It took me a long time to find this solution (which worked perfectly), so I'm going to do my part to focus the rest of the Internet that direction. These instructions worked perfectly to get SQL Server conectivity going for PHP 5.5 (x86), on WIndows 7 x64, running Apache (XAMPP). http://robsphp.blogspot.com/2012/09/how-to-install-microsofts-sql-serve…
Here's a really nice article that takes the mystery out of autoloaders in PHP. I've loved the concept, but not understanding the details has caused a frustrating, lost half hour or two...http://www.sitepoint.com/autoloading-and-the-psr-0-standard/
I've been learning to love CSS over the last few years, but have always struggled when it comes to displaying content in a tablular format. Whenever I've run into the need for it, I've run straight back to the HTML <table> element, and then just felt bad about it later. Today, I accidentally ran into a post on StackOverflow that might finally turn me away from tables forever.
So, I really like this...I noticed, since I had to recently rebuild my Linux desktop (failed HDD) that the 'new' Adobe Air release doesn't work with Pandora One desktop client any more. I saw a reference that said you might be able to get an old version and make it work, but after a minimal attempt, I couldn't get it working. However, today I found Pianobar, which connects to and plays Pandora radio via the Linux command line.
I dug around the Intertubes and found this link where there's a great example of a semi-complex html form, with javascript support, that sets up a multiple-control payment form. Unfortunately, the formatting on that page is horrible, making the javascript useless. Here is my modified version of it, formatted a little better for posterity sake:
Last week, I found, and borrowed, a Python class that makes it easy to update a Cosm (Pachube) feed. I'm using it to upload current temperature data for the two (upstairs and basement) Filtrete 3M-50 Wifi thermostats in our house. I'm also grabbing outside weather data (temperature and barometric pressure) from Yahoo and adding that too. It's working great.
It seems like about twice a month that I receive an email from a friend or client with nothing but a link to a .cz, .ru or other questionable site. So far, every one of these has been a mass email from their account (sent to all their contacts) after their account password has been compromised. My guess is that some malware takes hold in the machine, captures their password the next time they log in to (usually Yahoo) email, and uses an API after that to send out spam with the newly-acquired credentials.
It's time to sell my bike, so rather than keep posting this same information all over the place, I'll list it all here, one time, and link back to it. For Sale is a 2007 Suzuki SV650 (naked, not the 'S' model), with about 14,700 miles on it. I'm asking $3,900. It's a GREAT learner bike; very quick, light weight, and agile. Small enough to learn on, but large enough to be fun (and useful) for a more experienced rider. Fuel injection is a very nice plus.
I've finally committed some small piece of time and mental bandwidth to "solving" the problem of making my (and our clients') web sites more mobile-friendly. For a couple clients, this is a huge issue and we need a solution. Here's a great article on Responsive Web Design, which is my current favorite solution: http://www.alistapart.com/articles/responsive-web-design/