Google AJAX Libraries

I came across an old post that had some pretty good arguments for why we should link to Google’s AJAX libraries instead of downloading/uploading a static javascript library with each new project.

For future reference: the list of available libraries and the Developer’s Guide.

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jQuery Image Viewer Plugins

Today, I played with a couple of new (to me) jQuery image viewer plugins: the JQuery Cycle Plugin and  YoxView.  They both show a lot of promise, for very different reasons.

First, the JQuery Cycle Plugin works great as a light-weight (as little as 4Kb) image rotator. It cycles through a set of images defined in your html (defining the images in the html means they’re preloaded and ready to cycle – which means no waiting for the images to load as they cycle).  I have an example of a simple image rotator here: www.protectedlands.net

YoxView is similar to a lot of Lightbox-inspired slideshow plugins. However, in addition to having a nice out-of-the-box style and supporting both Flickr and Picasa albums, it also supports video and allows for keyboard access. (!!)  I don’t have any examples yet, but it looks like there is a YoxView plugin available for WordPress, so I may add that in, soon.

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A shiny new ParkInfo

My organization, GreenInfo Network, has developed and continues to develop an outstanding geospatial database of parks and open spaces throughout California, called the California Protected Areas Database (CPAD). To showcase CPAD, we built a site that allows users to search for parks, trails, and campgrounds around the state. And now finally, after many sleepless nights (mostly for the other half of our web development team – over in the far reaches of Minnesota), we are able to unveil a brand new version of ParkInfo:

ParkInfo was given a well-deserved face lift, complete with a brand new custom base map that allows us to display our (very good and accurate) parks without the interference of other (oftentimes quite inaccurate) parks. The street and boundary data comes from Open Street Map.

The site is still a work in progress at the moment, as we move everything into the cloud and tie up a few loose ends.  But all in all, it’s a great map and a great service for anyone interested in California parks.

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WordPress, huh?

You:  So, WordPress, huh?

Me:  Yeah, I know. I’m about the last to jump on the band wagon.

You:  What gives?

Me:  I guess I never paid it much attention. Because everyone uses it, I assumed it was a very closed, frustratingly simple system that was of no real use to me.  Really just a one-trick pony.

You:  You’re an idiot.

Me:  Yeah, I realize that now. I should’ve been paying more attention. Turns out it’s great. Very open and easy to skin, easy to create new templates and widgets. It’s pretty much what I wanted Plone to be all those years ago.  And I’ll admit, I do love me some PHP.

You:  Does this mean it’s your end-all, be-all answer to building websites?

Me:  No way. I appreciate  it’s simplicity and I definitely see how it could be useful for getting some simple sites up and skinned quickly, but I certainly don’t think it replaces a robust CMS for more complex sites.  I’m just adding another tool to my repertoire.

You:  So, what now?

Me:  Well, I guess next is Django. I’ve been meaning to get into that for a long time now. I just haven’t had time and really, my Python is a little lacking still. Gotta work on that.

You:  No, I meant “what now?” as in: It’ s a beautiful day outside! What are you going to do now that you’ve finished this post?

Me:  What do you mean what am I going to do? It’s Sunday — it’s Wiffle Ball Day!!

[You and Me high-five]

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