The Archives

07.12.11
Up in the cloud Software, web | (1)
My last WordPress update to 3.2 couldn't happen on one of our older shared servers, as it was running earlier versions of PHP and MySQL. I forget which was the culprit, but it meant I wasn't getting the new lovely interface and other enhancements. I also run about 7–8 personal projects and friends sites off our company servers, which while they're not big hitters or bandwidth guzzlers, I have been known to take the server offline while "trying something out".Therefore I decided to look at finally getting my very own hosting. Can you believe it? 15 years of making websites ...
Tagged: amazon, cloud, ec2, internet, server, web
03.24.11
standards>next — CSS3 Conferences, CSS, Graphics, HTML5, web | (1)
Last night, I spoke at the latest Opera back standards>next gig, hosted at MadLab in Manchester.Chris Mills put the call out months ago, asking if I'd like to take part, and could I herd up anyone else to speak. I recommended my fellow skating (albeit inline-blader!) and Fudge front-ender Mike Byrne as he's a lively character, and certainly knows his shit, and that made four. Chris kicked off, followed, by myself and Typography Online. Continue Reading...
Tagged: conference, CSS3, Opera, standards next, web
08.27.10
H.264 to be royalty free forever… HTML5, web | (0)
Not really a massive surprise, but probably had to be done in the light of the WebM video codec. H.264 faced no real pressure from OGG, as OGG was shit.Read more on TUAW
Tagged: HTML5, video, web
05.30.10
HTML5, Flash, video and a usable fix HTML5, web | (0)
You may have read about my frustrations about the current HTML5 <video> implementation, it's short-comings and general deflating-balloon sad-trombone-ness.Enter JW Player, and their HTML5 beta. Continue Reading...
Tagged: Flash, HTML5, internet, video, web
05.06.10
HTML5 <video> – a (very) short trip into real world use HTML5, web | (1)
After my last post about HTML5 video and thinking everyone's getting ahead of themselves, I'd like to point out I'm not that stupid that I was going to ignore it completely, until I'd had a chance to try it out in a real world work environment situation. I can now ignore it. For a few years/implementations, at least.It had been weighing on my mind that one of clients has a lot of video, and a lot of their audience are Mac users. This will probably mean there's a high percentage of iPhone users, and in the coming months, iPad users.So ...
Tagged: browser, Flash, HTML5, rant, video, web
02.17.10
Speak the Web Liverpool — post match reaction Conferences, CSS, Graphics, HTML5, web | (0)
I'm really pleased to say that the whole Liverpool session of Speak The Web went down really well.I managed to get through 30 minutes without committing social hari kari or making too bigger tit of myself. Pat Lauke was in full on Opera and HTML5 brainwash form, but energetic and interesting enough to be different from Chris Mill's session at Leeds. The coup de grâce was obviously Simon Collison of Erskine Design, with his In the Pursuit of Magic presentation, and fair play to him for being drugged up but persevering and putting on a really thoughtful and inspiring presentation. Continue ...
Tagged: Liverpool, speaktheweb, web
01.30.10
Transmission #3: ‘Device & Conquer: Tales from the front-line of mobile innovation’ Conferences, CSS, telecoms, Video Games, web | (0)
A Thursday night out? Drinking? …Again?But wait, you were out on Monday night too… what gives, Smith?Ok, I will come clean. Monday's drinking was less about the drinking (hah!) and more about talking with Chris Mills and Patrick Lauke about presenting, presentation material and subjects around validation and general geekiness. We did not at one point mention any rumour or conjecture about the iPad, which I feel is very important to mention. Leffe and Hoegaarden were order of the evening!However the Transmission 3 (#tx3) event was different. It was all about the mobile web, the pleasure and the pain of ...
Tagged: Chris Mills, iPhone, mobile, Opera, PPK, Transmission 3, usTwo, web
01.18.10
I’ll be at Speak The Web Conferences, CSS, Me, web | (0)
I'm honoured to have been invited to speak at an upcoming web "gig", by my two mates Rich Clarke and Dan Donald.Speak The Web aims to break down the barriers that prevent a lot of people getting to the bigger conferences. Travel, time off work, hotels and the bar bill can all be quite prohibitive, so the lads have started a grass roots collective of local talent and are hitting four venues in the North.Being a scouser, they asked me if I'd be interested in the Liverpool venue, and of course I said yes.The tickets are all very reasonably priced, ...
Tagged: conference, Liverpool, Speak The Web, web