It’s T-minus 36 hours and counting till noon Saturday when I’ll be tormented by a very perplexing question.  Do I work or do I play?  Why so perplexing you ask.  Well it’s not too often that my wife and kids leave the city without me for an entire week.  Jae is off to be a counselor at a summer camp, and the kids are going with their Nana and Buba camping at the lake.  

So here I am stuck with a question I usually have no problem answering.  Work is fun and I give it my all each and everyday as a business owner and passionate industry professional.  Play is not something I ever worry about, it just happens for me.   I have a life full of tons of fun with my wife, goofing around with the kids or hanging out with friends and family.  My days are usually so jam packed with family and work that the decision is always made for me.  Was bachelorhood so difficult?  I honestly can’t remember.

Part of me wants to work 24 hours a day stopping only for fluid breaks while pulling repeated all nighters like I did in years past.  The other part is saying beer, pizza, Wii, tee-times, action movies, more pizza and way more beer!!  9 years ago I wouldn’t have hesitated, jumping head long into anything that began and ended with beer…but here I am. 

Maybe I’ll compromise.  I’ll work 16 hours and play for 8, work 16, … hmmm…umm…oh man…I’m not going to make it past the first round of beer.  I’m so confused.  Maybe I’ll just stick to longer than average work days and going to bed early.

Anyone want to join Souk and I at our Sunday morning tee-time?

During the course of the last few years I have met quite a few IT Managers from all walks of life and I couldn’t resist sharing my observations about their psychological behaviour. This blog is a must read for anyone who has been in an IT related field and wants to read about psychology that goes behind skillful IT personnel.. Without naming anyone or hurting anyone’s feeling and yet making my point, I would like to single out those IT decision makers who think that they are doing their employer a favour by keeping things running the way they are. I am talking about the change-phobia infected managers and decision makers who are too scared to take their systems and processes to the next step in business process improvement. I term these kind of people as Breed ONE “play safe – I like the way it is”…didn’t take me anytime to get that nickname in place. As the name suggests this breed of IT personnel are the ones who are scared to make any changes to existing systems and processes as they are afraid to either lose their job or face the repercussions of any changes that they implement. 

Much wittier and proactive is the Breed 2 of IT decision makers. If you are an IT manager and reading this article, you most likely fall in this breed as it accounts for the majority of IT managers. Breed 2 managers think they are very proactive and think in the best interest of their organization, keeping themselves updated on the latest technologies. They look into new solutions to see where the world is heading and learn about every upcoming technology. Yet the ground reality remains, these kinds of managers are too scared to change the way things are done in their organizations. I applaud such managers because at least they are looking out for the best interest of their organization by keeping abreast about happenings in the rest of technology world. Unfortunately these managers are always the followers and usually miss the opportunity of being an innovator and leader. They live by the slogan “Change is good, Change is scary, scary things are not for me”

The last kind, Breed 3 are the dream IT employees of every successful organization.  Of the ones I have met, they are passionate about their job, education, knowledge and would challenge anyone relating to subject matter. They are “techy techy” yet they have a sense of business, they are passionate about processes and yet they have understanding of how people blend into processes.  Most importantly they are not reactive, they are proactive….they look down the horizon for the best interest of their organization…these heroes go a long way in their career. These people are social butterflies, blended in them are great interpersonal skills yet they are focused on their job, they mock new technologies yet they are the pioneers at adapting new technologies for their organizations.  I have realized these people are out of the box thinkers. They think of IT strategies that would protect and differentiate their organization from anyone else. They think of business as an ongoing process. They think how IT supports and enables profitability. These are strategic thinkers.  I have seen these people go way up in the org chart, and they don’t restrict themselves to IT function ….all because they think on a big scale and have a macro view of business.

As the truth holds, the best people work for the best organizations.  What breed of IT Manager or decision maker are you? One who thinks change would never happen?  The one who thinks change would happen and they will catch the tail end of it?  Or the one who says change is inevitable and they will make it happen?

You can imagine my apprehension when my husband walked through the door last night and asked me how my new friend was doing (I had advised him earlier he had to be particularly nice to me given my robin window strike episode).  I had some errands to run after dinner but in the back of my head I wondered, “Would Ryan swiftly deal with my friend’s suffering?”  I took one last peak at “Robbie” and slipped out the backdoor.

It was dark when I made it back home.  Ryan had been glued to his laptop all evening and remembered my angst only when I swept passed him on my way to the blinds.  Robbie was still there but he was now sitting on a nearby rock.  There was still hope.  As I was getting ready for bed, Ryan ran into the room exclaiming, “Come look, he can fly”.  Oh, our little baby found his wings!  Ryan and I were ecstatic.

Back in the kitchen this morning I heeded all precautions.  Since Robbie’s friends contributed to two earlier morning thuds (although much softer dive bombs than Robbie’s), it was time to bring on the gift-wrap.  I cannot imagine what our neighbors think, “what are they doing decorating their house with Christmas paper in July?”  Alternatively (thanks to Jered Seward), check out http://www.sialis.org/windowstrikes.htm for more preventative measures and what to do in the event of a stunned bird.   According to this site, window strikes kill between 100 million and 1 billion birds in North America each year!

No more injuries by my windows!  Oh happy day in my Toggle office.

The iPhone has recently opened up its application development platform, making it the most recent joiner in a massive campaign of user submitted content for different platforms.  While platforms such as iPhone, Bebo, Myspace, Friendster, etc. have moved to this model, the Facebook development platform was something of a pioneer for this concept.  Nearly a year has gone by since Facebook opened up its platform for live development and they have taken the time to develop a fairly robust platform and have had some very successful applications setup shop in their directory.

With all of the hype (and venture capital) being thrown around to promote the service, developers around the world have begun to flock to Facebook to show off their application building skills.  With a year under its belt, the Facebook platform has become pretty simple to develop for.  In this article I will go over a developer’s view on how to get an application setup and running.  In subsequent articles, I will elaborate on some of the cooler features of building and maintaining (not to mention marketing) a Facebook application.

What are we building?

A colleague came to me and asked if there was a way we could somehow post our blog entries to our Toggle Networks Facebook page.  With that in mind, for this example Facebook application, I am going to build a simple RSS feed reader to do just that.  I will then walk through (in a later post) how to integrate said application into our Toggle Networks Facebook page.

Step 1 - Install the Developer Application

In a smart move to get people familiar with the application install process, Facebook has made it’s management tool for its platform an application itself.  The first thing you need to do to get started is install the Developer application.  Login to Facebook and proceed to this link:

http://www.facebook.com/developers

Step 2 - Create a New Application

Once you have the developer application installed to your Facebook account, it will appear as a link on the left hand navigation bar of Facebook beside all of your other applications.  Click it to go to the Developer application.

Next, click the “Set Up New Application” button at the top of the Developer application.  You will be given a box to fill out so that you can name your application.  In this case, since we are building an RSS feed reader, I will call our application “Toggle RSS Feed Reader”.  Deal with the terms and decide if you want to accept them by checking the box.  Now, drop down the optional fields information.

Now, you will be presented with a list of new options.  A few of them are very important.  Enter your email preferences, then have a look at the Callback URL field.  This field will dictate where you are going to place the code for your application.  Since Facebook does not actually host the code for your application, you will have to have a server setup where you will host your own code.  In my case, I am going to host my code at:

http://www.codewriter.ca/facebook/togglerss/index.php

The next order of importance is the Canvas Page URL.  As you might expect, this will be your application’s home on Facebook.  This is akin to finding a URL these days, you may have to get creative.  I am going to use togglerss so my official Facebook application URL would then be http://apps.facebook.com/togglerss .  You will then have to choose whether you want an iFrame application or an FBML application.  There are benefits / issues with both solutions.  I look at it this way.  If you never plan to leave the Facebook platform (IE: you will never port this application to a new platform or website), then choose FBML.  FBML provides some very easy ways to perform functionality (such as friend invites) and ensures your applications will stick to the Facebook aesthetic.  It is also much easier to develop for.  However, if you want ultimate flexibility, choose the iFrame option as it will allow you to completely control your application and make it look however you want.  You will have access to Facebook API with whichever option you choose so the choice is ultimately yours.

If you wish to have the classic setup for Facebook applications, choose “Desktop” as your application type, a list of new options should now appear.  The most important of these is the question “Can your application be added on Facebook”.  Since I don’t mind if someone wants to add the Toggle feed, I will select “Yes” for this option.  Once you click this option, a whole slew of new options will become available.

I am not going to go over most of these options now as they are merely ways to extend your application and are not required to get moving.  I will however note that you should dictate who can add your application as this will become very important should anyone try to add it.  In this case I have chosen “Users” and “All Pages”.  You may want to check the “Developer Mode” box to on while you develop so that no one adds your application before it is ready.

If you have done everything correctly, you should now see something like the screen above.  Note that I have blacked out my api key and secret key.  As the names suggest, you should keep these private, you will make use of them in your code.

Step 3 - Let’s Get Coding!

If you were to go to my Facebook application URL at this point, you would see the above screenshot.  This is because I have not put any code yet to where my callback URL will resolve.  In other words, I need to actually develop this application at this point so that the callback URL can resolve.  Facebook makes it easy for you to develop in whatever language you are comfortable with.  Facebook even provides libraries and such for getting started.  Since I am a PHP guy and Facebook has a highly usable PHP client library, I recommend you go ahead and download that one.  Here is the link:

http://developer.facebook.com/resources.php

Once you have the platform downloaded, create a new file.  In my case, I am naming it index.php.  Include in the facebook.php file into your index.php file and then upload all files (facebook.php, facebookapi_php5_restlib.php and index.php) to your server and you will have the bare minimum to get your URL resolving.  Your code should look something like this:

<?php
require_once (”facebook.php”);
?>

Now, we need to get the base information in so that Facebook knows whose application this is and get some authentication in place.  I like to break my configuration options out into a separate file so I created a file called config.php.  In this config.php file, you need to specify your api key and secret code (that were dictated to you when you first created your application).  To view them, you can simply click on the Developer application and then click on see “My Apps”.  My config file looks like this:

<?php
$apikey = “XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX”;
$secret = “XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX”;
?>

Now, to make use of the Facebook API, you must create an instance of the Facebook class.  Then, you can call the require_login method to obtain the user id of the current user and force them to install your application if they wish to use it.  The following code now takes up my index.php file:

<?php
require_once (”config.php”);
require_once (”facebook.php”);

$facebook = new Facebook ($apikey,$secret);
$user = $facebook->require_login();
?>
<fb:mediaheader uid=”<?=$user?>”></fb:mediaheader>

If you navigate to your application now, it will ask you to install it.  Do so.

Next, we need to actually display something.  Since I am using FBML for this particular application, this part will be easy.  FBML provides a ton of little code widgets you can use to build your application very rapidly.  A full listing of them can be found on Facebook’s developer wiki here:

http://wiki.developers.facebook.com/index.php/FBML

I have decided to put in a “Media Header” which puts a nice little header in at the top, feel free to experiment and put in what you would like.  Now, you simply need to put in whatever code you desire.  In this case, I created a class called rssReader, the code for which you can download here:

Then, with the code downloaded, you can simply instantiate the class and call the showFeed() method to achieve the following results.

Conclusion

The previous article has brought you through how to create a basic Facebook application.  In future articles, I will start detailing some of the cooler Facebook specific functionality starting with how to integrate a Facebook application into a Facebook page.

You’re a Winner!!  I am…are you sure?  Where’s my prize?

How often do you hear that you’ve won a prize?  Not often!  But when you do, it’s pretty exciting.  But wait, what are the hundreds of hoops and hurdles you have to jump threw to get your prize? 

Caution on blog contest scams!

I’ve been developing online contests for years now and this is the first time I’ve come across a Contest Blog.  Probably because I’m not a daily blogger….not yet anyways.  As a company that develops online contests, and known for our successes, it’s surprising to see how many other contests are out there, specifically contest blogs.  With that said, it’s also inevitable that you’ll also come across a large number of Contest Blog scams.  So beware!

This artile “How to avoid getting cheated in a blog contest scam” will better educate you on valid contest blogs and which ones to stay away from:  http://www.contestblogger.com/how-to-avoid-getting-cheated-in-a-blog-contest-scam/.  It definitely helped me.

Well, I keep hearing from everyone that I’m supposed to be creatively writing “something” in the blogs.  Obviously the team doesn’t realize that accounting and creativity don’t usually go very well together.   In fact, it usually means that you’re spending time behind bars.  That being said, going through an audit with three auditors, being in an office with no windows knowing full well that there’s sunshine out there somewhere, and looking at numbers all day, creates a lot of pent up insanity that should start coming out.  What’s appropriate?  Good question.  What insanity should I allow to come out before they’re bringing me a beautiful new white jacket with shiny silver buckles?  Hmmmm.  I guess you’ll have to keep coming back to find out exactly what that’s going to look like.  If you know already, let me know.  I’ll use that thought to run with.  Or you could come back to see if I have survived everything.  That’s always a thought.  Maybe that will be my latest and greatest topic, Survival!!

I love working from home; well, until today.  Just as I logged in to get a head start on emails, there was a big thud.  I ran to the window to see a robin all shaken up, on my deck.  I think it is a daddy robin (no red tummy and not a baby).  Well, after a few moments of holding its mouth wide open, it hobbled over to the tree where its friends hang out.  Does that mean he will be okay?  Did he break his jaw?  Darn window, why did I wash it yesterday?

You know, I have always had an oversensitive place in my heart for animals.  I must confess I could never watch “Lassie” and to this day (don’t tell my kids), I cannot watch Bambi.  The moment I see smoke coming out of the forest, I know something bad is going to happen, and I don’t want to know the rest.  Something about an innocent animal suffering is beyond my coping mechanisms.

Today has been pure agony.  What do I do?  What should I do?  I cannot pretend it didn’t happen.  I swear the birdies are actually crying for their distressed little buddy.  And when I take a break from staring at my laptop, I have to peek through the blinds.  Every time my hopes are dashed; the poor soul has not moved in over 10 hours!   Whom I think is his lover or whatever you call them in the avian kingdom, keeps coming over to him with food and then flies away. Will she eventually leave him?  Is he hurting?  How long will this go on?  I hate this.  I mean really, it is just a bird and I have enough work to keep myself distracted.  But alas, even after pulling the blinds down and smearing mud on the window (so they know it is an impenetrable surface), I have no relief.  Thank goodness we don’t have any cats!

I will be working from the basement tomorrow.

5 months ago, I ordered some chairs from Costco.  I love using Costco for online shopping, as they have selections that they don’t offer in the stores.  I saw these chairs, and fell in love with them, so I proceeded to order them.  I knew it was a 2-3 week delivery window, which I was fine with.  Costco contacted me shortly after the order, and said the manufacturer has delayed their shipping date to May 1st, as they were behind in production.  May 1st came and went, and I followed up with Costco again.  I understand this was not Costco’s fault, as the problem is at the manufacturing end.  Costco has been treating me great and contacted the manufacturers again on my behalf, and was told that delivery wouldn’t happen until July.  Well hooray, I just got notification that they are being delivered on Wednesday.  That’s the good news, the bad news is that they are now being delivered to my OLD employer.  The manufacturer, would not alter my shipping address.  Luckily, I am still on great terms with my old employer, and they have no problem storing the furniture for me until I can pick it up.  I just wish they would deliver them directly to my home, or my new employer Toggle Networks.  Now my next challenge is getting them to fit into my new car, as I just sold my truck, plus,  my family is currently on holidays  right now, so it is up to me to move the furniture into the house.  Timing is everything, and apparently, my timing sucks!  Ha Ha. 

Thanks for reading………

Cheers, Nelle

Planes and I are friends.  I take full advantage of the convenience of flying when I can; however, I’m always wary of the risks associated with flight.  I’m not scared of flying, but my body and mind warn me of the dangers every time the pilot guns it down the runway and the plane rockets off the end of the airstrip gaining altitude faster than I can legally drive.  I classify the whole experience as a really well engineered “Hail Mary” pass.  The pilot’s the QB, I’m the ball and the receiver is a thin strip of rock a few thousand miles away decorated in Christmas lights.

There are really only two things that give me comfort when flying.  Not my seat belt…and definitely not my oxygen mask.   The first is the beer and pretzels served by a friendly flight crew.   But most comforting is a second engine strapped to our heavier than air wings.   I’m sure with a good pilot we could glide down to earth with no engine power and land in a farmer’s field, the middle of the ocean or the oh-so-beautiful Rocky Mountains.  However, if you are thinking what I’m thinking, arriving a little behind schedule on that second engine sounds a whole lot better than putting your head between your legs while the pilot tells you to brace yourself.  I’d sure be thanking the engineer who thought “Two engines are better than one”.   Double the performance, more efficient, cheaper flights and you’ve always got a backup when disaster strikes.

Interesting Thought:  I wonder how often two engined planes lose an engine and the passengers never know it?

Computers are just like planes, except they crash a lot more.  Does your disaster recovery have two engines or one?

So here I am at a Technology company blog … why in the world am I reading about ponds?  Great question!  It’s one that I really don’t have a good answer for, except to say that my wife and I are in the process of re-building our back yard pond, and I have some information to share about our little project … which by the way is not so little … nor have we in any way reached our destination! 

After a lot of grunting and groaning, a couple of beers (actually a few) and a soak or two in the hot tub, we ended up with a very muddy hole about 7 ft in diameter; 2 ft deep, and no particular plan of attack.  We could have just opened the phone book and dialed 1-800-WEFIXPONDS or better yet, called the local landscape yard to deliver enough dirt to fill it in and plant flowers.  But alas … we saw the light … and the challenge … and decided that the “journey” would be worth it.  Besides, our grandkids want to see fish in our back yard again … other than the dead ones we often throw on the barbeque!

So where does the journey to becoming a happy pond owner start?  The Internet of course!   It also helps to visit a pond place or Home Depot if you’ve got some close by.   After a little research and some creative thoughts your pond like ours, may end up with a waterfall, bubbler, stream, bog, fish, filtration and whole bunch of rocks. 

When all is said and done the effort to date has been well worth it.  If you don’t hear from me again, I’m probably stuck in the Bog!