk. We learned to use the whole hobo.
We harvested their skin for their power. We offered their eyeballs to our dark and ancient god. We made life sustaining hobo pemmican.
In short you made a joke of something you know nothing about.
Shame, shame on you, Jon Stewart.
Terrence Ryan
Philadelphia, PA
At best maybe we'll actually finally get tickets. Worst, Jon Stewart will get a restraining order on me. I also noticed that I spelt his name "John" in the letter I sent. I bet he loses all respect for me.
Dan, Ryan, and I were discussing this year's Macromedia Max (or whatever Adobe will call it) while drinking, one thing led to another and the following question was posed:
Which ColdFusion personality would you to invite to sleep on your guest bed?
First, of course we thought Ben Forta. I think that would be like hosting the Dali Lama. You'd be nervous, you'd say things like "I can't let Ben Forta see my PHP books."
We moved on to Damon Cooper, who at first glance would be fun. But I get the feeling that he's like your college friend who comes and makes drinking look so fun. So it's fun, but you have like a 5 day hangover after he leaves.
So I think my vote would be for Tim Buntel. He seems like he would be fun but not a giant enabler. He wouldn't criticize your book collection. And he would probably make the bed before he left.
Anyone out there have any opinions other than "Geeks like you should not drink."
Casey bought me a bottle of Diet Black Cherry Vanilla Coke for my birthday. I drank it. I like it.
Diet Vanilla Coke isn't even in the ground yet and I'm cozying up to a new soda. I would be ashamed, but I'm no good on my own.
I got notified today that my wonderful hosting company Dataride got bought by Implex.
I was worried, until they said that Implex was the company that cohosted them, and that the name wouldn't change, and that none of the Dataride software would be changed.
So move along... Nothing to see here.
I was inspired by the wonderful value of the LGC Churchill I had in December, (or the value that they would have been had I bought them in Philly.) I decided to go in with someone on a box of these for a friend for Christmas. Luckily I bought them on a Friday, which is Holt's specials day, where they give extra cigars with every bulk purchase. So this was a freebee, and nothing tastes better than a free cigar.
Therefore I smoked it on a bad day, and hopefully that will temper the exuberance that comes with free tobacco.
Construction: It was a little dry, and looking back at the other LGC review, that was a problem with that one too. I might be mishandling them, I should check the humidity level in my humidor. It was so dry that it cracked when I started smoking it. It still burned evenly, and the ash was perfectly white.
Taste: Still great tasting, despite the dryness. Like other LGC's it was pretty medium strength. Shortly after smoking it, I drank a Diet Birch Beer, and all of a sudden it tasted like coffee... very strange.
Stats: This cigar measures 5 inches by a ring gauge of 50. It's made in the US with filler from Nicaragua and the Domincan Republic, binder from Nicaragua and wrapper from Ecuador. Holt's sells them for around $2.75 a smoke.
Overall: I think my friend Dave, (who got the box,) summed it up when he say "Oh yeah, LGC's are reasonably priced again." They're fantastic cigars, usually well constructed, and perfectly priced. Pick some up today.
It's not because of the views on religion, or the issues, or even Intelligent Design. No, I'm calling them stupid because they are pressuring to NBC affiliates not to air "The Book of Daniel." It's this new show with Aiden Quinn as an Episcopal priest with a disfunctional family. He also talks to Jesus, and Jesus talks back. Groups like James Dobson's Focus on the Family are against it because it portrays Jesus in a less than Christ-like manner. They've even managed to get two stations to drop the show.
Now, I'm disputing their claims. I agree that the project tends to de-Jesufy Jesus. However, I also think the project looks like it's going to suck. Go watch the trailer if you don't believe me (it's linked from the main page.) So it should get terrible ratings right? Not if news outlets are reporting that Christians are boycotting. Now everyone wants to see what the big deal is about.
In short, Religious Right, if you truly want this show to go away, Shut the hell up!
Okay, you may have read this post and assumed I was lying about a new episode of Craig's Variety Show airing on New Years Day. Evidently they made a mistake and aired our first episode instead. To make up for it, they are airing it this weekend.
So TiVo, tape, or pirate Craig's Variety Show Episode 2 this week Sunday, January 8, 2:40am
My brother, Casey, has joined the wonderful world of blogging. He's got very little to date, and probably thinks that he can lay low for a little while. Please put intense pressure on him to write more.
To honor this occassion, I have made a South Park representation of him. (The halo is because he's my parent's favorite child.)
I'm reprising a post from last year. I will continue to be all Red-Soxy about my perpetually losing team. I'm a Democrat and while I may not exactly be proud of it, I'm not ashamed.
Alex picked me up one of these when he came to town for the holidays. We had them together at our New Years Eve party. My impression may be a bit colored by the alcohol, however I distinctly remembered asking him to light up with me before we got to drunk.
Construction: It burned perfectly even. The draw was perfect. The ash was bright white. It never needed to be relit.
Taste: I have to admit that I was taken aback by this cigar. It was much stronger tasting than the usual Ashton. It must be part of the trend towards stronger tasting cigars. I didn't detect, (or can't remember) subtle tastes, but I did generally enjoy it.
Stats: This cigar measures 4.38 inches by a ring gauge of 44. They're made in the Domincan Republic of Domincan binder and filler, with a wrapper from Ecuador. Holt's sells them for $7.50 for a single cigar. I think that they don't sell them in bulk because they're made in small production runs.
Overall: It was an absolutely awesome smoke, but at $7.50 a pop, let your friends buy them for you.
I'm watching Fraggle Rock, and you aren't. Unless you are. In which case stop hidng in my living room.
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Copyright 2003-2008
Terrence Ryan.
This is a personal blog. The opinions expressed here are mine and not those of my employer.