This is due to both poor quality, and low marketing. There is no marketing for the rest of the album, only hope from the industry. Hope that the old model of producing cruddy songs, with a few hits, will still sell. For years they have gotten by on producing the one hit wonder CD. Now they wonder why they are failing?

The recent moves by the Copyright royalty board are only going to further things. Internet radio was the only place where there was enough time and listeners to play all of the rest of the album. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but if Congress doesn’t pass the Internet Radio Equality Act (H.R. 2060), I strongly suspect that the industry will just fail faster.

Kathy, my prayers are with you, and I hope to see you back online. However, I understand if you stop here.

JD

Taken on its own merits, the Shuttle gives the impression of a vehicle designed to be launched repeatedly to near-Earth orbit, tended by five to seven passengers with little concern for their personal safety, and requiring extravagant care and preparation before each flight, with an almost fetishistic emphasis on reuse. Clearly this primitive space plane must have been a sacred artifact, used in religious rituals to deliver sacrifice to a sky god.

He does a better job of explaining it both in that post and in another where he implicitly comments on the state of enterprise programming, and how the “immature” Ruby programmers and their kin are making things difficult for the hypothetical Java programmer.

However, more to the point of this post, is the question at the end.

Name three features from public web ‘sites’ like Google, Amazon, and YouTube (you can pick any site or sites you like) that will make the jump to business applications in 2007.

He asks it in reference to a job opening that someone has, and readers are supposed to e-mail their answer in. I am getting ready to interview for someone else, so I decided against trying for this. However I still wanted to give my answer to the question.

• Usability
• User-Generated Content (UGC)
• Tags

Usability

Users, especially web-savvy users are beginning to see the enjoyment, fun, and usefulness of sites like Gmail, Google Reader, and Flickr. I think that users will start to expect this type of interaction from all applications in their life, and be disturbed by business applications that try to play by different rules.

User-Generated Content

Companies will have to recognize the value and knowledge held by their employees (and possibly users). I imagine it will start with a single company opening up, and then it will become a landslide. Knowledge is too valuable to have it locked up in silos, especially if those silos are free to walk away.

Tags

Tags, keywords, call them what you will. The fact is: they work. Whats best about them, and what separates them from categories and keywords, is that they are defined at publishing and post-publishing. This allows tremendous adaptation that can’t be achieved with structured hierarchical categorizing. If I want to tag something, it just requires a database change, not a folder change. Yes, this is possible with keywords and similar methods, but the attitude is different. I think it is in the same way that Web 2.0 is different than DHTML. Same technology, different feel.

Conclusion

Only time will tell how this will all play out. It’s a cliche, but it’s true. Meanwhile, I think your going to see exciting improvements, and perhaps convergence of business and consumer technology. With that, you’ll probably see changes in thinking from the top to the bottom of companies. If a company doesn’t change, well, there’s always the Titanic.

Really cool site, and idea. Found again via A Whole Lotta Nothing.

Once this becomes automatic, its gonna be really cool.

• alias – alias
• atr – attribute reader
• begin – begin rescue block
• begin – begin rescue ensure block
• block – do…end single variable block
• block – do…end two variable block
• block – single variable block
• block – two variable block
• case – case statement
• class – Class Definition
• class – class with initialize
• class – Singleton Class Definition
• def – def with params
• def – method definition
• defs – class method definition
• each – each block
• else – else block
• elsif – elsif block
• for – for – iterate over Collection
• for – for – iterate over Range
• if – if block
• ifeif – ifelseif block
• ifelse – if-else block
• inject – inject block
• lambda – lambda block
• loop – loop block
• module – Module definition
• pp – plus plus
• r – require
• rescue – rescue block
• rescue – rescue block with error variable
• until – until loop
• while – while loop
• while – while statement

Get the ruby pack Here

Controller

• rcea – render component action
• rcec – render component controller
• rceca – render component controller action
• rea – redirect_to(action)
• reai – redirect_to(action,id)
• rec – redirect_to(controller,action)
• reca – redirect_to(controller,action)
• recai – redirect_to(controller,action,id)
• reu – redirect_to(url)
• verify – verify
• verifyr – verify redirect

Get the controller pack here

Models

• aal – acts_as_list
• aat – acts_as_tree
• bt – belongs to
• bt – belongs to basic
• find – find
• find – find conditions order
• find – find conditions order group
• finda – find all
• findf – find first
• habtm – has and belongs to many
• hm – has many complex
• hm – has_many
• ho – has one
• ho – has one complex

Get the models pack here

Validation

• va – validates_associated(attributes)
• vaco – validates_acceptance_of(attribute,message)
• vaif – validates associated if
• vaon – validates_associated(attributes) on
• vc – validates_confirmation_of(attributes,message)
• vcif – validates confirmation of attribute on message if
• vcon – validates_confirmation_of(attributes,message) on
• ve – validates_exclusion_of(attribute,in,message)
• veach – validates_each
• veif – validates exclusion if
• vf – validates_format_of(attribute,with,message)
• vi – validates_inclusion_of(attribute,in,message)
• vl – validates_length_of(attribute,maximum,message)
• vl – validates_length_of(attribute,minimum,message)
• vl – validates_length_of(attribute,range,message)
• vn – validates numericality of
• vp – validates_presence_of(attribute,message)
• vpif – validates_presence_of(attribute,message)
• vs – validates_size_of(attribute,maximum,message)
• vs – validates_size_of(attribute,minimum,message)
• vs – validates_size_of(attribute,range,message)
• vu – validates_uniqueness_of(attribute,message)
• vuif – validates_uniqueness_of(attribute,message)
• vus – validates_uniqueness_of(attribute,message,scope)
• vusif – validates_uniqueness_of(attribute,message,scope)

Get the validation pack here

Render

• ra – render action
• ral – render action,layout
• rf – render(file)
• rfu – render(file,use_full_path)
• ri – render(inline)
• ril – render(inline,locals)
• rit – render(inline,type)
• rl – render(layout)
• rn – render(nothing)
• rns – render(nothing,status)
• rp – render(partial)
• rpc – render(partial,collection)
• rpl – render(partial,locals)
• rpo – render(partial,object)
• rps – render(partial,status)
• rt – render text
• rtl – render text layout
• rtlt – render text layout true
• rts – render text status

Get the render pack here

Environment

• flash – flash[]
• logi – logger info
• logn – logger notice
• logw – logger warning
• p – params
• s – session
• sset – session setter

Get the environment pack here

Migration

• mac – add column
• mai – add index
• mcc – change column
• mct – create table
• mdt – drop table
• mex – execute
• mnc – rename column
• mrc – remove column
• mri – remove index
• mtc – t.column create

Get the migration pack here

Testing

• ae – assert_equal
• aio – assert instance of
• ako – assert_kind_of
• am – assert match
• an – assert nil
• ane – assert not equal
• anm – assert not match
• ann – assert_not_nil
• ar – assert_raise
• are – assert_response
• aret – assert respond to
• art – assert_redirected_to

Get the testing pack here

Rspec

• cn – controller name
• cshra – controller should have rendered action
• cshrt – controller should have rendered text
• cshrte – controller should have rendered template
• csra – controller should render action
• csrdt – controller should redirect to
• csrr – controller should render rjs
• csrrp – controller should render rjs page
• csrt – controller should render text
• csrte – controller should render template
• rsbr – response should be redirect
• rsbs – response should be success
• sbe – should be empty
• sbio – should be instance of
• sbn – should be nil
• sbs – should be something
• se – should equal
• sh – should have
• shr – should have rjs
• shrp – should have rjs page
• sht – should have tag
• shtc – should have tag content
• sm – should match
• snbe – should not be empty
• sne – should not equal
• snm – should not match
• srt – should respond to
• ss – should something

Get the rspec pack here

Rhtml

• a – html link
• at – attributes
• cb – check box
• cbt – check box tag
• cfl – content for layout
• comment – comment
• div – div
• ds – date select
• dth1 – doctype xhtml 1.1
• dthf – doctype 4 frameset
• dths – doctype html strict
• dtht – doctype html transitional
• dtxf – doctype xhtml frameset
• dtxs – doctype xhtml strict
• dtxt – doctype xhtml transitional
• emf – error message for
• ff – file field
• forin – for…in..end
• frt – form_remote_tag(html)
• ft – form_tag
• hf – hidden field
• hft – hidden field tag
• htdoc – document outline
• htt – http://
• if – if block
• ifei – if else if
• ifeie – if else if else block
• ifelse – if else block
• img – image
• ist – image submit tag
• it – image tag
• li – li
• lia – link_to(action)
• liai – link_to(action,id)
• lic – link_to(controller)
• lica – link_to(controller,action)
• licai – link_to(controller,action,id)
• link – link
• ltr – link_to_remote(name,update,url)
• meta – meta tag
• metah – meta http equiv
• ol – ol
• pe – pe
• pf – password field
• pft – password field tag
• pm – percent minus
• pr – asp style script tags
• pta – p text area
• ptf – p text field
• rb – radio button
• rbt – radio button tag
• rp – render partial
• rpc – render partial collection
• s – select
• span – span
• st – submit tag
• style – style
• ta – text area
• table – table
• tat – text area tag
• td – td tag
• tf – text field
• tft – text field tag
• trtd – tr and td
• tt – closed tag
• ul – ul

Get the rhtml pack here

Finally, documentation as promised. You can get the entire set of packs here as one zip file with all of the individual xml files inside. Or you can just download this zip and get it as two files. One for RHTML, and one for Ruby.

I’d also like to share my script for making this documentation. It should work for any Eclipse template file. Change the extension to .rb, and drop it in the directory with the xml files. Run it and it should create a txt file for each xml file in the directory. The text file is in textile and it is simply a h2 followed by a list of the templates. Enjoy

JD

To install:

1. Unzip this file
2. Open RadRails
3. Goto Window>Preferences…
4. Goto the Rails>Editors>RHTML Editor>RHTML Templates section
5. Import the RHTML file.
6. Goto the Ruby>Editor>Templates section
7. Import the Ruby file
8. Test it

1. Open a ruby file
2. Type ‘bt’ followed by Ctl+Space
3. Choose one of the belongs_to options
4. Tab between sections to fill in the parameters
5. Start typing on the next line, cause you’re done!

Hope you all enjoy, this includes both the regular Textmate Templates, plus some that I find useful (like pp which expands to +=, pure laziness, but nice for someone coming from Java/C#/C++ background).

JD

EDIT: So, for the life of me, I realized that I didn’t include habtm in the templates. Why, I don’t know, its not like I enjoy typing that beast, anyways, here is a new zip that includes the new template. If you want just the single template for habtm, let me know and I can post it as well. JD

To use one’s skill in computer programming to gain illegal or unauthorized access to a file or network: hacked into the company’s intranet.“hack.” The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 01 Oct. 2006.

Computer geeks like me tend to refer to this as “cracking.” And it appears that our definition of the term “hack” in its original sense is coming back in mainstream news as well. Yahoo recently had a 24-hour “Yahoo Hack Day,” and in its press release, they mention that: “Hack is used in its original sense of ‘creative programming’ not illicit sense of breaking into computers.” What has brought about this change? My theory: Mash-ups.

Mash-ups like Frappr are websites that fundamentally require one or more other sites to function. In Frappr’s case, they use Google Maps to create a site where online communities can ‘pin’ their location in the map to show their spread across the globe. It works because Google has an open API that allows other sites to send and request information from Google.

Mash-ups are common in the so-called ‘Web 2.0′ world, where the user is king, and blogging, podcasts, and Flickr are everyday terms. After Digg came out there were mash-ups that combined Digg and Slashdot, later after other copycats of Digg came, there were mash-ups of these new sites.

The mash-up is probably just a step along the way to maturity for web programming. Application programming saw similar trends, which birthed the PC, Apple, Linux, BSD, GNU, and Open Source Software (OSS). Today, it is nearly a harmonic interaction with the rise of OSS coinciding, and building with, the rise of mashups and cheap internet programming. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here.

It could go the way of Microsoft, IBM, Sun and Oracle, the titans of application programming. Or it could be unpredictable, following in Google’s footsteps and beyond in ways that are unimagineable. All that can be said for certain is that while Richard Stallman and his followers were tainted by the taste of freedom in OSS, my generation, including myself, will be tainted by this movement. It may be a trend, but perhaps, just perhaps, it will be more. Perhaps it will lead to a change in the way managements are structured. Perhaps it will lead to a weakening of Global Corporations. Perhaps, just perhaps, it will lead to real Democracy and freedom.

Technorati Tags: hacking, oss, mash up, web 2.0, web 20, web20, freedom, change

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Honestly, I love 30 Boxes. Its a great service, and it has plenty of people who agree. They are innovative, constantly coming out with creative features.

• Buddies
• MySpace, Flickr, Upcoming and other Web 2.0 site integration
• SMS and Email reminders
• Integrated Mapping
• Tags
• The One Box
  
• Themes

Buddies

30boxes allows you to define and invite buddies. Its similar to other calendars allowing you to selectively share your caledar. Whats different about 30boxes is the ability to include RSS feeds in your calendar. So I can see when my buddies blogged about different events, and when the next events might happen. I can also send invites while adding an event, its part of The One Box.

Web 2.0 Integration

Like many sites out there, 30Boxes has taken advantage of RSS and API’s to integrate with other sites. A good example is Flickr, by simply adding your Flickr ID to 30Boxes you can get a Photostream from Flickr. It is preset to handle Flickr, Webshots, LiveJournal, MySpace, and Upcoming.org.

SMS and Email Reminders

30Boxes’ integrated email reminders and SMS reminders early in the game, and it has been a lifesaver. Its nice to be able to blog about a move or a freelance job ahead of time and get a reminder before I reach panic time. It could also be a nice way to transfer events to your phone.

Integrated Mapping

Including brackets ([ ]) around an address in the One Box allows you to include a link to Google Maps in your event. Thus in one place it gives all the info I need.

Tags

What Web 2.0 site would be complete without tags? This is especially appealling to the GTD side of me, because I can use tags as contexts, and then I can print out views of only those tags. This is also nice because I can share only certain tags with certain people, thus giving me really nice privacy control

The One Box

Where do I start? Its a smart entry box. No more going through form after form, everything can be assigned from the One Box. You can add notes in parentheses, maps in brackets, color, tags, invites, and of course, time and event title.
The entire thing is just great. I love it. So why do I have an issue?

Repeat Functionality

Hows the progress on repeat going? Its the most requested feature in the forums, and in contrast to Narendra’s comment to Will here, saying:

We added a fair amount of repeats and have been working hard on a bunch of other things including webcal and email to calendar before considering if we want to replicate the very arcane attributes of Outlook

its not arcane. Its a needed feature, and it is part of the iCal specification. I don’t understand why it isn’t at the top of the upcoming features list. They keep adding it peicemeal, but not all the way. Google Calendar has it. Yahoo Calendar has it. It really shouldn’t be that hard. As it is, I think they are going to start losing users if they don’t implement it soon.