11 feb

Time for Change!

News
Posted by Phillihp Harmon

I love this blog. I hate that I got so busy I couldn’t even touch it! WordPress & Drupal versions have had security patches and modifications non-stop. Nights doing releases on the most of abnormal times. There seems to be a lull inside of the advancement of technology because everyone is pretty happy with what is being provided, compared to what can be provided. It’s extremely difficult to PUSH technology in the future, between budgets, vision, ideas, funding, and especially building communities. The number one essential piece to moving forward is positioning yourself with people who also want to move technology further. This is my goal. I will not stop.

Consistency
Challenging Yourself
Speak Up
Dream Large, Dream Big, Keep Dreaming!
Take a Risk

I’m sure there are many more. It’s time to do some incredible things! Try, try, try, keep failing, and then really succeed! More than you would ever know.

It’s easy to just say it. But do it! There is so much more to come.

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11 jun

PHP Beautifier v3.1 Enhancements

***, Internet, PHP, Site Related
Posted by Phillihp Harmon

Here are new fixes I did last night. PHP Array Beautifier v3.1

New Fixes (2015.06.11):

  • Escaping Quotes
  • Print in Text format
  • Array Keys can now use ‘a’ to ‘Z’ characters, ‘0’ to ‘9’, and ‘_’, ‘-‘, ‘ ‘, ‘!’, ‘#’, ‘+’, ‘:’
    Thanks for the find Maarlock

php-array-text-formatter

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8 jun

PHP Beautifier Updates!! Long Awaited Changes

***, DIY, News, PHP, Site Related
Posted by Phillihp Harmon

If you visit this blog on a regular basis, it’s likely that you know about the PHP Array and Object Beautifier. Many times while debugging PHP, I’ve been in tough spots, forced to use print_r’s and I simply could not read them. var_dump’s are good when you don’t mind sifting Source Code. var_export’s are handy too. But sometimes you get stuck. Maybe habit slips in. Therefore a print_r is what you got.

I made this utility. It was a simple iterative script that looked for parenthesis and brackets. You can find it here on GitHub. But that wasn’t good enough. Finally I decided to strip it down and make something a little more practical, easier to read, more useful.

Introducing the PHP Array Beautifier v3.

beautified-code

New Features

  • Convert to Object Script – The script will actually read and interpret your data object. Soon, I will expand to classed objects too
  • Clean Print of Data after Object Encoding – Prints out the data from a pre-built array from a print_r() statement
  • Expand and Collapse – Narrow down your results if there is simply too much data
  • Serialized Object – Take your data and re-serialize it for use in your application or for additional testing
  • Route Display – How do I access this leaf array node, just click the ® button

So, enjoy. You can click any of the images to view the tool, or just access it here.

beautified-code-route

beautified-code-serialize

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16 may

Surface Pro 3 on LG 34 Curved 34UC97-S and a Dell UltraSharp U2711 27-inch

News
Posted by Phillihp Harmon

surfacepro-3-monitors
Most everybody in the computer world have this ambiance for the Mac/Apple world. And if you aren’t part of the crew, you aren’t cool. But if you really know computers, you know that: 1) Windows has been a staple for years, you’ll find cheaper prices, lots of options, 2) Mac is the elite, everything costs a pretty penny, and yes by the way, bugs still happen, and 3) Linux has made strides in the desktop OS w/ Ubuntu, but you still can never flee from those pesky driver updates and re-compiles.

At the end of the day, a computer is a computer. The concepts are all the same. And as Windows was scouring the bottom of the ocean and while Mac was reaching for space and the stars. Microsoft realized that users want glossy, fashionable, and trendy. Here comes the Surface Pro 3.

I took the dive on a brand new contract, being thrusted into a Mac happy world, me my SPS3 and my 2x Dell 27inch Ultrasharp’s. Wouldn’t you know, the Mac family also had a fleet of Dell 27inch Ultrasharp’s along side their Mac 27inch Ultra’s. Why? They are 50% cheaper. But lack the lust and gloss.

I’ve been in the Mac world all my life, but always tended towards functionality. But maybe, just maybe, this new dig rubbed off on me a little bit.

On my search for some gloss / lust in the form of a workstation, I came across the 34 inch curved displays early January, 2015. And despite the extra $150, I chose the LG 34 Curved 34UC97-S. Gloss, lust, nice curves, the whole enchilada. And after being on dual 27inch Ultra sharps for so long, it’s almost second nature, how could I not have at least 2560 x 1440??

Today, playing with my monitors, I noticed the lonely Dell UltraSharp U2711 27-inch sitting next to the couch, not plugged in as it’s been replaced by the LG. So I figured, why not hook this into my Surface Pro 3 along side the LG and see if it works?

People… the SP3 has some serious video processing capabilities. In just a minute, I had my LG hooked up to my SP3 docking station and the Dell hooked up to the Mini Display Port on the SP3. Microsoft is identically copying Apple’s success, and it’s pretty nice. Obviously video games don’t work to well. Resolution has to be dropped significantly, but Windows 8.1 does a good job identifying the primary screen. I’d say that the SP3 is a huge success and that they should continue developing this series. It can only get better.
20150516_133901

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31 jan

Goal Zero Yeti 1250 Solar Panel Portable Power

**, Electronics, Home Projects, Solar
Posted by Phillihp Harmon

A couple of years back, I we had a terrible power outage that lasted for days, nearly a week. Food in the fridge went bad, it was so hot we got in the car to stay cool, there was a run on gasoline. Needless to say, I’ve since solved that problem with a Honda EU2000i portable generator with an output of 2000W and a slow sip of about 10 hours to 1 gallon. I also have the 10 gallon sipper tank that is an adapter which basically means, I could run a full 2000W for 5 straight days. I’ve also got 2x 5 gallon tanks, which I can use for refueling, essentially as long as there is gas out there, I would be completely self-sustainable.

Solar has been something that I’ve considered for some time, but lets face it. The cost comparison and power generation simply is not there yet. But it’s getting better. With this Yeti 1250, you can get about half of the Honda’s output, but you do not deal with noise, dangerous fumes, or gasoline. Add a couple solar panels and this is a perfect short term power outage situation or camping / tail-gating. Overall, the price is very close to the Honda EU2000i, but add in the Solar panels and things change. Take a look at the videos.

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28 jan

34inch Ultrawide Curved Competition

**, Electronics, Hardware, Samsung
Posted by Phillihp Harmon

The latest and greatest for the beginning of 2015? Is the Ultrawide Curved monitors that are coming out in a 34 inch 21:9 aspect ratio. Prices are still high, but it’s extremely intriguing. Here are a few of the top competitors right now. And another reason why being a 3rd party makes competition the highlight of the marketplace.

These are all WQHD+(3440×1440)

Samsung Curved 34″ Ultrawide Monitor SE790C – $1229+

LG Curved 34″ Ultrawide Monitor 34UM97 – $1150+

Dell 34″ Curved Ultrawide Monitor U3415W – $1099+

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28 oct

Roku vs Chromecast Quick Analysis

**, Amazon.com, Chrome, Electronics, Entertainment, Google, Home Projects, Internet, Media, Mobility
Posted by Phillihp Harmon

Chromecast vs Roku

Just ordered both of these and wanted to give some very quick feedback before my larger post.

Chromecast is Awesome for Queuing up Youtube playlists and Media playlists. Basically controlling the nice Audio system from your laptop / phone. Movies and TV Show’s are cool too, but limited in apps. Streaming video over a Chrome browser in HD is not ideal, but if you have the App extension, everything works fine. And remember, everything routes over your laptop / tablet / mobile device.

Roku is Awesome for browsing videos: Amazon Prime, Amazon OnDemand, HBO Go, Netflix, Pandora (music), and Plex. BUT all using the remote control, so add one to the stack that you already have. The mobile / desktop remote is only that… a virtual version of the remote. It is a pain to type in movie / tv title’s, let alone your account credentials using up/down/left/right and Ok buttons. But, we all do that anyways with our TV remotes, so not much different. The Plus, you get the Internet easily!

Two very different types of systems. Two different uses. At the end of the day: Chromecast is an extension of your laptop and phone, where Roku is an extension of your media system to the Internet.

I’ll keep them both on my main TV and see how much I use both of them. As of tonight, I am happy with both.

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24 sep

Microsoft Surface 3 Pro Docking Stations

**, Electronics, Hardware, Microsoft
Posted by Phillihp Harmon

3f971d32-27ac-4765-9506-f16958f65ef8

To my surprise the Surface 3 Pro will have an optional docking station. Now this device is becomes even more appealing. And the ever so cringing urge to throw away my lugging useless desktop PC becomes even more urgent.

You can get a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 with an i7, 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD for $1,549.00. Add in a docking station for another $175.00, not to forget your Type Cover for another $130.00.

We are talking about a $1854.00 upgrade and new way of life.

You can hook up this Surface Pro docking station into any Dell Ultrasharp 27inch screens and get the max resolution, but it looks like it’s capped out at 2560×1600 (WQXGA). Not too shabby for a 12 inch device.

Microsoft Surface 3 Pro Docking Station Overview

Not anytime in my future. The 15 inch, 16 GB Ultrabook Samsung Series 9 is still my baby of choice.

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24 sep

Could Dell Introduce Viable Tablets to the Business World?

***, Car Computing, Electronics, Hardware, Microsoft, Mobility, Rants, Windows
Posted by Phillihp Harmon

1028_dell-forbes-cover-11-18-2013_768x993It took eight months for Michael Dell and Silver Lake to take Dell from a Public to Private. The company that started in Dell’s college dorm room closet and competed with the likes of IBM, HP, and Compaq, eventually to become the largest distributor and builders of PC’s. What vision is it that Dell has to make such a drastic move and regain complete control over his company.

I am throwing my money at revolutionizing the enterprise computer landscape. The technology we are integrating into all of our devices these days needs to be slim, light, powerful, and bright. Follow the iPhones, the Androids, Samsung and Apple are in a continuous battle to revolutionize the mobile and tablet landscape. And with the emergence of the Microsoft Surface, we saw the first viable tablet that could fully fall back on a standard enterprise operating system.

Today, computer boxes are being thrown out and replaced with laptops. But they are still bulky, power hog machines created in large quantities to give to companies at a discount. I feel the next trend of slim notebooks and dock-able tablets will be the next wave in the enterprise market and who better to execute this, than Dell.

Imagine that laptop you carry with you for work, place to place, you definitely have a docking station at work, and it’s possible you have one at home too. You can use it on the go in the form of a notebook but are likely still limited in places and areas such as lunch meetings, in the elevator, the car, or while walking. This is where the new tablets come in, just as powerful as today’s notebooks, with the ability to type on a keyboard in notebook form, but in addition, having a single access docking ability for the office or at home.

Those 3 combined work conditions I see can all be met by a tablet very similar to Microsoft Surface, with docking capability. That’s where I will throw my money when betting on Dell’s next move.

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23 sep

Months of Nothing on Phillihp.com

Site Related
Posted by Phillihp Harmon

It’s usually a good sign that I am extremely busy, when you do not see posts out here. Not to say that I do not try and make an effort to post while I am busy, but every now and than things catch up and you just need a break.

Well, I had mine! After again, multiple months of overtime and tight deadlines. I wrapped all my projects up, put a nice tiny bow on them and did an East Asia Tour for a little less than a month.

Here’s a sneak peak:
phil-bungee-small

And now that I am refreshed, just getting back from a 12 hour jet lag, time to catch up on where the tech world sits in the form of blogging.

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