For those that hate the application spam; don’t understand why they just won’t release the 2004-05 era facebook design though…

Test drive it for yourself at http://lite.facebook.com .

Credits to Chris Lewis for passing this along -

Facebook has agreed to let third party advertisers use your posted pictures without your permission. To avoid this: 1) Click on SETTINGS up at the top where you see the log out link. 2) Select PRIVACY. 3) Select NEWS FEEDS AND WALL. 4) Select the tab that reads FACE BOOK ADS. 5) There is a drop down box, select NO ONE. 6) Then SAVE your changes.

Cybergangs? Scams? Oh the horror!

With that out of the way I must bring to queation why this is just now making the news?

I’m pretty sure plenty of users have seen this scenario one tooooooo many times.

Read the full article “Scareware’s pitches for fake security show up in odd places” at USA Today’s website

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-06-09-cybergangs-scareware-hackers_N.htm

Yes, I sold out.  But, who knows, it could be of use for me.  Follow me if you like.

• http://twitter.com/bobbyhash

Drupal 6 Social Networking is one of the lastest publications addressing the use of the popular open source content management framework.

I’ve fought it for a long enough time, but I’m finally taming my dislike of Drupal.  I’ll admit - its mostly because I’m now using it for what it is - a framework and not as a content management system.  Now I seem to be growing as a Drupler.  Fast-foward to a few weeks back: I was browsing about Amazon and came across Drupal 6 Social Networking.  After reading the entire book in a few days, I felt it deserved a review.

Drupal 6 Social Networking is written to reach a wide audience - from programmers to content administrators, no matter the level of experience.  It is authored by Michael Peacock of Peacock-Carter, a web developer from Newcastle, UK.

The book is broken down into 10 chapters, ranging from an introduction to drupal and social networks, installing drupal, using the framework to create the functionality desired, and even into web site promotion.

The highlights of this book is that is an easy read and is written for those that are not exactly sure of what certain features relate to in the system.  For example, have you ever wondered what the full use of Taxonomy is in Drupal?  Peacock has a casual writing style that gets directly to the point, accompanying his writing with on-point visual examples to add visual detail to his writing.

If you are new to the Drupal framework, this book will guide you from installation to project setup.  If you are seasoned with the framework, but not exactly sure how to make the best of specific modules to get the performance / functionality you need, this book will enlighten you with which module to use and why to use it.

Overall, this is a worthy purchase that gets directly to what the title states - drupal 6 and social networking.  This mean, you guessed it, Michael directly focuses on how drupal can be used to build a social network and he doesn’t slide off topic in doing so.

For those interested:

• More on the Drupal Framework
• Buy Drupal 6 Social Networking from Packt Publishing
• More on Michael Peacock and Peacock-Carter

One of my goals for 2009 is to launch at least 2 fan-related web sites.  One that I launched in 2007, MichaelJackson1Stop.com, never really got the attention it deserved.  It was a project I launched during my crucial last semester of college with a full-time 90 hour week work schedule (sounds fun right?).

The original idea was for a site that brought together various RSS feeds to produce a single web site that fans could go to to reach the various news/content/media related to Michael Jackson.  However, I only found time to put up a simple Michael Jackson discography, biography, and limited links.

I have now uploaded a new layout and content to the site, which was very bare beforehand.  New features include:

• Tweaked layout
• Various photos
• Updated biography
• Detailed discography coming soon
• Influences coming soon

Check it out at www.michaeljackson1stop.com.

Yakuza provides a telling story and game experience for PS2 gamers.

So, I found this in the Gamestop pre-played rack.

Now if I could only find time to play it….

Before you read any further, take into context this isn’t going to fully help you in terms of lessening your spam. However, it is a neat trick and will help some, or at least deter some spamming bots from picking your e-mail address and using it for spam.

While at work today I was performing some maintenance on a project that was handed to me and I noticed a tiny bit of javascript used to print an e-mail address, but by doing so kept it seperate and not connected.

<script type="text/javascript">
    emailE=('roberthash@' + 'yahoo.com')
    document.write('<A href="mailto:' + emailE + '">' + emailE + '</a>')
</script>

What you see first is that a variable is assigned two values that are added together. By splitting the e-mail into two pieces (in theory), this will assist in deterring spam bots searching for a valid e-mail address.

emailE=('roberthash@' + 'yahoo.com')

From there we utilize the document.write() function to print this text to the browser window.

document.write('<A href="mailto:' + emailE + '">' + emailE + '</a>')

Another beautiful part is that if Javascript is not installed, this means there won’t be an e-mail address showcased. However, this could be a pain if you have someone trying to find your e-mail address that has a legit reason to contact you - but doesn’t have Javascript.

As usual, it is a method to be used at your own risk or if you feel it is indeed the solution for your project.

With further research, I have found the origination of this code, which can be found at http://www.joemaller.com/js-mailer.shtml.

As you can see - it is a very simple approach that even a novice programmer can understand. Who says you can’t learn new tricks?

I have found through my web application development experience that it can be quite the pain if someone messes up a date. This is a huge headache for reporting purposes.

Methods to get around this can be one of many things. Validation for example simply forces the user to put in a date before they can submit information. Who is to say they are putting in the right date anyway? The ASP.NET calendar control is nice, as it gives a calendar and allows the user to pick a date. One method that I have found to work quite nicely for data that is entered for a day is to have the date set automatically.

What would be a scenario for this? The ideal setting is to track a date when an action is committed. Examples include form submission (no-brainer), requests, updates, etc.

For example, let’s say we have the following form:

<form runat="server">
  <asp:Textbox ID="dateBox" runat="server"></asp:TextBox>
</form>

Now, using the code behind file, we can write a simple line of code to send today’s date straight to the dateBox ASP Textbox upon the loading of the form.

With an aspx file, in the code-behind we can add an attribute to the Page_Load method to autopopulate a date (or set any value - same premise). Below we will set it within an IF statement for when the page posts back:

protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
  if (!Page.IsPostBack)
{
  // This will happen upon a postback
  dateBox.Text =DateTime.Today.ToString("MM/dd/yyyy");
}

Or you can set the value in outside of the PostBack IF statement:

  dateBox.Text = DateTime.Today.ToString("MM/dd/yyyy");

As you can see, that simple line of code will send today’s date straight to the textbox without the user having to enter it. We have included it in the page load portion to see that it fires upon, as you guessed it, the loading of the page/form. To break it down further, we can add some pretty neat attributes to the code to produce other effects:

If we want to add tomorrow’s date, we can use .AddDays(+1)

  DateTime.Today.AddDays(+1).ToString("MM/dd/yyyy");

If we want to add yesterday, we can use .AddDays(-1)

  DateTime.Today.AddDays(-1).ToString("MM/dd/yyyy");

Want to populate a year? You can use the same premise. As Nico VanHaaster has pointed out, you can call the AddYears() method to combat leap year occurances:

  DateTime.Today.AddYears(-1).ToString("MM/dd/yyyy");

As one can see, it’s a very simple approach to solving a problem with user’s entering a date and becoming frustrated if they have to do this more than once (such as they enter this data after each task on a given day).

Happy Programming!

It is very safe to say that the modern work industry is not only fast-paced but also an easy place to find yourself distracted. Below are five helpful tips that help me throughout the week.

Don’t Take On Too Much At Once
This is something we’re all guilty of. We want to jump out, show we can take on a heavy workload and get the job done. What we don’t realize is that after time it takes a threatening toll on our health, focus, and ability to perform. Pay close attention to the amount of time you have and the amount of time it will take to complete the tasks you take on. Remember - sleep and time outside the office dictate how stressed you get in the long run!

When Stumped, Dont’ Google Solutions First
What? We live in a digital age and I’m not recommending to hit Google first? That’s correct! Yes - there are a ton of message boards out there you can find through Google that have probably come across the same issue that you’re having. Sadly though, by going this route first you put yourself into dangerous area for procrastination.

If you’re stumped, try walking away from the situation for five minutes or so to catch your thoughts. Then, once back in the office, try drawing out your project and how you think it should work. Trace your steps and go into more detail on the task at hand. Weirdly enough, this has usually helped me find areas that I may overlook to being caught up in finishing a project.

Coordinate
Sometime’s it is tough to build a routine in the IT industry. If you can, try to implement certain elements of your day into a set schedule. Maintenancing your e-mail early in the morning, reviewing your calendar for tomorrow’s activities in the late afternoon, finishing projects in the early morning can all be effective ways to combat procrastination and loss of time. Try tackling projects early on in the day while you are the most awake and energetic. Finish your day off with the least important activities or the ones that require the least amount of energy.

Read Up!
It’s rather nice to keep up with all of the news in your related field. Although it may not relate to your company at large, a lot of what happens in the industry can either help or disrupt you in the long run. Keep up-to-date with whats going on. As cliche as it sounds, knowledge truly is power.

Retouch Your Skills
In this industry, it is impossible to use your entire skillset in one single day or week. I’ve found that retouching certain skills, techniques, or software can maintain your knowledge of the respective area. Who knows, you may even learn more about it than you knew before.

As you can see, these are 5 random points of advice. The IT industry is truly growing and with that comes with responsibilities that will only grow in time. Keep your mind healthy, knowledgeable, and free to think and you will find much more comfort in your abilities and career.