lang.cachebuster.php into /system/language/englishWhen you visit the Settings page for the Cachebuster extension, you will see five fields:
Every time you make a change to a CSS or JavaScript file and upload it to the live website, you can now login to the Cachebuster extension settings and increment the version counter. Any files flagged for inclusion will have that number appended to their filename:
<link rel=“stylesheet” type=“text/css” ngentmemekent=”/css/layout.css »
?v=42”>
There are a few obvious drawbacks to this version 1.0 of the extension. The most obvious one is the need for a hack to the core EE files - hopefully EE2.0 will introduce new hooks we can use without the need to hack.
The extension also appends the version number to every file (or at least those listed in the settings); this means that even if you have only edited one file, incrementing the version number will force visitors to download every file as if it were new. Of course, for true speed tweaks you should be concatenating your stylesheets and script files, so you should only have one or two external files at most.
If you have any suggestions for how to improve Cachebuster, please either comment below or on the GitHub for Cachebuster.
What is GitHub? GitHub is a web application that uses the version control software Git to allow its members to manage their code online. I am hosting the files for this article there so that any bugfixes or improvements I make can be found in one central location.
If you’ve ever opened up a book on screenwriting, one of the cardinal rules drummed into writers is: “Show, don’t tell.” Film is a visual medium — if you want to convey some information, it is far better to communicate that information visually than have a character spell out what you want the audience to know. (A truism exploited by Mike Myers in the Austin Powers films, where all story exposition is delivered — with a straight face — by a character aptly named Basil Exposition.)
Phyllis is afraid of dogs? Then write a scene where she has to deal with an overly friendly mutt — but definitely don’t have her mention to someone else: “Hey, you know what? I’m really frightened of dogs.” It sounds forced; unnecessary verbiage that could have been avoided through better writing.
Hitchcock was a master of visual storytelling, and there is no better example of this “show don’t tell” philosophy than the introductory shot of James Stewart in the classic Rear Window.
If you’re heading to Austin, Texas in March for geek spring break (otherwise known as the South By South West interactive festival) you’re probably counting down the days already. What? You’d love to have something to help scratch that itch? Well, say no more - I have just the thing!
Creating an OS X dashboard widget is simplicity itself. First, find some helpful instructions written by someone who know what they are doing. Next, open Dashcode and find that one of the pre-existing widgets is a countdown widget, meaning all you have to do is re-arrange the canvas elements and make some new graphics. Photoshop. Export. Rinse and repeat until satisfied with the result.
If you’re not using Mac OS X, why are you still reading? There’s nothing for you here.
Mac users - download the archive below, unzip it, and double-click the SXSWCountdown.wdgt file to install it on your Dashboard. Position it front-and-centre, and check back regularly to watch the days tick down!
This time last year (and with a little help from All Consuming) I looked back at the books I had read over the past twelve months. 2007’s haul was an impressive forty-four books; in 2008, however, I overdosed on door-stop fantasy novels bringing the total down to a less respectable twenty-six.
Unlike last year, I did not re-visit any old favourites this time. I also read very few non-fiction books (at least compared to last time around). Here’s the full list.
I’m still trying to fill the gaping classic literature-shaped holes in my reading record. The year started off well, with some Kingsley Amis and Mary Shelley, but then somehow took a left-turn into modern lit before becoming bogged down in turgid epic fantasy.
Not very many graphic novels this year, but Watchmen is definitely on my reading list this year before the film comes out in March.
I’m a huge fan of quasi-historical fantasy author Guy Gavriel Kay, and discussions of the “you might also like” variety on the official GGK forums almost always turned up George RR Martin as a recommendation, so I finally took the plunge and dived into his epic “A Song Of Ice And Fire” series. And very good it is too.