Posts by Radu Poenaru
Add Silverlight to WordPress
2
As I presented earlier, you can easily create a Silverlight video player and you can see it working pretty nice. Not to mention that it can play a lot of formats and it is only 344 kb in size! Now let’s see how this is possible and how can one do it on his website.
From the start, Silverlight was meant to be as easiest as possible to develop and deploy. Also, the cross browser (running on all major browsers) and cross platform (running on Linux, Mac OSX and Windows) was a requirement. But more than this, not to depend on the server side on .Net framework was also important. So you can deploy and run (only for running you’ll need the Silverlight Runtime installed) your app no matter the OS (Operating System).
This is why we discuss today on adding Silverlight to WordPress and not on How to deploy Silverlight on Linux. From the server’s OS point of view, Silverlight is just another file so you don’t need any plugin nor installs on the server side. It is on the client side where it is downloaded, setup with parameters and processed and here you need to install the Silverlight runtime – a mere of 4 Mb. If you’ve developed prior Adobe Flash application, you’ll feel very natural on the process. So let’s begin our ride to add your Silverlight application to WordPress.
Step 1.
Develop your Silverlight application. You should have a .xap file built in order to go further.
Silverlight VideoPlayer for RailsCasts
3
I am and will be a Microsoft Developer. While working for convenience with other tools, I love strong type languages. I don’t want to ship products because I saved once and hit “s” one more time, so my product will be shipped with that small, human and yet unpardonable error in code.
How many times did you loose your time and effort with PHP in order to find a small mistake like this?
In my pursue on Microsoft tools path I started enjoying the Silverlight technology. Who might not know, Silverlight is a competitor to Flash. By now, on its 4th version, is way above Adobe Flash in almost all areas (I actually worked with Flex and Flash recently, so I really know what I’m talking about):
- Easy to develop : the C# language is a world class, easy to write in, with good compiler, a lot of resources and a VERY good IDE (try to write code and animations in same time in that Flash IDE and you’ll see what I mean)
- Supports Full HD (there are examples on the net with 2 or 3 full HD movies playing), while Flash just tries to get HD with lots of CPU used.
- The model of development is the same for in Browser and Out of Browser – you don’t need to change the tool from Flash to Flex in order to have same product for Desktop and Web.
Railscasts Silverlight video player
1
This is my second shot to create a better player for Railcasts. As you can see, it goes better and better. Who knows what might be next?
- How and why I choose the Silverlight platform
- How to integrate your Silverlight content with your WordPress blog (and presumable all blog systems who allow you to add JavaScript)
Create a simple HTML .MOV player
0
As a Ruby developer, I work quite a lot with their “special” plugins called gems. The nice fact about the gems is that they bring lots of functionality. By example, there’s a gem for paginating a collection who takes just few parameters and not only that finds out how many objects the collection has, but also how to split them, generating the corresponding links and serving to the original container (that used to show the entire collection) only the collection part that is representative in the context of current page and items per page.
Before someone new to a specific gem starts thinking to implement it, usually searches on the net for examples. The most important gems are described and exemplified in Railscasts.com. The content is excelent, the quality is good, sound is nice but the format chosen for movies is Apple’s .MOV proprietary format. There are few plugins to install for playing the files with MediaPlayer, but frankly I wanted a quicker solution than go on some obscure websites and getting from there a creepy .exe installer.
So I’ve created a simple .mov player that will replace the 33 MB of useless QuickTime Player (if you’re a Mac user, you have already this installed so you’ll not need my hack).
So let’s see some code!
First, I decided to use the Object method in order to play mov files. Apple provides a .cab file, who is able to play this files in browser. More documentation on its parameters you can find in their Embedding tutorial.
Don’t forget to add a link to JQuery library!
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.4.2.min.js"></script>
The html code is shown below and it is pretty straight forward:
<body>
<div class="media">
<div class="navigationTabs">
<input type="text" id="txtURL" style="width:75%"/>
<input type="button" id="btnPlayMov" value="Play"/>
<input type="button" id="btnClearMov" value="Clear"/>
</div>
<div id="divPlayer">
http://media.railscasts.com/videos/188_declarative_authorization.mov
</div>
</div>
</body>
The JavaScript is a little bit trickier as it involves JQuery. For a newbie, it is pretty hard to debug, but after a while you’ll just feel it:
$(function() {
// bind an onClick event for this second Flash container
$("#btnPlayMov").click(function() {
var _height = "306px";
var _width = "400px";
var _movie = $('#txtURL').val();
var _html = '';
$("#divPlayer").html(_html);
});
$("#btnClearMov").click(function() {
$("#divPlayer").html("http://media.railscasts.com/videos/188_declarative_authorization.mov");
})
})
Not to mention that it works in all major browsers (IE 8, FireFox 3.6 and Chrome) !
How to add ui-icons to JQuery tabs
0
While working in UniBonn, I have a lot of contact with Ruby on Rails and JQuery; I actually started loving its interactivity and stability. But lately I encountered a small situation with the tabs object that they offer.
This is their default view, with Redmond theme applied. Nice and clean, you might say. But what’s missing? These tabs don’t support images. So you’ll not be able to show an image to specify, let’s say, that this tab has some updated information or a warning that something important is inside that tab.
I wanted to have some kind of control on specifying how the tab should look when I wanted my users to understand that something important is inside and requires their immediate attention.
As I searched through the website, I found the mentions of how to change the tab looks into an “error” style, so that it will attract attention no matter how tired the users are. In the Theming area of JQuery UI website, I found the help for Layout Helpers. Basically, you can specify additional classes who can override the theming of an element. Under Interaction cues, you’ll find all you need to set your elements style to highlighting, error, disable etc.
1 month since LASIK
0
So it’s been now 1 month since I had my LASIK surgery. In this month I had a very strict program with my drops provided by EyeStar center. I used them as prescribed. I believe that my eyes didn’t need so much artificial tears, but if the doctor says it is important you have to take them!
During my reading of the file that I received from Eyestar I noticed that they prohibit very clear to rub your eyes because the flap might move. But nowhere is mentioned how you realize that the flap actually moved. After discussing with Mr. Fred, Foreign patient coordinator, I found out that if the flap is moved, your vision decreases very much, so it would be like you need glasses again.
Everything is ok, I can see very well. I found out that there are few self-testing eye charts to measure your vision. You just have to print the PDF files and you can see for your self how well you actually see. But be careful: none of this will replace professional help! So if you feel that something’s wrong, you should see a doctor right away.
The eye check files are suitable for printing on letter sized paper:
During this month I had some small issues – few times, under my upper eye lid, I felt like some dust accumulated there, but they passed after one day.
Things that I was careful about (it might seem crazy for you, but imagine that these are your ONLY eyes):
- I was careful not to go out in winds or stay in the face of an air conditioner.
- When I went out in crowded places, I always wear my Uvex i-vo protective glasses so even if someone is not very careful and hits me by mistake, my flap won’t move.
- Took my medicine as prescribed
- Worked fewer hours per day in front of the computer
- Had 5 minutes break at each 55 minutes of work at computer
- I’ve avoided as much as possible dusty areas, barbecues, bars who allow smoking inside
This is my personal experience. Looking back, I am sorry only that I didn’t do this simple operation earlier.
"Windows Live Writer" won’t upload images to WordPress
17
I’ve used WordPress for almost two years now and today I faced a big challenge: I couldn’t post my articles who contained images to Word press with my Windows LiveWriter application.
Note: This comes after a long period in which I didn’t upgrade the plugins of my WordPress application ( I had 11 of them pending upgrade). Also, I had a full system reinstall (you know, the one with formatting the system drive). After that, I reinstalled and configured all my tools, starting with Visual Studio and ending with Paint .Net.
Because I had a lot of stuff to write, in the first free moment that I had a little time, I started my Live Writer and configured it to be able to post on my blog. When finishing the article, I tried to post it as a draft to www.radupoenaru.com and check if there’s something to be modified.
And when I hit the button that saves draft on my blog, bang! -I got this error:
Windows Phone 7 Coding Camp
2
Just joined Microsoft Students Partners for few days, and me and my colleagues in Team West were invited to a Code Camp for learn developing for Windows 7 Phone with XNA. The camp was established in the castle, in Freusburg. We traveled from Köln after my RIA Business Applications presentation in the Springboard conference.
This special event joined together five very known and respected Microsoft Evangelists: Frank Fischer, Oliver Scheer, Frank Prengel, Tom Wendel and Jan Schenk. They are experts and known figures in programming world, with expertise in Windows Phone 7, Silverlight and XNA.
In the landscape of the castle, with Towers and defensive walls, we’ve been Knights .. of Code, of course (in German is Code Ritter). The organization was purely German: perfect! We had a lot of fun, lots of presentations and access to the knowledge gathered along the years of all five Evangelists.
In the first evening (who was right our Team West own event), we had the Microsoft Phone introduction by Frank Prengel (also known as Dr. Mobile) , XNA presentation by Tom Wendel (The Ant Man) and Silverlight presentation by Oliver Scheer, known as “Mr. deep zoom”. After all presentation, a collective brainstorming revealed around 30(!) ideas for implementing next day, who were judged from usability, possibility of creation and interesting points of view by our 5 Evangelists. Finally, we created teams based on the projects appealing to us. We followed our instincts and smell the code inside each application promise.
Trip and LASIK Operation
1
After I did a lot of research on LASIK, chosen EyeStar for my treatment and speak a lot with their patient coordinators, it was time to choose a way to get there. On the center page, they offer also a free service of helping you book your transportation and reservation at one of the hotels with whom they have partnership.
1. The trip
I choose to go back to Romania (now I’m in Germany) to see my relatives and from there have a trip by bus from there. I found a very nice offer of 5 days (from which 2 days are transport to and back from Istanbul) and spend there 3 days. For the overall price of 150€ I got 4 nights in a 3* hotel in old city (Golden Horn), 2* bus transport and included was a night tour of Istanbul.
What I liked the most at this trip was that it all 3 days in Istanbul were working days, so no matter what kind of complication could have occurred (because first days are critical), I still was in town, near my doctor and his clinic. I was a little obsessed by this, but hey! we are speaking about my eyes.
The trip there was quite nice, in the first day we’ve visited Edirne, with a very beautiful Selimiye Mosque. We spend almost two hours during which we saw also their Bazaar, a little bit of Turkish daily life on the streets in a beautiful afternoon.
After getting to the hotel I went directly to sleep, because I wanted that my eyes to be as rested as possible for next day treatment. During the day I had few calls from the Eyestar centre, for preparing the last minute details of my operation: confirming my reservation, the hotel and its address. They need to know the hotel because another very nice feature offered to the clients of this clinic is that they offer free transport to and from clinic, so the patient will be more relaxed. No more worries about getting to clinic in time, choosing transportation, finding routes!
2. The operation – Tests
Next day, on 15th of April, at 10 am me and my fiancé were transported with a very nice and comfortable Volkswagen Touareg to the clinic. The clinic is situated in the very hart of new city, in Taksim square.
Upon the arrival, I was invited to wear some plastic outfits over my shoes, in order to avoid dust incoming into the rooms, and waited a little. I received also a paper for reading about the operation. I was under the attention of Mrs Florentina, the Romanian patient coordinator all he time. She explained me detailed anything that it will happen and accompanied me to all checks and operation in that day. Soon, I was invited to start my ocular tests. I had a 3D scan of my retina, intraocular pressure, optometry to find out my diopters. After that, I went to a dark room to have my pupil size taken and check again my diopters with a funny device with lenses inside, mimicking a pair of glasses.
After this set of tests, I had some drops in my eyes to dilate them and again the entire set of tests. This time also the eye fundus checked by the doctor. He confirmed that I am a perfect candidate for LASIK.Another set of drops were administered, this time to counter the dilate effect of the first ones. And afterwards, lunch break.
3. Lunch break
Me and my fiancé wanted to see this famous street in Istanbul,Ä°stiklâl Caddesi (Independence Avenue). When I exited the clinic, I realized that a pair of sunglasses would have been a good investment. I was tearing a lot, at some point I couldn’t look around, but only down. My luck was that I wasn’t alone there, in the fast circulation of Istanbul. Cars are usually traveling with 60 Km/h and red light is not so well respected. So it is not so easy to cross the streets of Istanbul. Finally, we got there and had a very nice walk, had a traditional Döner Durum and get back to clinic in one hour.
4. Operation
When I was back, I got the papers to sign and also paid for treatment. Also. included are 3 sets of drops: one bottle of anti inflammatory ones, one of antibiotic and a pack of artificial tears along with written instructions about the proper way to take them. Was around 15:30 when we were announced that we will have to wait for another half of an hour for sterilization of the laser room to be finished. Finally, we went upstairs(also the persons who wanted and not only the patients) around 16 and invited in the waiting room. It was very comfortable, with a big plasma screen to which we saw a relaxing documentary about animals. I was the third patient in row and Florentina invited me and my fiancé to preparation room, I had been dressed in a surgery outfit like you can see in medical TV shows, the one that you get first with your hands in and it is closed in the back. Then the outside skin of my eyes were sterilized and I got into the laser room.
Then, everything was moving very fast. As I was laying back comfortable under the laser, the operation started. They’ve put on my face a adhesive sterilized plastic and extracted a portion right over my right eye. Then, a clamp who kept my eyelids open was inserted. It wasn’t the very nice, as it was kind of hard on my soft tissue under the lids. But it was very useful as it keeps you from blinking. The next step was attachment of the suction ring who guided the microkeratome. Very fast, the flap was created. I sensed a small tingling while the microkeratome cut, but it was bearable. Then the surgeon asked me to look into the red light and not to try search for it if I didn’t see it any more.
Then the laser started. I saw like a right angle pair of parenthesis created from outside of the eye to inside and when all was done, remained was a small transparent dot. The parenthesis were grayish and quite thick. I also sensed a smell of burning skin, but I knew that this was normal. The laser wasn’t so loud as I understood from the papers that I read. Also, because my right eye involuntary moves, tends not to stay in one position and moves itself when not assisted by the left one, the laser stopped like 2 times during its normal operation.
Then the area was cleaned with some drops and with a small brush(I believe) the doctor put a flow of air on my eye, dried it a little bit and then put back my flap in place. What I didn't like was that I saw a lot of things moving very close to my eye and I was a little frightened. But I tried to stay as still as I could. The right eye procedure finished when the adhesive plastic was removed from my face
The next eye was the same, but the laser didn’t stopped at all. For each eye it took like 5 minutes to complete. My fiancé from outside was able to look through the door’s window to me and also to the main panel of the device. We also could had make photos (it is allowed), but we forgot our camera on the floor below. What was interesting in her story is the fact that she didn’t realized that I was operated on my first eye until they passed to second one. Pretty fast, isn’t it?
After completing the procedure to my both eyes, I raise from that bench and I went to the post-op room, where it was a nice couch and relaxed for 10 minutes. I could see correctly at more than one meter away, but close my eyes couldn't focus well. Afterwards, I went to the waiting room, where I could see very good to the television. It was a 40 inch plasma TV and I could see very well from about 4-5 meters away. I also noticed that my view was a little whitish, like when you turn up the luminosity of your television.
5. First post-op
After going downstairs, I went to a first post-op verification, where my surgeon checked the alignment of the flap. Everything was ok, and we were transported back home by the same nice driver. I was so happy that I could have seen without my glasses!
When arriving in hotel room, around 18:00 I put on my first set of drops and went to catch a short nap before my Turkish evening. But when I tried to open my eyes at 20:00 I couldn’t. I felt pain in my eyes, was very fatigued and decided that I’ll skip that evening. It turned out that I didn’t miss anything because it was just a pale flavor of what it was supposed to be, from what I heard next day.
6. Next day after operation check
Next day, after using drops, I was driven to the EyeStar Center and received a test from my surgeon. Everything was ok, so I was taken back to the hotel.
My vision at starting the process was:
- left eye –4.50
- right eye –5.25
After the operation :
- left eye: 0
- right eye –0.25
- vision: 20/20
My close-range reading was still problematic, but the doctor assured me that it will be better, the brain needs to readjust from seeing through glasses to normal vision.
That was all with my LASIK operation!
Next and the final part in this series you can find out how am I feeling after 1 month.
Or you might want to go back to the Trip and LASIK Operation?
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