George Ryan Perez

Version 4.5: .NET Framework 4.5

Sat, 08 Feb 2020 18:11:45 -0700

Summary:
+ Version 4.5 upgrades the entire codebase to use .NET Framework 4.5, a consequence of restoring Twitter functionality.

Details:
Twitter recently updated their API to version 1.1, and as a result, the Twitter feed at the top of MPK Adventures was no longer showing my latest tweet. I took this as an opportunity to search other third-party libraries for making API-compliant calls to Twitter which then forced me to upgrade my entire codebase (see details below) in order to try out candidate libraries that required newer frameworks. In the end, I chose Twitter-Post-Fetcher as it fit the needs of displaying my latest tweet, and in the process I was able to upgrade the codebase to .NET Framework 4.5.

Three (3) incremental builds were deployed since version 4.4, and the following list summarizes those features/fixes:

// all sites
- [4.4.1] converted from MVC2 to MVC3 using Microsoft ASP.NET MVC Solution Converter
- [4.4.1] updated to target .NET Framework 4 to install MVC 3.0.50813.1
- [4.4.2] updated to VS2017 with Continuous Integration and to TransformOnBuild for tt files
- [4.4.2] added UpgradeMvc3ToMvc4 1.0.1 to automatically upgrade to MVC4
- [4.4.2] updated .NET Target framework to 4.5 on all projects
- [4.4.2] as a result of the .NET Framework 4.5 upgrade, updated libraries to:

- ImageResizer 4.0.5,
- ImageResizer.Mvc 4.0.5,
- ImageResizer.Plugins.TinyCache 4.0.5,
- protobuf-net 2.4.0, and
- FlickrNet 3.19.0.0

- [4.4.2] removed LinqToTwitter 2.1.11 and replaced with Twitter-Post-Fetcher 18.0.4

// Murphee K

// MPK Adventures

// Home
- [4.4.1] updated link to Holly E Design.

-George Ryan

Version 4.4: Projects

Sat, 25 May 2019 18:35:29 -0700

Summary:
+ Version 4.4 adds a new Projects page to the home website.

Details:
The new Projects page shows some software projects that I've worked on in the past, including my Master's Project for which I've interviewed musicians and wrote an app that allows you to change equalizer levels via Microsoft Kinect.

Three (3) incremental builds were deployed since version 4.3, and the following list summarizes those features/fixes:

// all sites
- [4.3.1] added Instagram into Ambilight feature

// Murphee K
- [4.3.2] added db columns, indexes, and updated the Ambilight feature to incorporate values taken from Instagram API calls as well as populated title and text columns from both Flickr and Instagram photos

// MPK Adventures
- [4.3.1] removed Project Wonderful ads due to its shutdown on August 2018

// Home
- [4.4.0] added new Projects page for showing software projects

-George Ryan

Version 4.3: Ambilight Redux

Fri, 05 Jan 2018 23:19:59 -0700

Summary:
+ Version 4.3 re-incorporates the Ambilight feature from Version 2.4 into all 3 ASP.NET MVC refactored websites.

Details:
The Ambilight feature from Version 2.4 changed Murphee K dot com's (Classic ASP) background colors via an unsupported Flickr URL and calculates the average color through a perl script. This version re-incorporates the Ambilight feature into all 3 ASP.NET MVC refactored websites by using supported API calls to get the latest photo from my Flickr account.

Once the latest photo was fetched from the API, a complementary color algorithm -- similar to the one used by John's Background Switcher -- gets launched to select new colors for Murphee K, MPK Adventures, and George Ryan Perez. (Credit goes to John Conners of John's Background Switcher fame for some tips with the algorithm!) Lastly, the perl script from Version 2.4 was reverse-engineered to select other colors.

Two (2) incremental builds were deployed since version 4.2, and the following list summarizes those features/fixes:

// all sites
- [4.3.0] re-incorporated the Ambilight feature from Version 2.4 by (1) using Flickr API (via FlickrNet 3.17.0), (2) a complementary color using an algorithm similar to JBS, and (3) by a reverse-engineered perl script from Version 2.4
- [4.2.1] added transitions for image hovers
- [4.3.0] defaulted all css to Version 3.0 colors

// Murphee K
- [4.2.1] added image backgrounds and thumbnails in shows page
- [4.2.1] added next show flyer to front page
- [4.2.1] added flyers in shows rss

// MPK Adventures
- [4.2.1] used only a comic's first frame in metadata for sharing in google plus, facebook, twitter, etc.
- [4.2.1] used only a comic's first frame in rss

// Home
- [4.3.0] shortened Version announcements

-George Ryan

Version 4.2: Phase Three

Sun, 17 Sep 2017 18:17:22 -0700

Summary:
+ Version 4.2 launches the George Ryan Perez home website as well as many tweaks to both Murphee K and MPK Adventures. This completes the refactoring effort into three distinct websites.

Details:
A complete redesign of George Ryan Perez inspired by the Windows 10 Start Menu was made by Holly E Design and was then converted to html/css using Webbsy.

Fourteen (14) incremental builds were deployed since version 4.1, and the following list summarizes those features/fixes:

// all sites
- [4.1.2] turned on HTTP compression and browser caching
- [4.1.2] optimized images
- [4.1.5] updated copyright year dynamically in footers and assemblies
- [4.1.12] enhanced performance of retrieving blog posts
- [4.2.0] used ImageResizer 3.4.3 for dynamic processing of images

// Murphee K
- [4.1.2] added Google Analytics
- [4.1.2] added Next Show to front page
- [4.1.3, 4.1.4, 4.1.5, 4.1.6] added RSS feeds
- [4.1.13] redirected all Classic ASP files to current site

// MPK Adventures
- [4.1.2] added Google Analytics
- [4.1.2] added Project Wonderful
- [4.1.11] added mailto Easter egg in About and Archive pages
- [4.1.3, 4.1.4, 4.1.5, 4.1.6] added RSS feeds
- [4.1.6] implemented friendly url to routing, archive, previous/next, RSS, and share buttons
- [4.1.7] added search functionality (currently turned off)
- [4.1.9] updated Twitter search api to v1.1
- [4.2.0] enhanced previous/next comic navigation using dynamically processed images

// Home
- [4.2.0] complete redesign inspired by the Windows 10 Start Menu

-George Ryan

Version 4.1: Phase Two

Mon, 08 Jun 2015 19:59:59 -0700

Summary:
+ Version 4.1 launches the redesigned layout of MPK Adventures. This is phase 2 of 3 of the refactoring effort into three distinct websites.

Details:
A complete redesign of MPK Adventures was made by Horton4Design and was then converted to html/css using Webbsy. linqtotwitter 2.1.11 was used for getting the latest tweet.

-George Ryan

Version 4.0: Phase One

Wed, 03 Jun 2015 19:59:59 -0700

Summary:
+ Version 4.0 launches the redesigned layout of Murphee K and rewrites the backend CMS to ASP.NET MVC from scratch. This is phase 1 of 3 of the refactoring effort into three distinct websites.

Details:
A complete redesign of Murphee K was made by me in Photoshop and was then converted to html/css using Webbsy. A complete overhaul of the backend content management system was rewritten from scratch to replace the Classic ASP-based version of Web Wiz Site News to ASP.NET MVC.

-George Ryan

How I won an award

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:22:48 -0700

Disclaimer:  None of the ideas expressed in this post are shared, supported, or endorsed in any manner by my employer.

I work for a company that participates in the NAB Show, an annual show held by the National Association of Broadcasters. So, every first quarter of every year, there is a massive push by all the companies to come up with innovative ideas to demo at the show.

This year, I was tasked with developing an AWESOME chat application (emphasis: mine) that integrates with the shows and commercials that you see on your television.  Now, what's interesting about this application was that it was conceived one late afternoon while chatting with the Vice President and General Manager of the company, basically just rambling about the cool things we could do in our industry. It turns out, a co-worker of mine had a similar idea, and so lots of his ideas were integrated into this application.   This application, which I will call FanChat (because...that's what the marketing department called it), was developed mainly by me and backed by years of experience by my colleagues.

Fast forward through all the patent filing, the designing, the end-to-end prototyping, the burnt midnight oils, and a last-minute push after being pulled off the project to work on another critical application, an early version of FanChat was unveiled at the NAB show, with much anticipation -- and some anxiety -- on my part. That anxiety would soon be quelled first by relief and then elation.

Long story short, I won an award.  Well, not me, but my AWESOME chat application won a Broadcast Engineering Pick Hit award. My reaction was best summed up by my co-worker: "we did it, we actually did it!!" Yeah, I couldn't believe it either.

ANYHOO, between the days in which I was coding up this AWESOME chat application, I managed to find a new drummer for Murphee K. Yay! His name is Ronnie, and I really enjoy his enthusiasm. That is all the compliments that you're getting for now, buddy. TOUGH LOVE.

-George Ryan

Version 3.1: SQL Server 2005

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 19:59:59 -0700

Summary:
+ Version 3.1 of Murphee K dot com upgrades the repository from MS Access to MS SQL Server 2005 using GoDaddy's backend.

Details:
Due to MS Access DB causing some intermittent connection issues, the current data and schema were exported to an instance of MS SQL Server 2005 in GoDaddy. A write-up of that effort was included in an MPK Adventures comic.

-George Ryan

Automated guitar tuner

Tue, 28 Mar 2006 01:27:17 -0700

I like automation. That's why when I heard about this self-tuning guitar, I was immediately intrigued. It's like magic!

Everything should be automated. Whenever I pack my stuff to move from one apartment to another, I wished all of my crap packed themselves.

When I was in high school, I wished all of my AP History position papers wrote themselves.

Maybe I'm just lazy. Or maybe I'm just spoiled by all the modern conveniences that are immediately available to us. Want music? Go download it now! Want video? Go download it now! Want to fly to Trinidad and Tobago and skip a week of school? Go buy a ticket now, and worry not about that upcoming exam!

-George Ryan

Version 3.0: Landzilla

Sun, 12 Mar 2006 02:57:41 -0700

Summary:
+ Version 3.0 of Murphee K dot com redesigns the layout to Landzilla.

Details:
It's about time. Redesigning was easy thanks to the endless supply of free themes out there, with this version 3.0 site design derived heavily from the Landzilla WP-Theme by Vladimir Simovic.

There's stuff happening in the background; most of the boring work is done, and it's just gonna be the fun stuff from now on.

Rock!

-George Ryan