Blog
Debugging SimpleXML Objects with PHP
SimpleXML is pretty much the de facto standard for dealing with XML in PHP. The biggest problem with SimpleXML is that it is a pseudo-object that you can't print_r() or var_dump() to see what's going on. I recently ran into [...]
Self-employed cabin fever
I was somewhat skeptical that it would happen to me, be after over a year of working for myself and by myself, it finally started to take it's toll. I had an office so that I would have a place [...]
Parsing SOAP responses with PHP's SimpleXML
We recently discussed parsing XML with SimpleXML and since that writing I ran into a situation where I needed to parse a SOAP response. As it turns out, SOAP responses are a totally different beast when it comes to parsing [...]
Quitting a job you just started
It's happened to everyone, you just started a brand new job, probably even left a decent job for it, only to realize that the new job sucks and you absolutely hate it. It happened to me recently, I was starting [...]
How to calculate Independence Day observances with PHP
On this 238th anniversary of the United States of America, I felt it appropriate to post an article on how to determine what day the July 4th National Holiday is observed on. There are two rules to the observances. First [...]
The importance of a staging environment
Full disclosure, I don't actually have a staging server for my personal projects. I develop locally in a very similar environment as my production server and any time I have to do something major, like upgrading the OS or upgrading [...]
How to parse XML with PHP's SimpleXML
Parsing XML in PHP couldn't be easier thanks to the SimpleXML extension. SimpleXML allows you to read in an XML string, verify that it is in fact XML and can create an object that you can interact with by way [...]
$10 Showdown: Linode vs. DigitalOcean
Every time I think that I'm done with this topic for a while, someone (usually Linode) drops something new on us. The latest from Linode is the addition of a 10$ a month plan which nearly puts it in line [...]
Checking your IMAP email using PHP
I have an upcoming freelance project coming up that includes checking an IMAP email account as well as working with XML in PHP. Let's talk about connecting to an IMAP account in PHP, don't worry, I'll discuss parsing XML next [...]
Android Pros and Cons after 2 years with an iPhone
I recently discussed migrating to cross-platform apps in an attempt to break away from the Apple Ecosystem which was a precursor to me swapping my iPhone 4S for a Nexus 5. Now it's time to talk about the pros and [...]