BigBlueHat

Well, it’s been a while since we’ve written anything food-related, and that somehow seems wrong given the current changes that have swept over the office. I speak of muffins.

Because of our presently bleak donut situation, we were forced to reconsider all possible options for our morning snack, so that our coffee would not be left tragically unaccompanied. Then it struck me. During my college days, there was no finer breakfast item than the muffins from Bi-Lo. Sold in packs of four and featuring such glamorous flavor options as cran-orange and cinnamon-chip (as well as a bevy of others), these delectable treats have proven to be just the solution to our problem of “fueling up” for the day. And as a bonus, unlike donuts they don’t go stale within just a few days.

Alright, enough writing. It’s muffin time…

A bite-sized case study of declaring fonts in a PDF document:

Zend_Pdf (from the makers of PHP no less):

$mainstyle = new Zend_Pdf_Style();
$mainstyle->setFont(Zend_Pdf_Font::fontWithName(Zend_Pdf_Font::FONT_HELVETICA), 9);

FPDF (open source project last updated 3 years ago):

$fpdf->SetFont(’Arial’,”,9);

FPDF wins.

With the new year come new ideas. Ben and I have been brainstorming and/or barnstorming about the future direction of BlueInk, and let’s just say some exciting things are in store. Our major goal is incorporating control over the site layout and design, so that those who want to manage more than just content can do just that. Perhaps we can coin a new acronym, CDMS, to stand for Content and Design Management System. And like my long lost cousin Jesse James Garrett, I too will become known for condensing a perhaps vague and far-reaching concept down to four capital letters.

We’re in the software industry, so we always keep a keen eye out for the latest technology, such as the type explained in this treatise I found:

BOOK
by R. J. Heathorn

A new aid to rapid–almost magical–learning has made its appearance.
Indications are that if it catches on all the electronic gadgets will be
so much junk. The new device is known as Built-in Orderly Organized
Knowledge. The makers generally call it by its initials, BOOK.
Many advantages are claimed over the old-style learning and teaching
aids on which most people are brought up nowadays. It has no wires, no
electric circuit to break down. No connection is needed to an electricity
power point. It is entirely without mechanical parts to go wrong or need
replacement. Anyone can use BOOK, even children, and it fits comfortably
into the hands. It can be conveniently used sitting in an armchair by the
fire. How does this revolutionary, unbelievably easy invention work?
Basically BOOK consists only of a large number of paper sheets. These may
run to hundreds where BOOK covers a lengthy programme of information. Each
sheet bears a number in sequence so that the sheets cannot be used in the
wrong order. To make it even easier for the user to keep the sheets in the
proper order they are held firmly in place by a special locking device
called a ‘binding.’

Each sheet of paper presents the user with an information sequence in the
form of symbols, which are absorbed optically for automatic
registration on the brain. When one sheet has been assimilated a flick of
the finger turns it over and further information is found on the other side.
By using both sides of each sheet in this way a great economy is
effected, thus reducing both the size and cost of BOOK. No buttons need
to be pressed to move from one sheet to another, to open or close BOOK,
or to start it working. BOOK may be taken up at any time and used merely
by opening it. Instantly it is ready for use. Nothing has to be connected
up or switched on. The user may turn at will to any sheet, going backward
or forward easily. A sheet is provided near the beginning as a location
finder for any required information sequence.

The initial cost varies with the size and the subject matter. Already a
vast range of BOOKs is available, covering every conceivable subject and
adjusted to different levels of aptitude. One BOOK, small enough to be
held in the hands, may contain an entire learning schedule.
Once purchased, BOOK requires no further upkeep cost; no batteries or
wires are needed, since the motive power, thanks to an ingenious device
patented by the makers, is supplied by the brain of the user.
BOOKs may be stored on handy shelves and for ease of reference the
programme schedule is normally indicated on the back of the binding.
A small accessory, available at trifling extra cost, is the BOOKmark.
This enables the user to pick up his or her programme where he or she
left off on the previous learning session. BOOKmark is versatile and may
be used in any BOOK.

Altogether, the Built-in Orderly Organized Knowledge seems to have
great advantages with no drawbacks. We predict a big future for it.

Here at the BigBlueHat central industrial headquarters, we make use of the operating system of champions, Ubuntu. The next release hits this month, and if you haven’t yet tried Ubuntu as a supplement/replacement for Windoze, now is the time.

I won’t list all the advantages of this Linux distribution here—you can check out their site for the goods—but I’ll mention a few favorite features:

1. ease of installing software and keeping them all up to date
2. very quick boot-up time
3. development tools aplenty
4. free (open source) programs that do all the common tasks (internet, document editing, image editing, media playback, etc.)
5. snazzy effects without being a memory hog

Take the plunge, won’t you?