Technical Dogsbody

Once again I have relaunched my site, and I promise (again) that I will start blogging a bit more.

The new site is built using Umbraco 7, which has had a massive overhaul from the earlier versions of Umbraco. The number of extensions that support Umbraco 7 is currently quite limited, but getting better, I know uCommerce now supports Umbraco 7.

This is also the first time the Technical Dogsbody has been responsive (I know, I know, it should have been responsive years ago).

It looks like we are climbing up a mountain in April 2014! 

I will be joining lots and lots of people to climb up Snowdon for the charity Forever Manchester!

Darren is looking for volunteers! Do you want to join us? 

Sign up here - https://snowdon0414.eventbrite.com/

I have been working on a mini project that utilises the twitter api.

It is only in its very early stages, but comment below and let me know what you think! :-)

The home page will eventually have a screenr explaining what it is and what you do but for now it is fairly empty.

So for now here is an explanation.

When you arrive on the home page, you simply enter a search term, some good examples are stopmotion, #epicfail & @mcrconfidential.

As you can see you can search for keywords, hashtags and users.

When you first search you will have to authorize the app, this is now a requirement of all apps / sites using the 1.1 version of the Twitter API.

Don't worry it doesn't post to your wall! :-)

Once in you will get a node tree on desktop and tablet, and a grid view on mobile. 

A couple of my friends are coming camping with us for the first time, and need to know what the basic they need are! So I thought I might as well blog it.

We are going to Wales, GB at the end of March, so the weather might not be the best, so I will take this into consideration, as the British weather can make camping interesting throughout the entire year.

So what are the essentials???

A Tent! Obvious I know, but it is probably worth a mention. Remember that a tent needs to reflect your style of camping. Are you going trekking? Festival? Glamping? Your tent should reflect what you want out of your trip. I have several tents a folding camper.

For this weekend in particular, we are going to a nice easy social weekend, so I am taking the folding camper and lending my friends either an 8 man or 5 man full height tent. 

Mallet and Pegs Usually with the tent, but if in doubt, check. It is usually worth investing in good quality pegs, as the ones that come with a tent can be a bit weak and bend.

Sleeping Bag(s) Make sure they are warm, it is better to be too warm and remove layers, than be too cold! Also pack some cheap fleece blankets too layer up with.

Air Bed or Roll Mats Again depending on the type of trip you’re planning! Roll mats are smaller lighter and quicker, so great for trekking, etc.

For this occasion an air bed will be best, as they provide more comfort and once up won’t be getting packed up until we leave.

Pillows Nothing wrong with a few home comforts, after all you want to enjoy camping not punish your neck!

Cool Box or Cool Bag Exactly what it says on the tin! Keeps your food cool, don’t forget your ice packs.

Stove How you cook the food you have been keeping cool! Again, there are lots of different types, solid fuel, single burned gas, double burner or double burner with grill (just a few, there a many more).

Lantern Light your tent at night, most modern LED lanterns are incredibly efficient on battery consumption. 

Wash Bag, Toiletries, Towels Often something here is forgotten about! So don’t forget your toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and anything else that is part of your daily routine.

Toilet Roll Most camp sites now provide toilet roll, but not always, so always take one with you!

Tableware Plates, bowls, knifes, forks, sporks, etc…

Chairs and tables Again not always needed, depending on the type of camping! For this occasion, they will be essential! :)

Clothes Another obvious one but don’t forget them, and your shoes. Remember your will essentially be in a grass field, stiletto shoes might not be the best idea! As mentioned pack to match the weather and time of year, but always pack a jumper, we are in Britain after all!

First Aid Kit Pretty obvious!

Fire Extinguisher Your in a fabric tent! Do you want to take that risk?

I think that is about it for essentials, just one thing to remember is that if you are going as part of a group some of the items on this list may well be shared between you.

What is nice to have?

Electric Can’t do without your phone or hair straighteners? It may be worth investing in a Mobile Mains Kit, or borrow one if you know someone who isn’t using theirs. Remember that electric often incurs an extra cost.

Barbecue What! It isn’t raining? Quick get the BBQ out!

You get the picture!

That is all I can think of for now, but I am sure I have missed something! Comment below with anything I have missed off the list!

I knew I would forget a few things…

I have been spending a lot of time recently pondering NoSQL databases and why and how I would use them. 

It took me a while to get my head round them, but I am now starting to see the benefits of them, especially when using following the Rapid Application Development (RAD) methodology. The advantage is that very little time needs to be spent on designing the database structure, but there are certain considerations when working with your classes and objects in your code.

For example with MongoDB child objects are stored as part of the parent in the DB, which is fine if that relationship is exclusive, but if the child was available to several parents then you need use the MongoDBRef class.

Once I started to understand the intricacies of my chosen flavour of NoSQL, which is generally MongoDB using MongoLab, which is a free hosted MongoDB platform for up to 500Mb, actually making this chose took quite some time and research as there are several flavours of NoSQL. Which is right for you will depend entirely on what you are comfortable with and the project.

db4o provides an excellent option for very quick apps, as it can be embedded, and is very fast to work with. The other NoSQL DB I looked at was RavenDB which again is excellent, but not free for commercial applications. 

**WARNING** This is a prototype, it is VERY slow! I will rework the functionality if I get any positive feedback.

So please go on, have a click round, use the search box, and let me know what you think. Just don't let the speed put you off! That will get better, but is a big job to setup in a different way. 

Todd Mauldin, blues philosopher

**PRICE DROPPED**

Nice example of a Seat Cordoba, just over 74k on the clock. Taxed and MOTed until Sept 2012.

Runs well, it had a new clutch fitted at about 72k. Starts first time every time.

Tow bar fitted about 12 months ago. Fitted with colour coded silver reversing sensors. JVC CD Player.

Good condition, a few minor scratches, which are to be expected for its age. Excellent first car (cheap insurance), and has served me well as a family car for 3 years.

Reluctantly selling due to upgrade to a people carrier.

Very reliable, but the battery needs replacing (£15-20), hence the price.