October 2013
3 Tips for Rolling Your Own SQL Compare Tool with Database Metadata
In most cases a database vendor’s default SQL Comparison tool will do the job, but every once in a while I need a little more (e.g. a tool embedded as part of a continuous deployment process). Luckily I’ve found that it’s not difficult to build my own customized SQL comparison tool if I follow these […]
HAL versus the swamp of POX
Everyone wants to build good REST APIs, but pure implementations are not always straightforward. For instance, a standard representation of a resource that includes links to other resources still escapes many. The Richardson Maturity Model defines a 4-step journey from the “Swamp of POX” (plain old XML) to the “Glory of REST.” The first 2 […]
It’s Time to Get Excited about Out of Store Shopping
Historians credit first century engineer Heron of Alexandria with the design for a machine that dispensed holy water with a coin; now, two thousand years later, global annual sales of products through vending machines is approaching $200 billion. While advanced merchandising and cashless payment are two key growth drivers, the rapid adoption of smart-phones and […]
My Experience Judging “El Hackathon”
Recently I was part of the judging panel for “El Hackathon.” Organized by Latism, the largest community of latinos in social media, this was not only the first hackathon with a focus on the Latino tech community, but also very likely the first one to take place at the Waldorf Astoria. Fellow judges included representatives […]
Reflections on XOXO Fest: A Lesson In Bravery
Portland, Oregon hosted the 2nd annual XOXO Fest from Sept. 19th to the 22th. XOXO was originally born from a successful Kickstarter project created by Andy Baio and Andy McMillan. The conference is all about “independence” – shining a spotlight on independent creators and how they have turned traditional creation, business, and publishing models on their […]
A Preliminary Review of Google Web Designer
Google announced the launch of their new Web Designer tool this past Monday, which they describe as a “professional-quality design tool.” I was intrigued to see what it could do and whether I was going to be out of work in a few weeks time. First, let me correct an initial misconception – Web Designer […]
What you need to Know Before Developing for Google Glass
Recently R/GA’s Prototype Studio launched a bikeshare app for Google Glass as an internal project to explore and understand the Glass product and platform. Along the way we learned that developing for Glass is not at all like developing for mobile. With Glass, Google released the Mirror API—currently the only Google-approved means to build apps for Glass. […]
