Blog
Convert Errors to Exceptions in PHP
I was having a conversation with a buddy of mine the other day and we got on the topic of PHP not having a very standardized error system. Now that he's working with Python the mix of errors and exceptions [...]
Why I always wear a helmet
When I first starting biking as my primary mode of transportation to my office I felt like I was wearing a helmet mainly because I hadn't rode a bike in something like 15 years. It's true what they say, you [...]
Speed up PHP with APC
The Alternative PHP Cache (APC) is a PECL package that provides an opcode cache for PHP. Rasmus Lerdorf is the lead of the project along with a handful of other developers. What is an opcode cache? Before I can answer [...]
How to Build a Leaderboard with PHP and Redis
One of biggest draws to Redis for me is the fact that it has more data structure types than just key / value. These additional data structures allow you to do some amazing things while still benefitting from being in-memory [...]
Getting a User's IP Address in PHP
Getting the IP address of a user seems like a pretty trivial task but you can't always rely on $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR']. The super global value is the most reliable source because it is extracted directly from the TCP stack but if [...]
Recruiters need to learn to listen
If you've ever seen my LinkedIn profile you know that I don't take my professional life all too seriously and that I also have an underlying disdain for recruiters. Have I been through a recruiting company before to get a [...]
PHP Redis Clients
In a previous post I've talked about installing phpredis a PHP Extension for Redis that has to be compiled from source. But what if you're hosting scenario doesn't allow you to compile extensions? Well you're in luck, in addition to [...]
How to Install Wordpress on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS
Let's be honest, sometimes we don't necessarily want to start a site from scratch, especially a blog. There's so many blogging platforms out there, why reinvent the wheel? Arguably the most well known, Wordpress, is very easy to install on [...]
How to Install the SQLite Module on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS
SQLite is a self-contained, serverless, zero-configuration, transactional SQL database engine. The SQLite website also boasts that it is the most widely deployed SQL database engine in the world. As I've previously discussed, SQLite has the advantage over MySQL as it [...]
Moving out of the cloud
It's been nearly 4 years since I made the switch from a dedicated server to the cloud. It was August 15th, 2009 and I was tired of how much I was paying for a dedicated server, even considering that I [...]