Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Pagination with Spring MVC, Spring Data and Java Config

Spring 3.1 has a lot of features for limiting the boiler-plate code you have to write for common functionality.  One great example is pagination.  Getting paged data from a database and presenting it to the user is one of those tasks that everyone seems to reinvent even though it's common functionality that is never specific to your business.  Spring Data provides some facilities to add pagination to your application with a minimal amount of code.  The documentation on this is pretty good and it includes some steps on how to set up both in the data tier and the web tier.  Unfortunately, the documentation is unclear in a few places (see below) and doesn't explain at all how to use a Java Config.  This post tries to fill those gaps.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

I wrote A Facebook To GMail Syncing App

I wrote an app that syncs your Facebook Friends and GMail Contacts!  Actually, I rewrote an app that syncs your Facebook Friends and GMail Contacts.  The first version had some flaws.  But this version is new and improved.  Let me count the ways:

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

In which I accuse New Wave rockers "The Romantics" of defiling Rick James' Grave


Update: The below is officially facts because it is cited in Wikipedia.

In the low stakes world of accusing 80s rock bands of ripping off Rick James, few have the gumption to publicly post their assertions on the Internet.  What with the rabid fanaticism of "The Romantics" die-hards and the Internet's strict requirements for rock solid proof, no one is willing to touch this red hot topic with a serial mouse.  But people of the Internet, live in fear no more - for I shall lead you out of the dark as I raise my keyboard and shout for all to hear that The Romantics totally ripped off "Super Freak" in their modest 1983 hit "Talking in your sleep".

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

I find interesting things interesting


I'm fascinated by design in general and web design in particular.  The domain of Design always seemed complex and inaccessible to me even though as a professional programmer I do a particular kind of design on a regular basis.  Capital "D" Design has seemed to me like a far away land with it's own language, culture and secret societies that were all unapproachable to the lay person.  However, as I started to read and learn more about the process of Design it seems in many ways to be just like programming (a wild land I am nevertheless at home in).

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Killing a Joke: Cannibal Joe's


I have no idea how professional comedy writers work, but for some reason I'm convinced that one of their favorite things to do is come up with a simple set up and then write 200 punchlines for it.  This isn't based on any facts or empirical research, other than sometimes in sitcoms you'll see a set up that every character in the room gets to riff on.  Also, it's something I like to do.  I think it's a fun mind exercise to see how many punchlines I can come up, especially when I'm bored.  Here's an example from a recent Facebook post that none of my friends seemed to care about. I like the last one the best.  Post your own slogans below!




Tuesday, April 3, 2012

I convinced 100s of people to give me their GMail passwords


Honestly, it wasn't intentional.  My goal was just to sync my Facebook Friends with my GMail Contacts.  I tried searching for an app that could do it, but I couldn't find one and so I figured this might be a good opportunity to learn a little about developing with Facebook & Google.  My only intention was to scratch an itch that had been bothering me for a little while, but then it got popular.

Friday, February 24, 2012

A Letter to Ari's kids about Ametropes

This letter was requested by my friend Ari in response to my previous letter.

Dear Jacob & Abby,

There are some things in this world that can be seen.  There are also some things that cannot be seen.  Unfortunately for you, your parents' compromised gene pools have likely condemned you to a life of stumbling around grasping for the latter.  But despair not!  There is a solution.  In 1784 God bestowed upon Man the means with which to focus the unseen and render it knowable.  He called them Glasses and were it not for them you may never have been born in the first place.  Glasses will undoubtedly become a fixture in your life just as they were the fixture that made your life.  You need to know and love glasses.  Fear and respect glasses.  Or at a bare minimum, don't pull them off your father's God damn face.  The man needs to see and you need to live.  You can accomplish those two goals by the simple act of not impairing your father's sight.  Also, don't stab him with them once you've got them.  That's just cruel.  Plus he can't find you to stop you so he's got to yell until Mommy comes.  And she's got better things to do than defend her husband from a toddler.  So be a sport and leave the damn glasses alone.

Love,
Uncle Doug