A good article on why you should learn a programming language

Really interesting and quite inspiring.

Now..where did I put my Javascript for Dummies book...?

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Installing Apache, PHP and MYSQL

A couple of weeks ago I decided to install the three things above, mainly because Im a nerd and fancied having a look at what I could do with them. Im an ASP/VBScript developer mainly, but there's not a lot of resources out there on AJAX techniques using these tools, so I figured Id create a PHP/Apache development environment and have a play around.

Anyway , it was quite difficult to get everything running properly. Theres a whole load of resources on the internet, but they're not all as clear as the site linked below, which takes you through every element of installing a webserver step by step. I just wish I could've found this great tutorial two weeks ago and saved myself some pain!

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More on Comas and Nicotine Addiction

This question is still really puzzling me... I decided to have a browse through google to see what I could find - and it turned out to be quite a difficult task.

The only page I found in Google looked like it might be useful, but whether it is a story or fact I can't be sure. It comes from 'The Story Project', run by Georgia City College, and the link for submitting a story goes to the Associate Professor of English so I can't make my mind up if it's a tale as part of a thesis, or if it's fact. Any ideas?:-

"It’s funny how waking up from a coma is an instant reality check. Even funnier is how a coma is an instant cure for nicotine addiction. You sleep through the withdrawal symptoms and moodiness. You can’t overeat while being fed through a tube. By the time you wake up your addiction is painlessly gone and you are left saying “Cigarette? What’s a cigarette? I want my Mommy!” "

It seems real enough, but I'm stuffed if I can find any medical evidence or proof anywhere, or even any more stories out there which are the same or similar. Medical facts, folks, that's what I'm after.

Please post comments if you find anything.

A question about quitting smoking

This isn't a weblink as such, but it's one of those questions that you end up thinking of when you're trying to go to sleep at night.

As a smoker I've found it very hard to quit. I've read the books, tried the patches, tried a lot of things to be honest, and I still can't quite get to grips with it.

Various research claims that the drug nicotine leaves the system after a matter of days, and the physical withdrawals soon after. Following that it's just supposed to be a case of sheer willpower and the need to break the habit of smoking first thing in the morning, after a meal, sex, bath, whatever. That much makes sense to me, but I still can't be sure.

Anyway I was wondering what would happen (or if it has indeed happened) to somebody who maybe fell into a coma for a couple of years? You often hear about people in medical journals and on the news who have fallen into deep comas for very long times, and then woken up in the same mental state they were in before their accident or trauma, asking if their children are ok, or being disoriented by the fact that they have woken in a different era and that many things have happened since they fell ill.

In cases of smokers who have been in comas for a number of months or years, would they wake up wanting a cigarette, or would they not feel the need to smoke? Surely if they needed a cigarette after years comatosed then it would categorically prove that smoking is in the mind. I've tried to find cases of this happening on the internet and figured it would make a very valid point that the addiction to smoking is strictly a mental, and not physical addiction.

If anybody can find documentary proof of this on the internet or otherwise I'd be glad to hear from them, as it really interests me, and might even help me on my way to quitting myself. It would certainly prove a point and maybe even cause a rethink into my own nicotine/cigarette addiction.

Incredible Solo Guitar Playing

Sometimes you click a link and just skip over it, other times you just sit, transfixed for 3 minutes and want to bookmark that link forever.

This is one of those moments. I dare you not to be amazed...

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The six most commonly feared causes of death

This article is quite an interesting, if not slightly morbid read. Apparently the six most common, but also least likely causes of death are:-

Airoplane crashes
Shark attacks
Being murdered
Falling to death
Terrorist attacks
Natural distasters

I can understand why for a couple of them, but shark attacks? Anyway the article then goes on to list the actual most common causes. Have a nice nights sleep :-)

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Silverchair new album - behind the scenes

I've been waiting for Silverchair to release a new album for ages. I know they're not everybody's taste, but I came across this on their website and though it worth a post.

Every week whilst they're recording demos for the new album theyve been posting videos of what they've been doing in the studio. From what I've seen so far things seem good, and there's some reasonably entertaining bits to listen to & watch, too.

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TinyUrl

I imagine a lot of folk will probably have known about this for ages, but I've only just come across it and Im really seriously impressed at the simplicity of the idea. Kudos to the person who dreamt this one up!

Have you ever been on a webpage and wanted to write down the URL, but its just one of those massive things full of php scripting and long nests of directories? TinyURL is a service whereby you can turn one of those horrible things into something more readable.

Turn this URL:

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?ovi=1&mqma
p.x=300&mqmap.y=75&mapdata=%252bKZmeiIh6N%252bI
gpXRP3bylMaN0O4z8OOUkZWYe7NRH6ldDN96YFTIUmSH3Q6
OzE5XVqcuc5zb%252fY5wy1MZwTnT2pu%252bNMjOjsHjvN
lygTRMzqazPStrN%252f1YzA0oWEWLwkHdhVHeG9sG6cMrf
XNJKHY6fML4o6Nb0SeQm75ET9jAjKelrmqBCNta%252bsKC
9n8jslz%252fo188N4g3BvAJYuzx8J8r%252f1fPFWkPYg%
252bT9Su5KoQ9YpNSj%252bmo0h0aEK%252bofj3f6vCP

into this tinyURL:

http://tinyurl.com/6

Which one would you rather cut and paste into your browser? That's the power of TinyURL!

I can think of so many circumstances where this might come in useful.

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Great CSS & HTML Tutorials - HTML Dog

This site looks like it's got a lot of interesting stuff on, and some pretty nice little tutorials on how to code CSS and HTML. Catering from beginners to advanced coders there's bound to be something for everyone.

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Getting Organised

If you're like me then you're messy. I spent fifteen minutes trying to find my shorts this morning just so that I could look like I was enjoying the Great British Summertime (notice the capitalisation there folks - GBT doesnt happen very often so it needs to be highlighted!). Anyway, after fifteen minutes of scrambling around the bedroom and the laundry basket I gave up.

Wheres Steve Pavlina when you need him? Right here, it would seem.

Anyway, Steve's site is full of loads of cool stuff to do with personal development and organisation both at home and in the workspace. There's also tons of other stuff on how to make money from your blog, how to quit coffee and much more. It's a really interesting and eye-opening read I tells ya. Check out the link below for handy tips on Getting Organised (note the caps again!).

Also, whilst you're at it - this one's for the fellas. Buy this book and turn yourself into a fully fledged Domestic God. I tried it and things improved in days!

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This is not an animated gif..

Seriously it isnt.. It's just an optical illusion. What a headfuck!

Hitler Cats!!

Nothing else needs to be said, click the link below..

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Real time HTML/CSS Editing Online

Rendr is a WYSIWYG editor where you can input HTML & CSS into a very nicely drawn AJAX interface and instantly see the results on the screen. Great for when you fancy just playing around with CSS Styles, or for if you can't afford one of the better tools such as Dreamweaver.


Only thing that's really missing is the ability to be able to save your files. It'd be really handy if there was this kind of functionality - hey, maybe Google could buy it and add it to their ever-growing list of online applications!!

Anyway, click the link below to try out this great tool.

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Pearl Jam Live

Loads of live Pearl Jam stuff here. With a flash-driven interface, you can browse through and listen to pretty much every concert they've performed live since 1990 (streaming audio). With regular updates (the last update at the time of writing was May 22nd 2006) you'll find yourself listening to new stuff regularly.

Theres also a reasonable sized videos section showing this amazing band doing what they do best. Unusually there's a few other non-PJ related items here too, including RHCP gigs and the full Nirvana - Unlugged in New York tv show.

Anyway, try it, it's pretty cool just for the interface!

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The CSS Zen Garden

This great site shows just how creative you can be with your use of CSS.


"Littering a dark and dreary road lay the past relics of browser-specific tags, incompatible DOMs, and broken CSS support.

Today, we must clear the mind of past practices. Web enlightenment has been achieved thanks to the tireless efforts of folk like the W3C, WaSP and the major browser creators.

The css Zen Garden invites you to relax and meditate on the important lessons of the masters. Begin to see with clarity. Learn to use the (yet to be) time-honored techniques in new and invigorating fashion. Become one with the web."

CSS Zen Garden provides you with the html you need, and then basically you can go wild. Upload your css file to the site and it might appear in the list. You can't amend the html, just provide a new style for the page. There are hundreds of user created styles which you can browse through to your hearts content. A really clever way of showing how simple HTML can be spiced up with the use of creative CSS files.

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Photoshop tips and tricks

Check this link out for a lot of good tutorials and tips on Photoshop you might not already be aware of. Some of them are really handy.

Move to the root of the site for lots of articles on web and graphic design. You could get lost for hours!

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Welcome to Blobr!

Hi and welcome to Blobr. Yet another blog showing you the world of the internet!

I know it's been done before, but this isn't another cash in. I just figured that I kind of drift along the internet and I find a lot of intersting stuff, be it from other sites like Digg or Boingboing, and this seems like the perfect place to bookmark them. Its a good place for me to come back to when Im bored, too, as Im only really bookmarking what I find interesting.

Anyway, I hope you do too. Welcome to Blobr.