Author: kiusau

Life is full of surprises. Still, you can quit at anytime, if you have grown weary of their outcome. For, after all, survival is but a first step; it is a primitive instinct that does not distinguish us, humans, from other animals. Accordingly, if it is all that you can achieve in life, do not be surprised that others treat you like an ordinary animal. Alas, if it is all there is left, and you have grown weary, it is good justification to depart. Before you go, however, look deep inside and determine if you are not the cause of your own demise. For, in the end, society owes you nothing, and even your parents are likely to forsake you, if you have not been grateful. Have you said thanks for all that you have received, and have you given in return for all that you have taken? John F. Kennedy once stated "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country". Obviously, he was not thinking of taxes, but the help that he would require to become an effective president. Little that is great can be achieved alone. Then too, it takes great leaders to motivate society and move it forward in a manner that will pave the way to a better tomorrow. The world is in need of good leaders. Maybe you are one of them in disguise. Indeed, no one owes you a living, but if people see you struggling they are apt to lend a hand. Just do not be afraid to reach out. And, do not quit, if nothing is given in return. For, many people simply do not care, and you must not let them get you down. You have a right to your own life and the pursuit of your own happiness, so do not be afraid to claim what is yours. Just do not take what belongs to others, if it not without their permission or obtained in fair competition. And, cry out when you have been cheated, but only if there is something to be gained from your cries, for few people like a cry-baby. Be judicious, strategic, and select your battles wisely. Do not waste your time with trivial injustices, for we all make errors, and we are all, therefore, subject to the injustice of others. It is the very thought of exercising my freedom of last resort that keeps me alive, for it is the comfort that I can put an end to my suffering at any time that allows me to endure enormous pain. It is what gives me the courage to fight for what is right without fear of losing. It is a powerful freedom that you should never surrender! Just do not make pain your goal, or you will surely finish a loser. Then too, never place pleasure over goodness and know to distinguish between the two. In liberty, Roddy

Preview of the Podcast Hostpage

For a preview of the Grammar Captive Podcast Hostpage click on the following two links in the order given.

First Link:  Opens directly to the Grammar Captive podcast hostpage — namely, Grammar Captive Weekly Podcasts.  This is what the user will see, if he googles Grammar Captive Weekly Podcasts and clicks on the link to the page.

Second Link: Emulates what will happen if a user finds and clicks on a link or image of a Grammar Captive podcast hosted on a third-party podcast hostpage like iTunes or Stitcher.  After opening to the proxy page click on the proxy link at the bottom of the page.

Third Link:  When the Grammar Captive Weekly Podcasts page opens, the user may toggle between the newly appearing information on his selected podcast and the rest of the page.  This toggling action is emulated by clicking on the image and the phrase Podcast No. 60 just below it.

Primary Benefit: By opening to the Grammar Captive Weekly Podcast landing page via a third-party podcast hostpage, the user finds, in addition to exactly what he is looking for — namely, more information about the podcast that he just heard or is about to hear — , but also an index to all of the other podcasts that will assist him in putting the pieces together.

Now, the Grammar Captive Podcast Hostpage is far from complete, but this fundamental and convenient mechanism is solidly in place.

Enjoy!

Roddy

p.s.  Pay no mind to the inconsistency in numbers.  The inconsistency is in the database, not the technology, and the entire database will be wiped clean before launch time.

AJAX

There are innovative ways that lead to problems, and there are proven ways that lead to success.  Unfortunately, the pleasure of innovation can sometimes get in the way of true achievement.

These past three weeks have led to much exploration and a mixture of successful and failed innovation.  Important is that through this exploration and the many  associated experiments I have stumbled on what might be called the best solution — AJAX.

In any case, I now have a quiver of new alternatives for what lies ahead.   This next week promises more tangible results.

Roddy

The Few Last Major Hurdles

There is one more major hurdle to overcome before podcasting can begin:  the integration of a template system that is not of the email-newsletter variety.

With each call made from a different podcast different information must be retrieved and entered into the same template page.  Further, this page must automatically load with the podcast main page.

The podcast main page and  mechanism for retrieving the correct data and delivering it to the main and template pages are now ready for upload, what is left is the matter of creating the template page, getting the main and template pages to work together, and then integrating the newsletter and podcasts.

Roddy

Cookies and Sessions

After a full week’s worth of study into the uses, pitfalls, and functionality of PHP cookies and sessions, as well as several important distractions unrelated to Grammar Captive, construction on the podcast host page has started moving forward again.

The goal is to create a direct link between the Grammar Captive podcast host page and the many podcast host pages where users typically go to obtain podcasts.  Although the task may appear simple enough, it is rather involved for several reasons.

When a user discovers a podcast that he likes on a third-party website he should be able to find the same podcast on the Grammar Captive website without having to search for it.  Once on the Grammar Captive website the user should be able to find, not only more information about the same podcast, but direct links to other podcasts that are closely related.  Further, all of the other podcasts must be well organized and within one to three clicks away.  Finally, all of  this information must appear in the same window on the same page and take only a minimum of scrolling to find.

Technically speaking, the task is quite involved, but well within reach.

Roddy

The Power of a Shadow

During a solar eclipse the sun (solar) is eclipsed by the moon (lunar). In other words, the moon eclipses the sun.

Three forms and three uses of the same word.

1) NOUN (eclipse)
In the phrase “solar eclipse” it is the name (noun) of an activity that can occur at any time. In this case it is the activity of obscuring or hiding from view.

2) VERB (eclipse)

a) ACTIVE VOICE (The 3rd person singular form of the verb “eclipse” used in the present tense):

In the clause “the moon eclipses the sun” the word eclipse tells what the moon does at the time that it happens.

b) PASSIVE VOICE (The past participle of the verb “eclipse” used to complete the passive voice of the verb eclipse in 3rd person singular of the present tense):

In the clause “the sun is eclipsed by the moon” the word eclipse tells what happens to the sun at the time that it happens.

Are you watching the eclipse now? Do not be eclipsed by the above grammar. It is simpler than you think, but more difficult than you believe.

And, let not the synonyms think and believe fool you into believing that they are very different in this context.

Roddy

p.s.  Solar is an adjective form of sun, and lunar is a adjective form of moon.

PHP Sessions

In order to produce an outstanding user experience Grammar Captive must incorporate a PHP session variable on its podcast webpage.  As this is a new adventure some additional time is required.

In the meantime, work has already begun on the Grammar Captive introductory podcasts.

Roddy

New Location – Again

This was not the time to do it, but it had to be done. Grammar Captive is now resident at Galvanize in Pioneer Square. Galvanize is an IT training center and host for young software entrepreneurs. It is located in Seattle’s charming old town not far from Seattle’s international and financial districts. After a full three weeks of struggle with no or only an unsecure and unreliable internet connection Grammar Captive now has both. Accordingly, the iTunes podcast feed has finally been completed, and Grammar Captive is able to generate automatically a new XML-RSS feed with each new podcast for both iTunes and other podcast hosts. Hooray, hooray.
Next up is a podcast webpage devoted to Grammar Captives upcoming weekly podcasts and completion and automation of Seven Gates, Grammar Captive’s weekly newsletter.
Roddy

Transition

Although at a great address SURF Incubator has proven unacceptable for further development.  Grammar Captive has moved a little further south to the Impact Hub where there is more technical expertise better suited for website development.

As soon as the Grammar Captive website has been updated, I will let you know more.  The daily time schedule remains the same, even though the dates are no longer appropriate.  Hopefully this problem will be fixed very soon.

Roddy

First Fully Specified Feed Channel

As predicted, adding new channel elements has proven easy. Adding new subelements to the item elements is only slightly more difficult and moving forward at good speed.

One more thing needs to be accomplished before returning to the automation of the Seven Gates newsletter, however:  a Grammar Captive podcast landing page — a place to go once the newsletter has been received and interested in the current week’s podcast has been generated.

I am building a funnel, but it is not out of the box.  It may succeed right away; it may require further adjustment.  Certainly it will not have been copied once complete.  In any case, it will be custom Grammar Captive.

Roddy