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  1. Apple, HTML5 and the ‘Open’ Web…

    April 9, 2010 by Darren Cornwell

    So it was quite a night for Apple yesterday with the iPhone 4.0 OS reveal, lots of changes and good news for us iPhone owners. But I’m here to talk about HTML5 (Tenuous link), and how Apple are influencing it’s progress and ultimate adoption on the web.

    Apple have been pushing HTML5 (One of the few companies on the planet that can openly shun Flash and the web follows):

    • Apple came up with the CANVAS and CSS Transforms.
    • They gave up Webkit and it’s (just) announced successor Webkit2.
    • They openly and very publically blocked flash on both the iPhone and iPad encouraging people to use HTML5 (Vimeo, Google, NYT, and many others quickly offered HTML5 versions of their content).
    • The addition yesterday of iAds shows all the cool functionality that can be had from 5.

    But while Apple are a proponent of these great technologies, they have also shut their platform down jut a little more, see the new developer terms under section 3.3.1:

    Applications may only use Documented APIs in the manner prescribed by Apple and must not use or call any private APIs. Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited).

    If you are Apple, you could argue this is a good thing, completely native code, written from the ground up, no cross-porting, and at the end of the day, we are speaking about Apple here, who traditionally do whatever they want.

    The key point here, is that although Apple now has a 63% (US) share of the mobile browser market, and this is surely set to increase with the uptake of the iPad, they really have some clout as to what goes on in the web. The thing is, the web is supposed to be an open platform with many people / entities contributing, refining, updating.

    It’s a strange web we weave when a single company can practically change the web over night.

    I love what Apple do, their products, brand and general image. Let’s hope things don’t get to closed.


    Category Apple Mac, Random | Tags: | No Comments

  2. Portuguese Characters – Mac Keyboard

    January 11, 2010 by Darren Cornwell

    Hi all, so I’m learning Portuguese and had a very hard time trying to write on my English mac keyboard, here are the shortcuts you need in order to be able to type correctly accented portuguese – enjoy.

    Acute Accent:
    Option/Alt + E, Vowel = André

    Grave Accent:
    Option/Alt + `, Vowel = Às

    Circumflex Accent:
    Option/Alt + I, Vowel = Você

    Tilde:
    Option/Alt + N, Vowel = Amanhã

    C Cedilla:
    Shift + Option/Alt + C = Ç (I couldn’t find a word with the Large Cedilla)

    C Cedilla:
    Option/Alt + C = Condição

    So to write André you would hold the Option/Alt key and then press e at the same time (this shows the Accute Accent), then the vowel you want – easy, peasy.

    Category Random | Tags: | 4 Comments

  3. Finally, on online store worth their salt….

    January 16, 2009 by Darren Cornwell

    This is a tech blog and I don’t normally write anything about retail / online sales but I have found a company that are so proficient in their service that you would think they were located in the US.

    Let me put it into persepctive for you: A couple of weeks ago I ordered a SMK scope for my rifle from this company, it turned up and was a bit rubbish (not their fault, they just supply it, not build the damn thing), so I got in touch with them to ask for a refund, they offered me a load of advice on mounting and zeroing (now I know how to do all that, but many people do not, so it would have been helpful) and after a few emails it was decided that I should send it back for a refund – great! (That was a lot easier than most companies make it for you).

    Sent the Scope back and then asked if I could be part refunded and use the remainder of my refund to purchase some pellets instead – no problems they said and out they were shipped!

    Received the pellets today and one of the tins has been crushed beyond belief, got in touch with them and low and behold, once again excellent customer service prevails, they are going to ship me out another tin of .177′s.

    It’s so goddam refreshing to deal with a company that has their customers in the fore front of their mind, so this is my thanks to them – a glowing review and advert ;)

    If your after anything for your air rifle / pistol go and visit Solware right away, you can find them at: http://www.solware.co.uk/.

    Category Random | Tags: | No Comments

  4. Web 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0

    September 22, 2008 by Darren Cornwell

    The buzzword to define the 00′s, it’s all about the web 2.0 but what the hell does that actually mean – it really depends on who you are and how far your technological grey matter runs!  Not to mention that pretty much anybody on the web has a completely different opinion of what that term means. -As a side note, to most people I have asked it means gradients, blue and green and some funky transitions.

    I think that there is a simple way to define the 3 states of the web, but I don’t want to look at it from a design point of view, rather a developer point of view. If you really think about it, it boils down to data manipulation and how we as an internet using public use that information.

    The original internet (for this purpose 1990 onward) relied on static websites, made of that wonderfull old table based HTML (which served it purpose well). Pages created offline and then uploaded for the masses to enjoy. Only the largest sites on the web were using large databases, and MySQL, PHP and the whole LAMP setup was not as prevalent as it is today.

    Web 2.0 (for this purpose 2002 onward) was about dynamism (is that even a word?), the abilty to read but also reply to a web page. Static information made dynamic by the masses inputting their own unique views. Think of the rise of site like digg, myspace, facebook, reddit, youtube, wikipedia – all sites that display information but additionally let users not only add their own data but manipulate the data already present on the site.

    Web 3.0 (sometime around 2009/10 I would think) is about bringing the internet away from a heavy reliance of web data and localising that data on your internet device. I would hope that in a few years everyone will enjoy a permenant connection to the mobile net. I already have my iPhone, and admittedly, having the ‘whole’ internet in my pocket has had insurmountable benefits. Think of Google Gears and you’ll have a rough idea where we’re heading.

    We basically gone through the 3 states of a set of file privileges - Web 1 (R), Web 2 (WR), Web 3 (WRX) or is that just me?

    Category Random | Tags: | No Comments

  5. Environmental Crazyness….

    November 5, 2007 by Darren Cornwell

    Seeing as how we will shortly be launching our new enviro site (that’s all I’m saying for now!), I thought that this little widget would be an appropriate addition to IA – it’s not entirely accurate by any means but it does give you a general gist of world figures. Special thanks go to poodwaddle for hosting such an awesome widget.

    Category Random | Tags: | No Comments

  6. Businessman risks death in note cutting promotion

    April 17, 2007 by Darren Cornwell

    Saw this and just had to post it, below in a except from a local story about a man who lives in the same town as me. Just read the story for the full effect and you’ll see what I mean.

    The News Story
    What started out as an innocent marketing ploy could turn out to be the worst nightmare for Andrew Fields – Managing Director of online debt collection firm, Avonmere Collections.

    Whilst trying to work out a rather ingenious method of gaining new customers for the successful firm, Andrew has been informed that an ancient bylaw could mean he could still be put to death, with the Queen’s permission.

    Andrew explains, ‘I had recently heard of a way that estate agent’s used to get farmers to cattle auctions. They would send the farmer a really expensive Wellington boot and explain within the letter that the other one could be collected on the day of the auction. As we were having a rather quiet month I thought I would apply this simple rule with something rather more pertinent in our industry – money.’

    Andrew continues, ‘My idea was to cut £5 notes in half and, together with a letter, send half of the note to local businesses explaining that if they registered on our website – Avonmere, I would immediately send them the other half of the note – i.e. collecting money for them even before they register any debts – what a debt collection firm!’

    ‘Naturally, it worked tremendously well until an anonymous caller to the newspaper pointed out that this action alone constitutes treason which, apparently, is still a crime punishable by death’.

    Mr Fields recently stated, ‘what started out as a laugh has been taken really seriously by the police and I am truly sorry for breaking the Law. I just thought that as most forms of advertising fail miserably, this would be a way of grabbing people’s attention, particularly when they receive a letter with real money in it’.

    Read more

    Category Random | Tags: | 1 Comment

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