A Cold Blog

Finsihed the overhaul of the SAM website.  Http://www.auburn.edu/sam

happy for its completion.

–need to look into hosting that is off of Auburn Servers though.   about 200$ a year for hosting at godaddy.

Not to shabby of a design ;-)  John Hartley and myself put together a nicely laid out site.  I think we got the client’s idea and view right on the money! to take a peek check it ou here:  http://www.ag.auburn.edu/fish/aww/swamp.php

Spent most of the day working on an AD for Aquaculture Magazine.  Well, more of the text than layout.  I have given suggestions & ideas on hwo the layout will be and it looks like it is comeing along nicely.  SHould been done soon since it is due FRIDAY!! AHHHH lol. 

I have read and am in the process of reading several book and articles on desigining for the client.  I am going to post some of these ideas and comment on them and evaluate how they can be incorporated into a acadamic envrioment, my steady job.

Acadamics is weird and needs help in this area.  I believe that experts in a particular area should be the decision makers, or at the very least have the stonger voice than, say a superior who know little about the topic.  That is why you hire experts in a particular area and manage them, not force them to do something that is possible not the best course of action.

Well here we GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

My quote for this series is this:  “It’s about designing the obvious.”  Robert Hoekman. jr.

This is priceless, because it really hits home.  As designers and programmers of web applications we over complicate things to  an extreme. This is bad for the client.

There are three basic componets to ANY web application.

1.  Data
2.  Interface
3.  PEOPLE

1.  Everything on the internet is data. No matter what it is.  Simple.
2.  The interface is how data is shown to the user.  It is either manageable and user friendly or a nightmare.    The interface is what stands between the end user and their desired data.  This is were designers/programmers strive to make it user friendly.  Most the time we fail in this aspect.
3.  PEOPLE.  Without people we are unemployed :)  and bored Geeks.  People want information, use it and desire more of it.  From gosep to finicial data.  Information is information.

One thought is to look at some tabloid websites and see how they present things to their users.  Who knows it could be userful.  They actual survey their users and find out how they think and behave.

————– More l8tr.  I am worn out at the moment—————

import mx.controls.Menu;// Create a new Menu
var myMenu = Menu.createMenu(null);

// Set the root Menu node
var rootMenu = myMenu.addMenuItem({label:"root"});

// Set main Menu
var menu1 = rootMenu.addMenuItem({label:"Menu 1"});
var menu2 = rootMenu.addMenuItem({label:"Menu 2"});
var menu3 = rootMenu.addMenuItem({label:"Menu 3"});

// Set items for each menu
menu1.addMenuItem({label:"Menu 1 Item"});
menu2.addMenuItem({label:"Menu 2 Item"});
menu3.addMenuItem({label:"Menu 3 Item"});

// Set Menu data provider
var mdp = rootMenu;

Converted our Wordpress theme on the Fish site into AU’s template.  That was bear.  At least it is compelte and is in compliance now.  Overall it looks nice.

http://www.ag.auburn.edu/fish/media

This is a sweet way to revamp your windows experience.  I like the gadgets and organization you get from the tabbed docks.  It has really cleaned up my desktop.  Check it out for yourself!

http://alienware.com/intro_pages/invader.aspx 

auburnwww and my self have to revamp the AWW website.  Not fun.  Especially since it is several months earlier than I wanted to even consider doing it.

We have done several site layouts and have come up with one that should suffice.  Of course with a few changes by the client.

Figured using the Spry menus wil lsave space and allwo for a cleaner over all look.

1.  WE need one main entry page for the multiple projects that they have.

I will post a link of this pre-design look just for posteriety sake.

Our goal is to provide the students of FAA with a way to find internships and post resumes. This sytem will incorporate:

1. Companies will submit info to FAA and we will psot the Job information for our students
2. Grad student postitions
3. Resume Builder adive and a step by step system to allow such things
4. USe Macenia & DeVries’s Resume as examples. THey look the best for Acadamic

I am thinking that by adding a drag and drop type system for sections and abilty to print from the APP via either PDF or Flash paper will only enahnce the app more.

Currently leaning more towards flash paper I am a flash addict for sure!

———————————

Was having touble doing this in coldfusion so I am going to take the PHP approach until I learn more about the CF and Flex intergration.

PHP will allow me to conn to the dbase via XML.  A bit more time consuming coding wise but since I do not know anyone tha can do flex this will have to do for the time beaing.  OR at least Version 1.0 !

Worked more on this armor item app last night.. I am currently talking with lotro game developers to provide me with an XML feed of the items so I do nto have to make my own XML sheet..

THat will speed things up tremendously!