19 Sep 2011

Blog Move

My blog has now moved to http://www.simonbingham.me.uk/. If you would like to subscribe to my RSS feed you can find it at http://feeds.feedburner.com/SimonBinghamsBlog.

24 Aug 2011

Looping Through An Array Of Objects In ColdFusion 9

Here's some useful code for looping through an array of objects in ColdFusion 9 using CFSCRIPT.

employees: an array of employee objects.
Employee: the current employee object in the loop.

for( Employee in employees )
{
writedump( Employee.getID() );

}

19 Aug 2011

The Best & Worst Time To Send Email Newsletters

The best and worst time to send email newsletters

Source: pure360

19 Aug 2011

Creating a Simple Button in Adobe Photoshop CS4

As a programmer I find that I'm often required to do a bit of design work whilst working on web projects. An example of this scenario would be creating a simple button. I could ask a designer, but they're busy people and it would take them hours to choose a nice font and suitable colour scheme for the button. :)

Anyway, here's a short tutorial for creating a simple button in Photoshop.

Sample button

  1. Open Photoshop.
  2. Select File > New.
  3. Enter a width of 400 pixels and a height of 100 pixels.
  4. Click Ok.
  5. Select View > Show > Grid to show the grid.
  6. Hover over the horizontal ruler at the top of the page, click and drag down to create a guide for the top edge of the button.
  7. Repeat the step to create a guide for the bottom edge of the button.
  8. Hover over the left ruler, click and drag across to create a guide for the left edge of the button.
  9. Repeat the step to create a guide for the right edge of the button.
  10. Select the Rounded Rectangle Tool and draw a rectangle on the canvas using the guides.
  11. With the rectangle layer selected click Add Layer Style and tick Drop Shadow.
  12. With the Add Layer Style dialog still open tick Gradient Overlay.
  13. Click the 'Gradient Overlay' text to show the gradient overlay options.
  14. Double click the Gradient option to open the Gradient Editor.
  15. Double click the bottom left slider and select a dark blue colour.
  16. Double click the bottom right slider and select a light blue colour.
  17. Click Ok to close the Gradient Editor.
  18. Click Ok to close the Layer Style window.
  19. Select the Horizontal Type Tool.
  20. Click the canvas where you would like the button text to appear and enter some text.
  21. With the text layer selected click Add Layer Style and tick Drop Shadow.
  22. Click the 'Drop Shadow' text to show the drop shadow options.
  23. Set the distance to 1 pixel.
  24. Click Ok to close the Layer Style window.
  25. Done! Well almost. Be honest with yourself now - does the button look a bit shit? If so, then it maybe a good idea to ask a designer for assistance...
4 Aug 2011

How Do I Disconnect From Someone On LinkedIn?

I had a bit of trouble figuring this out initially, but this is how you do it:

  1. Login to your LinkedIn account.
  2. Click Contacts (top navigation).
  3. Click Remove Connections (top right).
  4. Select the contacts you wish to remove.
  5. Click Remove Connections.
  6. Done!

15 Feb 2011

The Cone of Uncertainty

25 Jan 2011

The History of Social Networking Infographic

Source: Mashable

12 Jan 2011

SSLANT Communication Protocol

SSLANT is a communication protocol.

When being spoken to:

  • Smile
  • Sit up
  • Listen
  • Ask questions
  • Nod when being spoken to
  • Track with your eyes

29 Nov 2010

'How To Win Friends & Influence People' Book Principles

Fundamental Techniques in Handling People

  • Don't criticize, condemn, or complain.
  • Give honest and sincere appreciation.
  • Arouse in the other person an eager want.

Six Ways to Make People Like You

  • Become genuinely interested in other people.
  • Smile.
  • Remember that a person's name is, to him or her, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
  • Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
  • Talk in the terms of the other person's interest.
  • Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.

Twelve Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking

  • Avoid arguments.
  • Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never tell someone that he or she is wrong.
  • If you're wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
  • Begin in a friendly way.
  • Start with questions to which the other person will answer yes.
  • Let the other person do the talking.
  • Let the other person feel the idea is his/hers.
  • Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view.
  • Sympathize with the other person.
  • Appeal to noble motives.
  • Dramatize your ideas.
  • Throw down a challenge; don't talk negatively when a person is absent; talk only about the positive.

Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment

  • Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
  • Talk about your own mistakes first.
  • Call attention to other people's mistakes indirectly.
  • Ask questions instead of directly giving orders.
  • Let the other person save face.
  • Praise every improvement.
  • Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
  • Encourage them by making their faults seem easy to correct.
  • Make the other person happy about doing what you suggest.

Seven Rules For Making Your Home Life Happier

  • Don't nag.
  • Don't try to make your partner over.
  • Don't criticize.
  • Give honest appreciation.
  • Pay little attentions.
  • Be courteous.
24 Nov 2010

Robin Wight: The Future's Bright, The Future's Social

My favourite talk from this year's Like Minds conference.

Click to see talk

Simon Bingham's Space

I am a web developer living and working in Exeter, Devon (United Kingdom). For more information visit http://www.simonbingham.me.uk/.