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  • ServiceHunter Facebook AppJanuary 26, 2009
    Filed under: Software @ 2:18 am

    I HAD to take a break from writing Form Tools 2 documentation. I HAD to. Really, I was going crazy. But now this is done, guess I’ll return to it… urrrrgh.
    Anyway, as a short break, I thought I’d tinker with Facebook and write a simple application. See here: (you’ll need to be logged into Facebook)

    http://apps.facebook.com/servicehunter/

    Here’s the explanatory blurb from the About page:

    A big thanks to David Jordan for coming up with the idea for this Facebook app. It gave me a good excuse to spent a few evenings learning Facebook about development – something I’ve been meaning to learn for some time… plus it’s a neat app!

    Dave and I being 30-somethings, we’d encountered similar problems: the frustration of trying to locate services for things that are out of our typical range of experience – finding an auto garage, plumber, electrician, people to empty our septic tank, you name it. Finding them in the phone book was easy, but who really knows if they’re trustworthy, reasonably priced or even any good? So, like everyone else, we’d ask friends and family hoping to get a recommendation. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. This script will hopefully encourage folks to pass along recommendations – and warnings! - for services in their area.

    Oh, and feel free to post your own services. Right now, I manually approve all new and updated postings. But depending on how it goes, I’ll probably switch it to being self-managed with a simple “three flags and you’re out!” system. If you have any questions or comments, use the board below. Enjoy!

    Writing this application was really just a means to an end. I began sketching out an ambitious Flash game which I want to release as a Facebook app, but I figured I didn’t actually know ANYTHING about writing for Facebook. So this gave me an excuse to test the waters. They’re not too deep, that’s for sure. Very simple stuff.

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    Filed under: Tech News @ 1:30 pm

    Windows 7 Beta is now free to download for the first 2.5 million users. The New York Times has an interesting article on it here, outlining the various improvements. Worth a read.

    What’s especially interesting is the content they’ve borrowed from Mac. I’m no raving Mac fan, but I do own one, and certain features like the dock – containing icons of all your favourite programs – are finally going to be implemented in Windows 7, replacing the old quick launch section. This is excellent. I use the quick launch section religiously, but I often click on the wrong tiny little icon.

    If I had more time, I’d download and play around with the new OS – if only to test drive IE8 which comes with it.

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    Form Tools 2 Beta Launched!January 1, 2009
    Filed under: Form Tools @ 6:08 pm

    Whoo-hoo!

    It’s just a private Beta right now – only a dozen people. When all the really egregious bugs have been resolved I’ll open it up to a wider audience. Then some more. Then some more. Then the world…

    Exciting day! It’s the culmination of almost TWO BLOODY YEARS of planning and development, so it’s wonderful to see it finally out the door.

    Nice way to start the new year. :-)

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