Author Archives: J.D. H.

Clickable USA map for WordPress (plugin or widget)

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I am working on a new project that requires a clickable USA map. There are a LOT of options out there but after wading through them all this was my top choice: WordPress – Interactive World Maps at CodeCanyonhttp://codecanyon.net/item/interactive-world-maps/2874264?ref=coolthemezThis is a WordPress plugin to create as many maps as you want, with interactive and colored markers, continents, countries or regions. Check out the standalone non-wordpress version: here It is a nice turnkey package that can easily do a clickable map

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Extract high-res satellite imagery from Google maps

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Here are some articles about, and frameworks for, the Google static maps API: Google Static Maps V2 | Fat-Free Framework for PHPhttp://fatfreeframework.com/google-static-mapsThe Google Static Maps class provides a simple way to embed a Google Maps image on your web page without requiring JavaScript or any dynamic page loading. Generating Static Images of Google Maps – PHP articles, tutorials and screencasts – PHP 5, MySQL, PostgreSQL, AJAX, Web 2.0http://www.phpriot.com/articles/static-google-mapsOne useful feature of Google Maps is the ability to generate a static

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How to download YouTube videos to your computer or phone [SOLVED]

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I received the following question from my friend Alicia: Do you know of a way that I can take videos from youtube and put them on a flash drive or disc so I can watch them at home? I’m wanting some zumba videos to use at home but my phone internet isn’t strong enough to run them.. -Alicia So I sent her are a couple websites where you can paste the youtube video’s URL (website address) into the form and then

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Data truncated for column ‘status’ at row 1 [SOLVED]

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Recently I encountered the following error: Data truncated for column ‘status’ at row 1 This was specifically in a PHP based web hotel/reservations app that uses MySQL for the database backend. When trying to add a new dropdown option value of ‘departed’, the form submission would always fail with the aforementioned error. Thankfully, the solution was easy once I checked the table/field definitions. The column ‘status’ was of type enum and thus needed to have the ‘departed’ value specifically enumerated in

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Enable remote MySQL access (root non-local access)

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Often one of the first tasks after setting up a MySQL server is to enable connections from other IP addresses. Here are a some articles that discuss how to setup a user that can access a MySQL database remotely (non-locally). Between the two of them you will have all the info you need to create user accounts for remote MySQL db access 🙂 If you are in a testing environment you can also enable non-local root access for all databases

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Regenerate thumbnails error on WordPress [SOLVED]

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Recently I switched to a new WordPress theme and subsequently encountered some image thumbnail issues. Here is the specific error I received when regenerating thumbnails: function (){if(l){var t=l.length;(function i(t){x.each(t,function(t,n){var r=x.type(n);”function”===r?e.unique&&p.has(n)||l.push(n):n&&n.length&&”string”!==r&&i(n)})})(arguments),n?o=l.length:r&&(s=t,c(r))}return this} This was particularly frustrating, because if a custom size is not available then WordPress will use the FULL size image even for thumbnails. This of course results in slow page times and wasted bandwidth 🙁 The solution Thankfully, after a little checking it appeared to be a simple permissions

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Windows Update error 80072f8f [SOLVED]

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If you get a Windows Update “error 80072f8f” when you try to Check for Updates, you may need to adjust your computer’s date and time settings! The 80072f8f error generally happens when there is a large discrepancy between your system clock and the Windows Update service…. so when that happens you will get the error and be prevented from receiving updates. 🙁 Thankfully, as mentioned earlier, the fix is generally very easy as you just need to update your computer’s date/time

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Internet speed test results for Best Western Oasis, Joplin MO

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I am on a business trip to upgrade servers at Weblogs.us. The servers are located in Tulsa OK, but for tonight I stopped in Joplin MO along the way. Priceline negotiator got me a room for $42 plus tax at the Best Western Oasis. 🙂 That price is nice but internet is a big part of my work so I always try to evaluate the network speeds where I stay. So far I’d give them a C+ but speedtest.net rates

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