Avoid using switch-case statements
Recently I’ve been asked why switch-case statements should be avoided, it turns out to be a pretty common question, and although I’m pretty happy with the re...
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php
The journey to Microservices
We’ve come along way, even in the past few years. We’ve seen huge advances in web technology.
Will the last person to leave turn the LAMP off
We all love LAMP (that’s Linux, Apache httpd, MySQL, PHP), but the love affair may be coming to an end.
Getting started with Docker and Wordpress
I’ve been meaning to get started with Docker since hearing about it in 2014.
Why error suppression in PHP is bad
I appreciate that to most people, this is not a new topic and it almost goes without saying, however I can understand that not everybody knows this, espec...
How To Install MongoDB on CentOS 6 with cPanel
First of all, what is MongoDB? Well if you're already here, you probably know, but if this is the first time you've heard of it, then you may want to know...
Setting up a PHP development environment
The best thing about PHP is it's low level of entry. There's very few hurdles these days to get started.
An introduction to Fuel CMS
FuelCMS is described as, simply, a CodeIgniter Content Management System.
to.je – The Failed TinyURL.com Clone
Ever since my IRC (Internet Relay Chat) days I'd always wanted to write a TinyURL.com clone, especially since it gained traction on twitter and Facebook. ...
Is Google PageRank dead?
PageRank is dead, long live PageRank.
Integrate a newsletter into your website
Over the years I've been asked how to integrate a newsletter into a website quite a few times.
Google’s Official Profanity API
Recently a list of “bad words” were made available through Google's new website which asks: “What do you love?” (wdyl.com).
What is my IP?
An IP address is a unique number which identifies a machine on a network.
PageRank Viewer Launch
Back in 2007, we were developing code for our domain lookup service.
Over sixteen ways to obfuscate e-mail addresses
Back in 2007 I wrote about email addresses on your website and how to avoid putting your email address in plain text.
get_favicon() php function
I was after a php function that would get the favicon for a supplied domain, I did attempt to write my own but it proved more complex than I had first ant...
Premature optimization is the root of all evil
There's loads of ways you can optimize your PHP code, however they are probably NOT the answer to your performance issues.
rglob.php
Today I was having a look on PHP.net and noticed a PHP contest so I decided to submit one of my functions.
Choosing a PHP Framework
Recently I've been writing a lot more PHP based websites and web applications. I've found myself building and rebuilding my own framework, but to no real ...
Creating a dating site (PHP)
During the summer of 2007 I decided to purchase a new domain name with a dating theme.
50+ PHP optimisation tips revisited
After reading an article some time ago entitled “40 Tips for optimizing your php Code” (and some others that are suspiciously similar), I deci...
software
Rule of three
Sometimes called “1, 2, refactor”, the “rule of three” is code refactoring rule of thumb to decide when a replicated piece of code should be replaced by a ne...
Exceptions are meant to be exceptional
Now and again I come across patterns that I see in codebases and pull requests, especially when the project or team is maturing. This covers one of them.
Is no QA the way to go?
There’s no getting away from it, quality is a whole team responsibility. If you’re aiming for Continuous Delivery, then you’ll recognise one of the core prin...
Avoid using switch-case statements
Recently I’ve been asked why switch-case statements should be avoided, it turns out to be a pretty common question, and although I’m pretty happy with the re...
Agile, what’s it all about?
Why does the agile software development exist? What’s it all about? Why do people use it? Who uses it? How do you use it?
Is it time to stop bringing your own device to work?
Bring your own device (BYOD) refers to the policy of permitting employees to bring personally owned devices, like your mobile phone to their workplace and us...
50+ Useful JavaScript Tips, Tricks and Best Practices
Here it is, the long awaited 50+ useful JavaScript tips, tricks and best practices.
Keep it Simple, Stupid!
“RTBQ! RTBQ!”. This is the phrase that my high school friends shouted at me when I asked them to remind me of the phrase they remember from school. Mr Fletch...
Using Jenkinsfiles for Continuous Deployment Pipelines
If the idea of deploying code to production makes you nervous, then this one’s for you.
Story Points Baseline
Given a new team or a team restructure, should you baseline? Do all teams point differently? Do the team need to baseline?
Devops Best Practices
DevOps started out as “Agile Systems Administration”. In 2008, at the Agile Conference in Toronto, Andrew Shafer posted an offer to moderate an ad hoc “Birds...
Startup problems are a thing of the past
Not so long ago, I had an arsenal of tools for managing windows startup applications.
Scan to Excel
This week I've mostly been trying to figure out a way to digitalise some of my bank statements to make accountancy and archiving easier.
W32Dasm
W32Dasm (or Win32DASM) doesn't seem to exist on the map any more, but it's still a very useful programmers tool, especially if you like reverse engineerin...
Pingotron
I've been meaning to publish a post about Pingotron for some time now, but now I fear it's already too late.
development
Rule of three
Sometimes called “1, 2, refactor”, the “rule of three” is code refactoring rule of thumb to decide when a replicated piece of code should be replaced by a ne...
Exceptions are meant to be exceptional
Now and again I come across patterns that I see in codebases and pull requests, especially when the project or team is maturing. This covers one of them.
Is no QA the way to go?
There’s no getting away from it, quality is a whole team responsibility. If you’re aiming for Continuous Delivery, then you’ll recognise one of the core prin...
Avoid using switch-case statements
Recently I’ve been asked why switch-case statements should be avoided, it turns out to be a pretty common question, and although I’m pretty happy with the re...
Microservices - Managing the flow of data
There’s a number of companies that have been pioneering the microservices architectural style, including Amazon, Netflix, The Guardian, the UK Government Dig...
Agile, what’s it all about?
Why does the agile software development exist? What’s it all about? Why do people use it? Who uses it? How do you use it?
50+ Useful JavaScript Tips, Tricks and Best Practices
Here it is, the long awaited 50+ useful JavaScript tips, tricks and best practices.
Keep it Simple, Stupid!
“RTBQ! RTBQ!”. This is the phrase that my high school friends shouted at me when I asked them to remind me of the phrase they remember from school. Mr Fletch...
The Journey to DevOps - Notes from The Project Phoenix
If you’ve ever looked into DevOps, you’ve no doubt come across this “evolution” type image, with an ape type figure on the left, labelled “Waterfall” and on ...
PHP CI with Jenkins and Docker (Part 1)
I’ve been developing in PHP now for longer than I haven’t.
Will the last person to leave turn the LAMP off
We all love LAMP (that’s Linux, Apache httpd, MySQL, PHP), but the love affair may be coming to an end.
UX Tips: Carousels
So what’s the deal with carousels? Why does everyone keep asking for them on their website?
Setting up a PHP development environment
The best thing about PHP is it's low level of entry. There's very few hurdles these days to get started.
How We Build: Randles Responsive Website
Before Randles was bought out by the Stoneacre Motor Group I was tasked with the development of a new website.
SEO
Enhanced: Randles Navigation
After discussing website improvements with the Randles Motor Group marketing manager we decided that the website needed a new navigation menu with simple ...
XSS: Get linked from Dmoz instantly
Recently, like many of you, I've had some trouble getting websites listed on the AOL owned “Open Directory Project” known as Dmoz.
Friendly URLs (revisited)
Turn dynamic URLs into friendly URLs
Recording an IRC channel on Windows
Recently Matt Cutts posted an article on his blog about Recording an IRC channel on Linux/Ubuntu.
BT Web Clicks
Today I received a phone call from one of my clients who said that they had a BT engineer with them. OK. I thought, what's going on here…
Google AdSense won’t let me in!
Back in 2004, I signed up my old site “hm2k.org” to Google AdSense as an attempt to raise funds for my work.
eCommerce shopping cart software
So you've got a shop, or perhaps a new product range and you want to build a website so you can sell online.
Word separators in URLs
In the world of web development and search engine optimisation you find this topic is frequently discussed, yet often without any reasoning or conclusion....
Does registering a domain for a longer term increase your search engine rankings?
Recently I come across a claim by Network Solutions stating:
Creating subdomains from directories using mod_rewrite in Apache .htaccess
The idea was to have the ability to create unlimited subdomains simply by creating an appropreate directory for it in your html root directory.
Focus on one domain
Why you should be focusing on one domain name for one site
Does using CSS affect SEO?
I get asked this question time and time again. People seem to believe that the use of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) will help with their Search Engine Opti...
webdev
Exceptions are meant to be exceptional
Now and again I come across patterns that I see in codebases and pull requests, especially when the project or team is maturing. This covers one of them.
Delivering Value
By now you’ve probably seen this image, with waterfall on the left, and continuous operations on the right, it’s an evolution.
Have a compromise strategy
Back in February 2016, I went to PHP UK Conference. One of the points resonated with me, so I wrote down the following:
What “People over Process” actually means
The agile manifesto talks about “people over process”. As someone who is often very process-driven, I know that the right process will produce the right resu...
What’s involved in a code review?
We now live in a time of version control, git and github. If you work in software development you should be familiar with “pull requests”.
That Testing Pyramid
Today I want to talk about that “Testing Pyramid”, you know the one, that one, Martin Fowler calls it a “Test Pyramid”.
Getting started with Docker and Wordpress
I’ve been meaning to get started with Docker since hearing about it in 2014.
UX: Is hamburger menu a lazy solution?
A question raised at a recent Staffs Web Meetup was:
Why error suppression in PHP is bad
I appreciate that to most people, this is not a new topic and it almost goes without saying, however I can understand that not everybody knows this, espec...
Setting up a PHP development environment
The best thing about PHP is it's low level of entry. There's very few hurdles these days to get started.
cssbase
Yesterday marks the day that I took over the “cssbase” project.
Choosing a PHP Framework
Recently I've been writing a lot more PHP based websites and web applications. I've found myself building and rebuilding my own framework, but to no real ...
microsoft
Microsoft Security Essentials Old Version Download for Windows XP
As you’re probably aware, Microsoft have reached end of life for Windows XP and have discontinued support for the operating system.
DVD Playback on Windows
One of the biggest annoyances I’ve heard about Windows 8 so far is that there’s no DVD support included.
Office
Gone of the days of getting a copy of Microsoft Office from dodgy Dave down the pub.
Microsoft Office 2007 Downloads
One of my customers has specialist database software built on the FileMaker Pro database engine. The unfortunate downside to this is that certain legacy plug...
Open docx, xlsx, and pptx files
If you’ve been sent a file with the extension .docx, .xlsx or .pptx and you don’t have the latest version of Office then you’ll share the frustration that ma...
Remove OGA Notifier
I had a call today about Microsoft OGA (Office Genuine Advantage) Notifier becoming an annoyance for a client.
Error 1747 : The Authentication Service is Unknown
Today I had a newish Windows Vista machine that had the following error:
Blocked links in Microsoft Outlook
When you click a link on an email in Microsoft Outlook, you are blocked from visiting the URL and you see the following error message:
C:\Windows\Installer overload!
If like me you’ve recently come across a computer where the “C:\Windows\Installer” directory is overloaded then you’ve probably used something like TreeSize ...
security
Have a compromise strategy
Back in February 2016, I went to PHP UK Conference. One of the points resonated with me, so I wrote down the following:
Choosing a wifi security camera
I’ve recently been on the lookout for a security camera.
Protect our Children’s freedom: Give Them Privacy
We need to protect our Children’s future by protecting their freedoms. Your privacy is a human right that is about to be compromised.
Meet the ransomware trojan that has IT professionals worried
This week, for the first time I came into contact with the CryptoLocker trojan. A virus that encrypts all of your documents and holds you to ransom to recove...
Is my password secure?
In light of the recent security breaches of huge websites such as Gawker, Sony and Nintendo I am concerned about an issue that affects us all: Is my password...
Has friendster been hacked?
I noticed an unusual email when I checked my Gmail account today.
XSS: Get linked from Dmoz instantly
Recently, like many of you, I've had some trouble getting websites listed on the AOL owned “Open Directory Project” known as Dmoz.
How not to use PHPMailer
I came across PHPMailer usage the other day on a Chinese gadget wholesale site “SourcingMap.com”.
Cex.co.uk site errors
After browsing the cex.co.uk website for some time I came across a few errors on the site…
Anti Email Spam in the UK
Many years back I began investigating anti email spam in the UK as a way to defend against the amount amount of email spam we were receiving to certain em...
Using Remote Assistance via e-mail on Windows 7
This section explains initiating Remote Assistance via e-mail to a Helpdesk. Home users can also follow this procedure to send a Remote Assistance request vi...
Has friendster been hacked?
I noticed an unusual email when I checked my Gmail account today.
Replacing Outlook Express
Recently Microsoft have been running a campaign to get rid of their 10-year-old web browser, Internet Explorer 6. This got me thinking…
Over sixteen ways to obfuscate e-mail addresses
Back in 2007 I wrote about email addresses on your website and how to avoid putting your email address in plain text.
How to send emails to multiple addresses
It may seem obvious how to send your email to multiple email addresses.
Don`t forward virus warnings, delete them
If you’ve ever received a virus warning from your friends, family or co-workers, you’ll know what I’m talking about. These virus warnings are hoaxes and are ...
email address on your website
This is something that people don't seem to realise, and although I tell them over and over it seems to go ignored.
FreeBSD
How to find the fastest CVSUP mirror server
Some time ago I wrote about using fastest_cvsup, to find the fastest cvsup mirror server for use with csup on FreeBSD.
Ident Spoofing
Today I wrote about Oidentd on Wikipedia. Ident as per RFC 1413 is used for a few different services, in particular IRC. A feature of oidentd that my user...
Don’t forget to run make test!
During my install of PHP5 on FreeBSD…
Setting up a FreeBSD socks proxy server for use with mIRC
Update: Looking for the sss.pl? Try the Simple Sockets Server project page.
longip perl script
I wanted to create a script that would convert a normal IP address to a long IP, just like mIRC Script's $longip alias.
FreeBSD 6.2 “/usr/ports: No such file or directory”
I recently setup a new FreeBSD 6.2 server, only to find the following:
Configuring a FreeBSD IRC Shell Server
This is a brief guide created to help configure a secure FreeBSD as an IRC shell server.
Xen on CentOS Host running FreeBSD Guest
Recently i've been investigating Xen. In short, Xen is open source virtualisation software that provides you with the ability to split a physical hardware...
Wordpress
How We Build: Randles Responsive Website
Before Randles was bought out by the Stoneacre Motor Group I was tasked with the development of a new website.
Makeover: The IT Exchange Ltd.
The IT Exchange Ltd. website gets a facelift!
Launch: New DevotedIT website
I’ve quietly been working on devotedit.com in the background and now it’s ready!
Replace strings MySQL
If you ever need to make big changes to your site, such as moving directory or changing the domain name you'll know that you'll have to make changes to th...
Getting started with Quercus in Google App Engine
Last year an article was written on a blog about how to run PHP on Google App Engine (GAE).
Using Your Own URL as Your OpenID with WordPress
Today I decided to join stackoverflow.com, which requires you to login using OpenID.
Cannot redeclare pclziputilpathreduction()
I had this issue today, I found that you need to deactivate the “WordPress Automatic Upgrade” plugin as it's included in the core of WordPress...
10 wordpress performance optimisation tips
I wanted to prepare my wordpress powered blog for an influx of traffic from social media sites such as reddit.com or digg.com, in case one of my articles ...
Design
How We Build: Randles Responsive Website
Before Randles was bought out by the Stoneacre Motor Group I was tasked with the development of a new website.
Concept: Randles Website 2012
The current Randles website is due an overhaul.
Makeover: Suzuki4u logo and forum
I’ve been running the Suzuki4u website since 2004. It’s now the biggest UK Suzuki forum.
Process: Creating a business logo
I enjoy branding, especially designing logos. It’s a process that requires various skills and some creativity.
Adding fonts into photoshop without adding them to windows
If you use Photoshop for any kind of graphic or web design, you'll understand the importance of having an array of fonts to choose from.
Inspiration for Navigation menus in web design
Sometimes when you're designing a site you can find yourself wondering how is best to do a certain aspect.
Free icon sets for your website
If you don't have the time to make your own icons for your latest product or website, then you need to find some for free.
devops
Who’s bug is it anyway? Aka handling the on-call rota
Being the person responsible for dealing with issues as they come in (aka on-call) is probably one of the most disliked aspects of the job, with feedback ran...
Delivering Value
By now you’ve probably seen this image, with waterfall on the left, and continuous operations on the right, it’s an evolution.
Devops Best Practices
DevOps started out as “Agile Systems Administration”. In 2008, at the Agile Conference in Toronto, Andrew Shafer posted an offer to moderate an ad hoc “Birds...
What “People over Process” actually means
The agile manifesto talks about “people over process”. As someone who is often very process-driven, I know that the right process will produce the right resu...
The Journey to DevOps - Notes from The Project Phoenix
If you’ve ever looked into DevOps, you’ve no doubt come across this “evolution” type image, with an ape type figure on the left, labelled “Waterfall” and on ...
PHP CI with Jenkins and Docker (Part 1)
I’ve been developing in PHP now for longer than I haven’t.
That Testing Pyramid
Today I want to talk about that “Testing Pyramid”, you know the one, that one, Martin Fowler calls it a “Test Pyramid”.
Setting up a PHP development environment
The best thing about PHP is it's low level of entry. There's very few hurdles these days to get started.
agile
Microservices - Managing the flow of data
There’s a number of companies that have been pioneering the microservices architectural style, including Amazon, Netflix, The Guardian, the UK Government Dig...
Agile, what’s it all about?
Why does the agile software development exist? What’s it all about? Why do people use it? Who uses it? How do you use it?
Keep it Simple, Stupid!
“RTBQ! RTBQ!”. This is the phrase that my high school friends shouted at me when I asked them to remind me of the phrase they remember from school. Mr Fletch...
Story Points Baseline
Given a new team or a team restructure, should you baseline? Do all teams point differently? Do the team need to baseline?
Delivering Value
By now you’ve probably seen this image, with waterfall on the left, and continuous operations on the right, it’s an evolution.
Devops Best Practices
DevOps started out as “Agile Systems Administration”. In 2008, at the Agile Conference in Toronto, Andrew Shafer posted an offer to moderate an ad hoc “Birds...
What “People over Process” actually means
The agile manifesto talks about “people over process”. As someone who is often very process-driven, I know that the right process will produce the right resu...
Is naming things really that hard?
There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation and naming things. – Phil Karlton
Linux
longip perl script
I wanted to create a script that would convert a normal IP address to a long IP, just like mIRC Script's $longip alias.
Next time i’m buying a mac
Recently I decided to get away for a break, so I left the country with all intention of not doing anything work related for a week.
Installing IonCube Loader with cPanel on CentOS
There seems to be limited details of how this is done. It's fairly simple to be honest, but I felt it could save somebody some time if it was documented.
Xen on CentOS Host running FreeBSD Guest
Recently i've been investigating Xen. In short, Xen is open source virtualisation software that provides you with the ability to split a physical hardware...
The requested URL /cpanel was not found on this server
If you run cPanel servers, then you may at some point experience this issue.
Migrating from Windows to Linux
These days I find myself playing less and less games on my computer. This is mainly because I use my computer as a workstation, and playing games would in...
Which is the best operating system?
I've done my research and i've discovered there's only 6 Operating Systems that I would ever need to use.
Mobile Phone
Extend Blackberry ring time
I have a Blackberry Pearl 8900 on O2, I've had it a while now.
No Message Alerts Problem on Nokia N95
A couple of weeks ago I noticed that the alerts for text messages has mysteriously gone missing and completely stopped working.
Motorola V3X Review
I HATE this phone, here's why…
How to unlock a Samsung E720 mobile phone
I found this out because Orange sucks.
Siemens CX65 Review
I bought this on the 20/08/04 for £179.99, which actually seems quite a lot for such a phone, but it was not bad at the time for a brand new unlocked phon...
Txt Spk iz Gr8
From a very early age I have been taught to write the English language correctly, I try and carry this trend over when I'm on the internet.
Getting your mobile unlocked
I get asked quite often if I know how to get a mobile phone unlocked, so this is my experience…
web design
Upgrade: Randles Used Cars
I’ve now finished rolling out “Phase 2” for the Randles website.
How We Built: Loggerheads Community Information Shop
What seems like an age ago now started out with me meeting up with Eric Pemberton to give a few pointers with the online presence for the community run in...
Update: Randles Website Homepage
I’ve been quiet for a little while settling into the new job role and tackling some quick fixes as well as dealing with some larger infrastructure challen...
How We Built: 3 Shires Property Network
Back in 2006, Mandi approached me to create her a website for her real estate and property rental business: 3 Shires Property Network.
Makeover: The IT Exchange Ltd.
The IT Exchange Ltd. website gets a facelift!
Makeover: G. S. Unwin Bodycentre Ltd.
G. S. Unwin Bodycentre Ltd. website gets a facelift.
Inspiration for Navigation menus in web design
Sometimes when you're designing a site you can find yourself wondering how is best to do a certain aspect.
web development
An introduction to Fuel CMS
FuelCMS is described as, simply, a CodeIgniter Content Management System.
Upgrade: Randles Used Cars
I’ve now finished rolling out “Phase 2” for the Randles website.
How We Built: Loggerheads Community Information Shop
What seems like an age ago now started out with me meeting up with Eric Pemberton to give a few pointers with the online presence for the community run in...
How We Built: 3 Shires Property Network
Back in 2006, Mandi approached me to create her a website for her real estate and property rental business: 3 Shires Property Network.
Makeover: G. S. Unwin Bodycentre Ltd.
G. S. Unwin Bodycentre Ltd. website gets a facelift.
Choosing a PHP Framework
Recently I've been writing a lot more PHP based websites and web applications. I've found myself building and rebuilding my own framework, but to no real ...
windows
Startup problems are a thing of the past
Not so long ago, I had an arsenal of tools for managing windows startup applications.
(Not so) Sharp printer stuck offline
A client called explaining to me that they were unable to print to their Sharp MX-1800N network printer. Upon inspection it said that the printer was “Offlin...
ERROR 5 (0x00000005) Copying NTFS Security to Destination Directory
Got this error today using ROBOCOPY to copy files to a SAMBA share.
W32Dasm
W32Dasm (or Win32DASM) doesn't seem to exist on the map any more, but it's still a very useful programmers tool, especially if you like reverse engineerin...
Error 1747 : The Authentication Service is Unknown
Today I had a newish Windows Vista machine that had the following error:
No More Adobe Acrobat Reader
If like me you have ever received a PDF files as an attachment in an email, you will no doubt have heard of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
business
Agile, what’s it all about?
Why does the agile software development exist? What’s it all about? Why do people use it? Who uses it? How do you use it?
Is it time to stop bringing your own device to work?
Bring your own device (BYOD) refers to the policy of permitting employees to bring personally owned devices, like your mobile phone to their workplace and us...
New for 2014: The DeadUseful Project
Introducing a new home for my projects.
Process: Creating a business logo
I enjoy branding, especially designing logos. It’s a process that requires various skills and some creativity.
UK Business License
We recently had an issue with a US based company who asked us for the following:
When broadband fails
The best part of last week I spent trying to resolve an issue for a business who was experiencing downtime with their broadband.
Site
Geek in the Park 2008
It's about this time that geeks start to think about things to do over the summer.
Twitter for mIRC
I signed up for Twitter quite some months ago, but have yet really found myself using it.
A new month
First of all I'd like to say thanks to everyone who has visited my website since I began at the start of last month.
New Site
For some time I have been meaning to update my website, I had decided long ago that if I did create a new site it would use the wordpress engine, as I did...
Hello world!
Welcome to the website,
Apache
suPHP and .phps PHP code highlighting support
Today a user on one of my web servers asked me why .phps files would only download and not show the highlighted PHP code as expected.
Friendly URLs (revisited)
Turn dynamic URLs into friendly URLs
Configuring a FreeBSD IRC Shell Server
This is a brief guide created to help configure a secure FreeBSD as an IRC shell server.
Creating subdomains from directories using mod_rewrite in Apache .htaccess
The idea was to have the ability to create unlimited subdomains simply by creating an appropreate directory for it in your html root directory.
Focus on one domain
Why you should be focusing on one domain name for one site
eggdrop
TinySong TCL script for Eggdrop
If you've not heard of TinySong, you're missing out!
Universal Currency Converter TCL for Eggdrop
Update: This script is now part of the eggtcl project.
worldtime.tcl
Sometimes you need to know the time somewhere else in the world. I find it useful to get my eggdrop to return the time of another timezone…
weather.tcl
Update: This script is now part of the eggtcl project.
Lame Botnet
Yes, my botnet is pretty lame, but it's also kinda cool. I'm not talking about anything bad though.
TCL
TinySong TCL script for Eggdrop
If you've not heard of TinySong, you're missing out!
Universal Currency Converter TCL for Eggdrop
Update: This script is now part of the eggtcl project.
worldtime.tcl
Sometimes you need to know the time somewhere else in the world. I find it useful to get my eggdrop to return the time of another timezone…
weather.tcl
Update: This script is now part of the eggtcl project.
Lame Botnet
Yes, my botnet is pretty lame, but it's also kinda cool. I'm not talking about anything bad though.
api
Google’s Official Profanity API
Recently a list of “bad words” were made available through Google's new website which asks: “What do you love?” (wdyl.com).
What is my IP?
An IP address is a unique number which identifies a machine on a network.
PHP OpenSRS Client
This is only a quick message to say that I am now developing the PHP OpenSRS Client project.
Gmail needs an API
Yesterday I spent some time investigating Google Wave. A very interesting new product from Google. Not only that but an interesting protocol.
weather.tcl
Update: This script is now part of the eggtcl project.
programming
Don’t write code for computers
When trying to keep code simple, you may find yourself torn as to what is more simple, less code or more verbose code?
Rule of three
Sometimes called “1, 2, refactor”, the “rule of three” is code refactoring rule of thumb to decide when a replicated piece of code should be replaced by a ne...
Exceptions are meant to be exceptional
Now and again I come across patterns that I see in codebases and pull requests, especially when the project or team is maturing. This covers one of them.
Avoid using switch-case statements
Recently I’ve been asked why switch-case statements should be avoided, it turns out to be a pretty common question, and although I’m pretty happy with the re...
Keep it Simple, Stupid!
“RTBQ! RTBQ!”. This is the phrase that my high school friends shouted at me when I asked them to remind me of the phrase they remember from school. Mr Fletch...
code
Guidelines for Test Automation for Laravel
We can think of test automation as the process of tracking and managing the different tests.
What’s involved in a code review?
We now live in a time of version control, git and github. If you work in software development you should be familiar with “pull requests”.
New for 2014: The DeadUseful Project
Introducing a new home for my projects.
How to correctly make a PHP contact form
I use contact forms on many websites, and over the years I have discovered many problems with using them, including hijacking, mail injection, server hack...
isp
Choosing a broadband provider
The advise for any services these days is to change provider every 12 months to get the best deal. Your broadband subscription is no different.
Alternative name servers
If you’ve ever had a problem with your ISPs DNS name servers then you’ll probably find this very useful.
Troubleshooting routing issues
Recently I’ve received reports from clients on a particular ISP are having trouble reaching services on a particular server in a data centre.
When broadband fails
The best part of last week I spent trying to resolve an issue for a business who was experiencing downtime with their broadband.
internet explorer
jQuery sucks at browser detection
This week i've been tweaking a little site I've started called “ismybrowseruptodate.com“, which is designed to assist people who don't know wh...
Ways to prevent malware infection for free
There’s lots of ways to prevent a malware (virus or spyware) infection for free, here’s a list:
How do I make Yahoo Mail default mail provider in Vista?
Many users, particularly users of BT Yahoo! Broadband (btinternet.com) are having trouble understanding how to get to their BT Yahoo Mail on Windows Vista.
Blocked links in Microsoft Outlook
When you click a link on an email in Microsoft Outlook, you are blocked from visiting the URL and you see the following error message:
virus
Meet the ransomware trojan that has IT professionals worried
This week, for the first time I came into contact with the CryptoLocker trojan. A virus that encrypts all of your documents and holds you to ransom to recove...
Report a virus
I’m always coming across new viruses that haven’t even been added to the latest anti-virus software.
Don`t forward virus warnings, delete them
If you’ve ever received a virus warning from your friends, family or co-workers, you’ll know what I’m talking about. These virus warnings are hoaxes and are ...
Ways to prevent malware infection for free
There’s lots of ways to prevent a malware (virus or spyware) infection for free, here’s a list:
office
Office
Gone of the days of getting a copy of Microsoft Office from dodgy Dave down the pub.
Microsoft Office 2007 Downloads
One of my customers has specialist database software built on the FileMaker Pro database engine. The unfortunate downside to this is that certain legacy plug...
Open docx, xlsx, and pptx files
If you’ve been sent a file with the extension .docx, .xlsx or .pptx and you don’t have the latest version of Office then you’ll share the frustration that ma...
Remove OGA Notifier
I had a call today about Microsoft OGA (Office Genuine Advantage) Notifier becoming an annoyance for a client.
centos
Migrating IMAP mailboxes to a cPanel server
A customer got in touch with us and explained their situation.
Installing Subversion on a cPanel Server
It should be easy right? Just “yum install subversion”.
error: no dbpath has been set
I've recently been having trouble with a OpenVZ VPS upgraded from CentOS4 to CentOS5, here's what I'm seeing when trying to rum a yum install of mod_pytho...
The specified network name is no longer available samba
I keep getting this error:
Is Google PageRank dead?
PageRank is dead, long live PageRank.
PageRank Viewer Launch
Back in 2007, we were developing code for our domain lookup service.
get_favicon() php function
I was after a php function that would get the favicon for a supplied domain, I did attempt to write my own but it proved more complex than I had first ant...
ux
UX Tips: Carousels
So what’s the deal with carousels? Why does everyone keep asking for them on their website?
UX: Is hamburger menu a lazy solution?
A question raised at a recent Staffs Web Meetup was:
Update: Randles Website Homepage
I’ve been quiet for a little while settling into the new job role and tackling some quick fixes as well as dealing with some larger infrastructure challen...
Enhanced: Randles Navigation
After discussing website improvements with the Randles Motor Group marketing manager we decided that the website needed a new navigation menu with simple ...
website
Update: Randles Website Homepage
I’ve been quiet for a little while settling into the new job role and tackling some quick fixes as well as dealing with some larger infrastructure challen...
Enhanced: Randles Website Layout
A couple of days ago we launched the new look Randles website. To the untrained eye the site may not look that different. The main purpose for introducing...
Makeover: G. S. Unwin Bodycentre Ltd.
G. S. Unwin Bodycentre Ltd. website gets a facelift.
Launch: New DevotedIT website
I’ve quietly been working on devotedit.com in the background and now it’s ready!
cloud
How I stopped worrying about servers and learned to love serverless
I first heard of the term “serverless” in about 2015, probably around the time that the “Serverless Framework” launched, October 2015.
Microservices - Managing the flow of data
There’s a number of companies that have been pioneering the microservices architectural style, including Amazon, Netflix, The Guardian, the UK Government Dig...
Is it time to stop bringing your own device to work?
Bring your own device (BYOD) refers to the policy of permitting employees to bring personally owned devices, like your mobile phone to their workplace and us...
Paperless office
The “paperless office“: a concept that dates back to the 1970s (before I was even born) with promises of the “office of the future” where record-handling wou...
ci
Using Jenkinsfiles for Continuous Deployment Pipelines
If the idea of deploying code to production makes you nervous, then this one’s for you.
Delivering Value
By now you’ve probably seen this image, with waterfall on the left, and continuous operations on the right, it’s an evolution.
The Journey to DevOps - Notes from The Project Phoenix
If you’ve ever looked into DevOps, you’ve no doubt come across this “evolution” type image, with an ape type figure on the left, labelled “Waterfall” and on ...
PHP CI with Jenkins and Docker (Part 1)
I’ve been developing in PHP now for longer than I haven’t.
Telecomms
Fax to email
Fax to email is perhaps one of the most interesting, oldest and most overlooked technology.
Getting your mobile unlocked
I get asked quite often if I know how to get a mobile phone unlocked, so this is my experience…
Telemarketing
The thing that has been bothering me recently most of all, even more than online spam and junk mail, are telemarketing calls. I recently had an increase o...
Printers
Print dialog does not appear in Outlook Express or Internet Explorer
Today I get a call.
Samsung ML-4500 XP driver install
I decided I was finally fed up with my Epson Stylus C46 bubble jet printer, and decided that I don't really need it anyway.
Parts inside your printer are at the end of their service life
Today I had the joy of fixing an Epson Stylus C46 UX printer.
Reviews
Motorola V3X Review
I HATE this phone, here's why…
IHTOOM pmp
Despite my problems with purchasing mp4 players in the past I decided to purchase a new one.
Siemens CX65 Review
I bought this on the 20/08/04 for £179.99, which actually seems quite a lot for such a phone, but it was not bad at the time for a brand new unlocked phon...
irc
Converting your logo to ASCII art
If you're a geek like me or you've just seen Iron Man 2 you'll probably like the idea of having a custom motd display something cool when you login to yo...
weather.tcl
Update: This script is now part of the eggtcl project.
Twitter for mIRC
I signed up for Twitter quite some months ago, but have yet really found myself using it.
Broadband
Choosing a broadband provider
The advise for any services these days is to change provider every 12 months to get the best deal. Your broadband subscription is no different.
When broadband fails
The best part of last week I spent trying to resolve an issue for a business who was experiencing downtime with their broadband.
Wireless adaptor for the BT Home Hub 2.0
Those that have one will be very familiar with the BT Home Hub.
wireless
Networking problems solved using mains
We’ve all been there. You want to network your computers and devices together around your house.
Belkin 802.11g Wireless G+ USB Adapter Driver Problems
I was fixing a machine with the Belkin 802.11g – 125 HSM Wireless G+ USB Adapter.
Wireless adaptor for the BT Home Hub 2.0
Those that have one will be very familiar with the BT Home Hub.
adobe
There is a problem with Adobe Acrobat/Reader. If it is running, please exit and try again. (103:103)
Today a client reported a problem when they tried to open a PDF document in Internet Explorer.
Adding fonts into photoshop without adding them to windows
If you use Photoshop for any kind of graphic or web design, you'll understand the importance of having an array of fonts to choose from.
No More Adobe Acrobat Reader
If like me you have ever received a PDF files as an attachment in an email, you will no doubt have heard of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
There is a problem with Adobe Acrobat/Reader. If it is running, please exit and try again. (103:103)
Today a client reported a problem when they tried to open a PDF document in Internet Explorer.
Scan to Excel
This week I've mostly been trying to figure out a way to digitalise some of my bank statements to make accountancy and archiving easier.
No More Adobe Acrobat Reader
If like me you have ever received a PDF files as an attachment in an email, you will no doubt have heard of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
bt
Choosing a broadband provider
The advise for any services these days is to change provider every 12 months to get the best deal. Your broadband subscription is no different.
How do I make Yahoo Mail default mail provider in Vista?
Many users, particularly users of BT Yahoo! Broadband (btinternet.com) are having trouble understanding how to get to their BT Yahoo Mail on Windows Vista.
When broadband fails
The best part of last week I spent trying to resolve an issue for a business who was experiencing downtime with their broadband.
outlook
Replacing Outlook Express
Recently Microsoft have been running a campaign to get rid of their 10-year-old web browser, Internet Explorer 6. This got me thinking…
How to send emails to multiple addresses
It may seem obvious how to send your email to multiple email addresses.
Blocked links in Microsoft Outlook
When you click a link on an email in Microsoft Outlook, you are blocked from visiting the URL and you see the following error message:
password
Is my password secure?
In light of the recent security breaches of huge websites such as Gawker, Sony and Nintendo I am concerned about an issue that affects us all: Is my password...
Has friendster been hacked?
I noticed an unusual email when I checked my Gmail account today.
How not to use PHPMailer
I came across PHPMailer usage the other day on a Chinese gadget wholesale site “SourcingMap.com”.
efnet
EFnet UK
On Sunday July 19 2009 Hardy announced on the EFnet website that Demon Internet will be delinking efnet.demon.co.uk and hub.uk from the EFnet IRC network ...
cssbase
Yesterday marks the day that I took over the “cssbase” project.
Lame Botnet
Yes, my botnet is pretty lame, but it's also kinda cool. I'm not talking about anything bad though.
uk
Process: Creating a business logo
I enjoy branding, especially designing logos. It’s a process that requires various skills and some creativity.
UK Business License
We recently had an issue with a US based company who asked us for the following:
EFnet UK
On Sunday July 19 2009 Hardy announced on the EFnet website that Demon Internet will be delinking efnet.demon.co.uk and hub.uk from the EFnet IRC network ...
excel
Open docx, xlsx, and pptx files
If you’ve been sent a file with the extension .docx, .xlsx or .pptx and you don’t have the latest version of Office then you’ll share the frustration that ma...
Microsoft Excel will not open two documents with the same name
Microsoft Excel will not open two documents with the same name and instead will display the following error:
Scan to Excel
This week I've mostly been trying to figure out a way to digitalise some of my bank statements to make accountancy and archiving easier.
gmail
Replacing Outlook Express
Recently Microsoft have been running a campaign to get rid of their 10-year-old web browser, Internet Explorer 6. This got me thinking…
How to send emails to multiple addresses
It may seem obvious how to send your email to multiple email addresses.
Gmail needs an API
Yesterday I spent some time investigating Google Wave. A very interesting new product from Google. Not only that but an interesting protocol.
whois
Introducing the Dead Useful Domain Search
Today, the Dead Useful Project launches “Domain Search”.
How to check if that website is dodgy before you buy
Earlier this year someone close and dear to me got in touch about a website they were tempted to purchase from:
WhoisX relaunch
We’re ready now…
error
Why error suppression in PHP is bad
I appreciate that to most people, this is not a new topic and it almost goes without saying, however I can understand that not everybody knows this, espec...
File in use: The action can`t be completed because the file is open in another program
This is a problem that I come across from time to time.
Microsoft Excel will not open two documents with the same name
Microsoft Excel will not open two documents with the same name and instead will display the following error:
yum
How To Install MongoDB on CentOS 6 with cPanel
First of all, what is MongoDB? Well if you're already here, you probably know, but if this is the first time you've heard of it, then you may want to know...
Installing Subversion on a cPanel Server
It should be easy right? Just “yum install subversion”.
error: no dbpath has been set
I've recently been having trouble with a OpenVZ VPS upgraded from CentOS4 to CentOS5, here's what I'm seeing when trying to rum a yum install of mod_pytho...
logo
Makeover: Suzuki4u logo and forum
I’ve been running the Suzuki4u website since 2004. It’s now the biggest UK Suzuki forum.
Process: Creating a business logo
I enjoy branding, especially designing logos. It’s a process that requires various skills and some creativity.
Converting your logo to ASCII art
If you're a geek like me or you've just seen Iron Man 2 you'll probably like the idea of having a custom motd display something cool when you login to yo...
spam
to.je – The Failed TinyURL.com Clone
Ever since my IRC (Internet Relay Chat) days I'd always wanted to write a TinyURL.com clone, especially since it gained traction on twitter and Facebook. ...
Anti Email Spam in the UK
Many years back I began investigating anti email spam in the UK as a way to defend against the amount amount of email spam we were receiving to certain em...
Has friendster been hacked?
I noticed an unusual email when I checked my Gmail account today.
process
What “People over Process” actually means
The agile manifesto talks about “people over process”. As someone who is often very process-driven, I know that the right process will produce the right resu...
What’s involved in a code review?
We now live in a time of version control, git and github. If you work in software development you should be familiar with “pull requests”.
Process: Creating a business logo
I enjoy branding, especially designing logos. It’s a process that requires various skills and some creativity.
makeover
Makeover: Suzuki4u logo and forum
I’ve been running the Suzuki4u website since 2004. It’s now the biggest UK Suzuki forum.
Makeover: The IT Exchange Ltd.
The IT Exchange Ltd. website gets a facelift!
Makeover: G. S. Unwin Bodycentre Ltd.
G. S. Unwin Bodycentre Ltd. website gets a facelift.
windows 7
Remote Desktop Connection Logon to Black Screen
This is a problem that has plagued me for a while now, and only two things seem to fix it.
Using Remote Assistance via e-mail on Windows 7
This section explains initiating Remote Assistance via e-mail to a Helpdesk. Home users can also follow this procedure to send a Remote Assistance request vi...
web
PHP CI with Jenkins and Docker (Part 1)
I’ve been developing in PHP now for longer than I haven’t.
Setting up a PHP development environment
The best thing about PHP is it's low level of entry. There's very few hurdles these days to get started.
Concept: Randles Website 2012
The current Randles website is due an overhaul.
testing
Getting started with Behat
Behat is a test framework for behavior-driven development (BDD) written in the PHP programming language.
Testing as code
In a time where DevOps culture demands “everything as code”, from infrastructure to monitoring, its about time we took “testing as code” seriously.
That Testing Pyramid
Today I want to talk about that “Testing Pyramid”, you know the one, that one, Martin Fowler calls it a “Test Pyramid”.
engineering
Who’s bug is it anyway? Aka handling the on-call rota
Being the person responsible for dealing with issues as they come in (aka on-call) is probably one of the most disliked aspects of the job, with feedback ran...
Is no QA the way to go?
There’s no getting away from it, quality is a whole team responsibility. If you’re aiming for Continuous Delivery, then you’ll recognise one of the core prin...
Devops Best Practices
DevOps started out as “Agile Systems Administration”. In 2008, at the Agile Conference in Toronto, Andrew Shafer posted an offer to moderate an ad hoc “Birds...
lean
Agile, what’s it all about?
Why does the agile software development exist? What’s it all about? Why do people use it? Who uses it? How do you use it?
Keep it Simple, Stupid!
“RTBQ! RTBQ!”. This is the phrase that my high school friends shouted at me when I asked them to remind me of the phrase they remember from school. Mr Fletch...
Story Points Baseline
Given a new team or a team restructure, should you baseline? Do all teams point differently? Do the team need to baseline?
development,
Guidelines for Test Automation for Laravel
We can think of test automation as the process of tracking and managing the different tests.
Don’t write code for computers
When trying to keep code simple, you may find yourself torn as to what is more simple, less code or more verbose code?
Book Review — Atomic Habits
I decided to pick up the book Atomic Habits because I read about Marginal Gains.
leadership,
Am I an implementer?
After I read the 20th anniversary edition of the Pragmatic Programmer, I decided to hop back into a business book. One that was recommended to mewas “Rocket ...
Revisiting Radical Candor
The Radical Candor book came out in 2017, I was recommended it by my manager at the time, as he suggested it would compliment my style.
The next rules of work
It’s 2022, and as the first few days of the year rush by, you’ve no doubt started to think about the year ahead, maybe even trying to predict what the year a...
management,
Am I an implementer?
After I read the 20th anniversary edition of the Pragmatic Programmer, I decided to hop back into a business book. One that was recommended to mewas “Rocket ...
Revisiting Radical Candor
The Radical Candor book came out in 2017, I was recommended it by my manager at the time, as he suggested it would compliment my style.
The next rules of work
It’s 2022, and as the first few days of the year rush by, you’ve no doubt started to think about the year ahead, maybe even trying to predict what the year a...
books,
Am I an implementer?
After I read the 20th anniversary edition of the Pragmatic Programmer, I decided to hop back into a business book. One that was recommended to mewas “Rocket ...
Revisiting Radical Candor
The Radical Candor book came out in 2017, I was recommended it by my manager at the time, as he suggested it would compliment my style.
The next rules of work
It’s 2022, and as the first few days of the year rush by, you’ve no doubt started to think about the year ahead, maybe even trying to predict what the year a...
work
Am I an implementer?
After I read the 20th anniversary edition of the Pragmatic Programmer, I decided to hop back into a business book. One that was recommended to mewas “Rocket ...
Revisiting Radical Candor
The Radical Candor book came out in 2017, I was recommended it by my manager at the time, as he suggested it would compliment my style.
The next rules of work
It’s 2022, and as the first few days of the year rush by, you’ve no doubt started to think about the year ahead, maybe even trying to predict what the year a...
eBay
Tracking eBay auctions
These days I find myself buying all sorts of things off of ebay.
4GB Mp4 Player ebay Scam
Just before Christmas, I decided I was going to get an MP3 player for my girlfriend as she wanted a new mp3-player, as her 40gb one was too much and now o...
Mp3/Mp4
IHTOOM pmp
Despite my problems with purchasing mp4 players in the past I decided to purchase a new one.
4GB Mp4 Player ebay Scam
Just before Christmas, I decided I was going to get an MP3 player for my girlfriend as she wanted a new mp3-player, as her 40gb one was too much and now o...
MSN
How to Disable Windows Messenger
Why would you want to disable Windows Messenger?
MSN via IRC
Quite some time ago I decided that I wanted to offer support via MSN for a business. This is all very well until you want multiple staff to cover the R...
Legal
How to Copyright your website
People often ask me how to go about getting their website copyrighted, this is my advise…
UK Trademark Law
I awake one morning to find a notification from my business partner showing a website where a group of gamers have created a clan and a website using our ...
branding
Introducing the Dead Useful Domain Search
Today, the Dead Useful Project launches “Domain Search”.
Create a unique company name
When trying to create a unique company name for your business, I found that there was a three step approach to creating a unique name.
Optimisation
50+ PHP optimisation tips revisited
After reading an article some time ago entitled “40 Tips for optimizing your php Code” (and some others that are suspiciously similar), I deci...
10 wordpress performance optimisation tips
I wanted to prepare my wordpress powered blog for an influx of traffic from social media sites such as reddit.com or digg.com, in case one of my articles ...
shell
Converting your logo to ASCII art
If you're a geek like me or you've just seen Iron Man 2 you'll probably like the idea of having a custom motd display something cool when you login to yo...
How to restart the explorer shell in Windows XP
If you have landed yourself here chances are you already know why you want to do this, but for those who don't here's why:
offline
(Not so) Sharp printer stuck offline
A client called explaining to me that they were unable to print to their Sharp MX-1800N network printer. Upon inspection it said that the printer was “Offlin...
When broadband fails
The best part of last week I spent trying to resolve an issue for a business who was experiencing downtime with their broadband.
router
Customising the Netgear DG834G
I started writing this article a long time ago, however after researching the DG834G I soon found many more articles and sites dedicated to hacking or cus...
When broadband fails
The best part of last week I spent trying to resolve an issue for a business who was experiencing downtime with their broadband.
belkin
Networking problems solved using mains
We’ve all been there. You want to network your computers and devices together around your house.
Belkin 802.11g Wireless G+ USB Adapter Driver Problems
I was fixing a machine with the Belkin 802.11g – 125 HSM Wireless G+ USB Adapter.
drivers
Belkin 802.11g Wireless G+ USB Adapter Driver Problems
I was fixing a machine with the Belkin 802.11g – 125 HSM Wireless G+ USB Adapter.
it
Is it time to stop bringing your own device to work?
Bring your own device (BYOD) refers to the policy of permitting employees to bring personally owned devices, like your mobile phone to their workplace and us...
Tech support blog
I've recently launched a tech support job, which combines aspects of my day job with aspects of this blog to form “fixr”.
icmp
Pingotron
I've been meaning to publish a post about Pingotron for some time now, but now I fear it's already too late.
Troubleshooting routing issues
Recently I’ve received reports from clients on a particular ISP are having trouble reaching services on a particular server in a data centre.
ping
Pingotron
I've been meaning to publish a post about Pingotron for some time now, but now I fear it's already too late.
Troubleshooting routing issues
Recently I’ve received reports from clients on a particular ISP are having trouble reaching services on a particular server in a data centre.
icons
Fix Adobe Illustrator (.ai) and Photoshop (.psd) Thumbnail Icons for Windows Explorer
If like me you don’t like using Adobe Bridge and instead like to see thumbnail icon previews of your Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop (.ai, .eps and .ps...
Icon Software
Over the past few weeks I've been assisting the creation</a> of articles regarding icon software on Wikipedia.
dvd
DVD Playback on Windows
One of the biggest annoyances I’ve heard about Windows 8 so far is that there’s no DVD support included.
DVD Collection Software
I wanted to find some software to help organise my DVD collection.
bt yahoo
Bare LFs in SMTP 0x800CCC0F
Recently one of my clients received the following error in Windows Mail on Windows Vista:
How do I make Yahoo Mail default mail provider in Vista?
Many users, particularly users of BT Yahoo! Broadband (btinternet.com) are having trouble understanding how to get to their BT Yahoo Mail on Windows Vista.
btinternet
Bare LFs in SMTP 0x800CCC0F
Recently one of my clients received the following error in Windows Mail on Windows Vista:
How do I make Yahoo Mail default mail provider in Vista?
Many users, particularly users of BT Yahoo! Broadband (btinternet.com) are having trouble understanding how to get to their BT Yahoo Mail on Windows Vista.
yahoo mail
Bare LFs in SMTP 0x800CCC0F
Recently one of my clients received the following error in Windows Mail on Windows Vista:
How do I make Yahoo Mail default mail provider in Vista?
Many users, particularly users of BT Yahoo! Broadband (btinternet.com) are having trouble understanding how to get to their BT Yahoo Mail on Windows Vista.
samba
The specified network name is no longer available samba
I keep getting this error:
ERROR 5 (0x00000005) Copying NTFS Security to Destination Directory
Got this error today using ROBOCOPY to copy files to a SAMBA share.
convert
How to convert an image to greyscale using PHP
I was trying to find a neat way to grey out some “powered by” logos for a website I'm developing.
Scan to Excel
This week I've mostly been trying to figure out a way to digitalise some of my bank statements to make accountancy and archiving easier.
opensrs
Unable to update nameservers: Nameserver doesn`t exist at the registry
If you have domains with TuCows OpenSRS you may be faced with this error when you try and set custom name servers on your domain through the OpenSRS manag...
PHP OpenSRS Client
This is only a quick message to say that I am now developing the PHP OpenSRS Client project.
tucows
Unable to update nameservers: Nameserver doesn`t exist at the registry
If you have domains with TuCows OpenSRS you may be faced with this error when you try and set custom name servers on your domain through the OpenSRS manag...
PHP OpenSRS Client
This is only a quick message to say that I am now developing the PHP OpenSRS Client project.
dns
Unable to update nameservers: Nameserver doesn`t exist at the registry
If you have domains with TuCows OpenSRS you may be faced with this error when you try and set custom name servers on your domain through the OpenSRS manag...
Alternative name servers
If you’ve ever had a problem with your ISPs DNS name servers then you’ll probably find this very useful.
yahoo
Bare LFs in SMTP 0x800CCC0F
Recently one of my clients received the following error in Windows Mail on Windows Vista:
Universal Currency Converter TCL for Eggdrop
Update: This script is now part of the eggtcl project.
Replacing Outlook Express
Recently Microsoft have been running a campaign to get rid of their 10-year-old web browser, Internet Explorer 6. This got me thinking…
Bare LFs in SMTP 0x800CCC0F
Recently one of my clients received the following error in Windows Mail on Windows Vista:
smtp
exim on another port for smtp
When a business I know had trouble with their broadband I was fortunately able to get them back online by using the redundant mobile broadband on the rout...
Bare LFs in SMTP 0x800CCC0F
Recently one of my clients received the following error in Windows Mail on Windows Vista:
antivirus
Microsoft Security Essentials Old Version Download for Windows XP
As you’re probably aware, Microsoft have reached end of life for Windows XP and have discontinued support for the operating system.
Report a virus
I’m always coming across new viruses that haven’t even been added to the latest anti-virus software.
mailchimp
Integrate a newsletter into your website
Over the years I've been asked how to integrate a newsletter into a website quite a few times.
How to send emails to multiple addresses
It may seem obvious how to send your email to multiple email addresses.
thunderbird
Replacing Outlook Express
Recently Microsoft have been running a campaign to get rid of their 10-year-old web browser, Internet Explorer 6. This got me thinking…
How to send emails to multiple addresses
It may seem obvious how to send your email to multiple email addresses.
pagerank
Is Google PageRank dead?
PageRank is dead, long live PageRank.
PageRank Viewer Launch
Back in 2007, we were developing code for our domain lookup service.
blank
Remote Desktop Connection Logon to Black Screen
This is a problem that has plagued me for a while now, and only two things seem to fix it.
Change or remove programs is blank
Windows 2000 is a pain, especially these days when something goes wrong because none of the information or tools that we used to use are around any more.
docker
PHP CI with Jenkins and Docker (Part 1)
I’ve been developing in PHP now for longer than I haven’t.
Getting started with Docker and Wordpress
I’ve been meaning to get started with Docker since hearing about it in 2014.
serverless
How I stopped worrying about servers and learned to love serverless
I first heard of the term “serverless” in about 2015, probably around the time that the “Serverless Framework” launched, October 2015.
Will the last person to leave turn the LAMP off
We all love LAMP (that’s Linux, Apache httpd, MySQL, PHP), but the love affair may be coming to an end.
seo
How can I improve my search engine ranking?
We know that backlinks are still important to get ranked in Google, but what else can be done to improve our ranking?
Have backlinks become irrelevant in 2017?
In 2017, are links still relevant and important?
jenkins
Using Jenkinsfiles for Continuous Deployment Pipelines
If the idea of deploying code to production makes you nervous, then this one’s for you.
PHP CI with Jenkins and Docker (Part 1)
I’ve been developing in PHP now for longer than I haven’t.
management
Who’s bug is it anyway? Aka handling the on-call rota
Being the person responsible for dealing with issues as they come in (aka on-call) is probably one of the most disliked aspects of the job, with feedback ran...
What “People over Process” actually means
The agile manifesto talks about “people over process”. As someone who is often very process-driven, I know that the right process will produce the right resu...
quality
Is no QA the way to go?
There’s no getting away from it, quality is a whole team responsibility. If you’re aiming for Continuous Delivery, then you’ll recognise one of the core prin...
Testing as code
In a time where DevOps culture demands “everything as code”, from infrastructure to monitoring, its about time we took “testing as code” seriously.
bdd
Getting started with Behat
Behat is a test framework for behavior-driven development (BDD) written in the PHP programming language.
Testing as code
In a time where DevOps culture demands “everything as code”, from infrastructure to monitoring, its about time we took “testing as code” seriously.
microservices
Microservices - Managing the flow of data
There’s a number of companies that have been pioneering the microservices architectural style, including Amazon, Netflix, The Guardian, the UK Government Dig...
The journey to Microservices
We’ve come along way, even in the past few years. We’ve seen huge advances in web technology.
refactoring
Avoid using switch-case statements
Recently I’ve been asked why switch-case statements should be avoided, it turns out to be a pretty common question, and although I’m pretty happy with the re...
Keep it Simple, Stupid!
“RTBQ! RTBQ!”. This is the phrase that my high school friends shouted at me when I asked them to remind me of the phrase they remember from school. Mr Fletch...
patterns
Avoid using switch-case statements
Recently I’ve been asked why switch-case statements should be avoided, it turns out to be a pretty common question, and although I’m pretty happy with the re...
Keep it Simple, Stupid!
“RTBQ! RTBQ!”. This is the phrase that my high school friends shouted at me when I asked them to remind me of the phrase they remember from school. Mr Fletch...
contact
How to correctly make a PHP contact form
I use contact forms on many websites, and over the years I have discovered many problems with using them, including hijacking, mail injection, server hack...
form
How to correctly make a PHP contact form
I use contact forms on many websites, and over the years I have discovered many problems with using them, including hijacking, mail injection, server hack...
7-zip
Compression Utilities
For years now, for whatever reason I have used WinZip. I don't really know why I continued to use it for so long as from WinZip 8 onwards, I was under the...
compression
Compression Utilities
For years now, for whatever reason I have used WinZip. I don't really know why I continued to use it for so long as from WinZip 8 onwards, I was under the...
squeez
Compression Utilities
For years now, for whatever reason I have used WinZip. I don't really know why I continued to use it for so long as from WinZip 8 onwards, I was under the...
winace
Compression Utilities
For years now, for whatever reason I have used WinZip. I don't really know why I continued to use it for so long as from WinZip 8 onwards, I was under the...
winrar
Compression Utilities
For years now, for whatever reason I have used WinZip. I don't really know why I continued to use it for so long as from WinZip 8 onwards, I was under the...
winzip
Compression Utilities
For years now, for whatever reason I have used WinZip. I don't really know why I continued to use it for so long as from WinZip 8 onwards, I was under the...
Marketing
Marketing Concepts
Some people find it difficult to get to grips with marketing concepts, so here's some real life examples to get you started.
company name
Create a unique company name
When trying to create a unique company name for your business, I found that there was a three step approach to creating a unique name.
name
Create a unique company name
When trying to create a unique company name for your business, I found that there was a three step approach to creating a unique name.
unique
Create a unique company name
When trying to create a unique company name for your business, I found that there was a three step approach to creating a unique name.
mirc
Twitter for mIRC
I signed up for Twitter quite some months ago, but have yet really found myself using it.
Twitter for mIRC
I signed up for Twitter quite some months ago, but have yet really found myself using it.
email address
What is a valid email address?
With the on-going abuse to email based systems, we are in need of ways to validate the email addresses we're handling.
validation
What is a valid email address?
With the on-going abuse to email based systems, we are in need of ways to validate the email addresses we're handling.
verification
What is a valid email address?
With the on-going abuse to email based systems, we are in need of ways to validate the email addresses we're handling.
dating
Creating a dating site (PHP)
During the summer of 2007 I decided to purchase a new domain name with a dating theme.
getmxrr
PHP getmxrr() support for windows
As many of you may be aware there's a lack of getmxrr() support in Windows, which dates back as far as 1999.
explorer
How to restart the explorer shell in Windows XP
If you have landed yourself here chances are you already know why you want to do this, but for those who don't here's why:
restart
How to restart the explorer shell in Windows XP
If you have landed yourself here chances are you already know why you want to do this, but for those who don't here's why:
xp
How to restart the explorer shell in Windows XP
If you have landed yourself here chances are you already know why you want to do this, but for those who don't here's why:
pclziputilpathreduction
Cannot redeclare pclziputilpathreduction()
I had this issue today, I found that you need to deactivate the “WordPress Automatic Upgrade” plugin as it's included in the core of WordPress...
upgrading
Cannot redeclare pclziputilpathreduction()
I had this issue today, I found that you need to deactivate the “WordPress Automatic Upgrade” plugin as it's included in the core of WordPress...
framework
Choosing a PHP Framework
Recently I've been writing a lot more PHP based websites and web applications. I've found myself building and rebuilding my own framework, but to no real ...
openid
Using Your Own URL as Your OpenID with WordPress
Today I decided to join stackoverflow.com, which requires you to login using OpenID.
openid delegation
Using Your Own URL as Your OpenID with WordPress
Today I decided to join stackoverflow.com, which requires you to login using OpenID.
802.11n
Wireless adaptor for the BT Home Hub 2.0
Those that have one will be very familiar with the BT Home Hub.
BT home hub
Wireless adaptor for the BT Home Hub 2.0
Those that have one will be very familiar with the BT Home Hub.
USB
Wireless adaptor for the BT Home Hub 2.0
Those that have one will be very familiar with the BT Home Hub.
acrobat
No More Adobe Acrobat Reader
If like me you have ever received a PDF files as an attachment in an email, you will no doubt have heard of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
foxit reader
No More Adobe Acrobat Reader
If like me you have ever received a PDF files as an attachment in an email, you will no doubt have heard of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
reader
No More Adobe Acrobat Reader
If like me you have ever received a PDF files as an attachment in an email, you will no doubt have heard of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
sucks
No More Adobe Acrobat Reader
If like me you have ever received a PDF files as an attachment in an email, you will no doubt have heard of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
uninstall
No More Adobe Acrobat Reader
If like me you have ever received a PDF files as an attachment in an email, you will no doubt have heard of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
uninstaller
No More Adobe Acrobat Reader
If like me you have ever received a PDF files as an attachment in an email, you will no doubt have heard of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
c:\windows\installer
C:\Windows\Installer overload!
If like me you’ve recently come across a computer where the “C:\Windows\Installer” directory is overloaded then you’ve probably used something like TreeSize ...
msi
C:\Windows\Installer overload!
If like me you’ve recently come across a computer where the “C:\Windows\Installer” directory is overloaded then you’ve probably used something like TreeSize ...
msp
C:\Windows\Installer overload!
If like me you’ve recently come across a computer where the “C:\Windows\Installer” directory is overloaded then you’ve probably used something like TreeSize ...
treesize
C:\Windows\Installer overload!
If like me you’ve recently come across a computer where the “C:\Windows\Installer” directory is overloaded then you’ve probably used something like TreeSize ...
windirstat
C:\Windows\Installer overload!
If like me you’ve recently come across a computer where the “C:\Windows\Installer” directory is overloaded then you’ve probably used something like TreeSize ...
backup
When broadband fails
The best part of last week I spent trying to resolve an issue for a business who was experiencing downtime with their broadband.
continuity
When broadband fails
The best part of last week I spent trying to resolve an issue for a business who was experiencing downtime with their broadband.
dialup
When broadband fails
The best part of last week I spent trying to resolve an issue for a business who was experiencing downtime with their broadband.
down
When broadband fails
The best part of last week I spent trying to resolve an issue for a business who was experiencing downtime with their broadband.
draytek
When broadband fails
The best part of last week I spent trying to resolve an issue for a business who was experiencing downtime with their broadband.
fails
When broadband fails
The best part of last week I spent trying to resolve an issue for a business who was experiencing downtime with their broadband.
Internet
When broadband fails
The best part of last week I spent trying to resolve an issue for a business who was experiencing downtime with their broadband.
openreach
When broadband fails
The best part of last week I spent trying to resolve an issue for a business who was experiencing downtime with their broadband.
redundancy
When broadband fails
The best part of last week I spent trying to resolve an issue for a business who was experiencing downtime with their broadband.
F5D7051
Belkin 802.11g Wireless G+ USB Adapter Driver Problems
I was fixing a machine with the Belkin 802.11g – 125 HSM Wireless G+ USB Adapter.
blog
Tech support blog
I've recently launched a tech support job, which combines aspects of my day job with aspects of this blog to form “fixr”.
fix
Tech support blog
I've recently launched a tech support job, which combines aspects of my day job with aspects of this blog to form “fixr”.
fixr
Tech support blog
I've recently launched a tech support job, which combines aspects of my day job with aspects of this blog to form “fixr”.
support
Tech support blog
I've recently launched a tech support job, which combines aspects of my day job with aspects of this blog to form “fixr”.
tech
Tech support blog
I've recently launched a tech support job, which combines aspects of my day job with aspects of this blog to form “fixr”.
mtr
Troubleshooting routing issues
Recently I’ve received reports from clients on a particular ISP are having trouble reaching services on a particular server in a data centre.
packets
Troubleshooting routing issues
Recently I’ve received reports from clients on a particular ISP are having trouble reaching services on a particular server in a data centre.
pathping
Troubleshooting routing issues
Recently I’ve received reports from clients on a particular ISP are having trouble reaching services on a particular server in a data centre.
routing
Troubleshooting routing issues
Recently I’ve received reports from clients on a particular ISP are having trouble reaching services on a particular server in a data centre.
traceroute
Troubleshooting routing issues
Recently I’ve received reports from clients on a particular ISP are having trouble reaching services on a particular server in a data centre.
winmtr
Troubleshooting routing issues
Recently I’ve received reports from clients on a particular ISP are having trouble reaching services on a particular server in a data centre.
emails per hour
Domain example.com has exceeded the max emails per hour (200) allowed. Message discarded.
Got this error with cpanel?
exceeded
Domain example.com has exceeded the max emails per hour (200) allowed. Message discarded.
Got this error with cpanel?
max
Domain example.com has exceeded the max emails per hour (200) allowed. Message discarded.
Got this error with cpanel?
wikipedia
Icon Software
Over the past few weeks I've been assisting the creation</a> of articles regarding icon software on Wikipedia.
blocked
Blocked links in Microsoft Outlook
When you click a link on an email in Microsoft Outlook, you are blocked from visiting the URL and you see the following error message:
links
Blocked links in Microsoft Outlook
When you click a link on an email in Microsoft Outlook, you are blocked from visiting the URL and you see the following error message:
cex
Cex.co.uk site errors
After browsing the cex.co.uk website for some time I came across a few errors on the site…
collection
DVD Collection Software
I wanted to find some software to help organise my DVD collection.
inspiration
Inspiration for Navigation menus in web design
Sometimes when you're designing a site you can find yourself wondering how is best to do a certain aspect.
fonts
Adding fonts into photoshop without adding them to windows
If you use Photoshop for any kind of graphic or web design, you'll understand the importance of having an array of fonts to choose from.
photoshop
Adding fonts into photoshop without adding them to windows
If you use Photoshop for any kind of graphic or web design, you'll understand the importance of having an array of fonts to choose from.
yahoo toolbar
How do I make Yahoo Mail default mail provider in Vista?
Many users, particularly users of BT Yahoo! Broadband (btinternet.com) are having trouble understanding how to get to their BT Yahoo Mail on Windows Vista.
adobe illustrator
Fix Adobe Illustrator (.ai) and Photoshop (.psd) Thumbnail Icons for Windows Explorer
If like me you don’t like using Adobe Bridge and instead like to see thumbnail icon previews of your Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop (.ai, .eps and .ps...
adobe photoshop
Fix Adobe Illustrator (.ai) and Photoshop (.psd) Thumbnail Icons for Windows Explorer
If like me you don’t like using Adobe Bridge and instead like to see thumbnail icon previews of your Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop (.ai, .eps and .ps...
ai
Fix Adobe Illustrator (.ai) and Photoshop (.psd) Thumbnail Icons for Windows Explorer
If like me you don’t like using Adobe Bridge and instead like to see thumbnail icon previews of your Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop (.ai, .eps and .ps...
aiicon.dll
Fix Adobe Illustrator (.ai) and Photoshop (.psd) Thumbnail Icons for Windows Explorer
If like me you don’t like using Adobe Bridge and instead like to see thumbnail icon previews of your Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop (.ai, .eps and .ps...
psd
Fix Adobe Illustrator (.ai) and Photoshop (.psd) Thumbnail Icons for Windows Explorer
If like me you don’t like using Adobe Bridge and instead like to see thumbnail icon previews of your Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop (.ai, .eps and .ps...
psicon.dll
Fix Adobe Illustrator (.ai) and Photoshop (.psd) Thumbnail Icons for Windows Explorer
If like me you don’t like using Adobe Bridge and instead like to see thumbnail icon previews of your Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop (.ai, .eps and .ps...
thumbnails
Fix Adobe Illustrator (.ai) and Photoshop (.psd) Thumbnail Icons for Windows Explorer
If like me you don’t like using Adobe Bridge and instead like to see thumbnail icon previews of your Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop (.ai, .eps and .ps...
fail
How not to use PHPMailer
I came across PHPMailer usage the other day on a Chinese gadget wholesale site “SourcingMap.com”.
PHPMailer
How not to use PHPMailer
I came across PHPMailer usage the other day on a Chinese gadget wholesale site “SourcingMap.com”.
sourcingmap
How not to use PHPMailer
I came across PHPMailer usage the other day on a Chinese gadget wholesale site “SourcingMap.com”.
bug
The Google Translate recursion bug
Recently I found a bug in Google Translate. It's not damaging, but it is interesting.
frames
The Google Translate recursion bug
Recently I found a bug in Google Translate. It's not damaging, but it is interesting.
recusion
The Google Translate recursion bug
Recently I found a bug in Google Translate. It's not damaging, but it is interesting.
translate
The Google Translate recursion bug
Recently I found a bug in Google Translate. It's not damaging, but it is interesting.
corruption
Error 1747 : The Authentication Service is Unknown
Today I had a newish Windows Vista machine that had the following error:
vista
Error 1747 : The Authentication Service is Unknown
Today I had a newish Windows Vista machine that had the following error:
winsock
Error 1747 : The Authentication Service is Unknown
Today I had a newish Windows Vista machine that had the following error:
8900
Extend Blackberry ring time
I have a Blackberry Pearl 8900 on O2, I've had it a while now.
blackberry
Extend Blackberry ring time
I have a Blackberry Pearl 8900 on O2, I've had it a while now.
o2
Extend Blackberry ring time
I have a Blackberry Pearl 8900 on O2, I've had it a while now.
ring
Extend Blackberry ring time
I have a Blackberry Pearl 8900 on O2, I've had it a while now.
voicemail
Extend Blackberry ring time
I have a Blackberry Pearl 8900 on O2, I've had it a while now.
botnet
Lame Botnet
Yes, my botnet is pretty lame, but it's also kinda cool. I'm not talking about anything bad though.
harry.tcl
Lame Botnet
Yes, my botnet is pretty lame, but it's also kinda cool. I'm not talking about anything bad though.
lame
Lame Botnet
Yes, my botnet is pretty lame, but it's also kinda cool. I'm not talking about anything bad though.
customising
Customising the Netgear DG834G
I started writing this article a long time ago, however after researching the DG834G I soon found many more articles and sites dedicated to hacking or cus...
dg834g
Customising the Netgear DG834G
I started writing this article a long time ago, however after researching the DG834G I soon found many more articles and sites dedicated to hacking or cus...
hacking
Customising the Netgear DG834G
I started writing this article a long time ago, however after researching the DG834G I soon found many more articles and sites dedicated to hacking or cus...
netgear
Customising the Netgear DG834G
I started writing this article a long time ago, however after researching the DG834G I soon found many more articles and sites dedicated to hacking or cus...
malware
Ways to prevent malware infection for free
There’s lots of ways to prevent a malware (virus or spyware) infection for free, here’s a list:
prevent
Ways to prevent malware infection for free
There’s lots of ways to prevent a malware (virus or spyware) infection for free, here’s a list:
spyware
Ways to prevent malware infection for free
There’s lots of ways to prevent a malware (virus or spyware) infection for free, here’s a list:
updates
Ways to prevent malware infection for free
There’s lots of ways to prevent a malware (virus or spyware) infection for free, here’s a list:
browser
jQuery sucks at browser detection
This week i've been tweaking a little site I've started called “ismybrowseruptodate.com“, which is designed to assist people who don't know wh...
detection
jQuery sucks at browser detection
This week i've been tweaking a little site I've started called “ismybrowseruptodate.com“, which is designed to assist people who don't know wh...
JavaScript
jQuery sucks at browser detection
This week i've been tweaking a little site I've started called “ismybrowseruptodate.com“, which is designed to assist people who don't know wh...
jquery
jQuery sucks at browser detection
This week i've been tweaking a little site I've started called “ismybrowseruptodate.com“, which is designed to assist people who don't know wh...
layout engine
jQuery sucks at browser detection
This week i've been tweaking a little site I've started called “ismybrowseruptodate.com“, which is designed to assist people who don't know wh...
opera
jQuery sucks at browser detection
This week i've been tweaking a little site I've started called “ismybrowseruptodate.com“, which is designed to assist people who don't know wh...
sniffer
jQuery sucks at browser detection
This week i've been tweaking a little site I've started called “ismybrowseruptodate.com“, which is designed to assist people who don't know wh...
useragent
jQuery sucks at browser detection
This week i've been tweaking a little site I've started called “ismybrowseruptodate.com“, which is designed to assist people who don't know wh...
version
jQuery sucks at browser detection
This week i've been tweaking a little site I've started called “ismybrowseruptodate.com“, which is designed to assist people who don't know wh...
cssbase
cssbase
Yesterday marks the day that I took over the “cssbase” project.
google code
cssbase
Yesterday marks the day that I took over the “cssbase” project.
html
cssbase
Yesterday marks the day that I took over the “cssbase” project.
nrgetik
cssbase
Yesterday marks the day that I took over the “cssbase” project.
demon
EFnet UK
On Sunday July 19 2009 Hardy announced on the EFnet website that Demon Internet will be delinking efnet.demon.co.uk and hub.uk from the EFnet IRC network ...
pingotron
Pingotron
I've been meaning to publish a post about Pingotron for some time now, but now I fear it's already too late.
Genuine Advantage
Remove OGA Notifier
I had a call today about Microsoft OGA (Office Genuine Advantage) Notifier becoming an annoyance for a client.
OGA
Remove OGA Notifier
I had a call today about Microsoft OGA (Office Genuine Advantage) Notifier becoming an annoyance for a client.
disassembler
W32Dasm
W32Dasm (or Win32DASM) doesn't seem to exist on the map any more, but it's still a very useful programmers tool, especially if you like reverse engineerin...
w32dasm
W32Dasm
W32Dasm (or Win32DASM) doesn't seem to exist on the map any more, but it's still a very useful programmers tool, especially if you like reverse engineerin...
win32dasm
W32Dasm
W32Dasm (or Win32DASM) doesn't seem to exist on the map any more, but it's still a very useful programmers tool, especially if you like reverse engineerin...
ident
Ident Spoofing
Today I wrote about Oidentd on Wikipedia. Ident as per RFC 1413 is used for a few different services, in particular IRC. A feature of oidentd that my user...
oidentd
Ident Spoofing
Today I wrote about Oidentd on Wikipedia. Ident as per RFC 1413 is used for a few different services, in particular IRC. A feature of oidentd that my user...
rfc1413
Ident Spoofing
Today I wrote about Oidentd on Wikipedia. Ident as per RFC 1413 is used for a few different services, in particular IRC. A feature of oidentd that my user...
spoofing
Ident Spoofing
Today I wrote about Oidentd on Wikipedia. Ident as per RFC 1413 is used for a few different services, in particular IRC. A feature of oidentd that my user...
robocopy
ERROR 5 (0x00000005) Copying NTFS Security to Destination Directory
Got this error today using ROBOCOPY to copy files to a SAMBA share.
mydigitallife.info
mydigitallife.info stole my code
I wrote a little script for an article entitled “Remove OGA Notifier”.
oga
mydigitallife.info stole my code
I wrote a little script for an article entitled “Remove OGA Notifier”.
removeoga
mydigitallife.info stole my code
I wrote a little script for an article entitled “Remove OGA Notifier”.
removeoga.bat
mydigitallife.info stole my code
I wrote a little script for an article entitled “Remove OGA Notifier”.
accountancy
Scan to Excel
This week I've mostly been trying to figure out a way to digitalise some of my bank statements to make accountancy and archiving easier.
document scanner
Scan to Excel
This week I've mostly been trying to figure out a way to digitalise some of my bank statements to make accountancy and archiving easier.
ocr
Scan to Excel
This week I've mostly been trying to figure out a way to digitalise some of my bank statements to make accountancy and archiving easier.
scan
Scan to Excel
This week I've mostly been trying to figure out a way to digitalise some of my bank statements to make accountancy and archiving easier.
tif
Scan to Excel
This week I've mostly been trying to figure out a way to digitalise some of my bank statements to make accountancy and archiving easier.
tiff
Scan to Excel
This week I've mostly been trying to figure out a way to digitalise some of my bank statements to make accountancy and archiving easier.
smb
The specified network name is no longer available samba
I keep getting this error:
eggtcl
weather.tcl
Update: This script is now part of the eggtcl project.
weather
weather.tcl
Update: This script is now part of the eggtcl project.
weather.tcl
weather.tcl
Update: This script is now part of the eggtcl project.
removewga
RemoveWGA
Back in 2007 I briefly wrote about Windows Genuine Advantage Removal.
removewga.exe
RemoveWGA
Back in 2007 I briefly wrote about Windows Genuine Advantage Removal.
wga
RemoveWGA
Back in 2007 I briefly wrote about Windows Genuine Advantage Removal.
audioscrobbler
PlusFM Track Feed
Recently an online radio station I listen to called PlusFM stopped displaying track titles on their stream. This was a pain for quickly displaying the cur...
foobar2000
PlusFM Track Feed
Recently an online radio station I listen to called PlusFM stopped displaying track titles on their stream. This was a pain for quickly displaying the cur...
last.fm
PlusFM Track Feed
Recently an online radio station I listen to called PlusFM stopped displaying track titles on their stream. This was a pain for quickly displaying the cur...
lastfm
PlusFM Track Feed
Recently an online radio station I listen to called PlusFM stopped displaying track titles on their stream. This was a pain for quickly displaying the cur...
plusfm
PlusFM Track Feed
Recently an online radio station I listen to called PlusFM stopped displaying track titles on their stream. This was a pain for quickly displaying the cur...
winamp
PlusFM Track Feed
Recently an online radio station I listen to called PlusFM stopped displaying track titles on their stream. This was a pain for quickly displaying the cur...
google mail
Gmail needs an API
Yesterday I spent some time investigating Google Wave. A very interesting new product from Google. Not only that but an interesting protocol.
wave
Gmail needs an API
Yesterday I spent some time investigating Google Wave. A very interesting new product from Google. Not only that but an interesting protocol.
timezones
worldtime.tcl
Sometimes you need to know the time somewhere else in the world. I find it useful to get my eggdrop to return the time of another timezone…
worldtime
worldtime.tcl
Sometimes you need to know the time somewhere else in the world. I find it useful to get my eggdrop to return the time of another timezone…
zoneinfo
worldtime.tcl
Sometimes you need to know the time somewhere else in the world. I find it useful to get my eggdrop to return the time of another timezone…
client
PHP OpenSRS Client
This is only a quick message to say that I am now developing the PHP OpenSRS Client project.
conver
How to convert an image to greyscale using PHP
I was trying to find a neat way to grey out some “powered by” logos for a website I'm developing.
gray
How to convert an image to greyscale using PHP
I was trying to find a neat way to grey out some “powered by” logos for a website I'm developing.
grayscale
How to convert an image to greyscale using PHP
I was trying to find a neat way to grey out some “powered by” logos for a website I'm developing.
grey
How to convert an image to greyscale using PHP
I was trying to find a neat way to grey out some “powered by” logos for a website I'm developing.
greyscale
How to convert an image to greyscale using PHP
I was trying to find a neat way to grey out some “powered by” logos for a website I'm developing.
image
How to convert an image to greyscale using PHP
I was trying to find a neat way to grey out some “powered by” logos for a website I'm developing.
imagefilter
How to convert an image to greyscale using PHP
I was trying to find a neat way to grey out some “powered by” logos for a website I'm developing.
IMG_FILTER_GRAYSCALE
How to convert an image to greyscale using PHP
I was trying to find a neat way to grey out some “powered by” logos for a website I'm developing.
4.2.2.1
Alternative name servers
If you’ve ever had a problem with your ISPs DNS name servers then you’ll probably find this very useful.
4.2.2.2
Alternative name servers
If you’ve ever had a problem with your ISPs DNS name servers then you’ll probably find this very useful.
dns servers
Alternative name servers
If you’ve ever had a problem with your ISPs DNS name servers then you’ll probably find this very useful.
name servers
Alternative name servers
If you’ve ever had a problem with your ISPs DNS name servers then you’ll probably find this very useful.
nameserver
Alternative name servers
If you’ve ever had a problem with your ISPs DNS name servers then you’ll probably find this very useful.
opendns
Alternative name servers
If you’ve ever had a problem with your ISPs DNS name servers then you’ll probably find this very useful.
public nameservers
Alternative name servers
If you’ve ever had a problem with your ISPs DNS name servers then you’ll probably find this very useful.
converter
Universal Currency Converter TCL for Eggdrop
Update: This script is now part of the eggtcl project.
currency
Universal Currency Converter TCL for Eggdrop
Update: This script is now part of the eggtcl project.
ucc
Universal Currency Converter TCL for Eggdrop
Update: This script is now part of the eggtcl project.
xe.com
Universal Currency Converter TCL for Eggdrop
Update: This script is now part of the eggtcl project.
0x800CCC0F
Bare LFs in SMTP 0x800CCC0F
Recently one of my clients received the following error in Windows Mail on Windows Vista:
forward
Bare LFs in SMTP 0x800CCC0F
Recently one of my clients received the following error in Windows Mail on Windows Vista:
forward as an attachment
Bare LFs in SMTP 0x800CCC0F
Recently one of my clients received the following error in Windows Mail on Windows Vista:
outbox
Bare LFs in SMTP 0x800CCC0F
Recently one of my clients received the following error in Windows Mail on Windows Vista:
smtplf
Bare LFs in SMTP 0x800CCC0F
Recently one of my clients received the following error in Windows Mail on Windows Vista:
windows mail
Bare LFs in SMTP 0x800CCC0F
Recently one of my clients received the following error in Windows Mail on Windows Vista:
hoax
Don`t forward virus warnings, delete them
If you’ve ever received a virus warning from your friends, family or co-workers, you’ll know what I’m talking about. These virus warnings are hoaxes and are ...
olympic torch
Don`t forward virus warnings, delete them
If you’ve ever received a virus warning from your friends, family or co-workers, you’ll know what I’m talking about. These virus warnings are hoaxes and are ...
warning
Don`t forward virus warnings, delete them
If you’ve ever received a virus warning from your friends, family or co-workers, you’ll know what I’m talking about. These virus warnings are hoaxes and are ...
gae
Getting started with Quercus in Google App Engine
Last year an article was written on a blog about how to run PHP on Google App Engine (GAE).
google app engine
Getting started with Quercus in Google App Engine
Last year an article was written on a blog about how to run PHP on Google App Engine (GAE).
java
Getting started with Quercus in Google App Engine
Last year an article was written on a blog about how to run PHP on Google App Engine (GAE).
quercus
Getting started with Quercus in Google App Engine
Last year an article was written on a blog about how to run PHP on Google App Engine (GAE).
dell
upgrade.co.uk sucks
I've been trying to get a quote for a part for a Dell laptop, when I contacted Dell UK, they told me to contact “Upgrade Options”. They offere...
Hardware
upgrade.co.uk sucks
I've been trying to get a quote for a part for a Dell laptop, when I contacted Dell UK, they told me to contact “Upgrade Options”. They offere...
upgrade.co.uk
upgrade.co.uk sucks
I've been trying to get a quote for a part for a Dell laptop, when I contacted Dell UK, they told me to contact “Upgrade Options”. They offere...
avast
Report a virus
I’m always coming across new viruses that haven’t even been added to the latest anti-virus software.
report
Report a virus
I’m always coming across new viruses that haven’t even been added to the latest anti-virus software.
report a virus
Report a virus
I’m always coming across new viruses that haven’t even been added to the latest anti-virus software.
submit
Report a virus
I’m always coming across new viruses that haven’t even been added to the latest anti-virus software.
virustotal
Report a virus
I’m always coming across new viruses that haven’t even been added to the latest anti-virus software.
relaunch
WhoisX relaunch
We’re ready now…
whoisx
WhoisX relaunch
We’re ready now…
grooveshark
TinySong TCL script for Eggdrop
If you've not heard of TinySong, you're missing out!
tinysong
TinySong TCL script for Eggdrop
If you've not heard of TinySong, you're missing out!
microsoft excel
Microsoft Excel will not open two documents with the same name
Microsoft Excel will not open two documents with the same name and instead will display the following error:
spreadsheet
Microsoft Excel will not open two documents with the same name
Microsoft Excel will not open two documents with the same name and instead will display the following error:
doc
Open docx, xlsx, and pptx files
If you’ve been sent a file with the extension .docx, .xlsx or .pptx and you don’t have the latest version of Office then you’ll share the frustration that ma...
docx
Open docx, xlsx, and pptx files
If you’ve been sent a file with the extension .docx, .xlsx or .pptx and you don’t have the latest version of Office then you’ll share the frustration that ma...
powerpoint
Open docx, xlsx, and pptx files
If you’ve been sent a file with the extension .docx, .xlsx or .pptx and you don’t have the latest version of Office then you’ll share the frustration that ma...
ppt
Open docx, xlsx, and pptx files
If you’ve been sent a file with the extension .docx, .xlsx or .pptx and you don’t have the latest version of Office then you’ll share the frustration that ma...
pptx
Open docx, xlsx, and pptx files
If you’ve been sent a file with the extension .docx, .xlsx or .pptx and you don’t have the latest version of Office then you’ll share the frustration that ma...
word
Open docx, xlsx, and pptx files
If you’ve been sent a file with the extension .docx, .xlsx or .pptx and you don’t have the latest version of Office then you’ll share the frustration that ma...
xls
Open docx, xlsx, and pptx files
If you’ve been sent a file with the extension .docx, .xlsx or .pptx and you don’t have the latest version of Office then you’ll share the frustration that ma...
xlsx
Open docx, xlsx, and pptx files
If you’ve been sent a file with the extension .docx, .xlsx or .pptx and you don’t have the latest version of Office then you’ll share the frustration that ma...
keepass
How do you store your passwords?
People store their passwords in all sorts of ways from plain text files to Outlook contacts.
passwords
How do you store your passwords?
People store their passwords in all sorts of ways from plain text files to Outlook contacts.
safesex
How do you store your passwords?
People store their passwords in all sorts of ways from plain text files to Outlook contacts.
bcc
How to send emails to multiple addresses
It may seem obvious how to send your email to multiple email addresses.
hotmail
How to send emails to multiple addresses
It may seem obvious how to send your email to multiple email addresses.
license
UK Business License
We recently had an issue with a US based company who asked us for the following:
25
exim on another port for smtp
When a business I know had trouble with their broadband I was fortunately able to get them back online by using the redundant mobile broadband on the rout...
587
exim on another port for smtp
When a business I know had trouble with their broadband I was fortunately able to get them back online by using the redundant mobile broadband on the rout...
exim
exim on another port for smtp
When a business I know had trouble with their broadband I was fortunately able to get them back online by using the redundant mobile broadband on the rout...
three
exim on another port for smtp
When a business I know had trouble with their broadband I was fortunately able to get them back online by using the redundant mobile broadband on the rout...
homeplug
Networking problems solved using mains
We’ve all been there. You want to network your computers and devices together around your house.
mains
Networking problems solved using mains
We’ve all been there. You want to network your computers and devices together around your house.
networking
Networking problems solved using mains
We’ve all been there. You want to network your computers and devices together around your house.
openvz
error: no dbpath has been set
I've recently been having trouble with a OpenVZ VPS upgraded from CentOS4 to CentOS5, here's what I'm seeing when trying to rum a yum install of mod_pytho...
rpmdb
error: no dbpath has been set
I've recently been having trouble with a OpenVZ VPS upgraded from CentOS4 to CentOS5, here's what I'm seeing when trying to rum a yum install of mod_pytho...
trac
error: no dbpath has been set
I've recently been having trouble with a OpenVZ VPS upgraded from CentOS4 to CentOS5, here's what I'm seeing when trying to rum a yum install of mod_pytho...
Browser
10 reasons to use Google Chrome
Here’s 10 reasons why I am using the Google Chrome web browser and why should should too…
Chrome
10 reasons to use Google Chrome
Here’s 10 reasons why I am using the Google Chrome web browser and why should should too…
10 reasons to use Google Chrome
Here’s 10 reasons why I am using the Google Chrome web browser and why should should too…
centos4
Installing Subversion on a cPanel Server
It should be easy right? Just “yum install subversion”.
el4
Installing Subversion on a cPanel Server
It should be easy right? Just “yum install subversion”.
rpmforge
Installing Subversion on a cPanel Server
It should be easy right? Just “yum install subversion”.
subversion
Installing Subversion on a cPanel Server
It should be easy right? Just “yum install subversion”.
svn
Installing Subversion on a cPanel Server
It should be easy right? Just “yum install subversion”.
glob
rglob.php
Today I was having a look on PHP.net and noticed a PHP contest so I decided to submit one of my functions.
recursive
rglob.php
Today I was having a look on PHP.net and noticed a PHP contest so I decided to submit one of my functions.
rglob
rglob.php
Today I was having a look on PHP.net and noticed a PHP contest so I decided to submit one of my functions.
cache
Premature optimization is the root of all evil
There's loads of ways you can optimize your PHP code, however they are probably NOT the answer to your performance issues.
Donald Knuth
Premature optimization is the root of all evil
There's loads of ways you can optimize your PHP code, however they are probably NOT the answer to your performance issues.
Premature optimization
Premature optimization is the root of all evil
There's loads of ways you can optimize your PHP code, however they are probably NOT the answer to your performance issues.
xdebug
Premature optimization is the root of all evil
There's loads of ways you can optimize your PHP code, however they are probably NOT the answer to your performance issues.
favicon
get_favicon() php function
I was after a php function that would get the favicon for a supplied domain, I did attempt to write my own but it proved more complex than I had first ant...
function
get_favicon() php function
I was after a php function that would get the favicon for a supplied domain, I did attempt to write my own but it proved more complex than I had first ant...
drupal
Replace strings MySQL
If you ever need to make big changes to your site, such as moving directory or changing the domain name you'll know that you'll have to make changes to th...
mysql
Replace strings MySQL
If you ever need to make big changes to your site, such as moving directory or changing the domain name you'll know that you'll have to make changes to th...
replace
Replace strings MySQL
If you ever need to make big changes to your site, such as moving directory or changing the domain name you'll know that you'll have to make changes to th...
dmoz
XSS: Get linked from Dmoz instantly
Recently, like many of you, I've had some trouble getting websites listed on the AOL owned “Open Directory Project” known as Dmoz.
xss
XSS: Get linked from Dmoz instantly
Recently, like many of you, I've had some trouble getting websites listed on the AOL owned “Open Directory Project” known as Dmoz.
csup
How to find the fastest CVSUP mirror server
Some time ago I wrote about using fastest_cvsup, to find the fastest cvsup mirror server for use with csup on FreeBSD.
cvsup
How to find the fastest CVSUP mirror server
Some time ago I wrote about using fastest_cvsup, to find the fastest cvsup mirror server for use with csup on FreeBSD.
ports
How to find the fastest CVSUP mirror server
Some time ago I wrote about using fastest_cvsup, to find the fastest cvsup mirror server for use with csup on FreeBSD.
obfuscate
Over sixteen ways to obfuscate e-mail addresses
Back in 2007 I wrote about email addresses on your website and how to avoid putting your email address in plain text.
outlook express
Replacing Outlook Express
Recently Microsoft have been running a campaign to get rid of their 10-year-old web browser, Internet Explorer 6. This got me thinking…
ascii
Converting your logo to ASCII art
If you're a geek like me or you've just seen Iron Man 2 you'll probably like the idea of having a custom motd display something cool when you login to yo...
ascii art
Converting your logo to ASCII art
If you're a geek like me or you've just seen Iron Man 2 you'll probably like the idea of having a custom motd display something cool when you login to yo...
figlet
Converting your logo to ASCII art
If you're a geek like me or you've just seen Iron Man 2 you'll probably like the idea of having a custom motd display something cool when you login to yo...
jpg
Converting your logo to ASCII art
If you're a geek like me or you've just seen Iron Man 2 you'll probably like the idea of having a custom motd display something cool when you login to yo...
pablodraw
Converting your logo to ASCII art
If you're a geek like me or you've just seen Iron Man 2 you'll probably like the idea of having a custom motd display something cool when you login to yo...
putty
Converting your logo to ASCII art
If you're a geek like me or you've just seen Iron Man 2 you'll probably like the idea of having a custom motd display something cool when you login to yo...
friendster
Has friendster been hacked?
I noticed an unusual email when I checked my Gmail account today.
hacked
Has friendster been hacked?
I noticed an unusual email when I checked my Gmail account today.
anti-malware
Ways to speed up your PC
I get lots of people asking me how to speed up their computer, more often than not, they don’t need to buy a new computer, there are things they can do to sp...
computer
Ways to speed up your PC
I get lots of people asking me how to speed up their computer, more often than not, they don’t need to buy a new computer, there are things they can do to sp...
slow computer
Ways to speed up your PC
I get lots of people asking me how to speed up their computer, more often than not, they don’t need to buy a new computer, there are things they can do to sp...
slow pc
Ways to speed up your PC
I get lots of people asking me how to speed up their computer, more often than not, they don’t need to buy a new computer, there are things they can do to sp...
speed up
Ways to speed up your PC
I get lots of people asking me how to speed up their computer, more often than not, they don’t need to buy a new computer, there are things they can do to sp...
how we built
Launch: New DevotedIT website
I’ve quietly been working on devotedit.com in the background and now it’s ready!
launch
Launch: New DevotedIT website
I’ve quietly been working on devotedit.com in the background and now it’s ready!
made
Launch: New DevotedIT website
I’ve quietly been working on devotedit.com in the background and now it’s ready!
acrobat reader
There is a problem with Adobe Acrobat/Reader. If it is running, please exit and try again. (103:103)
Today a client reported a problem when they tried to open a PDF document in Internet Explorer.
adobe reader
There is a problem with Adobe Acrobat/Reader. If it is running, please exit and try again. (103:103)
Today a client reported a problem when they tried to open a PDF document in Internet Explorer.
ip address
What is my IP?
An IP address is a unique number which identifies a machine on a network.
regex
What is my IP?
An IP address is a unique number which identifies a machine on a network.
what is my ip
What is my IP?
An IP address is a unique number which identifies a machine on a network.
bad words
Google’s Official Profanity API
Recently a list of “bad words” were made available through Google's new website which asks: “What do you love?” (wdyl.com).
json
Google’s Official Profanity API
Recently a list of “bad words” were made available through Google's new website which asks: “What do you love?” (wdyl.com).
profanity
Google’s Official Profanity API
Recently a list of “bad words” were made available through Google's new website which asks: “What do you love?” (wdyl.com).
printer
(Not so) Sharp printer stuck offline
A client called explaining to me that they were unable to print to their Sharp MX-1800N network printer. Upon inspection it said that the printer was “Offlin...
problems
(Not so) Sharp printer stuck offline
A client called explaining to me that they were unable to print to their Sharp MX-1800N network printer. Upon inspection it said that the printer was “Offlin...
enhanced
Enhanced: Randles Website Layout
A couple of days ago we launched the new look Randles website. To the untrained eye the site may not look that different. The main purpose for introducing...
layout
Enhanced: Randles Website Layout
A couple of days ago we launched the new look Randles website. To the untrained eye the site may not look that different. The main purpose for introducing...
randles
Enhanced: Randles Website Layout
A couple of days ago we launched the new look Randles website. To the untrained eye the site may not look that different. The main purpose for introducing...
mailing lists
Integrate a newsletter into your website
Over the years I've been asked how to integrate a newsletter into a website quite a few times.
mailman
Integrate a newsletter into your website
Over the years I've been asked how to integrate a newsletter into a website quite a few times.
real estate
How We Built: 3 Shires Property Network
Back in 2006, Mandi approached me to create her a website for her real estate and property rental business: 3 Shires Property Network.
2007
Microsoft Office 2007 Downloads
One of my customers has specialist database software built on the FileMaker Pro database engine. The unfortunate downside to this is that certain legacy plug...
digitalriver
Microsoft Office 2007 Downloads
One of my customers has specialist database software built on the FileMaker Pro database engine. The unfortunate downside to this is that certain legacy plug...
download
Microsoft Office 2007 Downloads
One of my customers has specialist database software built on the FileMaker Pro database engine. The unfortunate downside to this is that certain legacy plug...
mlk
Microsoft Office 2007 Downloads
One of my customers has specialist database software built on the FileMaker Pro database engine. The unfortunate downside to this is that certain legacy plug...
add/remove programs
Change or remove programs is blank
Windows 2000 is a pain, especially these days when something goes wrong because none of the information or tools that we used to use are around any more.
ie6
Change or remove programs is blank
Windows 2000 is a pain, especially these days when something goes wrong because none of the information or tools that we used to use are around any more.
windows 2000
Change or remove programs is blank
Windows 2000 is a pain, especially these days when something goes wrong because none of the information or tools that we used to use are around any more.
cpanel
Migrating IMAP mailboxes to a cPanel server
A customer got in touch with us and explained their situation.
imap
Migrating IMAP mailboxes to a cPanel server
A customer got in touch with us and explained their situation.
imapsync
Migrating IMAP mailboxes to a cPanel server
A customer got in touch with us and explained their situation.
migration
Migrating IMAP mailboxes to a cPanel server
A customer got in touch with us and explained their situation.
paperless office
Paperless office
The “paperless office“: a concept that dates back to the 1970s (before I was even born) with promises of the “office of the future” where record-handling wou...
scanner
Paperless office
The “paperless office“: a concept that dates back to the 1970s (before I was even born) with promises of the “office of the future” where record-handling wou...
scansnap
Paperless office
The “paperless office“: a concept that dates back to the 1970s (before I was even born) with promises of the “office of the future” where record-handling wou...
fakes
How to check if that website is dodgy before you buy
Earlier this year someone close and dear to me got in touch about a website they were tempted to purchase from:
nominet
How to check if that website is dodgy before you buy
Earlier this year someone close and dear to me got in touch about a website they were tempted to purchase from:
scams
How to check if that website is dodgy before you buy
Earlier this year someone close and dear to me got in touch about a website they were tempted to purchase from:
web of trust
How to check if that website is dodgy before you buy
Earlier this year someone close and dear to me got in touch about a website they were tempted to purchase from:
forum
Makeover: Suzuki4u logo and forum
I’ve been running the Suzuki4u website since 2004. It’s now the biggest UK Suzuki forum.
phpbb
Makeover: Suzuki4u logo and forum
I’ve been running the Suzuki4u website since 2004. It’s now the biggest UK Suzuki forum.
suzuki
Makeover: Suzuki4u logo and forum
I’ve been running the Suzuki4u website since 2004. It’s now the biggest UK Suzuki forum.
guide
Using Remote Assistance via e-mail on Windows 7
This section explains initiating Remote Assistance via e-mail to a Helpdesk. Home users can also follow this procedure to send a Remote Assistance request vi...
remote assistance
Using Remote Assistance via e-mail on Windows 7
This section explains initiating Remote Assistance via e-mail to a Helpdesk. Home users can also follow this procedure to send a Remote Assistance request vi...
antispam
Anti Email Spam in the UK
Many years back I began investigating anti email spam in the UK as a way to defend against the amount amount of email spam we were receiving to certain em...
concept
Concept: Randles Website 2012
The current Randles website is due an overhaul.
nameservers
Unable to update nameservers: Nameserver doesn`t exist at the registry
If you have domains with TuCows OpenSRS you may be faced with this error when you try and set custom name servers on your domain through the OpenSRS manag...
acer
Back to Top ↑m1610
Back to Top ↑adsl
Choosing a broadband provider
The advise for any services these days is to change provider every 12 months to get the best deal. Your broadband subscription is no different.
phone
Choosing a broadband provider
The advise for any services these days is to change provider every 12 months to get the best deal. Your broadband subscription is no different.
autoruns
Startup problems are a thing of the past
Not so long ago, I had an arsenal of tools for managing windows startup applications.
soluto
Startup problems are a thing of the past
Not so long ago, I had an arsenal of tools for managing windows startup applications.
startup
Startup problems are a thing of the past
Not so long ago, I had an arsenal of tools for managing windows startup applications.
hackerspace
Calling all hackers
Are you a technology enthusiast? An engineer? Perhaps you’re a creative mind or just like making things?
hackspace
Calling all hackers
Are you a technology enthusiast? An engineer? Perhaps you’re a creative mind or just like making things?
stoke-on-trent
Calling all hackers
Are you a technology enthusiast? An engineer? Perhaps you’re a creative mind or just like making things?
online
Office
Gone of the days of getting a copy of Microsoft Office from dodgy Dave down the pub.
open source
Office
Gone of the days of getting a copy of Microsoft Office from dodgy Dave down the pub.
paperless
Office
Gone of the days of getting a copy of Microsoft Office from dodgy Dave down the pub.
free
DVD Playback on Windows
One of the biggest annoyances I’ve heard about Windows 8 so far is that there’s no DVD support included.
media player
DVD Playback on Windows
One of the biggest annoyances I’ve heard about Windows 8 so far is that there’s no DVD support included.
video
DVD Playback on Windows
One of the biggest annoyances I’ve heard about Windows 8 so far is that there’s no DVD support included.
vlc
DVD Playback on Windows
One of the biggest annoyances I’ve heard about Windows 8 so far is that there’s no DVD support included.
vob
DVD Playback on Windows
One of the biggest annoyances I’ve heard about Windows 8 so far is that there’s no DVD support included.
ipad
The paradigm shift
The next “computer” you buy will be a paradigm shift, a change in the way of thinking.
paradigm shift
The paradigm shift
The next “computer” you buy will be a paradigm shift, a change in the way of thinking.
pc
The paradigm shift
The next “computer” you buy will be a paradigm shift, a change in the way of thinking.
tablet
The paradigm shift
The next “computer” you buy will be a paradigm shift, a change in the way of thinking.
house
Finally watched the last episode of…
Finally watched the last episode of the last series of HouseMD last night.
house-md
Finally watched the last episode of…
Finally watched the last episode of the last series of HouseMD last night.
housemd
Finally watched the last episode of…
Finally watched the last episode of the last series of HouseMD last night.
gregory house
Finally watched the last episode of…
Finally watched the last episode of the last series of HouseMD last night.
hugh lorry
Finally watched the last episode of…
Finally watched the last episode of the last series of HouseMD last night.
happy
Finally watched the last episode of…
Finally watched the last episode of the last series of HouseMD last night.
balloon
Finally watched the last episode of…
Finally watched the last episode of the last series of HouseMD last night.
flat
Back to Top ↑tinyurl
to.je – The Failed TinyURL.com Clone
Ever since my IRC (Internet Relay Chat) days I'd always wanted to write a TinyURL.com clone, especially since it gained traction on twitter and Facebook. ...
domain names
Introducing the Dead Useful Domain Search
Today, the Dead Useful Project launches “Domain Search”.
domains
Introducing the Dead Useful Domain Search
Today, the Dead Useful Project launches “Domain Search”.
search
Introducing the Dead Useful Domain Search
Today, the Dead Useful Project launches “Domain Search”.
tlds
Introducing the Dead Useful Domain Search
Today, the Dead Useful Project launches “Domain Search”.
hard disk
Should I upgrade to an SSD hard disk?
It’s always been my opinion that the hard disk is really the crux of your computer because it’s the only mechanical part that affects the speed.
hdd
Should I upgrade to an SSD hard disk?
It’s always been my opinion that the hard disk is really the crux of your computer because it’s the only mechanical part that affects the speed.
ssd
Should I upgrade to an SSD hard disk?
It’s always been my opinion that the hard disk is really the crux of your computer because it’s the only mechanical part that affects the speed.
upgrade
Should I upgrade to an SSD hard disk?
It’s always been my opinion that the hard disk is really the crux of your computer because it’s the only mechanical part that affects the speed.
trojan
Meet the ransomware trojan that has IT professionals worried
This week, for the first time I came into contact with the CryptoLocker trojan. A virus that encrypts all of your documents and holds you to ransom to recove...
archive
Microsoft Security Essentials Old Version Download for Windows XP
As you’re probably aware, Microsoft have reached end of life for Windows XP and have discontinued support for the operating system.
windows xp
Microsoft Security Essentials Old Version Download for Windows XP
As you’re probably aware, Microsoft have reached end of life for Windows XP and have discontinued support for the operating system.
black
Remote Desktop Connection Logon to Black Screen
This is a problem that has plagued me for a while now, and only two things seem to fix it.
issue
Remote Desktop Connection Logon to Black Screen
This is a problem that has plagued me for a while now, and only two things seem to fix it.
problem
Remote Desktop Connection Logon to Black Screen
This is a problem that has plagued me for a while now, and only two things seem to fix it.
rdp
Remote Desktop Connection Logon to Black Screen
This is a problem that has plagued me for a while now, and only two things seem to fix it.
remote
Remote Desktop Connection Logon to Black Screen
This is a problem that has plagued me for a while now, and only two things seem to fix it.
taskmgr
Remote Desktop Connection Logon to Black Screen
This is a problem that has plagued me for a while now, and only two things seem to fix it.
delete
File in use: The action can`t be completed because the file is open in another program
This is a problem that I come across from time to time.
file in use
File in use: The action can`t be completed because the file is open in another program
This is a problem that I come across from time to time.
unlocker
File in use: The action can`t be completed because the file is open in another program
This is a problem that I come across from time to time.
happynewyear
We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.
We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about. —Einst...
codeigniter
An introduction to Fuel CMS
FuelCMS is described as, simply, a CodeIgniter Content Management System.
fuel cms
An introduction to Fuel CMS
FuelCMS is described as, simply, a CodeIgniter Content Management System.
introduction
An introduction to Fuel CMS
FuelCMS is described as, simply, a CodeIgniter Content Management System.
PuPHPet
Setting up a PHP development environment
The best thing about PHP is it's low level of entry. There's very few hurdles these days to get started.
vagrant
Setting up a PHP development environment
The best thing about PHP is it's low level of entry. There's very few hurdles these days to get started.
database
How To Install MongoDB on CentOS 6 with cPanel
First of all, what is MongoDB? Well if you're already here, you probably know, but if this is the first time you've heard of it, then you may want to know...
mongo
How To Install MongoDB on CentOS 6 with cPanel
First of all, what is MongoDB? Well if you're already here, you probably know, but if this is the first time you've heard of it, then you may want to know...
nosql
How To Install MongoDB on CentOS 6 with cPanel
First of all, what is MongoDB? Well if you're already here, you probably know, but if this is the first time you've heard of it, then you may want to know...
errors
Why error suppression in PHP is bad
I appreciate that to most people, this is not a new topic and it almost goes without saying, however I can understand that not everybody knows this, espec...
performance
Why error suppression in PHP is bad
I appreciate that to most people, this is not a new topic and it almost goes without saying, however I can understand that not everybody knows this, espec...
jekyll
Back to Top ↑update
Back to Top ↑ui
UX: Is hamburger menu a lazy solution?
A question raised at a recent Staffs Web Meetup was:
design
UX: Is hamburger menu a lazy solution?
A question raised at a recent Staffs Web Meetup was:
wordpress
Getting started with Docker and Wordpress
I’ve been meaning to get started with Docker since hearing about it in 2014.
tips
UX Tips: Carousels
So what’s the deal with carousels? Why does everyone keep asking for them on their website?
stackless
Will the last person to leave turn the LAMP off
We all love LAMP (that’s Linux, Apache httpd, MySQL, PHP), but the love affair may be coming to an end.
censorship
Protect our Children’s freedom: Give Them Privacy
We need to protect our Children’s future by protecting their freedoms. Your privacy is a human right that is about to be compromised.
politics
Protect our Children’s freedom: Give Them Privacy
We need to protect our Children’s future by protecting their freedoms. Your privacy is a human right that is about to be compromised.
privacy
Protect our Children’s freedom: Give Them Privacy
We need to protect our Children’s future by protecting their freedoms. Your privacy is a human right that is about to be compromised.
future
Predicting the Future for 2017
Every year I have a little punt at predicting the future, just for fun.
naming
Is naming things really that hard?
There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation and naming things. – Phil Karlton
language
Is naming things really that hard?
There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation and naming things. – Phil Karlton
ddd
Is naming things really that hard?
There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation and naming things. – Phil Karlton
making
Are we on the verge of 3D printers at home?
In 1977, Ken Olson, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation said “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home”.
hackspaces
Are we on the verge of 3D printers at home?
In 1977, Ken Olson, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation said “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home”.
3dprinting
Are we on the verge of 3D printers at home?
In 1977, Ken Olson, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation said “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home”.
camera
Choosing a wifi security camera
I’ve recently been on the lookout for a security camera.
PHP
PHP CI with Jenkins and Docker (Part 1)
I’ve been developing in PHP now for longer than I haven’t.
standards
What’s involved in a code review?
We now live in a time of version control, git and github. If you work in software development you should be familiar with “pull requests”.
people
What “People over Process” actually means
The agile manifesto talks about “people over process”. As someone who is often very process-driven, I know that the right process will produce the right resu...
continuousdelivery
Delivering Value
By now you’ve probably seen this image, with waterfall on the left, and continuous operations on the right, it’s an evolution.
scale
Delivering Value
By now you’ve probably seen this image, with waterfall on the left, and continuous operations on the right, it’s an evolution.
gherkin
Testing as code
In a time where DevOps culture demands “everything as code”, from infrastructure to monitoring, its about time we took “testing as code” seriously.
soa
The journey to Microservices
We’ve come along way, even in the past few years. We’ve seen huge advances in web technology.
automation
Getting started with Behat
Behat is a test framework for behavior-driven development (BDD) written in the PHP programming language.
behat
Getting started with Behat
Behat is a test framework for behavior-driven development (BDD) written in the PHP programming language.
scrum
Story Points Baseline
Given a new team or a team restructure, should you baseline? Do all teams point differently? Do the team need to baseline?
javascript
50+ Useful JavaScript Tips, Tricks and Best Practices
Here it is, the long awaited 50+ useful JavaScript tips, tricks and best practices.
hardware
Is it time to stop bringing your own device to work?
Bring your own device (BYOD) refers to the policy of permitting employees to bring personally owned devices, like your mobile phone to their workplace and us...
amazon
Microservices - Managing the flow of data
There’s a number of companies that have been pioneering the microservices architectural style, including Amazon, Netflix, The Guardian, the UK Government Dig...
teams
Microservices - Managing the flow of data
There’s a number of companies that have been pioneering the microservices architectural style, including Amazon, Netflix, The Guardian, the UK Government Dig...
software delivery
Microservices - Managing the flow of data
There’s a number of companies that have been pioneering the microservices architectural style, including Amazon, Netflix, The Guardian, the UK Government Dig...
architecture
Microservices - Managing the flow of data
There’s a number of companies that have been pioneering the microservices architectural style, including Amazon, Netflix, The Guardian, the UK Government Dig...
aws
How I stopped worrying about servers and learned to love serverless
I first heard of the term “serverless” in about 2015, probably around the time that the “Serverless Framework” launched, October 2015.
personal,
Be bold
Are you bold enough?
people,
Be bold
Are you bold enough?
philosophy
Be bold
Are you bold enough?
personal
Book Review — Atomic Habits
I decided to pick up the book Atomic Habits because I read about Marginal Gains.
books
Book Review — Atomic Habits
I decided to pick up the book Atomic Habits because I read about Marginal Gains.
code,
Don’t write code for computers
When trying to keep code simple, you may find yourself torn as to what is more simple, less code or more verbose code?
testing,
Guidelines for Test Automation for Laravel
We can think of test automation as the process of tracking and managing the different tests.
automation,
Guidelines for Test Automation for Laravel
We can think of test automation as the process of tracking and managing the different tests.
programming,
Guidelines for Test Automation for Laravel
We can think of test automation as the process of tracking and managing the different tests.