Creating a Personal Portfolio Website

For a few years I've had the goal of creating my own website.  This type of project would provide many benefits.  It would give me a fun project to work on, it would expand my web programming & design skills, and it would allow me to create an online portfolio that could be used to show off my programming projects.  There are many benefits to having your own website, but for the most part I wanted a chance to learn and show off my work.

1st Design - Home

In September 2015 I took my first steps to achieving this goal and registered my own domain.  I immediately began working on the website in my spare time.  I figured WordPress would be the best option, as it would allow for fast changes during the design stage.  I watched some online tutorials, installed WordPress on my site, and began development.  I created the page structure, a homepage, and a contact form before the semester got busy and I had to set the project aside.  I would come back to it once the semester was over, but I had one big issue: I didn't know how to best show off my projects.  The site was progressing, but truthfully I wasn't all that happy with how things looked from a design standpoint.  It would need some work.

Towards the end of the semester we touched on Bootstrap in my Web Programming course.  It seemed so easy to understand and implement.  I loved it!  I decided I was going to completely redesign my website using this, rather than rely on WordPress.  Once the busy semester was over I dove back into my website project with a renewed vigor.  I did some research and found an amazing theme by Start Bootstrap.  The theme was Freelance and, like all of Start Bootstrap's themes, was completely free to use and edit.  This was what I was looking for!  Rather than have my website be made of thousands of files (as with WordPress) I knew what all of the files did and everything made sense.  I could edit the pages using my favorite text editor and hand-code what I wanted.  This was what I loved doing.

Final Design - Home

Within a few hours I had the layout I wanted and most of the groundwork done.  I spent the next two weeks working on the site (much of that in Photoshop).  When it was at a place that was close to being ready for launch, I uploaded it to a test directory on my domain server for beta testing and user feedback.  This proved to be incredibly valuable.  I made some minor tweaks to icons and button placement and reduced the size of the images (they had long load times).  After a couple of days it was ready for launch.  I deleted the existing site files, removed WordPress, and uploaded the new files.  The website was live!

Final Design - Portfolio

The completed website can be found at kevinjacksWI.com.  I think it looks great, and I'm so proud of it.  It gives me the chance to show off some of the work that I've done in a clean, easy to use format, and I can add to it over time.  I have a few ideas for enhancements that I'll work on over the next few months, but as it stands it looks great and accomplishes what I intended it to do.  Let me know what you think!

A Podcast Talk on 'Anonymous'

My favorite podcast, and one that I listen to regularly, is Stuff You Should Know.  I really enjoy how they can talk about anything and everything and make it into an interesting podcast.  If you are naturally curious and love learning new things, this is the podcast for you!  Recently I listened to an episode on "Anonymous", the famous hacktivist group.  It's a topic that is shrouded in mystery, so I was eager to learn more about the organization from the always-entertaining Josh and Chuck.

I really didn't know much about Anonymous prior to listening to the podcast (I actually assumed it was one person).  The only things I knew about them was what I received from major news outlets, so I was mostly looking forward to learning more about what they were and how they operated.  The podcast helped to unveil some of the mystery, but by their very nature they will likely always remain an enigma.

Anonymous is a group of "hacktivists" that are banded together into a fluid, loose organization.  They often use Guy Fawkes masks to disguise their identities in photos and videos, and it has become a symbol of their organization.  Members of the organization often work together to carry out "operations" against people or organizations who have carried out what Anonymous believes to be immoral or illegal activities.  When talking about an organization as loosely based as Anonymous, it's impossible to exactly detail their beliefs, but opposing internet censorship and control seems to be near the top of their list.  Other beliefs may include: exposing illegal activities by established organizations, corruption, child pornography, and groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church.

Members of Anonymous who band together for a cause will work together to figure out who to attack, plan out how to attack them, and carry out the attack.  Attacks often involve bringing down an organization's website, disrupting their normal flow of business.  They may also work to collect protected data and expose it to the public in an effort to expose immoral or illegal behavior.  The activities of Anonymous members themselves are generally illegal, and dozens of members have been arrested for their part in various cyber attacks.

It's really difficult to take a clear position on the activities of Anonymous.  For the most part, they are doing something that would be considered "morally right" and are putting an end to someone or something's wrongdoing.  On the other hand, the cyber attacks they partake in are illegal (even though some of the same tactics are used by the federal government).  Many of the operations they partake in hover in the gray area between right and wrong, and it's unlikely that you either completely agree or completely disagree with all of their activities.  More than likely you would agree with some of their activities, but may think they are overstepping their moral obligations with others.  One operation that most people would support is with their recent declaration to hunt down members if ISIS as shown in this video.

One interesting takeaway I got from learning about Anonymous is that, when looked at from a macro level, they are acting as a form of checks and balances against the powers that be.  I believe that as long as Anonymous is active, they can work effectively to keep governments in check and expose corruption and abuse of power not only in developed nations, but in developing countries as well.  Overall they are working to make the world a better place, but whether or not you agree with their tactics most likely lies in how much you believe that the ends justify the means.

If you'd like to learn more about Anonymous, you can check out the podcast on the Stuff You Should Know website.  You can also follow them on Twitter, but perhaps the best place to get first hand knowledge is from their official Youtube channel.

Technology Throwback: A Look at Bubble Memory

Have you ever heard of bubble memory?  If you’re under the age of 40 my guess is you probably haven’t.  But this style of computer memory was all the rage in the late 70’s and early 80’s.  What is bubble memory and what lead to its downfall?  Read on for a little tech history lesson.

Removable bubble memory cartridge

I first heard about bubble memory about 10 years ago while reading Tom Clancy’s “Patriot Games”.  At the time I just assumed it was an outdated term for RAM (or something similar) and that the technology was still around in some form or fashion.  I never took the time to look into what it was, but I never forgot the term.  The information was locked away in my head, waiting for the day I came across the term “bubble memory” again.

This year I started a campaign of re-reading all of Tom Clancy’s books, starting with "Patriot Games".  I was eager to get to the section where they discuss Jack Ryan’s portable computer specs.  The computer used was a “Cambridge Datamaster Model-C Field Computer” with “an MC-68000 microprocessor, and two megabytes of bubble memory”.  He mentions that the bubble memory stores information after the unit is turned off.  Not much information to go off, time to do some research!

It turns out that bubble memory was a type of non-volatile (meaning it doesn’t lose its data when turned off) computer memory that used little magnetized areas (known as bubbles) to hold one bit of data each.  At the time it offered memory density similar to that of hard drives, but had the advantage of having no moving parts.  Even by today’s standards, bubble memory is rather rugged, being able to withstand high temperatures, shock, dust, humidity, and high radiation. There were high hopes for bubble memory, with some even thinking it would take over hard drives as the storage medium of choice.  By the mid 70’s most major electronics companies were working on the technology.  The future looked bright.

Internal bubble memory

Advancements in the early 80’s, however, put an end to bubble memory’s promising future.  New hard disk technology allowed them to be faster, cheaper, and more memory-dense than bubble memory.  The usage of bubble memory came to a screeching halt, and almost all companies discontinued using the technology around 1981.  Its ruggedness and durability allowed it to continue in some niche markets such as military applications, but almost all commercial usage ceased.

References to technology in pop culture almost always end up dating the material years down the road, but sometimes that reference can give you a little lesson on how things were “back in the day”.  I’m glad I took the time to learn something new, and I hope you feel the same way.

Web Developer’s Toolkit

For me, half the battle of learning a new language is knowing which tools to use and getting a basic introduction to them.  There is always information available on the language itself and the syntax, but the first step before you can begin coding is installing the proper software you will be using.  I’d like to help you to understand the tools and software that will help you get started developing web pages.  These tools will allow you to develop great sites, complete with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and even PHP.  Once you have the proper tools installed you are free to experiment and gain a better understanding of the languages themselves.

The main tool you will be using to write your web pages is Notepad++.  There are many other text editors available that will work, but I’ve always liked working with this application.  It’s a free, open-source editor that is very powerful and robust.  If you’ve done any web development you’ve probably already used it to write your HTML.  Using it to write your JavaScript or PHP files is no different.  One of the program’s best features is the ability to have multiple text files open on different tabs.  The tabs make it easy to switch between all of your HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP files.

Since PHP scripts are designed to be executed on a server prior to being sent to the client, they won’t do you any good running locally unless you’ve installed some form of virtual server environment.  Simply opening the files with a web browser won’t allow you to test your code the way you can with HTML or JavaScript.  WampServer is one of the most popular web development environments that will allow you to test your code.  It has the ability to process server scripts before opening the files in a web browser, all without needing an internet connection. While you don’t technically need this software to test your code, it’s easier than the alternative of publishing your scripts on a web server every time you make a change.

Once your pages are written, you’ll probably want to publish them on a server.  One of the most popular tools for transferring your files to a server is FileZilla.  Like Notepad++, FileZilla is free and open-source.  FileZilla has the ability to save your login credentials, allowing you to quickly access the directory on the server.  A drag-and-drop interface will transfer the files via FTP and allow you to instantly test them from the live web server.  Once they’re on the web server the pages are available for all the world to see!

NetBeans isn't a required tool, but it could be considered as an alternative to Notepad++.  NetBeans is primarily used to develop other software applications like those written in Java, but it does have some nice web developer features.  Perhaps the biggest advantage is NetBeans’ ability to log in to your web server and update files.  By setting up the proper login credentials and file path, you can edit your web pages in NetBeans.  One click will allow you to transfer the new updated file to the web server, replace the old version, and open the updated page over the internet using your favorite web browser. 

If you're looking to get into web development these programs will allow you to get started creating content.  The best part about using these tools is that they are all free!  Anyone willing to try is able to download these programs and get started within a matter of minutes.

Hopefully this guide will help you to get a better understanding of what applications you can use to begin creating web pages.  What are your thoughts on these applications?  Have you used these tool before?  Perhaps you prefer to use something else?  Leave your comments below, I’d love to hear your feedback.

Review of TED Talks Video on Bringing Public Data to the 21st Century

I came across TED Talks for the first time and thought I would write about a video I watched regarding big data.  Data scientist Ben Wellington presents on the ways that public data can be better utilized and how it can be used to help make our world a better place.

The overall message that Ben is trying to get across is that public data should be much more available than it is today.  We live in an ever-changing technological world, yet most public records are only available in formats such as PDF.  Data such as this can be very difficult to analyze, requiring either manual transfer or custom software to pull out the data sets.  It is also inconsistent, with data being stored differently between organizations.  Once the data is pulled out and sorted, however, it can be mined and analyzed.

 

The examples Ben uses all come from New York City, and he uses graphs, maps, and data plots to showcase the results.  For example, by plotting the locations of bicycle accidents it is possible to create a map showing the most dangerous intersections in New York City for cyclists.  He shares a similar map showing the locations of the dirtiest waterways around the city.  Perhaps the most interesting example is when he shows a map which portrays which fire hydrants generate the highest number of parking tickets.  The top two hydrants in the city combined generated over $58,000 per year!  It was discovered that the parking near these hydrants was very confusing to motorists, and once the issue was brought to the city, the problem was fixed shortly after.

Ben uses humor and great examples to clearly present his argument for better, more accessible public data.  By harnessing the power of crowd sourcing, we will be able to find answers to questions we didn’t even know existed.  I think he presents his argument very well and I agree with what he has to say.  Providing data only in printer-friendly formats is outdated.  The field of data science has exploded in recent years, and allowing the public to work with the data will raise questions that would never have been asked. 

By standardizing the way agencies and organizations store data and releasing data in its raw format along with PDFs, we can unlock the passion and abilities of citizens to harness open data and make our cities better.

Link to TED Talks video: How we found the worst place to park in New York City - using big data

The Allure of an IT Career

What fuels a person’s passion to work with computers?  Many people have fond memories of when they were kids and received their first computer.  From that point on they knew they didn’t want to work in anything but IT.  My route to the IT field wasn’t as clear cut as that, but my desire to work with computers brought me down that path in the end.

I’m not old enough to have worked with an Apple II or Commodore 64, but I do remember an age before home computers and the internet were commonplace.  Our family purchased our first computer in 1997, back when they still cost around $2000.  (Although that may seem steep in an age of super-cheap computers, in hindsight you’d expect to pay about that or more for a top-end gaming rig or Ultrabook today).  I certainly had an interest early on, but I can’t say that I always knew that I wanted to work with computers.  I lived in a small farming community, and IT careers just weren’t something many people moved into.

For me it was more of a slow progression as my knowledge increased over my high school years.  Basement LAN parties began to be a regular thing, with me lugging the family computer around (despite my mother’s pleas).  I began upgrading the family desktop when it no longer met my expectations.  My first personal computer was a custom-built desktop I had a friend build when I was a senior.  I moved off to college and was surprised that I was one of the few people who had their own computer.  For many of my high school friends, that was just something you had!  

Once I became a serious student in college I didn’t have time for my “hobby”.  My desktop computer became unstable with hardware and software issues that I didn’t know how to fix (I was still an amateur).  My desktop became a paperweight, as most of my work was done on my university-issued laptop.  This was how things progressed for most of my college years.

Thankfully, shortly after graduating and entering the “real” world, my hobby resurfaced, and this time it really took off.  I built myself a brand new custom rig.  I reconnected with my old LAN party friends.  I worked through my own issues and resolved them myself, rather than relying on customer service.  I started overclocking my GPU and CPU to boost performance.  And I was having a blast!

After graduating with a degree in Engineering Technology I worked in the field of energy conservation.  After five years I took the time to reevaluate what I’d done and if I was happy with the direction I was going.  As one of the few industries that saw growth during the recession, it was a fine career and an exciting industry to be in, but something seemed to be missing.

It finally hit me that I’d never explored computer science as a career.  In fact I was fairly ignorant of the careers that were available.  I wrestled with the idea for a while and finally realized that I just wasn’t excited about the prospects that my current career path was taking me on.  I spoke to some friends in IT about what they’d gone through and the work that they'd done, analyzed which path would be best for me, and decided to go all-in on a new career in software development.  I signed up for the associate degree program at MATC (Milwaukee Area Technical College) and came up with a plan to switch careers.

The decision to switch has been one of the best decisions of my life.  I’m blown away by the wealth of opportunities available to me and am excited about the work that I will be doing.  I look forward to what lies ahead for me and can't wait to move forward in my career.

Comparing Social Media in Business

Social media has become almost a necessity for businesses in today’s world, and with good reason.  Sites such as Facebook and Twitter offer platforms in which businesses can take advantage of free advertising, reach new customers, promote their products, and allow for instant communication between company representatives and customers.  To learn more about how companies use social media, I followed two popular retailers, Eastbay and Nike.com to see how they compared with one another, specifically using Facebook and Twitter.

Both Eastbay and Nike.com use social media as a way to advertise their company and their brand.  They often send advertisements about new products, seasonal gear, or pictures and videos promoting their brand.  The advertisements themselves are similar, featuring either the product as the focus of the ad, or featuring sports athletes.  Advertising in this manner is often used on Facebook and Twitter.  Both are free, have the potential to reach thousands, or even millions of people, and can get the word out to customers the moment something is available.

Both companies also engage with customers directly using Facebook and Twitter.  Customers can send messages regarding new products, availability, and order issues, and can get a response in an instant.  Both Nike.com and Eastbay use this heavily, having company representatives on hand to respond to inquiries.  From a customer standpoint, this is perhaps the largest benefit of all from social media.

There were only a few differences I found between the two companies’ use of social media.  Nike.com has a much larger fan base, having 3.8 million followers on Twitter.  They also appear to be more active, having over 239,000 tweets sent out, though they only follow 187 people.  Eastbay has 335,000 followers, has sent 62,000 tweets, but follows many more people, at 5,655.  Despite Nike.com being the much larger company, I found Eastbay’s social media approach to be the better of the two.

Looking at each company’s website, Eastbay does a much better job of promoting its social media presence.  Nike.com has small links to their accounts on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.  Eastbay.com has large, obvious links to these same sites, but also include Vine, G+, and Pinterest.  It’s obvious that they want to reach their customers by as many means as they can.  In addition to social media, Eastbay also includes options to sign up for email and text notifications, or live chat with a representative.

Nike.com social media icons.

Eastbay.com social media icons

Social media has indeed been a game changer for the way companies advertise and interact with customers, and the influence is still growing.  I doubt this method of customer interaction is going to go away anytime soon.

Eastbay:   facebook.com/Eastbay               @Eastbay

Nike.com: facebook.com/NikeStoreNow     @nikestore