im posting this so that i can have it for later use on the topic. apparently this will greatly improve the semantic web of data we have at our hands, and make searching and indexing it faster/better/greater success in delivering good content that a user wants!

anything that we as web developers can do to make our sites more indexable for our client the better!

so, anyway, here is the link to the article itself Google Announces Support for Microformats and RDFa

and as the man behind the internet, himself Tim Berners-Lee stated so eloquently:

"The Semantic Web is not a separate Web but an extension of the current one, in which information is given well-defined meaning, better enabling computers and people to work in cooperation. " - Tim Berners-Lee

credit for this article is due to Timothy O'Brien at O'Reilly and here is a link to Tim's blog (blog.discursive.com)

So I had a problem I had to tackle, and this is one that I've tackled before using various methods, but this one I wanted to tackle a bit differently.

Imagine a text area inside a graphic that would be at the head of a page... kinda like this one (look on the right side, the text inside the white rectangle)

View banner Image here

And then imagine that you want that to appear on this page, but it has to be in the center of the page, it needs to be dynamic (the text on the right side) and you dont feel like making a <DIV> sit on top of the image, with text, and links... how many different ways can this be done, probably 2 or 3. however this time I wanted to harness the power of ColdFusion 8 to do this, this time. Since I know ColdFusion can write text in an image, and I already had the image, why not make the space blank, generate the text and the links from a database call and write those values to variables, then take those variables and write them to the image, and then display the image?

To accomplish this I did the following (First I had created the base Image with no text on the right hand side, just white space. I saved it as a transparent PNG and ColdFusion preserved the transparency!!)

• Read the image into memory imageNew()
• Create strings for each of the text row's
• Create an attribute structure to give size, shape and weight for the font
• Set the drawing color for the color of the text
• Use the imageDrawText() function to write each of the strings to the image at the most correct spot (note that the x/y coords are for the bottom left portion of the text
• Then I simply use the tag to write the image to disk, and the tag to display my newly created dynamic text inside the graphic, exactly where I want.
• I used an image map on the page where you can see it live

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well, my first donation of the year, to an incredible cause, is a fairly efficient, well written coldfusion site that assists a local family with doctor bills to help cure their 4 yr old daughter's recently diagnosed stage 4 neuroblastoma!

yeah, 4 yrs old.

anyway, the site is http://www.brookemulford.com and i think its kinda cool. the guy is a friend of mine, as well as a client, and this tragic situation has just brought the town together in a way i've never seen, as well, as raised money in such short order, that it really proves that good can still be around, when things look bad!

So I've had a lot of clients over the years, but none as long as friend and high school mate Blair Rinnier, and his online company, Net-Properties.com. Starting Net-Properties.com in 1998, Blair and his partner Henry Hanna had an idea that the web would be a great place to broker Net leased properties (NNN Triple Net Lease)... and the fact that they are around today, stands as a testament to the quality of business they give to their clients. Even in these economic times, things are still looking up for the no-longer web start-up but seasoned web company.

Their site is driven by ColdFusion, designed in Photoshop and well, of course the back-end database system for the properties and their clients is SQL server 2000.

Anyway, the cool part of the story is detailed below as relayed to me just the other day...

so i finally converted my last iHTML site to Coldfusion. It's so old that i hardly remember making it and its got some REALLY different graphics and ways of thought. it had these old tags:

and a host of other weirdities... anyway, its cool to see old work :)

Capital City Student Tours http://www.capitalcitytours.com

The guy who runs this is a pal of mine, he was the guy who got railed at Best Buy for using $2 bills... think back, it was an ABSOLUTELY absurd story and so weird that not only was their customer service a PIECE of shit... but they got the FBI involved i think!

Well, the funny part, is that the REASON he uses $2 bills all the time is that he gives the kids each a $2 bill as part of the Washington DC tour, or something like that. Anyway, nice guy, nice company... take a look!

there are people you learn from in life... there are people you meet, and you say to yourself... "self, there is something about that guy" then there are people you meet, who, you can almost sit in a room, and say very little, and understand, a lot.

so this past saturday... i went and saw... my favorite clockmaker...

Leland Hedgecock Smith, of the quaint yet quite full, Barren Creek Clocks, in Mardela Springs, Maryland is one of a kind.

this guy, is the quintessential renaissance man, the man who has bucked time, led a simple life, fostered many, and is the amazing backbone for a group of people you couldnt begin to count. and if ya know him, you might say, wow, if Leland is your sanity... look out :)

anyway, he recently had a VERY incredible story done about him and his clock shop... Maryland Life Magazine did the piece, the main contributor was Edwin Remsberg who did an amazing photo shoot turned in to mini-movie, and truly captured what it is REALLY like, in Leland's shop, Barren Creek Clocks. there truly is nothing like the sound of this place, its alive with movement, and most of it you cannot see.

i really cannot do the video montage any justice, so without further adieu please check it out... and if you are in the market for a hand-crafted wooden gear clock, contact leland at lhsmith57@comcast.net

oh and i just noticed, another coldfusion based website... Maryland Life www.marylandlife.com/index.cfm

so, i did a new design today, a simple start for what will become a nice size site.

anyway, its for my good ole buddy bruce at bennett junk removal, located in fruitland maryland. they do everything from junk hauling, to demolition, residential and commercial clean out jobs. they also have roll off dumpsters and storage containers.

anyway, go check 'em out, and if you are in the delmarva region, give Bennett Junk Removal a call today! 866-936-JUNK

http://www.bennettjunkremoval.com is the address for the site.

Yes. You are reading that title correctly. BayHookers.Com is the newest site to come out of the design studio. It is a Chesapeake Bay Charter fishing company owned by two friends of mine from Salisbury, Maryland. Captain Denny Scott, Jr. and Captain Brian Wagner. Two good ole boys from the area who know the bay even better! Get ready for some good fishing, good fun, and who knows, you may get lucky with a good mate!

So go check out the site. It's still be developed at the moment, but if you are interested in booking a fishing trip, contact the Captains!

The site will of course be driven by a ColdFusion backed scheduling system, POSSIBLY some of my first FLEX work :) and some cool image handling techniques! I'm CERTAINLY looking forward to this one.