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Don't believe the hype!

Welcome to my site!

As you can probably tell, this is a site about me. It's also about the things I enjoy doing, lots of helpful code samples, and a few articles to help fellow web developers. For those that aren't familiar with me, I specialize in things like web application development using ColdFusion, SQL, JavaScript, XHTML, CSS, and many more fun, web-related things (to me at least). I also have an avid interest in things like content management, software development methodologies, accessibility, usability, and search engine optimization. In case anyone was wondering, I am currently available for hire.

April 26, 2008

Yeah, it's been a long time since I've posted an update. Let's just say I've been super busy putting up websites for everyone else.

I couldn't resist posting what I just found, even though it's not something to do with a site I've launched recently or otherwise.

Often when I'm surfing the web, I find examples of idiocy with regard to web development. This particular gem is no exception. Take a peek at the following code snippet and see if you can tell me what's wrong with it:

document.write('\n            <NOSCRIPT>\n            <A TARGET=\"_blank\" HREF=\"http://ad.doubleclick.net/...">\n            <IMG SRC=\"http://m1.2mdn.net/1805730/PID_577598_8036_vibe_300.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" BORDER=\"0\" alt=\"Click Here!\">\n            </A>\n            </NOSCRIPT>\n            ');

Please quit doing web development if you can't spot the problem right away.

In other news, we've launched a site for a gorgeous resort condo in northern Baja California, Mexico at the El Dorado Ranch near San Felipe. We launched a site dedicated to the fight against Lupus through education, awareness, and fund raising and its sister site showcasing their signature event, Serving Up Style. We launched a completely redesigned web presence for long-time client, American Industrial Center. We've launched a completely new look and online registration system for Foundations for Tomorrow.

September 8, 2005

We just launched a "rescue" project for Foundations For Tomorrow, Inc., a non-profit organization that puts on personal growth workshops in several locations in North America. In the process of rescuing them from static hosting and the death-grip of a "webmaster", we converted their design from tables to a layout using CSS and semantic markup. Print letterhead was incorporated as well as numerous content editing tools available in a web-based administration.

June 22, 2005

A new in-house project gave me an opportunity to rethink how we do forms. I did some research into CSS-only, table-less forms and wasn't really impressed with what I found. So, I decided to see if I could come up with something better. Take a look at my attempt at a CSS-only, table-less form. I'm open to comments, criticism, suggestions, questions, etc.

May 1, 2005

Launched a site for a client, Secure Network Solutions, that specializes in HIPAA compliance as it relates to technology, content filtering, and offsite backup solutions. As with all of our projects, they're using our custom content management software to manage nearly every aspect of their site. If you're in the Pacific NW and have a need for these types of services, they definitely should be on your list of professionals to call.

March 18, 2005

Ever have one of those days where you know what's going to happen before it happens? Well, that's how last night went for me. I got a reminder in my inbox about the CFUG meeting at 6pm on the topic of blogging. I wasn't particularly interested in it for the topic (I find most blogging to be excruciatingly boring), but was interested in going for the networking, keeping my name in the community, and possibly winning a license for Alagad's Image Component that was being given away. I don't know how I knew, but I knew that if I wasn't there, I wouldn't win it (obviously) and that if I was there, I would be the winner.

I was about 20 minutes late walking in the door. I'd missed the first part of Simeon Bateman's presentation and he was well into the statistics derived from a survey of 30,000 bloggers. After Damon Gentry did a short presentation on a blog app he wrote using Fusebox 4.1, it was time for the drawing. When Simeon mentioned the drawing, the feeling that I'd be the winner was even stronger. When I'd come in, I was asked to put my name on a sign-up sheet. I didn't remember exactly what number I was, but knew it was 9, 10, or 11. Simeon had put small pieces of paper with numbers on them into a cup and asked Damon to draw a number. Before he reached in to pull out a number, I knew he'd draw the number 10. Out comes the piece of paper and he reads, "10". I thought to myself, "Hey, I'm number 10." Of course, Simeon actually reading my name off as the winner was somewhat anticlimactic as I already knew it was going to happen. Nevertheless, I'm quite happy to have won a license for this software as it's something I've been meaning to check into more thoroughly and possibly implement into my development platform. One of the coolest things, to me, is that it is very easy to Captcha with this component, or so I was told. I guess I get to try it without risk or expense now. Thanks again Alagad and PDXCFUG.

July 14, 2004

My prefered certification testing site, Brainbench.com, was running a "take as many of our tests as you want for free" special, so I decided it was time to test my knowledge and expertise against their bank of ColdFusion MX questions, a test I have yet to take since it was released. I figured I'd do pretty well since I have historically done very well on their older ColdFusion 4.5 test. However, I didn't expect to do quite as well as I did. When the test was complete I received a score of 4.77 out of 5. I felt pretty good about just the score. I felt even better when I checked to see how I compared against everyone else that had taken the test so far. It turns out that I am tied with 2 other individuals for the second best test score in the world on this test. I'm a paltry 0.05 from the highest score, shared by two other individuals. Needless to say, I'm overwhelmed by my accomplishment.

May 7, 2004

I've been entirely too quiet the past six-plus months. That usually means I'm probably buried with work, up to no good, or a combination of both. Well, I'm pleased to announce that a project that's kept my freelance hours filled with work has finally reached a new level. This project is a web-based mafia, role-playing game. What it lacks in fancy graphics, 3-d rendering, sound, etc., it more than makes up for with features. Check it out for yourself — MafiaLife.com.

October 9, 2003

I can't believe it's been 3 months since I've had anything new to say here. Anyway, I'm proud to say that a client I did a very complex e-commerce project for was recently awarded SBA's Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the state, regional, and national levels. I like to think that since the bulk of his business is done online that I had a very small part in helping him become what he is today. Here are some links for further reading.

July 17, 2003

Some of you have no doubt seen the article on Wired.com where I was interviewed about my opinions of Mozilla's future now that AOL has given them the old "heave-ho". If not, I encourage you to go take a look. I don't have anything profound to say about it, but I think I made some good points that most Mozilla zealots are too quick to dismiss (forget?).

JeffHowden.com