StuAnderson - The ma’r I see of some fock, the ma’r i like my dog

Embedding Views and Blocks into Drupal template files

stuartma — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:36:58 +0000

This is the first official tutorial I am posting for Drupal and for the most part its for my own benefit as much as anyb

Creating My Custom Skype Button

stuartma — Tue, 11 May 2010 19:32:32 +0000

UPDATE: This page has been migrated over to NxFifteen Research Group.

Thinking British politics

stuartma — Sat, 08 May 2010 10:52:30 +0000

This week has seen the United Kingdom hold a general election that has resulted in a hung parliament.

JustSkip

stuartma — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:47:44 +0000

AEC Project Fields

Lead Developer:

stuartma

Project Type:

Desktop

Date Started:

January 4, 2010

Project Status:

On Hold

The Brief/Aim:

Since version 7.0 if Apples' iTunes there has been the ability to record when tracks are skipped, in the same way as play count is recorded. However this feature is not perfect for me because iTunes will only make a record of the skip if it happens within the first 30 seconds of a tracks running time, I want to be able to skip a track at any point during it.

JustSkip works on the principle that when iTunes finishes a track the play count is incremented. With this in mind working out if a track was skipped is relatively easy.

Downloading:

JustSkip is still very much in a beta mode and has no GUI. Just download the zip file and extract it to any directory the run the exe file. The application will run in a command line window and start watching for skipped tracks and marking them as such.

Closing JustSkip is easy as well, ether close iTunes (JustSkip will realise your doing this and shut its self down) or slide your volume slider to 0 (mute) JustSkip will again notice this as shut its self down.

JustSkip can be downloaded from here

Feedback:

While this software is offered 'as is' if your having any problems with it or need some extra help then look thru the forums and ask any questions you have Forum Topics

OpenXBridge

stuartma — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:43:44 +0000

AEC Project Fields

Lead Developer:

stuartma

Project Type:

Web Project

Date Started:

September 20, 2009

Project Status:

On Hold

The Brief/Aim:

OpenXBridge is a PHP application that will communitcate with Commission Junction, in the future other advertising hosts will also be supported, and download the banner adverts into a localy hosted OpenX installation.

OpenXBridge is built on a modular platform which has given it grate expanability, and will support furture growth and added support for more advertising networks.

Downloading:

OpenXBridge has a built in automated installer that will guide you thru the nessesary installation steps and create its own configuration file and database tables.

OpenXBridge must be installed in a seperate directory inside your web sites root, but must use the same database as OpenX. This reduces alot of the load and lag time seen in previous versions by directly querying the OpenX database instead of the API. Something I make clear however is OpenXBridge at no point writes to the OpenX database, it will only read from it in order to save time. All write commands are handled by OpenXs own API.

Inorder to use OpenXBridge with Commission Junction you will require a Commission Junction Developers key, which can be obtained for free from Commission Junction API Site

You will also need a self hosted copy of OpenX 2.8.1 or 2.8.2. More information on installing and setting up a copy of OpenX can be found on the OpenX website

The latest stable version of OpenXBridge can be downloaded from here

Status:

~~OpenXBridge is currently at version 1.9.9.9 which will be the last release candidate before version 2 is complete.~~

~~All tests are proving this RC to be stable and reliable, so unless information comes in that something is missing or wrong this will be the same as version 2 when it comes out.~~

~~Updates - October 17th~~

~~OpenXBridge is currently at version 1.9.9.9 and while it is stable and perfectly functional there are still areas where it excels and other where it struggles.~~

Updates - November 9th

OpenXBridge just hit version 1.9.9.9.2. I had planned that the next launch would be 2.0 but we're not there yet. There are no new features in ...9.2 but full installer support for OpenX 2.8.1. So if you've installed Bridge already you want need to update to this version, just wait for version 2.0

Currently the biggest problem facing users is the web UI. The automated installer is doing it job and does it well, but after that the browser interface is struggling with the extreme load and about of time taken to download all the link from Commission Junction and proccess them. I am working on this now and hope to resolve the issues by the time 2.0 comes out but that is looking firther away than I was hoping it would be.

If you are comfertable using a unix/windows command line then you are currently able to make full use of OpenXBridge by running the command "php5 ./index.php --app=cj --action=fullrun" which will download all thinks from Commission Junction and add them to OpenX

This week OpenX launched version 2.8.2, from what I can see this new version should cause no problems to OpenXBridge however I am yet to find the time to upgrade my own OpenX installation so have been unable to test it as yet. If you experiance any problems please let me know about them and ill get them fixed. If need be ill push and update out of cycle to make sure that command line support still functions with OpenX 2.8.2.

In the mean time all I can do is ask for your passiance. I am working to improve the browser interface in the hope that OpenXBridge can save all Commission Junction publishers with OpenX time and money.

--Stu

Feedback:

While this software is offerd 'as is' if your having any problems with it or need some extra help then look thru the forums and ask any questions you have Forum Topics

All bugs and new features are tracked and recorded using Bugzilla, please report or request as much as you like. Bug Reporting & Feature reporting

GSMTracker

stuartma — Thu, 06 May 2010 18:18:56 +0000

AEC Project Fields

Lead Developer:

stuartma

Project Type:

Web Project

Date Started:

September 21, 2009

Project Status:

Active

The Brief/Aim:

ITracker tracks mobile phones using GPS, GSM Cell Towers and Location Points of Interest.

Inteli-Tracker is 'Showcase' software. A few years back I started working on a application framework package, then called Dilbert but since renamed to Alliance.

Status:

So far ITracker is in a stable and fully functional state. But it isnt ready for public consumption yet. Installation and setup is still very hands on and a little complex.

Whats possibly more important is my tracking software has only ever been a proff of concept idea with no intended purpose other than to display where I am on my own websites. I am looking into changing this sooner rather than latter and do have some ideas about what would make for some good practical applications, but for now these are only ideas and I've not managed to put anything down on paper just yet.

About Stuart McCulloch Anderson

stuartma — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:11:39 +0000

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Email Hashing that stops spam crawlers

stuartma — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:13:50 +0000

I have been working the last few hours on a nice and clean way to hide emails on this site, without the need for JavaScript.

MPs get medals just for visiting a war zone?

stuartma — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:28:08 +0000

This afternoon I seen a tweet from @stephenfry

MPs get medals just for visiting Afghanistan?? Surely that can't be right.

A Wee Drap o' Whisky

stuartma — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 22:35:00 +0000

A wee drap o' whisky I tak' when I'm weary
My blood for to warm and my spirits to cheer
And when I sit doon I intend to be merry