This website is receiving some long overdue attention, but all on the back end and non-visible. I've added some anaylitics code to the theme so that I can better track what is working and what is not. I'm using both Google Analyitics and Piwik (which is an open source project). I'll try to settle on one in the coming months.

Sometimes the simple things can be challenging. Zend Framework has a "plugins" concept, where you can write code that will be executed at certain points in the process of rendering a page. Before rendering, after rendering, etc. This is a great thing as it allows the developer to do many things in a relatively easy manner without placing random blocks of code throughout the application. Logging all requests can be done from a plugin, making sure a user is logged in before viewing a page can be done from a plugin, etc. However, getting plugins to work properly can be a lesson in humility.

I recently picked up a new monitor - a 24 inch widescreen Samsung SyncMaster 2494 HM. So far this is an awesome monitor. But, I have run into an issue with it that I didn't find documented online. So, here's a quick post to hopefully help someone else with a similar issue.

Problem: Occasionally the front control buttons stop working. The power light may start a slow flash (I observed one). The monitor continues to work just fine, but you can't use the controls in any way.

The more I work with Zend Framework and other frameworks (Rails, CakePHP, etc.), the more I come to a realization that there is a hidden cost to using a framework. That's the time it takes to learn the framework, and the amount of work needed to do something relatively simple.

Sure, there are good points about frameworks - code reuse, flexibility, etc. And most times these points outweigh the downsides. Especially on larger applications.

Looking at my blog, I see I have been absent for a while. Which seems odd - it feels like the last post was done just a short while ago. I think I'm seeing the summer days fly by way too fast.

But here is a quick update on what I've been working on:

• Business Coding - I continue to make my living writing code (awesome!!). In this area most of my time is spent on the occasional support request for a long established app, and working on the next major overhaul of that app (which leads into some of the other items on this list).