existdissolve.com
the singularity of being and nothingness
Coming Up for AIR
Mar 24th
(Please ignore the absurdity of the title–I couldn't help myself!)
A little over a week ago, Adobe officially released Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) 1.0 along with Flex 3 . While I've looked into a AIR a bit in conjunction with Flex apps, I've not really gone beyond that.
However, with the official release, I decided to take another look.
What is AIR? As the full name explicates, it is a runtime that can be used to, um, run programs on your computer, mobile device, etc. So as with Microsoft's .NET framework, AIR allows developers to create programs that can be packaged up and installed on these devices.
However, unlike Windows-only or Mac-Only (or Linux-Only) programs, AIR is ambivalent about the OS. As long as the client machine has the runtime installed, any application developed in AIR can run on it. This in itself is really cool, and takes the bite off the exclusivity of OS platforms.
But the coolest part about AIR is that you can leverage different technologies when building applications. For example, a while ago I built an extremely simple Countdown application using Flex 3. Easy enough.
But what if I don't want to use ActionScript 3? No problem! Using the HTML, CSS More >
IE8 Beta and Kicking Microsoft to the Curb
Mar 24th
Ok, so for those who know me, I've never exactly been the biggest fan of ANYTHING that Microsoft has forced upon the genearl computing public. IMO, Word is about the best thing that they've done, and even that is pretty lame.
Obviously, I have complained more than once about how Microsoft does (or maybe I should say "doesn't do) the web. However, because of the fact that the majority of people still use this inferior browser, I've tolerated it.
Well, this last week, the beta of IE8 came out .
(Warning: To install IE8 you will have to install it over the top of IE7–you can't run them side-by-side. However, IE8 does allow for the emulation of IE7, which is a reasonable compromise)
Over the last couple of weeks, I've done a fair bit of reading about IE8, and even blogged about it . So it was with some anticipation that I signed up for the beta. On the whole, the improvements are positive. The interface itself looks a bit better (less off-color-ish than IE7 and IE6) and cleaner. There are a bunch of add-ons (called "Actions") that can be downloaded, and for what is the first time (I think), developers can actually begin More >
Good Friday Reflection: The Universe and Resurrection
Mar 21st
Ok, so I know it's technically Saturday while I'm writing this, but I wanted to get down these Good Friday reflections before the weekend is over…
In pulpits across the country this weekend, congregations will hear various messages about the meaning of Easter: Christ's death and resurrection, the triumph of Christ over sin and damnation, etc. Obvoiusly, these are fitting subjects to pursue.
However, when we think of Christ's death and resurrection, what does it mean beyond the sin-oriented connotations? That is, is the cross merely about forgiveness of sins and the defeat of the powers of evil, or it is possible to find even more basic threads of meaning?
For example, is there a primal meaning in Christ's death and resurrection for existence itself? Let me explain.
We live in a universe that, according to the best evidence, is at least 15 billion years old. This history of temporal existence is marked by cycles of life and death, decay and new birth. Stars grow, age and then spectacularly supernova, spewing in their deaths the seeds of "life" that will become the incubators for yet-to-form stars. Animal life is similar: we grow, age and reproduce, the energies of our lives being passed on (whether More >
IE8 Beta and Kicking Microsoft to the Curb
Mar 19th
Ok, so for those who know me, I've never exactly been the biggest fan of ANYTHING that Microsoft has forced upon the genearl computing public. IMO, Word is about the best thing that they've done, and even that is pretty lame.
Obviously, I have complained more than once about how Microsoft does (or maybe I should say "doesn't do) the web. However, because of the fact that the majority of people still use this inferior browser, I've tolerated it.
Well, this last week, the beta of IE8 came out .
(Warning: To install IE8 you will have to install it over the top of IE7–you can't run them side-by-side. However, IE8 does allow for the emulation of IE7, which is a reasonable compromise)
Over the last couple of weeks, I've done a fair bit of reading about IE8, and even blogged about it . So it was with some anticipation that I signed up for the beta. On the whole, the improvements are positive. The interface itself looks a bit better (less off-color-ish than IE7 and IE6) and cleaner. There are a bunch of add-ons (called "Actions") that can be downloaded, and for what is the first time (I think), developers can actually begin More >
Coming Up for AIR
Mar 10th
(Please ignore the absurdity of the title–I couldn't help myself!)
A little over a week ago, Adobe officially released Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) 1.0 along with Flex 3 . While I've looked into a AIR a bit in conjunction with Flex apps, I've not really gone beyond that.
However, with the official release, I decided to take another look.
What is AIR? As the full name explicates, it is a runtime that can be used to, um, run programs on your computer, mobile device, etc. So as with Microsoft's .NET framework, AIR allows developers to create programs that can be packaged up and installed on these devices.
However, unlike Windows-only or Mac-Only (or Linux-Only) programs, AIR is ambivalent about the OS. As long as the client machine has the runtime installed, any application developed in AIR can run on it. This in itself is really cool, and takes the bite off the exclusivity of OS platforms.
But the coolest part about AIR is that you can leverage different technologies when building applications. For example, a while ago I built an extremely simple Countdown application using Flex 3. Easy enough.
But what if I don't want to use ActionScript 3? No problem! Using the HTML, CSS More >
phillipnewton.com
Feb 18th
A good friend of mine recently approached me about creating an online resume for him. He wanted it to be incredibly simple and to focus on the content.
So that's what I did.
This design is quite a departure from what I usually do. Normally, the designs I create include standard content sections like a header, navigation, content body, and footer. Since this site had so little content, I decided to jettison those concepts altogether.
So because these content divisions were non-existent, and because there was so little content, I decided to keep all of the content on one "page", and to create divisions through a javascript slider (I used Adobe's Spry framework , if anyone is interested).
Although I was hesitant, I submitted this design to several design galleries. To my pleasant surprise, it was featured by a few of which I've been trying to make for a while with my designs.
Here are the galleries which have featured this one so far:
css creme css design yorkshiremostinspired.comboxedcss.com
To be perfectly honest, I was not expecting a lot of response on this. However, I think the focus on content and design simplicity attracted some attention, for which I am grateful.
::::::HUGE UPDATE::::::
I just found out that phillipnewton.com More >
On Becoming a Better Web Designer
Feb 8th
Anytime one approaches a new design project, it is easy to get distracted by trying to have the project finished NOW, instead of doing necessary preparation work to ensure maximum work efficiency. I am as guilty of this as anyone. In the past, designing a website and bringing it through development was a hodge-podge of cutting Photoshop files and piecing together random bits of code, all the while constantly being frustrated that things were not finished YET.
As I've matured, I've learned to identify several time black-holes that serve to quickly derail a project's timeline.
Unorginization
Without question, this is the one for me. It is especially a problem because from design concept (Illustrator) to web-ready images (Photoshop) to HTML (Dreamweaver) to database (MySQL) to application code (ColdFusion), my files are touching a lot of applications. If I'm not careful, it's easy to, say, save Photoshop files to random places and then have to search for them when I need them in Dreamweaver. While this is only a matter of seconds (normally!), it adds up over the course of a project and is frankly annoying.
So the biggest time and headache-saver I've learned is to standardize every aspect of the project. This means I More >
A Call for Discussion
Feb 4th
Regular readers of this blog will note that I have devoted a number of posts to providing an apologetic for the compatibility of the theory of evolution, big bang cosmology and Christian theology.
In pursuing these ideas, my intention has not been to suggest that these naturalistic theories of origins are infallible. Rather, I am simply attempting to be intellectually honest with the data that is available, recognizing that these categories are currently the best we have for describing the universe in which we live and how it developed in cosmological history. In fact, in private conversations I have repeatedly asserted by certainty that in years to come, these theories will be modified or even supplanted by others that better describe the evidence.
But the beautiful thing, I think, is that Christian theology is not harmed by these ways of understanding the development of the universe. My purpose in these posts, after all, is not to necessarily support naturalistic theories of origins, but rather to show how Christian faith and belief is not affected by the winds of scientific change. As Christian faith is necessarily transcendent of all philosophical fads and trends, so it should be apparent that current scienitifc theories should More >
stonewallwesleyan.com Launches
Jan 30th
I've been away for a while…that's because I've been consumed with work and LAUNCHING A NEW WEBSITE!!!
Okay, that was a bit dramatic. But I am terribly excited about this one. For one, I worked incredibly hard on this. I built every bit of it from scratch, and in the process of development learned an incredible amount about ColdFusion–which was good!
Stonewallwesleyan.com is the new website for my home church, Stonewall Wesleyan Church. It featuers a fully interactive blog, user interface, podcasting, etc. Additionally, there are fairly robust administrative tools for managing calendar events, worship set-lists and schedules, page images, etc. I am pretty happy with it overall.
Anyway, when you have a chance, check it out here .
Share this: The Day to End All Days
Jan 25th
Well, in case you live in a hole somewhere, the next three weeks are shaping up to be huge. In less than two weeks, God-fearing Americans will celebrate the day-before-Lent (Fat Tuesday) by more or less determining the identities of the Democratic and Repulican presidential nominees. In another week and two days, lovers across the world will commemorate their passions with cheap chocolates and over-priced floral arrangements.
Yet few realize that an even more momentous event will occur between these big days. But this event will be truly earth-shaking, and it will hit February 12th.
No, it's not the most recent Jack Van Impe prediction for the return of Christ, and it is not the release date of what is going to be the incredibly awesome sequel to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight.
Nope. February 12th is none other than the death of Internet Explorer 6.
Okay, that was a bit dramatic, and not entirely accurate. Despite fervent prayers in support of IE6's digicide, IE 6 has proven, historically, to be more difficult to kill than it is to design a website for (and that's saying something!). Rather, February 12th marks the date when Internet Explorer 7–IE 6's better (but still not More >
