http://go.sparkfire.net life, love, and the computer Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:50:38 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I recently needed the ability to export data from my application in CSV format in my CakePHP application. It didn't need to be anything fancy, mostly just a dump from a given model, which the customer could open in Excel. I've written it in an abstracted way. This fairly simple ... http://go.sparkfire.net/2010/06/easily-export-data-from-any-cakephp-model/ Canonical recently unveiled a new version of Ubuntu, dubbed Unity (Ubuntu Light), built specifically with netbooks in mind, featuring super short boot times, and a whole slew of interface enhancements. It is still incomplete, but early versions of it are available to OEMs and to adventurous tinkerers. It is quite easy ... http://go.sparkfire.net/2010/05/try-out-ubuntu-unity-with-quick-install/ The Foursquare Day event is catching on in every corner of the globe. In just a few short weeks, fans and new initiates of Foursquare and social media at large have self organized to plan and launch the first ever Foursquare Day. We created a website to help aggregate information ... http://go.sparkfire.net/2010/04/foursquare-day-quickly-comes-into-focus/ I developed a bit of an obsession with Chipotle's guacamole, it was good but expensive, so I decided to make my own. I'm still tweaking the recipe but this is where I started and gives great results. You can find avocados with the other fresh produce at your grocery store. ... http://go.sparkfire.net/2009/10/guac/ I work for a small web shop and enjoy a very casual atmosphere. This is great most of the time, but recently it caught up with me. We were all sitting around the conference table eating pizza on the company's dime and watching the classic Batman film over lunch. I ... http://go.sparkfire.net/2009/09/small-lessons/ Whenever you're building a site that has a directory of businesses or people or anything with a physical location, it commonly lends itself to offering a search form which allows the user to search by distance from a given location. For example, a national or state-wide company with many branches may ... http://go.sparkfire.net/2009/09/search-by-location-miles-from-zipcode-in-php/ [caption id="attachment_133" align="alignright" width="100" caption="H1N1"][/caption] What a fantastic read on H1N1 and the basics of DNA And RNA as they function in the body using the analogy of a computer program. The author then goes on to suggest ways in which the virus could be improved, from a reverse engineering standpoint. ... http://go.sparkfire.net/2009/09/hacking-h1n1-swine-flu/ Quick Wordpress tip for you, especially useful when you're initially setting up your blog. If you're switching from theme to theme and then find yourself unable to add certain widgets, it's probably because they were left enabled on a different theme. Try switching back to the theme you were previously ... http://go.sparkfire.net/2009/09/cant-add-widget/ I've recently been charged with finding a couple new hires for entry level positions at our company. We posted an ad on Craigslist and within a day had dozens of applicants. If you find yourself new to the area of web design and are applying for your first job, here ... http://go.sparkfire.net/2009/08/how-to-apply-for-a-web-design-position/ “Hello, my name is Dave.” “Hello Dave, nice to meet you… so what do you do, anyway?” “I work as a Web Developer over at Sparkfire.” “Oh, cool.” This is inevitably followed by a blank stare. It’s at this point which I’m always torn, do I go off on some suitable explanation of “web ... http://go.sparkfire.net/2009/08/the-web-evolved-and-you/