tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:16:21 +0000Richard Sanderson | <a href="http://www.mealybar.co.uk/" rel="me">mealybar.co.uk</a>http://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/noreply@blogger.com (Richard)Blogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731.post-4265436216718118951Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:59:00 +00002008-12-04T14:15:44.044ZiPhone AppsiPhoneappleRight, lets keep this short. I've got an iPhone, its got around 25 apps on it. Until recently I was getting around one update per day. Bug fixes, new features the whole caboodle. The last week or two I've had none... well alright maybe one.Does this mean the developers consider these apps finished and are starting something new? And if so will we see a new wave of apps in a few weeks time? Are http://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/2008/12/iphone-app-store-is-hype-all-over.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731.post-863200606287988196Sat, 11 Oct 2008 06:52:00 +00002008-10-11T08:55:54.572+01:00emailhtml emailA conversation this week raised the question, HTML email - that's the one with fancy graphics, colors and formatting, or plain text email - which gets your message across better?The conclusion I've come to is, if its important, if the email contains any value it is (or should be) in plain text. Conversations with friends, online reset passwords, and other sensitive information. I makes no sense http://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/2008/10/email-html-or-plain-text.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731.post-2824189711563479384Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:29:00 +00002008-09-29T13:11:39.075+01:00ranttraveltrainTravelling recently 5+ hours to London (and then back) brought me only disbelief and frustration. Granted perhaps an oversimplification but running a train service is not difficult.I don't mean the logistics - signalling, pathing, crew and stock placement - all of these things I can only imagine to be very difficult to get right indeed.What I do mean is the front-of-house, the service the regularhttp://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/2008/09/national-express-make-me-sad.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731.post-1736625236667309536Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:29:00 +00002008-09-17T13:11:04.695+01:00facebooksocial networksprivacyxfnAfter a rather odd post from me last time about the ring-fence, non-privacy that is Facebook (perhaps a d.construct fuelled blip) here's something as an alternative. Since reading this article on the Digital Web Magazine, and more recently Tantek Celik's presentation at d.construct the possiblilty of an open social network has been once again running through my mind. Potentially XFN has the http://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/2008/09/social-networks-xfn-and-future.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731.post-2986348008921764863Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:17:00 +00002008-09-08T19:06:15.632+01:00facebookprivacyYou wooed me whilst I was at university, all my friends loved you. You brought us closer together, you meant finding people was easy - all important when finding yourself in a new country, around new people and a new life.You gave a standard format for entering all my interesting(?) details, and finding the same from my friends.What went wrong Facebook?You're now a clutter of clashing pages and http://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/2008/09/facebook-i-dont-love-you-no-more.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731.post-66286824641760070Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:29:00 +00002008-08-29T12:31:53.159+01:00horizontal web designcssCame across this article on Smashing Magazine, it got me thinking.How many internet users use a scrolling mouse, and actually use the scroll wheel?It looks potentially like a really nice alternate way of presenting a website. Perhaps using it, with changes in the pipeline for CSS, would enable us to create horizontal-read columns a la magazine or newspaper. But a few tricks will have to be found http://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/2008/08/horizontal-scrolling.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731.post-3612944077403226587Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:17:00 +00002008-08-08T12:25:16.505+01:00internet explorerrowspantableshtml emailWhilst working on some email templates the other day I found another Internet Explorer annoyance (bug?). HTML emails are difficult to create because of the varying standards employed across email clients. And with Outlook 2007 that has dropped CSS support back something like 5 years, I decided to go back to basics - tables based layout, that'd work surely? Nope, well not how I wanted them to. http://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/2008/08/internet-explorer-rowspan-nightmare.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731.post-2404984014119245638Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:46:00 +00002008-08-01T22:28:56.603+01:00css graphAt work I found myself needing to create some graphs from queries on a MySQL database. Having a search and generally not liking to creating images on the fly I stumbled upon this article. The method uses just an unordered list, and CSS. The only thing missing would be axes - any suggestions?http://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/2008/08/css-graphs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731.post-4826650740670991237Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:55:00 +00002008-07-30T19:02:32.185+01:00awards for allpigeon racinglotteryMore and more pigeon clubs are succeeding in their applications for Lottery grants under the Awards for All scheme. But what does this mean for pigeon racing and it's future? Grants are being spent on Electronic Timing Systems, Transporters and the suchlike. So before Awards for All how did clubs and fanciers manage? If there was any money left after the costs of the racing, showing and http://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/2008/07/are-lottery-grants-hindrance-to-pigeon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731.post-7490122664455474218Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:48:00 +00002008-07-12T11:57:27.714+01:00TwitterificiPhone AppsiPhonefacebookiPintAfter all the trouble updating my iPhone to 2.0 yesterday, it was about midnight when I first got my hands on the first Apps. I downloaded, Twitterific, Facebook, iPint and a couple of others, and my overall reaction is that they're poor. I expected fully functioning versions that encapsulated the simplicity of the iPhones interface, but no it seems you get patchy performance, and just about thehttp://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/2008/07/iphone-20-apps-dont-live-up-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731.post-6036264077813406847Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:21:00 +00002008-07-09T22:09:22.552+01:00concordeDropping Gem at the airport tonight saw us grab a hot chocolate, flicking through the paper that was on the table I spotted an article on Concorde. Of the twenty that were built, since coming out of service they've gone to various museums and attractions all over the world. Seven in both the United Kingdom and France, one in Germany and Barbados, one was used as spare parts, and the other three http://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/2008/07/concorde-in-pieces.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731.post-3340437633637622277Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:08:00 +00002008-07-03T20:52:17.772+01:00microformatsocial networksxfnFacebook, MySpace, LastFM... would work, if everyone you knew was a member. Problem is that is never going to happen. The thing is that social networks are walled gardens, built so that your data once in, stays in. I want to retain ownership of my data! If I want sign up to a new better service next week I dont want to have to resubmit everything again, similarly the week after. Why can't my http://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/2008/07/social-social-web.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731.post-7511385880472414747Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:30:00 +00002008-03-31T21:38:18.191+01:00facebook errorfacebookAm I the only one getting 'The server dropped the connection' error on Facebook?? Virtually rendering the site useless as it's mostly by their ajax calls. After trying Safari, Camino and Firefox... no difference. Shape up Facebook =Dhttp://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/2008/03/facebook-errors.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731.post-2653691347912161658Sun, 15 Jul 2007 20:25:00 +00002007-07-15T21:52:26.912+01:00Royal mail is in a crisis. In major need to change the structure of the company to cope with the recent opening the market to competition. So the workforce oppose these changes wanting the company to trundle as it had during its monopoly period. Is it not possible to understand that if the company and its workforce do not unite and embrace these modernisation measures, how will the company affordhttp://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/2007/07/i-dont-like-not-getting-my-post.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731.post-2255911722268871150Wed, 24 Jan 2007 23:27:00 +00002007-04-20T23:56:35.876+01:00global warmingtravelHaving just watched the programme on telly kinda prompted to posting my feelings. I was just looking at travelling to London the other day from St Andrews; Car - £90 -- fuel only Train - £119 -- cheapest ticket with a young persons railcard Coach - £59 -- overnight Plane - £66 -- easyjet Which should I choose? I thought of convenience; however what is more inconvenient: 5 hours on the train, http://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/2007/01/travel-convenience-global-warming.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731.post-3924032459592230463Sun, 14 Jan 2007 18:34:00 +00002007-01-14T18:40:16.460ZwinterbirdHowcome the birds start singing at around 1am just outside my window? It's the middle of winter here in Scotland and it wont be light for another 6-7 hours or so! Early bird.... but...!!http://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/2007/01/early-bird.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38325731.post-1358981396582886436Sun, 24 Dec 2006 02:30:00 +00002006-12-24T03:31:30.349Zstupidityhealth and safetyI'm tempted to say that the whole world has gone mad; but maybe its just me and all of this is *completely normal*... First there was the virtual bonfire; "A rugby club in Devon is to hold a "virtual bonfire" on Guy Fawkes night amid concerns over the cost of meeting health and safety rules." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/6076746.stm The village Christmas party that must advertise http://www.mealybar.co.uk/blog/2006/12/stupidity.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Richard)0