February 23rd, 2010
I’m in a band called Chanbara, and today I finally got round to creating a half decent site for us, after leaving an awful splash page there for the good part of a year.
The site chanbara.co.uk is basically a modified Wordpress blog. I found an amazing theme called Sharpfolio, which was originally designed for showcasing art work, but I loved the simplicity of it.
I also added various plugins, such as the All in one SEO pack, Gig Press and Audi Player. All of which help add extra functionality to the blog.
Hopefully, what with the upcoming gigs and studio time, it’ll be updated fairly regularly aswell!
Tags: Band, Launch, web
Posted in Chanbara, Launch | No Comments »
January 31st, 2010
I’m starting work on a new website, and I’ve come across a stumbling block. Should I make the site anonymous, like fml and mlia, or shall I require users to register for an account? It’s a big decision, and one which will change how the entire is created and used.
Anonymous Accounts
I like the idea of anonymous accounts, I think it’d encourage more people to post, comment, and rate each feature. It means everyone can jump right in, and start using the site as it is meant to be used, without having another arbitrary login slowing them down/putting them off.
Required Registration
On the other hand, allowing the users to create an account would allow them access to better features, such as a control panel with all their posts, favourites, comments etc. It may put users off from using the site though, if they think that filling out a registration form to post something is too much effort.
I think a happy medium may be to allow both, maybe anonymous comments and ratings, but signed in to post?
How many people would be put off by a registration form?
Tags: anonymity, General, web
Posted in General | 1 Comment »
January 21st, 2010
At work today, I stumbled upon a problem when creating a standalone flv player. Everything seemed all and well, but the file insisted on fully downloading before playing. The only part I could find in the Adobe Docs was this useful hint:
While using an ActionScript 3 file, the video begins playing only when enough of it has downloaded so that it can play the FLV file from start to finish. This behavior can be altered using ActionScript.
Fantastic!
So I was stuck. I then began to notice that the metaData was received only after the file had been loaded. Hmm. After a little while of searching, I found this gem of a blog post.
Such a simple answer:
- Rename the flv to a mov
- Open it in Quicktime
- Save as over the top of the original
- Rename it back to flv
And all is well again, the file loads as soon as the buffer limit is reached!
Hopefully someone may find this useful, it took me long enough to figure out!
Tags: AS3, Eureka, Flash, flv player
Posted in Flash | No Comments »
January 17th, 2010
Made a few minor tweaks to the site, the first of many as I attempt to streamline and improve it.
I’ve also been working on a new improved version of erant, which will go back to basics, and offer a much better experience than the old site.
Also in production is a new jQuery plug in, and a collection of AS3 scripts I’ve been working on, both of which should be live by next Monday.
Tags: General, Site
Posted in General | No Comments »
January 11th, 2010
I’ve wanted a blog/portfolio for a while, somewhere I can publish thoughts, experiments, or even just things I find interesting. I aim for Toddish.co.uk to be my central hub, where I can upload things and share them.
Most posts on this blog will be about my common interests, and will be tagged appropriately. Eventually, if the blog gets big enough or becomes too varied, It might separate into mini blogs, each with a distinct theme. Until then, all professional (web development) and personal (gaming, music, films) will share the same home.
Some of the things you can expect to be posted here are:
- Current web technologies
- Web sites/experiments
- Flash development
- Gaming reviews/achievements
- Film reviews
- Music reviews/band achievements
Hopefully I’ll manage to keep on top of it and update it weekly!
Tags: General, Site
Posted in General | No Comments »