<img src='thumb.php?src=./images/photo.jpg&size=400x300' />

It's super simple and only 155 lines in total. You can specify the width and height, or just the width so the height will get calculated automatically and vice versa. It also allows you to set a maximum width/height, which is best suited for photo thumbnails.

Features:

• File based cache
• Automatic deletion of expired cache files
• Optional browser based cache via the IF_MODIFIED_SINCE HTTP header
• Multiple size types
• Options whether to crop, trim, zoom and set alignment
• Set sharpness based on a percentage midpoint between two values, so you can specify the strength of the sharpness rather than just turning it on or off

Check out the code and usage instructions on Github

So, I built my own Markdown helper script which when you hit the return key, it checks to see if the line is a bullet, numbered list, code block or blockquote and automatically indents and adds the Markdown syntax. If you hit return again on an empty line, it will remove that item and return to regular paragraph text.

It's a pretty lightweight script that's super easy to use, just include the JavaScript file and call the function via onKeyPress() on the textarea. Tried and tested in the usual Firefox 11, Safari 5, Chrome 18 and Internet Explorer 6 onwards.

You can view the working example or fork the code on Github.

My solution uses a semi transparent PNG overlay for the rounded rectangle, with an inner image which animates from left to right, and vice versa. The toggle can be triggered by either clicking the switch, or the accompanying label.

The result is a jQuery powered, checkbox based toggle switch that looks and functions the same in most browsers, even IE6. It also has retina images for any iDevices that support them.

You can view the working example or fork the code on Github.

It's as easy as this to use:

<img src='minecraft.php?u={username}&s={size}' />

What the script does is grabs their skin from the Minecraft server, copies the face and facial accessories only and merges them into an 8 x 8 image, then resizes to the specified size. If the username does not exist, then it uses the default skin, which is stored in a base64 encoded variable to save an extra cURL request.

Check out the code on Github

Another photo I was really happy with, is of the River Yar in Bembridge, taken just before dusk. I managed to get this great shot in between lots of bursts of rain which occurred throughout the week.

If you would like to see more photos from the Isle of Wight, please view my Flickr Photo Set.

Today I spent a little bit of time creating a tiny XBOX widget. It's a shame the XBOX Community Developer Program has taken so long for me to gain access to, so instead all the data is scraped from http://gamercard.xbox.com/en-US/rentedsmile.card.

Usually I don't tend to rely on scraping to get my data, but since I have no access to their API I had no choice really. Also, the gamercard has so much hidden information, it's almost as if they expect you to scrape it.

Please feel free to check out my other photos of the bengals on Flickr

It uses the built-in autocomplete method in jQuery UI, and queries my PHP script which grabs the search results from the Rotten Tomatoes API, strips out all the unnecessary data, and outputs the JSON.

Speed is a bit of an issue, and I would have it query the API directly instead of having to use a Intermediary script, but the API requires a key that's unique to me and needs to remain hidden, so sadly there's no room for improvement there.

Extracting data from IMDB would be perfect but sadly, the IMDB API is out of reach for me with the annual membership cost in the low tens of thousands of dollars. However, lately I've discovered and been playing around with a mixture of the unofficial IMDB API, Rotten Tomatoes API and TMBd API, all of which are very simple, have high usage allowances, and are completely free.

Rotten Tomatoes is by far looking the most stable, informative, and simple with movie look-ups as easy as this:

http://api.rottentomatoes.com/api/public/v1.0/movies.json?apikey={API_KEY}&q=I+Saw+The+Devil&page_limit=1

At the moment, I'm still in the 'playing around' stage, which will be quickly followed by the 'do I actually have enough free time to build it' stage. Maybe in the near future you may see some Dribbble shots of what I'm working on.

If you want to read up more on any of the API's mentioned, follow the links below:

• IMDB Interfaces
• Unofficial IMDB API
• Rotten Tomatoes API Documentation
• The Movie DB API Documentation

Here is my favourite from the day - It shows one of the snow leopards stretching after just waking from a little nap.

If you would like to see my other photos from my outing to the zoo, please check out the Photo Set on Flickr