February 9th, 2008
Looking to get into PHP/MySQL development? Building websites as a hobby can be fun and rewarding albeit time-consuming. These open source technologies make web development accessible to anyone with a computer and an idea. Here are a few sites and services that Slicksta found helpful when he was learning.
- Sitepoint.com - This site if full of article and practical tutorials to help you get started. Build your own Database Driven Website using PHP & MySQL is what Slicksta read when he first became interested in webdev.
- 1and1 Hosting - Inexpensive, reliable and fully-featured. You can register a domain name and get managed hosting for under $5 a month.
- Add the MySQL and PHP sites to your bookmarks. Slicksta still visits these at least once a day for code reference information.
- phpAdmin - Download and install this database management program now. Do it! It’s the same program that you’ll use on 1and1 to manage your hosted databases.
- Fire FTP - Transfer files in a FireFox window. No need to open another application.
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June 26th, 2007
Slicksta has been getting lots of telemarkting calls lately - on the cell phone! He thought these annoyances were a thing of the 90s, left behind along with the useless land-line he abandoned years ago but he was wrong. He’s been called several times in the past week with various “exciting offers” and “important messages”.
Not one to live in fear of newspaper subscription drives or loan brokers Slicksta made a quick visit to the Do Not Call Registry website. He found registering his number incredibly easy. All he had to do was enter his number and email address. A message was sent to the email address to confirm the registration and that was pretty much it. Slicksta will now be undisturbed for the next five years.
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March 28th, 2007
Woo-hoo! Slicksta is thrilled with yesterday’s announcement that Yahoo! Mail is now offering unlimited email storage. Never having to delete an email ever again is a pretty nice perk. What would make Slicksta really happy is free POP mail access (Google’s Gmail provides it). But this would take away from the many ads Yahoo! shows Slicksta while he’s reading email so he understands why this is the case.
Here’s a run-down of how Slicksta uses the major email services:
- Gmail - Primarily for business emails. Slicksta appreciates the good SPAM filters that keep junk out of the inbox. Also, since POP access is free, Slicksta uses Mozilla’s Thunderbird as a desktop client.
- Yahoo! Mail - Website subscriptions, purchase receipts, newsletters and forum / blog memberships. This is basically where the bulk of Slicksta’s email goes that is not from a real person. A few die-hard continue to send missives to Slicksta here (you know who you are!).
- Hotmail - Slicksta doesn’t receive much here besides notificaions from Netflix and an online stock-trading account. Both of these can and should be moved over to Yahoo! Mail. What say you Mr. Gates? How will you get Slicksta to use Hotmail more often?
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February 17th, 2007
Christorpher Null does a good job summarizing five ways to watch tv online for Yahoo! Tech:
- TivoToGo which requires Series2 or higher. Of course you’re SOL if you don’t have a TiVo.
- Official streams from the major television networks: NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox
- AOL’s In2TV for classic (read: old) television programs
- Beeline or wwiTV for international programming
- Downloads from iTunes
These are great options for viewing television on your computer and when away from home. Another option is Slingbox which Slicksta convered several months ago.
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October 23rd, 2006
411 is so yesterday. Next time you need help finding a number dial 1-800-373-3411 instead and receive free directory assistance. You’ll hear a short, 15 second ad before the phone number, but that’s not a big deal, right?
Slicksta just saved you at least $1.50.
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September 25th, 2006
Slicksta is really late on this one. He’s been selfishly enjoying the benefits of streamlined instant messaging and hasn’t shared his favorite new web app. At this point Meebo is fairly well-known to users across the web and has won praise for its convenience and ease of use. Meebo simplifies your day by bringing together cross-platform instant messaging programs into one application, but it is not the first to do this. Trillian has been in Slicksta’s startup menu for years but this memory hog noticeably affects his laptop’s performance. Meebo also eliminates the ads and constant updates that come with installed instant messaging programs. Gone too are the multiple windows that crowd your task bar since Meebo is browser based (all chat sessions are contained within one browser window).
Where Meebo will make the biggest impact is with its innovative meebome feature. Slicksta believes that this feature will one day replace other enterprise “click to chat” applications and allow aggravated or unsure users to quickly contact bored customer service reps. Check out Slicksta’s implementation in the right navigation column. Try chatting with Slicksta if he’s online.
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