-image-Seth Godin on the tribes we lead
Really interesting talk by Seth Godin:
Archive for the 'Websites' Category
-image-Twitter mobile phone number fail
Could someone please tell me exactly how I am supposed to put in my phone number?
Seriously something wrong with this. And of course if I click submit it tells me that I should have filled out the number correctly.
-image-Facebook is AOL 2.0
Much of the activity that used to happen out in the wild unfettered Net, over email, open (XMPP-based) IM and blog posts is now happening inside the Facebook silo. It is AOL 2.0.
I avoid the place, but that’s getting harder. On this current visit I see 7 friend suggestions, 273 friend requests, 6 event invitations, 5 good karma from debo requests, 1 good karma request, 220 other requests, 4 new updates, 235 items in my inbox, 7 pokes and 522 friends to start with.
Okay, I just said yes to several friend requests, congratulated a friend on his new twins, and started chatting in FB for the first time.
To FB’s credit, it’s working on a Jabber/XMPP interface, so you can chat to FB-based friends through any client that talks XMPP. That’s cool, but The Borg still grows.
I also notice that FB now has a tiny pale gray thumbs-up and thumbs-down for its advertising. When I click on the down thumb (which I always do — I haven’t yet seen a relevant ad), it just says ‘Loading…’ in a big box that won’t go away.
So I just punched out. I suspect I’ll be doing less of that.
”
(Via The Doc Searls Weblog.)
-image-This is awesome – Papervision
This is really really awesome, and you have to really check it out for your self.
Its a little flash application that uses a webcam or other camera attached to your computer to project a little ‘Proto’ guy on top of a printed piece of paper. They have even got some code released for it.
Check it out here with some images and video, but it really works better to try it yourselves:
http://www.boffswana.com/news/
-image-django one form, two models
This post is a work in progress is now working I am glad to say. I have been working on a django site which needs two models updated for one post. It is actually using models very close to that on django-forums and I have created a forms.py file:
class ThreadForm(forms.ModelForm):
class Meta:
model = Thread
exclude = ('forum', 'sticky', 'closed', 'posts', 'views', 'latest_post_time')
def clean_title(self):
title = self.cleaned_data['title']
if not alnum_re.search(title):
raise forms.ValidationError(ugettext("Titles can only contain letters, numbers and underscores"))
if len(title) < 1:
raise forms.ValidationError(ugettext("Please enter a title"))
return title
class PostForm(forms.ModelForm):
class Meta:
model = Post
exclude = ('thread', 'author', 'time', 'related_item')
def clean_body(self):
body = self.cleaned_data['body']
if len(body) < 1:
raise forms.ValidationError(ugettext("Please enter some body text"))
return body
And then in my views (after importing in the correct models):
@login_required
def groupnewthread(request, slug):
thegroup = get_object_or_404(GroupsOfUser, slug=slug)
if request.method == 'POST':
f = request.POST.copy()
tdata = {
'title': f['title'],
}
pdata = {
'body': f['body'],
}
t = ThreadForm(tdata)
p = PostForm(pdata)
if t.is_valid():
newthread = t.save(commit=False)
newthread.forum = thegroup
if p.is_valid():
newthread.save()
newpost = p.save(commit=False)
newpost.thread = newthread
newpost.author = request.user
newpost.save()
strmessage = 'has created a thread <a href="%s">%s</a>' % (newthread.get_absolute_url(), newthread.title)
usm = UserStatus(user = newpost.author, message = strmessage)
usm.save()
return HttpResponseRedirect(reverse('groupdetail', args=[thegroup.slug]))
else:
t = ThreadForm()
p = PostForm()
objContext = RequestContext(request, {'threadform': t, 'postform': p})
return render_to_response('groups/group_thread_add.html', objContext)
Now the bit that is in progress is the returning part of dealing with the form data being bound, but I am going to write a custom handler. This is obviously going to be much easier to handle than an update, which I will have to deal with at a point.
The form HTML looks like this btw:
{% extends "base.html" %}
{% load i18n %}
{% block title %}
{% trans 'Add a new group thread' %}
{% endblock %}
{% block body %}
<h1>{% trans 'Create a new group thread' %}</h1>
<div class="column span-14">
{% if t.errors %}
<h3>{% blocktrans count t.errors|length as count %}Please correct the following error:{% plural %}Please correct the following errors:{% endblocktrans %}</h3>
{% endif %}
{% if p.errors %}
<h3>{% blocktrans count p.errors|length as count %}Please correct the following error:{% plural %}Please correct the following errors:{% endblocktrans %}</h3>
{% endif %}
<table>
<form method="post" action=".">
{{ threadform.as_table }}
{{ postform.as_table }}
<tr><td></td><td><input type="submit" value="{% trans "Update" %}"/></td></tr>
</form>
</table>
</div>
{% endblock %}
-image-Looks like Django is really taking off
Since the introduction of Google’s appengine which includes support for some of Django’s code, and the template system there has been an incredible amount of press for Django.
At the moment there is no backend support for AppEngine in Django (and DB2 support is still lacking – there was a blog post about a year ago but nothing seems to have happened since, and I would love to be proved wrong on that one) but it must only be a matter of time before this happens so for the moment you have to disable the ORM support. Pity, but I can see why.
But I am glad that Django is getting the attention that it deserves, I have long know that Python is well used in Google (and Yahoo for that matter), and now we should see even more people using Django which can only be a good thing for the ever-growing community.
Here is an excellent write-up on Google App Engine http://www.dougma.com/archives/81
-image-Django and URLS naming
Django URLs naming can be a pain sometimes, unless it is just me but an easy way to debug is to use Django’s shell and import urlresolvers:
python manage.py shell
>> from django.core.urlresolvers import reverse
>> reverse('nameofurl')
If there are arguments in the URLS field (for instance passing in the slug):
>> reverse('nameofurl', 'slug') [/sourcecode]
Then it should resolve the name to the URL path needed. If it doesn’t, well something is wrong. We got a weird Traceback when using Python 2.5 though:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<console>", line 1, in <module>
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 297, in reverse
return iri_to_uri(u'/' + get_resolver(urlconf).reverse(viewname, *args, **kwargs))
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 282, in reverse
if lookup_view in self.reverse_dict:
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 221, in _get_reverse_dict
self._reverse_dict[pattern.callback] = (pattern,)
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 178, in _get_callback
self._callback = get_callable(self._callback_str)
File "/Users/azimi/Code/Python/Django/django-trunk/django/utils/functional.py", line 130, in wrapper
result = func(*args)
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 47, in get_callable
lookup_view = getattr(__import__(mod_name, {}, {}, ['']), func_name)
File "/website/xmlrpc.py", line 8, in </module><module>
dispatcher = SimpleXMLRPCDispatcher() # Python 2.4
TypeError: __init__() takes exactly 3 arguments (1 given)
>>> reverse('homepage')
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<console>", line 1, in <module>
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 297, in reverse
return iri_to_uri(u'/' + get_resolver(urlconf).reverse(viewname, *args, **kwargs))
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 284, in reverse
raise NoReverseMatch
NoReverseMatch
</module></console></module></console>
Looks like something is broken in support for python 2.5 on OS X with django, but I wonder if it is just us thats found this.
-image-Predictions for 2008
I don’t think its too late to provide some predictions for 2008, so here are mine.
3D Printers
We are going to be seeing a lot more on the subject, although they have been out for a while I think this is going to be the year that we are going to be hearing alot more about 3D printers and 3D printing methods, and seeing a lot more things they can do. Also the price will drop I am sure meaning that there are more around to play with.
Phones
I think the phone market will see some much better models this year, coming from the increased R&D that the iPhone would have produced. Touch screens are already advancing as proved by new models from Samsung, and software will bound to improve. Microsoft will lag behind as usual. The Samsung model SCH-W559 I am particularly interested in checking out as it has a vibrating touch screen (called VibeTonz) that provides feedback to make it feel like a mechanical device.
OS X viruses or worms.
Apple and OS X are proving increasingly popular due to ease of use and maintenance, but these increase in popularity could mean that we see an increase in nefarious activity on the platform. This is might not be as bad as it seems, it is built on quite a stable secure platform and will lead to increased security on applications and service running on the system.
Facebook backlash.
Facebook is not the elegant social networking site it once was. Too many applications, services and third parties are in on the act and now it looks like a complete mess. It might be just me but it also seems that the hosting is always one step behind. I have heard that the next release they are working on is for collapsable menus and for hiding things, but I have already taken off information from the service.
-image-100 things that you didn’t know about 2007
For once BBC news comes up with something interesting, a list of 100 things that you didn’t know about 2007:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/magazinemonitor/2008/01/100_things_we_didnt_know_last_3.shtml
Some that I like include:
Newcastle is the noisiest place in England.
Only about half of China’s population can speak the national language, Mandarin.
There is mobile phone reception from the summit of Mount Everest.
Denmark is the happiest country in Europe; Italy the unhappiest.
Cats can be police constables
Incidentally I am now posting this from the latest version of MarsEdit to which I have just upgraded. Best blogging software I have found yet.
-image-John Battelle’s Searchblog: Predictions 2008
This is quite interesting, though I had hoped that he would say Myspace would disappear. Heres hoping.
John Battelle’s Searchblog: Predictions 2008: “This year I am going to organize my predictions by companies (just the big ones) and trends. I’m focusing on advertising and search markets and the largest companies in that space, as that seems to be what’s on our collective minds these days, and it’s what I seem to have focused on in the past, as I read through my past prediction posts.
So what are the trends in 2008?”
-image-Twitter mobile phone number fail
Could someone please tell me exactly how I am supposed to put in my phone number?
Seriously something wrong with this. And of course if I click submit it tells me that I should have filled out the number correctly.
-image-Facebook is AOL 2.0
Much of the activity that used to happen out in the wild unfettered Net, over email, open (XMPP-based) IM and blog posts is now happening inside the Facebook silo. It is AOL 2.0.
I avoid the place, but that’s getting harder. On this current visit I see 7 friend suggestions, 273 friend requests, 6 event invitations, 5 good karma from debo requests, 1 good karma request, 220 other requests, 4 new updates, 235 items in my inbox, 7 pokes and 522 friends to start with.
Okay, I just said yes to several friend requests, congratulated a friend on his new twins, and started chatting in FB for the first time.
To FB’s credit, it’s working on a Jabber/XMPP interface, so you can chat to FB-based friends through any client that talks XMPP. That’s cool, but The Borg still grows.
I also notice that FB now has a tiny pale gray thumbs-up and thumbs-down for its advertising. When I click on the down thumb (which I always do — I haven’t yet seen a relevant ad), it just says ‘Loading…’ in a big box that won’t go away.
So I just punched out. I suspect I’ll be doing less of that.
”
(Via The Doc Searls Weblog.)
-image-This is awesome – Papervision
This is really really awesome, and you have to really check it out for your self.
Its a little flash application that uses a webcam or other camera attached to your computer to project a little ‘Proto’ guy on top of a printed piece of paper. They have even got some code released for it.
Check it out here with some images and video, but it really works better to try it yourselves:
http://www.boffswana.com/news/
-image-django one form, two models
This post is a work in progress is now working I am glad to say. I have been working on a django site which needs two models updated for one post. It is actually using models very close to that on django-forums and I have created a forms.py file:
class ThreadForm(forms.ModelForm):
class Meta:
model = Thread
exclude = ('forum', 'sticky', 'closed', 'posts', 'views', 'latest_post_time')
def clean_title(self):
title = self.cleaned_data['title']
if not alnum_re.search(title):
raise forms.ValidationError(ugettext("Titles can only contain letters, numbers and underscores"))
if len(title) < 1:
raise forms.ValidationError(ugettext("Please enter a title"))
return title
class PostForm(forms.ModelForm):
class Meta:
model = Post
exclude = ('thread', 'author', 'time', 'related_item')
def clean_body(self):
body = self.cleaned_data['body']
if len(body) < 1:
raise forms.ValidationError(ugettext("Please enter some body text"))
return body
class Meta:
model = Thread
exclude = ('forum', 'sticky', 'closed', 'posts', 'views', 'latest_post_time')
def clean_title(self):
title = self.cleaned_data['title']
if not alnum_re.search(title):
raise forms.ValidationError(ugettext("Titles can only contain letters, numbers and underscores"))
if len(title) < 1:
raise forms.ValidationError(ugettext("Please enter a title"))
return title
class PostForm(forms.ModelForm):
class Meta:
model = Post
exclude = ('thread', 'author', 'time', 'related_item')
def clean_body(self):
body = self.cleaned_data['body']
if len(body) < 1:
raise forms.ValidationError(ugettext("Please enter some body text"))
return body
And then in my views (after importing in the correct models):
@login_required
def groupnewthread(request, slug):
thegroup = get_object_or_404(GroupsOfUser, slug=slug)
if request.method == 'POST':
f = request.POST.copy()
tdata = {
'title': f['title'],
}
pdata = {
'body': f['body'],
}
t = ThreadForm(tdata)
p = PostForm(pdata)
if t.is_valid():
newthread = t.save(commit=False)
newthread.forum = thegroup
if p.is_valid():
newthread.save()
newpost = p.save(commit=False)
newpost.thread = newthread
newpost.author = request.user
newpost.save()
strmessage = 'has created a thread <a href="%s">%s</a>' % (newthread.get_absolute_url(), newthread.title)
usm = UserStatus(user = newpost.author, message = strmessage)
usm.save()
return HttpResponseRedirect(reverse('groupdetail', args=[thegroup.slug]))
else:
t = ThreadForm()
p = PostForm()
objContext = RequestContext(request, {'threadform': t, 'postform': p})
return render_to_response('groups/group_thread_add.html', objContext)
def groupnewthread(request, slug):
thegroup = get_object_or_404(GroupsOfUser, slug=slug)
if request.method == 'POST':
f = request.POST.copy()
tdata = {
'title': f['title'],
}
pdata = {
'body': f['body'],
}
t = ThreadForm(tdata)
p = PostForm(pdata)
if t.is_valid():
newthread = t.save(commit=False)
newthread.forum = thegroup
if p.is_valid():
newthread.save()
newpost = p.save(commit=False)
newpost.thread = newthread
newpost.author = request.user
newpost.save()
strmessage = 'has created a thread <a href="%s">%s</a>' % (newthread.get_absolute_url(), newthread.title)
usm = UserStatus(user = newpost.author, message = strmessage)
usm.save()
return HttpResponseRedirect(reverse('groupdetail', args=[thegroup.slug]))
else:
t = ThreadForm()
p = PostForm()
objContext = RequestContext(request, {'threadform': t, 'postform': p})
return render_to_response('groups/group_thread_add.html', objContext)
Now the bit that is in progress is the returning part of dealing with the form data being bound, but I am going to write a custom handler. This is obviously going to be much easier to handle than an update, which I will have to deal with at a point.
The form HTML looks like this btw:
{% extends "base.html" %}
{% load i18n %}
{% block title %}
{% trans 'Add a new group thread' %}
{% endblock %}
{% block body %}
<h1>{% trans 'Create a new group thread' %}</h1>
<div class="column span-14">
{% if t.errors %}
<h3>{% blocktrans count t.errors|length as count %}Please correct the following error:{% plural %}Please correct the following errors:{% endblocktrans %}</h3>
{% endif %}
{% if p.errors %}
<h3>{% blocktrans count p.errors|length as count %}Please correct the following error:{% plural %}Please correct the following errors:{% endblocktrans %}</h3>
{% endif %}
<table>
<form method="post" action=".">
{{ threadform.as_table }}
{{ postform.as_table }}
<tr><td></td><td><input type="submit" value="{% trans "Update" %}"/></td></tr>
</form>
</table>
</div>
{% endblock %}
{% load i18n %}
{% block title %}
{% trans 'Add a new group thread' %}
{% endblock %}
{% block body %}
<h1>{% trans 'Create a new group thread' %}</h1>
<div class="column span-14">
{% if t.errors %}
<h3>{% blocktrans count t.errors|length as count %}Please correct the following error:{% plural %}Please correct the following errors:{% endblocktrans %}</h3>
{% endif %}
{% if p.errors %}
<h3>{% blocktrans count p.errors|length as count %}Please correct the following error:{% plural %}Please correct the following errors:{% endblocktrans %}</h3>
{% endif %}
<table>
<form method="post" action=".">
{{ threadform.as_table }}
{{ postform.as_table }}
<tr><td></td><td><input type="submit" value="{% trans "Update" %}"/></td></tr>
</form>
</table>
</div>
{% endblock %}
-image-Looks like Django is really taking off
Since the introduction of Google’s appengine which includes support for some of Django’s code, and the template system there has been an incredible amount of press for Django.
At the moment there is no backend support for AppEngine in Django (and DB2 support is still lacking – there was a blog post about a year ago but nothing seems to have happened since, and I would love to be proved wrong on that one) but it must only be a matter of time before this happens so for the moment you have to disable the ORM support. Pity, but I can see why.
But I am glad that Django is getting the attention that it deserves, I have long know that Python is well used in Google (and Yahoo for that matter), and now we should see even more people using Django which can only be a good thing for the ever-growing community.
Here is an excellent write-up on Google App Engine http://www.dougma.com/archives/81
-image-Django and URLS naming
Django URLs naming can be a pain sometimes, unless it is just me but an easy way to debug is to use Django’s shell and import urlresolvers:
python manage.py shell
>> from django.core.urlresolvers import reverse
>> reverse('nameofurl')
>> from django.core.urlresolvers import reverse
>> reverse('nameofurl')
If there are arguments in the URLS field (for instance passing in the slug):
>> reverse('nameofurl', 'slug') [/sourcecode]
Then it should resolve the name to the URL path needed. If it doesn’t, well something is wrong. We got a weird Traceback when using Python 2.5 though:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<console>", line 1, in <module>
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 297, in reverse
return iri_to_uri(u'/' + get_resolver(urlconf).reverse(viewname, *args, **kwargs))
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 282, in reverse
if lookup_view in self.reverse_dict:
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 221, in _get_reverse_dict
self._reverse_dict[pattern.callback] = (pattern,)
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 178, in _get_callback
self._callback = get_callable(self._callback_str)
File "/Users/azimi/Code/Python/Django/django-trunk/django/utils/functional.py", line 130, in wrapper
result = func(*args)
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 47, in get_callable
lookup_view = getattr(__import__(mod_name, {}, {}, ['']), func_name)
File "/website/xmlrpc.py", line 8, in </module><module>
dispatcher = SimpleXMLRPCDispatcher() # Python 2.4
TypeError: __init__() takes exactly 3 arguments (1 given)
>>> reverse('homepage')
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<console>", line 1, in <module>
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 297, in reverse
return iri_to_uri(u'/' + get_resolver(urlconf).reverse(viewname, *args, **kwargs))
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 284, in reverse
raise NoReverseMatch
NoReverseMatch
</module></console></module></console>
File "<console>", line 1, in <module>
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 297, in reverse
return iri_to_uri(u'/' + get_resolver(urlconf).reverse(viewname, *args, **kwargs))
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 282, in reverse
if lookup_view in self.reverse_dict:
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 221, in _get_reverse_dict
self._reverse_dict[pattern.callback] = (pattern,)
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 178, in _get_callback
self._callback = get_callable(self._callback_str)
File "/Users/azimi/Code/Python/Django/django-trunk/django/utils/functional.py", line 130, in wrapper
result = func(*args)
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 47, in get_callable
lookup_view = getattr(__import__(mod_name, {}, {}, ['']), func_name)
File "/website/xmlrpc.py", line 8, in </module><module>
dispatcher = SimpleXMLRPCDispatcher() # Python 2.4
TypeError: __init__() takes exactly 3 arguments (1 given)
>>> reverse('homepage')
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<console>", line 1, in <module>
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 297, in reverse
return iri_to_uri(u'/' + get_resolver(urlconf).reverse(viewname, *args, **kwargs))
File "/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 284, in reverse
raise NoReverseMatch
NoReverseMatch
</module></console></module></console>
Looks like something is broken in support for python 2.5 on OS X with django, but I wonder if it is just us thats found this.
-image-Predictions for 2008
I don’t think its too late to provide some predictions for 2008, so here are mine.
3D Printers
We are going to be seeing a lot more on the subject, although they have been out for a while I think this is going to be the year that we are going to be hearing alot more about 3D printers and 3D printing methods, and seeing a lot more things they can do. Also the price will drop I am sure meaning that there are more around to play with.
Phones
I think the phone market will see some much better models this year, coming from the increased R&D that the iPhone would have produced. Touch screens are already advancing as proved by new models from Samsung, and software will bound to improve. Microsoft will lag behind as usual. The Samsung model SCH-W559 I am particularly interested in checking out as it has a vibrating touch screen (called VibeTonz) that provides feedback to make it feel like a mechanical device.
OS X viruses or worms.
Apple and OS X are proving increasingly popular due to ease of use and maintenance, but these increase in popularity could mean that we see an increase in nefarious activity on the platform. This is might not be as bad as it seems, it is built on quite a stable secure platform and will lead to increased security on applications and service running on the system.
Facebook backlash.
Facebook is not the elegant social networking site it once was. Too many applications, services and third parties are in on the act and now it looks like a complete mess. It might be just me but it also seems that the hosting is always one step behind. I have heard that the next release they are working on is for collapsable menus and for hiding things, but I have already taken off information from the service.
-image-100 things that you didn’t know about 2007
For once BBC news comes up with something interesting, a list of 100 things that you didn’t know about 2007:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/magazinemonitor/2008/01/100_things_we_didnt_know_last_3.shtml
Some that I like include:
Newcastle is the noisiest place in England.
Only about half of China’s population can speak the national language, Mandarin.
There is mobile phone reception from the summit of Mount Everest.
Denmark is the happiest country in Europe; Italy the unhappiest.
Cats can be police constables
Incidentally I am now posting this from the latest version of MarsEdit to which I have just upgraded. Best blogging software I have found yet.
-image-John Battelle’s Searchblog: Predictions 2008
This is quite interesting, though I had hoped that he would say Myspace would disappear. Heres hoping.
John Battelle’s Searchblog: Predictions 2008: “This year I am going to organize my predictions by companies (just the big ones) and trends. I’m focusing on advertising and search markets and the largest companies in that space, as that seems to be what’s on our collective minds these days, and it’s what I seem to have focused on in the past, as I read through my past prediction posts.
So what are the trends in 2008?”
