Category: Hints

General hints I think might help others that I have come across over the years.

Hints

New OS: Reminder to Clean Up

If you use a Mac, it is that time again – time to update to the latest OS (this time called “Yosemite”). While most people get excited about new features, improved performance, etc – I get excited to do my annual cleaning. Before any major updates – I spend time deleting files and apps that […]

Hints

Hidden Skype Emoticons

Looking to make your Skype conversations a little more interesting? Check out hidden emoticons for Skype: http://www.skype-emoticons.com

Hints

Check for Valid Date with PHP

I stumbled on this handy function this morning when putting together a form that required a valid date (example: 02/30/2011 would not be valid because there are not 30 days in February). Very simple and useful! Checks the validity of the date formed by the arguments. A date is considered valid if each parameter is […]

Hints HOWTOs UNIX

Show Disk Space Usage (Sorted)

Every once and awhile I find myself needed to what is the space hog on my computer/server. While the command du – h in the command line works for a general overview – I really want to see the results in descending order (by space used). This command will list out everything in descending order […]

Hints HOWTOs Places

The Delicate Balance of Parenting

I love my kids more than I ever thought possible. Once and awhile everything fits together nicely and you feel like you everything is in balance. Most days however there is a constant multi-dimensional game of tug of war going on with both parents over how to do x, y, and z with the kids.

Hints

Protect Your Email Address

In a moment of weakness I gave someone (that I would not normally) my email address. As soon as I got off the phone with them – the spam started rolling in and I kicked myself. Word to the wise – if you have any inkling at all that someone will sell your email address […]

Apple Hints

Sample Video Files

There usually comes a time when working on a project where I need to show the client how a particular video plugin works. I sometimes will do a quick Google search to find a sample video file to put in – but today when searching for a “sample MP4 video” – I found something extremely […]

Hints

Gentle Reminder: Check Your Backups

Every once and awhile I make sure to check to make sure my backups are in place, sufficient, and running. It is also a good idea to go through a restore once and awhile too to make sure you know how to actually do a restore and also so you know that the process you […]

Business Hints User Interfaces

When Designing – Use Real Content

There are many lessons to learn out there as a designer, and please let this be at the top of your list: when designing something – whether it be a business card, a brochure, or a web site – use real content. Lately – when doing any design work for a client – we always […]

Hints

Time to Reconnect and Disconnect

A few months ago I closed my Facebook account in order to try and stop wasting so much time on my computer/iPad/iPhone looking at my friend’s and family’s daily statuses, game play activity, and other garbage that got fed to me. Since then – I have not looked back and have been enjoying more quality […]

Hints Web Development WordPress

Which WordPress Caching Plugin Is Right For You?

Most people can agree on one thing: they want their site to load faster. With a number of WordPress caching plugins now available – it is nice to see someone that did a comparison between the top contenders: http://www.tutorial9.net/web-tutorials/wordpress-caching-whats-the-best-caching-plugin/. Remember – your results will vary based on your hosting environment, your theme, your plugins, etc.