LET'S GEEK

I was writing a function to check if a Twitter username exist but when it was time to upload it I realized that my hosting provider did not allow me to use file_get_contents. However, I rewrote the script using cURL instead. Here’s the code:

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If you are one of those who are bothered by an inactive user occupying the username you want then you probably know that Twitter does not automatically remove inactive accounts from their service. Some time ago you could email [email protected] with a request to claim an inactive username and they would remove the account and change yours to it. This is no longer possible since you’re most likely just going to end up with a quote from their inactive username policy.
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This week I’ve been trying out a new tool called Dropbox. It is relatively new but it’s user base has grown rapidly in recent months, making quite a buzz around the net. It features file sharing, folder synchronization and backup.

The idea behind it is to be able to access your files from anywhere. You can start a project at work or school and continue working on it when you get home, without having to transfer it yourself with a USB stick or external hard drive.

The basic membership is free and comes with 2 GB of storage, with the possibility of increasing it by referring people to the site. Paid member subscriptions feature 50 and 100 GB of storage.

My first impression was that it’s so easy to use. Not only because it was ridiculously simple to install and to use but mainly because it gives me full support for every OS I have. Now, this might not usually be your average problem but since I run a multi-boot system on both my stationary and laptop computer it certainly is one for me. Far too many software developers are single minded and only develop for a specific OS. Luckily, Dropbox comes with full support for Windows, Mac and Linux. Which is totally awesome.

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Panoramio Images is a WordPress plugin with the purpose of retrieving images from panoramio.com. For those of you who doesn’t know, Panoramio.com is a geolocation-oriented photo sharing website.

The users of Panoramio contributes with tons of quality images and it really proves itself to be an excellent resource. It comes with a handy API that lets you show panoramio images on your website.

This plugin lets you add a sidebar widget to your posts. It checks for a custom field called “panoramio” and then checks its value for coordinates. Either one coordinate can be supplied or two coordinates for a more accurate area.

Panoramio images is a work in progress and still needs a lot of improvements. If you feel something is missing or if you’ve found a bug, don’t hesitate to contact me.

To download the plugin visit http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/panoramio-images/.

Changelog

1.4
-Fixed some problems when using only one coordinate.
-Fixed some documentation over the code.
-There is a known prolem in the widget admin panel where the interface gets fuzzed up after saving the settings. Shouldn’t create too much trouble thought.

-You can now set how far from the coordinate the plugin retrieves images from.

1.3
-Added AJAX support
-Converted the script into a widget
-Reduced the code
-Fixed some bugs