This post is just notes to myself(to be continuously updated)

PHP:

print_r()
$pizzaToppings = array('onion', 'tomato', 'cheese');
or withassociative array $fruits = array('red' => 'apple', 'yellow' => 'banana'); (same as cocoa dictionary)
=== checks with data type also
explode()
sizeof()
with an associative array, the array_keys() and array_values() list of all the keys and values
foreach()
isset()
include() and require()
or die()
file() file_put_contents()
file_get_contents()
func_get_args()
global
public function __construct() {}
public/private
access object properties.. $obj->author

Apple, Analysts and Experts

I like to have a good old moan about Apple analysts because I often find them to be way off the mark (they are getting better admittedly).
It would often seem like very little research is done, but this is what people pay them for. No?
If I had no clue about Apple, and I was interested in investing, I would presume the analyst I entrusted my money with had done his homework. Surely?

I expect someone to have particular flair in his/her work in order to qualify as being called an 'expert' (which is a title I'm presuming these analysts would like to be known as). But what is an expert?
Because I do not consider myself as an expert in anything, I expect an expert in a subject to be someone who is at least as good at his job than myself. 
An expert to me traditionally conjured up notions of infallibility, but I have kind of learnt over the years that there are very few people who live up to the title of being an 'expert' in their chosen profession, and as I learn about each subject, I often find, the people I once revered as experts are often just common garden blaggers hidden behind cloaks of pretense.

I freely admit I know little when it comes to the finer details and number crunching essential in the wider profession of business analyst, but with Apple I think this is your average analysts downfall.
You see I feel that analysts (in general) are oblivious to the larger picture, and in particular they lack the understanding that Apple is not an ordinary company, that fits the 'standard model' they think every company should behave like.

The moral is, to be cautious, especially of those who call themselves experts!

Poor old Fish

An interesting story which doubles as a great example of how easy it is to be manipulated by the media.
I thought Michael Fish's legendary weather forecast screw up actually happened until today...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?xml=/portal/2007/10/11/nosplit/ftweather111.xml

AAPL in 10% Drop Shocker!

Apple shares took a violent turn for the worst today by dropping from $171 to $153 within minutes.
With such rosy prospects ahead for the next few months I couldn't' understand what else would have caused such a dip. For a brief moment I feared the worse... Steve Jobs... was DEAD!!
Thankfully the old 'turtleneck' is alive and kicking.
It seems (although hard to entirely pin down) the cause was due to the big boys manipulating the market, coupled with nervous investors worldwide.

I thought 'Pump and Dump' was illegal, but it seems to be alive and kicking, as two posters on Yahoo Financial forum today summed up...

"this kind of manipulation BS should be prosecuted"
To the reply of: "it happens all the time, its part of the game!"

Shares are currently trading After Hours for $160.80, and I would say this is another opportunity to advise on investing...
Buy today, and if you are looking for a short term gain the 23rd of October might be worth keeping an eye on, which is the day after Apples fourth quarter financial results (which will beat expectations by quite a margin).
Then we have Leopard being announced shortly after, the results of which are harder to predict, but to be on the safe side I would sell the day before and capitalize on the hype.
Otherwise, just hang in there and enjoy the ride...

:)

Web Tech Moans (xhtml) Part 1

Oh the joys of programming for the web! It's been a few years now since I properly got stuck into web tech. But I need a new website, there are 'new' buzzwords flying around and I feel out of touch...
I have recently been lucky enough to expand my mind with the joys of writing in the highly evolved world of Objective C and Cocoa.  Everything you can think of has been thought of, and structured in the most pleasant and logical fashion.
Which contrasts completely with my memory of the ever changing and conflicting soup of 'standards' that power the web.

OK, first buzzword to tackle is 'xhtml', something I have been made to feel..
1)  "I absolutely have to know"
2) "makes pages display properly" 
3) "makes pages render super fast"
4) "cure for AIDS, and my entrance to the cool gang"

I'm halfway through the tutorial, and I cant help thinking I have been here before... I continue until the end regardless,  sit back and think "what a crock of shit!". 
There is almost no difference between html and xhtml, (unless of-coarse you had some VERY bad programming habits) and I fail to see how it warrants all the surrounding hoohaa.

No significant speed difference will be achieved except for a few less cycles of the CPU which is neither here nor there in the modern world. And all other supposed benefits are dubious at best.

On further investigation, I find it's still the looneys at W3C pulling the strings. These guys are on crack (allegedly) and IMO have had an equal part to play in the fractured world of the web as MSFT.

Explained better here...
http://www.webdevout.net/articles/beware-of-xhtml

I will continue to use xhtml as I unknowingly always have done...

Right, next up is the fabled "Web 2.0" buzzword, forgive me for being a sceptic, but it's exuding something its blatantly not already, and I know little about it. Maybe a complete replacement for the HTTP protocol??!!

Passwords and the Internet

Over the years my password collection has become quite a muddle. So many websites, so many new accounts to open, and each needs a password.
Anyhow, after years of mucking about, I have come to the conclusion that a 3 password strategy is a good compromise.

1) a password for your email accounts.
2) a password for 'trusted' websites.
3) a password for everything else.

I dont have time to elaborate on why I have come to this conclusion, but will do in the course of time...

Apple 'nearly' as big as Microsoft???!

About 10 years ago my prediction that Apple would one day be as big as Microsoft was met with laughter. And back then it certainly looked a daunting task.
But armed with foresight, a great strategy, and some of the best (the best) software programers in the world, the goal is looming ever closer...
For the last 7 years Apple have doubled their worth year on year, and are now on the home strait. 
AAPL finished today with Mkt Cap of 146B, and MSFT 280B. That puts Apple slighly over halfway in their market value.
If Apple keeps it up (and there is no sign of the juggernaught slowing) in just over 1 year innovation will have taken its rightful place in what has been an epic battle of the nerd world.

And a few people will owe me a tenner!

Nice tutorials

I will be edditing this every now and then with tutorials I have found handy....

htaccess = http://www.javascriptkit.com/howto/htaccess.shtml
robots.txt = http://www.javascriptkit.com/howto/robots.shtml
Regular Expressions = http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/services/helpsheets/unix/regex.html
XML = http://www.tizag.com/xmlTutorial/index.php
cross domain policy files = http://www.moock.org/asdg/technotes/crossDomainPolicyFiles/
Mysql + Flash Remoting = http://blog.aboutme.be/2007/09/30/flash-remoting-with-swx-and-cakephp/
xhtml = http://www.w3schools.com/xhtml
validate xhtml = http://validator.w3.org/check/referer
fbml = http://wiki.developers.facebook.com/index.php/FBML