PHP-Princess.net

Shelfari has been one of my favorite websites in the past few months. I’m so thankful that my friend Mike invited me. It’s another book social network, but what makes this one different is the amazing user interface. I absolutely love seeing the book covers on an actual shelf. Adding books, reviews, and discussions are quite easy as well. Join the community so we can recommend books to each other. ;)

Here are some IT-related books that I read/want to read:

I enjoy reading books with topics in sci-fi, fantasy, technology, social media, library 2.0, and scrapbooking. Come join me on Shelfari. I’m also on GoodReads and LibraryThing if you prefer those book social networks.

Popularity: 1% [?]

There’s one thing that you need to know about me if you don’t already — I LOVE GADGETS. I’m a total gadget geek and I’m sure a lot of you are as well. I had two friends call me “Mary Poppins” recently because I was pulling all sorts of random gadgets out of my purse. I’ll take it as a compliment since she’s quite a lovely lady. :)

So what can make me more happier than having a new shiny toy to play with? Joining a social network built around a community of shiny gadgets of course! I joined gdgt today and absolutely love the concept and community. The website is run by Ryan Block and Peter Rojas — two amazing gadget gurus, along with with the rest of the gdgt team!

So how does it work? My friend Veronica will tell you how!

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 2% [?]

I recently updated my browser to FireFox 3.5 and discovered a very useful feature. While looking at the source code of my webpage, I noticed that all anchor links were clickable. Clicking on them will let you view the source code of that link. Clicking on image links will display the image. This comes in very handy since I look at the source code of my projects often to make sure scripts are outputting the correct HTML codes.

To view the source code of a page, go to “View -> Page Source.”

Hope you enjoyed this tip of the day. :)

Popularity: 2% [?]

Name: Kindle for iPhone (iTunes Link)
Written By: Amazon.com
Category: Books
Price: Free
Size: 3.9 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.1
Rate: 4.5 Stars

Do you enjoy reading books? Well now you can on your iPhone! If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, download and install the Kindle iPhone app. Once it’s installed, click on the little (i) on the lower right, then click on “Register this device.” Log in with your Amazon account, then click “Register.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 2% [?]

After working with Wordpress Mu, I found that I was unable to embed YouTube videos into a post. Instead, Wordpress MU would strip my content out without any warning. After surfing around, I found the solution here:
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 4% [?]

Name: Cooking Mama (iTunes Link)
Written By: Taito Corporation
Category: Games
Price: $6.99
Size: 8.8 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.0
Rate: 4 Stars

Learning to cook on the go is now even simpler with the “Cooking Mama” iPhone/iPod Touch game! It made it’s first appearance on the Nintendo DS, and then the Wii, capturing audiences of all ages.

“Cooking Mama” is a quirky culinary game where you follow a series of recipes to make a nice meal as the end result. Dishes are prepared by manipulating the utensils with your finger. This includes chopping, flipping, kneading, slicing, dicing, stirring, peeling, and more. Mama rates you on your performance at each step of the way. The better you do each task, the happier Mama gets. However, if you don’t finish the task within a certain amount of time, she gets mad! The better you prepare the dishes, the more recipes you can unlock.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 5% [?]

This is my first look at Google Wave. My account was activated today, and I’m quite thrilled to try it out. I’ll post more as figure out things. For now, this is my first screenshot.

(Bigger Version)

First impression, it looks like an email client, but it’s not. I wanted to change my profile photo, so I clicked on the blank square in the “Contacts” section and it gave me a link to change my photo. This link takes me to my sandbox gmail settings. After more clicking, it takes me to my sandbox Gmail account. It looks like email isn’t integrated into Google Wave interface (yet?) besides having the two accounts linked up.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 17% [?]

I opened my Google Calendar today and saw many entries that I didn’t put in! It turns out that I was subscribed to a “STARDATE” calendar. Ahh, Google Trekkies! Google must have added it since I put “Star Trek” in my calendar.

Read more about Captain’s Log at TechCrunch.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Wordpress is a great tool you can use to build a web portfolio. Since a portfolio may have more “static pages” as opposed to blog posts, you will find yourself using the “add a new page” feature more often. I found some nice Wordpress plugins that may help you organize your portfolio better.

I’m going to assume that you already know how to install and use Wordpress. If not, see this great “New to Wordpress – Where to Start” guide first.

• Breadcrumb NavXT add breadcrumb links at the top of your posts. To use, you need to add in a short snippet of code in your ‘page.php’ template. (Sample – See Home > Portfolio > Photography)
• List Pages Shortcode allows you to use a nice shortcode in a page and display all of its child pages. For example, adding [child-pages sort_column="post_title"] to a page will list all the child pages of the parent page. (Sample)
• Recently Updated Posts displays the last blog posts and pages you updated. It’s pretty handy since static pages need to be updates all the time. (Sample – see recently updated)
• WP Lightbox 2 displays your graphics/photography in a nice lightbox. (Sample)
• Wordpress Database Backup is an easy-to-use on-demand database backup script. Since all your changes are stored in a database and not physical files, being able to back them up periodically is a good idea.

After downloading a plugin, unzip the file, and upload the content into the /wp-content/plugins/ folder of your Wordpress installation. These plugins were pretty easy to install, but please read the README files first.

Wordpress and these plugins should help you get your web portfolio up in no time. Be sure to check Wordpress.org for more plugins.

Popularity: 19% [?]

iPhone game apps are so much fun! I love playing a quick game while standing in line at the store or waiting for my food at a restaurant. I’ve stopped playing with my Nintendo DS ever since I got my iPod touch. Oops.

I really love the lite versions of games because of the “try and buy” factor. Here are a few iPhone games available in the iTunes store for free. Remember, if you enjoy it, consider purchasing the full versions!

Note: Clicking on the links below will take you to the iTunes store.

Puzzle Games

• Rolando Lite – adorable puzzle role-playing game. Lots of levels for a free version.
• Dizzy Bee Free – very adorable and one of my favorites.
• Block Classic – always a classic!
• Flood-It! – turn pixel boxes into one color in under 22 moves.

Match 3 Games

• Chop Sushi Lite – highly recommended. Cute graphics, fun, and challenging match 3 game. Full game is worth every penny.
• ChocChoc Pop Lite – for the chocolate lovers!
• Fruit Juice Tycoon Lite – nice graphics, match fruits to make drinks
• Colordrops – match color or ball number to earn points

Role-Playing Games

• Mini Golf 99 Holes Theme Park Free – try out your golfing skills.
• I Love Katamari Lite – roll around the game, collecting objects into a ball. Full version is on the expensive side.
• Chocolate Shop Frenzy (Free Version) – perform a series of tasks to create and sell chocolate
• Supermarket Mania – perform a series of tasks to keep a supermarket running
• Diner Dash Lite – perform a series of tasks to keep a diner running and its customers happy
• Rhinoball – Bolt’s friend rolls around in a ball, collecting stars. Makes good use of the accelerometer
• de Blob Lite – color a city by splashing paint on buildings and walls
• Tower Bloxx Deluxe 3D – stack apartment floors on top of each other to build the highest building.
• Spore origins LE – a cellular creature that swims around the deep ocean, constantly evolving.
• Diamond Island Free – collect diamonds

Other:

• Topple – stack block on top of one another to pass a specific goal line.
• Pacman Lite – a classic game
• Crazy Penguin Catapult – catapult penguins, saving creatures at each level.
• Gold Miner – mine for gold
• Tap Tap Revenge 2 – similar to guitar hero, but for your fingers
• Tiki Towers Lite – build paths for the monkeys to reach the bananas
• Paper Football – play football with a triangle piece of paper

These are some of my favorite free iPhone game apps. What are yours?

Popularity: 8% [?]

Name: Chop Sushi (iTunes Link)
Written By: THQ Wireless Inc.
Category: Games
Price: $2.99
Size: 9.4 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.0.16
Rate: 4.5 Stars

There are many match-three games in the App Store, but “Chop Sushi” stands out in this genre. This game proves to be a tasty treat! The object of the game is to match at least 3 types of sushi. The more sushi you match, the more turns you get.

The unique part about “Chop Sushi” is the role-playing twist. You venture into the game as the character, Master Chef. His main goal is to serve the freshest sushi and to make everyone happy. Unfortunately, everyone he runs into has a personal demon that needs to be dealt with. As he challenges them to a match-three sushi battle, he also levels up, gains health, adds new weapons, and defeat the customer’s demons.

The game starts out simple with very helpful tutorials. Tapping on a sushi piece or stone will signal the chopsticks to pick it up. Move the piece by swaying the chopsticks up, down, left, or right. Matching pieces will disappear and more will appear in their place. If you match more than four pieces, you will get another turn. You take turns with your opponent and the battle ends when you or your opponent have 0% health. Match wasabi pieces to damage your opponent’s health. When no moves are available on the board, all the stones crack to reveal what’s underneath them.

There are three modes to choose from — Adventure, Quick Battle, and Challenges. In Challenges, you have to match items in a specific number of moves. In Quick Battle, you can select which land and demon to battle with. But the game is mostly centered around the Adventure mode, where Master Chef can wander around, talk to people, and swim to new lands.

As the game progress, you start to earn new recipes that can help you with your battles. New weapons and healing recipes will have you thinking about your next move as well as your opponent’s. This adds another level of gameplay to keep the game fun and challenging.

Sometimes selecting a sushi piece to move is difficult. The pieces are small, so you’ll find yourself picking up the wrong piece. However, you are not penalized and there is no time limit in the game. This is nice because you never feel rushed.

If you would like to try out this game, download “Chop Sushi Lite” (iTunes Link) for free and give it a test drive. You’ll be able to play one level and battle three different opponents. The full version is only $2.99 and is worth every penny!

This article was featured in iProng Magazine.

Popularity: 7% [?]

A few days ago, I tweeted:

daynah: What are your favorite apps on the iPhone/iPod Touch? Name 3-5 and @daynah me. Thanks! :)

I wanted to find out what were your top iPhone/iPod Touch apps. If you don’t count Mail and Safari, my top 5 favorite iPhone/iPod Touch apps are Twitterfon, Brightkite, Dizzy Bee 2, Chop Sushi, and iHeartRadio. Ok, I’m sneaking one more in — Facebook because it makes poking people easy! Ha!

Thank you for all the great responses! I really appreciate it. I was gathering data for the next issue of iProng Magazine. Check out tomorrow’s issue for the top 100 iPhone Apps. Here are the responses I got:

pzomb: @daynah NIN:Access, Tweetie and Tap Tap Revolution 2

cloud79: @daynah Daylite, FlightControl, TapDial, Birdhouse, fourquare, Analytics

ctmagnus: @daynah Tweetie, Facebook, Evernote, Remember The Milk, NightCamera

claycarnill: @daynah tweetie, idracula, Tumblr, google, and scoops.

bilalnaseer: @daynah My 5 Fav. #iPhone #Applications are: ‘Pandora’, ‘USA Today’, ‘Beejive IM’, ‘Kindle’ & ‘Things’. Yours?

NctrnlBst: @daynah twitterfon, shazam, BrightKite, showtimes, remote.

Trakix: @daynah Twitterfon, FlightControl, Facebook, Leaf Trombone, Air Mouse

phraktyl: @daynah Scrabble and Tweetie are the two I use most. I’d use location-based apps, but iPod Touch doesn’t have GSP. :(

mia_sarx: @daynah evernote, chess with friends, to do list, stanza

jobber99: @daynah paid: scrabble, Oregon trail

jobber99: @daynah free: twitterfon, facebook, midomi

jobber99: @daynah jailbroken: cydia, cycorder, winterboard

allanxpress: @daynah twitterfon. cubes lits. tap tap. last.fm. tap defense. knots. enigmo. cube runner. dactyl. ahh so many lol

delta224: @daynah Tweetie, Facebook, Kanji Flip, Safari and Mail. ;D

loumacuser: @daynah linkedin. Twettie. Bloomburg

spamboy: @daynah iPhone apps: TwitterFon, Remember the Milk, RepairPal

core: @daynah: My favorite iPhone apps: #tweetie, #tumblr, #byline, #zenbe, #cambio, #inquisitor

Popularity: 11% [?]

I was at Costco and glanced at their magazine selection. My eyes quickly passed by all the celebrity gossip magazines and when I saw Web Design Volume 4 I quickly jumped for joy. I browsed through a few pages, and knew I definitely had to have it. There’s lots of great tips on web design and awesome step-by-step tutorials. I highly recommend getting this. I’m really enjoying the section that talks about Wordpress and its history. It just brought back so many memories of my early blogging/web designing days. Michel V and b2 were mentioned in this article. Yup, that’s how Wordpress all started. ;)

This bookazine is $29.99, but with a Costco membership, it’s $21.99. Enjoy!

Popularity: 20% [?]

The LA Tech community isn’t just about geeking out. They work hard, but play harder. I had a blast at the The FATHER of All Karaoke Parties event last night! The Roxy on Sunset was closed to the general public and only the Tech Geeks were allowed inside.

What do you get when you bring a lot of geeks to a club? The answer is a lot of craziness and tons of fun! It was a nice relaxing night after a stressful work week. I’m already looking forward to the next event. :)

If you are interested in these kinds of LA Tech events, please let me know and I’ll give you a heads up.

Read more on my personal blog: LA Tech Karaoke Party

Popularity: 7% [?]

I’m so excited to be attending Wordcamp SF for the first time! I’ve been using Wordpress way before it was even Wordpress and the evolution of the software has been amazing to watch all these years.

It was originally written by Michel V and called b2 (then cafelog). I use to help him beta new versions of b2. Michel moved onto new projects and stopped developing b2, and that’s when Matt Mullenweg stepped in. Wordpress has come such a long way. To me it’s like watching a child grow up!

I hope to see you at Wordcamp SF 2009! It’s on Saturday, May 30th. And I will most likely organize a Tweetup the night before, so keep an eye out. :)

WordCamp San Francisco is a conference organized by the creators of WordPress for our users and developers. Everyone from casual users to core developers participate, share ideas, and get to know each other. The event is open to WordPress.com & WordPress.org users alike.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Have you ever heard of “The Fail Whale” and wondered what it was? If you know anything about Twitter, than you definitely know what the Fail Whale is. But for those of you who haven’t, check out What is Fail Whale.info for the full story.

It’s amazing to see Fail Whale’s artist, @yiyinglu’s artwork become an icon in the Web 2.0 world. Check out Yiyinglu in a FailDress for Australian Sunday Life Magazine!

Popularity: 7% [?]

I was really happy to see Natali Del Conte on my tv last night. She was giving advice on computer security and the Conficker Worm. I think she should be on TV more often, what about you? ;)

Popularity: 7% [?]

Keep your favorite geek clean by giving them an iPhone Soap! :) Very cute stuff geeky stuff by twoeggplants.

Popularity: 7% [?]

I was walking around Time Square in New York this weekend and saw “Twitter” scrolling on the led board! How cool is that? :)

Popularity: 8% [?]

Pattie Maes from MIT, talks about a technology that can act as our Sixth Sense.

“It’s a wearable device with a projector that paves the way for profound interaction with our environment. Imagine “Minority Report” and then some.

I loved the technology in “Minority Report” and seeing it come to life in the near future is quite amazing. Watch the video to see what may be in our lives in the near future.

Original Video is from Ted Talks.

Popularity: 9% [?]