SACO INVEST

Call of Duty - MW3: MW3 Assault Rifles

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão dos Santos Sequeira) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:23:00 +0000

Call of Duty - MW3: MW3 Assault Rifles: This is the official list of Assault Rifles that will appear in the MW3 multiplayer. All of these guns have been confirmed. M4A1 The M4A1 ...

Stanford professor gives up tenure to start Udacity free online university

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:54:00 +0000

Stanford professor gives up tenure to start Udacity free online university:

Inspired by the number of people that the Khan Academy's free video lectures reached, Stanford professor Sebastian Thrun put his own artificial intelligence class online and enrolled 160,000 students. After scrambling to accommodate so many pupils, he came away from the experience with a new vision of education so different that he says he "can't teach at Stanford again." Instead, he's starting an online university called Udacity. Thrun hopes to teach about 200,000 students per class — including grading exams and quizzes — in contrast to the mere hundreds taught at a brick-and-mortar university. The first two classes, starting February 20th, will teach students around the world to build a search engine or program a robotic car, and...

Chromium-based Browsers Continue to Proliferate [OStatic]

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:50:00 +0000

Chromium-based Browsers Continue to Proliferate [OStatic]:

Quick, how old is Google's Chrome browser? You may be surprised to hear that the browser debuted as recently as December of 2008 (although a pre-release build was available a couple of months before that). Just a few short years later, Chrome is a formidable browser that is threatening to overtake Firefox's market share. The core of Chrome, Chromium, is also open source, though, and a number of different offshoots of Chromium are available. InfoWorld is out with a good assessment of these alternative flavors, and we've covered a few here at OStatic, too.

SRware Iron is a Chromium-based browser that combines the inherent speed of its open source core with lockdown privacy. Privacy and ad blocking are its strong points. If you haven't looked into it and private browsing matters to you, you should definitely check it out. You can get the browser for Windows, Mac OS or Linux here, and look into our coverage of it here.

Meanwhile definitely check out InfoWorld's exploration of Chromium-based browsers, which include:

CRPortable - which packages Chromium in PortableApps format, so that you can efficiently run the browser from a USB key.

Comodo Dragon - a Chromium-based browser with some interface enhancements, and security enhancements from security firm Comodo.

RockMelt - a browser based on Chromium that integrates social networking features.

CoolNovo - a Chromium-based browser that adds features such as mouse gesturing, superdrag, IE tabs, and more.

As is also true with the open source Android mobile OS, Google has delivered a lot with its young browser in a very short amount of time. And, the alternative versions of Chrome based on the open source core of the browser will continue to proliferate. It's worth keeping track of these.

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Chrome (5 alternatives, 1 review)

NASA releases "most amazing high-definition" photo of earth, from space

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:41:00 +0000

NASA releases "most amazing high-definition" photo of earth, from space:

NASA today released a so-called 'Blue Marble' image of Earth captured by the VIIRS instrument on NASA's most recently launched Earth-observing satellite, the Suomi NPP. The composite image above "uses a number of swaths of the Earth's surface taken on January 4, 2012." Larger sizes here (hello, new computer desktop image!)

Engrish Funny: This is all you need to know apparently

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:27:00 +0000

Engrish Funny: This is all you need to know apparently:

Brazil Approves Tax Incentives to Begin iPad Production as Apple Targets its Next Major Market

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:24:00 +0000

Brazil Approves Tax Incentives to Begin iPad Production as Apple Targets its Next Major Market: Brazilian newspaper Folha reports [Google translation] that the Brazilian government has officially approved tax incentives that will allow Foxconn to begin producing iPads in the country. Interministerial Ordinance #34, signed on Monday and published in Brazil's official register today, specifically provides for a reduction in or exemption from certain taxes associated with the production of touchscreen tablet devices lacking a keyboard and weighing less than 750 grams.

According to ministerial decree 34 published Wednesday in the "Official Gazette", the company will be entitled to the benefits provided for in Decree 5906 of September 2006.

The determination provides for exemption or reduction of the IPI (Excise Tax), PIS and Cofins for companies investing in research and development of technology products.

The iPad 2 of course fits within those specifications, weighing in at just over 600 grams with only slight variation among the various models. The ordinance also permits the production of accessories, cables, power supplies and manuals associated with the allowed tablet devices. While the ordinance applies generically to tablet devices, it has clearly been written to support Foxconn's plans for the iPad.

Last April, Foxconn announced a major push to bring iPad production to Brazil, but the company's efforts were slowed as it negotiated with government officials over tax breaks and other issues. As recently as October the company had signaled its intention to begin production by December, and while the company has missed that target it now appears ready to move forward.

Foxconn's Brazilian iPhone and iPad factory (Source: Cult of Mac)

The launch of iPad production in Brazil comes at a key time for Apple, as CEO Tim Cook noted just yesterday during the company's earnings conference call that Brazil is its next area of emphasis after China among the "BRIC" countries with newly advanced economies. Russia and India are the other two countries in that grouping and Cook acknowledged that Apple has begun to "go deeper into Brazil" as its next target, although he cautioned against any expectations of Apple retail stores arriving in the country over the near term.

High import taxes on foreign-made goods have prevented Apple from making significant inroads in Brazil, with iPad pricing currently starting at the equivalent of US$925 for the 16 GB Wi-Fi iPad 2. With Foxconn moving iPad production to Brazil under the new tax incentives, Apple should be able to offer more competitive pricing on the device as production ramps up. Photos of a Brazilian-made 8 GB iPhone 4 showed up in late November, suggesting that Foxconn is also ramping up domestic production of new iPhone devices for Brazilian customers.

Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories

• Google Signs Off on Motorola Lawsuit Seeking Injunction Against iPhone 4S and iCloud

• Stephen Fry Narrates The World of Dinosaurs

• iPhone 4S Coming to Indonesia, Costa Rica, and France's Free Mobile on January 27

• Apple Seeds OS X 10.7.3 Build 11D50 to Developers

• EFI Firmware Update Brings Lion Internet Recovery to Mid-2010 13-Inch MacBook Pro [Updated]

VM ELITE: História do Cpt. Price

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 02:44:00 +0000

VM ELITE: História do Cpt. Price

How the Internet blackout affected congressional support for PIPA/SOPA

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:09:00 +0000

How the Internet blackout affected congressional support for PIPA/SOPA:

Amy Seidenwurm says: "Pro Publica posted a simple/powerful image of the members of Congress' position on SOPA/PIPA today vs. yesterday."

SOPA Opera Update: Opposition Surges

Colbert explains how to deal with Internet censorship protests

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:55:00 +0000

Colbert explains how to deal with Internet censorship protests:

Stephen Colbert provides some perspective on the net-wide blackouts yesterday, as well as some alternatives in case the Internet needs to stand up for itself again. Now I've got to find that video of Vader eating cheesy bread...

The Day The LOLcats Died - #SOPA #PIPA Protest Song

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:13:00 +0000

SOPA and PIPA

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:51:00 +0000

SOPA

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:33:00 +0000

SOPA:

Some Help when googling

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:15:00 +0000

Some Help when googling:

Submitted by: rafamfc

Posted at: 2012-01-14 23:31:27

See full post and comment: http://9gag.com/gag/1836348

Game AIs

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:14:00 +0000

Game AIs:

MW3 - Team Deathmatch DOME 26/6 ACR 6.8 - MuRiLoFS

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão dos Santos Sequeira) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:08:00 +0000

How to Compile Android from Source Code – XDA TV

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:51:00 +0000

How to Compile Android from Source Code – XDA TV:
Ever wonder how developers on XDA take the source code released to the AOSP and create ROMs? While creating software for your phone isn’t as easy as what you see in this video (you also need lots of drivers), the process for compiling Android isn’t that difficult. In this video, Shen tells you about the process. Click on for the video and for steps (with text) on how to do this.

For the full steps, check out the discussion thread.

Cerberus app [SassiBoB review]

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:43:00 +0000

Cerberus app [SassiBoB review]:
Today, SassiBoB makes fun of the Greek mythology and reviews an app by LSDroid called Cerberus. It’s a nice security app that you flash using ROM Manager to make sure that even if your device is reset, it stays there. Among many other things, this app will take a photo of a thief that tries to guess your lock code. Check it out, there is a one week free trial, and after that it’s only $2.99 for a lifetime. No monthly fees like some other apps like it. Check out the video!

Android Market Link

Happy new year

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:33:00 +0000

Happy new year:

Submitted by: skunkich

Posted at: 2011-12-30 16:42:17

See full post and comment: http://9gag.com/gag/1389766

Inc’s 10 Essential Economic Blogs

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:12:00 +0000

Inc’s 10 Essential Economic Blogs:
Nice grouping of economic blogs named “essentail” in Inc this week. (click thru for the full discussion on each).

They describe the list as “for independent thinkers only: These online columnists see around the curves to the global economic trends that will affect your business.”

Nice company to keep. Here is their top 10:

Seeking Alpha Market Currents

The Big Picture

Real Time Economics

DealBook

Financial Armageddon

FT Alphaville

Zero Hedge

Naked Capitalism

Calculated Risk

Mish’s Global Economic Analysis

These lists always leave out so many deserving sites and blogs, but this run is as good as any other. Always nice to be included.

>

Source:

10 Essential Economic Blogs

By Constantine von Hoffman | @CurseYouKhan

INC, Dec 26, 2011

http://www.inc.com/constantine-von-hoffman/10-essential-news-sources-for-economic-heretics.html

Creating an API-Centric Web Application

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:10:00 +0000

Creating an API-Centric Web Application:

Planning to start working on a new web application? In this tutorial, we’ll discuss how to create an API-centric web application, and explain why this is essential in today’s multi-platform world.

Introduction

API?

For those who are unfamiliar with the term, API is short for Application Programming Interface. According to Wikipedia:

An application programming interface (API) is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other. An API may include specifications for routines, data structures, object classes, and variables.

API Visualization

Image courtesy of http://blog.zoho.com

In simpler terms, an API refers to a set of functions built into an application, which can be used by other applications (or by itself, as we’ll see later), to interact with the application. An API is a great way to expose an application’s functionality to external applications safely and securely, since all functionality that these external applications can do is limited with what functionality is exposed in the API.

What’s an “API-Centric” Web Application?

An API-Centric Web Application is a web application that basically executes most, if not, all its functionality through API calls.

An API-Centric Web Application is a web application that basically executes most, if not, all its functionality through API calls. For example, if you were to log in a user, you would send his credentials to the API, and the API would return to you a result saying if the user provided the correct user-password combination.

Another characteristic of an API-Centric Web Application is that the API will always be stateless, meaning it can’t recognize API calls by session. Since API calls will be made by usually via the backend code, it will be hard to implement session handling, since there are usually no cookies involved in that. This limitation is actually good — this “forces” a developer to build an API that works not based on the state of the current user, but rather on functionality, which in turn, makes it easier to test, since the current state of a user doesn’t need to be recreated.

Why go through all this trouble?

As web developers, we’ve seen technology evolve first hand. It’s common knowledge that people today don’t just use applications via a browser, but through other gadgets, like mobile phones and tablets. For example, this article on Mashable, entitled “Consumers Now Spending More Time on Mobile Apps Than the Web”, states:

Consumers are spending more time on mobile apps than on the web for the first time, a new report claims.

Flurry compared its mobile data to stats from comScore and Alexa, and found that in June, consumers spent 81 minutes per day using mobile apps, compared to 74 minutes of web surfing.

Here’s a more recent article from ReadWriteWeb, entitled “More People Browse On Mobile Than Use IE6 & IE7 Combined:

The latest data on browser trends from Sitepoint show that more people browse the Web on smartphones than use Internet Explorer 6 and 7 combined. Those two old clunkers have been the bugbears of Web developers for years, requiring sites to degrade as nicely as possible to that least common denominator of browsers. But it’s a new world now; 6.95% of Web activity in November 2011 was on mobile browsers, and only 6.49% was on IE 6 or 7.

As we can clearly see, more and more people get their news from alternative venues, specifically mobile devices.

What does this have to do with me creating an API-Centric Web Application?

This would inevitably lead to more usage of our application, since it can be used anywhere a person wants.

One of the main advantages of creating an API-centric application is that it helps you build functionality that can be used by ANY device, be it a browser, a mobile phone, a tablet, or even a desktop app. All you need to do is to create the API in such a way that all these devices can communicate with it, and voila! You’ll have built a centralized application that can take input and execute functionality from any device that a person has!

API-Centric Application Diagram

By creating an application in this manner, we’re able to easily take advantage of the different mediums used by different people. This would inevitably lead to more usage of an application, since it can be used anywhere a person wants.

To drive the point home, here’s an article about Twitter’s new redesigned website, which tells us about how they now use their API to power Twitter.com, essentially making it API-centric:

One of the most important architectural changes is that Twitter.com is now a client of our own API. It fetches data from the same endpoints that the mobile site, our apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, and every third-party application use. This shift allowed us to allocate more resources to the API team, generating over 40 patches. In the initial page load and every call from the client, all data is now fetched from a highly optimized JSON fragment cache.

In this tutorial, we’ll be creating a simple TODO list application that is API-Centric and create one front-end client on the browser that interacts with our TODO list application. By the end, you’ll know the integral parts of an API-Centric application, and at the same time, how to facilitate secure communication between the two. With that in mind, let’s begin!

Step 1: Plan the Application’s Functions

The TODO application we’ll be building in this tutorial will have the basic CRUD functions:

Create TODO Items

Read TODO Items

Update TODO Items (rename, mark as done, mark as undone)

Delete TODO Items

Each TODO item will have:

a Title

a Date Due

a Description

a flag to tell if the TODO Item Is Done

SimpleTODO Mockup

Step 2: Create the API Server

API Server

Front-end Client

simpletodo_api

index.php

front controller

<?php
// Define path to data folder
define('DATA_PATH', realpath(dirname(__FILE__).'/data'));

//include our models
include_once 'models/TodoItem.php';

//wrap the whole thing in a try-catch block to catch any wayward exceptions!
try {
 //get all of the parameters in the POST/GET request
 $params = $_REQUEST;

 //get the controller and format it correctly so the first
 //letter is always capitalized
 $controller = ucfirst(strtolower($params['controller']));

 //get the action and format it correctly so all the
 //letters are not capitalized, and append 'Action'
 $action = strtolower($params['action']).'Action';

 //check if the controller exists. if not, throw an exception
 if( file_exists("controllers/{$controller}.php") ) {
  include_once "controllers/{$controller}.php";
 } else {
  throw new Exception('Controller is invalid.');
 }

 //create a new instance of the controller, and pass
 //it the parameters from the request
 $controller = new $controller($params);

 //check if the action exists in the controller. if not, throw an exception.
 if( method_exists($controller, $action) === false ) {
  throw new Exception('Action is invalid.');
 }

 //execute the action
 $result['data'] = $controller->$action();
 $result['success'] = true;

} catch( Exception $e ) {
 //catch any exceptions and report the problem
 $result = array();
 $result['success'] = false;
 $result['errormsg'] = $e->getMessage();
}

//echo the result of the API call
echo json_encode($result);
exit();

Accept an API call with any number of parameters

Extract the Controller and Action for the API call

Make the necessary checks to ensure that the Controller and Action exist

Execute the API call

Catch errors, if any

Send back a result to the caller

index.php

controllers

models

data

The controllers folder will contain all the controllers we’ll be using for the API server. We’ll be building it using the MVC architecture to make the structure of the API server cleaner and more organized.

The models folder will contain all the data models for the API server.

The data folder will be where the API server saves any data

Todo.php

<?php
class Todo
{
 private $_params;

 public function __construct($params)
 {
  $this->_params = $params;
 }

 public function createAction()
 {
  //create a new todo item
 }

 public function readAction()
 {
  //read all the todo items
 }

 public function updateAction()
 {
  //update a todo item
 }

 public function deleteAction()
 {
  //delete a todo item
 }
}

action

createAction

public function createAction()
{
 //create a new todo item
 $todo = new TodoItem();
 $todo->title = $this->_params['title'];
 $todo->description = $this->_params['description'];
 $todo->due_date = $this->_params['due_date'];
 $todo->is_done = 'false';

 //pass the user's username and password to authenticate the user
 $todo->save($this->_params['username'], $this->_params['userpass']);

 //return the todo item in array format
 return $todo->toArray();
}

TodoItem.php

models

<?php
class TodoItem
{
 public $todo_id;
 public $title;
 public $description;
 public $due_date;
 public $is_done;

 public function save($username, $userpass)
 {
  //get the username/password hash
  $userhash = sha1("{$username}_{$userpass}");
  if( is_dir(DATA_PATH."/{$userhash}") === false ) {
   mkdir(DATA_PATH."/{$userhash}");
  }

  //if the $todo_id isn't set yet, it means we need to create a new todo item
  if( is_null($this->todo_id) || !is_numeric($this->todo_id) ) {
   //the todo id is the current time
   $this->todo_id = time();
  }

  //get the array version of this todo item
  $todo_item_array = $this->toArray();

  //save the serialized array version into a file
  $success = file_put_contents(DATA_PATH."/{$userhash}/{$this->todo_id}.txt", serialize($todo_item_array));

  //if saving was not successful, throw an exception
  if( $success === false ) {
   throw new Exception('Failed to save todo item');
  }

  //return the array version
  return $todo_item_array;
 }

 public function toArray()
 {
  //return an array version of the todo item
  return array(
   'todo_id' => $this->todo_id,
   'title' => $this->title,
   'description' => $this->description,
   'due_date' => $this->due_date,
   'is_done' => $this->is_done
  );
 }
}

createAction

TodoItem

save() – this saves the TodoItem into a file, as well as set the todo_id for the TodoItem if necessary

toArray() – this returns an array version of the TodoItem, where the variables are the array’s indexes

http://localhost/simpletodo_api/?controller=todo&action=create&title=test%20title&description=test%20description&due_date=12/08/2011&username=nikko&userpass=test1234

data

createAction() result

Step 3: Secure the API Server with an `APP ID` and `APP SECRET`

ALL

APP ID

APP001

<?php
// Define path to data folder
define('DATA_PATH', realpath(dirname(__FILE__).'/data'));

//Define our id-key pairs
$applications = array(
 'APP001' => '28e336ac6c9423d946ba02d19c6a2632', //randomly generated app key
);
//include our models
include_once 'models/TodoItem.php';

//wrap the whole thing in a try-catch block to catch any wayward exceptions!
try {
 //*UPDATED*
 //get the encrypted request
 $enc_request = $_REQUEST['enc_request'];

 //get the provided app id
 $app_id = $_REQUEST['app_id'];

 //check first if the app id exists in the list of applications
 if( !isset($applications[$app_id]) ) {
  throw new Exception('Application does not exist!');
 }

 //decrypt the request
 $params = json_decode(trim(mcrypt_decrypt(MCRYPT_RIJNDAEL_256, $applications[$app_id], base64_decode($enc_request), MCRYPT_MODE_ECB)));

 //check if the request is valid by checking if it's an array and looking for the controller and action
 if( $params == false || isset($params->controller) == false || isset($params->action) == false ) {
  throw new Exception('Request is not valid');
 }

 //cast it into an array
 $params = (array) $params;
 ...
 ...
 ...

Public-key encryption

an API call is made, in it an $app_id and $enc_request is provided.

the $enc_request value is the API call parameters, encrypted using APP KEY. The APP KEY is NEVER sent to the server, it’s only used to hash the request. Additionally, the request can only be decrypted using the APP KEY.

once the API call arrives to the API server, it will check its own list of applications for the APP ID provided

when found, the API server attempt to decrypt the request using the key that matches the APP ID sent

if it was successful in decrypting it, then continue on with the program

APP ID

APP SECRET

Step 4: Create the Browser Front-end Client

simpletodo_client_browser

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
 <title>SimpleTODO</title>

 <link rel="stylesheet" href="css/reset.css" type="text/css" />
 <link rel="stylesheet" href="css/bootstrap.min.css" type="text/css" />

 <script src="js/jquery.min.js"></script>
 <script src="js/jquery-ui-1.8.16.custom.min.js"></script>

 <style>
 body {
  padding-top: 40px;
 }
 #main {
  margin-top: 80px;
  text-align: center;
 }
 </style>
</head>
<body>
 <div class="topbar">
  <div class="fill">
   <div class="container">
    <a class="brand" href="index.php">SimpleTODO</a>
   </div>
  </div>
 </div>
 <div id="main" class="container">
  <form class="form-stacked" method="POST" action="login.php">
   <div class="row">
    <div class="span5 offset5">
     <label for="login_username">Username:</label>
     <input type="text" id="login_username" name="login_username" placeholder="username" />

     <label for="login_password">Password:</label>
     <input type="password" id="login_password" name="login_password" placeholder="password" />

    </div>
   </div>
   <div class="actions">
    <button type="submit" name="login_submit" class="btn primary large">Login or Register</button>
   </div>
  </form>
 </div>
</body>
</html>

SimpleTODO Login Page

reset.css is your standard CSS reset script. I use the meyerweb.com css reset.

bootstrap.min.css is the Twitter Bootstrap

jquery.min.js is the latest jQuery library

jquery-ui-1.8.16.custom.min.js is the latest jQuery UI library

login.php

<?php
//get the form values
$username = $_POST['login_username'];
$userpass = $_POST['login_password'];

session_start();
$_SESSION['username'] = $username;
$_SESSION['userpass'] = $userpass;
header('Location: todo.php');
exit();

todo.php

ApiCaller

apicaller.php

<?php
class ApiCaller
{
 //some variables for the object
 private $_app_id;
 private $_app_key;
 private $_api_url;

 //construct an ApiCaller object, taking an
 //APP ID, APP KEY and API URL parameter
 public function __construct($app_id, $app_key, $api_url)
 {
  $this->_app_id = $app_id;
  $this->_app_key = $app_key;
  $this->_api_url = $api_url;
 }

 //send the request to the API server
 //also encrypts the request, then checks
 //if the results are valid
 public function sendRequest($request_params)
 {
  //encrypt the request parameters
  $enc_request = base64_encode(mcrypt_encrypt(MCRYPT_RIJNDAEL_256, $this->_app_key, json_encode($request_params), MCRYPT_MODE_ECB));

  //create the params array, which will
  //be the POST parameters
  $params = array();
  $params['enc_request'] = $enc_request;
  $params['app_id'] = $this->_app_id;

  //initialize and setup the curl handler
  $ch = curl_init();
  curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $this->_api_url);
  curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);
  curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, count($params));
  curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $params);

  //execute the request
  $result = curl_exec($ch);

  //json_decode the result
  $result = @json_decode($result);

  //check if we're able to json_decode the result correctly
  if( $result == false || isset($result['success']) == false ) {
   throw new Exception('Request was not correct');
  }

  //if there was an error in the request, throw an exception
  if( $result['success'] == false ) {
   throw new Exception($result['errormsg']);
  }

  //if everything went great, return the data
  return $result['data'];
 }
}

ApiCaller

the __construct function takes in three parameters:
1. $app_id – the APP ID for the client (which is APP001 for the browser client)
2. $app_key – the APP KEY for the client (which is 28e336ac6c9423d946ba02d19c6a2632 for the browser client)
3. $api_url – the URL of the API server, which is http://localhost/simpletodo_api/

the sendRequest() function:
1. encrypts the request parameters using the mcrypt library in the same manner that the API server decrypts it
2. generates the $_POST parameters to be sent to the API server
3. executes the API call via cURL
4. checks the result of the API call was successful or not
5. returns the data when everything went according to plan

todo.php

nikko

test1234

<?php
session_start();
include_once 'apicaller.php';

$apicaller = new ApiCaller('APP001', '28e336ac6c9423d946ba02d19c6a2632', 'http://localhost/simpletodo_api/');

$todo_items = $apicaller->sendRequest(array(
 'controller' => 'todo',
 'action' => 'read',
 'username' => $_SESSION['username'],
 'userpass' => $_SESSION['userpass']
));

echo '';
var_dump($todo_items);

index.php

nikko/test1234

var_dump()

started the session so we have access to the username and userpass in the $_SESSION

instantiated a new ApiCaller class, giving it the APP ID, APP KEY and the URL of the API server

send a request via the sendRequest() method

todo.php

var_dump()

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
 <title>SimpleTODO</title>

 <link rel="stylesheet" href="css/reset.css" type="text/css" />
 <link rel="stylesheet" href="css/bootstrap.min.css" type="text/css" />
 <link rel="stylesheet" href="css/flick/jquery-ui-1.8.16.custom.css" type="text/css" />

 <script src="js/jquery.min.js"></script>
 <script src="js/jquery-ui-1.8.16.custom.min.js"></script>

 <style>
 body {
  padding-top: 40px;
 }
 #main {
  margin-top: 80px;
 }

 .textalignright {
  text-align: right;
 }

 .marginbottom10 {
  margin-bottom: 10px;
 }
 #newtodo_window {
  text-align: left;
  display: none;
 }
 </style>

 <script>
 $(document).ready(function() {
  $("#todolist").accordion({
   collapsible: true
  });
  $(".datepicker").datepicker();
  $('#newtodo_window').dialog({
   autoOpen: false,
   height: 'auto',
   width: 'auto',
   modal: true
  });
  $('#newtodo').click(function() {
   $('#newtodo_window').dialog('open');
  });
 });
 </script>
</head>
<body>
 <div class="topbar">
  <div class="fill">
   <div class="container">
    <a class="brand" href="index.php">SimpleTODO</a>
   </div>
  </div>
 </div>
 <div id="main" class="container">
  <div class="textalignright marginbottom10">
   <span id="newtodo" class="btn info">Create a new TODO item</span>
   <div id="newtodo_window" title="Create a new TODO item">
    <form method="POST" action="new_todo.php">
     <p>Title:<br /><input type="text" class="title" name="title" placeholder="TODO title" /></p>
     <p>Date Due:<br /><input type="text" class="datepicker" name="due_date" placeholder="MM/DD/YYYY" /></p>
     <p>Description:<br /><textarea class="description" name="description"></textarea></p>
     <div class="actions">
      <input type="submit" value="Create" name="new_submit" class="btn primary" />
     </div>
    </form>
   </div>
  </div>
  <div id="todolist">
   <?php foreach($todo_items as $todo): ?>
   <h3><a href="#"><?php echo $todo->title; ?></a></h3>
   <div>
    <form method="POST" action="update_todo.php">
    <div class="textalignright">
     <a href="delete_todo.php?todo_id=<?php echo $todo->todo_id; ?>">Delete</a>
    </div>
    <div>
     <p>Date Due:<br /><input type="text" id="datepicker_<?php echo $todo->todo_id; ?>" class="datepicker" name="due_date" value="12/09/2011" /></p>
     <p>Description:<br /><textarea class="span8" id="description_<?php echo $todo->todo_id; ?>" class="description" name="description"><?php echo $todo->description; ?></textarea></p>
    </div>
    <div class="textalignright">
     <?php if( $todo->is_done == 'false' ): ?>
     <input type="hidden" value="false" name="is_done" />
     <input type="submit" class="btn" value="Mark as Done?" name="markasdone_button" />
     <?php else: ?>
     <input type="hidden" value="true" name="is_done" />
     <input type="button" class="btn success" value="Done!" name="done_button" />
     <?php endif; ?>
     <input type="hidden" value="<?php echo $todo->todo_id; ?>" name="todo_id" />
     <input type="hidden" value="<?php echo $todo->title; ?>" name="title" />
     <input type="submit" class="btn primary" value="Save Changes" name="update_button" />
    </div>
    </form>
   </div>
   <?php endforeach; ?>
  </div>
 </div>
</body>
</html>

new_todo.php

todo/create

update_todo.php

delete_todo.php

new_todo.php

<?php
session_start();
include_once 'apicaller.php';

$apicaller = new ApiCaller('APP001', '28e336ac6c9423d946ba02d19c6a2632', 'http://localhost/simpletodo_api/');

$new_item = $apicaller->sendRequest(array(
 'controller' => 'todo',
 'action' => 'create',
 'title' => $_POST['title'],
 'due_date' => $_POST['due_date'],
 'description' => $_POST['description'],
 'username' => $_SESSION['username'],
 'userpass' => $_SESSION['userpass']
));

header('Location: todo.php');
exit();
?>

new_todo.php

ApiCaller

todo/create

start a session so it has access to the $username and $userpass saved in the $_SESSION

instantiate a new ApiCaller class, giving it the APP ID, APP KEY and the URL of the API server

send the request via the sendRequest() method

redirect back to todo.php

Conclusion

11 Essential Reads for Photographers for the New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:56:00 +0000

11 Essential Reads for Photographers for the New Year:
At this time of year I talk to a lot of photographers who are lacking a little motivation, inspiration and creativity.

It’s been a big year so today in our ‘best of 2011 series‘ I’m featuring 11 tutorials that were written this year on dPS that I think might help you to kickstart yourself photographically for 2012.

3 Stupidly Simple Reasons why Most People’s Photography Does Not Improve

A Simple Exercise to Train Your Photographic Eye

How to Take Photos that Stand out from the Crowd

5 Ways to Stop Being a Luck Photographer and Start Taking Pictures on Purpose

3 Workouts to Improve Your Photography

What Separates Great Photographers from Good Ones?

5 Ideas to Kick Start Your Photography Again

5 Key Skills for the Modern Photographer

10 Ways to Develop Yourself Photographically

10 Things I learnt from Daily Shooting

6 Ways to Enhance Your Creativity

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

11 Essential Reads for Photographers for the New Year

10 New Year’s Resolutions Every Web Developer Should Make

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:50:00 +0000

10 New Year’s Resolutions Every Web Developer Should Make:
In less than a week, we’ll be in 2012. I know it’s a cliché, but where has the year gone? Naturally, we’re now at the time of year when folks set goals for the new year. While you might have some goals for your “real” life, how about a few resolutions for your developer life?

1 - Learn a New Language, Framework, Or Methodology

We must continue learning about the latest technologies.

About the only constant when it comes to developing for the web is change. Take NodeJS, for example: two or three years ago, it didn’t exist, and there was very little (if any) JavaScript being done on the server. Now, you can’t get away from it. Every web developer wants to stay on top of their game. To do so, we must continue learning about the latest technologies. If you’re a back-end dev, that could mean learning JavaScript and Node.js. It could mean taking up Ruby and Rails. For the front-end developer, that could mean really grokking CSS3, or understanding the new HTML5 APIs. Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to use it regularly; just keep yourself learning.

Along the same lines, now is as good a time as ever to re-evaluate your workflow, and learn better and different tools to get the job done more quickly.

2 - Get Better At What You Know

Set aside some time to also focus on existing languages and software.

Of course, staying sharp means more than learning new things. It also refers to improving in your use of your daily tools. I know I’ve been guilty of sticking with the patterns and methods that I’m comfortable with, and not learning new ones that might be better for a given situation. How knowledgeable are you about JavaScript design patterns? Do you have a solid understanding of object-oriented and functional programming in PHP? Have you used SQL joins? Are there any features your text editor offers that you aren’t using? These aren’t new technologies, but, if you aren’t using them, they’re new to you! Set aside some time to also focus on existing languages and software.

3 - Explore a New Field

This resolution is a different twist on the first one. Learning a new language, framework, or methodology in your own field is great, and might even be useful to your daily practice. But if you’re like me, you’re fascinated with every part of the web. Try exploring new fields. Back-end devs: look into front-end development. Front-ends, explore usability or user experience more than you have before. If you enjoy writing, you might be interested in content strategy, or fostering that design flare. There are dozens of fields on the web; explore!

4 - Engage the Community

Call it engaging, call it networking, call it whatever your want.

The web is a pretty incredible place: I can’t think of any other phenomenon that has ever made such strong friendships between people so far apart. In 2012, why don’t you try to engage this group of amazing people a bit more? Talk to them on Twitter; read their blog posts and comment or write your own articles in response; contribute to their code via Github, or another code-sharing site. Or, go to meet-ups, user groups and conferences. Call it engaging, call it networking, call it whatever your want; but one thing’s for sure: it will (in most cases) benefit both you and the other person. In addition to building great personal relationships, you’ll likely gain new referrals!

5 - Teach Others

The most beneficial comments are the ones that hurt your feelings.

Going hand-in-hand with our previous point, you should resolve to teach others more in 2012. Why? Well, how does it go, “Teaching something is the best way to learn it”? I’ve been writing for Nettuts+ for close to three years, and I can attest that that statement is completely true. Writing down exactly how a concept works forces you to understand it completely; you’ll be surprised how much you’ll learn about your topic when you try to teach it. On top of that, there’s the incredible feeling you get when you know that you’ve helped someone learn a new skill set.

Undoubtedly, you’ll face a few trolls, pointing out legitimate mistakes ( or just making stabby comments). Not to worry (too much); teaching is a learning process, and you’ll improve the more you do it. The most beneficial comments are the ones that hurt your feelings.

6 - Take Better Care Of Yourself

We are the martyrs of the web.

We web developers seem to pride ourselves on our dedication to our craft. We’ll work long hours, hunched over a computer in the dark, so absorbed in our work that we forget to shower or eat. We are the martyrs of the web, suffering to make the internet a better place.

Sounds heroic, but it really isn’t.

At the risk of mommying you, I’m going to suggest that you take care of yourself in 2012. Besides sleeping and eating well, make sure your workplace is ergonomic. It stands to reason that, if you spend a third of your life in your office, it might make sense to make it as comfortable as possible!

7 - Manage Your Time (and Other Resources) Better

Over 1 trillion videos were watched on Youtube this past year.

Perhaps this isn’t specificly related to web developers, but it is, nonetheless, something that almost every “knowledge worker” can afford to get better at. For a lot of us—especially freelancers—what you’re doing with your time could be the difference between feasting and fasting. Remember all those fun, new web technologies I recommended you learn about? Well, don’t let their lure limit your bacon-bringing hours to few and far between. Of coures, the internet at large can be just as much of a distraction. I’m sure you saw this recently; it gave pause when I did:

Assuming that the average YouTube video is 2 – 3 minutes long, we’re looking at something to the tune of one whole day. Something tells me I’m not much better off for it.

Of course, “all work, no play” and all that, right? I’m not suggesting you be a slave to your clients, or an unbearably dull workaholic. I’m merely stating that we would all be wise to track exactly where our hours are going and make an effort to use them a little better.

8 - Use Better Programming Practices

I don’t think you’ll ever have an issue with over-documentation.

No, I’m not repeating resolution two in different words. This time, I’m talking about the practices that surround the actual coding itself. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve eagerly started a new project, and—half an hour later—said, “Hmmm . . . I should create a branch to try this feature. Oh, wait, I forgot to initialize Git when I started . . .” Making sure I remember to use code versioning from the beginning is something I’m going to be working on in 2012; it keeps your project history so much cleaner.

Another meta-coding practice I usually neglect (to my detriment) is commenting. I’ll conjure up a few clever lines of code, and be tickled for the rest of the day. Next week, I’ll return and spend twenty minutes trying to figure out what it does. This plagues you too? Do yourself a favor and leave useful comments to yourself, and others. Documentation is right along the same lines as commenting. When I was recently learning Dojo, I found its in-code documentation to be invaluable. Of course, the level of documentation will depend on the publicity of your project, but I don’t think you’ll ever have an issue with over-documentation.

9 - Generate Passive Income

I’m guessing that most of the Nettuts+ audience performs client work, either as a freelancer or otherwise. Well why not make some passive income on the side? Envato has ten (count `em!) marketplaces where anyone with the right skills can profit. Build a theme for Themeforest, write a script for CodeCanyon, the possibilities are close to endless. Of course, if your skills don’t trade on the Envato marketplaces—or even if they do—there are bunches of other ways to make passive income. If you’re a writer, for example, check out Tuts+ Premium. They’re always looking for new passionate teachers.

The manager of Tuts+ Premium, Skellie, recently opened the Passive Income Author blog, where you’ll find great information on self-publishing.

Selling items on a marketplace or personal website is a brilliant way to passively make some extra cash while still doing exactly what you enjoy.

10 - Take a Break

Photo by brettanicus

Put on a completely different hat… sometimes

So far, every resolution has been something you can do to improve your craft as a developer. I’ll close by noting that one of the best things you can do to become a better developer is to not be a developer . . . sometimes. Put on a completely different hat… sometimes. Keep another hobby that’s not even tangentially related to development, and, preferably, doesn’t involve computers. Some play an instrument, some read, some write, some cook. Whatever you do, set aside some get-away time. When you do so, you’ll find that solutions to programming problems often show up on during time off.

Certainly, regular breaks are important, but so are those longer, couple-times-a-year vacation / holiday breaks. Throw a few of those in your annual schedule as well!

Your Resolutions?

Well, that’s my list of ten resolutions all web developers should make. Have any of your own that aren’t on my list? Let’s hear them in the comments!

Half of the glass is...

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Half of the glass is...:

Submitted by: ozgurr

Posted at: 2011-12-23 00:52:22

See full post and comment: http://9gag.com/gag/1213187

ISO Updates C Standard

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 15:36:00 +0000

ISO Updates C Standard:

An anonymous reader writes "The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published the new specifications for the C programming language. The standard is known unofficially as C1X and was published officially as ISO/IEC 9899:2011. It provides greater compatibility with the C++ language and adds new features to C (as indicated in the draft)."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Violent games don’t compel gamers to commit violent acts, researchers say

noreply@blogger.com (Gastão DOS Santos Sequeira) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:21:00 +0000

Violent games don’t compel gamers to commit violent acts, researchers say:

A recent study published in Frontiers in Psychology by three Florida State University psychologists suggests that playing video games won’t make people smarter. The study also argues that violent games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 don’t damage gamers’ brains or compel them to commit violent acts, the Associated Press said Friday. The research is on a par with studies performed by Texas A&M International University clinical psychologist Christopher Ferguson, who has found “nothing” after researching whether or not violent video games may compel gamers to commit acts of violence. Other scientists have spoken out against the Florida State report, however, and while they didn’t discuss the effects of violence, they did suggest that playing video games actually can increase a gamer’s cognitive function. Read on for more.

Scientists from Rochester’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Science and the University of Minnesota argued that playing games actually can result in “a wide range of behavioral benefits, including enhancements in low-level vision, visual attention, speed of processing and statistical inference.” Still, more research is required before any conclusions are made about whether video games make gamers more violent or whether or not games have the ability to increase our cognitive abilities.

“Play these games because they are fun and you enjoy doing them, and let’s kind of wait for more research to suggest whether or not they are actually good for us,” Walter Boot, a Florida State University psychologist involved with the study said. ”Don’t sit down and play a game. Go out there for a walk,” he added, noting that exercise is the best proven way to boost one’s brain power.

Read

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Happy new year

Inc’s 10 Essential Economic Blogs

Creating an API-Centric Web Application

Introduction

API?

What’s an “API-Centric” Web Application?

Why go through all this trouble?

What does this have to do with me creating an API-Centric Web Application?

Step 1: Plan the Application’s Functions

Step 2: Create the API Server

Step 3: Secure the API Server with an APP ID and APP SECRET

Step 4: Create the Browser Front-end Client

Conclusion

11 Essential Reads for Photographers for the New Year

10 New Year’s Resolutions Every Web Developer Should Make

1 - Learn a New Language, Framework, Or Methodology

2 - Get Better At What You Know

3 - Explore a New Field

4 - Engage the Community

5 - Teach Others

6 - Take Better Care Of Yourself

7 - Manage Your Time (and Other Resources) Better

8 - Use Better Programming Practices

9 - Generate Passive Income

10 - Take a Break

Your Resolutions?

Half of the glass is...

ISO Updates C Standard

Violent games don’t compel gamers to commit violent acts, researchers say

Step 3: Secure the API Server with an `APP ID` and `APP SECRET`