The one thing that has kept all of this in line for me for so many years has been Microsoft’s Windows Live Mesh. I’ve known about others for many years, but none of them could offer remote desktop solutions as well as file sync without having to add additional software.

That was all well and good, until I got my Google Cr-48 Chrome OS Netbook. Microsoft allows you to connect to other computers through your local internet browser, but the feature is not supported for Chrome. This only poses a small problem, but it also removes a requirement of the service. If I can’t remote into a computer from Chrome on the Cr-48, then Mesh is no longer the only option for me.

The other issue I found (on any computer) was that to edit the files I had to do so locally – either they had to be on the computer via a share already, or I had to download them from Microsoft’s Skydrive. This was not a problem on a desktop computer – I would just open up Notepad. On the Cr-48, though, I can only view certain files natively within the Chrome browser…not edit them.

To edit the files, I’ve chosen to use Kodingen.com, for reasons that I will go in to with another blog post. However, keeping the files sync’d to a completely separate server on the internet would require one additional thing from my file synchronization software: an API.

Windows Live had an API called Live Framework, but that was pulled in September 2009. I have yet to find out if that service is still available, and if it offers API access to your Mesh/Skydrive shares. In the meantime, I’ve turned my attention to DropBox.com.

DropBox has API access, as well as real-time file synchronization, and is multi-platform. It doesn’t offer the remote desktop connection ability, but that’s unavailable in Google Chrome anyway. It also doesn’t have the ability to create shares out of folders – you have to create a folder to share, but it must reside in the primary Drobox folder. This creates a dilemma when the files you want to sync are in a specific location and already in production. (You can find a full comparison of DropBox to Live Mesh here.)

So right now, I have created a DropBox share on my Work PC. This sends files up to DropBox.com. I’ve also pulled down my development codes from Mesh and created a Mesh Store inside the DropBox folder. Now, I have my files sync’d from the Server to Mesh to my Work-PC to DropBox. The next step is to learn how to implement the API so that I can pass this information off to the Kodingen.com guys. I have yet to dive into the API, but my hope is that I can selectively sync folders from it, and in doing so, keep my intranet site sync’d with the Kodingen cloud for editing the files.

I will have more on the DropBox API stuff in a later post. For now, though, no matter which service you use for keeping your files in the cloud, you have to make sure you can manipulate them there as well.

Technorati Tags: api, chrome os, cr-48, dropbox, dropbox api, file sync, file synchronization, google chrome, google chrome os, html5 editor, kodingen.com, live framework, live mesh, netbook

That’s right – it’s time for Quakecon 2009.

I’ve added a  Google Latitude App to the right sidebar of my blog to show where I am in the whole ordeal – but don’t be fooled, I will have remote access to both locations, from both locations – so no funny business.

Granted this idea works better for people that have to make a longer trek than my 35 mile drive – but it’s still cool none the less.

To get your own badge check out the Google Latitude badge page.

Technorati Tags: api, badge, google, gps, latitude, quakecon

My webhost says it is creating a lot of “sleeper” processes on the database server, and using up a lot of the processor resources. My account was even suspended until I fixed it.

SO – I am going to be rewriting the whole thing, pretty much from scratch now, and it will only be loosely based on Dan’s version…

Currently, the code will run through the database of posts, and find those that have shortened URLs stored for them, run a twitter search, and return/parse/store/display the resulting tweetbacks. And it does this every 5 minutes.

However, that sucks up a lot of processing power to do that, especially if you have a big blog, popular blog, or both. The Answer: A Rewrite. This one is going to run a single Twitter search for every shortened url in the database, return ALL the results once, and parse them out, store them in the database, and associate them to their respective parent posts.

So, there’s the update for why this hasn’t been released yet.

I’m also working on trying to get the retro-active TweetThis buttons working on old posts – but something isn’t working right – either it’s the original code that isn’t comparing what’s in the database to the conditional statement correctly (if this.url = “”, then make new ones), or something. It’s going to take some more testing on my own test database, since my webhost is getting antsy with all the processes I’m using.

I’ll keep everyone updated as it moves along. Thanks.

Technorati Tags: api, code, database, MySQL, Ping.fm, plugin, Programming, tweetback, tweetbacks, TweetSuite, webhost, WordPress

You don’t have to worry about spam or anything – I don’t like it either.

In other news, I’m also working on a tutorial entry that describes how to get data from a Google Docs Spreadsheet. Normally, I wouldn’t worry about trying to release this code, but since it was such a pain for me to figure out (like the UT3 Server setup), I’m sure it’s a pain for others to figure out as well.

The code creates a secure-authenticated session to Google Accounts, and then requests the data from a particular cell on a spreadsheet. My code goes one step further though, and posts that data to Twitter – which means it also creates an authenticated POST request via the Twitter API.

“Why do that?’ you ask…Well, if you want to be able to update a spreadsheet from, say an iPhone or other Mobile Browser, Google Docs will not let you. But I’ll explain more in the coming entry. Be looking for that sometime this week (I hope).

Technorati Tags: api, beta, blog, Connect, google, server, site, Technology, ThePizzy, twitter, ut3

There will also be some integration to popular social sites right on the My Spot page, like twitter and flickr – community based sites with an API that doesn’t require you to visit their site in order to view content.

Last night, I worked with the twitter.com API and with the RSS reader that I’ve hacked up in PHP, and turned out the twitter stream for the-spot.net’s twitter friends. That will go on the front page of the My Spot page so that everyone on tsn can know what all the other tsn members are twittering about.

The next thing I’m going to be doing with that is working on a way to allow the users to update their twitter status directly from tsn. That’s going to take a bit more work than displaying the feed, but it will be a good challenge.

On the previous version of the site, there was a flickr flash app that showed the new photos from the tsn flickr group. That will be coming back as well.

I’m also going to try to make the User Control Panel more accessible and integrate the Buddy List into the My Spot page so you can see when your favorite posters are online (since the information box at the bottom displays the last X minutes, and not “Currently” online).

I’m still trying to gather new ideas from everyone about what they’d like to see on the page…and I hope to make it modular like that previous My Spot page was so they can just be plugged in to the template based on information in the new database determining whether or not they wish to see that.

if you have any ideas – leave comments, or message me directly.

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Tags: the-spot.net, tsn7, my spot, flickr, twitter, api, programming, hacking, rss, php, tsn, community, integration, mashup

Technorati Tags: api, buddy list, community, database backend, flash, flickr, front page, members, PHP, phpbb, RSS, rss reader, style, template, the-spot.net, tsn.7, twitter