I installed Leopard on my work comp last night. Because I was scarred of php/mysql config from Mark’s post I ended up using Mamp. Just learned of it this morning and installed it, but it’s working pretty nice. One useful thing is it makes it really easy to change your apache directory, so you could test sites out as the root of the webserver without any host file / vhost shenanigans. Also, you can quickly switch between php 4 and 5. I wish it installed as a system pref instead of an app, but still, pretty rad.

I’m boning up on architecture design while I get ready for a big community site we’re making. I learned some new things about MySQL this morning (reading Ben’s “High Performance MySQL” book I thought would be useful to share:

• MySQL will only ever use one index per table per query. Therefore if you have a query that has multiple columns it’s matching in it’s where statement, it only matters that one of them is indexed. And, if I’m correct, you’re better off having the column with the most diversity indexed.
• This sort of follows from the previous, but this where multi column indexes come in handy. To use the book’s example, if you are always SELECTing based on last name and first name, if they are each separate indexes only one will be used. Thus, to fully optimize that SELECT, you’d want to have a multicolumn index over both of them
• If you’re using a UNIQUE column just as a way to not allow duplicate entries in a table, it adds overhead. You may be better of checking for duplicates in your application before INSERTing. This may be an occasion to use InnoDB’s transactions too.

For the past few weeks, Robert and I have been working suuuuper hard on the site http://www.windowslive.com/smile with Wexley School for Girls. The best part was that everything culminated with a super cool live event in NYC, where we built the interface for photo booth kiosks, that snapped people’s photos while they learned about Windows Live. Firstborn and Digital Kitchen did some visual wizardry with the actual photos acquired by the booths, by projecting them onto a huge-ass sphere, and we also sent the photos to the site’s interactive map (check out NYC and LA on the map page).

Overall, it was a really great experience to have one of our site’s launch with an actual event. Typically when we launch a site, the only fan fare it gets is a special launch song from Ben, followed by a few congratulatory emails/phone calls from the client, so it was really special to be able to drum up site traffic the old fashioned way, with some good ol’ mouth talking.

So to help with such activites, Robert and I made the red-eye flight to NYC to lend technical support and finish up the final pieces. Needless to say we spent waaaay too much time holed up in our hotel room working (this is what kept us sane), but Robert and I had a blast working hard, screwing around and hitting the city late at night since we never got off of west coast time. It was my first time in NYC, so I especially had a good time.

I shot a bunch of photos you can view here.

This whole trip definitely has me thinking more about ‘launch events’ and the sort of fun, viral and ‘earned media’ type of stuff we could be doing when we launch sites. I think we’re missing some definite great publicity stunts that could coincide with the sites, especially for our clients with deep pockets and senses of humor. I think the difficulty is actually digging into those deep pockets, and showing that planning an event shouldn’t actually come out of the web budget, but out of the overall marketing budget. Web is already so under-budgeted, I think having to ask a client to shave off a bunch of cheese for a ground event would be pushing it.

This is the same conversation we sometimes have when explaining to a client that keyword/search engine buys should really fall out of their media budgets, and not their web ones. But I don’t have to tell you that there’s a definite shift in marketing priorities going on, I think that’s abundantly clear to any web user who sees that every company and their mom has a MySpace, a Facebook and a ‘minisite’ of their own as they all try to crack the viral code.

Holy cow what a digression!! Anywho, BKWLD Heart NYC.

[From Jason]

I’ve been running Leopard on my laptop for the past week (haven’t put it on my work comp yet) and there is a lot I like, but as usual, there are a number of irritants. One on that list I’ve been able to put to bed. The finder behaves unexpectedly when used with spaces. Or rather, it behaves like it should, but it just feels weird. To be able to manage the finder absolutely, in my case making it available in all spaces, you just need to know where to look for it.

Google has signed a partnership with Gilbarco Veeder-Root gas pumps to help lost drivers find their way. The pumps will feature color screen internet kiosks featuring Google Maps. Drivers will be able to find local landmarks, hotels, restaurants and hospitals, selected by the gas station

Just wanted to share a simple widget that is very handy when developing: http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/developer/cicero.html It simply copies random lines of Lorum Ipsum text.

Why I had to opt-out:

1. I didn’t find out about the contest until it was too late to shave.
2. Everyone in my band has a beard. We play honky tonk. Trust me.
3. Beards are … “looked upon favorably” in my household