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Getting into Java... I'm starting to make my first Java applications with the aim of being able to program cell phone API and other handheld technologies. I see this as a huge market in years to come and can wait to get my...

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Teaching Intro to Flash at Tunxis Again Looks like I'll be teaching at Tunxis again this semester. Can't wait to get started again as I have a lot of fun the last time we did this. The class is going to be restructured slightly to showcase the...

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The difference between classic and motion tweens in... Here it is: If you're used to doing things "the cs3 way" then you can continue to do so with the classic tween tool. It works the same way as you remember, using key frames as normal, but you cannot...

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PHP: If (equal to AND not equal) - eliminate form spam... Just learned a great function of PHP thats already made my forms a lot better. A while back I wrote an article about eliminating form spam without captchas by using css to hide a text input box for bots...

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Drop Downs, Fly Outs, and Accordion Site Navigation: This last week I was in a meeting discussing a client site. It was a typical business meeting that was going into overtime on a Friday afternoon, and then things turned for the worst... someone suggested...

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Update on HitTails

Category : Cool Web Programs, SEO / SEM, Technology

Update on HitTails:

Wow. This program is awesome. It analyzes the data in real time and makes logical suggestions of relevant word groups or phases based upon your site’s long tail. It has a pretty narrow focus, I mean its sort of a one trick pony, but it’s a heck of a trick.

The program has given me all the ammo I need to convince one of my clients to change his URL as his name is attracting the wrong type of viewer and contributing to his high bounce rate. Hit Tails has given me some great ideas for blogs and highlighted some of the cpc terms that are doing us no good what so ever.

I also like the tab that let you review the incoming link top your site. By clicking on the search engine name Hit Tails opens a search with the keyword used by your potential customer. If you do this within a short enough time you have a very good chance to actually seeing your add exactly as it was shown to your customer.

WOW! For small and medium sized advertisement campaigns this is MUST HAVE program.
I consider HitTails an important addition to a coherent SEO package, and in short order I will have this installed on all my client’s sites.

HitTails Website

New PC on the way

Category : Around The Office

Woot.

Just got confirmation that the new PC is on the way from Portatech:

Barebones with AMD CPU
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ (Dual Core)
Mother Board: MSI K9A PLATINUM
Cool Package – Gaming (Ult. Copper Heatpipe Fan, 2 Perf. Case Fans, Artic Silver 5 Compound)
4GB DDR2 800MHz (Dual Channel Kit) – Ultra High Speed / Standard Memory Capacity
Echo Star 680 Watt Power Supply (Dual-Core Certified)

Video card is the same from the old PC: ATI 512MB x1500 – or something close to it. It supports SLI, and still runs just about any game with a decent frame rate. When I have more cash sitting around not needed for taxes or bills Ill upgrade the video cards and start working from 4 monitors. Oooo that day will be great.

HDs will be the same from the old machine. 2 Maxtor 200GB SATA2 7200RMP
1 WD 100 GB SATA2 7200RPM

And in the meanwhile, the computer is in a box, on a FedEx truck, in LAKE FOREST, CA.

The Blog is Growing Up

Category : Around The Office, Technology

The blog has been moved to it’s new home on my hattersworkshop server. The blog was down for a few days as the DNS changed over. I’m in the process now of making sure all the backs links still work and adjusting this and that in the admin panel.

The theme im using on this puppy is: Nightlife 1.0 by Performancing

Asside from the top image having nothing to do with my actual site I think its great. Well that and I want to move the nav to the right and adjust the search bar… little things, all in due time.

The hangnail of the computer age.

Category : Technical Mishaps, Technology

A keyboard relay on the mother board blew and so now the motherboard is effectively dead… ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!

This is like your star QB walking off the field with a hang nail.
“Sorry coach. I’m done.”

#?@$!

RIP: The-Beast 10.12.06 – 11.14.07

Category : Around The Office, Technical Mishaps

Last night I installed a KVM switch and everything worked fine – for about an hour. Eventually I had to restart and in doing so encountered a rather large problem: the machine wouldn’t boot. So I unplugged everything and restarted but got hung up on the motherboard starter screen that usually disappears after a fraction of a second.

The motherboard at this point is testing three things: the processor, the ram, and the keyboard. Long story short, I’m pretty sure the KVM switch blew the keyboard relay on the motherboard. I tested a few different keyboards on the usb and ps2 ports but nothing even so much as powered on. So the problem is in the motherboard, but there is no point in replacing just the motherboard.

Why bother? It would cost $150 plus shipping and Id have to install it and configure the jumpers. Do I really want to spend that much money on the same system I already have, or would I rather spend a little more on a new barebones system that will scream?

I love it when they scream.
I’ll post the specs when I pick it out.

Long Tails: A Whole New World of SEO

Category : SEO / SEM, Technology

What is a Longtail?

A website Long tail refers to the long list of unique search engine terms at the bottom of your search engine terms list in Analytics. According to Google, about half of the search engine terms used to find sites on the internet are unique, but even though uncommon, they are the essence of group wisdom and by examining them it is possible to find nuggets of truth. Some of them might be extremely relevant to the content of that page and could in fact be better at describing the content of the page than the keywords you’re already using. Most are not.

Until now, there has not been a way to graph or quantify these results into meaningful data, but like sever logs is to analytics, HitTail is to longtail.

HitTail is a free service that reveals in real-time the least utilized, most promising keywords hidden in the Long Tail of your natural search results. It present these terms to you as suggestions that when acted on can boost the natural search results of your site.

HitTail does it’s job through a tracking code that you’ve to implement in your site.

Here is the video demo.
youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWAlwr_g8dA&rel=1&border=0

I’ve installed this on my site as a trial. First impressions are good, but I have almost no data so it’s impossible to say if the changes are effective. Check back soon!

November 28th Update: The review is in!