Mind the Gap
In this London-themed example, I’ll take you Underground, as we explore accessing device accelerometer data to control the basic motion in a simple game. Along the way we will take a look at a few considerations around relative tilt, CSS3 transforms, and decoupling processes. But watch out! You don’t want to fall onto the rails, or get trapped between the platform and the tube. Mind the gap? Yeah, buddy. Mind the PhoneGap! Accelerometer Accessing the accelerometer with PhoneGap is a relatively straightforward process. The main function you will want to call is “navigator.accelerometer.watchAcceleration()”. That sets the ball in motion to poll the device for accelerometer data at a given frequency. The parameters you’ll want to pass to...
PhoneGap Goes to London
Last week I went to London, England to present at HTML5 Live. The topic was “Building Mobile Applications with PhoneGap.” Even though Adobe recently acquired Nitobi, largely the main drivers of PhoneGap, I had presented this topic a number of times before. Even before PhoneGap was integrated with Dreamweaver CS5.5 I was out there giving presentations on the technology. But while I knew what to present, I really didn’t want to show the same old demonstrations again. I wanted something new. But what? About a week before the trip, as I was reviewing the presentation, and updating to all the latest bits, it hit me. “If you’re going to London, why not have a variety of London-themed examples?” I set to coding, and before long found myself with...
Going Sans Server
Well, that’s not entirely accurate, but bear with me. Here is the pitch. You are a client-side developer with mad user experience skills. Whether you came up with the idea for the application, or were drafted into the project, you have sunk countless hours into making sure every interaction is as smooth as butter. You have successfully bent your choice of SDK to your will, and the demonstration, with the dummy data, looks like it will be the next big seller. Before you hit the markets though, you will need a server to store all that glorious user data – and that’s when you hear the brakes. Squealing. Churning your gut at the monster task that lies ahead. Time to market in this innovative space means everything. What will you do?...
Covey Productivity Tip
I obsess over personal productivity. In this Information Age, there’s entirely too much to get done – more than can ever possibly be done by one person, so prioritizing effectively is imperative to staying on top of things. That applies not only to work, but also in your personal life, or simply other activities you enjoy. While productivity isn’t a new area of study, I think it is safe to say that there has been a marked leap forward in recent years (e.g. Getting Things Done). Sometimes however, we forget some of the tried and true techniques from the previous generation that can still be easily and readily applied to any workflow. Franklin Covey has historically been a mainstay in the realm of personal productivity. Their journals,...
Web Development at MAX
The past couple of years, I have had the distinct pleasure of running a “camp” at MAX. A camp is what most other conferences call a “track”. With Adobe’s broad spectrum of offerings however, a track generally consists of terms such as “design”, “development” or “enterprise”. Last year I ran the “mobile” camp which consisted of a variety mobile development options from across the Flash Platform line-up of technologies. This year I’m running a camp on “Web Development” and I’m happy to report that I have some next-level talent and content lined up. I’ve discovered that my approach to lining up presenters differs somewhat from others. My first action...
Rocky Patel 2003
One of the first cigars that took me from being a predominantly mild to medium body smoker to a full body smoker was a Rocky Patel 1992. Ever since then I have always had a soft spot for Rocky Patel products. And from what I know of Rocky Patel, I like him as a person as well. From Hollywood lawyer, to cigar icon, and a champion for cigar smokers rights. I had the opportunity recently to try one of his newer lines, a Rocky Patel 2003. From the initial examination of the cigar, the dark cameroon wrapper was certainly easy on the eyes. A silky smooth dark wrapper leaf that seemed to suggest a typical Patel medium to full body smoke. I’ve read that cameroon wrappers are notoriously difficult to roll well, so I was eager to see if the construction of...
Embassy Suites La Vista
Of late, I have made it a point to take a picture out the window of every hotel room I stay in – which is a considerable number of hotel rooms, over a considerable number of properties, every year. I am not sure if it is some fashion of sick torture, reminding myself just how much time I spend on the road, or if it is a tribute to the diversity that the world has to offer. Either way, from time to time I figured I would start posting these pictures, starting with Embassy Suite, La Vista, Nebraska. La Vista, Nebraska is a suburb of Omaha, Nebraska on the far West side. It’s so far West in fact, that I’m not even sure it’s proper to call it a suburb. If you are driving West from Omaha to Denver, Colorado, along I-80, then it is pretty...
About Me
I am a father, husband, photography enthusiast and pilot most of the time. I work for Adobe managing the world's best evangelism team the rest of the time. I also enjoy hacking hardware, cigars, travel, and movies.