Software Development has a habit of throwing up the same problems again and again. Subtle variations abound, but I have always believed that with a few core programming techniques most problems can be solved. In an eighty/twenty world, only twenty percent of problems are interesting and only twenty percent of those require a truly original or innovative solution.
The trick is identifying the underlying problem, or design pattern, that you are dealing with and then applying your tried and tested algorithm. Of course, it helps a great deal if you can …

So, I finally succumbed to temptation and decided to trade in my Nokia XPress Music 5800 for an iPhone. When I bought the 5800 it was as the result of a detailed “pound for pound” comparison with the iPhone and, for my needs at the time, the 5800 came out on top. Was the fact that I didn’t have to change networks to get this phone dominant in my decision making? Not really, but it was certainly a factor.
Some months later however, I find myself buying an iPod Touch. I …

As many of you know, writing comics is something I do at night. Considering that lots of other people do things far more devious, shameful, immoral, perverse, and disreputable with their nights, I see no shame in this.
But it means I have to do something with my days. And what I do with my days is write software. I rarely blog about this, but just in case any of you are wondering what it is all about, this small flowchart from the wonderful xkcd essentially sums up how my life …

My favourite piece of open source CMS software has added another significant scalp, with http://www.whitehouse.gov making the switch to Drupal.
The move has been orchestrated by Dries himself, through Aquia, along with some third party contractors based in the US. (More details and specifics are available via techPresident).
Much is being made of the Obama administration, or at least some aspect of it, making the “open source choice”. With a foot in each camp (both the closed and open source worlds), I have to wonder if the move is significant and, in …

I’ve become somewhat obsessed with Apple’s App Store approval process over the last few weeks, impatiently waiting for Issue 1 of The Dark to be released.
A little while back I blogged about the phenomenal interest that had been generated by the submission of a Spotify App to the store. Well, in the journalistic style, there is an update.
The breaking news today? Apple decrees Spotify worthy of iPhone • The Register.
Phonophiles and eclectic music lovers like me may rejoice.
Now all we need is a really good sci-fi comic book series on …

The first batch of Markosia titles are now available via iTunes for your iPhone or iPod touch.

The following titles are available today, just click on the link to check them out …

Boy Who Made Silence http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=324033785&mt=8
Beowulf Graphic Novel http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=323815818&mt=8
Haven http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=323860657&mt=8
Hope Falls http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=323827153&mt=8
Kong: King of Skull Island http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=323832212&mt=8
N-Guard http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=323987827&mt=8
Serpent Wars http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=324000083&mt=8
The Lexian Chronicles http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=323834684&mt=8

These comics are using the same “Kamikaze!” platform as The Dark will be released on later this month, so I will certainly be downloading some of these not only for the …

Managing an online presence or brand can be a challenge, but it is something that all writers need to do, particularly comic book writers who can reach out to a significant proportion of their fanbase online.
A typical online profile will consist of your own blog, a Facebook account, a Twitter account, and possibly a LinkedIn and/or MySpace account as well. You’ll also have at least one email account to manage, more than one if you like to practice a little email partitioning.
If, like me, you were finding that managing your …

I’ve been advocating Spotify for some time now. As an audiophile of eclectic tastes it certainly suits me to have their enormous music collection at my fingertips and as a very late convert to the world of the iPod, the transportability of my settings and playlists supplemented my lack of a portable music player nicely for quite some time.
If you have not tried Spotify out, stop reading this post and go download it. It will change your view on digital music, or at the very least help you find your …

As the “tech” side of the blog is heating up, and there is a good chance that there will be a lot of Drupal posts over the coming months, I thought it would be worthwhile linking to this really cool video from Ping Vision
What is Drupal? … in 57 seconds | pingVision.
They definitely explain Drupal faster than I can, and it is a lovely example of some kinetic typography at the same time.

For some time I have been plauged by a slow (3-4 minute) startup window for Firefox.
I have tried numerous fixes suggested online; switching of automatic updates for extensions, clearing down cache and history, even a re-install; but nothing worked. As the problem got progressively worse, my workaround became to start Firefox and then, whilst I waited for it to grind into life, to start Google Chrome and use that to check Facebook, Twitter, etc. Not exactly a fix, but at least I didn’t have to sit and wait as my …