melbourne chapter

An important step in the right direction for Apple! Releasing a few packages, such as the iCal server!
http://www.macosforge.org/

It looks like there are some problems using Flash Remoting with Internet Explorer 6 on PC. The problems looks like it is to do with caching, so we need to set some cache headers. An interesting article by Gary Matthew Rogers titled Flash Remoting: HTTPS & Internet Explorer can be viewed here.

The fix was to modify the HTTP header params to set Expiry, Pragma and Cache-control headers to ensure that content is not cached.

In Flash 6 a neat method called watch() was introduced for registering event handlers - to be invoked when a specific property changes. To explain the use of the watch() method lets consider a Flash based car game where you want to alert the player if they are speeding;

// Create a the car object
var myCar:Object = new Object();
 
// Add a property that tracks the cars speed
myCar.speed = 0;
 
// Write the callback function to be executed if the speed property changes
var checkSpeed:Function = function(prop, oldVal, newVal, speedLimit) {
// Check whether speed is above the limit
if (newVal > speedLimit) {
trace ("You are speeding.");
}
else {
trace ("You are not speeding.");
}
 
// Return the value of newVal.
return newVal;
}
// Use watch() to register the event handler, passing as parameters:
//   - the name of the property to watch: "speed"
//   - a reference to the callback function speedWatcher
//   - the speedLimit of 50 as the userData parameter
myCar.watch("speed", checkSpeed, 50);
 
// set the speed property to 44, then to 62
myCar.speed = 44; // output: You are not speeding
myCar.speed = 62; // output: You are speeding
 
// unwatch the object
myCar.unwatch("speed");
myObject.speed = 49; // there should be no output

(This example has been modified from the Actionscript Dictionary)

So essentially the watch() method calls the checkSpeed() function whenever the value of var speed changes, alerting the player if they are over the speed limit (var speedLimit). Easy no?.

Just remember the following in your callback function;

• If you are merely monitoring the property, return the newVal parameter.
• If you are modifying the value of the property, return your own value.
• If you want to prevent changes to the property, return the oldVal parameter

A quick article on using the Flash Shared Object which allows you to ‘persist’ or save a variable that can be retrieved from the flash player when a visitor returns - view here.

In short, we use the shared object like this:

// Create the shared object
mySharedObject = SharedObject.getLocal("myUniqueObjectKey");
 
// Use the object to dynamicall set whichever variables and values we need
mySharedObject.myValueToRetrieveLater =  "Hello World!"; // how corny
 
// Save/Write the Shared Object data to the flash player
mySharedObject.flush();

We read in a value like below:

// Create the shared object again, it will automatically load any of the last flushed values
mySharedObject = SharedObject.getLocal("myUniqueObjectKey");
 
// Trace it to see if we have a value that we wanted to retrieve
trace(mySharedobject.myValueToRetrieveLater);

We could apply this in a lot of ways; one being a log in form, where you may want to remember the last logged in user for accessibility of your website visitor. Ensure that you don’t save the password too though!

Continuing my evaluation of the PSP’s web browser I thought I would discuss about how to detect and identify a visitor to your website using the Playstation Portable browser.

When we are working to identify the browser we typically reference the HTTP Protocol, which in part of its request stage the browser attaches information about the browser in the HTTP header parameters. If you are using Firefox a good plugin to get that helps you analyse the HTTP request is called LiveHeaders. In PHP we can access environmental settings and sections of the HTTP request through the $_SERVER vars.

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It is possible to view Macromedia Flash and Windows Media content on your PSP through the internet browser, but it is necessary to have the latest firmware and you will need to enable it before it will play Flash/WMA content. To do this:

1. Update the PSP Firmware (View a quick overview here)
2. Ensure you have your WiFi network connection created and tested
3. Go to Settings
4. Go to System Settings
5. Select “Enable WMA Playback” and agree to the licensing options
6. Go back to System Settings
7. Select “Enable Flash Player” and agree to the licensing options

Both times I agreed to the licensing options it connected to the internet briefly.

Once you have enabled it, try bringing up a flash site, maybe one like the salad fingers site.

OK call me a little silly but I didn’t notice the process for updating the PSP. I am sure it is somewhere in the manual,
To update the PSP Firmware from the Internet:

1. Charge your battery, the installation once downloaded will not install unless the battery is at a sufficient level
2. You will need to have you Network Settings for WiFi setup, which you will need to test and select in the Network Update option
3. You will need space on your Memory Stick, version 2.80 required me to have atleast 20mb free
4. On your PSP goto the Settings menu
5. Scroll up to “Network Update” and select

You may be prompted for a choice of WiFi connection to use, select the tested WiFi connection

From here the PSP will connect to the update server on the internet and compare your version to the latest available. If there is an update your PSP will prompt you the option to download. Once the download has successfuly download you will be able to apply the update.

Last week I opened my Dell Latitude 8600 laptop to identify whether my battery pack needed to be replaced. I wasn’t too concerned until I kept hearing in the news about Dell’s suffering because of Sony Batteries (they have branded into their systems). Today in The Age I read the article “Dell’s hell of a week gets worse”.

Computer maker Dell Inc posted a 51 per cent decline in net earnings for its second quarter today and said US regulators were investigating its accounting.

Have a read of the article here. It will be interesting to see how Dell’s marketing handle the consumer confidence fall, as this will be a real test to see how they recover. Seeing how well they handle the recall and customer service will probably be crucial.

Yesterday was my birthday, so I decided to spoil myself a little and get myself a gadget. I have had my eye on the PlayStation Portables for a while and have liked the idea of travelling with it on a plane. My partner Zoe and myself are heading off to Hong Kong and Italy in a little over 7 weeks in October and this was a good enough reason for me to investigate deals and the capabilities of the PSP.

The PSP is made by Sony and was anticipated to be an Ipod killer. Although I don’t think it will “kill” the Ipod it certainly gives it a run for its money. The major advantage to the Ipod’s is their internal HDD, and generally their sleek design and image.

The PSP has several features to it that I really like, such as:

• WiFi and Internet Browser
• Large Display (4.3 inch screen, 16:9 ratio, 480 x 272 res, 16million colours)
• In-built Speakers
• Plays games as well as your MP3/MP4’s
• Accepts removable media, the UMD (Universal Media Disk) and Sony MemoryStick/Duo

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I was forwarded this link today with the warning that it was weird. Very weird, but good way to parse some time (if you have any).

http://www.fat-pie.com/