Wednesday 21 April 2010
It was great to discover the improvements to the Top Search Queries in Google’s Webmaster Tools amidst my frustration with Google AppEngine yesterday (yes unrelated I know). The changes really put data right in front of your face that even an SEO hack like me can understand and do something with.
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posted on the April 21st, 2010 1 Comment »
Tuesday 20 April 2010
I am quite convinced that Google AppEngine is a very significant piece of “cloud computing” technology. More than other cloud components, it has been designed to scale from small, low request count websites to the big suckers. That is, until you come across your first Loading Request in the world of the AppEngine Java (and friends – Scala, Groovy, etc).
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posted on the April 20th, 2010 13 Comments »
Friday 09 April 2010
As I mentioned a few days ago, I’m leaving the corporate world to start my own software development business. As I’m starting a professional services based business (with a hint of product development for flavour) I was going to try and keep the kinds of services I offer fairly broad to ensure I can capture different kinds of development work that comes my way. While I think this idea was fine in principle, I’ve been reading about the benefits of narrowing the focus of your business as a method of being effective and getting the “right kind” of work.
As a result, I’ve decided to scrap all of the fluff that was on the Sidelab site, and pull it right back to a single topic: Pervasive Computing.
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posted on the April 9th, 2010 No Comments »
Thursday 08 April 2010
Today was a very active day for my brain. While I didn’t solve world hunger I do think I had some pretty nifty ideas. One of the ideas that I had, for the life of me I can’t remember now, but what I do remember is a feeling of excitement and thinking it warranted further investigation. Gone now, no further investigation possible – I guess you get that. The idea must not have been very good if I can’t remember it now – that’s what they say anyway.
I decided today I don’t agree with them. I want a way that I can effectively capture ideas that come in that flash and are gone when more pressing issues arise…
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posted on the April 8th, 2010 1 Comment »
Tuesday 06 April 2010
As I indicated a little while ago, in I have been thinking about starting my own business and weighing that up against staying in a stable corporate job for some time. I finally reached a decision point around a month ago after much discussion with many different people. To those who spent the time talking with me about my options I am very grateful for your time.
After weighing up the options, my desires and history, I have decided to give it a red-hot go and start Sidelab – a small software development company, focused on innovation services (both development and consulting) for Australian business.
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posted on the April 6th, 2010 3 Comments »
Tuesday 16 March 2010
It’s been a while since I posted my comparison of the various iPhone and Android Web Application Frameworks, and quite a few things have changed since that time. Nothing completely disruptive or game changing, but things are definitely moving along.
The latest piece of news that I just received an email about is Appcelerator’s 1.0 release of its Titanium platform, which is obviously a bit of a milestone for the guys over there at Appcelerator.
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posted on the March 16th, 2010 No Comments »
Tuesday 02 March 2010
Google’s AppEngine is not a CDN (or Content Delivery Network).
How do I know this? Well I’m in a process of setting up a new site in anticipation of going out and doing my own thing (nothing finalized quite yet). While not really the point of this article it was the trigger for investigating AppEngine performance with regards to load times of resource files (images, css, etc).
While the results aren’t suprising, it definitely highlights the continued need for a CDN (even if you read the occasional post that tries to tell you that using AppEngine as a CDN is possible).
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posted on the March 2nd, 2010 8 Comments »
Sunday 28 February 2010
Very recently, the New York Times ran an article on the correlation between depression and certain mental disciplines. It’s definitely a thought provoking read, and the title “Depression’s Upside” is bound to spark some controversy. If you experience depression or know someone that experiences depression then it’s well worth the 7 page read, as it’s probably one of the most well crafted pieces of text I have ever read on the topic:
Depression’s Upside @ NYTimes.com
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posted on the February 28th, 2010 No Comments »
Friday 26 February 2010
Let me start by saying this is in no way an in-depth comparison of these two excellent cloud based hosting services. It should serve, however, as a good resource to help you determine which of the options is better suited to your needs at a high level, and point you in the right direction for further investigation.
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posted on the February 26th, 2010 No Comments »
Saturday 20 February 2010
A little over five years ago now, my wife and I arrived back in Australia from a year over in the UK. It was a great year, and I’d enjoyed the work I’d being doing over there (coding at a smallish Biotech) as well as the ability to travel. Additionally, I’d left on good terms with my employer and had the opportunity to do some work with them from Australia. Great, I thought – an opportunity to get my own software development business started; which I guess has always been my dream.
While, I think the idea was good in practice, it wasn’t the right time. My current struggle is attempting to determine if now is the right time.
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posted on the February 20th, 2010 No Comments »
