Noel Curtis

Mac and Cheese…

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:30:00 -0400

Mac and Cheese…

A chandelier made of tequila bottles…

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 21:12:31 -0400

A chandelier made of tequila bottles…

Benjamin Zander on music and passion

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:25:00 -0500

Benjamin Zander on music and passion:

This has to be one of the greatest presentations/talks I have ever seen. If you give a shit about anything its worth a watch…… Simply Brilliant!!

Git clients

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 12:14:00 -0500

Lets face it, version control is a vital part of the software development process. However a software project involves individuals doing all types of things from management to creating beautiful style sheets. You being one of these individuals, might not be well versed with working in the terminal or you might just like to work with GUI based apps. Dont fret because this post gives you 2 beautiful alternatives that will allow you to interface with and grow to appreciate a superb version control system…Git.

Before we start, if you are in the process of choosing a version control system for a new project you should look at using Git. Its one of the best out there.

The clients I will be overviewing are:

Presentation:

Both clients have very neat and simple UIs. All most frequently used Git functionality is very easily accessible on the main screen in both cases.

SmartGit:

Tower:

Commit History:

Tower has the upper hand here, commit history is well summarized on a per user bases. The commit comment, files modified, time and branch are all included. And if your one who likes to associate a user with a profile picture, Tower gives you that as well. SmartGit on the other hand has a rather bland presentation for history but does give you all the information you need.

Tower:

SmartGit:

File Diffs

One of the most frequent operations you will be doing when using a VCS is diff’ing files. This is where using a GUI based app can be very helpful as well. Both SmartGit and Tower do diffs very well, however provide slightly different mechanisms to do so. Its purely personal preference on which one method you prefer.

SmartGit: Uses a side by side view to show you diffs between versions of the same file.

Tower: Uses a inline view to show you diffs between versions of the same file.

Tools and Services:

Tower has the upper hand here as it integrates with more services than SmartGit: GitHub, Beanstalk and Kaleidoscope being just some of them. SmartGit integrates with GitHub.

OS:

SmartGit works with Windows, MacOS and Linux. Tower however is a Mac only client.

Summary:

Which one should you use? In the end it comes down to the OS platform you need support for and the services you need to integrate with. Other than those two factors both these clients are on par and work very well. High res images for the screenshots if you need them.

Programming Language Performance

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 21:38:00 -0500

Programming Language Performance

Why typography is so important

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 22:04:00 -0500

A big part of what makes information interesting on the web or otherwise, is the way in which it is presented. The most fundamental part of that presentation is the font/typeface. Graphics and Style Sheets aside, a simple and well set font can be the deciding factor that makes people want to read what you put out there. Your font can convey so much. This website uses the Helvetica typeface, it is a well-rounded, simple and I think one of the most beautiful out there. I urge you in the next email you type, website you create or document you publish, take the font you use seriously, your readers will love you for it!

Ready to beta that iOS app?

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:40:00 -0500

An an iPhone developer beta testing your app is one of the steps you will have to take before you release. A couple of apps that will help you along the way to beta are

DeviceDNA is an app that you can use to send you UDID via email to someone else. you will have to get iPhone UDIDs from beta testers and critics who you would like to review your app. With the UDID you can deliver a beta build of said app.
TestFlight is a sweet app that you can use to deliver beta ready apps to your testing community very easily.

How-To get open source help

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:04:00 -0500

How-To get open source help

Business Protocol

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:57:00 -0500

I thought I would share the logic behind stating True or False, on the following statements related to Business Protocol.

At a fine establishment, examining a wine bottle, swirling the wine and testing it are unnecessary and ostentatious. Answer: False, the thinking here is that you are responsible for what your client drinks and you must make sure the wine is a quality product.
It is polite to invite your guest to select the wine. Answer: False, you should do the wine selecting. There is nothing stopping the client from ordering a $400 bottle of liquor. It could also be awkward for the client to make a decision on the cost of the meal. You should suggest a wine on the list and indicate it to the server, at which point the server will agree with your suggestion or make a suggestion of a better wine in the same price range.
Your chairman joins an event at which you are entertaining an important client. Protocol dictates that you would introduce the chairman to the client. Answer: True, when making introductions between a client and a third party, you always consider the client or higher importance and introduce the party to the client even if the party is your CEO.
One makes it a point to tank the server often throughout the meal. Answer: False, as this can distract you from an important conversation and reflect badly on your attentiveness to the client.

I hope these help you at your next business dinner, dont forget your tie…;-)

Starting Over

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:18:00 -0500

Today I start over with my website. I have chosen to move it over to tumblr. from a standalone Drupal 6 install that I was hosting on a virtual server. The main reason being maintaining/up-keeping the Drupal CMS. Dont get me wrong, Drupal is pretty easy to maintain but, there was so much cool stuff that I found myself spending way to much time tweaking features. If you are interested in putting up a website and crave customization, try out Drupal. Version 7 is out now and its pretty sweet. If you need help with setting up a Drupal website check these guys out: Upgradeya.com